State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy joined with community members in celebrating the John Edward Bruce headstone
On August 9, the City of Yonkers held a special ceremony honoring the legacy of John Edward Bruce, a pioneering Black journalist, activist, and intellectual, who was buried in an unmarked grave at Oakland Cemetery in Yonkers for over 100 years.
A Headstone Revealing Ceremony was held to mark the placement of a permanent headstone for Bruce. This event follows last year’s temporary marker placement ceremony, where Mayor Mike Spano issued an official proclamation recognizing August 11th as John Edward Bruce Day in the City of Yonkers.
This is the second phase of the tribute to John Edward Bruce (1856–1924), whose grave will finally be marked with a permanent headstone after nearly a century. Bruce, founded several New York newspapers more than 100 years ago and advocated for equal rights.
The first was the placement of a temporary marker in August 2024, when Mayor Spano proclaimed August 11th “John Edward Bruce Day in Yonkers.”
The final phase will include a public documentary and educational programs in his name.
Thanks to the dedication of community partners and generous donors, RISEUP successfully raised the $5,000 necessary for the headstone, which Minozzi and Sons have now completed.
A special thank you goes out to our major supporters: the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA-ACL), New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York State Assemblyman Nader Sayegh, the Beczak Environmental Education Center, the NAACP Yonkers Branch, Symra Brandon, CEO & President of Municipal Housing Authority City of Yonkers Wilson Kimball, and the City of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, along with many residents and organizations that contributed.
In addition to the headstone fundraiser, RISEUP’s president, Dr. Robert Baskerville has hosted multiple presentations on JEB’s contributions and was recently awarded a $25,000 Digital Justice Seed Grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to begin production onHistory With Grit, a pilot documentary focusing on Bruce’s life in Yonkers. https://www.acls.org/recent-fellows/?program_id=40091&_project_year=2025
