City Council Member Jumaane Williams (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) last night relaunched his political club P2O (political Power Through Organizing) with a new name – The Ernest Skinner Political Association – named for his longtime mentor.
Williams packed the D’Savannah Bar & Lounge, 1460 Flatbush Avenue, with news that he would make a major announcement, and while some political operatives seemed baffled that this was major news, those in the crowd who know Skinner (including this reporter) thought it fitting that Skinner was honored.
Skinner currently works as a community liasson in Williams’ office and as his unofficial photographer. Many in Williams’ district – and in greater Brooklyn – including this journalist, has great respect for Skinner’s advice, support and wisdom.
“I know a lot of folks came out thinking I was going to make some big announcement, but this is a big announcement. I think its important to celebrate folks that came before you and that really helped to make the community what it is,” said Williams.
“Sometimes we wait and wait until people cant hear the thanks and so I wanted to make sure that Ernest could hear the thanks and really know that people appreciate him. And for the folks who have been involved in this community for some time, they know him, and his name and his face is known, and it will help the club continue to build and grow,” he added.
Skinner said the announcement took him by surprise and it was quite an unexpected honor. Originally from Trinidad, Skinner attended Howard University with Williams parents, and considers Williams as a nephew.
After getting degrees from Howard in Economics and Accounting, Skinner received a Masters from Columbia in corporate and industrial relations, and enjoyed a long career in the financial industry – most notable in world investments for Citibank. He has also been long active in Brooklyn politics and unsuccessfully ran for City Council in 1985.
All the while, though, Skinner has maintained a lifelong love of photography for its’ way of capturing history rather than look for the perfect artistic shot.
“I have photographs of Haile Selassie when he visited Trinidad in 1966. One year later in almost the same spot I took photos of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip when they visited. I also photographed Nelson Mandela,” said Skinner.
“I try to find good angles but to me the most important thing is to get the shot. I get the shot first and look for angles as the opportunity presents itself,” he added.
