Thursday, October 1, 2026
In honor of Black History Month, civil rights activist, Roosevelt educator and Freeport resident Emily Moore, 84, was honored in the Nassau County Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building on March 9 by county minority leaders.
Nassau County Alternate Deputy Minority Leader Debra Mulé and Legislator Scott M. Davis presented a special citation to Moore for her special service to local Nassau communities and around the world. The ceremony was initially planned for Feb. 23, but was delayed due to a blizzard shutting down much of Nassau County.
Moore’s career of activism and educating began in 1961 when she attended Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, to pursue a degree in physical education. She had come across racism and segregation as a child, having attended the Cleveland Avenue School in Freeport, which exclusively admitted Black students before being shut down in 1963, with its students being integrated into other district schools.
While at Morgan State, Moore participated actively in the Civil Rights Movement within Baltimore, and was one of 11 students arrested and jailed for refusing to leave a segregated theater during a 1963 demonstration. This incident garnered national attention and had the likes of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. come out in support of Moore and her peers.
After graduating from Morgan State in 1965, Moore joined the Peace Corps and taught health, physical education and tennis in Nigeria for two years. After returning to the U.S., Moore earned her master’s degree in education and counseling from Hofstra University in 1972.
Moore has spent over five decades teaching in Roosevelt schools and has had notable students like Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving and actor Eddie Murphy come through her classroom.
Moore is also the founder and executive director of Alliance Junior Development Program Inc., a company that provides youth tennis instruction, athletic training, community organizing and more. With Alliance, Moore not only taught children tennis, but she also helped them learn how to face life’s challenges.
Prior to her honoring at the Nassau County Legislative Building, Moore has been recognized for her efforts to educating and power community youth on numerous occasions. Some of those notable honors include receiving the Junior Tennis Development Award from tennis legend Arthur Ashe in 1988, receiving an honorary doctorate degree from Morgan State in 2021 and being inducted into the U.S. Tennis Association’s Eastern Hall of Fame in 2021.
After being introduced by Mulé and Davis, Moore remarked that she was honored to receive such recognition from the county. She also took time to challenge the Nassau legislators that were present to continue furthering the work of activists such as herself.
“The country is in dire need of every one of you,” said Moore. “You are the future leaders of this country. I’m counting on you to train and educate our children.”
Lionel Chitty, the executive director of Nassau County’s Office of Minority Affairs, was also honored during the same ceremony as the legislature’s majority honoree.
