Birthday Greetings to The Chairman Percy Sutton
🍾Percy Sutton, born November 24, 1920 in San Antonio, Texas, was a notable lawyer, politician, a member of the New York State Assembly (1965-1966) and Borough President of Manhattan (1966-1977), civil rights activist and entrepreneur.
In the 1960s, Mr. Sutton was arrested in Mississippi and Alabama as a participant in the Freedom Rider movement; in 1983, he cofounded Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, a media conglomerate. His company bought and managed radio station WLIB-AM — NYC’s first Black-owned radio station. Inner City bought and renovated the beloved Apollo Theatre.
Mr. Sutton came from a large family — 14 brothers and sisters. His father, Samuel Johnson (“S.J.”) Sutton, was born into slavery. Folloing the end of slavery, his father became a teacher and business owner.
One would be remised not to mention Mr. Sutton’s prominent Harlem political associates — together they were known as the Gang of Four — David N. Dinkins, New York’s first black mayor; U.S. Representative Charles B. Rangel; and Basil A. Paterson, a New York State Senator and New York State’s Secretary of State.
Mr. Sutton, as a preteen, came to New York City and within a few years became an Eagle Scout. After studying at both Tuskegee Institute and Hampton Institute, he enlisted in the Army during World War II. He was one of at the aviators who flew with the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. He earned his law degree at Brooklyn Law School, he earned a reputation as a powerful civil rights advocate. At various times, he represented Malcolm X and wife Betty Shabazz.
In 1987, Mr. Sutton received the prestigious Spingarn Award from the NAACP and in 1992, the Candace Award from the National Coalition From 100 Black Women. He was a life member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternal organization. He was instrumental in launching the Harlem 5K Run. It has been, subsequently, renamed in his honor Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run. It is an annual event that takes place during Harlem Week.
Percy Sutton was a special man who knew, loved and respected his people in every action that he made. His legacy will always be a pillar of strength for many of us to follow. In 2010, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg honored Mr. Sutton by naming a school complex in Harlem — located on Edgecombe Avenue, just north of 135th Street — the Percy Ellis Sutton Educational Complex.
John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons