Dorothy Goosby: Creating her own rules on How to Lead

For this podcast I had the amazing opportunity to interview Senior Councilwoman of the Town of Hempstead, New York, Dorothy Goosby. Goosby was elected to the Town Board on November
2, 1999 and was one of the first Democrats elected since 1905. She is the first and only African American on the board and the only woman on the board as well.

Goosby’s career started in 1988 when she was a part of a class action lawsuit against the Town of Hempstead charging that the Town’s at large voting system for the Town Board discriminated against the minority community. In 1997, a federal judge agreed and ruled that the Town of Hempstead’s method of voting-at-large was discriminatory and violated the Voting Rights Act. After that, the people of the District 1 wanted her to run for town board and she did and won in 1999. Senior Councilwoman Goosby is a Past President of the Association Of Towns of the State of New York and she serves on the Executive Committee and the Rules and Resolutions Committee for the organization. y, she is most recognized for her on-going community efforts in Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead. She has initiated community meetings and Town Board evening meetings that provide access and opportunity for more residents to participate in government than ever before. She has intervened in areas that have resulted in a better life for many. These include repair and renovation of streets that were long neglected, parks that were in total disrepair, vacant lots that were littered and street lights that did not function properly, just to name a few. It is her belief that her election by the people is a mandate to provide equitable representation to all of the residents and that she has a responsibility to make a difference when it is possible and where it is needed. She helped create and sponsor many programs for minorities and women throughout the town of Hempstead and in the greater Nassau County.

I was very excited to interview her for a number of reasons. My father immigrated to New York from Nigeria in 1986 and my mom in 1997, and they have known Goosby since she became councilwoman in 1999. My Grandmother, who is known as “Queen Mother” in Nigeria and in the United States, told me about the time she was having a Nigerian Customs event in Hempstead and there was a group of people trying to shut it down, but Mrs. Goosby, made sure the event stayed open because “they are as much a part of the community as we are”. Throughout the interview I learned how she has been such a compassionate yet assertive leader in the community of Hempstead. I learned a bit about her late husband who was also community activist.

We talked for a little over an hour, but I only included about 50 minutes of the recording and I think that this interview really captured the essence of who she is a person and a leader.

Bibliography:

Dorothy L. Goosby1st District Council Member. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2020, from https://hempsteadny.gov/council-members/goosby

Our Campaigns: Dorothy Goosby. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2020, from https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=90073

Adlerstein, D. (2020, March 05). Goosby honored by her New York ‘hometown’. Retrieved December 15, 2020, from https://www.apalachtimes.com/news/20200305/goosby-honored-by-her-new-york-hometown

Music: Created by Me

Photo: https://nassaucountydems.ngpvanhost.com/elected-officials/hon-dorothy-goosby-0