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Past Events

Black History Month: Hezekiah Easter

The Historical Society of Rockland County Invites You to Celebrate Black History Month with

Just Call Me Lucky
The Life of Hezekiah Easter

When: Sunday, February 23, 2020, 1-3 pm
Where: HSRC History Center, 20 Zukor Road, New City
Price: $FREE (books will be available for purchase)

Meet the author of Just Call Me Lucky, a newly published, and overdue, biography of Hezekiah Easter, the first African American elected to public office in Rockland County. In 1965, he won a seat on the Village of Nyack Board of Trustees, then went on to serve as a County Legislator for more than twenty years.

The book, written in the first-person "as told to" style by Elizabeth Vallone of New City, provides a deep look at the fascinating life of a man who achieved a tremendous amount in a period when being Black put him at a disadvatage in US society, which was still evolving, too slowly, from its dark past of slavery.

Ms. Vallone collected the material for the book during a long series of personal interviews with Mr. Easter. Born in the Deep South, he moved with his family to Rockland and spent his adolescence in Nyack before serving overseas in World War II. A man of many talents, most kept private, he built a successful life by being himself all the way through, with no fear or shame. He talks about his service as a "spy" in the US Army; his musical and language abilities; and, most of all, his political skills. A tireless civil rights advocate, his accomplishments inspired other African Americans in the county to enter local politics.

A limited number of copies of Just Call Me Lucky will be available for purchase at the event. The book is also available through Amazon.com. (Please consider using the AmazonSmile option and choosing the Historical Society of Rockland County as the not-for-profit that benefits from your purchase.)

Admission is free. All are welcome!

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