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ISSUE 60 VOLUME 15

Close to Slavery: U.S. Guest Workers Programs VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.CAWNYC.COM

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he United States currently has two guest worker programs under which employers are authorized to import unskilled labor for temporary or seasonal work lasting less than a year: the H-2A program for agricultural work and the H-2B program for non-agricultural work.

Although the H-2A and H-2B programs offer different terms and benefits, they are similar in one significant way: Both programs permit the guest worker to work only for the employer who petitioned the Department of Labor (DOL) for his or her services. If the work situation is abusive or not what was promised,

Treatment of Asylum Seekers Falling Short ...see page 12

continued on page 10

Does Smoking Weed Make You Lazy?

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rifting in a pleasantly lethargic daze has long been associated with smoking weed, and a new Canadian study has confirmed that, in rats at least, the main psy-

choactive ingredient in the herb causes laziness.

The new research, which was published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, examined the effects of both tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the drug’s main active ingredient – and the non-psychoactive compound cannabidiol (CBD) on the lab rats’ willingness to exert cognitive effort.

The researchers began by training 29 male rats on two different challenges, with rats that successfully completed the more difficult task earning two sugar pellets, and those that chose the continued on page 2

The Crown Heights Riots: 25 Years Later ...see page 3

Our deepest condolences

to the family, friends and

colleagues of the recently passed Brooklyn District

Attorney, Ken Thompson

who succumbed to cancer.

Fear of Zika Virus Being a Sleeping Giant in Haiti ..see page 6

Ken Thompson, Esq

$2.3 million Settlement Agreement for Jamaican Guest Workers

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hey left their homes in Jamaica for opportunity. From 2012 to 2014, guest workers from the Caribbean nation traveled to the Kiawah Island Inn Resort to work as housekeepers, cooks, servers, bell persons and similar positions at the luxury resort near Charleston.

Trinidad Freezes Terrorists Out ...see page 2

Mr Mayor, Can You Hear Us? We Have the #1 Segregated School System ...see page 17

Workers lost thousands in pay After the workers arrived, however, they were systematically cheated out of their wages, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC filed the class action lawsuit in March 2015 on behalf continued on page 2

INSIDE: 8-page REAL ESTATE Pullout compliments Equity Smart Realty Inc

Spouse Not Talking to You? ...see page 7

2

Caribbean Consulates

Anguilla 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200

Antigua & Barbuda 305 East 47th Street, Suite 6A New York, N.Y. 10020 Tel: 212-541-4117

The Bahamas 231 East 46th Street New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-421-6420

Barbados 820 Second Avenue, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-551-4325

Belize 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1911 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-593-0999

Dominica 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400H New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-949-0853

Dominican Republic 1500 Broadway, Suite 410 New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-599-8478

Grenada 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400K New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-599-0301

Guyana 308 West 38th Street New York, N.Y. 10018 Tel: 212-947-5119

Haiti 815 Second Avenue,6th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-697-9767

Jamaica 767 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-935-9000

Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-838-6887

Montserrat 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200

Panama 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 20th Floor New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-840-2450

St. Kitts & Nevis 414 East 75th Street, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10021 Tel: 212-535-5521

St. Lucia 800 Second Avenue, 9th Floor New York, N.Y. 10007 Tel: 212-697-9360 St. Maarten 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 800-786-2278

St. Vincent & The Grenadines 801 Second Avenue, 21st Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-687-4981 Trinidad & Tobago 125 Maiden Lane, 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10038 Tel: 212-682-7272

For more Consulate information go to www.cawnyc.com/directory

IN THE NEWS

Barbados Feeling Brexit Blow

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arbados is beginning to feel the impact of the vote by Britons to leave the European Union (EU), with tourism’s private sector reporting a fall in financial returns.

While not providing figures, Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Sue Springer revealed that British visitors to Barbados were spending less since the vote, due to the sliding value of the pound sterling.

Addressing the association’s quarterly general meeting at the Hilton Barbados Resort, Springer explained that while arrivals from the island’s primary source market have not declined, there was evidence of cut backs in spend. “The rate of exchange for the pound sterling is begin-

$2.3 million Settlement... continued from page 1

of workers brought to the resort from Jamaica on H-2B guest worker visas to work as housekeepers, servers, bell persons and in similar positions from 2012 through 2014. The suit alleged that they were improperly charged hundreds of dollars in recruitment fees and forced to pay excessive housing and transportation costs that pushed their wages below the minimum required under the H-2B guest worker program. In June, a federal judge gave preliminary approval to a settlement agreement that will see the resort pay $2.3 million to more than 240 workers.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that will compensate these workers for their losses,” said Jim Knoepp, SPLC senior attorney. “When workers use our nation’s guest worker program, they expect that a very basic promise will be upheld: They will be paid the wages they earn.”

The federal program allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers only when they certify that they cannot find

Smoking Weed...

Sue Springer, CEO, BHTA

ning to have its effects, especially on some of our attractions. The UK visitors seem to be . . . cutting back on what they are doing. I have always said that I have seen people [tourists] at the bus stops but I have been seeing even more people over the last few months,” the BHTA execuenough local workers to fill their needs.

Employers are required to pay a “prevailing wage” that the U.S. Department of Labor has determined will not have an adverse impact on U.S. workers.

Fighting to fix the broken guest worker The settlement is the latest in a string of successful SPLC lawsuits seeking to reform the program and protect the rights of vulnerable guest workers, who are not permitted to change jobs if they are abused and who often are forced to pay exorbitant fees to labor recruiters and for housing once they arrive. The Department of Labor supervises the program but provides extremely limited oversight of H-2B employers and recruiters.

Even before the workers arrived at the resort, they incurred expenses that were never reimbursed by the resort, as required by law, such as the costs for guest worker visas and transportation from Jamaica. These two expenses totaled more than $600 per guest worker per year.

continued from page 1

easier task, earning just one.

Under normal circumstances, the rats picked the harder, more rewarding task.

The same rats nevertheless chose the easier task after being dosed with THC. CBD, which does not produce a high and is believed to have medicinal benefits including the treatment of pain, epilepsy and even cancer, neither impacted the animals’ cognitive behaviour nor blocked the cognitive impact of THC. “This was surprising, as it had been suggested that high concentrations of CBD could modulate or reduce the negative effects of THC,” said the study’s senior author, Dr Catharine Winstanley.

“Unfortunately, that did not appear to be the case.”

According to the study’s lead author, Mason Silveira, a PhD candidate in psychology at the University of British Columbia, the THC did not make the rats less intelligent – just lazier. “When rats were given THC – the active ingredient

in cannabis or marijuana – we found that they were less likely to exert the mental energy needed to do more difficult tasks.”

“What’s particularly interesting is though they were less likely to do these more difficult tasks they were still able to.

“There’s this distinction between THC’s ability to affect your cognition versus your willingness to actually use your cognitive abilities.”

Silveira noted that the work underscores the need for more research to determine the impact of THC on the human brain, to explore how any of those potential negative effects could be mitigated, and to look into the effect of other marijuana compounds other than CBD on THC’s impact.

“Our research highlights that, yes, cannabis itself may be beneficial for a

tive said.

The value of the pound fell to a 31-year low immediately following the Brexit vote on June 23, crashing below US$1.30 after losing ten per cent of its value.

Yesterday, it closed at US$1.30, down from US$1.50 on the day before the vote.

Predictions by analysts that the UK economy would grind to a screeching halt, or even shrink if the British had voted to leave the EU have not been realized, however, with official figures on the state of the public finances released yesterday showing little impact.

The analysts had warned that businesses and households would stop spending because of job cuts, political uncertainty and a squeeze on living standards as the weak pound stoked inflation.l

As a result of the travel costs and the various fees, the guest workers’ wages fell below the minimum pay required under the Fair Labor Standards Act and below the mandatory H-2B wage set by the federal government. The resort also failed to increase their wages during the 2013 season as required by the DOL. These changes would have meant raises up to an extra $2.20 an hour for certain positions.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort is a lavish tourist destination. When the SPLC filed suit in 2015, rooms at the resort’s The Sanctuary hotel ranged from $600 to more than $1,000 per night. It had five golf courses, including The Ocean Course, site of the 2012 PGA Championship and 1991 Ryder Cup. Its website listed a number of honors: Condé Nast Traveler named the island as the No.1 island in North America and the No. 2 island in the world; Golf World magazine named it the top resort in the United States; and Forbes Travel Guide honored its hotel with The Forbes FiveStar Award.l

variety of things, but can maybe lead to these impairments in cognition that you might want to consider,” he said.

A 2012 report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse said there was “sound evidence” from both animal and clinical trials that medicinal marijuana can offer relief of nausea and vomiting and certain types of pain, but warned there was a lack of research documenting the risks associated with the medical use of cannabis.

In an unrelated study, researchers from Imperial College London showed that long-term use of marijuana destroys dopamine, the “feel-good” chemical in the brain that inspires a spirit of get-upand-go.

Another study, led by the University of California, found that people who smoked marijuana regularly ended up with lower-paying, less skilled and less prestigious jobs than those who were not regular marijuana smokers.l Source: www.caribbean360news.com

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CONVERSATIONS

Recognizing the Crown Heights Riot: 25 Years Later

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BY VANDELL PARK

wenty-five years after the now infamous civil unrest and riots in the Crown Heights community in Brooklyn, smoldering tensions still linger in the community culturally divided by Hasidic Jews and African Americans. While there have been several attempts by religious leaders from both sides to bridge the divide, many believe that there is still unequaled treatment meted out to the Black community, while political figures and the NYPD extend preferential treatment to the Hasidic Jewish community.

The August 19, 1991 incident was sparked by the death of 7-year-old Gavin Cato, of Afro Guyanese descent, and the unfavorable treatment meted out to him and his family by the Hasidic Jewish medical team which responded to the vehicular accident caused by a Hasidic Jewish motorcade, by driving away with the uninjured driver said to be responsible for the accident, and leaving the injured Cato and his sister without administering medical treatment.

Colin Moore, an attorney who represented the Cato family in 1991, shares his perspective on what has transpired in the Crown Heights community 25 years after: “There have been attempts to ease the tensions between the Hasidic Jews and the African American populations in the Crown Heights area. There has not been any further outbreaks of violence between these communities. While there is an absence of violence, there is still a deep feeling of unequal treatment meted out by the political establishment of New York City. The schools are still segregated as the Hasidic Jews set up their own schools which are believed to be funded by the Department of Education. There is still preferential treatment for the Hasidic community by the NYPD and that same protection and treatment is not provided for the Black community of Crown Heights. The two communities are not integrated by any stretch of imagination. While they still live in the same physical space, they are two culturally distinct communities.

Twenty- five years later, very little has

TEAM

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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. —Hosea 4:6 Publisher I.Q. INC.

Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief Pearl Phillip Legal Advisor Brian Figeroux, Esq. Assistant Editor Marilyn Silverman

Rudy Crew, Medgar Evers President

changed as the communities remain separate and unequal.”

A number of individuals, including political and community leaders, believe progress was made to alleviate serious conflicts between the two cultural communities, but more could be done to ensure a more integrated society.

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, whose district the troubled community lies within, says she believes over time, the two groups will build a more cooperative society, even though differences will continue to exist: “We’ve come a long way in 25 years; a lot of the barriers of communication that existed during the time of what I call civil unrest or rioting, have been removed. We have grown a lot and matured across-theboard. I see this as an opportunity to reflect on what has happened in the past and look at strategies to make sure that we keep the peace and that there is understanding and tolerance from all communities to make Crown Heights a place where people will want to continue to live and raise their families.”

Rudy Crew, the President of Medgar Evers College, an educational giant for Blacks which sits in the heart of Crown Heights, says looking back at the riots of 1991, and talking about it, helps to create a framework for communication between the culturally divided communities, and will help prevent a similar episode from occurring again: “these issues aren't smoldering ashes under a blanket of despair, which is what it was many years ago. People went to their own corner. And anger festered. Really important and powerful people within the community looked at this as a major

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke

Attorney Colin Moore

crisis, and they invoked both their own moral authority as well as institutional support at being able to take aim at some of the issues that were prominent at that time—and to some degree are still prominent now. These crises do not necessarily happen if people are willing to lead people into the dialogue, into the fear, not away from the fear."

Since 1991, several changes have occurred in the community that foster camaraderie among sections of both communities. Black leaders such as Richard Green, founder of Crown Heights Youth Collective; and Devorah Halberstam, Jewish activist and Director of Foundations and Government Services at the Jewish Children’s Museum in Crown Heights, have been working to engage the two groups in ongoing dialogue on a number of issues that will foster a working relationship.

To mark the 25th-year anniversary of the 1991 riots, a festival was organized under the theme: “One Crown Heights.”

Despite opposition to the festival, the event was carried out with a number of prominent community leaders in attendance, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.l

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CIVIL RIGHTS

Boycotting: Millennial Activists Use Classic Methods to Fight Racial Injustice n the days before Thanksgiving, major corporations demand that employees take on extra shifts.

Minimum-waged workers at companies such as Target, K Mart and Macy’s are forced during holidays to skip out on family dinners to sell low-priced items and regulate customer traffic. In the mid2000s, Corporate Partnership Manager at City Year New York, Genisha Metcalf began to boycott businesses that were taking advantage of employees who were largely women and people of color.

As crowds rush to shopping centers for early morning deals, Metcalf spends time with her family. Instead of buying gifts from Toys R Us, she takes her daughter to Grandma’s Place, a local black owned toy store in Harlem.

For at least three years, Metcalf has cut Black Friday and Cyber Monday from her annual budget.

“It was a conscious decision I made years ago not to support [Black Friday],” Metcalf said. “The success of the Montgomery bus boycotts came from understanding what you were asking for.

Why aren’t we boycotting the banks that are supplying the pensions for these [police] officers?”

It has been nearly 60 years since civil rights leaders fought for desegregation and racial justice during the Montgomery Bus boycotts in Alabama. Social justice advocates at the Black and Blue: Struggle for Justice panel on Wednesday, Aug. 10, at John Jay College discussed boycotting as a tactic toward ending biased policing.

“Since Mike Brown, young people have been boycotting,” said Tamika Mallory of the New York City Justice League.

“I’m a marcher [and] I’m a protester.

Numbers on the ground are very important.”

In 2015, African-American buying power hovered around $1.1 trillion, reported a Nielson study. The panelists urged that increased economic resources in the minority community can help residents leverage support against cheap labor for incarcerated people of color.

“In our civil rights history, bodies are put on the line,” said Alain Robert, an education and policy coordinator at New York Urban League. “Because these things are done we are able to live the lives we are living.”

In hopes of diverting $5 million from corporations to black-owned businesses, the No Equality, No Economy campaign

Photo: New York Urban League

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BY TATYANA BELLAMY-WALKER

launched a 7 day, two part plan on July 18, that kicked off with a protest against shopping malls, major retailers and fast food restaurants.

According to the campaign, major corporations have a large “interest” in maintaining an inequitable justice system, which results in the racial profiling that killed Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin, Ramarley Graham, Eric Garner and many others.

Metcalf hopes the plan will target corporations that have a direct impact on police brutality.

“Stop killing us is not a call to action,” Metcalf said. “We want police officers to be held more accountable and we want there to be more diversity in the police force.”

Metcalf continued, “How are we reinvesting our dollars backed into our communities? That’s the piece that’s been missing in this strategy.”

Later this year, the campaign will announce specific corporations for residents to withdraw funding and demand accountability.l

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DIASPORA CONCERNS

Immigration Policy Fifteen Years After 9/11

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BY AMERICAN COUNCIL STAFF

ifteen years ago on September 11, 2001, it appeared that comprehensive immigration reform was imminent. The prior week, President Vicente Fox of Mexico visited the U.S. and spoke to President Bush and Congress about the need for reform, and serious momentum was growing.

However, the tragic events on September 11 set the immigration debate back significantly and in the post-9/11 world, immigration policy has become defined by “securitization.” That is, once it became apparent that the attacks were carried out by foreigners, pressure mounted for the adoption of new immigration restrictions in the name of security and any talk of other reforms was dead.

Many changes have been made to the immigration system in the last fifteen years and while many were intended to target terrorism, these policies have had a significant impact on all immigrant communities. Some of the most notable include: The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) program, which was most immediately implemented and required select male noncitizens from countries with a “significant terrorist presence” to be finger-

printed and photographed. Despite the fact that NSEERS officially ended in 2011, the rhetoric of “extreme vetting” has reemerged, and the legal authority to resume special registration remains on the books.

Refugees and asylum-seekers, many of whom are fleeing terror, have been the focus of post-9/11 security measures.

Despite the fact they were already one of the most heavily-vetted immigrant groups, security-related checks of refugees have become even more intense, often delaying the process and often reducing the number of refugees admitted annually to the U.S. States and localities have become more involved in immigration enforcement.

Immediately after 9/11, the federal government announced its intention to partner with state and local police and use

them as “force multipliers” to identify and deport deportable immigrants through the 287(g) program. State and local governments have further entered the immigration arena with a wide range of laws and policies intended to dissuade immigrants and refugees from settling there, such as Arizona’s SB1070.

Not all of the post 9/11 response has been negative, however, with some states and localities promoting policies intended to welcome immigrants and integrate them into social, cultural, and economic life in their communities. State level-policy making has recognized that strategies that embrace newcomers rather than ostracize them will be more successful at combating the isolation and resentment that can fuel acts of violence.

Fifteen years after 9/11, advocates and political leaders must return to a broader approach to reforming our immigration system. Keeping the nation safe will always be an important element of immigration policy, and many steps have been taken to ensure that those entering the U.S. do not do us harm. However, we must look at immigration reform more broadly and create a new system for the twenty-first century that keeps us safe without compromising the ways in which immigration benefits the country economically, culturally, and socially.l

Haitians Set to be Deported

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he United States government, responding to an extraordinary wave of Haitian migrants seeking to enter the United States, said that it would fully resume deportations of undocumented Haitian immigrants.

After an earthquake devastated parts of Haiti in 2010, the United States suspended deportations, saying that sending Haitians back to the country at a time of great instability would put their lives at risk. About a year later, officials partly resumed deportations, focusing on people convicted of serious crimes or those considered a threat to national security.

But since last spring, thousands of Haitian migrants who had moved to Brazil in search of work have been streaming north, mostly by land, winding up at American border crossings that lead

to Southern California.

Few have arrived with American visas, but nearly all have been allowed to enter the United States because immigration officials were prohibited, under the modified deportation policy, from using the so-called fast-track removal process often employed at the border for new, undocumented arrivals.

Instead, the migrants were placed in a slower deportation process and released, with an appointment to appear in immigration court at a later date, officials said.

Since early summer, most have been given permission to remain in the country for as long as three years under a humanitarian parole provision, immigrant advocates said.

With the full resumption of deportations, which took effect Haitians who arrive at the border without visas will be put into expedited removal proceedings.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) questioned the decision and expressed serious concerns. that the government’s plan to resume Haitian Removals could endanger asylum seekers and vulnerable immigrants Benjamin Johnson, AILA Executive

Director, noted, "The government said it will respect asylum law but in recent years, AILA has observed serious violations of due process and the erosion of meaningful access to asylum due to the extraordinary use of detention and fasttrack systems to push those seeking protection through a rapid deportation process where few have access to lawyers or a hearing before a judge.

Moreover the credible fear process does not adequately protect those who are elderly, sick, or disabled who might need other humanitarian relief. DHS needs to explain how it will ensure these vulnerable people will not be sent back to what are still extremely unstable and even violent conditions in Haiti."

Mr. Johnson continued, "The lack of transparency shrouding this announcement is alarming given the conditions that await those slated for removal. If the federal government believes conditions have improved in Haiti to such an extent as to justify this change in policy, tell us the facts and figures and prove that Haitians will not be deported back to an unsafe situation. Finally, how are the U.S. and Haitian governments working together to ensure this process works in a humane and compassionate manner, in line with our country's values? We'll be looking to ICE for concrete answers." l

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Back to School: Dollars and Sense

BY GEORGE HULSE

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“The first wealth is health.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

t’s back to school time again! Parents and guardians are getting their children ready to start the school year off on the right foot. Like most parents, you probably have a checklist of things you need to do or a list of must-have items to purchase before your child’s first day of class.

While we focus on giving our children the tools to succeed in the classroom, we often overlook the need to educate them on dollars and cents. While literacy—the ability to read and write—is a fundamental part of our education, financial literacy is rarely discussed. Financial literacy helps us make informed decisions about saving, investing, and spending our money.

There is a connection between health outcomes and financial stability. Poor health may lead to lowered job performance, joblessness, and a reduction in or loss of income. Any of these can lead to limited access to quality healthcare, heightened stress, and chronic health issues like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. Healthfirst is committed to strengthening family health and community wellness through prevention, effective planning, and education.

As parents, we are our children’s first teachers. I encourage you to teach your children practical money skills. You can use your past financial successes or missteps to start the conversation with your children. It’s as easy as giving your child a piggy bank or taking your teenager to the bank to open his or her first savings account. Seeing their coins grow into a significant balance over time will get children excited to save their money.

These small but significant steps will help teach your children how to spend wisely, budget accordingly, save for the future, and build credit. This will also help them understand the value of money and the importance of financial responsibility and accountability.

The foundation for long-term success is built at an early age. It’s never too early to share the knowledge that will prepare your child for a bright and empowered future! l George Hulse is Vice President of Community Engagement at Healthfirst.

For more healthy living tips, visit Healthfirst.org.

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6

ISLAND FOCUS: HAITI

Doctors Fear Zika Is A Sleeping Giant In Haiti

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t the Mirebalais Hospital in Haiti’s central plateau, Dr. Louise Ivers and Dr. Roman Jean-Louis are examining a baby girl who was born in early July with microcephaly, a smaller-than-normal skull often associated with Zika infections.

The baby, named Chinashama, is dressed in a white smock adorned with small flowers. Her legs cross unnaturally over her shins, and her mother, Chrisnette Sainvilus, says the baby cries a lot and has trouble passing stool. “Day and night she’s crying,” the mother of two says. It’s unclear what physical and mental problems Chinashama is facing.

Ivers lifts Chinashama’s legs and tries to move them apart. “See, her legs are still crossed. The muscle development is not what we’d want to see,” she says.

“This baby definitely needs physical therapy.”

Chinashama is one of three babies born with microcephaly at the Mirebalais Hospital in July. The Haitian Ministry of Health says there have been 11 others born nationwide over the past two months with this usually rare birth defect. But only one has been officially confirmed as a result of the Zika virus.

Haiti has all of the ingredients for widespread transmission of Zika. The mosquito that carries the virus flourishes in Haiti’s tropical heat. As the outbreak wanes in Brazil and Colombia, the Caribbean is currently the epicenter of Zika transmission. The region is reporting high numbers of cases. Puerto Rico, for instance, has a population a third the size of Haiti and is reporting roughly 1,500 new cases of Zika each week.

Yet as of August, Haiti had confirmed only five cases to the World Health Organization.

Many people who get infected with Zika have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. In Haiti, it can take all day for a patient to see a doctor, so most people don’t come to health facilities unless they are extremely ill. But if they’re pregnant and have Zika, the virus could still pose a threat to their fetus.

Sainvilus, Chinashama’s mother, says she doesn’t remember having a fever or other signs of Zika during her pregnancy — although she thinks she had a bout of fever that she thought was chikungunya just before she got pregnant.

But even if Sainvilus had gotten sick, it’s highly unlikely that she would have

Baby Chinashama with her mother

been tested for Zika. For the last four months, a doctors’ strike in Haiti has brought the public health care system to a standstill. The Mirebalais Hospital, which remained functioning, is a fivehour bus drive from her home on the road that leads from Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Republic.

Secondly, Haiti just doesn’t have the infrastructure to do widespread Zika testing. The only place that can test for Zika is the national laboratory run by the Ministry of Health. They’ve been doing a limited number of tests that will only come back positive if the actual virus is still in the blood sample being tested.

Zika clears from the blood fairly quickly, so unless you test while the person is still sick, it’s going to come back negative.

Other more complicated tests have to get sent out to Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago or the U.S. — and it can take months for a doctor to get those results if they get them at all.

Dr. Ivers, from Partners in Health, a global health organization based in Boston, says she’s quite anxious that Zika is spreading widely across Haiti — but it’s not being detected.

“We don’t have a good idea of what’s going on. Now that we’ve seen three babies born [with microcephaly] in the span of three weeks in our own facility, we are very concerned that it’s being under-reported in other parts of the country.”

On top of that, she’s worried that Haiti’s severely limited health system, which isn’t picking up Zika cases, is also ill-equipped to deal with a wave of children with severe birth defects.

“Children with developmental delays or disability need individual care with lots of different resources,” Ivers says.

“Those resources are not really available in Haiti.”l Source: npr.org via Caribbean360news.com

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FAMILY MATTERS

What to do When Your Spouse Won’t Talk to You

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BY JAKE STOWELL

his may sound familiar: you and your partner are sitting in the car, a mere two feet from one another, yet nobody is speaking. You try to start a conversation, but getting your partner to say more than a few words feels like pulling teeth from the mouth of an angry crocodile. You realize that you may have done something wrong, but your partner won’t tell you what it was.

A partner’s silence is common in relationships, and it can occur for a variety of reasons. At times, your partner might simply feel like there is nothing to say, and at other times your partner might be punishing you with the “silent treatment.”

Distinguishing between the two is important, but usually a no-brainer. Sometimes, though, you need to communicate and you’re left wondering what to do when your spouse won’t talk to you.

Knowing your partner is essential to deciphering the reason for their silence. If your partner is the quiet type, it will be easier to realize that they are being quiet because they are deep in thought, processing, or reflecting on the day’s events.

Many partners are often happiest when they sit next to their loved ones without saying a word. It is usually pretty easy for

a person to tell if their partner is being quiet out of anger or spite. Angry, or negative, silence can look like passive aggression or avoidance. When introverted people are in conflict, they will retreat within themselves and stop talking to regulate emotionally. Or, they might be quiet around their partners in order to keep the peace “at all costs.” People who feel like any form of talking will lead to a fight will try to keep the relationship peaceful by remaining silent. So, what is the best way to deal with a silent partner? There are two exceptionally important facets to dealing with a partner’s silence: support and attentiveness.

First, remind your partner that you care, and try to draw them out with kindness.

Think about what specific gestures make your spouse feel loved. Consider when they typically feel safest opening up to

you and try to create similar circumstances. Do everything from a foundation of love and support. This will help your partner feel safe enough to discuss whatever is on their mind. In general, be sure to check your tone when talking to a silent partner. Talking too loudly will make your partner feel like you are upset with them personally, instead of upset with the problem, and when someone feels attacked, their natural response will be to attack back or shut down. So, remember to speak softly and regulate the volume of your voice, especially when you are in an argument.

Second, listen. Your partner might be trying to tell you something with their silence. Be curious about what the message is, but don’t poke and prod.

Relentlessly pursuing your partner when they are being silent will only make them

7

more silent and possibly defensive.

Instead, let your partner know that they can tell you whatever is on their mind when they are ready and make yourself available. If your partner is introverted, try to meet them where they’re at. Don’t try too hard to force conversation. Try to give them as much silence as they need.

Check in on them if you are concerned, but do so in a way that makes them feel safe. Be curious rather than accusing.

Don’t underestimate the importance of your own vulnerability. Communicate your emotions surrounding whatever situation is at hand. Admit that you are sad to feel so disconnected. Say that you are afraid of losing her. Tell him you can’t stand the feeling that he might be in pain and you can’t do anything about it.

Creating a safe place for feelings means sharing your own. Sometimes just because you know what to do when your partner won’t talk to you doesn’t mean it always works. If you are making no headway communicating on an emotional level with your silent partner, don’t be afraid to seek outside help to recover your connection.l

Jake Stowell is a student volunteer with Estes Therapy working under direct supervision of Jennine Estes MFT#47653.

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AMERICAN DREAM

Laws of Succession for New York Relating to Apartments

I

n general, it is possible for a person who is an occupant in an apartment leased to a family member to become a tenant (succeed) after the primary tenant leaves if the family member lived in the apartment for two years or more prior to the tenant’s departure, or since the beginning of the tenancy, or since the commencement of the relationship. If the person asserting succession rights is disabled or over 62 years of age then the period of co-occupancy is only one year.

The minimum periods of occupancy are not considered interrupted by military duty, enrollment as a full time student, court-ordered relocation (not involving the lease or grounds for eviction), temporary relocation because of employment, and hospitalization or other reasonable grounds as determined by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal on application.

It is also possible for a member of a "non-traditional" family to gain control of the apartment if he/she can show "emotional and financial commitment."

Courts may consider the following: nlongevity of the relationship, nsharing of household expenses, nintermingling of finances such as credit cards or bank accounts, nengaging in family type activities

together, nformalizing legal obligations through such things as wills, powers of attorney, domestic partnership declarations etc.., nholding themselves out as family members in public activities, nregularly performing family functions for each other.

Do I have rights to my mom's apartment when she moves?

In general, if you are not disabled or over 62 years old, you would be protected by succession if you lived with your mother continuously two years before she left the apartment. If you are disabled or over 62, you would have to live with your mother for at least one year prior to her move.

If you didn't live in the apartment for two years before your mother left, you don't have the right to the apartment and the landlord need not accept you as the primary tenant. S/he could move to evict you. However, if one of your siblings was in residence, he/she might meet the succession criteria and you would be able to live there as an immediate family member. Also, if you lived in the apartment before and left only because were enrolled as a full-time student, serving in the military, or because of a temporary work assignment, or you were hospitalized, the period in which you were away might not count as an absence.

How do you actually claim succession rights?

Succession rights can only be claimed when the primary tenant dies or vacates the apartment. At that time, the tenant claiming succession should send a letter by certified mail to the landlord explaining that the primary tenant has vacated the apartment and that he/she would like to sign the next renewal lease. If the primary tenant has died the death certificate should also be included with the letter.

The landlord may ask that you forward copies of documents that prove you meet the definition of family member and that the apartment has been your primary residence for more than two years. When the current lease is up for renewal that is when you would sign a new lease.

If two family members would like to sign the renewal lease they can do so and both will be exempt from paying the vacancy allowance provided they meet the requirements for succession. l Source: NYC Rent Guidlelines Board.

Please note that the information provided herein does not represent official policies or opinions of the City of New York or the Rent Guidelines Board nor should this information be used to substitute for advice of legal counsel.

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EDUCATION

Students of Color Are Disproportionately Affected by Underfunded NYC Public Schools

T

BY TATYANA BELLAMY-WALKER

he state owes New York City public schools a staggering $2 billion, according to a report by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT).

“As a classroom teacher, I would love for that money to get into our classrooms as quickly as possible,” said Janella Hinds, Vice President of Academic High Schools for UFT. “The students in New York City have waited way too long for appropriate funding. We need this funding in order to ensure our students have the resources that they need.”

During the past decade, dozens of New York City schools have occupied the failing schools list. The majority of these schools are deserts in extracurricular activities, technology and computer upgrades, small class sizes and up- todate textbooks. “They need enrichment programs that will include teacher learning,” Hinds said. [And] have classrooms that [are] fully stocked with technology that will allow students to grow.”

According to Hinds, some New York City school districts do not have effective internet service.

In 2016, the New York State Education Department identified 188 schools as “priority” or failing in 84 focus districts.

In District 16, The Brooklyn Brownstown School is owed a whopping $428,586.30 and more than $2,100 per student. This funding could be used to maintain a school library for at least two years, hire three classroom teachers and provide an arts program for two consecutive years.

In the United States, high minority school districts receive less money per pupil, according to the Center for American Progress, a public policy, research and advocacy organization. As New York’s students continue to suffer, state officials once again take to the podium to address districts that lack adequate resources. They assure community mem-

bers that additional funds and programs will be provided to alleviate fiscal stress.

These commitments, however, are not fully supported.

According to the Alliance for Quality Education, an education advocacy agency, 81 percent of high needs schools received less than 25 percent of the Campaign Fiscal Equity (CFE) money in the 2016 budget.

Among the 33 school districts with high rates of African-American and Latino students, 30 of those institutions were identified as having CFE funding that is insufficient.

“As the school year and the legislative session come to a close, we have found

9

that the 2016 state budget helped schools, but falls far short of student need especially in the high need school districts,” said Billy Easton, Executive Director for the Alliance for Quality Education in a press release. “This report shows that in the great majority of high need schools, the CFE funding is totally off track following the 2016 state budget.”

Easton continued, “The consequences for students are real in terms of overcrowded classrooms, shortages of guidance counsellors and social workers, limited access to arts, music and advanced courses and more.”

For more than a decade, schools have been underfunded by New York State administrators and officials. Elementary schools with higher rates of AfricanAmerican and Latino students have less qualified teachers, according to the advocacy group, New York Appleseed.

As a new school year starts, Hinds will once again cope with a lack of school resources, while working to create a more equitable school system.

“The biggest issue is that we are making due with what we have available,” she said. “In 2016, students deserve so much more.” l

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Close to Slavery... continued from page 1

the worker has little or no recourse other than to go home. That puts the worker at a distinct disadvantage in terms of future opportunities in the United States, because his ability to return during any subsequent season depends entirely on an employer’s willingness to submit a request to the U.S. government. In practical terms, it means that an employee is much less likely to complain about wage violations or other abuses.

For the first time, the DOL enacted substantive regulations that provide some minimal labor protections for H-2B workers in 2008.

The DOL further proposed a new wage regulation in 2011 and new comprehensive H-2B regulations in 2012 that include stronger protections for U.S. and H-2B workers. The 2012 regulations would require employers to engage in more aggressive recruitment of U.S. workers and to treat U.S. and H-2B workers who are similarly employed equally.

Under the 2012 regulations, H-2B workers: nWould be reimbursed for the cost of travel from the worker’s home to the job as soon as the worker finishes 50% of the work period provided in the job order; nWould be reimbursed for any visa processing fees in the first work week; nWould receive the “three-quarters guarantee”; nCould not be charged recruitment fees, which decreases the likelihood of working conditions akin to debt servitude; and nWould be expressly protected from human trafficking and retaliation.

These provisions represent a vast improvement over the existing regulations, but, unfortunately, none of them have ever gone into effect. The DOL’s attempts to implement these increased protections for U.S. and H-2B workers have been met with hostility by employers and members of Congress seeking to maintain the H-2B program as a source of cheap, unregulated labor.

Moreover, unlike H-2A workers, H-2B workers are denied access to legal and other basic services and benefits. H-2B workers, aside from those who work in the forestry industry, do not have access to federally funded legal services.

Additionally, none of the current H-2B regulations require employers to provide workers’ compensation or other injury insurance coverage despite high workplace injury rates in industries that rely heavily on H-2B workers.

Efforts to protect vulnerable guestworkers from exploitation have been met with hostility by employers seeking to maintain the H-2 program as a source of cheap, unregulated labor.

Recruitment: Exploitation Begins at Home The exploitation of H-2A and H-2B guest workers commences long before they arrive in the United States. It begins, in fact, with the initial recruitment in their

home country — a process that often leaves them in a precarious economic state and therefore extremely vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous employers in this country.

U.S. employers almost universally rely on private individuals or agencies to find and recruit guest workers in their home countries, mostly in Mexico and Central America.

These labor recruiters usually charge fees to the worker — sometimes thousands of dollars — to cover travel, visas and other costs, including profit for the recruiters. The workers, most of whom live in poverty, frequently must obtain high-interest loans to come up with the money to pay the fees. In addition, recruiters sometimes require them to leave collateral, such as the deed to their house or car, to ensure that they fulfill the terms of their individual labor contract.

The largely unregulated recruiting business can be quite lucrative. With more than 106,000 such workers recruited in 2011 alone, tens of millions of dollars in recruiting fees are at stake. This financial bonanza provides a powerful incentive for recruiters and agencies to import as many workers as possible — with little or no regard to the impact on individual workers and their families.

Workers Start Off Deeply in Debt Overwhelming debt is a chronic problem for guest workers. Typically, guestworkers arriving in the United States face a fee-related debt ranging from $500 to well over $10,000. Many pay exorbitant interest rates on that debt. When that’s the case, they have virtually no possibility of repaying the debt by performing the work offered by the employer during the term of the contract.

Although U.S. laws do provide some obligation for employers to reimburse workers for their travel and visa costs, in practice it is rare that guest workers are fully reimbursed. Most struggle to repay their debt, while interest accrues. These obstacles are compounded when employers fail to offer as many hours of work as promised — a common occurrence.

Over the past decade, the Southrn Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has represented Guatemalan guest workers who are recruited to work in the forestry and pine straw industries. These workers have been routinely subjected to exploitative recruitment tactics, often by the same recruiters who have consistently escaped liability for their actions. This is true despite the Department of Labor’s recent efforts to better regulate the H-2 program, including enacting regulations

that prevent employers from knowingly engaging recruiters who charge fees to workers. In reality, these incremental regulatory changes have not stopped recruitment abuse in guestworker programs Guest workers from Guatemala generally pay at least $2,000 in travel, visa and hiring fees to obtain forestry jobs in the United States. Guatemalans are recruited largely from Huehuetenango, an extremely poor region where many indigenous people live. Often illiterate, many speak Spanish as their second language, with varying degrees of proficiency. They generally work as subsistence farmers and have virtually no opportunity to earn wages in rural Guatemala.

Thus, their only realistic option for raising the funds needed to secure H-2 jobs in the United States is to visit a loan shark, who will likely charge exorbitant interest rates.

In addition, the majority of Guatemalan forestry workers interviewed by the SPLC were required to leave some form of collateral, generally a property deed, with an agent in Guatemala to ensure that the worker will “comply” with the terms of his contract. If a worker violates the contract — as determined by the recruiter — that worker will be fined or threatened. This tactic is enormously effective at suppressing complaints about pay, working conditions or housing. U.S.based companies deny knowledge of the abuse, but there is little doubt that they derive substantial benefit from their agents’ actions. It is almost inconceivable that a worker would complain in any substantial way while a company agent holds the deed to the home where his wife and children reside.

In 2012, Guatemalan guest workers recruited to collect pine straw and harvest blueberries in the southeastern United States sought assistance from the SPLC in escaping an exploitative labor situation. The workers had borrowed large amounts of money at monthly interest rates of between 5 and 10% (well over 60% annually) to cover recruitment fees in addition to other pre-employment costs. Several of the workers offered the deeds to their homes as collateral. As one worker explained, “The recruiter told me that I would make $8.30 an hour and would never run out of work to do. I didn’t realize that I would also have to pay so much money each month for rent, transportation and work supplies. He made it sound like we would earn lots of money, but I wasn’t even able to pay off my debt.” The workers were never reimbursed for their travel and visa expenses.

After receiving meager wages and languishing for weeks without work, many of the workers left their jobs in even greater debt as interest on their loans continued to accrue. The workers feared that they would lose their homes, bring shame to their families, or put their lives in danger if they returned to Guatemala without having paid off their debts.

These tactics are not limited to any particular industry or country. SPLC clients from countries across the globe who work in a variety of industries, including hospitality and welding, have reported similar abusive recruitment tactics.

IMMIGRATION

Other advocacy organizations have thoroughly documented deceptive and abusive recruitment activities in a variety of H-2 occupations, including the seafood, herder, and agriculture industries, among others.

Why Come to the U.S.?

Many of the workers interviewed by the SPLC know they are taking a risk by entering into deep debt in exchange for employment in the United States. This raises the question: Why do workers choose to come to the United States under these terms?

The simple fact is that workers from the Mexico, Guatemala, the Caribbean and many other countries often have very few economic opportunities. In recent years, rural Mexicans have had an increasingly difficult time making a living at subsistence farming, and in some regions there are virtually no wage-paying jobs. Where jobs exist, the pay is extremely low; unskilled laborers can earn 10 times as much, or more, in the United States as they can at home. Most perceive the guest worker program as their best chance to get to the United States and provide a better life for their families.

Recruiters often exploit workers’ desperate economic situation by deceptively promising them lucrative job opportunities and even Green Cards or visa extensions. These abuses are exacerbated by the inherently disempowering structure of the H-2 program. The program requires that guestworkers work only for the employer who sponsored their visa and that they leave the country when their visa expires. Therefore, once the workers arrive in the United States and the recruiter’s deception unravels, they face a tough decision: They can remain in an abusive situation, return to their home country where they have little chance of earning enough money to repay their debt, or leave their employer and become undocumented, risking their ability to return to the United States in the future to work. Tethered to a single employer and often unable to return home due to crushing debt, guest workers are extremely susceptible to debt servitude and human trafficking.

Lucrative Business In reality, this system is so flawed that small regulatory changes simply have not — and will not — go far enough to put a stop to the lucrative recruitment game.

Empowering guestworkers with the ability to switch employers and, eventually, to become full members of our society through a pathway to citizenship will go far toward reducing the control that unscrupulous recruiters and employers exert over guest workers in the United States. These are basic rights to which guestworkers — who are simply seeking to better their lives by lawfully obtaining employment in the United States — should be entitled.

The recruitment of guest workers is a lucrative business for the companies that help U.S. employers obtain cheap foreign labor.l Source: SPLC

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IMMIGRATION

Same-Sex Marriages: FAQs Petitioning for my Spouse Q1: I am a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident in a same-sex marriage to a foreign national. Can I now sponsor my spouse for a family-based immigrant visa?

A1: Yes, you can file the petition. You may file a Form I-130 (and any applicable accompanying application). Your eligibility to petition for your spouse, and your spouse’s admissibility as an immigrant at the immigration visa application or adjustment of status stage, will be determined according to applicable immigration law and will not be denied as a result of the same-sex nature of your marriage.

Q2. I am a U.S. citizen who is engaged to be married to a foreign national of the same sex. Can I file a fiancé or fiancée petition for him or her?

A2. Yes. You may file a Form I-129F. As long as all other immigration requirements are met, a same-sex engagement may allow your fiancé to enter the United States for marriage.

Q3: My spouse and I were married in a U.S. state or a foreign country that recognizes same-sex marriage, but we live in a state that does not. Can I file an immigrant visa petition for my spouse?

A3: Yes. As a general matter, the law of the place where the marriage was celebrated determines whether the marriage is legally valid for immigration purposes.

Just as USCIS applies all relevant laws to determine the validity of an opposite-sex marriage, we will apply all relevant laws to determine the validity of a same-sex marriage. The domicile state’s laws and policies on same-sex marriages will not bear on whether USCIS will recognize a marriage as valid.

Changes in Eligibility Based on SameSex Marriage Q4. What about immigration benefits other than for immediate relatives, familypreference immigrants, and fiancés or fiancées? In cases where the immigration laws condition the benefit on the existence of a “marriage” or on one’s status as a “spouse,” will same-sex marriages qualify as marriages for purposes of these benefits?

A4. Yes. Under the U.S. immigration laws, eligibility for a wide range of benefits depends on the meanings of the terms “marriage” or “spouse.”

Examples include (but are not limited to) an alien

who seeks to qualify as a spouse accompanying or following to join a familysponsored immigrant, an employmentbased immigrant, certain subcategories of nonimmigrants, or an alien who has been granted refugee status or asylum. In all of these cases, a same-sex marriage will be treated exactly the same as an oppositesex marriage.

Q5. If I am seeking admission under a program that requires me to be a “child,” a “son or daughter,” a “parent,” or a “brother or sister” of a U.S. citizen or of a lawful permanent resident, could a same-sex marriage affect my eligibility?

A5. There are some situations in which either the individual’s own marriage, or that of his or her parents, can affect whether the individual will qualify as a “child,” a “son or daughter,” a “parent,” or a “brother or sister” of a U.S. citizen or of a lawful permanent resident. In these cases, same-sex marriages will be treated exactly the same as opposite-sex marriages.

11

Q6. Can same-sex marriages, like opposite-sex marriages, reduce the residence period required for naturalization?

A6. Yes. As a general matter, naturalization requires five years of residence in the United States following admission as a lawful permanent resident. But, according to the immigration laws, naturalization is available after a required residence period of three years, if during that threeyear period you have been living in “marital union” with a U.S. citizen “spouse” and your spouse has been a U.S. citizen.

For this purpose, same-sex marriages will be treated exactly the same as oppositesex marriages.

Inadmissibility Waivers Q7. I know that the immigration laws allow discretionary waivers of certain inadmissibility grounds under certain circumstances. For some of those waivers, the person has to be the “spouse” or other family member of a U.S. citizen or of a lawful permanent resident. In cases where the required family relationship depends on whether the individual or the individual’s parents meet the definition of “spouse,” will same-sex marriages count for that purpose?

A7.Yes. Whenever the immigration laws condition eligibility for a waiver on the existence of a “marriage” or status as a “spouse,” same-sex marriages will be treated exactly the same as opposite-sex marriages. l

WE HELP IMMIGRANTS!

lGET THE FACTS

lBE SMART

lMAKE THE RIGHT DECISION

uHealth Care (RN/OT/PT/TSHH/SLP’S & IT Cases) uExtension of Status & Visa Renewals uWork Authorization uH-IB Professional Workers uF-1 Students Visa uJ-1 Exchange Visitor Trainees uO-1 Extraordinary Ability uR-1 Religious Workers uU.S. Citizenship uFamily-based Petitions and Fiancee Visa uGreen Cards/Labor Certification (RIR) uImmigration Visa Petitions:Employment Based uTemporary Work Visas uU.S. Citizenship & Derivative Petitions uLabor Certifications uU Visa - Crime Victimd uApplication for Asylum uPetitions for Writ of Habeas Corpus uAppeals to the Board of Immigration Appeal uLawsuits involving Eligibility and Processing for Citizenship uDACA, DAPA & Provisional Waivers uDeportation Defense, 601 Waivers, etc

Source: uscis.gov

lBEWARE OF IMMIGRATION FRAUD

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CALL 718-834-0190 26 Court Street, Suite 701 Brooklyn, NY 11242

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12

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

Government’s Treatment of Asylum Seekers Falling Short

H

BY JOSHUA BREISBLATT

uman Rights First (HRF) and the Commission on U.S. International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) each released reports this month detailing the flawed treatment of asylum seekers in the United States. The USCIRF report, Barriers to Protection: The Treatment of Asylum Seekers in Expedited Removal, looks at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) overall process for asylum seekers, while the HRF report, Lifeline on Lockdown: Increased U.S. Detention of Asylum Seekers, focuses on the increased detention of asylum seekers.

By way of background, under current laws the government employs an expedited process for removing from the United States certain noncitizens, including many new arrivals, without a hearing before an immigration judge. As part of the process, DHS officers (whose primary focus is enforcement) must ask if each individual fears returning to his or her home country, and if so, the person must be afforded an initial screening for humanitarian protection, such as asylum.

The USCIRF report highlights many ways in which this process is failing asylum seekers. One major concern USCIRF raises is that some of the Department of Homeland Security offi-

cials who are processing asylum seekers also are skeptical of their claims. The report provides examples of border patrol agents extensively questioning and casting doubt on the veracity of asylum seekers claims. Yet, their only job as it relates to an asylum seeker is supposed to be noting if the person expresses fear or not.

There also is evidence that border patrol agents are incorrectly stating why individuals are coming to the U.S. As the report explains, “USCIRF investigators were told about a 4-year-old child’s file that indicated he said he had come to the United States to work.”

Further, USCIRF observed officers

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failing to follow their own procedures.

For example, border patrol agents often use template documents to go through the interview and record the person’s narrative. Yet, “USCIRF observed that when a BP agent opened the templates to begin the interview, answers were already included and would require deletion by the agent…USCIRF also observed one agent cutting and pasting the answers from the template into the sworn statement even before the interviewee had finished giving his answers.”

The HRF report focused less on the processing of asylum applicants and more on how asylum seekers end up in

prolonged detention. Despite various DHS directives in recent years indicating that asylum seekers can be released in a variety of capacities, the United States is still detaining asylum seekers in detention conditions similar to criminal prisons for months at a time. In order to be released, the government often demands extremely high bond amounts, and an indigent asylum seeker is very unlikely to be able to pay. High bonds, along with the policy of attempting to deter Central Americans fleeing violence from coming to the U.S. and seeking asylum, have led to an increase in the number of asylum seekers and refugees DHS detains.

Both reports have similar recommendations to protect asylum seekers, including having DHS clarify its directives around parole for asylum seekers to ensure actual implementation and holding individualized custody hearings for all asylum seekers. USCIRF’s report is a follow up to a previous report in 2005, which made many recommendations that have not been implemented.

The U.S. asylum process is a difficult and complex journey for any individual to undertake, and currently, as these report highlight, the U.S. government’s treatment of asylum seekers is falling short. l

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14 NEWS

SMALL BUSINESS

Is Your Small Business Social Enough?

F

BY BRIDGET WESTON POLLACK

acing the task of building a social media following for your small business can feel like an uphill battle. What’s the use of wracking your brain to create engaging content when you have just a few dozen followers? If you create a social media post, and there’s no one to read it, does it even matter?

Have faith, new business owner. It is worth your time to build and nurture your social media presence even when your business — and your online audience — are small.

Here are a few ways to maximize your social media effectiveness now to develop good social marketing habits as your business grows.

Build an emotional connection Take some of the drudgery out of creating social media content by remembering what sort of content you enjoy seeing online. What makes you smile or teaches you something you want to share with a friend?

By thinking about why you appreciate the social media accounts you follow personally, you might be inspired to mimic that successful content on your own social media profiles. Not every post needs to actively sell a product. Your

Instagram feed, for instance, might feature neighborhood scenes, behind the scenes of your latest project, or even furry friends who visit your office.

As your audience grows, their appreciation for the value your business offers will, too.

Use your social media audience as a test market Have an idea for a business promotion, sale or special event? Test it out on social media. It costs nothing but your time to post a spur-of-the-moment special on your Facebook page and see how your fans react.

After observing the results of your social media promotions, you can determine how best to incorporate them to your overall marketing strategy.

Make it easy for people to find you Look around your business and consider

how easy it is for a potential follower to discover your social media profiles. Do you have your handles listed on your receipts, menus or truck? Do you have them listed on your front door or on your business cards?

You can create a social media presence, but people won’t join you there unless you make them aware you’re active on their favorite platforms. It’s particularly true for platforms that are still gaining popularity, like Snapchat.

Consider printing postcard-size fliers to slip into each customer’s bag or box to let them know you’re present and active on your new platform of choice.

Be ready to respond Social media is a fantastic customer service tool, helping you connect with customers one on one without having to wade through your email inbox or track them down in person.

But if you’re not ready to respond to their questions, comments or concerns online, you’re missing an opportunity to stand out.

Use notifications on your desktop computer or phone, so you know when a follower has mentioned you on social media or sent a private message. By responding quickly, you’ll show the follower you care about their thoughts (regardless of whether those thoughts are positive or negative). If your public response is measured and friendly, new followers will notice — say, in the case of a Twitter conversation with an unhappy customer with an issue you’re able to resolve quickly.

Your attention to your social media channels can turn into referrals. “Social media referrals are really important in the decision-making process” for consumers, former SCORE mentor Brad Smith notes . “If you can get your followers on social media and engaging with your content, they’ll become advocates for you.”l Source: sba.gov

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MONEY MATTERS

How to Close Down Joint Accounts During a Divorce

W

REVIEWED BY CANDACE BAHR, CEA, CDFA AND GINITA WALL, CPA, CFP®

hen you begin the process of divorce, you will soon learn how challenging it can be to untangle your life from your ex-spouse, including your finances. If you and your ex share joint checking and savings accounts, you’ll eventually need to divide these assets before the divorce can be finalized. If your spouse is fighting the divorce or trying to make your life difficult, you may need to act fast.

Put a freeze on the account The specter of divorce affects different people in different ways. Unfortunately, it can bring out the worst in spouses, especially when it comes to money. The first thing you want to ensure when the divorce process gets underway is that your spouse cannot unilaterally empty out your joint checking and savings accounts. If this does happen, the court will likely require your ex to reimburse you, but your money could be slow in coming. (Your spouse could also try to hide assets.) Don’t put yourself at risk.

For any bank account you are concerned will be wiped out, such as your savings

account, call your bank and request a freeze unless both parties authorize a withdrawal. Usually you can simply explain that you are in the process of getting a divorce, and the bank will grant this request. Be sure to tell your spouse you are doing this, so there aren’t any unhappy surprises the next time he stops by the ATM.

You have options Once your vulnerable accounts are frozen, you can go ahead and take action to divide your assets. A quick, clean, and easy way to do this would be for both

$399 Divorces

spouses to open new accounts in their individual names and split the money in the shared accounts in a way that both sides feel is fair. Of course, this is often much easier said than done. You may think splitting the shared assets in half is fair, while your spouse may argue that since he earns more, he should get more.

Try to keep an open mind and even temper and search for solutions rather than sticking to your preference out of spite.

At the same time, don’t back down if you feel the split isn’t fair. Once all the money is out of the shared accounts, you can close them out.

15

If one spouse opens their own accounts and takes a portion of the money from the shared account, the other spouse may be tempted just to keep the shared account. But if you keep the shared account, you’ll want to change it so that you are sole owner of the account. No matter how much you trust your exspouse, you should never allow open access to your checking and savings accounts after a division.

We know you have a lot to worry about during your divorce, but don’t let joint checking and savings accounts linger.

Even just putting a freeze on the account can give you some breathing room so you and your spouse can deal with that issue when you are both ready. Learn more about how to financially protect yourself during a divorce in our special section of divorce articles for women.l Reprinted with permission. Candace Bahr, CEA, CDFA and Ginita Wall, CPA, CFP® are the founders of WIFE.org, a nonprofit aims to teach females how to take financial control of their lives after major life transitions — like divorce.

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16 NEWS

JOBS & RECESSION

Start Your Own Day Care Business

T

BY JANET HOWARD

he world of work has become so demanding that more often than you can imagine, both parents, married couples, and in a number of cases, single parents, are required to be on the job at the same time. With this demand comes scheduling problems for parents to individually take care of their children, thus the growing need for today’s “Nanny Industry.” As the industry expands, it is evident that parents do not just need someone to sit and watch their children while they are at work, or have to go socializing. Nannies are now required to have a certain level of training in child care, and in some instances must be certified or even have a formal academic degree in child development.

As a result of the growing demand for nannies who are skilled child care specialists, it is imperative that those seeking to work in the industry be certified. In this light, the New American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), is offering a “Nanny Training Program” to equip not only the Caribbean nationals who are in high demand as nannies, but anyone interested in working in the nanny industry. The program is geared to enhance child care skills and provide a diverse skills set for those desirous of working as nannies. Very often, in addition to taking

care of the child, nannies are now required to assist children with their school work, clean the house, and prepare meals for both the children and their entire families, take children on play dates, among other things. These duties are challenging singularly, and when combined, can become overwhelming for someone who is not properly trained to deal with them. In this regard, in most cases, to land a job as a nanny, it is essential to be prepared by being trained and certified, thus positioning yourself to be competitive in the industry.

The Nanny Training Program offered

by NACC provides the skills set required to fulfill the duties as a nanny, thus making one not just certified, but also equipped with the competitive edge needed to land the job. There is also the

opporunity to learn how to start a daycare. Starting a day care or child care business in New York involves a particular set of legal considerations that are specific both to the type of business and to New York State. These include choosing the proper business entity, obtaining licenses and permits, dealing with health and safety, getting adequate insurance, and dealing with employees. The 5-week Small Business Boot Camp covers all these and more.

One of the lead trainers of the NACC Nanny Training Program, Ms. Kathy Marin, explains what those enrolled in the program can expect: “Critical to the development of children is care, nurturing and the study of behavior from birth onwards. Providing instruction for the modules, Child Development, Birth to 2 Years, and Child Development Ages 2 to Adolescence, would enable me to share and discuss the specific aspects of biological development and indicators of growth and social development and the interaction between the child and its environment, the dynamic two-way psychological impact on and with those whom the child engages. Additionally, understanding cognitive as well as emotional development would empower nannies to understand the reasons behind choices, behavior and actions, even when the child does not fully grasp the full

import of them. Nannies could therefore respond appropriately, having this knowledge. Blending of cultures and an understanding of nannies of different cultures as well as nannies’ understanding of the culture of their employers and the children’s needs serve to shape the environment in which children thrive.

Learning about various stages of development would afford nannies the opportunity to enrich the lives of children, the future of our society. The Nanny Training Certificate Program offered by NACC is geared towards the enhancement of childcare skills. It would serve those persons who care for babies, infants and older children well, if they were to become and remain fully aware of the stages and types of development. By observing those within their care for any abnormal developmental delays, health issues, or the achievement of milestones, nannies may assist parents and guardians in making pertinent decisions in the lives of children. Nannies provide a valuable service in the nurturing, care, social, emotional and academic development of their charges.”

For additional information on the Nanny Training Program, kindly call 855-768-8845, or go to www.nannytraining.nyc where you can register for the program which starts on Saturday, October 1, 2016.l

Nanny Training Certificate Program

Enhance Your Child Care Skills!

Our mission: The Chamber’s mission is to empower nannies to start nanny businesses utilizing the skills developed from our Nanny Training Certificate Program and our Small Business Boot Camp. We establish through our Nanny Training Certificate Program, knowledgeable, nurturing and loving nannies, who are dedicating their careers to challenging children to achieve greatness.

Classes begin Sat, January 28, 2017 @10am sharp!

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Program includes 5-week Small Business Boot Camp: Starting Your Day Care Business

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17

EDUCATION

NYC Has the Most Segregated System in the Nation. Solutions, Mr Mayor? Ms Chancellor?

I

BY TAYANA BELLAMY-WALKER

t has been almost 60 years since the Brown vs. Board of Education case and school segregation still exists within New York’s five boroughs. Two years ago, a report published by The University of California (UCLA) Civil Liberties Project cited that New York City has the most segregated school system in the nation.

According to the New School Center for New York City Affairs, 332 of the city’s 734 neighborhood elementary schools have enrollments that are more than 90 percent African-American and Latino.

District 3 in the Upper West Side, District 5 in Harlem and District 13 in Brooklyn have the greatest differences in their demographic in schools and their attendance zones, according to the report.

“While neighborhoods have changed, schools have remained segregated,” said Ujju Aggarwal, a member of the District 3 Equity in Education Task Force, a social advocacy group that works to expand equitable admissions policies in District 3.

Aggarwal added, “We have one of the most diverse student populations both racially and economically that attend public schools in District 3, but the schools themselves don’t reflect that diversity.”

The District 3 Equity in Education Task Force is advocating for a Controlled Choice policy of admissions, a desegregation model that allows for elementary schools to better reflect the community in terms of socioeconomic and racial demographics.

“Zones exacerbate and produce segregation,” Aggarwal said. “Controlled Choice is a student assignment policy that is rooted in transparency and principles of equity.”

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered school segregation to be unconstitutional. The unanimous court decision overturned the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson provision, which allowed for “separate but equal” public institutions in the United States.

The court’s decision helped to kick off the civil rights movement and prompted public officials to reassess the resources that are allocated to minority communities.

While progress was slow, for a brief time there were improvements.

Following several cases, the courts created stricter school integration laws and were more in tune with the many loopholes in educational equity.

Students in Virginia were granted the “Freedom of Choice” program, which allowed for families to choose annually the school they would attend. In the 1968, Green vs. Board of New Kent County case, constituents reported that the program perpetuated traditional attendance patterns and they urged for a

new solution.

Nearly 60 years later and school segregation in NYC is attributed to school choice programs, residential patterns, a lack of commitment by state officials to integrate schools and policies that heighten racial isolation, according to the UCLA. Some parents may opt to send their children to less racially diverse schools because there are a number of students who travel outside of their zoned school “We not only see a disproportionate concentration of students by race and socioeconomic status, but a dispropor-

tionate concentration of resources,” Aggarwal said. “Segregated schools are not normal and Controlled Choice presents the opportunity to invest in social justice and to invest in equity.”

In November of 2015, Mayor Bill De Blasio explained that school choice is an option for many families. “It’s not an easy thing to solve,” De Blasio said during a media availability conference at City Hall. “This is the history of America.

This is something much deeper than some kind of push-a-button solution.”

De Blasio explained that school zones are essential to preventing overcrowded

school districts. “Those zones are constructed, on a real geographical basis that makes sense in many cases, and you wouldn’t disrupt them without a real careful, thoughtful process. You may have a school that just physically can’t handle the population anymore – you’ve got to come up with some kind of accommodation.”

Improvements to diversity and inclusion are steadily being made within New York’s school system.

In a statement to Caribbean American Weekly, New York City School Chancellor Carmen Fariña and Mayor De Blasio said the Department of Education (DOE) is improving inclusion through the Diversity in Admissions campaign, a program that requests principals from across the city to create enrollment targets for low-income students, homeless youths and English-language-learners.

Over the last two years, the District 3 Equity in Education Task Force has gained increasing administrative support.

They hope that in the next year, Controlled Choice is implemented as an alternative to zoning.

“I think it is clear that it can’t continue like it is. We have reached a crisis point not only in our country, but also in our schools,” Chancellor Farina said. l

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Next Track starts Tuesday, November 1, 2016 @ 6pm

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NEWS 19

NEWS

nHEALTH

nENTERTAINMENT

nRELATIONSHIPS

nRECIPES

nSPORTS

One to Watch

Young Caribbean DesignerEntrepreneur Blossoms

A

nHOROSCOPE

Kitchen Corner

Cantaloupe Cayenne Sorbet

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Directions: Place melon in bowl of a blender. Add sugar, vodka, rice vinegar, lime juice, and cayenne pepper.

BY VANDELL PARK

budding young Jamaican-born designer, Glenroy March, is setting the pace for young Caribbean entrepreneurs, as his designing company, D’Marsh Couture, is evolving into an international lifestyle brand. Already, D’Marsh Couture, which was launched as a spring collection in 2003, during the Caribbean Fashion Week that was held in Kingston, Jamaica, operates four flagship stores in the United States and Europe, and has its design collections being sold in 10 stores in Jamaica, Canada, New York, France and the United Kingdom. March, who now lives in Brooklyn, says he intends to expand his custom design collections customer base across Europe and the United States, as well as opening many more flagship stores, building what he terms a D’Marsh dynasty. He shared his vision about his future: “The plan for the D’Marsh brand in 2016 through 2019, is to do at least 30 boutique stores internationally. House of D’Marsh is the Brooklyn boutique and in another month we will move to Manhattan; then I will be opening up in Los Angeles. I am currently focusing on opening up my brand by catering to a wider customer base where everyone can come and buy a T-shirt, a blouse, pants, a shirt, but the D’Marsh Couture is the primary collection which is all custom-made for clients who understand that market, and that’s what they want. I have clients who don’t wear clothing unless it is custom-made for them.

With the new retail space here at House of D’Marsh and the stores that carry our collections, the now ready to wear designs which are more affordable, comes in sizes from small to large, and customers can just walk into our retail stores and chose what they want to buy. I also custom -make a lot of wedding gowns, but I am expanding as I now have an online store where orders are placed via the internet, as well as retail purchases [that] can be made at the online store.”

March, who won the 2008 McDonalds

BY CHEF JOHN ALLRECIPES.COM

"Here's my version of this delicious sorbet from Humphry Slocombe, one of San Francisco's top ice cream makers. The vodka in this is optional, but I think it helps create a smoother texture." - Chef John

Designer of the Year Award, says his curiosity about designing started out by way of observation back in Jamaica, where he worked as an intern at the Caribbean fashion house, Uzuri International. March says he is basically self-taught, as he started experimenting on designs following his internship. He subsequently gained practical experience in designing while working in the costume section of the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts. March says his love for style and glamour are the driving forces behind his detailed collections. He noted that while his designs will be sold retail, he will continue his custom-made clientele base since there is a huge market for that type of designing.

Currently, he utilizes Internet technology such as Skype, to serve his custom-made customers across the Caribbean, Europe, the United States and Canada. The D’Marsh brand is now seeking to create a niche in other product areas such as handbags, wallets, cosmetics, candle collections, and coffee table magazines, that are tailored for customers who often make special requests. In addition to the proposed boutiques, March says he will continue to promote his D’Marsh collections by holding special fashion shows, as well as participating in already established designers fashion shows. D’Marsh has about fifteen permanent employers in addition to about ten contract workers.

March stated that as the boutiques open across different cities, many more people will be employed since his objective is to carve a clothing and designer brand that will evolve possibly into a multi-million corporation. l

Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds cantaloupe chunks 1/2 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons vodka 1 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Blend on highest speed to completely liquefy, 1 or 2 minutes.

Pour into ice cream maker and proceed according to manufacturer's instructions. Smooth out surface and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, at least 5 hours.

• •

Prep: 15 minutes Ready in: 5 hours 15 minutes

Cook's Notes: *Recipe slightly adapted from one found in Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book.

1/4 teaspoon cayenne made this sorbet pretty spicy, so use less if you prefer less heat.l

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20 NEWS

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

How to Support Someone Through Miscarriage

T

BY RACHEL CARRIGAN DOBLER

he loss of a child is a trauma that no one should have to go through.

This loss is uniquely experienced after a miscarriage when a mama was not able to meet her baby earthside at all or for very long. As an outsider to the pregnancy, you may find it difficult to know how to react. Whether or not the pregnancy "felt" like a baby to you, it probably did to your friend. With that in mind, let's look at a how to support someone through miscarriage.

Validate the mother’s experience Many women experience miscarriage differently. Sometimes the scientific literature surrounding pregnancy can make a mother feel that her sense of loss is being minimized. Regardless of views, both parents’ emotional experience should be prioritized.

Now is not the time for facts, information, or trite comforts (“you can always try again”). A very early miscarriage at any point within or after the first trimester could be perceived the same by different women. Love rarely has logic and it is biologically in the child’s best interest for a mother to bond early. That’s

the main fact to keep in mind as you let your friend or partner know that what she is feeling is real, it is painful, and you are there to support her grieving process however it manifests.

Be present In her world, she is a mama with empty arms. She knew her baby, felt her baby’s effects on her body. This is real. So hear her pain and sit with it. It will be uncom-

fortable for you to see and hear but oftentimes the best comfort is simply being there. It may seem overly simple; on the other hand, it can be so hard to see the someone you love going through so much pain. Don’t check out. Tune in.

Hold her, sit with her, let her cry whenever she feels like it. If she is having a good day, support that as well. Nothing quite says you care like staying present to her pain and experience.

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Help out in a real way No matter the grieving process, there is almost always a way that you can show up to make her life easier. A miscarriage is not only emotionally draining, but physically draining as well. It is unlikely that she is going to have the energy to maintain day-to-day obligations. Don’t discount the incredible blessing it can be to have practical support Respect the boundaries of your relationship, of course, but consider how you can take something off of her plate (and do it in such a way that it doesn’t require more effort from her!). If she has other children, taking them out for a few hours (or days!) can give mama space to grieve without editing her emotions for her children. These kinds of gestures mean the world to those who are experiencing a loss.

Listen to her fears Fears may be immediately apparent and articulated or they may be more subtle and take longer to manifest. If you and mama are having a conversation, listen to her anxieties. It may be helpful to offer that most women have successful pregnancies after a miscarriage. She might be afraid that she lost her pregnancy because of something she did; remind yourself and her that even doing everything right may not make any difference.

She needs to know that her fears are okay and valid but don’t encourage them to run wild.

Don’t forget This is possibly the most important piece of supporting someone through a loss of any kind. We often feel as if there is a statute of limitations on our grief and feel that we cannot let others know that the pain is still there or can still be triggered.

This can be amplified with a miscarriage because others cannot sense the loss as intimately as the mother. For a close friend who you know felt extremely connected to their unborn child, checking in with them on the due date and on the anniversary of their loss could help them continue to find closure. Whether it’s a gift, card, or even a sensitive text message, your thoughtfulness creates space for her experience.l

Rachel Carrigan Dobler is a student and project manager for Estes Therapy.

Connection is a passion of Rachel’s as a psychology student pursuing a career in therapy. Rachel’s goal is to help provide educational and emotional resources to others as they journey through the beautiful and tragic experiences of humanity.

Rachel works under direct supervision of Jennine Estes MFT#47653, a Marriage and Family Therapist in San Diego, CA. Certified in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples.

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NEWS 21

HEALTH

Young and Depressed: Why More and More Teenagers Refuse to Talk about Their Depression

M

ental disorders and mental illnesses are not race-specific.

They can affect any race, nationality, gender or age. Yet, mental illness is very often stigmatized in black communities. As a result, they often do not seek help as they would with a physical illness. Why? In black communities, especially amongst young people — particularly teenagers, it is often not OK to talk about depression or other mental illnesses in their lives. Particularly among men, it is not socially acceptable for them to admit or talk about their mental illness. It is considered taboo to admit that they have something mentally wrong. The stigma of mental illness and resulting aversion to seeking treatment is reflected in some startling statistics: Many mental illnesses can be traced to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), such as divorce, neglect and abuse.

Adverse Childhood Experiences greatly increase a person's risk of developing a mental illness at some point in their life.

Yet, 62 percent of black adults have experienced at least one ACE during

Pop star Selena Gomez

their life.

There are three times as many seriously mental ill people in prison than there are in hospitals, and half of all prisoners are African-American.

Young black women are more likely to self-harm (a form of mental illness) than any other race.

According to Mental Health America, 63 percent of African Americans believe that depression is a personal weakness.

African-American patients are more like-

ly to feel comfortable with AfricanAmerican physicians. They feel they are more participatory and less likely to misdiagnose. Yet, in 1998, only 2 percent of psychiatrists, 2 percent of psychologists and 4 percent of social workers were African Americans.

Education, starting with teenagers and young ones, is one way to remove barriers to treatment. Fully understanding depression and other forms of mental illnesses and the treatments available can help alleviate the fear or stigma many African-Americans may have about these health care needs.

Mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children. Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral.

Symptoms in children may include the following: -Changes in school performance -Excessive worry or anxiety, for instance -fighting to avoid bed or school -Hyperactive behavior -Frequent nightmares

-Frequent disobedience or aggression -Frequent temper tantrums Recently, pop star Selena Gomez decided to take a break from the spotlight to deal with "anxiety, panic attacks and depression."

A year after revealing her Lupus diagnosis, the songstress announced that she will take time off to deal with the side effects of the illness.

"I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off," she told People magazine.

"I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues," she continued.l Source: Minority/Black Health Blog. The content or opinions expressed here are not to be interpreted as medical advice.

Please consult with your doctor or medical practitioner before utilizing any suggestions here.

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22 NEWS

MOVING FORWARD

Pride and Beyond: A Caribbean Perspective

W

BY ANTOINE CRAIGWELL

ith the passing of Pride Month, in June, for many in the LGBT community there is a sense of having celebrated accomplishments, and mourned the 49 who were killed in Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida. For many LGBT in the U.S. and across the world, the shooting was particularly painful. It was inflicted on a population already victims of violence, ostensibly, by one of their own, whose struggles and anguish came to a crisis point, in a place many frequent to escape daily overt and covert attacks, and without inhibitions, to be themselves.

While Pride, especially during June, is seen as a U.S.-centered event, commemorating the Stonewall riots, considered by many LGBT as the origins of the gay rights movement, taking place across the country, and adopted in other countries; many feel, that as a movement, it has departed from its origins. With corporate interests becoming more prominent, Pride has moved away from the protests and demonstrations that it once was, and needs to continue. Pride has assumed a mask, a lavish parade that is predominantly White, and despite many of the advances in state and federal legal acceptance, many LGBT peoples of color still feel left out of the celebrations; for many, there isn’t much to celebrate across the country, in many states, there still remain injustices and state sponsored discrimination: a person could be fired from his/her job, denied an application to rent property, or be denied service in an establishment for being — even if perceived to be — LGBT. Many LGBT peoples of color still struggle and suffer intense discrimination, stigma, homophobia, marginalization, ostracism from family, and the debilitating effects of racism.

Often eschewing the impositions of the “progressive North” as a form of neocolonialism or new imperialism, yet, cherry picking relevant aspects, many LGBT in the Caribbean have formed social protection associations, which have morphed into viable and internationally accepted organizations. These include J-Flag in Jamaica, SASOD in Guyana, CAISO in Trinidad and Tobago, United and Strong in St. Lucia, and Barbados-GLAD. Using their creativity, with funding, capacity building and technical support from international agencies, these organizations have learned to circumvent their countries anti-buggery laws, to provide the barest support services, including sexual health, civil action training, advocating and as activists for policy changes in governments, and encouraging their respective countries to practice the tenets of their countries’ constitutions.

Many English-speaking Caribbean countries still retain colonial era buggery laws, which remain contradictory to their

respective state’s constitutions, and which call for and enshrine the human rights of all of their citizens; same-sex relationships were decriminalized in England, the origin of the imposition of the laws on British colonies. These laws, despite the valiant efforts by many local and international activists to move toward repeal and greater recognition of the “human rights” aspect, continue to face resistance from predominantly Christian religious churches and organizations.

While many in the Caribbean would reject anything American, as being imperialist and an imposition, many countries, to balance their respective state’s budgets, depend heavily on American tourist dollars, and while the Christian religious right in the U.S. recognized that with same-sex marriages being legal across the country it is losing the fight to preserve the “sanctity of the family,” they have increased their presence in the Caribbean, doling out the coveted dollar to evangelical churches who preach hate, which often is transformed into acts of violence against anyone perceived in anyway as LGBT. Research studies suggest that when states, as in Jamaica, Guyana, and Belize, support and promote discrimination, marginalization, and homophobia, they amplify the behaviors, promoted by the churches, at the family level, in the household; often reinforcing the denial of self, and consequently, a descent into depression and suicidal ideation. A child in such as household who perceives or is subject to the denial of who he/she is, and is not accepted, is likely to create an alternate persona, one face, to satisfy the expectations of his/her family and the world, and another, which resides in the shadows, longing for release. But when the “true” self is forcibly suppressed, there comes a point where that person is unable to maintain these separate and dueling personas, he/she arrives at a point of crisis, a conflict which many chose to either resolve or avoid, by becoming more religiously devout — as if increased devotion would take away that which is natural and engaging in increased alcohol consumption or drug use and abuse, sexually promiscuous behavior, or acts of domestic violence against a spouse and children. In the documentary, “You Are Not Alone,” David Goode-Cross, Ph.D. said, “We are not meant to be inauthentic for very long.”

The depression that develops is a combination of exogenous or environmental factors, such as the denial of self, and an endogenous or biological predisposition, which could become toxic, with fatal consequences. The shooter in Orlando, it was revealed, struggled with his sexuality and sexual orientation, which collided with the strict radical demands of his parents and their Islamic beliefs, becoming his unmanageable point of crisis.

It is to raise awareness of the underly-

When the “true” self

is forcibly suppressed, there comes a point

where that person is unable to maintain

these separate and dueling personas,

he/she arrives at a point of crisis...

ing psychosocial and sociocultural factors contributing to depression in Black gay men throughout the African Diaspora, to prevent their suicides that Depressed Gay Black Men (DBGM) was founded and has expanded its raison d’etre to the many LGBT peoples of color communities. On October 5 and 6, DBGM held “In My Mind: A LGBT

Antoine Craigwell

People of Color Mental Health Conference — Recognizing, Articulating and Meeting Our Needs” at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House Building in Lower Manhattan.

This conference is intended to provide information, education and resources to assist with addressing the mental health of LGBT peoples of color.l

PLANNING FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court handed down a historic decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, 135 S.Ct. 2584 (2015), ruling that samesex couples had the right to marry in all states, and all state laws forbidding same-sex marriages were declared unconstitutional. How do you prepare and plan as a same-sex couple? Attend our FREE seminar and learn: lPractical estate planning tips for same-sex couples

lAnalysis of the “Whether to Wed” advice from a legal, tax, and financial planning perspective

lYour state and federal rights and benefits that are now available to same-sex couples lImmigration rights for same-sex couples and more!

For attend our FREE Seminar or to schedule a consultation, call 718-722-9217 Location: 26 Court Street, Suite 701, Downtown Brooklyn

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.CAWNYC.COM FOR MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION, FREE LEGAL CONSULTATIONS AND A CHANCE TO WIN A TV!

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Is It Too Late to Sue?

F

iling your lawsuit on time is critical. Please consult with an attorney regarding the statutues of limitation for your state. Here are the answers to FAQs:

How long do I have to file my lawsuit?

No one-size-fits-all answer exists. Every state has its own time limits, called statutes of limitations, and even within a state the period of time within which you must file a lawsuit varies according to the type of claim. For example, rules in one state may allow a plaintiff with a personal injury claim (such as a broken leg) one year from the date of injury to file suit and a plaintiff with a breach of contract claim (such as failure to make good on a promissory note) four years from the date of breach to sue. In another state, personal injury plaintiffs may have two years to sue, and plaintiffs with breach of contract claims may have five years.

Are statutes of limitations for suing someone always one year?

No, but statutes of limitations generally allow at least one year. Except for when you sue a government agency, you almost always have at least one year from the date of harm to file a lawsuit, no matter what type of claim you have or which state you live in. In short, you should have no statute of limitations worries if you sue within this one-year period.

Example: Henry is injured in an auto accident on February 1. On March 1 of the same year, a lawyer whom Henry hires recommends that he seek compensation for his injuries from the driver of the other car. Henry spends months trying to settle with the other driver's insurance company. Finally, on September 1 of the same year, the insurance company writes to Henry that "We'll pay you $1,000, nothing more." Henry concludes that the offer is grossly inadequate and decides to sue the other driver. If Henry isn't sure of his state's statute of limitations for personal injury cases, he should be sure to file the suit by February 1 of the next year and his complaint will definitely be timely.

Once you file a complaint on time, a statute of limitations has nothing to do with how long it takes for a case to conclude. However, most states do have separate "diligent prosecution" statutes, which require you to move your case to trial within a certain time period or face dismissal.

When does the clock start ticking for statutes of limitations?

Once you've figured out what statute of limitations applies to your case, your next step is to determine when the clock starts ticking. In most situations the time starts to run on the "date of harm" — that is, on the date when you were injured, your

property was harmed, or a contract or agreement was violated.

However, a huge exception to this general rule exists. The exception protects plaintiffs in situations where they may not be aware for months or even years that they have been harmed. In such situations, statutes of limitations may start the clock ticking either on the "date of discovery" of the harm or on the date on which the plaintiff "should have discovered" the harm. In short, for some types of legal actions the statute of limitations clock can start ticking at three different times!

Earliest: The date of harm.

Later: The date on which the plaintiff reasonably should have discovered the harm.

This refers to the date when a judge considers it fair to say that the plaintiff should have known about the harm, even if the plaintiff didn't actually know about it.

NEWS 23

Latest: The date on which the plaintiff actually discovered the harm.

What are the statutes of limitations for suing government agencies?

Often you cannot sue a government agency unless you first file an administrative claim with the city, county, or state of which the agency is a part. And you may have as little as 60 days to submit an administrative claim. If (as usually happens) the government denies your claim, the denial letter will tell you how long you have to file a lawsuit in court. Check your state's rules quickly after you suffer harm.l Source: nolo.com Note: This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult with an attorney. Call 855-768-8845 for a FREE, NO OBLIGATION legal consultation.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.CAWNYC.COM FOR MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION, FREE LEGAL CONSULTATIONS AND A CHANCE TO WIN A TV!

Philando Castile

BLACK LIVES MATTER! Freddie Gray

Alton Sterling

Delrawn Small

Civil Rights Advocacy Training & Radio Hosting 5-week Program To register for these classes, call 718-722-9217 or visit www.chambercoalition.org/blm Session 1 -Nov 7

FREE Presentation by the EEOC from 6:00pm-6:45pm

Session 2 - Nov 14

FREE Presentation by the CCHR from 6:00pm-6:45pm

Session 3 - Nov 21

FREE Presentation by the NYC Comptroller’s Office

from 6:00pm-6:45pm

Session 4 - Nov 28

Session 5 - Dec 5

FREE Presentation by the NYPD from 6:00pm-6:45pm

FREE Presentation by the CCRB from 6:00pm-6:45pm

Class IV Case Studies: Trayvon Martin, FL and Abner Louima, NY Discussion IV

Class V Your Civil Rights Trial - With and Without an Attorney * Affordable Housing vs. Low Income Housing * How Do I Qualify? * Closing Remarks

Presented by the Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates from 6:45pm-7:30pm

Class 1: Introduction: A Brief History of Civil Rights Law and How it Has Evolved Case Studies: Trayvon Martin, FL and Abner Louima, NY Discussion I * My Civil Rights Was Violated, Who Can I Sue? * Filing a Notice of Claim Against a City, Town, or Municipal Agency in NY. * Statute of Limitations * Settlement: Verdict Search: Can I Settle Now?

Class 11: The 50-H Hearing Case Studies: Trayvon Martin, FL and Abner Louima, NY Discussion II

Class 111 Case Studies: Trayvon Martin, FL and Abner Louima, NY - Discussion III

* Suing the City of New * The Complaint I York: Library Resources * Settlement: Verdict to Support a Notice of search: Can I Settle Claim and 50-H Now? Hearing * Bill of Particulars * Settlement: Verdict Search: Can I Settle Now?

* The Complaint II * The PC Conference * Interrogatories * Winning Your Case at the Deposition * Settlement: Verdict search: Can I Settle Now?

OUR PLAN: Make NYC spend one billion dollars in legal fees defending Police Misconduct

The sentiment at most rallies are, “the police are f*****g us up, the establishment, Black or White, are unresponsive to the ground war against us, we are dying and it is time the revolution begins.” That’s why Black Lives Matter the organization and its leaders are inspiring rallies for CHANGE. We are tired of that and we’re not gonna take it anymore. What can we do? At our Chamber, with the support of Figeroux & Associates, we offer our Civil Rights Advocacy Training and Radio Hosting. We want you to litigate the establishment to death (debt).

MAKE A DIFFERENCE: BECOME A CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCACY RADIO HOST!

Sessions run from 7:30pm-8:30pm Session 1: Introduction, Radio Checklist & Show Concept Session 2: Creating Your Own Radio Show & Income Opportunities Session 3: Marketing, Social Media & Podcasting Session 4: Voice Training, Interview Techniques & Practical Exercises Session 5: Studio Etiquette, Mike Presence & Practical Exercises

Radio Hosting Program Training: $250

NACC Paralegal Certificate Program

www.freeparalegal.org

Radio hosts must complete Civil Rights Training & Radio Hosting Program to qualify for 3-months FREE hosting!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.CAWNYC.COM FOR MORE NEWS AND INFORMATION, FREE LEGAL CONSULTATIONS AND A CHANCE TO WIN A TV!