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PERCY SUTTON, HARLEM FIXTURE, DIES AT AGE 89

Sutton (3rd from left), and Gang of Four

Percy Sutton, the pioneering civil rights activist, entrepreneur and lawyer recently died at the age of 89. I never personally had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Sutton, but his reputation as an entrepreneur, political power broker and media mogul definitely preceded him. In my mind, "Harlem" and "Percy Sutton" were synonomous. Mr. Sutton became a fixture on Harlem's 125th Street after moving to New York following his service in World War II as a Tuskeegee Airman. He founded his Harlem office in 1953 where he represented, amongst others, Malcolm X and his family for decades.

Background

Sutton was born in San Antonio, TX and was the last of 15 children. Both of his parents were educators. Sutton attended Prairie View A&M University, Tuskeegee Institute, and Hampton Institute. He received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Sutton dominated Harlem politics for over near three decades. He was a member of the so-called "Harlem Gang of Four", which included Congressman Charles Rangel, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, and former New York Secretary of State Basel Paterson. He served in the New York State Assembly before taking over as Manhattan borough president in 1966, becoming the highest-ranking black elected official in the state. He served in that post until 1977 when he ran for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York that ended with Congressman Ed Koch defeating six other competitors.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

In 1971 Mr. Sutton co-founded the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation which also purchased WLIB-AM, making it the first black-owned radio station in New York City. Inner City Broadcasting Corporation eventually acquired WBLS-FM, which was New York's top radio station for years, as well as stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit and San Antonio. In addition to his radio station holdings, Sutton also headed a group which owned The Amsterdam News, the second largest black newspaper in the country. He also made headlines for his $250,000 purchase of the Apollo Theatre, a fixture in Harlem, and its eventual revitalization.

What may be lesser known are the careers he helped launched and the people he mentored over the years. For instance, he served as a political mentor to Jesse Jackson during his two presidential campaigns, and countless others. "He never stopped building bridges and laying the groundwork", Jackson recently said. In a statement released by Governor David Paterson, Paterson stated that "Percy was fiercely loyal, compassionate and a truly kind spirit soul. He will be missed but his legacy lives on through the next generations of African-Americans he inspired to pursue and fulfill their dreams and ambitions." Mr. Sutton was the recently the subject of a documentary on The Gang of Four which is currently in the works. A "teaser" of the documentary film is below.

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