Brooklyn Ron

Sad Story of First Black Graduate of The City College of New York

Written by Brooklyn Ron when he was editor of CUNY Matters, a publication for faculty and staff of The City University of New York.

The Victor Who Became a Victim

For decades now, William Hallett Greene has existed as a distant figure in the history of The City College of New York, with that quality of distance pertaining not only to the passing of time, but to the inscrutability of the eyes gracing his comely image in photos taken for his graduation more than a century ago.

They were eyes that suggested a certain tenacity, even as they conveyed a sadness that was perhaps appropriate for a man lost in the dustbin of time.

Greene received his bachelor of science degree along with other members of his graduating class, on the evening of June 26, 1884, at the Academy of Music, not far from their beloved City College, then located at Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street.

An article in the following day's New York Times noted the presence of Greene, remarking that he was "the first colored boy who has ever graduated from the college" and that he'd "made a good record" while a student.

"The audience applauded him liberally last night," the Times wrote.

It was a day of triumph for Greene, as it was for other members of his class, who like him were men of great promise, schooled in a strict, classical way of study that left them with feelings of camaraderie and high ambitions.

Known affectionately as "Greeny," Greene was popular and highly respected. He had been voted recording secretary of his class and he was a cabinet member of the literary society known as Phrenocosmia.

But many months of research—including searches of records in the National Archives, old city directories, ancestry.com and old newspaper articles—have led to a conclusion that Greene was, at the moment of his graduation, like a flashing star approaching its apex.

By all accounts uncovered so far, Greene soon fell victim to the racism that was so prevalent in his day, even as he, perhaps, also fell to inner demons that often grip young men, then, as now.

His story could even be called a 19th-century foreshadowing of what today has been termed the Plight of the Black Male.

Creator of U.S. Finance System Was Caribbean-American With Links to Brooklyn

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.]

Al Vann: Read This List. Your Street May be Named After a Slave Holder

We should give thanks to Councilman Al Vann for again raising the issue of the naming of Bedford-Stuyvesant's streets and avenues.

Councilman Vann's office has put together a list of Bed-Stuy's byways, with accompanying brief bios of the historical figures whose names now grace the street signs.

The irony here is that many of the figures were slave holder and slave traders.

Vann acknolwedges having a political as well as historical motive in putting this list together. He still is piqued that the City Council thwarted the wishes of himself and Councilman Charles Barron to have a section of Gates Avenue named after the late black activist Sonny Carson.

And so in making the case that many of Bed-Stuy's street names have, let's say, sullied backgrounds, he's also making the argument that the names should be, in many cases, changed.

In the newsletter that the Councilman sent out to his constituents, listing the streets names and their origins, he also included a list of black "heroes" and "sheroes" who would make honorable replacements.

We took it upon ourselves to add to that latter list the name of the late Bertram L. Baker, who was the first black elected official in Brooklyn (having won a seat to the State Assembly in 1948) and who lived for half a century on Jefferson Avenue and died right in his house there, a house which (in the words of Councilman Barron) is named after "a slave-holding pedophile."

We should also disclose here that Bert Baker was an honored ancestor of ours.

But more on all this later.

For now, those who care about Bed-Stuy should go through the following list of names and bio sketches that we put into a Web format, and find out which historical figures were slave holders, slave traders, anti-slavery heroes, or mere innocent bystanders.

Note: Keep in mind that in recent years the names of some Bed-Stuy streets - and parts of some other streets - have been renamed.

For example, Sumner Avenue was renamed Marcus Garvey Blvd.

We think this was a strange re-naming because Charles Sumner, the 19th century figure after whom the street was originally named, was one of the strongest anti-slavery politicians of his day. Go figure.

Be that as it may, enjoy the research.

Simply click the link just under this sentence, and then find and click the street name you want to investigate.

Paul Moses' Reporting Shows Issue of Displacement Transcends Color

Paul Moses - former city editor of New York Newsday, book writer and now professor at Brooklyn College - has always been drawn to stories about the poor and powerless.

When Brooklyn Ron was doing grunt work of street reporting at Newsday several years back, it was Paul who encouraged him to write extensively about the plight of Mexican immigrants, especially undocumented day laborers in Brooklyn and Queens.

Over the past two years - as Paul worked on a a book about St. Francis of Assisi, organized a new Center for the Study of Brooklyn, and taught his journalism classes - he also wrote reams about the current hot real estate market in Brooklyn, and how it hurts powerless renters, homeowners and business people in the borough, some of whom have been forced to relocate (i.e. been displaced).

One case was that of Herb Engler [photo], who for 36 years owned Penn State Fabricators in Greenpoint, where he and his employees cut discs out of aluminum sheets, making cushions for pile drivers.

Wrote Paul in the Village Voice: "Now, his business is set to meet the wrecking ball, and the promised buffer of aid for factory owners has turned out to be about as solid as a press release."

Then there's the retiree Ann Thompson, forced out of her apartment on Fourth Avenue by a rezoning that some say is designed to turn that wide avenue into a Brooklyn version of Park Avenue, with little or no room for folks like Thompson.

There's also retired police officer Roger Owens, whose life as a homeowner came to a noisy screeching halt because of nearby construction that itself was  allowed by rezoning. Writing of Owens' experience, Paul noted, again in the Voice:

"Such is life in the rezoned world of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, where even the most rooted property owner can wind up homeless on a minute's notice and where longtime tenants, both residents and businesses, are subject to massive rent increases, eviction, and harassment."

Giving us, in yet another article, the hard experiences of the Jaramillo family, Paul says their case proves the borough is being assaulted by "a flood of dangerous construction" and rising rents, which together are displacing black, white, yellow and brown residents.

All of this brings to mind words uttered by Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries several days ago, as he announced the opening of a new "Operation Preserve" to help those facing displacement in neighborhoods near Downtown.

Said Jeffries (in The Brooklyn Paper): “The displacement of low- and moderate-income residents from our community is not a black issue or a white issue, it is all about the color green . . . This must end, and it must end now.” 

Group That Once Shunned Central Brooklyn Opens Bed-Stuy Exhibit

The Brooklyn Historical Society has opened an exhibit on the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

The Society's collection has copious photos and 27 oral histories that take visitors and listeners back to a crucial time in the history of the borough and of the borough's very special community known affectionately as Bed-Stuy.

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation was born in the late '60s as Central Brooklyn was suffering the ravages of the era, with manifestations that were political, economic and psychological.

The U.S. Senator of legend, Robert Kennedy, was a key figure in the founding of that organization, which still toils in the Bed-Stuy vineyard, and RFK's role was discussed, and put into perspective, at an opening event recently. (see Daily News article.)

Curiously, one of those involved early on with the Bed-Stuy Restoration Corporation, the late Judge Thomas Russell Jones, used to complain vociferously about the Brooklyn Historical Society and its alleged lack of attention and interest in things having to do with blacks or Central Brooklyn.

The Society, which dates back to the 1800s, changed its name from the Long Island Historical Society fairly recently (okay, recently in an historical sense), the earlier nomen being perhaps a reflection of its distance in time and tastes.

But, yes, things do change, mercifully; and the Society with its wonderful resources is contributing these days to discussions of this great borough's past and, by extension, its present and future.

The Daily News article on the exhibit says: "The walls . . . are filled with photos of a youth, smiling RFK. In one photo of (the late U.S. Senator Jacob) Javits, he and a small boy with a huge afro are strolling along a tree-lined street."

(The Society's web site indicates that the opening event was Feb. 28th, but does not seem to say how long the exhibit will last.)

In any event, go and enjoy. Think and ask questions.