The Flushing Forum for the Development of Political Leaders was founded in October 2001 by…
By Alexander Dworkowitz
A new Flushing political group working to increase the political influence of the neighborhood’s black population has come out in force for this year’s election.
The Flushing Forum for the Development of Political Leaders was founded in October 2001 by political newcomers John Henry Byas and Joseph Seawright.
The 32 members of the Flushing Forum conduct voter registration drives, hold meetings to discuss voting rights and sponsor debates between candidates for City Council and the state Legislature.
The group has also put together a slate of its members as candidates for this year’s state elections. Byas, the group’s president, is running for a seat on the Democratic state committee for the newly formed 22nd Assembly District, and Sally Kahn and John Rosario are seeking two Democratic district leader positions in the 22nd as well. State senate candidate Julia Harrison and assembly candidate Ethel Chen are also members of the group.
“Since we formed this forum, every slate has an African American on it,” said Byas, noting that other political organizations in Flushing have endorsed black candidates. “We are going to be stronger now. We are going to be more active in the community.”
Byas, 67, came to New York City in 1953 from his home in Beaufort, S.C. A naval veteran, Byas worked as the elevator manager of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan for more than four decades before retiring in 2000.
Byas moved to his home on Colden Street in Flushing in 1975.
““People come from all over the world to live in Flushing,” Byas said. “I like to live in a mixed neighborhood. I would never live in an all African-American neighborhood.”
He became active in his block’s tenants association. In 1983, he founded the Rachel Carson after School Program at IS 237, tutoring students from sixth to 12th grade at the school.
After retiring, Byas began to target black political involvement.
“They call Flushing an Asian community,” Byas said. “That disturbs me. We have a lot of Africa Americans living here. That means the Spanish, the African American, the Hindus were not counted.”
Harrison, Flushing’s former councilwoman who came to know Byas from his work at IS 237, has joined the Flushing Forum.
“He’s providing a leadership in the African-American community which is energetic and progressive,” Harrison said of Byas. “He sure is shaking things up. He has made an impression on the politics of Flushing.”
Despite Harrison’s membership, the Flushing Forum supported Harrison’s political rival, Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), in last year’s election and he won the seat she was forced to vacate because of term limits.
“We put John Liu in office,” Byas said. “We supported him very strongly. We are the swing vote.”
Although the group is focused on the black community, Seawright, vice president of the group, said the Flushing Forum is open to all races.
“We originally organized it as an African-American group,” said Seawright, who is president of the Holly Civic Association. “But very shortly after we organized, we realized that this wasn’t the type of thing we wanted to do. So we reached out to some people in the community of other ethnic backgrounds. We’ve been on a pretty good roll every since.”
Seawright, who moved to Flushing from White Plains in the 1950s, said he had not seen a strong political influence from the area’s black population.
“When I first came, it was the Irish who were pretty much in charge,” said Seawright. “Then it became the Jewish population, then it became a combination of the Hispanics and the Indians. Now the Oriental population is really taking great strides. All of this has had the effect of pushing the black population to the rear. We feel it’s time we stand up and be counted.”
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 141.
