Elezena Anderson has lived in Ansonia for the entirety of her 83 years, and in that time, she said she’s seen African-American children in the Valley growing up unaware of the impact blacks have had in the work force and on the region in general.
Did she just complain, or ask someone else to figure out a way to fix the problem?
No — instead, she’s spent the past five years collecting dozens of biographies from African-Americans from the Valley. The result is the book titled “Notable Valley African-Americans,” consisting of 70 profiles.
Many of the individuals profiled submitted their personal stories to Anderson, detailing their occupations and the contributions they made toward local communities. For others, family members of deceased African-Americans wrote bios on behalf of their relatives.
Anderson is a member of the Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Committee, which awards annual scholarships to high-ranking black students in Ansonia schools.
She therefore wanted to create the book as an educational tool for students to show what problems African-Americans ran into while pursuing jobs and education, how they were treated, and the obstacles they overcame.
Several years ago, Anderson was awarded a $3,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to fund the project.
She worked on the book with friends and other members of the J. A. T. Scholarship Committee.
The book’s publication couldn’t have come at a better time — the committee just celebrated its 30-year anniversary in July.
“It’s like we have something to show for our 30 years,” Anderson said.
The experience of African-Americans in the Valley has changed over that time, and beyond. Growing up, Anderson said, the only jobs people of color could get were cleaning houses or factory work.
Anderson herself worked for 19 years at Uniroyal Inc. in Naugatuck, making sneakers.
She was then hired by Griffin Hospital in Derby, where she worked for 21 years in medical records before retiring. When she was in high school, Anderson said, she didn’t even know those types of positions existed at the hospital.
“I wanted children to know of the different positions they had here. We had nurses, we had doctors, we had firemen,” she said.
Above all, Anderson wants African-American students to feel a sense of enlightenment after reading the book, and to understand the racial barriers black people faced when searching for employment. She hopes it will help students gain confidence in pursuing their goals.
Former Ansonia High School principal Wilhemenia Christon assisted Anderson by editing all the submissions.
“Ms. Anderson and I have been friends for many many years,” Christon said, so when Anderson came to her with the book idea two or three years ago, she accepted readily.
Christon continuously supported her friend through the long and stressful publishing process. “I would listen to her concerns and encourage her to continue,” said Christon, who is also featured in the book. “It’s a tremendous undertaking.”
Ruth Barnett, highlighted in the book as the first medical secretary to work at Griffin Hospital in Derby, also helped Anderson with the project. She provided and verified historical facts. Patricia Reynolds and Pam Potter of Ansonia assisted Anderson as well.
Important African-Americans
Most of the African-Americans featured in the book were the first of their ethnicity to earn prominent jobs within the Valley and the state.
Just about every profession can be found in the book, from dietitians to scientists to football players.
“There are engineers in here, there’s policemen. We had all kinds of vocations, ones that people probably don’t know exist,” Anderson said.
Here’s some you may not have heard of:
* Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, a Stratford native, moved to the Valley as a child. She grew up to become the first African-American and the first woman to manage a CBS television station in the Virgin Islands.
- Jill L. Lindsey is the first African-American woman to become manager of business mail entry for the Connecticut Valley District of the U.S. Post Office.
- E. Taylor Gibbs opened a youth recreation program on Hull Street in Ansonia in the 1940s, where children could play indoor tennis, golf, and intermediate and senior basketball for girls and boys. As a youth, Anderson attended the basketball games held at the recreation center and acted as scorekeeper for the teams.
- Lorenzo Johnston Greene was an African-American historian and the first black graduate of Ansonia High School. He also worked directly with Carter Woodson in the late 1920s, becoming one of the founders of Black History Month.
Distribution
Twenty-seven of the 250 copies of “Notable Valley African-Americans” are fresh off the press, with the rest soon to follow.
Anderson plans to donate a copy to the Ansonia Library, the Derby Historical Society in Ansonia, and Ansonia High School. All the living people featured in the book will also get a free copy.
The book’s official release will take place at a reception, which will be held once all the copies are received. Orders for the remaining copies will be taken at the reception.
All profits made from the book will go toward the annual scholarships awarded by the Julian A. Taylor Scholarship Committee to high-ranking black students in Ansonia schools.
If anyone is interested in purchasing a book, contact Elezena Anderson at (203) 735‑0421.
