Volume 4/ Issue 2 - Black Westchester Sept. 15, 2020

VOLUME 4 / ISSUE 2

COMPLIMENTARY

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

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

BLACK WESTCHESTER

FEATURES

MORGAN FREEMAN BOARDS KILLING OF KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN FILM AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER PAGE 6

2020 IS A LOT LIKE HURRICANE KATRINA PAGE 9

TY MILBURN IS NEWS 12’S NEW WEEKEND ANCHOR PAGE 12

BLACK LIVES MATTER MURAL UNVEILED OUTSIDE YONKERS CITY HALL PAGE 18

Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played black icons Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, has died of cancer, his representative said. He was 43. The actor died at his Los Angeles home after being diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, but he leaves a long legacy. He was a King and wore the crown on and off the big screen.... (continues on page 14)

LATINO EMPOWERMENT RALLY FOR BW FEATURE EDITORIAL: CELEBRATES HISPANIC LIVES LOST TO WILL RACISM EVER END, HERITAGE MONTH GUN VIOLENCE WILL I EVER STOP BEING A NIGGER? PAGES 20-21

PAGE 12

BY KEVIN POWELL

PAGES 22-24

THE SCOURGE OF WHITE HATE

BY DONATELLA MONTRONE PAGE 24

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2BLACK WESTCHESTER

BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY PARTNERS IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND COMMUNITY ACTION

DAMON K. JONES AND AJ WOODSON OF BLACK WESTCHESTER ON THEIR ANNIVERSARY

MARK FANG

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OFFICE OF THE CITY OF YONKERS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

BLACK WESTCHESTER3

THREE YEARS AND COUNTING

30,865

Poverty Rates for Children Under 18

11%

19%

Black Children under 18

14,992

20% 4%

Black Children

Black Youth Ages 18-24 US Census, 2018 American Community Survey, 5 Yr Estimates, B01001B

$157,991

MIND THE RAC I AL FAMILY INCOM E G AP

White, Non-Hispanic

$119,798 All Races

$75,149 Black

All Children Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic

US Census 2018 American Community Survey, 5 Yr Estimates, B17001+ B, H, I

US Census, 2018 American Community Survey 5 Yr Estimates, B19113 + B, H

R AC I A L I N E Q U I T Y F R O M T H E S C H O O L TO T H E C O U RT RO O M

14%

41%

56%

62%

Black Children are 14% of Westchester children

...but are 41% of public school children that receive out-of-school suspensions

…and make up 56% of kids ...and 62% of juvenile in the foster care system detentions in Westchester County

US Census, 2018 American Community Survey, 5 Yr Estimates, S0901

US Department of Education, 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection, https://ocrdata.ed.gov/

NYS Office of Children & Families, (2018), https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/ reports/maps/default.asp

NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, (2017) https://criminaljustice.ny.gov/crimnet/ ojsa/jj-reports/westchester.pdf

NOTE: All US Census data can be obtained through https://data.census.gov

HOMELESSNESS & RACE 1.5 out of 10 people living in Westchester are black.

A S E PA R AT E E D U C AT I O N Sixty-six years after the US Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional, black students are still facing an educational environment that delivers worse educational outcomes than their peers.

9%

Out-of-School Suspension Rate

Black Students

7%

(2015-16)

Nearly 7 out of 10 people considered homeless by the US Department of Housing & Urban Development are black.

POPULATION: US Census, 2018 American Community Survey, 5 Yr Estimates, DP05 HOMELESSNESS: US Department of Housing & Urban Development, (2019), https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/ published/CoC_PopSub_CoC_NY-6042019_NY_2019.pdf

3% All Students

Black Females

12%

Black Males

80%

High School Graduation Rate (4 Yr)

Black Students

84%

(August 2019)

Black Females

77%

Black Males

3% Hispanic 1% White

90% All Students 83% Hispanic 96% White

SUSPENSION: US Department of Education, 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection. https://ocrdata.ed.gov/ HS GRADUATION: NY Education Department, https://data.nysed.gov/

H E A LT H Y L I V E S M AT T E R

4x

Black infants have a mortality rate four times greater than white infants. (2014-2016)

5x

Black children are five times more likely to be admitted to the hospital for asthma as compared to white children ages 0-17. (2012-2014)

NYS Department of Health, https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/community/minority/county/westchester.htm Design and analysis: Westchester Children’s Association Limarie Cabrera with assistance from Kayla Fagan from Her Honor Mentoring

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4 BLACK WESTCHESTER

BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM

nader sayegh’s proven leadership means yonkers has a voice in albany!

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

YONKERS NEEDS A JUDGE WHO REPRESENTS ALL OF US! PAID FOR BY ROMANO FOR CITY COURT JUDGE

Danromanoforjudge@gmail.com Danromano4judge

PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF NADER SAYEGH

Election Day November 3 Early voting starts October 24

“

Thank you to Damon K. Jones, AJ Woodson, and Lorraine Lopez, the editorial team at Black Westchester, for their incredible commitment to racial, social and economic justice.”

-Nader J. Sayegh

As our next City Court Judge, Dan Romano has a plan for Yonkers!

Ensure a fair day in court for everybody, not just the wealthy and well connected.

Appropriately enforce new sentencing and bail laws.

Bring compassion, integrity, and fairness back to the courtroom.

Improve courtroom efficiency and save taxpayer dollars.

ELECTION DAY NOVEMBER 3 EARLY VOTING STARTS OCTOBER 24

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

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

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 September 15, 2020 Issue

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

News Reporters/ Writers AJ Woodson Damon K. Jones Kevin Powell Donatella Montrone Rey Sabri David Billings Lorraine Lopez Hector Santiago Photographers AJ Woodson Lorraine Lopez Hector Santiago Graphic Designers AJ Woodson Paula S. Woodson/ PS Visually Speakin’ For Advertising Rates AdvertiseWithBW@gmail.com Letters To The Editor BWEditorInChief@gmail.com

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6 BLACK WESTCHESTER

NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

BLACK WESTCHESTER NEWS

BY AJ WOODSON

MORGAN FREEMAN BOARDS ‘THE REGGIE LAFAYETTE DROPS KILLING OF KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN’ OUT RACE FOR WESTCHESTER FEATURE AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER COUNTY DEMOCRATIC LEADER

KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN JR CLOSER TO GET FILM ABOUT FATHER’S KILLING TO BIG SCREEN

Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment has become attached as executive producers to The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, an indie feature about the fatal 2011 summary execution of 68-year Kenneth Chamberlain by the White Plains Police when they responded for a wellness check after his accidentally triggered LifeAid medical alert.

“To have Revelations Entertainment come on as Executive Producers in the film the Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain tells me that Morgan Freeman and his company believe in the rule of law that the government it’s agents and officials are to be held to the same set of rules that enables a fair and functioning society,” Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., shares with Black Westchester. “They say with great power comes great responsibility and by using his celebrity he may and can be the force for positive change that is needed.”

The movie, which made its world premiere and won the Jury Prize for Narrative Features at the Austin Film Festival last October and recently played the 2020 Oxford Film Festival (March 18-22) and American Black Film Festival in August, was brought to the attention of the Oscar-winning Freeman and Emmynominee McCreary by former Revelations executive Andrew Whitney. Revelations is currently fielding interest for the film from distributors.

The gripping minute-by-minute drama, which was independently financed, was made with the cooperation of the Chamberlain family, directed by David Midell, produced by Enrico Natale, who played Officer Rossi and stars Do the Right Thing, Silence of the Lambs, The Wire, and Marvel’s Luke Cage, actor Frankie Faison as Mr. Chamberlain.

If you didn’t know Mr. Chamberlain, you will meet him in this movie. Actor Frankie Faison brings Mr. Chamberlain to life. He brings the struggle of a man dealing with mental illness and makes a fatal mistake activating his life pendent and just wanted to be left alone to go back to sleep.

“I have spent my 30 years as a Law Enforcement Professional, and I am also a childhood friend of Kenneth Chamberlain Jr.,” Damon K. Jones shares. “I heard the news straight from Kenneth’s mouth that the White Plains Police Department killed his father. I have assisted many families of questionable police shootings, but the killing of Kenny’s father to me was personal, it was like getting a call that my father was killed. I have watched those who claimed they supported Justice for his father to stay silent in public, and others we thought would rally the call but for political reasons stay away from the issue. This movie makes us question our commitment to Justice, and before black lives can matter to anyone, it must matter to black people first. Morgan Freeman coming on board shows Black Lives Matter to him.”

Even though is still fielding interest from distrubutors, with the movement for criminal justice reform after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, the importance of this movie making it to the big screen couldnt be more appropriate.

Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. is STILL fighting for justice for his father’s senseless killing 9-years-ago by White Plains Police, and his work has made others take notice. The tireless pursuit of justice has not been for nothing. While those responsible may think the story has been swept under the rug, the world will now see the story in living color on the big screen.

GOV. CUOMO SAYS HE DOESNT KNOW WHY AG ISNT INVESTIGATING CORUPTION IN MVPD

When Gothamist/WNYC reporter Gwynne Hogan asked Gov. Cuomo why he hasn’t instructed the AG to investigate ‘rampant police brutality and corruption’ that’s been reported about the MVPD, Tuesday, September 8th, he replied;

“I don’t know why the attorney general is not investigating.

I don’t know why the Westchester District attorney is not investigating. I don’t know why the Eastern District U.S. attorney is not investigating. I don’t know why the Southern district U.S. attorney is not investigating. Those are all the investigatory agencies with the authority to do an investigation... I don’t know because it’s not under my jurisdiction.”

Longtime Democratic leader, Reggie Lafayette dropped out of a race for reelection of Westchester County Democratic Chairman. Lafayette has held the position since 2004 during a time when the party saw its registration advantage over Republicans grow to more than 2-to-1.

He will remain as the county Board of Elections Democratic commissioner – until the end of 2022 – which combined with his leadership post has made him one of the most influential people in local government and politics and Black Westchester has been critical of calling the multiple hats he wore a conflict of interest. As of now he will continue to lead the Mount Vernon Democratic committee.

LaFayette confirmed his decision with a letter to party leaders Monday he said he came to the decision after some soul-searching but would remain a “loyal Democratic soldier.”

“I am hopeful that everyone will come together and decide what is in the best interest of the Democratic Party moving forward, to ensure our future successes,” Lafayette said in the letter.

“There is always room for the party to grow with input from all groups, keeping in mind that we are a partisan Democratic organization.

The longtime chairman was facing the first substantial challenge to his leadership 16 years after taking the helm by two local party leaders – Su zanne Berger, chairwoman of the Greenburgh town Democrats and William Serratore, chairman of the Mount Kisco for the last ten years – who are looking to replace county Chairman Reginald Lafayette.

Lohud reported that the potential shakeup comes after June primaries that saw big wins from non-establishment candidates and ongoing scrutiny of LaFayette’s dual role as Democratic commissioner of the county Board of Elections. Both challengers said they wouldn’t seek to become commissioner if they are elected.

Berger who thanked LaFayette for his years of service and said she felt the announcement would help her cause heading to the vote, as she is backed by county legislature Chairman Ben Boykin, Vice Chairwoman Alfreda Williams and Democratic Majority Leader Mary Jane Shimsky.

“I look forward to the next three weeks to explain to the district leaders to explain why I’m the best choice to lead the party forward,” Berger told The Journal News/lohud.

Berger faces Serratore who is confident going into the election after picking up some endorsements from high-profile local elected officials like Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, State Sen. Pete Harckham and county Legislator Damon Maher of New Rochelle, Lohud reported.

“I’m still digesting this news, but I think it’s a credit to Reggie for all of his years of service,” Serratore said.

Both challengers said they wouldn’t look to become elections commissioner if elected. There is no state law that prevents a party chair from serving as an election commissioner, but holding both posts has faced scrutiny for years from many including Black Westchester.

County party leaders will choose a new leader Sept. 17th.

Meanwhile in the City of Mount Vernon, Reginald Lafayette was re-elected to the Chairman of the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee, Thursday, September 3rd. 1st Vice Chair Serapher Conn-Halevi & 2nd Vice Chair Cathlin Gleason chose not to run for re-election. They are replaced

by Mary Graves, former Treasurer and Eileen Justino former Mount Vernon Councilwoman and the wife of Mike Justino, President of the Fleetwood Neighborhood Association. Mike Toone and Tajian Nelson continue as Secretary and Corresponding Secretary of the City Committee.

CDC REPORTS CORONAVIRUS AFFECTED BLACK, HISPANIC, NATIVE AMERICAN CHILDREN DISPROPORTIONATELY

The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to put the issue of racial disparities in the spotlight.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released a national report looking into contributing factors associated with 121 coronavirus-related deaths in people under the age of 21.

Of those, 17% were white, 45% were Hispanic, 29% were Black, and 4% were American Indian or Alaska Native.

They accounted for approximately 78% of reported deaths but only represent 41% of the country’s population.

Wilbur Aldridge, with the Westchester NAACP, says he’s unfortunately not surprised by the CDC’s findings.

“There’s very big disparities in the availability of health care for minority people. Many illnesses that they have go untreated or are not treated until they become very severe,” he says.

Aldridge says the wealth gap contributed to this striking disparity too.

“The conditions under which people live and the fact that minorities amongst all people have the greatest degree of secondary illnesses,” he says,

The CDC reported of the 121 children and young people who died, 75% had an underlying medical condition.

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

BLACK WESTCHESTER VOTER EDUCA TION

BLACK WESTCHESTER

EARLY VOTING – WHEN, WHERE AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

BY AJ WOODSON

In our continued effort to inform

voters as we approach the most important election in out lifetime, here is everything you need to know about early voting. With the uncertainty of mail in ballots making in back on time with the slow down of the postal service and the doubt being created by the occupier of the White House we encourage all who can and are able to participate in early voting.

In Westchester County and the rest of New York State registered voters have the opportunity to vote in person before Election Day. Early voting begins – Saturday, October 24th and ends Sunday, November 1st. The General Election is Tuesday, November 3rd.

Early voting is the same as voting on Election Day. Locations for early voting are listed below, but you many only vote at your designated Polling Place on November 3, 2020.

Days and times for early voting in Westchester: Saturday, Oct. 24 from noon until 5 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 25 from noon until 5 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 26 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 27 from noon until 8p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 29 from noon until 8 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 30 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 31 from noon until 5 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 1 from noon until 5 p.m.

Westchester County early voting centers are: Eastchester Public Library, 11 Oakridge Pl, Eastchester Dobbs Ferry Village Hall, 112 Main St, Dobbs Ferry

Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Av, White Plains Veterans Memorial Building, 210 Halstead Avenue, Harrison Pound Ridge Town House, 179 Westchester Av, Pound Ridge Mamaroneck Town Center, 740 W. Boston Post Road, Mt. Kisco Memorial Complex at Leonard Park, 1 Wallace Drive, Mt. Kisco Mt. Pleasant Community Ctr, 125 Lozza Dr, Valhalla Mt. Vernon City Hall, 1 Roosevelt Sq, Mt. Vernon New Rochelle City Hall Annex – 90 Beaufort Place, 90 Beaufort Place, New Rochelle Joseph G. Caputo Community Center, 95 Broadway, Ossining Peekskill Nutrition Center – Neighborhood Center, 4 Nelson Avenue, Peekskill Somers Town House, 335 Route 202, Somers Westchester County Board of Elections, 25 Quarropas Street, White Plains Grinton I. Will Library, 1500 Central Park Av, Yonkers Riverfront Library, One Larkin Center, Yonkers Yorktown Cultural Center, 1974 Commerce Street, Yorktown Heights

You have three options to Vote this year: Early Voting, Absentee Voting and of course as always voting in person on Election Day. Start checking your mail box for absentee and election day information.

You may apply for an Absentee Ballot by mail, phone, fax, email or online.

Application and an online portal can be found at www.elections.ny.gov/VotingAbsentee.html. Request via email at BOEWestAbsentee@westchestergov.com.

Request by phone at (914) 995-5258 or 5291 and you can request by fax at (914) 995-7753 or 3190.

You can apply online, mail, email, phone or fax for Absentee Ballot no later than October 27, 2020. But if requesting Absentee Ballot do it right away, do not wait until the last minute because the Postal Service has said they cannot guarantee timely delivery for ballots applied for fewer then fifteen (15) days before the election.

For more info check following websites; Healthy Voting tips: Find healthy, secure, and safe ways to cast your ballot this year. https://www.healthyvoting.org/new-york Official election website Get details and deadlines for voting in your area https://www.elections.ny.gov/ or the Westchester Board Of Elections www.Westchestergov.com/BOE or call (914) 995-5700

HOPE NOT HANDCUFFS

FOR SUBSTANCE ADDICTION IN YORKTOWN

BY AJ WOODSON

YORKTOWN, NY - Supervisor Matt Slater and police Chief Robert Noble announce a new anti-drug initiative on Tuesday, September 2nd.

The Yorktown Police Dept. will be the first law enforcement agency in Westchester County to implement Hope Not Handcuffs, an initiative aimed at bringing law enforcement and community organizations together in an effort to find viable treatment options for individuals seeking help with substance dependency.

A person can come to the Yorktown Police Department seeking help and they will be greeted with compassion and respect.

The town has become Westchester County’s first to partner with the Hope Not Handcuffs program, in which someone struggling with substance addiction can go to the police station for help.

The idea is the station is a safe haven and police call a volunteer, known as an angel, to come and assist, including to potentially help a person seek a treatment program. Hope not Handcuffs Hudson Valley is already active in several Rockland County localities, as well as in Putnam and Orange counties, and is meant to help those with alcohol, opioid or other drug addictions.

“We’re just thrilled to have this in Yorktown,” Town Supervisor Matt Slater said at news conference outside the Town Police Department located at 2281 Crompond Road in Yorktown Heights, to provide “this important service to people in need.”

Hope Not Handcuffs, started by Michigan-based Families Against Narcotics in 2017, has partnered with police departments and municipalities around the country.

In the mid-Hudson Valley, Hope Not Handcuffs, run by the nonprofit Tri-County Partnership, launched about a year and a half ago in Orange County, said Annette Kahrs, the Hope Not Handcuffs-Hudson Valley program director. It’s expanded to about 25 police departments in the region.

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7

8 BLACK WESTCHESTER

SURROUNDING AREA NEWS

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

SURROUNDING AREA NEWS TRUMP’S DOWNRIGHT DIRTY PLAN: ROCHESTER MAYOR SUSPENDS OFFICERS DEFUNDING DISINFECTING NYC SUBWAY & SCHOOLS INVOLVED IN DEATH OF DANIEL PRUDE

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren (pictured left) ordered the immediate suspension of all seven of the officers involved the death of 41-year-old Daniel Prude in March, one day after the family released the shocking police bodycam footage of his arrest, and five months after he was taken off of life support.

The 69th mayor of Rochester, told reporters Thursday, September 3, that she first saw the video of the arrest that led to Prude’s death on Aug. 4, and has told the city’s police chief to alert her to all in-custody deaths or use-offorce incident within 24 hours.

Trump announced Wednesday, September 2nd he is beginning the process of defunding New York City. The president has been running on a law-and-order agenda, but now he’s upped the ante by beginning the process of defunding New York City, denying the city some $7 billion, CBS2’s Dick Brennan reports.

In memo to the U.S. Attorney General and the office of management and budget, Trump claimed that anarchy had broken out in some of our states and cities. He cited Portland, Seattle, Washington and New York City, writing, “My administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones.”

Since the outset of the pandemic, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has helped New York and other states cover the costs of coronavirusfighting efforts — from disinfecting schools and government buildings to stocking up on personal protective equipment for public employees.

But FEMA snuck in a rules change to say “the operation of schools and other public facilities” are no longer considered “emergency protective measures eligible for reimbursement,” declaring, “These are not immediate actions necessary to protect public health and safety.”

According to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the new rule means city and state governments will no longer be able to receive FEMA reimbursements for sanitizing buses, subway cars, schools and courthouses, among other public spaces.

The FEMA funding shakeup comes on the heels of President Trump’s threat to withhold federal cash from what he described as “anarchist jurisdictions.”

Daniel Prude’s family released body camera footage from his arrest in March, which showed a group of officers putting a hood over Prude’s head as he knelt on the ground, handcuffed and naked.

“Mr Daniel Prude was failed by our police department, our mental healthcare system, our society, and he was failed by me,” Warren told reporters. “We cannot continue to fail Black lives in this way.”

Prude’s asphyxiation occurred two months before the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, which spurred international protests against police brutality and racial injustice in the US. Prude’s family obtained video of the arrest after filing a freedom of information act request.

The video prompted protests in Rochester on Wednesday, with dozens of people calling for the police to be held accountable and removed from the department while the investigation proceeds. Nine protesters were arrested, according to Local newspaper Democrat and Chronicle.

On Thursday,Sept 3rd Governor Andrew Cuomo called for “expeditious” answers. “For the sake of Mr Prude’s family and the greater Rochester community, I am calling for this case to be concluded as expeditiously as possible. For that to occur, we need the full and timely cooperation of the Rochester Police Department and I trust it will fully comply,” Cuomo said.

The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating, as state law requires whenever police are involved in a civilian’s death.

Daniel Prude’s family is calling for the arrest of the police officers involved in his death by asphyxiation. The Monroe County medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint”, according to an autopsy report, the New York Times reported.

ROCHESTER POLICE CHIEF AND DEPUTY CHIEF RESIGN AFTER DANIEL PRUDE’S DEATH

ROCHESTER — The police chief and other highranking officials in this city’s 850-officer department have left their jobs amid controversy over the death of Daniel Prude while in police custody in March, the mayor announced to the city council Tuesday at what was slated to be a virtual briefing about police relations with protesters.

The chief and entire command staff of the police department in Rochester, New York, stepped down on Tuesday — among other department changes — as outrage continued over the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man with mental health issues who died after having been put in a “spit hood” and restrained by officers in March.

Chief La’Ron Singletary announced that he would be retiring after 20 years on the force, according to a news release from the department. Singletary said the events of the past week “are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity.”

By describing his departure as a retirement, and filing his retirement papers, the chief and the other officers will be able to draw on their pension and health benefits.

“The members of the Rochester Police Department and the Greater Rochester Community know my reputation and know what I stand for,” Singletary, 40, said in his resignation letter. “The mischaracterization and the politicization of the actions that I took after being informed of Mr. Prude’s death is not based on facts, and is not what I stand for.”

Deputy Chief Joseph Morabito and Commander Fabian Rivera also announced their retirements Tuesday. Two other high ranking officials, Deputy Chief Mark Simmons and Commander Henry Favor, returned to a lower ranking of lieutenant.

Mayor Lovely Warren said during a City Council briefing Tuesday that the “entire Rochester police command staff” has retired and that “there may be a number of others that will decide to leave, as well.” She insisted to the council Tuesday that Singletary was not asked to resign and that she felt he had given his “very best.”

“The Prude family and the greater Rochester community deserve answers, and we will continue to work around the clock to provide them,” James said in a statement.

Officers suspended are Troy Talladay, Paul Ricotta, Francisco Santiago, Andrew Specksgoor, Josiah Harris, Mark Vaughn and Sgt. Mark Magri.

In the video, an officer placed a “spit hood” over Prude’s head, apparently to prevent his spit from possibly transmitting the novel coronavirus.

Prude could be heard shouting, “Take this ... off my face!” and “You’re trying to kill me!” before his shouts turned to cries and became muffled. Officers were heard saying “Calm down” and “stop spitting”.

Later, the video showed an officer kneeling on Prude’s back while Prude was silent and snow fell around them. Someone was heard saying, “start CPR”.

Minutes later, the video showed Prude being loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher.

Rochester police chief La’Ron Singletary told reporters on Wednesday that internal and criminal investigations were under way.

Warren, the mayor, said Thursday that Singletary failed to provide her with the full details of what happened during the March incident until early August, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.

“The only way we can confront systemic racism in our city is to face it head-on,” Warren said, as reported by the newspaper. “There can not be a justice system for white people and a justice system for Black people.”

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

REAL TALK FOR THE COMMUNITY

BLACK WESTCHESTER 9

COVID: THE CURRENT KATRINA

BY DAVID BILLINGS

IF YOU’RE FROM NEW ORLEANS, AND BLACK OR POOR, 2020 IS A LOT LIKE HURRICANE KATRINA What about reparations, the second scenario?

What might have been the outcome if Black New Orleans had been invested in, really for the first time? What if an economy — built largely by Black folks, minimum wage earners of any race, and the natural resources via the Mississippi River — had been used to make reparations for the crimes against its Black residents, for the generations of Africans enslaved since the first ships disembarked with their ancestors? What about repairing the loss to New Orleans school children and their families for the damage done when 7,000 school teachers were fired after the teachers’ union was decertified and outlawed by the post-Katrina Louisiana legislature? This was a crime that affects all New Orleanians 15 years after Katrina.

Reparations need not be seen as punishment for white folks, but as a long overdue investment in the nation’s future. The murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis was no aberration.

Such actions on the part of police authorities have been going on since the founding of the republic.

Hidden behind the mask of racial capitalism, police protection has enriched a precious few in this society, but it has convinced most white people that our quality of life is dependent upon maintaining an obscenely oppressive culture of racial dominance.

If the duties of police departments were subject to a race equity lens, it would be found that most calls to the police begin with calls to 911.

These calls are usually not concerned with threats to life or even property, and can be better handled through civilian administrative procedures and by better trained and empathetic community residents or workers. The savings would be in the millions of dollars for every big city and small town in America.

The model exists with volunteer fire departments and suicide prevention hotlines. Money could then be reinvested in community infrastructure, free college tuition and legal services to the poor. It is possible to take the profit motive out of monitoring and policing the lives of Black and Brown people.

This is a type of reparations that could also provide monetary resources to every Black and Brown family/person in the country.

It is possible to take the profit motive out of monitoring and policing the lives of Black and Brown

It seems like yesterday: Images of New Orleanians on rooftops crying out for someone to rescue them; sleeping in the Superdome crying out for police protection; stranded on the interstate on foot with no car; standing in line at the convention center waiting on buses that never came; homeless at the Greyhound Station with no food or water.

This was the shocking aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005: Some people living in trees while others sought escape across the Mississippi Bridge, only to be met by police blockades barring their passage. Police in full military garb, armed with machine guns and on high alert protecting the people from the people. Or let me tell the truth: protecting white people and white property from an “invasion” by Black people with no property. At least in these realities you were home.

You could look from the interstate and see your neighborhood, or while in line at the convention center you could envision turning around and walking back to what used to be your home. But the worst for some was yet to come. If you were from New Orleans and had never left the city, you didn’t even fathom that you might be transported by the government to St. George, Utah, where no Black people lived, or to San Antonio, Texas, where few did, or New York City, where so many people lived that you would be “sheltered in place” in huge hotels next to the airport for the next year. Many would not see their family for a future that seemed interminable.

Some would die alone, never to see family again.

The comparisons with 2020 are inescapable if What might have you’re from New Orleans and if you’re Black or poor. It was been the outcome said then — and it is said now if Black New — that Mother Nature does Orleans had been not discriminate. She sees no color. She is an equal op- invested in, really portunity destroyer. That is, unless you are Black or Brown for the first time? in a nation that always sees color. You know Mother Nature sees color. She sees you. Name it Katrina or COVID-19, there is no doubt she sees you and knows where you live.

Fifteen years ago, I wrote about what would happen to New Orleans after Katrina. It seemed like there were two likely scenarios. Both were informed conjectures. I knew something about economics on the ground level and a bit more about race and structural white supremacy.

The first scenario was to transform New Orleans into a designated travel destination where people (largely white people) would be lured into town by good food, good (if slightly raunchy) times and for the vibrant jazz and music scene. To boot, once you were partied out, you could get up and take the streetcar through the Garden District and see the grand mansions along St. Charles Avenue. These mansions would evoke antebellum nostalgia bordered on one end by the statue of Robert E. Lee, which was removed this spring, and Camellia Grill on the other — with some of the best food you ever tasted. To the average tourist, New Orleans was a predominately white city, fun-loving and care-free. And the police were everywhere — to protect and to serve, just in case.

This was the plan and even with all its problems stemming from its oppressive racial caste system, it was doing pretty well post Katrina. It was a short-lived strategy and, as it turned out, a temporary solution before COVID-19 hit town and the economy busted up the tourist trade. Restaurants were boarded up and many will never open again. Musicians haven’t had work in months; the Jazz Festival has been postponed for the foreseeable future. And the death rate from the virus is one of the nation’s highest on a per capita basis. Per capita, by the way, means little to you if you’re dead, or to the family and friends who mourn your loss.

Black people were more valued as property than as human beings.

Police killings, extra-judicial as well as There are models of those committed under the how police really do guise of structural authority, have always occurred. I “protect and serve” know of no in-depth study neighborhoods. that attempts to enumerate They are called just how many. We know 646,000 died during the white communities.

Civil War, but not how many Black people have died at the hands of the police throughout the nation’s history.

Black rage against the police is utterly understandable, even if violence against the police by Black people scares the hell out of white people because they fear it will lead to insurrection if not immediate repression. The unarmed nature of so many of the murders is stunning; so often they are for non-threatening offenses like walking down the middle of the street, like Michael Brown in Ferguson, or selling individual cigarettes outside a convenience store in Staten Island, like Eric Garner. Ahmaud Aubrey in Brunswick, Georgia was murdered by neighborhood vigilantes again for perceived property violations. The list goes on. Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky killed in her house. For what? I forget what George Floyd was supposed to have done.

There are models of how police really do “protect and serve” neighborhoods. They are called white communities. Not just upper income white communities.

I have lived in white working-class areas a good part of my life. I can’t conceive of an unarmed white man being shot in the back by police while running down the street, or a white woman having her door broken down and killed inside her home with a mob of Black people on her porch. It strains the bounds of credulity.

We have seen the clips on TV. We have heard the stories. We can make the requisite excuses. We can say race had nothing to do with it. There is nothing that happens in the United States where race does not factor into it. Somehow, it always does.

There are Black citizens of New Orleans who never returned after Katrina. Some chose not to go back. New Orleans is not a perfect place. Too much violence. Too much poverty. Too few jobs that pay a living wage. Disney on the Bayou has not worked.

The Big Easy is hard. But it is still one of America’s great cities. One of the only places, I think, where the Rev. William H. Barnwell, a white civil rights leader who died of the coronavirus, can be spontaneously honored with a second line parade dancing in front of his house by a crowd of mostly Black folks.

If there are situations that only armed police can handle then spell them out and let them do their job, closely watched and held accountable by those parts of the public most impacted by police violence. The same goes for epidemics. Let’s have emergency response centers, fully equipped and ready to go when the first signs of true invasions are known. Lives depend on it.

All lives depend on it. Some lives more than others.

This story was produced by Fellowship of Reconciliation About the author: Rev. David Billings is a white anti-racist, organizer, educator, minister, and a long-distance runner for social justice. As a historian and author of “Deep Denial: The Persistence of White Supremacy In United States History and Life,” David has worked for half a century in the struggle for racial justice with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond.

Had such preventive policies been envisioned for New Orleans and put in place prior to the storm, the environmental loss and human suffering would have been infinitesimally reduced. Black people’s loss of life and home would have still been tragic, but sufficient resources would have been available to help people rebuild. Instead, business and political elites relocated poor and Black people — preventing tens of thousands from returning. Then they handed over the city’s systems of education, health care, housing and business initiatives to outside private, profit-driven entities.

In New Orleans during Katrina — and throughout the U.S. today — structural racism is what holds us hostage. Black lives have never mattered. Murder convictions for white people killing Black people have been rare; indeed, for the first 300 years or so (1619 to about 1959), such convictions were adjudicated as property crimes. When Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center won a 1987 conviction in the lynching of Michael Donald against the United Klans of America in Mobile, Alabama, no one was jailed or imprisoned; instead, the Law Center was awarded the Klan-owned building.

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10 BLACK WESTCHESTER

BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

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

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NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

BLACK WESTCHESTER 11

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12 BLACK WESTCHESTER

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

BLACK LIVES MATTER

RALLY FOR LIVES LOST TO GUN VIOLENCE

YOSEMITE PARK, GREENBURGH

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PICS BY LORRAINE LOPEZ

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

BW MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

BLACK WESTCHESTER13

TY MILBURN IS NEWS 12’S NEW WEEKEND ANCHOR FOR WESTCHESTER & LONG ISLAND

BY AJ WOODSON

News 12 announced Sunday, August 24th, that Ty milburn will be their new weekend evening anchor for both Westchester and Long Island.

“Ty has proven to be versatile in so many ways tackling breaking news, complicated political stories and fun features. I’m exciting to see him translate that experience onto the anchor desk for both regions. Ty starts his new anchor role on Saturday, August 29th. He will continue reporting for Westchester three days a week, Congratualtions Ty,” News 12 statement read.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to continue to do what I love and reach a broader audience,” Ty shares with Black Westchester. “It tookA lot of hard work to get here and it’s nice to see that hard work is Being rewarded.

I am a storyteller At heart and being on the anchor desk will allow me to tell stories in a different yet impactful way.”

In his new role Ty will be anchoring for News 12 Westchester, News 12 Hudson valley and News 12 Long Island. The award winning journalist will also continue to do news specials and host his weekly Luxury living show. That’s not all he has to celebrate, this year he won an AP broadcast award for leading News 12 coverage of Mount Vernon.

“It’s a great honor to report and deliver the news in a community I love,” he continues to share. “I hope people will watch and support us.”

“Congrats to Ty Milburn on his new assignment. His tireless efforts as a reporter, covering positive stories in Mount Vernon have been appreciated.

Wishing him much more success in the new role,” Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard shared with Black Westchester.

“I am very proud and excited about the promotion for one of own Ty Milburn.

Throughout the years he has demonstrated his professionalism and objectivity in reporting the news fairly. We are very proud of his accomplishments,” Reverend Troy DeCohen, Senior Pastor of the Mount Vernon Heights Congregational Church.

Ty joined the team in December of 2011 as a reporter for News 12 Hudson Valley. He came to News 12 from New York 1, where he worked as a reporter for two years. Prior to that, he worked at network affiliates in Milwaukee, Detroit, Saginaw, MI and Salisbury, Maryland.

Milburn earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Susquehanna University.

As Editor-In-Chief I have gotten to know Ty well over the past six years, especially in his coverage of Mount Vernon. I have enjoyed our chats discussing the issues and working alongside of him covering press conferences, I have actually learned a lot from just watching him work. This is a well deserved position and I am proud to see more color at the anchor desk.

Black Westchester salutes you and congratulates you on your new position.

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14 BLACK WESTCHESTER

NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

COVER STORIES BW COVER STORY

REMEMBERING CHADWICK BOSEMAN Actor

BY AJ WOODSON

Chadwick Boseman, who played black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, has died of cancer, his representative said. He was 43.

Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side, Friday, August 28th.

Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago. ‘Everybody’s minds are opening up.’

“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said.

“From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilsons Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more – all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy.

It was the honour of his career to bring King TChalla to life in Black Panther.”

Boseman had not spoken publicly about his diagnosis. It is believed he married his long-term partner, the singer Taylor Simone Ledward, earlier this year. The couple had no children.

Boseman paid tribute to Ledward in his acceptance speech at the 2019 NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles, where he won the trophy for outstanding actor in a motion picture. He said: “Simone, you’re with me every day. I have to acknowledge you right now. Love you.”

With his role as King T’Challa in the boundary-breaking film “Black Panther,” he became a global icon and an inspiring symbol of Black power. That role was the “honor of (Boseman’s) career,” the statement said.

“Black Panther” opened in theaters and sparked excited among many across the country. But for many African-Americans and people of African ancestry, this was a time to celebrate a historic movie – Marvel’s first black superhero to have his own movie..

Black Panther is also a symbol of hope for Black communities all over the world.

From his first comic book appearance during the Civil Rights Era, the Black Panther has always been considered a fictional character who serves as a form of rhetorical justice for those suffering from bigotry and racism.

The introduction of the Black Panther is a momentous event for the Black (and comic-lover) community. Not only is he a bad ass superhero, but he’s one of 10 or so major Marvel characters who identifies as Black, something that would’ve been unheard of back in the day.

At the end of the movie, King T’Challa demonstrated the kind of moral leadership on the world stage that attendees were delighted to applaud. “Black Panther,” directed by 31-year-old Ryan Coogler, broke box office records with a $218 million opening.

Westchester residents scramble to find a seat at sold-out showings of “Black Panther” dressed as the characters from Black Panther and their favorite African garb presenting an opportunity for celebrating Black excellence, in the true essence of Wakanda forever and for teaching kids about the difference between dress-up and cultural appropriation. Black Panther went on to earn a nomination for best picture at the upcoming Oscars, the first comic book movie to nab such an accolade,

Chadwick Boseman understood the importance for Black children to have a title superhero of their own (and for everyone else to be exposed to one). To that end, Boseman became a role model and T’Challa became an aspiration. But meaningful improvements in representation didn’t stop there.

Boseman effortlessly stepped into the shoes of Jackie Robinson, America’s first black Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall and the soulful James Brown. The legacy that Boseman leaves behind is more than can be defined by any one role. He served as a shining example of minority representation and excellence in film, with a flexibility that made him just as versatile as he was impactful.

Black Panther’s superpowers weren’t what we thought, and they’re what we need in a leader -- and each other -- right now.

Dignity is a word that’s being used to describe Boseman in almost every mention of his passing. It could ring of latent racism, the way “articulate” does, except because Boseman’s King T’Challa commanded such presence, it’s a perfectly fitting compliment.

Chadwick Boseman was a superhero on screen in Black Panther and, as it turns out, a superhuman off screen as well; he battled cancer privately while filming one of the most iconic African characters in movie history. His death hit us all hard, especially the Black community. He will always be our King!

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BW COVER STORY

TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND CHADWICK BOSEMAN

BY GUEST COLUMNIST KEVIN POWELL

We’ve lost a humble superhero, and his name was Chadwick Boseman. Like everyone, I am shocked at the news of his death on Friday at the age of 43. That he suffered with colon cancer for four years, telling hardly anyone except those in his inner circle, shows us the kind of human being he was.

In those last four years of his life, Chadwick appeared in 10 films, including his historic and thrilling performance as the title character in “Black Panther,” and underwent treatment. It’s difficult to imagine the suffering he must have endured -- how taxing the surgeries and chemotherapy sessions must have been on his body and what mind games he must have faced in his quiet moments, knowing his life could be tragically short. It was an incredible act of selflessness that Chadwick continued to work and bring people joy, in spite of the cancer that ravaged his body.

When I heard the sad news, my thoughts flashed back to the 2000s, when I first met Chadwick, who at the time, had just graduated from the historically Black Howard University. I had published a collection of autobiographical essays, and a mutual friend who is a theater director suggested I ask this young actor to interpret parts of the book on stage. It was remarkable and humbling to see Chadwick, a native son of South Carolina born to working-class parents, embody me on that stage. And yet he thanked me for the opportunity, and I never forgot him, his dedication to his craft or his humility.

Like many, I followed Chadwick’s career as he landed bit parts on television and in film. I surged with pride when the Hollywood doors opened, and he played sports pioneer Jackie Robinson in “42,” civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall” and music legend James Brown in “Get On Up.” Chadwick seemed to know that acting was not merely his career but his spiritual calling. Through acting, he depicted cultural giants and brought each role to life as the everyman, in the vein of James Stewart and Sidney Poitier.

He also channeled his cultural heritage into films that stirred and fed his soul -much like Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington -- which in turn, nourished so many of us. He channeled the Black Lives Matter movement, too, knowing that the roles he played required the same kind of grace and dignity he manifested in every part of his life; that he represented not only himself, but the hopes and aspirations of an entire community of people.

That is why there is so much hurt and sorrow around his death. For Black people worldwide, Chadwick Boseman’s performance in “Black Panther” felt like it had single-handedly erased centuries of racist pop culture stereotypes. Chadwick as T’Challa proved to us, to Hollywood and to viewers around the world that a Black superhero could be celebrated, beloved and make over a billion dollars at the box office, too.

“Black Panther” was hugely inspiring, and people of all ages and identities took to making the same cross-armed Wakanda greeting that Chadwick Boseman did in the film. As Chadwick’s fame exploded, I thought of how different my life would have been, as a poor and profoundly self-hating

Black boy, had I grown up with a movie superhero who was Black like me.

Chadwick’s screen portrayals offered a hopeful counter-narrative amid the barrage of video footage showing Black men being shot and killed by police or racist vigilantes. Chadwick was the seed planted long ago by ancestors who wanted to be treated as equals. Chadwick was a superstar with crossgenerational and cross-cultural appeal for our still-new and troubled century.

In 2018, Chadwick was hailed as one of British GQ’s international men of the year, and I was lucky enough to write a cover story on him for the magazine. His own modesty was stunning in its plainspokenness. Despite his astounding success, it was as if we were transported back to our first meeting more than a decade earlier, when he was just a college graduate. Once again, he thanked me for the opportunity.

Little did I know, as I interviewed Chadwick over the phone, that that would be the last time I would speak with him. Little did I know, as he shared with me the many projects he was working on, that he knew cancer was destroying his body. And yet he did not hesitate to discuss his future with childlike joy and amazement.

Chadwick Boseman was nothing but a man who wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. And that he has done, forever.

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16 BLACK WESTCHESTER

NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

A n drea S t ewart-Cousins

New York State Senate, 35 th District President Pro Tem ♦ Majority Leader

Best Wishes to my friends at

Black Westchester Newspaper on the occasion of celebrating your

3rd Anniversary Thank you for your ongoing commitment to bringing stories of African-American life, culture, economics, politics, sports, and entertainment center stage. Your dedication to keeping the public informed enriches the lives of people throughout Westchester County and I am grateful for all your efforts.

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

/Andrea.StewartCousins –

@AndreaSCousins

YONKERS IS BACK TO BUSINESS! #YonkersBack2Biz GenerationYonkers.com

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BLACK WESTCHESTER 17

Take a stand. Answer the call for equality. Answer the call for civil rights.

Join the oldest and boldest civil rights organization in the nation. Join the Peekskill Branch of the NAACP.

Join/Renew Today www.peekskillnaacp.org

Email: peekskillnaacp@gmail.com

Phone: 917-963-7344

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18BLACK WESTCHESTER

NEWS WITH THE BLACK POINT OF VIEW

SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

YONKERS ARTS ORGANIZATION UNVEILS A BLACK LIVES MATTER MURAL OUTSIDE YONKERS CITY HALL

BY AJ WOODSON

Yonkers Arts designed a Black Lives Matter Mural in Downtown Yonkers. The words “Black Lives Matter” were painted on South Broadway outside City Hall by local residents August 29-30th. The large multi-colored mural was unveiled Monday, August 31st.

“Being an African-American who’s fortunate to be the Director of an Arts Organization, I took this project personally,” Yonkers Arts Executive Director Ray Wilcox shared with Black Westchester. “The installation’s impact has proven to be a hot topic and has sparked the dialogue needed to be had here in Yonkers, especially knowing the history this city has with race and racism. We have a progressive Mayor in Mike Spano. We have a City Council built of diversity.

Judges that look like my sister. And a community comprised of local organizations that are doing REAL work for change. This mural shows a city standing in solidarity in acknowledging our struggles. And I’m proud to be a part of that.”

The nonprofit organization is dedicated to developing the artistic community and impact through the arts in the city of Yonkers, NY. Yonkers Arts strategically created the mural campaign so that the organization wouldn’t benefit from tax-payer’s dollars and fundraised utilizing grassroots collaboration with a cohort of local community organizations; all who are creating impact for the betterment of the city. The collaboration also birthed the opportunity to form a community ‘action’ panel composed of these community leaders that will continue to engage with our elected officials on some of the glaring issues directly affecting the community.

United Kingdom, subsequently painted their own “Black Lives Matter” murals.

On June 9, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio announced plans to rename and paint in each of the five boroughs of New York City in honor of Black Lives Matter in consultation with city leaders, advocates and the City Council. He stated “It’s time to do something officially representing this city to recognize the power of the fundamental idea of Black Lives Matter, the idea that so much of American history has wrongly renounced, but now must be affirmed.”

Cities all across New York State including, Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Harlem (on side of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr, State Building), Nyack, Oswego, Rochester, Schenectady and Syracuse begin paintinmg their own murals as well. Despite many cities renaming and painting streets with the words Black Lives Matter there wasn’t one to be found in Westchester County. Until late August when Yonkers led the way and became the first of the 43 municipalities of Westchester to do so.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano addrerssing the crowd at the unveiling [Photo by Joe Panella]

“It’s moments like these that make me proud to be Mayor of a city that promotes our diversity,” Mayor Mike Spano told Black Westchester. “A city filled with over 100 different ethnicities and over 60 spoken languages – spoke in one unifying voice. Yonkers is the symbol of America. We set a standard the rest of the nation ought to strive to achieve. Having Black Lives Matter painted before the steps of City Hall and in front of our Veterans Monument sends a powerful message. A message that all lives cannot matter until black lives matter. Our veterans fought to support these ideals, and we are here to protect them. Thank you to the Yonkers Arts organization, and over 65 volunteers who painted this powerful message.”

Photos courtesy of Hector Santiago

“I believe that the mural has already begun its mission,” Hector Santiago shared with Black Westchester. “Lots of conversations have started in the community revolving the term “Black Lives Matter,” People from all prospectives have come to share but also listen. Many have agreed to disagree but still maintained respect & that is the goal. To create a space of safety , love, and unity in the community. I don’t think it solves all our problems but it has definitely opened peoples hearts, minds, and spirits to coming together for change”

On June 5, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, the DC Public Works Department painted the words “Black Lives Matter” in 35-foot-tall (11 m) yellow capital letters on 16th Street NW on the north of Lafayette Square, part of President’s Park near the White House, with the assistance of the MuralsDC program of the DC Department of Public Works, with the DC flag accompanying the text. Multiple other cities across the United States, as well as in Canada, and

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

THREE YEARS AND COUNTING

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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%

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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 three year 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.

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 the 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.

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20 BLACK WESTCHESTER

BW’S LATINO EMPOWERMENT

21 QUESTIONS

WITH DIANA SANCHEZ

By Lorraine Lopez And Hector Santiago

1. What is your name?

Diana Sanchez

2. What municipality in Westchester do you reside in?

Yonkers 3. What do you do for a living?

I’m currently a Community Organizer of a grassroots organization named “Yonkers Sanctuary Movement”, or YSM for short.

4. Tell us about the organization’s you belong to if any.

Yonkers Sanctuary Movement is a grassroots organization led by DACA recipients and allies. YSM advocates for Undocumented Rights, pushes laws that protect the undocumented community, and empowers the undocumented community in the city of Yonkers. I am also a Board Member of Hudson Valley Community Coalition and part of the Hudson Valley Community Funding Committee for North Star Foundation.

5. What are some of the things you have done?

YSM started in December 2016 after the new administration was elected. We knew the undocumented community was already being racially targeted and that many of our families, friends and community members were going to be affected.

We are the only organization that was pushing for Yonkers to become a Sanctuary City. In 2017, we pushed for the “Immigration Protection Act”in Westchester County, “Green Light Bill” statewide and are currently pushing for the “Protect our Courts Act” in NY state. We have been pushing for a Clean Dream Act and pushing to protect DACA Recipients but we know that we need to push for a bill that will protect our whole entire undocumented community. Besides pushing for legislation that protects our undocumented community, we have given many “Know Your Rights” trainings because the majority of undocumented community do no know that they have rights regardless of their immigration status. YSM also tries to help the community with immigration cases by referring them to attorneys. In the past year, we have helped fundraise for attorney fees and bail so that three community members could be released and reunited with their families. We have also raised funds for 12 DACA recipients’ DACA renewal fees. DACA renewal fees.

We currently are fundraising for our mutual aid fund, “Dando Una Mano”, to provide some help to undocumented families who have has lost work and are financially struggling due to the pandemic, and who have received no federal aid. Currently we have distributed this mutual aid to 61 applicants, in the amount of $300 per family. We are hoping to get more donations as 180 families in Yonkers and Mount Vernon applied to the Dando Una Mano fund, and we can only currently cover about half of those who applied.

6. What are your goals?

My goals are to continue to empower the undocumented community, minorities and especially women. To create more leadership amongst directly impacted people. I believe only people who are directly impacted by social justice issues should be the ones to lead their movement. There are not many spaces for directly impacted people to lead and especially women, women of color, and the LGTBQ+ community.

7. What motivates you?

My family. My mother, my father, my brothers, my friends and community members who I grew up with, who up to this day have been affected by immigration policies.

8. What’s the biggest problems in the Latino community?

That we are not united, that we are fighting for many different issues but not necessarily all together. There’s also a lack of representation in government positions and the lack of not knowing who represents what in different government positions.

9. Is there enough Latino leadership?

No. 10. Where could we use more?

Yonkers, Westchester, State and Country.

11. Do we need more Latino businesses?

Yes, to give you an example, I live in Yonkers. Southwest Yonkers is known for having Latino businesses such as restaurants, body shops, bodegas, and hair salons, but in other parts of Yonkers there’s a lack of diversity and Latino businesses. I’m sure this is an issue all over Westchester County, not to mention the state. diversity and Latino businesses.

I’m sure this is an issue all over Westchester County, not to mention the state.

12. How do today’s politics/politicians ttreat Latino community?

We are currently in a hard time. Nationally we know that this administration has continuously vilified the Latino community which has caused many racist people to verbally and physically attack Latinos.

I myself was verbally attacked by an older lady who yelled racist things such as, “Go back to your country, your child is a bastard and an anchor baby”. In my 29 years of living in this country, I had never gone through that until 2016 when this new president was running for the seat.

We obviously witnessed that the Yonkers City Council in 2017 never let the Councilwoman Corazon Pineda-Isaac bring a bill out for discussion that would support a bill that would be through the state to make the state a Sanctuary City and would not necessarily be a city policy.

13. Are Latinos are educated enough and motivated to fill out the Census?

Some Latinos are and some not necessarily. Unfortunately COVID had a great impact on all of the communities but majority the Latino and Black community.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

Black Westchester’s Latino Empowerment is starting a series called ‘21 Questions’ with a Latino Leader where we’ll be highlighting several Latino Leaders and the extraordinary work they do in the Latino and overall community. Usually, an unsung (s)hero. Our first Introduction to you is Diana Sanchez, an organizer for The Yonkers Sanctuary Movement. A gal after my own heart as I started my career as a community organizer. We’ll also be having guest Latino co-reporters as well. Our first co-reporter for this series is Hector Santiago, creator of Stop and Shake.

If you would like to nominate an unsung (s)hero or will like to be a co-reporter, please contact me at LorraineLopez700@gmail.com, hit me on Facebook, or call or text me at (914) 223-3191

Pa’ lante, mi gente!!!

Lorraine Lopez

In Yonkers, the Latino and Black communities have been the majority of the population being affected.This pushed many organizations and Census workers to hold back from in-person contact with the communities.

Although our organization did not get any funding to help out and do community outreach on the Census, Yonkers Sanctuary Movement has recently done a bilingual informative live video that was featured in our Facebook page. We were able to answer questions while going live. We are currently one of the only organizations that provide all our information and resources bilingually in English and Spanish. We are going to be organizing a Census event before the Census deadline of September 30.

14. What advice would you give Latinos who are wary of filling out the Census because of immigration status?

I would advise them not to fear that your information will be shared. My family has been completing the Census for as long as I can remember. This time I got a chance to fill mine out as a parent and for the very first time as an adult. I have been in multiple conversations with Census Coordinators and staff and they all shared the same information. The information you fill out will help fund the services we receive from the state such as schools, hospitals, transportation, TSNAP programs, Medicaid and our state and city will get more funding. I was very upset to hear from a former Board Member of YSM who currently works for Casa Maria (a non profit organization) that only 57 percent of the Yonkers population filled out the census last year. [Last year or 10 years ago? -Gina] That means almost half of the community did not answer the census and a lot of funding for services and resources were lost. I would also advise then to inform themselves better, to ask questions, to look for organizations that help the undocumented community such as YSM. One place to start is to watch the informative video we streamed live this week about the Census, as we mentioned earlier. We are here to answer questions and help guide people if they send us a message there.

15. Should Latinos register to vote?

Yes, Yes, Yes! 16. What would you say to a Latino to encourage them to vote?

We might be called “the minority vote” but in reality, we are a huge population in this country. Our vote matters: if not, you wouldn’t see so many politicians coming into our Latino and minority communities when elections are coming up. Please register as people who wish they could vote definitely depend on you.

17. Do you support the Black Lives Movement and why?

Yes, everyone who is in Yonkers Sanctuary Movement’s Board and leadership do.

Our organization has joined rallies but has also supported the movement through our social media. I know it’s a big challenging for our undocumented folks to join rallies because the fear of deportation but we believe that we need to stand together in solidarity with the Black Community. We know that black undocumented folks are currently the majority of the population that get detained and deported by immigration officials. We know that Latinos and the Black community are the biggest population of groups that are incarcerated. We know that Detention Facilities have grown throughout the years.

Many Detention Facilities are owned by Private Corporations and have extended their beds to become Imigration Facilities. The same system that has killed and incarcerated Black communities has locked and separated Latinos from their loved ones.

Sometimes we don’t hear about incidents involving police brutality that happen with Latino community members because of their fear of being deported and because many come from fled from countries where the Police are corrupted.

18. Why do you think Latinos are more likely to contract Covid -19?

Latinos and Black community members have been the highest population of contracting Covid because they had to work through the pandemic. Undocumented folks are Essential but none of them have health insurance, haven’t received any federal aid and they continuously have to travel in public transportation to get to work. Yonkers in fact was the city with most COVID cases and most of them were Latino and Black community members. You have to understand we are the first city that borders the Bronx. Many community members work in the city and many city workers work in Westchester and they use public transportation to get to work. Also we need to acknowledge not everyone has licenses or have cars, afford car insurance and gas.

Not everyone was able to get a permit and license because of COVID and DMV offices and other public offices closing through months. For our undocumented community finally regaining access to drivers license in the state of NY was a victory but unfortunately many were still studying to take the permit test and will have to wait till December or Next Year when there’s more appointment available.

19. 2020 has hit the nation hard. Do you think Latinos have enough mental health resources to help them cope?

No. Mental Health in fact has always been a taboo to talk about in the Latino Community. Almost feels as if we are always scared to admit we need help. We are strong and hardworking people that for Latinos it’s almost as if it was a sign of weakness. Unfortunately we also have to acknowledge many of our undocumented and Latino have barrier language and we have to acknowledge as undocumented folks many things come to play including fear of being separated from their family. I hope we can open dialogue and also create more resources for Latinos and all communities as Covid has mentally impacted everyone.

20. What message would you sned to the Latino community?

Not to feel scared. To get informed. There’s organizations and people who care about you. I know Covid has hit us hard and many have lost loved ones. For the ones that are fighting everyday know that you matter, that we see you, we hear you and that we love you. I hope we continue to build and help each other.

21. If you were a superhero, who would you be and why?

The funny thing is that I have always loved superheros. In fact I have started to collect the action figures now that I’m an adult.

What can I say my Dad named me after the Goddess of the Moon and some of my female friends call me Wonder Woman.

But in reality I always watched Batman cartoons as a child and my favorite character from Batman was Cat Woman . But as I’m asking my daughter she keeps bringing up that Wonder Woman is the coolest

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

HISPANIC-LED ANTITRUMP SUPER PAC TARGETS MULTI-CULTURAL YOUNGER VOTERS

A Hispanic-led group of political and creative professionals on Tuesday launched a progressive super PAC to fund a campaign that envisions a 46th president who isn’t Trump and targets multicultural millennials and Generation Z youth.

Named “It’s Time for 46,” their committee plans a digital and outdoor campaign that portrays the election as one that cancels out the 45th president — Trump — and looks forward to a new, different president with its theme, “It’s time for 46” or, in Spanish, “Es la hora del 46.” The next president will be the 46th president elected in the U.S.

Fundraising has just begun, but one of its leaders, Juan Proaño, cofounder of Plus Three, a company that uses technology to assist nonprofits, and a veteran of several Democratic presidential and other campaigns, said the aim is to spend at least $1.5 million in digital space and outdoors, such as with billboards.

The campaign is being launched by Proaño, Sergio Alcocer, an award-winning multicultural advertiser and marketer and Mario Troncoso, a 10-time Emmy-award winning documentary filmmaker and video journalist whose recent project “Fake: Searching for the Truth in the Age of Misinformation” was broadcast by PBS. Proaño said they will be adding additional, diverse leaders.

Proaño, a resident of Miami, said he has grown worried that in his own neighborhood, he sees Trump signs across the street and at other nearby homes, but no Joe Biden signs and that on a recent trip by car from Miami to Austin, Texas, he saw many Trump signs but few Biden signs.

“We are not willing to sit aside and take for granted that they have it in the bag, that they’ve covered the bases,” said Proaño, referring to the Biden campaign.

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

PUERTO RICO’S CRUTCH IN 2020

BY AP REPORTER REY SABRI

‘Yo soy Boricua, pa’que tu lo sepas!’ is the rallying cry that can be heard throughout the streets of New York every June 14th. Words that are inspired by the excitement of knowing that the Puerto Rican Day Parade is at last finally here! The second Sunday of June is a special day that is marked on the calendar in every Puerto Rican household. Families prepare for a day of celebration as festivals fill up the streets across all of New York’s major boroughs – the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island … and yes, even the county of Westchester! People of both Puerto Rican descent and all Hispanic heritages come together to celebrate the enriched history of Puerto Rican culture. The Puerto Rican Day parade is currently America’s largest cultural celebration. It is a time when both friends and families can hit the street and enjoy the energy of traditional dance, music, and great tasting food.

But this year was different … Residents of New York’s major boroughs & counties did not wake up on June 14th to a loud rallying cry or the blasting of ‘Aguanile’ by Hector Lavoe & Willie Colon. Instead, people were home asleep because there was something else that had hit the streets earlier in the year – one of America’s worst pandemics. As a result, there were no festivals or celebrations in the streets of New York … it was the first time in the parade’s 62-year history that it was canceled.

In a year of such turmoil and stress that left thousands of Americans dead and jobless, the news of canceling America’s biggest celebration Hispanic culture was another tough pill to swallow.

“The Parade is more than a celebration of pride and culture. It’s a platform for preserving our heritage while advancing our community by informing on important issues and promoting educational achievement,” said Louis Maldonado, board chair for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) Board of Directors, in a statement.

Before the Coronavirus, Puerto Ricans were already coping with the heartbreak of earthquakes and hurricanes, ex: ‘Hurricane Maria’ tearing apart their homeland and separating their families. Puerto Ricans are still in the process of rebuilding their beloved island and COVID has now made that task even more difficult.

“Having a moment - even if it is just for a day - to forget about everything going on in Puerto Rico … to forget about the ongoing earthquakes & hurricanes … to forget about COVID and just celebrate life through music and dance would be especially heartwarming for those who hail from an island that considers traditional dance a national treasure,” said Alberto Alvarez, resident of the Bronx.

With no national parade and a decimated homeland - it has been a tough year for Puerto Ricans.

But there is still hope … With Hispanic Heritage month around the corner, Puerto Ricans will now turn to find solace in their other national treasure – baseball.

Major League Baseball has announced that on Wednesday, September 9th all players of Puerto Rican descent will be permitted to wear the Puerto Rican baseball icon Roberto Clemente’s No. 21 during the commemoration of the 19th annual Roberto Clemente Day. Additionally, other players who are not of Puerto Rican descent will be offered the opportunity to wear a patch on their jersey that displays the No. 21 to commemorate the legacy of the late Hall of Famer and island hero.

“For all us Latinos who have played Major League Baseball, and have had to deal with so many obstacles, difficulties, and challenges, [Roberto] Clemente is the source of inspiration we need to move forward and pursue our dreams and be an example to others on and off the field,” said Yadier Molina, catcher of the St. Louis Cardinals.

In a post-Hurricane Maria and COVID-19 world, baseball is Puerto Rico’s crutch. The diamond serves as a sanctuary for both players and fans.

For nine innings, Puerto Ricans can take their minds off the problems they are facing, ex: the current health crisis, economic crisis, natural disasters and etc; and have a reason to smile again. Baseball is more than a sport in Puerto Rico; it is a way of life. The game serves a bigger purpose - uniting the community by bringing people together to share moments of laughter, cheer, and joy. The island’s great passion for the sport was personified during 2017 World Baseball Classic, when players on the Puerto Rico club died their hair blonde as a display of unity as the club made their run to the championship game against the United States.

There may be no parade this year, but the passion and unity for Puerto Rican culture will be on full display again before 2020 officially ends. Because on this upcoming Roberto Clemente Day and Hispanic Heritage month, Puerto Ricans across the globe will have the opportunity to raise a glass to toast the perseverance of both their island and people. After all, Puerto Ricans have collectively overcome a devastating hurricane, earthquake, pandemic, and economic crisis. And are now working side-by-side - with the help of everyone’s broad shoulders - to uplift the entire island back to its glory days, once again.

BLACK WESTCHESTER

21

914 SPOTLIGHT DR. EDWIN QUEZADA MAKES CITY & STATES’ LATINO POWER 100 LIST

BY AJ WOODSON

YONKERS, NY — Coming in at number 53 is Dr. Edwin Quezada, Superintendent, Yonkers Public Schools, New York State’s fourth-largest school district. The district has experienced a renaissance under Edwin Quezada, who oversees 3,500 staff members in a system with a student body of 27,000, Quezada has improved graduation rates, lowered the dropout rate and boosted state test scores.

His latest challenge is how to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, and he’s moving his district forward with a hybrid plan the combines remote and in-person learning for most students.

City & State is the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy. The Power of Diversity: Latino Power 100 recognizes the most politically influential Latinos who make New York what it is.

Who is Dr. Quezada? Dr. Quezada embodies the essential characteristics required for a successful educational leader – child-centered, intellect, financial acumen, passion, compassion, communication skills and stamina. The Trustees of the Yonkers Board of Education appointed Dr. Quezada Superintendent of Schools on March 16, 2016 after serving as Deputy Superintendent for two years. Dr. Quezada supervises all functions of the school district’s 39 schools and central administration - teaching and learning, budgetary, human resources, facilities, communications, technology and works with city, state and federal officials.

Under Dr. Quezada’s tutelage in 2017, Yonkers boasted the highest on-time graduation rate, 82%, of New York State’s Big 5 city school districts. Accolades abound for Yonkers My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) initiated by Dr. Quezada and launched in 2016, part of the national and New York State movement.

Recognized as a model for New York State, the MBK Challenge flourishes through a coalition with City of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and Yonkers Nepperhan Community Center Executive Director Rev. Dr. Jim Bostic.

An immigrant from the Dominican Republic, Dr. Quezada came to the Bronx, New York in September 1983 at age 15. He graduated from James Monroe High School in 1985 and immediately began his college career at Herbert H. Lehman College completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting with a minor in Secondary Education in 1990, and in 1995 earning a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Lehman College, a degree in School Administration/District Supervision from Fordham University in 2000, and a Doctorate in Education from Walden University in 2012.

Black Westchester’s Latino Empowerment salutes Dr. Edwin Quezada one of the influential Latinos who make New York what it is.

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22 BLACK WESTCHESTER

REAL TALK FOR THE COMMUNITY

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

WILL RACISM EVER END, WILL I EVER STOP BEING A NIGGER?

BY KEVIN POWELL

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

—Psalms 23 What happens to a dream deferred?

—Langston Hughes

What brush do you bend when dusting your shoulders from being offended? What kind of den did they put you in when the lions start hissing?

—Kendrick Lamar I AM NOT A NIGGER, or a nigga, or a nigguh. I am not your nigger or anyone else’s nigger, either. Nor do I belong to some specialized society that contains within its boundaries niggers, or niggas, or niggaz4life. No—

`I am a man, a Black man, a human being, and I am your equal. After this piece goes live I am never again going to utter that word “nigger” to describe myself, to describe Black people, to paint a picture of a certain type of mentality born of racial oppression, self-hatred, confusion, of ignorance; not publicly, not privately. No— Yet when I look at race and racism in America in the 21st century how could I not help but feel like I am nothing but that loaded and disgusting word? I often wonder if it actually matters I came up from the ghetto; me, the product of a single mother who escaped, barely, the color-line insanity of the Jim Crow South only to confront a different kind of race and class insanity in Northern slums; me, the son of an absent father who completely and permanently abandoned my mom and I when I was eight because he was a broken Black man and did not know it; me, a Black boy who has known rivers, poverty, violence, abuse, fear, hopelessness, depression; me, who made it to college on a financial aid package, never got my degree, but still made a name for myself, against all odds; me, who has published 14 books and who has visited all 50 American states—as a writer, as a political activist, as a speaker; me, the kid who did not get on an airplane until I was age 24, but who has since been to five of the seven continents, and who is interviewed virtually each week on television and radio and elsewhere for media outlets from every corner of the world. What does it matter that I, as my mother has said with her grits-and-butter South Carolina dialect, “speaks well”; that I have the ability to converse with equal comfort on college campuses and on concrete street corners, that I can easily flow from exchanges on presidential campaigns and gender politics to basketball and pop culture? What does it matter, indeed, if I have produced a body of work, my writings, my speeches, my humanitarian and philanthropic efforts, in service to people, all people, and that I really do see you, me, us, as sisters and brothers, no matter who you are or what you look like, as part of the human race, the human family, if you, in the smoked out buildings that are your mind’s eyes, refuse to see me, or refuse to see me as a whole human being, or, worse, simply see me as that word?

Or what if you see me as an animal, a monster, some thing to be dissed, avoided, detested, labeled as angry or a thug or difficult or arrogant or a problem or a burden?

Yes, a nigger, that creature and creation born of a vicious racism seemingly as long as the nightmares of my African ancestors shocked and awed as they were bamboozled and kidnapped from the motherland centuries back; their sweaty raw bodies the infrastructure for the first global economy in this world—slavery, the transAtlantic slave trade. That slave trade built and enriched Europe, built and enriched America, and turned places as different as New York City and the American South and the West Indies and Latin America and the United Kingdom into real and metaphorical castles for powerful and privileged White people. Meanwhile the bodies of my beautiful ancestors were brutalized by a diabolical scheme to bend and bomb any memory of their names, their identities, their very beings, until they became that which they were told: niggers …

So there is simply no way to have what my Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brother David Young dubs “courageous conversations” about race and racism in America if you refuse to hear me, if you refuse to read this essay to the very end, if you refuse to acknowledge that my history is your history, too. We are chained together like those slaves were chained together on those ships and those auction blocks.

I can hear my White sisters and brothers say now, as many often declare to me when this uncomfortable dialogue occurs, “But I did not own slaves, I had nothing to do with that” or “My relatives did not do that.” It does not matter if you or your longgone relatives were directly involved or not, or if you believe that “that is in the past.”

The past, tragically, is the present, because we’ve been too terrified to confront our whole history and our whole selves as Americans.

Furthermore what matters is that a system was put in place, rooted in slavery, based on White skin privilege and White skin color, that revolved around power, land, property, status, shared values born of oppression and discrimination and marginalization, and that has never changed in America. Never. That system and its values have been passed generation to generation as effortlessly as we pass plates at the family dinner table. So it does not matter if you never openly refer to a Black person as a nigger or not. It does not matter if your college fraternity puts on Blackface and mocks Black culture on Halloween or not. It does not matter if you are a practicing racist or not. It does not matter if you call yourself a Democrat or a Republican or an independent. It does not matter if you call yourself a progressive or liberal or a centrist or conservative.

It does not matter if you have Black friends or a Black wife or Black husband or Black partner or Black relatives or Black or biracial children (biologically or adopted). It does not matter if you love hip-hop or other Black music and Black art, or that you grew up in or around a Black community, or spend much time there now as an adult. It does not matter if one or a tiny handful of Black writers, or Black artists, or Black public intellectuals, or Black spokespersons, or Black entertainers and athletes, or Black media personalities, or Black anything are given major platforms and fame and awards and tons of money and status to prove racism is not what it was, or, equally tripped out, to tell you about your racism. That nutty game of the “special” Black person handpicked to represent the rest of us is as old and tired as racism itself. We are all your equals and all equally valuable—from the ’hood to Hollywood, from Harlem to Harvard—not just the select few anointed and celebrated by White American tastemakers.

So what ultimately matters is what you are willing to give up, to sacrifice, in every aspect of your life, to speak out and push back against that which has taught you that you are superior and that I am inferior, that you are always right and I am always wrong, pretty much in every space imaginable, both consciously and subconsciously.

Silence is unacceptable in the face of injustice, and being neutral is being a coward and an accomplice to the evil sides of our history.

Thus, to be mad blunt, in our America racism is race plus power and privilege; who has the favorable race or skin color, who has the power and privilege, and who does not. Yes, Black folks and other people of color sure can be prejudiced, bigoted, hateful, and mean toward our White sisters and brothers. I certainly have been in past chapters of my life but I am no longer and never will be again. I believe in love of self, love of us all. But be that as it may I am also clear that we Black folks do not control nor own the majority of politics and the government, education, the mass media culture, social media and technology, Hollywood, corporate America, sports teams, music and other entertainment, the arts, the book industry, police departments, anything that shapes the thinking of every single American citizen and resident during our waking hours. Not even close. We do not set the standards for what is considered beautiful or attractive, what is considered courageous or intelligent, nor do we dictate what becomes popular, visible, viable. And we certainly do not say what matters in history, what does not, what stories should be told, and which ones are irrelevant, not for the multitudes—not even close. Our stories, our versions of America, of our history, are marginalized, put to the side, specialized, ghettoized. This is why a brutally violent “explorer” like Christopher Columbus is mythologized as a hero, why Thanksgiving celebrants are in denial about the horrors done to Native Americans, why things like slavery and the Civil Rights Movement are essentially skimmed over, if taught at all, to any of us, in public schools or private schools, be we wealthy or working-class. Racism in America means being so immune from it that you do not even think about being White. You just are. Does this mean that I believe every single White person in the United States is racist? No, not hardly, because I have encountered far too many brilliant, honest, big-hearted, and integrity-filled White sisters and brothers who are willing to challenge their power and their privilege, even at their own material, physical, and spiritual expense. I have far too many White sisters and brothers in my life who are dear friends, allies, supporters, confidantes, mentors, and sheroes and heroes of mine.

But what I do believe, because I have lived it and because I inhale it habitually, is that racism is a toxic and deadly cancer; no one is immune from it, and even the good and well-meaning amongst us have been profoundly contaminated with it, simply by virtue of your not wanting to have this conversation, or because you are having a hard time reading my words this very moment.

Yes, I do see very clearly that we are all connected, and I truly love and acknowledge every race, every ethnic group, every identity, and every culture that exists in America, on this earth. But I, we, would be lying if we did not also admit that the longest running drama and the single most dysfunctional racial relationship in American history is between White people and Black people. That as long as that dynamic dysfunction exists, there is no way we will ever do right by Native Americans who were the victims of genocide, or ever look at Latino immigrants as anything other than cheap labor and outlaws, or ever view Asians as anything other than the stereotypically quiet and often invisible “model minority.” And definitely no way we will ever come to know and understand and feel the humanity of people who are Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim while the Black-White conundrum continues, excruciatingly, uninterrupted. Stated the way they did in “the old country”—Down South—when I was a child my momma and them said, religiously, that a liar is a thief. Well, it is way past time we stop lying to ourselves, fellow Americans, and stop stealing away the solutions that are in our very hands, and have always been there—

WE’VE HAD AT LEAST three major opportunities in American history to confront and end systematic racism directly, but we merely toyed around with the notion, then backed away.

The first was when the colonies were warring with the mother country, England, for independence. How incredible it would have been if “founding fathers” like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had seriously and instantly freed their own slaves while declaring in their promissory note “all men are created equal.” How incredible if Native Americans were treated with dignity and grace, and a part of the vision, instead of as mortal enemies. How incredible if poor Whites and women of all hues, too, were included in the concept of freedom, justice, and equality? And, my God, how incredible would it have been for those Black slaves, my ancestors, to become free women and free men and free children, to participate, from the very beginning, in the building of what we claim to be a democracy?

The second chance was during the Civil War and its aftermath known as Reconstruction. We who truly know American history know that President Abraham Lincoln was not the great emancipator he is hailed to be. Sometimes he was for slavery and sometimes he was against slavery. And unambiguously his releasing from bond-

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SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

WILL RACISM EVER END... CON’T FROM PAGE 22

age Blacks in selected states gave the North more men to fight and win the war. You think not? Then Google one of Dr. King’s last speeches where he referred to Lincoln as the “great vacillator.” But, regardless, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was put forth; he was assassinated yet still there was a flickering hope of a better day as colored folks marched from plantations to liberty. But that long walk to freedom turned out to be fool’s gold. Reconstruction lasted only a dozen years, until The Compromise of 1877 put Rutherford B. Hayes into the presidency, troops protecting the basic rights of Black folks were removed from the South, and an insidious White domestic terrorism—physically, mentally, spiritually—exploded across America for nearly a century.

Blame Black folks for every moral issue in our fair land. Make Black men and Black women the poster children for every bad behavior or crime or social misstep in America. Tell Black folks that voting is a ticket to a better society, and then deny it from them every chance you get, with poll taxes, with voter I.D. laws. Create a perpetual atmosphere of intimidation and fear where Black folks never know if they will be tarred, feathered, hung from trees, lynched, bombed, shot, racially profiled, or choke-holded to death … simply for being Black …

It is a minor miracle of the gods and heavens that in the midst of that postCivil War America Blacks were able, under harsh segregation laws, to build homes, own land, create schools of every variety, set up businesses that met each of their basic needs, and have whole communities, largely separate from White America— because they had no other choice. A minor miracle, too, that as racism reared its dreadful head and destroyed peoples’ lives and neighborhoods that there were not more race rebellions, each and every year, across America during the Jim Crow era.

Look what happened to my great-grandfather, Benjamin Powell, who was murdered amidst this racist hysteria in the early 1900s. He had the audacity to own 400 acres of land in the Low Country of South Carolina, right near Savannah, Georgia. He had the nerve to be an entrepreneur, a cook, and a man who did things his way on his own terms. The good White men of that community did not take too kindly to a Black man with that brand of swagger, who thought and knew he was their equal.

They pressured my great-grandfather to sell the land. When he did not, one day his wife got a knock on the door and was told my great-grandfather had choked on his own food and was found dead in nearby water. No, they had killed him; my greatgrandmother was forced to sell 397 acres of that land to the White men for one penny each, and scores of my relatives on the Powell side fled for their lives to other states, never to be heard from again. Years later, when she was an 8-year-old girl, my mother would pick cotton on that very same Powell property, her life reduced to being the help for the good White people, the same good White people whose relatives had a hand in killing my great-grandfather—

We got one more opportunity to correct the racial wrongs in the last century.

It was called the Civil Rights Movement. We who know history know there had been energy and agitation for decades around voting and civil rights, but the height of that effort occurred roughly between 1954 and 1968—the years of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision and the ruthless murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi, and Martin Luther King’s assassination on April 4, 1968.

What a majestic movement it was. People, Black people of all backgrounds, and some loyal White allies, too, peaceful, largely nonviolent, but courageous in the face of job firings, shootings, bombings, water hoses, attack dogs, not letting anyone turn them around. African Americans were not asking for much. Can we vote? Can we be full-fledged citizens? Can we move about without fear of being murdered simply for who we are?

The movement was powerful, it was diverse, it had voices as different as Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Dr. King, Malcolm X, and the Black Panther Party.

It desegregated public spaces, it appealed for voting and basic citizenship rights; it challenged police brutality and poverty and economic injustice. There were many big and small victories and I owe the fact that I am a first-generation college student to these many unsung warriors of the Civil Rights era. But then it was over—

AS SOON AS DR. KING’S BLOOD was scrubbed and washed from that Memphis motel balcony, America, our America, under the guise of taking the country back, began an all-out assault on those very minimal triumphs that occurred during the Civil Rights era. We have witnessed Nixon, the Reagan Revolution, the crack epidemic, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, mass incarceration and the prison-industrial complex; we have seen record numbers of poor Black folks thrown off welfare and locked in jails during the era of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton; we survived the administration of George W. Bush, his infamous wars and his failed “no child left behind,” and that hideous stain on America’s face called Hurricane Katrina.

We stand idly by as gentrification, under the pretense of urban development, destroys long-standing Black and Latino communities, from Brooklyn to Oakland, from The Bronx to Seattle, from Detroit to Atlanta, leaving the very poor people Dr. King urged us not to forget largely alone to fend for their lives, isolated and alienated by the triple evils of racism and classism and indifference. Public schools and an over-emphasis on testing and zero-tolerance discipline in these poor communities are a disaster; there are little to no jobs; there is constant fear of the police and of each other; there is endless violence born of self-hatred and despair; there is little to no hope; there are racist and classist stereotypes they confront every single day of their lives; there is the looming threat of prison or an early death which have swallowed their peers and family members. If this is what integration was suppose to be coming out of the Civil Rights Movement, then it has been a complete and monumental failure for poor Black people in America. Black communities are not what they were; the multi-faceted and thriving Black “businesses” of yesteryear have been reduced to barbershops and beauty salons, churches and funeral parlors, and the mom and pop soul food restaurants. The class divide between poor and middle class African Americans is larger than ever, and there is a convenient and perpetual need to blame poor Black folks for everything that ails Black America—like guns and violence, like drugs, when we know, factually, that White folks—rich ones and poor ones—shoot guns, are violent and take drugs, too. But people lie and make up convenient truths to suit their agendas, and we know that when racism and intra-racism are the order of the day, it’s very easy to blame the ghetto, the ’hood, or so-called niggers.

And it is within that context, now, where we also bear witness to the meanness and venom manifested during the Obama years with a president elected by a rainbow coalition that made some believe, naively, that the United States was at its best: full of empathy and compassion and magically post-racial. Instead, during his term, Barack Obama has received more death threats than any other commanderin-chief in American history; he has been thoroughly disrespected by Congressional members and other elected officials, sometimes to his face; and the “they” we Black folks like to talk about still question Obama’s nationality and ethnic origins, his religion, his loyalty to the country. It is a Fox News Channel mentality that thrives on fear, hatred, violence, and intimidation. It is a Republican Party where even Lincoln’s flipflopping politics would be welcome given the fire-breathing inhumanity spewed from its leadership in these times.

It has been in this climate that there seems to be an explosion of racial profiling cases throughout America. Say their names and you hear Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Rekia Boyd, Oscar Grant, Aiyanna Jones, Eric Garner, Renisha McBride, Tamir Rice … so many dead Black bodies that I have lost count. Some killed by police, some killed by civilian White folks, some Black adults and some Black children,

BLACK WESTCHESTER 23

some where it was clear-cut and captured on video, some where the circumstances are murky, the alleged causes feeling like the lies they told my great-grandmother after her husband was found dead in that water.

But let’s be clear. These racial murders did not end with the Civil Rights Movement. They never ended. I have been an activist since I was a teenager, since the 1980s. I have worked on so many racial profiling cases that I have come to expect, weekly, news of yet another Black woman or Black man killed. What has changed is that we have, in these times, cellphones and social media to record and share these tragedies. I do not know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. For every single time a Black person has died at the hands of a police officer, or White person, usually a White male, in their car, in their church, in their ’hood, my soul grows taut and my heart aches because I know but for the grace of the God I believe in, that can be me.

That is because to be Black in America is to live a sort of death every single day of your life. It makes for a stressful, paranoid, and schizophrenic existence: Am I an American, or am I not? You do not know how you will be assaulted, so you brace yourself for the worst and hope for the best. For me that means I am forever thinking about things my White sisters and brothers do not have to think about. Like if I carry my black iPhone in my hand will it be mistaken for a gun, and will I consequently get shot by a cop? Like if I, a marathon runner, jog my miles through certain neighborhoods at certain times of the day or night, will someone call the police on me or, worse yet, will they morph into George Zimmerman to my Trayvon Martin and be judge and jury and executioner of my life? Like if I dare to show an emotion like outward confidence will I be deemed a menace to society, a threat to the status quo, an uppity nigger or “boy” who needs to know my place, the way some in America have been offended by Super Bowl quarterback Cam Newton, his smile, his smirk, his proclamations that he is superman, his doing the dab dance whenever he makes a big play?

Like if I dare to challenge or question a White woman, a White man, as I have many times—the White female journalist on the New York public radio podcast, the White male editor of that national men’s magazine, the White women and men both who like to come on my social media pages to criticize and challenge, randomly and disrespectfully, my posts—will I be penalized, ostracized, deemed a problem child simply because I use the mind my God gave me?

Like if I dare to express, aloud, pride in my heritage, my culture, my people, and to acknowledge, through my art, as Beyoncé does with her song “Formation,” will I be told that I am offensive and unacceptable to middle America, because I also reference the revolutionary elements of my history like the Black Panther Party?

Like if I dare to convey any anger, as I did when I was in my 20s as a cast member on the MTV reality show “The Real World,” will I be branded as such for the rest of my life, to the point where, two decades later, I have absolutely outraged White people, coming on my Twitter or Facebook pages, cursing me out, telling me they did not like me then and they do not like me now? Or like every single time I am on Fox News Channel, or some other network, talking about issues like violence, guns, abortion, race, gender, whatever it may be, and I inevitably get tweets, emails, you name it, threatening my life, calls for me to go back to Africa, to kill myself, to be killed, just because I happen to be a Black man in America with a voice and an opinion—

This is what the cancer of racism does to me, to people like me. We die and have to resurrect ourselves day-to-day. We laugh and party and praise God hard to keep from crying and dying inside, from committing slow suicide. We cry and battle low self-esteem and debilitating angst and sadness simply because we wonder, aloud, what did we do to be so black and blue? We swallow the racism until it becomes as natural to us as our heartbeats, and that internalized racism becomes Black self-hatred, Black abuse, Black-on-Black violence physically, spiritually, mentally; it becomes the Black elite, the Black gatekeepers, the so-called Black leaders and thinkers, the ones who have no real plan, no real vision, no real imagination when it comes down to the real challenges facing Black America, yet are quick to pimp or put down Black America, particularly poor Black America, every chance they get, but have nothing to say about American racism and its devastating effects, like ever; it becomes the Black woman writer who recently attacked me so nastily on social media because she did not like my private, off-the-record feedback on her work or her approach to Black issues; or it becomes the Black male airport worker who loudly disrespected me at the security checkpoint because his false sense of power told him I was nothing but a nigger to be bossed around and controlled; or the many times in my own life where I too have been so wounded by this system of oppression that I lashed out at any and all Black folks because in doing so I was trying to smash the mirror that was myself once and for all. We are pained, we are hurt, we are distressed, we are bewildered, many of us do whatever we must to dull the awful sensations of racism—with drink, with cigarettes, with drugs, with sex, with video games, with sports, with music, with violence, with mistreatment to self and to others—a very vicious cycle, a treadmill we can never seem to escape—

NO ONE—No One—should have to live like this, think this, or be like this. No one should have to teach their children how to react if stopped by the police. No one should have to tell their loved ones “be safe” or “be careful” when they leave home, not knowing if they will ever return, not in the 21st century, not after all this nation has been through, not after all the many lives lost. No one, including me, should wake in the mornings wondering if this will be my last day on earth, if I will die at the hands of a police officer, or a White racist, or a deeply disturbed human being who is Black like me …

Yeah, it is utterly exhausting to have to navigate daily the macro and micro slings and arrows that are American racism. It is doubly exhausting to have to do so and also explain to good, well-meaning White people over and over again what racism is, what they can and should do and why, and then, in some cases, be expected to hold their hands emotionally. Black folks in America are sick and tired of being the emotional and spiritual help for White Americans who want to get it but do not. We are also sick and tired of being the historical mammy figure, or the post-modern nanny, forever catering to your needs while our needs get woefully neglected. You want to end racism in America and on this planet, my White sisters and brothers, now, and once and for all? You have got to do the work yourselves, in your communities, with people who are White like you. I can and will be your ally, your friend, will work in coalitions with you.

But just like when I was first challenged, by women, to think about sexism and gender oppression as a man in a different way back in the early 1990s, I could not just expect women to do my work for me. I had to do it. Nor could I expect women to hold my hand.

And I had to do this work with men and boys, not women and girls, primarily. Because I needed to go to the source of the power and privilege, not to the sufferers of that power and privilege. This is not easy work, challenging systems of oppression. But the choice of doing nothing or remaining inactive means a continued death of the American soul, of the American psyche, and an acceptance of the sickness that is within all of us. To be ignorant to what I am saying is a sickness. To think I am lying or exaggerating is a sickness. To think you are somehow immune from all of this is a sickness. And to twist things around, to believe that you are somehow the victim, in sheer opposition to history and modern-day facts, is a sickness, a sort of mental and spiritual escapism devoid of truth and devoid of a desire for real healing and real reconciliation in America.

THE ABOVE SAID, this is so much bigger than #OscarsSoWhite or #BlackLivesMatter, although both are symptoms of the bigger problem. The Academy Awards are so White because America still believes it is so White, that White stories matter and that the stories of people of color do not... (continues on page 24)

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24 BLACK WESTCHESTER

BW EDITORIALS

WHEN WILL RACISM END (continued from page 23)

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

especially if that conversation makes you uncomfortable.

As for me, I just want to be at peace, I just want to see love in the world; I just want to love and honor myself, who I am, without it being considered an affront or danger to someone else, because of racism, because of hate and ignorance and fear. I do not want to be, forever, that exasperation and anguish in Sandra Bland’s voice on that video where the Texas cop pulled her over, my life the heavy drag on the cigarette she smoked, not knowing just a few days later she would be found hanging in a Texas jail cell. I do not want to pick up a gun and commit suicide at the door of the Ohio statehouse because my demons got the best of me like 23-year-old #BlackLivesMatter activist MarShawn M. McCarrel II. I do not want my life to end prematurely, at your hands or at mine, and I do not want my life to be in vain, because of what I am. I do not want my work for freedom, justice, and equality for all people to kill me, is what I am saying, to destroy me, to render me mute and useless, to myself, to others. That means I just want to be a whole human being, a free human being, and respected as such. And I just want to live in an America, and on a planet, where I can dream, forever, instead of being tired, irritated, uncomfortable, and scared, forever, that my life will somehow wind up as a nightmare—

except on rare occasions, and with the same basic types of characters and plots.

Rarely are we permitted to be complex, multi-layered, thoughtful humans on film or television, except for the masterful producing work of, say, a Shonda Rhimes, that rare Black person shining in Hollywood. This is why I say Black lives do not really matter because if they did we would not need to say it over and over again. Who, precisely, are we trying to convince of this fact?

This is also so much bigger than how we perceive a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady versus how we perceive a Cam Newton or a LeBron James; although we know White men can be angry, confident, sullen, rude, sore losers—no backlash for Peyton Manning after his Super Bowl 44 loss and demeanor versus nonstop backlash for Cam Newton after his Super Bowl 50 loss and demeanor; we know White men can be fathers of children without being married to the mother and never accused of making babies out of wedlock, even if they did—Exhibit A is Tom Brady’s first child versus Cam Newton’s first child; same scenario but a different public reaction. And it is not mad cool when a famous or non-famous Black woman or man shows a range of emotions, including anger and confidence: she or he becomes a pariah, a thing to be marked, Kevin Powell, poet, journalist, civil and human rights activist, is the author of 14 books, labeled, hated, condemned, and watched by false angels with dirty faces. Think of Ser- 14 books, WHEN WE FREE THE WORLD,, a new collection of essays plus one poem ena Williams, think of Nina Simone, think of Sandra Bland when she was pulled over about the present and future of America. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. by that Texas cop. That said we know a certain segment of the American taste-making machine likes its heroes to be heterosexual White men. So if you are, say, a heterosexual Black male hero, you must be the apolitical and socially detached Michael Jordan type. You cannot be Muhammad Ali, or someone like Ali in his prime like, say, Cam Newton. Nah. You cannot desire to be in control of your own career, your own life, and your own destiny, like LeBron. Nah. You must be obedient, you must be grateful, you must be an employee only, one who does not think or know your own value; you must

THE SCOURGE OF WHITE HATE

BY DONATELLA MONTRONE

America has erupted again, in yet another instalment of America, the Racist Sh*thole.

This latest chapter features white cop Rusten Sheskey and Jacob Blake, a black man shot in the back seven times in front of his children. But in the protests that erupted on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin following the shooting, it’s the face of one person that is now etched in our minds: that of Kyle Howard Rittenhouse, a young lad wearing a T-shirt and jeans, baseball cap back-to-front, wielding a military-grade assault weapon.

The Trump-supporting 17-year old was allegedly driven by his mum from his hometown of Antioch in Illinois to Kenosha where he carried out a Call of Duty-style ops.

Baby-faced Kyle was on a mission to defend God and country from anarchy. And why wouldn’t he, given the relentless fear-mongering about liberals, socialism and lawlessness promulgated by Fox News, Sinclair-owned cable networks, alt-right pundits like Tucker Carlson and Ann Coulter, and even Trump Jr’s girlfriend. Kimberley Guilfoyle’s wild, apocalyptic braying at the Republican National Convention, warning “leaders and fighters for freedom and liberty and the American Dream” about the spectre of godforsaken liberals, was perhaps the most risible speech of modern times. Indeed, it’s been mocked the world over. But to its intended audience, it was rhapsodic. Freedom… Liberty… AmeriKKKa…

Americans have been indoctrinated by partisan politics ever since Ronald Regan eliminated broadcasting standards when he abolished the Fairness Doctrine in the late 1980s. Young Kyle was radicalised in part by those networks and pundits – and social media. Exerting his right to bear arms, Kyle gunned down two protestors in Kenosha. Fortunately for him, his white privilege guaranteed him safety from Wisconsin cops, who could have unloaded seven bullets into his back but instead chose to lead him to the nearest precinct – peacefully and respectfully.

George Floyd’s murder in late May awakened white America in a way that the slaughter of jogger Ahmaud Arbery by two white supremacist yahoos never did. Nor did the murder of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was playing in an Ohio park with a toy gun when a killer cop screeched by all swat-like and shot him – literally two seconds after opening his car door. That Rice was a child was irrelevant to Timothy Lowman, enforcer of the law. Rice was black – that’s all he saw.

Mr Floyd suddenly became poster boy for Death by Cop – as if his murder was somehow an aberration in what is otherwise “One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for All”. America’s the greatest country in the world, we’re told. Relentlessly. The pundits kept saying Mr Floyd’s death was America’s reckoning. Clearly it wasn’t.

For defenders of the faith, the flag + guns + Jesus + white equals America, and they pass on their unique brand of Jesusing like a malevolent genetic defect. White nationalist America has done its best to extinguish the black spirit – either directly or indirectly – since the nation’s founding. And for every white nationalist degenerate there has always existed an opposing white fundamentalist liberal, equally complicit in the making of this dystopia: one camp determined that black citizens should suffer maximum indignities; the other conveniently blind to the indignities black citizens suffer. Both, however, are united in a belief in their exceptionalism – that America is uniquely virtuous, its values worthy of universal admiration.

It would appear Mr Floyd was the tipping point for thousands of white Americans finally courageous enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their brothers and sisters of colour. But it begs the question, why? Why now? Why not when Freddie Gray was murdered in 2015. He was upright and conscious when Baltimore cops shoved him into a police van; 45 minutes later he was unconscious, his spinal cord nearly severed.

Why not when cops arrived by stealth and executed Breona Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson in their own homes? Why not in 1998 when James Byrd was chained to a pick-up by white supremacists in Texas and dragged several miles until his head was severed, landing on the side of the road? Why have we, decent white Americans, never before asked ourselves, “What kind of monsters are we?”

That this barbarism exists in a nation that professes to be a beacon of virtue while simultaneously incarcerating black people in disproportionate numbers should have given rise to some self-censure, some introspection – certainly decades before the world saw Mr Floyd gasp his last breath under Derek Chauvin’s knee. But any criticism of America is met with often terrifying indignation. I have experienced it myself.

Large swathes of Americans have always held a Bible in one hand and a noose in the other – and Donald J Trump knows this. He understands America better than any leader before him, and he uses those Americans to his advantage. Trump is the embodiment of racist America and is consequently the most “American” president of modern times. In him, his base see themselves; his white power gestures code for “our time has come”.

As America chokes on its own bile, alt-right media pundits like Ann Coulter are tweeting praise for Kyle, the young vigilante. “I want him as my president,” she wrote about the teen who gunned down two fellow Americans with a military weapon.

The prospect of Trump being elected in November is the stuff of nightmares, but it’s wrong to suggest Joe Biden can save America – a country so broken it’s defined by its inhumanity towards anyone right-of-centre on the colour chart. From afar it seems as if there is no saving America from its scourge of white hate. It’s a nation accursed – it always has been.

And so, you see, that is why this is also so much bigger than a Donald Trump, although we know that Trump represents everything that is wrong with America, not just because he is an angry, foul-mouthed, disrespectful, opportunistic, racist, sexist, and classist heterosexual White male, but because he knows he has power and privilege, and uses it to injure others, without any remorse whatsoever. Trump’s racism is the same racism of Barry Goldwater, of Nixon, of Reagan, of George W., of Paul Ryan, of Rudy Giuliani, of Chris Christie, of certain kinds of straight White men of means and access, who couldn’t care less about middle class and working-class White Americans, but who have conveniently created and spread a lie, in thinly veiled racial tones, that the enemy of these White folks in middle America, in the American South, are the Black folks and other people of color who threaten their freedoms, their jobs, their security, and their rights. Whether Trump really means what he is saying or if he is simply being highly opportunistic is inconsequential. Fact is he is saying those things, people feel and believe him, and he continues a storyline that has brought great harm to America for centuries now. Because the greatest trick of a racist is getting folks to believe that racism doesn’t exist in the first place or that the people with no power and no privilege are the real racists, the real oppressors.

BUT IN SPITE of the questions in the title of this essay, and in spite all I have written here, I really do have limitless hope for humanity, for America. It is in my spirit, it is in my bones, and it is in my DNA. I have no other choice. I do not want to say the clichéd thing about racism not ending in my lifetime, because I will continue to do everything I can to help it end, before I die. And as I criss-cross America weekly, yes, I do hear the sad and sordid tales of racism on college campuses, of Black student leaders and Black student athletes protesting one insult after another. And yes, I do see in innumerable communities people fighting the good fight against racism, against hate.

But I also see, as I speak at and facilitate public conversations in places as different as Perrysburg, Ohio, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, a genuine fatigue with the racism, with the hatred, with the fear and ignorance and violence and division, with people not talking with and listening to each other, even when it is not comfortable to do so. Yes, I have hope because of young people, the diverse groups of youthful Americans I encounter everywhere I go, who at least have a willingness to hear, to learn, to share. It is their fearlessness, their idealism, their openness that keeps me going, that makes me believe we can change history and change this world.

Finally, we have heard for years, at least going back to the presidency of Bill Clinton, this call for a national conversation on race. What I have come to realize is that that is a political football for certain kinds of political leaders to toss about when there is yet another racially motivated tragedy in our America. That if there is truly is to be a conversation, a raw and real dialogue, that it must come from the bottom up, from we the people. I’ve said all I can say about America, about American history, about what racism has done to me, to my family. I am drained and near tears, to be downright honest, from writing this piece, because it forced me to revisit both new and old traumas, to revisit new and old wars with myself, with others, wars that I really do not want to fight. I want to heal; I want us all to heal. This healing work must happen with White sisters and brothers and it must happen with Black sisters and brothers, and sisters and brothers of every racial and cultural upbringing in America. Protests, rallies, marches should continue to happen as long as racism exists, as long as there is inequality, injustice, and the absence of opportunities for all people. They must. But we also must be conscious of how this racism cancer eats at us, how it destroys us from the inside out, how we must learn the difference between proactive anger and reactionary anger. Proactive anger builds bridges, possibilities, alliances, movements, and, ultimately, love.

Reactive anger destroys bridges, breeds dysfunction, and spreads more madness and confusion. Yes, passion is necessary, and we should be angry because of what I have described in this essay, for it is a natural human emotion. But that anger must not become the very hate we say we are against.

For White Americans this means you’ve got to re-invent yourselves if you are serious about ridding our society of racism. You’ve got to ask yourself who and what was I before I became White? What does it mean to me to be human, to be a human being, and what, again, am I willing to do, willing to sacrifice, and willing to give up to be a part of this necessary healing process? You must learn to listen to the voices of Black people and other people of color, you must not feel the need, through arrogance or insecurity, to tell us who we are, what we should be thinking or feeling or doing, and you must, with love and respect, understand when we may be hyper-sensitive to race, to racism, given the history and present-day realities of our America. Shutting us down Donatella Montrone is a freelance American journalist living in London, and a contributor or ignoring us or un-friending us says you do not truly want a conversation, as equals, to Black+White Photography, The Lady and Black Westchester Magazine.

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