Making Black History Year Round
by Abigail Knowles Wolfe and Bernadette Morris (BPRW)
David Paterson, who won election in 2006, held the distinction of serving as the first Black Lt. Governor for the state, and will become New York’s first African American Governor, amid the resignation of Governor Elliot Spitzer. Additionally, Paterson is the first legally blind governor in U.S. history.
Paterson is among a distinguished and elite list of extraordinary people of color that strive to make Black History year round. He is the fourth African American governor in the nation’s history. Amongst his predecessors are Deval Patrick, who won the title of Massachusetts’ first black governor in a landslide victory in 2006; L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, the nation’s first elected black governor in 1990; and P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana, who served as acting governor in 1872 while the sitting governor was going through the process of impeachment.
Governor Paterson is not only an individual who has overcome great physical challenges in his lifetime, an infection during infancy left him without vision in his left eye and with very limited vision in his right, he has been responsible for leading his administration’s policy in areas such as alternative energy, the fight against domestic violence and the affirmative role of minority and female-owned businesses.
Governor Paterson, is also nationally recognized as a leading advocate for the visually and physically impaired. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Hofstra Law School. In addition, Mr. Paterson currently serves as an adjunct professor at Columbia’s School for International and Public Affairs.
David Paterson lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle, and their two children, Ashley and Alex. He is the son of Basil Paterson, the first non-white secretary of state of New York and the first African-American vice-chair of the national Democratic Party.
Paterson is a breath of fresh air in a nation hungry for change, starving for integrity and ready for a progressive thinker capable of navigating a less than picture-perfect terrain. The nation at large, in addition to the state of New York, smiles at the prospect of David Paterson at the helm of the state of New York. In addition, Black PR Wire and Black Digital Network salutes this prolific leader of our time.
