Vol 3/ Issue 1 Black Westchester Aug. 15, 2019 - Two Year Anniversary Issue

VOLUME 3 / ISSUE 1

AUGUST 15, 2019

Unapologetically Delivering News To Communities Of Color in Westchester & Surrounding Areas

COMPLIMENTARY

MOUNT VERNON’S FURIOUS FOUR

BLACK WESTCHESTER

CORRUPTION, COLLUSION, OBSTRUCTION & ILLEGAL PAYOUTS

BY DAMON K. JONES

PAGE 14

FEATURES

JUDGE RULES ANDRE WALLACE IS MAYOR OF MOUNT VERNON

PAGE 6

BLACK WESTCHESTER APPAREL

REMEMBERING TONI PAGE 15

PAGE 13

BW AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT A’YANNA ARMSTRONG PAGE 17

OPEN PRIMARIES EMPOWER AFRICAN- AMERICANS

BY DR. JESSIE FIELDS

PAGE 23

SIMONE BILES THE NOISE - WHY DO WE WATCH WELCOME TO TRUMPS MAKES HISTORY PRESIDENTAL DEBATES RACIST AMERICA AGAIN!!!

BY LORRAINE LOPEZ

BY CHARLES STERN PAGE 21

PAGE 24

PAGE 20

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2 BLACK WESTCHESTER

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

AUGUST 15, 2019

Congratulations to the AJ Woodson, Damon K. Jones, Lorraine Lopez & all who’ve contributed to

Black Westchester.

We wish you much success in the coming years!

JUDGE STEVEN

MILLIGRAM for NYS Supreme Court Justice, 9 th JD

Congratulations to AJ Woodson, Damon K. Jones, Lorraine Lopez & the entire team at Black Westchester on your anniversary.

You are truly a voice for the people and we wish you continued success in the years to come!

Thank you for all you do.

ELENA GOLDBERG

VELAZQUEZ

for YONKERS CITY COURT JUDGE

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AUGUST 15, 2019

BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM

BLACK WESTCHESTER 3

Help your church ‘Go Purple’

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To learn more, visit alzhudsonvalley.org/purplesunday or call Jessica Flores at 800.272.3900.

This advertisement is supported in part by a grant from the New York State Department of Health.

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4 BLACK WESTCHESTER

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

AUGUST 15, 2019

Union Baptist Church of White Plains Honors & Celebrates Reverend Dr. Verlin D. Williams Silver Anniversary Pastor and People Together Since 1994 Friday, September 20, 2019 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tarrytown, NY For information, go to www.unionbaptistwp.org

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AUGUST 15, 2019

NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

BLACK WESTCHESTER 5

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK Founded in 2014 by DAMON K. JONES AJ WOODSON Published by URBANSOUL MEDIA GROUP 455 Tarrytown Rd., Suite 1318 White Plains, NY 10607 (914) 979-2093 www.BlackWestchester.com

Email:

BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Twitter: @BlkWestchesterM Instagram: @BlackWestchester Facebook: /BlackWestchesterMagazine

Publisher DAMON K. JONES @DamonKJones

Editor-In-Chief AJ WOODSON

@BWEditorInChief

Mistress Of Information Brenda L. Crump News Reporters/ Writers AJ Woodson Damon K. Jones Lorraine Lopez Charles Stern Charles Becco Dr. Jessie Fields

As Publisher of Black Westchester Magazine (BW), I would like to thank everyone for their support of our efforts to bring information to the people of Westchester County. As we embark on a new chapter for BW, we hope to continue to empower the reader on issues in their communities.

Independent media like BW has become more than a mere institution; instead, the independent media acts as a direct participant in the traditional three-branch system of governance.

What many fail to realize is that independent media serves a fundamental role in making democracies run efficiently, even though there are frequent clashes. Independent media system thus often “reflects the political philosophy in which Democracy indeed functions”.

This being said, BW will not be disregarded as a trivial player in the responsibilities of being a check and balance system in the political process of the Black Communities of Westchester.

BW’s purpose is not only to address the political process that affects the everyday lives of communities of colour in Westchester County. BW’s mission has also been to shine a light on the brilliant culture, morals, values and elegant lifestyle of Black people. It’s time to change the narrative on how Black people are perceived in media.

As Publisher of BW, our doors are open to the public. From the publication, the website, our radio show and now the newspaper; our doors are open to the people. We do not do this for any grander position or status; we do it for the people.

A FEW WORDS FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Welcome to the August 15, 2019 - Two Year Anniversary Issue of Black Westchester.

We are celebrating our two year anniversary issue of the newspaper. We are also celebrating the five year anniversary of BlackWestchester.com and the People Before Politics Radio Show to advertise and get you congratulatory ads in the September 15th issue or to sponsor the anniversary of PBP Radio hit us at AdvertiseWithBW@gmail.com. Do not wait we already have a larger than normal respond from those who did not get their congratulatory ads in our August 15th issue.

We want to thank all our supporters and advertisers who made this issue possible. If you want to make a donation in support of Black Westchester or sponsor the PBP Radio Show you can still do so at www.PayPal.Me/BlackWestchesterMag. In this issue like everywhere else we cover the 37 days of chaos we named the Mount Vernon Mayoral Mess (Pages 6, 7, 14 and 22) - the battle over who is in control in Mount Vernon, we delayed the release of the paper of a few days awaiting the outcome of the August 15th ruling. In our other cover story we also salute Toni Morrison was a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist who left us earlier this month.

We hope you enjoy this issue as we continue to bring you the News With The Black Point of View Send us your feedback, let us know what you think of this issue, let us know subjects/topics you would like to see us cover in the future by email to BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com.

Peace and Blessings

Photographers AJ Woodson Graphic Designers AJ Woodson Paula S. Woodson/ PS Visually Speakin’ For Advertising Rates AdvertiseWithBW@gmail.com Letters To The Editor BWEditorInChief@gmail.com

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6 BLACK WESTCHESTER

BW NEWS

AUGUST 15, 2019

JUDGE RULES ANDRÉ WALLACE IS MAYOR OF MOUNT VERNON

BY AJ WOODSON

Mayor André Wallace outside Westchester County Court affter Supreme Court Justice Ecker rules he is the Mayor of Mount Vernon [Black Westchester]

White Plains – On Thursday, August 15, State Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Ecker ruled André Wallace is the mayor of Mount Vernon and will remain so through January 1, 2020, which will hopefully put an end to the Mount Vernon Mayoral Mess that has plagued the city for the past 37 days. For more than a month, there has been a big debate over who the mayor of Mount Vernon is – Richard Thomas, André Wallace or Lisa Copeland.

Even though we had everyone against us, we stood up for what’s right and what we knew to be the law,” Mayor Wallace tells Black Westchester. “Today, Judge Ecker let everyone else know what my legal team and I already knew, and I’m grateful for that.

But, there’s no time to spike the football. We need to pull together as one Mount Vernon family and focus on what’s really important: serving the people of this City.”

NY LIBERTY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HARRIS PROJECT TO HOST NATION’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS AWARENESS GAME WHITE PLAINS - On Tuesday, August 13, 2019 the New York Liberty WNBA team hosted the first-ever professional Co-Occurring Disorders Awareness (CODA) Non-profit of the Night when the team takes on the Minnesota Lynx at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. The event began at 6 p.m. and included CODA activities, a community and provider resource table, giveaways, appearances by Westchester County Youth Bureau Director DaMia Harris-Madden and DCMH Deputy Commissioner Joe Glazer, NY Liberty representatives, Statewide Training Director, SNUG Street Outreach Damon Bacote, and the harris project founder, Stephanie Marquesano.

Co-Occurring Disorders is the combination of one or more mental health challenges and substance misuse and addiction. Impacting more than 10.2 million individuals and their families, the harris project focuses on raising awareness and prevention opportunities through CODA programming and system transformation to create integrated opportunities for treatment delivery.

Stephanie Marquesano founded the harris project in 2013 after the death of her 19-year-old son by accidental overdose. Harris was diagnosed at age three with an anxiety disorder and later with ADHD. He received professional help throughout his life. When he began experimenting and self-medicating with marijuana in high school, leading to misuse of prescription drugs, he unknowingly began down a path that would ultimately lead to his death. Harris was not alone. Nearly 32% of youth in the US ages 13-18 have an anxiety disorder.

SUSPENDED LEHMAN STUDENT ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF MAKING SOCIAL MEDIA THREATS

This follows a very contentious Council Meeting, Wednesday night where over 150 residents expressed their frustration over the 37 days of chaos over who is running the city. Will this finally be the end of the civil war in city hall, the residents can only hope, because many residents shared their frustration with Black Westchester, Wednesday night during and after the city council meeting. No matter who they support, the common theme was they were exhaustingly frustrated with the mindboggling maddness that has played out daily as the top story in the nightly news.

The judge said that when Richard Thomas took a plea deal on July 8 in his criminal campaign finance case, he vacated his position. Wallace, who was City Council president at the time, assumed the job. Two weeks ago, the City Council then tried to remove Wallace and appoint Lisa Copeland to the job of mayor. The judge said no action takenn by the council could stop Wallace from being mayor before Dec. 31st.

“Mr. Wallace, you have a job ahead of you...” Judge Ecker told Wallace toward the ending of the proceedings, as many of his supporters applauded temporarily, delaying the judge from continuing.

“It’s time to get back to work,” Wallace told Black Westchester outside the courthouse. “We’ve had a lot of distractions, we’ve got that out of the way. Let’s get our city healed. Let’s stop with the nonsense. Let’s stop with the fighting and everybody get back to work. We’ve got a lot of work to do to clean up the mess left by the prior administration and its crooked cronies. What they did to this City is disgusting. We’re coming after them next.”

Wallace told Black Westchester he will be reaching out to the Council to work toward moving Mount Vernon forward, and he hopes the council will join him and the comptroller to get it done. One thing is for sure, if Wallace plans to be successful as he continues his quest as the crusading anti-corruption fighter, he will ideally need the support of the council.

WCPR Congratulates Black Westchester Magazine!

Thank you for shining a light on Westchester’s communities

Westchester Coalition for Police Reform

wcprny@gmail.com l (914) 222-3244 https://www.facebook.com/WCPRNY

BY AJ WOODSON

BRONX- A suspended Lehman College student has been arrested after allegedly making terrorist threats against the Bronx school, and claiming he’d get his “revenge,” police said Saturday, August 10th.

Police say 27-year-old Eugene Manu is charged with making terroristic threats.

Manu posted the threats on social media after he was suspended from the Kingsbridge Heights institution, cops said.

Manu allegedly said he would get his revenge after he was suspended. It was not immediately disclosed what prompted Manu’s suspension from the college, named after Herbert H. Lehman, a former New York governor, United States senator, philanthropist, and the son of Lehman Brothers co-founder Mayer Lehman.

“I will get my revenge on you, Lehman,” Eugene Manu wrote, indicating he’d make good on the threat next week, authorities said. Concerned staffers brought the message to police.

In a statement, Lehman College officials said they have been working with the 52nd Precinct for nine days to “address threatening remarks” posted on social media.

“The safety of Lehman students, faculty, staff and visitors is a topmost priority, and we will continue to work closely with the NYPD during its investigation.”

Manu was arrested early Saturday on charges of making terroristic threats. At arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, his bail was set at $7,500 bond or $5,000 cash.

WE THE PEOPLE MARCH - WE THE PEOPLE ARE MARCHING TO BE SEEN AND HEARD

White Plains NY in Westchester County!

A group of activists and concerned residents in Westchester County known as We The People are organizing a march in Washington DC to remind elected officials that they work for us. We The People are marching because the current regime is a threat to our democracy and values. We The People are marching to demand action. Silence and inaction are complicity.

They are putting out a call for action to anyone interested in going down to DC for this. They will be chartering a bus and organizing carpooling?

Sandy Bernabei of the Anti-Racism Alliance is will be to serve as cocaptain of the bus and are looking for 35 to 40 people to sign up in order to justify chartering a coach bus. if you are interested and for more information go to the website: https://wethepeoplemarch.org/

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AUGUST 15, 2019

NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

BLACK WESTCHESTER

7

MAYOR ANDRE WALLACE: EXPOSING CORRUPTION AND WASTE IN MOUNT VERNON

BY DAMON K. JONES

MOUNT VERNON -- Mayor André Wallace continues to push forward his aggressive agenda to uncover years worth of corruption in the face of active opposition from every angle. Having already demonstrated that Thomas’ corrupt deal to remain in office was illegal, Wallace is not allowing the current power grab by the city council distract him from his mission of exposing corruption and waste in Mount Vernon

“When you get resistance, you have to ask yourself, what are they trying to hide?” said Wallace. “In three weeks, I’ve found enough money to fund the clean-up of Memorial Field and reduce taxes by sifting through a whole mess of waste, fraud, and abuse at the Water Department and Industrial Development Agency. There’s a lot more out there.”

Mayor André Wallace briefed the press and the public, Monday, August 12th at 11:00 A.M. at City Hall to discuss the initial findings related to his investigation into corruption and financial abuse in City Hall.

“This morning I had a press conference discussing my investigation into corruption and financial abuse in CIty Hall,” Mayor Wallace shares with Black Westchester. “I provided updates on my investigation into the Mount Vernon’s Bureau of Water Supply and the Industrial Development Agency.”

In less than a week, Wallace was able to identify at least $3 million dollars in money that was being squirreled away and kept from the People. That money has been transferred to the Comptroller to be held in trust for renovating and rebuilding Memorial Field;

Wallace and his team have identified substantial irregularities in the use of consultants and payments for legal resources, which may indicate as much as $1.5 million missing from the Bureau of Water Supply.

A similar pattern has emerged in the IDA, with spending patterns indicating the IDA has been used as a massive “slush fund” by the previous administration, with improper payments for personal use, family members, crony consultants, and wellconnected political allies of the former Mayor;

Initial estimates put the fraud, waste, and abuse at as much as $5 million; The investigation has been hampered by the disappearance of IDA records, a number of which have been identified as being held in the offices of law firms that may be allegedly part of the underlying scheme or, at least, a cover-up of that scheme.

Receipts and records belonging to the IDA have already been traced to the firms associated with former Mayor Thomas’ lawyers, Jeffrey Buss (Spolzino, Smith, Buss & Jacobs, LLP) and Jerry Kremer (Ruskin Moscou Faltichek, PC), Wallace explained at his presser.

“While the investigations are active and ongoing, the initial results are shameful,” said Wallace. “The Thomas administration was using the People of Mount Vernon as its personal ATM machine. More indictments are coming, and some may involve elected officials, past and present.”

Outside law enforcement agencies have been alerted to the initial findings and have begun their own investigations. Mayor Wallace and his team will offer assistance and support in those inquiries, according to Wallace.

The ultimate goal is to make the People’s tax dollars work for the People. Too much money is missing, too many questions are unanswered, and too many people are involved to be discounted as anything other than systematic corruption. Wallace remains focused on exposing the waste and will begin to hold people accountable. It’s producing real results. Money for Memorial Field and lowering taxes, eliminating the gravy train of needless “overtime,” opposing Mayor Thomas’ $35,000 walk-away “settlement,” and punishing those who have been treating tax dollars as their own personal piggy-bank is just the beginning.

“I’ve already spoken with people in the Thomas administration who know where the bodies are buried. The indictments are coming. The truth is going to come out. And, people will be going to jail. I ask myself why the City Council wants to align itself on the side of corruption. Why won’t they let my people do their work? There’s still a lot of work to do, and we’re going to keep doing it, with or without their help,” promised Wallace.

“We’re just getting started. There’s been a lot of resistance, obviously. But, just as obvious, there are some good people in this government who just want to do their job and help us find out what went on for the People of this City,” added Wallace.

“Mount Vernon’s citizens have encouraged me to keep pushing and, when we come across resistance, to push even harder. And, we will.”

“To anyone who thinks they’ve taken money from this City and gotten away with it, I’ve got one message: We’re coming after you, and we’ll get our money back”, promised Wallace.

THE ANTIRACIST ALLIANCE OF WESTCHESTER AND THE PEOPLE’S INSTITUTE FOR SURVIVAL AND BEYOND

SALUTES

PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS RADIO & BLACK WESTCHESTER MAGAZINE FOR TRUTH IN REPORTING, INTEGRITY IN WORD AND ACTION, AND EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY WWW.ANTIRACISTALLIANCE.COM

WE ARE ANTI-RACIST PEOPLE MAKERS GETTING TO THE ROOT CAUSE OF RACIAL INEQUITIES “IF IT WAS DONE, IT CAN BE UNDONE” UNDOING RACISM IN OUR LIFETIME’

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8 BLACK WESTCHESTER

BW NEWS

AUGUST 15, 2019

KNICKS LEGEND ALLAN HOUSTON MENTORS YOUNG OFFENDERS ENROLLED IN OBAMA FOUNDATION PROGRAM AT COUNTY JAIL

VALHALLA – On Tuesday, July 30, New York Knicks all-time great Allan Houston met with several young men in the custody of the Westchester County Department of Correction as part of the Obama Foundation’s groundbreaking anti-violence program.

Accompanied by several partners from the Nepperhan Community Center and the Department’s leadership team, Houston took part in a ‘town hall’ program in which he stressed the importance of maintaining faith and personal integrity no matter what obstacles an individual may face.

Houston told the cadets that he considered them leaders as well; because of the their participation in the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) program the eyes of the nation remain focused on Westchester County to see if its success of can be implemented nationwide. Awarded in late 2018, the MBK program is only one of ten in the country, and

the only one with a criminal justice component. Westchester’s Department of Correction and the City of Yonkers play a key role in the program by providing mentoring and advocacy services to young men of color while they are still incarcerated and then after they return home.

Dr. Jim Bostic, longtime Director of the Nepperhan Community Center and a former NBA player himself, followed on Houston’s remarks and told the young men “Don’t just sit here and count the minutes - instead think of this as a moment. It is a moment in time on your much longer journey. Use this time to become economically, socially and politically aware. Vote. If you do so, where you have been is not where you are going.”

Correction Commissioner Joseph K. Spano stated “Because of our MBK program and more than 30 others that we offer, we are experiencing individual success stories on a daily basis. Our executive team and hundreds of partners remain focused on changing lives and repairing communities while simultaneous ensuring staff and offender safety.”

First Deputy Commissioner Louis A. Molina noted “There is truly something unique going on in Westchester and we are hoping that - like Allan did today - many others are taking notice and being a part of it.”

After the town hall, the cadets and Houston were able to spend time together in the housing unit’s adjacent recreation area. Houston clearly has not lost his shooting touch, sinking several jumpers in a row before wishing the recruits well and noting that he expects to see them again - pursuing their dreams ‘on the outside.’

Houston was a two-time all-star, Olympic gold medal winner and longtime captain of the New York Knicks, playing in Madison Square Garden for nine seasons before retiring in 2005. He spoke about his personal journey, from the University of Tennessee, where he was coached by his dad, to the NBA hardwood and, ultimately, to the Knicks’ corporate leadership team. As Special Assistant to the Knicks General Manager, Houston is responsible for the continued success and development of the Westchester Knicks - the G-League team that calls the Westchester County Center home.

Allan Houston spent nine standout seasons (1996-97 through 2004-05) with the Knicks. He is fourth on the all-time Knicks career scoring list with 11,165 points, trailing only Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing (23,665), Walt Frazier (14,617) and Willis Reed (12,183). Houston is also second among all-time Knicks in three-point field goals (921, to John Starks’ 982), third in free throw percentage (.872), and sixth in minutes (21,724).

YONKERS FIRE DISPLACES OVER MV’S CHRIS COOPER SET TO MAKE HIS REGULAR-SEASON DEBUT WITH ATL FALCONS RESIDENTS ON NORTH BROADWAY

BY AJ WOODSON BY AJ WOODSON

Yonkers - Over 80 people, including 38 children, are currently homeless after a fire in a Yonkers apartment building Sunday, August 11.

About 60 firefighters responded to the blaze at 149 N. Broadway also known as Route 9, near the corner of Ashburton Avenue, where a few firefighters had minor injuries, Yonkers Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Fitzpatrick said.

Yonkers fire officials say the call came in just before 7 p.m., and crews arrived on the scene to find heavy flames and smoke coming from the top floor of the building. Everyone was able to evacuate safely, and no injuries were reported, Fitzpatrick stated.

The Yonkers Office of Emergency Management and Red Cross responded to help 48 adults and 38 children from 10 families, Fitzpatrick said. Those displaced residents were taken two properties down the street to the Police Athletic League.

The Red Cross said it helped 43 adults and 34 children at the reception center at the PAL. Displaced residents then transitioned to a shelter at the Nodine Community Center at 140 Filmore Street, where 36 people stayed overnight, according to the Red Cross.

Ten families displaced by the fire spent much of the day Tuesday, August 13th waiting outside the Department of Social Services with no place to go. They said they are no longer getting assistance from the Red Cross.

There was a shelter offered to the residents, The Coachman family Center, a homeless health center located at 123 E. Post Road in White Plains. Residents were unwilling to go due to a history of crime and drugs.

“You wouldn’t be willing to take your children there, why we want to take our children there. It’s not safe for children, its filled with drug dealers, adicts, fights... the cops are there every night,” Matthew Medina, who discribed himself as a victim of this establishment, who was advocating for all of the families.

The money recieved, families used to spend the night at a hotel, but the money did not last long and they were forced to return to DSS the first thing Wednesday morning, looking for a better solution

Black Westchester was called back to the Michael Oles owned building Thursday, August 15th and found several displaced residents stilling trying to retrieve their belongings.

“The fire was Sunday the 11th before 7pm and today is Thursday and none of the families has been placed in adaquate living situations,” Mediina who had his wife and children sitting inside his SUV with the vehcle running with the air condictioner on all day, shared with Black Westchester. “We’re still at minimun help.. where are we going, we need shelter... Red Cross helped us for a day and a half....

Tasha Diaz - Councilwoman Elect (District 3) stopped by with food, clothing and toiletries to assist Councilwoman Shanae Williams at the building that is located in District 1. Elena Goldberg Velazquez is currently seeking a position as Yonkers City Court Judge, People Before Politics Radio co-host Lorraine Lopez, Mr. Stop & Shake -Hector ‘Hector the Connector’ Santiago were among those also present with items for the residents, Thursday afternoon.

Residents grabbed items brought for them and gathered personal items placed in boxes for them but a custodial service - some blessed enough to stay with friends and families while many others were still unclear where they were going to stay the night.

While the County and City have offered assistance, much more is needed.

Black Westchester called the Office of Constituent Services to get answers for the residents but we got a voicemail and have yet to recieve a call back.

Stay tuned to BlackWestchester.com for more on this developing story.

Mount Vernon native Chris Cooper is set to make his regular season debut with the Atlanta Falcons this season. The former Razorback agreed to a two-year deal with the Falcons on Friday, April 12th.

Cooper initially signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent out of college after the 2018 NFL Draft. He found himself in competition for a roster spot with the Colts last summer until he was forced to exit the preseason finale with a concussion. The former Stony Brook University standout was waived shortly thereafter, and he remained unsigned until being added to Kansas City’s practice squad in early January before the start of the team’s playoff run. Set to make his regularseason debut, the 25-year-old Cooper is slated to back up the safety position with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2019-2020 season.

Prior to arriving in the NFL, Cooper, who is 5-foot-11 and 202 pounds, was a star player at Stony Brook. Cooper finished his college career with 147 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, nine pass defenses and four interceptions.

Prior to arriving in the NFL, Cooper, who is 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, was a star player at Stony Brook. Cooper finished his college career with 147 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, nine pass defenses and four interceptions.

In 2017, Chris Cooper earned Second Team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors after recording 88 tackles (50 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, four passes defensed, one interception and one fumble recovery.

Last season saw the Falcons’ safety position suffer notable declines after the early season injuries to starters Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. the Falcons finished ranked sixth worst league, allowing six yards per play on average, and their pass defense ranked 27th overall, allowing 33 passing touchdowns, the fourth most in football, and surrendered 260 air yards per game on average, also the fourth most in the NFL.

Cooper looks to give the Falcons some much needed depth at the safety position, this upcoming season.

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AUGUST 15, 2019

BW BLACK HISTORY

BLACK WESTCHESTER 9

AUGUST 6 IS 54TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT

BY AJ WOODSON

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed in response to Jim Crow laws and other restrictions of minorities’ voting rights at the time, primarily in the Deep South. The Act has undergone several changes and additions since its passage, but the U.S. Supreme Court found a key provision of the Act unconstitutional in 2013.

“54 years ago today, Congress passed one of the most meaningful pieces of legislation in our nation’s history, the Voting Rights Act,” Congressman Eliot Eliot shared with Black Westchester, Tuesday, August 6th. “This landmark bill established the principle of fairness in our electoral system and removed longstanding discriminatory barriers to voting. But even in 2019, many still face undue burdens when it comes to exercising their right to vote. Shelby v. Holder set our country back tremendously by opening the door for a flurry of state activity aimed at suppressing voter turnout. We can’t sit idly by and allow GOP lawmakers to circumvent the will of the people.”

THE 1965 ENACTMENT By 1965, civil rights activists had been working for years to obtain voting rights for all Americans, but had only achieved minimal success. However, the murder of activists in Mississippi and Philadelphia, as well as numerous other acts of violence and terrorism, captured national attention and propelled the movement forward.

On March 7, 1965, in an event that came to be known as “Bloody Sunday,” state troopers descended on peaceful protestors in an unprovoked attack on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama where protestors were en route to the state capital in Montgomery. In response to this event and other acts of violence, President Johnson called for effective voting rights legislation. Subsequently, hearings began on the bill that would become the Voting Rights Act.

The hearings showed that the Justice Department’s efforts to eliminate discriminatory election practices by litigation on a case-by-case basis had been unsuccessful in opening up the registration process.

The VRA was enacted on August 6, 1965. Section 2 of the Act applied a nationwide prohibition on literacy tests. The Act also contained special provisions targeted at those areas of the country with histories of racial discrimination.

Under Section 5, jurisdictions covered by these special provisions could not make any voting rights law changes without preclearance from the federal government. In addition, the Attorney General could designate a county covered by these special provisions for the appointment of a federal examiner to review the qualifications of persons who wanted to register to vote. Further, in those counties where a federal examiner was serving, the Attorney General could request that federal observers monitor activities within the county’s polling place.

The Voting Rights Act did not include a provision prohibiting poll taxes, but had directed the Attorney General to challenge its use. In Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections, 383 U.S. 663 (1966), the Supreme Court held Virginia’s poll tax to be unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. Between 1965 and 1969 the Supreme Court also issued several key decisions upholding the constitutionality of Section 5 and affirming the broad range of voting practices that required Section 5 review.

THE 1970 AND 1975 AMENDMENTS Congress extended Section 5 for five years in 1970 and for seven years in 1975.

With these extensions, Congress validated the Supreme Court’s broad interpretation of the scope of Section 5. During the hearings Congress heard extensive testimony concerning gerrymandering, annexations, adoption of at-large elections, and other structural changes to prevent newly-registered black voters from effectively using the ballot. Congress also heard extensive testimony about voting discrimination that had been suffered by Hispanic, Asian and Native American citizens, and the 1975 amendments added protections from voting discrimination for language minority citizens.

In 1973, the Supreme Court held certain legislative multi-member districts unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment on the ground that they systematically diluted the voting strength of minority citizens in Bexar County, Texas. This decision in White v. Regester, 412 U.S. 755 (1973), strongly shaped litigation through the 1970s

against at-large systems and gerrymandered redistricting plans. In Mobile v. Bolden, 446 U.S. 55 (1980), however, the Supreme Court required that any constitutional claim of minority vote dilution must include proof of a racially discriminatory purpose, a requirement that was widely seen as making such claims far more difficult to prove.

THE 1970 AND 1975 AMENDMENTS Congress extended Section 5 for five years in 1970 and for seven years in 1975.

With these extensions, Congress validated the Supreme Court’s broad interpretation of the scope of Section 5. During the hearings Congress heard extensive testimony concerning gerrymandering, annexations, adoption of at-large elections, and other structural changes to prevent newly-registered black voters from effectively using the ballot. Congress also heard extensive testimony about voting discrimination that had been suffered by Hispanic, Asian and Native American citizens, and the 1975 amendments added protections from voting discrimination for language minority citizens.

In 1973, the Supreme Court held certain legislative multi-member districts unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment on the ground that they systematically diluted the voting strength of minority citizens in Bexar County, Texas. This decision in White v. Regester, 412 U.S. 755 (1973), strongly shaped litigation through the 1970s against at-large systems and gerrymandered redistricting plans. In Mobile v. Bolden, 446 U.S. 55 (1980), however, the Supreme Court required that any constitutional claim of minority vote dilution must include proof of a racially discriminatory purpose, a requirement that was widely seen as making such claims far more difficult to prove.

THE 1982 AMENDMENTS Congress renewed in 1982 the special provisions of the Act, triggered by coverage under Section 4 for twenty-five years. Congress also adopted a new standard, which went into effect in 1985, providing how jurisdictions could terminate (or “bail out” from) coverage under the provisions of Section 4. Furthermore, after extensive hearings, Congress amended Section 2 to provide that a plaintiff could establish a violation of the Section without having to prove discriminatory purpose.

THE 2013 SUPREME COURT RULING In a 5-4 split, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Voting Rights Act had achieved its main purpose (Shelby County v. Holder). Specifically, the Court overturned Section 4 of the Act, which laid out the formula for determining which states had to seek approval prior to enacting new voting laws. While Section 5 specifically addresses this requirement, the ruling on Section 4 renders Section 5 ineffective. Critics of the ruling, including Justice Ginsburg, argue that attempts to restrict minority voting in many southern states is still rampant, citing efforts in many states to redraw district maps in order to minimize the will of minorities.

Justices in the majority, however, claim that the special requirements for certain states are based on information from the 1960s. Therefore, the Court left the door open for Congress to update the Act by coming up with a new formula that complies with the 2013 ruling.

AUG. 6. 2019 CONGRESSMAN ENGEL INTRODUCES AMENDMENT “I’ve introduced a comprehensive Constitutional Amendment, H.J.Res. 9, to fix many of the problems plaguing our electoral system, including the outdated and regressive electoral college and political gerrymandering,” Congressman Engel. “We need to abolish both and we also need to get big money out of politics, which my amendment would also do. Many of the provisions I included in H.J. Res. 9 made their way into the major electoral and ethics reform bill that I voted for and House Democrats passed earlier in the year, H.R. 1 the For the People Act. While passage of H.R. 1 by the Senate would be a tremendous step forward, H.J.Res. 9 represents my full vision for a more inclusive approach to voting rights in America. On this 54th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, I urge my colleagues to think bigger when it comes to protecting the right to vote.”

AUGUST 28, 2008 BARACK OBAMA BECOMES 1ST BLACK MAN TO WIN DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION AND BID FOR PRESIDENCY

BY AJ WOODSON

Illinois Senator Barack Obama made history on Aug. 28, 2008, when he officially became the Democratic Party’s first Black Presidential nominee in Denver, Colorado.

Then Senator Obama who just celebrated his 58th birthday on August 4th would go on to be elected the African-American President of the United States of America.

“Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story, of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to,” the Illinois senator said in his acceptance speech. “It is that promise that’s always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That’s why I stand here tonight.”

Obama handily won the primary race, beating far more seasoned politicians, including New York Senator Hillary Clinton, whom he later chose as his first-term Secretary of State, and Delaware Senator Joe Biden, his Vice Presidential nominee.

Then he went on to defeat his Republican opponent Arizona Senator John McCain, who’d believed at the time that choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate would be his ticket to success. Obama also set a new standard for employing technology and social media to win elections.

Barack Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, when he was elected to the United States Senate. During this part of his career, Obama continued teaching constitutional law part time at the Univ of Chicago Law School as he had done as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004.

Many Americans first met Sen. Barack Obama on July 27, 2004 when he delivered an electrifying Keynote Speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

As the result of the now-legendary speech, Obama rose to national prominence, and his speech is regarded as one of the great political statements of the 21st century. ...We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?

I’m not talking about blind optimism here — the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial.

It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs. The hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores. The hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta. The hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds. The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty.

Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!...

Black Westchester salutes the 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama II.

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10 BLACK WESTCHESTER

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

AUGUST 15, 2019

Opportunity – Marketing The Wall Street Journal called WVOX and WVIP "America's Great Community Stations!" And now as the last remaining, true community stations in Westchester ... we're adding to our Marketing and Advertising Departments with Immediate Openings for highly-motivated and dynamic Advertising Account Executives ... perfect opportunities for personable, confident and articulate individuals who know and love Westchester as we do ... where you make your own hours ... as a full or part time Advertising and Marketing Executive.

Call our station President David O'Shaughnessy and come in for a tour of our modern studios in New Rochelle. Hudson Westchester Radio Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.

David O’Shaughnessy 914-636-1460 David@WVOX.com

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AUGUST 15, 2019

BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM

BLACK WESTCHESTER11

A NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2019 WESTCHESTER COUNTY

Celebrated annually the first Tuesday in August, National Night Out was created to enhance the relationship between residents and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community.

Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and the community together under positive circumstances.

Several municipalities in Westchester celebrated National Night Out with events including an assortment of entertainment, vendors, children’s activities, food, and free handouts at each location.

National Night Out gives the community an opportunity to meet and greet many of your local police officers, neighbors, and have a great time! This event is often the largest community outreach program of the year and often draws hundreds residents in each municipalities.

Below is a pictorial of a few of the local National Night Out celebrations throughout Westchester County!

MOUNT VERNON

GREENBURGH

WHITE PLAINS YONKERS

NEW ROCHELLE

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12 BLACK WESTCHESTER

AUGUST 15, 2019

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

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JULY 18 Alexis Morrast

JULY 25 Charley Crockett AUGUST 1 Phony Ppl AUGUST 8 Chris Bergson Band Featuring Ellis Hooks AUGUST 15 The Rad Trads AUGUST 22 Endea Owens

SEPTEMBER 5 Ellis Hooks

AUGUST 29 Tuba Skinny SEPTEMBER 12 Keyon Harrold

5 City Place White Plains, NY 10601

SHOPATCITYCENTER.COM/MUSIC

Events subject to change without notice.

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AUGUST 15, 2019

Black Westchester Newspaper Ad_Black Westchester Half Page (Vertical) BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM Ad 8/6/19 1:05 PM Page 1

BLACK WESTCHESTER13

            

Christian Education Sunday September 15, 2019

11:00 am Worship “Committed” Ephesians 2:10

Quadrennial Theme Emphasis:

 Speaker:

Eric Alfonzo Smith II

The 6th International President of The Assembly of Christian Educators (ACE) Brenda L.G. Smith, Ed.D., LHD

General Secretary, Christian Education Department The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church -

Carolyn DuBois-White, Lucille Davis-Nall Co-Directors Mount Hope AME Zion Church - Christian Education Department

Dr. Gregory Robeson Smith, Senior Pastor

   

  

Global Missions Sunday  

 

 

   



   



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14

BLACK WESTCHESTER

BW LOCAL POLITICS

AUGUST 15, 2019

COVER STORIES BW COVER STORY

MOUNT VERNON’S FURIOUS FOUR

BY DAMON K JONES

Mount Vernon Councilmembers Lisa Copeland (l), Janice Duarte, Marcus Griffith & Delia Farquharson

CORRUPTION, COLLUSION, OBSTRUCTION & ILLEGAL PAYOUTS - DEMOCRATS EAT THEIR OWN FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

In its democratic political aspect, the three years of the Thomas administration and the actions of the current Mount Vernon City Council (Lisa A Copeland, Janice Duarte, Marcus A. Griffith and Delia Farqueharson) has decentralized city and state law and disregarded two principal components of the people: participation and accountability.

Participation is chiefly concerned with increasing the role of citizens in choosing their local leaders and in telling those leaders what to do—in other words, providing inputs into local governance. Accountability constitutes the other side of the process; it is the degree to which local governments have to explain or justify what they have done or failed to do.

When government officials disregard the people and accountability of law, chaos always follows.

Mount Vernon has a history of confusion and turmoil when it comes to its city government. Because it’s a predominantly Black run city, it has to be better to overcome age-old biases. The recent unrest by the city council to attempt to strong-arm current Mayor André Wallace out of office after they voted unanimously to put Wallace, shocks the conscience.

Former Mayor Richard W. Thomas vacated his office on June 8, 2019. As these antics have put the city on the pages of national news outlets, many onlookers are looking at these shenanigans like a third world government that needs intervention from outside forces like NATO to bring its government back to a democracy.

For the last three and a half years, many have attended city council meetings where I have seen many residents make formal complaints about the Thomas Administration. The city council itself to be the so-called checks and balances of the Mayor’s office turned their back on alleged illegal acts of the Thomas Administration.

The city council has had their eyes wide shut to corruption permeating from the Thomas administration; no-show jobs, commissionerships for political cronies and campaign donors resulting in the theft of taxpayer dollars; failure to curb and/or attempt to curb systematic misuse of the city police force for political and personal retaliation; and previous administration’s gestapo tactics of the city’s police force to target residents and local businesses.

First, let’s be clear, that it is our belief, that part of the problem was the questionable plea deal made by the New York State Attorney General’s Office with former Mayor Thomas. The “waiver” that allows an admitted criminal to stay in office for another 90 days has raised eyebrows

to many criminal justice professionals throughout the state of New York.

After former Mayor Thomas pled guilty on July 8, 2019, the City Council invoked Section 25 of the City Charter: Penalties for Violation of Duty. The city council voted that by pleading guilty, Thomas vacated his office. The city council voted unanimously per the charter that the Council President, who was André Wallace will be Acting Mayor.

The City Council pass resolutions to stop Thomas pay and benefits and for Thomas vacate his office in 24 hours. Thomas refused and came to work. After the 24 hour grace period, the council did nothing. They didn’t change the locks or evict Thomas from an office that the city council unanimously voted that he vacated. Because of the failure of the city council to enforce their resolution, Mount Vernon hit prime time news with the battle of two Mayors.

On July 31, 2019, all parties, Thomas and his lawyer, Wallace and his lawyers, the City Council’s lawyer, the Comptroller’s lawyer all appeared before New York State Supreme Court Justice, Judge Lawrence Ecker. Judge Ecker ruled that when Thomas pled guilty on July 8, 2019, he vacated his office and André Wallace was Mayor.

According to the ruling of Supreme Court Judge, Lawrence Ecker, on July 31, 2019, Judge Ecker ruled that “the agreement could not override provisions in the city charter and the state Public Officers Law that forced Thomas out of office as a result of the conviction.”

Judge Ecker also ruled, in no way, shape or form did Justice Warhit or the Office of the Attorney General condone or agree that there would be a waiver (of the charter or the state law),” Ecker said. “They had no power to do so.”

What raises the eyebrow of question is that all parties legal counsel were present for the ruling. But two days later the city council attempts a political assassination of Wallace to vote him out as being Mayor after voting him in on July 10 and fighting for him to be Mayor with the ruling of Judge Ecker on July 31. The council not only disregarded Judge Ecker ruling, but they also agreed to accept a resignation letter and pay Mr. Thomas $35,000.

The council also chose to remove André Wallace from Mayor only after he announces an independent audit of many departments because his initial inquiry found thousands of dollars of waste and fraud.

According to the Reginald Lafayette, who is the Westchester County Democratic Chairman, the city council cannot change presidents in mid-term. Lafayette also told Black Westchester, “It’s just a grab for power they’ve done, and it’s a bad move,”

The question I have asked the council numerous times is why the city council allowed Richard Thomas to submit a fraudulent document of resignation on August 2, 2019, to receive $35,000 of the taxpayer money after New York State Supreme Court Judge Ecker ruled on July 31, 2019, that Mr. Thomas vacated his office on July 8, 2019.

Councilwoman Farquharson’s response on Facebook was the council didn’t want to endure any more legal expenses if Thomas takes the city to court for the money he is due on the 90-day waiver. She failed to recognize that Judge Ecker ruled that the Attorney General Office had no power to offer s waiver. Not to mention former city Corporation Counsel, Lawrence Pocari was indicted on stealing $365,000 from the Water Department for Mr. Thomas to pay his legal fees.

The definition of a false document is inventing and inserting documents that appear to be factual. The goal of a false document is to convince an audience that what is being presented is accurate.

By definition, the Mount Vernon City Council has colluded with Mr. Thomas to disregard the court ruling and accept a document that they know was false for what is perceived to be a legal payout.

On August 5, in a letter to Judge Ecker, the law firm for Mount Vernon Comptroller Deborah Reynolds said, there can be no resignation for a forfeited office; there can be no payment for the same.

The question we must ask is why? What are they hiding to by giving a payout to an admitted criminal? Is this hush money? Does Mr. Thomas know something we don’t? What is the point of the city council going to court to put Thomas out, only to turn around and pay him?

On Friday, August 9, 2019, City Council President Lisa A. Copeland and President Pro-temp, Janice Duarte held an illegal Board of Estimate meeting to approve the fraudulent resignation letter of former Mayor Thomas and his $35,000 payout. The Board of Estimate consists of the Mayor, the City Council President, and the Comptroller. Both Mayor Wallace and Comptroller Reynolds were not present. City Clerk George Brown read in the minutes that Comptroller Reynold disapproved of the meeting, and it was illegal. City Corporation Counsel, Lauren Raysor also sent a letter that the meeting was illegal.

It seems like those who are in charge of the checks and balances are illegally trying to write checks without the balance they are supposed to represent. Democratic principles in Mount Vernon are in shambles.

Accountability is an elusive concept that is now just in word only in Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon residents have endured an unresponsive government when it comes to corruption. The question is, what are the people of Mount Vernon going to do? Are they sick and tired of being sick and tired yet? If so will they finally stand up and demand an end to these third world style political shenanigans? Only time will tell!

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AUGUST 15, 2019

BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM

BLACK WESTCHESTER 15

BW COVER STORY

REMEMBERING TONI

BY AJ WOODSON

Nobel Prize-winning novelist and longtime Princeton University professor Toni Morrison died on Monday, August 5, 2019, at age 88. She died at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, the statement said, though it did not specify a cause of death.

Morrison broke through in 1970 with her debut novel “The Bluest Eye,” which earned praise for its stark portrait of a sexually abused African-American girl who has internalized racism and yearns for blue eyes. Her crowning achievement remains “Beloved,” a devastating 1987 novel that won the Pulitzer Prize, and chronicles the troubled lives of a group of former slaves in post-Civil War Ohio.

In 1989, Morrison was appointed the Robert F. Goheen Chair in the Humanities at Princeton University, where she continued to teach until 2006. In 2017, the University renamed West Hall, a residential college on the campus, Morrison Hall, in honor of the writer.

Born Chloe Anthony Wofford in Lorain, Ohio in 1931, Morrison was an editor at Random House for many years, where she championed such African-American authors as Angela Davis. She wrote “The Bluest Eye” while holding down her editor position and raising two children on her own. In the novels, “Sula” (1973) and “Song of Solomon” (1977), Morrison incorporated elements of magical realism, as well as a seemingly encyclopedic grasp of American and African history. (“Song of Solomon” won the National Book Critics Circle Award, one of many prizes Morrison would collect during her storied career.)

“Beloved” was published in 1987 and was greeted with universal acclaim.

Combining elements of both a traditional ghost story and the slave narrative, the book introduced readers to Sethe, a mother haunted by the brutal choice she once made to spare her child from slavery.

The book won the Pulitzer (following a much-reported controversy when Morrison didn’t win the National Book Award) and cemented her reputation as a giant of 20th century American literature. That reputation was enhanced when, in 1993, she became only the fourth woman and second black person to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. (Until Bob Dylan won in 2016, no other American had won since Morrison.)

Morrison wrote and spoke often about race in America. In 2016, she published an essay in The New Yorker titled “Mourning for Whiteness,” following the election of President Donald Trump.

“To keep alive the perception of white superiority, these white Americans tuck their heads under cone-shaped hats and American flags and deny themselves the dignity of face-to-face confrontation, training their guns on the unarmed, the innocent, the scared, on subjects who are running away, exposing their unthreatening backs to bullets,” she wrote. “Surely, shooting a fleeing man in the back hurts the presumption of white strength? The sad plight of grown white men, crouching beneath their (better) selves, to slaughter the innocent during traffic stops, to push black women’s faces into the dirt, to handcuff black children. Only the frightened would do that. Right?”

Morrison continued, “On Election Day, how eagerly so many white voters— both the poorly educated and the well educated—embraced the shame and fear sowed

by Donald Trump. The candidate whose company has been sued by the Justice Department for not renting apartments to black people. The candidate who questioned whether Barack Obama was born in the United States, and who seemed to condone the beating of a Black Lives Matter protester at a campaign rally. The candidate who kept black workers off the floors of his casinos. The candidate who is beloved by David Duke and endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan.”

She concluded, “William Faulkner understood this better than almost any other American writer. In ‘Absalom, Absalom,’ incest is less of a taboo for an upper-class Southern family than acknowledging the one drop of black blood that would clearly soil the family line. Rather than lose its ‘whiteness’ (once again), the family chooses murder.”

The NAACP said in a statement about Morrison’s death, “Our hearts are heavy over the loss of our sister, Toni Morrison. Morrison, a renowned teacher, professor, and award-winning novelist, revealed the unspoken truths of Black life in America and provided us with a deeper understanding of what it meant to be loved. Among the many prestigious awards Morrison received throughout her life, she was notably the first black woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. She also received an NAACP Image Award for her novel, Love. Her legacy will live on through her contributions to the literary community, and the world as a whole.”

Morrison said in 2015 at Princeton, “Of course I am a storyteller and therefore an optimist, a firm believer in the ethical bend of the human heart, a believer in the mind’s appetite for truth and its disgust with fraud. “I’m a believer in the power of knowledge and the ferocity of beauty, so from my point of view your life is already artful — waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art.”

In “Beloved,” Morrison wrote, “The future was sunset; the past something to leave behind. And if it didn’t stay behind, well, you might have to stomp it out. Slave life; freed life — every day was a test and a trial. Nothing could be counted on in a world where even when you were a solution you were a problem.”

President Barack Obama took to Facebook this Wednesday, August 14th to share his summer reading list. The 44th President focused on contemporary fiction, beginning with a nod to Toni Morrison, the American Nobel laureate who died Aug. 5 at 88.

“It’s August, so I wanted to let you know about a few books I’ve been reading this summer, in case you’re looking for some suggestions. To start, you can’t go wrong by reading or re-reading the collected works of Toni Morrison. Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Sula, everything else — they’re transcendent, all of them. You’ll be glad you read them.”

Toni Morrison is the first black woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature for her novels depicting the struggles of black Americans living in a white society ridden with racial discrimination. Black Westchester salutes Toni Morrison!

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16 BLACK WESTCHESTER

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

AUGUST 15, 2019

Andrea Stewart-Cousins New York State Senate, 35th District President Pro Tem ♦ Majority Leader

Best Wishes to my friends at

Black Westchester Magazine on the occasion of celebrating your

5th Anniversary Thank you for your ongoing commitment to bringing stories of African-American life, culture, economics, politics, sports, and entertainment center stage. Your dedication to keeping the public informed enriches the lives of people throughout Westchester County and I am grateful for all your efforts.

28 Wells Avenue, Building #3 5th Floor ▪ Yonkers, New York 10701 ▪ Tel: (914) 423-4031 ▪ Fax: (914) 423-0979 http://StewartCousins.NYSenate.gov/ – /Andrea.StewartCousins – @AndreaSCousins

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AUGUST 15, 2019

BW AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

BLACK WESTCHESTER 17

A’YANNA ARMSTRONG - A NEW HOPE FOR JUSTICE

BY AJ WOODSON

Black Westchester from time to time spotlights a new Black Authors we think you should all know about. This month we highlight one of Mount Vernon’s own A’yanna Armstrong and her upcoming book A New Hope For Justice.

While most books touch on the issues within in the Criminal Justice system, this book provides an innovative approach on how not just politicians, but also celebrities and everyday people can make a difference.

We introduce you to Ayanna Armstrong – daughter of Mount Vernon City Court Judge Adrian Armstrong – and she is the author of A New Hope for Justice.

“I wanted to share some exciting news: for the past 5 months, I’ve been working on a book. New Degree Press, my book publisher, has officially approved my manuscript for publication,” A’yanna shared with Black Westchester. “I wrote this book because I felt hopeless after watching the news and reading the newspaper regarding the criminal justice system and I wanted to provide others who may have shared similar feelings with a sense of hope on how we can reform the system. My hope is that, in reading this book, you will discover that you do not have to hold a government position in order to make a change. In this book, I hope to instill the same sort of passion and excitement that I have for criminal justice reform in you. And then ultimately I want you to see this book as a tool to help you incorporate innovative ideas on how you can make an impact on criminal justice reform such as using social media.”

In this book, you’ll learn: • • •

How 19-year-old Actor and Activist Yara Shahidi has used her platform to encourage her generation to be involved in politics.

How celebrity Kim Kardashian has helped free 17 people incarcerated 90 days by funding the “Buried Alive Project” How Rapper Meek Mill has used his own his subsequent experiences with probation and incarceration, to spread awareness about certain flaws within the judicial system.

“You will love this book if you have a passion for criminal justice reform,” A’yanna said on the People Before Politics Radio Show.

A New Hope For Justice is a non-fiction book that speaks toyoung adults and adults who are interested on ways to improve the criminal justice system and how to reform prisons to reduce the recidivism rate.

Black Westchester is reaching out to all out readers, to all the social justice activists, all who fight for crimnal justice reform out there to show A’yanna’s publisher some real momentum through a pre-sale campaign.

The pre-sale campaign will fund the costs to publish her book. We need atleast 100 of you to buy a copy or two of her book in the next 30 days to secure it’s release at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-new-hope-forjustice-by-ayanna-armstrong#/

A’yanna a Mount Vernon High School graduate – Class of 2017and is a sophomore at Pace University Pleasantville Campus, will transferring to the University at Buffalo this Fall to continue her education to study Political Science/ Law.

Black Westchester salutes this young Black Author A’yanna Armstrong and encourage all our suporters to support her!

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18BLACK WESTCHESTER

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

AUGUST 15, 2019

Congratulations

on the Second Anniversary of Black Westchester Magazine and Fifth Anniversary of People Before Politics Radio Congressman

ELIOT ENGEL

n 100% Civil Rights rating, Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights n Sponsor Equal Pay for Equal Work for Women legislation n “A” rating from NAACP n 100% Pro-Senior rating, Alliance for Retired Americans Paid for by Engel for Congress

Black Westchester On the Occasion of Your Anniversary

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AUGUST 15, 2019

BW COMMUNITY NEWS

BLACK WESTCHESTER

19

MOUNT VERNON HOSTS GIRLS OF COLOR CODING CAMP TO PROMOTE STEM

BY AJ WOODSON.

MOUNT VERNON, NY – New York State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey (36th Distict) Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow (Assembly District 89) and AT&T New York President Amy Kramer visited the AT&T & NSSA Girls of Color Coding Camp to address the 30 young participants on the importance of girls engaging in a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and career path. The two week-long program, held at the Benjamin Turner Middle School, is the Mt. Vernon’s only all-girl middle school coding program exclusively for young girls of color.

“The AT&T & Northeast STEM Starter Academy Girls of Color Coding Camp is an amazing program that not only empowers women but empowers women of color,” Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey shared with Black Westchester. “As the father of two young daughters of color, I am ecstatic to see opportunities like this for women in the state. Career opportunities in STEM related fields continue to grow, yet sadly, the number of women in STEM has not grown at the same rate. Programs like these are some of the best methods of addressing this issue. By providing access in this field to women of color, it is helping to shape a future where STEM truly reflects our country’s great diversity.”

AT&T and Northeast STEM Starter Academy (NSSA) partnered to create the AT&T & NSSA Girls of Color Coding Camp, the city’s first free computer coding program for middle school girls of color (7th & 8th grade). The program is an initiative to help address the gender and diversity gaps in the tech industry and encourage the girls to enter the field of technology, specifically coding, an industry that is alarmingly

male-dominant. The free two-week program was made possible by a $23,000 contribution from AT&T.

During the summer, when students lack the day-to-day engagement they have during the school year, many valuable skills begin to slide. In fact, research estimates that in the summer following 3rd grade, students lose nearly 27% of their school-year gains in math. By the summer after 7th grade, students lose on average a whopping 50% of their school-year gains in math. For many students, these kinds of learning slides are cumulative and impact them later in their academic journeys, becoming an increasingly insurmountable hurdle.

AT&T recognize that the summer can, instead, be a time to not only maintain STEM skills, but to accelerate progress. That’s why we’re supporting organizations across the country that connect young people to STEM skills development opportunities all summer long.

The young women participants learning computer coding basics and how technology and computer science can be used for social good to create solutions to address issues impacting youth, such as cyberbullying, online safety and being a good digital citizen.

The AT&T & NSSA Girls of Color Coding Camp also connected girls with coding projects that can make a difference in their respective schools and communities, while providing them hands-on experience developing their own technology skills. The girls were mentored by local STEM career professionals, educators and advocates to identify and design coding solutions and learn a myriad of coding applications and Python and Alice programing languages to create apps, digital storyboards, animated movies, learning games and basic websites.

Coding is quickly becoming the new literacy and is the driver of all new digital technology. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics andU.S. Department of Labor, much of the growth in the domestic and global economy will come from STEM-related jobs – a highly lucrative and competitive field. It is estimated by 2020 there will be 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs with more than half made up of computer and coding careers, underscoring the importance of providing youth the tools and skills necessary to compete in this innovation economy.

The urgency for more computer science employees is accentuated by the low percentage of females who are currently employed at major technology firms (29 percent) and women pursuing bachelors’ degrees for computer science, just 18 percent.

These alarming statistics emphasizes the importance of providing programing like the AT&T & NSSA Girls of Color Coding Camp.

“Jobs are going in a technological direction with all the innovations and advancements we’ve seen in the past decades,” said Assemblyman Pretlow. “The need for coding is rising at a fast rate and our youth need to learn these skills to be able to compete. I am happy that AT&T & NSSA Girls of Color Coding Camp are taking the initiative to educate young women in my district to help diversify the market and create opportunities for women of color to thrive in this field.”

AT&T’s support for this program is part of the company’s legacy of supporting educational programs focused on STEM disciplines in New York through AT&T Aspire.

Aspire is one of the nation’s largest corporate commitments focused on school success and workforce readiness by creating new learning environments and educational delivery systems to help students succeed and prepare them to take on 21st century careers.

** ** * * ** ** * * Congratulations! * * Black Westchester Magazine

2nd Anniversary and

People Before Politics Radio Show 5th Anniversary Mount Vernon’s - Library Square Development Team The first new development project in Mount Vernon to provide educational, recreational and job training opportunities for young people Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe

20 BLACK WESTCHESTER

LATINO EMPOWERMENT

AUGUST 15, 2019

WELCOME TO TRUMPS RACIST AMERICA

BY LORRAINE LOPEZ

On Wednesday, August 7th, more than 600 hundred U.S. Customs Enforcement Agents did a sweep through 7 work sites in 6 different cities throughout Mississippi, arresting approximately 680 people. All hard-working yet undocumented immigrants. Acting ICE director Matthew Albence said in a news conference that the raids were part of a year-long ICE operation that sought to enforce U.S. Immigration Laws. He also that those arrested would be prosecuted for crimes, others swiftly deported, and somewhere to be released pending an immigration court hearing.

Men and women were walked out of the plants with their hands tied in zip locks and escorted to a large bus waiting in the parking lots. Other workers watched and wiped away years and children screamed and begged the authorities not to take their parents.

The states Child Protection Agency, the state’s Department of Human Services or the Attorney General’s Office were not notified about the imminent raids. Children were left in schools and daycares with no one to pick them up, leaving these agencies to scramble to assist the children. Many neighbors got together to bring food and comfort to children who were left with no place to go and ended up sleeping in school gymnasium floors. They were petrified and crying, not knowing where their parents were if they still had a home, how were they going to live and where will they get their next meal from. I can only imagine the trauma of suddenly having your whole world ripped from you and being a child feeling scared and all alone in the world.

By Thursday, ICE released about 300 of the detainees, whom all must wear monitoring ankle bracelets. Of those released, 30 were reunited with their children. Those that have been released can no longer go back to work because the employers claim that they don’t want any trouble. Yet, it wasn’t any trouble when the workers got the job done and they knowingly hired them illegally. Others are afraid to go to work because they are afraid of another raid. In many cases the mother and father with worked in the same plant during different shifts and now neither have a job or income. They are left with no employment or finances for rent, utilities, food, or medicine. Many neighbors, agencies, organizations, and churches are doing the best they can to assist them, yet the fear is paralyzing for most.

Ali Noorani, executive director of National Immigration Forum, an advocacy agency said, “ We have officially returned to the era of massive worksite raids”, and “ The net result will be immigrant workers pushed underground, families separated and local economies decimated. The American worker and their families lose neighbors, fellow church members, and friends”.

The raids on Wednesday came on the same day Trump traveled to El Paso, Texas claiming he wanted to unify the country after a domestic terrorist killed 22 people and injured many others. The murderer wrote a manifesto that stated that he wanted to kill Latinos and wanted to stop the “Hispanic Invasion”, rhetoric that Trump often uses.

Father Jeremy Tobin, a Catholic priest who knows and is assisting many of the families affected by the raids stated that, “This is totally unAmerican.

When I got there and talked about the Gestapo, I meant that. We’ve got to abolish ICE. This is nothing more than a hit squad. It’s inhuman. The whole process is dehumanizing. These Trumpites just need someone to scapegoat”. He compared Trumps rallies to Adolf Hitler’s Nuremberg rallies, “It’s all about White Supremacy,” he said.

The facts are that Donald Trump is a racist. He is a white supremacist and he’s been attacking the Hispanic community from day one and wants to eliminate the so-called Hispanic Invasion. He has, as of this print, ordered ICE to continue to conduct raids at dozens of more plants. Folks are scared and rightfully so.

And let’s not forget the owners of these plants. ICE said that the folks that they apprehended were working in these plants illegally. Yet, none of the proprietors were charged for illegally hiring undocumented workers. Funny how they let them get away with it.

So now hundreds are detained, 300 have monitoring bracelets, children are scared, some of the children were put in foster care, and adults are afraid to look for work. And this is just the beginning. There’s more to come in this Trump era. As he has a goal and that is to eliminate certain races, cultures, and religions from his White America. I suggest he begins at home.

FOLLOW UP SPOTLIGHT: AMBER RIVERA Last year, in our August 2018 edition of “Latino Empowerment,” we introduced you all to young Latina High Honor Roll student named Amber Rivera who was in her journey to college. Amber was excited and really looking forward to start her classes and meeting her new roommates. She was leaving New York to travel to California towards her new adventure. Today, with many young folks getting ready to attend college for the first time, we felt it was the perfect time to revisit with Amber and ask her some follow up questions regarding her 1st year of college. She’s grown and learned so much and we couldn’t be prouder. And we continue to send her love and wishing her continued success in her journey!

Congratulations Amber! Pa’lante!

How did you feel when you arrived to a new college?

When I first arrived at my new school, I was awestruck. It was beautiful! Since I lived about 3,000 miles from it, I never had the chance to see what it looked like except from a few virtual tours and pictures online. It also felt weird, but in a good way. Being there made everything sink in fully and It just hit me that, “wow, this is real; this is an actual thing that’s happening.”

Amber Rivera with her mom Susie

What were your expectations versus reality?

I knew I was going to room with two other people, so I was expecting a cramped room with a bunk bed. While I had friends who had to endure that, my roommates and I got very lucky and got a room

BY LORRAINE LOPEZ

that was previously a study room. Our room was huge! That was definitely something I did not expect. I also didn’t expect to make friends so easily and quickly. I expected to stick to myself and my studies, but I did the opposite. I still made sure I kept my grades up, but I also found myself surrounded by a group of friends having a lot of fun, living the stereotypical college experience, which I did not expect either.

Tell us about your school.

My school is wonderful. It’s on top of a tall hill and if you go to the bluff (the edge of campus), there’s an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean to the left, downtown Los Angeles in the middle far in the distance, and the mountains far to the right. I love my job as a projectionist that I have where I became friends with my coworkers and where I can easily do my schoolwork. I also love all the clubs I joined. I’m very involved in Latino Student Union and MEChA where I’ve been able to become very close friends with other Latino students and it’s one of my favorite places to be on campus. The First to Go Program is another involvement that is super important to me. It’s a program to specifically help students who have parents that have never attended college. It’s super resourceful and most of my friends from that program also participate in the same clubs I do, so we’re always hanging out with each other and I love it.

Tell us about your favorite professors.

I don’t think I’ve had a professor I didn’t like... (continued on page 00)

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AUGUST 15, 2019

SPORTSTALK WITH AJ WOODSON

BLACK WESTCHESTER

21

SIMONE BILES KEEPS TAKING GYMNASTICS TO A NEW LEVEL

BY AJ WOODSON

Five-time Olympic medalist and 14-time world champion Simone Biles made history on Friday, August 9 when she became the first gymnast to ever attempt and successfully complete a doubletwisting, double somersault-dismount off the balance beam.

Biles completed the jaw-dropping gymnastic dismount at the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, Missouri.

Earlier in the day, the 22-year-old became the first woman to attempt a triple-double — two flips and three twists in the air — in competition during the floor exercise. But the gymnast just missed the landing, falling forward.

But just a few hours later, she completed the double-double dismount, so it doesn’t seem as though the star is letting anything hold her back.

Then after her history-making balance beam dismount on the first night of the U.S. women’s gymnastics championships, Simone Biles has taken things to another level yet again on Sunday, making history again winning her sixth national title, which ties for the most all-time.

At the second night of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, Missouri, the 22-year-old completed the never done before triple-double on floor exercise. She nailed the triple-twisting double-flip after she had shorted it during her last attempt at the championships’ opening night Friday.

“Simone’s got enough gold medals at home, someone give this girl a crown!” an NBC announcer said seconds after Biles finished her floor routine. The network’s Olympic Twitter account agreed, tweeting a video with a caption commanding respect for the gymnastics queen.

The Olympic champion has dominated her sport for most of the decade, and is widely regarded as the best gymnast in the world. She’s tried skills that no female and very few male gymnasts ever have.

Biles had been on the verge of tears after her mistake when trying the triple-double on floor Friday, but bounced back cracking a smile when she did the double-twisting double-flip dismount on beam, positioning her for the win Sunday.

Her 118.5 beat second-place Sunisa Lee by 4.95 points. Lee, 16, is one of the youngest that competed in the championships’ 17-woman field. Grace McCallum finished third all-around with 111.85.

“I’m almost back to where I was at [2018] Worlds,” Biles told NBC, referencing the meet in October where she won the all-around by the largest margin in history (with

and a kidney stone) and earned medals on every apparatus for the first time at a major international meet.

People on Twitter shared videos of Biles “defying gravity” Sunday night and wondered if Nike will make shirts for her like they had for fellow American star athlete Megan Rapinoe.

What drives Biles is the voice in her head, the one that tells the best gymnast in the world that perfection is the only standard, even while attempting skills that no other woman on the planet (and very few men) can match.

That’s why her anger was so palpable during the opening night of the U.S. women’s gymnastics championships Friday. She shorted her triple-twisting double-flip (a “triple double”) on floor, a mistake that left the Olympic champion on the verge of tears. Her uneven bars were messy. The block on her Amanar vault was dangerously close to disaster.

“I still get really frustrated because I know how good I am and how well I can do,” she said. “So I just want to do the best routine for the audience and for myself out here.”

For Biles, that means packing her sets with an unparalleled level of difficulty, a choice she makes not out of ego but respect for her immense talent.

Black Westchester salutes Simone Biles, the greatest gymnist to ever do it as she makes history with dismount never before done in competition!

Ever wonder who was the best boy’s basketball player in the Lower Hudson Valley over the last decade? We selected some of the top performers from 2010-19 and have asked you to choose the best. Among those selected as the decade’s biggest stars included two Mount Vernon High School ballers.

Mount Vernon High School’s Class of 2012, 6-foot-4 slasher Isaiah Cousins who emergence as a junior and senior pushed the Knights to back-to-back state championships. He went on to play four strong years at Oklahoma that included a trip to the Final Four and was named all-Big 12. Cousins was drafted in the second round of the NBA draft and has played in the NBA’s G League and overseas.

Also on the list of the decade’s biggest ballers was Mount Vernon High School’s Class of 2011, 5-11, 175-pound Point Guard Jabarie Hinds. He won Section 1’s Mr. Basketball in back-to-back years, led Mount Vernon to consecutive Section 1 titles and was the focal point on Class AA state and Federation championship teams as a senior. He was also The Journal News’ Westchester/Putnam Player of the Year twice and was named co-New York Mr. Basketball as a senior. He went on to play for West Virginia and UMass and has had a successful pro career in Europe.

Other ballers in contention include Archbishop Stepinac High School players R.J. Davis (Class of 2020) and Alan Griffin (Class of 2018), Iona Prep’s Ty Jerome (Class of 2016) and Matt Ryan (Class of 2015), Rickey McGill - Spring Valley Class of 2015 and Eric Paschall - Dobbs Ferry (Class of 2014). Go to https://www.lohud. com/story/sports/high-school/lohud-varsity-insider/2019/08/09/vote-now-lohuds-bestboys-basketball-player-decade/1936096001/ and place your vote.

While we are talking about Mount Vernon Knights, Black Westchester wants to wish Mount Vernon basketball legend Rodney McCray a Happy Birthday. The 6’7” small forward, he spent 10 seasons (1983–93) in the National Basketball Association (NBA), tallying 9,014 career points and 5,087 career rebounds, turns 58 on Thursday, August 28th.

McCray (MVHS Class of 1979) followed his older brother Scooter to the University of Louisville and was a key member of the Cardinals team that won the 1980 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. Rodney McCray was the quintessential younger brother. He moved when Scooter said move, played ball when Scooter said play, and, he says, ‘’since he never led me anywhere I wasn’t supposed to be, I followed when he led.’’

His college teammates included his brother, Scooter McCray, as well as Darrell Griffith and Derek Smith. McCray qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was unable to compete due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. In 2007, he did receive one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes.

He was drafted by the NBA’s Houston Rockets with the third pick of the 1983 NBA draft and played four seasons with them, averaging 10.8 points per game. He also earned NBA All-Defensive Team honors in 1987 and 1988, as well as a trip to the NBA Finals in 1986 in a losing cause against Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. He also played for the Sacramento Kings from 1988 to 1990, Dallas Mavericks from 1990 to 1992, and Chicago Bulls for the 1992–93 season, and he won an NBA championship ring with the Bulls in 1993 - the third title of Michael Jordan’s first three-peat.

Black Westchester salutes Mt Vernon legend Rodney McCray, Happy Birthday.

TWO MV KNIGHTS SELECTED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOUNT BEST BALLERS OF THE DECADE VERNON LEGEND RODNEY MCCRAY

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22 BLACK WESTCHESTER

REAL TALK FOR THE COMMUNITY

AUGUST 15, 2019

COUNCIL CONTINUES THIRD WORLD STYLE POLITICS IN MOUNT VERNON

Just when you thought it was safe, just when it appeared the drama was over, the saga of the Mount Vernon Mayoral Mess continues. The black run city of Mount Vernon has just gone from the Tale of Two Mayors to a question who is the Council President. For the residents, the taxpayers and especially the employees of the city, the questions still remains, Who is in charge?

The latest highly publicized events in the City of Mount Vernon proves most politicians are often far better at campaigning than governing. This is especially true for local city politicians. Kept in office by loyal constituencies, local city politicians turn to corruption, cronyism and nepotism just because they can.

It’s no surprise that many of America’s metropolitan centers are run predominately by Democrats. Democratic city councilmembers, Democratic mayors, Democratic judges, Democratic prosecutors. You name it. The donkey party enjoys a virtual monopoly over densely-populated urban districts, playing them for an ass. Many of these urban centers are in dire need of infrastructure development due to years of neglect.

The city of Mount Vernon which is run by predominately Black Democrats is no different.

Besides being the joke of Westchester County – and lets not pretend that is not true, because you don’t like how it sounds – it’s a chaotic moment in the history of the eighth-most populous city in the state of New York. Mount Vernont has underpinned the global order in a time of instability for the balance of power that has the potential to reverberate for months, years, and decades to come. While most AfricanAmericans traditionally vote Democrat, decades of democrat rule ruined some of our finest cities. Mount Vernon has lost it’s credit rating and if they do not get it straight can easily be on the brink of bankruptcy. It’s time to sound the alarm!

In the city of Mount Vernon, three mayors have failed to re-open Memorial Field, the Corporation Cousel was indicted by the grand jury for offering false instruments for filing in connection with roughly $365,000 in payments to law firms representing former Mayor Richard W. Thomas in his criminal case, two straight Mayors have pled guilty to federal charges leading to two straight Democratic Primaries with up to six candidates campaigning for the cities top seat, further dividing a city with a very tribal nature, to begin with.

So how did we get here this time? How did we become a punchline that made national headlines, even being discussed on ABC’s The View by Whoopi Goldberg and NYC Radio Station WBLS, calling Richard Thomas a squatter?

Richard Thomas the former embattled mayor, made history as the youngest elected to serve the city the summer of 2015 and now maybe the youngest and possibly the only mayor in Westchester County to be convicted and removed from office. Thomas pled guilty Monday, July 8th to misdemeanors for misusing campaign funds in 2015.

The City Council interpreted the Charter that Thomas vacated his office when he pled guilty and Council President André Wallace was sworn in as acting mayor July 10. But Thomas insisted he was still mayor, refused to relinquish the mayoral office, leading to a three-week stand-off that made national headlines after being picked up by the Associated Press, all talking about the Tale Of Two Mayors. The battle over who is mayor should have come to a conclusion when State Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Ecker said Thomas vacated the mayoral seat by pleading guilty on July 8.

Just as the residents of Mount Vernon were about to finally exhale, there was a brand new battle over who is mayor of the city, Friday, August 2 when the City Council installed a new council president, giving us three mayors in three weeks. Wait what? Yes the very City Council who fought all the way to court to install Wallace as Acting Mayor and Janice Duarte as City Council President, now undid all they had done and voted 4-1 to ousts Wallace as Acting Mayor and Lisa Copeland to replace Janice Duarte as council president, which would make her the new acting mayor.

The council says André Wallace issued a bid package for remediation at Memorial Field and appointed a new police commissioner without the council’s approval.

The deemed Wallace unfit, thanked him for his service and sent him on his way. City Council voted 4-1 to install council member Lisa Copeland as acting mayor. Wallace will still serve on City Council, but no longer as president.

Just when residents were ready to move forward from the craziness of city hall, this is the beginning a new stalemate over who is in charge. Wallace said he has no intention of stepping aside, he will continue to do the work of the mayor.

Now the city of Mount Vernon gets to do this dance again which will end up in court again August 15th for a resolution, continuing the circus, national headlines and doing anything but what they claim – restoring integrity to the office of mayor and the City Council President office.

The four other council members say Copeland is in charge insisted Wallace had overstepped his bounds and had taken actions without consulting them, including appointing a new Police Commissioner, which a mayor has the authority to do.

I find it interesting that the city council that failed as a body to hold former Mayor Richard Thomas’ feet to the fire - speak up against the continual corruption of the Thomas Administration and enforce subpoenas - is going after the only one in that body who has consistently stood up to corruption and claimed to be draining the swamp.

The council does not even have the support of Reggie Lafayette, the former Mount Vernon City Clerk and current chairman of the Mount Vernon City and Westchester County Democratic committees. Mr. Lafayette who made it a point to mention he didn’t vote for Wallace twice ‘but what is right is right what is wrong is wrong,’ shared with Black Westchester his disappointment in the council’s actions Friday, August 2. Mr. Lafayette stated the council did not have a basis for replacing Wallace as acting mayor or switching council presidents mid-year. Wallace serves as council president until the next statutory meeting, the first business day in January.

“It’s just a grab for power they’ve done and it’s a bad move,” he tells Black Westchester. “They have gone crazy and I have told them basically this, I going to speak out against it as a citizen. Party Chair or no Party Chair, I’m going to speak out against them, because it is wrong. The acting mayor does not report to them. They can’t remove him from being Acting Mayor. You can’t vote a person out of something without giving them a hearing. What did I do wrong for you to vote me out? Now you have to allow me to defend myself.

What they did is bad and I told them as a taxpayer, your spending taxpayers dollars on needless legislation. We just got from under this with Richie. The

judge said to Richie the day he signed that plea deal July 8th he was out of office. When Andre left the courtroom, whether the judge put it in the papers or not, the judge called him Mayor Wallace. I heard it.”

When discussing the $35,000 the Council agreed to give Thomas, Mr. Lafayette stated, “That’s totally illegal. I don’t think legally they can make that agreement and I don’t see Deborah Reynold issuing him a check or signing off on it. I just furious, they have put the people of Mount Vernon on the front page of the news again and then they are giving away taxpayers dollars on an issue that was settled in court when the judge said that he suggests that he leave immediately because he has no standing.

It looked like you did the right thing and now you’re going to do away with all that goodwill because you don’t like André. Marcus and Janice should not be there next term. I don’t see how you do that, you waste the taxpayer’s money, you wasted it in court and then you want to give away more of it to Richie.”

Joining Lafayette in expressing disappointment in the action of the council is District leader Tajian Nelson who also wrote a scathing rebuking of the council and their actions on her Facebook page, Friday August 2:

“Today’s activities are beyond disappointing to me,” Nelson wrote under the heading, Message to my City Council. “Just when the City drama seems to be getting behind us. Another bunch of shenanigans is pulled, further damaging our Citys reputation and making the City look like a bunch of clowns.

You all make me feel like I wasted my votes on you. Furthermore this looks like a blatant power play that is uncalled for. Thank you for continuning to make our city look ridiculous. Hope you all keep in mind that will need the people of the City’s votes. Hopefully the people will reward you all accordingly the next time you are up for re-election

Hope the Judge hands you all your a***** because you more than deserve it. Another sad day in out City”

Two highly respected members of the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee are calling this a power play, the type of play it would be wise to have the power of the party behind, but as you can see they do not. From the video that streamed live on Facebook, it’s hard to think this is more personal than political.

The council public defended their actions with a statement Friday afternoon; To ensure a smooth transition from Former Mayor Thomas’s administration, and to restore order and integrity to the Office of the Mayor and the Office of the City Council President, the City Council voted to remove Councilman Wallace as City Council President. The City Council took this action following acts of misconduct by Councilman Wallace over the past week. Councilman Wallace’s behavior highlights a continuous disregard for proper process and the checks and balances of government.

The need to settle the government of Mount Vernon after the recent dysfunction is imperative for the City Council on behalf of Mount Vernon’s residents. The Council’s actions today affirms to the public that our government will put the people first.

The new City Council President and thereby Acting Mayor is Lisa Copeland and there is no change in the rest of the City Council leadership. The City Council President Pro Tempore is Janice Duarte, and Acting President Pro Tempore is Marcus Griffith.

Where was this concern with “continuous disregard for proper process and the checks and balances of government,” for the three and a half years of the Thomas Administration? I do not remember seeing our hearing them speak up or act when the Thomas Administration continually showed a disregard for proper process in the attempted shutting down of businesses like Cupcake Cutie Boutique, Kela Tennis, OK Freddy’s, Mega Beverage and several other businesses which will end up costing the city in millions from the lawsuits. Now a few showed up for Kela Tennis but I saw no resolutions to admonish the actions of The Thomas Administration, like they displayed Friday, August 2.

I do not remember seeing or hearing The Council speaking up or acting when The Thomas Administration showed a blatant disregard for checks and balances of government including the firing of anyone who refused to do his bidding for three-anda-half-years. Like the lyrics on the Randy Newman song that played at the beginning of the TV Show, Monk, “I could be wrong but I don’t think so.” While I was told by a City Official that ‘this was a necessary action,” the actions appear on the surface quite hypocritical, to be honest.

The Council claims to be “restoring order and integrity to the Office of the Mayor and the Office of the City Council President,” with this apparent political coup.

They claim that these actions were on behalf of Mount Vernon residents and to prove government will put the people first. But all they did was prolong the recent dysfunction of city government. Their actions leave residents with less faith in their government because of their actions. This was not done to protect the residents but to settle a personal grudge. That is not serving the people that serving your own interest.

The council released a statement against the appointment of Shawn Harris as Police Commissioner but we didn’t hear a peep from them about the illegal appointment of the garbage man as Deputy Police Commissioner. Didn’t hear a peep against Spiezio’s many actions while impersonating law enforcement including verbally threatening one of their own.

It’s time for some REAL TALK about what is going on in our city. We just witnessed one million people in Puerto Rico hit the streets and protest and we can not get five people in Mount Vernon to stand up. It’s time for We The People to get up, get out and do something if we truly want change.

When the people can not trust the people we vote to govern our city to do their job with our interest in mind as supposed to their own, the people need to make their voices heard. The Civil War in City Hall must end and end today or Nelson posted on Facebook; people [need to] reward [the elected officials] accordingly the next time [they] are up for re-election, REAL TALK!

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AUGUST 15, 2019

BLACK WESTCHESTER 23

POLITICALLY SPEAKING

FOR THE PEOPLE, NOT FOR THE PARTIES: OPEN PRIMARIES EMPOWER AFRICAN-AMERICANS

BY DR. JESSIE FIELDS

I am a physician and a black woman who grew up poor and came of age in the 1970’s. I’ve spent 25 years practicing medicine, mainly in Harlem, and I care deeply about the state of our country, about the state of black America, and about the state of our democracy.

I am also a political independent and reform activist who has worked for years to help generate conversations about our dysfunctional and divisive political system and the overwhelming social crisis that results from it.

These can be challenging narratives to reconcile, and that means that today’s still mostly white political reform movement has to build bridges with communities of color.

No movement can achieve fundamental democratic restructuring without the substantial inclusion and leadership of communities of color.

This is not an easy task.

The black community is being told, in many different ways, that its interests are synonymous with protecting the two-party system in general, and the Democratic Party in particular. Is that consistent with empowering African-Americans in today’s world? With 42 percent of Americans now identifying as independent, many people, myself included, feel that blind loyalty to the Democratic Party is not an option.

African-Americans played an active role in the formation of the American Republic and we have always been a leadership force in expanding democracy. This year is the 150th anniversary of the passage of the 14th Amendment, which was forged from the horrors of slavery and wrung from the battlefields of the Civil War. It says: “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges of any citizen nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

It took 100 years of relentless struggle to translate that simple proposition into civil and voting rights for black people. In these times we must pay special attention to the next challenges for that movement, in order to remain true to its promise.

There is immense pressure on black voters to protect the Democratic Party. Yet the abuses of power we are seeing today with gerrymandering and closed primaries are a two-party affair. To be clear, recent Republican redistricting plans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania are discriminatory. But let us not forget, they are a product of a system both parties created and defend.

While we are called upon to stand up for democracy in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, we are also told to stand down on opening up our elections. In New York City, black elected officials and Democratic Party leaders fought an effort to open the primaries to its one million independent voters, half of whom are young and of color. In Kinston, North Carolina, after the voters enacted open primaries, the Justice Department - under President Obama and Attorney General Holder - nullified the results. Their claim was rather self-serving - that black people’s interests were better served by a closed election system run through the Democratic Party.

When closed primaries became an issue in the 2016 presidential elections, young people of all races demanded that the Democratic Party change its rules to allow independents to vote. The establishment opposed it. Even the Congressional Black Caucus went on record in opposition.

There is no question that the Democratic Party was our ally in achieving civil and voting rights. But no party owns the votes of any American and no American should be required to join a political party in order to exercise the franchise.

Two million African-American independents living in closed primary states and millions more Latino independents, along with 26 million Americans, were barred from voting in the 2016 presidential primaries.

Taxpayers spent a quarter of a billion dollars on those primaries alone.

This is voter suppression. This is taxation without representation. This undermines the democratic process.

Our task is not to fix the system so that it works better for the parties. It’s time to make the system work better for the people, for all the people, to aim everlastingly forward on the long road of social transformation.

FOLLOW UP SPOTLIGHT: AMBER RIVERA (CON’T FROM PAGE 20) but there are two professors that are amazing. The first one was my screenwriting professor. She was just very funny and amazing at teaching. I genuinely felt like I was learning and improving at writing screenplays and she taught me so much about the craft in such a fun and engaging way. The other professor is my Latinx/Chicanx studies professor. As an introductory class, she did an amazing job breaking down Latino history, treatment of Latinos over centuries, the portrayal of Latinos in the media and politics, and the development of ethnic studies classes in general. It was an incredibly interesting class and I went into it already having a vague knowledge and understanding of these topics, but it was amazing to learn all of the specifics behind them. She also brought in guests occasionally which was really engaging.

because I was so used to having things to do and now I don’t know what to do. I still talk to friends from college that I miss a lot, but I’ve also been trying to spend the time I have now with my friends and family in New York. I plan to work on campus during the summer for my upcoming years, so I will only be around for a month then. I’ll really have to squeeze in quality time with my family and friends in New York when that time comes around.

DID ANY OTHER MAJOR SPARK YOUR INTEREST AND WHY? Both of these professors and their classes persuaded me to change my major.

I originally majored in Film and TV Production. Once the fall semester begins, I plan to switch to Screenwriting with minors in Journalism and Latinx/Chicanx Studies. It’s not a huge change since I would still be in the film realm. The change came from when I realized how much I love to write stories, both fictional and non-fictional, mostly due to my experience with those two professors. I still enjoy aspects of film production and I still see myself being a production assistant in the future where I help move around set pieces and building the set, but I don’t see myself doing any directing or producing until I build up enough experience through screenwriting.

GIVE ME A BREAK DOWN OF YOUR COURSES. At my school, there are certain classes you have to take for both being at the school and for your major. Everyone has to take a first year seminar class and rhetorical arts class in their first year and through the years, we have to take a science class, writing class, creative class, and so on. For my major, I’ve taken a class on film theory, screenwriting, and the technical side of how film making works. This upcoming semester, I’m not taking any classes I require for my major due to scheduling conflicts, but it works out since I’m switching my majors anyway. Instead, I focused on taking classes that will fill the overall requirements that the university wants. For example, I’ll be taking a dance class this fall to cover my “creative experience” class requirement.

I didn’t have to choose a dance class specifically; there are other classes that fulfill that requirement where I could be singing, playing an instrument, painting, sculpting, etc. It’s a class nowhere near my major, but I’m still very excited for it. I like how I’m given an opportunity to explore classes outside of my major because they still tend to be very educational and fun!

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY? HOW DO YOU FEEL BEING BACK HOME? It’s definitely weird being far away from my family. I don’t get homesick, though.

I’ll talk to my sister through texts or social media and we’ll update each other here and there. I come back home during my winter break for a month and we all just dump our updates then. I will update everyone on how my life is in college and California and they’ll update me on everything that’s happened in our family. I wish I were there for events like birthdays, but I’ve managed to find a balance. Now that I’m here for the summer, I definitely have all this time to catch up with family and friends that I’ve missed. It’s weird having all this free time

Job Well Done my friend, leadership and self respect BLACK WESTCHESTER brings to the community will remain and overcome evil and outlast them all. Be proud of all your accomplishments and continue to smile and celebrate with all your success.

- Barbara Ricci Publisher at The Westchester News

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24 BLACK WESTCHESTER

REDBLUETALK

AUGUST 15, 2019

THE NOISE - WHY DO WE WATCH PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES?

BY CHARLES STERN

The Presidential primary, and the general election, are 50 state contests, not single elections. The New York Democratic primary is Tuesday, April 28, 2020. By the time that rolls around delegates will have already been chalked up in 34 states including California, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Florida and Illinois. If one candidate has a dominant lead, it will be easy to predict that will happen here, but it’s still 8+ months away.

What can we glean from the July 2019 Democratic Presidential debates that we can use in April? Very little. The debate is a window into what each candidate is saying on their individual daily campaign visits, and that’s about all. We’re watching for big, bold ideas that will latch us to one wagon or another, but now, having watched 4 nights of debates over a 5 week span, I think we’re just getting some clues about what really matters in 2020 in addition to policy prescriptions and personalities.

Among frontrunners, Sanders and Harris stand out, but for different reasons. For better or worse, Sanders has the only platform I could clearly remember after the debate. He will fight for a single payer, comprehensive, nationalized healthcare system, nearly cold-turkey, with no more private insurance. Comprehensive immigration reform, including a path towards citizenship, and immediate legal status for the DACA kids. Climate justice. Reversing income inequality is Bernie’s siren song. His liberal ways are crystal clear, and even a detractor could accurately articulate his vision for the country.

One negative consequence of poll leading status is that the attacks get more frequent and intense. Senator Harris absorbed jolts from Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, and failed to deliver an unequivocal response.

Gabbard took Harris to task for her record on criminal prosecutions involving the death penalty and several other specific matters that stem from Harris’ time as the Attorney General of California. Sooner or later, these points would show up on the national spotlight. Harris ticked off calculated responses, yet still didn’t seem fully comfortable with her own words. She needs to rehearse, because there will be more where this came from as she reconciles progressive values with being a top cop.

By contrast, Biden withstood even more attacks, from Booker, from Harris, from DiBlasio, from Gillibrand - and he kept going. On justice reform, CO

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immigration and abortion rights, everything that’s gone wrong is his fault, right? It sounded silly, and that strategy didn’t work. The left needs will need to come up with a 50 state agenda if they want victory. Untouched by the friendly fire, Biden managed to inflict his own injuries with repeated dropped words, clipped sentences and one too many “Anyways...”.

The rhetorical winner on July 31 was Cory Booker because he delivered the strongest and most forward looking message. Unfortunately, his reward was a paltry 1% bump in a Quinnipiac Poll. Regardless, he defined where the Democratic party needs to be:

“The way we beat Donald Trump is not focusing on him ...it’s when we start focusing on each other. It’s understanding that our common bonds to address our common purpose and our common pain - it’s what has saved us before, and it’s what will save us now.”

The stakes are so high, it’s scary to even think about it. If Democrats blow it again, it’s 4 more years of the orange clown car. We risk a continuous stream of self-dealing autocratic pigs who align with the world’s dictators and with white nationalists at home. We all know this, and THAT’s why we watch the debates - to see how far we will allow our own individual leanings to go. Warren, Delaney, Inslee, O’Rourke, Buttigieg, Gillibrand, Klobuchar, even Williamson - they all have individual propositions that somebody can relate to, but none of them extolled a compelling 50 state agenda.

There are 4 more Democratic Presidential debates in 2019, and 6 more are planned for 2020. What the party needs now is orchestration. The center v progressive divide needs navigation before the energy of 20 candidates ends up stoking a cultural civil war within the party that cannot be stopped in time for the general election. Senator Gillibrand hacked away about a 1981 op-ed Biden wrote about working mothers. Biden bit back, “I don’t know what’s happened, except you’re now running for President.” The remaining debates cannot drone on like this, rather it’s time for Democrats to cut the nonsense.

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AUGUST 15, 2019

ENTERTAINMENT

BLACK WESTCHESTER

25

WHY ‘SWIPING LEFT’ ON A$AP ROCKY AND PEOPLE WE DISAGREE WITH IS WRONG

BY CHARLES BECCO

Iwhereby n the age of ‘swipe left’ and ‘ghosting’ (a practice you discontinue communication with a

romantic interest without explanation) it has become a common practice to discard entire relationships over a single incidence of contention or disagreement. Recently rapper A$AP Rocky has gotten into trouble and has suffered the wrath of ‘swipe left’ over past criticisms of Ferguson and the black lives matters movement

On July 2nd A$AP Rocky was detained in Sweden after he and his crew allegedly beat two men and threw one of them to the ground. Since then he’s been jailed for several weeks while awaiting a pre trial hearing.

The incident drew the ire of his supporters and lawyers who claim he fought the men in self defense. In the video A$AP and his crew tried for over 10 minutes to deescalate the situation.

In a video posted by TMZ, A$AP had this to say: “We don’t want to fight you all, we’re not trying to go to jail.” He later addressed the camera, saying, “We don’t want no problems with these boys. They keep following us.”

Despite the video evidence which supports his argument A$AP has been denied his repeated pleas for release. Whether you like or hate A$AP Rocky the video evidence indemnifies him of all liability and suggests that the New York based rapper might very well be a victim of bias.

Since then there’s been an outpouring of support from celebrities the likes of Justin Bieber, Diddy, Bruno Mars, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West who lobbied President Trump who called upon Swedish Prime minister in a bid to secure A$AP’s prompt release. There’s even been a change.org petition that has garnered over 400,000 signatures and there are rumbling of planned protests. However several members of the black community has not forgotten when A$AP put his foot in his mouth following the Ferguson Protests of Mike Brown.

In 2015 A$AP Rocky was quoted as saying: “They’re not forcing me to do shit. I’m just gonna stay black and die. Why, because I’m black? So every time something happens because I’m black I gotta stand up? What the fuck am I, Al Sharpton now? I’m A$AP Rocky. I did not sign up to be no political activist. I wanna talk about my motherfuckin’ lean, my best friend dying, the girls that come in and out of my life, the jiggy fashion that I wear, my new inspirations in drugs! I don’t wanna talk about no f–king Ferguson and shit because I don’t live over there! I live in fucking Soho and Beverly Hills. I can’t relate. I’m in the studio; I’m in these fashion studios; I’m in these bitches’ drawers. I’m not doing anything outside of that. That’s my life.”

Ironically enough Al Sharpton was one of the very first appeals A$AP made across the bridge he burned down years ago, according to NewsOne.

Many in the black community believes A$AP got what he deserved, some even laughed and celebrated his imprisonment. Nonetheless now that karma has dropkicked A$AP in the face we have a chance to proselytize an aloof celebrity into an advocate. A$AP’s

suspicious imprisonment is the perfect ‘what if the shoe was on the other foot’ moment’ and we should not waste this opportunity with insults. Instead if A$AP be lifted up he can now use his sizeable platform to benefit our collective struggle for civil rights.

There has been no beef between AfricanAmericans as was between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. You remember that speech ‘House Negro and the Field Negro where Malcolm X launched a scathing rebuke of Martin Luther King Jr. and other Christian leaders?

No attack on Dr. King was as succinct as this excerpt: “ Just as the slave-master of that day used Tom, the house Negro, to keep the field Negroes in check, the same old slave-master today has Negroes who are nothing but modern Uncle Toms, 20th century Uncle Toms, to keep you and me in check, keep us under control, keep us passive and peaceful and nonviolent. That’s Tom making you nonviolent.” ( the parable of “house Negro.”King Solomon Baptist Church, Detroit. 10 November 1963.)

The mighty Malcolm X who had been the (literal) ‘Magneto’ to Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘Xavier’ later put out another speech ‘the ballot or the bullet’ where he was quoted as saying:

“I’m not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you’re a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. Whether you’re educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you’re going to catch hell just like I am. We’re all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man.”

Furthermore Malcolm X vowed to discon tinue hostilities against his counterparts, preferring instead to rally under the umbrella of ‘Black Nationalism’ where blackness itself is the universal

standard of solidarity. In fact Malcolm X vowed to answer any hostilities against Dr. King and other Christian leaders with violence if needed.

And in 1965 while Dr. King languished in jail Malcolm X actually met with Coretta Scott King to offer her moral support.

“I didn’t come to Selma to make his job difficult,” he assured Coretta. “I really did come thinking that I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King” (Scott King, 256).

If Malcolm X could evolve his thinking so can you. We must forgive brother Rocky as we have been forgiven and get guys like him going in the right direction. Why swipe left on a potential ally? Why ‘throw the whole’ person ‘away?’ Does the greater victory not lie in growth of character and integrity?

Empowered by the breadth and simplicity of social media we have goose stepped ourselves (and sensibilities) into contrived social spaces where only the thoughts and belief systems that most closely resemble our own are allowed to exist.

Armed with wide ranging powers of content control we have become architects of inorganic environments that shun diversity in thought. What benefits we have gleaned from control are proportionally lost in tolerance, understanding and the wisdom of compromise.

As we become more and more aware of the dangers of social media from psychologist and technology theorist this writer hopes you reconsider the next time your Twitter fingers take aim at a friend or colleague over a difference of opinion.

EDITORIAL NOTE: After article was submitted, A$AP Rocky and two members of his entourage were found guilty of assault by a Swedish court, Wednesday, August 14th, but will avoid further jail time.

NFL TEAMING WITH JAY-Z ON ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL ACTIVISM?

BY AJ WOODSON

The NFL and Jay-Z’s entertainment and sports representation company are teaming up for events and social activism.

The league not only will use Jay-Z’s Roc Nation to consult on its entertainment presentations, including the Super Bowl halftime show but will work with the rapper and entrepreneur’s company to “strengthen community through music and the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative.”

Inspire Change was created by the league after an agreement with a coalition of players who demonstrated during the national anthem to protest social and racial injustice in this country.

Those demonstrations were sparked by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem in 2016.

NFL owners agreed to contribute up to $89 million over six years toward causes players were supporting. Commissioner Roger Goodell sees the partnership with Roc Nation as a significant step in several directions.

“Roc Nation is one of the most globally influential and impactful organizations in entertainment,” Goodell said. “The NFL and Roc Nation share a vision of inspiring meaningful social change across our country. We are thrilled to partner with Roc Nation and look forward to making a difference in our communities together.”

Jay-Z had been a strong supporter of Kaepernick, who has not played in the NFL the past two seasons and is not with a team now. Jigga even turned down invitations to perform at the Super Bowl.

But if Jay Z is not working on a plan to bring Colin Kaepernick back to the NFL. This is clearly just another capitalistic attempt to get black folks and the conscious community who supports Kaepernick back to watching and attending football games. Let’s not forget Kaepernick sacrifice his career to bring awareness and the NFL permanently blackballed him for his efforts.

While it sounds like a great power move, it’s clearly Capitalism over Kaepernick for Jay-Z and the NFL.

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26BLACK WESTCHESTER

TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

AUGUST 15, 2019

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AUGUST 15, 2019

BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM

BLACK WESTCHESTER 27

Congratulations to AJ Woodson, Damon K. Jones, Lorraine Lopez & everyone involved in making

Black Westchester

such a success and voice for the people.

May you continue your success for many years to come.

JUDGE GINA

CAPONE for NYS Supreme Court Justice, 9th JD

Congratulations to Black Westchester on your anniversary.

Special congratulations to AJ Woodson, Damon K. Jones, Lorraine Lopez, and all who’ve made it such a success over the years!

ROBERT

PRISCO for COUNTY COURT JUDGE

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THE TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

The function of freedom is to free someone else - Toni Morrison COMPLIMENTARY

Unapologetically Delivering News To Communities Of Color in Westchester & Surrounding Areas

AUGUST 15, 2019

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