Herman Carl McCall is an American politician of the Democratic Party. A former New York State Comptroller and New York State Senator, McCall was the Democratic candidate for Governor of New York in 2002. McCall was the first African-American to be elected New York State Comptroller. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and is on the board of directors of several corporations. From October 17, 2011, until his retirement on June 30, 2019, McCall was chairman of the State University of New York Board of Trustees.
Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. Central State University, also in Wilberforce, Ohio, began as a department of Wilberforce University. The college was founded in 1856 to provide classical education and teacher training for black youth. It was named for the English statesman William Wilberforce, who achieved the end of the slave trade in the British Empire.
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is popular for a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis, St Albans, and Cambria Heights to the east; South Jamaica, Rochdale Village, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Springfield Gardens to the south; Laurelton and Rosedale to the southeast; Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, and Aqueduct Racetrack to the west and southwest; Briarwood to the northwest; and Kew Gardens Hills, Jamaica Hills, and Jamaica Estates to the north.
Robert Anderson Van Wyck was the first mayor of New York City after the consolidation of the five boroughs into the City of Greater New York in 1898.
Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park and Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack located within New York City limits. Its racing meets are usually from late October/early November through April. The racetrack is located adjacent to a casino called Resorts World New York City.
Merrick Road is an east–west urban arterial in Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties in New York, United States. It is known as Merrick Boulevard or Floyd H. Flake Boulevard in Queens, within New York City.
William Francis Sheehan was an American lawyer and politician from New York. A Democrat, he was most notable for serving as the speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1891 and the lieutenant governor of New York from 1892 to 1894.
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer, who resigned, and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first legally blind person to be sworn in as governor of a U.S. state, and the first African-American governor of New York.
Robert Abrams is an American attorney and politician. He served as the attorney general of New York from 1979 to 1993 and was the Democratic nominee for the 1992 United States Senate election in New York.
Basil Alexander Paterson was an American labor lawyer and politician. He served in the New York State Senate from 1966 to 1971 and as secretary of state of New York under Governor Hugh Carey from 1979 to 1983. In 1970, Paterson was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York on the Arthur Goldberg ticket. Paterson's son David served as governor from 2008 to 2011.
Alton Ronald Waldon Jr. was an American politician and jurist from New York who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1986 to 1987 in addition to stints in the New York State Assembly from 1983 to 1986 and New York State Senate from 1991 to 2000, as a member of the Democratic Party.
John D. Sabini is the former chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. He was confirmed by the New York State Senate in August 2008 and served until 2013. Sabini had previously been a member of the State Senate, a Democrat, serving from 2003 to 2008, and represented parts of Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and Woodside. He had previously represented much of the same area as a member of New York City Council from 1992 to 2001.
Malcolm Anthony Smith is an American politician from New York who was convicted of public corruption. A Democrat, Smith was a member of the State Senate, representing the 10th district in the New York State Senate from 2000 to 2002 and Senate District 14 from 2003 to 2014. Smith served as New York State Senate Majority Leader in 2009 and served as Temporary President of the New York State Senate from 2009 to 2010; he is the first African-American to hold those leadership positions.
Rory Lancman is an American politician and former member of the New York City Council, representing the 24th district from 2014 until 2020. He is a Democrat.
Eric Ulrich is an American politician from the state of New York. A Republican, Ulrich represented the 32nd district on the New York City Council from 2009 to 2021. In 2022, he served as New York City Buildings Commissioner and as senior advisor to Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams. On September 13, 2023, Ulrich was arrested on 16 felony corruption charges; he pleaded not guilty. He resigned in the midst of the investigations into the Eric Adams administration.
Jay Walder is an American transportation executive. He was the CEO of Hyperloop One, an American transportation technology company. He has been the CEO of Motivate, a bike sharing company, and of the Hong Kong transit company MTR Corporation (MTRC), before resigning from that position in July 2014.
Jason William Mizell, better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the biggest hip hop groups and are credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. Mizell was murdered in his Queens, New York recording studio in 2002.
The Greater Allen Cathedral of New York is an African Methodist Episcopal church located in Jamaica, Queens, New York. The congregation currently has over 24,500 members, making it one of the largest churches in the United States. Its annual budget exceeds $72 million. GAC once operated a 750-student private school, Additionally, the church offers numerous commercial and social service enterprises. Allen holds a number of expansive commercial and residential properties and coordinates a number of subsidiary organizations. GAC has been named one of the nation's most productive religious and urban development institutions, and is one of the Borough of Queens largest employers. The church has been pastored by Floyd Flake and his wife Elaine for nearly five decades. Floyd Flake also served as the president of Wilberforce University-- his alma mater and a former United States Congressman. Flake's wife, M. Elaine Flake was appointed by Bishop Gregory Ingram to serve as senior Pastor when Floyd Flake retired in 2020.
Prospect Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in the Jamaica section of the New York City borough of Queens. It was established in 1668 and known as the "burring plas." The cemetery's original main gate was on Beaver Road which led from Sutphin Boulevard to Jamaica Avenue. The cemetery was generally known as the Presbyterian burial ground and is one of the few remaining Colonial cemeteries in Queens.
Kevin J. Sweeney is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey since 2020.
