VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 7 - THE BLACK HISTORY EDITION
COMPLIMENTARY
PAM GRIER
FEBRUARY 2018
Unapologetically Delivering News To Communities Of Color in Westchester & Surrounding Areas
BLACK WESTCHESTER
FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO STAR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
FEATURES
ALI: FIRST FIGHTER TO WIN
HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE 3 TIMES BY AJ WOODSON
PAGE 26
BY AJ WOODSON
T
his Black History Month edition spotlights my personal lifetime crush, Pam Grier. She was the first black woman to star in an action movie. Pam Grier affirmed black women and showed them that they could be strong, tenacious and beautiful. She also proved that “sistahs” could star in action films at a time when roles for women of color were in her own words, “practically invisible or painfully stereotypical. Pam Grier’s combination of sass, sexiness and martial art skills had her taking leading roles in action flicks traditionally led by men. “People had only seen African-American women depicted a certain way in film and it was about time that changed,” she shared with me during the interview for Original Gangster. BW salutes Pam Grier. She is the kind of star film had never seen before. Ballsy! Sexy and unapologetically black! (Continued on page 14)
ACTIVIST, AUTHOR & SCHOLAR, ANGELA DAVIS - STILL REVOLUTIONARY
BY AJ WOODSON
PAGE 8
WILLIAM VORIS OF RYE 30 YEARS NOT A SLAVE PAGE 7
PAGE 11
RUN-DMC REMEMBERING THEIR LIST OF FIRST IS ENDLESS BY AJ WOODSON
RUN DMC “crashed through walls, cut through floors, bust through ceilings and knock down doors,” exploding out of Hollis, Queens in 1983, they changed the sound of rap music, street fashion and popular culture in general. They are widely acknowledged as one of the most inFIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN & WOMAN fluential acts in the history of hip-hop culture and one of PRESIDENTAL CANDIDATE TO the most famous hip-hop acts of the 1980s, which makes APPEAR ON THE BALLOT IN ALL 50 STATES them not only rap history but Black History. BW salutes RUN BY AJ WOODSON PAGE 24 DMC... (continued on Page 15)
OSSIE AND RUBY B
lack Westchester Salutes Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Westchester legends! They collborated together on-screen but were also active fighters in the Civil Rights movement, working alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. (continued on Page 16)
MLK’S DREAM BW BLACK HISTORY: BLACK REPUBLICANS MAKE HISTORY IN 2014 REV. SAMUEL AUSTIN THE FIRST WAS ABOUT JOBS & JUSTICE: RUN FOR MAYOR MID-TERM ELECTION BLACK TO BY DAMON K. JONES By AJ WOODSON PAGE 21
PAGE 22
PAGE 9
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
2 BLACK WESTCHESTER
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
FEBRUARY 2018
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
30 Years Not a Slave:
Black history Craft and workshop for kids
The Story of William Voris of Rye
Presentation by Howard Husock, noted author and journalist Tuesday, February 27, 5:00pm to 6:00pm Grace Greene Baker Community Room
Tuesday Cinema with Mrs. Doris Hackett Tuesdays, February 6, 13, 20 and 27 12:30 pm Grace Greene Baker Community Room
ADD SPACE
BLACK WESTCHESTER 3
Featuring artist Ms. Clyde Deloris Herring Saturday, February 10, 1:00pm to 3:00pm Children’s Room
Presented in partnership with Coleman and Coleman Associates
Thursday, February 15, 5:30pm to 8:00pm Come and Meet Local Businesses Featuring: Black Westchester, Cupcake Cutie Boutique, SIVAD Tax Services and many more! Grace Greene Baker Community Room For further information, please contact 914-668-1840 ext. 236 or email: cwebb@wlsmail.org
28 SOUTH FIRST AVENUE MOUNT VERNON, NY 10550
Genealogy club Led by Ms. Cheryl Thomas Hands on training to learn how to trace your history Wednesday, February 14, 2018 6:00pm Computer Lab
914-668-1840 www.MTVPL.org
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
4 BLACK WESTCHESTER
REAL TALK FOR THE COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 2018
AAMW is committed to developing and encouraging collaborative action to strengthen the economic, social and educational foundation of our communities.
PROGRAMS
Est. 1987
Business Skills Olympics
AAMW established this annual high school competition in response to the impact of technology and globalization in today's workforce. Student teams analyze a Harvard Business School case and present their solutions before a panel of esteemed judges.
Education Forums
Educators, students, parents, administrators, members of the business community and the school board come together to exchange current information and strategies about education issues that affect the underserved community.
Domestic Violence Awareness
The "Men Speaking to Men About Violence Against Women" forums focus on prevention by educating men of all ages on the impact of domestic violence on families and communities. These forums were expanded to address bullying which is often the result of domestic abuse.
Healthy People Programs
SIGNATURE EVENTS Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Youth Awards
Held annually since 1989 to celebrate Dr. King and recognize seven Westchester County youth whose community service and achievements emulate his work and teachings.
Golfball Classic
In addition to being a day of networking and fun; this event serves as a major fundraiser for community based initiatives including AAMW’s summer youth and women's golf clinics.
Our annual health fair raises awareness and encourages treatment for health issues affecting the community. Free health screenings, seminars and referrals are offered in conjunction with the Health Department, Social Services, private physicians, health centers, housing authorities and community organizations.
Brotherhood Breakfast
Youth & Women’s Athletic Programs
Visionary Awards Gala
For over 20 years, AAMW has sponsored programs including basketball tournaments, golf and soccer clinics, and tennis camps. With instruction from both professional and school coaches; thousands have learned discipline, teamwork, social etiquette and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
This program brings together representatives from business, government, education, and community organizations to exchange information and discuss strategies critical to community economic development. Established to recognize outstanding individuals whose vision and actions contribute to the enhancement of the Westchester community.
WWW.A AMW.COM
We Make a Difference Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
BLACK WESTCHESTER 5
FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK Founded in 2014 by DAMON K. JONES AJ WOODSON Published by URBANSOUL MEDIA GROUP 455 Tarrytown Rd., Suite 1318 White Plains, NY 10607 (914) 979-2093 www.BlackWestchester.com
Email:
BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter: @BlkWestchesterM Instagram: @BlackWestchester Facebook: /BlackWestchesterMagazine
Publisher DAMON K. JONES @DamonKJones
Editor-In-Chief AJ WOODSON
@BWEditorInChief
Copy Editors Kamilah Glover Brenda L. Crump News Reporters/ Writers AJ Woodson Damon K. Jones Lorraine Lopez (Latino Empowerment) Tasha D. Young Paul Feiner Derickson Lawrence Judge Adrian Armstrong Derickson Lawrence Hector Lopez Entertainment Feature Writer
Samantha Hunter Photographers AJ Woodson Joy Malone Johnny Nunez Aaron J.
As Publisher of Black Westchester Magazine (BW), I would like to thank everyone for their support of our efforts to bring information to the people of Westchester County. As we embark on a new chapter for BW, we hope to continue to empower the reader on issues in their communities. Independent media like BW has become more than a mere institution; instead, the independent media acts as a direct participant in the traditional three-branch system of governance. What many fail to realize is that independent media serves a fundamental role in making democracies run efficiently, even though there are frequent clashes. Independent media system thus often “reflects the political philosophy in which Democracy indeed functions”. This being said, BW will not be disregarded as a trivial player in the responsibilities of being a check and balance system in the political process of the Black Communities of Westchester. BW’s purpose is not only to address the political process that affects the everyday lives of communities of colour in Westchester County. BW’s mission has also been to shine a light on the brilliant culture, morals, values and elegant lifestyle of Black people. It’s time to change the narrative on how Black people are perceived in media. As Publisher of BW, our doors are open to the public. From the publication, the website, our radio show and now the newspaper; our doors are open to the people. We do not do this for any grander position or status; we do it for the people.
A FEW WORDS FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF W elcome to the February 2018 Black History Edition of Black Westchester! As you can see from our front cover this is not your mother and father’s Black History Edition. You will not read about Harriett Tubman freeing slaves and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., having a dream in here, nor will it be limited to what they teach us in the public school system. Our intention was to document as many of the acomplishments of Africans in American that are rarely discussed or showcased, especially those from Westchester County.
Individuals like William Voris, an escaped slave who made his way to Rye, New York and became one of the wealthiest African-American businessmen of his day, Rev. Samuel Austin, a Grace Baptist Church pastor who was the first Black to run for Mayor, Errold D. Collymore D.D.S. (1893-1972), a dentist and activist, who would become known as “Westchester’s Fighting Dentist,” Ronald Blackwood, the first Black Mayor elected in the state of New York, Nadine Hunt-Robinson, the first African-American woman elected to the White Plains Common Council, Ken Jenkins, the first African-American Deputy County Execuitive of Westchester County and Joshua Colas, the youngest Black Chess Master, just to name a few. You also will see the historic achievements of Dr. Lenora Fulani, the first African-American and first woman presidential candidate to appear on the ballot in all 50 states, State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the first woman in New York State history to lead a conference in Albany and may be the first African-American Majority Leader, Tom Bradley, the first Black Mayor of Los Angeles, Darcel Clark, the first African-American Woman Bronx District Attorney. We also showcased Muhammad Ali the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times, who was the greatest because he fought for what he believed, Pam Grier, the first African-American woman to star in an action movie and have a multi-movie deal, RUN DMC, who accomplished a plethora of firsts, including being the first non-athletes to get a sneak endorsement deal, Angela Davis, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee and more. We hope you enjoy and learn something from our first Black History Edition and look out next month for our Women’s Month Edition where we will have several articles written about women of color by women of color. As always we would like to thank all the readers and advertisers for believing in us and all who contributed to make this issue possible, we appreciate all of you! Happy Reading! Send us your feedback and let us know what you think of this issue and let us know subjects you would like to see us cover in the future by sending an email to BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com. Peace and Blessings AJ Woodson Editor-In-Chief
Graphic Designers AJ Woodson Paula S. Woodson For Advertising Rates AdvertiseWithBW@gmail.com Letters To The Editor BWEditorInChief@gmail.com
Get BlackGet Westchester Black Westchester DeliveredDelivered To Your Home for $25 For a year $25 awww.BlackWestchster.com/subscribe year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
6 BLACK WESTCHESTER
BW NEWS
FEBRUARY 2018
ANDRE WALLACE GETS DAY IN COURT
WILL THE WHOLE TRUTH FINALLY COME OUT ABOUT THE EOC CENTER BY AJ WOODSON
With all the misinformation and propaganda surfacing, about the Mount Vernon
Emergency Operation Center, located in the Third Street Firehouse, Councilman André Wallace will finally get his day in court and maybe the whole truth will finally come out. The City of Mount Vernon and Councilman André Wallace’s company Creative Direction appeared in Westchester Supreme Court, 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, White Plains, Tuesday, January 23rd, in what was scheduled to be a settlement hearing. The attorneys for Mayor Thomas and the City of Mount
Vernon, refused to pay the $320,000 judgement owed to Creative Direction. The judge suggested the City pay $275,000 and Attorneys for the city instead ask the court to have Councilman Wallace to pay $183,000 in damages. The judge, the Honorable Joan B. Lefkowitz realizing no applicable agreement was possible, schedule a trial date for Monday, April 16th at 9:30 AM. By the time trial starts the City of Mt. Vernon will owe Councilman Wallace an additional $5000 in interest. The City of Mount Vernon originally put money in the 2016 budget to pay Councilman Wallace what they owed for work completed in 2014, but the Mayor would not issue the check and accused the Councilman of robbing the city, sub par work and not paying his workers prevailing wages. The Department of Labor later cleared the Councilman’s company, claiming no wrong doing, but reports, email blasts and press releases continue to come from the Thomas Administration with more accusations against the councilman and his company. With the vast amount of information generating for both sides, it got to a point where residents didn’t know who was right or what was true and what was fake news, but now on April 16th the whole truth maypossibly come out once and for all, and the residents of Mount Vernon will find out the whole truth. “I am looking forward to going to trial,” Councilman Wallace share with Black Westchester,immediately follwoing the setlement hearing. “My legal team is drafting subpoenas which will include many members of the Thomas Administration, including Mayor Richard Thomas, himself.” After news broke and pictures surfaced on social media of Councilman Wallace and Mayor Thomas riding up together to Albany for the State of The State Address, it appeared the two adversaries were starting to come together for the betterment of the city. But now it looks like the brief honeymoon is over and almost two year saga continues, to the dismay of the taxpayers. Mayor Thomas’ office could not be reached and did not return our requests for comment. Stay tuned to BlackWestchester.com for more on this developing story.
ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS, FIRST WOMAN IN SECOND CHANCES IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SEN. SYSTEM ─ MT VERNON DRUG TREATMENT COURT NYS HISTORY TO LEAD A CONFERENCE IN ALBANY BY JUDGE ADRIAN ARMSTRONG
BY AJ WOODSON
Top Democrats from NYC and The Mount Vernon Drug Treatment Court which was established in October 2000, is a Westchester rallied in front of specialized part of the Mount Vernon City Court. This program is based on the National the Harriet Tubman statue in Drug Court Model. The first Drug Court began in 1989 to address the growing problem of Harlem on Monday, August prison overcrowding due in large part to an influx of drug-involved offenders. Today there 14, 2017 to say State Senator are now over 3,000 Drug Courts across the U.S. as well as over 20 countries. New York Andrea Stewart-Cousins “will State leads the nation in the expansion and institutionalization of Drug Courts into daily become the first black female court operations. Senate majority leader.” The basic concept behind Drug Court is a dramatic intervention by the court, in The Yonkers resident cooperation with an entire team including defense counsel, prosecutor, treatment providrepresents the 35th State ers and counselors, and law enforcement. In return for a promise of a dismissal of the Senate district in NY (Ardsley, charges, or in some instances a reduced sentence, appropriate, non-violent, addicted Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Greenoffenders are given the option of voluntarily entering into court-supervised intensive outburgh, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irpatient or inpatient treatment programs. vington, Tarrytown, Scarsdale The rules and conditions of participation are clearly stated in a contract entered and parts of Yonkers, White into by the defendant, the defense attorney, the district attorney, and the court. A goal of Plains, and New Rochelle.) Drug Court is to empower participants by providing resources so that they can have a Through disrespectful racial remarks and the formation of the breakaway better life. Independent Democratic Conference, a renegade group of 8 Democrats who collaborate with Republicans, Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins remained unscathed. She continued For a minimum term of one year, participants are: 1. provided with intensive treatment and other services they require to get and to chip away from the glass ceiling of the New York State Legislature, even though it seems they have stacked the chips against her. She has remained strong throughout stay clean and sober; 2. held accountable by the Drug Court judge for meeting their obligations to the the adversity while remaining regal throughout – she is the embodiment of beauty in the struggle. court, society, themselves and their families; Prior to becoming the first woman Senate minority leader, and her election to 3. regularly and randomly tested for drug use; 4. required to appear in court frequently so that the judge may review their progress; the New York State Senate in 2006, Andrea Stewart-Cousins served for a decade as 5. rewarded for doing well or sanctioned when they do not live up to their obligations. a Westchester County Legislator representing Yonkers. During her tenure (from 1996 to 2006), she was elected Majority Whip and Vice-Chair. She authored and passed If a criminal defendant is accepted into Drug Court and successfully completes landmark legislation, including Westchester County’s first human rights laws, livthe treatment program, their case may be dismissed, but more importantly they will have ing wage laws, smoke-free workplace laws, tougher gun laws, laws that prosecute the tools to deal with their drug problem and be back to being a productive member of “predatory lenders”, and laws that have provided tax cuts for seniors and veterans. As Chair of the Health Committee, Legislator Stewart-Cousins brought the “Sexual society. If they are accepted into Drug Court but fail the program, this is they leave the Assault Nurse Examiner Program” to Westchester County. Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins was inducted into Westchester Women’s program without permission or authorization, are discharged from the program, get re- Hall of Fame during 7th Annual “In The Company of Women” Luncheon at the Westcharrested or just cannot stop using drugs, they will be sentenced. Looking back over the past quarter century of justice system initiatives in the ester Marriott, 670 White Plains Rd., Tarrytown, Friday, May 6, 2017. BW Salute Sen. U.S., many will likely agree that the introduction of the Drug Court model has been one Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a true Black Westchester legend. of the major innovations that occurred Drug Courts opened up the oportunity to utilize therapeutic appraches to the disposition of cases in lieu of the traditional punitive criminal REP. JOE KENNEDY RESPONDS TO TRUMP’S case disposition approach. Research proves that Drug Courts are one of the most effective justice inter- STATE OF THE UNION: BULLIES NEVER WIN ventions for treating drug-addicted people; Drug Courts reduce drug use; Drug Courts Washington DC - Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., who spoke in front of a Mustang reduce crime; Drug Courts save money; Drug Courts restore lives; and Drug Courts save chil- on a car lift in the autoshop at Diman Regional Technical School in Fall River, Massachusetts, accused President Donald Trump of dividing the country in the official dren and reunite families. Democratic response to the State of the Union address, Tuesday, January 30th. “Folks, it would be easy to dismiss the past year as chaos, as partisanship, as About the author: Adrian Armstrong, a Mount Vernon City Court Judge, presides over the Mount Vernon Drug Court, Adolescent Diversionary Part and the DWI Part. Judge politics, but it’s far bigger than that,” said Kennedy, the 37-year-old grandson of Robert Armstrong was appointed to the City Court in May 2015 and elected to a full ten year term F. Kennedy. “This administration isn’t just targeting the laws that protect us. They’re in November 2015. Prior to his appointment, Judge Armstrong served as a Principal Law targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection.” “Bullies may land a punch,” Kennedy said. “They might leave a mark. But Clerk in New York County Supreme Court, and previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County. Judge Armstrong is currently an Adjunct Professor at Pace they have never, not once, in the history of our United States, managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defense of their future.” University and Monroe College.
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 A Year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BW NEWS
BLACK WESTCHESTER7
WILLIAM VORIS OF RYE - 30 YEARS NOT A SLAVE
THE TRUE STORY OF AN ESCAPED SLAVE FROM NEW JERSEY WHO CAME TO RYE IN THE LATE 1860S AND BECAME AMONG THE NATION’S WEALTHIEST AFRICAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNERS - BY AJ WOODSON
M ost have heard of or viewed the movie, “Twelve Years A Slave,” which was based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. During the pre-
Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, was a free black man from upstate New York whom was abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty personified by a malevolent overseer, as well as unexpected kindness from his slave master, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance of meeting with a Canadian abolitionist, played by Brad Pitt had forever altered his circumstances. Most African-Americans in Westchester have never heard of or been told about the incredible true story of an escaped slave from New Jersey who came to Rye in the late 1860s. William Voris started his own boarding house and restaurant while also running an ice cream stand on Rye Beach. In the early 19th century, The Hudson River, much like the Ohio River, divided slavery from freedom. New York State had banned slavery but the state of New Jersey at the time did not. William Voris had fled Bergen County and relocated here in Westchester County. Mr. Voris of Rye became among the nation’s wealthiest African-American business owners at that time. This is an example of what could happen for blacks had they been granted the right to be free and to benefit from economic opportunity. Even though his story is not widely known among black people, even in Westchester County, his legacy lives on through his family. Just last year on Monday, February 13, 2017, at the Board of Legislators Annual Black History and Heritage Celebration, Legislator David Gelfarb presented a Proclamation to Doris Bailey-Reavis of Port Chester, who is William Voris’ great-granddaughter for recognition of her many years of civic-engagement. Such acts of service included serving as a Life Member and President of the Port Chester/Rye NAACP, a member of the Port Chester Strategic Planning Committee, the League of Women Voters, the Council of Community Services and the Board of Directors of the Carver Center. Mrs. Bailey-Reavis was among the first AfricanAmericans to be recruited to work at the Pentagon where she served under President Truman. Following the event, Legislator Gelfarb said, “I was very happy to honor Doris for her many years of service to our community. Doris and her family’s civic participation has been woven into the history of Westchester County since the early 1800s. It is amazing, and we are fortunate that Doris continues to carry that legacy in 2017. I am truly proud to count Doris among my constituents as a County Legislator.” His story will be shared throughout the county this year. It is imperative that all African-Americans
check it out! Thirty Years Not A Slave, a talk by writer and historian Howard Husock to be presented Thursday, February 16th, at 7:30 p.m., at the John C. Hart Memorial Library, 1130 East Main Street, Shrub Oak, New York. It is open to the public and free of charge. The program is co-sponsored by the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society and the Yorktown Historical Society in recognition of Black History Month. Mr. Husock will tell the story of how William Voris, who is buried in the AfricanAmerican Cemetery, became one of America’s most successful and wealthiest African-American business owners in the early 19th century. He was not a slave because he had fled New Jersey, a slave state, to New York, which banned slavery, where he settled to set up business in Westchester County. At the time, the Hudson River, like the Ohio River to the west, divided slavery from freedom. A contributing editor of The City Journal and a senior fellow at the prestigious Manhattan Institute, Mr. Husock’s lecture is based on his interesting and informative article in The Westchester Historian Magazine (Fall 2016). This lecture spoke about how the African-American, once free from slavery, could succeed and benefit from economic opportunity. If you cannot make it to Rye, fret not because the Mount Vernon Public Library located at 28 South First Street, will also have the presentation by author and journalist Howard Husock as well, on Tuesday February 27th, 5:00-6:00 PM in the Grace Green Baker Community Room. In July 2016, The National Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded the Bird Homestead Nonprofit, a prestigious, nationally competitive grant from the Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation. The $7,000 matching grant will support an interpretive plan for the Voris-Gedney Archaeological and Environmental Preserve, which occupies an acre of habitat between the Bird Homestead and the Meeting House on Milton Road. The group works to restore and operate both historic properties for educational purposes. Nineteenth-century maps show three buildings on the property, which are no longer there. Two of them belonged to a successful African-American named William Voris. The other was the dwelling of John Gedney, a member of a prominent merchant family. It was rare for African-Americans to own property in the two decades before the Civil War. A glimpse of the stature of Voris can be seen in the historic African-American Cemetery in the town of Rye. His gravestone is both large and made of white marble, an expensive material.
A FEW WORDS FROM GREENBURGH TOWN SUPERVISOR PAUL FEINER
On the birthday of the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, one of the world’s greatest agents for social change, I had the opportunity to attend an inspiring luncheon sponsored by the African American Men of Westchester in Tarrytown. As Town Supervisor it’s my hope that the town of Greenburgh will work hard to implement the dreams of Dr. King every day of the year. We’re trying! The Greenburgh Human Rights Advisory Committee was formed a few years ago by the Greenburgh Town Board and has been very active. They pushed for the successful adoption of a resolution relating to immigration last year and are working with the Greenburgh Police department -providing immigrants with information about their rights. A forum is being held on February 5th in English and Spanish. The Know your rights Forum will be televised and re-broadcast on public access TV channels. Learn about rights when encountering immigration and custom enforcement (ICE0 at home, employers or in public spaces. The Committee is doing much more! They initiated the effort to encourage Westchester County to place a bus stop at Rivertowns Square --a major new shopping center in Dobbs Ferry
-across from the Saw Mill River Parkway that will include movie theaters, a hotel, apartments, restaurants, shopping and a supermarket. Many employees of the shopping center live in Mount Vernon or Yonkers and do not have cars. It’s outrageous that a major shopping center has no bus stop located at the center. A few years ago a pedestrian crossing the Saw Mill River Parkway was hit by a car and lost his life. Without a bus stop a tragedy is a probability waiting to happen. County Executive George Latimer’s new administration is reaching out to transportation officials following up on the suggestion. If a bus stop and bus routes are placed at Rivertowns Square lives will be saved. The current closest NON SHELTERED bus stop is located on Saw Mill RIver Road - and requires pedestrians to walk on streets without a sidewalk, inadequate lighting at night. And one must cross the dangerous Saw Mill River Parkway to get to the shopping plaza. The committee has also sponsored movies at the Greenburgh Library with a human rights theme. Members of the committee are appointed by the Town Board. But, because there is so much interest, citizens who want to get involved with the committee are invited to attend and participate as non voting members. If any resident experiences bigotry, racism, or bullying you might wish to reach out to the Human Rights Committee. In addition to the Human Rights
Rights Committee the town as a very active Police Community Advisory Board which is made up of residents of Greenburgh- who reside in different sections of town. We even include students as members. The goal of the committee, which meets monthly, is to act as a liaison between the police and residents, to advise the police chief on issues of concern and to make recommendations regarding recruitment, police and practices The committee also organizes education outreach to keep the community informed. They work with our Community Police officers. Last year a large barbeque was held at Town Hall, sponsored by the police --providing the community with an opportunity to interact with the police informally and to discuss concerns. We sponsor a police summer youth camp each year and encourage residents of lower income neighborhoods to send their kids to the camp--improving the comfort level the residents have with the police. The town has hired graduates of the camp as uniformed police officers. The police community advisor board also helps provide the community with key information -identifying community rescources. the committee meets the first Tuesday of every month at Town Hall at 7 PM. We welcome additional suggestions residents may have on ways we can be responsive to the community. Please feel free to contact me at pfeiner@greenburghny. com or at 914 438 1343 (my cell). PAUL FEINER Greenburgh Town Supervisor
GREENBURGH
TOWN SUPERVISOR PAUL FEINER THANKS BLACK WESTCHESTER
FOR BEING AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR COMMUNITY
GREENBURGH CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH WE OWE APPRECIATION TO FORMER TOWN RESIDENTS WHO HELPED PUT GREENBURGH ON THE MAP
CAB CALLOWAY, MADAM C.J.WALKER, GORDON PARKS, ROY CAMPANELLA, MOMS MABLEY AND MANY OTHERS!!!
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
8 BLACK WESTCHESTER
REAL TALK FOR THE COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 2018
ACTIVIST, AUTHOR & SCHOLAR, ANGELA DAVIS - STILL REVOLUTIONARY Angela Davis, activist, educator, schol-
ar, and politician, was born on January 26, 1944, in the “Dynamite Hill” area of Birmingham, Alabama. The area received that name because so many African-American homes in this middleclass neighborhood had been bombed over the years by the Ku Klux Klan. Her father, Frank Davis, was a service station owner and her mother, Sallye Davis, was an elementary school teacher. Davis’s mother was also active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), when it was dangerous to be openly associated with the organization because of its civil rights activities.
BY AJ WOODSON
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and then the Black Panther Party. She also continued her education, earning an M.A. from the University of California at San Diego in 1968. Davis moved further to the left in the same year when she became a member of the American Communist Party. In 1969 Angela Davis was hired by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as an assistant professor of philosophy, but her involvement in the Communist Party led to her dismissal. During the early 1970s, she also became active in the movement to improve prison conditions for inmates. That work led to her campaign to release the “Soledad (Prison) Brothers.” Outside of academia, Davis had become a strong supporter of the three prison inmates of Soledad Prison known as the Soledad brothers. These three men -- John W. Cluchette, Fleeta Drumgo and George Lester Jackson -- were accused of killing a prison guard after several African-American inmates had been killed in a fight by another guard. Some thought these prisoners were being used as scapegoats because of the political work within the prison. On August 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson, the younger brother of George Jackson, attempted to free prisoners who were on trial in the Marin County Courthouse. During this failed attempt, Superior Court Judge Harold Haley and three others including Jonathan Jackson were killed. Although Davis did not participate in the actual break-out attempt, she became a suspect when it was discovered that the guns used by Jackson were registered in her name. Davis fled to avoid arrest and was placed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Criminals list for her association with the Black Panther Partner & her wrongful accusation in a murder case. She spent 16 months in jail while awaiting trial for murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy charges. During her high-profile trial in 1972, she was acquitted of all 3 charges, in a landmark case. The incident nonetheless generated an outcry against Davis and then California Governor Ronald Reagan campaigned to prevent her from teaching in the California State university system. Despite the governor’s objection, Davis became a lecturer in women’s and ethnic studies at San Francisco State University in 1977. As a scholar, Davis has authored several books, including Angela Davis: An Autobiography in 1974; Women, Race, and Class in 1983; and Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday in 1999. In the political arena, Davis ran for Vice President of the United States in 1980 & 1984 on the Communist Party ticket. Davis continues to be an activist and lecturer as Professor Emeritus of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department at Syracuse University. Angela Davis’ legacy lived on through hip-hop in the mid-1980’s and early 1990’s. The youth at the time known as the hip-hop generation delve into activism through conscious hip-hop. Inspired by Black leaders as W. E. B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Ida B. Wells-Bamett, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Kwame Toure, Angela Davis, and the Black Panthers hip-hop culture gave a voice to a new generation of activists transforming the global expression of the modern youth identity creating a new sociopolitical forum of self-expression and knowledge of self. Du Bois’s essay, “The Freedom to Learn”; King’s book. Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community, Gil Scott-Heron’s song, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”; and Angela Davis’s numerous writings on the prison-industrial complex lay the groundwork and possible even the soundtrack for a movement of rappers and hip hop artists, such as Public Enemy, Sister Souljah, KRS-One, MeShell Ndegeocello, Goodie Mob, The Coup, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, Dead prez, Mr. Lif, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, Hieroglyphic and many others. Hip-Hop Activism combined progressive youth politics, community organizing, and hip-hop culture to address such issues as the prison industrial complex, poverty racism, police brutality, globalization, education, and democracy. Still heavily involved in the what we are facing as a people today, in the January 2015 #BlackLivesMatter issue of Essence Magazine, Davis wrote; “We are in a time of transformation. There is such potential for change. All over this country from Ferguson to New York City to Washington—indeed, in other parts of the world—people are absolutely refusing to assent to racist state violence. Rather, we are saying that Black bodies do matter. And our work must be to continue taking to the streets and standing together against the routine actions of police and the DAs who collude with them; and continue saying, “No Justice, No Peace, No Racist Police,” until there is real change on the agenda for us.” In July 2016 at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, Rapper/Actor/Activist Common credits Angela Davis and others with standing on the “front lines in our ongoing movement for justice.” “I’m talking about Fannie Lou Hamer, Diane Nash, Angela Davis, Assata Shakur,
As a teenager, Davis moved to New York City with her mother, who was pursuing a Master’s degree at New York University. While there she attended Elizabeth Irwin High School, a school considered leftist because a number of its teachers were blacklisted during the McCarthy era for their earlier alleged Communist activities. In 1961 Davis enrolled at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. While at Brandeis, Davis also studied abroad for a year in France and returned to the U.S. to complete her studies, joining Phi Beta Kappa and earning her B.A. (magna cum laude) in 1965. Even before her graduation, Davis, so moved by the deaths of the four girls killed in the bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in her hometown in 1963, that she decided to join the civil rights movement. By 1967, however, Davis was influenced by Black Power advocates and joined the
REAL TALK FROM AJ WOODSON
Shirley Chisholm, I’m talking about the Black Lives Matter founders,” said Common. “And I’m also talking about everyday women,” he continued. “Women like Diamond Reynolds, who filmed the police killing [Philando Castile]. Who tried to calmly de-escalate the deadly situation and hours later, was at her governor’s mansion, demanding justice.” Davis, is a national figure in the Black Power and anti-prison movement. Angela Davis voicing her support for the No Youth Jail Movement at Seattle Town Hall on Thursday, January 12, 2017 in town as part of the city’s MLK Unity Day, where she backed the movement against the proposed King County juvenile detention center and reflected on the shape of activism after last November’s presidential election. “Angela Davis has taught me so much about loving myself, my own blackness, and fighting for what I believe in,” said Chasity Jones, an attendee waiting in line. “Ever since the [election] results, a lot of people are waking up, and understanding we need to do something.” Davis became a prominent figure in the late 1960s and early 1970s and faced repercussions for her activism. Kicking off our Women’s History Month Series, Black Westchester Magazine salutes and spotlights Angela Davis and leave you with her word from an interview while Davis was in prison, facing trial on trumped-up murder charges in California. She was asked by a reporter how she felt about the “violence” of the movement. When you talk about a revolution, most people think violence, without realizing that the real content of any kind of revolutionary thrust lies in the principles and goals that you’re striving for, not in the way you reach them. On the other hand, because of the way this society is organized, because of the violence that exists on the surface everywhere, you have to expect that there are going to be such explosions. You have to expect things like that as reactions. If you’re a Black person and you live in the Black community, all your life, you walk out on the street every day, seeing white policeman surrounding you. When I was living in Los Angeles, for instance...I was constantly stopped. The police didn’t know who I was, but I was a Black woman, and I had a natural, and I suppose they thought that I might be a “militant”... You live under that situation constantly, and then you ask me whether I approve of violence. I mean, that just doesn’t make any sense at all. Whether I approve of guns? I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Some very, very good friends of mine were killed by bombs--bombs that were planted by racists... From the time I was very, very small, I remember the sounds of bombs exploding across the street, our house shaking. I remember my father having to have guns at his disposal at all times because of the fact that at any moment, we might expect to be attacked. The man who was at that time in complete control of the city government--his name was Bull Connor--would often get on the radio and make statements like “Niggers have moved into a white neighborhood, we’d better expect some bloodshed tonight.” And sure enough, there would be bloodshed.
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
WWW.BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
BLACK WESTCHESTER 9
MARTIN’S DREAM WAS ABOUT JOBS & JUSTICE
BY DAMON K. JONES
The historic March in Washington on August 28, 1963, was about more than a dream of Martin Luther King Jr. The title of the 1963 demonstration, “The Great March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as ‘right-towork.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining... We demand this fraud be stopped.” The need for jobs and shared economic prosperity remains as urgent and compelling today as it was 55 years ago. To show how profound MLK’s vision remains, in 2018, the right to work rhetoric is high on the agenda of Republicans and President #45. MLK’s prophetic words about ‘Right-to-Work’ false slogans have come true in present-day politics. This false slogan is currently used by Republicans to confuse their constituents that these laws have something to do with the giving workers the right to work. As the Republican-controlled Congress with Republican President #45, it is no secret that big business bankrolls electoral campaigns. The Right-toWork legislation is clear proof of false rhetoric that will further obliterate good wages throughout the nation. The Economic Policy Institute reported wages are 3.1 percent lower in Right-to-Work states for both union and non-union workers, even after calculating differences in cost of living, demographics and the local labor market. Under President #45 and the Republican-controled Congress, this would be a reality nationwide as workers would now have less bargaining power. MLK was right, we didn’t listen, and now we are in a fight tougher than when he spoke these truths. The false Right-to-Work slogan does nothing to create jobs, grow the middle class or improve the lives of workers; it destroys all unionized labor. I have watched how the media, through past articles and illustrations, have slowly painted a grim picture to taxpayers that civil service workers and unions are to blame for high tax rates and governments economic downfall. This rhetoric is to distort the reader’s views and gather the support to reverse any and all legislation that protects workers’ rights and benefits. We have the greatest workers in the world because of labor rights, but the rights and economic strength of America’s middle class are at risk now more than ever before. This is a systematic assault through legislation by politicians whose campaigns are usually supported by big businesses and the wealthy. Legislation to change funding for Education, Incarceration, Healthcare and Social Services are now fair game. The poor and middle class cannot donate big money to politicians, therefore, they have become no better than ‘hitmen’ for legislative assassination and the collateral damage many poor and middle-class families in America are suffering. There’s a reason we have collective bargaining in this country: it gives workers the right to join together to improve the workplace, to improve working conditions, and when they do these rights, the benefits flow to the rest of middle class working families in this country. To attack labor and labor rights is, ultimately, an attack on every person’s civil rights. Unfortunately, the collective silence of Union leaders has been a sad disappointment to rank and file members who, without question, pay union dues for representation. Unions standing up and speaking truth to power in the past have accomplished victories for every worker. That’s why you have an eight-hour work day. That’s why you have paid vacation time. That’s why you have healthcare benefits. That’s how you achieved paid overtime, whether in the union or not. Now they want to take away the rights of unions to organize in the workplace and the rights of workers to organize. What the people fail to realize is that when these rights are taken away take from organized labor in the public sector employees, its only a matter a time before they ultimately take the rights away from the
private sector employees as well. These days union leaders give politicians their money and do not openly hold them accountable for their failure to protect the rights and benefits of America’s middle class. Labor unions can not go to their union membership and direct them to vote for this one or that one again. The membership will respond; what have they done for us lately? And union leaders will look blank-faced. Many clergy leaders are facing the same dilemma as union leaders — especially black clergy. How will their congregation follow their lead to support a candidate that only visits the church around election time, when family members are out of work, poorly educated, homeless and incarcerated? When voters are deceived about the actual policies a candidate plans to enact, democracy is undermined just as inevitably as if they are physically prevented from casting their ballots. Is it time for a new type of political party? If the Democrats do not want or cannot vigorously stand up for the rights and benefits, preserve legislation of the poor and middle class, then it’s time for the unions, middle class and community leaders to pull their money from the Democratic Party. It’s time to stop raising money for them and organize to find ways for our candidate to run for open political positions. If done correctly, it will force the Democratic Party to act on our issues like the Far Right has forced the Republicans to address their concerns and their agenda. This is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor Peoples campaign was all about. The Poor People’s Campaign was to address issues of economic justice and housing for the poor in the United States, aiming itself at rebuilding America’s cities. Dr. King labeled the Poor People’s Campaign the “second phase” of the civil rights struggle — setting goals such as gathering activists to lobby Congress for an “Economic Bill of Rights.” Dr. King also saw a crying need to confront a Congress that had demonstrated its “hostility to the poor,“ appropriating “military funds with alacrity and generosity,” but providing “poverty funds with miserliness.” Unfortunately, since 1963, there hasn’t been any relevant change in the situation of the poor in Westchester or the rest of the United States. As usual, what hurts White Middle-Class Workers decimates Black Middle-Class Workers. The rate for black Americans has never been less than 66 percent higher than that for whites — and since January 1974, it has been at least twice the rate for Whites 80 percent of the time. Government jobs, long considered the most secure form of employment in America, a veritable safety net for Black America, have rapidly disappeared since December 2007. Calls to reduce the tax burden has the same purpose as the call for the Right-to-Work; to provide cover to attack everyday workers, union members and the middle class. If the middle class can overcome internal divisions and unify behind a strong, pro-worker agenda, maybe we can begin to counter that canard that organized labor is the cause of the financial stagnation people have been suffering for several decades. Then and only then the middle class can say: Do not expect to remain in office or be elected if you do not truly embrace accountability and balance at all levels. It’s time for the middle class to demand this fraud be stopped. Martin’s dream must continue, we can’t be cowards in speaking “Truth to Power.
On Friday, January 12th, President #45 stood in the White House and signed a proclamation announcing Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “Today we celebrate Dr. King for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear,” Trump said, “that no matter the color of our skin, or the place of our birth we are all created equal by God.” But his most recent comments about Haitian and African immigrants from “Shithole Countries” prove, 45 has no idea what it means to treat humans equally “no matter the color of our skin.” He also understands very little about the legacy of the man he claimed to be honoring. Instead he precipitously turned Dr. King’s Dream into a Nightmare!!!
MALCOLM X SPOKE ON ACTS OF POLICE CRIMINALITY WE ARE STILL FACING 54 YEARS LATER BY AJ WOODSON
“We stand defenseless, at the mercy of American racists who murder us at will” Malcolm X As I came across a speech Malcolm X delivered in July 1964, I could not help but see how his words still rang true today with all the recent acts of police criminality. …all of these inhuman atrocities have been inflicted upon us by the American governmental authorities, the police themselves, for no reason other than that we seek the recognition and respect granted other human beings in America. The American Government is either unable or unwilling to protect the lives and property of your 22 million African-American brothers and sisters. We stand defenseless, at the mercy of American racists who murder us at will for no reason other than we are black and of African descent… We have lived for over three hundred years in that American den of racist wolves in constant fear of losing life and limb. Recently, three students from Kenya were mistaken for American Negroes and were brutally beaten by the New York police. Shortly after that two diplomats from Uganda were also beaten by the New York City police, who mistook them for American Negroes. If Africans are brutally beaten while only visiting in America, imagine the physical and psychological suffering received by your brothers and sisters who have lived there for over three hundred years. – Malcolm X speaking at Organization of African Unity meeting in Cairo, Egypt July 17, 1964 Some of you reading this may be saying to yourself, we have come a long way baby, we had a black president. Ok so we are not marching for the right to vote or to sit where we want on a public bus, but in 2014 Mount Vernon residents, clergy and civil leaders marched for the city to maintain and restore a public park. The police are not blasting us with water hoses and releasing their dogs to tear us apart with their teeth anymore. That’s been replaced with death by chokehold (Eric Garner), and the illegal killing of blacks in their homes by the police (Kenneth Chamberlain and Ramarley Graham) and killing us for DWB (Driving While Black), remember the words of Cobb County police Lt. Greg Abbott in Georgia, “We only kill Black People.” These are just some of the recent crimes our people have suffered at the hands of police. Jim Crow has been replaced with the ‘broken windows policy’ and the notorious and unconstitutional stop-and-frisk campaign. The commonality in the two troubled times in the urban, low income communities are the blatant acts of police criminality committed upon us by the very police officers hired to protect and serve us. You ever find yourself wondering, who will protect us from police. The very words spoken by our slain leader, Malcolm X; “We stand defenseless, at the mercy of American racists who murder us at will for no reason other than we are black and of African descent…” could not be more appropriate for ‘we the people who are darker than blue’ as brother Curtis Mayfield put it, especially in the Trump Era. We are still defenseless against those in blue who terrorize our community with no malice or fear of being punished, even when caught in video tape. Back in the Rodney King incident, 27 years-ago, those officers didn’t know their crimes were being caught on tape. In the Eric Garner incident, knowingly being recorded wasn’t enough to prevent the NYPD from killing another brother. So tell me have things really changed since Malcolm uttered those words 54 years ago? Just ask our brother Kenenth Chamberlerlain Jr., and others still fighting for justice.
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
10 BLACK WESTCHESTER
BW BLACK HISTORY
FEBRUARY 2018
BW BLACK HISTORY: ERROLD D. COLLYMORE – THE FIGHTING DENTIST
BY AJ WOODSON
Collymore was a leader in the professional, political and civic life of the community. He led the campaign to have black nurses and nursing students admitted to the Westchester County Grasslands Hospital (now the Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla). He broke the racial barriers and of course, he was the victim of rock barrages..and the burning of a cross on his lawn when he and his family decided to move into an all-white neighborhood called the Highlands. In his words “all hell broke loose.” A huge seven-foot fiery cross was burned on the front lawn in the middle of the night. The local newspapers carried big bold-type headlines declaring a Black invasion of the Highlands, “All sorts of pressure and threats were used to get me out; but I held on,” Collymore was quotes to have said. “That was 36 years ago. I am still there! In the days of the great confusion I laid topsoil all around my house and went about my business of planting lawns and flowers. So much so that a newspaper reporter said in a news item that he was up by my house and I did not seem to be thinking of running away. He saw me up there planting flowers.” Dr. Collymore and his family had integrated the White Plains Community Unitarian Church in 1927. The church gave them strong moral support during the course of the housing struggle. He remained very active in the church until his death in 1972. In a sermon entitled “A Common Faith by Which to Live” which he delivered at the White Plains Community Church on October 1, 1944 he concluded: Personally, I want a religion to live by. I want a faith to work by. It is because I have found a conscious effort to find the good life here at the Community Church that I have continued for these sixteen years to work among its people. Really, now it can be told – you have been the guinea pigs in my laboratory of faith. Here we have a veritable oasis of faith. Let us continue to build; – let us try to make it grow so that its example in brotherhood and faith in the essential decency of man might spread across the land and usher in the good life even beyond where we can see “far down the futures broadening way.” In 1956 Dr. Collymore received a human relations award with the following words Errold D. Collymore D.D.S. (1893-1972), a dentist and activist, who would become inscribed on it: known as “Westchester’s Fighting Dentist,” moved to Westchester County in 1926 and integrated the Community Church of White Plains in 1927. When in 1930 the Ku Klux Indomitable champion of his race and pioneer in human Klan burned a cross in front of his new home the Unitarian church members suprelations who has advanced the well-being of our ported him. The incident made national news since it happened up north in the nation’s entire community by his vision, courage and faith in the wealthiest county. Some employers, in an attempt to drive him out of business, told brotherhood of man. their African-American employees they would be fired if they used Collymore. In turn, members of the Community Church left their own dentists and went to It’s great to celebrate our great black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., but we him. Although for many years the Collymores were the only African-American family in must also salute our unsung heroes in Westchester County who put in the work locally. So the White Plains Community Church Collymore went to serve as board member and president of that congregation. From 1952 to 1954 he was a member of the American BW dedicates this section to Black Westchester History and remember “Westchester’s Unitarian Association Commission Unitarian Intergroup Relations; subsequently he own Martin Luther King,” Dr. Errold. D. Collymore, D.D.S. was the first person of color to serve on the AUA Board of Trustees (1954-1957). Considered by many as “Westchester’s own Martin Luther King,” Errold. D. Collymore, D.D.S was a Black man who grew up in Barbados, British West Indies and came to America in 1912 when he was nineteen. As you can imagine he had to struggle very hard to find a job, put himself through college and then through dental school. He finally made it and started a dental practice in 1923 in White Plains, New York He became the first African-American dentist in White Plains. Dr. Collymore co-founded the Urban League of Westchester and organized the the United Republican Club, and the White Plains/Greenburgh branch of the NAACP, serving as its president for many years. In the first few weeks he found that life would not be easy for a Black dentist. He found a small apartment to rent. A white person would have been charged $30 per month, but a Black person was charged $80 per month. Black people were forced to live in the worst housing in town, pay the highest rent, and supplying their own heat. The injustices did not stop with housing. There were no Black policemen or firemen. There were no Black clerical or white-collar workers. Black people were not allowed to swim at the public swimming pool. Black children were often physically abused by school teachers and principals. Black children could not use the YMCA except for a few hours a week. Dr. Collymore became a “human catalyst” for most of these issues. He challenged the authorities and became a spokesperson for the Black community. Because of him the process of equal rights for minorities was speeded up. He felt that the most pressing issue was the need for better housing for Blacks and decided on a very daring way to bring this to public attention and to make it an issue that no one could ignore.
A BLACK WESTCHESTER EDITORIAL
IT’S TIME TO GET REAL NYS – ALL THINGS ARE NOT EQUAL BY BRIAN ROMERO prevent further inequities for communities of color.
On November 11th, 2017, America woke up to a very painful and explicit reality that people of color have faced for centuries everyday: racism is alive and well. The need to address systemic racism and disparities in communities of color has become ever more obvious during the last year as policies have targeted Muslims, Latinx and peoples of African descent. This reality has also become apparent, as foreign policy has shifted to center imperialism. It is now indisputable that institutions will continue to perpetuate the status quo, unless systems change is enacted. It has become unequivocally clear: racism is alive and well and New York must lead the resistance to move forward real change. While we remain a blue state in many ways, New York has also been known to pass legislation, which have had serious – albeit unintended – consequences for communities of color. The statewide Rockefeller Drug Laws, and Stop and Frisk policy in New York City (like many “tough on crime” laws), and other such pieces of legislation have passed the chambers of Albany only to perpetuate the cycle of inequity across systems and institutions. A bill now has been introduced into the New York State Assembly that could change this and reverse the course to make New York a true leader for diversity, equity and opportunity for all. The Racial Equity Assessment in Legislation (REAL) Bill, A5851, introduced into the New York State Assembly by chief sponsor, Luis Sepulveda, can address what so often goes missed in decision making on the State Capitol. The REAL bill would constitute a standing committee on racial equity in the Assembly, which would conduct racial equity impact assessments on all legislation that is favorably voted for. Racial equity impact assessments (REIAs) measure unanticipated adverse consequences in a variety of contexts, including the analysis of proposed policies, institutional practices, and budgetary decisions. If instituted into the legislative process, REIAs would provide a mechanism to
The REAL Bill would also assess state policies and actions, which could be taken in conjunction with the private and public sector to achieve conditions of racial equity in all sectors of New York. An equally important component of the bill would also require that the racial equity committee track the implementation of policies, programs and practices to ensure their desired outcomes also represent and protect the interests of New York’s most marginalized communities. Legislation such as the REAL bill are being advanced in other jurisdictions in states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. Each day that passes, the urgency to combat the affects of systemic racism becomes more evident to the general public and to those in public service who have committed to defend our human rights. As New York has positioned itself to be a defender of liberty and justice, it must now position itself to be a model for other states to follow. To advance this legislation, the #REALNYS Campaign is calling on Assembly members in Westchester and across the state to co-sponsor A5851, the REAL Bill. During these tumultuous times, New York State needs it’s leaders to move beyond rhetoric to support a culture shift, which will protect the generation of today and those that will come after. Organizations are called to sign onto the campaign and to urge their elected officials to co-sponsor this vital legislation. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Chapters in New York City and State; the Katal Center for Health, Equity, and Justice; advocates, and community members demand the New York state assembly to pass A5851 (Sepulveda) to create a racial equity committee that will protect and benefit all New Yorkers. For more information on #REALNYS, please email real.naswnyc@gmail.com
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
BLACK WESTCHESTER11
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
12 BLACK WESTCHESTER
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
FEBRUARY 2018
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACK WESTCHESTER13
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
We celebrate Black History Month to recognize the innumerable contributions African Americans have made to American society. Thank you to all the black heroes and heroines who fought so hard to achieve justice and equality in the face of overwhelming obstacles and to Black Westchester for carrying on the tradition of the all-important Black Press.
Paid for by Friends of Andrea Stewart-Cousins – P.O. Box 1107 Yonkers, NY 10702 www.AndreaStewartCousins.com –
/AndreaStewartCousins –
/AndreaSCousins
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
14BLACK WESTCHESTER
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
FEBRUARY 2018
COVER STORIES BW COVER STORY
PAM GRIER BY AJ WOODSON
B
lack women are often entirely absent in the film categories of best actress, best director and best screenplay. This begs a troubling question: Where are the black women in Hollywood? Out of 250 box office releases in 2013, fewer than 50 have featured a black woman in a leading or supporting role. Among the 10 highestgrossing movies of that year so far, only one — Star Trek into Darkness — starred a black woman. Although it’s getting better, we still have a long way to go. This Black History Month edition spotlights my personal lifetime crush, Pam Grier. She was the first black woman to star in an action movie. Pam Grier affirmed black women and showed them that they could be strong, tenacious and beautiful. She also proved that “sistahs” could star in action films at a time when roles for women of color were in her own words, “practically invisible or painfully stereotypical.
FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO STAR IN AN ACTION MOVIE I was both intrigued and surprised to discover that Miss Grier’s life now consists of driving John Deere tractors, rescuing and rehabilitating horses, hiking and many other rural activities that couldn’t be further from her trailblazing Hollywood image portrayed in her iconic films. I had gone on to interview Pam Grier three more times in person in promotions for movies she was in such as the 1996 action gangster flick, Original Gangster. This film was flooded with Blaxploitation stars like Fred Williamson (Black Caesar), Jim Brown, Ron O’Neal (Superfly), and New Rochelle native Richard Roundtree (Shaft). I then had the pleasure or interviewing her again for Jackie Brown and Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch at the old Motown Cafe.Then again in 2001 for 3 A.M, which was the first film directed by Lee Davis, a Spike Lee protege, starring Danny Glover, Sergej Trifunovic and Michelle Rodriquez. My homeboy Bonz Malone played the role as a killer. In each interview, no matter what the setting, no matter the attention she received from me and others, she was so down to earth despite her larger than life persona. My favorite quote from the Pam Grier interviews I did was; “Even though I was doing what they considered a B-Movie, I thought it was Gone with The Wind. I went in doing the best work I could, which frightened them, because they didn’t expect me to.” I’ve related with those words in several of my life experiences. Her continual positive and determined attitude caused her to thrive in an industry that remains pitted against both women and people of color even after 45 years since her first leading role.
BW salutes Pam Grier. She is the kind of star film had never seen before. Ballsy! Sexy and unapologetically black! This latest masterpiece rightfully titled Strength Of A Woman is just that. The Queen Rising. That’s all she’s ever done. Fearlessly.
Pam Grier’s combination of sass, sexiness and martial art skills had her taking leading roles in action flicks traditionally led by men. “People had only seen African-American women depicted a certain way in film and it was about time that changed,” she shared with me during the interview for Original Gangster. She became the first female action lead in the Jack Hill directed 1973 film Coffy. She was the “Baddest One-Chick Hit-Squad That Ever Hit Town,” and played the role of a nurse to get revenge on drug dealers. She quickly became a pop icon and a year later starred in the leading role of Foxy Brown, the voluptuous black woman who took a job as a high-class prostitute to get revenge on mobsters who had murdered her boyfriend. Her iconic roles in Coffy and Foxy Brown were categorized in what is now known as the Blaxploitation Era of the 1970’s. These films earned her the title as the Queen of the genre. She starred in more than 20 films between 1971 and 1981 was one of the first black women to have a multi-film deal. No one can deny her extraordinary beauty. Her feline-like eyes, topped with bushy angular brows, graced with an enviable pout and prominent nose to which writer Mark Jacobson once described as “her best feature.” Her heritage is a magnificent blend, consisting of African-American, Hispanic, Chinese, Filipino and Cheyenne Indian. As sexy as she is, she is quick to deny her aesthetic appeal. “Me sexy? I’m just plain ol’ beans and rice.” My first of four interviews with the cinematic Queen of Blaxploitation was a phone interview to her ranch near Denver, Colorado. To have the beautiful actress that I once had a childhood crush on lirt as only she could over the phone was the highlight of my writing career at the time! Reminiscing on earlier times, my parents went to see a double feature film and took me along because they couldn’t find a babysitter. The film was Truck Turner, starring Isaac Hayes and Foxy Brown. I can only imagine that my mother had no idea there were so many sex scenes when the decision was made to bring me along. I remember her covering my eyes through most of the movie. It wasn’t until my early teens that I was able to see the hot and racy film in its entirety and since then, I’ve wanted to see every movie she starred in.
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
BLACK WESTCHESTER 15
BW COVER STORY OUR BLACK HISTORY WITH LOVE, THE COLE, ROBINSON, HENDERSON AND ROYSTER FAMILY
FIRST RAP ACT TO WIN GRAMMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
R
BY AJ WOODSON
UN DMC “crashed through walls, cut through floors, bust through ceilings and knock down doors,” they were the first rap group to do almost everything — the first rap group to be certified gold, with their self-titled album in 1984, to be certified platinum with the release of their sophomore album King of Rock, January 1985, the first time in history a rap/hip hop album would reach that level. They were the first to have a Top 10 single, first to cover Rolling Stone and first rappers on Saturday Night Live, in Season 12 Episode 02 on October 18, 1986 with host MalcolmJamal Warner. RUN DMC were to rappers to have a video played on MTV, in an era, when the network wouldn’t play videos by AfricanAmerican artists. Their music helped tear down a wall between cultures in much the way the music of other Rock Hall members like Little Richard and Chuck Berry did in the 1950’s. They were the first rappers to crossover into the pop mainstream, with a cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” The single became Run-D.M.C.’s best-selling song and revitalized Aerosmith’s career. The crossover success of “Walk This Way” demonstrated the growing influence of rap music on mainstream pop music. Recorded with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, “Walk This Way” was the first hip-hop record to appeal to both rockers and rappers. The legendary Run-D.M.C partnership with Adidas in 1986 was the very first endorsement deal in rap history? Before 50 Cent made $100 million from Glacéau, before Drake was sipping on Sprite in the recording booth, before Rick Ross got dropped by Reebok; there was Run-D.M.C. and Adidas. When it came time for Run-D.M.C to perform “My Adidas,” Run asked the crowd to hold their sneakers in the air. Seeing the crowd of thousands hold up their Adidas sneakers in the air, Angelo Anastasio, an Adidas executive realised the power of hip-hop marketing and was quick to sign Run-D.M.C to a $1 million endorsement deal, which also included their own signature line. They were the first non sports figures to get a sneaker deal. Run-D.M.C.’s 1986 hit single “My Adidas” was the beginning of modern hip-hop style sensibility, sneaker culture and product endorsements. However, the fashion legacy of Run-D.M.C. and their shell-toed Adidas is so much more than the emergence of a new revenue driver for performers and brands alike. Hip-Hop fashion, streetwear, the cachet of sportswear brands and the increasingly inextricable relationship between music and fashion have all, in some way or another, been influenced and affected by this group. February 15, 2016 at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, the Iconic rap trio Run-D.M.C. added being the first rap act to get a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, when they receive their honor alongside Earth Wind & Fire, John Cage,
Ruth Brown, Jefferson Airplane, Herbie Hancock, Celia Cruz, and Linda Ronstadt. Though the group never won a Grammy, they were the first collective to be nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance because there was no rap categories yet. While from some outside of Hip-Hop circles act like Hip-Hop started with RUN DMC, I was pleased when Run acknowledged those before him when receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award; “I don’t wanna get no awards until American Music Awards, the Grammys, MTV, VH1, Viacom stop acknowledging me and Run-D.M.C. — ah, well, Run can speak for himself — but don’t acknowledge Run-D.M.C. until [you] give that award to Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation for “Planet Rock.” Give that award first to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the first rap group to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and it’s a damn shame that nobody in hip-hop knows that, you know what I’m saying? Acknowledge the real pioneers of this genre.” Run-D.M.C. were to rap what Sam and Dave were to soul, defining their respective genres as frontmen in a duo format. It all started when a youthful DJ Run—nicknamed for his speedy turntable prowess— was deejaying for rap artist Kurtis Blow, who was managed by Run’s brother, Russell Simmons. (Simmons would go on to found Def Jam Recordings, becoming one of America’s premier black entrepreneurs.) Hip-hop writer Sasha Frere-Jones noted the “legible, populist minimalism” of Run-D.M.C.’s records, and made this observation about their interplay as rappers: “The rhymes go back and forth like beach balls between sea lions, with one finishing the other’s line, a strategy that hasn’t been heard since battle crews like Cold Crush Brothers ruled in 1980 and 1981.” Run-D.M.C. exploded out of Hollis, Queens in 1983, changing the sound of rap music, street fashion and popular culture in general. They are widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip-hop culture and one of the most famous hip-hop acts of the 1980s, which makes them not only rap history but Black History. BW salutes RUN DMC!
Volunteer New York! Celebrates Black History Month
With thanks to all volunteers who joined us in honoring the message of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during our 2018 MLK Day of Service.
Take Local Action: volunteernewyork.org | 914-948-4452 | @volunteerNYnow
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
16 BLACK WESTCHESTER
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
FEBRUARY 2018
REMEMBERING OSSIE DAVIS MLK BREAKFAST THE THOMAS H. SLATER COMMUNITY CENTER
DERICKSON LAWRENCE REMEMBERS HIS MENTOR, FRAT BROTHER, AND FRIEND OSSIE DAVIS
BY TASHA D. YOUNG
whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television — are selected by the Center’s Board of Trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; the selection process, over the years, has produced balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.” In 1948, Davis married actress Ruby Dee. In their joint autobiography With Ossie and Ruby, they described their decision to have an open marriage (later changing their minds). In the mid 1960s they moved to the New York suburb of New Rochelle where they remained ever after. Their son Guy Davis is a blues musician and former actor, who appeared in the film Beat Street and the daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Their daughters are Nora Davis Day and Hasna Muhammad. Ossie Davis at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.
DERICKSON LAWRENCE & OSSIE DAVIS 1999
For Black History Month let us remember Howard University’s, and fellow, alumnus Ossie Davis. The great civil rights activist, actor, writer and director Ossie Davis took a break from his busy schedule to film a public service announcement in 1999. “Join us to fight against hate and violent crimes driven by bigotry” was the intro tag line. We were joined by the Westchester County Journal News (LoHud) in this PSA effort. One year later, in 2000, with the help of the Anti-Defamation League, and several other contributors across the state, New York became the 43rd state in the nation to pass a hate crime law increasing penalties for hate crime. He was about 82 when this commercial was taped in my humble living room turned-set. I had one line. In between takes, he said to me, “this is what gives my life purpose”. He will always be remembered by me as a mentor, “frat”, and a friend - Derickson Lawrence Ossie Davis (born Raiford Chatman Davis; December 18, 1917 – Feb. 4, 2005) was a film, television and Broadway actor, director, poet, playwright, author, and social activist. The name Ossie came from a county clerk who misheard his mother’s pronunciation of his initials “R.C.” when he was born. So he inadvertently became “Ossie” when his mother told the courthouse clerk in Clinch County, Ga., who was filing his birth certificate that his name was R.C. Davis. Davis experienced racism from an early age when the KKK threatened to shoot his father, whose job they felt was too advanced for a black man to have. Following the wishes of his parents, he attended Howard University but dropped out in 1939 to fulfill his acting career in New York; he later attended Columbia University School of General Studies. His acting career, which spanned eight decades, began in 1939 with the Rose McClendon Players in Harlem. During World War II, Davis served in the United States Army in the Medical Corps. He made his film debut in 1950 in the Sidney Poitier film No Way Out. He voiced Anansi the spider on the PBS children’s television series Sesame Street in its animation segments. In 1989, Ossie Davis and his wife, actress/activist Ruby Dee, were named to the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame. In 1995, they were awarded the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the country and presented in a White House ceremony by the President of the United States. And in 2004, they were recipients of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. According to the Kennedy Center Honors: “The Honors recipients recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing
They were well known as civil rights activists, and were close friends of Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other icons of the era. Davis and Dee’s deep involvement in the movement is characterized by how instrumental they were in organizing the 1963 civil rights March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, even to the point of serving as emcee. Davis, alongside Ahmed Osman, delivered the eulogy at the funeral of Malcolm X. He re-read part of this eulogy at the end of Spike Lee’s film Malcolm X. He also delivered a stirring tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, at a memorial in New York’s Central Park the day after King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
REMEMBERING RUBY DEE
Ruby Dee was born on October 27, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA as Ruby Ann Wallace. Her career span over seven decades beginning on Broadway where she made several appearances before receiving her first film role in 1949, in the musical drama “That Man of Mine.” She received national recognition for her role in the 1950 film The Jackie Robinson Story and gained acclaim in starring roles including the 1960s film “A Raisin in the Sun (1961),” and several Spike Lee movies, such as “Do The Right Thing” (1989) and “Jungle Fever,” and in more recent years “American Gangster,” (2007) starring Mt Vernon native, Denzel Washington. Ruby Dee outlived her late husband Ossie Davis, by nine years, not only they collborated together on-screen but were also active fighters in the Civil Rights movement, working alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. As an actress she defied segregationera stereotypes by landing lead roles in films and on Broadway while maintaining a second high-profile career as a civil rights advocate, including MCing the 1963 March on Washington. She won a Grammy in 2007 for best spoken word album for With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together and appeared in the 2011 comedy Politics of Love, a film about romance on the 2008 campaign trail. She wrote two children’s books and a collection of poems. Black Westchester Salutes Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Westchester legends!
FRANK WILLIAMS, WP COUNCILWOMAN NADINE HUNT-ROBINSON & LEGISLATOR BEN BOYKIN [BLACK WESTCHESTER]
T he Slater Center 25th Annual MLK Breakfast which took place Monday,
January 15th at the Crowne Plaza White Plains Downtown located at 66 Hale Ave, was a wonderful event. As you may very well know, when Westchester County residents who are black get together it is like a family reunion. Our communities create a synergy of knowing and celebration each and every time we have an event. For instance you will know which elected will be invited or in attendance, you will know who will wear that outfit that stuns, who will be falling asleep, etc, etc, etc. This year’s event was well organized, and well attended, as usual. It had an atmosphere of hope for the future.As well as a call to action to change the environment we currently find ourselves in, politically, socioeconomically, racially, ethnically. In reference to all of the first and second generation immigrants who reside in Westchester and are mobilized to fight the deportations taking place. We are called to create a better future for the up -and-coming generations. The keynote speaker was a young man by the name of Brandon Eriq Vaughn Puryear who was the first non-clergy and the youngest keynote in the history of this event.
“I was very humbled and excited when I was asked to do this. It was completely out of the blue, and I am the first non-clergy member and first young adult to do so, and I was like, I’m doing a first,” Brandon shares with Black Westchester. “When you are young you don’t expect to change or do history type things, you don’t expect to be the first of something, and this was definitely a crying moment for me, and a coming out of my shell more, you know?” “Being comfortable being uncomfortable is where I live, and when I can touch other people with it, it just touches my heart, and it just makes me want to do it even more, Brandon continues. “After this, this is the beginning of what I’m doing, and this is just going to keep going and I honestly can’t wait to see where it goes. And to the rest of the people out there just keep going.” Frank Williams, Director of the White Plains Youth Bureau stated “ As a product of the state of Mississippi having grown up in Mississippi under the auspices of my mom and Fannie Lou Hamer. We cannot afford to forget the hills and mountains that we’ve come through and the valleys that we’ve been through, and today is a day that is not only a day off, it’s a day of on. Given everything that’s happening in our country we need to revitalize the energy, the passion and keep real the meaning of this day, we’re not just celebrating a man because of a dream but we’re celebrating his work, his actions to improve the quality of life for the poor, the disenfranchised and the disadvantaged. Today is the day in which all of us have a stake in the future of this great nation and all of us should rise to the occasion to invest the time and talents in making it better for all.”
LOUISE & BRANDON
KEYNOTE SPEAKER BRANDON ERIQ
VAUGHN PURYEAR [BLACK WESTCHESTER]
[BLACK WESTCHESTER]
HEATHER MILLER, SLATER CENTER EXEC DIR & MARIA LADISLAU [BLACK WESTCHESTER]
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
BLACK WESTCHESTER17
The Yonkers Firefighters of IAFF Local 628 are proud to celebrate, honor and participate in BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2018
Barry B. McGoey, President
George Rocha, Vice President Dominick Fornabaio, Treasurer Gregory de Sousa, Recording Secretary
Louis Vellucci, & Keith Piersall Trustees ADD SPACE
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
BW COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
18 BLACK WESTCHESTER
FEBRUARY 2018
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN OF WESTCHESTER’S 17TH ANNUAL
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. LEGACY YOUTH AWARDS MONDAY, JAN 15, 2018 THE DOUBLETREE HOTEL, TARRYTOWN, NY
WORDS BY TASHA D. YOUNG The atmosphere was abuzz with celebration, familiarity, youth and unity. The 17th annual MLK youth legacy awards, sponsored by the African American Men of Westchester was successful again! Every year this organization keeps the event youth centered complete with youth art exhibits, a youth Christian cadet core, youth praise dancers, and youth award recipients. The awardees who were honored this year included Kelly Marx, Maya Sharone Sammy, Debora Martinez, Juvaughn Somers, Rasheed Furse, Raisa Alejandro and Kyla Harding. Kayla Harding, honoree that received the William Carter Perseverance award because of her dedication to community service and hard work stated that she is ‘inspired by this award and I am really grateful”
AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN OF WESTCHESTER
PICTURES BY JOY MALONE
2018 MLK LEGACY YOUTH AWARDEES
ESSENCE BLACK WOMEN IN MUSIC CELEBRATION
SPONSORED BY THE LINCOLN MOTOR COMPANY JANUARY 25, 2018 AT THE HIGHLINE BALLROOM IN NYC
WORDS BY ENTERTAINMENT FEATURE WRITER SAMANTHA HUNTER PICTURES BY JOHNNY NUNEZ (GETTY IMAGES) & AARON J. (REDCARPETIMAGES.NET FOR UWG
The stars came en masse to pay tribute to a pioneer and living legend of the music and entertainment industry, Missy Elliott. Elliott received the prestigious Visionary Award during ESSENCE’s 9th Annual Black Women in Music event in New York City, held at the Highline Ballroom last month. The exclusive event, which was sponsored by Lincoln Motor Company, had scores of celebrities in attendance, including Naturi Naughton, Lil’ Mo and Beyonce’s stylist, Ty Hunter who posed on the red carpet alongside the all-new 2018 Lincoln Navigator, which was just awarded prestigious “Truck of the Year” honors at the 2018 North American International Auto Show. Other celebrities in attendance included rapper T.I., Slick Rick, Remy Ma, Janelle Monae, MC Lyte, June Ambrose and Tracklib ambassador Erick Sermon, who attended the event with his daughter. Civil rights activists Tarana Burke and Kaia Burke were also in attendance. Entertainment industry mogul Mona Scott-Young presented Elliott with the Visionary Award and brought onto the stage the evening’s surprise guest, Janet Jackson. Jackson read an emotionally charged speech to a visibly moved Elliott, sharing, “I am so grateful for Missy’s beautiful soul. I’m grateful for her creativity, her energy, grateful for her soaring inspiration. I’m grateful for how she stood toe to toe with the guys, showing them that one woman can do it all, take charge, lead the way, innovate and create without fear. I’m grateful for how she has cleared the way, a path, for new generations of young talent that follow.” In accepting her award, Elliott addressed the women in the audience in particular, saying, “You gotta know that you’re beautiful and you gotta believe in yourself, because there will be times when people will tell you, you can’t do it, or you don’t look the part, you ain’t gonna ever make it. But I’m a walking testimony. I stand here today…” It’s been over 20 years since Elliott’s debut “Supa Dupa Fly” changed the face of women in music, and Elliott is still breaking new ground today as a pioneering and revolutionizing artist. We salute you for making history, Missy Elliott!
Samantha Hunter is a multimedia journalist whose experience covering music, lifestyle and entertainment spans over 15 years. Samantha’s work has appeared in Inner City Magazine, Essence.com, Hype Hair/Today’s Black Woman, Ms. Magazine, RnBmagazine.com, RollingOutTV.com and VH1.com, featuring interviews with the late Gerald Levert, Chaka Khan, Jeffrey Osborne, Jill Scott, Ledisi, Faith Evans, Donell Jones, Nile Rodgers, Brian McKnight, Tyrese, Chrisette Michele, Tamar Braxton, Mack Wilds, MC Lyte, Brian McKnight, EVE, Erica Campbell, Kelly Rowland, Anthony Hamilton and many more. She presently resides in Pelham, New York.
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACK WESTCHESTER19
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
RONALD COOK, THE FIRST BLACK STUDENT TO GRADUATE FROM ARDSLEY HIGH SCHOOL Dear Editor, In 1965, my two siblings, mother and stepfather became foster family to Ron Cook, a young African American man from South Carolina. This was a seminal moment in all our lives. It’s hard to imagine but in 1967, Ronald Cook, a skinny teenager with much strength of character and the unfailing support of my now 87-year-old mother (who still resides in the same Hartsdale house), became the first Black student to graduate from Ardsley High School. Ron’s path was never without struggle. The local barber refused to cut “n****r hair.” His long-time friend and prom date backed out at the last minute. At his post graduation party, he was told he was not allowed to swim in the pool of one of Ardsley’s most respected families. The outright bigotry of people we once considered friends and neighbors was shocking, revolting and heartbreaking all at once. But Ron plowed on, teaching me about dignity and perseverance and faith. Even our “liberal” friends were against us bringing Ron into the community. If it hadn’t been for our friend Bill Kunstler, who taught us how to face down bullies, the whole family might have fallen apart. But we didn’t. We stood up to the neighbors who spat at us, threatened us,
and made life hell for Ron. And in the end he was able to graduate a great high school and gain acceptance to college. This, in fact, was the goal of the fostering program. I’m writing because time marches on. I graduated AHS in 72, my other siblings in 74 and 82. My hope is you might honor Ron’s leadership and strength, and my mother’s commitment to her principals and her bravery. Ronald Wayne Cook broke the color barrier at Ardsley High School. It’s not only time he be recognized for his courage but this would serve as inspiration, especially for any students who have ever felt shunned or faced an uphill battle. The world is full of bad news. I’m pleased to extend this opportunity to exalt in joy, leadership and pride. I look forward to hearing from you and working together to celebrate AHS and my brother Ronald Wayne Cook. Today, as a member of the Collective Black People’s Movement, Ron helps publish the annual Black Seeds Educational calendar http://www.cbpm.org/blackseeds.html.
SEND YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO BWEDITORINCHIEF@GMAIL.COM LETTER MUST BE SIGNED AND
Kind regards, and Happy New Year! Jane Summer
PREFERABLY UNDER 300 WORDS
GREAT WORK! Dear Black Westchester Magazine, My name is Mya Johnson and I’m writing to let you know my husband and I love the articles by Priscilla Echi and look forward to reading more from her each month! The hashtag #whoswithme is hilarious. We are hooked! Keep up the great work. Sincerely, MJ
WILL BLACK LEADERSHIP STAND UP? YOUR COMMUNITY IS WAITING BY DAMON K. JONES There is a need to change the paradigm of thinking in Black people in how they see politicians, the political process and how it reflects on the growth and wellbeing of our communities. The Atlantic reported that blacks hold much less political sway than whites. For example, a federal policy with no white support has only a 10 percent chance of being enacted, while one with universal white support has a 60 percent shot of adoption. But while a proposal with no black support has a 40 percent chance of becoming law, one enjoying unanimous approval has only a 30 percent probability of enactment. In other words, as support for a policy rises within the black community, the odds of it being achieved declines. To some readers, this question might be insulting and to others delighted that this issue is finally asked. Nevertheless, the discussion needs to be put on the table. My criticisms are not based on envy or jealousy; but rather on reasonable and just considerations, based on a record of performances – formal and informal. Since black communities in Westchester are facing higher unemployment, incarceration, crime, and disintegrating family and community structure, and as a young, Professional Black man, I must ask, where is the real collective economic and cultural “agenda” to address these issues that are prevalent in the Black community in Westchester? Is there any justification for some members of the Black Community, mostly young people, to disconnect themselves from the idea of any existence of effective Black Leadership today? President Theodore Roosevelt on October 31, 1936, at Madison Square Garden said, “Government as an Organized economy is as dangerous as government as an organized mob”. Many young people see our leaders no differently than the gangs that our leaders claim to despise or use as an excuse for their ineffectiveness to communicate with today’s Black youth. So, the Bloods and Crips are just little gangs imitating their bigger counterparts; the churches, the Democrats, the Republicans and other so-called leadership that only show up in the “Hood” for parades and elections. As Black people in Westchester, we only have a handful of Black Elected Officials. The districts and communities they are elected to are still in need of critical solutions that many of them have been in office for over the years and there is still a need to solved our crisis. In black communities in Westchester and across the nation, pressing issues include pervasive violence: gangs and Black-on-Black violence, failing schools, racial profiling and police brutality. A plethora of other problems, including unemployment, health care, domestic abuse, child maltreatment and homelessness generate similar indifference toward Black Leadership as well. Many people say we have come a long way from the civil rights movement in the 60’s; others might say that we have a black President now. Unfortunately, one man cannot and will not rise above the condition of his people. No different from the military theory that the platoon does not move faster than the slowest man. We can have all the doctors, lawyers and CEO’s we want, but as long as Black CEO’s comprise 1 percent of leaders of the largest companies in the US, Blacks represent 16.7 percent of the unemployed. We also know that 43.6 percent of “households of color” nationwide are “liquid asset poor,” meaning they lack enough money saved to cover necessary expenses in case of a job loss or emergency. We have gone nowhere since the great Civil Rights era.
Are young black men being made ready for the increasingly brutal, knowledge-based job market in the U.S.? The answer is a resounding “NO,” according to a report, Yes, We Can: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males 2010. Calling it a “national crisis”, the report found that only 47 percent of black males graduated from high school in the 2007-2008 school years. On a national level, Black youth age 10 to 17 constitutes 15% of their age group in the U.S. population; they account for 26% of juvenile arrests and 46% of juveniles in corrections institutions. Where is the real discussion among Black leaders that in 2014 there are more African-American men in prison or jail, on probation or parole, than were enslaved in 1850, before the Civil War? Where is the real outcry from Black Leaders on this actual “crisis” in the black community? Why has there been no real collective outcry from the Black leadership on the continuous killings of Black men in Westchester by law enforcement? It has become fashionable in Westchester to wear hoodies for Trayvon, t-shirts and slogans like Black Lives Matter, march and protest in other states but fails to do the same in their own backyard. Where is a solid agenda from our black clergy that reaches outside the walls of the church? When I attend church, it is filled with mothers and daughters, but when I go to work at the county jail, it is filled with sons, fathers and husbands. Black families have the largest proportion of female-headed households than any other subgroup. More than 44% of black families are female-headed and are raising a household at or below the poverty level. I am sure the message of morality is delivered to every man, woman and child over and over again by parents and church pastors. Still, when you look at the state of neighborhoods in many black communities you see the same; the churches are building but the schools are failing, the churches are building but there are unemployment and crime is high, the churches are building, but the parks where the kids play and elderly walk are decimated. The churches are building, and the Black family structure is decaying. It makes you wonder just how deep the preaching of morality is sinking into the minds of the people when so many issues are prevalent in the Black community outside the walls of the church. To truly address these issues, it takes real leadership! Now, will the real Black community leaders please stand up! It will take a collective effort of many to transform the Black communities to a sacred, safe and economically sound place to live. It won’t take place from behind a desk or a pulpit. It requires boots on the ground, something I’m sure we know, but have not been compelled to do. No longer can the responsible be irresponsible, especially towards our children in the Black community of Westchester. I say this out of love for pastors, preachers, community organizers and elected officials. I respect and applaud every man or woman that take on the mantle of leadership to stand in the gap of suffering for our people. I appreciate all Black Leaders for their accomplishments in the past. Like many of my peers, I see the same prevalent issues here in the present. It must be a resurrection of committed leadership focused on critical community needs and a revolutionary paradigm shift that is imperative for change. Such a shift will most definitely help us in analyzing our communities, friends, foes and leadership. A failure to do so will continue to result in anger, frustration, ineffectiveness, mistrust and prolonged defeat. Will Black Leaders assume their responsibility or will Black communities and constituents require them to do so? Time will only tell.
KEN JENKINS MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN DEPUTY COUNTY EXEC BY AJ WOODSON
Black Westchester Publisher Damon K. Jones & New Deputy County Exec. Ken Jenkins [Black Westchester]
In January 2018 Ken Jenkins became the first African -American to serve as Deputy County Executive in Westchester County. The former chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators was appointed to the historic position by newly elected Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who was Mr. Jenkins’ opponent in the Democratic primary. Mr. Jenkins says he hopes his appointment will serve as an inspiration for other people of color, that you can excel in whatever profession you choose. “It’s not just in the entertainment and sports fields that we can be at the top of the game, but being involved in government and business as well,” Deputy County Exec. Jenkins shares. At the recent Democratic Thank You Reception at Mt. Vernon Democratic Headquarters, Mr. Jenkins said he will work in his new role to attract more women and other minority-owned businesses to the county.
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
20 BLACK WESTCHESTER
LATINO EMPOWERMENT
FEBRUARY 2018
LEGENDS FROM THE HOOD
Born in New York City, raised in Yonkers by a single parent, I was 1 of 11 brothers and sisters living in the Projects in Yonkers, known today as the Hole (Schlobohm Housing Projects). To make a long story short, there is nothing that we didn’t see growing up. Growing up we saw domestic violence, gang violence, alcohol sold to minors, drugs available to anyone who had money regardless of age, racism, prostitution, the senseless murder of two of my brothers and much more. Most of us were able to get out of this alive but the memories are there forever. Some of my brothers and sisters began working for Westchester County, another one joined the Marines and is currently working in Peru for the U.S. State Department combating drugs with the Peruvian Police, while another brother owns a car dealership in Ocala Florida. One of my sisters is Vice President of HSBC Bank and my other sister Lorraine became the first Latina ever to get elected to the Yonkers City Council in the history of Yonkers. and you are holding an event, then you need to make a first impression on those you seek support from. If you are having an event and you show up in jeans, sweatshirts, or any other attire not appropriate for the event, I guarantee you that you will lose those supporters forever. When it comes to events, you do not have a second chance to make a first impression. WHLEA, in conjunction with various law enforcement agencies, has been able to collect over 500 bullet proof vests and ship them to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, who are in desperate need of them. Last November, in conjunction with Don Coqui in White Plains and the YHCF, we collected over $18,500 and medical packs for Hurricane Maria Relief efforts for Puerto Rico. The money was given to the AFYA Foundation, a prominent relief organization which will ensure that every penny is used for the relief efforts. WHLEA members also held a Toy Drive at the Yonkers Whiskey House in December and received over 400 toys, including a $1500 donation from the Yonkers Whiskey House for toys, and over 130 toys from the students and teachers of Gordon High School in Yonkers. WHLEA members always remain active in their community. We have participated in various community activities such as Child Fingerprinting Program, Toy Drives, National Night Out Program, Charitable events, Drug Awareness Programs and much more. One of my goals was to have the community, businesses and local politicians join our law enforcement family and to take part in some of our events, and develop a trusted relationship with law enforcement. I believe we have accomplished that. Today, WHLEA is one of the most prominent and well respected Law Enforcement Associations in Westchester and in its surrounding areas. Our WHLEA Annual Scholarship Dinner Gala is attended by NY State Senators, Congressmen, Mayors, NYS Assembly members, local politicians, PBA’s, Businesses and community leaders. As far as the Latino community, some of the problems that I have seen is when two Latinos/Latinas decide to run against each other in both national and local elections. They start attacking each other rather than attacking the issues in their communities. Others try to run for high office without ever holding any office at all. But one of the biggest problem we have is when members of the community voice their valid complaints, yet when it is time to vote, they don’t go to the polls. This is a problem in both the Black and Latino communities. But there needs to be more Latinos stepping up to the plate. We have the numbers. Why aren’t they out there? Is it the lack of motivation? You have to be in it to win it.
By Hector Lopez
In December 1997, I became a Westchester County Corrections Officer and in 2012, I was promoted to sergeant. Thirteen years ago, I joined the Westchester Hispanic Law Enforcement Association (WHLEA) today, I am currently President of the organization. I am also Chairman of the Yonkers Hispanic Cultural Foundation (YHCF) which now organizes the Yonkers Puerto Rican / Hispanic Day Parade. As had I mentioned before, I am President of WHLEA, Chairman of the YHCF, Vice President of the Yonkers Hispanic Federation Chambers of Commerce, (with President Grace Borrani and Chairman Ed Aponte, we do an excellent job in educating present and future Latino Business in Yonkers), Member of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Transition Team, Board Member of the Westchester County Executives Hispanic Advisory Board, former elected Westchester County Corrections Benevolent Associations Delegate (COBA), former elected 2nd Vice President of the Westchester Superior Officers Association (SOA) for 4 years. WHLEA is a diverse organization which comprises of members of not only Hispanic origins, our board members consist of African-American, Italian, Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Cuban and so on. They come from the following various Law Enforcement Departments, Westchester County PD, Westchester County Probation, Westchester County Corrections, US Marshals, Hastings PD, Larchmont PD, Sleepy Hollow PD, Yonkers PD, New Rochelle PD, Mt. Vernon PD, New York Port Authority PD, Bedford PD, Bronxville PD, White Plains PD, North Castle PD, SUNY PD just to name a few. But an organization is judged by what they do, not just the name. It is also judged by how they represent themselves to the public, for example, if you are an organization and want to be taken serious-
As far as the Immigration Protection Act is concerned, speaking as Hector Lopez, I am personally against deporting the DACA people that have been here in this country for decades. I am personally against deporting those undocumented immigrants that have come here and are law abiding citizens, pay taxes every time they purchase something and do the jobs that no one else wants to do. I am against Trumps policy of rounding up every undocumented immigrant and deporting them with his total disregard if he is breaking up a family. Let’s say that the father is the sole supporter of his family and is deported, but his partner is an American citizen with 5 children. Who is going to support this family with healthcare, food and housing now that their sole supporter is gone? The tax payers. Multiply this scenario by 10 million and figure out the math. There needs to be a path to citizenship somehow or another. However, I am totally against protecting any undocumented violent criminal, drug dealer, gang member, etc. There is no room in this country for them. The Westchester County Immigration Protection Plan that was voted on last year by the WC Legislators, but vetoes by then CE Astorino, had its issues. Late last year I spoke very briefly to the New County Executive George Latimer and he told me that he was going to re-introduce the bill, but that it was going to be tweaked. This year Chairman Boykin also stated on People Before Politics that the bill was being tweaked to address some of the issues. A final note on immigration, President Trump’ s recent racist remarks about Haitians is a disgrace. My mother was a single parent when I was about 5 years old. Her then boyfriend was Haitian. He was the only father figure that I have ever known and I thank him for being in my life for those few years he was there while I was growing up. In my family, we have Mexican, black, and Italian nieces and nephews. There is no room or place for racism in this family. As far as advice for young Latinos, get involved with your community and its issues. If you want change, you need to be part of it. As far as my advice to the young Black men and women out there, the advice is no different than what I said to the young Latinos, get involved. If you want change but you are not involved, change will come, but not in your favor. Finally, if you are an active or retired Law Enforcement officer and would like to become a member, go to www.whlea.com and download our application. If you are a business owner, community leader and would like to become an Associate Member, you may also download the application by going to www.whlea. com.
REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING AND HIS SUPPORT OF THE LATINO COMMUNITY
As we celebrate Black History Month, You will read everywhere about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the fact that he had a dream but what they don’t often discuss is how he also inspired and mobilized Latinos across the United States. As Raul Yzaguirre, the former president of the National Council of La Raza, told the Associated Press, MLK’s speech pushed him to advocate for more than just Latinos. “Although the focus was on the African-American community at the time, I think his thoughts, his sense of justice resonated with those of us who had perhaps a broader sense of inclusion, who wanted Latinos and Native Americans and other minorities to be an integral part of a civil rights movement,” he said. The Black Civil Rights Movement spurred the Latinoist Movements, such as the Cesar Chavez’s farmworkers’ protests and inspiring Nuyorican activist Gilberto Gerena-Valentin. He has been framed as an inspiration for the Latinoist 1960s movements but, however, MLK was more than an inspirational symbol. He provided resources, public relations, and emotional support to our Latino Civil Rights Movements-in particular, the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. MLK knew Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta as colleagues and privately encouraged them to continue their resistance with their work at UFW. In the Spring of 1963 in order to build the March on Washington where he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, King came to Los Angeles rally for Mexican Americans. A large rally of 20,000 or more came to hear him at L.A.’s Wrigley Field and sponsored special guest speaker Juan Cornejo (the first Mexican American elected to the all-white city council in border town Crystal City, Texas, in 1963). MLK’s direct support for justice for Latinos would continue today if he were still alive. We see how his associates such as Jesse Jackson have admonished SB1070 and other racial profiling policies. We have watched as Black congressmen and women during the DREAM congressional debates invoked the spirit of MLK of why Latino children should be made “legal” under the law so they can gain equality. MLK was more than inspiration for Latino Civil Rights; he was an unconditional, direct supporter.
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACK WESTCHESTER21
POLITICALLY SPEAKING
TOM BRADLEY ELECTED FIRST BLACK MAYOR OF L.A.
Forty-Four years ago on May 29, 1973, Thomas J. “Tom” Bradley (December 29, 1917 – September 29, 1998) handily defeats three-time incumbent Sam Yorty to become the first black mayor of Los Angeles. The son of sharecroppers and grandson of slaves, also holds several distinctions as mayor in addition to being the first Black mayor of L.A., he was the first Black mayor of a city without an African-American majority, he was the second Black mayor of a major U.S. city, and the longest termed mayor in L.A. history. “Tonight was the fulfillment of a dream — an impossible dream — because the people of this city have given to me the highest honor that can be given to any citizen,” said the newly minted mayor. The hard-fought victory came on the heels of yet another racially charged campaign by Bradley’s opponent, who four years earlier had eeked out a slim victory over the political upstart by slinging racial slurs and questioning whether the twenty-year veteran of the police department would be soft on crime. “I”m not so sure the race issue is put to rest,” said Bradley in the Deseret News, “but if I succeed at Mayor, as I expect to, that issue won’t be as formidable next time. We’re trying hard for a spirit of cooperation here. I’m sure we’ll make it.” During his record five terms in office, Bradley was best known for creating the infrastructure for subway and metro systems and successfully courting the 1984 Summer Olympics — a phenomenal public relations and financial success — to the city. He made a number of changes to the city that opened up business, transportation, and development in Los Angeles. He also signed off on Los Angeles’ first pro-gay rights bill before the decade was out and led the city in getting the 1984 Summer Olympics. He had an opportunity to enter national politics with a position in Jimmy Carter’s cabinet but declined to continue running Los Angeles.
The 1970s was a decade mired with crime and Los Angeles wasn’t immune. While the police chief under Yorty was ousted, he was replaced with someone who also unfavorable—Daryl Gates, co-founder of the SWAT unit and a chief known for being hyper aggressive. Bradley’s term also saw drugs hit the city and street gangs increase in power. The improvements to transportation were undone by the late 1980s with pollution and traffic problems. Also, businesses moving into neighborhoods and buying up property because an issue that Bradley wouldn’t be able to avoid. His run as mayor finally unraveled for a number of reasons including supporters losing their city council seats. The final nail came in the early 1990s with the 1991 police beating of Rodney King. Following that was the 1992 riot as a result of the acquittal of the officers. He opted to not run again in 1993. “Tom Bradley was a very great public figure,” said historian and California State Librarian Kevin Starr in the Los Angeles Times. “I know of no one with a greater gift for reconciliation and healing.” “He was a prism through which we can see both the rise of Los Angeles as an international city and the reemergence of a vibrant black community that reaches back to the very beginnings of the Pueblo. . . . His mayoralty was a time in which Los Angeles reconfigured itself, redefined itself.” Born in rural Calvert Texas, Bradley’s family moved to Los Angeles when he was 7 years old. For more than a million African-Americans who migrated West in the early 20th century, Los Angeles was considered the “Promised Land,” providing the hope of a better life – far from the lynchings, urban riots and Jim Crow laws of the South. Bradley grew up on Central Avenue in Los Angeles, the heart of the black community. It was a relatively small, close-knit community, where neighbor helped a neighbor, offering stability, optimism, and a sense of belonging. It was in this Los Angeles that Bradley could dream the impossible dream – a life of hope and an enduring belief that change is possible. Raised by a single mother, Tom Bradley challenged every obstacle placed in his way. He was an ambitious student, attended UCLA, where he became a record-breaking track star and team captain. He was also a classmate of Jackie Robinson. At UCLA, Bradley joined the prestigious black fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi, which helped him learn how to negotiate the complexity of a predominantly white institution. It was through this important social network, that he made friends and created relationships, which became the foundation for his life. He was elected president of the University Negro Club, which represented UCLA’s black students when racial issues flared on campus. . Tom Bradley served as a Los Angeles police officer for 21 years, reaching the rank of Lieutenant – the highest position an African-American could achieve at that time.
BY AJ WOODSON
When covert racism prevented him from advancing his career, Bradley attended Southwestern Law School at night, passed the bar the first time, and became an attorney. With his law degree in hand, he resigned from the LAPD. While a police officer, Bradley became actively involved in politics, notably in the Democratic Minority Conference and the California Democratic Council, a progressive liberal reform group with a racially mixed membership. In 1963, he was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in the racially mixed 10th District, supported by a multi-ethnic coalition led by African American civic and church leaders. He modeled his campaign after the campaign created by mentor and friend Mexican American L.A. City Councilman Edward Roybal in 1949. Bradley was one of three African American men elected to the Council in 1963. Nowhere else in America were blacks incorporated into the political structure to the degrees they were in Los Angeles. The victories demonstrated how an organized and united black community could overcome hostility and indifference to win political representation. Los Angeles was a place where an innovative and powerful type of political coalition was being tested. In the 1960s, America was polarized by race and mired in increasing social and political turmoil. A conservative reaction led to the election of Sam Yorty as mayor of Los Angeles in 1961. Four years later in 1965, the Watts rebellion in South Central Los Angeles ignited a wave of large-scale unrests throughout the nation and signaled an alarm that change was needed. In 1968, Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy were assassinated within months of each other; anti-Vietnam war and black power demonstrations escalated; and more than 20,000 students in five East L.A. schools walked out,protesting racial inequality and injustice. It was in this atmosphere that two-term City Councilman Tom Bradley decided to challenge Sam Yorty in 1969 for mayor of Los Angeles. It was a long shot.
Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley playfully lands a punch on Muhammad Ali at the Coliseum
BLACK REPUBLICANS MADE HISTORY IN 2014 MIDTERM ELECTION In the 2014 Midterm Election, Republicans not only took over the house and the senate, they made history with Black Republicans Mia Love, Tim Scott and Will Hurd. An African-American woman was elected to Congress as a member of the Republican Party for the first time. Yes you heard me, this is not a misprint or typo. Her name is Mia Love, she was then 38-year-old former small town mayor, electrified conservatives in Utah with her promise to take on “the Godzilla that we call the federal government” and won in the state’s fourth congressional district. “This is a great night for our nation. It is especially a great night for Utah,” Ms. Love told supporters. Referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Mormon Church, she went on, “Many of the naysayers out there said that Utah would never elect a black, Republican, LDS woman to Congress. And guess what? Not only did we do it, we were the first to do it.” She joined Tim Scott, the first elected AfricanAmerican Senator from South Carolina, as one of just three African-American Republicans in Congress. The Democrats count was 43 members in their current Congressional ranks at the time. In 2012, President Obama won 93% of the black vote. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in that year for the first time, African-American voters cast ballots at a higher rate than whites. Mrs. Love’s journey to Washington is an interesting tale, to say the least. Born in New York to Catholic parents who had immigrated from Haiti just two years earlier. Love comes from a hardworking family who saved money and eventually moved on up to the east side, I mean Connecticut. After university, Mrs. Love converted to Mormonism and began working as a flight attendant before moving to Utah. There she met Jason Love, a white Mormon man. Their first date was at a gun range and three months later
Black Republicans Tim Scott, Mia Love, and Will Hurd.
were married. The couple have two daughters and a son. Then six-year on the city council before becoming mayor of a small but growing city of Sarasota Springs. A Haitian-American who converted to Mormonism, wins in Utah, just the kind of story Republicans love to tell: how faith, family, and hard work led to success, without ever turning to the state for help along the way. That makes her a Republican Rock Star. Republican Tim Scott became South Carolina’s first elected black senator with his victory over Democrat Joyce Dickerson. Scott is no stranger to the halls of Congress, though — he was appointed to the Senate in 2013 when thenSenator Jim DeMint resigned to lead the Heritage Foundation. With his Midterm Election win, Scott becomes the first popularly elected black senator in the South since Reconstruction. Scott’s win also made him the first African-American
in U.S. history to be elected to both the House and the Senate. Many African-American have felt the Democratic Party taking their vote for granted for years. The Republican who have been getting crushed by Democrats in the race for black votes for years, viewed this as a prime opportunity to reach out more the black voters. In addition to Love and Scott, Texas, prolife congressional candidate Will Hurd won his race, unseating Rep. Pete Gallego. Texas GOP Chairman Steve Munisteri said “we have a truly historic result because Will will be the first Republican of African-American descent from the state of Texas since Reconstruction to represent our state in the House of Representatives.” National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden congratulated Hurd on a “hard-earned victory.” “Will ran a fantastic campaign that focused on the issues Texans care about. Will truly has dedicated his life to helping his country and this is yet another proud chapter,” Walden said. “I’m honored to call him a friend and colleague.”
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
22 BLACK WESTCHESTER
BW BLACK HISTORY - POLITICALLY SPEAKING
FEBRUARY 2018
BW BLACK HISTORY: REV. SAMUEL AUSTIN, FIRST BLACK TO RUN FOR MAYOR
BY AJ WOODSON
32 years before Kingston, Jamaica-born, Ronald A. Blackwood broke the color barrier and became the first Black mayor of the city of Mount Vernon, New York, and 48 years before Richard W. Thomas, the youngest elected MV City Councilman would be elected as the youngest Mayor in Mt. Vernon, a former Grace Baptist Church pastor was paving the way as he became the first black to seek the mayoral seat in Mount Vernon. For those who do not know who I’m talking about, his name was Rev. Dr. Samuel Austin. I came across Dr. Samuel while doing another story for Black History and was surprised this is not taught in the Mount Vernon City School District. Yes MLK, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and other are important, but this is Black Westchester history, this is Mount Vernon history. During this time a young loudmouth boxer from Louisville, Kentucky, born Cassius Clay was on trial for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War, a move and decision that was cost him his heavyweight championship belt at the prime of his career. Stokely Carmichael, a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), coins the phrase “black power” months earlier. He defines it as an assertion of black pride and “the coming together of black people to fight for their liberation by any means necessary.” The term’s radicalism alarms many who believe the civil rights movement’s effectiveness and moral authority crucially depend on nonviolent civil disobedience. Dr. Austin’s bid for Mount Vernon Mayoral seat on the Independent ticket shared the headlines with these events in Mainstream media outlets like the New York Times, black magazines like Jet Magazine and historical African-American newspapers like the Pittsburgh Courier despite the fact is not well-known in the city of Mount Vernon nor taught in the Mount Vernon City School District, this was major news nationwide. This was just a few months before Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the United States Supreme Court by President Lyndon Johnson, becoming the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice. A staunch opponent of discrimination based on race or sex, he would serve on the bench for 24 years. Months before Carl Stokes becomes the first African-American to be elected in
Cleveland and Richard G. Hatcher becomes the first African-American mayor Gary, Indiana. This is a year before Dr. Martin Luther King, at age 39, is shot as he stood on the balcony outside his hotel room, in Memphis, Tennessee and a week later President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. …a Negro Baptist minister, Rev. Dr. Samuel Austin, pastor of Grace Baptist Church at 32 S. Sixth Av., in the downtown commercial area near City Hall, announced that he will file as an independent Democrat for mayor. Dr. Austin said he feels sure he can win the Democratic nomination and defeat his Republican opponent in the general election. Mt. Vernon has approximately 52,970 whites and 19,948 Negroes as residents. – Pittsburgh Courier, Saturday, April 22, 1967 The Rev. Samuel Austin, 63, died Friday (Jan. 23, 1998) in Los Angeles while attending a board meeting of the National Baptist Convention USA. An internationally known evangelist and close friend of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Mr. Austin suffered a heart attack after the church’s annual mid-winter meeting. He was attending as president of the 8.5 million-member denomination’s National Baptist Congress of Christian Education, which he had led since 1994. For the last 24 years of his life, Mr. Austin had been pastor of the 3,000-member Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Brooklyn. In addition, he had served since 1993 as president of the Empire State Missionary Baptist Convention, which is made up of more than 500 Baptist congregations across New York State. A native of Montgomery, Ala., Mr. Austin came to Buffalo as a child and was educated in the city’s public schools. He was a graduate of Buffalo State College and attended Canisius College and the Buffalo College of the Bible. A gifted athlete, he set a number of records in basketball and track at Buffalo State and won a National Junior Olympic Championship. Mr. Austin was only 19 years old when he became pastor of Buffalo’s Pilgrim Baptist Church in 1955. During the seven years he served as pastor, he founded the Buffalo chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He also taught special education in Buffalo public schools. A civil rights activist, Mr. Austin was a closely associated with King and participated in several marches and demonstrations with him and the late Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy. In 1964, Mr. Austin became pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon. While there, he served as chairman of the Human Rights Commission and was the first African-American to run for mayor. During a long tenure at Brown Memorial Baptist Church, Mr. Austin founded and administered Transitional Residence Home for young men in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant area. Mr. Austin has received awards from President Clinton, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes and Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden. He recently was awarded an honorary doctorate from American Baptist College in Nashville. He was survived by his wife, the former Naomi Brown, and a son, Samuel Jr. His services were held at noon Thursday, January 29, 1988 in Brown Memorial Baptist Church, 484 Washington Ave in Brooklyn, NY and at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 31, 1988 in Pilgrim Baptist Church, 655 Michigan Ave., Buffalo. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetary, 1411 Delaware Ave in Buffalo, NY. Black Westchester Magazine salutes Rev. Dr. Samuel Austin, a true Black Westchester and Mount Vernon legend!
RONALD BLACKWOOD NEW YORK’S FIRST ELECTED BLACK MAYOR Ronald Alexander Blackwood (January 19, 1926- February 22, 2017) a Jamaican immigrant, made history when he became the first black Mayor of Mount Vernon, as well as the first black person elected mayor of any municipality in New York State, on January 25, 1985. He served the city for the next 11 years from 1985 until 1996. Before becoming the city of Mount Vernon’s top elected official, Blackwood was a member of the county Board of Supervisors and city councilman for four terms. Blackwood died from complications of Parkinson’s disease at his home in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on February 22, 2017, at the age of 91. He was survived by his wife of 38 years, Ann Griffin Blackwood, and daughter, Helen M. Blackwood, who he lived to see be elected without opposition to the Westchester County Court in 2015. Born in Jamaica, Blackwood moved to Mount Vernon in 1955 and began his political career in 1967 when he was elected to the now-defunct Westchester County Board of Supervisors. He served as a city councilman for 15 years and was acting mayor for four months in 1976 after the death of Mayor August Petrillo.” Mayor Blackwood served this city with distinction and honor. He broke barriers and built bridges to the future showing how an immigrant can truly live the American Dream. He was an example of what a public servant should be. You could always find him walking up and down the streets, connecting with residents, responding to their wants and needs. He was truly a man of the people. When he spoke to you, he
made you feel as if you were the center of the universe. He was a leader not a politician, a man who worked with grace and grit. Mayor Blackwood spoke often about the ‘’obstacles, disappointments and frustrations” he experienced as he made his way to New York and Westchester County. But he persevered, making himself an example for young men and women. Everyone knows that his love for this city knew no bounds. As Mayor, he was dedicated to fighting for the people of Mount Vernon. He promoted job opportunities, affordable housing, and crime-fighting measures. Mount Vernon will continue to remember his legacy of leadership and thank him and his family for their dedication to the city. BW salutes Ronald Blackwood!
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACK WESTCHESTER 23
BLACK HISTORY IN SPORTS
MUHAMMAD ALI IS THE GREATEST BECAUSE HE FOUGHT FOR WHAT HE BELIEVED
BY AJ WOODSON
MUHAMMAD ALI IS THE FIRST FIGHTER TO CAPTURE THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP THREE TIMES
Yes many know Muhammad Ali as The Greatest Of All Time. He may have won an Olympic gold medal and made history as the first fighter to capture the heavyweight title three times. Ali won 56 times in his 21-year professional career and paid a heavy physical price for his labors, but Ali was so much more than that. It still remains an unequivocal point of view that Ali was the most charismatic sportsman of all-time and retains a place in the hearts of millions. The Louisville native is the most significant and celebrated sports figure of the 20th Century! Ali was not only one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boxing gloves, but an individual who gave up the best years of his career because of a belief. The boxer who would have turned 76 on January 17th, was known for employing tactics such as the ‘Ali Shuffle’ and the ‘rope-a-dope’ gave up the best years on his career and was striped of his championship belt because of his protest against the Vietnam War and refusal to be drafted into service out of religious conviction. Again I say, he gave up the best years of his career for a belief. Not just a belief but his belief in God. Which brings to the point of this article. For years before Colin Kaepernick took a knee, choosing not to stand with his teammates during the national anthem. I asked, ‘What Superstar Athlete would give up the best years of their career today for a belief?’ Think of all the greats, from LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, Tiger Woods, Serena and Venus Williams to whoever you consider a superstar today [insert name here]. Who would be willing to fight for their beliefs even at the point of risking incarceration and lost of the right to do what they do, at the height of their career. I’m sure some will name Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinals safety who left professional football to become an Army Ranger, was killed in southeastern Afghanistan in April 2004. While that was a very brave and patriotic move and I in no way want to undermine the importance of that, but while that was very valiant, that’s not the same thing. I used to ask for years, ‘What superstar athlete today would give it all up?’ In 2016, the same year Ali lost his long fight with Parkinson’s syndrome, my question was answered, Colin Kaepernick became a national figure after he began protesting racial injustice in the United States by not standing while the national anthem was being played before the start of games. His actions prompted a wide variety of responses, including additional athletes in the NFL and other American sports leagues protesting in various ways during the anthem. Like Ali be was blackballed in his sport from earning a living. Ali was striped of his championship title, and denied the right to fight and earn a living doing what he does. War was against his religious belief. His refusal to join military and go to war to fight against someone he didn’t perceive as an enemy of his, no matter what it cost it personally or professionally, separates him from many other great superstar athletes, not just in boxing, but sports as a whole. He also would not denounce
Allah or the Nation Of Islam when the government tried to get him to. He even threw his Olympic Gold Medal in a local lake in disgust of this country’s actions. After a three year plus fight for the right to fight again professionally, even though he lost quite arguably his best years, he continued to win and perform at a level of excellence. He continued to prove he was still a champion. After his boxing career ended, Ali still appeared at major events, like the 1996 Olympics. Probably one of his least known of his accomplishments, is how he travelled to Iraq in 1990 to negotiate the release of 15 United States citizens taken hostage by Saddam Hussein after his invasion of Kuwait. Ali managed to persuade a man who had openly disregarded the United Nations and the U.S. Government to release hostages after four months in captivity. Six weeks after Ali brought the hostages back home to their relieved families, Operation Desert Storm bombarded Iraq, a harsh reminder to the hostages of what could have been had it not been for Ali. The events of Ali’s trip to Iraq have been documented in one the ESPN’s 30 for 30 shorts, Ali: The Mission. Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005. Another one of the greatest highlights of my writing career was meeting the Champ and just shaking his hand before a screening of ‘When They Were Kings,’ the 1996 Academy Award winning documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on October 30, 1974. He wasn’t having one of his best days, but I was honored just to shake his hand and let him know I was a second-generation fan. I didn’t want to take a picture or want him to speak like others, I just want to shake his hand and I will always cherish that moment. To me Ali was the true measure of a champion. Not only for what he did in the confines of the boxing ring, but the principles he held on to and how he carried himself outside of the ring. I do not think we will see another champion or superstar athlete who would put everything on hold, risk it all including jail time if convicted, for a principle, for his beliefs, even if it cost him his career. Much like Kaepernick today, his sacrifice for his belief was not looking upon to highly and repected at the time. It was much later his stand was looked at with much respect. Muhammad Ali is, was and will always be The Greatest!
GREAT MOMENTS IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY SPORTS HISTORY KHALIL ‘THE SHOT’ EDNEY
High School Hoopster To Household Name Sunday, March 3, 2013, ninth-seeded New Rochelle pulls off a 61-60 dramatic, almost improbable upset win over third-seeded Mount Vernon in the Section 1 Class AA High School Championship game at Westchester County Center. Khalil Edney who will be forever known as ‘The Shot’ hits a 55-foot game winning, buzzer beater from the other teams three-point line with 0.1 second left. One of the greatest sports moments in Westchester County High School sports. Edney was a guest on ABC’s Good Morning America the very next day and was later nominated for and nearly won an Espy Award for Best Play, July 17, 2013.
MVHS KNIGHTS BASKETBALL
Isaiah Cousins being drafted by the Sacremento Kings June 2016 became the 10th NBA player from Mount Vernon, making Mount Vernon High School tie with Los Angeles and Baltimore for the number one High School That Have Produced The Most NBA Players In History. Mount Vernon Knights bring home the NYSPHSAA championship title for a record 11th time, Saturday, March 18, 2017. Bob Cimmino, the Mount Vernon High School varsity boys’ basketball coach and athletic director, won his 500th game when Mount Vernon beat Scarsdale High School on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
RAY RICE
On February 3, 2013, Baltimore Running Back Ray Rice of New Rochelle helped lead the Ravens in victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, earning Rice his first Super Bowl ring.
ART MONK
BY AJ WOODSON
NFL Legend and White Plains native, Art Monk is the only person inducted into the pro football, college football, Westchester sports and White Plains High School halls of fame. Upon his induction into the Hall of Fame, Monk DEION SANDERS received the longest standing ovation Retired NFL and MLB player, former New in Pro Football Hall of Fame history, York Yankee, NFL Hall of Famer, and resi- lasting four minutes and four seconds dent of Pleasantville, NY, Deion Sanders when later timed by NFL Films. hit a major league baseball home run and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same ARTHUR ASHE, one-time resiweek during the 1989 season—the only dents of Mount Kisco, defeated Jimmy player ever to do so. Sanders is also the Conners in the 1975 Wimbledon final. only man to play in both a Super Bowl and Ashe is the only black man to have won a World Series. tennis’ most pretigious title
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
24BLACK WESTCHESTER
BW BLACK HISTORY - POLITICALLY SPEAKING
DARCEL CLARK BECOMES FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN BRONX DISTRICT ATTORNEY
FEBRUARY 2018
NADINE HUNT-ROBINSON
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN ON WHITE PLAINS COMMON COUNCIL
Nadine Hunt-Robinson
Associate Justice Darcel Denise Clark made history by becoming the 13th District Attorney for Bronx County, January 1, 2016. She is the first African-American woman to hold the office in New York State. Prior to her election, Ms. Clark served as an Associate Justice for the NYS Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department, and as a Justice of the NYS Supreme Court, Bronx County as well as a Judge of the Criminal Court in Bronx and New York Counties, spending more than 16 years on the bench. A native Bronxite who was raised in NYCHA’s Soundview Houses, and is a product of the New York City public school system, District Attorney Clark graduated from Truman High School. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Boston College, where she was the first recipient of the University’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Scholarship. D.A. Clark then attended the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., where she served as Class President for each of her three years in law school. After earning her law degree at Howard, District Attorney Clark returned home in 1986
to begin her legal career at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney. After trying many cases as a prosecutor, including drug felonies, violent crimes and homicides, D.A. Clark served as a Supervising ADA in the Narcotics Bureau and eventually became the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Court Bureau. In 1999, she left the Office to accept her first judicial post. Having dedicated her life to public service, District Attorney Clark has devoted herself to the Bronx, not only as a native and resident of the borough, but also as someone who has worked to earn the public trust. Mrs. Clark also serves on the Boston College Board of Trustees and has served in leadership positions in the National Association of Women Judges and the Black Bar Association of Bronx County. District Attorney Clark is married to a NYPD Detective, Eaton “Ray” Davis. BW salutes and congratulates Darcel Denise Clark on making history and becoming the first AfricanAmerican woman District Attorney in the Bronx County’s 13th District
made history Tuesday, November 4, 2014 by becoming the first African-American woman elected to serve on the White Plains Common Council. In her sweeping victory, she earned White Plains voters’ endorsement to fill the unexpired year remaining of former Councilman Benjamin Boykin’s NADINE HUNT-ROBINSON ON PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS RADIO council term. Hunt-Robinson, who lives in the Fisher Hill neighborhood and has been active in local civic and community service groups, was unanimously approved on February 3, 2014 after being nominated by Councilman John Kirkpatrick and appointed by Mayor Thomas Roach. Ms. Hunt-Robinson told White Plains CitizenNet Reporter she was approached by the White Plains Ministerial Fellowship and asked to agree to accept the seat because if she did not, the White Plains Black community would not have a seat on the Common Council with the departure of Mr. Boykin. “White Plains is a great city and I want to help work on policies and laws that will ensure that our city continues to flourish,” Hunt-Robinson shared with BW after her appointment. She was challenged in a City Committee nomination election and won by a narrow margin (one vote WPCNR reported) and subsequently was appointed to the Council by Mayor Roach and the Common Council in a unanimous vote. She was endorsed by the White Plains Examiner, and apparently in her forum appearances impressed many. On the FASNY issue particularly in recent hearings she carefully noted she was concerned about the health and safety of White Plains High School students and would be considering those issues carefully in any decision vote on the FASNY site plan. Married to the Rev. Dr. Tyrone H. Robinson, pastor of the First Community Baptist Church in Greenburgh, Hunt-Robinson is a native of Jamaica who immigrated to the U.S. with her parents in 1971. She attended New York City public schools before receiving her B.A. from Adelphi University and law degree from the Villanova University School of Law. Throughout her career, Hunt-Robinson has mentored students interested in legal careers. She’s also served as a mentor with the Family Services of Westchester’s Big Brother and Big Sister program; as chairwoman of the Women’s Ministry at her husband’s church; and as a board member of the White Plains Graduate Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. As a registered independent, Hunt-Robinson becomes the only non-Democrat on the seven-member Council. Black Westchester salutes Councilwoman Nadine Hunt-Robinson!
DR. LENORA FULANI, FIRST WOMAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN IN U.S. HISTORY TO APPEAR AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ON THE BALLOT IN ALL 50 STATES BY AJ WOODSON
an independent. She received more votes for President in a U.S. general election than any other woman in history of the United States until Jill Stein of the Green Party in 2012. Fulani’s political concerns include racial equality, gay rights and for the past decade, political reform, specifically to encourage third parties. In 1994 she co-founded the Committee for a Unified Independent Party, a national strategy center for independent voters, which currently has networks in more than 30 states. She is a founder of the Independence Party of New York State. Growing-up in the highly segregated town of Chester, PA, she watched her father, Charles Branch die because no ambulance would come to her poor, African-American neighborhood. This, along with the firing of a gay choir director at her church, shaped her desire to address injustice. She won a scholarship to attend Long Island’s Hofstra University in 1967, which she graduated from in 1971. She went on to earn a master’s deDr. Lenora Fulani Adressing, ‘Can Democracy Transform Our Social Crisis?’ at White Plains/ Greenburgh NAACP Mtg, Greenburgh Townhall, May 19, 2015 [Black Westchester] gree from Columbia University’s Teachers College Many people know that Shirley Chisholm was the first African-American and a Ph.D. in developmental psychology, in the candidate for a major party’s nomination for U.S. President, and the first late 1970s from the City University of New York woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1972. A (CUNY), where she was much influenced by Dr. few other women and other blacks had run on minor party tickets, and Sen. Fred Newman, who would serve as both a mentor Margaret Chase Smith (R. Me) had campaigned for the Republican Party’s and her campaign manager. She was a guest nomination in 1964, but Chisholm’s candidacy was a double first for the researcher at Rockefeller University from 1973– Democrats. During the road to the primaries, she survived multiple 1977, with a focus on how learning and social assassination attempts, sued to make sure she would appear in tele- environment interact for African-American youth. While in college, she became involved vised debates and fought her way onto the primary ballots in 12 states. Though she didn’t win, in the end Chisholm won 10 percent of the total vote in black nationalist politics, along with her then But did you know it was Dr. Lenora Fulani who was the first woman husband Richard. Both had adopted the name of and first African-American in U.S. history to appear as a presidential can- the West African people Fulani as a surname when they didate on the ballot in all 50 states in 1988. Dr. Fulani has long been active married in a traditional West African ceremony. During in creating change through political action. She ran twice for president as her studies at City University, Dr. Fulani became
interested in the work of Fred Newman and Lois Holzman, who had recently formed the New York Institute for Social Therapy and Research. Fulani studied at the Institute in the early 1980s. In 1981, she co-founded the All Stars Project with Dr. Fred Newman. Over the years she has worked closely with corporate volunteers, CEOs and partners in Fortune 500 companies to build All Stars Project’s innovative programs, including the Development School for Youth, which she co-directed from 1997 to 2006. A transparent voice for the interests of African-Americans and the most struggling economic groups in the U.S., Dr. Fulani has walked her talk. As Senior Program Advisor of the All Stars Project, she has helped spearhead programs using a unique performatory approach that has taught thousands of young adults how to go “beyond themselves” and acquire new capabilities in the process. Dr. Fulani currently serves as the dean of UX, the All Stars’ unique institution of continued development which is free of cost and open to people of all ages and backgrounds. In her vocal campaign to restructure the U.S. two-party political system – which she felt does not serve America’s disadvantaged people or minority races – Dr. Fulani has gone to court more than ten times in the last 20 years to open up the ballot to insurgents and independents. Her gutsy moves and inspiring presence has attracted media attention again and again throughout her 30-yearplus career of fearless activism. In addition to being featured on hundreds of mainstream television news programs, Dr. Fulani’s writings are regularly published in various media outlets. Black Westchester salutes Dr. Lenora Fulani!
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
BLACK WESTCHESTER
JOSHUA COLAS
THE YOUNGEST BLACK CHESS MASTER IN HISTORY
BY AJ WOODSON
W hen most things written about our young black boys and girls in the media
today is a little heavy on the negative side, it’s great when we get the opportunity to showcase positive achievements. It’s no secret that the media creates a damaging stereotype, portraying black youths as criminally minded underachievers. In 2112 a little-reported research published, showed huge disparities in how black boys are reported compared with others. The report, Media Representations of Black Young Men and Boys, commissioned for the communities department’s Reach project, found that “the dominant discourse surrounding black young men and boys in the news media links them with violent crime, and particularly murders involving knives and/or gangs”. In a content analysis of mainstream news, it found that just over four in 10 stories for all young men and boys were crime-related, but “close to seven in 10 stories of black young men and boys related in some form to crime”. They found that more positive, upbeat stories involving black boys received far less coverage than the average, and concluded: “In our view, media coverage of black boys, overall, paints a highly distorted picture”. For that very reason we created Black Westchester to help change the narrative. This month we are proud to spotlight a local young man, who is accomplishing great things, but most people do not know his name. He is, White Plains HS student Joshua Colas and he is the youngest African-American Chess Master in history. When you see this thin black kid, always neatly dressed and self-possessed, you might at first impression mistakenly think he’s just a regular 16-year-old high school student, and in many respects you would be correct, he is. Sure there’s nothing flashy about him. But what you may miss in your first impression, is the fact you are looking at history in the making. On December 16, 2010, at 12 years old and 3 months, Joshua Colas earned the title of Chess Master making him the youngest Black Chess Master in history. He’s now looking to become the first American-born Black Chess Grandmaster. To say Joshua is a chess whiz on White Plains High School’s chess team would be an understatement. He’s a chess champion, a prodigy whose ambition is to become one of the best players in the world, if not the best. His father, Guy Colas, a self-described “average player,” taught him to how to play when he was 7 years old. The kid immediately took to it. “Well, I’d say it took about a couple of months before I started to beat him,” Joshua said in a 2014 Lohud article. “Now he beats me blindfolded,” his father added “I just memorize the board,” Joshua said. “I know where all the pieces are at. I have a photographic memory.” Guy Colas said, “It blew my mind when I
saw him doing it. I asked him, ‘How do you do it, Joshua?’” As of 2017, Josh attends Webster University in St. Louis on a full chess scholarship. The Webster University Chess Team is the #1 ranked collegiate Chess Team in the United States. While St. Louis is nearly 1000 miles from White Plains, New York, there are few places as hospitable for chess. Of course White Plains will remain Josh’s ancestral home. Colas, who was the first of the three to commit to Webster, said it’s an added bonus being able to go to Webster with his longtime compadres in chess. “To go to school together it’s a big encouragement since we all grew up playing chess together at a young age and going to tournaments and making good friends with each other,” Colas said. “To go to college with each other (is) something I look forward to.” The move is one that is “cause for celebration on many levels,” said Daaim Shabazz, associate professor of international business at Florida A&M University and editor of The Chess Drum, a website devoted to highlight chess within the African Diaspora. “Their pending admissions open a new chapter in the history of chess as it relates to the African Diaspora and provides a path for their evolution, not only as aspiring Grandmasters but as mature men with a purpose in life,” Shabazz told Diverse. “To have an opportunity to earn a scholarship, enjoy the college experience and also pursue chess ambitions is a fortuitous position to be in.” In his young chess career, Joshua has won six national championships and has been named to the All-American Scholastic Chess Team every year since 2009. Joshua Colas qualified to represent Team USA at the World Youth Chess Championships in Greece (2010), Brazil (2011), Slovenia (2012), United Arab Emirates (2013), and South Africa (2014). Joshua won the prestigious 2013 New York City High School Chess Championships and the 2013 New York State High School Chess Championships. He accomplished both feats while only being a high school freshman. Josh won the 2015 New York State High School Championships in Saratoga! The Joshua Colas Chess Fund provided financial support for Joshua’s chessrelated activities including training, tournament expenses, travel, and lodging. We complain the youth are out of control, but we must celebrate when they are striving to achieve great things, Black Westchester proudly spotlights White Plains native, Joshua Colas, the youngest African-American Chess Master in history.
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
25
26BLACK WESTCHESTER
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
Are you: •
A High School Student and need help with making sure your scholarship and college essays are perfected?
•
A Undergrad or Graduate Student who is looking for impeccable essays, dissertations or thesis papers to receive nothing less than an excellent grade?
•
A Public Speaker who needs flawless speeches, power point presentations or sermons edited to perfection?
•
An Independent Author or Freelance Writer working on the next best-selling book or creative writing journalism piece?
K.R. Writes Literary Editing Services is here to offer you superior, near perfect editing and proofreading at the most affordable price in town! It’s Easy: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Visit krwritesediting.com Send your docs and deadlines We will schedule a phone or email consultation to discuss your exact needs and pricing agreements Your literary project will be completed and sent back to you in a jiffy! Thank you for choosing K.R. Writes Literary Editing Services!
SUNDAYS 1:30PM
SATURDAYS 12PM
GOSPEL BRUNCH
BEATLES BRUNCH
HARLEM GOSPEL CHOIR
STRAWBERRY FIELDS
fri feb
2
sat feb
REGINA BELLE
tue feb
13
3
BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE
wed feb
GEORGE CLINTON
thu feb
14
MAYSA
3
2
KOOL & THE GANG
CROSSWINDS PROJECT
BBKINGBLUES.COM
thu apr
5
16
9
JEFFREY OSBORNE
sat feb
MELANIE FIONA
17
ERIC ROBERSON
mon mar
23
BRANDY
25
BOBBY RUSH
tue apr
4
BILLY COBHAM
RAKIM
fri mar
wed apr tue apr
8
fri feb
fri mar
TRAVIS GREENE
fri feb
2 SHOWS
& PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC
22
thu feb
17 BRIAN CULBERTSON
wed apr
18
tue may
BUDDY GUY
/BBKINGBLUESNYC
22
ALPHA BLONDY
/BBKINGBLUESCLUBNYC
PRIVATE EVENTS & GROUPS OF 10+ CONTACT: EVENTS@BBKINGBLUES.COM | 237 WEST 42 STREET | (212)997-4144 | TICKETMASTER.COM (800)745-3000 Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018
BLACKWESTCHESTER.COM
BLACK WESTCHESTER 27
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
THE 2018 BLACK HISTORY EDITION
COMPLIMENTARY
Unapologetically Delivering News To Communities Of Color in Westchester & Surrounding Areas
Get Black Westchester Delivered To Your Home For $25 a year - www.BlackWestchester.com/subscribe
FEBRUARY 2018