Podcasts

Crossroads of Rockland History: Black History Month

2023-02 Crossroads - Travis
02/20/23

Tune in to the next episode of Crossroads of Rockland History on

Monday, February 20, 2023, 9:30 am, on WRCR AM1700

We'll recognize February as Black History Month. Host Clare Sheridan revisits her 2011 interview with Dr. Travis Jackson (1934–2021) about his personal memories and his extensive research related to the desegregation of the Hillburn schools and the role that Thurgood Marshall played in this important piece of Rockland history.

To read Dr. Jackson’s article "Mr. Marshall Comes to Hillburn," visit our archived issue of South of the Mountains (vol.47, no. 1, 2003) at https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/hsrc/id/4450/rec/1.

About Dr. Travis Jackson: Dr. Travis Jackson was born and raised in Hillburn. He was entering the fourth grade in 1943 when Hillburn families of color and the NAACP worked together to desegregate the Hillburn schools. The experience shaped young Travis. "I had an early understanding of what segregation does to people," he said in a 2004 interview. "I knew what it felt like, and that's why I became an educator." As an educator, Dr. Jackson was the first African American to teach at Suffern High School. He later became an administrator in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Dr. Jackson was a critical contributor to the quadracentennial celebrations in the county with key leadership roles in both the Tappan Zee Bridge with the Historical Society of Rockland County and the Mighty River Project with the African-American Historical Society of Rockland County, Rockland Community College, and the CEJJES Institute. Other awards he received include the Distinguished Alumnus at SUNY Cortland, Suffern High School Alumnus of the Year, the Ashby Award, which is the highest award that a Ridgewood teacher or administrator can receive. He was a member of the Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame, and the recipient of the Margaret and John Zehner Award for historic preservation at the County Executive Historic Preservation Merit Awards.

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Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Jeff and Will morning show, on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month.  If you are not local and you want to listen to the broadcast, simply download the TuneIn Radio App and search for WRCR.  After the broadcast, the program will be available as a podcast on all major podcast platforms.  Check out many of our recorded broadcasts on all major podcast platforms. The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York. www.RocklandHistory.org


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