By Eric Hughes
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
I am the proud offspring of Anguillian immigrants who migrated to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and I am sharing our story for posterity. This article highlights and transcends with fondest memories several amazing leadership accomplishments and success stories of their offspring.
This week, I will proudly present the outstanding and historical stories, careers and talent of pioneering young men, spear-headed by their dedicated Anguillian immigrant parents.
This is a true story about the immigration of my parents along with others, to Perth Amboy, NJ, and how they raised their children. They taught them to think beyond working in the factories, and to pursue college degrees and enter the professional careers of our society to secure quality jobs. It also demonstrates the early leadership and talent of five African American youngsters of Anguillian descent, four of whom were elected president of their high school classes in 1949 and in the early 1950s, by a majority white student body during a time of extreme racism across the United States.
White teachers and advisors were not exempt from perpetrating racism largely because there were no laws against discrimination during that timeframe. The elected Anguillian descendants had to be mentally sharp, intelligent, outgoing, compromising, popular among his/her peers, astute and use good problem-solving skills. All four elected class presidents possessed those qualities. The fifth youngster focused on his early leadership, academic and musical skills, all of which were worthy of being mentioned and honoured.
Honourable mention – The Five Sharps singing group
The beginnings of The Five Sharps occurred in the early 1950s on the porch of 285 Bertrand Ave. in Perth Amboy, NJ. Five close friends started casually harmonizing songs and realized that together they had extraordinary talent.
Mr. Morris Nanton, a NY Juilliard School of Music graduate and an expert pianist, took notice and helped arrange the songs they chose to sing. Mr. Nanton’s assistance enabled The Five Sharps to win numerous local talent contests, and became some of the favourite and most popular of students at Perth Amboy High School.
Their outstanding singing and showmanship were demonstrated at many school assemblies and local talent shows.
The highlight of their career occurred when they entered the respected Harlem NY Amateur Night at the famous Apollo Theater where they competed against very strong talent. They were good enough to place second in the competition.
Their signature song was “Blue Moon”. They also sang “Someone to Watch Over Me”, “Quizás, Quizás Quizás”, “What Are You Doing New Year Eve?”, “Deacon Jones”, and several other popular songs of the day.
They were approached by an agent to go on the road to demonstrate their talent but were much too young. In addition, their strict Anguillian parents bristled at the offer by agents to have their children leave school to perform. Their parents had other plans for them – to finish high school and continue on to college, which they all successfully accomplished.
Summary
How does one account for the tremendous success displayed by these five Anguillian offspring during the difficult era of race relations in the US? How were they able to defeat racial odds by winning the highest elected offices in their respective classes?
How were they able to convince the majority of white classmates to trust them? What type of inner motivations did they have that would eventually lead them to be so successful in their important positions?
It might be noteworthy to mention that all four of the class presidents were greatly encouraged by the support of Cannon George Boyd, rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Perth Amboy.
I am also convinced that their success can be traced to their strong Anguillian upbringing, where their parents applied a no-nonsense approach to raising their children. At times, the parents used tough love as a way to back up their philosophy.
For instance, if their children’s grades were unsatisfactory, the parents would deny their children’s participation in school activities (such as sports and cheerleading), limit their playtime outside (after school and some weekends), and add extra home chores.
Another recipe for the success of the Anguillian immigrant can be attributed to the fact that after completion of high school, they steered their children away from the Perth Amboy oil refineries and other factories, where they themselves were forced to work to rear their children.
Accordingly, they emphasized education as a game changer and a means to be successful in life. It worked! All honourees went on to have outstanding professional careers as school superintendents, school principals, music educators, politicians, counsellors, coaches, etc.
We are thankful for these exceptional trailblazers who as youngsters demonstrated early leadership skills, courage, intelligence, strength, fortitude and social skills to achieve their goals and objectives. God bless them!
By writing this article, I hopefully demonstrated, by example, the outstanding leadership and accomplishments shown by the offspring of immigrants from the tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla.
Once the original Anguillians arrived in this country, they knew and planned to ensure the lives of their offspring would be drastically different and better than theirs. I believe they succeeded and did an outstanding job.
It is abundantly clear that it should not have taken so many years to recognize these outstanding and record-setting trailblazers while they were alive (only Cedric Richardson is still with us today). However, the author is content that this story at least now has been documented and publicized for socio-cultural historians and others to absorb.
My goal is that this article is officially published and used in schools as a teaching tool about diversity, motivation and historical facts about Anguillian immigrants who settled in the small coastal city of Perth Amboy, NJ.
It should be circulated widely to motivate young Anguillian offspring, to African American youngsters and youth from other countries, to motivate them to believe that they too can have a successful life through education, mental toughness, intestinal fortitude and perseverance.
Contributors to this article
Ms. Vilma Novak (photographs and demographics from the Perth Amboy Library and Rutgers University), Ms. Joycelyn Gumbs (photographs and information related to her dad Austin Gumbs and uncle Franklin Gumbs), Professor Yinka Stanford (editing), Ms. Lois Ruffin (photographs), Mr. Cedric Richardson (the only living honouree), and Mr. Aaron Peters (computer technology).
Note: The individual photos of the honourees were extracted directly from their high school yearbooks to emphasize authenticity to the story. The photo of the Five Sharps was also taken while they were in high school.
About the author
Eric Hughes, proud offspring of Anguillian immigrants, born and raised in Perth Amboy, NJ; graduate of Perth Amboy, NJ High School, Received Honourable Discharge from the US Air Force after four years of service; trained in fields of tele-communications and cryptography; retired federal government employee (US Department of State, and US Department of Commerce); three-time published author; consultant; keynote speaker for NHTSA’s Black History Month Observance, 2001; keynote speaker for the State of Maryland, Department of the Environment’s Black History Program, 2001; Perth Amboy Area Branch NAACP Award for recognition and appreciation for efforts in Quest for Social Equity, 2002; inducted in 2005 into the Perth Amboy High School Hall of Fame; NJ State Assembly Recognition Award, 2005; Founder of the Anguilla Pocket Billiards Association, 2007; Founder of the 3-cushion Billiards USA “B” Championship Tournament, 2016; recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the Anguilla Progressive Association of New York (2019); earned a B.Sc degree in Community Planning and Development from the University of the District of Columbia, and a MPA degree in Urban Affairs from American University; long-term resident of Washington, DC, married (Norma) with two daughters (Tracy and Wendy), four grandchildren (Chase, Riley, Brandon and Logan) and one great-grandchild (Aiden).
Distinguished Anguillian Members of the Perth Amboy, NJ High School Hall of Fame (to date)
George Carty
Hubert Carty
Austin Gumbs*
Eric Hughes
Winston Hughes*
Dr. Bernard Richardson
Dr. Herbert Richardson*
Dr. Carolyn Richardson*
Dr. Joyce Richardson (Melick)
Cedric Richardson
*Deceased
Caption: From left to right – Cedric Richardson, Winston Hughes, Franklin Gumbs, David Rey and Cedric Hodge. All were honoured in this series except Cedric Hodge.
