July
- Upon Charlie Rangel’s re-election to the new 13th Congressional District in the Democratic primary, opponent Adriano Espaillat and his election team ask for a recount because the race is so close. Rangel is soon declared the official winner.
- After 11 years in business, the Black-owned Hue-Man Bookstore closes its doors. The business’s CEO and co-owner Marva Allen says that the store will operate as a website and continue to host events.
- The U.S. Supreme Court decides to uphold President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
- The NYCLU announces that through the use of a smartphone app it created called “Stop and Frisk Watch,” more than 2,000 people send videos of police stopping and frisking innocent people.
- Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers of America picket against Con Ed over pensions, health care and wages.
- Over the Fourth of July holiday, the city is plagued by several shootings that leave two people dead. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly is on the receiving end of backlash when he says to the media that leaders fighting against stop-and-frisk are not as vocal on gun violence in their communities.
- The man accused of killing Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, is placed back in jail on a $1 million bond after he lies about his finances to make his original bail of $150,000. He pays $100,000 through a bail bondsman. He is released but with several restrictions as he awaits trial.
- After the primary elections, several complaints flood the Board of Elections about many voters not knowing where to go and getting turned away due to changes in district lines.
- A gunman opens fire in a movie theaterin Aurora, CO., leaving 12 people dead and another 58 injured. The suspect, 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes, is arrested and charged.
- Tennis player Serena Williams wins the women’s singles championship at Wimbledon.
- A police chief in Washington, D.C., is stripped of his badge after he states that he intends to shoot first lady Michelle Obama.
- The 103rd NAACP Convention is held in Houston, Texas. At the convention, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks to the organization but receives jeers when he states that he will get rid of Obamacare if elected.
- The city is shocked after 3-year-old Isaiah Gonzalez is fatally shot after being caught in a crossfire in Brooklyn.
- Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is missing in action as rumors suggest the troubled son of the famed civil rights leader is dealing with depression and suffering from a mood disorder.
- The FBI determines that race did not play a role in the fatal shooting of Martin in Florida, but cites the fact that the unarmed Black 17-year-old was wearing a hoodie on the night he was killed.
- The family of Michael Lembad is stunned after the grand jury decides not to charge the Newburgh police officers who shot and killed the unarmed 22-year-old, who allegedly approached the officers with a kitchen knife.
- A slew of violent incidents plague the newly renovated McCarren Pool in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
- Wells Fargo is ordered to pay $175 million to settle a lawsuit that alleges the mortgage lender discriminated against Black and Latino borrowers.
- The musical “Fela!” about the late Nigerian singer and activist comes back to Broadway for a month-long engagement.
- The 38th annual Harlem Week takes place with the theme “Where the World Meets the World.”
- The community comes together to stand against violence in the Bronx after 4-year-old Lloyd Morgan is fatally shot.
- Famed restaurateur and “Queen of Soul Food” Sylvia Woods passes at age 86.
- Actor Sherman Hemsley, best known for his role as George Jefferson on the long-running sitcom “The Jeffersons,” dies at age 74.
- The Summer Olympic Games kick off in London, with the United State bringing home 104 medals. Gabby Douglas takes the spotlight at the games, becoming the first woman of color and the first African-American to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympics.
- The National Urban League hosts its annual national conference in New Orleans, where Obama announces the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans, aimed to level the playing field for education opportunities.
- Bronx City Councilman Larry Seabrook is convicted on nine counts of corruption charges.
August
- A disturbing trend strikes Harlem as several Black-owned small businesses close their doors, including Harlem Lanes, Nectar Wine Bar and MoBay restaurant.
- New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chair John Rhea and other board members are criticized for “sitting” on $1 billion that is needed for repairs in NYCHA buildings. He quickly disputes the claims.
- A report released by the Community Service Society reveals that Blacks, especially women and the elderly, suffer from long-term unemployment in the city more than any other group.
- Romney chooses 42-year-old Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate.
- In response to the increase in violence in the city, the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network begins the “Occupy the Corner” campaign, which places community residents on corners for several weekend night in areas known for violence.
- A report released by the advocacy group Picture the Homeless states that the number of people going to shelters has increased by 18 percent in the past year.
- Republican Senate candidate Rep. Todd Atkins of Missouri says in an interview when asked about abortion that women who are victims of “legitimate rape” have the ability to not become pregnant as a result.
- Jeffrey T. Johnson, 58, fatally shoots his co-worker, 41-year-old Steven Ercolino, outside of the Empire State Building in broad daylight, causing mayhem in Midtown.
- Fans flock to movie theaters to see the late Whitney Houston in her final role when the remake of the film “Sparkle” opens.
- White supremacist Wade Michael Page opens fire at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, killing seven, including a responding police officer, and wounding four before committing suicide.
- Lynette Velasco, political consultant and spokeswoman for City Council Member Inez Dickens, passes. Assemblyman Vito Lopez is censured after sexually harassing two female staffers. As a result, he is removed as chair of the Committee on Housing, stripped of all seniority, given a reduced staff allotment and forbidden from employing any interns or persons under the age of 21.
- Harlem soul food restaurant pioneer Calvin Copeland passes at age 87.
September
- Revelers line Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway for the West Indian American Day Parade on Labor Day.
- The Democratic National Convention is held in Charlotte, N.C., where Obama is officially nominated as the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party.
- Major construction projects continue across Harlem, including the building of a four-story 100,000-square-foot building on 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard that will house a DSW, Blink Fitness and Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant.
- Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Clarke Duncan dies at age 54.
- As Assemblyman Lopez steps down as the leader of Kings County Democratic Committee due to scandal, Frank Seddio is selected, bypassing several eligible Black candidates.
- The U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, and the Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, are attacked by terrorists, who kill Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, two U.S. Marines and one other American in Benghazi.
- The nation stops to remember those lost during the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
- This year’s ceremony at Ground Zero is scaled back as no politicians speak and only the names of those who perished are read.
- In Chicago, teachers strike for over a week, asking for pay raises and better conditions. The strike leaves 400,000 students out of school. The 43rd annual African American Day Parade is held in Harlem.
- After several years in Harlem’s Morningside Park, the long-running event “Sundae Sermon” moves. The summer series, which draws hundreds of people to the park for music from top DJs on Sundays, is moved to St. Nicholas Park by the Parks Department.
- Attorney Joseph Fleming dies at age 61.
- As the presidential race heats up, the Republican Party candidate, Romney, is secretly taped stating at a private event that 47 percent of Americans are “dependent on government.”
- The U.S. Census reports that one in six New Yorkers are living below the poverty line.
- Primary elections are held for state Senate and Assembly. Standout winners include City Councilman James Sander Jr., who defeated state. Sen. Shirley Huntley.
- Vocalist Wolf “Thunder” Johnson dies. Minister Louis Farrakhan visits the city, making stops in Harlem, Brownsville, Bed-Stuy, Queens and the Bronx.
- The new Barclays Center area in Brooklyn opens with a series of concerts featuring Jay-Z. To highlight gun violence in the community, several community groups bring caskets outside of the venue. The arena, which was built with much controversy in the neighborhood, is the home of the new NBA team the Brooklyn Nets.
- Actress, author and professor Dr. Dorothy Carter passes at age 94.
October
- After a 10-year fight with the city and the FDNY, the Vulcan Society wins when a federal judge signs off on a new department entrance exam that is fair to applicants of color.
- A series of public hearings are held across the city regarding the passage of the Community Safety Act, which would bring major reforms to the NYPD and the way officers interacts with residents.
- The NAACP files a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education and sues the city, alleging discriminatory admissions practices at elite public high schools.
- Controversy swirls over the production of a biopic film about late singer Nina Simone when actress Zoe Saldana is cast for the role.
- The family of Simone, as well as fans of the singer, voice their disapproval, as Saldana is Latina and fair skinned. Police fatally shoot Noel Polanco, who is unarmed, in Queens when he is pulled over.
- President and CEO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation Sheena Wright leaves the organization to become president and CEO of the United Way of New York City.
- The city’s Department of Education announces 217 elementary and middle schools are at risk of closing because they are failing.
- The nation watches as the presidential and vice presidential debates are held.
- It is revealed that the city’s Department of Health has been giving the morning-after pill to girls in several public schools as young at 14 as part of a new pilot program.
- The contraceptive is given to girls in many cases without parents’ knowledge. Former HUD official and professor Kermit Allen passes at age 102.
- Hurricane Sandy rips through the city, causing massive devastation. The hurricane kills 53 people in New York and causes $18 billion in damage along with major flooding, mass power outages for several days and fires. As a result of the storm, the city is shut down for several days. FEMA, the Red Cross and other agencies are accused of a slow response, especially by poor residents in Staten Island, Rockaway, Queens and Brooklyn.
November
- Obama is re-elected for a second term as president of the United States, beating Romney in a close race.
- The election also results in Democrats maintaining a majority in the U.S. Senate and Republicans maintaining a majority in the House of Representatives.
- Election Day occurs as the city recovers from Hurricane Sandy, making for a mess at the polls.
- During the aftermath of the hurricane, several groups and organizations lend a helping hand to those devastated that FEMA and other federal agencies are accused of neglecting.
- Food, gas, electricity, clothing, water and, in many cases, shelter become much-needed in several parts of the city.
- Natina Reed of the R&B group Blaque dies at age 32. The New York Urban League Football Classic, slated to be played at Yankee Stadium, is cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.
- Court of Appeals Judge Theodore Jones dies at age 68.
- Ken and Sarah Burns and David McMahon release a documentary about the “Central Park Five.”
- In the wake of Obama’s re-election, residents of several states push for secession, most notably Texas.
- Obama and former President Bill Clinton visit areas in New York affected by Hurricane Sandy.
- Numbers released from the Coalition for the Homeless report that 20,000 children sleep in homeless shelters each night–an increase from 16,000 in the previous year.
- The AmNews checks in on the Texas state Board of Education which previously proposed controversial changes to its texbooks for schools, including the eradication of slavery in America and civil and human rights for African-Americans.
- After enduring months of allegations regarding his health and political career, Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. resigns.
- After nearly 75 years in business, iconic Harlem bar Lenox Lounge announces it will close due to an increase in rent. Several high schools receive failing grades and are threatened with closure by the Department of Education.
- One of the schools slated for closure is Brooklyn’s Boys and Girls High School. Boxing champion Hector “Macho” Camacho is slain by gunfire at age 50.
December
- United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice is mentioned as a possible replacement for outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. However, her name is withdrawn as a candidate for the position.
- Entertainer Earl “Speedo” Carroll passes at age 75. Brooklyn’s Interfaith Medical Center is threatened with closure after lawyers file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- The nation remains on a fiscal cliff that could result in tax increases and spending cuts if lawmakers do not come to an agreement.
- Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn is threatened with losing its accreditation because the school has not met the criteria for three of the 14 Standards of Excellence by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
- Activist Jan Carew passes age 92.
- Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn settles with hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo for an undisclosed amount. Diallo accused Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room. He is later cleared of the charges.
- Tragedy strikes when 27 people are fatally shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, 20 of whom are children ages 6 and 7.
- The shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also shot his mother prior to going to the school.
- The incident begins a heated debate about gun control laws in the nation. Black female state Sen.
- Andrea Stewart-Cousins is selected as minority leader of the Senate Democrats.
- Gov. Andrew Cuomo is criticized for the lack of power Blacks in the state Senate have after the coalition is formed between the Republican Party and the new Independent Democratic Conference.
- Civic leader and journalist Gayle Perkins passes at age 61.
- In reaction to the massacre at Sandy Hook, officials from the National Rifle Association advise putting armed security guards in the nation’s schools.
- Legendary Kemetaphysician Dr. Yosef A.A. Ben-Jochannan turns 95. Public Enemy, Albert King and the late Donna Summer are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- The December 12th Movement celebrates its 25th anniversary. R&B soul singer Fontella Bass dies at age 72.