February Is Black History Month

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

February Is Black History Month February is Black History Month. It is a time to celebrate the important roles African- Americans have played in the development of the United States. In celebration of Black History Month, the Village of Suffern will be highlighting and recognizing the achievements of African-Americans from the great state of New York. In 2019, for the first time in history, the New York state Legislature was led by two African- Americans – Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart- Cousins. That fact qualifies 2019 as a landmark year, but black lawmakers have been trailblazing both city and state politics. In 1917, Edward A. Johnson was the first African-American elected to the New York state Legislature. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was the first African-American man elected to New York City Council in 1941. He later became the first black man to represent New York in Congress, joining the U.S. House of Representatives in 1945 and ultimately serving 12 terms. New York’s first black state senator, Julius Archibald, was elected in 1952, and as a trailblazer, introduced and pushed for civil rights legislation. Constance Baker Motley’s life was filled with firsts: the first black woman to be elected to the state Senate in 1964, the first woman to serve as Manhattan borough president, and finally, the first black woman to serve as a federal court judge in 1966. Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American woman to be elected to Congress, serving New York’s 12th Congressional District in Brooklyn for seven consecutive terms and was the first black woman to seek the presidential nomination from a major political party in 1972. Mary Pinkett became the first black woman elected to New York City Council in 1974 – serving the people of Brooklyn in that role until 2001. David Dinkins made history as New York City’s first black mayor back in 1990, and David Paterson, became New York’s first black governor, when he succeeded Eliot Spitzer and served out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to the end of 2010. The Village of Suffern proudly recognizes our black political pioneers – all of whom have shown that progress has been made and that there is work that’s left to be done. .
Recommended publications
  • Library of Congress Magazine January/February 2018
    INSIDE PLUS A Journey Be Mine, Valentine To Freedom Happy 200th, Mr. Douglass Find Your Roots Voices of Slavery At the Library LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 Building Black History A New View of Tubman LOC.GOV LIBRARY OF CONGRESS MAGAZINE Library of Congress Magazine Vol. 7 No. 1: January/February 2018 Mission of the Library of Congress The Library’s central mission is to provide Congress, the federal government and the American people with a rich, diverse and enduring source of knowledge that can be relied upon to inform, inspire and engage them, and support their intellectual and creative endeavors. Library of Congress Magazine is issued bimonthly by the Office of Communications of the Library of Congress and distributed free of charge to publicly supported libraries and research institutions, donors, academic libraries, learned societies and allied organizations in the United States. Research institutions and educational organizations in other countries may arrange to receive Library of Congress Magazine on an exchange basis by applying in writing to the Library’s Director for Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington DC 20540-4100. LCM is also available on the web at loc.gov/lcm/. All other correspondence should be addressed to the Office of Communications, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington DC 20540-1610. [email protected] loc.gov/lcm ISSN 2169-0855 (print) ISSN 2169-0863 (online) Carla D. Hayden Librarian of Congress Gayle Osterberg Executive Editor Mark Hartsell Editor John H. Sayers Managing Editor Ashley Jones Designer Shawn Miller Photo Editor Contributors Bryonna Head Wendi A.
    [Show full text]
  • Women and the Presidency
    Women and the Presidency By Cynthia Richie Terrell* I. Introduction As six women entered the field of Democratic presidential candidates in 2019, the political media rushed to declare 2020 a new “year of the woman.” In the Washington Post, one political commentator proclaimed that “2020 may be historic for women in more ways than one”1 given that four of these woman presidential candidates were already holding a U.S. Senate seat. A writer for Vox similarly hailed the “unprecedented range of solid women” seeking the nomination and urged Democrats to nominate one of them.2 Politico ran a piece definitively declaring that “2020 will be the year of the woman” and went on to suggest that the “Democratic primary landscape looks to be tilted to another woman presidential nominee.”3 The excited tone projected by the media carried an air of inevitability: after Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, despite receiving 2.8 million more popular votes than her opponent, ever more women were running for the presidency. There is a reason, however, why historical inevitably has not yet been realized. Although Americans have selected a president 58 times, a man has won every one of these contests. Before 2019, a major party’s presidential debates had never featured more than one woman. Progress toward gender balance in politics has moved at a glacial pace. In 1937, seventeen years after passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, Gallup conducted a poll in which Americans were asked whether they would support a woman for president “if she were qualified in every other respect?”4 * Cynthia Richie Terrell is the founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, an organization dedicated to advancing women’s representation and leadership in the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Shirley Chisholm Had Guts Marilyn L
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Journal of Women in Educational Leadership Educational Administration, Department of 1-2005 Shirley Chisholm Had Guts Marilyn L. Grady University of Nebraska-Linoln, [email protected] Barbara LaCost University of Nebraska–Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/jwel Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Grady, Marilyn L. and LaCost, Barbara, "Shirley Chisholm Had Guts" (2005). Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. 138. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/jwel/138 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Administration, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Women in Educational Leadership by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Shirley Chisholm Had Guts Marilyn L. Grady Barbara Y. LaCost We note the passing of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), a 1993 inductee to the National Women's Hall of Fame. Bom in New York, she was the oldest of four daughters. Her father was from British Guiana and her mother was from Barbados. In 1927, she was sent to Barbados to live with her maternal grandmother. She was educated in the British school system until she returned to New York in 1934. She attended Girls High School in Brooklyn, graduated cum laude from Brooklyn College in 1946, and received a masters degree in elementary education from Columbia University. She worked at Mt. Calvary Childcare Center in Harlem, was the director of the Hamilton Madison Child Care Center (1953-1959), and was an educational consultant for the Division of Day Care (1959-1964).
    [Show full text]
  • March Is WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
    March is WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH New York State Senator ROXANNE J. PERSAUD About Women’s History Month Women’s History Month was first They have helped to shape laws, names we recognize, there are recognized nationally in 1981 when changed the course of history, made numerous others we may not, but Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28, which great strides in science, politics, they continue to make life better for authorized and requested the President sports, literature, art and many other everyone. to proclaim the week beginning March 7, areas. They have fought for the right 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Every to vote, go to school, earn wages, One of the key events for the March, New York State joins the nation serve on juries and in the military, advancement of women’s issues was in celebrating Women’s History Month. fought discrimination and continue to the Women’s Suffrage Movement This time is used to acknowledge the effect change. which was born in New York State. The accomplishments and contributions of Movement held its first convention in There are countless women from women in the United States. Seneca Falls on July 19 and 20, 1848. New York State whose efforts are This important event became the key to Women have played an essential part in noteworthy. While there are some empowerment and change. New York and United States history. A few New York women of note... Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) Susan B. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933- ) The second Anthony was a civil rights activist and suffrag- female justice to be confirmed to the ist who campaigned against slavery and for Supreme Court of the United States, Ruth women to be given the right to vote.
    [Show full text]
  • Download The
    Women’s History Month Art Contest In the space provided, draw a picture of a New York woman you admire. March is Women’s History Month NAME: AGE: NAME OF WOMAN PICTURED: Tear off this sheet and send your art to Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein at 213-33 39th Avenue, Suite 238, Bayside, NY 11361. The winningTear pieceoff this will sheet be cover and send art foryour next art year’sto Assemblymember brochure and will at beXXXX, seen XXXXby hundreds, NY XXXXX of students. The winningthroughout piece our will community! be cover art for next year’s brochure and will be seen by hundreds of students throughout our community! Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein 213-33Assemblymember 39th Avenue, Suite 238 • Bayside, NY 11361 FirstName • 718-357-3588 • [email protected] LastName Shirley Chisholm drawn by: Calise, 8th Grade, Marie Curie M.S 158 XXXX • XXXX, NY XXXXX • XXX-XXX-XXXX • [email protected] 1. Suffrage 2. Clinton 4. Senator 5. Yale 5. Senator 4. Clinton 2. Suffrage 1. DOWN: ANSWERS CROSSWORD 1. Seneca Falls 3. Chisholm 4. Sotomayor 6. Walker 7. Tubman 8. Roosevelt 8. Tubman 7. Walker 6. Sotomayor 4. Chisholm 3. Falls Seneca 1. ACROSS: ANSWERS CROSSWORD Honor 8. Empowerment 7. Equality 6. Liberty 5. Ratify 4. Education 3. Falls Seneca 2. Suffrage 1. JUMBLE SOLUTIONS: SOLUTIONS: JUMBLE Updated 1/14 Why is it important to study women’s history? Jumble! Crossword The words below are all scrambled up. After (Answers on back panel) Women’s history isn’t just about women had to fight for their rights, including the first women’s rights convention was held reading about women in New York, can you or for women — it’s an important part of rights to go to school, to own property, to in Seneca Falls on July 19 and 20, 1848.
    [Show full text]
  • Review Essay
    Review Essay The Highest Glass Ceiling: Women’s Quest for the American Presidency. By Ellen Fitzpatrick. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2016. 318 pp. Notes, index. Cloth, $25.95. ISBN: 978-0-674-08893-1. Reviewed by Mary A. Yeager The Highest Glass Ceiling appeared just before the 2016 election. Hillary’s ghost hovers. The U.S. presidency remains a male stronghold with its glass ceiling intact. Fitzpatrick and her publisher undoubtedly saw opportunity in a probable Clinton victory. There is a brief prologue and epilogue about Clinton that bookends the biographies of three other women who competed for the presidency in different eras: Victoria Woodhull, the Equal Rights Party candidate in 1872; Margaret Chase Smith, the 1964 Republican nominee; and Shirley Chisholm, the 1972 Democratic challenger. In selecting these four women out of the two hundred or so other women who have either “sought, been nominated, or received votes for the office of the President,” Fitzpatrick adds an American puzzle to a growing and globalizing stream of research that has tackled the question of gender in political campaigns and in business (p. 5). Why have women been so disadvantaged relative to men as political leaders and top exec- utives, perhaps more so in the democratic market-oriented United States than almost anywhere else in the world? Scholars have begun to examine how women compete for the top executive jobs and the conditions under which they are successful. They have devised contemporary experiments using a variety of decision rules to understand how gender affects women’s and men’s participation in politics.
    [Show full text]
  • December 2020
    African American Experience Infusion Monthly Digest ​ Black Women in Politics November/ December 2020. U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm announcing her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on Jan. 25, 1972. Photo: Thomas J. O'Halloran hhttps://www.rutgers.edu/news/black-women-still-underrepresented-american-politics-show-continued-gai ns by Jon Rehm on November ​ ​ Each month a new topic will be spotlighted in this newsletter. The goal is for each school to have access to a consistent source of information to assist in the infusion of the African American experience. With Sen. Kamala Harris the presumptive Vice President this month’s topic is the African American women in politics. As of the 2018 election, African american women were underrepresented in all areas of politics never having served as governor of a state, comprising 3.6 percent of the members of Congress and 3.7 percent of state legislators nationwide, less than 1 percent of elected executive officials, and of the mayors of the 100 most populous U.S. cities, five are black women (Branson. 2018). Yet African American women should be a force in politics. African american Women vote at a higher percentage than any other gender or racial group (Galofaro and Stafford, 2020). More and more African American Women are running and with base that votes, winning seats across the country. Resources U.S. House of Representatives website- Includes biographies ​ Suffrage for Black Women- video and lesson plan ​ Stacy Abrams- served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007-2017 and ​ minority leader from 2011-2017. In 2018 she became the First African American woman to be the nominee for governor of a state by a major party.
    [Show full text]
  • How the History of Female Presidential Candidates Affects Political Ambition and Engagement Kaycee Babb Boise State University GIRLS JUST WANNA BE PRESIDENT
    Boise State University ScholarWorks History Graduate Projects and Theses Department of History 5-1-2017 Girls Just Wanna Be President: How the History of Female Presidential Candidates Affects Political Ambition and Engagement KayCee Babb Boise State University GIRLS JUST WANNA BE PRESIDENT: HOW THE HISTORY OF FEMALE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AFFECTS POLITICAL AMBITION AND ENGAGEMENT by KayCee Babb A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Historical Research Boise State University May 2017 © 2017 KayCee Babb ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COLLEGE DEFENSE COMMITTEE AND FINAL READING APPROVALS of the thesis submitted by KayCee Babb Thesis Title: Girls Just Wanna Be President: The Impact of the History of Female Presidential Candidates on Political Ambition and Engagement Date of Final Oral Examination: April 13, 2017 The following individuals read and discussed the thesis submitted by student KayCee Babb, and they evaluated her presentation and response to questions during the final oral examination. They found that the student passed the final oral examination. Jill Gill, Ph.D. Chair, Supervisory Committee Jaclyn Kettler, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee Leslie Madsen-Brooks, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee The final reading approval of the thesis was granted by Jill Gill, Ph.D., Chair of the Supervisory Committee. The thesis was approved for the Graduate College by Tammi Vacha-Haase, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Jill Gill from the History Department at Boise State University. Their office door was always open for questions, but more often for the expression of stress and frustration that I had built up during these last two years.
    [Show full text]
  • 8378 HON. SHIRLEY CHISHOLM March 21, 1977 HON. THOMAS A. LUKEN
    8378 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS March 21, 1977 PT boat skipper of Squadron ±7, and saw overwhelming black support on promises to "I've never seen somebody who had been combat in New Britain, New Guinea and New make blacks and other minorities a more as persecuted and harassed as much as she Hebrides as a Commander. He is a member meaningful part of his administration's de- had been and she just refused to be in- of the Doyle Post VFW, past commander of cision-making process than ever before. timidated," said Carl Holman, president of the Joyce Kilmer Post #316 American Legion, But even after 15 years of civil rights ef- the Urban Coalition: AAPHER, MAAPER, MSSPA, Gridiron Club, forts, there are no black elected officials in "She had a kind of inner serenity and sure- BoSox Club, Mass. Baseball Coaches Asso- Fannie Lou Hamer's home town of Ruleville, ness about herself. She didn't scream and ciation, and is the East district director of Miss. And there are no black county super- yell, but she stood up . Some people get physical education. visors in her home county of Sunflower, toughened by the battles and their spirit He now holds the title of phys-ed director where she used to sharecrop 300 to 400 seems to get a little harsh, but not Fannie." for the Boston Public Schools. He married pounds of cotton a day. Her spirit was fundamental to the main Dorothy Barry and has five sons: Tom Jr., a That county, then and now. is majority focus of her life, organizing poor black peo- teacher for the Boston Public Schools, Lt.
    [Show full text]
  • Patsy T. Mink LATE a REPRESENTATIVE from HAWAII ÷
    im Line) Patsy T. Mink LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM HAWAII ÷ MEMORIAL ADDRESSES AND OTHER TRIBUTES HON. PATSY T. MINK ÷z 1927–2002 HON. PATSY T. MINK ÷z 1927–2002 VerDate jan 13 2004 14:15 Jun 15, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6686 Sfmt 6686 C:\DOCS\PRINTED\MINK\82489.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE VerDate jan 13 2004 14:15 Jun 15, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6686 Sfmt 6686 C:\DOCS\PRINTED\MINK\82489.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE (Trim Line) (Trim Line) © Mary Ann Changg Photo/Hawaii Patsy T. Mink VerDate jan 13 2004 14:15 Jun 15, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6687 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\PRINTED\MINK\82489.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE 82489.001 VerDate jan 13 2004 14:15 Jun 15, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6687 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\PRINTED\MINK\82489.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE (Trim Line) (Trim Line) Memorial Addresses and Other Tributes HELD IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES TOGETHER WITH MEMORIAL SERVICES IN HONOR OF PATSY T. MINK Late a Representative from Hawaii One Hundred Seventh Congress Second Session ÷ U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 2003 VerDate jan 13 2004 14:15 Jun 15, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6687 Sfmt 6686 C:\DOCS\PRINTED\MINK\82489.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE (Trim Line) (Trim Line) Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing, Chairman Robert W. Ney VerDate jan 13 2004 14:15 Jun 15, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6687 Sfmt 6687 C:\DOCS\PRINTED\MINK\82489.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE (Trim Line) (Trim Line) CONTENTS Page Proceedings in the House of Representatives: Tributes by Representatives: Abercrombie, Neil, of Hawaii ...............
    [Show full text]
  • Shirley Chisholm
    UCLA National Black Law Journal Title Shirley Chisholm Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2gj8p77s Journal National Black Law Journal, 9(2) ISSN 0896-0194 Author Taylor, Tim Publication Date 1985 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California PROFILES SHIRLEY CHISHOLM Today, Shirley Chisholm's name is recognized around the country. She did not achieve this notori- ety overnight. For years, Ms. Chisholm has fought many tough battles inside and outside of the polit- ical arena. She has committed herself to these nu- merous struggles while teaching young children, and serving as a politician at the state and federal levels. Now, she has returned to the academic world to teach as a college professor. Ms. Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, New York. Brooklyn is the area where she would eventually devote many years of her life educating and politically representing the populace. She also spent several years growing up in the West Indies. Shirley Chisholm's education in New York City included: Girls High School in Brooklyn; a Bachelor of Arts from Brooklyn College with a major in sociology; and a master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Colum- bia University. She also received a teacher certification, and completed a pro- fessional diploma program in Supervision and Administration in Education at Columbia University. Though trained as an educator, Ms. Chisholm admits that early on, she had a strong interest in law and the legal profession. While a career in this field never actually developed, she found herself thrust into the public eye in 1964, when she was elected to the New York State Legislature to represent the Fifty-Fifth Assembly District as a Democrat.
    [Show full text]
  • Black History Month Black History Week Was Started in 1926 by Carter Godwin Woodson and Has Since Evolved Into Black History Month
    Black History Month Black History Week was started in 1926 by Carter Godwin Woodson and has since evolved into Black History Month. African Americans have made signifi cant contributions throughout the history of the United States. Test your knowledge and see how much you know about these political fi rsts. When you are fi nished, unscramble the circled letters to fi nd a phrase that reminds us that black history is vital year-round. (Answers at the bottom) 1. She was the fi rst African American woman elected to Congress. Who was the fi rst African American to be elected to 2. She was the fi rst African American woman ever elected to the the Seattle City Council? Washington State Senate from Pierce County, Washington. (Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives) 3. Born in 1898, he was an actor, concert singer, football player, lawyer, and a Civil Rights activist. 4. He is an American statesman, a retired four-star general and the 65th United States Secretary of State. 5. He served as Mayor of Atlanta, Congressman and United States Ambassador to the United Nations. 6. She was an African American author, activist, Civil Rights leader and the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 7. He was the fi rst African American to be elected to the Seattle City Council in 1967. 8. He was the fi rst African American to dine at the White House. 9. He was the fi rst African American star of a network television drama. 10. He invented the gas mask and the traffi c signal. “ ” Cosby; 10) Garrett Morgan.
    [Show full text]