2021 Upcoming Events
CIVIL RIGHTS ON LONG ISLAND - VIRTUAL EVENT
|
Please join the Oyster Bay Historical Society as we welcome author Christopher Verga as he discusses civil rights on Long Island.
About this Event Long Island has been in the corridors of almost all major turning points of American history, but Long Island has been overlooked as a battleground of the civil rights movement. Since the early colonization of the English settlers in the 17th century, the shadow of slavery has bequeathed a racial caste system that has directly or indirectly been enforced. Relics of this caste system came in the form of a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, to refusing homes in developments such as Levittown to Black people. Local groups within Suffolk County towns fought to break this racial barrier, through Father Divine preaching integration, the Cuban Giants, America’s first black baseball team playing integrated games, to the collective efforts of Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the employment of civil disobedience. Utilized Images from local historical societies and private collections to create a narrative of civil rights challenges and triumphs. These photographed defining moments have become a testament to the future of an increasingly diverse suburb. |