Pan African Community of Central New York

                                                     PAN AFRICAN COMMUNITY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

                                                                                        PACCNY

                                                                               Syracuse, New York

 

                                                                                    RESOLUTION

                                              A Resolution of the Pan African Community of Central New York

                                                  Requesting Formal Recognition by the City of Syracuse

                                                      of the Distinguished Service and Civic Legacy of

                                                                       CHARLES L. ANDERSON

                                              In Honor and Acknowledgment of His 88th Birthday

 

WHEREAS, Charles L. Anderson, born in 1938 in Bedford, Virginia, and graduated as Valedictorian from Susie G. Gibson High School in 1956, thereafter earning a Master of Science degree in Television-Radio from Syracuse University in 1961;

WHEREAS,Mr. Anderson served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 1964 to 1967, teaching English as a Second Language, demonstrating a commitment to education and global solidarity;

WHEREAS, upon returning to the United States, Mr. Anderson dedicated decades of professional service to the educational and civic development of Syracuse and Onondaga County, serving as Education Director for the Urban League of Syracuse and Onondaga County (1967–1975), Community Field Instructor of the Syracuse University Teacher Corps (1975–1977), and Attendance Teacher for the Syracuse City School District (1977–2003);

WHEREAS, Mr. Anderson served twelve years as the 4th District Councilor on the City of Syracuse Common Council (1986–1997) and ascended to the office of President Pro-Tempore of the Common Council in 1993, becoming a leading elected official of Syracuse's Black community;

WHEREAS, as Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Mr. Anderson was the principal legislative architect of two historic and transformative measures: the Fair Practices Ordinance of 1990, which prohibited discrimination against gay and lesbian individuals in housing, employment, and public accommodations — since expanded to protect transgender people — and the Citizen Review Board of 1993, establishing critical civilian oversight of the Syracuse Police Department, a landmark in community-police accountability;

WHEREAS, Mr. Anderson chaired the Task Force on Community and Police Relations, whose deliberations produced the Citizen Review Board, and co-chaired the Syracuse Rainbow Coalition, serving also as Chair of the Coalition for Quality Education, and as a Jesse Jackson Delegate to the 1988 Democratic National Convention and a William Jefferson Clinton Delegate to the 1992 Democratic National Convention;

WHEREAS, Mr. Anderson was the host of WCNY's Black on Black (1968–1975), the first African American television magazine program in Central New York, and producer and co-host of Insight on WIXT 9 (1980–1995), forging a decades-long legacy in public media, civic education, and community voice;

WHEREAS, Mr. Anderson has performed in numerous works of the performing arts, portraying icons including Frederick Douglass and Paul Robeson, deepening the community's relationship to African American history and artistic heritage through the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company;

WHEREAS, Mr. Anderson has served on the boards of the Urban League of Onondaga County, Syracuse Stage, the Salvation Army, Syracuse Healthy Start, Habitat for Humanity, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, 100 Black Men of Syracuse, the Pan African Community of Central New York, and the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company, displaying institutional stewardship that spans more than five decades;

WHEREAS, Mr. Anderson served as Health and Wellness Committee Chair for 100 Black Men of Syracuse from 2009 to 2024, leading public health campaigns, community forums, and wellness initiatives that measurably improved quality of life on Syracuse's South Side;

WHEREAS, Mr. Anderson now celebrates his 88th birthday on October 22, 2026 as a living legacy of public service — a man whose life has been in perpetual service to the people of Syracuse, to the African diaspora, and to the cause of justice;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVEDthat the Pan African Community of Central New York, on behalf of its membership and the broader community it represents, hereby formally requests that the City of Syracuse, through the Mayor's Office and/or the Common Council, recognize Charles L. Anderson for his extraordinary and distinguished service to the Syracuse community;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVEDthat such recognition may take the form of a formal proclamation, a mayoral citation, a naming honor, or such other act of formal acknowledgment as the City may deem appropriate and fitting to the stature of his contributions;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVEDthat this Resolution be transmitted to the Office of the Mayor of the City of Syracuse, to the Common Council of the City of Syracuse, and to Mr. Charles L. Anderson himself, together with the attached Biographical Statement in support hereof.



                                  Adopted by the Pan African Community of Central New York

                                                                   Syracuse, New York




                                          PAN AFRICAN COMMUNITY OF CENTRAL NEW YORK


                                                            BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
                                  In Support of the Request for City of Syracuse Recognition of

                                                               CHARLES L. ANDERSON

 

Born in Bedford, Virginia in 1938, Charles L. Anderson graduated as Valedictorian of Susie G. Gibson High School in 1956 before making his way to Syracuse, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Television-Radio from Syracuse University in 1961. That early achievement foreshadowed a career defined by the intersection of media, education, and civic participation.

Before planting his roots permanently in Syracuse, Anderson served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 1964 to 1967, teaching English as a Second Language. That experience of crossing borders in service to human development anchored everything that followed.

A Career in Education and Community Development

Returning to the United States, Anderson devoted the next three decades to the educational infrastructure of Syracuse. He served as Education Director for the Urban League of Syracuse and Onondaga County (1967–1975), as Community Field Instructor with the Syracuse University Teacher Corps (1975–1977), and for more than a quarter century as an Attendance Teacher with the Syracuse City School District (1977–2003). In these roles, he worked to ensure that children found their way to education, and that education remained accountable to the communities it served.

Legislative Leadership and Historic Civil Rights Achievements

Elected to the City of Syracuse Common Council as the 4th District Councilor in 1986, he served twelve years and rose to the office of President Pro-Tempore in 1993. As Chair of the Public Safety Committee, he authored and championed two groundbreaking pieces of legislation that permanently transformed Syracuse.

The Fair Practices Ordinance of 1990, which Anderson sponsored, extended anti-discrimination protections to gay and lesbian residents in housing, employment, and public accommodations, at a time when such protections were rare in American cities and actively opposed in others. It was an ordinance of moral clarity and legislative courage, that has since been amended to include transgender individuals.

The Citizen Review Board of 1993 established civilian oversight of the Syracuse Police Department. Anderson chaired the Task Force on Community and Police Relations whose work made the Board possible.

Anderson also served as a Jesse Jackson Delegate to the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta and a William Jefferson Clinton Delegate to the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York City. He also co-chaired the Syracuse Rainbow Coalition and chaired the Coalition for Quality Education.

Media Pioneer and Cultural Voice

From 1968 to 1975, he hosted Black on Black on WCNY — the first African American television magazine program in Central New York — at a moment when Black presence on television, let alone Black editorial control, was nearly nonexistent. From 1980 to 1995, he served as producer and co-host of Insight on WIXT 9, a program of the Syracuse Coalition for the Free Flow of Information, extending his decades long reach as a public communicator.

The Performing Arts and Cultural Heritage

Anderson has brought his gifts as a performer to the stage in service of African American history and cultural memory. He has portrayed Frederick Douglass and Paul Robeson in productions presented by the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company and at ArtRage Gallery, bringing the intellectual and artistic legacies of those titans before new generations of Syracuse audiences. He remains an active board member of the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company.

Public Health Advocacy and Radical Vulnerability

Among the most lessor known chapters of Anderson's public life is his advocacy in the realm of public health. In a series of articles published in the Post-Standard beginning December 31, 2006, Anderson shared his diagnosis and battle with prostate cancer — publicly and without reservation. He went on to become a member of the Prostate Cancer Education Council of CNY and spoke annually at men's health seminars. He also served for fifteen years as Health and Wellness Committee Chair for 100 Black Men of Syracuse, directing a wide array of health education programs, wellness classes, community walks, and public forums across the South Side.

A Record of Institutional Service

The breadth of Anderson's board service reflects the trust that Syracuse's civic and cultural institutions have placed in his judgment and leadership across five decades: the Urban League of Onondaga County, Syracuse Stage, the Salvation Army, Syracuse Healthy Start, Habitat for Humanity, the A. Philip Randolph Institute (Syracuse Chapter), 100 Black Men of Syracuse, the Pan African Community of Central New York, the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company, and the Global Pan African Congress. He has been recognized by more than twenty organizations — from the New York Civil Liberties Union and both Alpha Phi Alpha and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities to the Ghana Society of Central New York and Tomorrow's Neighborhoods Today — a testament to the reach of his impact across cultural, civic, and activist spheres.

A Living Legacy

At 88 years of age, Charles L. Anderson stands as a living embodiment of what it means to serve a city — not through a single act or office, but through the sustained offering of skill, dedication, and care. He has shaped the laws, the airwaves, the schools, the health, the political voice, and the cultural memory of Syracuse.

The Pan African Community of Central New York respectfully submits this record to the City of Syracuse, confident that Charles L. Anderson’s contributions merit this lasting recognition.