A History of African-American Elected Officials in New York

• In Event: Race and Urban Politics

Abstract

New York has produced elected officials on almost every level of city and state government, with mayors throughout the state and African American leaders in Albany. To date, no comprehensive history of African American electoral leadership in New York has ever been told. There have been autobiographies and biographies of elected officials, but never a political narrative detailing the importance of New York City and New York State elected officials as canaries in the mine for national Black politics.

Similarly, other major cities have long and robust histories of Black elected officials, family dynasties, and generations of African American electoral participation on the local and state-wide levels. For example, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Atlanta are just a few examples. However, what makes New York such an important area of study if its confluence of racial and Black ethnic politics, unique borough politics and coalition building, and negotiations in a city that serves as the economic nucleus of the nation.

Author

• Christina M. Greer, Fordham University