Vol 1/ Issue 1 BLACK WESTCHESTER -AUG. 2017 by BLACK WESTCHESTER

TTHE PREMIER PRINT EDITIONe

Unapologetically Delivering The News To Communities Of Color in Westchester & Surounding Areas

ANGOLA’S DEEP WATER PORT PROJECT BY LLYOD GREEN - Page 9

BW ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT: ATLANTIC STARR - 3 Brothers From Greenburgh & The Metamorphosis Of A Band

DON’T LET

SOCIAL MEDIA AMBUSH YOUR VISA APPROVAL PAGE 16

LIM

TA RY

August 2017

THIS MONTH IN BLACK HISTORY PAGE 21

OK FREDDY’S NEW NAME, NEW ADDRESS, SAME SECRET OF SUCCESS BY AJ WOODSON

n an era where your favorite recording artists these days can be found on the latest ‘where are they now special,’ working at a car wash, or desperately trying to stay relevant via the latest reality television show, a local group made good, kept God first and managed to stay relevant for over five decades without selling their souls or dumbing down their sound to become superstars. While never achieving supergroup status, they were one of the most consistently successful and underrated groups of their era. The industry may not recognize them as superstars because they did it their way, but to the black community, they are, and always were, superstars and to Westchester they are legends. I’m talking about the Ambassadors from the town of Greenburgh, NY, Atlantic Starr... Continued on Page 18

Mangoville Meat Mart 132 South 4th Ave, Mt Vernon [Black Westchester]

RAPACON/DJ CON COMES BACK TO MOUNT VERNON AUGUST 2017

Sponsored by Councilman André Wallace for the second year in a row, rapacon presents DJ-CON ‘The Mount Vernon Remix,” Saturday, August 26, 2017 from 12 noon to 8:30PM.

Get Up Stand Up, Stand Up For Your Rights Get Up Stand Up, Don’t Give Up The Fight - Bob Marley

fter being targeted by the city of Mount Vernon for more than a year and having his business shut down 5 times in a month, the reputation of OK Freddy looked like it had been shredded in a meat grinder. Even though he felt victimized, by the system, he never played the victim. Estrado Willis, better known to the communiy as Freddy or OK Freddy, prevailed. OK Freddy’s Meat Market and Grocery shuttered it’s doors for the final time, but not before relocating the store across the street. New Store, New Name, Same Recipe For Success. This time it was Freddy, himself, who shut down OK Freddy’s and rebranded himself with his new store, Mangoville Meat Mart. On May 15th he opened a storefront

that two years prior served as the campaign headquarters for Richard Thomas For Mayor. In June of 2016 the saga seemed to be over, until the USDA came knocking, after the mayor called to report OK Freddy’s for violations. What was supposed to be a deterent, turned out to be a blessing. After the unexpected visit from the USDA, and before he begun renovating the new store, the USDA advised him everything he needed to become a USDA Approved meat market. But even after jumping through all the hoops and opening up the new location across the street, things still were not back to normal. The city still would not allow Freddy to open his famed, Jerk Yard. When he was finally allowed to open the Jerk Yard,

BW SPOTLIGHT DR. TAHIRA DUPREE-CHASE

for this past Fourth of July weekend, all was right with the world for the first time in over a year. Despite the accusation, the rumors and the negative press, very few actually knew the successful business man who supplied many restaurants throughout Westchester County, The Bronx and Harlem... Continued on page 12 Greenburgh Superintendent Dr. Tahira A. DuPree Chase, was honored in July at the Trey Whitfield Foundation, Inc’s 25th Annual Awards Gala. This award is given to individuals who make a difference in the lives of others through their career and service in their community. This is how many feature articles that are intended to highlight the various achievements of an individual begin. You would go on to read about how she was the recipient of the Champion Educational Leader Award or an inspirational award or how she was named one of the top 25 Superintendents to Watch in 2015-16 by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) or she was named distinguished alumni for Norfolk State University. You also read the same credentials read at someone’s funeral, but she is much more than her accolades and besides but my mom always said a woman wants her flowers while she’s alive. When I thought long and hard who we are spotlight in our inaugural print edition, what qualifications we were looking for, I was reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., .,” … tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize, that isn’t important...” Continued of page 13

NEWS PAPER

Black Westchester

NEWS PAPER

DO EN

RSED BY

The Mount Vernon Democratic Party

DO EN

RSED BY

The Westchester County Independence Party

DEMOCRAT FOR city council Vote Tuesday, September 12th, 2017 A NEW, INDEPENDENT AND DEMOCRATIC VOICE.

About Janice Deep roots in Mount Vernon ★ Born and raised, lives and works ★ 3 family generations still reside in Mount Vernon

community service

Education First in her family to graduate college ★ Barnard College, Columbia University ★ Co-Fund Chair of Barnard Alumnae Class ★ Raised class funds & developed scholarships for students in need

Career

Care for All Residents…since decisions impact all generations ★ Board, Mount Vernon Youth Bureau An advocate for youth development ★ Fundraising Council, Junior League Supports monthly mobile food pantry

17+ years of professional experience ★ Vice President of Communications ★ Last 7 years dedicated to working with small businesses in Mt Vernon, managing operations and growth

Making Mount Vernon History Janice would be the first elected Portuguese-American official.

Janice has the skills, experience, and track record to work across teams and get the job done.

LEARN MORE AT JDUARTE4COUNCIL.COM

S.E.E. the Future SAFETY: A Crime Strategies Unit & improved wraparound services for better quality of life for everyone. EMPLOYMENT: Job-focused programs & investments that benefit everyone and accelerate community growth. EDUCATION: Partner with MVCSD & WCC to close the skills gap so everyone can grow together.

An Action-based City Council: Balances a budget that promotes community growth & investment. Develops a Master Plan that prepares Mt. Vernon for today & our digital future. Promotes an open dialogue between the People & their City Government.

BlackWestchester

NEWS PAPER

REAL TALK FROM

AJ WOODSON

B L A C K SPEECH

IS NOT

F R E E !

Millions of Americans support free speech. They firmly believe that we are the only country to have free speech. Yet many of those who believe in free speech are the very one that have a problem when people or groups speak out against the powers that be especially if you are Black. First Amendment notwithstanding, speech has never been free for Blacks in America. Let us not forget or allow them to conveniently rewrite history. From the days of slavery, when many southern colonies and states outlawed literacy among slaves, to the Jim Crow Era the government monitored the speech of Civil RIghts Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, especially when they spoke against the government and the treatment of Black People. let’s not forget both men were labeled terrorists by the FBI. Even the 44th President, Barack Obama, the first Black President, he had to tightly monitor his speech that could be precieved as rhethoric when it came to race. Now the same can be said when it come to Rap Lyrics especially by Black Artists. In no other form, musical literacy or cinematic is singled out as admissible as evidence in a court of law. On Monday, August 4, 2014 the Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled that rap lyrics can not be used as evidence, unless they include a strong nexus to the crime in question. In the case of Vonte Skinner, an aspiring rapper whoo was convicted of attempted murder in New Jersey in 2008. Violent lyrics that Skinner had written years before the crime in question figured heavily in his conviction. In the opinion written by Justice Jayvee LeVecchia, the Supreme Court noted that rap lyrics, even those depicting acts of violence aren’t a crime. The court also said the reading of the lyrics risked poisoning the jury against Skinner. “One would not presume that Bob Marley, who wrote the well known song, ‘I Shot The Sherriff,’ actually shot a sherriff or that Edgar Allen Poe buried a man beneath his floorboard as deplicted in his short story, ’The Tell Tale Heart,’ Simply because of their respective artistic endeavor on those subjects. Skinner lyrics should recieved no differe nt treatment,” LeVecchia wrote. I was asked to be a expert witness in June to explain and be sort of a ghetto tour guide through the history of hip-hop and freestyle rhymes in Westchester County Court, in White Plains, NY on MLK Blvd. The most ironic thing in this whole scenario was it wasn’t the lyrics of the young man who was on trial for murder, but his brother’s rap lyrics. When you are read your Miranda Rights they tell you that YOU have the right to remain silent and anything YOU say can and will be used against YOU, but if the powers to be have their way, that will now include your rap lyrics.

“To be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.” – James Baldwin.

WHY ARE THE YOUTH SO ANGRY?

nce again, I find myself answering the question, ‘Why Are The Black Youth So Angry?’ From white radio show hosts who have me on their shows to various white friends and business associates, even a few black individuals who come to me because we are Black Westchester. Again, I find myself writing another editorial instead of answering the questions individually. I would like to present another piece of the puzzle to prayerfully bring further clarification and understanding. Let me first make this disclaimer again here:

BY AJ WOODSON BW DOES IN NO WAY ADVOCATE THE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY AND RIOTING! But like Chris Rock once said, while I don’t agree (with their course of action), I do understand. Let me paint a picture for you. Let’s take a 17-year-old black teen, who was born in the year 2000. Since he has been born he has seen countless cases of senseless murders of black males across the country on the news. Not to mention the acts of police misconduct and police criminality he has viewed or experienced firsthand in his own

BLACK WESTCHESTER We Do It For The People!!!

s we just celebrated the three-year anniversary of Black Westchester Magazine and the People Before Politics Radio Show, I have had several people ask, why do we do what we do? What keeps us going? What drives us? Lets face it, walking this walk puts a target on your back, when most people try to keep their head low to avoid what comes from speaking up or speaking out. It does not make one the most popular cat. Sure many smile in ya face and shake ya hand when they see you, while cursing you behind ya back and laying and preying for your downfall. Some try to question your credibility, especially when you are speaking truth to power. Sometimes it takes someone to focus on the needs of others, needs of the people before

themselves, putting the people before the politics. So for those who ask what drives me, what keeps us going, why do we do what we do, the answer is simple, WE DO IT FOR THE PEOPLE! Were there times I felt like giving up? Frequently! Were there times I wonder if it’s was really worth it? Often! I even decided I was done a few times. But then amazingly, in those fleeting minutes, that is when people who have no idea what you are wrestling with inside, approach you and thank you for what you are doing. People send message encouraging words on social media from halfway across the world and telling us how important the work we are doing is. Like Common’s lyrics, when you see what your people are going through the hunger in they eyes is what seems to feed me.

community. Now this same young black boy who has been told over and over, anger is not the way to solve the problem and probably been told or taught to allow the system to handle things the right way, has seen the system fail over and over again. Now in 2008, when he turns eight, he witnesses the election that puts the first African-American president in the White House. He hears his elders, parents, aunts and uncles, teachers and preachers talk about a new day, rappers even make records with titles like ‘My President Is Black.’ Despite all he has seen and experienced, he has new hope and maybe even some faith that things are going to change. Then he sees countless more black lives lost at the hands of law enforcement. But when he is ready to lose all hope in the system, he is told once again to allow the system to do what its supposed to do. Grand juries fail to indict any of these officers, when they do indict, the officers are never convicted, few lose their jobs or even their pay. Even the ones on modified duty, still collect a paycheck and can even work overtime. Everyone now and then one will retire to protect his pension from any lawsuits that might come. lacus id rutrum gravida, nibh accIn 2010 when he was 10, an African-American college student, Danroy ‘DJ’ Henry was murdered by a white officer. In 2011 when he was 11, he saw the coverage of the killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., who after his Life Aid

medical alert necklace was inadvertently triggered, police came, broke down his door, tasered him, and then shot him dead. The saw and heard the tape of the police calling the 68-year-old, AfricanAmerican, retired former-Marine, and a 20-year veteran of the Westchester County Dept. of Corrections, a nigger and the DA’s office says the use of that word was a tactic to distract him. He is left thinking the cops can just call me a Nigger and kill me. Now this teen is 14-years-old and Eric Garner is choked to death in Staten Island. A local resident catches the whole encounter on his cell phone and the video goes viral. The medical examiner rules Garner’s death a homicide which is defined as the deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another; murder. So, if ever there was a reason to muster up that last bit of hope, this would be it. Home run right, this one should be knocked right out the park. Plus, my president is black and we even have a black Attorney General at the time. A special grand jury is convened to hear the case, oh this is all everyone has been asking for, it’s a done deal right. These officers are going to pay, there is no way they’re going to walk, right? WRONG, like a sucker punch you never see coming that almost knocks you out - the announcement is, the grand jury declined to indict the officers. Now I’ve heard many members in the media and those on the outside looking in say, the national guard was called in because

these individuals tore up the city. Former NYC Mayor, Giuliani blames the Black Community for the reason these communities are heavily policed by white police officers from outside their community. “...because of Black on Black crime therefore so many White officers are in the Black community, you want less white police in your community, stop committing crime,” Giuliani says on Meet The Press. Another slap in the face! Well let’s use that logic to explain what’s going on, basically it’s the for-every-action-there-is-a-reaction-response that gets thrown out there to excuse these actions. But take this young 17-year-old black teen, who all his life all he has seen is police misconduct, police criminality, black lives lost at the hands of the police and then the justice system that has failed time after time, in addition to having to deal with gangs, bullying and peer pressure. The system that he has been told to trust to do the right thing, has consistently failed to bring about any justice and hold any of these criminal cops accountable. At some point, you stop listening to the let the system handle it the right way excuse. You stop believing altogether in the system that has failed when it comes to the black community and bringing justice for any of the black lives lost. You see cases in your community where some (NOT ALL) but some have been falsely charged and convicted like Peekskill’s Jamar Smythe... continued on page 5

BlackWestchester

NEWS PAPER

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK 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 in being a check and balance system in the political process of the Black Communities of Westchester.

Founded in 2014 by

DAMON K. JONES AJ WOODSON Published by URBANSOUL MEDIA GROUP 455 Tarrytown Rd, Suite 1318 White Plains, N.Y. 10607

Email: BlackWestchester@gmail.com www.BlackWestchester.com

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 and our radio show; 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 WORD FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Twitter @BlkWestchesterM Instagram @BlackWestchester Facebook @BlackWestchester Publisher DAMON K. JONES @DamonKJones Editor-In-Chief AJ WOODSON @BWEditorInChief Assistant Editors Dr. Robert Baskerville News Reporters/ Writers AJ Woodson Damon K. Jones Cynthia Turnquest-Jones Priscilla Echi Rashad Bilal Derickson K. Lawrence Lloyd Green Photographers Claudio Valenzuela Cynthia Turnquest-Jones Frank ‘Sha’ Francois Graphic Designers AJ Woodson Paula S. Woodson

Damon K. Jones (Black Westchester Publisher), Sandra T. Blackwell (Westchester County Press President, Publisher, Editor and AJ Woodson (Black Westchester Editor-In-Chief) at African-American Heritage Festival at Kensico Dam, June 2016 [Black Westchester] Samuel Corish and John Brown Russworm started the first African-American Newspaper called the Freedom Journal in 1827. Shortly after other Black Newspapers sprang forth like The North Star founded by Frederick Douglass. As Blacks migrated from the Cotton Fields to urban centers, every large city with a major AfricanAmerican population soon had African-American Newspapers, like The Chicago Defender, The Pittsburgh Courier, The Detroit Tribune and here in New York, The Amsterdam News. The idea of an African-American Newspaper was to give African-Americans the news through their own eyes. Locally here in Westchester County, we had two newspapers that carried on that tradition for a while. The Westchester Observer, a black weekly dedicated to Justice for all from 1948-1986, with Mount Vernonite Ben E. Anderson who served as the publication’s Publisher. Then there is the Westchester County Press who has been for a long period of time the sole voice for African-Americans in Westchester, with Sandra Blackwell serving as the President/Publisher & Editor. In 2014, Damon and myself founded Black Westchester Magazine, an online news magazine to continue the fight for liberation and rights, demonstrate racial pride, hold our elected official’s feet to the fire, when necessary and inform our readers with news and events affecting the African-American Community. In August 2017, celebrating our three-year anniversary, we proudly release our first print edition, a 24-page free monthly. Our goal; to unapologetically deliver the news with A Black Point Of View to communities of colour in Westchester County and surrounding areas. 190 years after a group of prominent Free African-American citizens from states along the Eastern seaboard decided to begin the publication of the first newspaper produced by and for Black Americans, 89 years after the Westchester County Press was founded, Black Westchester continues to carry the tradition of being the voice of the Black Community. Without the road Blackwell and the Westchester County Press paved, there would be no Black Westchester. We are glad to be able to join you in carrying on the tradition of being the voice for the black community in Westchester County and surrounding areas.

WHY ARE THE YOUTH SO ANGRY? (Con’t from page 4) who served four years for a crime he didn’t commit because the police lied and falsified evidence at his trial. Your 17 now, you watch a black man named Walter Scott shot in the back several times and see an officer attempt to plant evidence, but the incident was videotaped. You see the police literally break the back of a man named Freddie Gray in Baltimore, and now you do not have a reason to believe the system is going to do anything different from what it has always done since you’ve been born. Unfortunately, most or not even taught how to survive a police confrontation. Let’s toss in a few systematic conditions to the mix like poverty, crime, systematic racism, single parent homes, lack of a quality education, low graduation rates, unemployment, and many who manage to find work are greatly underpaid, a system that is designed for more of them to go to prison than college, just to name a few. Then you have incidents like the police criminality in Texas where the white cop went wild over too many black teens in a white neighborhood for a pool party, and you ask me why the youth are so angry? What you get is a recipe for frustration, hopelessness, and disaster. This generation has more of a sense of hopelessness then they did in the 60’s. As far as you are concerned the system doesn’t care about you. Even when there are peaceful protests, the media only shows the bad and never the good. You feel extremely frustrated and due to cuts in local and state budgets there is no legitimate outlet for that frustration. With each black life lost at the hand of the police, it’s like the paper cut that never heals. Each incident re-opens the cut, until now it’s a major gash that needs something much bigger that a band-aid to close. So, to those who ask me why I throw that For-Every-Action-There-Is-A Reaction reply in your face. How long can a group of people who have had a foot on the back of their neck holding them down, stay calm and not have a reactionary response and desire to change the situation by any means necessary? What do you do when all else has failed. And remember we are not talking about grown-ups here, we are talking about those youth who are still trying to figure out life, who have seen the system fail them repeatedly. Does this have some sort of physiological effect of our youth? One must wonder if young black males seeing their peers, young men that look like them, killed by the police all their life have the same mental anguish that slaves had when they were they were forced to witnessed the lynching other male slaves who tried to escape as a method of behavior modification. Perhaps the same effect soldiers have from being in war and seeing so much death. And you ask me why the black youth of today are so angry?

6 NEWS PAPER

LOCAL NEWS

Black Westchester

Senator Jamaal T. Bailey’s District Office Grand Opening (BRONX, NY) Senator Jamaal T. Bailey hosted his district office grand opening first with the help of Fidelis Care, the Morris Heights Health Center, and the Tru 31 Community Development Corporation. The event took place at the District Office, which is located on 959 E 233rd Street on Saturday, July 15th, from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The 47th precinct NYPD explorers kicked off the celebration with the color guard ceremony and the leading the community in the pledge of allegiance. Following the pledge of allegiance, office intern Jariah Rodriguez sang the national anthem. Senator Bailey was joined by his wife and two daughters, and many of his colleagues in government including, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, Former State Senator Ruth Hassell- Thompson, NYC Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, State Senator Brian Benjamin, State Senator Kevin Parker, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Williams, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, Assemblyman Victor Pichardo, Assembly man Gary Pretlow, Bronx Councilmen Andy King, Councilman Ritchie Torres, and Mount Vernon Councilwoman Lisa Copeland. As a freshman senator, Senator Bailey was able to pass five bills during his first term. The five bills ranged from providing aid to crime victims, to expanding opportunities for employee owned businesses in the state. In addition to the main district office, Senator Bailey has also opened satellite offices in Mount Vernon at the Doles Center, and in Norwood at the Mosholu-Montefiore Community Center.

Preferences in Westchester Town’s Zoning Code Discriminate Against African-Americans Lawsuit Alleges Town of Bedford Favors Whites in its Middle-Income Affordable Housing Program On Wednesday, July 26th two fair housing organizations, the Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) and Westchester Residential Opportunities (WRO) filed a lawsuit in federal court (SDNY) alleging that a predominantly white town in Westchester County maintains and enforces a system of preferences that discriminates against African Americans in the provision of middle-income affordable housing. The lawsuit names the Town of Bedford and the Blue Mountain Housing Development Corp., a non-profit corporation created by the Town of Bedford, as defendants. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that the Town’s zoning code contains a system of residency and employment preferences that advantages whites and has a disparate impact on African American participation. A joint investigation by the FHJC and WRO uncovered evidence that the Town of Bedford, which is 86% white, maintained and enforced a system of discriminatory residency and employment preferences for affordable middle-income housing which unfairly advantages whites. The categories of eligible applicants receiving the highest preference for housing include Town employees and residents, most of whom are white. For instance, while 76-78% of Town households who are income eligible for the middle-income housing are white, only 2-3% of Town households who are income eligible for such housing are African American. This compares to Westchester County where 18% of county households who are income eligible are African American. Based on available data, most town employees who would receive priority for the housing are also white. An undercover testing investigation also confirmed that when non-resident applicants (testers) inquired about the affordable housing opportunities, they were discouraged from applying and were told it would be “several years” or, in another case, a “two to ten year” wait and that there was a preference given to Town employees and residents. Over the past decade, investigations by the FHJC and WRO have led to legal challenges against several suburban communities for discrimination in land-use, zoning, and affordable housing programs including the Town of Smithtown (Suffolk County), the Villages of Garden City and Great Neck Plaza (Nassau County), and the Towns of Yorktown, Eastchester, and Bronxville (Westchester County). FHJC Executive Director Fred Freiberg stated, “Under the federal Fair Housing Act, communities have a legal duty to affirmatively further fair housing by eliminating barriers to housing choice and reducing residential segregation. But this case provides yet another example of a suburban community that chose to utilize its zoning powers to provide affordable housing in a manner that disproportionately advantages whites and suppresses participation by African Americans.” WRO Executive Director Geoffrey Anderson said, “Bedford is one of a number of communities in Westchester in which residency preferences continue to illegally preserve segregation. This case should act as a reminder that truly fair housing will not exist in Westchester so long as exclusionary zoning is tolerated. The lawsuit seeks to stop the Town from using or enforcing the discriminatory live or work preferences and seeks damages and other injunctive relief to bring the Town into compliance with fair housing laws. The plaintiffs are represented by Diane L. Houk and Zoe Salzman of Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, LLP. WRO is a fair housing organization and HUD-approved housing counseling agency based in Westchester County and serving the lower Hudson Valley. WRO’s mission is to promote equal, affordable, and accessible housing opportunities for all residents of the region. The mission of the FHJC, a nonprofit civil rights organization, is to eliminate housing discrimination; promote policies and programs that foster open, accessible, and inclusive communities; and strengthen fair housing enforcement in the New York City region.

AJ is a reflection of the integrity and transparency of modern journalists. He has brought into our media a new and fresh edge of coverage never before experienced by our African-American Community in Westchester. This is truly a phenomenon created by and for the people-keeping us informed and expressing our questions while demanding answers. Kudos and keep it coming! - Lena Anderson Esq. President of the White Plains/ Greenburgh NAACP

THE ANNUAL FATHER & ME B-BALL GAMES BY CYNTHIA TURNQUEST-JONES It’s

summer time! Mt. Vernon Fathers, Sons and Daughters are in school on a Saturday. Yes! Cecil H. Parker was echoing with bouncing and hoops. Smiles. Sweat. Cheers. Trophies. Gatorade. The Annual Father & Me B-Ball Games hosted by NewFlex Youth Programs was well on their way by eleven o’clock. Fathers were teamed up with their son or daughter. Playing four on four or two on twos. City Councilwoman Lisa Copeland joined the courts as well. She spoke words of encouragement to continue working together as residents of Mt. Vernon and challenged them to a game of ball. As a former basketball star, she also took time out to coach a little ball player on the sidelines. While teams of fathers and children played. Coach is defined as an angel, saint and miracle who spreads Love around Mt. Vernon. The mission is to provide mentoring for youth in various areas. Coach Nesta Felix Executive Director and Founder of NewFlex Hoops is feeding our youth ages 7-17 with basketball skills while intentionally expounding on developing self-image, character and other necessary tools for advancing as successful future leaders. NewFlex Hoops was born after her concentration towards her MBA in 2009 at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. I joined in on a free-throw competition with Councilwoman Copeland destroying her. I had a great time. Lisa knows that I am a track star. Friendly conversations with fathers and sons for the Love of Basketball. Fourth generation resident and master in public administration Shawyn Patterson-Howard also joined the courts with three pointers and successful free throws. All of this while Coach Felix was on the bullhorn cheering, criticizing, and rapping about basketball. She paused as a student walked up. “Come here for a second let me talk to you about your actions.” Coach stood and spoke. Correcting the student for something she did that was unacceptable. After the chat. The student walked away and joined in on the games. Mission accomplished. NewFlex is a program with a focus of what is needed in the community of Mt. Vernon that will benefit the future Youth Leaders. If you are interested in contributing time and monetary gifts go to theirwebsite http://www.newflex.org [photo by Cynthia] Cynthia Turnquest-Jones is an avid philanthropist & Community Activist. In Oct. 2012 she launched Tha B.U.M.P. “Brown Urban Mother Partnership. A member of Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated, Mocha Moms, Incorporated, MAMAiAM, the Episcopal Church Women, secretary for Mt. Saint Michael Academy PTA in the Bronx, and a member of Graham Elementary School PTA.

BlackWestchester

LOCAL NEWS

NEWS PAPER

BLACK WESTCHESTER NEWS

“COFFEE WITH A COP” COMES TO PORT CHESTER National program promotes positive interaction between Police Officers and the public they serve

PORT CHESTER, NY – Chief Richard Conway and the Port Chester Police Department announced its first Coffee with a Cop event scheduled for August 17, 2017, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, at the Port Chester Senior Community Center, 222 Grace Church Street. Coffee with a Cop was launched in Hawthorne, California, in 2011 by members of the Hawthorne Police Department. They were looking for ways to interact more successfully with the citizens they served each day. Since its inception Coffee with a Cop events have been hosted in all 50 states and involved over 600 law enforcement agencies. It is considered one of the most successful community oriented policing programs in the nation, and has expanded outside the United States to Canada, Europe, Australia, and Africa. The key to Coffee with a Cop’s growing success is that it opens the door for interactions outside of the crisis situations that typically bring law enforcement officers and community members together. The Department is planning to hold subsequent Coffee with a Cop events on a monthly basis at select locations throughout the Village. The next event is scheduled for late September at a location to be determined

COUNTY PRESS POLITICAL CARTOONIST DIES Russell Blackwell, the political cartoonist for the Westcheter County Press passed away, Thursday, July 20, 2017 Russell has been the resident political cartoon artist since joing the paper in 2009 and he never missed a week of publication. He has submitted and pubished more than 400 cartoons. Russell’s cartoon - “Rusty Nails Politics,: has over 12,500 fans nationally. He used his sense of humor to tell the readers what’s going on in the politics on the national level. Russell is survived by his wife of 44 years, Mrs. Susie Blackwell; his four children: Stephanie Blackwell of Camden, SC, Russell Blackwell III of New Haven, CT, Staff Sergeant Dexter Jermaine (Velda) Blackwell of Arizona and Deputy First Class Police Officer Gabriel Blackwell of Manning, his six grandchildren, brother Tarleton Blackwell of Alcolu and two sisters Sandra T. Blackwell of Yorktown Heights (the President. Publisher & Editor of the Wetchester County Press) and Carolyn Blackwell Coleman of Milford, CT.

WHITE PLAINS, NY -- After several years of letter writing, petition signing, forums, news articles, social media campaigns and lobby days in Albany, the legislation known as Raise the Age of Criminal Responsibility from 16 to 18 (RTA), passed the NYS Legislature, this spring. As the lead agency in Westchester County for the statewide campaign, Westchester Children’s Association (WCA) made the passage of this legislation the focus of their annual summer celebration on July 18th.The summer celebration has become a tradition for WCA as a way to show appreciation for all the hard work of their partners and child advocates all year long. by county and state elected officials, representatives of county departments, community based organizations, law enforcement and faith leaders and concerned individuals. Most important were the youth who were present. Youth advocates from Youth Shelter Program of Westchester, White Plains Youth Bureau, and Youth Council of Westchester. Special guest for the event was Jim St. Germain, a youth advocate and author of the memoir, ‘A Stone of Hope’. His story from arrested teen to advocate is an inspiring one -- a story of what can happen when the system works. It is also a reminder that “we are NOT the same person we were at 16 and that none of us is the sum total of our worst days,” said Allison Lake, Deputy Director of Westchester Children’s Association, when she introduced St. Germain. In addition to making appearances to share his story, St. Germain started Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow (PLOT), a nonprofit which provides mentors to at-risk youth between the ages of 9 and 21, in Brooklyn, NY. Prior to the festivities, stakeholders attended a roundtable discussion on the implementation of the RTA legislation in Westchester. As Allison Lake, says, “The devil is in the details.” She went on to say, “We need all of you to remain vigilant advocates to make sure the legislation is implemented to be the best it can for our youth. Legislation is always a compromise and although we did not get everything we wanted we look forward to working with each of you to get it done.” The event was held at First Baptist Church of White Plains. Pizza was provided by Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza, located on Main Street in White Plains.

ADVOCATES CELEBRATE PASSAGE OF RAISE THE AGE

For more information on Raise the Age visit www.wca4kids.org. Photo Above of Jim St. Germain talking with the young men of Youth Shelter Program of Westchester. [Reese Williams.]

New York City & Surrounding Area News

BLACKS & LATINOS ARRESTED MORE THAN WHITES FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION

A new report by the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance, proves what many of us have known and been saying for awhile now. The report stated marijuana possession arrests in New York City under Mayor de Blasio are extremely high, racial disparity wise, as just like they were under the Bloomberg and Giuliani administrations. The report titled; Unjust and Unconstitutional: 60,000 Jim Crow Marijuana Arrests in Mayor de Blasio’s New York, shows that despite a change in mayoral administrations and police commissioners, the NYPD continues to make large numbers of unjust and racially-targeted marijuana arrests. The report is based on data from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. According to the recently released report, Blacks and Latino New Yorkers made up 86 percent 60,000 marijuana arrests made between 2014 and 2016, whereas white New Yorkers and others made up just 14 percent of the 60,000 marijuana arrest. Black and Latinos make up 25 percent and 27 percent respectively, and whites make up 44 percent of the city’s population, according to 2010 U.S. Census data. By using national studies from 14 annual government studies, the study showed how, between 2002 and 2015, For all my vegans out there, check out the Second Annu- young whites between the ages of 18 and 25 used marijuana more frequently than Blacks and Latinos of the al Hudson Valley Vegan Food Festival, Staurday, August same age group. 12th at Delano-Hitch Park located at 401 Washington WHOLE FOODS COMES TO HARLEM St., in Newburgh. Whole Foods debuts in Harlem in a brand-new commercial plaza located at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue on The goal of the event is to promote health awareness, nutrition, and overall wellness through various eco- Friday, July 21st. As with all of their new stores, the company will mark the occasion with a bread-breaking ceremony Friday morning at 8:45 a.m., followed by the official door opening at 9 a.m. friendly vegan options- while having FUN! This event will highlight over 20 vegan/vegetarian res- The 39,000-square-foot icon of trendy, expensive and health-conscious grocery shopping announced that it is taurants and vendors from throughout the Hudson Val- working with Harlem Park to Park to source local products from more than 100 neighborhood business at its store. The partnership will “make the store a one-stop destination for both Harlem-made goods and high-quality ley. In addition, the day will be filled with live music, yoga grocery staples,” according to Whole Foods. workshops and a variety of vendors featuring wellness 17 MS-13 GANG MEMBERS ARRESTED FOR BRUTAL SLAYINGS ON LONG ISLAND and nutrition products, art, Central Islip, Long Island -- Suffolk County police commissioner Timothy Sini said the MS-13 gang was dealt a jewelry, and clothing. Kids can partake in veggie-themed games and activities “huge blow” by the recent arrests of 17 individuals in connection with a string of murders in Long Island, New in the Kids’ Fitness Corner. There will also be a presenta- York. Six of those arrested are juveniles, Sini announced. Some of those arrested also face murder and assault charges tion on the benefits of a plant-based diet and lifestyle. in the January killing of a man and wounding of a woman in a deli. One of the murders made national headlines in April. Four men were lured to a park in Central Islip, N.Y., by two teenage girls and then ambushed with knives, machetes and clubs by a group of MS-13 members. MS-13, also called Mara Salvatrucha, is a major international criminal enterprise, with tens of thousands of members in several Central American countries and many U.S. states. It is believed to have been founded as a neighborhood street gang in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by immigrants fleeing a civil war in El Salvador.

2ND ANNUAL HUDSON VALLEY VEGAN FOOD FESTIVAL

MV COUNCIL CANDIDATE

FILES DEFAMATION LAWSUIT

Mount Vernon – Janice Duarte, a Democratic candidate for Mount Vernon City Council, filed a complaint July 27th in State Supreme Court in Westchester County, asserting that Samuel L. Rivers has embarked on an aggressive campaign to attack and defame the reputation of Duarte and her family with libelous, slanderous and false allegations. Ms Duarte seeks $20 million in damages. The complaint alleges that Mr. Rivers, referred to as a ‘political operative in Mt. Vernon’, has been sending these defamatory attacks since early June – and as recently July 27th the day the complaint was filed.

NEW JERSEY BECOMES THIRD STATE TO RAISE ITS SMOKING AGE TO 21

Republican Gov. Chris Christie signed into law Friday a measure that raises the age from 19. Hawaii and California are the only other states whose smoking age is 21. The restriction applies to tobacco products and electronic smoking devices. Christie vetoed a similar measure last year. On Friday, July 21st he cited the strain on the health care system caused by tobacco-related illnesses. He also noted that his mother died from the effects of smoking and said raising the age gives young people more time to better understand smoking’s dangers.

NEWS PAPER

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION

BlackWestchester

O.J. SIMPSON,GRANTED PAROLE, TO BE RELEASED FROM PRISON IN OCTOBER

His sentence had been scheduled to end Sept. 29, 2022 LOVELOCK, Nev. — In a unanimous decision, a four-member Nevada parole board granted O.J. Simpson parole, Thursday, July 20th after the former NFL star apologized for his role in a 2007 armed robbery, said he’d been a model prisoner and promised that he’d have no conflicts if released. “I’ve done my time,” Simpson who is now 70-years-old said. “I’ve done it as well and as respectfully as I think anyone can.” Simpson, appearing as inmate No. 1027820, has served nine years of a nine-to-33year sentence for an armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. He is expected to be released as early as October and said he plans to move to his home in Florida. His sentence had been scheduled to end Sept. 29, 2022. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” an emotional Simpson said. He appeared before the parole board hearing from Lovelock Correctional Center via video conferencing. “I’ve spent nine years making no excuses about anything. I am sorry that things turned out the way they did,” Simpson said in his closing remarks during the hearing. “I had no intent to commit a crime. … I’ve done my time. I’d just like to get back to my family and friends — believe it or not, I do have some real friends — and I tried to be helpful to everybody.” The hearing was chaired by Connie Bisbee, with Tony Corda, Adam Endel and Susan Jackson also in attendance via video conferencing from Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners headquarters in Carson City, Nevada. Commissioners Ed Gray and Michael Keeler monitored proceedings from Las Vegas and would have weighed in had a unanimous vote not been reached. The hearing gave the public a rare opportunity to see one of America’s most wellknown inmates. Simpson was acquitted in 1995 in the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, after a lengthy trial that riveted America. He was found liable for the double homicide in a 1997 civil case. The robbery case was not connected to the double murder. Simpson still faces a $33 million civil judgment won by the families of the two victims. The Goldman family did not immediately respond to the news. Michael Wright, a representative for the family, said they were still grappling with it. The “Trial of the Century” captivated the country yet again last year with the release of an Emmy-winning FX miniseries that dramatized the legal saga and an Oscar-winning ESPN documentary that delved into the social issues surrounding it.

THIRD & FINAL PLAN SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HAD TO REPEAL & REPLACE OBAMACARE FAILED The slimmed-down health-law repeal was the Republicans’ last-ditch effort to deliver on their promise to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. The so-called “skinny repeal” bill that Senate Republicans said would keep alive their hopes to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act failed Friday, July 28th delivering a devastating blow to both President Donald Trump and the GOP Congress’ agenda. The bill failed by a margin of 49 to 51, after three Republicans voted against it. Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine voted against the plan, ensuring it would not receive the 50 votes needed. “This is a disappointment, a disappointment indeed,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the bill failed. “I regret that our efforts were simply not enough this time,” McConnell added. This is now the third health care plan Senate Republicans have exhausted — and it’s unclear if they have anything else up their sleeves to revive the repeal effort. Failing to repeal and replace the ACA, better known as Obamacare, could be politically destructive for Republicans, who promised their base voters that they would repeal and replace the law for seven years. But passing the bill could have been just as bad. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the plan would have increased premiums by 20% and cause 16 million more people to become uninsured. That’s the exact opposite outcome that Republicans promised to voters. What was most interesting is teh fact the vote took place after 12:30 a.m. Friday morning, a hypocritical maneuver by McConnell, who was very vocal against thee Democrats for trying to pass the ACA in the “dead of night” back in 2009. It would not be surprising if Trump the GOP who have been hell-bent on annihilating the ACA double-down and come back again with yet another plan.

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Uncompromise integrity, unbias, role models, effective speakers/contributors. The People Before Politics Radio Show is a joy to listeners for now and the future of generation to come. Cheers, continue to thrive into the future. - Rena CS, NYC

NAACP TO EMBARK ON LISTENING TOUR TO PLAN ITS FUTURE

he NAACP announced a new interim leader, along with a nationwide listening tour that will allow it to talk to local members and figure out what the future of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization should be. Derrick Johnson, the vice-chair of the NAACP board of directors, will serve as interim president and chief executive officer, officials announced at the 108th national convention in Baltimore. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done and we won’t waste any time getting to it,” Johnson said. The NAACP has in recent years been overshadowed at street-level advocacy by groups like Black Lives Matter as nationwide concern increased over the deaths of black men, women and children at the hands of the police. Johnson, as the new voice of the NAACP, will be one of the faces of the organization’s listening tour around the country. Leon Russell, the NAACP’s national board chairman, said the organization needs to figure out how best to support civil rights workers on the ground in communities who are working on issues like police brutality, the upcoming census, redistricting and voter suppression. The first stop on the listening tour will

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be in Detroit on Aug. 24, followed by San Antonio, Texas in September. President Donald Trump declined an invitation to speak at the annual convention.

BlackWestchester

WORLD NEWS

NEWS PAPER

Angola’s New Port Brings Tangible Benefits to Angolans by Lloyd Green

Before the $1.1 billion Porto de Caio came to northwest Angola, Pedro Cardoso had a wife and a son, but no job and little hope. The family got by only on what Cardoso’s father gave him. His story is achingly familiar in the impoverished Cabinda province. But now, thanks to the deep-water port project, Cardoso is a master painter. Now, he said, “I am the one providing food for my wife and son.” Porto de Caio will be the first deep-water port in Angola, a West African nation on the Atlantic Ocean. When finished, it will be a 6,200-acre complex capable of simultaneously docking four vessels. Its 50-foot-deep channel will be able to accommodate some of the world’s largest ships. The port also has free trade and industrial zones. Their goal: economic growth and diversification away from an oil-based economy. As a new gateway for local, regional and global trade, the Port is expected to increase employment in the Cabinda region of Angola by 10 percent-to-16 percent. It will add approximately 1,600 new jobs directly within the project and an estimated 30,000 indirect jobs along the supply chain.

The port is also viewed as a game changer for Angola and West Africa. Its integrated industrial zones, services and logistics corridors will raise living standards and create opportunities for Angolans by reducing the cost of imported goods, which today represent 85 percent of all goods in Angola. In addition, it will increase the province’s Gross Domestic Product by at least 20 percent. Its first construction phase, which is being built by China Road and Bridge Corporation using local workers, is on track to begin operating by the end of 2018. The economic zones surrounding the Port are designed to attract businesses, which have the potential to raise up to $350 million in tax revenues when the project is fully operational. Porto de Caio is a public-private partnership, the first of its kind in Angola. It fits the country’s goal of investing in long-term economic growth while at the same time reducing the state’s short-term capital outlay and minimizing risk. Like other major African economies, much of Angola’s economy is reliant on oil. Sixty percent of that oil comes from Cabinda, some 900,000 barrels per day.

Yet Cabinda is one of the poorest provinces in Angola. It is a paradox that is all-too familiar in the world’s major oil-based economies. The port’s neighbors are excited at the prospects. File Matoco Boma, a local leader of the Buco–Zau municipality near the port said, “This is a project that people have been waiting for.” As an enclave of Angola, Cabinda is surrounded by the two Congos (the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and physically separated from Angola, which has always created a sense of economic isolation there. “The port will change that. It has the power to bring back people’s hope,” he said. Marta da Conceição Lelo, the County Major of Buco–Zau, said residents of Cabinda are eager to see the port completed because it will boost development of the province. “If it is really erected as it is designed, it will bring added value to the province,” she said. Faustino Vieira Landazi, a local

leader on the Caio Coast where the port will operate, says his hope is to reduce Cabinda’s high unemployment rate. “This can lead to great opportunities for the sustaintable development of the country,” he said. The economic zones – some designated for international companies, others for domestic and international companies – will provide new products and services for Angolans and new markets for their goods. For José Casemiro, president of the local Fisherman’s Association, said the port “will bring happiness to a population that has long waited for this.” Porto de Caio may be the economic engine that turns around Cabinda’s fate, unlocking the potential of thousands of people and transforming its economic fortunes. For master painter Pedro Cardoso, it means something more modest but no less profound: food for his family and hope for their future. A lot is riding on its success.

Lloyd Green, a Mamaroneck resident, was staff secretary to the George H.W. Bush campaign’s Middle East Policy Group in 1988, and served in the Department of Justice between 1990 and 1992. His byline has appeared in the Daily Beast, the American Conservative, Washington Post, NY Daily News and now Black Westchester.

JAMAICAN SCIENTIST’S MARIJUANABASED ANTI-CANCER DRUG HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE FDA Dr. Henry Lowe’s Flavocure Biotech LLC, a US-based company, said the firm will avoid selling its marijuanabased anti-cancer drug, still in the development stages, to venture capitalists, who value the pending drug at up to US $50 million. The drug, which targets acute myeloid leukemia, received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug status in April and now requires final development to retail and that will take years, said Dr. Lowe in a press conference , Wednesday, July 12th at Eden and Garden in St. Andrew. “We are not selling the company. We are seeking to sell the rights to the acute myeloid leukaemia drug only,” said Lowe, who owns the Eden Gardens Group of Companies under which Flavocure Biotech falls. The Eden Gardens Group consists of EG Wellness Brands, which includes food and cosmetic products; Medicanja Limited, which includes the cannabis marketing arm; Bio-Tech R&D, a nutraceutical and cosmoceutical lab in Jamaica at the University of West Indies; Educational & Scientific Labs in the US, which specialises in ball moss drug development, otherwise called Old Man’s Beard; and Flavocure Biotech, which specialises in cannabis drug development. The drug is intended to treat cancer conditions which affect less than 200,000 patients in the United States so its seen as a novel or categorized as an ‘orphan drug’ by the FDA. Dr. Lowe aims to raise US$3.5 million in order to finance the final stage of development of the drug for retail sale, planned in two to three years time. “It’s not an easy road to travel,” he said, adding that the company would prefer to raise the funds locally. However local banks denied him previous attempts even with collateral, he recalled. Lowe will also avoid pitching to large pharmaceuticals which in his words would “park the drug”.

NIGERIA LEADS THE WORLD IN UNEDUCATED CHILDREN The education ministry’s permanent secretary Adamu Hussaini said it was “sad to note” that Nigeria had 10.5 million children out of school. NIGERIA HAS the largest number of children in the world who are not being educated, their government has said. Acknowledging the scale of the problem, the education ministry’s permanent secretary Adamu Hussaini said it was “sad to note” that Nigeria had 10.5 million children out of school. According to Hussaini, this percentage represents 10.5million of the cumulative 20million out of school children in the world. He explained: “Almajiri-children, those of the nomadic pastoralists, boy and girl-child drop out, social miscreants, children living with disability, those of migrant fisher men and more recently, children displaced by insurgency, constitute the bulk of the affected children.” This is the first time senior officials have admitted the size of the problem. According to the BBC, cultural factors have been blamed but critics point to a lack of money going to publicly funded schools. The UN’s children’s agency, Unicef, has been campaigning on this issue as well as a number of other groups.

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NEWS PAPER 11

on your premier print edition

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12 NEWS PAPER

Y R O T S R E V O OK FREDDY’S C

NEW NAME, NEW ADDRESS...

Con’t From Page 1 July 4th the Jerk Yard finally re-opened, followed by the official Grand Opening of Mangoville Meat Mart on Saturday, July 15th. The community came out in numbers to support & congratulate Freddy on his new location. Even some of those who sat back, watched it play out, & didn’t speak up for him, they were back too. His relationship with the Thomas Administraton who shut him down is better and they were there to cut the ribbon. While he is a man of a very few words, camera shy and does not like to talk about his accomplishments or what he does for others, even Stevie Wonder could see the joy, the pride and the sense of accomplishment. Things are now going OK for Freddy. New name, new location, but the same secret of success!!!!

THE GRAND OPENING

HotSkullz Entertainment with Freddy in July after making his annual donation of chiken for their barbeque they throw for the community each year. [courtesy of HotSkullz Ent]

THE RENOVATION OF OK FREDDY’S very few actually knew that the man behind OK Freddy’s is the same individual who owns Mangoville Restuarant Bar-N-Grill in New Rochelle, located at 134 North Avenue, and Freddy’s Soul Caribbean Resturant in Harlem, located at 1980 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd (Btwn 119th & 120th St). Now Mount Vernon will get to see the young 36-year-old Black Man of Jamacian heritage as a successful businessman with the opening of his newest loction, Mangoville Meat Mart located at 133 South Fourth Avenue and the Mangoville Jerk Yard, across the street at 134 South Fourth Avenue, right next store to the old OK Freddy’s Meat Market. This is more than a run-of-the-mill, garden variety spotlight of a successful businessman - this is a tale of perserverance. It would have been so much easier to just give up and take his business elsewhere as so many others would have, but he stayed in Mount Vernon, the adopted hometown where he grew up and went to school. He stayed in the city he loved, because he saw the bigger picture. This is a story of a Black Man who like Bob Marley’ lyrics, ‘Get Up Stand Up, Stand Up For Your Right,: Got Up and Stood Up and Would Not Give Up The Fight! Despite the illegal shutdowns of his business without due process, the stress of having so many who relied on him (both employees and the many people in the community he helped) to feed their families, as well as the loss of business, income, perishables and the support of fellow businesses that disassociated themselves from him for fear something might happen to their own business--despite all of that, which is more than enough to make a man bitter and say F the world, he never stopped helping others. From donating food to local event for the community like the annual HotSkullz Entertainment Party at ocal parks, or those in their time of need like mother who son was killed in the streets of Mount Vernon, he continued to be a blessing to the community, because he truly believes when you are successful and make it, you have a responsibility to reach back down and help someone else up and be there to help in their time of need, when you can.

A Leader Ready to Fight for Loram ispum dolor sit amet, condecteur adipiscing Aenean eros ut cursus cursus. In Our edit. Democratic Values rhoncus, lacus id rutrum gravida

Christopher Johnson for County Legislator

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DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTE SEPTEMBER 12TH JohnsonForWestchester.com @HonChrisJohnson

Black Westchester

NEWS PAPER

BW SPOTLIGHT: DR. TAHIRA DUPREE-CHASE

She So Much More Than Just Her Accolades

Con’t From Page 1

BY AJ WOODSON Tell them not to mention that I have 300 or 400 other awards, that’s not important. Tell him not to mention where I went to school. I’d like somebody to mention that Martin Luther King Jr tried to give his life serving others. I’d like somebody to say he tried to love somebody… And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.” When I contacted the lovely Dr. DuPree-Chase to let her know we wanted to feature her, her response was, “Oh my goodness!!!! This is awesome. Thank you for featuring me. This is so humbling. I have no idea what I have done to deserve this.” Say what now? Most people would have automatically begun to ring their own bell and running down all their accomplishments. After doing my research I contacted her to get some good quotes, and once again she reiterated, “I am simple humbled that you selected me to be part of your very first print issue of Black Westchester Magazine. I am honored!!!!” I wanted to talk about the true measure of the person, not just their accolades, even though I agree she deserves everyone and more. After we ran a series of articles about the growing numbers of homicides in Mount Vernon, her response wasn’t like many others; “Oh that’s just Mount Vernon”. She hit me and said, “I am prayer for Mount Vernon. I have so much love for this place, these random shooting must stop.” One look at Dr. DuPree-hase and you can see she can stop traffic; she is simply gorgeous, almost regal in her appearance. She even looks fly in jeans, a baseball jersey and baseball cap, throwing out the first pitch at a recent Mets game. To be an educator you have to love what you do, dealing kids all day and its definitely not for the pay. Our teachers and educators, nationwide, are overworked and underpaid. I will end with Dr. Dupree-Chase talking about why she does what he does in her own words. After reading, if you didn’t already you will understand why she had to be the first feature in our first print edition. “I love what I do!!! I knew 23 years ago, when I first began my journey as an educator, I would never be rich. Therefore, I do not do this work for the income, I do this (with love) for the outcome. When I make decisions for my 1,900 students, I ALWAYS ask myself if I would do this same thing for my own two biological children. If the answer is yes, then I know I have made the right decision. I do not view my work as a typical job, I am convinced this is my calling and the fulfillment of God’s assignment to me. Although many have advised me not to personalize my work. I find it very difficult to heed to this advisement because this is very personal to me. I have one of the most influential roles in the lives of children, how can I NOT personalize my work? I have always enjoyed working with populations of children who are often underserved or under represented. I take pride in demonstrating to children --especially children of color-- that you can be well educated, independent, stylish, responsible and have fun at the same time, and be a real person at the same time. I take pride in demonstrating the importance of reaching down and pulling those in need up and supporting one another. I take pride in modeling grace and class to young girls. Showing them, you do not have to sell your soul and show your body in order to be valued. With all of this, I take pride in my work. You are right, I am so much more than my accolades. I view my accolades as affirmation that I am doing the right thing by the children and the community I serve. The accolades tell me that I am fulfilling the duties of my assignment. The accolades nor job title defines who I am as a spiritual being. I’m a warm-hearted soul who loves her family and friends. I am a silent contributor to those in need. I do not make a fanfare of my contributions because I do not like that type of Spotlight. Many still do not have a clue of my contribution. I believe God has blessed me with a gift of soundness in my heart and mind; it is my moral and ethical responsible to share my blessings with others who are worthy of it. I am proud of my life’s journey. Along the way, there were many obstacles but, through God’s grace, obedience to my assignment and faith, I overcame so many of them. I am convinced there is a righteous wind behind my back so I have graciously chosen to flow with it. I remain humble and grateful for where He has taken me. I am assured there is more in store for me as I am 45 years old and nowhere near finished with my God-given assignment. With joy, I have accepted the assignment bestowed upon me and humbly look The heroes of Marvel’s four Netflix series, Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) & Iron Fist (Finn Jones) come together to stop a bigger threat of a mysterious villain forward to what is in store for the future.” BW salutes and thanks Dr. Tahira DuPree-Chase for in an 8-episode mini-series. The promises of a Defenders series had many wondering how will it hold up all she does. You are a shining example for our youth. compared to the other Marvel Team-Up. The thing to remember is in the first Avengers movie, some of We need many more like you. And as my mom would the best parts wasn’t necessarily the big action at the end, but having a front row seat to see these larger say, here are your flowers while your still alive to enjoy than life personalities clash with one another on the flying helicarrier. The same can be said with the Defenders, not only will they four characters come together and kick some them! ass, but it’s when they are forced to talk things out and almost poke fun of each other’s back stories and unbelievable abilities. Eventually the super quartet realizes the need to work together as a team to achieve their common goal, which is saving New York City. The four street-level superheroes are drawn together by an increasing threat from an organization headed by the elusive Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver). The criminal activity draws in each hero. Iron Fist’s ancient mission is to fight the organization (possibly the weakest plot of the series). Daredevil’s reincarcerated ex, Elektra is one of Alexandra’s minions. Jessica Jones gets a case that involves the organization. Luke Cage tries to help a neighborhood kid who is recruited as a grunt worker of the group. Eventually the heroes’ paths cross. The Defenders will likely please devoted Marvel fans who just can’t wait to see the four in the same room and the fight scene that finally brings them together is worth the wait. Viewers who were attracted to one or more of the Netflix series for their unique perspectives may be a bit disappointed. But fear not at least three of the four will have their next season of their series to return to after the mission is done.

Marvel’s The Defenders

H G R U B N E E R G , K R A P E IT M TAKE 6 LIVE AT YOSE

PHOTOS BY CLAUDIO

TOWN OF GREENBU R

VALENZUELA

GH DEPT OF COMMU

NITY RELATIONS

Z Z A J R E M M SU 7 1 0 2 S E I R E S

BlackWestchester

14 NEWS PAPER

DOLER ISPUM ENEANE ROSUT CURSUS CURSUS. IN RHONCUS, LACUS ID RUTRUM Loram ispum dolor sit amet, condecteur adipiscing edit. Aenean eros ut cursus cursus. In rhoncus, lac tellus.

Andrea Stewart-Cousins New York State Senate, 35th District Senate Democratic Leader

Best Wishes To My Friends at

Black Westchester Magazine on the occasion of celebrating your

Three Year Anniversary Thank you for your ongoing commitment to bringing stories of African-American life, culture, economics, politics, sports, and entertainment to 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.

Office of Senator Stewart-Cousins 28 Wells Avenue, Building #3 ▪ Yonkers, New York 10701 Tel: (914) 423-4031 ▪ Fax: (914) 423-0979 ▪ Email: scousins@NYSenate.gov http://StewartCousins.NYSenate.gov ▪

/AndreaStewartCousins ▪

/AndreaSCousins

BlackWestchester

NEWS PAPER 15

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16 NEWS PAPER

IMMIGRATION NEWS

BlackWestchester

Social Media has exploded across the world and it is easier than ever to interact with people all over the globe. Family and friends use social media to stay connected when they are not together. Small business owners harness the power of social media to reach their target consumer. News junkies use it as a catch all place to know what’s going on in the world. Your social media presence is important and not just in how you voice your political opinions, post crazy cat videos or show off that new killer pair of heels. Your social media presence can make or break your immigration case, whether you are the intended immigrant or the US Citizen (USC) or Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) petitioner. Today’s post will give you some tips to keep your social media from preventing you or your loved one from immigrating. The tips • Keep it private Each social media platform has some form of privacy controls. You should make yourself familiar with these tools and their limitations. Your personal profiles Social Media has exploded across the world and it is easier than ever to interact with people all over Westchester County — Majority Leader Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining), Chairman Michael Kaplowitz should always private. You tomay choose opt-out of beingSmall “searchable” by name. Keeping page private allows youstatement to limitonthestatus publicly the globe. Family andremain friends use social media stay even connected when to they are not together. (D-New Castle), & Vice-Chair James your Maisano (R-New Rochelle) give video of the accesbusiness owners harness the power ofto social to reach their target while consumer. News use Immigrant sible information available an media immigration officer they arejunkies adjudicating yourProtection case. Act. In statement, Board of Legislators leadership expresses firm commitment it as a catch all place to know what’s going on in the world. for Monday, August 7th vote. Business owners may use social media as a form of marketing to and interacting with customers. These social media pages are naturally public facing. If you Your social media presence is important and not just in how you voice your political opinions, post A vote had been expected at the Monday July 17th meeting but Legislator Catherine Borgia said some are cat a business owner, younew likely be careful about postfelt onthey your public Be sureMichael to know howand to Vicecontrol crazy videos or show off that killerknow pair of that heels.you Your should social media presence can makewhat or you legislators needed morefacing time tobusiness cast a vote.profile. Borgia, Chairman Kaplowitz break your immigration case, whether you are the intended immigrant or the US Citizen (USC) or LawChair Jim Maisano all said the vote will be definitely held on August 7. “I’m public quite disappointed we won’t when you are posting as your personal profile vs. when you are posting to your business page. This can help to prevent inadvertent disclosure of perful Permanent Resident (LPR) petitioner. be having a vote today,” Borgia said. sonalpost information. Today’s will give you some tips to keep your social media from preventing you or your loved one The Immigrant Protection Act says the county will not use county resources, facilities, and manpower from to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Someone pulled over by the county police would not • immigrating. Keep it consistent The tips be questioned about their immigration status. is crucial! If your public profile or page has visible information, make sure information is toconsistent with information inityour • Consistency Keep it private Borgia said shethat was willing to acquiesce her colleagues whothe needed more time, but is too immigraimporEach social media platform has some form of privacy controls. You should make yourself familiar tant to let go for much longer. tion application. Inconsistency happens when you forget to update certain biographical information. Also, if you are maintaining a “facade” because you don’t with these tools and their limitations. Your personal profiles should always remain private. You may “I am looking forward to having a piece of legislation that will really protect Westchester County resiwant others to know unflattering orname. controversial about yourself, this will make you seem inconsistent. Be consistent or simply omit information even choose to opt-out of being “searchable” by Keeping yourinformation page private allows you to limit dents as well as set a tone for Westchester County so we understand the politics of fear have no the publicly accessible available to an immigration officer while they are adjudicating your business here in Westchester. that leans in anyinformation particular direction. case. Maisano said it had been a goal of leadership to have a bipartisan consensus, with as many legislators Here are a couple of examples: Business owners may use social media as a form of marketing to and interacting with customers. as possible voting for the legislation. Yousocial get married, to a new your spouse filesyou a petition spouse’s willasappear inconsistent if going you forget your These media pagesmove are naturally public home facing. Ifand you are a business owner, likely knowfor thatyou. “It’sYour time to hear frompetition the legislators voters,” Maisano said. “We’re to have ato lotupdate of discussions you should be careful about what you post on your public facing business profile. Be sure to know how and a lot of conversations to get the law in its best possible state. ” marital status or current city. to control when you are posting as your personal profile vs. when you are posting to your business The Westchester County Board of Legislators is considering legislation aimed at protecting immiYouThis docannot your family public to know thatof you areinformation. gay or they do know and there tension. To avoid family drama, you keep your sexual preference set to page. helpwant to prevent inadvertent disclosure personal grants is who call Westchester their home. • indicate Keep it consistent Maisano said he believes the law willcase, pass on August 7. Introducedisbyinconsistent the board’s Democratic that you are heterosexual. You might even make posts that suggest you are heterosexual. In this the information if you caucus file a same Consistency is crucial! If your public profile or page has visible information, make sure that in February, the Immigration Protection Act prevents Westchester County from using any of its resex marriage petition or LGBT based asylum case. information is consistent with the information in your immigration application. Inconsistency happens sources to assist in federal investigations based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity when update certain biographical information. Also, if you are maintaining a “facade” or national origin. • you forget Don’ttoLie! because you don’t want others to know unflattering or controversial information about yourself, this “Checking on the immigration status of Westchester County residents is not a local responsibility and This tip goes hand in hand with the last one. You should never lie on your social media – especially if it is visible to the public. Lies will be inconsistent with will make you seem inconsistent. Be consistent or simply omit information that leans in any particular we will not use our resources to further a policy which instills fear in so many of our neighbors,” Majordirection. your pending immigration application – unless, of course, you lied there too.ityInLeader either case,Borgia, you can bet those liessaid will up to you. Lying on your immiCatherine an Ossining Democrat, in acatch statement. Here are a couple of examples: gration application can also prevent you from ever gaining an immigration benefit. You get married, move to a new home and your spouse files a petition for you. Your spouse’s petition • appear inconsistent Avoid Posting Illegal Actives will if you forget to update your marital status or current city. You do not want your family to know that yousaying are gay or they I’m do know and there is tension. To avoid This should probably go without BUT saying it here so you can’t say you didn’t know. Maybe you have sold or taken drugs, scammed little old ladies family drama, you keep your sexual preference set to indicate that you are heterosexual. You might for make money, unsuspecting commuters or are the boss of ifanyouorganized crime ring. Please, Please, Please, do not boast about it on Facebook. Imeven postspick-pocketed that suggest you are heterosexual. In this case, the information is inconsistent file a same sex marriage petition or LGBT find based out asylum case. it, but the police just might. You could then be facing criminal bars to adjusting your status. migration may not directly about • Don’t Lie! • tip goesUntagging inone. Unfortunate Pictures This hand in handYourself with the last You should never lie on your social media – especially if itIisthank visible to the public. Lies will be inconsistent with your pending – unless, God that cell phones and social media didimmigration not existapplication when I was a partying college student. I’m not saying that I, or you, might do anything wrong if of course, you lied there too. In either case, you can bet those lies will catch up to you. Lying on your you are out having a good time in a bar. But, our wonderful friends sometimes take photos of us in unflattering situations and without context those photos immigration application can also prevent you from ever gaining an immigration benefit. Communities all across America are facing ICE raids as a result of President Trump’s Executive Order. detrimental. Think Your snaps a photo of you withupsixasempty bottles in thetheir back• can be Avoid Posting Illegal Actives.about this. You get sloppy drunk at a summer BBQ. There are buddy reports that many Immigrants are picked “collateralCorona arrest” after they opened This should probably go without saying BUT I’m saying it here so you can’t say you didn’t know. Maybe doors to agentsaccounts who were not there to specifically arrest them. ground while you’re doing a tequila shot. He posts this on his Facebook and Instagram and tags you in them. You aren’t doing anything wrong but it you have sold or taken drugs, scammed little old ladies for money, pick-pocketed unsuspecting comFederal Judge James M. Munley of the Central Pennsylvania District has emphasized illegal immimightor seem lying crime whenring. thePlease, officer gets to that question about a had “habitual ” immigrants and citizens. muters are thelike boss you of anare organized Please, Please, do not boast about it onbeing grants the same drunkard. civil rights as legal Facebook. Immigration you may not directlyimmediately find out about it,un-tag but the police just might. Youask could then friend be The the 14th down Amendment that guarantees Due Process (is the principle that the If this happens, should yourself AND your topresumption take the ofpicture or make it private. facing criminal bars to adjusting your status. government must respect all of a person’s legal rights, instead of just some or most of those legal thing Yourself we doinwhen a new client engages our services is search for their public facing digital appearance. If we find potentially damaging information, • The first Untagging Unfortunate Pictures rights), and Equal Protection under the law (no state shall… deny to any person within its jurisdiction I we thankimmediately God that cell phones and social media did not exist when I was a partying college student. I’m the equal protection of the laws) can be salt set aside whiledo migrants are hunted down and punished is counsel the client about removing this information. Any immigration law firm worth their would the same. not saying that I, or you, might do anything wrong if you are out having a good time in a bar. But, our widespread but false. Social Media has exploded across the world and it is easier than ever to interact with people all over the globe. Family and friends use social media to stay conwonderful friends sometimes take photos of us in unflattering situations and without context those Judge Munley argues that ”We cannot say clearly enough persons who enter this country without legal photos canwhen be detrimental. this. You get sloppy drunk owners at a summer BBQ. Your nected they areThink notabout together. Small business harness thebuddy power authorization of social media to reach their target consumer. junkies are not stripped immediately of all their rights becauseNews of this single illegaluse act.” it as a catch all snaps a photo of you with six empty Corona bottles in the background while you’re doing a tequila Furthermore, President Trump’s new executive order lacks any independent review as to whether or place to know what’s going on in the world. shot. He posts this on his Facebook and Instagram accounts and tags you in them. You aren’t doing not it is causing increased racial profiling or civil rights violations. Even though there have been many Your social media presence is important not just inthat how you voice your political post crazyin cat videos or show offPaula, that Oxnard, new killer pairandofSan heels. anything wrong but it might seem like you are lying whenand the officer gets to question about being complaints opinions, already of racial profiling Southern California in Santa Van Nuys, a Your “habitual drunkard. ” Bernardino. social media presence can make or break your immigration case, whether you are the intended immigrant or the US Citizen (USC) or Lawful Permanent If this happens, you should immediately un-tag yourself AND ask your friend to take the picture down Separately, a former Obama administration ICE official said that administration “targeted felons,” and Resident (LPR) petitioner. or make it private. noted that under the Trump administration, the enforcement priorities laid out in his interior executive The first thing we will do when engages ourkeep services is search for their public facingpreventing digital order were could include a wider range of targets than the Obama administration’s Today’s post givea new youclient some tips to your social media from you ormuch yourbroader lovedandone from immigrating. appearance. If we find potentially damaging information, we immediately counsel the client about enforcement priorities. The tips removing this information. Any immigration law firm worth their salt would do the same. Blacks In Law Enforcement of America, a national organization of Law Enforcement professionals • Keep it private fully support local legislation that will clearly define the role of ICE agents in what is being considered By Miriam D. Lacroix, Esq. as a constitutional crisis in America Each social media platform has some form of privacy controls. You should make yourself familiar with these tools and their limitations. Your personal profiles should always remain private. You may even choose to opt-out of being “searchable” by name. Keeping your page private allows you to limit the publicly accessible information available to an immigration officer while they are adjudicating your case.

5 Ways To Prevent Social Media Immigration Traps

Immigrant Protection Act Vote to Be Held in August

Black Law Enforcement supports Westchester County Immigrant Protection Act

BlackWestchester

NEWS PAPER 17

ook out for the debut of the new Latino Empowerment column in the National Hispanic Heritage Month edition of Black Westchester in September. Deadline to advertise in September 2017 issue is August 15th, get yours early so you don’t miss out. Email us at AdvertiseWithBW@gmail.com. Also contact us if you want to carry Black Westchester the print edition at your business at (914) 979-2093.

AMERICAN

DEMOCRACY

BEING

CHALLENGED

BY DERRICKSON LAWRENCE

Black Westchester is that rare forum where ideas can be freely exchanged, and where people will have their ideas challenged provocatively in a search for the truth and mutual understanding. - Mayo G. Bartlett, Esq. Principal Attorney at the Law Offices of Mayo Bartlett PLLC

Having run for public office some seven months ago, I can tell you it is one of the most exhilarating experiences one can have, until Election Day. Why? Because that level of exhilaration can either go through the roof if you win, or come crashing down if you lose. And then self-examination begins. What could have been done differently? Should I do this again? Well, it’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey. For all those involved, stay the course. Seven months after Barack Obama, the basis of our functioning democracy is now in question: Did we pick our own president? Can the public infighting of the President’s staff, or the President’s public shaming of his attorney general be symptomatic of a presidency in free-fall. What’s more, we have been witnessing the roll backs: from civil rights to voting rights; from immigration to deportation. Even taking a step back from the issues, we have witnessed a profound change in what is accepted as fact – the elements of truth. Finally, we have lost the boundaries of ethics. The bar is now lowered to whether it’s legal. I say all of this to make a simple point. Our long-held experiment on what we call American democracy is being challenged. Yes! Neither America nor its democracy is perfect. But our framers in their wisdom gave us the tools – a set of ideals embedded in our constitution. If you were to re-read that sacred document, today, several themes would resonate. The one that holds my attention, given these past seven months of a new administration, is that our government (any form of government) exists only by the consent of the governed. So election of a representative government is at the heart of who we are as Americans; i.e., how we choose candidates; how long is the term of office; how we define a district; how we cast our precious votes; and, how we count those votes. These are all OUR choosing. So let’s encourage the good men and women, despite party affiliation, who step up in the primary process this year, and every year at the local, county and national levels. It was President John F. Kennedy who once said: “Primaries illuminate the quality of the candidates.” It allows for the diversity of thought and ideas to flourish. Of course, we must also learn to work together for the good of our community after the primaries are over. President Abraham Lincoln put it eloquently: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” We need to fight to preserve those fundamental tenets of our democracy. We owe it to ourselves, our children and grandchildren. Despite the madness that represents the Trump Presidency thus far, our hope for change is manifested only by staying engaged and remaining ever vigilant. My daughter expresses it a little differently: “Dad, it’s about staying ‘woke’!” The writer, a Mount Vernon resident, is a former 2016 Congressional candidate for NY 16 CD.

ENTERTAINMENT

18 NEWS PAPER

BlackWestchester

ATLANTIC STARR 3 Brothers From Greenburgh & The Metamorphosis Of A Band by aj woodson The group, who met in Woodlands High School and grew up together, started out as a nine member group that was a merger of two smaller groups. The roster has changed over the years but they continue to tour and do spot dates in the States and overseas, under the leadership and artistry of the Lewis brothers, the core songwriters of the group. The Atlantic Starr story is an authentic Greenburgh story of nine youth, who came together and figured out how to go from local musicians, to international recording artists who the world would come to love. Each member was raised in “the heart of Fairview” including Gibson, Longdale, Manhattan, Maple, Prospect, Riverdale, Warren Avenues, Dobbs Ferry, Midway, North and Tarrytown Roads. They were all friends, neighbors, school mates, brothers and graduates of Woodlands High School during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The original group successfully performed together for more than two decades. The original lineup included:

Clifford Archer, Sharon Bryant (who was later replaced by Barbara Weathers), Porter Carroll, Jr., Koran Daniels, David Lewis, Jonathan Lewis, Wayne Lewis, Joseph Phillips, William Sudderth and, just prior to adopting the official name, Atlantic Starr, Duke Jones ,who was a key band member and instrumental in the development of the group. “I grew up around these brothers, Greenburgh superstars, I used to hang with their younger brother and I didn’t even know there were Atlantic Starr,” Black Westchester Publisher Damon K. Jones says jokingly as he reminisces.

“My mother was playing their music at home and I’m hanging with Chris and I’m always used to seeing these guys. I didn’t know it was them until the video came out and I was like yo, whoa, wait a minute.” In 2017, the group is still making music, dropped a new CD titled ‘Metamorphosis,’ and received one of the biggest honors a group can receive from their hometown. On Monday, June 5th, the Town of Greenburgh honored the charttopping R&B group by renaming a section of Old Tarrytown Road — between Knollwood Road and Hillside Avenue — Atlantic Starr

Way. Wayne and Jonathan appeared on Episode 119 of the People Before Politics Show, Sunday, April 2nd. I must admit it may have been one of my favorite interviews so far in 2017. What was supposed to be an interview with some local legends, promoting their new album and release party at the Crown Plaza Hotel in White Plains, quickly turned into so much more. Wayne, who did most of the talking quickly showed, unlike a lot of other artists to be knowledgeable on much more, than his lyrics, the music business and who did what or said what to who on the latest celebrity-based “reality” shows. He began to express his love for reaching and teaching the youth that they can be so much more than what they see on TV. Showing them how to write about more than sexy women, guns and drugs. Talking about local politics, the education or lack thereof in the urban cities. How the system was set up for our youth to fail or go to jail. He actually fit in on our show better than some politicians who were elected to have these conversations. Yeah, we all love Secret Lover, Always and Silver Shadow but what most impressed me was a group who managed not to lose their identity and, even 5 decades later, they were not about to just play it safe and do what everyone else is doing. You can hear that on ‘This Is My Life’ off their latest musical offering, ‘Metamorphosis’ (a very apropos title, I must say). While they have grown and changed a little with the times, they somehow managed not to disturb the integrity of the Atlantic Starr we’ve come to love all these years.

“I try to talk the talk and walk the walk in my lyrics and my appearence. I don’t feel like I have to sell sex to sell a CD” Ms. Irene Renee

“We’re not just balladeers kicking love songs, we’re talking about issues,” Wayne shares with BW, discussing the new album. “These songs and lyrics, we’ve metamorphosized into something different. It’s still song form that makes it pop or makes it digestible but at the same time, I wanted to gear the young black people into lyrics again. Into meaningful stuff, like loving one another, helping people and helping your family, not just being baby mommies and baby daddies. This is an important record, it’s more than just music. This is my life is a message to the youth.” “This is my life And I refuse to waste it You only get one I’m going to do something great I can taste it You only get one” The band continued to tour everywhere from across the United States, Singapore, England, Germany and Japan, but, their foundation has always been, and will always be Greenburgh. “Greenburgh is the origin,” Jonathan Lewis tells BW. “It’s the beginning. It’s where the chemistry is. We really put Greenburgh on the map.” Black Westchester salutes our Westchester Legends, Atlantic Starr. The new CD, Metamorphosis, is available everywhere music is sold, pick up a copy or two. “Being a young person in Greenburgh, having you guys do what you do, gave us hope,” Damon shares. To hear the Atlantic Starr interview on People Before Politics Radio in its entirety, go to www.BlackWestchester.com and click on the radio tab, and scroll down to Episode 119.

AJ Woodson, Wayne Baskerville in the stu

GREENB

BW INDIE MUSIC SPOTL

Ms. Irene Renee, an indie-artist, currently residing in Yonkers by way of the Motor City - Detroit, Michigan, worked with phenomenal musicians, producers, and developed a love for writing. She decided to embark upon a journey to independently produce and release her debut album, aptly entitled, ‘Serendipitous Experience,’ September 2013. Her dynamic melding of sultry and earthy, mixed with a bit of sweet and sexy, listeners found incredibly appealing. The album’s lyrical content ,coupled with its melodic assortment, evoke genuine reactions in her listeners: ‘they love it; they get it,” Ms. Irene Renee shared with BW. Her music promotes reflection, inspiration, and movement. While she is confident enough to stand on her own, she gladly accepts the comparisions to singers like Toni Braxton, Jill Scott, Cassandra Wilson, and 8-time Grammy Award Winner, Anita Baker. Not a bad group to be compared to. Ms. Irene Renee, like the aforementioned sultry sistahs of song, is an artist who sings from her soul. She Make music that all people can learn to love, appreciate and admire. You can hear that she gives her all to her music and when you listen to it, it’s almost like you can feel the soul of her own soul being poured into every song. “I am conscious when I’m writing that I want to balance the playing field and give you stuff, that is spiritually edifying,” the songstress shares with BW. “We get caught up in the image. We get caught up in the sex appeal. I try to talk the talk and walk the walk in my lyrics and my appearence. I don’t feel like I have to sell sex to sell a CD. Hopefully I show others that are trying to break into a very tough industry, that you don’t have to show cleavage everytime you take a picture to sell a CD.” From her appearence in the radio studio as well as in all her pictures and videos, you can see this is more than just words you tell an intervewer. In the studio she had what Method Man describes on that Mary J Blige collabo, ‘All I Need,’ as ‘rocking three-fourths of cloth, never showing your stuff off,’ look. The look India Irie and Erykah Badu often rock in their video, topped off with the fly headwrap. Sexy, senual, but never too raw, rachet or rauchy. On Tuesday, June 30th, the songtress released her sophomore musical endeavor titled, ‘Ubiquitous Soul.’ “The CD is a reflection of real life!,” Ms. Irene Renee shares with BW. “I like to call it ‘R&B/Soul Music for your Soul!’” Ubiquitous Soul is currently holding the Number 1 position on the UK’s Soul Connoisseurs Top 20 Chart for the second week in a row! Music has always played a part in the Black struggle. Never has the power of song been as evident as it was during the civil rights

BlackWestchester

ENTERTAINMENT

NEWS PAPER 19

e & David Lewis (Atlantic Starr), Damon K. Jones & Dr. Robert udio after the People Before Politics Radio Show, Sunday, April 2,

BURGH HEROS, GET STREET NAMED IN THEIR HONOR Greenburgh -- Many gathered to honor a family that has been a community cornerstone and founders, performers and artists of the legendary R&B group, Atlantic Starr as they are blessed to have a street named in their honor. Old Tarrytown Road, at the Hillside Avenue intersection, will now be known as “Atlantic Starr Way”. The band members say they are honored.

“I’m extremely humbled that the town would even consider I mean I’m a resident here, I grew up here, I went through the school system here but it’s an honor,” says the band’s percussionist Jonathan Lewis. Atlantic Starr began in Greenburgh, New York with trumpeter Duke Jones, drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer, percussionist and flutist Joseph Phillips, Sheldon Tucker (Guitar; parted ways with the band

LIGHT: MS. IRENE RENEE movement of the 1960s. I am reminded of that when I first heard N.J.N.P. (No Justice, No Peace featuring Crowded1), recorded in support of the national Black Lives Matter Movement. Don’t matter if you’re black or white/ You know wrong from right To stay silent is to be a part of the problem You can’t keep ignoring the boling pot/ Pretending you don’t know why things are getting hot Let’s break this ugly cycle/ Use love to build our family circle I’m not going nowhere/ This Earth is here to share Either you’re gonna get along here with me/Or we won’t settle down til we get our equal piece Cause where there’s no Justice, Don’t you count on no peace... I had an opening in the show due to a last minute cancellation, contacted her people, late the night before and Ms. Irene Renee blessed us with her presence and did not disappoint. As we often do at People Before Politics Radio, we put her on the spot and asked her to perform. When she performed her latest single, ‘I Forgive You,’ you could feel the emotions and the sheer geniuneness. It was refreshing to hear real music, that touches the soul and transforms. “My songs are personal experiences,” Ms Irene Renee says of ‘I Forgive You.’ “This song is not a sad song, it’s a liberating song. Singing is a release for me. It’s almost like being uptight, go work out at the gym and you feel better. I get passionate about life, its joys & sorrows/ups & downs/the ebbs & flows of life. There’s beauty in all of it, the challenge is seeing it. Wanting better for myself and the people around me.” The writer in her gets tired of hearing the bump-n-grind music, thinking there’s more to be said. “I admire artists who can share a moving story while singing and giving all the feels/emotions in how they deliver it musically..... I just want to be part of that,” Ms. Irene Renee says in closing.

before the first recordings), and three brothers: David Lewis (vocals/ guitar), Wayne Lewis (keyboards/ vocals), and Jonathan Lewis (percussion/ trombone). The band’s membership eventually stabilized around Carroll, Archer, Phillips, the three Lewis brothers, lead singer Sharon Bryant (who was later replaced by Barbara Weathers), trumpeter William Sudderth III, and saxophonist Damon Rentie (who was later replaced by Koran Daniels).

“What’s amazing about the Lewis Brothers and the other members of the band is that fame never went to their heads,” Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner tells BW. “The members of the band made the town and Greenburgh school district proud! Over a year ago the band reunited and performed at Yosemite Park. It was an amazing night! The success of “Secret Lovers,” (the group’s last single on A&M Records) created the template for love ballads for many groups.

The group signed with Warner Brothers Recods in 1987 and landed their first Pop #1 hit with “Always,” a treacly, adult contemporary wedding ballad that can be heard at almost every wedding. The group has remained alive not just through their music but through their work and love for the community they live in. The day was not just to honor their work as artists but a day to honor them as a family in the Greenburgh Community.

20 NEWS PAPER

HEALTH & WELLNESS/FINANCE

BlackWestchester

FIT FRIDAYS - FITNESS ANYTIME BENEFITS OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

For Fit Friday we’re going to talk about the importance of stretching before a run. While the benefit of it has still not been conclusively proven or disproven, it has been found to aide optimal muscle and joint function and improve blood flow for best athletic performance. Running is a very demanding sport on the body, it is critical for anyone who wants to enjoy the activity for a long time and avoid potential problems that could hinder your experience. When you incorporated correctly into your regimen you will optimize overall results, avoid injury and properly prepare the body after your warm-up. Stretching is best performed when your muscle fibers are warm. It helps lengthen the muscle and actually aid in a longer stride. Stretching a cold muscle can result in microtears in the muscle fibers and fascia, both leads to pain and increased stiffness of the muscles. Warm up before your stretch, your warm up should consisting of five to 10 minutes of “moderate intensity cardio”. A hot bath, shower, or sauna can also warm your muscles. There are two forms of stretching, dynamic and static. Dynamic stretches performed before your run help lubricate joints and muscles can increase muscle spindle length in preparation for activity. A great dynamic stretch consists of moving joints in greatest range of motion repetitively, ie. forward and back leg swing which will optimize your inner thighs and groin muscles. Contract abs while being supported next to a wall, kick outside leg forward from your hipbone as far as you can go increasing swing as you repeat 10-15 times. It is recommended to do three to four sets each side. Static stretches on the other hand, after your run help relax and restore them to their resting length. A good static stretch exercise example would be to take your muscle to its longest length and holds it there for an extended period of time, usually about 20 to 30 seconds each. It’s like cooling down after a treadmill run, relax into your static stretch while breathing slowly. Do not bounce into your stretch, as you are more prone to tear muscle fibers at this time as well. Fit Friday Recommendations: Stretching improves force, jump height, and speed, according to a 2004 study in “ The Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine”.”If you choose to stretch before you run, warm up for five to 10 minutes by jogging or walking. The journal recommends runners focus on stretching all the major leg muscle groups including your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, groin & hip flexors. On your journey to overall health it’s an awesome add-on to get the best results out of your body.

For many years Vinegar has been an ancient folk remedy that worked not just for household and cooking purposes but for help with a number of physical ailments as well. Many of which are supported by scientific research. Organic Apple cider vinegar has proven to have the most benefits thus far. It’s used to help with insulin function and diabetic symptoms by regulating blood sugar levels, for acne and your hair to regulate ph balance, also is very instrumental in aiding weight loss. Today we are going to give you a number of the many benefits which may just convince you to add it to your daily health and wellness regiment! Apple Cider Vinegar ( ACV ) is very high in ascetic acid, a bacteria killer. Hence it being used as a disinfectant and for cleaning purposes. The father of modern medicine Hippocrates, used vinegar for wound cleaning over two thousand years ago. Organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar contains “mother,” strands of proteins, enzymes and friendly bacteria that give the product a murky darker appearance. When used as a food preservative, it is highly useful, studies have shown that it inhibits bacteria (like E. coli) from growing in the food and multiplying to harmful levels. Elevated Blood Sugar Levels is an issue regardless if you have Type 2 diabetes or not. It’s known to speed up the aging process and is a major contributor to chronic diseases. ACV is beneficial and helpful to keep everyone’s blood sugar at stable levels, and helping to slow down Father Time. It’s effect in hair is pretty amazing! It balances the hair and scalps PH balance, and removes buildup without stripping your hairs natural oils. It seals your cuticle as well! Makes your hair soft and shiny and is preventative care for split ends. It’s also a natural detangler that also treats dandruff and dry scalp! All of these things help stimulate better hair growth. Some other amazing benefits of ACV, when taken on an empty stomach with organic honey: Decreased joint pain and inflammation, Less heartburn, Improved digestion and regularity, Increased energy, helps lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels, better looking glowing skin, helps eliminate bad breath! What’s not to love about ACV!!! Well, besides the taste lol. So far there are 32 known uses for ACV, If you have found any other benefits for this product feel free to share your thoughts and ideas we’d love to hear them!!

Priscilla Echi provides communication support for UrbanSoul Media Group (Black Westchester Magazine & People Before Politics Radio Show). She has worked in the High End Costumer Service Management & Non Profit arena for over 15 years. She has also been around music & fashion for over 20 years. She can be seen in the newest Adidas advertisements & billboards!

BW FINANCE: MISTAKES IN RETIREMENT BY BW FINANCIAL CONSULTANT RASHAD BILAL Potential Retirement Obstacles What you get out of tomorrow depends on what you put into it today — and how you handle any bumps along the way. So while you’re keeping one eye on that retirement prize, make sure to keep the other on the lookout for pitfalls. Here are some potential obstacles to prepare for: 1. Short-Sighted Savings Savings generally take time to grow, so you may wish to consider saving and investing early to take advantage of compound interest and long-term stock gains if the U.S. stock markets continue their historical upward trend1. Consider multiple avenues for your savings dollar, including: • 401(k) Employer-sponsored 401(k) plans can often be a good way to invest in your future. Many employer-sponsored plans also offer a matching contribution feature. 401(k) plans typically enable you to make contributions out of your paycheck on a pre-tax basis, so you can defer taxation on your income while growing your retirement savings on a tax-deferred basis • Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Many smaller employers offer an IRA option, or you can open your own IRA • Personal Savings Many banks offer automatic withdrawals from a direct deposit paycheck into a savings account. Even though these banks credit your account with low (or no) interest — and thus offer limited growth potential — this can generally be an easy and conservative way to set aside cash on a regular basis. 2. Career Interruptions In today’s economy, you can never be sure of your job stability — or of your ability to quickly find a new job if you get laid off. That’s why many believe it’s critical to maintain an emergency fund to cover 6-12 months of living expenses like rent or mortgage and groceries. If you withdraw money from your retirement savings, especially a qualified retirement plan, you may incur tax penalties on the withdrawals (depending on your circumstances) while also cutting into the account’s value over time.

3. Unforeseen Illness or Injury According to the Social Security Administration, about one in four 20 year-olds working today will become disabled before they reach retirement age2. It’s a startling statistic with serious consequences. If you get sick or hurt and have to go on long-term disability (generally after six months of short-term disability), your employer may have the right to terminate your position — and with it, your ability to continue contributing to your 401(k). This can potentially have a considerable impact on your retirement savings. 4. Debt From credit cards to home loans to paying off your children’s college education, debt has the potential to derail your retirement plans. Debt, when not properly managed, may lead to low credit scores, a depletion of your retirement savings, or even bankruptcy. Unmanaged debt may also make achieving your foundation of retirement planning — the accumulation of assets — more difficult and potentially more expensive. The key is to pay down debt while properly balancing it with your other financial priorities. 5. Life Events You can save early and save often for retirement, but something may happen that puts that savings at risk. Consider planning for the unexpected with a whole life insurance policy that builds cash value over time. Instead of digging into your retirement savings to pay for unforeseen expenses, you may be able to access the cash value3 in your whole life insurance policy to cover some of these costs. Or, later in life you may use your cash value to supplement a short fall in your retirement income. Taking the steps ahead of time to prepare for potential and real obstacles can help you enjoy life’s next adventure — retirement. 1 Past performance is no guarantee of future investment performance. 2 U.S. Social Security Administration, Fact Sheet October 13, 2015 3 Access to cash values through borrowing or partial surrenders will reduce the policy’s cash value and death benefit, increase the chance the policy will lapse, and may result in a tax liability if the policy terminates before the death of the insured. Rashad Bilal, a financial representative with The Bilal Group LLC, courtesy of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company FY1094

CRN201809-204991

Black Westchester

BLACK HISTORY

NEWS PAPER 21

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This Month In Black History DID YOU KNOW?

Dutch ship carrying 20 Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, on Aug. 20, 1619, a voyage that would mark the beginning of slavery in the American colonies. he number of slaves continued to grow between the 17th and 18th centuries, as slave labor was used to help fuel the growing tobacco and cotton industries in the southern states. At the end of the Civil War in 1865, some 4 million slaves were set free. However, racial inequalities and violence toward newly freed slaves would persist in the country throughout the 1860s and 1870s.

SOLEDAD BROTHERTHE PRISON LETTERS OF GEORGE JACKSON

Jackson gained notoriety shortly before his death in 1970 when his younger brother unsuccessfully tried to free him at gunpoint when Jackson and two others were on trial for killing a guard. Written between 1964 and 1970 while serving time in Soledad Prison for robbery, the letters reveal the brutality and racism faced by prisoners and called for unity among African-Americans. This edition contains a new foreword by Jackson’s nephew Jonathan. Soledad Brother remains “recommended for most libraries” Soledad Brother is a collection of Jackson’s letters from prison, Soledad Brother is an outspoken condemnation of the racism of white America and a powerful appraisal of the prison system that failed to break his spirit but eventually took his life. J ackson’s letters make palpable the intense feelings of anger and rebellion that filled black men in America’s prisons in the 1960s. But even removed from the social and political firestorms of the 1960s, Jackson’s story still resonates for its portrait of a man taking a stand even while locked down. (first published October 1st 1970)

WHY IS AUGUST 28TH SUCH AN IMPORTANT DATE IN BLACK HISTORY

August 28, 1833: Slavery was abolished in the United Kingdom, which had a trickle down effect and led to American abolition of slavery. Slavery Abolition Act, (1833), in British history, was an act of Parliament that abolished slavery in most British colonies, freeing more than 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa as well as a small number in Canada. It received Royal Assent on August 28, 1833, and took effect on August 1, 1834. The Act also made Canada a free territory for enslaved American blacks. Thousands of escaped slaves and free blacks subsequently arrived on Canadian soil between 1834 and the early 1860s. August 28, 1955: 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered by three white men, which, became a “flashpoint in the civil rights movement.” Two white men, carrying guns, pulled 14-year-old Emmett Till out of his grandparents’ home in Money, Mississippi. The teenager’s body was discovered in the Tallahatchie River three days later. It was revealed that he had been severely beaten, his eye had been gouged out, and he had been shot in the head; then a 70-pound cotton gin fan was attached to his neck by barb wire and his body was thrown in the river. August 28, 1963: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the African American civil rights movement reaches its high-water mark when Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks to about 250,000 people attending the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The demonstrators–black and white, poor and rich–came together in the nation’s capital to demand voting rights and equal opportunity for African Americans and to appeal for an end to racial segregation and discrimination. August 28, 2005: Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana. The storm, which devastated New Orleans, inordinately impacted many of the city’s black residents. As news networks broadcast scenes from the devastated city to the world, it became obvious that a vast majority of the victims were African-American and poor, leading to difficult questions among the public about the state of racial equality in the United States. There are 100,000 fewer African Americans living in New Orleans now than there were when Katrina hit, the New York Times reports. Population change or not, many of these issues were concerning challenges to the city’s black residents prior to Katrina’s landfall — and some were only exacerbated in the aftermath of its devastation. August 28, 2008: Then-Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president, becoming the first black man to ever win the nomination and bid for the presidency. Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, marked the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech on Wednesday, August 28, 2008, with a powerful declaration that economic inequality has left the dream unfulfilled for many Americans. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, where King delivered his resounding address in 1963 at a pivotal time in the battle for racial equality in the US, the president said the civil rights leader’s words “belong to the ages, possessing a power and prophecy unmatched in our time”. August 28, 2014: Six Missouri residents filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, August 28, 2014, against city, county and police officials in Ferguson, Missouri, alleging their civil rights were violated by the aggressive police response to protests that followed the police killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. August 2014 was the month when protests in Ferguson first picked up. The city immediately became a focal point of racial tension in America, after August 9, 2014 shooting of Michael Brown. Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer. Sunday, August 28, 2016: San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick delivered his first official remarks on why he decided to protest the national anthem, during the first three preseason games. “People don’t realize what’s really going on in this country. There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust. People aren’t being held accountable for. And that’s something that needs to change. That’s something that this country stands for freedom, liberty and justice for all. And it’s not happening for all right now. There’s a lot of things that need to change. One specifically? Police brutality. There’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. People are being given paid leave for killing people. That’s not right. That’s not right by anyone’s standards.” When asked, ‘Do you think you might get cut over this?’, Kaepernick replied. “I don’t know. But if I do, I know I did what’s right. And I can live with that at the end of the day.” The next day, August 29th, when then Donald Trump and others accused Kaepernick of disrespecting veterans that fought for this country, Kaepernick quickly responded, “This country isn’t holding up their end of the bargain… men and women that have been in the military have come back and been treated unjustly, and have been murdered by the country they fought for, on our land. That’s not right. Walter Scott, killed by officer Matthew Slager on video, was a US Veteran. So was India Kager, Kenneth Chamberlain [the White Plains veteran and retired Westchester County Correction Officer, who was shot and killed by White Plains Police responding to a medical call] and others. Scott was not only shot while running away, but the original police report was falsified so Slager could get away with murder.”

Black August originated in the concentration camps of California to honor fallen Freedom Fighters, Jonathan Jackson, George Jackson,

William Christmas, James McClain and Khatari Gaulden. Jonathan Jackson was gunned down outside the Marin County California courthouse on August 7, 1970 as he attempted to liberate three imprisoned Black Liberation Fighters: James McClain, William Christmas and Ruchell Magee. Ruchell Magee is the sole survivor of that armed rebellion. He is the former co-defendant of Angela Davis and has been locked down for 40 years, most of it in solitary confinement. George Jackson was assassinated by prison guards during a Black prison rebellion at San Quentin on August 21, 1971. Three prison guards were also killed during that rebellion and prison officials charged six Black and Latino prisoners with the death of those guards. These six brothers became known as the San Quentin Six. To honor these fallen soldiers the brothers who participated in the collective founding of Black August wore black armbands on their left arm and studied revolutionary works, focusing on the works of George Jackson. In the month of August, the brothers did not listen to the radio or watch television. Additionally, they didn’t eat or drink anything from sun-up to sundown; and loud and boastful behavior was not allowed. The brothers did not support the prison’s canteen. The use of drugs and alcoholic beverages was prohibited and the brothers held daily exercises because during Black August emphasis is placed on sacrifice, fortitude, and discipline. Black August is a time to embrace the principles of unity, self-sacrifice, political education, physical training, and resistance.

NAT TURNER LED THE ONLY EFFECTIVE, SUSTAINED SLAVE REBELLION On August 21, 1831, Nat Turner believing himself chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery, launches a bloody slave insurrection in Southampton County, Virginia. Turner, a slave and educated minister, planned to capture the county armory at Jerusalem, Virginia, and then march 30 miles to Dismal Swamp, where his rebels would be able to elude their pursuers. With seven followers, he slaughtered Joseph Travis, his slave owner, and Travis’ family, and then set off across the countryside, hoping to rally hundreds of slaves to his insurrection en route to Jerusalem. During the next two days and nights, Turner and 75 followers rampaged through Southampton County, killing about 60 whites. Local whites resisted the rebels, and then the state militia–consisting of some 3,000 men–crushed the rebellion. Only a few miles from Jerusalem, Turner and all his followers were dispersed, captured, or killed. In the aftermath of the rebellion, scores of African-Americans were lynched, though many of them were non-participants in the revolt. Turner himself was not captured until the end of October, and after confessing without regret to his role in the bloodshed, he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. On November 11, he was hanged in Jerusalem.

Black BlackWestchester Westchester

22 NEWS PAPER

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BlackWestchester

NEWS PAPER 23

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C CO OM MP PL L II M ME EN NT TA AR RY Y

The Premier Print Edition

August 2017

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