County Executive Introduces Resolution to Name Portion of Charles Lindbergh Blvd in front of Cradle of Aviation Museum after William Wheeler, Tuskegee Airmen Who Was Long-Time Hempstead Resident
MANHASSET, NY — Nassau County Executive Laura Curran today announced that Nassau County will mandate an anti-bias training course, which had previously been optional for unsworn County employees. The course objectives are to increase awareness of the impact of negative opinions about various people; to recognize and manage one’s own feelings; and to identify and redirect patterns of behavior to reduce hidden bias. The course will also teach participants how to reinforce what they have learned beyond the class environment. More information about the online course, Undo Bias, Act Consciously, is available here.
County Executive Curran also introduced a resolution to ceremonially designate a portion of Charles Lindbergh Blvd from the intersection of Earle Ovington Blvd by the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City as “William M. Wheeler Way” in honor of the Hempstead-born Tuskegee Airman who helped break the military’s racial barrier. The County Executive made today’s announcements at the historic Lakeville AME Zion Church, one of the oldest African American congregations on Long Island, believed to be a former stop on the Underground Railroad.
“On Juneteenth, we celebrate freedom, equality, and honor the legacy of the American heroes like William Wheeler who fought to ensure our country lived up to its ideals. In mandating unconscious bias trainings for non-sworn County employees, we want to encourage respect and trust. Now more than ever, these are tools that can help everyone do their job more effectively,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.
To commemorate Juneteenth, the Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs also hosted a virtual celebration on Zoom featuring Professional Storyteller Terri Banks, and other spoken word and musical performances.