CHALLENGER COMMUNITY NEWS

Renowned Children’s Defense Fund CEO Dr. Starsky Wilson Coming to Rochester

On Saturday, February 25, from 1-3 p.m., the Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the renowned Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) and CDF Action Council, will be the guest speaker at Spiritus Christi Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh Street.

Rev. Myra Brown, Lead Pastor of Spiritus, said her church was one of just a few across the country selected to work with the Children’s Defense Fund over the next three years to help, in the CDF’s words, “envision a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive.”

This mission particularly resonates with Rev. Brown, she says, when she looks at the dire statistics the Rochester community is facing:

•Nearly half of all children in Rochester, NY live in poverty, according to the U.S Census Bureau

read full article in our digital issue.

Praise for Celes Tisdale's Groundbreaking New Book When The Smoke Cleared Attica Prison Poems and Journal

Celes Tisdale with Image of His New Book When The Smoke Cleared Available In Stores Now

In this era of mass incarceration and neo-enslavement, When The Smoke Cleared is "a piece of poetic history" in the aftermath of the Attica rebellion.

Tisdale’s newly released book, When The Smoke Cleared : Attica Prison Poems and Journal, is being hailed as critically important in this era of mass incarceration and neo-enslavement.

Published by the prestigious Duke University Press, what makes the anthology equally impressive is the amazing 50 year time span associated with its birth.

A former long-time Buffalo resident, Tisdale, himself a poet and Distinguished Emeritus Professor of English, began leading poetry workshops behind the walls of the notorious Attica Correctional Facility in May of 1972, eight months after the September 1971 rebellion, the deadliest prison uprising in U.S. history. He credits his friend and fellow thespian Buffalo Black Drama Workshop founder Ed Smith with recommending and encouraging him to accept the position.

Tisdale’s first ever poetry workshop at the facility- which he taught for three years - created a space of radical Black creativity and solidarity, in which inmates who lived through the uprising were able to turn their experiences into poetry.

In 1974 The poems written by Tisdale’s students were published in his book Betcha Ain’t: Poems from Attica by Broadside Press, the first major Black-owned publishing house in America. also the first Arts Movement prison anthology dedicated solely to poetry to be published in the United States. Long out of print, it has been reissued by Duke University Press as the Smoke Cleared: Attica Prison Poems and Journal. The new, expanded anthology con tains the entirety of Betcha Ain’t, edited by Tisdale; Tisdale’s own poems and journal entries from the three years he taught at Attica; a previously unpublished collection of poems by Attica poets; and a well documented introduction by poet and writer Mark Nowak.

read full article in our digital copy

Students Shine During Health Sciences Black History Celebration

Scenes from last Thursday's Back History celebration and awards event hosted by Health Sciences Charter School included vocalists Daun Patton and Mikaela Embry, poetress Mia Finch,Vibrant Strings and the crowd pleasing Health Sciences Charter Drill Team! Alvin Lamar Worthy known professionally as Rapper Westside Gunn, was the special guest. Street Legacy Photos and Photos Courtesy of Buffalo Health Sciences.

challenger photos and photos provided by BHS

Health Sciences Charter School, located at 1140 Ellicott Street, just blocks away from the Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue, brought the community together for a Black History Celebration last Thursday afternoon at Bethesda World Harvest Church on Main Street.

The annual Black History Celebration in honor of Black History Month featured student led performances, singing, dancing, community and school award presentations and more. This year’s event, said Principal Rob Baxter, "gives honor to our past, our present and you young people, our future!"

It was truly a celebration after a tumultuous 2022 and rough start to 2023 here in Buffalo. The students, staff, and community of the East Side have been extremely resilient and this was much needed as we all continue to heal and work together to uplift and empower the residents of the East Side.

read full article in our digital copy