Denton Watson, associate professor in the American Studies department, will be honored at the Incorporated Village of Freeport's Annual Black History Month Program on February 26, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Freeport Recreation Center.
The program, which this year celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Black History Month, is held annually to recognize and honor the work and leadership of influential community members.
“Black history is not only something we remember – it is something we continue to live, build, and pass on,” said Connor Kirwin, executive director of Human Resources for the village, in announcing Watson’s honor. “Your contributions have played a meaningful role in that story, and our community is better because of you.”
A member of the University’s faculty since 1992, Watson authored the 1990 biography, “Lion in the Lobby, Clarence Mitchell, Jr's Struggle for the Passage of Civil Rights Laws,” and expanded on his research in his project, The Papers of Clarence Mitchell, Jr.
“I have devoted my professional life to writing the biography,” he said, “and to editing and publishing the historical records of his work as a civil rights lobbyist to ensure that he will never be written out of civil rights history.”
Mitchell lobbied for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and championed the creation of anti-discriminatory policies, such as the 1957, 1960 and 1964 Civil Rights Acts.
The Papers of Clarence Mitchell, Jr., Watson’s nine-volume project funded by SUNY Old Westbury and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, highlights portions of the records Mitchell created during his advocacy. Watson's project aims to provide a meaningful, comprehensive and accessible resource to the public detailing the actions, contributions, strategies and struggles of activists from 1950 through 1978.