Click here to register for the program
Five trailblazing panelists will talk about and answer questions related their battles in integrating Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Moderated by Paul Arfin, author of “Unfinished Business: Social Action in Suburbia”, the program is the first of its kind in highlighting the local Civil Rights actions of many leaders to improve housing, education, health and incomes for African-Americans during the post-war period.
There will be small appetizers. To register for the free program, call the library at 631-654-4700 x220 or online by clicking this link. Walk-ins are welcome entrance the day of the program.
Panelists
Marvin Colson
Vietnam War Veteran and founding director of the Elsie Owens (Coram) Health Center. As an activist, he was on the front lines protesting against inadequate health care, affordable housing, and redlining, the act of denying access to housing due to race.
Dr. Aldustus E. Jordan
Dr. Aldustus E. Jordan is the co-founder of ERASE Racism and has been active for 50 years in developing and implementing programs that provide an educational opportunity for persons in Long Island communities that have been traditionally by-passed due to racism, segregation, and neglect.
Janet Hanson
Janet Hanson, former Executive Director of Suffolk Housing Services, joined with other efforts to seek local Open Housing ordinances in Brookhaven Town and its villages, including Port Jefferson after she moved to that area and discovered the substandard housing conditions and restrictions that African-Americans faced when attempting to buy property outside of identifiable neighborhoods.
Dr. Frances Brisbane
Dr. Frances Brisbane has, since the 1960s, prioritized being at “every march, every meeting” with federal, state, and local officials on issues of social justice, elimination of poverty, education literacy for everyone, and farm workers’ rights. Dr. Brisbane is currently Vice President for Health Sciences and Workforce Diversity at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Click here to register for the program
The mission of the Patchogue-Medford Library is to provide resources and opportunities to empower, educate and entertain the community. As the Central Library for the Suffolk County, this distinction has allowed the library to develop a collection that is known for its depth and has also contributed to the library’s role as a leader in new trends and services.