Letters to the editor can be submitted by sending an email to tuletters@timesunion.com or completing this form. See our guidelines on letters.

There are moments when history doesn’t whisper — it shouts. The election of Dorcey Applyrs as Albany’s first Black woman mayor is one of those moments.

It’s more than a change in leadership; it’s a revelation in real time — a living, breathing answer to prayers whispered in pews, classrooms and kitchen tables for generations.

Every time Applyrs walks into City Hall, she will carry more than her own vision. She carries the unfinished work of Harriet Myers, who opened her Livingston Avenue home as an Underground Railroad station; the eloquence of Phillis Wheatley; the courage of Harriet Tubman; and the faith of Mary Hallicus, whose name still blesses the Missionary Society at Israel A.M.E. Church.

She walks in the footprints of educators such as Catherine Mary Douge Williams and early library professional Carrie Gamble, and in the memory of countless mothers who taught their children to believe in possibility even when the city did not yet believe in them.

They dreamed of this day — even if they could not imagine its headline.

Albany’s story has never been one of instant arrival. It has always been one of faithful persistence.

From the balcony benches of Israel A.M.E., where Black women once gathered to plan abolitionist action, to the present corridors of power, their faith in freedom never expired.

That same spirit now steadies Mayor-elect Applyrs’ hand. This isn’t merely representation; it is resurrection — of dreams deferred, voices dismissed and leadership too long delayed.

History does not end with an oath of office; it begins there. Applyrs will face challenges that test not only her leadership but our collective will to follow through. Progress is never automatic, but it is always achievable when a city remembers who it is — and who lifted it this far.

The writer is the Pastor at Israel A.M.E. Church in Albany.

Published Nov. 17, 2025

Cellphones are a huge distraction everywhere — at school, work and home. We use them even when we don’t need to. This has been a major problem in schools, which is why the government passed a cellphone ban in New York.

I am a high school student, and this new law affects us the most because we use our phones more than anyone else. I think the ban was necessary. It has helped me limit my screen time and focus on learning instead of scrolling through my phone.

However, there are parts of the ban I don’t like — such as not being able to use phones in study halls or at lunch, or for academic reasons with permission. Some schools require students to lock their phones in pouches. If there were an emergency, students wouldn’t be able to call for help, which could be........

© Times Union