David Dinkins, First Black Mayor of NYC, Dead at 93

Trace William Cowen
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

David Dinkins, who made history when he won the 1989 mayoral election in New York City, died Monday at the age of 93.

"I intend to be the mayor of all the people of New York," Dinkins, who became NYC's first Black mayor at the time of his election, said when taking office. "This administration will never lead by dividing, by setting some of us against the rest of us or by favoring one group over others."

Following his four years as mayor, which he recounted in his 2013 book A Mayor’s Life: Governing New York's Gorgeous Mosaic while acknowledging the criticism of his handling of the Crown Heights riot of 1991, the New York Times notes that Dinkins' post-office life included hosting a show on WLIB and teaching at Columbia University, as well as occasionally fielding consultation requests from other city leaders.

Dinkins was famously mentioned in a verse by the late Phife Dawg in the 1990 A Tribe Called Quest classic "Can I Kick It."

In October, Joyce Burrows—David's wife and the first Black first lady of New York City, whose legacy as a proponent of children's education was widely applauded—died at the age of 90.

Late Monday night and into Tuesday morning, many political leaders and other notable figures paid their respects to the former mayor while remembering the historic importance of his years in office:

RIP.