In a speech that showed off his oratorical powers, grasp of history and appreciation of the pain of the sub-prime crisis, Barack Obama mentioned someone we should know more about.
That was Alexander Hamilton, the father of the American financial system whose hard money policies were balanced by the (sometimes hypocritical and racist) populism of Thomas Jefferson.
We can't help but note that the financial crisis of the moment - the sub-prime housing dilemma that was caused by greedy, predatory lenders and their co-conspirators - has been affecting Brooklyn far more than most urban areas in the country.
And the irony must be noted that Brooklyn is also the capital of Caribbean-America, a place that would have (we must believe) occupied a special place in the heart of Alexander Hamilton, who was born on the tiny island of Nevis and lived and prospered on the U.S. mainland as an immigrant.
As we note the importance of understanding history in dealing with this sub-prime mess, New Yorkers and Brooklynites should also be aware that Brooklyn was the home of another native of Nevis, who (like Hamilton) spent time in the New York State legislature and who fought against housing discrimination.
Bertram L. Baker (1898 to 1985) immigrated to Brooklyn, where in 1948 he became the first black person in the borough ever elected to office. Baker [photo, right] represented Bedford-Stuyvesant in the State Assembly for 22 years. In the mid-50s he authored what is considered to be the first law in the nation to outlaw housing discrimination.
[Note: Hamilton - born 1755 and died 1804 - also served in the New York State Assembly.]
[Note further: Baker was a beloved maternal ancestor of ours.]
Point of interest - Hamiltons mother was Black (Mulatto).
Posted by: indigenous afrodescendant | March 27, 2008 at 03:33 PM