In honor of Black History Month, we here at The Stylus highlighted a different SUNY Brockport alum weekly on social media who impacted not only our campus, but also the world around us.

Read more about the alum we picked to showcase throughout Black History Month 2026.

Fannie Barrier Williams

Fannie Barrier Williams became the first African American woman to graduate from the Brockport State Normal School, one SUNY Brockport’s past titles. She graduated from Brockport in 1870, and after continuing her education, she began her career as a lawyer and a civil rights activist. Through her work as a civil rights activist, she helped to form the National League of Colored Women, the National Association of Colored Women and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Fannie Barrier Williams’ legacy can be seen across SUNY Brockport’s campus, through the Fannie Barrier Williams Scholars program, the Fannie Barrier Williams Scholarship and the Fannie Barrier Williams Liberal Arts building. SUNY Brockport’s students also have the opportunity to work on the Fannie Barrier Williams Project, led by the history department, which aims to research and highlight the life and legacy of Fannie Barrier Williams.

Joey Jackson

Joey Jackson is a legal analyst for CNN and HLN. He was born on Sept. 15, 1966. Jackson was a student at SUNY Brockport. Before going to Brockport, Jackson had struggled to prioritize his education in high school. As a result of this, Jackson would have only been able to attend SUNY Brockport if he passed three trial courses in a transition program the summer before college. Once he passed these trial courses with three A’s for each class, he decided he would really put the effort in for his education at Brockport. Jackson talked about how his future really started because of a mentor he had at SUNY Brockport, who was a lawyer. He didn’t even know what a lawyer was prior to meeting his mentor. Now, Jackson uses the skills he developed at Brockport in his career as a criminal defense and labor attorney.

While attending SUNY Brockport, Jackson was a part of the Honors College, directed the student-run legal Information service and served as BSG President. Jackson then attended SUNY Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy and earned his MPA. He then graduated from Hofstra Law School following SUNY Albany, while also serving as editor for the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal. He went on to have a career as a prosecutor and received the Distinguished Public Service Award. He then went on to join the firm Koehler & Isaacs LLP, where his position was Senior Trial Counsel for criminal defense. SUNY Brockport honors Jackson’s legacy through the Joey Jackson Intercultural Center, a campus space that allows underrepresented students to celebrate their heritages and join a campus community.

Troy Parris Pearley

Troy Parris Pearley graduated from SUNY Brockport in 1992 with a Bachelor’s of science degree in History and Political Science. During his time at Brockport, he was a two year varsity football player. The Brooklyn native started his career as an Account Manager for Pepperidge Farm. He then began working for Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, where he won the Salesperson of the Year Award for Best Retail Execution in 2008.

Pearley then started working for Divine Chocolate USA, where he is currently the Executive Vice President and General Manager. Divine Chocolate distinguishes itself from other premium chocolate brands for being the world’s first to get Fairtrade and B-Corp certified. Divine Chocolate is also co-owned by cocoa farmers, emphasizing the brand’s commitment to sustainability and equitable practices. Pearley received the 2021 SUNY Brockport Alumni Association Outstanding Service Award and was inducted into the National Confectioners Sales Association Candy Hall of Fame in 2022. Most recently, SUNY Brockport awarded Pearley with a Doctor of Humane Letters in 2025, an award that recognizes philanthropic and humanitarian work.

Cordell Cumming