(White Plains, NY) —This morning, Westchester County Legislator Benjamin Boykin II (D – White Plains, Scarsdale, West Harrison), was presented with the 2023 Harold Fitzpatrick Community Service Award by The African American Men of Westchester at the Sonesta Hotel in White Plains. Mr. Boykin is widely-recognized in Westchester as a bridge-builder across politics, non-profit, education, and the business community for over 30 years.

Boykin is Chairman Emeritus of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, current Chair of the Economic Development Committee, and formerly served as a member of the White Plains Common Council and in senior leadership roles at RJR, Nabisco, and Deloitte. Boykin is a member of the Beta Alpha Alpha chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and is a loving husband to his wife, Carsandra, and proud father to his two daughters, Lasandra Boykin and Dr. Nicole Boykin.

Legislator Terry Clements (D – New Rochelle, Pelham, Pelham Manor), Legislator Symra D. Brandon (D – Yonkers) and Chairman Vedat Gashi (D – New Castle, Somers, Yorktown) joined to honor Legislator Boykin and presented a resolution stating that October 28th is hereby “Honorable Legislator Benjamin Boykin II Day” in Westchester County.

Speakers included Rashad Bilal, Founder of Earn Your Leisure, real estate mogul Joe Cotter, Great Point Studios Executive Christina O’Shea-Day, and Director of Economic Development for Westchester County, Bridget Gibbons. In attendance was Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins.

Chairman Gashi said, “When I came in it was Ben who took me under his wing and served as a mentor to me, and allowed me to get to the point where I became Chair. And I will forever be thankful to him for that.”

Legislator Boykin said, “I’m a doer. It’s hard for me to take no for an answer. We’ve got to continue to work to make sure that we have economic and political empowerment and advancement. We must continue the fight. The honor means a lot to me and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Westchester County.”

Harold Fitzpatrick was the second president of The African American Men of Westchester after Tom Clark.
Fitzpatrick’s vision 35 years ago was to bring stakeholders together across public and private sectors during an annual breakfast with the goal of sharing ideas about how to make Westchester County a better place to live, work and play.