December 7, 2023 | FREE | Community News A
NATIONAL: Hester Ford Takes Title of Oldest Living Person In the United States Page 5
P R AY E R
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P R O T E C T I O N
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T I M E S
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B L A C K H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S I S N AT I O N A L T H E M E O F B L A C K H I S T O R Y M O N T H 2 0 2 2 ! Page 4
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March 18, 2020 | FREE | COMMUNITY NEWS
February 3, 2022 | FREE | thechallengernews.com | Community News
Spread the Love – Not the Virus!
Surviving The COVID-19 Health Crisis!
Will We See Humboldt Park Restored in Our Lifetime? Restore Our Community Coalition Gives State Agency Failing Grade on Redesign Presented at Community Meeting Page 3
RACE, REALITY AND NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES
Page 9
CRISIS!
Nationwide Black Girls & Women Have Been Left Out of the Gun Violence and Homicide Conversation for Too Long. Buffalo is No Exception. Page 3
EXONERATE GARVEY!
Creator of the “The 1619 Project” to Speak at UB LOCAL
ENTERTAINMENT
INSIDE ROCHESTER
LOCAL
Vanessa Williams:Superstar’s Annual Christmas Wonderland Garth Fagan Dance S E R V&I Tree N G Lighting B U F F A LEvent O , R O C H E S T E R“Home , N I A for G Athe R A Holidays” F A L L S A N D S U R R OLocal U N DRoots I N G Run A R EDeep AS Page 10 Page 2 Page 11
Mayor Brown Shares Updates to Buffalo’s Response to COVID-19 Page 3
CHALLENGER
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BUFFALO, N.Y. PERMIT NO. 164
VOICES: “The Lawrence” in the Fruit Belt Highlights What’s Wrong With City’s Land Use, Zoning, And Development Processes Page 15
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November 30, 2016 • FREE
HEALTH
Beyond COVID-19: Tips for Health & Longevity Page 5
Global Campaign Begins During Black History Month
Page 10
ROCHESTER
Street Legacy Photo By Darvin Adams
December 4, 2019 | FREE |
Page 11
Legislator Lightfoot Offers Important Information for Residents Page 2
Rochester Black History Page 2
Page 5
UPDATE: CORONAVIRUS IN THE DIASPORA Page 4
www.thechallengernews.com
The Untold Story of Cuba’s Support for
African Independence
THIS WEEK IN OUR HISTORY
March 9, 1913: Harriet Tubman, “engineer” of the Underground Railroad died, (1821-1913)
Page 11
The Spirit of Harriet Tubman
LOCAL
EXHIBITION
INSIDE ROCHESTER
Ujamaa! Business Tour Demonstrates the Power of Cooperative Economics PG. 3
Here! Burchfield Penney Art Exhibit PG. 10 Captures Culture of WNY
Garth Fagan Dance Kicks Off 46th Season! PG. 2
Sharon Holley has been selected as one of this Year’s 2006 recipients of the coveted Governor’s Salute to Harriet Tubman Spirit Award, which pays tribute to individuals whose accomplishments depict the spirit of the African female liberator. Page 3
CHALLENGER
Love Jones The Musical:
Black Love is Still Alive!
March 8, 2006
PG. 9
Zip Code 14215 and HIV: Is Truvada the Answer to Stemming the AIDS Epidemic?
50c
THE
Harlem Book Fair 2006: The Story Continues
PG. 5
Literary Extravaganza Returns to Downtown Buffalo This Summer! Page 2
July 27, 2016 • FREE
www.thechallengernews.com NATIONAL
“Grieving The Needle”
L E T ’ S G O B U F F A L O ! B I L L S U P D A T E S & C O M M E N T A R Y Page 10
Dr. Davina Moss Conducts Study on Recovering Addicts ‘Love Affair’ With Heroine Needles... Page 2 Health
What Healing Color is Your Food?
November 2, 2023 | FREE | Community News
Page 5
Did Oscar Pimp
Hip Hop?
$1.7 Billion Man.
BET Founder Bob Johnson Buys 100 Hotels for $1.7 Billion... Page 12
UNITY Coalition Gives Away 300 Turkeys! Free Dinners Are Next!
Minorities Warned to Beware of False Gifts and Promises From Monroe County GOP! Page 10
We Still Have Some Voting To Do! Early Voting Ends Sunday November 5. General Election Day is Tuesday November 7. Your Vote Counts!
Africa
Millions Face Hunger, in East and Horn of Africa
ROCHESTER: Lightfoot Announces Run for NYS Assembly
Desperate circumstances are echoed across the Horn of Africa, where 11 million people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Somalia have been affected by the current drought. Page 4
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His Hands Were Up…They Shot Him Anyway… PG. 4
Three 6 Mafia made history at the 78th Academy Awards Sunday night when they received an Oscar for Best Original Song: “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp.” But Hip Hop historian, journalist and community activist Davey D asks the question: “Why is it that the first time Hip Hop is represented at the Oscars it’s for a song about being a pimp?” Page 9
Our Readers Write:
Page 9
A Look At Community Candidates In The Race For The Common Council
CHALLENGER
SERVING BUFFALO, ROCHESTER, NIAGARA FALLS AND SURROUNDING AREAS
Vol. 43/No.9 43/No.9
ENTERTAINMENT
Another Jazzy Weekend!
PG. 9
SPEAK OUT!
INSIDE ROCHESTER
Let The Challenger and WNY know what is on your mind. Send your e-mails to: speakout@thechallengernews.com
Inmate’s Family Prepares to File Lawsuit Against NYS Prison System for Brutal Beating!
Chaos or Community? United Christian Leadership Ministry Speaks PG. 2
Page 3
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Erie County Executive Debate:
A S TAT E M E N T F R O M T H E B U F F A L O A S S O C I AT I O N O F B L A C K J O U R N A L I S T S
ROCHESTER: Jury Awards $1 To Black Man Who Sued Police For Excessive Force Page 2
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February 6, 2019 | FREE |
Lots of praises went up at Gospelfest last weekend! Hats off to coordinator Bessie Patterson for a great 30th anniversary milestone celebration. Pictured are some of the happy (and beautiful) faces captured by photographer Bertram Smith at Canalside on the second day of Gospelfest. The first day was held at MLK Park and featured an All Youth Explosion. The event was blessed with perfect weather both days!
Countdown To The Pine Grill Jazz Reunion August 7 & 14
CHALLENGER
SERVING BUFFALO, ROCHESTER, NIAGARA FALLS AND SURROUNDING AREAS
R O C H E S T E R O N A I R A N N O U N C E R F I R E D F O R M A R T I N L U T H E R “ C O O N ” K I N G S L U R Page 4
January 9, 2019 | FREE |
February 1, 2017 • FREE
I AM NOT YOUR THE MAKING OF A MONUMENT NEGRO www.thechallengernews.com
Beyond 400 Years
Plus Other Important Local Historical Presentations on Display at The Buffalo African American Museum’s Black History Exhibit at the Downtown Public Library. Page 3
Placing Significance of the Year 2019 to African Americans in Perspective Page 10
LOCAL
Community Prepares to Honor A King Page 7
CULTURE
Images from Kwanzaa Page 16
MALL BRAWLS: Is This What Cynthia Wiggins Died For? Page 11
LEGACY
Eva Doyle Celebrates 40 Years of Keeping Her “Eye on History” Page 10
YOUTH
Can You Hear Me Now? Young Inner City Voices Page 9
THE
HISTORY! November 9, 2005
Democratic candidate Byron W. Brown made history on Tuesday after winning the November General election in the race for mayor by a
landslide. The 46-year-old state senator Premiere of Critically Acclaimed James Baldwin Film Tells the Story of Race in America PG. 2 HISTORY
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BUFFALO, N.Y. PERMIT NO. 164
NATIONAL
Cigars and Whiskey – America’s Oldest Veteran Dies at 112 Page 4
CHALLENGER
Photo: Ronnie Tillman/Made In Your Image Photos
1619-2019
Candidates Announce for School Board, Fillmore District Council Seat Page 5
is the first African American in the city’s history to hold that coveted post. Vowing to leave “no one outLOCAL and no one behind,” he said together we will build “a better, stronger, safer Buffalo.” The future begins today,” he said when he launched his campaign in February. “Together we will make Buffalo the great city we need and want!” He is now in position to work toward making that goal a reality. Full election results next week.
NATIONAL
ENTERTAINMENT
Cirque Zuma 100 Years of Musical & Zuma Coming Cultural Striving! to Buffalo! Page 8
Photo by BERTRAM SMITH
PG. 9
America, Canada and Anti-Muslim Sentiment: A Tale of Two Governments
PG. 4
Michaela Angela Davis at From FatBurchfield To Fit PG. 3 The 200-Pound Weight Loss Nets Young Buffalo Man a New Life and an Appearance on Oprah
Page 3
PEACE RALLY & WALKCam’ronThinks AGAINST Twice AboutVIOLENCE Botched Carjacking IN OUR COMMUNITY EOC: Alternative Pathway To College and Career PG. 3 Entertainment
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Education
Page 10
World News
Paris Burning
It Looks Like Watts But its Paris, France in the Grip of a Sixties-Like Revolt “European Style”
Page 4
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SPEAK OUT!
Let The Challenger and WNY know what is on your mind. Send your e-mails to: speakout@thechallengernews.com Please keep the length of your e-mails to under 250 words. By submitting your “SpeakOut” you consent to have The Challenger publish your opinion. Your name and e-mail address will NOT be published. Submitting a “SpeakOut” does not gurantee publication, which will be done at The Challenger’s descrition.
Beauty Plus Talent Amiyah King Crowned
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COMMUNITY LEADER!
INSIDE ROCHESTER
C CI BULLOCK SCHOLARSHIP BOARD NEWS
Pictured l/r Natalie Rogers-Cropper and Norwood “PJ” Pennewell
Garth Fagan Announces December Showcase, Appoints New Leadership
G
arth Fagan Dance will be celebrating their 53rd anniversary this year starting with performances in December. The local and nationally acclaimed dance company will kick off celebrations December 8th through December 10th with live performances and renditions from guest performers Wynton Rice and LeTiger Walker. The event, "Home Showcase," will be held at Monroe Community College Theatre in the Robin and Timothy Wentworth Arts Building December 8 at 8 p.m., 9 at 2 and 8 p.m. and December 10 at 2 p.m. -New LeadershipCreative Director Garth Fagan also recently announced to his board that while he will continue to choreograph new dances, he is stepping away from leadership of the company, and has hand-picked his successors. Natalie Rogers-Cropper, a long-time Principal Dancer, has been chosen by Fagan to be Executive Director and School Director. Norwood “PJ” Pennewell, long-time Principal Dancer and Choreographer will accept Fagan’s invitation to take on the position as Artistic Director. Both Pennewell and Rogers-Cropper are nationally recognized Bessie Award winners, and served as assistant choreographers and co-rehearsal directors of the Tony Award-winning Broadway and international musical sensation, “The Lion King,” choreographed by Garth Fagan. Rogers-Cropper is a Juilliard School graduate and principal dancer with Garth Fagan Dance since 1989. With 34 years of dedication, she taught Fagan Technique™ globally for over three decades and received the Women of Excellence Award in 2021 for her leadership and achievements in business and dance. Pennewell joined Garth Fagan Dance in 1979 and has been the quintessential Garth Fagan dancer as well as Fagan's assistant and muse. As a principal dancer with Garth Fagan Dance, he has been a key figure in the company's global presence. As Fagan's assistant and choreographer, Pennewell has a 44-year performance history, choreographed 11 works for the company, and is praised for his innovative approach rooted in Fagan Technique™. “I am so proud, so happy, so honored to have these two talented people that I have known, worked with, laughed with, cried with, celebrated with for…decades…to now be taking my legacy, my artistry, my DANCE, my HEART, forward into tomorrow,” Fagan said. ”I am grateful beyond measure.”
Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
On November 5, 2023, the CI Scholarship Board met with the Class of 2024 to discuss their career goals, as well as share information they will need as they prepare to transition from high school to college. Students also received the CI Bullock Scholarship application. Scholarship Sunday will be June 23, 2024. Members of the CI Bullock Scholarship Board accompanied members of the Class of 2024 to the Rochester Black Nurses Association 3rd Scholarship and Awards Brunch on December 2, 2023. The brunch was held at Davinci’s of Greece. In November during the College prep workshop, our scholars indicated that they were interested in pursuing careers in health care. Attending the RBNA brunch was an opportunity for them to meet practicing nurses of color in the Rochester community. Our scholars were able to witness, Memorial’s own, Theresa Carter receive RBNA’s Community Leader Award during the brunch. This award is given to recognize outstanding commitment to the community and inspired leadership. Sis. Carter is a founding member of the Rochester Black Nurses Association. She is also the Vice Chairperson of the CI Scholarship Board. Although she is a retired, Sis. Carter continues to volunteer tirelessly in the Rochester community. She is an active participant at Beyond the Sanctuary. Her passion is to advocate for people of color through education, knowledge, resources, and empower them to become partners in managing their own health care.
ongratulations to our very own Theresa Carter who was awarded the Community Leader Award at the recent Rochester Black Nurses Association Scholarship and Awards Brunch! Ms. Carter has been a Registered Nurse for over 44 years. She retired from the University of Rochester in 2020 as Nurse Manager of the Strong Surgical Center. She presently volunteers in the community, mentors nursing students and Theresa Carter occasionally works in Patient Relations. She is a founding member of the Rochester Black Nurses Association and a member of the Memorial AME Zion Church Health Ministry. Sis. Theresa Carter received Rochester Black Nurses Association Community Leader Award during their 3rd Scholarship and Awards brunch. Sis. Prudence Wilson, Nyela Leonard, Brooklyn Turner, Sis. Andrea Alston and Sis. Theresa Carter attend the Rochester Black Nurses Association Brunch at Davini’s of Greece on December 2, 2023.
RABJ Congratulates The Challenger Your Community Newspaper on 60 Years of Dedicated Service to the Community!
RABJ Salutes Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contestants! RABJ salutes today's Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contest youth participants who competed recently at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington, D.C. ‘You are truly shining stars who have worked hard to get to there!” Annually, the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site hosts an Oratorical Contest for students 6-18 years old. Students perform a part of a Frederick Douglass speech that they learn from memory before a panel of judges. This year's contest began November 30 and continued on Saturday, December 2. Besides settling in Washington, D.C. toward the end of his life, Douglass lived for 25 of his most productive years in Rochester, NY and is buried there in a family plot in Mount Hope Cemetery.
HOLIDAYS AT THE PUBLIC MARKET
Holidays at the Public Market on 280 N. Union Street will take place 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday, December 3 and December 10; and from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Thursday, December 14 during the same hours. There will be holiday lights and festive music, dozens of local vendors, fresh-cut trees and home décor. Visits with Santa from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and horsedrawn carriage rides from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The evening event on Thu., December 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. involves a collaboration with Market District Business Association and visits with santa and carriage rides as well.
*Saturdays Public Market 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday *Thursdays International Market 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. and Sundays
GOOD NEWS!
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
AREA BRIEFS “Defy the Lie, Embrace the Truth” Is the Theme of This Year's Kwanzaa Kwanzaa is fast approaching. Save the date December THE CHRISTMAS BLIZZARD 2022. 26 – Jan. 1st and celebrate with us as we “Defy the Lie, Embrace the Truth” which is this year’s theme. Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. It was created Policy experts, community leaders, and last year’s blizzard vicby activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festims’ loved ones headline panel discussion and public memorial tival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast to honor lives lost Africa. Opening night will take place at Performing Arts High n Saturday, December 9th, from 10am to 2pm at 371 Delaware Avenue, Our City School and the rest of the locations will be announced in Buffalo and co-sponsors will host the fifth annual Anti-Displacement Summit. This the following weeks. To advertise or to vend please call Sis. is a chance for anyone who lives in Buffalo to come educate or be educated on issues Carlanda at 716-800-1348. that are affecting a lot of us who live in the city, and a chance to hear about people who are trying to make it better for all. There will be workshops on each issue in the Our City Buffalo Policy Platform. A small Umoja Inc. presents its annual Convening of The El- sampling of the workshops that will be offered at the Summit are below: •“Buffalo Common Council Procedures and How to Take Action” Too often, grassroots ders 2023 on Saturday, December 9 from 12 noon(lunch) followed by the program from 1-4 p.m.at the Alfonzo “Rafi” advocates are left confused and excluded by the technical procedures and rules in City Hall. Greene Masten Resource Center, 1423 Black Lives Matter This workshop will help participants feel more confident bringing policy change prioriWay (Fillmore Avenue). This year’s theme is “Building for ties and concerns to the Buffalo Common Council. The Common Council is the legislative Eternity: The Master Class.” Hosted by Iya Oyanike, Re- branch of the City of Buffalo. The Council meets every week to discuss city matters, includgina Hutchins-Winstead, the Elder Master Presenters will ing new legislation, finances and city spending, resident concerns, and more. Hosted by include Baba Akil Ajamu, Karima Amin, L. Nathan Hare, Partnership for the Public Good. •How to Respond When Accountability Falls on Deaf Ears?” Buffalo received unprecModell Gault, Sam Radford III, Ras Jomo, Dr. Eva Doyle, Baba Eng, Abena Talliba Asamate’(Joanne), Frank Merri- edented funds through the American Rescue Plan Act. Though there was a lot of community buy-in in shaping the plan, what was ultimately received looks different than what was colweather and Maryama Ajamu. For more information contact Sis Regina-Oyanike at laborated on. Learn more about how to be an engaged resident as these funds become available to community organizations in early 2024. Hosted by Frontline Arts Buffalo. (716)332-3773. •“Putting people and planet first: Fighting back against National Fuel’s assault on our communities” National Fuel Gas has been wiling out over the last year opposing New York’s landmark climate law - the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. They’ve made false claims about the benefits and resilience of the gas system during last December’s deadly blizzard. They’re seeking approval for a 20-year long-term plan from state regulators that would deepen our dependence on fracked gas as the climate crisis worsens. And now Pvt. Jordan D. Mushat, A they’re petitioning the state to raise our utility rates by at least 13.7% which will increase 2023 Graduate of the United heating costs and contribute to neighborhood displacement for marginalized residents in States Marine Corps is the Buffalo. Hosted by PUSH Buffalo. Son of Robert & MarquiIn lieu of a keynote address this year, the Summit will be headlined by policy experts, sha Mushat and grandson of community leaders, and victims’ loved ones who will talk candidly about last year’s blizzard Marcia Washington. Born in and actions that need to be taken by local government officials to secure the well-being of Buffalo, New York Pvt. Is all residents in the future. Summit goers will then proceed down to Niagara Square with the a recent graduate of Wilgeneral public to honor the lives of those lost through a living memorial. liamsville East High School. Panelists include: “We are extremely proud of •Dr. J. Coley [they/them], Syracuse University, MetLife Foundation Lender Center Postdochis ambition, dedication & toral Researcher accomplishments,” said his •Cassandra Eubanks [she/her], Our City Buffalo, Board of Directors proud family. “ We look for•Tazul Manik [he/him], Bangladeshi Community, Honored as a “Blizzard Hero” by Goverward to the next phase of his nor Kathy Hochul journey as a Marine Embassy •Ali Sharifu [he/him], cousin of Abdul Sharifu, victim of the Christmas blizzard Guard!” Congratulations! The panel will be moderated by the Partnership for the Public Good’s Executive Director
FREEDOM DAY!
Our City ActionTo Host 5th Annual Anti-Displacement Summit and 2022 Blizzard Memorial
Convening of the Elders 2023
O
Pvt. Jordan D. Mushat is 2023 Graduate of the United States Marine Corps
Continued Page 12
Harriett Tubman
On December 6, 1849, Harriett Tubman escaped from enslavement in Maryland to become a leading abolitionist. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom along the route of the Underground Railroad., earning her the name, the “Moses” of her people. Born into slavery on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1822, Tubman was named Araminta by her enslaved parents, Ben and Rit Ross who called her “Minty.” She was nearly killed at the age of 13 by a blow to her head, after she encountered a slave who had left the fields without permission. The man’s overseer demanded that Tubman help restrain the runaway. When Tubman refused, the overseer threw a two-pound weight that struck her in the head. Tubman endured seizures, severe headaches and narcoleptic episodes for the rest of her life. She also experienced intense dream states, which she classified as religious experiences. Changing her name to Harriet upon her marriage to Freeman John Tubman in 1844, she escaped five years later when her enslaver died and she was to be Continued Page 18
NEW HOURS! DINE IN & TAKE OUT! MONDAY & TUESDAY CLOSED!
Wednesday 9AM-6PM • Thursday 9AM-8PM, LIVE JAZZ & OPEN MIC Friday 9AM – 6PM • Saturday 9AM-2PM BREAKFAST ONLY! SUNDAY 11AM-4PM TO ORDER CALL (716) 253-2100, Door Dash Delivery Available Located at 633 Northland Inside The Workforce Center.
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Buffalo City Ballet, Black Owned Dance School Celebrates 52 Successful Years! By Starr Funderberg he hidden gems of the Ballet. The Buffalo City directed by professional T Buffalo eastside are Ballet (also known as Bufdancer, Marvin Askew. endless, including its lonfalo Inner-City Ballet) was Dancing into its 53rd gest standing professional ballet school, Buffalo City
founded by Karl Singletary in 1971 and is currently
ALIVE CHRSITIAN BOOKSTORE 2275 Fillmore Avenue Buffalo NY 14214 (716)-837-1118 Hours: Monday: Closed Tuesday- Friday: 11:00 Am- 5:00pm Saturday: 10:00am- 2:00pm
• Prayer • Study Material • Bibles
• Books • Boxed Cards • Church Supplies
• Sunday School Books • Clergy Shirts • Gifts
*A place where the lord dwells, you won’t leave without experiencing his presence*
year, Buffalo City Ballet offers affordable pre-professional dance and theater classes throughout the year to youth with any experience level. Students have the opportunity to use their acquired skills to perform famous ballets including the Nutcracker, Firebird, Dracula, and more. The studio is also available for event rentals. Looking for a holiday day out or special experience? Check out Buffalo City Ballet’ upcoming events taking place at the school’s Ballet Studio, 307 Leroy Avenue. •The Nutcracker Tea Party; Sunday December 10 from 3 to 6p.m. •The Nutcracker In The Box Production Showtimes : December 16 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., December 17 at 3pm & December 23rd at 1pm & 7pm Tickets $25. Those interested in attending the Nutcracker Tea Party or Nutcracker In the Box Performance or simply joining or supporting the dance school are encouraged to visit www. buffalocityballet.org, call 716-833-1243 or email bflocityballet@gmail.com Be on the look out for Buffalo City Ballet productions and community events throughout 2024. Register today for Holiday Promo/ free Pre-Ballet Classes for ages 4-5 (girls and boys). Call (716)8331243 or (716)864-4167, www.innercitybaket.org
Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Watch Night Service is Rooted in African American Religious Traditions
W
atch Night service is rooted in African American religious traditions. During the first Watch Night, many enslaved African Americans gathered to pray, worship, sing, and dance. At the time, enslaved Black people could find little respite from ever-present surveillance, even in practicing their faith. White enslavers feared that religion, which was often used to quell slave resistance, could incite the exact opposite if practiced without observance. They wrote laws that restricted worship and large gatherings, such as that in the 1848 Georgia Slave Code:
" No person of color . . . shall be allowed to preach, to exhort, or join in any religious exercise with any persons of color, either free or slave, there being more than seven persons of color present. "
On the night of December 31, 1862, enslaved and free African Americans gathered, many in secret, to ring in the new year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation
had taken effect. Just a few months earlier, on September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the executive order that declared enslaved people in the rebelling
1848 Georgia Slave Code
5
Confederate States legally free. However, the decree would not take effect until the clock struck midnight at the start of the new year. The occasion, known as Watch Night or “Freedom's Eve,” marks when African Americans across the country watched and waited for the news of freedom. Today, Watch Night is an annual New Year’s Eve tradition that includes the memory of slavery and freedom, reflections on faith, and celebration of community and strength.
" It is a day for poetry and song, a new song. These cloudless skies, this balmy air, this brilliant sunshine . . . are in harmony with the glorious morning of liberty about to dawn up on us."
Frederick Douglass, December 31, 1862
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
HEALTH MATTERS
FOOD AS MEDICINE
From The Archives of the late Healer Barbara Echoles, Former Challenger Health Columnist/Consultant VITAMIN A:Builds resistance to all kinds of infections. Maintains the health of mucus linings and membranes of the body. Promotes growth and vitality. Assists in the digestion of protein. Protects against the damaging effect of polluted air. Plentiful in colored fruits and vegetables; carrots, melons, yams, tomatoes, and squash. Deficiency indicators: rough, scaly skin; poor vision, night blindness, frequent colds, acne, premature wrinkles, dull, dry hair. B COMPLEX:Maintains the health of the nerves , skin, eyes, hair, liver and mouth. Members of the B complex work as a team in assuring a healthy body. The B vitamins should always be taken together; Thiamine (B 1), Riboflavin (B 2), Niacin (B 3), Pantothenic Acid (B 5), Pyrodoxine (B 6), Folic Acid (B 9) and cyanocobalamin (B 12). The best source of vitamin B complex is whole grains and seaweed: bran, oats, com, millet/ kelp, dulse. Deficiency indicators: depression and nervous exhaustion, burning feet, mental imbalances, impaired circulation. VITAMIN C:Essential for the health of collagen, "intracellular cement" Necessary for healthy gums, teeth and bones. Strengthens connective tissue. General defoliant. Protects against stress. All fresh fruits and vegetables contain some vitamin C; apples, strawberries, tomatoes, greens. Deficiency indicators: capillary weakness, premature aging, thyroid insufficiency, and tooth decay. VITAMIN D: Very important for the proper formation of teeth and bones. Necessary for the healthy function of the parathyroid gland (regulates the Calcium level in the
CHRISTMAMS IN THE CITY!
The Fruitbelt Coalition will host its annual Christmas in the City 2023 on Saturday, December 16, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at 150 Maple Street. Giveaways include free food, toys, and more while supplies last. Donations of toys are needed to make this event a happy one for all the children. Call (716)893-6428 to register or to make a donation. blood). Sources: mushrooms, fish liver oils and sunshine. Deficiency indicators: osteoporosis, muscle weakness, ostoeomalacia ( softening of the bones, typically through a deficiency of vitamin D or calcium).
VITAMIN E:Improves circulation. Indispensable for the prevention and treatment of heart disease, varicose veins and restless legs. Food sources: green leafy vegetables, eggs, wheat germ and cold pressed oils. Deficiency indicators: degenerative developments in the coronary system. * Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C are required daily. They are not stored in the body and are excreted daily.
-The Wells Family
eat to live
Kirsten Vincent Respite & Recovery Center
East Buffalo Counseling
Guiding Wellness, Nurturing Hope Not every emergency requires a visit to the hospital. Spectrum Health’s East Buffalo Counseling Center, located in the Kirsten Vincent Respite and Recovery Center at 111 Maple St. provides a safe environment where you can get immediate help and support Monday thru Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
No appointment necessary. Call 716.828.1719 to check in ahead of arriving. Spectrum Health has onsite Peer Support Specialists, Crisis Workers, and Clinicians who will help you connect with the services you need.
Spectrum Health is a New York State Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.
Celebrating a Half Century of Changing Lives
https://shswny.org/
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Patrice Funderburg is 2023 ATHENA Leadership Awardee Patrice Funderb u r g , formerly of Buffalo, was recently honored with the coveted AT H E N A International Leadership Award for professional excellence. Mrs. Funderburg, who currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, is Executive Director of the Center for Community Transitions a North Carolina based nonprofit organization which provides supportive services to currently incarcerated people, those released from prison, and their children and families. She is the daughter of Richard Clark of Buffalo and Barbara Clark of Charleston, South Carolina. Congratulations Tricie!
We’re here for you. Here in your neighborhood. There’s nothing quite like local. That’s why your local AARP creates experiences with your community in mind. We’re neighbors, connecting you to free events, learning opportunities, and resources right in your backyard. Wherever you live, we’re here to help your money, health, and happiness live as long as you do. Find us at aarp.org/local
/AARPNY
@aarpny
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
It All Began In 1963…
"We wish to plead our own Cause. Too long have others spoken for us." -John Russwurm, Freedoms Journal, 1847, the Nation's First Black Newspaper
T
he Challenger's early history is a story as compelling as the era that gave birth to it in the the verityper. sixties. "It was a slow process," he Black America was at a civil/ human rights crossroads. The "movement" was at its peak. said, recalling the all-night efThe sit-ins, demonstrations, pickets and marches against racism and bigotry and to end segre- forts. gation in the south and second class citizenship for Blacks across the country, were met with Everyone had a full time job violence and hatred; with guns and fire hoses, and even death. America was, for all intents and and families to support but the purposes, not much better than apartheid South Africa cloaked in the facade of "democracy." Challenger was truly a labor of Just a little over a decade after the Supreme Court Decision outlawing racial segregation in love. public schools, the very first edition of The Challenger hit the streets of Buffalo's Black commuThe very first issue, published nity on April 11, 1963. April 11, 1963, by the "New That was also the year that civil rights leader Medgar Evers was murdered; that the Sixteenth Frontier Publishing Company," Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed by White supremacists, killing four listed Kimbrough and Moore as FOUNDING FATHERS: Calvin Kimbrough,John Moore, Art Eve. innocent children; and the year that Dr. Martin Luther King made his famous "I Have a Dream" Co-Editors and Eve as Business speech at the historic March on Washington. Manager. Kimbrough was later the paper's first sole editor. -The Early Beginnings – It was only eight pages, but the energy and spirit that went into it made it as valuable as an It was an era electric with the desire among African Americans to do something to help change 80- page document. their condition as a people. And in spite of the move to end segregation, it became clear that Among the paper's very first advertisers in those first few months were Pilgrim Baptist Church, Blacks had to be able, on many fronts, to "do for self' as taught by the Honorable Elijah Muham- Ramsey's Beauty Salon, Central Park Plaza, Humes Styles of Beauty, The Little Harlem, Doris mad. Records, Bell Brothers Cleaners, WUFO, Bellamy’s Liquor Store, Thelka's Beauty Salon and The major media was one of Blacks' biggest problems in terms of not only blatant exclusion, Community Flowers. but how we were portrayed when we were included. By the second issue, Ambrose Lane, a prolific writer (who would eventually become editor) Both Arthur O. Eve and Calvin Kimbrough, two of the Challenger’s founders, remember that joined the staff as the features editor, along with Garfield Hinton, another great writer, became battle well. news editor; Dorothy M. Hackney, women's editor; Andrew Wright, sports “There was so much negativity in the White press,” recalled Eve. “The editor. Constance B. Eve, copy editor; and Laura Kimbrough, production Challenger, he said, was a positive paper to lift Black people up,” and fight manager. By the third issue, Adolph Dupree's writings began to appear, and he injustice. soon became the paper's theatre editor. They were later joined by the beautiful In the fifties, there were two basic Black newspapers in the City of Bufand popular June Carter, who also served as the woman's page/society editor; falo,” explained Kimbrough. The Criterion, founded by Frank Merriweather Fred Taborn, photo editor; Ollie Adams, copy editor; and Maxie Maxwell, the and The Buffalo Star, founded by Andrew Smitherman, former publisher of Rochester editor. Black Wall Street’s Tulsa Star. The paper's first home was Kimbrough's house at 33 Kingsley Street (near As a teen, continued Kimbrough, he worked for Merriweather taking Jefferson). That house has since been demolished. pictures and writing articles. Mr. Merriweather, now deceased, was his menThe home of Art and Connie Eve at 14 Celtic Place, was the second location tor and got him interested in the newspaper business, of which said Cal, he's after Kimbrough and Eve split. "very grateful." He later wrote for his college newspaper at Geneseo State - What Went Wrong? – and for a military newspaper during the Korean war. Not long after the paper was launched there was a split. There are conflicting Around 1954 he returned to Buffalo after getting out of the army and took views on why it took place. According to Eve, the problem was over whether a job with National Fuel, eventually becoming the first Black manager there. or not the paper should be sold to the public. He said he opposed the sale of The Civil Rights movement was just getting started, and he said, he bethe paper, and Kimbrough was for it. longed to an organization called the Civic Betterment League made up of 15 "They wanted to charge and I didn't...l wanted to get it in the hands of all to 20 young men "trying to help the Black community." the people." Also among that group of progressive Black men, was Eve and John Kimbrough, however, said the split stemmed from the way business ownMoore, the paper’s third founder. ership papers were filed by Eve with the city. The papers, he said, did not Eve too, was fresh out of the army, and enrolled at ECC in 1955. He first include the names of the other partners - himself and Moore, only Eve. A worked at the Chevy Delavan plant, then went on to work as a Jr. Engineer meeting was called at 33 Kingsley to discuss it. That discussion ended in with the City after graduation from ECC. Kimbrough leaving the fold. "I wanted to be a contractor ... actually an architect," he mused. "It was decided at that meeting that I had very little to do with the paper - First Intentioneven if I started it," said Cal. He said he ended up getting a lawyer, "My first intention was to help Mr. Merriweather out however we could," Pictured above, the cover of the and could have, at that time , stopped The Challenger from being published. Kimbrough said. And Cal set up a meeting with the Criterion's iconic pub- first Challenger as it appeared "But I said 'no.' I didn't want to because the paper was just becoming a voice lisher and the Civic League. "I took practically the whole club membership in 1963 created by Leon Bethel. too important." to visit his place on William Street," Cal recalled. "We made the overture but His attorney, he said, insisted that he at least be compensated for his efforts up basically all he wanted us to do was sell." to that point. The young men however wanted to do more. The seed had been planted and they began to "There was a settlement. .. a couple thousand dollars. Eve paid the settlement to continue to work to start a new publication. run the paper as The Challenger." Moore stayed on. "I was the only person in the club with experience, so I contacted my friend, John Moore," Cal Shortly afterwards, in that same year, Kimbrough said he started another paper, The Buffalo said. Moore, a graphic artist, worked in the advertising department of the former Sattler's Depart- Newscaster. The paper folded only after a month or so, because he did not have the finances to ment store. continue funding it he said. He said he and John later asked Leonard Bethel, an artist and cartoonist, to do the front page logo, Bethel maintains that Cal was the victim of less than honorable maneuvering. and he came up with the paper's very first flag. According to Wright, when the "founder "claim by Eve first surfaced – particularly when he Bethel, who resided on Dodge Street in Buffalo, said he remembers those early years. "Cal entered into politics, he and the others simply shrugged it off and figured it was done to help him started it (The Challenger) in his home on Kingsley Street. His basic idea was to help the com- politically. And since no one seemed to have a problem with it, it really didn't matter. The only munity ... and we enjoyed doing it." thing that mattered is that The Challenger continued. Neither Eve nor Kimbrough remembers how the name Challenger came about, and both admit -The Rest Is Historythat it was probably a group effort. The rest truly is history. Arthur Eve, at some point during the sixties, took the helm. He became Given the energy and the climate of change that engulfed the nation at that time, it seemed to be the spark that kept the newspaper going. And there was a host of outstanding people who worked the perfect fit. Indeed, challenging the system was paramount. with him and gave their all to help keep the Black community informed and aware. Their names, -"Just The Three of Us”unfortunately, are too numerous to mention. For many years Eve was credited for being the sole founder of The Challenger. Early on the paper was a true advocate; speaking out for the rights of Black people and offering However during a 1997 interview, he acknowledged that "all of us (Kimbrough, Eve and Buffalo's Black community a real alternative to an otherwise negative and hostile White press. Moore) worked together." The Challenger was indeed meeting the challenge of the times.; serving a struggling, yet And although it may have been Kimbrough's brainchild, he too was quick to share the paper's culturally rich and strong community where Black voices spoke truth to power and pushed back beginning with Moore and Eve. "Basically, it was the three of us," he said. against adversity. Moore was the graphic artist, Kimbrough did the writing, took photos and did layout, and Eve Among those who served as editor of the paper after Kimbrough were Garfield Hinton, Amwas in sales. Laura Kimbrough, Cal's wife at the time, later joined and did all the typesetting on Continued Page 9
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
IT ALL BEGAN in 1963 continued from page 8 brose Lane, Elaine (Clark) Blyden, and Daryl Rasuli. Their contributions were great and lasting. The paper's location moved from 33 Kingsley to Eve's 14 Celtic Place home, to 561 Clinton St., Church & Pearl, 1294 Fillmore, 1301 Fillmore, to 1303 Fillmore. Eve eventually entered politics and The Challenger played a key role in his career. After being elected to the NYS Assembly, he ran for Mayor. He won the Mayoral Primary (the first Black) in an historic victory with a 77-80% Black voter turnout - The highest ever for an African American community in the Northeast. It made national news. Almost 10,000 new Black voters were registered at the prodding of Eve's organization. William Gaiter, was Eve's field coordinator. But he lost the general election to a conservative Democrat from South Buffalo, named Jimmy Griffin who ran on Conservative line in this heavily Democratic city. "When I ran for Mayor of Buffalo in 1977 I really abandoned the paper for the whole time," recalled Eve. "And because of so much debt, I was forced to give it up." His desire to keep the paper in the hands of Black owners, he led him to approach his close friend, businessman Jim Bell. "I had some Whites who wanted to buy it and it would have made me rich," he said. "But I went to Jim Bell and asked him to take over. And he did. That's why he's such a wonderful man." In 1980, James Bell, owner of Jim Bell Cleaners, purchased the business. Alnisa Banks, who worked for the state at the time, and who had volunteered a year before to keep the paper afloat until the sale was finalized, became part owner. Bell was the majority stockholder. Approximately four years into the business however, Bell decided to sell out. The paper was not exactly a money-making venture, and Jim, a long-established businessman, wanted to devote his attention to his dry-cleaning establishment. Alnisa, who will mark 45 years of service in 2024, still From left: Leah, Alnisa, Shola publishes The Challenger Community News currently located at 1337 Jefferson Avenue. Along with her daughters Associate Publisher Leah and Managing Editor Shola, they continue , every week, to "plead our cause." -Researched and Written by Alnisa Banks
Sixty Years Of Telling Our Story…… Sixty Years Of Tenacity…. Sixty Years Of Dedication To Our Community…. Sixty Years Of Recognizing Black Excellence….. The McKelvey Family Congratulates Our Beloved Challenger On This Remarkable Achievement! Rubie Carlis-McKelvey, M.A. NYS Certified School Psychologist @ Performing Arts 450 Masten Ave. Buffalo, New York 14209 rmckelvey@buffaloschools.org
(716)816-4220
Terrence D. McKelvey Attorney at Law 181 Franklin Street Suite #301 Buffalo, New York 14202 terryatty@yahoo.com
(716)424-2070
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Entertainment
Buffalo Prep Alumi TaNisha Fordham '01 Returns Home to Direct12 Mo' Angry Men
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TaNisha is currently a aNisha Fordham, an emerging writer, director, Directing Fellow with the performer, and producer, has Broadway Theater Coalition. written and directed the cur- Her credits include: Associrent production on Ujima's ate Director, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s newest Lorna C. Hill TheBroadway debut atre stage 12 ‘Mo Bad Cinderella and Angry Men, a timeAssociate Direcly and unflinching tor, TONY Award reimagining of "12 winning revival Angry Men," the of Company. She 1955 award-wincredits Buffalo Prep ning play and film, as a foundation of written by Regiher success. “Prep nald Rose. Written was the foundaduring the pantion of so many demic TaNisha sets good things that her adaptation in present day, where TaNisha Fordham are wholly alive in me now. Prep was 11 Black jurors and 1 White juror deliberate about a place where I could be me, the guilt and/or innocence of a fully. I felt loved and supWhite police officer who shot ported and lifted up at Bufand killed a 16 year old Black falo Prep. I know now how teen. The play runs now thru important those foundational years were; they are a part of December 17th. Born and raised in Buffalo, the reason why I’m able to Fordham has always been en- use my voice so unabashedly gaged in the arts from church today.” With so many projects in the works and under productions to highschool (She attended Academy of the her belt TaNisah is also a new Sacred Heart ) and College. mom. Congratulations! For She's a graduate of HBCU more info about Buffalo Prep, visit buffaloprep.com North Carolina A&T.
Motown Christmas with Marsha McWilson On Friday December 8th the incomparable singer Marsha McWilson will perform for a 2nd year in a row her special Motown Christmas at Batavia Downs Park Place Event Center . Show starts at 7:300pm Tickets are $15 each with a $10 Free Play. Bataviadownsgaming.com/events for tickets or Eventbrite.
ON STAGE @ THE HELIUM Michael Blackson Fri. Dec. 8 & 9 for two shows nightly @ 7 & 10 p.m.; Sat. Dec. 9 . Visit buffalo.heliumcomedy.com for tickets.
12 Mo' Angry Men at Ujima
12 Mo' Angry Men is lighting up the Stage in the LORNA C. HILL THEATER An adaptation of the original "12 Angry Men" through December 17th every Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm / Sunday at 4pm. Tickets : General admission $35 / Seniors - $20 / Vets & Students $15. Visit ujimacoinc.org for tickets !
The Home Coming at Torn Space Theatre
Torn Space revives its mainstage production with a classic script as you’ve never seen it. Featuring a stellar cast- Jack Hunter, Kalub Thompson, Tracie Lane, Russell Holt, Stan Klimecko, and Talon Powell, led by award-winning directors Dan Shanahan and Melissa Meola Clashes of class, culture, family, and sex; and the tension of what is said and left unspoken in this cutting-edge production. Remaining show dates are Thursday, December 7 at 7:30 pm, Friday, December 8 at 7:30 pm and Sat, Dec. 9 at 7:30 pm. Torn Space Theatre is located at 612 Fillmore Ave. For tickets go to tornspacetheater.com or call 716 768-1109.
Poetry / Spoken Word PURE INK POETRY WEEKDAY SLAM Thursday December 7 at Days Park Tavern 253 Allen Sign up 6pm Slam begins 6:30pm $10 for spectators and $5 for slammers visit pureinkpoetry.com for more info BUFFALO WORDISM: BEYONCE TRIVIA Friday December 8 at 7pm at Rooted Lounge 69 Allen Street $7 at the door. To participate register online at urbansoultrivia.com
Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
D.O.P.E. Collective and Afro D. Ecologies FELLOWSHP MIXER On Friday December 8 at 7pm D.O.P.E. Collective and Afro D. Ecologies will present a special U.B. Distinguished Visiting Scholars Fellowship Mixer at Lincoln Memorial Baptist Church . Bridging the gap between communities as well as building relationships with scholarly guests from the University at Buffalo Distinguished Visiting Scholars! Food and Refreshments provided . Free event.
Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Colored Girls Bike Too Liberation by Bike Fundraiser Open Mic Event
Colored Gils. Bike Too is well underway with their Liberation by Bike Fundraiser and having an Open Mic series as part of their efforts to continue to raise funds. Mics In Motion hosted by Syn Tha Goddess will be December 9 from 6pm -9pm at Holistic Cycles (opened recently by Colored Girls Bike Too founder Jalonda Hill at 1353 Jefferson Ave. There will be free bags of food thanks to Buffalo Community Fridge being given away . The fund will provide mobility through funding for local travel and long distance for folks who have never left their neighborhood block . Go to bit.ly/FundCGBT2023 and follow on social media @Colored Girls Bike Too.
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BUFFALO STATE UNIVERSITY HAS A NEW PRESIDENT! he State University of New York Board of Trustees on TuesT day announced the appointment of Chance M. Glenn Sr., Ph.D., as the 10th president of Buffalo State University.
Glenn, whose appointment is effective July 1, 2024, is a professor of electrical engineering, an inventor, and an innovator with over 30 years of experience. He has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Houston-Victoria since 2019. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to lead Buffalo State University and partner with the SUNY campuses in the Western region and across the state,” Glenn said. “Academics and research Chance M. Glenn Sr., Ph.D have played an integral role in my career, and I am excited to build on the excellent education provided by Buffalo State. My thanks to the SUNY Board of Trustees, Chancellor John King, and the Buffalo State search committee for this appointment.” Glenn received his bachelor of science in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and his master of science and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a certificate in management development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He previously served as the dean of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Physical Sciences at Alabama A&M University. He also served as associate dean in the Office of Graduate Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Glenn is a member of the Starlink Initiative (SpaceX) Board of Directors, the Victoria Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, the Victoria Chamber of Commerce, the Golden Crescent Black Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Houston System Black Leadership Network Board of Directors. “We are thrilled our search has come to a successful conclusion with the appointment of Dr. Chance Glenn as the 10th president of Buffalo State University,” said Linda A. Dobmeier, chair of the Buffalo State Council and chair of the Buffalo State Presidential Search Committee. “Dr. Glenn is a scientist, innovator, inventor, electrical engineer, and most importantly educator. He is the perfect combination of a futurist and visionary to lead and inspire Buffalo State University as we move forward at this exciting point in our history. “His exceptional leadership, demonstrated through a distinguished academic career, positions him perfectly to guide our institution into the future." said Chancellor John B. King. “Dr. Glenn’s return to Western New York marks an exciting new chapter for Buffalo State; under his guidance, I am confident we will flourish, strengthening our position as SUNY’s premier urban-engaged comprehensive university.” Buffalo State University has been led by Interim President Bonita R. Durand, Ph.D., since the retirement of President Katherine Conway-Turner at the close of the 2022–2023 academic year. Welcome and Congratulations Dr. Glenn!
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Ready To Serve Jewish Voice For Peace-Buffalo Delivers Letter To Sen. Schumer’s Buffalo Office Demanding Immediate Permanent Ceasefire In Gaza H
NATIONAL/WORLD
By Nanette D. Massey / Part 2-Conclusion
A broad coalition of local, state and national peace organizations took action at all of Senator NY Schumer’s offices to demand an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza . BUFFALO, New York -Around 20 members and allies of the Buffalo chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace visited New York Senator Chuck Schumer’s Buffalo office recently to deliver a letter demanding he support and facilitate an immediate permanent ceasefire to Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza. Jewish Voice for PeaceBuffalo read and delivered the letter in the lobby of 130 South Elmwood Avenue to Matthew Wrobel, the Western New York Regional Director for Senator Schumer’s office. Buffalo's actio n joined a broad coalition of local organizations that coordinated statewide to hold a variety of actions at all of Senator Schumer's New York offices: Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Melville, Peekskill, Rochester, Syracuse, and New York City. Organizers range from local chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and Democratic Socialist of America, to local peace groups such Western New York for Peace and Westchester Peace Action Committee, to local coalitions such as Ceasefire
THERE IS NOWHERE SAFE FOR CHILDREN TO GO IN GAZA:By ordering families to move, Israel is not ensuring that they survive, but merely giving them the option to die another way, elsewhere. Injured people, including children, are brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for treatment after an Israeli attack following the humanitarian pause on December 02, 2023.Image Aljezerra Now Central New York and Rochester Committee to End Apartheid. The actions today come amidst mourning and global pressure on the U.S. and Israel to end the destructive assault on Gaza. Over 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, including nearly 6,000 children. The New York Times wrote that Palestinians in Gaza are being “killed at historic pace.” The UN Secretary-General said Gaza is becoming a "graveyard for children" and is demanding a ceasefire. Amnesty International says Israel’s attacks must be investigated as war crimes. "Israel’s assault on Gaza, backed by the U.S. government, has been cataclysmic. Around 15,000 people have been killed, including near-
ly 6,000 children. Senator Schumer needs to join the global consensus in demanding an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S. must halt weapons sales to Israel that are being used to kill thousands of civilians. Just as we decried the attacks by Hamas on civilians on October 7th, we denounce the horrific destruction of Gaza and the killing of thousands of Palestinians. As his Jewish constituents from Western New York, we are demanding Senator Schumer support and facilitate an immediate permanent ceasefire. Gaza is suffocating. No one is being made safer by this. To Senator Schumer, we say: Not in our name." – Derek Seidman, Jewish Voice for Peace Buffalo.
OUR CITY ANTI-DISPLACLEMENT SUMMIT continued fro page 3 Andrea Ó Súilleabháin. Co-sponsors include the Buffalo Parent-Teacher Organization, CEJ Buffalo, Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, Frontline Arts Buffalo, Justice for Migrant Families, Neighborhood Kids Initiative, Liberated Wellness Center, New York Civil Liberties Union, Partnership for the Public Good, and PUSH Buffalo. Lunch, interpretation, and childcare provided. Flyers for both events are attached. Our City Buffalo is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more just and equitable Buffalo through championing a policy platform that addresses our city’s most pressing issues, including affordable housing, public education, transportation, frontline arts, immigration, and the impacts of climate change.
alton-Pope was offered a position in the Obama administration’s Office Of Faith Based And Community Initiatives but she turned it down, one of the great regrets of her life. “I felt like I wasn’t good enough to work in the White House for a Black president, thinking 'I’m not going to be the one to bring the Black man down, it can’t be me.’ ” Halton-Pope wrote legislation on behalf of Peoples-Stokes. She is particularly proud of her work on the Community Schools Act. As kids were being bussed around town, the feel of a neighborhood school was lost in communities. The new legislation opens schools to all in their local communities, and provides family services like mental health counseling, legal services, dental work, and safe recreation spaces for young children. “It definitely required me to sit down with warring people and get them to find consensus for the most important and the most vulnerable population, our kids.” She was also behind the residential parking permit legislation for those who called the Fruit Belt neighborhood home. As the need for employee parking at the Medical Campus grew, longtime residents were coming home to find their driveways blocked and nowhere to park on the street. That went through five drafts between its first and final inception. “I wasn’t thrilled [with the outcome],” she said, “ because I didn't feel that [the residents] got enough from it.” She also served on the Real Property Tax Committee advocating for Fruit Belt residents as the Medical Campus’ growth loomed to raise selling prices and additionally property taxes on Fruit Belt area homes and lots “so that Mrs. Jackson didn’t get taxed out because now this house next door is worth $300K and she’s been paying taxes on her home when it was valued at, like, $20K.” That was a juggling act, as she recalls having to show “that it wasn’t going to be detrimental to the city’s revenue generating opportunities.” “I've never chased dollars, ever,” said Halton-Pope. “I’ve always chased purpose.” Reminding us that she came through a four person primary where she was not the party endorsed candidate, she drives home that “I’m an independent person. Someone made a comment, they thought I was a ‘rubber stamp for the mayor.’ But they clearly didn’t know me. Crystal laughed. “The reason I’m good at what I do is because I’m honest with you, I’m direct with you. I’m going to tell you what I need to say because it’s the right thing to do. If I can’t help you I’m not going to hurt you–unless you give me no choice, so if you are coming against my people, I will destroy you.” Where do our two new councilmembers stand on two East Side hot button concerns taking up headline space today; the Humboldt Parkway project and the resolution passed in 2020 renaming Fillmore Avenue to Black Lives Matter Way? Halton-Pope takes issue with the narrative that locals had the Highway 33 project dropped in their laps suddenly. The project , she noted, was on Peoples-Stokes’ agenda for more than a decade. “Our office, we’ve gone door to door, we sent mailers, we put it in the newspaper, on the radio,” and still only handfuls of people showed up for the meetings early on where naysayers could have made a difference, she recalled. “Is the covering going to be 100% enough? No, it is not. But it’s definitely going to help to start to fix the problem.” The idea of filling the entire area back in and redirecting traffic to in-town streets does not sit well with her. She feels It sends more motorists through Black neighborhoods who aren’t necessarily likely to balance that inconvenience with stop-and-shop spending, and will make the streets less safe for our children. “My bottom line, what the community, those who live there and are directly impacted, what they want is the only thing that really should matter to anybody. How we get there is what’s important” Everhart lives on a street that directly meets Highway 33. She’s been behind the efforts of the Restore Our Community Coalition, who have been trying to make something happen for some fifteen years, all along. “I think it’s going to be beautiful. And what we’re going to get out of it as well, we’re actually going to get some investment in the streets surrounding the 33 and that’s huge.” As for the resolution renaming of Fillmore Avenue Black Lives Matter Way, “is it critical?,” says Halton-Pope. “Does it change lives because you named it that? Are people getting services just because you changed the name? Does that make our community strong?...Does that highlight that Black people live here? We know they live here! I’m just asking what’s the purpose? But if it’s what the community wanted at the time and the council agreed to it, then do it.” Everhart wouldn’t act against the renaming, but sees it as preaching to the choir for the East Side. Such an action needs to be elsewhere, where it can make a statement to the larger Western New York general public. ”We already know that Black lives matter. So Black Lives Matter should be in, say, Niagara Square. We need other communities to see that Black lives matter.” CORRECTION: Last week’s article incorrectly noted that Ellicott Council Member Halton-Pope started working for Assemblywoman Peoples-Stokes in 2021. The correct year was 2012.
Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
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SOULFUL CHRISTMAS AND BRUNCH WITH SANTA! Kente Claus was a pretty busy brother last weekend as he brought joy, wisdom and culture to the children (and adults!) who attended the BFNC Brunch With Santa and later at the Michigan Street African Heritage Corridor's Soulful Christmas! Street Legacy Photos & Third Eye Images
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Congratulations Challenger for 60 Years of “Pleading Our Cause!”
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
License Plate Readers Target Minority Neighborhoods
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By Bruce Rushton/Investigative Post
uffalo police have quietly installed license plate readers at 41 intersections in the city, two-thirds of them located in neighborhoods populated predominantly with people of color.
Wilcox wrote in a 2014 email to Capt. Patrick A. Roberts, requesting more mobile readers at East Side roadblocks for the since-disbanded Strike Force.
Buffalo police, in response to a Freedom of Information Law request for the department’s policies on license plate readers, wrote that they’re used for “law enforcement investigative purposes only.” While it’s unclear how the department now is using readers, police in the past used mobile readers to issue traffic tickets, at considerable profit to the city.
“As previously stated, our unit impounds more cars and writes more summons (by a wide margin) than any district or unit in the city. Our single plate reader has been paid for many times over.”
Unlike many other cities, neither the police nor Mayor Byron Brown, their commander in chief, have made the public aware of the stationary readers, which are typically attached to traffic-light crossarms. Common Council members say they, too, have been left largely in the dark.
At the time, police were planning a network of stationary plate readers and needed Common Council approval to accept state grants to help pay for them. Stationary readers, police wrote in documents submitted to the Council, would help solve shootings and car thefts while also flagging unregistered and uninsured vehicles in high-risk areas. They wouldn’t be used as “red-light cameras,” police wrote.
Other cities that are using license plate readers have been more transparent. In Syracuse, for example, officials surveyed the public and considered a report from a municipal advisory committee before deciding on their use. Also unlike many other cities, Buffalo police have no formal policies governing the use and retention of data collected by the readers. In practice, police said they limit how long they retain the data collected by the readers and the personnel who have access to it.
A decade later, police in response to a Freedom of Information Law request wrote that they have no policies governing stationary license plate readers. While saying there is no policy, police wrote that data is retained for one year and can only be used for law enforcement purposes.
Criminologists say readers show promise, but that more research is needed to determine how well they solve or deter crime. Others have concerns about their accuracy and the threat they may pose to privacy rights.
Personnel with access to data include two lieutenants and a captain, employees assigned to the department’s camera room and employees assigned to the Erie Crime Analysis Center, which includes law enforcement personnel outside the city’s police department, police wrote.
Then there’s the placement of most readers in Buffalo on the East Side and Lower West Side.
Residents and passersby near license plate readers told Investigative Post they hadn’t known about the technology until told by a reporter. Some said they supported efforts to combat crime, but that the public should have been told when readers were installed. Several questioned why readers haven’t been installed citywide.
“It’s subjecting the residents and the people who have business in that neighborhood to a level of police scrutiny that other people don’t have to bear,” said Claudia Wilner, a lawyer who represents Black Love Resists in the Rust, which is suing the city in federal court for what it maintains is discriminatory policing practices. Why haven’t the police been more forthcoming with the public or Common Council? Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia refused multiple interview requests from Investigative Post. When quizzed at a press conference about the department’s failure to inform the Common Council, he said: “I haven’t been asked for it.” Some members have had at least an inkling, however. Three years ago, Council President Darius Pridgen sponsored a resolution calling on police to give the City Clerk a report on license plate readers and deliver a presentation to Council members. But Pridgen didn’t follow through. Police haven’t delivered a report or a presentation. Niagara Common Council Member David Rivera, chairman of the Council’s Police Oversight Committee, said that license plate readers haven’t come to the Council’s attention. Rivera, a retired police detective, said the department was using mobile license plate readers installed on patrol vehicles when he left the force in 2007. He said that he doesn’t have details on how the department is using stationary readers. “The information that comes from the technology and how long they hold onto it and what they do with it, I don’t know,” Rivera said. “It’s a fair question.” The city began installing stationary plate readers a decade ago, when mobile readers on marked police vehicles at roadblocks were revenue generators in minority neighborhoods. Since 2022, it has spent $336,000 in federal pandemic aid to purchase and install readers at 14 intersections. The department now operates 104 readers at 41 intersections, according to documents obtained by Investigative Post. Twenty-four are located on the East Side. Just thee are located in South Buffalo. Buffalo police once lauded readers as revenue generators. “Any consideration for additional readers would be greatly appreciated,” Lt. David E.
“Are they looking to catch us or are they looking to help us?” asked Jamal Davis, who hadn’t known about license plate readers at the intersection of Bailey Avenue and Cloverdale avenues until a reporter told him. “I think it brings about a sense of anxiety in the community,” Davis said. “So, if it’s cameras around the schools, if it’s cameras on the corners, if it’s cameras everywhere on one side of town, what are you saying to the community?” Al Parker, site manager for the Edward Saunders Community Center on Bailey, said he hadn’t known about nearby license plate readers, but he’s not worried. “I don’t think it’s a problem if the plate gets read and it comes up with a stolen car. That’s helpful. … I think they should have made you aware. But if people know about it, they may avoid them.” Investigative Post is a nonprofit investigative reporting center based in Buffalo. You can find their work at investigativepost.org and on WGRZ, Channel 2. You can subscribe to their free weekly newsletter by emailing info@investigativepost.org SUPPORT INVESTIGATIVE POST
NATIONAL
Cherelle Parker Becomes Philadelphia’s First Female Mayor
Cherelle Parker made history on November 7 becoming Philadelphia’s 100th mayor and first female mayor. Her journey to the top of the city’s government began in Northwest Philadelphia and involved various roles such as community organizer, state representative, and city council member. Parker, an African American, will take office on January 1, 2024. Ms. Parker’s campaign advocated for controversial policing strategies such as stop-and-frisk and the utilization of the National Guard.
Blacks Are The Number One Target Of Hate Crimes
The targeting of Blacks in hate crimes across the country has become commonplace and the numbers continue to rise. According to recently released 2022 FBI data on over 11 million criminal offenses reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program and an earlier report by the Center for the study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino. The number one target for race/ethnicity/ancestry attacks is Blacks. “Blacks remain the most frequent target not only for those extremist killers but have been the most frequent target for overall hate crime for every year since data has been collected, right up through our partial 2023 totals,” explained Brian Levin, retired director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and the lead author of the report.
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Uncrowned Queens Institute Receives Grant From The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo to Support the “Say Their Names” Project
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he Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research and Education on Women, Inc. is pleased to announce the receipt of a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo that is aligned with the narrative change strategy of the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable. Earlier this year, the Uncrowned Queens Institute launched a community oral history project. Focused on collecting the stories of our community’s elders, “Say Their Names: Honor Their Legacies” gathered a dozen 70, 80, and 90-year-old community builders for portraits and videos that will preserve their first-person narratives. One of the participants turned 100 in February 2023. Thanks to the expertise and talent of photographer/videographer YvesRichard Blanc, “Say Their Names: Honor Their Legacies” has a digital archive of photographs and interviews with these community elders that are available on the Uncrowned Queens YouTube Channel, https://www. youtube.com/@uncrownedqueensinstitute716. Full biographies of the participants are also available on the Uncrowned Community Builders webpage. An exhibit, which showcased this Barbara Seals project resulted from a partnership with Nevergold the Buffalo History Museum. The grant will enable the Institute to continue this oral history/preservation project and enhance our outreach to educators and students. Partnering with Blanc Photographie, we will once again be able to record and share the stories of ten additional elder community builders. A partnership with the Buffalo Schools’ Social Studies Yves-Richard Blac Department will offer training and resources to Social Studies teachers in the district. The stories of AfricanAmerican community builders will be used to expand the understanding and dispel misconceptions that young people may have of the vibrant local history that evolves from the individual and collective activities of community members. Educational tools to help educators utilize our oral and biographical histories to address stereotypical and negative perceptions of African Americans will also be shared. Another exhibit is planned for February 2024 with our partners, The Buffalo History Museum. The Museum hosts numerous field trips for school students from throughout the County and the exhibit will be included in these tours. This project received great support from the community, and we extend our thanks to all who attended the grand opening in February 2023. We look forward to seeing many community members at the Exhibit opening in February 2024 and will update this project from time to time. Please visit our YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@uncrownedqueensinstitute716, and become a subscriber.
BLACK HISTORY continued from page 3 sold. One hundred dollars was offered for her capture. Vowing to return to bring her family and friends to freedom, she spent the next ten years making about 13 trips into Maryland to rescue them. She also gave instructions to about countlless others over the years who found their way to freedom independently. Tubman successfully used the skills acquired by observing the stars and natural environment and learning about the secret communication networks of free and enslaved African Americans to affect her escapes. She later declared she never lost a passenger. A lifelong humanitarian and civil rights activist, she formed friendships with abolitionists, politicians, writers and intellectuals. During the Civil War, she served the United States Army as a spy, scout, nurse and cook. On June 1, 1863 she joined Colonel James Montgomery and his 2nd South Carolina Infantry, composed of emancipated slaves, in an assault on several plantations along the Combahee River. This raid rescued more than 700 enslaved people, many of whom later enlisted in the Union army. Her role in the raid was celebrated in the press, increasing her fame. Tubman showed the same zeal and passion for the campaign to attain women's suffrage after the American Civil War as she had shown for the abolition of slavery. Harriet Tubman died in 1913 in Auburn, New York where she established the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged. She was buried with military honors at Fort Hill Cemetery.
“Knowing when to stop, you can avoid any danger.” -Tao Te Ching
Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Dr. Eva Doyle Announces Winners of Essay Contest The student winners of the recent essay contest addressing the issue of fighting in schools and other public places were Ari-Onna Webster a 9th grader at Burgard High school first place winner and Emon Shaw a 10th grader also from Burgard. They will read their essays and receive prizes of $100 first place and $75 second place on Sunday, November 19, 2023 at the Merriweather Library. The awards program will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Dr. Eva M. Doyle, sponsor of the essay contest stated that each student wrote insightful and passionate essays. The community is encouraged to come out to support these young people and listen to their perspective of this problem. You can call Dr. Doyle at 716 (847-6010) for more information.
Free Program At Baptist Manor To Help Alzheimer’s Caregivers Deal With Challenging Behaviors The Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will hold an educational program in the City of Buffalo for local caregivers who need assistance dealing with challenging behaviors caused by Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The free program, “Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors,” will take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on December 13 at Baptist Manor, 276 Linwood Ave.
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
People Over Cars: Colored GIRLS Bike Too Statement on the Restoration of Humboldt Parkway
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irst and foremost, we wholeheartedly applaud the Restore Our Community Coalition for their unwavering commitment, tireless advocacy, and dedicated hard work towards restoring Humboldt Parkway. Their relentless efforts over nearly 20 years have paved the way for the opportunity to revitalize this vital community asset, serving as a powerful catalyst in drawing attention to the significance of rejuvenating this community treasure. The vision and dedication they bring have not only amplified calls for justice in the Black community but also stand as a model for other Black communities nationally harmed by expressways. Beyond Humboldt Parkway, their leadership resonates as an inspiring example of grassroots activism and community-driven change. While the feedback submission deadline for the Kensington Expressway project has lapsed, our commitment to enhancing community awareness about this issue stands firm. As a Black women-led organization dedicated to promoting mobility justice and deeply embedded in the East side, we strongly believe that fostering awareness and understanding of the systemic injustices affecting Black people is pivotal for instigating systemic change within our communities. In line with this mission, we've curated a resource guide for community study. Explore our resource guide here: https://qrco.de/bdRtgJ After deep research into the Kensington Expressway project and its processes, we've concluded that the project perpetuates the legacy of systemic structural racism and white supremacy culture in how our communities are designed and developed. The influence of a white supremacy culture is evident in the overarching project framework, which prioritizes cars over the well-being of people and community. This approach overlooks the persistent environmental crises that have adversely affected our community for decades. What's even more troubling is that if the current project progresses without due consideration of these injustices, there is a significant risk of perpetuating these environmental challenges and neglecting the crucial environmental and racial justice mandates outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (“CLPA”). Furthermore, the urgency of the project's timeline disregards the concept of time inequity that impacts the Black community, depriving us of the necessary time to thoroughly explore all aspects of the project, including the 10 design concepts. The rushed timeline has led to an unjust outcome, limiting the community to two design options that may not best serve our interests but instead cater to those with power and privilege, mirroring the construction of the Kensington Expressway in the 1960’s. Therefore, we demand a reparative and racial justice approach to this project, considering how white supremacy continues to perpetuate itself in the planning and development of Black communities. With that said, we call on New York State Department of Transportation, Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Tim Kennedy, Majority Leader Crystal People Stokes, and Congressman Brian Higgans to: 1.Conduct an environmental impact statement assessing the over 50-year environmental impact of the Kensington Expressway on our community, including statements for the Build alternative, No build alternative, and other dismissed design concept options. 2.Redraft the project timeline in the name of racial justice, equity, and community, rather than urgency. 3.Have NYSDOT reassess the needs, objectives, and goals of the project rooted in calls for environmental and racial justice, incorporating language supporting a no-pollution approach to restoration. 4.Implement an extended timeline for a deeper analysis of the 10 design concepts, redesigned within a framework of equity, racial justice, and environmental justice. 5.Prioritize the reduction of environmental harms in “disadvantaged communities” in compliance with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (“CLPA”). 6.Ensure the inclusion of a glossary of terms in the Final Design Report/Environment Assessment, presented in a way that is accessible to the community.
Defy The Lie and Embrace The Truth
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he idea that Black people are in any way inferior to Whites is the myth created out of the obsession of White people with Black excellence. From the reality of Napolean's visit to Kemit and being forced to witness the greatness of Black people as manifested in all of the enormous monuments and statutes attesting to the magnificence of Kemitic civilization, to the excellence of the intellectual achievements of Black people in constructing pyramids and collesseums and labarinths. When you follow that psychological trajectory from Napolean and the minds of those responsible for the Berlin conference and then those who planned the enslavement of Black people and exploitation of Black labor on plantations thoughout North America, you can see that those involved in that diablical plan had to conceive a mythology that would explain the how and why of enslaving and brutalizing Black people. They had to do that in order to make the Black bodies portrayed to the world as ugly and the beauty of the faces with wide nostrils and dread locked hair shown in the magnificent strength of the sphinx, as monstous. They had to make themselves and the world believe that Black people had no worth. Just think for a moment, knowing the history of the debauchery of hangings and castrations and disembowlements along with the rapes, murders and beatings of Black people then ask yourself how could one human being to that to another. Well, the answer to that vital question is that they first had to convince themselves that we were not even human. I think that is when they actually removed the E from Hueman because we all know explicitly that the Hue means a creature with color, unlike the Europeans who genetically have no color and hense the replacement of the true word Hue, with the lie, of Human without the E, and without color.
So, my people, when we talk about the idea that White people are always in conspiracies to manipulate the condition and thinking of Black people it should not be questioned or come as a shock because we are talking about them maintaining their standard of living in the world which depends on how Black people are thinking and living. That reminds me of an experiment that I recently saw that makes the point. Let me paint the picture for you. A White Woman professor was giving a lecture at one of the large Universities and she was in this very large auditorium that seated maybe a thousand people. Well, at the begininning of the lecture she asked a question of the audience, which were all White. She asked: "please raise your hand if you would for one day exchange places with Black People in America." Not one person out of the thousand White people in that audience raised their hand, which shows that White people know exactly how horrible is the condition that most Black people are forced to live in right here in America today. Just think about that, not one white person in that room would raise their hand to trade their lives for even one day to experience what they know Black people experience every day. If that is the overarching reality of life in America, which is ostensibly the most advanced society on the planet, then please pay attention when we are talking about the conspiracy to destroy Black Boys or the conspiracy to destroy Black Girls or whatever we discover in the plotting and planning of White people to keep Black people down. Because we know that every minute out of every day, White folks must plan and set it up so they remain in charge and we remain powerless. that is why they are all about maintaining the so-called status quo, with the good kneegrows that support them and bow down to their schemes. Some things we know about because fortunately throughout our history we have had Black men and women scholars whose have taken Continued Page 21
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Why Are We Building A Tunnel When Dirt Is Enough? I don't get it. Really I don't. We, who are forward thinking and progressive, don't really understand why certain persons in the community are fighting to do more damage to the 33 Expressway at Humboldt Parkway than was done to it over sixty years ago. These people want to do further blasting of the rock bed that was dug down 20 ft or more to create an Expressway in a Parkway that was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, after he had finished putting in Central Park, in New York City. There have been many mistakes and missteps over the years when it came to Buffalo getting its fair share of resources, projects being placed in the city or even fair and diverse representation of minority state and federal elected officials as it relates to the Black community. For a city in New York State with the second highest number of Black residents behind New York City, it seems that there will never be a Black man or woman elected to congress from our 'City of Good Neighbors'! I don't need to remind anyone about the Buffalo Bills' home stadium being taken out of Buffalo. I don't have to remind anyone, that when we had an opportunity to bring the stadium back to Buffalo, where it never should have left, few of our elected leaders, including our mayor, fought with any kind of fight to build the stadium here in the city. The Buffalo Bill's stadium should be located here in Buffalo, not Orchard Park. Just think about how much economic development we could have generated with the stadium being in the city. On this subject I will say, the powers that run this city had better be glad that community leaders such as Arthur O. Eve, George K. Arthur, Jim Pitts, Beverly A. Gray and David Collins are not still in office. There is no way they would have allowed us to let them put that stadium back in Orchard Park! And, I truly believe they would not go along with building an unproven, carbon monoxide secreting, tunnel that the
majority of the environmental and preservation groups, eastside residents and even the homeowners on Humboldt Parkway, don't want! There are just too many concerns and questions that have been asked but have not been answered. Among them: Who is going to pay the 5 million dollars annually it will take to fund the expense of getting all the dangerous gases out of the tunnel. If there are structural damages to the foundation of a resident’s house during the blasting or removal of the rock bed or walls, who will pay for it? Who will have the responsibilities of watering the live trees that will be planted only three feet deep into the soil that will be placed on top of the almost one mile, concrete tunnel? There have been scare tactics claiming if we don't build the Tunnel, Buffalo will lose the money or it will be sent elsewhere. That is not true. It will leave us only if we fail to use it for transportation purposes or if the governor reassigns it to another DOT project. The billion dollar pot of transportation money can be used to fill in or put back the dirt that was removed when they did the Expressway. Now we all know that dirt is a lot cheaper than concrete, steel or electricity. We could fill or restore the Parkway and have tons of money left to address other Expressway related issues such as wear and tear or structural damage. Some of that money could be used to replace rusting infrastructure along the 33, the I 90 or the 198 connectors. Buffalo has come up last in a lot of initiatives that would have improved our economic condition, especially on Buffalo's eastside. Building the North Campus of UB in Buffalo, leaving the Bills Stadium in Buffalo and not putting that Expressway through Humboldt Parkway are a few. We can correct a grave injustice by filling in the Parkway and encouraging the motorists to take the key streets of the area to get to their homes and points beyond. And while they are traveling down a revitalized Seneca, South Park, Genesee, Broadway, Clinton, Sycamore, East Delavan or East Ferry Street, they can stop and patronize the many new businesses that will surely open once cars start traveling down those once crowded and vibrant streets. And to the elected officials who are trying to use the eastside side streets as being unsafe for suburban drivers to travel, because of crime, I say shame on you! We have a lot of real issues that already put city dwellers at odds with folks who gave up on the city and fled to the 'burbs decades ago. Let us not buy into the misconception that they need a tunnel to shelter them as they try to exit the city, particularly the eastside, as fast as they can.
VOICES
A Call For Unity
Dear Buffalo New York, My name is Jaylen Young. I'm 22 years old, born and raised in Buffalo but I am from Africa and so are you! Big thank you to African ancestry for tracing my roots to the Bamileke people living in Cameroon. Go get your test done to REALLY find out more about yourself! Also I want to say thank you to ALL our Black liberation leaders and scholars, your work will continue to live forever. I'm currently working on starting a Black owned grocery Co-op market for us in Buffalo. Yes we need more grocery stores to address the food deserts, but what we really need are BLACK OWNED GROCERY STORES AND OTHER STORES. We need to quit the begging, even though we are owed very much, and start depending on ourselves. We have been operating as individuals for too long. It's time to operate in ONENESS. I'm here to say that we need to start an investment club in Buffalo to pool our money together to create what we need to survive, thrive and raise these young children out here. Our biggest problem is our Black dollar is not loyal to the Black people. Our dollars go to every other ethnic group except us. I'm sick and tired of young children out here not having any guidance, living the wrong way because their parents or other young teenagers aren't teaching them any morals or values – most importantly RESPECT. We need to regain our self-confidence, supreme consciousness, discipline, ownership, respect for one another, knowledge and self-esteem. I have contacted my resources and I am getting all the information and requirements to make this a reality. It is time to stop spending money on materialistic things because it is doing nothing but making our community poor and other ethnic groups richer. We should be ashamed of ourselves because I know our ancestors are! Based on how this message goes around and people are ready to have a community meeting, I will publish a message back in the Challenger regarding where our next community meeting will be held at or online zoom. I am not perfect but I am striving to be the best person God put me on this planet to be. My email is youngjaylen344@gmail.com, I look forward to hearing back from the community. It's time we get on our two feet and start organizing and our Queens will follow suit! Our Afro-Latino brothers and sisters are part of the African family as well because it is in your blood and in your history, Those who identify with us need to unite with us. I look forward to hearing back from you all! -Jaylen Young
Defy The Lie Continued from Page 20 on the task of monitoring the political and social sciences of America and the World, for our protection. Just ike White men and White women have their think tanks to manipulate the social order for their benefit, we must have our people, supported in think tanks devoted to a Black Agenda that protects our interest. For example, paying attention means reading Brothers like Jacob Carruthers, who wrote a book for us to examine these realities entitled Intellectual Warfare and Brother Asa Hilliard who told us about the meeting that was had back in 1980, where then President Ronald Reagan, a staunch racist, called a meeting at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, to assemble so-called current Black leaders that were acceptable to white people's agenda for the sole purpose of replacing the real Black leadership in America with Black men and women that racist Republicans wanted in place to act as buffers to contradict the real leadership voices that were developing in Black Inner City America. Voices of Brothers such as Imari Barraka out of NewArk, New Jersey and others like him across the country who really had the interest of Black people in their analysis and offerings of leadership strategies to Black People. We must reignite that kind of leadership among ourselves in order to push back against the onslaught of lies and manipulations that are now set against us more than at any other time in America and the world. My People, I have asked you to please pay attention and act on what you know by uniting for our very survival in this Country as there are forces that are nowand that requires deep conversations and honest communication among all of us. We know who we are and we also know who among us are not authentic. My People, please pay attention and communicate what you see and hear until we reach the clarity of vision, strategy and action necessary for our salvation and liberation.
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-STREET LEGACY PHOTOS-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Brenda McCoy recently celebrated her 70th her 70th Birthday with family and friends! Happy Birthday Brenda!
SPORTS LEGENDS: Some of the outstanding athletes who were presented awards at the recent Buffalo Athletic Inner-City Sports Legends annual event .
Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
WNY Food Shuttle & The Queen City Traveling Market The Queen City Traveling Market is a group of local makers, artists, farmers and small business owners working together to bring quality local goods all over the Buffalo, NY region one season at a time, while collecting donations for the WNY Food Shuttle along the way. The Food Drive and Market has 2 December dates Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16 and 17 from 12-4 p.m.at The Barrel Factory, 65 Vandalia St. where you can donate food and get unique local gifts. Families will also enjoy face painting and holiday crafts during the event. The market is an opportunity to donate to WNYorkers in need, to keep your dollars local, shop green, support local farmers and artisans, and empower small business owners to grow and support each other. Vendors range from delicious handmade food- to apothecary goods, paintings, jewelry, unique vintage clothing, and locally made tea, tinctures, and wine.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes will host her first Annual Citizen Preparedness Trainings on Saturday, December 16 at Bennett High School, 2885 Main Street from 10am -1pm. In partnership with NYS Homeland Security, her office will provide citizen safety/emergency tips and Free trainings will be offered for CPR, Narcan/Naloxone, and Stop the Bleed They will distribute an emergency backpack kit for each person registered (one per household). Scheduled training is as follows: 10am Stop The Bleed training 11am CPR training 11:30 Fire Safety training. 12pm- Homeland Security Presentation- Citizen Preparedness Training. There will be a few community vendors on-site.* Must Register www.surveymonkey.com/r/LJBHS121623 Have questions the district office at (716) 897-9714.
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Buffalo Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott is on The Hot Seat On Second Thought ...
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es, Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott is on the Hot seat of everywhere else but in Western New York. This is because his defensive play calls in tight games has resulted in his team suffering uncanny loses throughout this season. The main problem is most opponents know McDermott’s tendencies. Once his original defensive game plan is adjusted upon, he goes with an all-out blitzed packages and continues to get burned by veteran QB’s. He is excellent at putting together good defensive schemes each week but his defensive units’ meltdowns in critical situations has to be contributed to McDermott. The Bills former defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was much more conservative with his play calls and ALWAYS remained cool as a cucumber in bending, but not breaking style of defense that rarely went with continuous blitzing play calls unless at the right situation. It also seems like “The Football Gods” are not happy with McDermott and the way he gave a leave of absence to Frazier. Under Leslie Frazier’s leadership the Bills defensive units were number one in the league for the past 3 out of five years and remained a top unit under his tenure. The Bills seem to not be getting any luck or breaks in these games. It seems from the outside looking in that McDermott has a serious ego problem and it needs to be left at the door of One Bills Drive. McDermott needs to turn over defensive play calling to Al Holcomb or Eric Washington in order to save us from this disastrous season. He should have been working on improving his situational football skills during the off season but instead took on more responsibilities. McDermott has not learned anything from the 13 second lost in Kansas City by taking over the defensive play calls for the last 13 seconds of that game and now 12 men on field against Denver Broncos, and that embarrassing lost in Philadelphia. Everyone in that Bills locker room has to be looking crossed eye at McDermott right now. The Bills face a must win in Kansas City on Sunday. I see Buffalo coming out and taking advantage of recent injuries to Chiefs secondary especially at safeties position plus a strong running game Leonard Fournette finally getting a chance to play, and defensive unit taking matters into their hands. Hopefully HC Sean McDermott will look in the mirror and finally get out of his own way. Prediction: Bills will win the game due to Chiefs errors on offense for a much needed 31 – 24 victory. Remember to be a good sport! - Follow @georgeradman on Facebook
Raptors Shine Bright Against The Suns n November 29th some of us experienced O our first taste of snow with the Winter Solstice around the corner. The Phoenix Suns
were hoping to bring their own change in the forecast as they ventured to Toronto. With a record of 11-6 for Phoenix, a seven game winning streak and possibly two of the best shooters in NBA history the weather wasn’t the only thing bleak on that day. But the Raptors always play hard and always stick to strict defensive principles so an 8-10 record for a team constituting of a lot of young talent is very deceiving to opposing teams. At this time as always I would like to wish you and yours good health and strength. Now back to the game. Pascal “Spicy P” Siakam, one of the young talents for Toronto got off to a hot start. He scored 7 points early in the first quarter. Siakam finished with 9 for the quarter while Toronto led by 7, 27-20. The Raptors trapped the ball whenever Kevin Durant and Devin Booker handled it forcing Raptors’ guard #17 Dennis Schroder atthem to pass. In the 2nd quarter Devin Booker tempts a reverse layup over Phoenix Suns’ seemed to pick his spots as he attacked and Jusuf Nurkic as #35 Kevin Durant looks passed in a surgical manner. Toronto took a on. photo/A. Dorcely. 60-53 lead into halftime. Dennis Schroder’s ball pressure and ball movement was evident. He made things difficult for Devin Booker while leading the Raptors with 9 assists during the first half. At the 5:02 mark in the third quarter the Suns took the lead 72-70 with a surge led by Durant. He either scored or assisted teammates. Pascal Siakam matched his presence as they played a game within the game. But the balanced offensive attack of the Raptors solidified the victory and placed a cloud on any ideas of a Phoenix resurgence. Kevin Durant finished with a game high 30 points. Scott Barnes had 23 and Pascal Siakam 22. Toronto won the game 112-105.
Is the Window Still Open on Bills Super Bowl Aspirations?
he Buffalo Bills much needed bye week is perhaps a good time to T take stock of the team’s prospects with respect to their future Super Bowl aspirations. I’ve been on record as saying the Bills Super Bowl
chances for this season have already evaporated in the vapor of under achievement. Of course, I would like nothing more than to be proven wrong by a five game win streak that would thrust them back into the playoff picture and give renewed life to the eternal flame of Bills mania. More likely, however, the Bills will lurch forward into an offseason filled with dread and reckoning. The question for the Bills esteemed General Manager, Brandon Beane, is whether the time has now come to ‘blow-up’ the current roster and start all over again. The Bills will enter the offseason mega-millions over the salary cap and with it, the subsequent need to say goodbye to a lot of very good football players. Although Josh Allen may have taken a step back in his sixth pro season, he is still the Bills ‘ride or die’ guy. And with him at the helm, the Bills will remain a threat. The question, then, is what other spots on the roster must be ‘sliced and diced’ in order to keep their precarious window to future Super Bowl success propped open for a few seasons more. The task will not be easy. The Bills have a lot of veteran players who can still contribute, but must be carefully culled from those who are either too old, too expensive, or too fragile to continue forward. Buffalo’s new imperative will be to get younger and cheaper, but still remain competitive in a division where they are no longer the top dog. It will be a daunting task. It will start with identifying the players who must be shown the door. That will be difficult. It means deciding whether older, higher priced guys like Tre’Davious White, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Jordan Phillips, DaQuan Jones, Shaq Lawson, Mitch Morse, Stephon Diggs and others still have a future with the team. Noticeably, I have not included the once great Von Miller in this group because he is already as good as gone. At age 34, Miller was simply unable to return to hall of fame form after the knee injury he suffered in last year’s Turkey Day game against the Detroit Lions. And that is not to mention the regrettable domestic assault allegation in which he is currently embroiled. But after coming to grips with the difficult decision of what veterans must be put out to pasture, the Bills will then have to have an incredibly good and productive 2024 draft haul. That is the equally critical part of the master plan to get younger and cheaper. Many of these draftees will have to be good enough to step in and play right away. Building a good football team always starts in the trenches. That is, with the defensive and offensive lines. To that end, the Bills will need a strong run stuffer in the middle of the D-line and a reliable protector for Allen on the O-line. It will help if he is also a road grader. That may be asking a lot out of a draft class that is always short on those kinds of plug-and-play talents. Although Head Coach Sean McDermott has taken a lot of heat – some of it justified – I still think he’s the guy to run this team. Notwithstanding some of the time management issues and end-of-game defensive collapses, he is a man who has always gotten buy-in from his players. Under his direction, the Bills have always played hard, if not always smart. McDermott’s mantra has always been preaching to his players that they must “trust the process.” To keep this team afloat going forward, it will be all about the process of trusting that a team that has a superstar quarterback can put the right pieces around him to keep their Super Bowl window open. Given his mostly successful seven year tenure in Buffalo, we Bills fans owe it to McDermott to Trust the Process.
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
Training, Career Opportunities, In All Trades For Minorities! The Independent Contractors Guild of WNY, Inc., a NYSDOL registered apprenticeship guild, is sponsoring orientation sessions for training in all trades. If you are interested in a career in construction.Call now to reserve your spot 716 2907195 Upwards of 100 Grads Will Be Placed Into Career Opportunities!
As a result of last week's notice, ICG has experienced many inquiries from businesses and individuals from the area for employment opportunities as well as training enrollment. We are experiencing a surge in interest for our services as we are able to address both the need for MBE contractors and minority workforce issues.We are a minority owned and operated NYSDOL registered apprenticeship program ready and able to assist gencies needing our skill set for LEGAL NOTICE RFP NOTICE OF RFP’s Bills Stadium & Events Company will be soliciting Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the BUFFALO BILLS NEW STADIUM PROJECT. Proposal Packages include*: FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT (FURNISH AND INSTALL) All businesses interested in submitting a response to this Request for Proposal (RFP) as a Prime/Tier1 subcontractor must prequalify to receive a Request for Proposal. For information on the prequalification process, reference Bills Contracting Opportunities at www.buffalobillsnewstadium.com. We encourage NYS-certified minority-, women- and service-disabled veteran-owned and local businesses to participate. Please refer to proposal 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, please register your interest via the Bills Contracting Opportunities section on the project website. *Subject to change
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projects requiring diversity/ inclusion, especially those projects in our neighborhoods. LEGAL NOTICE Summons SUMMONS WITH NOTICE STATE OF NEW YORK, SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF ERIE. Index No. 809321/2023. “Radius Federal Credit Union v. the Estate of David D. Kelley, deceased, et al.” TAKE NOTICE: All Successors, Assigns, and All Persons, Firms or Associations Claiming Right, Title or Interest From or Under David D. Kelley, deceased, in certain premises commonly known as 132 East Utica Street, Buffalo, New York, or through said unknown heirs, successors or assigns, (other than those represented by the Court appointed Guardian ad Litem), are summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, which seeks to foreclose Radius Federal Credit Union’s mortgage on 132 East Utica Street, buffalo, New York, on which Radius Federal Credit Union holds a mortgage executed by David D. Kelley, which secures a $31,500 mortgage loan Agreement executed by David D. Kelley on May 27, 2016, on which there is now owing the principal sum of $26,491.76, together with interest at 3.25% per annum from June 1, 2022. To defend this action, you must serve a copy of your Answer on the undersigned attorney no later than 30 days after the second publication of this notice. In case you fail to appear or answer, any interest in 132 East Utica Street, Buffalo, New York you possess by virtue of any right as an heir or creditor of David D. Kelley, or a claim against an heir or creditor of David D. Kelley will be foreclosed by default. (Note that no party other than the Estate of David D. Kelley, should one be opened, has any personal liability for the amount owing on this mortgage loan). Erie County, New York is designated as the place of trial. Peter A. Muth, Esq., 460 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14209 (716) 289.1930.
LEGAL NOTICE BID ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS ERIE COUNTY SEWER DISTRICT NO. 3 SOUTHTOWNS INCINERATORS HEAT EXCHANGER REPLACEMENT CONTRACT NO. 71 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that sealed proposals for the above referenced contracts will be received by the Commissioner of the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning (ECDEP) on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, until 10:00AM, local time, at 95 Franklin Street, Room 1034, Buffalo, New York, 14202, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud in Room 1004. The Project includes replacement of two (2) heat exchangers in the solids handling/incineration area of the facility and appurtenant Work. Prospective bidders are encouraged to attend a pre-bid meeting scheduled for Monday, December 11, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Southtowns Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility, 3690 Lakeshore Road, Blasdell, New York, 14219. Additional information and bid documents can be found at: www3.erie. gov/dsm By Order of: Joseph Fiegl, P.E., BCEE Deputy Commissioner Dated: November 28, 2023 Published: December 6, 2023
LEGAL NOTICE BID ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS ERIE COUNTY SEWER DISTRICT NO. 4 DEPEW PUMPING STATION FORCEMAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT CONTRACT NOS. 60-A and 60-D NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that sealed proposals for the above referenced contracts will be received by the Commissioner of the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning (ECDEP) on January 10th, 2024 until 10:00 A.M., local time, at 95 Franklin Street, Room 1034, Buffalo, New York, 14202, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud in Room 1004. The Project includes replacement of approximately 450 linear feet of 30-inch diameter sanitary sewer forcemain along the east side of Borden Road and crossing Cayuga Creek in the Village of Depew. Prospective bidders are encouraged to attend a pre-bid site visit scheduled for Tuesday, December 12th, 2023 at 2:00 PM at the Depew Pumping Station, 315 Borden Road, Depew NY 14043. Contractors shall enter through the gate on Borden Road, north of Rowley Road and Cayuga Creek. Additional information and bid documents can be found at: www3.erie. gov/dsm By Order of: Joseph Fiegl, P.E., BCEE Deputy Commissioner November 29, 2023 Dated: Published: December 5, 2023
LEGAL NOTICE BID CONSTRUCTION BIDS ARE BEING SOUGHT by Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc. on behalf of Empire State Development for work at 3185 Bailey Ave. (AnnRhod’s Tailoring) as part of the East Side Avenues initiative. The scope of work, including drawings, as well as bidding requirements are available at www.ESABids. org and from the Avalon Buffalo Planroom at avalonbuff-planroom.com beginning November 30, 2023. Bids are due December 21, 2023 at 4:00pm. A pre-bid walkthrough is scheduled for December 12, 2023 at 10:00am. Minority and women-owned business enterprises and businesses based in the Kensington-Bailey project area and on the East Side of the City of Buffalo are especially encouraged to provide bids.
LEGAL NOTICE BID COUNTY OF ERIE ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Fuel Tank Replacement Project PROJECT NO. 2022-999-05 Separate sealed bids for General Construction and Electrical Construction work for the above project will be received by the County’s Commissioner of Public Works in Suite 1400 of the Rath County Office Building, 95 Franklin Street, Buffalo, New York 14202 until 10:30 AM local time on January 12, 2024, at which time they will be opened and read aloud. NYS Vendor Responsibility Form CCA-2 A/B/C, NYSDOL wage rates, MBE/WBE/SDVOB, Apprenticeship program, and Local and Disadvantaged Workforce requirements may apply to this project. Additional information must be found at: www. erie.gov/dpw
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023
CALENDAR OF EVENTS THURS. DEC. 7 Conversation with Chief of Police Thelma Jones from the C-District on how to keep our communities safe, 6-7pm at the CAO, 1423 Black Lives Matter Way (Fillmore Avenue).(See Page 3) SAT. DEC. 9 Our City Buffalo annual Anti-Displacement Summit 10am to 2pm at 371 Delaware Avenue. See Page 3 for details Free hot soup, winter clothes and coats giveaway at Jefferson Avenue & E. Ferry Street from 11a.m.-2p.m. sponsored by 2nd Chance Ministries. To donate call Minister McKnight at 716578-6047 or the church at 716-883-1481. Umoja Inc. Convening of The Elders 2023 12 noon-4 p.m. Masten Resource Center, 1423 Black Lives Matter Way (Fillmore Avenue). See Page 3 for more info. Beau Fleuve Winter Fest Buffalo Central Terminal family fun! SUN. DEC. 10 •The Nutcracker Tea Party from 3 to 6p.m. City Ballet Studios, 307 Leroy Call 716-833-1243 See page 4 for ,ore info. MON. DEC. 11
Services Held December 5, 2023 St. John Baptist Church 184 Goodell St.
Overseer Michael Chapman, Pastor,Officiant "The family of Paul Adrian Saunders (P.A.) acknowledges with sincere appeciation, the many acts of kindess shown during our time of bereavement.
Hustle for Health Line Dancing with Jazzy T 12pm at Delavan Grider Community Center 877 E Delavan Ave, Buffalo FREE 55+ RSVP at www.HustleforHealth.com TUES. DEC. 12 Free Line Dance Class, Dorothy Collier Community Center, 118 E. Utica, BEGINNER 11a.m.-12p.m.; ADVANCED 12-1 p.m. (716)882-0602.
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TUES. DEC. 12 Beau Fleuve “HOLIDAY HAPPY HOUR” 5pm-7pm Hosted by Shaq Lawson of the Buffalo Bills at Deco Lounge inside the Athletic Club Building at 69 Delaware Ave. Free Event! WED. DEC. 13 Hustle for Health with Phyllis Caver 11am at Gloria Parks: 3242 Main St, Buffalo. FREE 55+ RSVP
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Challenger Community News • December 7, 2023