Mr. Abe --- Markman

(MY BIO)

I tried in "The Color of Time" to assess how I and five generations of our white and black families dealt with my 1953 inter-racial marriage to Charlotte Cochran, a close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Charlotte, me, Chandy, and Michael, our two children, faced outright bigotry and cruelty. As a result, we became ardent advocates for racial justice

As a white husband, father and grandfather of an inter-racial family --- a social work director of inner-city neighborhood centers and --- a social justice activist, I believe I have gained insights into the human condition and --- a vision for humanity's future --- from an uncommon perch.

I graduated from CCNY with a B.A. in Sociology, and from NYU with an MSW in Social Group Work.

In 1980, I co-founded The Neighborhood Self-Help by Older Persons Project and was its CEO for 16 years, when I retired. It is now in its 37th year serving several areas of The Bronx.

Two of my essays were published by The Humanist magazine, “Overcoming a Heritage of Prejudice” and “Why Are So Many Black Americans Killed by the Police?”

Also, the on-line African-American magazine Politics365 published my article, “Challenging Obama’s Calmness.” My latest essay, “When Progress is Unethical” appeared in the American Ethical Union’s Dialogue.

In recognition of my activism, I was awarded the 2010 Community Service Award by The New York Society for Ethical Culture — my phiolosophical home.