Volume 4/ Issue 1 - Black Westchester August 15, 2020 - Three Year Anniversary Issue

VOLUME 4 / ISSUE 1

COMPLIMENTARY

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

AUGUST 15, 2020

THREE YEARS STRONG AND COUNTING

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THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

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NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

BLACK WESTCHESTER 5

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

Email:

BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Twitter: @BlkWestchesterM and @PBPRadio Instagram: @BlackWestchester and @PBPRadioShow Facebook: /BlackWestchesterMagazine

Publisher DAMON K. JONES @DamonKJones

Editor-In-Chief AJ WOODSON

@BWEditorInChief

Mistress Of Information Brenda L. Crump News Reporters/ Writers AJ Woodson Damon K. Jones Eric Adams Abdul Tubman Ayanna Arnstrong Josie Gonsalves Cynthia Turnquest-Jones Lorraine Lopez

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

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

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

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

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

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

A FEW WORDS FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF W elcome to our August 15, 2020 - Three Year Anniversary Issue

On July15, 2014 Damon and I started Black Westchester to fill a void we saw in

our community, to educate, uplist and inform the community, showcase the unsung heroes of our community and hold oue elected official feet to the fire. We started Black Westchester Magazine to change the narritive of how Black People were portrayed in the media. One month later Sunday, August 3, 2014 we started airing the People Before Politics Radio Show. Three years later answering the request of the people, we released our first print newspaper, August 2017. Now we are celebrating the six year anniversary of the website and radio show and the three year anniversary of the newspaper.

Last month we recieved a national media award, the Local Media Association Digital Innovation Awards for Best Local Website for our local coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Then we recieved proclamations from Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, State Senator Shelley Mayer, NYS Assemblyman Nadar Sayegh, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Yonkers City Council President Mike Khader and the Yonkers City Council, presented to us

by Councilwoman Tasha Diaz. We would like to take this time to thank all the readers, listeners, supporters, sponsors, contributors, and advertisiers for their support in our effort to deliver the “News With The Black Point Of View,” since 2014.

Send us your feedback, let us know what you think of this issue. Let us know subjects/ topics you would like to see us cover in the future and send your letters ot the editor to BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com.

Make sure you register to vote, then VOTE like you’re life depends of it because it does, this is the most important election of our life and please don’t forget to fill out the 2020 Census!

Peace and Blessings AJ Woodson, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Owner

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

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BLACK WESTCHESTER NEWS

AUGUST 15, 2020

WEGMANS PELHAM DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE WRITES 914 SPOTLIGHT OPENS IN LETTER TO PELHAM ELECTED OFFICIALS JOYCE SHARROCK COLE WESTCHESTER CALLING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN PELHAM NAMED 1ST AFRICAN-AMERICAN

BY AJ WOODSON OSSINING VILLAGE HISTORIAN PELHAM, NY - In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis police, and the protests that have come in its wake, the Pelham HARRISON, NY — The Rochester-based, familyowned grocer with a cult following will open its first Westchester store at 106 Corporate Park Drive in Harrison near I-287 on Wednesday, August 5th.

Opening day was, pushed back from Sunday, June 7 because of the new coronavirus outbreak. But have no fear because openign day is finally here. The family-run supermarket company is putting the final touches on its big 121,000 squarefoot store in Harrison at 106 Corporate Park Drive.

With the announcement comes the news, too, that there are 280 part-time positions now ready to be filled.

Hiring and training for the new store will now switch into high gear and reach across every department, including customer service and culinary roles like line cooks, the corporation said.

Hiring for 220 fulltime jobs began last year and is ongoing for select remaining openings, such as cooks and customer service in perishable departments like produce.

Applicants are encouraged to apply online at jobs.wegmans.com/harrison or call 914-539-3700 for more information.

There are many other ways the family-run business is accommodating the pandemic, from floor decals and other signage, to pre-packaged bakery and prepared foods, to seating limitations at the Burger Bar.

This is a store worth wandering through.

Make sure you check out the selections from Wegmans’ own cheese caves.

Look for the new produce varieties they’ve partnered with organic farmers to produce — like the badger flame beet from local celebrity chef (Blue Hill at Stone Barns) Dan Barber’s seed company.

Wegmans has its own organic farm, where it tests grains and vegetables before asking its network of growers to bring an item to scale.

You can use Wegman’s new scan-asyou-go app to bag as you shop and simply link the list at the self-check out to generate a full receipt and pay.

Democratic Committee, write to Pelham Elected Officials calling for revolutionary racial justice in Pelham after hearing, stories of differential, racist treatment of persons of color in Pelham at the hands of Pelham police officers, teachers, school administrators, and fellow Pelham residents.

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis police, and the protests that have come in its wake, the Pelham Democratic Committee, write to Pelham Elected Officials calling for revolutionary racial justice in Pelham after hearing, stories of differential, racist treatment of persons of color in Pelham at the hands of Pelham police officers, teachers, school administrators, and fellow Pelham residents.

In the letter – dated June 25, 2020 – the Pelham Democratic Committee urged Village of Pelham Chance Mullen Mayor, Village of Pelham Manor Mayor Jennifer Monachino Lapey Mayor, Town of Pelham Supervisor Daniel McLaughlin Supervisor, Board of Education President Jessica DeDomenico President, and Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Champ to push the envelope further than you think is possible and to outline our own internal action items to further the cause of racial equality. As elected or appointed leaders in Pelham, the burden falls on all of us to fight for drastic overhaul in Pelham’s policing and schools, and to increase diversity in hiring, on local boards and governing bodies, including our own Committee.

The committee states, Pelhamites have been sharing stories on social media, with neighbors and friends, at recent rallies, and in a remarkable exhibit at the Pelham Art Center, “that should break all our hearts,” such as learning that North Pelham is referred to as Parlem; that school children have suffered slights and taunts from their peers that were dismissed by teachers and administrators; that some Pelham youth think nothing of using the N word in casual conversation; that Pelham police officers have referred to Pelham youth as thugs; that black and other minority students are disproportionately subject to school residency checks by police; that black and brown Pelhamites suffer slights, or worse, on a daily basis; that their black and brown neighbors in Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and the Bronx, expect to be targeted by the police in Pelham, consider Pelham a racist town.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed an executive order that will require every police agency in New York to evaluate its policies on use of force, crowd management, bias training and citizens’ complaints, among other issues. To redesign the state’s more than 500 police forces by April 2021 or risk losing state funding.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday, June 13th, told protesters demanding racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death that “you won,” and pressed the state’s police and local governments to formulate a plan for “systemic reform” by April 1, 2021 — or else.

“If you don’t do it, local government, you won’t get any state funding. Period,” Cuomo said. “You have to pass a law with your redesigned police force.”

He said each community had to come up with its own reforms. The Pelham Democratic Committee cites Cuomo’s executive order as one of the inspirations for this letter to Pelham elected officials.

MAYOR SHAWYN PATTERSON-HOWARD APPOINTS LYNDON WILLIAMS MOUNT VERNON CITY COURT JUDGE MOUNT VERNON - August 3, 2020 — Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard appointed Lyndon Williams for City Court Judge following the elevation of Judge Adrian Armstrong to the New York State Court of Claims (page 7). Williams will serve the remainder of Judge Armstrong’s term and run for election in November. Lyndon Williams was selected after a thorough vetting and interview process before the Mayor’s Judicial Committee, chaired by William O. Wagstaff III, Esq. The committee reviewed several resumes submitted to the Mayor and gave three recommendations to the Mayor.

“As a former drug court coordinator the years I served at the Mount Vernon City Court gave me a unique insight on the challenges & needs of the community,” Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard tell Black Westchester.

William O. Wagstaff III, Esq, Chair of Judicial Committee said, “The opportunity to learn about the candidates’ professional success thus far, passion for justice, and promise for the future gives me confidence that the bench is in every candidate’s future.”

Newly appointed City Court Judge Lyndon Williams said, “I wish to thank Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard for placing her trust in me and giving me this opportunity to serve my community on the judiciary. I want to thank my family for their support as I take on a new role of public service. Over the past 12 years, I have served the residents of Mount Vernon with dignity, effectiveness, and dedication, as their County Legislator, and provided leadership on the Westchester County Board of Legislators. I intend to bring the same dedication and leadership skills in working with my colleagues on the Mount Vernon City Court to ensure equality, justice, and fairness in our judicial system as well as protecting the safety and well-being of our residents and families.

BY AJ WOODSON

OSSINING, NY — Joyce Sharrock Cole was appointed to the position of Ossining Village Historian Tuesday, July 21st in a small event at Duers Circle, the newly upgraded intersection on the west side of Ossining’s historic double arch.

She is the first African-American to hold the position, the former historian, Dana White, has resigned and is running for a seat on the village Board of Trustees.

“With mixed emotions, I have accepted the resignation of our deeply beloved and admired Village Historian Dana White, and with great pleasure I announce the appointment of Joyce Sharrock Cole as our new Village Historian effective immediately,” said Mayor Victoria Gearity.

The position of Village Historian is appointed by the Mayor annually. Gearity appointed Dana White in January 2015, and has reappointed her annually since.

Sharrock Cole currently serves on the Village’s Historic Preservation Commission and is the first African-American to serve as Ossining’s Village Historian.

“It is an honor to be appointed in a position that allows me to share my passion for research and sharing local history with my community,” Sharrock Cole said. “This position will afford me the opportunity to highlight the untold histories and contributions of the early minorities of Ossining, as well as capturing, documenting and preserving the same for residents who immigrated/migrated more recently.

“I look forward to collaborating with the community to capture and preserve our unique experiences while navigating through these unprecedented times and cultivating an environment of accessibility and openness to our historical records for review by our community and students.”

The small gathering took place at Duers Corner to highlight recent upgrades to improve pedestrian and driver safety, including two newly unveiled stop signs and ADA ramps at each crosswalk, and to tell the story of its name.

Henry Duers was born into slavery in North Carolina. He ran away and enlisted in the Union Army. As a Civil War veteran, he came to the Village of Sing Sing where, as Reverend Duers, he founded the Centennial Star of Bethlehem Colored Baptist Church.

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AUGUST 15, 2020

THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

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MOUNT VERNON’S ADRIAN ARMSTRONG CONFIRMED

BY NYS SENATE AS COURT OF CLAIMS JUDGE

BY AJ WOODSON

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Senate Majority Leader Andrea StewartCousins announced that Adrian Armstrong of the City of Mount Vernon has been confirmed by the State Senate as a Judge for the New York State Court of Claims.

“I am proud that Westchester resident Adrian Armstrong was confirmed by the full NYS Senate, under my leadership. I congratulate Mr. Armstrong and I wish him well as a Judge for the Court of Claims,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins shares with Black Westchester.

The City of Mount Vernon celebrates Judge Adrian Armstrong on his new position as a NYS Court of Claims judge and looks forward to seeing him represent Mount Vernon on a higher stage in our judicial system.

“Congratulations to Judge Adrian Armstrong on his new appointment to the NYS Court of Claims. His work in Mount Vernon has touched the lives of many of our residents and in his new position as a NYS Court of Claims judge, he will serve New York proudly.”

Former Mayor Ernest D. Davis first appointed Principal Law Clerk to NYS Supreme Court Judge Donna Mills, Adrian Armstrong to the Mt. Vernon City Court, May 2015. Armstrong was then elected in November 2015, where he arraigned felonies and handled misdemeanors and lesser offenses as well as civil lawsuits of up to $15,000. Judge Armstrong runs an adolescent diversion part “problem solving court” for 16 and 17 year olds with certain offenses, incorporating cross-agency off-the-record conferencing, rescue coordination and supportive services, and progress monitoring. The court has made an immeasurable difference in the lives of the young people who have appeared before it.

Armstrong worked for the Office of the Bronx District Attorney as an assistant DA dealing with domestic violence and sex offenses as well as juvenile felony offenses. In the New York City Civil Court he held the position of senior court attorney and was responsible for all legal aspects pertaining to judges’ assignments including preparation of decisions and orders, mediation of cases and conference of landlord tenant and small claims cases.

Armstrong – who served as a Mt. Vernon City School District trustee from 2007-2010 – has taken a vested interest in the lives of the young people in the communities he serves. In addition to his involvement in Mt. Vernon, while a Bronx resident, he founded an organization called Varsity Sports that he funded himself. It gave any child who wanted an opportunity to play basketball

a chance to play the game they loved.

Judge Armstrong attended Pace University School of Law where he received his Juris Doctorate Degree in 1990 his Bachelor of Science from Longwood University. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Pace University in Manhattan and Monroe College in the Bronx and previously held teaching positions at Mercy College in the Bronx and the College of New Rochelle. He is a member of the Metropolitan Bar Association, the Association of Black Lawyers of Westchester County, the Mount Vernon Bar Association, and the Criminal Justice Educators Association of New York State.

Armstrong was one of several African-American judges honored and recognized at a special ceremony at Calvary Baptist Church in White Plains where the Pastor is the Reverend Lee Trollinger, Sunday February 18, 2018.

Along with Judges Nichelle Johnson, Arlene Gordon-Oliver, Delores Brathwaite, Reggie Johnson, James Hubert, Janet Malone, Adrian Armstrong received a Certificate of Merit from the Westchester County Board of Legislators and a Certificate of Service from Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

Armstrong’s departure required Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard to appoint a new city judge. Monday, August 3, 2020, Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard appointed County Legislator Lyndon Williams for City Court Judge following the elevation of Armstrong to the New York State Court of Claims.

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SURROUNDING AREA NEWS

AUGUST 15, 2020

MARCH & PROTEST CONCERT FOR CARIOL

BY AJ WOODSON

FORMER BUFFALO POLICE OFFICER CARIOL HOLLOMAN-HORNE PROMOTES LAW REQUIRING COPS TO STOP EXCESSIVE FORCE

A former Buffalo Police officer and her supporters rallied in Lafayette Square Friday afternoon, where it was announced she has obtained a legal team in a bid to restore her eligibility for a pension that was lost when she fired for what supporters insist was doing the right thing back in 2007.

Cariol Horne – who appeared on Black Westchester’s Policing The Black Community Part Two, Friday May 22nd – was fired in 2008 after she says she stopped Gregory Kwiatkowski, a white officer from choking a Black handcuffed suspect, Neal Mack.

Horne did what most of us would expect by attempting to stop a partner officer from assaulting a handcuffed suspect. For her troubles, Horne was punched several times in the face by partner officer Kwiatkowski, an assault that required that her bridge be replaced. Cariol Horne was fired from the force in 2006 and charged with obstructing another cop during an arrest over a domestic dispute, ABC 7 reported in December of 2014.

“When he (former officer Gregory Kwiatkowski) went to jail, I felt like, now they will believe me, because he went to jail for using unnecessary excessive force. So now I’ll get my pension. Years later, I still don’t have my pension.”

The 19-year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department was the last of several speakers, Friday, July 10th in Lafayette Square. Horne, when it was her turn, primarily led the crowd in a chant: “I don’t like… what I saw… we need to pass… Cariol’s Law…”

Also among the speakers who appeared in support of Horne was the man who was under arrest at the time she intervened, Neal Mack, Sr.

“She saved me. An angel from heaven,” Mack said. “God sent. There should be more police officers like her. Amen.”

Following the rally in Lafayette Square, Horne and her peers led those in attendance in a march which moved westward along Court Street, passed through Niagara Square and ended in front of City Hall, where live music and other supporters were already waiting to greet them.

SUPPORT FOR CARIOL’S LAW More Than 60 Community Organizations and Small Businesses Issue Public Letter Demanding Action on Cariol’s Law and the Reinstatement of Officer Cariol Horne’s Pension

A wide array of Buffalo-based community organizations and small businesses recently sent a public letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Byron Brown, the Buffalo City Council and the WNY State Delegation demanding immediate passage of Cariol’s Law and the reinstatement of Cariol Horne’s pension.

Among those calling for passage of the law was activist and local business owner Phylicia Dove.

“Police officers must use their responsibility wisely,” she said. “They have to do more than generate income for the city. When they took the oath to protect and serve, it is vital that they do just that.”

The Buffalo Common Council recently passed a resolution asking the New York State Attorney General to reopen Horne’s case. It was announced during the rally Friday that a legal team has been assembled to represent Horne.

They include Ronald Sullivan and Intisar Rabb of Harvard Law School, and W. Neil Eggleston and Kamran Bajwa of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Eggleston is a former White House Counsel for President Barack Obama and an Associate Counsel for President Bill Clinton. Sullivan is credited with securing legal victories for the family of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014.

Cariol Holloman-Horne, announced a new push to pass legislation called “Cariol’s Law,” which she believes would combat the excessive use of force by police. The proposed Cariol’s Law, which she and her peers first introduced June 30, would make it mandatory for police officers to intervene and stop acts of brutality by fellow officers. Inaction in such circumstances would be punishable by termination and prosecution. Additionally, under Cariol’s Law officers who do intervene would be protected from any internal retaliation, including reassignment.

” ‘Cariol’s Law’ will protect officers who do stand up against police brutality and they will not be treated as I have been,” Holloman-Horne said Tuesday, June 30th while standing in front of the Buffalo Police and Fire Headquarters building. “… I don’t want any other officer to be treated as I have been treated for doing the right thing.”

Supporters met at Lafayette Square at 3pm for a powerful rally.

Afterwards, they marched over to Niagara Square for a Protest Concert.

March/Rally began at 3pm sharp at Lafayette Square. Speakers were Myles Carter, Dominique Calhoun, Neal Mack, Neal mack Jr., Ruweyda Ahmed Salim, Deborah Suttles and John Walker, Jr.

The Protest Concert began at 4pm At Niagara Square featuring: Drea d’Nur, Naila Ansari, Zhanna Reed, Sehréa Brown, Vinnie DeRosa and Violin Vigil for Elijah McClain.

Other speakers at the rally included Myles Carter, a Buffalo man who was arrested last month while protesting the arrest of another Buffalo man the month before, Quentin Suttles.

“She worked hard for this moment,” he said. “We could sit here and talk all day about the issues that exist in Buffalo. But Cariol Horne is solving problems in Buffalo. Not only did she do the right thing, she then drafted the legislation to fix the problem. Protect the police officers who step forward!

Protect the police officers that do the right thing.”

CARIOL’S LAW WOULD: A. Create a mandatory Duty to Intervene to stop abuse perpetrated by fellow officers.

B. Create punishments for those who do not intervene.

C. Protect officers from retaliation for intervening and ensure that all investigations are housed in an independent body controlled by community representatives, not political appointees.

D. Punish officers who alter reports or omit facts related to abuse and police intervention in abuse.

E. Ensure that violators of Cariol’s Law result in termination, registry reporting, and that they impact departmental funding.

F. Put in place a restorative justice process for intervening officers / whistleblowers.

Elected officials in the region were recently invited to a webinar on the components of Cariol’s Law. Learn more about Cariol’s Law at www.cariolslaw.com

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AUGUST 15, 2020

THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

BLACK WESTCHESTER 9

PROTECT OUR BLACK WOMEN

BY AYANNA ARMSTRONG

No one could have predicted what the year 2020 would have brought us. Seven months in, and we have been dealing with a global pandemic, the 2020 election and fighting for human rights through the Black Lives Matter Movement.

For years, the black community has not been getting the justice they deserve in regards to the police officers,the very people who wear a badge sworn to protect us, get away with murder. Yes, I said murder.

National outrage sparked concerning police brutality towards black people igniting protests starting in Minneapolis, Minnesota due to the unfortunate death of George Floyd.

Not only did every state in America participate in the ‘Black Lives Matters’ protests, but several other countries joined the movement as well.

To me, that was powerful. When have you ever seen all 50 states do something together?

As someone who is a Black Woman, and a Criminal Justice Activist I need to say this: black women need to be protected.

As Malcolm X once said, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman.

The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”

Let’s talk about the death of 28-year-old African American Sandra Bland.

On July 10, 2015, Bland was pulled over for failure to use a turn signal by State Trooper Brian T. Encinia, which is apparently an arrestable offense in the state of Texas.

Enicinia orders her to “get out of the car” and, when she repeatedly refuses to exit, he tells her she is under arrest. According to the released video footage from Enicinia’s dashboard camera, Enicinia is heard threatening her, shouting ““I will light you up! Get out! Now!” with a taser pointed directly at Bland.

Sandra Bland was arrested and taken to a jail in Waller County, Texas.

However, three days later Sandra Bland was found hanged in a jail cell and her death was ruled a suicide.

A more recent example would be the murder of 26-year-old AfricanAmerican Breonna Taylor.

On March 13, 2020 Breonna Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker were asleep in their bedroom. Around 12 am, the couple got up from bed when they heard loud banging at their door. Walker did not hear anyone announce that they were the police so according to his arrest citation, he fired a shot because he thought intruders were trying to break in.

Walker’s bullet struck Sargent Jonathan Mattingly. In return, Mattingly, and officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove returned fire, shooting at least 22 rounds. Breonna Taylor was shot multiple times and died in the hallway of her apartment.

Protests for Breonna Taylor have been ongoinging for 49 days.

However, as the killers still roam free, 435 protests have been arrested.

And it’s not just the police killing our people.

It’s white citizens being able to kill us on the street while it takes years for us to get our justice or more than often not even at all.

There a white doctors killing us as well.

According to the CDC, pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births also known as the pregnancy-related mortality ratio (PRMR), they found that for black and women older than 30 was four to five times as high as it was for white women.

The entirety of the system that needs to be abolished.

We want our reparations.

Renaming street names after the black lives that are lost is not enough. Saying that you will not play black characters in adult animation is not enough.

Realtors saying they will stop using ‘master’ to describe bedrooms or bathrooms is not enough.

“The white man will try to satisfy us with symbolic victories rather than economic equity and real justice,” said Malcolm X. We want justice.

We want equal rights.

All Black Lives Matter.

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AUGUST 15, 2020

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AUGUST 15, 2020

NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

BLACK WESTCHESTER 11

The residents of NY State Senate District 34 need your voice in our community.

Wishing Black Westchester Magazine many more years of real talk!

STATE SENATOR ALESSANDRA BIAGGI

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BLACK LIVES MATTER

AUGUST 15, 2020

RALLY FOR BLACK LIVES LOST MLK STATUE, WHITE PLAINS COURTHOUSE WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020

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AUGUST 15, 2020

BLACK LIVES MATTER

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NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

AUGUST 15, 2020

COVER STORIES BW COVER STORY

REMEMBERING JOHN LEWIS

BY AJ WOODSON

Congressman John Lewis was “the conscience of the nation.” Let us all not allow his work and legacy to be in vain and do our part. Mr. Lewis, the civil rights leader who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death, to be published upon the day of his funeral.

He left us our marching orders:

Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation, Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe...

While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.

That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following day. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on.

Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars.

Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle. Unchecked, unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare. If we are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain.

Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.

Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.

You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time. Continue to build union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.

Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and non-

violence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.

When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide. - John Lewis

It is not enough to just celebrate the work and achievments of Congressman John Lewis and others we must all allow their selflish sacrifices to be the flame that ignites us all to get up, get out and do something today. Everyone needs to play their part. Mr. Lewis reminds us “that each of us has a moral obligation to stand up and speak out. When you see something thats is not right, you must say something,” Brother Chuck D told us in the summer of 1989, “Our freedom of speech is freedom or death, We got to fight the powers that be.” President Barack Obama urged us, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” History has it’s eyes on us. Will the national and international outrage over the deaths of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery be remembered as a movement that created change or just another moment in history where we as a people expressed our frustration, cried and complained but then just keep it moving like many other moments after the killing of a black or brown persons at the hands of the police. To my young people, John Lewis was in his teens when he was moved by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to get up, get out and do something.

Damon and I did not create Black Westchester six years ago to be the voice of the people, but to encourage our people to be their own voice. As we celebrate six years online and three years in print, we realized that we were called on to document the movement of time. We realized The concept of objective truth is being threatened everywhere. We realized, it is really important that we have free independent media. That we stand up together for free speech, if not lies will be our history. We founded Black Westchester July 15, 2014 to prayerfully, encourage a new generation of truth tellers.

John Lewis gave us our marching orders to encourage us with his very last breath. Until my very last breath, I will continue to speak up for those who can’t breathe. To our Black Leaders out there, you haven’t just been called on to just lead, but to create future leaders, and to my young people out there, if you do not learn from those who were in the struggle before you, you are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. You must learn your history to be the change of the future. While this was orginally about honoring John Lewis for a job well done, I did not want to miss the opportunity to encourage our readers, we still have work to do and remind everyone reading this, History Has It’s Eyes On You!

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AUGUST 15, 2020

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BLACK WESTCHESTER 15

BW COVER STORY

GOODBYE, JOHN LEWIS

BY JOSIE GONSALVES

It was a rare encounter on the New York City IRT train from Manhattan to Brooklyn on a mid-week evening in 2013. I was amidst a reverie when I recognized him sitting directly across from me on an empty train car: John Lewis, the last of the those who spearheaded and fought in the deep trenches of the civil rights war of the 196os. An era seared into the minds and hearts of those who study and practice freedom fighting. A period ever more ephemeral and prescient today.

As dapper as ever in a navy blue fitted suit, crisp white shirt, and a signature blue tie, with eyes that twinkled youthful joy, he sat comfortably as any other transit commuter heading home after work. Our eyes locked.

I said, “Sir, what brings you on this train tonight?” John Lewis responded, “On the way to Midtown Comics for my latest publication”.

I said, “Awesome! My sister is a huge fan.”, He said, “Then, come on!”

We chatted a bit longer; then the train pulled into the designated stop.

We got off. We talked more and laughed a bit as we briskly walked to the destination. In through a side door and up a narrow staircase, John Lewis skipped.

It was a small but spirited group that awaited him.

John Lewis, who sits among the great freedom fighters of his generation, joined the struggle for Black liberation as a teenager: beaten up but never beaten down. He marched for justice. He spoke the truth. He called for liberation. He never wavered. He never baulked. He never walked away. In the words of Mr. Lewis, “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” The age-old lesson embodied in a young man who placed his body against power: he kept showing up and showing up daring arrogance and hate to count him out.

Courage comes not easy and, when it does, it is demanding and unrelenting; but for those for whom it is intrinsic, it is sublime. John Lewis was the epitome of courage. He stood shoulders above millions, yet on the shoulders of those gone before him who made a path upon which he, too, spilt blood so we could march and beckon courage with each footstep. Each of us must locate and activate our moral imperative against the injustice made manifest in a racialized war if we are to endure the centuries-long battle for freedom and liberation. It calls for young and old to move shoulder to shoulder and confront the tyranny that ever reigns.

This moment of the struggle for justice demands and an equal measure of courage and precision without vacillation. In the words of Frantz Fanon, “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it in opacity.”

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16 BLACK WESTCHESTER

THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

AUGUST 15, 2020

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for supporting my campaign for Yonkers City Court Judge. With your help, our campaign won the Democratic primary, and will advance to the general election in November. Together, we will build a City Court that works for everyone, and ensure a fair day in court for all Yonkers residents.

-Dan Romano

Paid For By Dan Romano For Yonkers City Judge

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AUGUST 15, 2020

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18BLACK WESTCHESTER

NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

AUGUST 15, 2019

In Proud Support of Black Westchester

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AUGUST 15, 2019

THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

BLACK WESTCHESTER19

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The editors of Black Westchester:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

AUGUST 15, 2020

hand, has no official authority by virtue of race, can never “resign” it or take a break from subtle and unsubtle microaggressions, and discrimination in school, employment, housing, health care, trips to the local grocery, and more. There is no “benefit package” to compensate for risks of brown skin.

When a person of color is killed, the victim is often viciously blamed for his/ her death before a funeral and ahead of evidence. When law enforcement is involved, as an official agency, their reports can be and are reported by the press, because the press is protected from defamation by getting official information. On the other hand, eyewitness or victim reports are not reported unless there is collaboration, especially if there is risk of accusing law enforcement of inappropriate conduct untruthfully. The police are at a tremendous advantage for pre-investigation messaging.

The rant was appropriate for a debate at a tavern. (Although, as he is in a leadership position in a company that is not allowed to discriminate against its employees by race, I am not certain it was an appropriate position for this speaker to take at a tavern.) It did not belong at a public High School graduation. It is heart-breaking that it occurred where my children and neighbors go to school. The speech was racist and factually wrong.

Are my children learning to resist progress on racial justice? Are they afraid of being “cowards” for bravely standing up for justice? Are they afraid they are victimizing police by considering reforms? Could this erode my children’s respect for teachers of color? People of color? For themselves? How can my children reconcile these words that they are taught are hurtful by their parents, with the respect their parents insist they pay their school administrators? The speech was a huge, unsubtle microaggression, but the lessons taught to children were subtle, damaging to character development, and confusing.

It got worse. The speaker decided to silence countering opinions. In the video, the audience is heard giving disagreeing “honks” from their car horns as he gave his outrageous remarks. He claimed they were cowards honking from the safety of their cars. He challenged those who disagreed to come to speak to him, but the school staff and police prevented the willing from doing so. What were those school staff thinking, allowing the speaker to continue AND to call those who disagree names while stopping feedback?

What did the students learn from that? Might makes right? Even if the facts are false and/or irrelevant? That their school administrators supported it with the backing of local police?

I read in the press that both the superintendent and the school board apologized for “any” hurt. I read that the school plans to post the entire ceremony including the keynote speech, as well as a video with the hate speech removed. (At my last check, nothing of the ceremony was posted.) When they are, I hope the comments are clearly marked as racist, and attitudes that the public-school district does not tolerate or teach. I hope the lack of academic rigor is also critiqued. I hope that the inaccurate information is corrected, and that false equivalences are identified and explained. I hope the school explains that “you are a coward!” is not an argument; it is bullying.

So far, the responses are insufficient. Apologizing for “any” hurt suggests the person hurt might be too sensitive; that speech SHOULD have hurt and angered anyone who is anti-racist, pro-scholarship, or anti-bullying. The response takes no responsibility for not vetting the speech, not interrupting the speech, and then not forcefully disavowing it. The district must do much more before I can forgive this. I cannot imagine how I would feel if I had member of the class of 2020 and had to see that live. I cannot imagine how I would feel if I were parenting a child of color. I cannot imagine how I would feel parenting a child from ANY disadvantaged group, as the supremacy supported by the school could make me take a second look at past experiences.

I am looking for future responses to this by the district. Those responses will tell me how this district really feels about children.

I am writing with distress and disappointment in my school district, Yorktown Central School District, and an inexcusable keynote speech given at the 2020 High school Graduation commencement. As a parent of a 2019 graduate and a child entering the 11th grade, I did not become aware of the speech until I read about it in the Yorktown News “Regeneron co-founder, YHS superintendent apologize after grad speech,” written by Brian Marschhauser, appeared in the July 2 edition of Yorktown News and the website posted a video clip of the speech preserved by the same journalist.

YHS had as a keynote speaker a local pharmaceutical executive, Dr. George Yancopoulos, CSO of Regeneron. Reportedly, the executive was expected to deliver a positive message on the topic of COVID-19 research, appropriate to the event and the age of its honorees. The video I viewed, posted

by Halston Media, hardly mentioned COVID-19. The speech was appalling on many levels. The distress is that the keynote speaker expressed racist opinions at a public-school graduation. The opinions were “supported” by irrelevant/inaccurate information and name-calling, which is not at all scholarly, at a celebration of an academic milestone. The district reports that it is “Committed to valuing diversity, encouraging a moral conscience, and teaching critical, scholarly thinking.” These were certainly not on display in the speech, nor have they been on display in the district’s response since it.

The speaker went on a RANT giving his unsubstantiated reasons that he does not support Black Lives Matter or support defunding the police. Is he entitled to his opinions? Yes! However, not at a public school, not when it was not what he was reportedly invited to do. He is hardly a credible speaker on his alternative topic, his opinions about treatment of “blacks,” and law enforcement, groups he felt are “preaching to us” hyperbolically about law enforcement inequities or being unfairly vilified, respectively, being that he is a white in race and a corporate scientist in vocation.

The speaker characterized police violence on people of color as rare, but as seeming ubiquitous due to media attention. He pretended to use data to support his characterization, as he gave classic anti-racial justice whataboutisms, such as “whataboutalltheblackpeoplekilledbyblackpeople;”- a childishly irrelevant comeback. (Does YHS allow a student caught writing on one desk say, “whataboutallthemessagesonthebathroomwalls?”) The only relevant, yet inaccurate, statistic he gave was that 9 unarmed black people were killed by police last year, although he did not give a source or define where (Yorktown?

NYS? USA?) or what is meant by last year (2019? The past 12 months?).In 2019 in the USA, 259 Black victims were killed by police violence in total; 28 undisputedly unarmed. 202 were allegedly armed (mappingpoliceviolence.org.)

2020 is on a worse trend. And the choice to count only “unarmed blacks” is dubious. Rayshard Brooks was shot in the back running away “armed” with a spent taser in an Atlanta parking lot last month. Dylan Roof was taken into custody unharmed on his way from a mass murder with his weapon onboard. The police can and do arrest armed people peaceably. Besides, this is a gun-rights country. An armed person is not automatically considered a threat, in theory.

The speaker did not mention that whites are also killed by police violence--in greater raw numbers than blacks- an important detail to give young adults who could benefit from “the talk.” I wonder why this speaker left out police violence on white people, and if he wanted his audience to draw its own conclusions from his “9 blacks” vs. the implied zero whites.

The speaker was trained in science, so he would know he needed the raw numbers to compare with population numbers to confirm (or disprove) racial disparity. He did not provide any such data, so here are some quick facts: Blacks are 3X more likely to be killed by police than white people, and 1.3 times more likely to be unarmed when killed than white people. Black people have been 28% of those killed by police since 2013, despite being only 13% of the population. There are differences in killing rates by police agency, but the differences are not a function of the amount of crime in the district, or the racial Barbara Pose, makeup of the district. Jurisdictions where police violence is not tolerated and Yorktown Resident and YCSD parent is met with discipline and/or legal action have less police violence. (For these statistics and many more, see mappingpoliceviolence.org).

The speaker emphasized the difficult position law enforcement is in.

Law enforcement is a complex and difficult job, juggling conflicting needs of large numbers of constituents. The job can be fatally dangerous or mind-numbingly boring for the exact same call, and thus an officer must always be ready on high-alert yet respond appropriately. No credible group thinks all police officers are murderers. Some of us are more inclined to address what seem to be bad actors in a good system, while others of us are more inclined to think a bad system will ratchet up the violence in all officers. This is a worthy and important discussion, yet no matter where on the spectrum of opinions reformers lie, it is not the same thing as painting all police officers as murderers. It is unfair to accuse reform minded people as feeling that way. It is a way of distracting the public and discouraging reforms.

The struggles of police officers as a group and of blacks as a group are not comparable. An officer has tremendous official power and has access to training in best practices for effective and safe outcomes for the officer and the community. An officer is compensated for taking significant personal risk, often with benefit packages that (rightly) consider the increased possibility of the officer not coming home. It is voluntary to take on a position in law enforcement, and it is possible to resign if it no longer suits the incumbent. When an officer is killed there is near universal, mainstream distress for the officer, his/ her family, and the senselessness of the death. A black person, on the other

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AUGUST 15, 2020

BLACK TO BUSINESS

BLACK WESTCHESTER

21

RACIALLY MOTIVATED ENFORCEMENT IS KILLING MINORITY BUSINESSES

GUEST EDITORIAL BY BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT ERIC ADAMS

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets, throughout the entire

world, to protest and draw attention to the fact that justice is not being served in an equitable way in the United States. This fact is plain as day in nearly all levels of policing and enforcement. Thankfully the younger generations are forcing those of us in government to reckon with the structural inequities that plague us at all levels of society.

George Floyd’s death at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department has forced an overdue conversation in our country about the way law enforcement treats people of color. We must broaden the conversation by looking at the subtler, more insidious ways police abuse impacts Black and Brown communities.

For years, the Black Institute has highlighted the challenges faced by minority-owned businesses in New York City. Over the past year, the organization has identified businesses who suffer from routine over enforcement through what’s known as Multi-Agency Response to Community Hot spots, or M.A.R.C.H. raids. These involve agencies like the NYPD, FDNY, and others showing up unannounced and issuing thousands of dollars of fines to establishments.

For years, the Black Institute has highlighted the challenges faced by minority-owned businesses in New York City. Over the past year, the organization has identified businesses who suffer from routine over enforcement through what’s known as Multi-Agency Response to Community Hot spots, or M.A.R.C.H. raids. These involve agencies like the NYPD, FDNY, and others showing up unannounced and issuing thousands of dollars of fines to establishments.

A report we released last year, “Cabaret 2.0: Same Old Song and Dance,” found that businesses in neighborhoods with a minority population of at least 45% were targeted by Multi-Agency Response to Community Hot spots (M.A.R.C.H.) at four times the rate of less diverse neighborhoods.

These fines and summonses can be financially ruinous for businesses, and some have been forced to close their doors as a result.

Last week, The Black Institute, along Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Council Member Fernando Cabrera, stood with Black and Brown businesses from five boroughs to speak out about the racially biased enforcement they are continually subjected to. We demand an investigation by the New York Attorney General’s office into whether the fines and summonses from the NYPD, FDNY, and other enforcement bodies are being issued in a racially discriminatory manner.

Several business owners spoke about being routinely harassed by law enforcement for minor infractions, spending thousands in legal fees to fight certain violations, and even in some cases having their liquor license revoked by the State Liquor Authority(SLA).

An investigation by the Attorney General’s office is a start, but we need to go further. We must place a moratorium on all fines and summonses pending the outcome of the investigation, and give business owners an opportunity to breathe.

We also need more transparency. The City Council also passed a law last year requiring regular reporting on M.A.R.C.H. raids and notices to business owners prior to a raid. Yet no reporting has been made public yet, despite the fact that the law went into effect earlier this year.

Right now, legislators in Albany can sign on to support legislation drafted by The Black Institute,Senate Bills s8152 & S8153. Those bills would require quarterly reports of all SLA enforcement to be presented to the legislature and the governor as well as requiring additional financial disclosure from the SLA Board members.

The surge of activism around the country has shined a harsh light on the deep inequities faced by people of color. We must now capitalize on this energy to bring about meaningful change in all areas of society.

IF BLACK LIVES MATTER, BLACK BUSINESSES SHOULD MATTER TOO.

BLACK TO BUSINESS – BLACK WESTCHESTER’S NEW BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS SECTION long.

We are seeing protests in all 50 states and over 20 countries after the killing of George Floyd. There are lots of ways to support the struggle against police brutality.

You can donate money to a local, grassroots organization. You can join a protest if you feel you can do so safely. You can educate yourself and, if you are white, talk to other white people about racial justice. But one of the most direct and sustainable ways to support the black community is to shop at black-owned businesses, many of which have also been disproportionally affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Many people have contacted us looking for a Black Business Directory so they can patronize Black Business in Westchester County and the surrounding area. While we never officially put together a complete directory, we decided to start a new section called Black To Business. In this section, we will highlight many Black-Owned Businesses (BOBs).

While it was impossible to list every local Black-Owned Business (BOB) in our small Black Business edition of the newspaper, we reached out to the staff and several supporters and readers to let us know their favorite BOB, our goal was to as many black-owned businesses, located in Westchester County and surrounding areas for the holiday season. Our hope was our Small Business Edition of BW offers a free listing of many Black Businesses to spend your hard own dollars.

As a small Black Business ourself, we believe it is important to our community that we support Our Businesses and recycle Our Dollars as many times as possible before it leaves the community as others do. So while we think it is very important to Our Economy to support all BOBs, Black Westchester worked hard on that issue to provide a list of businesses we suggest you check out and support.

So starting today, let get BLACK TO BUSINESS and help circulate the Black Dollar by patronizing one or more of the businesses that you find in our new Black Westchester Small Black Business section, BLACK TO BUSINESS.

Black History Month has come and gone but don’t let that deter you from supporting black businesses. We do not have to wait for the holiday season or the shortest month of the year that is deemed Black History Month to celebrate and patronize Black-Owned Business, you should try to find black businesses to patronize, all year

40% OF BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO SURVIVE CORONAVIRUS There were more than 1 million black-owned businesses in the U.S. at the beginning of February, according to research from the University of California at Santa Cruz, which drew from Census survey estimates, CBS News reports. By mid-April, 440,000 black business owners had shuttered their company for good — a 41% plunge. By comparison, 17% of white-owned businesses closed during the same period, the UC Santa Cruz research shows.

Several factors explain the high rate of closures of black-owned businesses.

Perhaps most important, many lack access to bank credit, making it harder to survive financial emergencies. Many are micro-enterprises, providing a livelihood to a sole proprietor or a few employees at most. Profit margins are thin, while owners’ financial savings are often meager, making them vulnerable to sudden downturns.

Did you know there are about eight million minority-owned businesses in the United States, according to the Census Bureau? Of these, about 2.5 million are owned

by African-Americans. African-American-owned firms account for about 10% of the approximately 27 million in total of U.S. businesses.

Please feel free to use the Black Westchester Black To Business section as a comprehensive shopping guide of some of the Black-Owned Businesses (BOB), personal services, and consumer goods that are all black-owned and operated in Westchester County and the surrounding area, that we feel you should know about.

We created this section of Black Westchester Magazine, you can view, share, and come back to all year round when you are about to spend your hard-earned dollars. The one thing we want you to get from our Small Business Section is “Never stop supporting black business owners.”

Most of the businesses will be in categories like Black-Owned Boutiques, Black-Owned Restaurants etc. etc., and will always be adding to them as we get the information so come back and check frequently. You can always find the Black To Business section under the Features Tab on the Frontpage of Black Westchester Magazine. Or you can go to http://www.blackwestchester.com/category/features/black-tobusiness/ that will take you to the Black To Business section which will be full of listings, black business spotlights and interviews with Black Business owners.

So welcome to our new Black Westchester BLACK TO BUSINESS section.

Prayerfully it will educate the consumer about the many businesses in the area and also lead to more business for the businesses as well. We must support our BlackOwned Businesses, especially now with the damage COVID-19 has done to small businesses and recycle our dollars and all you businesses don’t forget about us when you spend your advertising dollars hint hint.

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22 BLACK WESTCHESTER

REAL TALK FROM AJ WOODSON

AUGUST 15, 2020

HAMILTON THE MUSICAL HAS ME ASKING ELECTED OFFICIALS WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW THAT WE PUT YOU IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS?

BY AJ WOODSON

BLACK POLITICIANS ESPECIALLY IN MOUNT VERNON, ‘HISTORY HAS IT EYES ON YOU.’

I took a much needed break after the Democratic Primary and like millions of people, I couldn’t wait to finally watch the musical Hamilton on Disney + on the Fourth of July weekend. A couple of quick takeaways, once again Hip-Hop made history exciting to me. It made me want to know much more of a story in history I cared very little about. It should be showed to the youth and be a rallying cry for the national protest going on right now.

I knew very little about the life of Alexander Hamilton, who was an American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. An influential interpreter and promoter of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the founder of the nation’s financial system, the Federalist Party, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the NY Post newspaper. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton was the main author of the economic policies of George Washington’s administration.

As a Hip-Hop head, the musical told this story in my language in the language of the streets and featured a multi-cultural cast. One of the things that connected me with Alexander Hamilton in the musical, was that he wrote “like he was running out of time.” Something I can totally relate to and anyone who knows me can tell you with the work I do with Black Westchester that describes me to a tee. People always ask me how do I do this non-stop. Like the songs, I write like I’m running out of time. Write like I need it to survive.

When every second I’m alive.

This track reminded me of the importance of what I do. Often I ask myself if what I do even matters, but this song inspired me and showed – as we just celebrated our sixth anniversary – the need for me to continue to be the voice of the voiceless and continue to deliver the News With The Black Point Of View. Documenting this moment of history, covering this movement we in the middle of.

How do you write like tomorrow won’t arrive?

How do you write like you need it to survive?

How do you write ev’ry second you’re alive?

Ev’ry second you’re alive? Ev’ry second you’re alive?

But the one song that moved me the most when Leslie Odom Jr who played Aaron Burr expresses his desire to make it to ‘the room where it happens.’

This is something persons of color have been fighting for since we have been in this country to be in the room where it happens, to be in decision making positions. It made me wanna to address all our elected officials and ask what are you doing now that we put you in the room where it happens?

No one else was in The room where it happened The room where it happened The room where it happened No one really knows how the game is played The art of the trade How the sausage gets made We just assume that it happens But no one else is in The room where it happens It made me realize what I and many others in my city take for granted. I live in a city with a Black Mayor, a mostly Black City Council, a Black Comptroller, a Black Police Commissioner, a Black Superintendent of Schools, several Black Board of Education Trustees, a Black Library Trustee President, a Black Democratic County and City Chairman and Board of Elections Commissioner. And even though we had a Black President and now have a Black Female Senate Majority Leader in NY State, breaking the eternal image of three men in a room who make it happens and a Black Deputy County Executive, the national protest after the killing of George Floyd shows us how much more we need to truly be in the Room Where It Happens. The need to make the changes we claim we want and hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand, when it comes to criminal justice reform, changes in legislation, better education, more services in our community and so much more.

It made me realize like the 19th song of Act One of Hamilton, for the city of Mount Vernon, ‘History Has It Eyes On You.’ Black America is watching. As Damon likes to say we are the Wakanda of Westchester, but our elected officials keep giving our vibranium away from free. How this Black run city – where mainly African-Americans are in the Room Where It Happens – have a responsibility to all of Black America. It is up to us to show the world how it should be done. To be the model for the county and the country.

But like the re-telling of history of this country in Hamilton, much is expected from those in the Room Where It Happens. Like the fore fathers of the country the expectation is high, sometimes maybe too high. That’s because too many people fought for the right to be in the room where it

happens.

To my elected officials on the local, county, state and national level, now that we voted to have people who look like us in the room where it happens, history has its eyes on you. How will you be remembered? What did you do when you got to the room where it happens? Are you listening and advocating for the people who put you there or are you moving on your own agenda, now that you are in the room where it happens?

The voters, the residents are not off the hook in this either. The musical shows us the need to hold our elected officials feet to the fire to make sure they are representing our interest in the room where it happens. When we find they are not it is our responsibility to make sure we replace them with people who will. But just voting is not enough. You have to fight for and demand what you want. No one – not even people who look like you – will represent your interest, if you are not engaged. We must educate ourselves on the process, so we are informed. Hamilton the musical did its part to start the conversation, to ask the questions. Now we must do our part for the city, state and national government we want. To reshape it in our image. History has it eyes of you as well, so you must do your part.

The 2018 Midterm election saw a much diverse cast of characters elected to serve in the two chambers that has been mainly filled with White Men making decisions. In 2020 an openly gay African-American man and Afro-Latino man were elected to the Congress to represent New York State. This is only made possible when the people not only protest in the street but protest at the ballot box. So again I say we cannot expect our elected officials to serve our interest if we are not involved, engaged and willing to do our part.

Hamilton the musical – although now 100% any more historically accurate than any other production – was about individuals creating a new nation and shaping democracy. We should all after watching be full and now do our part to shape the nation that we want, that represents all of us. We all have a part to play. Start demanding and fighting for the change we want to see. The musical shows us it was young ordinary people that stepped up and created this nation, flaws and all. And it will take young ordinary people to reshape this nation and lead us into the future we want to see. Fighting the be in the room where it happens and holding those in the room accountable.

The characters that we see in the beginning of Hamilton, they were young. There were saying the things that a lot of the young people in the street all over this country are saying now. We are in a situation where we are seeing some of the same things happen in this moment of time and I repeat, history is watching the biggest movement since the Civil rights era of the 60s. The biggest movement in my lifetime. It is my responsibility as well as others who cover this moment in time to document it to represent our voice. I may not always be in the room where it happens but it is still my duty to document it for history.

As Leslie Odom Jr said in an discussion hosted by Robin Roberts of ABC ‘s Good Morning America, it is interesting that we are viewing this time in history as the statues are coming down in the streets. As the people are demanding statues of some who committed treason against the county come down because of what the represent. That only happens when we are in the room where it happens and we put pressure on those who look like us and those who don’t who are in the room where it happens. Same can be said for criminal justice reform.

Hamilton the musical started the conversation, now it’s its up to us to not just be entertained but inspired to ask the questions, demand the change and be part of the process of that change.

So in closing again I pose this question to all current, former and future elected officials.

What did you do now that we got you to the room where it happens?

I remind you history has its eyes on you.

How will history remember you?

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AUGUST 15, 2020

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

BLACK WESTCHESTER 23

THERE IS NO BLACK VOTE

WITHOUT A BLACK AGENDA OR BLACK POWER!

BY DAMON K. JONES

For decades we have heard our local leaders, pastors, and politicians speak on the importance of the black vote. We understand that our elders fought for the right for Black people to vote. The sacrifice of our elders was not a small task to ensure that black people could excercise their constitutional rights.

The big Super Tuesday push by black voters in April to vote for Joe Biden for the Democratic Nominee once again has brought to the forefront conversation of the importance of the black vote in our national elections.

In 2020, what are we voting for as Black People? What are the standards that we use to vote for a candidate?

For many Black people, the narrative is, let us get a candidate elected to office. To claim they’re on the winning team is enough

for many Black folks. This notion has been the ignorance of our collective, and then we conveniently blame the white man why our political, economic, and family institutions are at a constant decline before our eyes. But as long as we’re able to take photo ops or sit close to the table at a dinner dance with those we supported, we are oblivious to the long term damage our ignorance has done to the many Black communities throughout the nation.

As usual, Black People will give an insulating pass to our struggle and legacy of slavery here in America. In one of the debates, Biden was asked a question about slavery. Instead, he spoke on a record player. The New York times questioned Biden’s Answer in an article, headlined “Biden Was Asked About Segregation. His Answer Included a Record Player,” but despite the blatant racism in Biden’s response there was no push back from Black leaders.

Black folks are brainwashed to forget that Biden was one of the authors of the 1994 Crime bill. It is impossible, or just hypocrisy for any Black intellectuals to praise Michelle Alexander’s book “The New Jim Crow” but not hold Biden accountable for being one of the architects of the Mass Incarceration of Black People.

The legislation was aimed at addressing rising crime in the country.

It contained a host of policing and crime prevention provisions — including “three-strikes” mandatory life sentences for repeat violent offenders, funding for community policing, and prisons. It authorized $30.2 billion, according to a Congressional Research Service report on federal crime measures. It increased federal crimes subject to the death penalty. It enabled juveniles to be tried as adults for violent and firearm-involved federal crimes.

Two weeks after Clinton signed the big crime bill in September 1994, Biden voted yes for the Riegle-Neal interstate banking bill. This bill helped deregulate the banking industry. No matter Republican or Democrat, they uphold and support racist systems. So low-level drug dealers, majority Black youth, have the weighted, strong government on their backs. At the same time, shady bankers, usually white, got ‘get out of jail free’ cards and walked away with millions.

Blacks continue to insult our struggle by nicknaming Clinton, the first Black President, and now running to Biden’s aid without any concrete commitment from Biden. We have forgotten that the legacy of this crime bill still has harmful effects on black communities across the nation and not one politician can give you an answer on how to fix it.

Black folks are victims of what has been called “Spectacle Political Orhkastras”, where politics is just a big show with no reality, only to win the vote but without real policies and legislation that will change on the lives of Blacks at the bottom. We vote for the lesser of two evils instead of voting for power in systems and policy.

Why is our Black leadership scared to talk about having a Black Political Agenda? Having a Black Political Agenda is a long-term political plan that’s needed for the advancement of black people on all institutional levels.

The fight for the right to vote is and was directly connected to the black suffrage of Blacks people who have a direct coalition to black people’s right to vote. Black suffrage has been lost in an age of identity politics, a political process, and systems still based on the narrative of white supremacy. What we have are black faces just guiding the system, not changing or creating a new system built of justice and equity for their people.

Black voters make up about the same part of the Democratic Party as two parts that a lot of analysts like to excite for their growing power (collegeeducated white voters and very liberal voters).

In the Presidential election of 1936, Black people overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party, especially for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Even though President Roosevelt’s win with the Black vote was not necessarily seen as a vote for the Democrats but, an election for Roosevelt himself and the policies of the New Deal.

Black folks became loyal to the Democratic Party from the passage of the Civil Rights legislation but no real agenda for the whole of Black people and black communities. The reality was that the Civil Rights did not stop White Supremacy or embedded racism in America’s institutions. The truth is that the Civil Rights has reached its limits; it is now a need for Black Power exercise through a Black Political Agenda.

In my research, the only Black Elected Official that has spoken openly about the need for Black Power and a Black Agenda was the late Congressman, Adam Clayton Powell. The Black Power movement was prominent in the late 1960s and early 1970s, emphasizing racial pride and the creation of black political and cultural institutions to nurture and promote black collective interests and advance black values. Adam Clayton Powell summed the campaign up in one quote.

“Black Power means Black Dignity. Just as sure as your proud to be White, we are proud to be Black. Black Power means dignity and integrity. We are going to walk side by side with you or through you. We don’t want any more than you have, and we are not going to accept any less than you have.”

In another speech, describing Black Power, Congressman Powell said, “Black Power is merely of an attempt of equality of dignity, an equality of character, an equality of recognition, of non-Blacks of our negritude.

Black Power means the saving grace of our United States.”

The Black Power movement expressed a range of political goals, from defense against racial oppression to the establishment of social institutions and a self-sufficient economy, cooperatives, farms, and media. Even though the Black Power movement scared off many of the Civil Rights leadership, many labeled the movement a separatist movement.

If we look closely at the lack of Black institutions, economy, cooperative, and even Black awareness through the public educations system, Black people have come to a standstill since the height of the Black Power movement in the 60s and 70s.

According to a CNN report, Black voters make up about 20% of all Democratic voters, according to 2016 primary exit polls and 2018 data from the Pew Research Center. To put that in perspective, about the same percentage of Democrats identified themselves as “very liberal” in the average 2016 primary with an exit poll as the percentage of Democrats who said they were black. Additionally, just slightly more Democrats are whites with a college degree than are black, per the Pew Research Center.

The election of our first Black President, in retrospect, was more symbolism than long-lasting substance. Obama’s election was two-fold. As a Black man is was a beautiful thing to see a Black man and his family in the White House. But, as a Black President, there were only moments that Obama responded to Black concerns and pain as a Black man. I get it; some say, Obama was the President for everybody, not just for Black people. Black Politicians are the only ethnic group that has to or care to make those statements when elected.

The real truth is that Black people let Obama down, we didn’t put the needed pressure on the first Black President to be the President for Black People. There is an old story with President Johnson and Martin Luther King Jr. Even though the former President might have agreed that Black people should have rights. He told King that he had to “Make him do it”! That’s where we fail with our Black politicians, we do not make them do anything, we allow them to dictate to us what they’re going to do for us. This is not how politics works in any other ethnic community except the Black community. We failed to make Obama do more!

A Black man in the White House with no Black Political Agenda and no Black Power; we failed. Our educated intellectuals were unable to produce a document of Black political wants and needs. We were just happy to be in the White House. Many in Black leadership are perfectly aware of our lack of organization around any local and national Black agenda. There are those in Black leadership that take advantage of our disorganization. Instead of fighting inside the system, many Black leaders have controlled the narrative with lofty promises by a party that will never deliver. The Black masses are always sacrificing grassroots Black solidarity and change of the status quo.

What did all the rallies and marches get black folk? Fifty years after MLK March on Washington for Jobs and Justice, we are still marching for Jobs and Justice. Sixty years later, the average white family is worth about $171,000, while the average black family is worth $17,600. The result is the lack of wealth in the black community and Blacks being born into a disadvantage of earning power. Whites make $1 million more over a working lifetime than their black counterparts. We should be ashamed of ourselves that in 2020, we are still marching for the same rights and benefits that our ancestors were fighting for 60 years ago.

Blacks have shunned the vocational labor professions. Black people today have more college debt, less access to banking services, and lower pay than their white counterparts. The racial wealth gap is a reflection of long-term policies, practices, and systems by both the public and private sectors that have systematically disadvantaged Black communities. This is why grassroots Democrats are critical of smiling Black leaders who promote what they call Democratic values when every other day.... (continues on page 24)

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24 BLACK WESTCHESTER

BW EDITORIALS

AUGUST 15, 2020

COMMUNITY AND WEALTH CREATION T he word community has two definitions. The first being a group of people living in the same place or having similar characteristics in

common. The second definition, which I believe is more important, is a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interest and goals.

Scientifically we’re one species with one common goal of living, surviving and passing along knowledge to the next generation. At some point along the way certain demographics of people decided that other demographics of people were in fact not people but things. Africans were captured, shipped and upon arrival to the colonies; stripped of their names, culture, traditions, interests, goals and dignity.

From that point it will be 400 years we have fought for the rights to build a new sense of community but we were held back by a society that didn’t want us and a government that wasn’t built for us. At first it was the former definition of community as we set up neighborhoods but now I feel there is an awakening and understanding that what we need is the second definition.

True communities can build trust, share resources, network, employ one another and eventually pass down wealth.

Wealth is more than just property and money; it’s an infrastructure of supporting one another and enabling the next generation to understand the network of value added services and resources available to them in order to get ahead. In business most of the time it’s not what you know but who you know. Two candidates with the same skills and resume apply to a job but one of them knows someone who knows someone will always be ahead as there is someone to speak on their behalf.

We as a demographic don’t have that infrastructure in place so when it comes time for applying for a job and you have competition, after the hurdles of even getting a call back, we’re still at a disadvantage. We have to start thinking critically long term at how we operate. For example instead of squandering money every year on the latest Jordans (upwards of $250 each) which by the way are not Black owned; the Jordan brand is a subsidiary of Nike and Michael Jordan gets a check for essentially leasing his name; you could invest or save that money over the period of a few years.

If you had 3 friends who came together and didn’t purchase those Jordans you’d have $1000 to start a digital business and purchase software and educational materials to master the software over the next year. The following year you’d have mastered your software and now have another $1000 from not purchasing the next set of Jordans at your disposal to incorporate and start a local business such as digital design and marketing which you could offer your services to local businesses in your community that are in need for an affordable cost since everything you do from then on is to pay back your initial

BY ABDUL TUBMAN

investment and then make profit. If your newly started business had ten clients and charged $10 a month, you’d have your initial investment back in ten months from those clients. During this time you’d be looking for more clientele and expanding your services which would increase your revenue stream to increase your profits. This would then lower your payback time to shorter than 10 months.

From the example above you invested in yourself and the people around you. You generated value for your services and built a network in your community. As long as your services continue to add value to your clients you can slowly increase your wealth and theirs. This creates a symbiotic relationship and generates wealth for yourself and overall wealth in your community which you can then grow and eventually pass to others to help do the same.

When you’re learning about money they don’t teach you the difference between being rich and being wealthy. Being rich is tied to an arbitrary number of money, or rather a sum of money in your head. Being rich is relative to the personal belief of a person. $1 million? $2 million? $50 million? Being wealthy is tied to legacy and what you’ll pass along to subsequent generations. A bad decision can make you go from rich to poor overnight but if you’re wealthy you have the network to rebuild that wealth with people who are invested in you and your potential.

When you as an individual aspire to be rich you forget that money isn’t real or tangible, however your network is almost a living organism that can grow if you give it energy and life.

If we can master our ability to come together to build and grow wealth, we can lift our respective communities. We need to focus on the community and not the individuals as we are stronger together than we are apart. We have the potential for greatness within us. Great leaders fought for our freedoms and our rights, we just have to pick up where they left off. We have to start working together and not putting each other down when we fail.

Failure only happens when an individual gives up so we have to start by stopping the microaggressions towards each other. It’s OK to be smart, it’s OK to be eloquent, it’s OK like other things that are not considered the normal black things. A community is a group of people working together for something greater for themselves and the people who will come after them.

Just remember that as your community grows, your wealth will grow, which means you have a responsibility to help the next group of people ready to step up. Help them, lift them up and it will lift yourself in the process. Remember that anyone can be rich but not everyone has wealth.

KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN JR. RESPONDS TO CHIEFS OF POLICE NO BLACK VOTE WITHOUT LETTER ON NYC POLICE REFORM A BLACK AGENDA OR BLACK POWER!

BY DAMON K. JONES

BY AJ WOODSON

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23)

a young black boy or girl is beaten by police on social media.

Politics unspoken rule is it’s quid pro quo but what have the masses of Black people receive for their vote? Was there ever a Memorandum of Understanding for what we get for our vote? The lack of Black Power and a Black Political Agenda give a false sense of security that we live in a post-racial society.

There is an old saying, just because you’re my Skinfolk doesn’t mean you’re my Kinfolk. The meaning of this day refers to that just because you are the same color that I am does not mean you’re going to represent me as one of yours. Only 38 percent (4 out of 10) of Black people view political representation in elected positions as a catalyst for increased equality, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center survey.

Polling done by the Pew Research Center has suggested that among self-identified Democrats, blacks and Latinos are less likely to describe themselves as liberal than whites. The majority of blacks say they are moderate (44 percent) or conservative (27 percent), while just 26 percent said that they are liberal.

So, what benefits have black folks received for their loyalty and their vote? Is there anything that black people are getting for their vote that no other ethnic group is getting?

Black politics with no real, local, state or federal Black agenda has hampered the navigation or any negotiations with other political parties.

Bad enough, even Black Republicans have fell victim to no real Black agenda in a Trump-era political landscape of the Republican Party

Where are the plans from our Black elected officials for the advancement of Black People? Where are the long-standing economic strategies? Not just the usual seasonal jobs that handed out as political favors. Black People need substantial commitments on policy roadmaps.

Instead of being sheppards to community success, we have paid political announcers.

Our ancestors fought and died for the right to vote, for us to use this vote to empower the masses with change. They did not make these sacrifices for a select few kneegrows to prosper. I have always said, Black folks lack the Marine Corps mindset that the platoon does not go any faster than the slowest man. Meaning, if one family in the Black community is without shelter, without clothing, without economic standing; then we all are in that same condition. Our ancestors never intended fo us to give our vote to the highest bidder or some Black symbolic gesture. They did it for political, policy and economic freedom, something we have not yet have accomplished.

The Criminalization Bill Signed into Law by Mayor De Blasio in NYC calling for greater police transparency and accountability is being met with opposition by police in Westchester County.

They are restricting their officers from assisting NYPD because of this recent legislation.

President of the Chiefs Association Chris McNerney and Chief Criminal Investigator of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office

District Attorney’s Office stated that “there position is precipitated by the recent legislation proposed by NYC Council and signed my Mayor De Blasio that criminalizes the act of putting a knee on the back or chest of a violently noncompliant individual when effecting and arrest”

Chief McNerney let me say that I am saddened by your position on this, as you are the Chief Criminal Investigator for the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and part of the newly formed Police Training Task Force created by County Executive George Latimer, whose main goal is to review in detail all of the procedures and policies that are used at the county police academy, to train new police recruits and provide in-service training for those who are already working in law enforcement.

It’s clear you have already stated your position on this subject matter and that it is okay to put a knee on the back or chest of a violently noncompliant individual when effecting and arrest when more times than not it is more than one officer effecting that arrest, so your position on this says that we can’t trust you to be a part of a task force that is supposed to protect us from racist violence.

This is another reason why community organizers and stakeholders have demanded that NYS Attorney General Letitia James look at all the investigations conducted by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office from the beginning of the 1994 administration to the present in which people have been seriously injured or killed at the hands of the police. The Chiefs Associations position on this leads me to believe that many cases investigated by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office were never sincerely or thoroughly prosecuted.

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SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER SINCE 2014

“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

- John Lewis COMPLIMENTARY

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

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