David N. Dinkins ’56 (1927–2020)
Dinkins, who earned his LL.B. from BLS in 1956, became the first Black mayor of New York City, serving from 1990 to 1993. The BLS Black History Month profile describes..
more »David N. Dinkins ’56 (1927–2020)
Dinkins, who earned his LL.B. from BLS in 1956, became the first Black mayor of New York City, serving from 1990 to 1993. The BLS Black History Month profile describes him as a “trailblazing mayor of New York” who began his public service career in the New York State Assembly (1966) before serving as President of the Board of Elections, City Clerk, and Manhattan Borough President. As mayor, he launched cultural programs including Fashion Week, Restaurant Week, and Broadway on Broadway, oversaw the revitalization of Times Square, and secured a landmark agreement to keep the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in New York for 99 years. His “Safe Streets, Safe City: Cops and Kids” initiative combined community investment with public-safety reforms. A Montford Point Marine and recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, Dinkins later joined the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs as professor and namesake of its Dinkins Leadership Forum.
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