22 • March 10, 2022 - March 16, 2022
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
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On March 22, the indomitable Dorothy Burnham turns 107 years young By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
bados. She attended Girls’ High School before matriculating at Brooklyn College
Women’s History Month Dorothy Burnham would be hardpressed to find a more representative role model for the celebration than Dorothy Burnham. Along with her exceptional longevity— she will turn 107 on March 22—her vita is stocked with achievements, particularly as a civil and human rights activist, an educator, and a companion of the highly esteemed Louis Burnham. Ordinarily this column is devoted to where she majored in biolothose who have gone on to gy. “When I graduated it was glory, but there are times— the Depression, so there were and I’ve been reminded of no jobs,” she said. this point by my colleague It was during this period Joseph Washington, who has when the Scottsboro Boys been unstinting in his efforts case was a headline story that to honor Ms. Burnham—that she became involved in the there are a few we need to fight for justice. Meanwhile, salute before they make their her future husband, Louis, transition. And I certainly was a dedicated member agree with Mr. Washington, of several political formaand let me illuminate again tions including the Southher many years with us. Con- ern Negro Youth Congress sider: she has lived to witness (SNYC), which eventuated the administrations of every in the couple’s move to Birpresident since Woodrow mingham, Alabama in 1941. Wilson in 1913, four major For nearly a decade they world wars, momentous oc- were prominent activists in casions in Black history, and the movement, in close assotwo pandemics. ciation with James and Esther In an autobiographical Jackson, she told the Histordraft, shared with me by Mr. yMakers Digital Archive, as Washington, Dorothy wrote they struggled to initiate that she was born in Brook- equal pay for workers, to inlyn to Aletha Dowridge and tegrate public transportation Frederick Challenor, both im- systems and public institumigrants from Bar- tions as well as numerous sit-ins. When the SNYC’s
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office closed, she returned to Brooklyn and worked as a laboratory technician in New
York City area hospitals. By this time she had a degree in microbiology and later joined the faculty at Hostos Community College and also taught biology, bioethics, and health sciences in the adult education program at Empire State University, in the CUNY system. Despite this workload, she found time to be actively involved in the New York State Teachers Union. None of these important endeavors interfered with her research and writing, including her membership on the board of “Freedomways” journal, where her articles often appeared in publication. “Children of the Slave Community in the U.S.,” was one such essay she penned in 1979 in a salute to the International Year of the Child. All the hardships the children endured they man-
aged to survive, she wrote, “and most importantly of all, they were able to maintain the bonds of friendship and community which helped the children to survive and develop.” At no point should we lose sight of Dorothy as the mother of four children— Claudia, Margaret, Linda and Charles—all of whom have made their mark, following successfully in the legacies left by their parents. In 1960, following the sudden death of her husband who died as he was delivering a speech during Negro History Month, she became both breadwinner and homemaker, without ever quitting her role as a champion for equal rights. In a tribute to her on her 75th birthday in 1990, she was hailed by dignitaries from the world over, and many of them agreed with her children that Dorothy’s most “remarkable quality is her refusal to permit the customary boundaries to limit her experience of life.” The tribute to her included an expansive note of appreciation from her children, now safely secure in their professions: “…You chose not only to travel in the second half of [your] life but also to embark on a new creative endeavor.” As a painter, they cited that she “sought to capture the stark and richly vivid images of her travels” as well as the ordinary life that vibrated around her in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. On that occasion, the eminent author and a product herself of a notable family, Louise Patterson, observed of Dorothy, “You give us the fortitude to follow.” And we are sure that on March 22 we will hear once more a chorus of celebration for a long life well lived.
ACTIVITIES FIND OUT MORE Those interested in her biography should spend time with her children and then contact any number of the remaining freedom fighters with memories of her. DISCUSSION No mention was made of her affiliation with the Communist Party but that should be an inevitable association given their shared commitment to equal rights and justice. PLACE IN CONTEXT She is still with us so her context continues to grow, becoming more expansive with each year.
THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY March 6, 1857: The Dred Scott decision by the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Black Americans had no rights as citizens. March 9 or 10, 1913: Harriet Tubman, one of the most formidable abolitionists, died in Auburn, New York. March 11, 1789: Benjamin Banneker began helping in drafting the layout of Washington, D.C.
