24th Annual David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum Postponed
The following statement was submitted by the 24th Annual David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum.
We are postponing this event so that it does not serve to be disruptive to or distract from the important negotiations currently taking place between the Columbia University Administration and our highly valued Graduate Student Workers.
While we are disappointed that our event, which would have served as a type of memorial to its namesake, cannot take place, we are hopeful that the negotiations will continue in good faith and resolve in as positive and as swift a manner as possible. Our beloved Mayor Dinkins would have wanted no less.
Thank you for following our communications and this event over the years. When we made the conversion to online format, the goal was to establish a series of 3 forums per year. We are hopeful there may be time available beyond these negotiations to meet that goal in 2021.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Thank you and Farewell
To all of you dear followers of these communications that I have sent out on behalf of our Forever Mayor, David N. Dinkins,
I write to thank you for your support, pearls of wisdom, warm recollections, opportunities & intell, periodic push back, laughter, and some shared tears during my nearly 8 years running operations for the one and only, David N. Dinkins (DND). It has been the honor of my life to serve in this role during his sunset years as NYC’s Elder Statesman and Professor of Practice at Columbia University-SIPA. Tomorrow, I close our empty office door behind me and move on.
What a gift to experience the blazing light of love that showered DND throughout our city and from all of you – his inner light was always brightest around children, and witnessing that glow was a pure joy that will fill my heart for the rest of my life! I may never find adequate words to describe how working for and caring for this special person and his beloved Joyce (JBD) became so interwoven within my own world…. the depth of those feelings and certain moments are so precious, and mine to keep. But I will carry a forever-awareness of the incredible blessing they were in life and to my spirit.
I arrived to this office in 2013 through our mutual angel, Dr. Roscoe C Brown Jr. Truth be told, that first year was challenging as DND was a tough Marine – Roscoe chuckled at our mutual complaints . But I soon came to understand the deep devotion that his core former staffers held strong for their mayor. After surviving that first year, I had my own spot among that group of staffers who call themselves the ‘Dinkins Kids’ (not a kid in the bunch!). They frequently reunited with him to party and share stories and he loved all of them. The picture above was taken at our last event on Dec 3rd, 2019 where we all celebrated the 30th anniversary of DND’s historic mayoral election- boy, it was great! I look forward to the day that everyone can gather again and properly toast our mayor and his bride for their service to our city and their model of grace and dignity in this world.
It is a comfort to see truths about the Dinkins Administration’s successes and strengths coming into more steady discussion and corrected spotlights. Our Forever Mayor deserves no less than truth, fairness and reverence – I wish this happened in his lifetime. Dr. Ester Fuchs has been one of the most up-front and public voices on that note, DND adored Ester. She has been my steady partner in all things here at SIPA, along with Kevin Gully, and I owe them both a highlighted thanks for too many reasons to count, as well as for the friendships I know we’ll continue to share. To the core-Dinkins-support-home-team: Len R & Jeannie Z, Stephen T, Elliot R, Laura H, Gretchen B, Skip H, Carol B, Ken S, William (Bill) R, and the fabulous Undine – THANK YOU!! To our core Columbia support team: Carrie W, Mariela S, Rudy R, Maureen S, Susan C, Thai J, Lloyd W, Voza R, Bill T, and Charlie R; and our core SIPA support team: Michael N, Mark S, Ian S, Ted S, Nancy C, Micaela O, and JoAnn C – I thank you all, sincerely!! To Dean Janow – THANK YOU for your gracious remarks that made their way to me in spite of our cancelled event! 🙂
I am humbled to have had this beautiful opportunity and leave Columbia-SIPA a changed person. It is my sincere hope that our our re-imagined Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum will continue as an online 3-part series as part of the broader Dinkins Legacy and presence at Columbia-SIPA. External forces sometimes cancel the best-laid plans, like yesterday’s really good and positive plan… DND and I both wanted the online forum series to continue and to be led by the incomparable Mayor Michael Nutter, our Dinkins Professor Chair. But I can only hope these things solidify, as I let that baby go now…
Life is amazing, always blooming, as very different adventures are already underway for me at both Bridge Philanthropic Consulting (thank you, Michael G & Sylvia W), and LIATI Capital (thank you, another Michael G).
Thank you EVERYONE – for welcoming these emails and attending our events over the years, for caring for DND and JBD, and for making this city the gorgeous mosaic that our forever mayor and his bride loved so dearly. Please continue to keep Dave Jr, Donna, and the Dinkins family in your prayers as they contemplate next steps – I am no longer the point person for these things. But rest assured, this email list will be engaged when communications are ready.
Please stay healthy and safe everyone. And if you don’t already have my personal email, please find me on Linked In because this is not ‘good-bye’, not really. 🙂
With gratitude,
Lynda Hamilton
Former Operations Manager, Office of David N. Dinkins
Columbia University-SIPA
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lrhamilton/