Marion Anderson and Ingraham Taylor didn’t realize that a casual conversation they had on the Village Green in 2024 would bring them before the City Council.
But on Jan. 29, Anderson and Taylor, lifelong Rye residents, requested that the city name a space in honor of the late Orial and M. Paul Redd, civil rights activists and trailblazers whose legacy has yet to be recognized in the city.
The Redds lived in Rye for 50 years as a family and were civil rights leaders, but also faced discrimination, which this effort hopes to highlight. February is Black History Month, and along with several other residents, Anderson and Taylor are committed to helping this project gain traction.
“The Redds were part of the fabric of our community. I grew up in the church with them,” Taylor explained. “My passion for this initiative comes from what I have learned, as an adult, about their strength and resilience. Their ability to stand up for what is right inspires me to action and make sure their story is not lost to history.”
The Redd family story paints a portrait of Rye and Westchester County history during the 20th century. As Taylor and Anderson chatted on the green, they began to share memories, and then to build a network, and learn from others how the Redd family had an impact on them. It became clear there was an opportunity to affect how the history of Rye is told.
Orial Redd spent most of her 100 years in Rye. She grew up here and graduated from Rye High in 1942, one of a few Black students in the school. While she understood the challenges of growing up in a predominantly white community, she also felt strong ties to Rye and the schools. She married M. Paul Redd in Port Chester in 1954, and a few years later, the couple set a goal of raising their family in her hometown.
The Redds helped establish civil rights communities in Rye and the surrounding area. In 1954, they were founding members of the Port Chester-Rye branch of the NAACP. They helped build a network of legal experts, activists, and politicians in Westchester County at a crucial moment in history. Big shifts and gains were happening nationwide in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the Redds helped to protect the rights of people throughout Westchester. With the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act not yet signed into federal law, the Redds’ advocacy helped combat racism and inequity on a local level.
But in 1960 and 1961, the Redds experienced severe discrimination right here in Rye.
While Orial was pregnant with her second child, she searched for a larger apartment in Rye. After being turned away a few times from different buildings, she saw a listing for an apartment in Rye Colony that would provide
more space for their growing family. Orial had faced racism in the past so she enlisted help from her white friends, also activists and allies, to help secure the apartment. Lotte Kunstler and Dorothy Sterling, close friends of the Redds, inquired about the apartment in Rye Colony to confirm that it was available. They were told that it was, and that they could sign the paperwork.
When Paul and Orial Redd then arrived to sign the lease, they were told it was no longer available and were turned away.
In her memoir, “Close to My Heart,” Sterling remembers signing the lease for them. With Sterling’s and Kunstler’s witness accounts and support, the Redds filed a complaint with the New York State Department of Human Rights. William Kunstler, Lotte Kunstler’s husband at the time, took on the case, along with another attorney, Paul Zuber. Kunstler went on to become a famous civil rights lawyer, and this story is mentioned in a PBS documentary about his work.
Contributed photo
As the case was investigated, the Redds received aggressive phone calls and threats from Rye residents who hurled racial slurs and, according to a PBS interview with Paul Redd, said, “What are you doing here? Go to Harlem, or go wherever.” The Sterlings, who lived on Kirby Lane North, woke one night to a loud noise outside. A seven-foot wooden cross stood burning on their front yard.
Despite these acts of hate, the Redds remained in Rye and fought for their right to fair housing. With the help of William Kunstler, the Redd bill to prevent housing discrimination passed in New York state in 1962. That was the first civil rights case for Kunstler. Years later, Paul Redd became the first cooperative board president of Rye Colony.
The Redd’s bravery and fight for their rights is inspiring to Anderson. “I remember my mother taking us with her to Osborn School when she cast her vote in Rye,” Anderson said. “Black women were last to get the right to vote. My mother was a widow, and she ingrained in us the value of using our voices. The Redds’ work, prompted by their circumstances, represents this piece of history. They had a long-lasting impact for future generations, and that’s a great legacy.”
Paul Redd is remembered as a connector and a natural leader. He was a founding member of the Black Democrats of Westchester, a longtime member of the Westchester Democrats, and he served on the Rye Democratic Committee for 46 years. In addition, he was the publisher of the Westchester County Press, the county’s only newspaper dedicated to Black voices, for more than 20 years.
Meanwhile, Orial devoted herself to a career in public service, including serving as deputy Westchester County executive and as Westchester County ambassador to Japan in 1985. She was also a member of the Urban League, the Westchester Democrats, and held leadership roles in the local NAACP. She is one of nine women from Westchester who will be featured in artist Fleur Spolidor’s exhibition at the Square House Museum opening March 1, in honor of Women’s History Month.
The Redd family story is about more than two people. It is about people lifting each other up, and working together for the greater good. The Sterlings and the Kunstlers are part of this legacy.
For more than 50 years the Redds lived in Rye and worked throughout Westchester County, partnering with and mentoring many local leaders, past and present.
Anderson, Taylor, M. Paul Redd Jr., elected officials, and local leaders began meeting in December to share ideas and explore possibilities for how to honor the family. Rye City Council Members Jamie Jensen and Josh Nathan, along with county Legislator Catherine Parker, have been enthusiastic supporters since the group formed in the fall. The City Council seems supportive.
“Since 2023 when I attended the program at Rye Free Reading Room led by Paul Redd Jr., I’ve been touched and moved by this story. I’m motivated to find a more permanent way to remember them,” Jensen said.
Nathan agreed. “I’m committed to finding a place for public recognition to mark this story,” he said. “I have been working with my colleagues and other local officials to see what is possible. Rye has such a rich legacy of leaders and it is important that the Redds are recognized for their impact in our town and beyond.”
