Dear Readers:

You may wonder how this 96-year-old has the chutzpa to believe he can help save life on Planet Earth while struggling to stay alive. Is it because of my genes which my doctor said he wished he had when I recovered this year from my third cancer operation so quickly? Was it because I laughed my way to health or because of these niche-type accomplishments as a lifelong social justice advocate?

· In my memoir "The Color of Time," I tried to assess how five generations of our white and black family dealt with my 1953 inter-racial marriage to Charlotte Cochran, a close friend, confidant, and civil rights activist/model of Martin Luther King, Jr.

· With our two children, we faced outright bigotry and cruelty. As a result, our activism for racial justice became our identity on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.

· I received a B.A. in Sociology in 1951 and an MSW in Social Group Work in 1958. I used non-clinical group work skills in running inner-city community centers. As Program Director of the Washington Houses Community Center, East Harlem, from 1962 to 1976, Black Panthers and Young Lords members attempted to replace my authority. When they learned of my social justice activism, they claimed credit for “revolutionizing me” and left the center.

· During a riot after MLK Jr.’s death, I looked for a violent-prone gang whose members I knew well. When they told me they would turn over a police car, I said I would hate to visit them in prison. The vehicle remained on four wheels.

· In 1980, I co-founded The Neighborhood Self-Help by Older Persons Project and was its CEO and fund-raiser for 16 years. N-SHOPP formed Black and Hispanic senior citizens groups in several areas of the Bronx. Our self-help method became a model for other service centers. When I retired in 1996, the N-SHOPP annual budget was $2 hundred thousand. Under new leadership, N-SHOPP is in its 42nd year with a budget of $2 million.

· Two of my essays were published by The Humanist magazine, "Overcoming a Heritage of Prejudice" and "Why Are So Many Black Americans Killed by the Police?" The online African American magazine Politics 365 published my article, "Challenging Obama's Calmness." The Dialogue of the America Ethical Union included my thoughts on "When Progress is Unethical." The theme was how to design progressive programs to avert a backlash.

As Chair of three social justice activist groups:

1. The Lower East Side Call for Justice, which I led for 20 years, participated in movements that improved the criminal justice system.

And under its letterhead;

· I initiated and conducted a campaign to require police to be unarmed when drinking heavily. It was adopted in major U.S. cities and became a federal law;

· Often with a Black professional co-leader, I conducted 250 workshops with teens, young adults, gays, parents, and community center directors on what to do when stopped by the police. The city-funded my handbook, “Do and Do When Stopped by the Police,” 3 times. The message --- do not take on the police on the street even if provoked. We then provided evidence that non-violent protests succeeded in holding police accountable for abusive behavior.

2. As Chair of a subsidized co-op association and Vice-President of the Board,

· I was credited with unseating members of an autocratic, corrupt Board,

· Provided evidence to a redistricting commission that Chinatown should be expanded miles eastward to cover our co-op. Since then, our district has elected more Chinese-American representatives;

· With information from my fellow residents, I removed car thieves and drug dealers from our co-op and streets.

3. As Chair of the Ethical Action Committee of The New York Society for Ethical Culture (NYSEC),

· I was credited with playing a crucial role in passing Paid Sick Leave, and

· In recognition of my activism, I received the 2010 Community Service Award from NYSEC— my philosophical home.

Abe Markman, MSW

https://abemarkman.substack.com/

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