David Norman Dinkins former Mayor of New York

On January 1, 1990, David N. Dinkins was sworn in as the first African American mayor in New York City history. Born in Trenton, New Jersey on October 10, 1927, Dinkins graduated magna cum laude from Howard University with a degree in mathematics and later received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. He served in the Marines in Korea and later married Joyce Burrows, the daughter of Harlem Assemblyman Daniel Burrows. He briefly practiced law in New York City and began his steady ascent in politics.

He served as a district leader, was elected a Harlem state Assemblyman in 1966, served as President of the Board of Elections from 1972-73, and City Clerk from 1975-85, before winning election as Manhattan Borough President in 1985. In 1989, he ran for mayor, defeating Mayor Edward I. Koch to win the Democratic nomination. Dinkins went on to defeat Rudolph W. Giuliani by 47,000 votes, the narrowest electoral margin in New York City history.

Dinkins’ inauguration speech was punctuated with references to oppression, human rights, and the need for equality. He vowed to be “mayor of all the people of New York,” and declared: “We are all foot soldiers on the march to freedom.”

Dinkins helped fulfill his prediction that the “bells of freedom will ring in South Africa” by being a national voice in favor of anti-apartheid sanctions. He fought to have the city divest itself of $500 million worth of pension fund stock invested in companies that do business in South Africa and secured passage of a bill that allowed the city to rate banks on their opposition to apartheid. Among his other accomplishments were creating the office of Special Commissioner of Investigations for schools, creating a system of after hour youth centers called Beacon Schools, and working to create an all civilian police complaint review board.

Known for his reserved public demeanor, Dinkins was sharply criticized for his handling of racial strife in Crown Heights, a boycott of Korean Grocers in Brooklyn and civil unrest in Washington Heights. Dinkins faced a $1.8 billion budget deficit when he entered office which grew to $2.2 billion by the time he left office. The economy remained sluggish throughout his term, preventing the enactment of much of his agenda. He ran for reelection in 1993, but was defeated by Rudolph W. Giuliani. Dinkins still remains active in New York City politics, hosts a weekly radio show, and teaches public affairs at Columbia University.

African American Legends: David N. Dinkins, former Mayor of New York City, Politics Then and Now

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nyc100/html/classroom/hist_info/mayors.html#dinkins