Mishanda Franklin

This interview with Mishanda Franklin was conducted on May 31, 2026 in Hudson, New York at the Hudson Library during the Oral History Summer School Workshop.

Mishanda begins the interview by talking about her early years in Hudson on State Street and attending John L. Edwards Elementary School. Her biological mother is white and her biological father is Black and both were incarcerated at various times in her youth. She describes being White-passing, and identifying as both Black and Biracial. Due to racism in her mother’s family, she was placed up for adoption at birth and adopted by her father’s religious family, who are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Raised by a family of strong Black women matriarchs, she helped her family with cooking and serving meals to people in need. Her biological parents both died in her youth, and her adopted mother died when she was a teenager.

Mishanda left for college in Arizona, and later transferred to New York University (NYU). While at NYU, she was impacted by 9/11 and decided to leave school to pursue becoming a police officer after witnessing the impact of first responders. She discusses challenges of passing the police academy, overcoming the perception of female police officers as fragile, self-care and care for police officers via a K-9 therapy program she initiated, parenting and policing, the importance of listening, shifting negative perceptions of police officers through positive interactions, reducing trauma, showing up for community, power, police discretion, and police accountability and transparency in Hudson following George Floyd’s death in 2020.

She joined the Hudson Police Department in 2003 and later became Hudson’s first Black Chief of Police in 2023.

‍