CHALLENGER COMMUNITY NEWS

Roc My Brother’s Keeper Hosts First Ever Youth Peace Summit

The City of Rochester and Rochester City School‘s first ever My Brothers Keeper (ROC MBK) Youth Peace Summit was held last Saturday (March 25) at Monroe Community College Downtown Campus.

Young men and women from the city’s neighborhoods shared insights and observations regarding the community’s ongoing struggle with violent crime, articulated top concerns from their perspective and recommended potential solutions. The City of Rochester’s Youth Voice One Vision, the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, and the RCSD’s Student Leadership Congress as well as other local youth groups were a part of the planning for this event.

ROC MBK is a collaborative effort between New York State, the City of Rochester, the RCSD and local community agencies that focuses on the creation of sustainable pathways for young people with an emphasis on males of color. ROC MBK is a member of the national My Brothers Keeper alliance, which was launched in 2014 by President Barack Obama and transitioned to the Chicago-based Obama Foundation.

Sponsoring agencies included the City Department of Recreation and Human Services; RCSD; Monroe Community College; the Rochester Police Department, the Monroe County Youth Bureau, IBERO American Action League, and the office of Monroe County Legislator Ricky Frazier. Residents seeking more information can call Coordinator of Roc MBK Initiatives George Warren at (585) 428-7938 or email George.Warren@CityofRochester.Gov.

Hustle for Health!

UPSTATE NEW YORK MWBE CONFERENCE

KICKOFF: Pictured above is a scene from the kickoff event for the first Upstate New York MWBE Conference. The evening featured a networking jazz reception, and awards dinner at the Strathallen. The room was filled with Rochester's brightest minds sharing their inspiring, and empowering stories. The actual inaugural Upstate NY MWBE Conference was held March 22 – 24, where minority and women business owners gained a better understanding of the MWBE certification process, learned how to compete for government contracts, meet contractual obligations, and establish relationships among industry peers and contractors.

#Rochester #ROCJobs #MWBE #WhatsGoodRochester

Community Garage Sales and Superfleas Return

April

The City of Rochester Public Market kicks off the annual Community Garage Sales and Superfleas event series 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday April 16. Shoppers will have access to dozens of vendors with many bargains from used clothing to antiques and much more. The 2023 Garage Sale season will operate 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the following dates:

•April 16 &30 •June 18

•July 2, 16 & 30

• Aug. 13 & 27

• Sept. 10 & 24 • Oct. 8 & 22 Vendor tables are $35 per day. For application and info visit cityofrochester.gov/garagesales or stop in to the Market Office, 280 N. Union St.For news and updates, follow the Public Market on Facebook and Instagram.

YOUTH SUMMIT:Scene from first My Brothers Keeper Youth Summit.

AREA BRIEFS

Tisdale is Keynote Panelist at

Law Conference

Celes Tisdale will be the keynote panelist at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law conference, April 14 and 15. The conference theme is “Connecting Art and Law for Liberation.”

Professor Tisdale will discuss and read from his new book: When the Smoke Cleared: Attica Prison Poems and Journal (Duke University Press). The book has been hailed as critically important in this era of mass incarceration and neo-enslavement. He will also read poems from his personal collection: Silhouettes during the two-day conference.

A long time Buffalo resident and educator, he and his wife Tujuana, currently reside in Augusta, Georgia.

Gail Wells to Receive UB School of Architecture and Planning’s Highest Award

Gail Vonita Wells is the recipient of The University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning‘s prestigious Dean's Medal for 2023. She will receive the award at the school’s 51st annual commencement on Friday, May 19 at UB's Center for the Arts.

The award is the highest honor bestowed by the School in recognition of exemplary contributions to the study and practice of the school’s disciplines and to the “betterment of our world.” Ms. Wells is being honored for her “remarkable commitment to innovation and distinguished leadership.”

Over a thousand parents, friends, and loved ones are expected to attend the ceremony.

Gail holds two degrees from SUNY University at Buffalo; an undergraduate degree in Public Policy/Administration and a graduate degree in Urban Planning.

A co-founder of the Buffalo Black Dance Workshop and the founder of Freedom Gardens, she is currently Chair of the Buffalo Green Fund. A champion for food equity, Ms. Wells has expanded her vision to creating a Food Forest Garden in the inner city's JFK Park. Gail retired from a 29 year career in higher education in December 2014, but still maintains a passion for social justice, which is the thread that ties together all that she does and loves.

A Reunion Planning Committee being formed for Former Students Who Attended School 47

A Reunion Planning Committee is being formed for former students who attended School 47- Pratt. St. If interested please join us by calling Pearlie Mae Jones- Hargro at 716-842-1535.

"Pursuit of tRuth”

National Leaders Will Participate in the “5/14 Remembrance Recovery & Prevention Of Hate Conference” Here

The Whitfield family is calling it the “Pursuit of tRuth” Conference.

The small “t” and capital “R” is a deliberate play on words.

It's a tribute to their beloved mother, Ruth Whitfield 86, one of ten innocent people who was gunned down on a Saturday afternoon by a racist White Supremacist in Tops Supermarket on Jefferson Avenue May 14, 2022.

The conference is in honor and rememberance of all the victims who lost their lives in that tragic massacre.

“Please join us for three days in Remembrance of all victims of hate with a reexamination of the conditions that led a murderous assailant to select the East Side as the soft target of choice,” reads the conference literature.

Both of Mrs. Whitfield's sons, Raymond and Garnell Whitfield, a former Buffalo Fire Commissioner, have been outspoken about bringing an end to racial violence, assault weapons and hate. Raymond has spoken at the United Nations and Garnell has testified before Congress.

-Three Days-

The conference, which will take place primarily on the Buffalo State University campus, will be held April 20, 21 and 22.

Some of the highlights will include a variety of panels which deal with thought provoking themes and topics such as The tRUTH ABOUT the Legacy & Myth of White Supremacy; The evolution of an evil ideology that led to the Buffalo massacre ; and Buffalo's Climate for Activism & Advocacy Before and After 5/14.

Dr. Jelani Cobb, Columbia University Dean of Journalism, will deliver the luncheon keynote address on Friday in the Warner Enters Theater.

A VIP Cocktail Party is also scheduled for Friday.

A Freedom of Speech -vs- A Free-Pass to Incite Hate—Town Hall Debate on Saturday April 22 will give participants an opportunity to hear from, and speak to the preeminent professionals on the frontline of the debate between the First Amendment and the looming threat of white supremacy hate speech.

Scheduled participants will include United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu; Attorney Benjamin Lloyd Crump; Columbia University Dean of Journalism and MSNBC Contributor Dr. Jelani Cobb; NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman; CBS National Host & Correspondent Jericka Duncan; Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., dean of Africana Studies at Princeton University; Amy Spitalnick, executive director of Integrity First for America. Local conference guests and participants include Dr. Henry Taylor, director of the Community Health Equity Research Institute at the University at Buffalo; Historian Emmanuel Kulu Jr. and Dr. Fatima Morrell, chief for culturally and linguistically responsive initiatives Buffalo Public Schools,

A Night of Resilience Black Tie Launch Gala Will be held at the Buffalo History Museum on Saturday, April 22 featuring keynote speaker UN Under Secretary General Alice Wairimu Nderitu.

For more conference information and event tickets, go to pursuitoftruth.co.

-Say their Names-

April 4, 1968: The Day They Killed The King

On April 3, in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last sermon, saying, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop … And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

Just after 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot while standing on the balcony outside his second-story room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The civil rights leader was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers’ strike and was on his way to dinner when he was

shot by a sniper. King was pronounced dead after his arrival at a Memphis hospital. He was 39 years old. Dr. King was a social activist and Baptist minister who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination. He was jailed nearly 30 times and narrowly escaped an assassination attempt 10 years before his death when Izola Ware Curry, a mentally ill Black woman stabbed the Rev. Dr. King Jr. at a Harlem book signing. She died

Continued Page 9

Continued Page 5

UCLA

Professor Tisdale

Ms. Wells

From Left: Dr. Cobb, Jericka Duncan, Alice Nderitu, Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr, Amy Spitalnick, Attorney Crump.

FAITH & FAMILY D.I.V.A.S For Christ Inc.: “It’s Revival Time!”

God’s Ministry Healing & Deliverance Conference

This is God’s Ministry healing and deliverance conference will be Friday- Sunday April 28-30, at Harvest House Church, 1782 Seneca St., Buffalo. Host and speaker will be Elder Nee Nee Harvey, of This is God’s Ministry, on Friday the 28th at 6p.m. Sister Rhonda Mingo of Family and Friends Prayer line Ministry will be the speaker on Saturday the 29th at 12p.m. Pastor Wanda Strong-Howard of Prayer in the Park Ministry will be speaking Sunday the 30th at 12p.m. Looking for singers, keyboard, and piano players, also vendors. For information contact Elder Nee Nee 716994-7059.

From April 12 to 14 The D.I.V.A.S for Christ Inc. will celebrate their 14th anniversary with a three day “Redeemed and Ready" revival featuring guest Revivalist Prophet Terrell Turner at Miracle Missions Full Gospel Church, 406 Sycamore Street where Overseer James A. Lewis is Senior Pastor. The host is Pastor Marquitta Whitehead.

Lemon Street Gardens Receives Lunenfeld Beautification Grant

Lemon Street Gardens, representing The Fruit Belt Community Land Trust, is the recipient of a $500 Gardens Buffalo Niagara 2023 Lunenfeld Beautification Grant. One of the stipulations for consideration of the grant is that the gardening project is designed to bring neighbors together. Catherine Carr Lincoln is Lemon Street Garden’s “guardian angel” again this year who will work with residents to beautify their corner of the city.

Gardens Buffalo Niagara creates more vibrant and beautiful communities by sharing gardens through events including the East Side Garden Walk which takes place July 22 and 23 and Garden Walk Buffalo, America’s largest garden tour which takes place July 29 and 30 this year. It also promotes the many other regional garden tours in the region.

“In this season of rebirth, may you feel your faith renewed and your heart made new with the hope Easter brings.” Happy Resurrection Day!

Links 2023 Scholarship Deadline April 7

The Buffalo NY Chapter of the Links Incorporated are offering the following four scholarships for applicable students:

1. Buffalo (NY) Links Scholarship for graduating 12th graders entering college by Fall 2023.

2. James & Vernette Patterson Engineering Scholarship for graduating 12th graders going into an engineering program or a current college student majoring in engineering.

3. Joan E. Sutton Memorial Scholarship for African American Females age 21 & older interested in continuing education or a special activity/project.

4. Brian Michael Harper Memorial Scholarship for a student attending Cornell University – new this year, more details to follow.

The deadline for all applications is April 7, 2023. Go to LinksBuffalochapter.org/.scholarships for all details and to apply.

Uncrowned Queens Scholarships Available

Graduating seniors urged to apply for memorial scholarships honoring Uncrowned Queens

Applications are now available for graduating seniors interesting in applying for the following memorial scholarships:

•The Mary Crosby Chappelle Memorial Scholarship Chappelle retired from teaching after 32 years in the classroom. SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT: $1,000.

•The Ida Dora Fairbush Memorial Scholarship is named for the first African American hired to teach in a Buffalo Public School. Miss Fairbush was a member of a pioneer Black family who settled in Buffalo about 1850.

SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT: $1,000

A short biography is available on each of these “Queens” is on the Uncrowned CommunityBuilders websitehttps://uncrownedcommunitybuilders.com/person/ida

For a scholarship application go to the Uncrowned Community Builders website at www.uncrownedcommunitybuilders.com

Contact: Call Desiree Breckenridge-Barnes if you have questions at 716-480-7595 or email her at DBreckenridgeBarnes@buffaloschools .org and uqibuffalo@yahoo.com for scholarship application information.

Trocaire College Offering 27 Full Scholarships

Are you or someone you know interested in a 2-year degree at no expense that leads to high-demand jobs in health care, like nursing, radiological technology, surgical technology, massage therapy, and medical assisting?

If you are a first-time college student and your family meets the income-eligibility guidelines you could qualify for a fullscholarship to Trocaire College to earn that degree! Academiceligibility is widely flexible; students with averages in the 70s to the 90s can qualify.

If students qualify for Trocaire’s Opportunity Program (TOP), they receive full coverage for tuition (no student loans!), fees, books/materials, and a $500 stipend each semester for personal expenses. Students also complete a 5-week Summer Bridge Program at Trocaire College from July 10 through August 11 to make the transition to college. Apply today!

Step 1: Apply to Trocaire College and ask your high school to send your transcript to Trocaire, so they can determine if you’re academically-eligible. Or, you can provide Trocaire College with your GED transcript.

Step 2: complete the FAFSA and list Trocaire College as one of the colleges you’d like to receive your FAFSA info, so Trocaire can determine if you’re economically-eligible.

Step 3: Complete a TOP application.Apply Today!

Questions? Please contact Jennifer Morrison, Associate Director of TOP, 716-827-2562 or morrisonj@trocaire.edu.

From Racist Rant To A Slap On The Wrist: Captain Beyer is Back on the Job!

Young Black Officers and Mental Health Clinician Still Moving Forward With Their Federal Lawsuit

It was a slap on the wrist.

Captain Amber Beyer, whose racist rants about Black men and the Black community and flagrant use of the “N” word resulted in two officers and a mental health clinician in her unit to file a racial discrimination lawsuit, has returned to work following an internal affairs investigation and an arbitration hearing. Although she will no longer be in charge of the Behavioral Health Team which she previously led, she managed to keep her job - this time in the Commissioner’s office. She will eventually be able to put in for a position on the open transfer list. From day one many in the community felt Beyer should have been fired or at least demoted.

Several officers have said the “Implicit Bias Training” she received is a joke. It sounds like some more of Mayor Brown and Commissioner Gramaglia's smoke and mirrors style "misleadership." Not long ago the two of them denied that a “culture of a racism” even existed in the Buffalo Police Department.

Meanwhile, Officers Brandon Hawkins and Katelynn Bolden and mental health clinician Erica Seymour are moving forward with their federal lawsuit and are seeking damages.

A Stand Against Racism Benefit is scheduled for next Saturday, April 15 at the Johnnie B. Wiley Stadium to help raise funds to help the young officers and mental health worker who may face expenses in their fight such as legal fees. They have taken a stand. Let’s support them! Tickets for the benefit are $30. For more information and tickets call Lisa Wilson-Smith 716-602-4438 or Andrea Anderson (716)335-3157.

See you there!

MARTIN LUTHER KING continued from page 3

in 2015 at the age of 98.

As word of the assassination spread, riots broke out in cities all across the United States and National Guard troops were deployed in Memphis and Washington, D.C. On April 9, King was laid to rest in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to pay tribute to King’s casket as it passed by in a wooden farm cart drawn by two mules.

On June 8, Scotland Yard investigators arrested James Earl Ray at a London airport. He was trying to fly to Belgium, with the eventual goal, he later admitted, of reaching Rhodesia. Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe, was at the time ruled by an oppressive and internationally condemned white minority government. Extradited to the United States, Ray stood before a Memphis judge in March 1969 and pleaded guilty to King’s murder in order to avoid the electric chair. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

During the 1990s, the widow and children of Martin Luther King Jr. spoke publicly in support of Ray and his claims, calling him innocent and speculating about an assassination conspiracy involving the U.S. government and military. U.S. authorities were, in conspiracists’ minds, implicated circumstantially. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover obsessed over King, who he thought was under communist influence. For the last six years of his life, King underwent constant wiretapping and harassment by the FBI. Before his death, Dr. King was also monitored by U.S. military intelligence, which may have been asked to watch King after he publicly denounced the Vietnam War in 1967. Furthermore, by calling for radical economic reforms in 1968, including guaranteed annual incomes for all, King was making few new friends in the Cold War-era U.S. government.

Martin Luther King Jr. born January 15 1929, entered Morehouse College at the age of 15, the alma mater of his father and maternal grandfather.

On Monday April 10, at 7p.m., University at Buffalo graduate students James Coughlin and Zachary Shackelford will present their respective research about the history of segregation in Buffalo.

Coughlin’s presentation

“City of Distant Neighbors: The Growth and Entrenchment of Residential Segregation in Buffalo, New York (1934 to 1961),” discusses the history and impact of segregated housing policies, urban renewal, and real estate discrimination throughout Buffalo.

Shackelford’s presentation “Black Youth and Public Transportation: Access, Health, and the Problem of Policing” details the development and continuation of inequities related to Buffalo’s public transportation system. Each presentation emphasizes the efforts of Black Buffalonians to resist and organize against segregation and exploitation. A question and answer session will follow each talk, as well as a concluding conversation with attendees. “City of Distant Neighbors” will also feature a Zoom option via the Facebook event page "City of Distant Neighbors: Histories of Segregation in Buffalo."

Following the heinous and tragic Jefferson Avenue Tops shooting and the December blizzard’s disproportionate effect on Buffalo’s East Side, there has been a renewed interest citywide in examining the roots, structure, and maintenance of Buffalo’s residential segregation.

“In organizing this event” notes Coughlin, “Zach and I wanted to facilitate spaces where local history is accessible to the broader community. We believe it is our responsibility as scholars, especially when our research focuses on Buffalo, to empower folks to learn, question, and most importantly change the structural inequality impacting our city.”

While providing access to local history, this event also seeks to counteract a historical and ongoing impetus to silence and whitewash Black History.

“With ongoing attacks on Black History curriculum and book bans taking hold in states such as Florida and Texas, it is imperative that we counter this by democratizing history” stated Coughlin. “The historic and present structure of Buffalo's segregation reveals an intentional and explicit intent to exclude Black Buffalonians from equitable opportunities. This process was implemented and is left in-tact largely by folks who did not live in, or sought to leave, Buffalo's East Side. In many ways, this is still the case today.”

James and Zachary would like to thank the wonderful staff at the Rafi Greene Masten Resource Center for their enthusiasm and assistance with this event.

James Coughlin is an MA History student at the University at Buffalo. Zachary Shackelford is a PhD student in Africana and American Studies, with a concentration in African and African American Studies at the University at Buffalo. Both share a passion for working as “scholar-activists” by ensuring their research is accessible for the community and used to facilitate justice and equity within Buffalo. (A previous “City of Distant Neighbors” event was successfully held on February 9th at Burning Books.)

“Knowing when to stop, you can avoid any danger.”

“City of Distant Neighbors: The Growth and Entrenchment of Residential Segregation in Buffalo"

-Tao Te Ching

HEALTH

A VEGAN'S GUIDE TO HIDDEN ANIMAL INGREDIENTS

Adopting a Vegan diet - one that contains no animal products whatsoever-means becoming an avid label reader, because a food product that's obviously meatless may not necessarily be free of animal ingredients. A veggie burger, for instance, may contain albumin, a protein derived from eggs. The list below will help you scout out some of the more common hidden animal ingredients.

•ALBUMEN: a protein from egg whites or milk used in baked goods.

•BEESWAX: a bee-derived sweetener found in chewing gum, ice cream, and candy.

•CANE SUGAR: may be filtered using charred cow bones.

•CASEIN: the main milk protein found in many cereals, breads, and even some imitation cheeses.

•EMULSIFIER: may be synthetic or come from milk, eggs, or animals' bodies; used in processed foods to make unlike ingredients--such as oil and water-stick together.

•ISINGLASS: a fish-derived protein found in some wines and beers.

•NATURAL FLAVOR: sometimes vegetable-derived, but may also come from beef, poultry, fish, milk, or eggs.

•POLYSORBATES: often a mix of animal, vegetable, and synthetic ingredients; used to bind unlike ingredients, and common in nondairy whipped toppings and creamers, baked goods, salad dressing and soups.

•CARMINE or anything that sounds like it is a red food coloring made from groundup beetles.

•COLLAGEN and keratin are rendered slaughterhouse proteins.

•GELATIN is derived from the skins or bones of animals.

•GLYCERINE, lactic acid, mono or diglycerides, and stearic acid can be produced from slaughterhouse fat, but they could also be vegan.

•LACTOSE is a sugar extracted from milk.

•LARD and tallow are both fancy names for animal fat.

•WHEY is a milk-based byproduct of cheese making. ALSO: butter fat, l-cysteine, mono and di-glycerides, shellac.

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center to Host Black Maternal Health Event

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center's (NFMMC)

P3 Center will host UPLIFTING Black Maternal Health on April 11from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Niagara Falls Train Station (825 Depot Ave.) to recognize Black Maternal Health Week. The public event aims to raise awareness about the disproportionate maternal health disparities affecting Black mothers.

The free event features keynote speaker Fatima Mathews, founder of Strong Heart 2 Soul, who will lead a discussion on cardiac health, and plenary speaker Dr. Davina Moss, founder and president of Positive Direction and Associates, Inc., who will discuss maternal mental health.

Introducing...SOULFUL VENUS!

The event will also include community-based doula panel discussions, yoga, healing art, and an optional paid tour of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center. A complimentary lunch will be provided by event sponsor Williamson Funeral Home.

The UPLIFTING Black Maternal Health event is part of Black Maternal Health Week, sponsored by The Black Mamas Matter Alliance, observed during National Minority Health Month in April.

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to taste some good old fashion down home "soulful" food. Please allow me to introduce you to Venus Carr, of Soulful Venus, a soul food catering company that she established. Venus shared with the viewing and live audience, her culinary upbringing. She was taught the art of cooking from the age of three by very strong, knowledgeable and beautiful women in her life; her great grandmother, her !grandmother and her mother. Three generations of southern, down home cooking/upbringing.

FREE SPIRIT M. B. CHURCH Presents FREE Fresh Produce

Tuesday, April 25 at Dorothy J. Collier Center (Friends to the Elderly)

118 E. Utica Street Buffalo, New York 14209 11am-12pm

Maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the United States are significantly higher than in other developed countries. In 2020, Black women died from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth at three times the rate of White women. Research has shown that structural racism, implicit bias in healthcare, and underlying chronic conditions contribute to these disparities. Additionally, Black mothers are more likely to suffer from Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders in silence and without clinical help.

UPLIFTING Black Maternal Health is presented in partnership with Action for Niagara Families. To register for the event, please contact Eileen Kineke at (716) 278-4274.

Sister Venus introduced to the City of Buffalo via the Apollo Media Access Center last week, several lovely appetizing dishes for our sampling pleasure during a live program on the air. First dish: the greens, Mmm Mmm! Almost as good as my grandmom's. A salad with the shrimp that was seasoned so well you didn’t need the salad dressing. Venus also presented to us a dish of oxtails, Bar-b-Que chicken and ribs. Then there was a tuna salad… I don’t know what she did to that tuna, but it was oooh so good! Her “from scratch” cornbread was delicious, and let me tell you about her crackers! Venus makes her own crackers!!!! Who makes their own crackers? Venus, that’s who! Those crackers had a nice crunch and a taste of their own. All I can say is, the food that was sampled ‘ was so good!

After the sampled dishes that I personally tasted myself, I will say this to you family, if you need food service for an event, please contact Venus Carr of Soulful Venus Catering at 716-602-8311. The support that was shown to Venus on the set at the Apollo was seen and felt. Let’s do the same off the set of the Apollo and support our own.

Venus tearfully expressed her love for cooking, and you can taste the love in every bite! When you call Sister Venus of Soulful Venus, mention that you heard about her delicious down home cooked food through the challenger. My Goodness Gracious! She Can Cook! I'm Just Saying…

SOULFUL VENUS! Venus (front 2nd from left in signature apron) and her culinary crew! Street Legacy Photos by Darvin Adams

Deltas to Host First Time Homebuyer Workshop

The Buffalo Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is hosting an informational workshop for first time homebuyers in the Buffalo-Niagara region on Saturday, April 15 from 11a.m. to 1p.m. at 701 Ellicott Street. Register to attend at www.DSTBuffalo.org.

The workshop, held in partnership with The Buffalo Urban League, Evans Bank, Good Neighbors Credit Union, Lake Shore Savings, M&T Bank and Northwest Bank, will walk participants through the first time homebuying process and provide them with valuable information and resources to help them along their journey.

“Financial Fortitude is a national initiative under our Sorority’s programmatic thrust of economic development,” said Vanita Jamison, Buffalo Alumnae Chapter President."In Buffalo, we know an important path out of poverty that many residents live in is through home ownership. This workshop will aide residents in becoming homeowners.”

NAMES IN THE NEWS.....

•Nakiea S. Cook: The Buffalo Niagara Chapter of NYS Women honored Nakiea S. Cook, the CEO and founder of Buffalo-based NC Accounting & Consulting Solutions, as a Woman in Leadership.

•Melissa Archer:The Buffalo Urban League promoted Melissa Archer to chief operating officer. Archer is a board certified licensed psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who joined the Buffalo Urban League in 2021.

Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative Announces One-Time Grant Process Applications

The Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative (CGLI), an initiative of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo that focuses on cultivating positive change in the lives of trailblazing youth of color, announced a one-time grant opportunity in 2023 to support the Buffalo community most directly impacted by the horrific racially-motivated mass shooting that occurred on May 14, 2022. This grant process is made possible thanks to the generosity of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Applications are due by 4 p.m. on May 1, 2023, and can be submitted online at https://www.cfgb.org/nonprofits/grants/community-ofgiving-legacy-initiative/ .

Interested nonprofit organizations should detail a proposed project in the application that will have a positive impact on trailblazing youth of color within the zip codes of the impacted community noted below. Applicants must meet the following requirements:

•Serve zip codes 14208 or 14209 within the City of Buffalo

•Serve youth ages 10 to 17

•Be an organization with a current 501(c)(3) status; preference will be given to Black-led 501(c)(3) organizations.

The maximum grant available through the CGLI grant process is $10,000. A total amount of $30,000 is available to support this one-time competitive grant opportunity.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Monday, May 1, 2023, and must be submitted online at https://www.cfgb.org/nonprofits/grants/communityof-giving-legacy-initiative/

NFTA Customer Satisfaction Suvey: "WE WANT TO HEAR FROM OUR RIDERS!

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority wants to hear from riders and is inviting the public to participate in its annual Metro Bus and Rail customer satisfaction survey. “We encourage customers to take our survey,” said James Morrell, Director of Public Transit. The feedback we receive gives us valuable insight on how we can better serve our riding community in the future.”

Survey respondents can enter a drawing to win Metro monthly passes and Tops gift cards by including a valid email address or phone number. One entry per person. . Customers can take the online surveys by visiting https://metro.nfta.com/survey now through April 30.

BUFFALO RESTAURANT WEEK IS CALLING ALL RESTAURANTS!

Visit Buffalo Niagara is taking the lead on a new Buffalo Restaurant Week celebration April 17-23, 2023. To participate REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN through April 13th. There is NO COST TO PARTICIPATE in the program and Visit Buffalo Niagara will manage marketing and promotion for the week. If you register, your restaurant will be listed on Visit Buffalo Niagara’s Buffalo Restaurant Week landing page. Your listing will include: Restaurant Name, Address, Neighborhood, Cuisine Type, and more. To register go to visitbuffaloniagara.com/buffalo-restaurant-week

Entertainment

Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Society Celebrates International Jazz Day With Fundraiser Reception

In Honor Of Jazz Appreciation Month (April) and International Jazz Day The Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Society will host its Annual Fundraiser Reception on Friday April 28. The event will take place from 5-6:30p.m. at Elim Christian Fellowship, 70 Chalmers Ave. followed by a free community concert from 7-9p.m. featuring headliner Rodney Whitaker Ensemble. Internationally renowned Mack Avenue recording artist, Whitaker is a jazz bassist, professor of jazz double bass, director of Jazz Studies and artistic director for the Professors of Jazz at Michigan State University where he has built one of the most distinguished jazz degree programs and performing faculty in the United States. Whitaker is considered to be one of the leading bass performers and teachers of the jazz double bass in the United States. The opener is Buffalo's own renowned Hall of fame jazz bassist Rodney Appleby and his Trio.

Your contribution as a Patron ($100) or Supporter ($50) helps to fund the 28th Annual Pappy Martin Legacy- Masten Jazz Festival, Love Supreme School of Music, John Coltrane Birthday Celebration, Betty Carter Birthday Celebration, Celestial Jazz Series, and other community jazz events. Checks should be made payable to: Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Society or mailed to Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Society c/o Dawn Berry-Walker 136 Mercer Ave. Buffalo NY 14214. Donations also accepted via Square (on-site) and cash app: $PappyJazz

Each year on April 30, the international art form of jazz is recognized around the world for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity; eradicating discrimination; fostering gender equality; and promoting freedom of expression.

International Jazz Day (April 30) is the culmination of Jazz Appreciation Month, which draws public attention to jazz and its extraordinary heritage throughout April.

Poetry at EMTea Coffee Cup

6:30 p.m. 80 Oakgrove Ave. every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month. Free and open to the public. For info call 716 717 7852 or email imaniblack18@gmail.com

WISDOM...

Everything on earth has a purpose. Every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of Existence. -Morning Dove

ON STAGE

THE MOTOWN YEARS BOBBY WILSON!

Seneca Niagara Event Center

Tickets start at $49

Tuesday, April 25

•Najee, Saturday, April 22, 8:00p.m. Buffalo State Univesity Rockwell Hall. Tickets at Rockwell Hall Box Office Tues.-Fri .10a.m.-4p.m.

Email: RockwellBoxOffice@buffalostate.edu or call 716-8783005

Grammy and NAACP award winning, contemporary jazz pioneer, Najee has been one of the brightest stars in jazz for close to four decades.

Marquis Hill New Gospel Revisited Friday, April 14 at 8 p.m. at Kleinhans. visit kleinhansbuffalo.org

•Kevin Hart , Friday, May 19-20, OLG Stage Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Tickets at Ticketmaster. Kevinhartnation.com

Entertainer Bobby Wilson is the son of Legendary R&B/ Soul Singer, Jackie Wilson. Bobby has the same amazing traits and talents as his father, and many say Jackie Wilson’s legacy lives on through him. Bobby brings the unforgettable songs of Motown in this dynamic show spanning more than a decade of Motown Classics. The Motown Years recreates the sound and excitement of the artists you loved during that era such as: The Four Tops, Temptations, The Contours, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, and Jackie Wilson. All the favorite songs from your favorite groups and singers. Tickets online at senecaniagaracasino.com

Rodney Whitaker

Rodney Appleby

Applications for Juneteenth Festival 2023 Now Being Accepted!

Attention vendors and community organizations! Applications are now being accepted for Juneteenth Concessions, Parade, Festival Activities and more!

This year’s Juneteenth Festival will be held June 17 and 18 in MLK Park

Applications & Payments for concessions are due by May 24, 2023. Fees increase after April 26. Volunteers and sponsors welcome!

Call Buffalo Juneteenth's 24-Hour Voice Mail Service at (716)891-8801 or Email JTBFLOCONCESSIONS@gmail. com directly with questions or go to www.BUFFALOJUNETEENTH.COM for more information

University United Festival Now Accepting Vendor Applications

Council Member Wyatt’s University United Festival is now accepting applications for community vendors The festival will take place on Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11 and is expected to draw thousands of residents and visitors from throughout the Buffalo area.

All interested vendors can apply directly from the festival's website at www.universityunitedfestival.com. Applications must be submitted by Monday, May 22.

For more information on the University United Festival, please visit www.universityunitedfestival.com.

Girl’s Citywide Saturday Basketball League

A free girls city wide Saturday basketball league sponsored by the Gloria J. Parks Community Center will be held for free for ages 12-18, Game times are 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Interested players or teams, please contact Kevin Ferguson 716-400-4159; Coach Sandra Nesbitt 716-228-4624; or Coach Shaniqua Ray 716-374-1329.

Wakanda Alliance Program

For youth 8 years and up, The Wakanda Alliance program is held every second and fourth Saturday at 1p.m. The program focuses on culture ,comics and community and exploring Afrofuturism. It's held at the Delavan-Grider Center 877 E. Delavan. Visit thegalactictribe.org

Free Boys and Girls Flag Football Academy

The free weekly boys and girls Flag Football Academy includes G7 Shirts and snacks. Drop off your youth off at the Gloria J. Parks Community Center, 3242 Main St., Buffalo NY 14214, Sundays from 12-3 p.m. Contact Coach Nesbit 716-228-4624.

Power 96.5/WUFO Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Power 96.5/WUFO will host their Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8, from 12-3p.m. at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 701 E. Delavan Ave. (Reverend Dwayne Gillison, Sr.) There will be pictures with the Easter Bunny, an Easter egg hunt, bunny hop contest, the jellybean count, coloring contest, musical chairs and more.

5/14 REMEMBRANCE CONFERENCE

continued from page 3

In memory and honor of those who lost their lives in the massace, we say their names:

Roberta A. Drury age 32; Margus D. Morrison age 52; Andre Mackneil age 53; Aaron Salter age 55; Geraldine Talley age 62; Celestine Chaney age 65; Heyward Patterson age 67; Katherine Massey age 72; Pearl Young age 77; Ruth Whitfield age 86.

Hundreds turn Out For the William-Emslie Family YMCA and the FruitBelt Coalition Easter Egg Hunt and Garden Expo!

Keeping with tradition, the William-EMSLIE FAMILY YMCA AND THE FRUIT BELT COALITION hosted an Easter Egg hunt and Garden Expo at the Y’s William Street location last Saturday afternoon. The Y estimates that some 300 children and their families passed through the facility to take part in the free 3-hour fun-filled event that included puppet shows, games, arts & crafts, bunny bingo, Easter Bunnies, plenty of treats, surprises and of course – an Easter Egg Hunt! Pictured are just \ a few of the beautiful little happy faces that were on hand to enjoy that special day! And it was free!

Hats off to the Y and the Fruit Belt Coalition for a wonderful afternoon of fun! Challenger Photo

2023 ELECTION UPDATE

"Run for Something" Endorses Walton for Buffalo’s Common Council Masten District

India Walton is proud to receive the endorsement of Run for Something (RFS), the groundbreaking organization that recruits and supports strong voices in the next generation of progressive leadership.

"In 2021, a campaign volunteer gave me the book, Don’t Just March, Run For Something," said India. " It changed my perspective on local elections and made me commit to a long-term strategy to create change. RFS’s endorsement, mentorship, coaching, and community support steers my governance, dedication, and my campaign for the Masten District Council seat."

India Walton

“The right’s incessant attacks on our most vulnerable communities through state and local government makes it clear how important these down-ballot races are,” said cofounder and co-executive director Amanda Litman. “Run for Something’s March 2023 endorsees are part of the next generation of leaders who will stand up against bad-faith policies, advocate for those who don’t have a seat at the table, and unflinchingly fight for our democracy.”

Shared co-founder and co-executive director Ross Morales Rocketto: “This month’s endorsement class demonstrates that there are no off-years when it comes to building progressive power across the country. Strengthening the party from the bottom up is key to better supporting our local communities and ensuring a strong democracy for years to come.”

Of the RFS March class of 53 candidates:

● 47% are women and non-binary people

● 64% are people of color

● 34% identify as LGBTQIA+

● The class of candidates represents 19 states

As we continue to build the progressive bench from the bottom-up, we are excited to support and amplify more talented, young progressives already making a difference at the state and local level.

The endorsement process includes an extensive internal review with background check, staff interview and insight from local state experts.

Amanda Litman and Ross Morales Rocketto launched RFS on Jan. 20, 2017 with a simple premise: help young diverse progressives to run for down-ballot races in order to build a bench for the future.

RFS aims to lower the barriers to entry for these candidates by helping them with seeding money, organization building, and access to the trainings needed to be successful.

So far, over 100,000 young people from across the country have signed up to run and gained access to RFS resources. Run for Something recruits and supports talented, passionate young people who advocate for progressive values now and for the next 30 years, with the ultimate goal of building a progressive bench. www.runforsomething.net

are you registered to VOTE?

British Newspaper Owner Discovers Links to Slavery, Offers Apology and $12 Million Restorative Justice Plan

The owner of the longrunning UK newspaper The Guardian is apologizing for the publication’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. The outlet has also announced a ten-year plan of “restorative justice.”

The Scott Trust announced on March 28 that it was investing £10 million ($12.3 million) in the communities of descendants linked to the newspaper’s founders in the 19th century as a form of reparations. The outlet also announced the ongoing journalism series Cotton Capital, which explores the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Guardian issued an apology for the founder’s ties to slavery on March 28, 2023.

The Guardian was founded by cotton merchant and journalist John Edward Taylor in 1821.

DID YOU KNOW…

Dana Brown, 56, is the only Black general manager in Major League Baseball.

MAY

East Side Bike Ride, May 6, MLK Park@ THE MLK Head, Meet: 9:30 a.m.- Ride 10 a.m. JOIN US!

•Spring Service Days . The Tool Library and Norfolk Ave Block Club #1 - Spring Service Days 2023. William L. Gaiter Parkway Spring Cleanup and Tree Stewardship, Saturday, May 20th. Meet at 10am @ the corner of Norfolk Ave and E. Delavan Ave. (1016 E. Delavan). For info call: 716-510-1745 or visit https://thetoollibrary.org/service/

•Mother’s Day Gala sponsored by Friends of Jerry Livingston. Saturday, May 14 2:30 pm at Buffalo Airport Hotel, 4600 Genesee Street . Contact Diane Livingston for tickets at 716 270-3244.

JUNE

•University United Festival Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11 Vendor applications deadline May 22. (716) 245-8332 or via email at mread@buffalony.gov

•Juneteenth Festival all day Saturday June 17 & Sunday June 18, MLK Park www.juneteenthofbuffalo.com, (716)891-891.FREE

•Family Fishing Day June 24 & 25, 10 a.m.-3p.m. Broderick Park, Foot of Ferry near Niagara.

•Jefferson Avenue Friday Night Live, EVERY FRIDAY EVENING starting June 2 and continuing until August 25 from 5;30 to 9 p.m. Jefferson & E.Utica Street Shopping Plaza. FREE! DJ's, food trucks, family entertainment, dancing and more (Vendors & food trucks will sell food and goods). To become a sponsor or for more info on how to participate go to the Buffalo Funk Fest Foundation facebook page.

JULY

•Healing By The Water Broderick Park Summer Freedom Celebration every Thursday & Sunday 5-8 p.m. July 7-September 7, Foot of Ferry near Niagara St. FREE

AUGUST

•Westy’s Sycamore Family & Friends Reunion August 4 Meet & Greet, 419 Monroe 6-9pm; August 5 Reunion Cookout MLK Park Noon-8PM For Info: (716)7830099; (716)602-8119; (716)892-8311; (716)247-0258 FREE

•Pan Afrikan Festival Saturday, August 5, hosted by A.B.O.V.E. @ Highland Bowl, 1137 South Ave. Rochester, 11am - 8 p.m. Visit PANAFFESTIVAL.ORG

•35th Annual Taking it to the Streets FREE August 19th & 20th, 11am-park closing MLK Park. For shelters/participate/vend/sponsor call 716-507-1931/716-400-6749.

To List Your Upcoming event email editorial@ thechallengernews.com

WHO IS ALVIN BRAGG?

Alvin Bragg’s official biography describes him as a “son of Harlem” who became Manhattan district attorney after “a lifetime of hard work, courage and demanding justice.”

In obtaining a grand jury indictment against Donald Trump over his hush money payment to Stormy Daniels in 2016, the Democrat has now carved himself a place in history, as the man behind the first vote to criminally indict a former president.

Now 49, Bragg is a Harvard-educated former assistant New York state attorney general and assistant US attorney in the southern district of New York.

In 2021, he was elected as the first Black Manhattan DA and only the fourth permanent occupant of the post in 80 years.

In office, his biography says, he has focused on “protecting everyday New Yorkers from abuses by the powerful, and correcting past injustices by vacating wrongful convictions.”

The biography also highlights the creation of a Special Victims Division, handling “extremely sensitive cases in a trauma informed and survivor centered manner,” and an expansion of a Hate Crimes Unit.

AS DISTRICT ATTORNEY, WHAT IS BRAGG’S JOB?

The office prosecutes nearly all criminal cases in Manhattan, staffed by about 500 lawyers. The district attorney also is a key political figure, overseeing cases that often involve defendants with immense wealth, fame and influence.

Manhattan district attorney is one of the most high-profile prosecution jobs in the world. The office has a budget of about $150 million and has used a separate $800 million forfeiture fund bankrolled by Wall Street settlements for grants to criminal justice and community organizations and big initiatives, such as testing backlogged rape kits.

ARE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ELECTED?

Bragg is one of five elected district attorneys in New York City — one for each of the city’s five boroughs. Bragg won a tough Democratic primary and then the general election to become Manhattan’s district attorney. He took over for retiring District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Bragg is just the fourth elected district attorney in Manhattan in the last eight decades.

WHAT IS BRAGG’S LEGAL BACKGROUND?

Bragg’s career includes time as a federal prosecutor, an assistant attorney general for the state of New York and a civil rights attorney who represented Eric Garner’s mother as she pressured New York City officials for more accountability against the officers and commanders involved in her son’s 2014 death by a police choke hold.

Bragg’s campaign included promises to change the culture of the office and allied him with other progressive prosecutors aiming to eliminate cash bail. Shortly after taking office, he released a public memo promising the district attorney would no longer prosecute some low-level misdemeanor crimes.

Bragg, who grew up in Harlem, graduated from Harvard Law School.

HOW WAS BRAGG INVOLVED WITH THE TRUMP INDICTMENT?

Bragg inherited a years long grand jury investigation into hush money paid on Trump’s behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign.

After taking office, Bragg slowed down his office’s move toward an indictment against Trump and said he had concerns about the strength of the case. That sparked a public protest by two prosecutors who were leading the investigation and resigned.

But Bragg convened a new grand jury early this year after successfully convicting Trump’s family company for tax fraud. He called that result a “strong demarcation line” for proceeding with other parts of the probe.

-A Trump Attack-

According to sources Trump had already signaled that he would go after the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, weeks before the grand jury handed up an indictment against him last Thursday, saying in posts on Truth Social platform that the prosecution was purely political and accusing Bragg of being a “psychopath.”

Calling his case “a Witch Hunt Case,” Trump is said to be seeing how he can benefit politically from the indictment according to sources. He has even asked whether his team could print his mug shot on T-shirts that could serve as a rallying motif for his supporters

(Source: Excerpts from PBS News, The Guardian, various wire services)

dear editor

Gov. Hochul Not Welcome To Attend Pride Festival & Parade

Dear Editor:

We have informed Governor Hochul and her Administration that their request to attend the Buffalo Pride Parade and Festival has been declined. We have not arrived at this decision lightly and we are saddened to have to make this stand.

In the Governor’s budget, she advances a Cuomo-era policy that redirects revenue generated by the federal 340B drug pricing program away from community health centers and into the State’s coffers. The 340B program is an essential, predictable, and stable funding source for community health centers and covered entities.

Without this funding, our organization and others like us would have been unable to meet the demands of the COVID crisis. We will have to reduce the size of our food pantry, wait list patients, shutter harm reduction programs, and say no when the State calls on us for other health emergencies. 340B funding has helped us feed, shelter, and care for some of our most vulnerable community members. This isn’t about money. It’s about our ability to meet the needs of this community, prevent illness, end the AIDS epidemic, and help our patients thrive. An attack on the program is an attack on communities who need it: communities of color, LGBTQ patients, people living with HIV, refugees, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In good faith to those we serve, we cannot welcome policies that run counter to our mission of supporting LGBTQ+ people and their health. We have communicated our fullthroated opposition and have tried endlessly to work with the administration for years, on a solution that would hold providers and patients harmless. Unfortunately, the Governor has not been willing to find a solution that works.

Pride Center of Western New York & Evergreen Health

“Knowing when to stop, you can avoid any danger.” -Tao Te Ching

Meet the attorney who became the first prosecutor to charge a former president

Supplemental Summons and Notice of Object of Action Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of Erie Action to Foreclose a Mortgage Index #: 813100/2022 Habitat For Humanity/Buffalo Inc., Plaintiff, vs Marshay Miller As Heir

To The Estate Of Michelle Mosley, Unknown Heirs Of Michelle Mosley If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein

Generally Described And Intended

To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title

To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except

As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, People Of The State Of New York, United States Of America On Behalf Of The IRS, M&T Bank, John Doe (Those unknown tenants, occupants, persons or corporations or their heirs, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, assignees, creditors or successors claiming an interest in the mortgaged premises.)

Defendant(s). Mortgaged Premises:

314 Vermont Street Buffalo, NY

14213 To the Above named Defendant: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Erie. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. TO Unknown

Heirs Of Michelle Mosley, Defendant

In this Action. The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. Lynn W. Keane of the Supreme Court Of The State Of New York, dated the Twenty-Second day of February, 2023 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Erie, in the City of Buffalo. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, dated August 28, 2009, executed by Michelle Mosley (who died on March 26, 2019, a resident of the county of Erie, State of New York) to secure the sum of $64,861.12. The Mortgage was recorded at Book 13462, Page 8589 in the Office of the Erie County Clerk on August 28, 2009.The property in question is described as follows: 314 Vermont Street, Buffalo, NY 14213 HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS.

PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.

SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID

OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE

The state encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or the Foreclosure Relief Hotline 1-800269-0990 or visit the department's website at WWW.DFS.NY.GOV.

RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO STAY IN YOUR HOME DURING THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME UNLESS AND UNTIL YOUR PROPERTY IS SOLD AT AUCTION PURSUANT TO A JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AND SALE. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN YOUR HOME, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY AND PAY PROPERTY TAXES IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE AND LOCAL LAW. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to "save" your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner's distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE NOTICE

YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: February 27, 2023 Gross Polowy, LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 The law firm of Gross Polowy, LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose. 75443 March 16, 23, 30 April 6

LEGAL NOTICE

Legal Notice REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO UPDATE THE ERIE COUNTY FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN

Notice is hereby given that the County of Erie is seeking proposals from Landscape Architect, Planning, Forestry, and/or other appropriate Consulting firms (consultant) to develop an update to the Erie County Forest Management Plan. The request for proposals is available at www.erie.gov. Proposals must be physically submitted to the below contact by May 9, 2023.

Mark Rountree, Chief Planner

Erie County Department of Environment and Planning 95 Franklin Street, Room 1010 Buffalo, NY 14202

PROBATE CITATION SUPPLEMENTAL File No. 2022-1861

SURROGATE'S COURT - ERIE COUNTY CITATION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

By the Grace of God Free and Independent

TO: JENNIFER G. FLANNERY

- Erie County Public Administrator and to any and all persons who are or claim to be heirs at law, next of kin, distributees of decedent named below, if any such there be, all of whom and all of whose names, ages, places of residence and post office addresses are unknown to the Petitioner(s) and cannot after due diligence used be ascertained

A petition having been duly filed by KENNETH LAMONT LOTT, who is domiciled at________.

YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO

SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate's Court, Erie County, at 92 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, New York, on May 3, 2023, at 9:30 o'clock in the fore- noon of that day, why a decree should not be made in the estate of ANNETTE LOTT lately domiciled at 49 Mulberry Street, Buffalo New York 14204, admitting to probate a Will dated November 16, 2019 (a Codicil dated none) a copy of which is attached as the Will of ANNETTE LOTT, deceased, relating to real and personal property, and directing that Letters Testamentary issue to: KENNETH LAMONT LOTT.

Hon. Judge Acea M. Mosey Surrogate

Dated, Attested and Sealed: March 23, 2023

Linda M. Wiedrick Chief Clerk

Attorney for Petitioner:

Daria L Pratcher, Esq.

Law Office of Daria L. Pratcher

Address and Telephone No. of Attorney:

37 Franklin Street, Suite 1000, Buffalo, New York 14202 (716)541-8574

Attorney Email Address: dlpratcher@dlpratcherlawoffice.com

[NOTE: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed you do not object to the relief requested. You have a right to have an attorney appear for you.]

March 30, April 6, 13, 20

LEGAL NOTICE Bid

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Town of Amherst

Contract Compliance & Administration Department

Bid #2023015

Cable Work – Northwest Amherst Community Center

Sealed proposals for the above mentioned project in the Town of Amherst, NY will be received by the Contract Compliance & Administration Office in the Municipal Building, Williamsville, NY 14221 on or before 12:00 PM local time on April 27, 2023.

Specifications may be obtained via e-mail to khalton@amherst.ny.us or examined at the Contract Compliance & Administration Office of the Town of Amherst between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM through the bid opening date, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.

By Order of the Town Board Town of Amherst, New York

Lynda L. Juul Director of Finance

LEGAL NOTICE Bid

NOTICE FOR BIDS

Gilbane│Turner will be soliciting Bids for the BUFFALO BILLS NEW STADIUM PROJECT.

Upcoming Packages include*:

BID PACKAGE 11A – Exterior Glass & Glazing (Entrances) BID PACK-

AGE 11B – Perforated Metal Panel System & Colonnade Wrap BID

PACKAGE 11C – Architectural Precast System BID PACKAGE 11D

– Metal Panels BID PACKAGE 12

– New Stadium Site Utilities (Excluding Smoke Creek Line) BID PACKAGE 13 – Concrete on Metal Deck

All businesses interested in bidding as a Prime/Tier-1 subcontractor must prequalify to receive an invitation to bid.

For an overview of the prequalification process, reference the Prequalification Navigation Guide at www. buffalobillsnewstadium.com. We encourage NYS-certified minority-, women- and service-disabled veteran-owned and local businesses to participate. Please refer to bid documents for full MWBE/SDVOB plan information. If you provide services relevant to any of the above packages and are interested in participating at a lower-tier level, apply to participate in the Meet the Primes session via the “Contracting Opportunities” section on the project website.

*Subject to government approvals March 23, 30, April 6, 13

EMPLOYMENT

Program Specialist Coordinate the GOW Counties

Continuum of Care & maximize

Community participation. Asso deg & exp in Human Services required. Resume and cover letter to WNYIL, Inc, 3108 Main St Buffalo, NY 14214

Facilitated Enroller

Educate, engage and enroll individuals over 65, To address their needs for health insurance by Following LCDSS requirements. HS diploma & 5 yrs exp req. Resume and cover letter to WNYIL, INC 3108 Main St Buffalo NY 14214 employment@wnyil.org EEOC

QA Claims Review Specialist

Assist w/monitoring, adjustment & correction Of claims & other claim related data. HS diploma & 3 yrs exp req. Resume and Cover letter to WNYIL Inc 3108 Main St Buffalo NY 14214 employment@wnyil.org EEOC

LEGAL NOTICE Bid

HCBS/CORE Peer Support Specialist

Assist individuals w/behavioral health issues, Eliminate functional deficits & barriers to improve Integration in their family, community or culture. HS diploma & 4 yrs exp required. Resume and cover letter to WNYIL, Inc, 3108 Main St Buffalo, NY 14214 employment@wnyil.org EEOC

Health Homes Care Coordinator

Help enroll consumers in a Health Home. Help decrease costs of consumers being Served in a Health Home. Bachelor’s & 5 yrs exp. Req. Resume and Cover letter to WNYIL Inc 3108 Main St Buffalo NY 14214 employment@wnyil.org EEOC

Olmstead Housing Specialist

COUNTY OF ERIE ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

Emery Park Amphitheater Rehabilitation Project PROJECT NO. 2023-910-01

Sealed bids for Civil/Site Work for the above project will be received by the County’s Commissioner of Public Works in Suite 1400, Rath County Office Building, 95 Franklin St, Buffalo, NY 14202 until 10:30 AM local time on April 25,2023, at which time they will be opened and read aloud.

A site visit is scheduled for April 12, 2023 at 10:00 am local time at Emery Park. NYS Vendor Responsibility Form CCA-2 A/B/C, NYSDOL Wage Rates, MBE/WBE, Apprenticeship program, and Local & Disadvantaged Workforce requirements may apply to this project. Additional information must be found at: www.erie.gov/dpw

LEGAL NOTICE Bid

COUNTY OF ERIE ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

For Erie County Parks Signage Phase 1 PROJECT NO. CAP-SIGNS1-23

Sealed bids for: General Construction work for the above project will be received by the County’s Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Forestry at the Department of Environment and Planning on Floor 10 of the Rath County Office Building, 95 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202 until 10:00 AM local time, Thursday, April 20, 2023, at which time they will be opened and read aloud. Certified check in the amount of $25,000 bid deposit is required with the bid submittal. Pre-bid meeting scheduled Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 1:30 PM local time at Rath County Office Building, Conference Room 1004, Buffalo, NY. MBE/WBE, Apprenticeship program, and Local and Disadvantaged Workforce requirements may apply to this project. Plans and additional bid submittal information on the Erie County website at erie. gov/environment.

NFTA PROCUREMENT INVITATION TO BID 230028 – DL&W STATION CALL FOR ARTIST

Download documents at https:// www.nfta.com/departments/procurement

Help individuals seeking eligibility for Housing subsidy to transition from Institutional setting to the community. Asso deg and min 2 yrs exp req. Resume and cover letter to WNYIL, Inc 3108 Main St. Buffalo, NY, 14214 employment@wnyil.org EEOC

NY Connects Independent Living Outreach Specialist

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITYCOMPANY

Our Family Ice Cream LLC. Date of filing of Articles of Organization with the NY Dept. of State: 02/10/2023. Office of the LLC: 52 Floss Ave Buffalo NY 14211 office), Erie County

Help connect aging or disabled individuals and their Families to support groups and streamline access to Public benefits and application assistance. Asso. degree and human services exp. req. Resume and cover letter to WNYIL, Inc 3108 Main St Buffalo, NY, 14214 employment@ wnyil.org EEOC

LLC's IT

The NYSS has been designated as the agent upon whom process may be served. NYSS may mail a copy of the process to the LLC at 52 Floss Ave Buffalo NY 14211. Purpose of LLC: Any lawful purpose. No specific duration attached to LLC. March 23, 30, April 6,13,20.27

Job Posting

Date: 3/27/2023

Job Title: Choir Director

Job Site: St. John Baptist Church and Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church

Days: Sundays Worship Service and one (1) hour rehearsal weekly

Hours: 9:00 AM-11:00 AM

Salary: To be negotiated

Requirements:

Demonstrated Experience Directing Spirituals and Gospel Music

Submit Applications/Resume to: St. John Baptist Church 184 Goodell Street Buffalo, New York 14204

Attention: Human Resources Department by April 14, 2023

Or Email to: sjbc@stjohnbaptist.org

NFTA TRANSIT POLICE NOW RECRUITING Accepting applications until April 10

The NFTA Transit Police are looking for qualified individuals to help ensure the safety of transportation for the communities that it serves within the Niagara Frontier.

Applications for the 2023 Transit Police exam are now live at nfta.com/police/exam.

“The Transit Police is a growing department that oversees public safety in many areas offering a wide range of exciting opportunities,” said NFTA police chief Brian Patterson.

“We are committed to community policing and a diverse work environment that provides professional growth, competitive pay, and benefits for those that want to connect and serve.”

Applications along with a $25 certified check, money order, or personal check made payable to the NFTA can be mailed or dropped off at 181 Ellicott St. Buffalo N.Y. 14203. Applicants must be age 20 by the date of the Exam on April 29.

NEW YORK STATE LOTTERY NUMBERS

Zakiyyah’s Rundown (ZR) Daily Vibrations

876-069-483-349-189-467-162-321-435-678-023-

132-455-791-017-844-679-010-536-809-546-896-468901-084-365-800-103-785-457-960-529-186-657350-954-689-955-467-809-074-657-906-671-978-010-

743-234-680-468-089-902-325-561-635-278-435-780108-657-562-178-930-354-763-469-012-757-689-208645-785-454-678-612-579-905-436-809-675-680100-535-768-985-324-354-184-903-327-986-568-853578-312-468-014-065-768-981-852-679-245-756-801-

MA RUTH SPEAKS THE TRUTH! SURE HITS!

168-985-678-198-256-890054-698-679-943-001-202147-001-865-732-855-648-

514-996-202

Aquarius -496-235-165-579

Pisces - 056-362-237-694

Cancer - 482-372-895-718

Aries - 289-946-034-594

Taurus -258-231-026-695

Gemini-495-257-694-508

Leo-345-213-157-201

Virgo 385-291-431-170

Libra -247-723-179-501

Scorpio - 453-253-571-597

Sagittarius389-701-234-924

Capricorn:893-275-342-506

743-133-202- 335 -20154444-1871-0978

134-431--143-

648*123*104

980-422-809-981989-970-990-080-800-

515-996-390-196-102581-752-319-408-378352-126-189-444-886514- 332-522-112-432421-423-154-039-524119-616-719-593-655-97-127-111-019-200120-339-303-889-900 007-013-590-698-888

quick money

189-809-444

886-980-422

322-522-355

800-592-390

394-833-924

127-909-418

927-313-466

124-550-098

511-005-201

584 - 049-012

360-211-842

237-120-910

1102/2015

Challenger Hits

MSG Bing C. Reaves Sr.

U.S. Army

Drafted 1971- 1973

Boot Camp Fort Dix NJ

Advanced Leadership

Training Fort Bliss

Duty Station: Korea

U.S. Army Res.1984-2011

95B Combat Engineer, RTU Helsinki, Finland

Retired after 36years of duty

1979-2011 Rochester Police

Member of VFW, Life time chairman

American Legion Color

Gaurd;Vietnam, Korean War Asssociation;Amvets

Veteran of Foriegn War Post

9251

Buffalo Soldiers

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FRI. APRIL 7

FISH FRY FIRST FRIDAYS. Every First Friday, 11 a.m.6p.m., Dorothy Collier Community Center 118 E. Utica. Dine in or take out. 716-882-0602 to order or for more info.

Fish Fry Friday & Ribs Dinners, Combos available; St. John’s Lodge, 17 Kingsley, 11 a.m.-5p.m.716-885-5009.

SAT. APRIL 8

WUFO Power 96.5 Radio Annual Easter Egg Hunt, 12 noon –3 p.m. Mount Olive Baptist Chuch

MON. APRIL 10

“City of Distant Neighbors: Histories of Segregation in Buffalo”Presentation 7 p.m.. at the Rafi Greene Masten Resource Center 1423 Fillmore Avenue. (See Page 5)

NO HUSTLE FOR HEALTH CLASSES.

TUES. APRIL 11

Free Line Dance Class, Dorothy Collier Community Center, 118 E. Utica, BEGINNER 11a.m.-12p.m.; ADVANCED 12-1 p.m. (716)882-0602.

WED. APRIL 12

Line Dance Fitness, 11 a.m. Gloria Parks Center, 3242 Main St.; Seniors 55+ Free (716)832-1010 or hustleforhealth.com

SAT. APRIL 15

First Time Homebuyers Workshop 11a.m. to 1p.m. at 701 Ellicott Street. Register to attend at www.DSTBuffalo.org.

Hosted by Buffalo Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma ThetaSorority

Taking A Stand Against Racism Fundraising Event 4-8 PM, Johnnie B. Wiley Complex, 1100 Jefferson Ave. donation: $30. Tickets may be purchased by calling Betty Jean Grant @ 716-602-5877; Lisa Wilson @ 716-602-4438 or Andrea Anderson @ 716-335-3157.

African Consciousness Workshop

Every Monday 4-6 p.m., Merriweather Library, 1324 Jefferson Ave. “Where we learn About Our Glorious Past & Present African Family.” (716)400-8644 Bro. Shango or kmtflix@gmail.com

Spring Bulk Trash Pickup Continues

Bulk trash will be picked up in Ellicott District the week of April 2; Fillmore District the week of April 16; Niagara District, week of April 23; Masten District, week of April 30; Lovejoy District, week of May 7; South District, week of May 21; Delaware District, week of June 4; North District week of June 11; and University District, week of June 25. Bulk trash piles must be no more than 12 feet long 3 feet wide and 3 feet high. Electronic items, such as TV monitors and computers, construction debris and tires are banned. Call 311 for dates and times.