Volume 6/ Issue 5 BW December 2022 Issue

THE BLACK LOVE SERIES: IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

BY LOVING YOURSELF

by damon k. jones - page 21

BY AJ WOODSON PAGE 9

CE Latimer announced his disapproval and veto of proposed menthol and flavor tobacco ban – Local Law Intro. No 461-2022 – and announces a Westchester Tabacco Free Program, Monday, December 12th. The new Tobacco Free Program will include a tobacco education campaign – funding and implement a robust $3 million-dollar public education campaign to all residents highlighting the dangers of tobacco usage... continues on page 14

DECEMBER

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.

Founded in 2014 by DAMON K. JONES

AJ WOODSON

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Editor-In-Chief

AJ WOODSON

@BWEditorInChief

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Brenda L. Crump

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PS Visually Speakin’

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Letters To The Editor BWEditorInChief@gmail.com

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.

A FEW WORDS FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Welcome to our December 15, 2022 issue, our last issue of 2022

In this issue we extensively cover the Menthol Cigarette Ban proposed and passed by the Westchester County Board of Legislators and vetoed by County Executive George Latimer including voices who we for and opposed to the ban.

We also introduce our Black Love Series

We wish everyone a Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah. No matter whatever is you celebrate have a happy, healthy and blessed holiday season.. See you in 2023

We would like to take this time to thank all the readers, listeners, supporters, sponsors, contributors, and advertisers 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 to the editor to BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com.

Peace and Blessings

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

BLACK WESTCHESTER MAGAZINE DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY CLAIMS OF ADVERTISEMENTS THAT APPEAR IN PRINT OR ANY OTHER DIGITAL OR AUDIO FORMAT. ADVERTISEMENTS DO NOT INFLUENCE EDITORIAL DECISIONS OR CONTENT, WE ARE THE FREE PRESS!

YONKERS POLICE SERGEANT WAS KILLED IN MULTI-VEHICLE ACCIDENT

YONKERS – A 24-year veteran of the Yonkers Police Department was killed in a multi-vehicle crash Thursday, authorities said.

The accident occurred on Tuckahoe Road at the Sprain Brook Parkway overpass at approximately 3:30 p.m., according to police.

The Sergeant – whose identity is being withheld pending family notifications – was on-duty driving an unmarked police vehicle, was traveling westbound on Tuckahoe Road when a BMW sedan traveling eastbound apparently lost control and crossed into the opposite lanes, striking the Sergeant’s vehicle and a Westchester County Bee-Line bus, according to the Yonkers Police Department.

The Sergeant was the sole occupant of the police vehicle; he was transported to a local area trauma center in critical condition where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the BMW, who was also the sole occupant of his vehicle, was transported to a local area trauma center in critical condition. The operator of the bus suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and several of the approximately thirty bus passengers were treated at scene for minor injuries. The accident occurred at approximately 3:30 PM.

The accident remains under investigation by the Yonkers Police Department and Westchester County Department of Public Safety. Tuckahoe Road was immediately closed in both directions; commuters were warned to avoid the area.

“Our hearts are broken tonight, and we ask that you please keep the Sergeant’s family in your thoughts and prayers,” a Yonkers Police Department spokesperson said in a news release.

Stay tuned to Black Westchester for more this developing story. The City of Yonkers and Yonkers Police Department will be holding a press conference Friday regarding this fatal accident. “

CE LATIMER ANNOUNCES FREE RIDES TO CONTINUE ON THE BEE-LINE BUS DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Just in time for the holiday season, free Bee-Line Bus fares will continue from Dec. 7 through Dec. 26.

“This holiday season, we want people to visit with family and friends, and we want them to shop and go to work with ease. Leave the driving to us, and save some money this holiday season,” CE Latimer said. “From Yorktown to Yonkers, we have a robust system that can get you where you need to go. Now is a perfect time to try out the Bee-Line system if you haven’t already. We take great pride in the fact that our buses are safe, clean and accessible.”

This past summer, and during Thanksgiving week, the County offered free Bee-Line bus rides and the system experienced a 37% increase in ridership during the three-month period of June, July and Aug., compared to the prior three-month period in March, April and May.

Latimer said: “The benefit we are providing to the traveling public is about $2.6 million if we see the same level of increase during Thanksgiving week, and the holiday shopping period in December.”

The Bee-Line Bus System offers a cleaner, greener, more cost-effective way for residents to travel the County. The promotion is valid on all routes in the fixed route bus system, including the express route into Manhattan, the BxM4C. Free rides are also valid on the Bee-Line ParaTransit system.

Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Public Works & Transportation Hugh Greechan said: “We’ve made a lot of recent improvements to our Bee-Line bus fleet including the addition of 106 brand new 40-foot

27TH ANNUAL CEREMONY TO HONOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ON JANUARY 16TH

The Town of Ridgefield will present the 27th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, honoring the legacy of the great civil rights leader with an awards ceremony, speakers and performances. The Spirit of Dr. King Community Service Award is presented each year to a member of our town who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to community service and selflessness in the finest traditions of Dr. Martin Luther King. This annual tradition honors the memory of Dr. King and celebrates how that memory lives on in the good works of Ridgefielders today. This year’s ceremony honors Wendy Lionetti, who has served the community of Ridgefield – both officially and unofficially – for nearly 20 years, in the Town Assessor’s office, the First Selectman’s office and now as Town Clerk. Wendy volunteers her time and service to several community activities and organizations, including SPHERE, where she launched SPHERE-It Creations several years ago and holds weekly jewelry-making workshops with SPHERE members. The 27th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration will take place on Monday, January 16 at 3pm at The Ridgefield Playhouse.

Begun in 1997 as one of several community activities and initiatives organized and sponsored by ROUND (Ridgefielders Organized for Understanding and Diversity), the MLK celebration has become an enduring and highly regarded new tradition in Ridgefield. The purpose is to ensure that the spirit with which Dr. King lived and the struggles for which he died are remembered and live on in the hearts and minds of our community. When Rudy Marconi took office as First Selectman in 1999, he became Ridgefield’s first elected official to formally participate and has joined Mark Robinson as a co-organizer of the event ever since.

Over the years the town’s MLK Jr. Day celebration has changed and grown, from standing on the steps outside of the Community Center, to becoming a larger event in the basement of Town Hall, to becoming even more celebratory when moved to The Ridgefield Playhouse in 2013. This is now the tenth year that the Martin Luther King Day ceremony has been held at The Ridgefield Playhouse and the event has grown with multiple performers and drawing crowds upwards of 250 attendees. “The town looks forward to the celebration of the King Holiday. The King Holiday serves as a focal point for establishing and maintaining community service involving millions of Americans throughout the year to address critical social problems of this nation and to help improve the quality of life for humankind,” said Mark Robinson, ceremony organizer and former member of the state’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission.

hybrid/electric buses. This is the perfect opportunity for Westchester residents to leave your cars at home, and take a free ride on one of our clean, comfortable state-of-the-art buses.”

Director of the Office for People with Disabilities Evan Latainer said: “County Executive Latimer is once again providing our ParaTransit ridership the opportunity to travel the Bee Line ParaTransit system free of charge during this upcoming holiday season. This will once again provide our ridership with great savings during this time period to go out and about Westchester County at no cost. Riders should take pleasure in traveling for work, recreation and other needs during this time period.”

For more information about the free rides program call (914) 813-7777. An information agent is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Bee-Line is Westchester County’s bus system, serving over 27 million passengers annually with convenient service connecting residents to jobs, recreation, shopping and other regional transportation services. It is the second largest transit bus fleet in New York State, operated by the County’s Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T).

Over 65 percent of all Westchester County residents are within walking distance of a Bee-Line bus route, making the bus both close and convenient. The system has over 3,300 bus stops and almost 60 routes. All Bee-Line buses are accessible, and designed with many accessibility features including “kneeling” buses, ramps and lifts.

B. SURE! FIRST TV INTERVIEW SINCE OVER -

IN FIRST POST-RECOVERY INTERVIEW, LEGENDARY NEW JACK SWING AMBASSADOR R&B CROONER, NATIONALLY SYNDICATED VOICE OF NIGHTTIME RADIO & SOCIAL ACTIVIST AL B. SURE! DETAILS OVERCOMING LIFE-THREATENING HEALTH SCARE

Offers Inspiration to Persist Through Life’s Challenges: ‘If I can use my personal health crisis to influence, help or inspire others, I did my job

Al B. Sure! – the legendary singer, songwriter, producer, radio host, and social justice activist – sat for his first interview since a series of health threats this year that included receiving a new organ, being intubated, getting placed on a ventilator, and at one point being considered for hospice care. In an interview with Good Day New York that aired this week, Mr. Sure! detailed his long road to recovery and his persistence to overcome these challenges.

Al got bariatric surgery and began to look and feel better. Then earlier this year, he was rushed to the hospital after collapsing while working on new music. He then fell into a coma for more than two months.

He had multiple illnesses, including renal failure. He was given a tracheotomy. Doctors talked about putting him in hospice. Al was close to death. Somehow, he turned things around and is on the road to recovery.

“What people don’t truly understand — unless you’ve been through this type of medical journey — is taking for granted breathing, tying your shoes, speaking,” Al said.

On Friday, December 9th, the Mount Vernon native surprised Rev. Al Sharpton at the Harlem premiere of Loudmouth, the highly acclaimed documentary on the civil rights leader’s life and career. After doctors warned Mr. Sure! might never sing after a tracheotomy this year, he once again overcame the odds by cutting the radio ad for Loudmouth.

Now with a second lease on life, Al takes nothing for granted and is grateful to be alive. He’s also the recipient of a new liver.

AL

COMING LIFE-THREATENING HEALTH JOURNEY

PCSB BANK’S MICHELLE A. NICHOLAS RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

This commitment and the creation of several new initiatives to impact culture, spearheaded by Ms. Nicholas to spotlight DE&I in PCSB’s operations, has also led to her being named to City & State’s Westchester Power 100 list. In addition to Michelle A. Nicholas, the City & State’s Westchester Power 100 list highlighted prominent leaders in various sectors, including government officials, business executives, health care leaders, nonprofit heads, advocates and activists. The 2022 Power List includes IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna, PepsiCo’s CEO Ramon Laguarta, Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

Ms. Nicholas was also selected for Westfair Communications’ (Fairfield & Westchester Business Journals) 2022 C-Suite Awards honoring leadership and outstanding organizations.

“We congratulate Michelle on this exciting array of well-deserved awards,” said Joseph D. Roberto, Chairman, President & CEO, PCSB Bank. “These recognitions reflect the profound impact of the DE&I initiatives that she enabled our bank to create and launch, substantially broadening opportunities for those in our communities.”

Ms. Nicholas commented, “I am grateful to be selected for these honors—and particularly to have the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives in many ways. The work being done is always intentional. From creating employee-first spaces and promoting DE&I institution-wide, to advancing homeownership, to supporting local nonprofits through the PCSB Community Foundation, it is always meaningful to work with an organization that prioritizes these values and puts them into action. I’m proud to elevate this mission.”

Featured in 914 INC.’s Women in Business & City & State’s Westchester Power 100 List

PCSB Bank’s focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) has been recognized through four major awards presented during the past three months to Michelle A. Nicholas, Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Community Development.

As the first hire of its kind in Westchester County’s banking community, Ms. Nicholas’ engagement signaled the importance that PCSB has accorded to advancing a positive DE&I culture and community involvement as fundamental principles of its growth in serving its local communities. In her role at PCSB, Ms. Nicholas is responsible for shaping the Bank’s DE&I strategy as well as engaging external audiences on areas of community development throughout its lower Hudson Valley footprint.

In the November/December issue of the 914 INC. magazine, Ms. Nicholas was named as one of 24 Women in Business in Westchester County and she was accorded the prestige of being featured on the magazine’s cover. Ms. Nicholas is also being awarded with the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access) Champion Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter for her work in advancing best practices in diversity, and her ability to bridge communities and create opportunities for all voices to be heard.

Upon joining PCSB Bank in 2021, Ms. Nicholas brought extensive senior-level experience in the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors, including serving as Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Westchester County and Vice President, Development and External Affairs at Family Services of Westchester. She is chair of the Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee of Nonprofit Westchester, co-chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at United Way of Westchester and Putnam and the Economic Development Committee at Westchester County’s African American Advisory Board.

About PCSB Bank: PCSB Bank (www.pcsb.com), a New York-chartered stock commercial bank, has served the banking needs of its customers in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York State since 1871. It operates from its executive offices/headquarters and 14 branch offices located throughout Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties in New York.

AT&T

TEAMS WITH URBAN LEAGUE OF WESTCHESTER TO OPEN DIGITAL LEARNING LAB

New lab will provide free access to devices, digital learning resources, and greater connectivity for students and parents at the Urban League of Westchester County’s headquarters in White Plains

AT&T and the Urban League of Westchester County were joined by White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, New York State Senator Jamaal Bailey, New York State Assembly Member Amy Paulin and other elected officials, local school children and community stakeholders to launch a new stateof-the-art AT&T Digital Learning Lab @ ULWC to help bridge the digital divide across Westchester County.

As part of its commitment to help close the digital divide, AT&T* has teamed up with the Urban League of Westchester County (ULWC) to open a new state-of-the-art AT&T Digital Learning Lab in Westchester County located in White Plains, which will provide computers, digital education tools, mentoring and internet access for children who face digital literacy barriers that threaten to undermine their long-term success. The AT&T Digital Learning Lab @ ULWC, housed at the Urban League’s headquarters, 61 Mitchell Pl., White Plains includes 20 new computers, tablets, computer furniture, printers, a copier, a smartboard, software, tools for digital literacy classes, broadband, new electrical wiring, a security system, extensive room renonvations and much more.

Across Westchester County, it’s estimated that more than 17,000 K-12 students1 are impacted by the digital divide and don’t have connectivity, digital literacy or the internet-enabled devices they need at home.

“I want to thank AT&T and the Urban League of Westchester County for coming together to help close the digital divide for children in our area by opening this state-of-the-art digital learning lab,” said New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “Nearly every career requires digital communication skills at some point, and this program will help equip underserved youth with the skills necessary for employment and everyday life. Access to computers, connectivity and knowing how to navigate the digital world should not be luxuries, they’re basic rights that can open many doors for all.”

AT&T continues to invest in bringing wireless broadband and connectivity to this region. From 2019-2021, the company expanded coverage and improved connectivity with a nearly $1.6 billion investment in its wireless network in the New York.

WORKING AT BEING RADICAL, DR. ANGELA Y. DAVIS STILL CONQUERING THE MIC

BY CYNTHIA TURNQUEST- JONES

26, 1944, in Birmingham, Alabama. “We weren’t allowed to do many things because of racial segregation. Birmingham created an atmosphere where Black children had to stand across the street watching white children attend the amusement park. Black children were not allowed to attend an amusement park.

Angela’s school was a shack. With old books. With outdated furniture. With hand me downs. We were upset. We were unable to go to the library. Unable to visit the museums. But my mother never allowed us to believe that the situation existed because of individual White people. She told them they were right to be upset. The United States was reserved for White People. She shared that her mother was convinced that one day things will be different. Especially if we dedicated ourselves to demand change.”

Overcoming Controversy, Angela Davis Speaks To Hundreds At Nyack Church

“Education is Liberation. There is no Liberation without Education,” Dr. Angela Y. Davis shared hundreds who believe in being radical at the packed Pilgrim Baptist Church located at 80 N Franklin St, Nyack, Thursday, December 1st.

After a scheduled speaking engagement at North Rockland High School was canceled due to community opposition, the desire to meet Angela Davis continued. The University of California, Santa Cruz professor’s visit to Nyack was a hush event due to threats. The North Rockland High School students were backed by Nyack NAACP, Liberation for Education Network, Hayward Publishing, For Our Kinds NY, Inc., Pilgrim Baptist Church’s Pastor Carl Washington, and activist from near and far.

Critical Race Theory. She was great friends with the late Toni Morris who resided in Rockland County. Davis shared that she knew where she was coming to before she got here. She was prompted our memories that the curriculum in Rockland Country needs to be looked over. Books being banned or challenged is plaguing Rockland School System. Books not being included in the curriculum. Profound attacks on books and freedom of expression in the United States escaped during the tenure of the forty fifth president of the United States.

The churched roared as she entered, “I am not the figure they create. They distort the movement. Misconstrued and misrepresent what it means to struggle for Justice.”

How Did We Get Here? A group called the VOICE at North Rockland High School wanted to meet Angela Davis. They searched for a speaker and became interested in the political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. They read her books and researched her journey.

Angela Yvonne Davis is best known as a radical African American educator and activist for Civil Rights, Food Justice, The Movement for Black Liberation The Fight Against Black Power, Democracy and for freedom. When asked about being called a radical, Angela broke it down with pleasure.

The meaning of radical is ROOT. It means to understand things at their root. Not the surface. It is full understanding what is needs to be changed if we want to imagine living in a place where freedom and democracy prevails. “I WORK AT BEING RADICAL ALL THE TIME!”

Sharing about her years in Alabama. She was born on January

Angela voiced, “The Critical Race Theory is a very important development. It is also about recognition of history. They don’t want their children to know what their ancestors did in the past. At the same time, they are clinging on the past.“

Why Are Black People Able to Vote? Dr. Angela Davis spoke as the room grasped on to words of intelligence.

“Why are Black People able to vote? We are able to vote because of a collective vision of what is possible in the future. You don’t have to be an Activist. You can do it as an educator. We should never assume what exist in the present represents what we will see in the future. It is different today. Change has happened. It has been brought about as a consequence for standing up. Radical Change. Centuries of struggle. We understand that is possible for the world to change. We do not have to live with institutions of racism for the rest of time. The structural engineering of Slavery is still strong and Covid revealed that.”

She continues, “Deep structural racism is shown in Health care. Deep structural racism is shown in Housing. Deep structural racism is shown in Mass Incarceration. Deep structural racism is shown in Police brutality. Become familiar with “Racial Capitalism.”

On Hope, the founding member of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS) reminded us that, “Music that has given us hope. Music that has given us joy is the music that is putting an end to the long quest of freedom and equality. Musicians like Nina Simone who sang, “I wish I knew how it would feel to be free.”

She ended with a word of hope,” We’ve managed to hold on to hope. We have been able to transmit hope from one generation to the next. To the children in this room, you are the benefactors of hope.” Black Power.

WITH CIGARETTE SMOKING RATES DOWN SHARPLY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS, THE WESTCHESTER MENTHOL BAN IS MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

BY AJ WOODSON

So even after the passing of this legislation making it illegal for stores to sell nicotine across the board isn’t making a difference and preventing minors from getting their hands on these items, what does the Westchester County Legislators think an additional ban will do? I tell you what it will do, create a bigger black market! So, the argument the legislators and their supporters are taking this action is to save our youth falls a little short. If they are really concerned about the youth, making sure the current state law in enforced in Westchester County would seem to make sense as a good place to start.

Since 2019, Gallup has measured Americans’ use of electronic cigarettes, also known as “vaping,” separately from its measure of cigarette smoking. Between 2019 and 2022, an average of 7% of U.S. adults reported smoking e-cigarettes in the past week. However, vaping is far more common among 18to 29-year-olds, at 19%, than among older age groups, including 7% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 3% of 50- to 64-year-olds and less than 1% of those 65 and older. Given these differences, young adults are more likely to vape than to smoke cigarettes, while among older age groups, cigarette smoking prevails.

Westchester County is sending mixed signals on age-restricted projects: marijuana is okay, but menthol is not?

Westchester County is sending mixed signals when it comes to age-restricted products. After New York State legalizes adult-use marijuana, which was a smart move so it can be taxed, and you won’t surrender the market to other states or the black market. But what doesn’t make sense is Westchester County Legislators passing a flavored tobacco ban, Monday, November 28th, that will just send menthol cigarettes, mint smokeless and vape into those same black markets. Add the loss of $36 Million plus in tax revenue, without a health plan to help menthol smokers quit smoking and you have the very definition of symbolism without substance. It’s definitely time for some REAL TALK!

One of the biggest sources county legislators quoted was Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, who is President of the NAACP New York State Conference and a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors, a member of the NAACP Executive Committee and well as an active member of various NAACP board sub-committees. Dr. Dukes, county legislators and others who support the ban talk about tobacco companies targeting Black America, particularly Black youth. But Gallup “a global analytics and advice firm that helps leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems,” tell a different story when it comes to young adults.

Gallup reports that rate has fallen from 35% to 12% in the past two decades, young adults more likely to smoke e-cigarettes, marijuana than tobacco and smoking among young adults may be shifting from tobacco to e-cigarettes.

“As the percentage of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes has reached a new low of 11% this year, much of the decline is tied to sharply lower smoking rates among young adults. From 2001 to 2003, an average of 35% of U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 29 said they smoked cigarettes, compared with 12% in the latest estimate.

This 23-percentage-point decline among young adults is more than double that of any other age group over that time. As a result of these changes, young adults have moved from the group most likely to smoke cigarettes to the second-least likely, with a rate higher than only the oldest Americans,” Gallup reported Monday

It has been Black Westchester’s position if they are truly concerned about our community why are they only target Menthol Cigarettes and not ALL CIGARETTES. They articulate that more Blacks smoke menthol cigarettes, but even their own specialist Dr. Phillip Gardiner, a Public Health activist, administrator, evaluator and researcher who is currently the Co-Chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC), a group of Black professionals dedicated to fighting the scourge of tobacco impacting African American communities, admitted it’s Nicotine that is the highly addictive chemical compound present in a tobacco plant, when he appeared on our radio show. And since all tobacco products contain nicotine, including cigarettes why are we not banning the sale of all cigarettes. I personally know several smokers who do not smoke menthol. They risk all the same risk to health including addiction. Also, what if smokers simply substitute non-mentholated cigarettes, the ban has no effect on ending smoking and increasing the health of our community

The other problem Black Westchester and others who have spoken out against this ban, including the Grand Council of Guardians, the National Action Network, Eric Garner’s mom Gwen Carr, NYS Assemblyman Nadar Sayegh (Dist. 90), Damon K. Jones of Blacks in Law Enforcement of America (BLEA), Reverend Dr. Carl L. Washington, Jr., Mount Vernon resident and Pastor of the New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Harlem, Sylvia T. Miranda of The National Latino Officers Assoc. (NLOA), Andre Wallace Former Mayor of Mount Vernon, George Brown Vice Chair of the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee, Jesse Van Lew co-founder of Save Mount Vernon, James Nolan Westchester County Legislator District 15 and others, is this ban has no plans to deal with the health aspect, providing counseling, patches, nicotine gum and other items or services to help individuals stop smoking.

Black Westchester is not advocating for or encouraging anyone to smoke cigarettes, but if the legislators have identified smoking as an addiction and they claim to be doing this for the better health of the Black and Brown communities of Westchester County, why doesn’t this legislation have anything in it for prevention and assisting those addicted to break the addiction. This is why I say this ban, this legislation that was passed 11-6 on Monday, November 28th is just symbolism without substance.

Black Westchester encourages County Executive to VETO this ban when it comes across his desk. We are not saying a ban of cigarettes is bad but that it falls short of accomplishing the goals the legislators claim they want to accomplish. This ban will only cause many menthol smokers to turn to smuggled (untaxed) products, which will cost the County almost $40 million in tax revenue without putting a major dent in the use of menthol cigarettes in the county. Especially in southern cities like Mount Vernon and Yonkers that boarder the Bronx and make up a majority of Blacks in Westchester.

State lawmakers understand that a reduction in the sale of legal, taxed cigarettes will reduce their cigarette-tax revenues. That is straightforward enough and why they haven’t moved to make the sale of menthol cigarette illegal and are asking the county to take a step back as well. Even the Congressional Black Caucus cannot come to a consensus, the support of such legislation is split down the middle.

Cigarettes currently face a federal tax of $1.01 per pack, and, on average, an additional $1.91 in state taxes, even more in New York State. Moreover, most states collect general sales taxes on cigarettes as well, and all states receive payments from the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), a legal settlement between the tobacco industry and state governments that translates to about $0.75 per pack paid by the tobacco companies. States rely on this revenue when planning state budgets.

Let’s look at what would a federal ban on these mentholated products do to revenues? According to Tax Foundation research, the federal government could lose $1.9 billion in the first full year following prohibition. That’s a drop in the bucket of federal coffers. But state governments may lose a combined $4.7 billion. And again remember New York State, especially New York City have even higher taxes on cigarettes than many other states, that’s why there is such a Black Market in New York for cigarettes smuggled up from southern states like Virginia and Georgia. The Westchester ban will only increase that ban with the state and county getting even less tax revenue. Why not take some of that tax revenue and invest in education, and prevention.

Gallup trends through 2012 showed that young adults were the age group most likely to smoke cigarettes. Between 2013 and 2015, their smoking rates dipped below those of 30- to 49-year-olds, and by 2018, these had also fallen behind 50- to 64-year-olds’ smoking rates.

Now, the percentage of young adults who smoke is four points above that for those 65 years and older, the age group that has consistently been least likely to smoke.

Not to mention the fact the NYS Article 13-F Section 1399-CC of the NYS Public Health Law prohibited the sale of tobacco and vapor products and smoking paraphernalia to people under the age of 21.

§ 1399-cc. Sale of tobacco products, herbal cigarettes, liquid nicotine, shisha, rolling papers or smoking paraphernalia to minors prohibited.

In contrast to the decline in cigarette smoking among young adults, use of marijuana in this age group has increased, according to Gallup trends dating to 2013. Between 2019 and 2022, an average of 26% of young adults indicated they smoked marijuana, up from 17% between 2013 and 2015. More than twice as many young adults now say they smoke marijuana as smoke cigarettes. Marijuana smoking is also more common among young adults than vaping.

So once again I say to try to sell the public that you are doing this to limit the use of menthol among our youth is much ado about nothing.

REAL TALK WITH AJ WOODSON BLACK WESTCHESTER 9

CHARTER SCHOOL OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

We are accepting new student applications for Grades K-12

INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS:

JANUARY 4, 2023 AT 9:00AM

JANUARY 18, 2023 AT 1:00PM

FEBRUARY 15, 2023 AT 4:00PM

FEBRUARY 28, 2023 AT 5:00PM

MARCH 8, 2023 AT 4:00PM

MARCH 22, 2023 AT 4:00PM

MARCH 25, 2023 AT 10:00AM

APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 3, 2023 at 4:00PM

LOTTERY DATE: April 12, 2023

For an application or more information please call 914-476-5070 Ext. 4

Estamos aceptando solicitudes para los grados K-12

SESIONES INFORMATIVAS:

Enero 4 del 2023 a las 9:00AM

Enero 18 del 2023 a las 1:00PM

Febrero 15 del 2023 a las 4:00PM

Febrero 28 del 2023 a las 5:00PM

Marzo 8 del 2023 a las 4:00PM

Marzo 22 del 2023 a las 4:00PM

Marzo 25 del 2023 a las 10:00AM

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EL SORTEO SELLEVARA A CABO: 12 DE ABRIL, 2023

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High School informational sessions by appointment only

Please contact Mrs. Carmen Goldberg at cgoldberg@cseeschool.org to schedule an appointment

“We aim to inspire, motivate and instill a love for learning in all children”

ANDRÉ WALLACE RECEIVES COMMUNITY PARTNERS

AWARD AT WESTCOP 57TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION

Former

Wallace received Community Partner Award at the Westchester Community Opportunity Program (WESTCOP)’s 57 Annual Celebration, Friday, December 9th at the VIP County Club located at 600 Davenport Avenue in New Rochelle. Wallace, President of Creative Direction Construction & Design and the National Builders Association was honored for his long history or creating a path to help people build their futures.

“This award is near and dear to my heart. But it’s important to remember you can win many awards, you can make millions of dollars, but it means nothing if we are not lifting up those around us as well,” Wallace said in his acceptance speech.

Mr. Wallace has worked with WestCop for over 15 years and has trained over 1500 youth over the past decade or so and helped over 1100 obtain good paying jobs.

“He has shown what it means to be a community partner,” WestCOP CEO Kiron Dawkins told those in attendance as he presented this award to André Wallace.

Other recipients of the Community Partner Award were Miriam Kerness of QUALITYstarsNY, Rachel C. Halperin – Chief Executive Officers of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley and Anthony Vaccaro – President of Brooklyn Mechanical. Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey received the Community Leadership Award and Paulette Chappell-Warren received the Winston Ross Award.

100’s were in attendance for WestCop’s elegant gala which included a cocktail hour, welcome address from the event’s master of ceremony Jamie Roberts, acknowledgements by WestCOP’s CEO Kiron Dawkins, presentation of awards followed by dinner, dancing and entertainment – which included a live band, comedy, a salsa performance, DJ, magician and casino.

Mount Vernon Mayor André

WHAT IF WE WORKED TOGETHER TO MAKE HAR RIS OUR PRESIDENT IN 2024? BY CHRISTIANA BEST – GIACOMINI, PH.D

The world is fixated on whether Joe Biden should run for reelection –particularly since he just celebrated his 80th birthday. The argument always begins with whether he is physically or mentally fit to run and all the media agree that he is fit today, but there are many who are concerned that at 82 years it will be asking too much of him. Still, during the COVID – 19 crisis and the war in Ukraine, his administration managed to get a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package and a $1.9 trillion relief package passed. The Biden Administration has appointed 41 federal judges, many of whom are women and people of color. He suspended federal executions. He rejoined the international Paris Climate Accord and signed an executive order that overturned the ban on openly transgender members in the U.S (United States) military.

When Biden took office, the unemployment rate was at 6.3 %; currently, it is 3.6%, an impressive record in my book. With that said, there is a growing inflation rate – a surge of over 13%, a 30 – year high, while wages rose just 8%. Americans are paying more for groceries; their 401(k) has decreased; and, as of November 25, 2022, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage is 7.32% – up from 5.5% in August. The immigration issue continues to be unresolved with both the left and right sides of the political aisle dissatisfied. After 3 years in office, some respond with a nod to the question of whether Biden should run in the 2024 election, but others say no. Biden himself has refused to answer the question definitively.

My question as a democrat is, if not Biden, then who? The most obvious answer is Vice President Kamala Harris. When the pundits explore the issue of a Harris candidacy for the presidency, many arguments against a run are raised. Some posit that she is dishonest; to which, I call on them to show me an honest politician. Others point out that she did not make it to Iowa in the 2020 primary. However, when we look back at the top 3 democratic candidates who made it to Iowa – Pete Buttigieg with 26.2% of the votes, Bernie Sanders with 26.1%, and Elizabeth Warren with 18.06 – it should be noted that Biden came in fourth with 18.06%. Similarly, he ranked fifth in New Hampshire.

It was not until South Carolina that the Biden campaign got revived thanks to Representative Jim Clyburn’s endorsement –otherwise known as the kingmaker in South Carolina. Is America ready for a female president? Whenever a woman runs for president in the United States, she is often seen as challenging the sociopolitical order and as a result, demonized. The first woman to do so in this country was Victoria Woodhull, an advocate, and a businessperson who owned a weekly newspaper and a brokerage firm. Woodhull ran in 1872 as a member of the Equal Rights Party fifty years before white women could vote. The first Black

woman to run for President was Shirley Chisholm in 1972, one hundred years after Woodhull. By this time, Representative Chisholm had spent four years in Congress as the first Black congressperson. While she got support from Black women, Chisholm was not supported by Black men, white men, or white women. Since Woodhull and Chisholm, several women have run for President including Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, and Kamala Harris. All four of these women and others, such as Stacey Abrams, may want to run as the democratic presidential candidate in 2024.

However, given that Kamala Harris is currently serving as the Vice President, why isn’t the democratic party putting its full force behind Harris? There are many reasons. Some people question her competency. Others claim she is not a natural-born citizen because her parents were not born in the United States. Is any of this true? After all she would be running against Donald Trump. When Trump ran for President and won in 2016, he was not as qualified or competent as Harris, who was a district attorney, California’s attorney general, and senator prior to her current position as Vice President. Regarding her citizenship, from my understanding, the constitution stipulates that to be president you must be a natural-born citizen which means you must be born in the United States and its territories; Kamala was born in California. America, it is time to come into the light and adopt an intersectional framework and move beyond racism and misogyny and join the rest of the world such as Great Britain, Germany, India, Chile, Switzerland, and several other countries with female heads of state. Do not get me wrong, I do not contend that Vice President Harris is perfect but who is? If all women and people of color were held to the same standard as white men, many of the female candidates above would be considered overqualified for the job of the presidency. We need to work together for a better future. Calling all the kingmakers – or rather queenmakers – to give Kamala a chance. Support her, endorse her, and vote for her. The stakes are too high, not to do so!

LATIMER VETOES MENTHOL BAN, ANNOUNCES WESTCHESTER TOBACCO FREE PROGRAM

BY AJ WOODSON

Westchester County Executive

George Latimer announced his disapproval and veto of proposed menthol and flavor tobacco ban – Local Law Intro. No 461-2022 – and announces a Westchester Tabacco Free Program, Monday, December 12th. The new Tobacco Free Program will include a tobacco education campaign – funding and implement a robust $3 milliondollar public education campaign to all residents highlighting the dangers of tobacco usage, offer to help smokers quit smoking and to support local community efforts to quit smoking

“We will include a new direct grant program to community-based nonprofits directly involved in tobacco cessation as part of their anti-addiction efforts in particular those groups like local NAACP branches who have advocated for efforts to reduce smoking in communities of color,” CE Latimer informed. “This program will be crafted with the assistance and oversight of members of the Board of Legislators to assure we are reaching all smokers regardless of their geographic or demographics status. This effort will involve our health department, community mental health department, youth board and other related departments and offices of Westchester County Government to assure it success.”

CE Latimer also announced a Tobacco Enforcement Campaign, a multilevel program that the county will develop working with state and local government resources to assure improved enforcement of the county’s existing 21 age limit, under the leadership of Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins.

Westchester County Board of Legislators passed a flavored tobacco ban, 11-6 on Monday, November 28th,

that had the potential to send menthol cigarettes, mint smokeless and vape sales into an already existing black market.

Some groups and individuals like the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC), a group of Black professionals dedicated to fighting the scourge of tobacco impacting African American communities and its Co-chair Dr. Phillip Gardiner, a Public Health activist, administrator, evaluator and researcher and Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, who is President of the NAACP New York State Conference and a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors, a member of the NAACP Executive Committee have publicly supported this ban sponsored by Legislator Chistopher Johnson and cosponsored by Legislator Jewel Williams-Johnson.

Many have publicly announced their objection to this kind of band including the Grand Council of Guardians, the National Action Network, The New York Association of Convenience Stores, Eric Garner’s mom Gwen Carr, NYS Assemblyman Nadar Sayegh (Dist. 90), Damon K. Jones of Blacks in Law Enforcement of America (BLEA), Reverend Dr. Carl Washington, Jr., Mount Vernon resident and Pastor of the New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Harlem, Sylvia T. Miranda of The National Latino Officers Assoc. (NLOA), Andre Wallace Former Mayor of Mount Vernon, George Brown Vice Chair of the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee, Jesse Van Lew co-founder of Save Mount Vernon, James Nolan Westchester County Legislator District 15 and others.

The proposed ban may still become a law. The BOL can vote again on the proposal and “override the veto” by a two-thirds vote in favor. The 11-6 vote suggests that they not have the required 12 votes needed to override Latimer’s veto, killing all chances of this ban from becoming law. Insiders tell us, its highly unlikely legislators who voted no, will go against the County Executive by changing their vote to give the BOL the votes to override the veto.

CE Latimer’s veto was met with mixed emotions from both sides. Those who supported the ban expressed their disapproval of Latimer’s decision to veto the bill, while those opposed to the ban applauded and thanked Latimer.

LEGISLATOR TYRAE WOODSON-SAMUEL & THE TEAMSTER UNION EXPRESS GRATITUDE AND APPLAUD LATIMER’S

Legislator Tyrae Woodson-Samuels – District 13 (Mount Vernon) one of the legislators who voted against the proposed menthol cigarettes and flavor nicotine ban, shared with Black Westchester his response to CE George Latimer’s veto of Local Law Intro. No 461-2022.

“I applaud and support County Executive Latimer’s decision to veto legislation that would have banned the sale of flavored tobacco products in the county, and I support his more measured and broad-based commitment to protecting Westchester’s youth from the dangers of smoking in general. I know this was not a simple decision, and that the County Executive did not take the easier political path – but I absolutely applaud him for listening so attentively to the concerns, in particular, of the African American & Middle Eastern communities in the context of this legislation.

Let me be clear: this is no knock on my colleagues on the Board of Legislators who voted to pass this legislation. They are sincere public servants, and we share the same goals: decreasing the use of dangerous products and increasing education around the health risks of smoking. But I agreed with CE Latimer, himself a veteran lawmaker of several decades, that the bill as passed too narrowly singled out a few products at the expense of others, while ignoring both the cultural and economic impacts on our communities. In our discussions, I urged the County Executive to consider these factors, and to take a broader approach that didn’t single out our specific communities.

CE Latimer more than answered the call. Rather than just veto the bill and call it a day, the County Executive launched a new initiative that includes a $3 million public education campaign to all residents, highlighting the dangers of tobacco usage, as well as a multi-level enforcement program, working with state and local government resources to ensure improved enforcement of our existing Tobacco 21 age limit under the

DECISION TO VETO LOCAL LAW 461-2022

the leadership of Deputy County Executive Jenkins.”

Mike Smith, President of Local 810 IBT gratitude to CE Latimer for his decision to veto Local Law Intro. No 461-2022 banning menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco.

“On behalf of Local 810 Teamsters Union, along with all our truck drivers, warehousemen and salespeople that work in the tobacco related industry, we wish to express our sincere gratitude to Westchester County Executive George Latimer for his decision to veto the Flavored Tobacco Ban legislation. This fast-tracked legislation would have negatively impacted the communities it claimed to want to help and take away union jobs from New York residents.

Some have claimed that this legislation was proposed to address the health risks associated with smoking flavored tobacco products while ignoring the fact that all other tobacco products have the same risks. We cannot and should not arbitrarily decide which products should be legally available to adults in this country and which should be banned. The failed history of Prohibition has taught us this valuable lesson.

Banning flavored tobacco is not the best approach to keep our children safe from products that can be lawfully sold to adults 21 years or older. Instead, the laws that are in place to protect our communities, including increased penalties to those that break such laws, must be stringently enforced. Moreover, it is imperative to continue to educate the youth on the risks of using such products. Adherence of these measures is the best approach to achieve the objectives of the proposed legislation.

To my Union brothers Tom Gesualdi – Pres. of Teamsters Joint Council 16 and Lou Picani – Pres. of Local 456 Teamsters, thank you for your support in this fight!”

BOL CHAIRWOMAN, NAACP NY CONFERENCE & CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS EXPRESS DISAPPOINTMENT OF CE LATIMER DECISION TO VETO MENTHOL BAN

BOL Chairwoman Catherine Borgia shared her disappointment of CE Latimer decision to veto Local Law Intro. No 461-2022

“While I, and most of my colleagues, are disappointed with the County Executive’s veto of the law banning flavored tobacco passed last week by the Board of Legislators, I am proud of the hard work of this body and public health advocates for pushing the conversation forward, and advancing the legislation further than before.

I am encouraged by County Executive Latimer’s commitment of $3 million towards a new Westchester Tobacco-Free Program and look forward to working with his administration to make it a success. The announcement of this program shows that we have moved the needle forward. We will continue to work for a healthier Westchester.”

The NAACP New York State Conference released the following statement, attributable to Dr. Hazel Dukes, President of the NAACP New York State Conference, in response to CE Latimer’s veto.

“I am deeply disappointed in County Executive George Latimer’s decision to veto legislation that would have ended the sale of menthol cigarettes and prevented thousands of Black New Yorkers’ deaths. Latimer — instead of siding with public health — aligned himself with the tobacco industry, using their own misleading talking points to exploit very real concerns about over-policing in our community.

“This law would have explicitly taken the authority away from police to enforce restrictions on Menthol sales, so any suggestion otherwise is both wrong and an excuse to preserve the tobacco industry’s continued ability to profit off of the deaths of black people. Education, while important, is not going to undo decades of predatory tactics used by the tobacco industry to hook young black people on something that will kill them. This is an embarrassment for Westchester County, and I am hopeful other jurisdictions will be smarter and put the health of their residents first.”

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids released the following statement, attributable to Kevin O’Flaherty, Director of Advocacy for the Northeast Region, in response to veto.

“We are deeply disappointed by Westchester County Executive Latimer’s

decision to veto vital legislation to end the sale of flavored tobacco products in Westchester County. With this veto, County Executive Latimer missed a tremendous opportunity to take an important step towards protecting the health and safety of young people and communities of color in New York.

“For too long, the tobacco industry has relentlessly targeted Black communities – particularly Black youth – with flavored tobacco products. They’ve unleashed aggressive marketing campaigns and deceptive advertising and made menthol cigarettes widely available and extremely cheap. They’ve pushed out kid-friendly flavors that mimic desserts or candies to get kids hooked on nicotine, enticing them to a lifelong struggle with addiction.

BOL Chair Borgia applaud Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson, Chair of the Health Committee effort in getting the bill passed.

“I applaud my colleague, Legislator Jewel Williams Johnson of District 8, for her steadfast leadership and tenacity in getting the bill passed through our Board during her first year as a legislator. I am confident that she will continue the conversation in the Health Committee and in future pieces of legislation,” Borgia continued.

Legislator Johnson who championed this bill, said of the veto:

“My disappointment cannot be put into words. The County Executive indicated the significant number of objections raised that cannot be brushed aside, and I counter with the tremendous advocacy in support of this ban that should not be discounted. Westchester County may have the lowest percentage of adult smokers in the State of New York, but this ban was meant for those disproportionately targeted by Big Tobacco.

The County Executive’s announcement of the Tobacco Education and Enforcement Initiatives with a $3 million investment is noble. However, it in no way compares to the billions lost due to tobacco-related health issues and loss of productivity in our state alone.

With the Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday to uphold the California ban on flavored tobacco, I feel the residents of California won while, with this veto, the residents of Westchester County suffered a setback.”

MVPL CELEBRATES THE 49TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIP-HOP

BY AJ WOODSON

Saturday, November 5th, it was all about Hip-Hop and the Mount Vernon Public Library (MVPL) celebrated the 49th anniversary Djing, Graffiti, Breakdancing and emceeing.

I was honored to moderate the very informative and powerful panel discussion featuring Uncle Ralph McDaniels - co creator and host of Video Music Box, MC Debbie Dee (Us Girls) - the first female solo emcee and Hip-Hop Historian, Mount Vernon’s own DJ Mark E. Collins of the legendary Collins Brothers who coined the phrase Money Earnin Mount Vernon and legendary Graffiti Artist and Author James Top.

Hip-Hop was in the building and all the elements were present!!! If you missed this great panel you can still watch it on the Mount Vernon Public library Facebook page, its worth looking up and checking out, even if you are not the biggest Hip-Hop head you will not be disappointed.

Heavy D and DMX’s families were in the building as the local superstars rappers were honored posthumously. Those in attendance were treated to a incredible breakdancing performance by the legendary Dynamic Rockers. For those who may not be old enough to remember the Dynamic Rockers, stop do not pass go and the early Hip-Hop movie Wild Style, where they battled the Rock Steady Crew.

The annual Hip-Hop celebration was the brainchild of MVPL Director Timur Davis publisher of Du Funk Magazine that documents

Hip-Hop culture.

From left to right Ralph McDaniels (Video Music Box), MVPL Director Timur Davis, AJ Woodson (JVC Force), MC Debbie Dee, DJ Mark Collins, and Legendary Graf Writer James Top

[Photos courtesy of Hip hop Photographer Renee Yearwood]

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FOUR YEARS STRONG AND COUNTING

About Black Westchester: BlackWestchester.com is a magazine (website) and print newspaper for people of color for Westchester and the Tri-State area of New York at every economic level. Black Westchester is committed to being a platform to profile life, culture, economics, politics, sports, and entertainment and those who are representing vision in these marketplaces and who can both encourage and provide role models to other men and women. Black Westchester, through its online magazine, print newspaper, weekly talk radio show, and editorial content, will be a vessel of community information throughout Westchester and the Tri-State area of New York. Our mission is to promote the concept of “community” through media.

The Black Westchester Newspaper is a monthly newspaper, 10,000 distributed monthly throughout Westchester and Surrounding Areas with a heavy concentration in Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Elmsford, White Plains, Greenburgh, Peekskill, Tarrytown, NE Bronx, Harlem, Stamford, CT with a slightly smaller presence elsewhere in the county and surrounding areas.

Black Westchester is the best vehicle to reach communities of color throughout the county, but not limited to just communities of color, we have a large non-African-American readership as well.

Black Westchester and the People Before Politics Radio Show started in July and August of 2014 respectively and the print edition started on our threeyear anniversary in August 2017. In such a small amount of time, Black Westchester has heavily influenced the county, public policy, and the elected officials while informing the public in a way that was missing, filling a necessary void.

DEMOGRAPHICS

GENRE

Male - 42.55%

female - 57.45%

RACE/ETHNICITY/NATIONALITY

Black/ African-American- 62.24%

Hispanic or Latino - 6.12%

White - 23.47%

Asian - 2.04%

Caribbean - 10.20%

Native American - 7.14%

Other - 2.04%

AGE

17 OR YOUNGER- 5.15%

18-20 - 1.03%

21-29 - 4.12%

30-39 - 6.19%

40-49 - 31.96%

50-59 - 29.90%

60 OR OLDER - 21.65%

EMPLOYMENT STATUS

Employed, Working Full-Time- 46.24%

Employed, Working Part-Time - 5.45%

Self Employed - 15.05%

Unemployed - 5.38%

Retired - 18.28%

Disabled, Unable To Work - 8.60%

RELATIONSHIP

Democrat - 50.53%

Independent - 25.26%

Something Else - 18.95%

Larger news outlets such as The Journal News (Lohud), News 12 Westchester and Fios1 News, The New York Post, ABC News, and others also follow us and have quoted us for breaking stories that they, in turn, did follow up stories on. Black Westchester is the voice of the voiceless and has covered many stories that other news outlets often overlooked and in turn followed our lead and reported later.

Black Enterprise Magazine reported, “Black buying power currently stands at over 1.1 Trillion dollars annually and is on the road to hit about $1.5 Trillion by 2021. These figures have also been documented by the Huffington Post, The Atlantic, MediaPost.com, Fortune Magazine, and many other respected media outlets. This collective buying power means that nearly 2 Trillion dollars will be flowing through Black American annually very soon, making us a centerpiece for various researchers, marketers, advertisers, and other campaigns designed to influence black spending patterns.

With that said, for businesses who do business and want to do business with communities of color in Westchester County and surrounding areas, advertising with Black Westchester, not only makes dollars but also makes perfect sense. We are the voice of the Black Community.

Sponsorship and advertising are also available in our weekly talk radio show, People Before Politics Radio, where we have been bringing you Real Talk For The Community since 2014.

BLACK MEN SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION ALONE; THEY SUFFER IN SILENCE

BY DAMON K JONES

In my book, Black Minds Must Matter, the fight against anxiety and depression. I talk about how people suffer in silence. Someone close to you may be going through some trauma and grief. As Black men, our broken cultural conditioning teaches us that we have to grin and bear it, and sometimes even when we open up to our woman, we’re looked at as weak or simps.

Many Black men suffer alone! Even married, they suffer alone! They suffer in silence!

How often will we have to hear about successful Black men like DJ Stephen tWitxh Boss, who had money, a loving family, and committed suicide without any warnings to loved ones and friends?

Researchers have sounded the alarm about the number of young Black men dying by suicide, but Black leaders, the Black Community, and especially Black women are not listening.

I have consistently publicly stated that Black men are invisible in the national conversation of mental health. How can we be when research shows the alarming rise of suicide among Black men? These Black men are fathers, husbands, uncles, and sons, and still, we are missing from the national conversation messages from our Black pulpits and Black leaders and wellness checks from our wives, daughters, and sisters. The Black man’s health and stability are invisible in today’s society and Black culture.

Being a Black man in today’s world to deal with racism, economic oppression, political oppression, being hunted by racist police, fear of being a homicide victim, and a systematic cultural or frustration.

separation from Black women, Black men have learned how to mask. When we walk out, we put it on. When we come home, we put it on. And everything is fine until it’s not! When Black men choose to be healthy, there is no support. There is more support from the Black man to have an unhealthy toxic lifestyle than have a healthy mind, body, and soul.

Depression is becoming more prevalent in Black communities than in white ones, but significant differences exist. Black people face different social trauma that may increase their risk of depression.

The fact of the matter is In 2015; researchers released data showing more suicides among African American children ages 5 to 11 than among Caucasian children. This was the first national study to show higher suicide rates for African Americans than for Caucasians in any age group. While most studies show that Black men are more likely to die by suicide while Black women are more likely to attempt suicide, recent research has observed that Caribbean Black men in the US have the highest attempt rate in the African American community.

If you are not living in a bubble, you should have noticed that suicide rates have significantly increased among Black youth over the past 20 years. Unfortunately, our eyes remain closed to an emergence of a mental health crisis in black communities.

Black trauma is real! We are in 2022, and we are still talking about the first Black this and the first Black that. We are still facing trauma just to be recognized as human beings and lack the treatment from the medical community to acknowledge that fact when it comes to mental health.

Managing depression should be essential in the Black community, just like any other community. Finding racially sensitive treatment may be necessary to address how Black people deal mentally with racial trauma and discrimination.

If Black lives matter, then Black mental health should matter also. As a law enforcement professional of over 30 years, I fully support the efforts of police reform. When we march and rally for Black Lives taken by a system and fail to put the same zeal and passion for addressing mental health and wellness in Black communities that kill more Black people than police is hypocritical. The fact of the matter is:

In 2014, 2,421 African Americans died by suicide in the US. Of these, 1,946 were male (80.38%). The overall suicide rate per 100,000 was 5.46.

In 2014, there were 475 African American female suicides in the US. The suicide rate of African American females was the lowest among men and women of all ethnicities.

In 2015, researchers released data showing more suicides among African American children ages 5 to 11 than among Caucasian children. This was the first national study to show higher suicide rates for African Americans than for Caucasians in any age group.

While most studies show that African American men are more likely to die by suicide while African American women are more likely to attempt suicide, recent research has observed that Caribbean black men in the US have the highest attempt rate in the African American community.

The suicide rate for African Americans ages 10-19 was 3.11 per 100,000. For African American youth (ages 10-19), the rate of male suicides (4.60 per (100,000) was 2.9 times higher than that of females (1.57 per 100,000).

Males accounted for 81.5% of suicides completed by elderly African Americans (ages 65+). This percentage is mirrored by the suicides completed by elderly Caucasian men.

Firearms were the predominant method of suicide among African Americans regardless of sex or age, accounting for 47.42% of all suicides. Suffocation was the second most prevalent method (29.9%).

You’ll hear various answers if you ask a group of people who’ve suffered from clinical depression to define the illness. Depression is a very personal experience that millions of people worldwide experience.

Different people manifest different symptoms, but one thing is sure: depression is a complex illness that can destroy your life if left unresolved.

Many people with depression describe it as a despair that engulfs everything they do and feel.

If you think being depressed is akin to feeling sad because your favorite team just lost the championship game, you have no idea what suffering from depression is like. Depression is much deeper and more invasive than sadness

Depression takes everything away from you; it saps your energy, focus, concentration, and joy. You don’t care about anything; nothing matters, and even the people you love become unimportant.

If you’re depressed for an extended period, you become accustomed to the feeling, and any other emotion becomes unfamiliar and even frightening.

Physical Concerns of Depression

Depression doesn’t only take its toll on your emotions and mental state; it can also cause serious physical problems. It also zaps your energy and motivation. Depression may cause you to either lose your appetite or eat incessantly.

When you’re depressed, you tend to become inactive. This alone can cause several problems, but when added to some of the other physical side effects of depression, it’s easy to see why depression is such a severe illness.

If you’ve ever mourned a profound loss or suffered from depression, you understand how overwhelming it can be. People of all ages, even children, can be depressed. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome your condition!

Here are the top five strategies to overcome your depression and regain your life: Talk about it. If you cannot concentrate, have lost your appetite, or are over-eating, try talking to a family member or trusted friend.

• Because you’re depressed, you may not be able to get the help you need alone, so enlisting someone you trust is essential.

• Don’t feel embarrassed to talk about it. Chances are, the people you confide in will know more about depression than you think.

Seek professional help. Many people avoid this for what they feel are good reasons: “My insurance won’t cover it,” or “I can’t afford it.” In today’s society, this is simply untrue.

• Many insurance companies offer compensation for depression treatment because it’s widely known as a severe medical condition. Plus, they aren’t allowed to release treatment information to your employer.

• Even if you don’t have medical insurance, many mental health centers or hospitals offer treatment free or on a sliding scale based on your income to be affordable. Seek help for your depression – it’s the best thing you can do!

Become involved. Some people who suffer from depression find that the more they help others, the more they help themselves.

• For instance, a woman who was consumed with depression went to school and became a licensed therapist. She used her own depression experience to heal others through her sessions with people

• Volunteer at a local center for seniors or abused families. Many people in these centers tend to be depressed, and working with them can give you insight into making yourself feel better.

Exercise. Surprisingly, exercise can help you feel better. Your body’s energy from yoga, walking, jogging, swimming, and fitness center exercise will help you immensely.

• The endorphins released during exercise can bring relief from your depression and give you the motivation to fight it.

• Enlist a friend if you don’t want to exercise alone.

Get a pet. Animals of all sorts have been shown to help people with depression. Caring for a pet strengthens your ability to take on responsibilities. Plus, pets are joyful and can put a smile on your face!

• Even if you have allergies, many breeds of cats and dogs don’t produce allergens.

These tips can help you fight your depression, but the most important is seeking professional help. (Continues on page 24)

BW BLACK LOVE SERIES: IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS BY LOVING YOURSELF

BY DAMON K. JONES

The one thing people who seek love rarely consider is this: it all starts with YOU. How can you expect someone else to love you if you don’t love yourself? You can only expect a partner to help you if you are confident that you are worthy of love. And that’s where self-care comes into the picture.

There are so many relationships that start great and end up not so great. The reasons for that are numerous: lack of self-love, lack of emotional intimacy, lack of communication, lack of compassion, lack of affection, or a combination thereof.

However, the capacity to provide what the other person needs for emotional intimacy goes a long way toward making both you and your relationship stronger.

When you genuinely love yourself, you can provide what your partner needs to feel loved, understood, and connected to you.

Many of us are so busy that we tend to neglect loving ourselves. We neglect ourselves without realizing that self-neglect cause resentment toward those who we love in our lives that wants our love and attention. What we fail to realize is the importance of putting ourselves first. No, it is not selfish. You cannot have true Black Love with anyone if you dont love yourself.

It is only possible to meet the needs of others effectively by first being balanced in our own lives. Loving yourself will not only prove to be a positive experience, but it will also improve your relationships with others.

When we realize our needs are not being met, we become resentful and ultimately withdraw the help and support we so freely offered others. If we neglect our basic needs, we will become very quickly drained of our energy, too exhausted to spend any time on ourselves. However, by focusing on putting ourselves first, we can regain that lost energy, giving us endless vitality and love to direct toward others.

Let’s not get this twisted; loving yourself does not mean running from one person to the next, seeking some fix or adrenaline rush. No, that’s a sickness. That’s a broken conscious understanding of loving yourself, and I suggest you seek counseling.

Loving and taking better care of yourself holistically and spiritually develops the cornerstone for you to be in a holistic and spiritually loving relationship with someone else. . When we are happy with the level of attention we give ourselves, our energy overflows, and we are anxious to help fulfill the needs of those around us whom we love. Unfortunately, many of us dont even seek happiness this way; even after all the other foolishness fails, we still dismiss that real Black Love exists on a spiritual level. Everyone wins when we learn to love ourselves holistically and spiritually. I have listed the following tips to get started:

Using Prayer and Meditation to Calm Anxiety and Stress. If you feel anxious from time to time, that’s completely normal. When anxiety overwhelms you, and you have no spiritual outlook, you often take it out on the loved ones close to you. Or you might be tempted to seek solace in prescription medication, alcohol, or drugs. These methods, though, inherently bring problems of their own.

Your worries can be transformed into peace with prayer or meditation. When you start your journey toward personal peace through prayer or meditation, expect to conquer your anxiety, stress, and negative feelings. However, avoid assuming you’ll do it in one day or even a week. It took time to get where you are, and it’ll take time to get back to where you want to be.

Live a healthy lifestyle. How can we expect to accomplish great things if we cannot meet life’s most basic needs? Eat healthy by replacing excess sugar and refined foods with whole foods and lots of water. Give your body the ability to effectively burn the fuel you take in by exercising daily, thereby increasing your metabolism. Make sure to get plenty of sleep as well, as our minds do not fully function if they havenít been allowed to recharge properly. When you do these things consistently, you will notice your attitude will change; you will see situations clearer and be more open to being loved and loving.

Expressing yourself is one of the best ways to take care of yourself mentally is by frequently expressing how you feel. This can be done in several ways. Mentally, we can express ourselves on paper. Keeping a personal journal where you can vent when needed will help keep emotions in check. Creative expression is also essential, such as allowing yourself to feel and experience a wide range of emotions in a rented movie or working on a hobby that is close to your heart. Photography and other visual arts are suitable for this. Remember, expressing ourselves creatively is as important as doing so mentally.

Lose the need to be right. Winning arguments with your partner are overrated, childish, and unhealthy. After all, what value does being right really have? Insisting that the other person agrees that you’re right and they’re wrong does nothing to increase positive feelings or strengthen the bond between you.

In a relationship with Black Love, it is not about being right, it is about reaching a goal, understanding, and a solution to a problem. It only feeds your ego, and having an ego bigger than the love of you and your partner will only lead to a destructive relationship.

Black love is being a team; stop competing with your partner. If you feel the need to be competitive with your partner, you have to recognize your own insecurity and envy. According to experts, being too competitive leads to resentment in relationships. With competition, partners view each other as rivals instead of being in love. Black Love is Teamwork, and it’s a oneness! The oneness of Black Love is mutual support and unity on multiple fronts, including finances, parenting, chores, sex, and emotional intimacy. Usually, the oneness of Black Love requires an intentional effort from both partners and a willingness to be equal and share power in all aspects of life.

Forgive your past self. Sure, you’ve made some mistakes and probably done and said a few awful things along the way. But that period of your life is over now. Why drag the past into the present? You can make a fresh start each day. Let it go.

Forgiving others. As it is important to forgive yourself, It’s just as important to learn to forgive. Holding onto grudges or resentments only hurts you. It can lead to bad moods, depression, or even health conditions. When you hold onto resentment, you allow a situation to burden the future of your relationship. Forgiveness is the right choice to make, but it doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten what happened. You might even still hold someone else accountable for the wrong. With forgiveness, you’re simply deciding to move on with your life. It is your superpower to love yourself!

Please spend some time alone. To appreciate ourselves more, we should get to know ourselves better. Some may think this will have the reverse effect, but think positively! You would be surprised what becoming introspective will reveal. Discover yourself and learn to love it. Go for a scenic drive. Take a long bath. Surround yourself with music or quietly meditate. Not only will you appreciate your company more, but the relaxation will work wonders for your state of mind. Your relationships will improve if others sense your renewed energy and love of life.

Finally, F@ck Social Media, stay in your reality! Social Media can become a threat to your romantic relationship when meaning and boundaries are not clearly defined and agreed upon. As well as when couples fall into a comparison trap. Unfortunately, a growing number of us see the world through the eyes of social media. We have been culturally conditioned to believe our lives and our relationships should be like those that post we see. Comparing our lives with others can raise doubts about self-worth and our relationships and potentially lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

The key to living the life you want and finding the partner you want to share it with is learning to love yourself. Loving yourself can help you enjoy more happiness, overcome challenges, and build healthier relationships and Black Love. Make it a habit to treat yourself with kindness and respect. Keep these tips in mind to develop greater self-love, and you’ll find that great things will happen!

THE FIRST BOOK FROM BLACK WESTCHESTER MAGAZINE

BLACK WESTCHESTER THE ORIGIN STORY

BY AJ WOODSON

This is the origin story of Black Westchester Magazine and how AJ’s faith was instrumental in this great experiment. The full and unadulterated story that many have never heard, with some of AJ’S prior experiences mixed in because they prepared him to do what it is BW does now. How two friends in Westchester County created an online African-American News Magazine that would go on to be the voice or the voiceless through advocacy and activism, giving you the News With The Black Point of View since 2014 for persons of color in Westchester County and it surrounding areas. This is the origin story of Black Westchester told though the voice of its Co-Owner and Editor-In-Chief AJ Woodson in memoir form.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON NOW

OR ORDER AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY VIA PAYPAL - WWW.PAYPAL.ME/ BLACKWESTCHESTERMEG OR CASHAPP $MRAJWOODSON

BLACK PANTHER LEADER FRED HAMPTON WAS KILLED BY THE POLICE AND FBI 53 YEARS AGO, DECEMBER 4, 1969

On December 4, 1969, Fred Hampton — an activist, a revolutionary socialist and the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party — was killed by the Chicago Police and the FBI at the age of 21. 53 years later, Americans are reflecting on his work and legacy.

As reported in the Chicago Daily News, sister publication of the Chicago Sun-Times:

On the morning of Dec. 4, 1969, Chicago police, working covertly with the FBI, raided Black Panther headquarters on the West Side, killing the charismatic chairman Fred Hampton and downstate leader Mark Clark.

It would be years before this truth would come out. The front page story in that day’s Chicago Daily News, written by Edmund J. Rooney and Barry Felcher, tells a very different story.

“Fred Hampton, 21, chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and another Panther leader were killed early Thursday in a gun battle with state’s attorney’s police,” the report said.

Four other Panthers and two officers were also injured, Rooney and Felcher noted. They identified Mark Clark, the other man killed, as a “Downstate leader of the militant Panthers” and said he had a “long police record and had dropped out of school in the eighth grade.”

The state’s official narrative on the raid came from State’s Attorney Edward V. Hanrahan. At a press conference, he told reporters that a “gun battle broke out as state’s attorney’s policemen tried to enter the apartment to search for illegal weapons.”

Hanrahan said the officers leading the raid allegedly announced themselves, only to be met with gunfire from the first-floor apartment. Three times, the state’s attorney claimed, officers ceased fire and demanded the occupants “come out with their hands up,” only to be met with more gunfire

“The immediate, violent criminal reaction of the occupants in shooting at announced police officers emphasizes the extreme viciousness of the Black Panther Party,” Hanrahan said.

Defense for Hampton and Clark came in the second half of the article, on page six. Bobby Rush, current U.S. Representative and then-deputy minister of the party, asserted that Hampton had been sleeping during the raid, them bullet holes

THIS MONTH IN BLACK HISTORY

On December 1, 1940, Richard Pryor was born in Peoria, Illinois, where he was raised by his grandmother in a brothel that she ran.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to change seats on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus. On December 5, blacks began a boycott of the bus system, which continued until shortly after December 13, 1956, when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed bus segregation in the city.

On December 1, 1987 One of the 20th century’s greatest writers James Baldwin died

On December 2, 1998, Alphonso Michael Espy in 1986 became the first black Congressman elected from Mississippi since John R. Lynch, who served during Reconstruction. He was also the first African American to hold the post of Secretary of Agriculture.

On December 3, 1847 Frederick Douglass, along with Martin R Delaney, started “The North Star”, an anti-slavery paper

December 4, 1969 - Ebony magazine photographer Moneta Sleet Jr. makes history as the first Black man to win a Pulitzer Prize and the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism

On December 5, 1935, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune founds National Council of Negro Women

On December 5, 1957, New York became the first city to legislate against racial or religious discrimination in housing market with adoption of Fair Housing Practices Law.

On December 6, 1849, Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery in Maryland

On December 8, 1953 Thurgood Marshall, the chief legal counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) gave the argument for the plaintiffs

On December 9, 1995, Kweisi Mfume is unanimously elected President and CEO of the NAACP.

On December 10, 1950, Ralph Bunche, a political scientist by training and then an official of the United Nations, became the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

On December 10, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. makes history as the second African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize

On December 12, 1975 National Assoc of Black Journalists was founded

the report said. He then led reporters on a tour of the apartment, showing from police firing into the apartment but no shots fired out. Rush’s account was the only defense of Hampton and Clark included in the original report, which attributed all other details to police sources. Police insisted that a gun was found next to Hampton’s hand.

For more information on the death of Fred Hampton check out “The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther” by Jeffrey Haas.

On December 20, 1956, the African American community of Montgomery, Alabama voted unanimously to end its 385 day bus-boycott.

On December 21, 1976, Patricia R. Harris named secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by President-elect Carter. She served in this position from 1977 to 1979. She was the first African-American woman to become a Cabinet Member, U.S. Ambassador and lead a law school.

On December 22, 1943, W.E.B. Du Bois makes history as the first Black person elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters

On December 23, 1867, Madame C.J. Walker - First Woman Millionaire - starts a Black hair-care business in Denver, CO

On December 27, 1941, Pioneer of blood plasma research, Dr Charles Richard Drew, establishes a pioneer blood bank in New York City

On December 28, 1954 Academy Award Winning Actor Denzel Washington is born in Mount Vernon

On December 30, 1929, “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work” campaign began in Chicago with picketing of Chain stores on South Side,

MEN SUFFER ALONE (Continued from page 20)

A good therapist can suggest more techniques to help overcome your depression. Take these suggestions and add your creative spin to best suit your needs.

No advice can replace a complete examination by your doctor. Depression comes in many forms, and determining a treatment plan for your needs is required.

If you’re concerned about medication and side effects, many homeopathic remedies are available today that you can discuss with your health professional. Please make a list of your concerns and share them during the exam. This way, you’ll be actively involved in choosing a treatment plan.

With a suitable treatment plan overseen by your doctor, some support to bolster your spirits, and true determination, you can overcome your depression!

We must break the toxic cultural conditioning of competing and begin to work holistically with each other. The Black man and women have worked as a team from slavery to Jim Crow through the Civil Rights Movement, and the same enemy we had then, we have now.

Remember, racial stereotypes exist in our healthcare system, so Black people who seek help for depression should seek treatment from culturally competent clinicians.

TAMIKA A. COVERDALE APPOINTED TO MV CITY COURT JUDGE

Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard appointed of Tamika A. Coverdale as the newest Mount Vernon City Court Judge. Tamika A. Coverdale was sworn in on Monday, October 17, 2022 at City Hall. Ms. Coverdale was selected through a competitive vetting and interview process with the Mayor’s Judicial Committee, chaired by William Wagstaff III, Esq., wherein the top two contenders were forwarded to Mayor Patterson-Howard for final consideration. Ms. Coverdale was then selected amongst those nominees to fill the vacancy left by the untimely passing of the Honorable William Edwards who served on the bench for almost 20 years.

DECEMBER

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”

- Alice Walker

COMPLIMENTARY

15, 2022

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