Percy Sutton Dies at 89

Percy Sutton lived the kind of life you only hear about in the movies. He was one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, a civil rights lawyer, a leading black politician and a communications and media mogul. His death on Saturday night leaves a hole in many people's heart but also a magnificent legacy that should be used to inspire young African Americans today.

Sutton, 89, was a lawyer for Malcolm X, a freedom rider and New York City's first serious black candidate for mayor. You could argue that he helped blaze a trail for leaders such as former New York City Mayor David Dinkins and President Barack Obama. He was also a man who recognized the importance of preserving African American history. His decades-long fight to make sure the Apollo Theatre in Harlem survived is just one example.

President Obama praised Sutton, saying:

"Percy Sutton was a true hero to African Americans in New York City and around the country. ...We will remember him for his service to the country as a Tuskegee Airman, to New York state as a state assemblyman, to New York City as Manhattan borough president, and to the community of Harlem in leading the effort to revitalize the world renowned Apollo Theater. His life-long dedication to the fight for civil rights and his career as an entrepreneur and public servant made the rise of countless young African Americans possible. Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to his family on this sad day."

Over the years, Sutton served as the lawyer for civil rights activists down South. He also represented Malcolm X and his family during various legal issues. It just seems that he had a hand in all the important issues of his day. He's one of the best and most successful examples of merging entrepreneurism with activism.

According to the New York Times:

Mr. Sutton took many controversial stands. When Mike Tyson, the boxer and convicted rapist, returned to Harlem from prison in 1995, Mr. Sutton was there to greet him. After the Rev. Al Sharpton refused to pay damages for slandering the prosecutor in the Tawana Brawley case, Mr. Sutton helped pay the fine. Mr. Sutton was arrested for civil disobedience in protesting the shooting and killing of Amadou Diallo, a Guinean immigrant, by four police officers in 1999. ...In 1966, Mr. Sutton served as permanent chairman of the Democratic State Convention, the first time in American political history that a black had been selected as permanent chairman at a state convention. During Mr. Sutton's one term in the assembly, he helped establish open admissions at the city university, liberalize divorce and abortion laws, and get funding for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

I can't begin to imagine how many lives Sutton touched in his 89 years. If we could each touch half as many people, our future would look exponentially brighter.