Albert Vann Explained

Albert Vann
Office1:Member of the New York City Council
from the 36th district
Term Start1:January 1, 2002
Term End1:December 31, 2013
Predecessor1:Annette Robinson
Successor1:Robert Cornegy
Term Start2:January 1, 1975
Term End2:December 31, 2001
Predecessor2:Calvin Williams
Successor2:Annette Robinson
State Assembly2:New York
District2:56th
Birth Date:19 November 1934
Birth Place:New York City, U.S.
Death Place:New York City, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Children:4
Branch:United States Marine Corps
Serviceyears:1952–1955

Albert Vann (November 19, 1934 – July 14, 2022) was an American politician and a member of the New York City Council from Brooklyn, representing the 36th district, which includes parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. He was a Democrat.[1]

Early life and education

Vann was born to Nina (McGlone) Vann and Benjamin Palme on November 19, 1934, in Brooklyn, New York City; his parents had moved there from North Carolina during the Great Migration.[2] [3] He attended Franklin K. Lane High School and was in the United States Marine Corps from 1952 to 1955.[3] After that, he earned a BBA from Toledo University in 1959, and later earned master's degrees from both Yeshiva University (in education), and Long Island University (in guidance counseling).[3] He has served in different capacities as a teacher and administrator in New York public schools over the course of his professional career.

He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[4]

He was one of the founders of Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, and was also one of the founders of the African American Teachers Association. Vann was a past instructor at Vassar College's Urban Center for Black Studies.[5]

Political career

Vann was a member of the New York State Assembly (56th D.) from 1975 to 2001, sitting in the 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, and 194th New York State Legislatures.

Vann exchanged seats with Annette Robinson after the New York City Council enacted a term limit.[6] Vann was elected to the New York City Council in November 2001, and ex-City Councilwoman Robinson was elected to the State Assembly in 2002 to fill the vacancy. Both represented the 36th City Council District, and Vann remained in the City Council until 2013.

In the November 3, 2009 election Vann was challenged by Mark Winston Griffith (Drum Major Institute's executive director), who ran on the Working Families Party ballot line.[7] Vann defeated Griffith and went on to serve until 2013, when term limits prevented him from seeking re-election. He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Robert Cornegy on January 1, 2014.

In response to the police shooting of Sean Bell in 2006, Vann alleged that the incident arose from "institutional racism."[8] He then proceeded to mock the suggestion that African-American New Yorkers living in high-crime neighborhoods should adopt certain behaviors to avoid confrontations with police officers.

On October 23, 2009 Vann voted to extend term limits for the New York City Mayor and the City Council.[9] [10]

Personal life and death

Vann married Mildred Cooke in 1967, and they had four children.[3] He was a resident of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where he died on July 14, 2022, aged 87. An array of political figures memorialized him, including Letitia James, Eric Adams, Adrienne Adams, and Hakeem Jeffries.[11] [12]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Council Member- District: 36, Albert Vann- Democrat . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20070501111225/http://www.nyccouncil.info/constituent/member_details.cfm?con_id=64 . May 1, 2007 . July 16, 2022 . nyccouncil.info.
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=CqNWAAAAYAAJ&q=albert+vann+born+1934+brooklyn New York Red Book
  3. Web site: Albert Vann, Who Built a Black Power Base in Brooklyn, Dies at 87. Roberts. Sam. The New York Times. July 20, 2022. July 20, 2022. limited.
  4. Focus: Brother Albert Vann "Forging Coalitions for Community Change" . July 16, 2022 . Sphinx. Alpha Phi Alpha. Spring 1976. 65. 1. 15. en.
  5. Web site: District 36. Robert E. Cornegy Jr.. September 11, 2017.
  6. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/25/nyregion/jostling-for-position-starts-early-in-race-for-council-speaker.html?pagewanted=2 Jostling for Position Starts Early in Race for Council Speaker
  7. News: Fahim . Kareem . November 2, 2009 . Once a Young Turk, Now Challenged by One . en-US . The New York Times . July 16, 2022 . 0362-4331.
  8. Web site: CIty Pols Vent Their Race Rage. September 29, 2007. September 11, 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070929155150/http://www.nypost.com/seven/11302006/news/regionalnews/city_pols_vent_their_race_rage_regionalnews_frankie_edozien.htm. September 29, 2007.
  9. Web site: Chung . Jen . October 23, 2008 . Hello, Mayor Bloombergforever: City Council Votes to Pass Term Limits Extension, 29-22 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20100114175254/http://gothamist.com/2008/10/23/city_council_votes_to.php . January 14, 2010 . July 16, 2022 . Gothamist . en.
  10. http://www.brooklynron.com/2009/09/mark-winston-griffith-wins-key-last-minute-endorsements-of-rev-sharpton-and-ny-daily-news.html Mark Winston Griffith Wins Key Last Minute Endorsements, of Rev. Sharpton and NY Daily News
  11. Web site: Sommerfeldt . Chris . Greene . Leonard . July 15, 2022 . Albert Vann, longtime N.Y. Assembly, NYC Council member and mentor to Black politicians, dead at 87 . July 16, 2022 . New York Daily News.
  12. Web site: Cuza . Bobby . July 15, 2022 . Albert Vann, a towering figure in Brooklyn politics, dies at 87 . July 16, 2022 . www.ny1.com . en.