Penning Our Story: Introducing National Black Authors Day and Celebrating Black Representation

Rochester Writer Creates National Holiday

By Nyasia Almestica

Dion Dawkins was the last early round lineman drafted. The Bills should always draft high quality linemen each year. I would move Ryan Bates to Center, O’Cyrus next to Dion Dawkins and find the best guard and tackle for the right side.

The Bills have Conner McGovern, DaDavid Edwards and a host of others fighting it out in training Camp for the starting positions. Spencer Brown has shown he can’t do the job and should be released before training camp.

The Bills Third Round pick was hard tackling Dorian Williams from Tulane University. I did get to see a few of the green wave football games and Dorian stood out and contributed on many key plays for his team. He will be a welcome edition to the defensive unit, bringing much needed speed and bone crushing tackles to a unit that needs more physicality.

The Bills still need a standout Middle linebacker to go with various outside linebackers already drafted from last year. I could possibly move Matt Milano to the middle linebacker position because he played it very well last season when given the opportunity.

The Bills fifth round pick wide receiver Justin Shorter from University of Florida could be the Gabe Davis of this draft class for the team. He’s not the fastest guy but knows how to get open and a two time All SEC Honor Roll student. His father is a school Principal and both of his parents value education.

Justin Shorter plays hard with very good hands along with being a possession receiver with a big body type that the Bills have been missing in the past few years.

The first of Bills two seventh round draft picks are Nick Broeker, an offensive lineman out of Ole Miss. Nick will compete at Guard position and was a very good run blocker who could give the team depth on the offensive line.

The Bills last pick of draft in the 7th round was Alex Austin who seems to be a smaller cornerback, but who can make plays in the secondary and give the Bills another body to put onto the field.

I give the Bills a B+ overall grade with this year’s draft class. We will see in two to four years how this class really measures up.

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May 4th marks the first National Black Authors Day, commemorating and honoring Black authors and their undeniable contributions to the literary world. The holiday, created by Rochester native CaTyra Polland, founder & CEO of Love for Words, said it’s an opportunity to reflect on the works of Black writers of both the past and present and highlight how they are often underrepresented and overlooked in the publishing industry.

"We want to acknowledge the obstacles that Black authors have faced throughout history and continue to face, including systemic racism, discrimination, and exclusionary practices within the publishing industry," says Polland. "Despite these challenges, Black authors have persisted, sharing their unique perspectives and experiences with the world and producing ground breaking works that challenge societal norms."

Polland is speaking about the often racist publishing industry, which continues to be a White-dominated space. In 2019, Lee & Low Books published a blog post about their Diversity Baseline Survey, revealing that 76% of publishing is White. A 2019 survey by Publishers Weekly showed that the publishing industry consists of 84% of White people and only 1% of Black people. Black representation was barely nudged in their 2022 survey, as Black people only comprised 3% of the publishing industry.

In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder and Black Lives Matter protests, books about racism skyrocketed among The New York Times and Amazon best-seller lists. Though Floyd's death and subsequent aftermath sparked a meaningful

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Area Briefs

Common Council Schedules Budget Hearings and Public Hearing on Mayor’s Proposed City Budget

The Buffalo Common Council has announced the schedule for the budget hearings, budget workshops, and public hearing on the Mayor's proposed 2023-24 City of Buffalo budget, which the Mayor announced Monday ((May 1).

•Budget Hearings

Thursday, May 4, starting at 10:00 AM in Buffalo Common Council Chambers

•Budget Workshops

Monday, May 15 starting at 10:00 AM in Buffalo Common Council Conference Room 1417

•Public hearing on the Mayor's Proposed Budget Tuesday, May 16 at 5:00 PM in Buffalo Common Council Chambers

In addition to attending the meetings, constituents can also submit their comments on the budget by filling out the Council Budget Survey: https://forms.gle/yLFUtKWE7GKD93Tm6

For more information on the budget hearings, workshops, and public hearing, please contact the Buffalo Common Council office at 716-851-5105 or via email at councilstaff@buffalony.gov.

Additionally, the Buffalo Common Council has a Budget Resources page under the Council’s site where you can find the budget schedule, the Citizen's Guide to Understanding the City Budget book, and more: https:// www.buffalony.gov/1498/ Budget-Resources