LOST and FOUND Beacon’s Black Community 1850-1930
The Current's Black history series, "Always Present, Never Seen," by Chip Rowe (2022), was excellent; but a hole in their historical narrative needed filling. The result was a researched account of we who were "always present," focusing on Beacon's Black community from 1850 to 1930. This accounting is bolstered by careful study of census records and supported by boyhood memories and observations. Boyhood memories and observations of Beacon’s West End and the village (company town) of Brockway that bookend the historical narrative of that earlier Black community.
Daniel W. Pruitt
Born in South Carolina, Daniel W. Pruitt spent much of his childhood growing up and learning in the greater Beacon, New York area. He attended schools in Brockway, Beacon, and Glenham before graduating from Beacon High School. Following graduation from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Dan undertook additional study to complete a second degree at The New School for Social Research in New York City. He is retired from professional undertakings with IBM and currently resides in Dunedin, Florida.
Leonard Sparks
Leonard Sparks has been reporting for The Current since 2020. The Peekskill resident holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Morgan State University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and previously covered Sullivan County and Newburgh for The Times Herald-Record in Middletown.