1986

New York City Civil Rights Coalition Formed
In 1986, Michael Griffith, a 22-year-old black man, fell victim to racial violence in Howard Beach, Queens. Griffith died after being chased onto a highway by a gang of white youths. Michael Griffith’s racially-motivated killing prompted the formation of the “New York City Civil Rights Coalition,” created to mobilize people of goodwill of all colors to speak out against racial violence and segregated neighborhoods, to take collective, positive actions to counteract bigotry and discrimination in our communities.