Sammie Abdullah Abbott (April 25, 1908 - December 15, 1990) was an American politician who served as the 18th mayor of

Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea C ...

, from 1980 to 1985.

Early life

Abbott was born in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

Christian refugees fleeing Turkish persecution in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. He enrolled in

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

to study architecture but dropped out a few credits short of his degree to organize farmers and the unemployed in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

and

Niagara, New York Niagara is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 8,378. The town is named after the famous waterfall Niagara Falls. The Town of Niagara is the neighbor to the City of Niaga ...

during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. In 1938, he met his wife, Ruth, in a Buffalo jail when she came to visit her father, a bricklayer and union activist, who had been arrested with Abbott. Together, they moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1940, and Abbott and his father-in-law built a house in Takoma Park. When the United States entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Abbott enlisted in the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

, serving in the European Theater and earning a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Post-war activism

In the 1950s he actively campaigned for the adoption of the Bertrand Russell peace petition. He described himself as a Marxist, and in 1954, he was accused of being a member of the

Communist party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

and called to testify before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

. After his testimony, he was fired from his job as a commercial artist, turning to freelance work. In the 1960s and 1970s, Abbott was one of the leaders of the Emergency Committee on the Transportation Crisis (ECTC), organizing the opposition to the construction of the North Central Freeway through Northeast Washington and Takoma Park, using the slogan, "No white men's roads through black men's homes." He was also part of a group of local residents who organized against construction projects threatening Takoma Park.Alt URL
/ref> In 1978, Abbott helped to organize the first Takoma Park Folk Festival to raise money to save the Takoma Theater.

Mayor of Takoma Park

Abbott ran for mayor of Takoma Park in 1978, but lost by just 8 votes. He won the office in 1980, and was re-elected in 1982 and 1984. As mayor, he oversaw the institution of rent control, installed speed bumps and four-way stops to slow traffic, and he successfully blocked the closing of public schools in Takoma Park. During his tenure, Takoma Park declared itself a

Nuclear-free zone A nuclear-free zone is an area in which nuclear weapons (see nuclear-weapon-free zone) and nuclear power plants are banned. The specific ramifications of these depend on the locale in question. Nuclear-free zones usually neither address nor prohi ...

and a

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

for Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees. Abbott declared Takoma Park "Tree City, USA," and the city, which had been known as "Tacky Park," acquired the nickname of the "People's Republic of Takoma." In his bid for a fourth term in 1985, Abbott lost by just seven votes.

Death and legacy

Abbott died of myelodysplasia anemia on December 15, 1990, at his Takoma Park home. The Takoma Park City Council passed a resolution lowering the city flag to half-mast, and the Montgomery County Council declared January 5, 1991, Sammie Abbott Day. Hundreds attended a memorial service that was held at the Washington Ethical Society. In 1991, Takoma Park added the name "Sam Abbott Citizens' Center" to its municipal building. In 2002, Abbott was inducted into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame. In 2015, a plaque was dedicated for Abbott in the Citizens' Center. The plaque recognizes Abbott's contributions to Takoma Park and concludes with a quote from him: "If we can't make it happen in Takoma Park, there's no hope for the nation." Abbott's wife, Ruth, died in 2009, and they are survived by their children Nancy Abbott Young, Susan Abbott, and Abraham Abbott.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Sammie Abdullah 1908 births 1990 deaths American community activists Cornell University alumni Mayors of Takoma Park, Maryland People from Ithaca, New York American people of Syrian descent American politicians of Syrian descent Syrian Christians