Reflecting on my childhood in New Rochelle, New York, during the early 1960s, I realize how significant those years were, both personally and historically. My father, Godfrey Kio Amachree, was the first African Undersecretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 1961 to 1966. During those years, our family lived in a neighborhood on Overlook Drive, which was emblematic of the broader civil rights struggles happening across America.
New Rochelle was known as the “Little Rock of the North” due to its contentious battles over school desegregation. The Lincoln School case highlighted the city’s issues with de facto segregation, where school district boundaries were manipulated to maintain racial separation. As a child, I was too young to fully understand what was happening, but I distinctly remember being the only Black child on the school bus during the busing that was meant to integrate schools. We were also the only Black family in our neighborhood, which made us a focal point in the local fight for civil rights.
My father’s position as the most senior Black diplomat in the United States at that time brought civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to our home, alongside top Black entertainers such as Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte. Our house became a gathering place for both civil rights activists and prominent political figures. I remember stories of my father having to fight just to buy our home, a struggle that became a scandal and made the newspapers.
Looking back, I realize how our lives were intertwined with the major social changes of the time. Our presence in a predominantly white neighborhood, and my father’s high-profile position, reflected the broader fight for equality and justice in America. Though I didn’t fully grasp it then, those years in New Rochelle were a pivotal part of the civil rights movement, and I carry those memories with me to this day.
CivilRights #NewRochelle #BlackHistory #Desegregation #UNHistory #ChildhoodMemories #SocialJustice #GodfreyAmachree #LittleRockOfTheNorth
