30 • December 9, 2021 - December 15, 2021
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Religion & Spirituality Ernesta Procope passes E r n e s t a P ro c o p e, a n i n s u ra n c e t ra i l b l a z e r w h o w a s t h e f i r s t A frican American woman to open a c o m p a n y o n Wa l l St re e t , d i e d p e a c e f u l l y i n h e r s l e e p o n Tu e s d a y , Nov. 3 0 , a t h e r h o m e i n Q u e e n s, N.Y. D u r i n g P ro c o p e’s y o u t h, s h e w a s a p i a n o p ro d i g y w h o p e rf o r m e d a t Ca r n e g i e Ha l l a t a g e 13. As a young woman, she t ra n s f e r re d h e r i n t e re s t s t o re a l e s t a t e a n d i n s u ra n c e. In 1953, she founded her comp a n y , E . G. B o w m a n C o m p a n y , I n c . a s a s t o re f ro n t i n s u ra n c e a g e n c y i n B e d f o rd St u y v e s a n t , a n d f o r t h e n e x t s i x d e c a d e s, b u i l t i t i n t o t h e l a r g e s t m i n o ri t y - o w n e d i n s u ra n c e b ro k e ra g e i n t h e c o u n t r y . P ro c o p e’s i n f l u e n c e e x t e n d e d t h ro u g h o u t t h e i n s u ra n c e i n d u s t r y , c u l m i n a ti n g i n h e r re c o g n i t i o n by P ro p ertyCasualty360.com as one of i t s “ To p 2 5 L i v i n g L e g e n d s o f In s u ra n c e.” P ro c o p e a l s o w a s t h e a rc h i t e c t o f t h e h i s t o r i c N Y Fa i r A c c e s s t o
I n s u ra n c e R e q u i re m e n t s ( FA I R ) P l a n . T h e FA I R P l a n e n s u re d that marginalized communit i e s w o u l d h av e e q u a l a c c e s s t o h o m e o w n e r s’ i n s u ra n c e. I n 1 9 6 8 , P ro c o p e e n c o u ra g e d Ne w Yo r k G ov. Ne l s o n R o c k e f e l l e r t o c o m b a t re d l i n i n g i n B e d f o rd S t u y v e s a n t a n d t h e re s u l t i n g cancellation of many of her clie n t ’s i n s u ra n c e p o l i c i e s. He r e f f o r t s s p u r re d FA I R P l a n l e g i s l a t i o n i n 2 6 s t a t e s. I n 1 9 7 9 , P ro c o p e m ov e d E . G. B o w m a n t o Wa l l S t re e t , m a k i n g i t t h e f i r s t B l a c k- o w n e d a n d woman-owned business to be l o c a t e d i n t h e w o r l d’s f i n a n c i a l c a p i t a l . T h ro u g h c re a t i v i t y a n d d e t e r m i n a t i o n , P ro c o p e b u i l t E . G. B o w m a n ’s i n s u ra n c e b ro k e ra g e a n d l o s s m a n a g e m e n t c l i e n t l i s t t o i n c l u d e m a n y Fo rt u n e 5 0 0 c o m p a n i e s, a s w e l l a s c o u n t l e s s s m a l l - t o m i d -s i z e d b u s i n e s s e s, g ov e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s a n d n o t- f o r-p ro f i t s. P ro c o p e’s b u s i n e s s a c u m e n also made her one of the most
s o u g h t- a f t e r b o a rd m e m b e r s o f h e r g e n e ra t i o n . S h e s e r v e d o n t h e b o a rd s o f Av o n P ro d u c t s, C o l u m b i a G a s S y s t e m, a n d t h e C h u b b C o r p o ra t i o n a s w e l l a s C o r n e l l U n i v e r s i t y , t h e B ro n x Z o o a n d Ne w Yo rk Ur b a n L e a g u e n o t- f o r-p ro f i t b o a rd s. In re c o g nition of P ro c op e’s a cc ompl ish ments, Howard Universit y, Adel ph i Universit y, Morga n State University, and Mar ymount Manhatta n Col l e g e ea ch awa rde d h er h onora r y do c torates. Sh e al s o re c eive d a mu l titu de of bu siness awa rds th rou gh ou t h er l ifetime, incl u ding th e D ow Jones/Wa l l Stre et Jou rnal Entrepreneu r ia l E xc el l enc e Awa rd, Ernst & You ng ’s “ Entrepreneu r Ernesta Procope
of th e Year,” an d t he U.S. S mall Bu siness Admin ist rat io n ’s S mall Bu sinessp ers o n o f t he Year. Proc op e was feature d o n t he cover of nu merous nat io nal magazin es and was the subject of ar ticles in c ou ntl ess o t hers, in cluding Fo rtu ne, Black Enterp r is e an d Business Insuran ce. E r n e s t a w a s t h e w i d o w o f Jo h n L . P ro c o p e, t h e f o r m e r p u b l i s h e r o f t h e Ne w Yo r k Am s t e rd a m Ne w s, a n d t h e o n l y d a u g h t e r o f t h e l at e C l a re n c e a n d E l v i ra Fo rster and sister to the departed C l a re n c e, C e c i l a n d C ha r l e s Fo rs t e r. S h e i s s u r v i v e d by a h o s t o f n i e c e s, n e p h e w s a n d g re at- n i e ces and nephews and extended f a m i l y m e m b e r s.
