The Historical Society often runs special fund-raising campaigns, either to make needed improvements at the cottage, to upgrade or further preserve our collections, or to support projects of historical interest in the village. The following are projects that currently need funding.
Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark, residents of Hastings-on-Hudson from 1950 until their deaths in 1983 and 2005, respectively, were important figures in the U.S. civil rights movement. Both were accomplished psychologists, and their famous “doll tests” administered to Black children showed the negative impact of segregation on the children’s self esteem. These results were influential exhibits in the groundbreaking 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka U.S. Supreme Court decision to outlaw racially segregated public schooling across the nation.
Among their other accomplishments, the Clarks established the Northside Center in Harlem, which in 1946 was the only mental health clinic in Harlem serving the Black community (still in operation today); advised governments on racial policies at the city, state and federal levels; and worked closely with prominent activists, artists, politicians, and celebrities of their day to promote civil rights and racial equality. Both Mamie and Kenneth Clark are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.
Within our village, only a single, privately funded plaque outside of the Clarks’ former residence at 17 Pinecrest Drive commemorates their achievements. Similarly, in Westchester County, they are not included on websites about notable Black residents. Given the national importance of the Clarks in shaping U.S. history, we feel strongly that there should be a more significant commemoration to them within our village and our county. It should be widely known and a point of pride that these esteemed researcher-activists chose Hastings as a place to settle, raise a family, and live out their lives. To that end, a group of three Hastings residents initiated the project and became a sub-committee of the Hastings Historical Society. Mayor Armacost and the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson have been very supportive, as have other organizations within our community.
Here are details on the two phases of the project:
Phase 1
In summer of 2023, the Hastings Public Library had a series of discussions, lectures and films about the fascinating people who were connected to the Clarks, many of whom visited the couple’s home in our village. These included James Baldwin, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jackie Robinson. The library also displayed books on the Drs. Clark, their connections to the luminaries of their time, and the impacts of desegregation in the U.S.
In fall of 2023, a portion of Mount Hope Blvd (between the high school and the turnoff on Lefurgy Ave to Hillside Elementary School) was co-named Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark Way. The Village of Hastings-on-Hudson funded the cost of the street signs. The co-naming celebration, attended by over 160 people including many Clark, Phipps and Harris family members, was held at the James V. Harmon Community Center on October 14, 2023.
The Historical Society prepared an exhibit on the Clarks and their accomplishments, which was installed into the display cases in the high school lobby in early September of 2023. These panels provided background on the Clarks to our students prior to the co-naming in October. In conjunction with the co-naming event, Minnijean Brown-Trickey, a member of the Little Rock Nine who lived with the Clarks in 1958-59, spoke to all three schools in our district. The exhibit panels were then moved from the high school into the Observatory Cottage in November, forming the basis of the expanded annual exhibit entitled “The Clark Legacy.” That exhibit will be on display until Friday, October 18, 2024.
Phase 2
This phase, with a target completion date of early 2025, involves the creation, manufacture and installation of permanent outdoor signage related to the Clarks. A total of three signs are planned for the beginning and end of Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark Way – two at the bottom of Mount Hope Blvd on Farragut Ave, and one at the top of the hill at Lefurgy Ave. The first of the two near the high school will contain biographies of Mamie Clark and Kenneth Clark; the second will highlight their work as psychologists and activists, and describe their doll study and its impact on Brown vs. Board of Education. The Lefurgy Ave sign will be a condensed version of the two at Farragut Ave, in language suitable for elementary school students.
The Clark Commemoration Team consists of the following four individuals:
Caitlin Chang
Eddie Crawford
Jen Ito
Natalie Barry
Phase 1 of the Clark Commemoration Project was funded by the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, as well as donations by our members and the community. Phase 2 has been fully funded by the generous gift of the Elliott family, in memory of Bob Elliott. Thank you to all who donated!