6/12/2023 0 Comments Dexture abraham![]() After graduation, DeMond studied theology at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and became pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. As a yearly event, it visually shows students, staff, faculty and the community that commitment.”Īs important as memorializing DeMond’s time in Cortland will be remembering him as a talented, ambitious man whose accomplishments reached far beyond New York state. “It highlights the commitment that SUNY has - and that African American students see Cortland as a place they can come to and accomplish their educational goals. “It’s not something that’s just happening now, it’s something that’s been happening for a while,” Lopez-Janove said. She noted that it puts an important focus on the SUNY system’s ongoing goal of racial diversity and inclusiveness. ![]() Lopez-Janove attributed Pittman’s dedication and passion as the main driving force behind the success of DeMond Day. Webb agreed to write a proclamation honoring the day and its importance to the campus. The SUNY Cortland Gospel Choir will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the “Black National Anthem.” Daniel Walker ’06, president of the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, and a representative from State Senator Lea Webb’s office, also will attend. Speakers will include Pittman, Ernest Logan ’73, president emeritus of the American Federation of School Administrators and Cortland College Foundation board member, who will deliver the keynote address, Lorraine Lopez-Janove, SUNY Cortland’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, and College President Erik J. ![]() In future years, DeMond Day will be used to honor other African American alumni. The event honoring DeMond and the official start of SUNY Cortland’s Black History Month celebration begins at 6 p.m. She is enrolled in Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators program, which prepares students committed to teaching in high-needs schools. Pittman, a senior adolescence education: English major from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Student Government Association, and has been treasurer of the Student Alumni Association. “ I wanted to remind everyone of the power this one Black man had and the influence it carried, and hopefully it will inspire more students of color or students in general,” she said. The idea of creating a special DeMond Day was developed and pushed into action by a current student: Tatum Pittman. Du Bois Honor Society was named for DeMond. In 2019, the university’s chapter of the W.E.B. He went on to become a politically active pastor, and delivered an influential address on African American rights from the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., the same church from which Martin Luther King Jr. 1 in what organizers intend to be an annual event.ĭeMond, born in Seneca, N.Y., attended the Cortland Normal School - the institution later to become SUNY Cortland. ![]() © TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS.SUNY Cortland will open Black History Month by formally proclaiming its inaugural Abraham Lincoln DeMond 1889 Day, honoring a groundbreaking graduate and enshrining his legacy to the university and the United States.ĭeMond, who became Cortland’s first African American alum at a time when prejudicial policies and segregation were enforced across much of the United States, will be honored on campus on Feb.
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