Alice Green

Not to be confused with Alice Greene.

For the Irish historian and nationalist, see Alice Stopford Green. For the fictional character, see Big City Greens.

Alice Green (1939 or 1940 – August 20, 2024) was an American activist and prison reform advocate, living in Albany, New York, who was the Green Party candidate for lieutenant governor in 1998, and its Albany mayoral candidate in 2005. Green founded the Center for Law and Justice in 1985, and was its executive director.[1][2]

Early life, education, and early career

Green was born in a small town in the Adirondacks area of Upstate New York[3] in the early 1940s, and raised in “the Champlain Valley hamlet of Witherbee.”[4]

Green earned several degrees from SUNY Albany (now U. at Albany). These include a bachelor's in African-American studies, master's degrees in education, social welfare and criminal justice, and a doctorate in criminal justice.[5]

She worked as a secondary school teacher, a social worker, and as the Executive Director of the Trinity Institution (as of March 2009, the Trinity Alliance for the Capital Region).[5] Starting in the 1960s, Green's activism gained much local publicity, especially in her role as chair of the NAACP Legal Redress Committee.[6]

She was legislative director for the New York Civil Liberties Union in the 1980s.[5] In 1984, Green founded the Center For Law and Justice, Inc., after the police shooting of Jessie Davis, an African-American youth in Albany.[7]

In 1985, Governor Mario Cuomo appointed Green as a member of the Citizens Policy and Complaint Review Council of New York State Commission on Corrections.[8][5] In 1986, Cuomo also appointed her as Deputy Commissioner for New York State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives.[5]

Green organized "much-publicized protests at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events hosted by Governor Pataki from 1995 through 1999."[6]

She briefly attended Albany Law School, in 1990, but did not complete a law degree.[citation needed]

Political campaigns

In 1998, Green ran for lieutenant governor on the Green Party of New York State ticket with Al "Grandpa" Lewis, and gained over 52,000 votes.[8][6][9][10][11]

In 2005, Green was a candidate for mayor of Albany,[2] which garnered significant local publicity.[3][12][13] She lost the race against incumbent Mayor Jerry Jennings, but garnered about 25% of the vote in November.[14][15]

In 2008, Green served as a member of the committee to fill vacancies for Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney,[16] but was later a contributor to Democrat Barack Obama.[17]

Activism work

Green was the executive director of the Center for Law and Justice, a not-for-profit community organization, for many years.[5][6] That group is part of the "Community Empowerment Center."[18] As part of her work, she was an EEO compliance officer.[19]

She was an adjunct professor at the University at Albany, and wrote and lectured frequently on racism and criminal justice issues.[5][1][6][10][20][21][22] She was often sought out by members of the media for comment on such issues.[23] In an interview for NEWS10, she said that if the SUNY Albany students (Alexis Briggs, Ariel Agudio and Asha Burwell - ABC STUDENTS), did attack first and were the ones being racist, they should be asked to apologise and not be punished. NEWS10 Video

She was the co-author, with Frankie Y. Bailey, of two books: Law Never Here: A Social History of African American Responses to Issues of Crime and Justice (1999),[5][6][24] and Wicked Albany: Lawlessness & Liquor in the Prohibition Era (2009).[25]

Legacy and personal life

Green won numerous awards for her activism in the Capital District, including from the New York State Bar Association, NAACP, and Rockefeller College.[5]

She gained considerable notoriety over the years from her political stances,[26] as well as racist and vicious criticism directed at her.[27]

Her papers have been collected for the library at the University of Albany.[8][9]

Green was married to Charles L. Touhey, president of Touhey Associates,[28] who also serves on the board of the Center For Law and Justice, Inc.[1] Green died on August 20, 2024, at the age of 84.[4][29][30]

Electoral history

General election results 1998[11]
Governor candidate Lt. Gov. Running mate Party Popular Vote
George E. Pataki Mary O. Donohue Republican,
Conservative Party of NY 		2,571,991 54.32%
Peter F. Vallone Sr. Sandra Frankel Democratic,
Working Families 		1,570,317 33.16%
B. Thomas Golisano Laureen Oliver Independence Party of NY 364,056 7.69%
Betsy McCaughey Ross Jonathan C. Reiter Liberal Party of NY 77,915 1.65%
Michael Reynolds Karen Prior NY State Right to Life 56,683 1.20%
Al Lewis Alice Green Green Party US 52,533 1.11%
Other parties Less than 1%

References

  1. ^ a b c Center For Law and Justice, Inc. website About Us page. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Dr. Alice P. Green, Executive Director", Center for Law and Justice.
  3. ^ a b adirondackalmanack.com website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Escobar, David (August 20, 2024). "Civil rights activist and Adirondack native Alice Green dies at 84". North Country Public Radio. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Times Union communities website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Library at U Albany website, series on Alice Green. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  7. ^ Center For Law and Justice website annual report page, section on history. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  8. ^ a b c "UAlbany acquires Alice Green papers," The Business Review (Albany), August 19, 2002, found at The Business Review (Albany) website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  9. ^ a b Library at the University of Albany website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  10. ^ a b Hudson Valley Community College, Press Release, "Dr. Alice Green To Speak On Rockefeller Laws," October 8, 2002, found at Hudson Valley Community College website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  11. ^ a b New York State Board of Elections website Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed April 2, 2014.
  12. ^ "Election Special: Aiming for City Hall - Alice Green and Joe Sullivan on running for mayor in an Albany general election," Miriam Axel-Lute, "Green and Growing," n.d., Metroland, found at Mtroland website archives. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  13. ^ Press Release, "Fannie Lou Hamer Committee Endorses Alice Green for Mayor," found at Green party website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  14. ^ Moshood Fatemiwo & Kimberly Feliciano, "Albany Police Stations to Close, More Street Cops in Neighborhoods," The Informed Constituent, n.d., found at Fourth Branch website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  15. ^ Jordan Corleo-Evangelist, "Ellis, Morris to formally announce mayoral bids," Albany Times Union, February 28, 2009, found at Albany Times Union website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  16. ^ Vote Green for Real Change website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  17. ^ Huffington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  18. ^ Community Empowerment Center website About the CEC page. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  19. ^ She has done this for WAMC - Northeast Public Radio, and see WAMC website, and for Pamal Broadcasting of WAJZ, WFLY, WROW, WYJB, WZMR, WIZR, WKLI, and WKBE, see Pamal website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  20. ^ Friends of the Albany Public Library website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  21. ^ "The Diallo case: People v. Boss," Albany Law Review, Summer, 2000, Symposium at Albany Law School, March 7, 2000, found at Find articles website and Access My Library website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  22. ^ David King, "Complaint Filed," Metroland, March 23, 2008, found at Website of Dominick Calsolaro of Albany City council. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  23. ^ "Activists say Timmons case handled inappropriately," WNYT-TV, June 26, 2008, found at WNYT-TV website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  24. ^ Entry at Google Books. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  25. ^ ISBN 978-1-59629-493-6 -- found at Powell's Bookstore website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  26. ^ See, e.g., Sylvia Honig, "Alice Green should offer specific remedies," Letter to the Editor, Albany Times-Union, October 16, 2006, found at Albany Times Union archives. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  27. ^ See, e.g., Topix blog. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  28. ^ Albany Round Table website. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  29. ^ "Civil right activist Dr. Alice Green dies". WNYT. August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  30. ^ "Civil rights advocate Dr. Alice Green dies". CBS channel 6 Albany. August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.