ALUMNI NEWS
Brothers Support the Theodore D. Young Community Center
W hen you follow your pas- sion, you are destined to succeed… Welcome to the Cor- nerstone of Greenburgh!!! Currently, the Town of Greenburgh’s Theodore D. Young Community Center (TDYCC), is a continuing institution serving Greenburgh, NY and surround- ing municipalities located north of New York City, bordering the Hudson River in Westchester County. TDYCC is a multi-purpose facility providing educational, cultural, social, and recre- ational services. TDYCC’s mission “is to increase the potential of Greenburgh residents, their families, and the com- munity to overcome institutional, social, and personal obstacles and to increase their capacity to generate economic, social, and personal resources needed to enhance the quality of their lives.” Two Kappa Men, Hampton Univer- sity graduates, and Greenburgh natives, André G. Early (New Rochelle-White Plains (NY) Alumni 1995) and Terrence V. Jackson (Beta Chi 1988) are leading this important community resource into the 21st century. In fall of 2013, Broth- er Early left his position as Director of Undergraduate and University Affairs for Kappa Alpha Psi® to return home to assume the position of Deputy Com- missioner of the Department of Com- munity Resources. In March of 2016, Brother Early ascended to the office of Commissioner and brought Brother Jackson onto the team as Deputy Com- missioner. While working within the TDYCC facility meant coming home for Brother Early, Brother Jackson never left Greenburgh: “To tell the truth I never left. I have had two other careers in Event Manage- ment, Advertising & Public Relations, as well as higher education all within the Town of Greenburgh. However, return- ing to the Theodore D. Young Com- munity Center and giving back to the
people of my town just like others had done for me… that was an opportunity I
began in 1967 as a youth center located on the corner of Tarrytown Road and Rosemont
Boulevard in the Fairview section of the Town of Greenburgh and has resided at its current location, 32 Manhat- tan Avenue since 1972. Originally
jumped at.”
named the Fairview Greenburgh Com- munity Center, the facility was renamed in 1999 as the Theodore D. Young Com- munity Center after its longtime facility director. TDYCC has impacted the lives of Greenburgh youth of all races for de- cades with wide range of programming and activities such as summer camps, dance classes, leadership workshops, educational programs, and more. Both brothers had personal connec- tions and histories to TDYCC. Brother Jackson reminisced about the impor- tance of the TDYCC growing up in Greenburgh: "As a young child, TDYCC was a place that my grandmother went almost every day, where she had many friends and did so many fun things. It was also a place my father worked with to help raise funds to continue its efforts in the community. As I grew older, it was the place I learned to swim, skate, dance and grow into a confident young man.” Brother Early on his history with TDYCC: “The ‘Center’ was and con- tinues to be a safe haven! A place to fellowship, get involved with others to make a positive impact, take an acting class, and experience culture while hav- ing fun in the process. It’s fitting to have the opportunity to give back to a special place that has contributed to my early
History The TDYCC’s legacy originates from the 1967 federal Community Action Program from U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society programs. While racial unrest turned violent cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Newark in the late 1960s, racial tensions also ran high in Westches- ter County and its African American community were concerned about civil unrest in their backyard. The schools in Westchester County were only recently desegregated and the geography of housing in Southern Westchester kept schools somewhat imbalanced racially. Life in the Fairview area of Greenburgh was racially charged. Some local es- tablishments were places where people of color were not welcome to eat, shop or work. In the late 1960s, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) coordinated with local Green- burgh citizens to march on the local A&P Supermarket as part of an initiative which boycotted businesses accused of failing to hire enough African American employees. During this time of unrest, activism, and community segregation that the Greenburgh Youth Center was created. The Community Center, in concept,
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