Welcome to our February 2026 – Black History Month Issue. We dedicate this issue to Norwood E. Jackson, a trailblazing criminal justice leader who became the first African-American Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Correction in April 1987. Following his death while in service in 1995, the correctional facility in Valhalla was named the Norwood E. Jackson Correctional Center in his honor. And Dr. Olivia Hooker, the first African-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard (1945), who had a 154-foot U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter commissioned on Jan. 22, 2026, in Pascagoula, Mississippi named in her honor.
As usual the pages of this issue are fact-filled with great moments in Black History in Westchester County and the surrounding areas.
As always, we would like to take this time to thank all the readers, listeners, supporters, sponsors, contributors, and advertisers for their support in our effort to deliver the “News With The Black Point Of View” since 2014. We are always looking for writers, photographers, and interns. Email BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com to inquire.
Send us your feedback, let us know what you think of this issue. Let us know subjects/topics you would like to see us cover in the future, and send your letters to the editor to BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com.
Peace and Blessings
AJ Woodson, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Owner
