(MINEOLA, N.Y.) – In commemoration of Black History Month in America, Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages (D – Valley Stream) joined his colleagues on Monday, Feb. 24 in honoring Town of Hempstead Deputy Supervisor Dorothy Goosby as a trailblazing leader whose advocacy transformed local government in the Town of Hempstead and across Long Island.
In 1988, Goosby sued the Town of Hempstead, arguing that its at-large voting system for electing town council members discriminated against African Americans and other minority groups who comprised a smaller percentage of the town’s population. She won her lawsuit in 1997, leading to the implementation of council districts in 2000. However, prior to the change, Goosby ran for Town Council in 1999 under the at-large system she fought to dismantle – and she won.
“The Deputy Supervisor is a trailblazer not just in the Town of Hempstead, but all across Nassau County,” Legislator Solages said. “As a civil rights advocate and an elected official, she has served tirelessly and given so much of herself to uplift our families. What she has accomplished cannot be adequately defined in just one presentation, and we are all thankful for her service and her contributions to our communities.”
PHOTO CREDITS – Photos by Peter M. Budraitis