Barbara
Albany, NY
My parents came from Wake Forest, North Carolina as part of the Great Migration of African Americans from the South in the 1940s. My father, Joseph Lucas, just returned from the Army, WW2, married my Mom, Marion Dunn-Lucas, and they headed to Albany. At that time my maternal Grandmother had already migrated to Albany from North Carolina. My older sister Joanne Lucas Thomas and I attended Albany Public Schools and received a great education. Upon graduating from Philip Schuyler High School in 1969, I received a Scholarship to attend Skidmore College and graduated in 1973 from the first Academic Opportunity Program for students of Color. I married my high school sweetheart Joseph Robert's Jr., we raised a beautiful daughter, Jolana, who later received degrees from Hampton University and George Washington University. New York gave me a wonderful childhood, a great foundation and lifelong friends. We salute you New York for the positive impact you have had on me and my family.