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In the Classroom Out & About ..........................Pages 8,9
Homer Plessy, a civil rights activist who battled Jim Crow laws
By HERB BOYD
Special to the AmNews
Last week, 130 years after Homer Plessy was ejected from a whites-only train and triggered the “separate but equal” Supreme Court ruling that enshrined him in history, he was finally pardoned. Down across the years the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 symbolized segregation and stood as law until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. But who was Homer Plessy and what happened to him after the historic moment of injustice?
What year he was born and his name and pedigree is a jumble of information. Was he born Homer Adolph Plessy or Homere Patris Plessy in 1862 or 1863? No matter the confusion, he was clearly born a free person of color in a Creole-speaking family. His father, Joseph Adolphe Plessy, was a carpenter and his mother, Rosa Deberegue, was a seamstress. Coming of age during the Reconstruction-era in Louisiana, he attended integrated schools in a society where Black men had the franchise and interracial marriage was legal.
But with the end of Reconstruction, particularly the Hayes-Tilden Electoral College vote and the compromise that brought about the removal of federal troops from the South, many of the privileges enjoyed by Plessy and others no longer existed. Meanwhile, Plessy, like his stepfather, became a shoemaker and was employed at Brito’s shoe-making company in New Orleans. By the 1880s, Plessy joined a number of activists in the fight to restore their civil rights. In 1887, he served as vice president of the 50 person Justice, Protective, Educational, and Social Club, a group dedicated to reforming public education. And in 1892 he was a member of Comite des Citoyens that committed acts of civil disobedience to challenge the state’s Separate Car Act and the separate accommodations for Blacks and whites on trains. On June 7, 1892, he purchased a ticket for the “whites only” first-class section of the train and was soon arrested by a private detective hired by the group.
In a state criminal district court, Judge John Howard Ferguson ruled against Plessy, and thereby upheld the law on the ground that the state had the right to regulate railroads within its borders. Plessy immediately appealed the decision, taking his case to the Supreme Court, which heard the case for four years in 1896, ruling 7-to-1 in favor of Louisiana. In effect, the legal basis of Jim Crow was sanctioned and would be in place until Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954.
As for Plessy after his role in the historic decision, he returned to his profession as a shoemaker, but in the advent of major shoemaking companies his services suffered, forcing him to find a new occupation. Among the menial jobs he took was one as a laborer in a warehouse, then as a clerk, and ultimately as insurance salesman for the People’s Insurance Company. Other than his activism and having his case go before the Supreme Court, his life was not exceptional.
Before his pardoning, other efforts had been made to mark his place in history, including the creation of the Plessy & Ferguson
Foundation of New Orleans that honored him in 2009 with the placing of a historical marker at the site of his arrest in 1892. He died on March 1, 1925 in Metairie, Louisiana and is buried in New Orleans. His wife, Louise, died the same year. They had three children. We offer here the lone dissent to Justice Henry Billings Homer Plessy Brown’s majority decision by Justice John Marshall Harlan: “I am of the opinion that the state of Louisiana is inconsistent with the personal liberty of citizens, white and Black, in that state, and hostile to both the spirit and letter of the constitution of the United States. If laws of like character should be enacted in the several states of the Union, the effect would be in the highest degree mischievous. Slavery, as an institution tolerated by law, would, it is true, have disappeared from our country; but there would remain a power in the states, by sinister legislation, to interfere with the full enjoyment of the blessings of freedom, to regulate civil rights, common to all citizens, upon the basis of race, and to place in a condition of legal inferiority a large body of American citizens, now constituting a part of the political community, called the ‘People of the United States,’ for whom, and by whom through representatives, our government is administered. Such a system is inconsistent with the guaranty given by the constitution to each state of a republican form of government, and may be stricken down by congressional action, or by the courts in the discharge of their solemn duty to maintain the supreme law of the land, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. For the reason stated, I am constrained to withhold my assent from the opinion and judgment of the majority.”
ACTIVITIES
FIND OUT MORE
Books on African American history have at least a footnote or two on his activism, particularly historic institutions in Louisiana.
DISCUSSION
More needs to be said about his early years and the years after he gained notoriety.
PLACE IN CONTEXT
He was born just before the Civil War erupted and lived to see the dawn of the Harlem Renaissance.
THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY
Jan. 12, 1971: The Congressional Black Caucus was founded in the nation’s capital.
Jan. 12, 1890: Famed educator Mordecai Johnson was born in Paris, Tenn. Some dispute this birthdate with it variously being listed as Jan. 4. He died in 1976.
Jan. 14, 1916: Novelist and political activist John O. Killens was born in Macon, Ga. He died in 1987.
we can improve the lives of New Yorkers in a meaningful way for generations to come.”
After roll call, a recitation of the oath of office, and an invocation read by the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral’s the Rev. Elaine Flake, fellow Queens Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers was the first to nominate Adams for the position of speaker. Councilmember Francisco Moya, in Elmhurst’s district, was the last person to nominate her for the role.
According to the pooled press, Adams had 49 affirmative votes out of 51 voting councilmembers. Only two councilmembers were in opposition.
Brownsville’s Councilmember Charles Barron abstained from voting for any candidate and was quoted saying that he hoped the speaker process “would not be led by unions and congress members and would not have members pick someone in exchange for the promise of a certain committee post,” while first-year Harlem Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan voted no against Adams’ nomination.
“We need more than symbolic representation,” said Richardson Jordan about her vote.
When Adams was confirmed as speaker of the city council, she then went on to name Councilmember Diana Ayala in East Harlem as deputy speaker and Brooks-Powers as majority leader. Lastly, Adams named Staten Island’s Councilmember Joseph C. Borelli as minority leader for the GOP. “Our opposition is not personal, I hope you all realize that. It’s not even political. It’s more of a duty to present a different take to the public,” said Borelli.
Adams represents Council District 28 in Queens, which covers the neighborhoods of Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Richmond Hill, and South Ozone Park. For most of her time as council member she passionately served as chair of the Committee on Public Safety.
In her speech at the council meeting, Adams said that shootings have essentially doubled in the last two years with gun violence cropping up in Black and Brown communities in Southeast Queens, Central Brooklyn, and in the South Bronx. She said she is not opposed to police presence, and understands the nuanced issue and the need for “better policing” in which people are protected and treated with respect.
“We have to make sure that New Yorkers are protected. My community wants the police in the community as many others where we see spikes in gun violence,” said Adams in her first interview since being voted in. “I’ve said publicly that I believe that funds and funding for NYPD is mismanaged.”
Adams also added that she firmly disagrees with new Mayor Eric Adams’ position on solitary confinement to punish violent offenders. The speaker bears an obviously similar name to Mayor Adams, but outside of attending the same high school together, they are not related as far as they know, said the city council office.
Adams is set to lead the city council’s first women-member majority and historically most diverse body. The council now has its first two Korean American members, its first Muslim woman member, its first two South Asian American members, the first two openly LGBTQ+ Black women members, and its youngest member in their 20s. Adams’ speaker term will end next year on Dec. 31, 2023.
First year Brooklyn Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse said that she was immensely excited to be a part of such a historic day and paid homage to other female trailblazers that came before Adams.
“While I know the phenomenal woman who we are elect[ing] speaker today hails from Queens, as a Brooklyn girl I wanted to take a moment to salute another queen hailing from the borough of Kings, whose shoulders we stand on,” said Narcisse. “Councilwoman Mary Pinkett, who served in this body from 1974 to 2001, making history as the first Black New York City councilwoman, certainly is smiling down on us today. Councilwoman Pinkett made quite the crack in that proverbial glass ceiling, and we shouldn’t let this historic day fade into history without honoring her legacy.”
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America Corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/fcszwj8w education, and police-community collaboration.”
He also started writing books.
“The Police Are Part of Our Community” is his first children’s book after writing two books detailing his triumphs (“Forward Motion…the Keys to Progress and Success!!”) and his life as a policeman (“The Personal Side of Policing”).
What does he hope that people get out of his children’s book?
“I would love for the book to encourage parents and families to sit down and talk about this book, read the book with their child and then start talking about policing and start talking about what this child needs to know in order to survive,” said Dr. Titus. “I don’t think there’s ever too young an age to have this conversation in this day. Because if we don’t have the conversation with the children, if the parents and the families don’t, they’re going to get the information from the streets and social media, and a lot of that is skewed. So we don’t, we don’t want them getting bad information. That’s going to increase their anger.
“We want them to get good information and good instructions from home so that they can know how to operate out there and get through these interactions safely.”
Invitation to Prequalify and to Bid
Rehabilitation and Flood Mitigation of the New York Aquarium, Brooklyn, NY: Turner Construction Company, an EEO Employer, is currently soliciting bids for the Rehabilitation and Flood Mitigation of the New York Aquarium from subcontractors and vendors for the following bid packages:
BP #055 – Cleaning/Laborer (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #048 – Misc. Metal & Railing (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #043 –Carpentry (Including Temp Shed & HMW) (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #064 – Spray on Fireproofing (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #046 – Paint (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #054 – Pre-Construction Surveying (Report/Pictures) (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #056 – Surveying (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #045 – Masonry (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
Only bids responsive to the entire scope of work will be considered and, to be successful, bidders must be prequalified by Turner. Certified M/WBE and Small Business (13 CFR part 121) companies are encouraged to submit. In order to receive the bid packages, potential bidders either (1) must initiate the prequalification process by submitting a Subcontractor/Vendor Prequalification Statement to Turner, or (2) must be prequalified based on a prior submission to Turner. (Note: Prior prequalification submissions that remain current will be considered as previously submitted or may be updated at this time.) All bidders must be prequalified by the bid deadline: February 7th, 2022 and initial submission of a prequalification statement not later than February 7th, 2022 is strongly encouraged. All bidders must have an acceptable EMR, and will be subject to government regulations such as 44 CFR and Federal Executive Order 11246. Successful bidders will be required to use LCP Tracker compliance verification software. Note that while this is a New York City prevailing wage project, union affiliation is not required for BP #055, #048, #043, #064, #046, #054, #056 and #045. For BP#055 – Union 79 labor force is required. A Webcast about the above Bid Package/s will be held on January 13, 2021. Attendance is optional for all; the Webcast is designed to assist potential M/WBE subcontractors/vendors. Link: Please join this meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetupjoin/19%3ameeting_NWFmNDViZmQtNzNkZi00M2ZhLWIzYjAtMDdhMTM2ZDQ5YTMy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%2 2%3a%2220e27700-b670-4553-a27c-d8e2583b3289%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2281be9e3a-0656-4e94-9245fa214eb20ab2%22%7d Stay current!
