Celebrating Incredible Black New Yorkers For Black History Month!
I had the honor of sharing the stories of some extraordinary Black New Yorkers every day this month who have helped shape the history of my home state and the United States of America. Take a look back at all of their amazing life stories.
Sergeant Henry Johnson
Albany’s Sergeant Henry Johnson was a Harlem Hellfighter and World War II hero. He bravely, singlehandedly forced a group of German soldiers to retreat to save a fellow soldier. I fought for him to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor and to rename Fort Johnson for him!
Isabel Sanford
Born in Harlem, Isabel Sanford became a legendary actress. She’s best known for breaking barriers for her role as Louise Jefferson in “All In The Family” and “The Jeffersons.” She became the first Black woman to win the Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.
Alton R. Waldon, Jr.
Alton R. Waldon, Jr. was an Army veteran, New York State Assemblymember, New York State Senator, the first Black U.S. Congressperson from Queens, and a New York Court of Claims Judge.
He was a trailblazer who etched his name in history. His dedication to public service continues to inspire us.
Andrew W. Cooper
Andrew W. Cooper fought for Black New Yorkers. His lawsuit against racial gerrymandering in Brooklyn got the 12th District redrawn, and Shirley Chisholm went on to run for and win the seat! As co-founder and publisher of the Brooklyn newspaper The City Sun, he focused on issues facing Black New Yorkers.
Dr. May Edward Chinn
Dr. May Edward Chinn was the first Black woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical College. As hospitals would not grant Black physicians residencies or admitting privileges, she set up a private practice to help provide care for Black patients and more.
Harry Belafonte
We celebrate the life of Harry Belafonte.
Harry Belafonte was a World War II Navy veteran, a cultural icon, and a civil rights leader.
Born in Harlem to West Indian parents, he helped make calypso music popular in the U.S. He acted in film and on stage. He helped fund and support civil rights work and was close to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Gwen Ifill
Born in Queens and living in Buffalo and across New York — Gwen Ifill was the first Black woman to host a national political talkshow in “Washington Week in Review.” She co-hosted PBS NewsHour, moderated debates, and paved the way for future generations of journalists.
George K. Arthur
George K. Arthur was an incredible voice for Black New Yorkers and the people of Western New York. He was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that fought to desegregate Buffalo schools, President of the Buffalo Common Council, and a mentor to generations of local community leaders.
Clarence “Fats” Jenkins
A Harlem-born sports icon, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins played in both the segregated basketball and baseball professional leagues. He was long the captain of the first Black-owned, all-Black professional basketball team — the powerhouse New York Rens.
Milton Galamison
A Presbyterian minister in Brooklyn — Milton Galamison worked for the integration of New York City schools. He was elected chair of the NAACP Brooklyn branch education committee, began the NAACP Parents’ Workshop for Equality in New York City Schools, and led New York City school boycotts pushing for immediate desegregation.
Dr. Marie Maynard Daly
Dr. Marie Maynard Daly was a researcher, educator, and biochemist.
Earning her doctorate from Columbia University in 1947, Queens native Dr. Marie Maynard Daly became the first Black woman in the U.S. to obtain a PhD in chemistry. Among other advances, she was the first to find a link between cholesterol and clogged arteries.
Stephen Myers
We remember the life of Albany’s Stephen Myers.
Myers was born into slavery, freed at 18, and dedicated himself to abolition.
He was a hero of the Underground Railroad, publisher of abolitionist newspapers, and elected to American League of Colored Laborers’ exec committee — the first union for Black Americans.
Zora Neale Hurston
A prolific writer, an anthropologist who graduated from Barnard College, and a filmmaker, Zora Neale Hurston was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Her works are known for portraying Black American life in the South, especially for voicing Black women’s experience.
Philip Payton Jr.
Real estate entrepreneur Philip Payton Jr. is forever remembered as the “Father of Harlem.” He helped reshape the landscape of Harlem by fighting racial barriers in housing and empowering African Americans to build a community they could call their own.
Bessie Buchanan
Bessie Buchanan started her career on stage and in film. Campaigning for Governor Lehman for U.S. Senate and active in the community in Harlem, she was moved to politics and was elected to the Assembly in 1954. She was the first Black woman in the New York State Legislature and fought for civil rights!
Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller
Harlem’s own Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller was an influential jazz pianist.
He wrote groundbreaking Broadway musicals, appeared in Hollywood films, and performed across America and Europe. His songs “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Honeysuckle Rose” were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway — the legendary jazz bandleader.
Born in Rochester, he turned down law school and the Harlem Globetrotters to follow his music career. His orchestra was based at the Cotton Club in Harlem, and later toured the U.S. He had an iconic scat style and dazzling on-stage performance!
Toni Morrison
February 18, 1931 — the day Toni Morrison was born!
We’re celebrating the pathbreaking life that she lived and her powerful writing about the Black experience in America. She inspired generations of writers, including colleges in New York and more where she taught.
Dr. Alonzo Smythe Yerby
A World War II Army veteran, Dr. Alonzo Smythe Yerby was the first Black Commissioner of New York City Hospitals, where he helped prepare for the Medicare program and work for more federal funding. He continued to incredible roles at the Harvard School of Public Health, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the Uniformed Services University.
Sarah Jane Smith Thompson Garnet
Born in Brooklyn in 1831, Sarah Jane Smith Thompson Garnet was the first Black female principal in the New York City school system. She co-founded the Equal Suffrage League in Brooklyn and fought for voting rights for women. Brooklyn’s P.S. 9 was renamed the Sarah Smith Garnet School for her!
Lena Horne
Born in Brooklyn, Lena Horne kicked off her career at the Cotton Club in Harlem, spoke and performed at the March on Washington, and became the first Black woman to have a Broadway theatre named in her honor.
Lena Horne was a pathbreaking singer, actress, and civil rights activist!
Bob Douglas
Bob Douglas is often called “The Father of Black Professional Basketball.” From 1922–1949, he owned and coached the New York Rens — the first Black-owned, all-Black professional basketball team. In 1972, he became the first Black person inducted as an individual into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Judge Hugh Scott
Judge Hugh Scott, who sadly passed in 2021, was a path-breaking member of New York’s legal community — a graduate of Niagara University, and the University at Buffalo School of Law.
Judge Scott was also the first Black assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, a Buffalo City Court judge, and the first Black federal judge in New York’s Western District.
Stephanie Barber Geter
It was always an honor to work with Stephanie Barber Geter — I was heartbroken by her passing this year. She was a strong Buffalo community leader, incredible advocate for the East Side, and worked hard for resources for those most in need. She fought for a better Buffalo for all.
Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen was an icon of the Harlem Renaissance.
He was an award-winning poet, a noted novelist, a playwright, and a teacher.
Exemplified in his poems “Heritage” and “Yet Do I Marvel,” his work spoke to race and identity and spoke out against injustice in America.
Florynce “Flo” Kennedy
Florynce “Flo” Kennedy fought discrimination to be admitted to Columbia Law School and became one of the first Black women to graduate from the school. She helped found the National Organization for Women, founded the Feminist Party, and worked to successfully legalize abortion in New York!
Herbert Thorpe
We’re mourning the loss of Herbert Thorpe.
Born in Brooklyn, he was one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. He graduated NYU on the GI Bill and worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Rome Air Development Center. And he helped found Rome’s NAACP.
Ruschell Boone
Ruschell Boone was an Emmy-award winning journalist: An incredible Jamaican-born New Yorker, graduate of Harry S Truman High School and Baruch College, reporter and anchor at NY1.
She told amazing stories of New Yorkers, and I was devastated by her passing last year.
Alain Locke
Alain Locke was an influential LGBTQ+ figure, professor, philosopher on race and culture, Harvard graduate, and the first African-American Rhodes Scholar. Locke’s often called the “Dean of the Harlem Renaissance,” and his philosophy shed light on the need to celebrate Black culture, art, and more.
