44 THE QUEENS COURIER • BLACK HISTORY • FEBRUARY 19, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com s black history ADDISLEIGH PARK, A THRIVING TRIBUTE TO BLACK HISTORY IN QUEENS BY SALVATORE LICATA [email protected] @QueensCourier Addisleigh Park, a small portion of St. Albans in southeast Queens, was home to many people who were infl uential to black history. Athletes and musicians such as Jackie Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Louis and Miles Davis once called the small town home. But their acceptance there did not come easy, as it took years to break racial barriers that once kept the neighborhood exclusively white. “I heard of the problems that used to be associated with my neighborhood,” said Phillip Douglas, 74, who moved to Addisleigh Park in 1952 and currently lives there. “But when I moved in, most of the racial problems had passed and more and more black people started to move in.” In the 1940s, Addisleigh Park was mostly owned by white families. Black families started to move into the area but were not allowed to live there due to deed restrictions on houses that prohibited the sale of the property to blacks. These restrictions were later thrown out by the United States Supreme Court, and black families moved into the area at a fast pace. By 1952, Douglas said that the neighborhood was predominately black. Famous people who paved the way for many blacks took up residence there, including Roy Campanella, W.E.B. Du Bois, Eugene Earl Bostic, James Brown and Count Basie, among others. Douglas said he remembers playing outside of his house when he was young and seeing Campanella and Robinson drive by and stop to talk to the children in the neighborhood. He said even though some people and celebrities put themselves on a pedestal, it was the exact opposite for the ones he knew in the neighborhood. “Looking back, I would take conversations with people like Roy Campanella for granted,” said Douglas. “You’d be surprised how normal they actually were even though they were looked upon as so important in society.” He talked about how tight-knit the neighborhood was and still is, a sentiment that Olivia C. Banks, another longtime Addisleigh Park resident, couldn’t agree with more. “Living here with your neighbors is like living with family,” said Banks, 77, who moved to the neighborhood in 1958. “I liked what we had when I was younger but the neighborhood has made some great improvements since.” Andrea Scarborough, president of the Addisleigh Park Civic Association, said holding her position for the past 13 years has been very rewarding. “There’s a mix of professionals, seniors and municipal workers that make the community great,” she said. “The community comes together and the people that live here really care about the neighborhood.” The neighborhood got recognition for being so important to history in 2011, when the city Landmarks Preservation Commission designated it a historic district. In Addisleigh Park, 442 homes became part of the historic district protecting the area from redevelopment. Douglas said he was proud that he was able to see all of this history fi rsthand. “I grew up around some of the greatest talent, even though they didn’t get the recognition they deserved back then,” he said. “It was nice to live here, these were good times in my life. I have great memories.” THE COURIER/Photo by Salvatore Licata House of Eugene Earl Bostic. Douglaston/Little Neck Library’s African American History Lecture & Film Screening Louise Dente, Founder and Executive Producer of Cultural Caravan Productions, Inc. (pictured third from right), and Dr. William Seraile, Professor Emeritus of African and African American Studies at Lehman College, City University of New York (pictured third from left), presented a lecture, film and discussion on the contributions of African Americans to the Industrial Revolution in the United States on February 9th at the Douglaston/Little Neck Community Library. Ms. Dente first gave an overview of Cultural Caravan TV (CCPTV), the weekly public television program devoted to the culture and history of Africa and its diaspora. Dr. Seraile then discussed the inventions of Lewis Howard Latimer, Granville T. Woods and other African Americans who helped to establish U.S. leadership in the Industrial Age. The program concluded with a screening of a 28-minute CCPTV documentary film about Lewis Latimer, as well as a question-and-answer session. The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Douglaston/Little Neck Community Library in conjunction with Cultural Caravan Productions, Inc. The Douglaston/Little Neck Community Library has also created a special collection of books and other materials on local African American history and culture. For more information, contact: Community Library Manager Ron Wan; Assistant Community Library Manager Tina Holinski; or Friends of the Douglaston/Little Neck Community Library’s President Arline Abdalian, 249-01 Northern Boulevard, Little Neck, NY 11363, (718) 225-8414, www.queenslibrary.org/Douglaston ADVERTORIAL Photo: C. Stossel
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