David Dinkins, New York’s first African-American mayor, dies at 93



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The department had received a call from Dinkins’ residence regarding an unconscious person with difficulty breathing, according to the NYPD.

CNN has contacted the mayor’s office for a statement on Dinkins’ death.

Dinkins was New York’s 106th mayor from 1990 to 1993, according to his biography on the city’s website.

He was born in 1927 in Trenton, New Jersey, and graduated from Howard University before receiving a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

Dinkins was also a veteran who served in the Marines in Korea, according to the biography.

The former mayor briefly practiced law in New York City before entering politics, first as a district chief and then as a member of the Harlem State Assembly. His political rise took him from chairman of the Election Council to City Clerk and Manhattan Borough President.

Dinkins then defeated Rudolph Giuliani in 1990 with the narrowest electoral margin in New York history.

During his inaugural address, Dinkins “vowed to be” the mayor of all the people of New York “and said,” We are all infantry on the march to freedom, “” according to the bio.

He also spoke about oppression, human rights and the need for equality during the speech.

The former mayor backed anti-apartheid sanctions against South Africa, fighting for the city to relinquish $ 500 million in pension fund stocks invested in companies doing business in South Africa and passing a bill allowing the city to rate banks based on their opposition to apartheid, according to the biography.

He ran for re-election in 1993 but was defeated by Giuliani.

In recent years, Dinkins has remained active in New York City politics, hosting a weekly radio show and teaching public affairs at Columbia University.

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