Lee Lorch

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Lee Lorch, Desegregation Activist Who Led Stuyvesant Town Effort, Dies at 98

The New York Times

In the early years of Stuyvesant Town’s creation, I was too young to know about, let alone understand, racism.

My parents were original tenants in Stuyvesant Town, in lower Manhattan. It was developed to help alleviate the housing shortage after the end of WW II. We had a one-bedroom apartment that had a large walk-in closet. From the windows we saw windows and more windows. A reminder that we were all the same. We were all white.

In the next building lived Lee Lorch and his family.  He was well-educated, he served his country, he was a professor. He lost his apartment, his jobs and his stature because he fought for equality and to end segregation. Mr. Lorch was a hero.

One would think that the world had changed after the end of the horrific second world war. One would think that people would be more compassionate and understanding. One would think that we would have learned something about tolerance of race and religion. I learned what anti-semitism was about the hard way. First hand, as a child. You would think, you would think.

Thank you, Mr. Lorch and family for all you sacrificed doing the right thing. I can see you up in heaven hanging out with Pete Seeger.