New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

NAACP

The Seligmans, Philip Payton & Harlem’s Black-Jewish Alliance

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Joseph SeligmanAround the time of the Civil War Joseph and Jesse Seligman were the most prominent Jewish businessmen on Wall Street – financiers of the Northern effort in the Civil War and close associates of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.

Every summer in the 1870s they would bring their families with a retinue of servants to stay at the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga Springs, NY among the most prominent resorts in the United States. In 1879 however, the new manager of the hotel, Judge Henry Hitlon, announced a new policy — henceforth no Jewish people would be allowed to stay there. [Read more…] about The Seligmans, Philip Payton & Harlem’s Black-Jewish Alliance

Thurgood Marshall & Rockland County School Desegregation

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crossroads of rockland historyOn the February 2023 Crossroads, host Clare Sheridan revisited the 2011 interview with Dr. Travis Jackson (1934–2021) about his personal memories and his extensive research related to the desegregation of the Hillburn schools and the role that Thurgood Marshall played in this important piece of Rockland County history.

Dr. Travis Jackson was born and raised in Hillburn. He was entering the fourth grade in 1943 when Hillburn families of color and the NAACP worked together to desegregate the Hillburn schools. [Read more…] about Thurgood Marshall & Rockland County School Desegregation

Oneida County Virtual Black History Month Celebration

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NAACP logoThe Utica/Oneida County Branch NAACP are set to celebrate Black History Month 2023 with its annual program hosted by the Oneida County History Center on Saturday, February 4th.

This event will follow the 2023 national theme, Black Resistance, which explores how the fight for justice against discrimination, bodily autonomy, and self-determination in American society. [Read more…] about Oneida County Virtual Black History Month Celebration

Franklin Williams: An Unsung Civil Rights Hero

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Franklin WilliamsLarger-than-life figures such as Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King and, going back further, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Booker T. Washington, functioned as the “celebrities” of the equal rights movement, the public face of the crusade for racial justice.

But outside the spotlight, “bridge figures” such as New Yorker Franklin H. Williams — men and woman unencumbered by the sometimes blinding “star quality” of the Kings and Marshalls while also shunning the divisive tactics of militants such as Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, and Malcolm X — made enormous but often underappreciated contributions. [Read more…] about Franklin Williams: An Unsung Civil Rights Hero

Utica-Oneida Black History Month Celebration

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ASALH Black History Month Bulletin CoverThe Utica/Oneida County Branch NAACP and Oneida County History Center are set to celebrate Black History Month with a virtual program following the national theme The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity, which provides a rich tapestry of images for exploring the African American past and present, on February 27th. [Read more…] about Utica-Oneida Black History Month Celebration

Black Families: Representation, Identity, and Diversity (Virtual Talk)

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ASALH Black History Month Bulletin CoverThe Utica/Oneida County Branch NAACP and the Oneida County History Center are set to celebrate Black History Month with a virtual program, “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity. ” The program provides a rich tapestry of images for exploring the African American past and present.

[Read more…] about Black Families: Representation, Identity, and Diversity (Virtual Talk)

Fred Hazel: Binghamton’s Fighter For Racial Justice

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Fred C HazelAfter moving to Binghamton from the City of New York in 1911, Fred C. Hazel’s civil rights work spurred his biographic inclusion in the 1915 edition of Who’s Who of the Colored Race.

His notable pre-1911 accomplishments included graduating from the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (the Hampton Institute, who boasted Booker T., Washington as an alum), and owning a business, the Hampton Upholstering Company. After the 27-year-old man relocated to the Parlor City, he quickly pursued two ventures that were completed by the middle of 1912. [Read more…] about Fred Hazel: Binghamton’s Fighter For Racial Justice

Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, and Hazel Scott in 1940s Binghamton

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Langston Hughes receiving the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1946 “Whether Binghamton appreciates good music and other cultural programs was a matter of dispute today.” This observation in The Binghamton Press on May 3, 1946 arose when the newspaper interviewed residents about an upcoming music festival.

If the newspaper had conducted the same interview when Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, and Hazel Scott presented their “cultural programs” one year earlier, there would not have been many negative responses. As the Second World War drew to a close, the city welcomed three iconic African American artists. [Read more…] about Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, and Hazel Scott in 1940s Binghamton

NAACP Black History Month Celebration In Utica

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black history bulletinThe Utica/Oneida County Branch NAACP is set to kick off Black History Month 2019 with its annual program at the History Center, set for Saturday, February 2nd, 2019 at 1 pm.

The program will feature guest speakers, music, and a variety of entertainment. This local celebration follows the 2019 national theme, Black Migrations, which emphasizes the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and subsequently to new social realities. [Read more…] about NAACP Black History Month Celebration In Utica