#samueljbattle

[joelchristiangill]

Will Reeves' friend on the force who earned him about the "cyclops" is the real #samueljbattle #watchmen #blackhistory #28daysarenotenough https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Rfz_hFZLC/?igshid=1kcj41pr995hf

[glam-uh]

Day 12. Samuel Jesse Battle was the first black officer in the New York Police Department. The son of former slaves from North Carolina, Battle entered the department at 28 years old in 1911, following intense lobbying by Harlem’s elite ministers and newspaper editors, who saw integration as a remedy for police violence against blacks. Battle braved years of harassment and worked his way up to lieutenant. He left the force when Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia named him the first black member of the New York City Parole Commission in 1941. Battle served on the commission for 10 years, retiring in 1951. Born: January 16, 1883, New Bern, North Carolina Died: August 7, 1966, NY, NY #BlackHistoryMonth #2017 #Day12 #SamuelJBattle #NYPD