Thomas W. Matthew and N.E.G.R.O.

In early Spring of 1970, a group of Native Americans had tried to occupy the island in the style of the Alcatraz occupation (1969-1971). However, their boat engine failed, and they had to be towed back to shore. In July of 1970, Thomas W. Matthew, the first Black neurosurgeon in the United States, led representatives of his group, the National Economic Growth and Reorganization Corporation (N.E.G.R.O.), to Ellis Island for a two-week occupation.

The group was devoted to Black self-development through industry. After they voluntarily vacated the island in August, the National Park Service granted them a five-year permit to develop the island into a rehabilitation center that would train people in job skills, after which they would be employed in various, N.E.G.R.O.-owned businesses around the country.

Yet there were serious obstacles to the plan. Over the 15 years since Ellis Island was abandoned, the physical plant and utilities had deteriorated, and there was no water or electricity on the island. By winter of 1970, the group had given up and the NPS revoked its permit. It wouldn’t be until 1977 that the National Park Service started to stabilize the island for eventual tourism.