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Vol. 33 No. 8 FEBRUARY 19 - 25, 2026
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Celebrating 100 years of Black history By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
Courtesy Malverne school district
Jalen Blue, Lucas Singh, Zhayden Tomlinson and Jared Sandoval, members of the Malverne High School Jazz Quartet, gave a performance that paid tribute to the Harlem Renaissance at Malverne school district’s annual Black History Month celebration.
Family, friends and neighbors gathered at Malverne High School’s Performing Arts Center last week for the district’s annual Black History Month celebration. This year’s theme was “A Century of Black History Commemorations.” This month marks 100 years since Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926. The week was dedicated to recognizing the achievements and experiences of Black Americans as significant moments in the country’s history. What began as a week eventually expanded into a month-long national celebration of Black communities. “The month of February was selected because it fell between the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln,” Sheryil Straker, the high school’s student activities coordinator, explained. “Two pioneers in the fight for enslaved people.” ConTinued on page 10
NYPD Academy to be renamed for Steven McDonald By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
The New York Police Department has announced plans to rename its Police Academy in memory of long-time Malverne re s i d e n t D e t e c t ive S t eve n McDonald. McDonald became known nationwide for his messages of forgiveness and peace after being shot in Central Park on July 10, 1986, which left him a quadriplegic. He died on Jan. 10, 2017, at 59 shortly after suffering a heart attack. McDonald was breathing with the help of a respirator for 30 years after the shooting,
while still remaining employed by the NYPD, offering support fo r wo u n d e d o f f i c e r s a n d appearing from time to time during roll calls. “Steven McDonald is truly the embodiment of who we want our officers to be,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in her State of the NYPD address on Feb. 10. “Going forward, every officer who walks through those doors will begin their career with a clear understanding of the kind of officer that this department hopes that they will strive to be.” The NYPD Police Academy, an eight-story, high-tech training space based in College
Point, Queens and opened in 2014, will be renamed the Detective Steven D. McDonald Police Academy. The official renaming will take place on July 16, 2026, which is 42 years after McDonald joined the academy and 40 years after he was shot. Tisch described McDonald as “a life that reshaped how the public understands this work a n d h ow t h i s d e p a r t m e n t understands itself.” She also praised “the character he demonstrated in his refusal to be defined by bitterness, and his commitment to dignity and forgiveness.” Tisch shared the news with McDonald’s widow, Patti Ann,
and son, Conor, on Jan. 29, which was Conor’s birthday. “I’m not one that is usually speechless, but she rendered me speechless,” Patti Ann, a former Malverne mayor who served the village from 1996 to 2019, said. “(Tisch) said how important Steven’s life and legacy was, his story about forgiveness, how he lived his life
after being injured, and how important it is for future police officers to know his story. “I was completely taken aback,” she added. “His name is going to be on the New York City Police Academy and every police officer that goes to train there is going to not only remember Steven and what he ConTinued on page 17