Honramos a Percy Sutton en el centenario de su nacimiento

Percy Sutton, a prominent Black political, social, cultural, and business leader in NYC who helped make possible the first five-borough New York City Marathon, was born 100 years ago today. Sutton, who died in 2009, is the namesake of NYRR’s Harlem Percy Sutton 5K Run and Walk and lifelong supporter of running. He worked tirelessly on behalf of Harlem and all of New York City throughout his career.

A native of Texas and the youngest of 15 children, Sutton was the son of an early civil rights activist. He stowed away on a passenger train to New York City at age 12, and was later beaten by a police officer for handing out NAACP leaflets. Sutton studied at three colleges before serving in World War II with the Tuskegee Airmen. He and all of his 11 siblings who survived into adulthood earned college degrees.

Sutton attended Columbia Law School and Brooklyn Law School while working full time, then served in the Air Force during the Korean War. Upon returning home he became an influential civil rights lawyer whose clients included Malcolm X and hundreds of people arrested in protests in the South. In 1965, Sutton was elected to the New York State Assembly.

As NYC’s longest-serving Manhattan borough president (1966-1977), he vigorously promoted Harlem’s economic development. In 1974 he co-founded Harlem Day, which grew into Harlem Week, one of the northeast's largest cultural celebrations.

In 1975, Sutton attended the New York City Marathon, which that year served as the U.S. marathon championships (he’s pictured above crowning the women's winner). As had been the case since its founding in 1970, the race took place entirely within Central Park.

Sutton saw huge potential for the New York City Marathon to become a cultural and economic driver for the city, which was in the midst of a budget crisis, and he was a key player in taking the marathon to the streets of all five boroughs the following year. He remained a supporter of the New York City Marathon, the running community, and NYRR all his life.

His support for Harlem also never flagged. In 1981, Sutton’s Inner City Broadcasting Company bought the Apollo Theater and spearheaded a $20 million renovation of the Harlem landmark.

“He was beloved,” said Keisha Sutton-James, Sutton’s granddaughter. “The community understood that he was a man of integrity, and that his commitment was to our community. He was proud to be a part of Harlem’s legacy and history.”