New York Amsterdam News Issue May 19, 2022. Racism Kills. by AmsterdamNews

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Vol. 113 No. 20 | May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

THE NEW BLACK VIEW

(Courtesy of NNPA)

RACISM KILLS

In act of terrorism white supremacist kills 10 in Buffalo, NY (See story on page 6)

Breast feeding ignored during baby formula shortage (See story on page 6)

(Pexels/Brianna Lisa photo)

NYS’ redistricting saga continues (See story on page 3)

(Aidin Bharti/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

NYS governor’s race: Suozzi and Reyna (See story on page 4)

(Contributed photos)

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International Noel Márquez composes the lyrics for Caracas, Venezuela’s new anthem By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Special to the AmNews

freedom and for the recognition of the hard life that our ancestors had. “‘Caracas Vencerá,’” Márquez added “is a positive effort to re-educate our society and to promote symbols of equality that are against exclusion, to end racism and the other strategies of colonialist and supremacist domination. In short, it is a contribution to the long struggle against the legacy and after-effects of enslavement and colonialism.”

Noel Márquez, president of Venezuela’s famed Grupo Madera Foundation, has played a central role in the creation of a new image for Caracas, the capital and largest city in Venezuela. This past April 18, the city held the official unveiling of a new flag, new coat of arms, and a new anthem for Caracas. Caracas has long been symbolized by Spanish colonial images: the city was officially founded in 1567 and known as Santiago de León de Caracas, its coat of arms was granted in 1591 by Felipe II to herald the subjugation of Venezuela (in the name of the patron SCHOOLGIRL, MURDERED FOR BLASPHEMY, IS saint of Spain, Santiago). The new LATEST VICTIM OF NIGERIAN RELIGIOUS STRIFE anthem, “Caracas Vencerá (Caracas (GIN)—Religious conflicts have will win!)” was composed by Rafael escalated dramatically in recent Quintero and Noel Márquez, with years. Throughout the 1950-1996 music composed by Manuel Barrios. periods, these conflicts constituted The changing of the images for how 33% to 47% of all conflicts. Caracas wants to be seen is in line Few continents are exempt from with a growing trend in the Americas this picture of faith-based conwhere governments are rejecting the flict, and today Nigerians are grapdictates of former European colonial pling with a troubling theological symbols and values and instead reafissue following the stoning death of firming the wide spectrum of ethnic a Christian college student, allegedheritages that citizens in the Americas ly for committing blasphemy on a come from. social media site. The lyrics for “Caracas Vencerá,” Few have seen the site or what boast that “Caracas, capital of VeneDeborah Yakubu Samuel, age 25, a zuela/Example of struggle and freestudent at the Shehu Shagari Coldom/Birthplace of Simon Bolívar/ lege of Education in Sokoto state is Caracas, is the one that will always alleged to have said on the Whatwin.” sApp online platform. What is “Our history, its present and toknown is that a group of young morrow/It is the strength of this vicmen, crying ‘blasphemy,’ took the torious people/Breaking the colonial law into their own hands, snatchchains/This is the example that Caraing her from school, stoning her cas gave…… and then covering her with tires “In Caracas, February 27th/Our which were set on fire. people took to the streets/To the past Some have defended the violent we will never return/We will march to action, noting that Nigerian law the beat of the drum/Maroon people upholds punishment for “insult to in resistance.” religion.” Section 204 of the Crimi“‘Caracas Vencerá’ is meant to nal Code states: “Any person who decolonize and retell our history,” does an act which any class of perMárquez explained in an exclusive sons considers a public insult on interview with the AmNews: “This their religion… is guilty of a missong is meant to overcome the legademeanor and liable to imprisoncies of colonialism and to vindicate ment for two years.” the indigenous and Afro Venezuelan But another section in the Conpeoples in our struggles against strucstitution entitles every Nigerian to tural racism. freedom of thought, conscience, re“We cannot continue to teach our ligion, and freedom of expression. children the symbolicisms of coNonetheless, dozens of cases of lonialism. We are the Cimarrón mob punishment for blasphemy people—the maroon people (people have taken place over the years inwho freed themselves from enslavecluding one ignited by a daily newsment)––who remain in resistance paper, Thisday, suggesting that and who struggle for the values of Muhammad would have approved

Grupo Madera’s Noel Márquez stands next to the new Caracas coat of arms (Contributed photo)

International of a Miss World pageant that was taking place in Abuja. Muslim mobs attacked the paper, burning down its office building in Kaduna. Churches and properties owned by Christians were attacked. Soldiers and police intervened. About two hundred and fifty people died. In another case, rioting took place after a Christian teacher confiscated a copy of a Quran from a pupil reading it during an English lesson. More than 20 Christians died in the rioting and two churches were destroyed. Fellow student “Rakia” remembered how the murderous melee began, starting with a discussion on the WhatsApp platform created for students. Someone asked Deborah how she passed last semester’s exam and she replied it was ‘Jesus o.’ Immediately, about three other chats came in from two Muslims and one Christian, telling her to retract the statement. Two students from other departments told Deborah’s close friends to prevail on her to retract the statement. But she replied via a voice note: “The group wasn’t created for that but rather as a notice on test, assignment, exam, etc, not these nonsense religious posts.” Young men from outside the school were led inside to look for Deborah, Rakia recalled. “Those in the class took her to the security post where a cab was waiting to drive her to the police station. Unfortunately, the mob overpowered everyone who tried to save her. They even threatened to kill anyone who attempted to stand in their way.” “She was dragged out, flogged and stoned. Her last words were ‘what do you hope to achieve with this?’ Finally, all the Christian students fled the

News school premises. When I got home I heard she was set ablaze. Since the incident, I have been having a flash of her pleading for mercy… “What a cruel way to die.” While President Muhammadu Buhari, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, and others have condemned the violence, several Muslim leaders defended the action. Chief Imam of the Abuja National Mosque, Prof. Ibrahim Maqari, justified the murder on his Twitter page. Maqari warned those who broke the religion’s red lines would face severe consequences. Anas Mohammad Sani, a government official in Sokoto, also threatened that Christians in Nigeria would be killed if they said anything derogatory about the venerated Prophet Muhammad. Former vice president and current aspirant Atiku Abubakar also hesitated to condemn the murder. His first post on Twitter attacked the violent mob but he later deleted it, claiming he had not authorized the post. Critics claimed it followed a threat to deny him thousands of votes from the northern area. Last but not least, Dr. Abiola Afolabi-Akiyode, speaking for a coalition of women’s groups declared: ”The blatant disregard for human lives and the continuous killing of women and girls with impunity and the normalization of jungle justice shows the failure of states to secure the people.” The burial of Deborah Emmanuel has taken place in her hometown, Tunga Magajiya, Niger State, amidst tears. For updates to the story, visit news reporter Adeola Fayehun on YouTube, Instagram or Twitter.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Redrawn district maps throw Democrats for a loop By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff Special Master and Carnegie Mellon University Fellow Jonathan Cervas has sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party redrawing Congressional districts in a way that could help the GOP take over the House in Washington. Cervas, who was appointed by the court, redrew districts to make it even with close to 777,000 people per congressional seat. The map splits 15 counties in the state as opposed to the 34 splits under the initially proposed map that the New York Court of Appeals ruled unconstitutional last month. See REDISTRICTING on page 36

MetroBriefs Metro Briefs STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RECOMMENDS INDOOR MASKING AS COVID CASES RISE With COVID-19 subvariants continuing to spread and with all but one county in New York State designated as medium or high-risk by the CDC, the State Department of Health today urged all New Yorkers to take common sense precautions to protect against COVID-19. This includes recommending all New Yorkers in high-risk counties, and those throughout the state with increased risk of severe disease due to underlying conditions, to wear masks in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. County executives were briefed on a call today prior to the announcement by Gov. Hochul, Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia, New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett, and other state officials. Topics on the call included the updated recommendations and New York State’s ongoing COVID-19 preparedness efforts heading into the summer and fall.

(Image courtesy of Dave's Redistricting (https:// davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::22a818db-e3bd4246-95eb-381c48802da1)

New sanitation commish meets community media for roundtable discussion By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff

Last Thursday, New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch held a roundtable with community and ethnic media. She did so after giving the scrum a tour of the facility. During the tour Tisch presented a micro-truck designed to clean bike lanes and narrow streets. It will be the first time that New York City has them. “We’re buying dozens now, but we hope to really expand on this. This is going to be the first time that we attach mechanical brooms to them so it will be able to sweep in addition to plow. This is going to make things cleaner for New Yorkers See SANITATION on page 31

New sanitation commissioner Jessica Tisch gave reporters a tour of the facility before sitting down for a roundtable discussion. (Photo courtesy of Stephon Johnson/Amsterdam News Staff)

Adams, Lil’ Caribbean cut ribbon on Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 3

The long-awaited grand opening of Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace kicked off last Friday, May 13. (Ariama C. Long photo)

The long-awaited grand opening of Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace kicked off last Friday, May 13. The mixed use residential and commercial community space is a long-awaited dream for local vendors and community leaders in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Mayor Eric Adams joined elected officials in cutting the ribbon for the building as steelpan performers and stilt walkers gathered to celebrate. Urbane and BRP Companies, local Black-led design team and development teams, spent years bringing the $136 million development project to fruition. The marketplace is located on the ground floor of the 14-story, mixed-use building with 255 apartments that are “100% affordable housing.” Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. said in a state-

ment that building new affordable housing is a top priority for the agency. “The Flatbush Central Caribbean Market, now reopened on the ground floor, has been essential to the social fabric of this community for decades. Including the market in this project enhances a longtime anchor of this community and provides opportunities for culturally See MARKETPLACE on page 29

JELANI COBB APPOINTED DEAN OF COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL Jelani Cobb was appointed the next dean of Columbia Journalism School. Cobb is the Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism and director of the Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. He will begin his new position on Aug. 1. A journalist and historian, Cobb has worked for The New Yorker, as a contributor and currently as a staff writer, offering in-depth analyses of a wide array of subjects, ranging from electoral politics and policing to filmmaking and stand-up comedy. He has authored books on the election of President Barack Obama and the history of hip hop, and he recently co-edited an anthology of portraits of Black life in America. His essays and opinions have been published in The Washington Post, The New Republic, Essence, Vibe, The Progressive, and TheRoot.com. Jelani’s expansive resume also includes reporting for “Whose Vote Counts,” the Peabody Award winning documentary series with Columbia colleague June Cross, from PBS FRONTLINE, Columbia Journalism Investigations and USA Today. BRONX MAN SENTENCE TO 10 YEARS FOR SEX TRAFFICING A Bronx man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the sex-trafficking of a 28-year-old New Jersey woman and 15-year-old Brooklyn girl. Reginald Cooke, 33, was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison, five years of post-release supervision and he must register as a sex offender. Cooke pled guilty to one count of attempted sex trafficking. Between Aug. 21, 2020, and Oct. 8, 2020, he told the 28-year-old victim that she could have a better life and convinced her to stay with her two children in his Bronx home. Cooke took photos of the victim and posted them as ads on sex websites. When the victim did not abide by Cooke’s rules, he would slap, punch, choke her and pull her hair. He also plied her with PCP. The 15-year-old victim was sold to Cooke for $300. He took her to his home and refused to let her leave. Cooke beat the teen to instill fear and coordinated meetings with Johns and managed prices and payments. Cooke took pictures of the teen and uploaded them as ads on sex websites. CREDIT CARDS COMPANIES ASKED TO END CARD PURCHASES OF GHOST GUNS ONLINE National, non-partisan group Prosecutors Against Gun Violence (PAGV) sent a letter to Visa and Mastercard requesting them to end their merchant relationships with online “ghost gun” kit sellers. Mastercard and Visa have previously taken action to promote public safety by ending merchant relationships with extremist and white supremacist organizations and illegal websites such as Backpage.com, which facilitated sex trafficking. PAGV asks the credit card companies to help stop ghost gun kit sellers from proliferating these dangerous weapons that have played a major role in exacerbating the gun violence epidemic across the nation. In April, President Joe Biden announced a significant step to stem the tide of ghost guns. The U.S. Department of Justice has a new rule which redefines firearms to include ghost gun kits purchased online and requires manufacturers/distributors of these components to become federally licensed, perform background checks prior to sale, and put serial numbers on the parts. However, this rule will not take effect until August 2022 at the earliest. —Compiled by Cyril Josh Barker

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‘Hate will not prevail,’ says Biden By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews President Biden, on Tuesday from Buffalo, strongly condemned the motivated massacre that killed 10 people and wounded three others, calling the attack a “poison.” Speaking to family members of the victims and elected officials, the president said, “What happened here is simple and straightforward: terrorism. Terrorism. Domestic terrorism.” “Violence inflicted in the service of hate and the vicious thirst for power that defines one group of people being inherently inferior to any other group,” Biden added. “The hate that through the media and politics, the internet, has radicalized angry, alienated, lost and isolated individuals into falsely believing that they will be ‘replaced’—that’s the word, replaced—by the other, by people who don’t look like them and who are therefore, in the perverse ideology that they possess and being fed, lesser beings.” By emphasizing “replaced” he evoked the concept of the great replacement theory that has gained traction among white supremacists and other reactionary groups who believe that white Americans are under siege and losing power and authority to minority and marginalized citizens. Joined by First Lady Jill Biden, the president said, “I condemn those who spread the lie for power, political gain and for profit.” He called on all Americans to “reject the lie…White supremacy is a poison. It’s a poison, it really is, running through our body politic. And it’s been allowed to fester and grow right in front of our eyes. No more. No more. We need to say as clearly and forcefully as we can that the ideology of white supremacy has no place in America. None.” Tracing the evolution of race hatred that has manifested into violent and massive attacks on unarmed citizens has a long history in America, and some have explained its roots as far back as

the slave trade and extermination of Native Americans. Most recently the influence has sprung up in the Christchurch massacre in 2014, the brutal murder of worshippers in a Pittsburgh synagogue, and Dylann Roof’s assassination of Black members at prayer in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. Seeking the roots of this racial hatred and violence is one thing; removing that poison from the body politic, as the president defined it, is quite another. According to the reports now available online, the suspect now under arrest, Payton Gendron, 18, drove some 300 miles from his home in Conklin, New York, to Buffalo, the nearest city with a large Black population, to carry out his cowardly slaughter. Some reports note that he posted a 180 page manifesto on a website depicting his plans and directly associated it with other mass murders. Later new accounts indicate that his next stop was an attack in Rochester, New York. He apparently had spent some time in Buffalo planning the assault with a Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic weapon that he had purchased legally, unleashing 50 rounds of bullets. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand were among those who visited a memorial outside Tops grocery where the shooting occurred, placing a bouquet of flowers and paying their respects to the victims. They also had private meetings with members of the families of the victims. Addressing the proliferation of race hatred and the so-called replacement theory, Sen. Schumer wrote in a statement aimed mainly at Fox News and its most vocal proponent of conspiracy theories, Tucker Carlson: “For years, these types of beliefs have existed at the fringes of American life. However, this pernicious theory, which has no basis in fact, has been injected into the mainstream thanks in large part to a dangerous level of amplification by your network and its anchors.”

NYS governor’s race: Suozzi and Reyna talk abortion rights, taxes, affordability, & crime By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member Self-ascribed “common-sense” Democrats, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi and former Councilmember Diana Reyna are gunning to potentially replace Gov. Kathy Hochul in this year’s gubernatorial and lieutenant governor’s races. Here are their views on the big issues impacting New York City and State. “I’m running for governor because I’m really concerned about our state,” said Suozzi. “I’m concerned about the rise in crime. I’m concerned about the lack of affordability; people are moving out of New York State.” But mostly, Suozzi said, he’s deeply concerned about the state of the Democratic Party. As a “common-sense” Democrat he maintains that he won’t “pander to the left” or “back down to the crazy right.” He’s said he’s determined to work with anybody “with a heart to help people” despite their political affiliation. Suozzi’s campaign for governor picked up steam after Hochul’s running mate, former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, was embroiled in scandal. Still, Hochul

hasn’t signed off on entering into debates with Suozzi or Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who is also running for governor. Suozzi said that he is “personally fond” of his competitor Williams though he fundamentally disagrees with his left politics. Suozzi was trained as a CPA, attorney, elected mayor of his hometown Glen Cove on Long Island, and in Congress, led the fight to restore (SALT) the State and Local Tax Deduction, an issue concerning working families in high property taxed communities. He said he has a “proven track record” in all forms of government and knows how to manage from an executive office. His campaign is laser focused on crime taxes and affordability because they’re nonpartisan issues that affect all New Yorkers. “I’ve always known that taxes are the biggest drawback in our state,” said Suozzi. “Our state and local taxes are one of the highest taxes in the United States of America and it’s one of the reasons people leave to these lower tax states, like North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida.” In his 15 point crime plan, Suozzi lays out a similar approach to crime reduction as Mayor Eric Adams’ Blueprint to End Gun Violence. His ideas See GOVERNOR'S RACE on page 28

NewJerseyNews New PAC launches with hopes of electing Black women in NJ By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff Political action committee (PAC) Be Ready has launched with plans of increasing the number of Black women in elected office in New Jersey. Led by a group of Black women with political experience at the state and local level, Be Ready will also work to advance a policy agenda centered on the issues most closely affecting Black women, largely inspired by the results of a poll of Black women in New Jersey recently commissioned by the organization’s sister non-profit Project Ready. The poll found that Black women under 40 felt largely disconnected and discouraged about their economic prospects and are less likely to vote in the upcoming midterm congressional elections than their older peers. “We started Be Ready because for all the national talk about trusting in and supporting Black women, we don’t see the rubber meeting

the road when it comes to advancing their agenda or electing Black women to positions of power,” said Be Ready Executive Director Shennell McCloud. “Realizing the gaps that exist among Black women in politics, this organization is all about taking matters into our own hands and opening channels of opportunity for more Black women to succeed.” The PAC builds explicitly on the lived experiences and issues directly facing New Jersey’s Black women, including education, economic justice, child care, and health. Be Ready’s work will focus on two areas: advancing a Black women’s policy agenda and electing Black women to office. Understanding that the two issues are linked and dually challenging in the fight for Black women in political leadership, the PAC aims to work alongside elected officials to advance a policy agenda that centers the needs of Black women.

Advocates urge NJ Department of Banking and Insurance to end racist practices in auto insurance rates By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff The Coalition to End Unfair Car Insurance Practices is calling on the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) to prohibit auto insurers from using credit information, education, and occupation in setting auto insurance rates for New Jersey drivers. Advocates say using these nondriving factors to determine premiums perpetuates systemic racism, as drivers of color are less likely to have graduated from college, more likely to work lowerpaying jobs, and on average have lower credit scores. “We have urged the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance to take immediate regulatory action to end practices that reinforce systemic racism and add to the financial insecurities of so many New Jerseyans,” said Renee Koubiadis, anti-poverty program director of New Jersey Citizen Action. “These practices were allowed in our state after the auto insurance reform of 2003 and DOBI

has the authority to prohibit these harmful practices now.” Studies show that New Jersey consumers pay different auto insurance premiums based largely on the demographics of the ZIP codes where they live. Drivers in majority Black or Latino ZIP codes generally pay nearly 50% higher premiums than majoritywhite ZIP codes. An analysis by Consumer Reports based on price quotes from every New Jersey ZIP Code found that a good driver with poor credit would actually be charged $37 more than a convicted drunk driver with good credit. “Systemic racism is called that for a reason. It is built into our systems in sometimes non-obvious ways,” said Laura Sullivan, director of the Economic Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “We are proud to be part of a coalition that recognizes that auto insurance rate setting is one of those ways, and we join the call on New Jersey to prohibit using non-driving factors to determine auto insurance premiums.”

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 5

Batin Ashante: Advocating responsible firearms ownership By MAL’AKIY 17 ALLAH Special to the AmNews The recent racially motivated massacre in Buffalo, New York has prompted many local citizens to inquire about acquiring legal firearm possession. CEO and founder of Fitness, Fuel and Fire, Batin Ashante, has been providing valuable information and training to the general public on just how to accomplish this. “I’m a firearm advocate!” he proudly proclaims. “I advocate responsible and reliable, legal firearm ownership. I advocate proper safety training for children, especially in the Black and Brown community.” With a decade’s worth of experience, his total 360 degrees fitness program provides cardio, cross-fit, dietary, physical and firearms training. His regimen includes creative meal planning as well as mental preparation. “We start with basic firearm training all the way up to level 4—carbine, shotgun, long gun training. We try to do it all,” Ashante explains, before adding how many people are misinformed about their legal rights, and how they should exercise discipline while doing so. “I do not advocate people not having any firearm training, and doing harm to people that look like them,” he specifies while pointing out how criminals use guns

to commit crimes and implement fear in their communities. Ashante also notes that along with learning self-defense, many parents who start teaching their children early often help them earn scholarships for school as they mature, with some participating in international competitions, such as the Olympic Games. Some also utilize their aiming skills while hunting wildlife in efforts to provide food. “We gotta be on the frontlines to train them properly, not to militarize these little bastards, some of them are crazy as hell,” he concurs. He makes the distinction between law-abiding citizens versus reckless criminals possessing firearms. “If you need to protect yourself legally, then take my class,” he urges. “I’m not discriminating against anyone. If you’re part of the community which is being taken advantage of and harmed, come see me.” His classes begin with firearms safety training, where, upon completion, people receive legal certification. “I can take your life, and because I can, I have to walk a different walk, with responsibility,” Ashante acknowledges. “If you need to defend yourself, I’ll train anyone. It’s not a fair fight. You got to put yourself and your family in a position to win, or at least fight back. If someone is violat-

ing you and putting yours or Batin Ashante teaching firearm safety to kids your family’s life in danger, (Courtesy photo) you have every right to protect yourself.” With cowardly attacks on the general public by confused white supremacists and their assault weapons, what are you to do? “You gotta look at the situation in Buffalo, too,” Ashante suggests. “You can’t let anyone run up and shoot you and your grandma dead just because these m-----f---rs think they can. This is taking ‘turn the other cheek’ to a whole other level in the Black community, how these m-----f----rs just think they can kill you and you gotta turn around and pray, f--that! You can’t continue to be someone’s doormat for no reason!” “The Sullivan Law [determining gun The main requirement in applying possession in New York] is absolutely unfor a gun permit in New York City is for constitutional,” he notes, “and hopefully, people to have clean police records. He will be overturned in June/July. We have says most applicants are approved, even an uphill battle, but we can do it.” some with prior non-violent convictions. Ashante has an event this Saturday, While NYC only issues carry permits May 21 (2-5 p.m.) at CEMOTAP, 135-05 in situations such as armed guards and Rockaway Blvd. Queens. business owners, six different types of For more i nformat i on: gun permits are available. Fi t nessfuelfi re.com, 646-481-9787

Black

New Yorker

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In cold blood By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff Last weekend added another chapter in the history of racial terrorism against Black people in America. Payton Gendron, 18, drove three hours from his home in Conklin, N.Y. (south of Binghamton) to a Tops Friendly Market in the majority Black neighborhood of East Buffalo and shot and killed 10 people and wounded three. The ten victims—Robert Drury, Margus Morrison, Andre Mackneil, Aaron Salter, Geraldine Talley, Celestine Chaney, Heyward Patterson, Katherine Massey, Pearl Young and Ruth Whitfield—ranged from 32 to 86 years old. The three wounded— Zaire Goodman, Jennifer Warrington and Christopher Braden—are between ages 20 and 55. Salter, a former police officer who was currently working as a security guard at Tops, died while shooting back at Gendron trying to stop the attack. Gendron, who was covered in body armor and military gear, threatened to shoot himself when the police arrived but was persuaded down and eventually arrested. Meg Newman Stackman, a Buffalo public school teacher, has close ties to the shooting. Particularly to Morrison. “I’ve worked in this community for 17 years,” said the East Aurora, N.Y. native. “Blocks away from Tops that so many former students and their families work and shop at. This was my student’s father. It’s devastating to her and her siblings,

and to the community. Today was hard and the rest of the days will be too, but we are the students’ safe space and need to rise to the occasion, as we always do. “People ask me where I work and I say the east side and they just brush it off as if it’s something they can’t be bothered with,” Stackman continued. “Now they want to send thoughts, prayers and condolences.” The National Action Network has offered to pay for any additional expenses for the funerals of the 10 victims that the State Office of Victim Services can’t pick up. The state can cover funeral expenses of up to $6,000. Janai S. Nelson, president and directorcounsel of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), stated that Black people remain at the front of the line as victims of racial terror. “This horrific rampage is another in the long line of distinctly American mass shootings that combine racism and gun violence,” said Nelson. “This is a deepening crisis for which we must be prepared to make all the necessary sacrifices to peacefully bring to an end the scourge of hate. Black Americans are the leading targets for hate crimes in our country, but we also continue to witness increases in anti-semitic attacks, as well as violence against the Latino, Asian, Muslim, and LGBTQ+ communities.” Gendron live streamed the shooting on Twitch and other social media outlets. While the clip was taken down, it continues to circulate online. “The frequency and intensity of this vio-

lence has been supercharged in part by social media, which provides a virtually unchecked platform for hate speech and the encouragement of violent actions,” said Nelson. “And, as we have seen by the number of attacks that have been live streamed, a built-in audience for hate.” New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul expressed similar sentiments during several news conferences with the media. “The fact that this act of barbarism, this execution of innocent human beings, could be live streamed on social media platforms, and not taken down within a second says, to me, that there is a responsibility out there,” said the governor. Hochul also said that there would be a “comprehensive gun package” introduced in the state legislature to close any loopholes in the state’s current gun control laws. Several highly publicized racially (and religiously) motivated mass shootings have occurred in America. In 2019, John Earnest shot at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in the San Diego area, injuring three and killing one. That same year, Patrick Crusius allegedly killed 23 and injured close to the same amount of people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas motivated by a desire to kill Latinos; he’s currently in custody but has yet to stand trial. Another shooting in 2019 involved Brenton Tarrant who attacked two mosques in a New Zealand killing, in total, 51 worshippers and injuring 40 others. Tarrant posted his plans for the shooting on the website 4chan. In 2018, Robert Bowers killed 11 people

at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Before Saturday’s shooting, the last highly publicized attack against Black people was in 2015 when white supremacist Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The shootings don’t include police brutality and acts of violence of any kind against Black people. To the Congressional Black Caucus, all violence against Black people must be addressed. “This story is not new; we’ve seen this play out repeatedly. But we are very clear, thoughts and prayers are not enough,” stated CBC Chairwoman Joyce Beatty. “Firstly, gun violence is a public health crisis that must be addressed, and we must legislate as such. Secondly, vigilantes acting with racial animus and espousing white supremacist ideology that results in the loss of innocent lives must be classified as a hate crime, full stop. Last year, more than 20,000 Americans lost their lives to gun violence. In the aftermath of this horrific episode, Congress has a moral obligation to make our nation fairer and safer for all Americans.” Locally, politicians were quick to express condolences and condemn racial radicalization and easy access to guns. “There is no place in New York for hate and white supremacy or any other hate-based ideology,” stated New York State Senate MaSee IN COLD BLOOD on page 30

Breast-feeding advocates speak on formula crisis By NAYABA ARINDE Amsterdam News Editor Seemingly lost in the ‘baby formula shortage’ crisis, is the whole axiom of “breast is best.” Like a scenario from a B movie, mothers are scouring store shelves across the nation looking for the milk powder to feed their children. Social media is abuzz with tips on how to score cans of formula from all over the country. With the nation sitting in a recession; gas prices shutting down needed vehicles; the U.S sending billions upon billions to Ukraine in the NATO-linked war with Russia; and a random 18-year-old terrorist white boy murdering 10 shoppers and a security guard at a Buffalo supermarket; moms nationwide are in despair as an alleged bacteria outbreak at a formula-producing factory, and a pandemic-era glitching the supply chain, has led to a baby formula shortgage. This has led some to find empty shelves, and others being rationed to as few as two cans. News clips galore show mothers pleading for resolution. A barely whispered conversation yet being held, is that of mother’s milk is best. Why one company is the major connect and provider of formula for those who use

it, is another issue altogether. AbboTt Labs is now telling the government that after it passes inspection, it will take about two weeks to get up and running again, and four weeks after that for their product to pass on to distributors and hit the shelves. “They don’t advocate breast feeding children anymore. They even give you formula in the hospital.They could give women breast pumps too,” said Santina PaytonBrown, Committee to Honor Black Heroes member. The Brooklyn community activist is a mother of four, and a grandmother of four, and 17 by marriage, “My mother had 20 children and she breast fed us all, that’s why we didn’t have any medical complications,” said the seventh girl, and 12th child. “Sometimes they tell women if they breastfeed they can’t get WIC assistance [Women Infants Children, food for mothers with babies]. If you don’t know, they can tell them anything. “I would ask women if they could at least try it for the first three months, to make your immune system strong. I breastfed my children, and my body was able to come back to itself, even after my three c-sections.” Repeating a common refrain, PaytonBrown said, “We the only mammals who feed our babies another animal’s milk. Animals feed from their parents. We should ours. It helps you bond with your babies. Breast milk

is full of nutrients. It helps with the respiratory system and helps the brain from being overly imbalanced; formula does not have the same benefits. Our breastfeeding builds the immune system of the babies. I have four healthy children. My daughter was close to six when we had a wean-off breastfeed party.” Nursing mothers often swear by the experience, with all the starter-stories, pumping, engorgement, typical issues notwithstanding. Mainstream news though is only focusing on the shortage of baby formula. The New York Times reported that the Michigan Abbott Nutrition factory recently shut down. This, after four babies may have contracted a rare bacterial infection having had formula produced there. Two of the babies died. While it has not been established that the formula was the cause of the infections, the shutdown raised questions. “Three companies—Abbott, Gerber and Reckitt—make nearly all of the formula that Americans use. Abbott is the largest of the three, with roughly 40% of the market,” said the Times. Common now, but formula was not always present in the homes of infants and newborns. Caribbean and Continental African women tell now of how they remember mothers using diluted evaporated or Carnation milk to feed babies decades ago.

Many mothers speak now on how formula was not an option, choice and prohibitive cost being some of the reasons. Some families are convinced by the convenience of it, but others just have not trusted the pushed powdered milk. It’s in the name, they said. Formula. What is in it? Some question the ingredients. One of the urban stories is that of the estrogen levels in the compounds which make up the pseudo-powdered milk. The debate has been reignited. It is not mother versus mom, but it could be socio-economics, culture, philosophy, politics, and dietary concerns, in a long-term conversation. Formula advocates site convenience and belief in the product. They are not tied to a personal feeding or pumping schedule. Child care may not necessarily be tied to their own availability in terms of having to personally feed their infant. Meanwhile, there have long been calls to give nursing moms returning to work the assistance and space to pump milk. While there are Lactation Stations in many municipal buildings, many workplaces do not have them, and women do not want to have to use the bathroom as a substitute space for that purpose. See BREAST-FEEDING on page 36

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Go With The Flo

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS G O W I T H T H

L O

‘Bans Off Our Bodies’ March HB

FLO

(Nayaba Arinde photo)

ANTHONY The Broadway theater where Jesse Williams’ nude scene was leaked has stepped up security. People magazine reports that the Helen Hayes Theater, home to “Take Me Out,” has installed a new infrared camera system facing the audience so that the venue’s security team can monitor any wouldbe phone users during the show. The update comes after an audience member illicitly recorded and posted full frontal nude footage of Williams to Twitter on May 9, the same day the “Grey’s Anatomy” alum was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as a gay baseball player. The New York Times reported that the detection system was installed May 11.

economic and racial disparities in arthritis care and total joint replacements, which has led to a better understanding of racial inequities in musculoskeletal healthcare, ultimately helping to build a more equitable healthcare system.

Most of the Big Apple’s most prominent doctors, including former commissioner at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Dr. Dave Chokshi, who gave the keynote address, and First Deputy Commissioner/Chief Equity Officer of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Dr. Torian Easterling, were present at the recent United Hospital Fund Tribute to Excellence on Health Care Recognizing Quality of Improvement Champions. Dr. Michael L. Parks, associate professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery Hospital for Special Surgery, was honored for his groundbreaking research studying the correlation between socio-

Hot on the heels of their recent album, “Perfect Union,” an international tour which included stops in Atlantic City, Disney’s EPCOT Center and the New Orleans JazzFest, legendary Grammy Award hit makers Kool & the Gang will bring the celebration to the TV morning show “Fox & Friends” on May 27. The band will perform live in New York City at Fox Square, located on Sixth Avenue between West 47th and 48th Streets in Manhattan (the show airs between 6 and 9 a.m. ET. “We look forward to bringing good times to ‘Fox & Friends’ as well as fans both in person and on TV,” states group founder/leader Robert Kool Bell. “So get ready for a great performance.”

Disney + original movie “Sneakerella” premiered May 13 on the streaming service. This pop/hip hop musical is set in the vibrant street-sneaker subculture of New York City and puts a contemporary twist on the “Cinderella” fairy tale. Triple threats Chosen Jacobs and Lexi Underwood star as E! and Kira, alongside a multi-talented diverse ensemble cast which includes former NBA star John Salley.

By NOSAYABA ODESANYA Special to the Amsterdam News On May 14 in Brooklyn, New York, “Bans Off Our Bodies” went live to protest against the Supreme Court’s plan to overturn Roe. V Wade. Many people are concerned with the leak that the Supreme Court may be looking to make abortion illegal, as it has an effect on how many people will continue to live their lives. Demonstrators with signs and chants said that abortion restrictions are part of a system of oppression that denies women, people of color and LGBTQ people full body autonomy and rights. Protestors have said that it is very vital to have equal and full access to reproductive health care to take care of ourselves the best way we know how, without feeling guilty or being shamed. As of now, abortion is still legal in the 50 states, but if anti-abortion rights activists have their way, it is only a matter of time before the court publishes their decision.

Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Ana Maria Archila joined Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Girls for Gender Equity and reproductive rights advocates to protest across the Brooklyn Bridge in support of abortion rights and access. The protesters met at Juneteenth Grove, off of Tillary Street in Brooklyn, to join protesters at Cadman Plaza, who then marched across Brooklyn Bridge. Archila was endorsed by #VOTEPROCHOICE, a national organization that connects the nation’s pro-choice majority voters with pro-choice champion candidates in every election. She has said that New York State can and must take the lead in protecting abortion rights and expanding abortion access. Mothers with their children, young women, and lots of men wearing supportive T-shirts and banners showed up. There will probably be many other marches to come.

(Nosayaba Odesanya photos)

B t v l M c s p a t w C A m c i n w c

v s k p d

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS O U T & A B

HARLEM HOSTS VIGIL FOR BUFFALO 10 MURDERED BY WHITE SUPREMACIST TERRORIST (Bill Moore photos)

Mayor Eric Adams placed 10 red roses for the 10 murdered, in a vase

On Monday, May 16, 2022, Bethel Gospel Assembly - Destiny Worship Pavilion held a vigil for the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting. On Saturday, May 14, 2022, white supremacist terrorist Payton Gendron shot and murdered 10 Black people, and injured three more at Tops supermarket. At the interfaith memorial event there were speakers such as New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who wore a T-shirt remembering the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. There Dylann Roof, another white racist, gunned down nine churchgoers on June 17, 2015. Other speakers were Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; great singer the Rev. Donnie McClurkin; and Mayor Eric Adams, who placed 10 red roses for the 10 dead in a vase.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams wore a T-shirt remembering those killed at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Nightlife

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 9

Written by David Goodson

Boxing glory undisputed Wow, he said that, was what came to mind when I heard it two years ago. It was not that what he said was inconsequential it was just when he said it. There was a lot more things pressing to concern ourselves with, we kept it in the mental rolodex though and when life has a semblance of normalcy and levity is invited, we were gonna spin the block and address the situation. So, the quote was stated on the YouTube channel iFL TV, by a former-world-titlistturned-Showtime-boxing-analyst Paulie Malignaggi was asked by the journalist to respond to what was said by Devin Haney, a young boy, a talent on a quest for greatness who said he would never lose to a white boy. “Boxing has had its course in history with certain demographics dominating more than others, right?” Malignaggi said in the video. “Maybe like 100 years ago, Irish fighters were better. And then the Jews and the Italians came in. The African American fighter became the most dominant in the sport in the ’70s, ’80s, and even ’90s, you know? It’s not great to have the race discussion because it’s going to coordinate division, I don’t know if Devin got the memo, it’s no longer the time of the African American anymore in boxing. It’s [the Eastern Europeans] that has become the dominant species in boxing. I think stating something like [Haney’s statement] that could be very dangerous.” In boxing parlance this would be when the referee would step in to administer a standing eight count for the fighter to gather his faculties and decide if he wishes to continue. Paulie chose to keep his momentum when he quipped further, “I try not to join in the race conversations. This is one of the exact examples of why I don’t believe there is racial oppression in 2020 or in this century. I believe there has been, sure, but I don’t believe there is racial oppression today. I believe it’s all made up and I believe that it is exaggerated. This is exactly one of the reasons why. The fact that a Black fighter can say that and not pay any price financially. But if a white fighter said that about any

Black fighters at all, he’d probably lose his TV contract and probably TV networks wouldn’t touch him, you know. I won’t tell you that it’s a double standard but I’ll tell you that it does prove that the entire whole hypothesis of racial oppression is exaggerated in this century, you know?” Nahh Paulie, we didn’t know. Contrary the kid you were initially addressing, 23-year-old, WBC Lightweight Champion Devin “The Dream” Haney is on a crash course with history as he clashes with George Kambosos Jr., in a match billed as Fight for Undisputed, WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight champion, held by Kambosos Jr. The bout is set for June 5, 2022, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, with the winner set to become the first undisputed lightweight champion since the late great Pernell Whitaker in 1990, and the first in the four-belt era. If he pulls this off, he will join the company of Jermell Charlo who managed the feat this past Saturday. A well-timed left hook to the temple floored WBO light middleweight Brian Castano before a left to the body by Charlo ended matters in a thrilling nip and tuck battle to become undisputed 154-pound champion Saturday in Carson, California. “I made history tonight. Nobody has ever been the Undisputed Champion at 154, plus I’m African American. I represent my people!” Charlo stated emphatically at the post fight press conference. Ohh, there’s one more, Errol Spence stamped his ticket in history when he concluded three fourths of the Welterweight edition of Strap Season when he knocked out Yordenis Ugas for his WBA Welterweight crown. The one title that eludes him sets up the biggest fight in boxing with WBO Welterweight champion Terrence Crawford with the winner reigning supreme as the UNDISPUTED CHAMPION. With Jaron Ennis and Shakur Stevenson on deck for dominance I might start to think we still got hands! Over and out. Holla next week. Til then, enjoy the nightlife.

10 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Union Matters Unions weigh in on East Buffalo tragedy By Stephon Johnson Amsterdam News Staff

killed 10 people and wounded three, labor unions were quick to pay respects, express sorrow and remind the public where they Days after the racially motivated attack at stood on racial issues. a Tops supermarket in East Buffalo, which CWA 1122’ss executive board, based in

Loading the gun Gregory Floyd President, Teamsters Local 237 and Vice President at-Large on the General Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

The recent shooting of 13 innocent victims in Buffalo demands reflection and reaction, cries out for mourning, and a search for meaning. Although the racist motive seems abundantly clear, the fact that a crazed gunman was on a killing spree in a neighborhood supermarket on an other wise lazy Saturday afternoon, and that he live-streamed his venomous crime, actually watched by so many, makes the heartlessness and culpability of his actions unfathomably sickening, and not his alone. As the well-respected civil rights attorney Ben Crump sees it : “Politicians who are tr ying to use fear to stimulate their base…to help get cable news ratings…[are] accomplices to this mass murder…even though they did not pull the trigger, they loaded the gun.” Yet, there is still more guilt to go around. It seems that it’s not enough to just do the killing. No, the message here is that a hatefilled rampage like this must also ser ve to motivate others—to glorify, to justify and to make noble their deranged cause. And as the killer your public demeanor is also ver y important : show no signs of regret or remorse. Own the moment and hope others will want to adopt the same bloodlust hatred. New York State has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, including the controversial “red flag law” enacted in 2019 to prevent persons considered dangerous to themselves and to others as unfit to legally purchase guns. But guns are purchased outside of this state and brought here. Without stricter national gun laws, and the elimination of various loopholes in existing laws, it will be impossible to control guns ; they still will get into the wrong hands. Although this latest killing spree

was done with a legally purchased rifle—an AR-15 known to be used by soldiers at war, like those currently fighting in Ukraine—the rise in illegal “ghost” guns also presents a huge threat to innocent bystanders. The number of shootings has nearly doubled in New York City since before the pandemic. Read the headlines : students walking and talking on their way home from school; children watching a video and eating their chicken dinner in the back of their aunt’s car ; an infant in a car seat next to her mother while dad stops at a bodega for milk ; and a Chinese food deliver y man shot because he didn’t bring enough duck sauce. These are among the many innocent people recently killed or injured in our city, their dreams tattered, their families destroyed. Ghost guns were the weapons involved, but they are not the only factor that caused the pain. “Not the intended target” is the usual defense, but even if this is true, the questions remain: why were you carr ying a weapon designed to inflict deadly destruction, not just retribution? And, when you pulled the trigger, did you think about possibly hitting the wrong person? Feel any pain? Have empathy for hitting the wrong person? A la st q ue st i on sh ou l d b e aske d, t hi s d i re c te d to ou r law ma kers, as t he e ss e n c e o f B en C r u mb’s p osit i o n o n cul pab il it y: did th e p erp e t rato r f ea r t he cons e q u enc es if th e y were to be apprehended and tr ied for t he i r a c t i o n s? As a legislator, you didn’t instigate the gunman with coded rhetoric or encourage the use of social media as a provocative means of gaining followers. But without enacting laws in which the punishment truly fits the crime, such as in the case of possessing a ghost gun, that result in mandator y incarceration—even while taking into consideration the perpetrator ’s age—guns, whether legally or illegally obtained, will be loaded by accomplices who did something worse than pulling the trigger. They did nothing!

Buffalo, took to social media to offer condolences, and take care of union members who might have close ties to the people attacked in the shooting. “WE MUST COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY AND SAY ENOUGH!!,” read their statement on Twitter. “WE ALL SHARE THIS CITY, THIS COUNTRY…” “WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR EMPLOYERS WHO MIGHT HAVE BUSINESS IN THE AREA,” the statement continued. “WE HAVE AGREED TO WAIT TO DISPATCH INTO THE AREA UNTIL THE INVESTIGATION IS OVER.” On Saturday, 18-year-old Payton Gendron carried out the attack in East Buffalo. According to authorities, Gendron had once threatened to conduct a mass shoot-

again dealing with unfathomable pain due to one person’s racist beliefs.” New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta, Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore and Buffalo Educational Support Team President Jo Ann Sweat, in a joint statement, expressed their anger over the massacre. “Like everyone in New York, we are shocked and horrified by this senseless, repugnant act of violence against one of our communities,” the statement read. “This brutal act and the racial hatred that motivated it are incomprehensible, yet all too familiar in our society. Educators across Western New York and the state stand in support of our children, our colleagues and our families impacted by this tragedy.”

Labor unions sent condolences to the victims and their families of the racist shooting in East Buffalo. Leaders have vowed to continue their fight for racial justice. (Photo courtesy of USA-TARO & ronniechua)

ing at Susquehanna Valley High School, in his hometown, around graduation. Conklin is a town located in Broome County just south of Binghamton. The distance between Binghamton and East Buffalo is anywhere between 3 hours and 27 minutes to 3 hours and 45 minutes. “The entire labor movement is appalled by the killing of 10 people and wounding of three by a man with racist beliefs who targeted Black people,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer/ Executive Vice President Fred Redmond in a joint statement. “While there’s no way to make sense of yet another racially motivated, hate-inspired attack on innocent people because of the color of their skin, it’s clear these types of mass shootings are perpetrated by those radicalized online, and we must take action. Our deepest condolences are with the family, friends, UFCW members and an entire community who are once

While details continue to emerge from the mass shooting, Murad Awawdeh, executive director, New York Immigration Coalition, stated that this is another reminder of why the Black Lives Matter movement exists. “We are devastated that ordinary people cannot be safe from gunfire and anti-Black violence at their local grocery store,” said Awawdeh. “Ten innocent lives were lost and three people were injured at the hands of a self-proclaimed white supremacist. The biggest threat to the U.S. is white supremacy and, today, it reared its ugly head when the shooter targeted Black families shopping for their weekly groceries at their local supermarket. “We condemn today’s actions and demand that our elected leaders address and reform gun laws and invest in community solutions that will bring real safety for all. Until then, we will continue to fight for Black lives and racial justice for all.”

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12 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Opinion AMNEWS READERS WRITE

Elders deserve support from city leaders Dear Editor:

If you look around you’ll see that people are getting older. Residents Older adults need more support over the age of 50 account for nearly from our city leaders. With Mayor a third of the city’s overall populaAdams and Speaker Adams, I’m tion, a number that is expected to hopeful we will get what we—people increase by 40% in the next 20 years. who have spent our lives investing in That’s going to mean a lot more New York—deserve. older people with many more needs.

Say their names An accurate count of the number of African Americans killed by white racists is incalculable. Research is still underway on the Cold Cases, the unsolved murders from the Civil Rights era. But there are a few victims in recent memory whose names we can call and make them resonate beyond the grave and remind us of the senseless crimes that took their precious lives.

Church in Birmingham by a bomb planted and denoted by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

EDITORIAL

Charleston Nine On June 15, 2015, a white terrorist entered the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina and mercilessly killed nine remarkable members of the church during a prayer meeting. The Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45; Cynthia Hurd, 54; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lance, 70; the Rev. DePayne MidMemphis Three dleton-Doctor, 59; Tywanza SandThomas Moss, Calvin McDowell ers, 26; the Rev. Daniel Simmons and William “Henry” Stewart were Sr., 74; Myra Thompson, 59; and all lynched in Memphis on March the state senator and the church’s 9, 1892, and were victims of racial pastor Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41. terror because their grocery store was more profitable than whiteBuffalo Ten owned stores. They were actualOn May 14, a white supremacist ly shot and killed after struggling shot and killed 10 people in the with a lynch mob. Tops Market and wounded three others. The victims are: Ruth WhitBirmingham Four field, 86; Roberta Drury, 32; Aaron Addie Mae Collins, 14; Cyn- Salter, 55; Heyward Patterson, 67; thia Wesley, 14; Carole Robert- Pearl Young, 77; Geraldine Talley, son, 14; and Carol Denise McNair 62; Celestine Chaney, 65; Katherall were killed Sunday, September ine Massey, 72; Margus Morrison, 15, 1963, at the 16th Street Baptist 52; Andre Mackneil, 53.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher Member

Alliance for Audited Media

and Editor in Chief

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Nayaba Arinde: Editor Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising

Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Chairman of the Board, CEO and Publisher Emeritus

Right now, the bills. There Speaker Adrienne Adams the Departare not enough (Bill Moore photo) ment for the homecare Aging gets only services for 0.5% of the people no city budget. longer able We don’t have to leave their enough caseapartments, workers to and also too help us with few meals that our needs. Our are home degreat senior livered. centers, which Most of us provide many spent our of us not just entire lives with hot meals working here, but also companionship, classes, raising families here, supporting and career help are struggling to pay local businesses, and paying our

taxes. Now we need the city to step up and support us. A few years ago, AARP New York issued a report that more than half of Baby Boomers like me didn’t think we’d be able to stay in New York City after we retired. And for the Gen X generation, the statistics were even worse—66% of them don’t expect to be able to retire in this city. Now with inflation, it’s becoming harder to make ends meet. I hope we can count on the city to help us. — JAMES O'NEAL James O’Neal is the volunteer state president of AARP New York

AMNEWS READERS WRITE

Rikers needs solutions stat Dear Editor:

The department must create a system to track this information and The Fortune Society agrees with report whether and which posts are the administration that terminat- staffed. As the Nunez monitor noted ing correction officers who are abus- in a special report to the federal ing the Department of Corrections’ overly generous sick leave policy is the right thing to do. The long-standing pattern of uniformed officers not reporting to work endangers their colleagues as well as the people in custody. This kind of rampant absenteeism would not be tolerated at any other city agency, let alone one that is responsible for our collective safety. Although terminating those officers who refuse to come to work is a step in the right direction, it alone will not solve the ills that plague Rikers Island. We believe that Rikers needs to be closed, but until that can occur, immediate steps must court last month, “the department be taken to make Rikers safe for the cannot accurately identify where people who work there and who are staff are assigned or their status at incarcerated there, and that appro- any given time.” It is impossible to priate services are provided. imagine that the NYPD would be Much more is required to cure the permitted to continue business as dysfunction that has produced these usual if leadership could not tell us dire conditions and allowed them to how many officers were working a persist for so many years. The De- given shift, in a given precinct, on partment must formulate and share any given day. a plan to effectively manage staff Yet because Rikers is physicaland ensure that all posts requiring ly removed from the daily life of our uniformed officers are staffed ac- city, such dysfunction can more cording to schedule, on a daily basis. easily persist, out of sight and out

“Much more is required to cure the dysfunction that has produced these dire conditions and allowed them to persist for so many years.”

of mind. But it is not out of sight or mind for the people held in custody there (90% of whom are pending trial and presumed innocent), for their families, and for those of us who work with and support them. The administration’s new proposal to expend our city resources on close to 600 additional correction officers would do nothing to remedy the crisis in staff management. As the Nunez monitor has noted, DOC spends 350% more per year to incarcerate a single person than the two other largest jail systems in the country, in Cook County, Illinois, and Los Angeles. And yet the violence at Rikers is seven times higher than it is in Los Angeles. This is not because there are too few officers on the DOC payroll. We stand ready to partner with the administration on programmatic and policy solutions to improve conditions in our city jails. But any proposed solutions will only be effective if there is effective management of staff, if staff report to work, and if everyone—staff and people in custody—are safe. — JOANNE PAGE JoAnne Page is CEO/president of The Fortune Society.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS O P I N I O

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 13 N

Americans may soon be given the right to prohibit abortions. Could this change the midterm tide? DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opinions of others that may differ from our own.

ARMSTRONG

WILLIAMS

They say history repeats itself. You are likely familiar with the saying, but uncertain of its true meaning. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito shocked us all the other day when a draft opinion of his for the majority in an abortion case said, “We hold that Roe and Casey (the Mississippi abortion case) must be overruled.” This stunned both the left and the right, who had not been expecting a leak of this magnitude from an institution such as the Supreme Court. While Chief Justice Roberts did in fact confirm the draft’s authenticity, it remains to be seen whether this draft opinion will represent the majority’s opinion in the end. If at least four other justices do side with Alito’s draft opinion, it would mean that the highest court in the nation has chosen to overturn the historic Roe v. Wade decision. As far as we are aware, the document is still in draft form, so justices might still change their views and vote the other way. In fact, this would not be unprecedented; in 1937, Justice Owen Roberts famously switched voting sides in a case that upheld federal minimum wage laws after he found them unconstitutional just one year earlier (though, some believe this was done in an effort to prevent court packing by FDR). That is just one famous example—there’s no telling how often this actually occurs behind closed doors. Regardless of the outcome of this case, political and social repercussions will be felt across the United States. This opinion, assuming it is the true, final opinion, does not outlaw abortion, contrary to what many pro-choice advocates would have you think. This ruling will instead allow the people of the United States to decide for themselves whether they wish to criminalize abortion, legalize it, or place certain restrictions on it. This opinion would

return sovereignty to the people and enable the position on abortion with the greatest support to become the law, as opposed to the laws that unelected judges in black robes create. Truthfully, those who decry this decision as an infringement on the right of women are simultaneously in support of infringements on the right to self-govern. Chief Justice Roberts stated it perfectly in his dissent in Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark case which made the right to marriage a constitutional right, “This practice of constitutional revision by an unelected committee of nine, always accompanied (as it is today) by extravagant praise of liberty, robs the People of the most important liberty they asserted in the Declaration of Independence and won in the Revolution of 1776: the freedom to govern themselves.” The original Roe v. Wade decision was also leaked to the press, which makes this leak particularly intriguing. In January 1973, a Supreme Court clerk divulged the opinion to a reporter from Time magazine. Approximately half a century later, a separate judgment was leaked to a different publication, this time Politico in Washington, D.C. Who leaked it this time? The Supreme Court has traditionally guarded its proceedings and opinions with the utmost discretion, so this breach has us all wondering: Was it another clerk? Was that a clerk serving a judge? It is a tremendous victory for the political right and a major defeat for the political left. However, it also produces uncertainty and undoubtedly pushback inside the very secretive Supreme Court chambers. In fact, this leak might have significant repercussions for the upcoming midterm elections, where the Republicans now have an edge as more Republican voters are motivated about Novem-

ber. Democrats, who have battled on issues ranging from the faltering economy with increased prospects of a recession, to rising crime, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, may suddenly have a single subject to mobilize crucial demographics beneath the Democrat banner: abortion. The Democrats, who were once in danger of losing the House and the Senate, have been given a lifeline. But for how long? This remains uncertain, and it will undoubtedly be a focus of their efforts. Despite this lifeline, the Democrats have the problem of mobilizing their enormous base. Despite having a statistical edge in terms of the percentage of people who identify as Democrats versus Republicans, they are not consistently good at mobilization. Republicans should welcome this moment, but they must not lose sight of what has given them an edge over Democrats: focusing on kitchen table concerns such as the price of gasoline, inflation-driven food prices, and violence in America’s big cities. They must focus on the subject that affects the greatest number of Americans, not fringe minorities. If they can do this, they will likely be in position to reclaim control of the House and maybe even the Senate. The current topic of discussion is the diminishment of yet another significant institution, the Supreme Court. The trust that Americans have in it is as low as it ever has been, and the politicization of it is at its apex. We are in a position where the cultural divide in this country is destructive, but could both sides reach a compromise on this issue? Some topics are non-negotiable, and this is one of those problems for many Christians, as well as many Democrats. I have no other answer to this problem but to pray for our fractured country. Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is manager / sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year.www.armstrongwilliams.co | www.howardstirk-holdings.com

We need better accessibility in NYC CHRISTINA

GREER PH.D. I was recently spending time with a friend who uses a wheelchair on a daily basis. Each time we hang out I am reminded of just how much more needs to be done to make our city accessible to those who are in wheelchairs and/or need assistance getting around the city. For example, I attended Columbia University for graduate school and occasionally teach in the policy school. When I have invited my dear friend and colleague to guest lecture, I am embarrassed by the fact that the Columbia University/116th Street station on the No. 1 line is not handicapped accessible. That is, the premiere university in the largest city in the nation does not have an accessible station for students, professors, staff, professionals, visitors, or even people who live in the neighborhood. I couldn’t even begin to think of what a full-time Columbia University student who primarily uses a wheelchair would need to do to attend the university and travel off campus. I could not believe the lengths to which my colleague had to go in order to join me on campus. First, he would need to go to the 125th Street A,B,C,D station and hope that both elevators were in service. One elevator that brings him from the subway platform to the turnstile and the other elevator that brings him from the turnstile to the street level. If either elevator is out of service, the station is no longer accessible. He must then make his way up an incredibly steep hill on Broadway or Am-

sterdam Avenues. Besides the distance, the steep incline makes the journey quite arduous. We must do better as a city to make sure there are more accessible subway stations for New Yorkers who use wheelchairs. We must make sure that we continue to pressure our elected officials on the local, state, and national levels to fund projects that make the city more accessible for all. When I spend time with my friend who uses a wheelchair, I am reminded of all of the things I take for granted. Restaurants that claim to be accessible, however, have “just two steps” to get inside, thus rendering it impossible for someone using a wheelchair to access. Or the myriad of sidewalks that lack the slope leading into the street to the curb thus making the “step” to the street incredibly dangerous for anyone who uses a wheelchair. I implore you to begin to observe your city with a pair of fresh eyes, eyes that are on the lookout for the ways we can improve accessibility in our city, beyond subway stations and transportation. We should also be on the lookout for shops and restaurants in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to make sure New York City is a welcoming place for all. Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.

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THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Health Factcheck: False: COVID-19 mandates are illegal and are an unconstitutional violation of civil liberties By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews

A public health mandate is a balancing of two interests: a restriction on a person’s civil liberties and a health situation that endangers the lives of the rest of society. Civil liberties at their most basic are personal freedoms and the ability to avoid governmental intrusion on those freedoms. Mandates put restraints on those civil liberties. The question then becomes what is a restraint that is acceptable and what is a restraint that is unacceptable. Examples of mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic deemed legally acceptable include lockdowns, mask requirements under certain conditions, and shutdowns of venues. The reasons for such measures, which legal scholars would refer to as a restraint or restriction on individu-

als’ civil liberties, are grounded in the responsibility of the government to protect those same individuals who believe their civil liberties are being restricted, and society as a whole, from harm, in this case, COVID-19. According to research by Xiaoshuang Liu et. al., in the article “Differential impact of non-pharmaceutical public health interventions on COVID-19 epidemics in the United States,” interventions such as mask mandates, gathering bans, and non-essential business closures, while having a restriction on civil liberties, safeguarded the public and their health. The study looked at nine different interventions in terms of their capacity to control COVID-19. Stay at home orders were the most effective at controlling COVID-19. Restricting gathering sizes, closing non-essential businesses, and face masks were also found by the study researchers to be effective in

Claim: Many commentators and social media posts have claimed that COVID-19 mandates are illegal and an unconstitutional violation of civil liberties Fact Check: False. While an undue restraint on civil liberties is a constitutional violation, governmental entities are within their right to restrict certain activities or implement safeguards for individuals to follow during a pandemic such as COVID-19. One of the most important legal cases regarding public health and civil liberA tweet falsely claims that COVID-19 restrictions in New ties is Jacobson v. Jersey are unconstitutional. Massachureducing COVID-19 rates. The re- setts 197, U.S. 11 (1905). On July 17, searchers concluded that such re- 1902, the board of health of Camstrictions “played critical roles on bridge, Massachusetts set a deadepidemic control in the U.S. in the line for all individuals residing in past several months.” the city to either be vaccinated or re-

vaccinated for the disease of smallpox. Those who did not comply were sentenced to pay a fine of $5. The plaintiff in the case, Henning Jacobson, refused to get vaccinated and was forced to pay a $5 fine. The court in the Jacobson case focused on several issues, including the role of the government at the local level to safeguard the public, and requirements that the government can put on individuals to keep everyone safe, but what we have not seen is forced vaccinations of individuals by the government.

COVID-19 IS STILL HERE

See BLACKLIGHT on page 29

TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF Wear a mask indoors or if you feel sick.

Get tested if you have symptoms or were exposed.

Get vaccinated and boosted.

Get evaluated for treatment if you have COVID-19.

If you have COVID-19, call your doctor. If you do not have a doctor, call 212-COVID19 to be evaluated for treatment. For more information, visit nyc.gov/health/coronavirus.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 15

16 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Caribbean Update

Virgin Islands nervous about recolonization By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews Britain is to decide this week whether it will temporarily recolonize the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in keeping with the recommendations of a commission of inquiry report that had detailed widespread corruption and alleged poor governance practices in the archipelago just east of Puerto Rico. Amid widespread in-country opposition and objections from the 15-nation Caribbean Community, of which the BVI is an associate member, London has said it is considering taking back full daily responsibility for the islands for two years until the situation is remedied. To stymie any such moves, opposition lawmakers have teamed up in a unity government with cabinet ministers to work together to tackle a slew of necessary reforms including tighter controls on finance, the sale of crown or state lands and better monitoring of ports to minimize international drug smuggling, mainly to the U.S. among other ills. The report was released earlier this month hours after federal authorities in Florida had arrested then premier Andrew Fahie, the ports authority head Oleanvine Maynard, and her son, for allegedly plot-

ting with Mexican drug cartels to smuggle large quantities of cocaine to the U.S. through BVI ports with the protection of high officials. The entire plot had turned out to be a federal undercover operation. At the weekend, new Premier Natalio Wheatley said the cabinet had been informed that a decision will come from London this week, noting that “when the time comes, we are certainly prayerful and hopeful that we are able to keep our democracy. We have to gather ourselves very quickly and devise a strategy. The people of the VI want good governance. They want reforms. We will be going in detail into the changes we have to make to show our commitment to good governance,” Wheatley told reporters. Islanders—or belongers, as locals are called—especially fear a negative decision from London, given the lesson of a similar re-imposition of direct rule in the nearby Turks and Caicos Islands in 2009 based on a recommendation also from a commission of inquiry into corruption and bad governance. TCI lawmakers have asked counterparts in the BVI to make every effort to oppose the suspension of the constitution and direct rule. Meanwhile, the British are also moving to enact criminal corruption and poor governance probes into a number of gov-

ernment departments, some dating back up to 12 years. Gov. John Rankin at the weekend announced plans to implement recommendations for the probe from the inquiry report that had taken an indepth look at corruption and governance issues in the archipelago. The office of the premier, including those run by the past three premiers, the customs department, BVI Airways, the ports authority and several others will be investigated to determine the extent of malfeasance in recent years. “There is now an urgent need to decisively move forward and in line with my responsibilities under the constitution. I have today instructed the Royal Virgin Islands police force to undertake a number of criminal investigations as recommended in the report,” Rankin said. The sale of several parcels of prime crown lands will also form part of the probe, the governor said, noting that in one case, a former premier used his influence and political clout to block a state audit into misconduct by top government officials. The announcement about a full scale probe into government affairs came hours after the BVI’s unity government said it had submitted a comprehensive plan of action to the British government to reform and amend

the way state affairs were run in the past. Newly sworn-in Premier Natalio Wheatley did not give details about the plan but made it clear this was an effort to stave off a major recommendation in the inquiry’s report that had suggested the suspension of parts of the constitution dealing with self governance. Montserrat, The Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and the BVI are Britain’s remaining territories in the region. Wheatley said his secret plan should restore good order. “It represents our commitment to good governance and strengthening our institutions and systems of government. We want to engender a new culture in the handling of the people's business. I am pleased to report on behalf of the government of national unity that I have submitted a proposal to UK Minister for the Overseas Territories Amanda Milling that sets out our approach to reform and presents a framework for implementation under continued democratic governance,” the premier said in a national address. London had sent Milling to the BVI in the immediate aftermath of Fahie’s arrest in Florida. She has promised to return after briefing government officials in London. She also said that no firm decision had been made on direct rule.

ICE spying on all Americans, new report says FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION KORNER Is there really merit in the socalled liberal call to abolish ICE? Seems there clearly is. A new bombshell report from the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology claims boldly that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is spying on all Americans. Yes, you read that right. No one seems to be free from the tentacles of this agency. According to the new report, “American Dragnet: Data-Driven Deportation in the 21st Century,” ICE has often, without any judicial, legislative or public oversight, accessed datasets containing detailed personal records on the vast majority of people in the United States. “Anyone’s information can end

up in the hands of immigration enforcement simply by applying for a driver’s license; driving on the roads; or signing up with their local utilities to get access to heat, water and electricity,” Georgetown said in the report. Since its founding in 2003, ICE was given sweeping powers to fight terrorism and enforce immigration law. Since then, the agency has collected data on hundreds of millions of Americans largely without much oversight or accountability, the report states. “ICE has not only been building its own capacity to use surveillance to carry out deportations but has also played a key role in the federal government’s larger push to amass as much information as possible about all of our lives,” the report states. “By reaching into the digital records of state and local governments and buying databases with billions of data points from private companies, ICE has created a surveillance

infrastructure that enables it to pull detailed dossiers on nearly anyone, seemingly at any time. In its efforts to arrest and deport, ICE has—without any judicial, legislative or public oversight—reached into datasets containing personal information about the vast majority of people living in the U.S., whose records can end up in the hands of immigration enforcement simply because they apply for driver’s licenses; drive on the roads; or sign up with their local utilities to get access to heat, water and electricity.” The two-year investigatory report revealed the following startling facts: •ICE has scanned the driver’s license photos of 1-in-3 adults. “ICE has used face recognition technology to search through the driver’s license photographs of around 1-in-3 (32%) of all adults in the U.S.,” the report states. •ICE has access to the driver’s license data of 3-in-4 adults and

tracks the movements of drivers in cities home to 3-in-4 adults. “The agency has access to the driver’s license data of 3-in-4 (74%) adults and tracks the movements of cars in cities home to nearly 3-in-4 (70%) adults,” the report said. •ICE could locate 3-in-4 adults through their utility records. “When 3-in-4 (74%) adults in the U.S. connected the gas, electricity, phone or Internet in a new home, ICE was able to automatically learn their new address. Almost all of that has been done warrantlessly and in secret,” the Georgetown Law report says. In a country with laws, it seems ICE is operating without any respect for state privacy laws and without the need for warrants. ICE, the report found, spent an estimated $2.8 billion between 2008 and 2021 on surveillance, data collection and data-sharing initiatives. The report’s finding is based on thousands of pages of ICE doc-

uments obtained in response to hundreds of Freedom of Information Act requests, and a comprehensive review of ICE spending. The report’s authors now want Congress to investigate and conduct oversight into ICE surveillance. They also offer state and local communities a set of concrete suggestions for dismantling this surveillance dragnet. “I was alarmed to discover that ICE has built up a sweeping surveillance infrastructure capable of tracking almost anyone, seemingly at any time. ICE has ramped up its surveillance capacities in near-complete secrecy and impunity, sidestepping limitations and flying under the radar of lawmakers,” said Nina Wang, a policy associate at the Center on Privacy & Technology and a co-author of the study. ICE has so far not commented on the report. The writer is publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com – The Black Immigrant Daily News.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Arts & Entertainment Theater pg 17 | Food pg 22 | Jazz pg 23

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 17

Pg. 20 Your Stars

Camille A. Brown makes dances, history with Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem By ZITA ALLEN Special to the AmNews Camille A. Brown is a phenomenal woman. This year she continues to solidify her reputation as one of the most extraordinarily talented choreographers of her generation with a list that includes impressive achievements involving the Broadway production of Ntozake Shange’s “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.” There are two Tony Award nominations, one for best direction of a play, and another for best choreography, not to mention Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for direction and choreography and the Drama League Award nomination for outstanding direction. Her work embodies the essence of storytelling, making her a dance griot of the African American/African Diasporic experience. And, nowhere is that more evident than in Shange’s choreopoem. This recent feat is only the latest of her works that include an impressive array of projects she’s taken on while maintaining her company Camille A. Brown’s & Dancers (CABD) which seeks to “instill curiosity and reflection in diverse audiences through her emotionally raw and thought-provoking work.” As anyone who has seen her company perform knows, she has an uncanny ability to enable Black bodies to “tell their story using their own language through movement and dialogue.” While this is a key mission for her company, it also is reflected in such other Broadway and off-Broadway projects

as “Once On This Island,” “Toni Stone,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “for colored girls…”; film/television: Academy Awardwinning “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Emmy Awardwinning “Jesus Christ Superstar Live.” Ms. Brown has also choreographed the critically acclaimed “Porgy and Bess” for The Metropolitan Opera and this September became the first Black woman director for the main stage at the MET with “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.” Recently, she took a little time out of a busy schedule to speak to the Amsterdam News about her current historic role as director and choreographer of the current Broadway production of “for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.” AmNews: Congratulations on the amazing Tony Award nominations for your historic dual role with “for colored girls.” Talk to us about what this production of Ntozake’s groundbreaking play means to you. CB: It’s been a part of my world from the beginning. My mom always told me don’t ever let anyone take your stuff away. She told me a couple of years ago that that saying was from the poem “somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff” by Ntozake, from the first Broadway production in the 1970s, so it just made me feel more connected to the show cause it’s been a part of my existence through my mom. So it’s special to be able to really dive into the poem under my own vision…and the stories I want to tell. Of course, Ntozake is obvious-

ly telling the story through her poetry but…I’m grateful her work has given me the courage to tell myself, “Ok Camille, this is a further extension of who you are and Ntozake is providing you with the perfect vehicle of a choreopoem.’”

the Vandellas when she wrote it in the 1970s and I thought well, I grew up in the 1990s so what if we swap Martha and the Vandellas for a SWV’s tune “I’m So Into You.” The point was making it “now”…showing these poems as timeless, as about more than looking AmNews: Tell folks what a back at what was but lookchoreopoem is exactly being forward to what is still. cause it was formulated by Ntozake and now there are AmNews: You’ve always a lot of folks using the form incorporated vernacular or without knowing or giving social dance movements credit where credit is due. into your productions. I saw traces of the hamboCB: It means that move- ne, salsa, marenge and kids ment and poetry co-exist. games in “for colored girls.” So often we get into situa- They all make it so relattions where people feel like able. movement is too distracting, or movement is just CB: Yeah. It’s like the about steps, but here Nto- whole African diaspora of zake clearly defines move- the Black experience. We go ment as storytelling and from hand clap games like that’s all that I am and so Little Sally Walker to Gigilo, to be able to have that op- which is in there ‘cause portunity on this platform that’s what I grew up with, and today and have seven and we have the idea of refBlack women represent the erencing Juba. I incorporate full spectrum of who we are, Juba dance inside of my not just the pain but also work in general so you’re the joy and the Black Girl going to see some type Magic is so important. And of hand-clapping, thighto be able to hold that space slapping in almost anyfor them and for them, in thing that I do, depending turn, to be able to hold the on what is called for in the space for me is just really a piece. You’ll see a little esmoment. It’s a moment. sence of games that we play with each other as we tranAmNews: You’ve made a sition from one poem to the few changes in this 2022 next, to the next…showing production of “for colored how we exchange energy. girls” that brings it up to date, can you discuss those? AmNews: I noticed that each of the women has CB: Yes, we have this a movement flow that is American Sign Language unique to them. (ASL) inclusion and we have the element of projecCB: I told the women that tion and sound and rhythm. to me the colors represent You know I’m a rhythmi- vessels. So that the Lady in cal person so I have a very Red at the beginning is not specific idea about what necessarily, the Lady in Red rhythms I saw specifically at the end. So, we’re looking for each poem. Also, I knew at, how do these women use Ntozake used Martha and these colors to evoke the es-

Choreographer Camille A. Brown

sence of the women whose stories they step into. So usually, the poem “One” is done by the Lady in Red but I chose for it to be done by the Lady in Yellow because I wanted…the beginning as talking about the first time she lost her virginity, versus further on down in the show when we get to “One” where she uses her sexuality as a weapon. AmNews: Trezana Beverley was the Lady in Red in the original production and she did “A Night With Beau Willy Brown.” That’s such a powerful piece. How do you incorporate that and movement together because that’s one of those stories where the world stops when you hear it. In fact, in

the theater you could hear a pin drop as Kenita R. Miller in this year’s production tells the story. CB: I told the women that this play is about empowerment and I told them I want us to end on a high note. And, in the beginning I told them I don’t want us to be seen as victims. When we look at the poem “dark phrases” and she talks about “Are we crazy? Are we ghouls?” You know, my response is ‘Yes I feel that,” also, “We were not born that way. We were not born confused. We were born magical and it’s the world that made us question who we were.” So, I wanted to start us in the place of empowerSee BROWN on page 21

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THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS R T S & E N T E R T A

Ntozake Shange’s lauded revival extends B’way run

(L-R):Tendayi Kuumba (Lady in Brown), Okwui Okpokwasili (Lady in Green), D. Woods (Lady in Yellow), Amara Granderson (Lady in Orange), Stacey Sargeant (Lady in Blue) in “for colored girls…” (Marc J. Franklin photo)

By ZITA ALLEN Special to the AmNews It makes absolutely no sense that the dynamic Broadway production of Ntozake Shange’s “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf,” which is brilliantly directed and choreographed by Camille A. Brown and features a cast of seven extraordinarily talented young actresses, and has received seven Tony Award nominations, was the subject of reports that it was in danger of closing due to sluggish ticket sales. Following an earlier announcement that the show must close, the most Tony-nominated play currently on Broadway will now play an additional two weeks through Sunday, June 5, at Broadway’s Booth Theatre (222 W. 45th Street). The previously announced final performance was Sunday, May 22. After all, Brown’s explosively energetic and inspired iteration of Shange’s moldshattering masterpiece takes audiences on an emotional roller coaster. It’s a journey that begins with the naïve exuberance of children’s games before moving on to

young girl’s sexual rites of passage, womanhood’s cautionary tales, exhilarating highs and devastating, traumatic lows. All, as seven “colored girls” take us through Ntozake’s world of words following a color-coded road map of mood-setting movements expertly crafted by Brown. Actors skip, run, jump, bump and grind, clap and moan embodying every expressed emotion as they offer breathy declarations of love, angry claims that “Somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff,” painful personal stories like “abortion cycle #1- 4,” or the bonechilling tragic tale of “a night with beau willie brown.” Rounding it out is a transcendent spiritual awakening and “a layin’ on of hands” by a regenerative sister circle. “for colored girls” is unmistakably powerfully and spiritually cathartic. Therefore, that there is even talk of it closing because of sluggish ticket sales makes no sense. First, not only is this joyful celebration of Shange’s seminal work making history as the first Broadway production directed and choreographed by a Black woman in more than 65 years, but its seven performers are phenomenal and critics have sung its prais-

es. Critics have declared Camille A. Brown’s staging “so attuned to the words and cadences of Shange’s choreopoem, yet so confident in its own interpretive vision, that the characters blossom into their full vibrancy.” And, the performances by Amara Granderson, Tendayi Kuumba, Okwui Okpokwashili, Stacey Sargeant, Alexandria Wailes, D. Woods not to mention, Tony-nominated Kenita R. Miller, blow audiences away. If that isn’t reason enough to prompt a groundswell of support, there is the fact that Shange’s work was clearly destined to join the canon of great African American works in theater history the moment it burst onto the scene back in 1976. And, it was destined to be a hit, according to Woodie King, the producer who gave Shange’s choreopoem its first theatrical home at his New Federal Theatre, after seeing it at the invitation of Shange’s sister, Ife Bayeza, in a little bar on 3rd Street. Ntozake has said that her sister had “a larger vision of ‘for colored girls’” than she had ever imagined. As a result, it blossomed in the 1970s with the help of King, then-director Oz Scott, subsequent co-producer Joseph Papp, and a group of young

performers, all in their 20s, that included, Trezana Beverley, who went on to become the first ever African American winner of the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play, Laurie Carlos, Aku Kadogo, Paula Moss, Janet League, Rise Collins, and Shange herself as the Lady in Orange. King says from the moment he saw it he “really loved it.” He suggested a showcase at his New Federal Theatre at the Henry Street Settlement where he had produced seminal Black Arts Movement plays by Ed Bullins, Ron Millner, and others. “Immediately there were lines around the block. People just loved it ‘cause Black theater was doing stuff that attracted Black people and this play attracted Black women, immediately. “Then, I invited the Public Theatre’s Joseph Papp to see it and he said ‘Whoa!’” The next move to the Public Theater was a no-brainer. “Papp knew it wouldn’t cost that much. It had already had rehearsals and then-director Oz Scott was in place.” The rest is, as they say, history. Night after night, the Public Theater was packed. It got rave reviews and won off-Broadway’s highest honor, an Obie Award. See SHANGE on page 21

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS R T S & E N T E R T A

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 19 I

‘Wedding Band’ grabs the heart By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews “Wedding Band,” a play by the late, great Alice Childress, is experiencing a breathtaking production at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn on Ashland Place. It is presented and produced by Theatre for a New Audience as part of its residency of CLASSIX— a collective created by Awoye Timpo with Brittany Bradford, A.J. Muhammad, Dominique Rider and Arminda Thomas—that concentrates on Black performance history and Black writers. Childress’ play is one of the most gripping pieces of theater you would want to experience. She writes about Charleston, South Carolina, a place where racism is alive and well in 1918. A place where a Black soldier in uniform can have water thrown upon him by the poor whites in the community who resent seeing him in a military uniform. A place where Black men are still being lynched and must always watch what they say to white people. A place where white, racist mothers are proud to teach their children to hate Black people and consider them always beneath them. With all of this tension in the air, we find Black ladies living in a rooming house, owned by the only Black woman in town allowed to own property, Ms. Fanny Johnson. The rooming house is home to Mattie and her daughter, Teeta, Lula Green and her son Nelson, a Black soldier. And then a newcomer, Julia Augustine, arrives. When Julia first moves in she tries to stay to herself, but finds that, in this small community, that is hard to do. When she, desperate for company, shares her secret with the other ladies, they at first turn away. You see, Julia, a beautiful, Black seamstress, is having an affair with a white baker named Herman and has been doing so for 10 years. An affair that is against the anti-miscegenation laws and so has caused her to keep moving from place to place so that they can be together. The Black women and the young Black soldier try to tell Julia all that white people have done and continue to do to our people. They tell her that he is using her. Herman comes to Julia’s home and it’s soon realized that he has yellow fever. His mother and sister are sent for, because the police can’t be called. It is illegal for him to be in a Black woman’s bed. Julia is very distraught that she can’t send for a doctor. Herman’s sister Annabelle comes to get him, but insists on waiting until it’s dark. She immediately starts verbally attacking Julia and Herman for doing this horrible thing. She also lets them know that she and his mother knew something wasn’t

right. When his mother arrives she is filled with hatred; everything she says to Julia has a racist bite. Furious that her son has been keeping time with a Black woman, she would rather he die than call a doctor and face the shame of his location. When Herman’s mother speaks her words show what deep racism looks like. Julia comes back at her with both barrels, only to have Herman, who has been suffering with yellow fever, react with racist remarks as well. Suddenly, she truly appreciates all the warnings and the anger of her people about this relationship. She realizes that there have been many times in their relationship when she would want to talk about the racist acts of the people around them and Herman would shut her down. Childress has developed all her characters with great detail, enabling them to represent so vividly the horrific situations that Black people faced during those times and, of course, sadly are still facing today. In this play, their love was not really enough, because the entire world was against them. The entire world seemed to feel it could legislate who one could love. This story truly resonates on so many levels. The “Wedding Band” ultimately demonstrates the ties that bind the Black community. It also shows the strength of true love. The company of actors is exceptional. Brittany Bradford delivers Julia with a precious tenderness and vulnerability, but also a feistiness. Thomas Sadoski is marvelous, gentle and caring as Herman, though he is also conflicted between his love for Julia and his loyalty to his very racist, cruel Mother. Rebecca Haden is memorable as Annabelle. Veanne Cox is incredibly vicious as Herman’s mother. She gives that role such teeth and just leaves you stunned. Rosalyn Coleman is magnificent as Lula Green and Rendrick Palmer is poignant as her son Nelson. Nelson is daily disrespected in the town and so Julia loving a white man is like a slap in the face and Palmer delivers that anger and those frustrations beautifully! Elizabeth Van Dyke brings her A-game to the role of Fanny Johnson, she is brilliant! Her character represents the Black woman’s success, but also her intelligence as she knows how to maneuver her way around the racists in her midst. Phoenix Noelle is delightful as Teeta, as is Sofie Nesanelis as Princess. Max Woertendyke does well as the Bell Man, who goes around selling his wares to the Black women, while blatantly showing them disrespect. This play will leave you speechless, as its direction is perfectly executed by Awoye Timpo. The play only runs through May 22. Please make plans to go and be mesmerized by a vividly powerful production. For more info, visit www.www.tfana.org.

Brittany Bradford as Julia Augustine and Rosalyn Coleman as Lula Green in Alice Childress’ “Wedding Band” (Hollis King photo)

PROJECT 2025

Malcolm X @ 100an initiative of The National Center for African Communitarian Culture -a social thought and development institute-

Lorem Ipsum

A Call for National Community "We must launch A Cultural Revolution to unbrainwash an entire people. Our Cultural Revolution must be a means of bringing us closer to our African brothers and sisters. It must begin in the community and based on community participation." Malcolm X - OAAU 1964 Lorem Ipsum

Sat., 19 May, 2018 Not since the beginning of the 1970s with the formation of the short-lived Congress of African People (CAP)* has there been an attempt to construct a collective planning & deliberative assembly. The National Center for African Communitarian Culture (NCACC) has taken the initiative to revisit that historic project. CAP founded in 1970, was an outgrowth of The Black Power/Black Arts Movements of the 1960s. CAP served as the key structure for institutionalization of the "Cultural Revolution", the socio-political project called for by Malcolm X and the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) in 1964. CAP, however, became an unfortunate casualty

of the "Black Leftist versus Black Nationalist" ideological struggle in 1974. Building on the humanist/spiritual values and socio-political vision of Brother Malcolm X, The National Center for African Communitarian Culture proposes: PROJECT 2025 / Malcolm X @ 100. Year 2025 marks the centennial of the birth of Malcolm X (and the 60th anniversary of his martyrdom). Remembering Malcolm's cosmic/spiritual affinity for the number Seven (the combination of 100 plus 60 will quantify to Seven). along with his definition of Black Nationalism within a social; economic and political philosophical context.

contact: The National Center forAfrican Communitarian Culture PO Box 23468 Baltimore, Maryland 21203-5468 phone: 443-447-4171 / email:ncacc.taifa@yahoo.com

The practical thrust of PROJECT 2025 is toward the institution of a bi-annual National Community Congress, i.e., a collective planning and deliberative assembly, designed to facilitate dialogue for constructing a coherent system of the most advanced social; economic and political initiatives necessary for maximum national community or ganization and development. The National Center for African Communitarian Culture calls on all sons and daughters of Africa - nationalist; Pan-Africanist and socialist - to stand on common ground and complete the "Cultural Revolution" envisioned by Malcolm X, and now to be revisited through PROJECT 2025 / Malcolm X @ 100.

*note: see (1) AFRICAN CONGRESS by Imamu Amiri Baraka (2) A NATION WITHIN A NATION by Komozi Woodard (3) AMIRI BARAKA AND THE CONGRESS OF AFRICAN PEOPLE by Michael Simanga

20 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

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HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By GODDESS KYA

May 19, 2022 — May 25, 2022 REBIRTH OF A NEW NATION: Unification is key in this weekly cycle. Every day applies unity in your applications as you go about your affairs. Change begins when you start and are ready to invest in yourself

within your mental wellbeing and environment. Humanity needs change, and Pluto in Capricorn is breaking down the infrastructure system. While the old is collapsing for the renewal of new infrastructure, learn the operations so you can become the creators and builders of this world. What’s your position in your home? What is the foundation? What are you serving on your breakfast, lunch, and dinner table, to better improve your health? Some forms of compensation, healing, counseling, forgiveness, or even ancient techniques may be used to become unstuck. The universe is applying pressure to Vinateria your life and the things you do, to pass down the blueprints and information for the next nurture yourself and the earth, reverting to the old-fashioned ways of living in a modern world. Start documenting generation. Life is a gift. Are you operating in your gift or passion? “Every generation laughs at the old-fashioned but follows religiously the new.” Henry David Thoreau

Set the tone, forum, and strategies for the week and month to end magThere are times when you suspect things aren’t what they used to nificently. Instilled within you are the tools, information, research, and exbe. It’s like seeing the truth through rose colored glasses, due to the fact that the glasses are not even rose-tinted. Now that you know Capricorn periences to be the catalyst to collaborate with others. Set yourself on a Cancer course that makes you happy inside to reflect on the outside. Your skills, what you know, move silently and gather the resources needed to Dec 22 June 22 Jan 21 July 23 along with other talents, can open the doors of successful corporations build your castle. You’re likely to receive messages now from the anin need of your services. Release and relax as the fog and the rain is being cient depths of your soul. During the 22nd and 23rd, odd and uncleared away, and the sun shines to give life to your endeavors. On the 18th and 19th, self- usual behaviors and moods may be the results. Where is it leading you? mastery is at its finest with a few unexpected perks. Stay ready and prepared. Divine intervention may pause the process as a preview of what’s Globally, humanity is going through a change beginning with a tranin store. Go with the flow of the process as the anticipated, wait-andsition from outdated systems that used to work. This global shift see game is more beneficial. Continue to take notes and be aware of Leo and influence is occurring in your personal life as well, with the prowhat you receive in conversation and random messages, the music Aquarius cess of updating your modern system. It’s time for a brand-new outJuly 24 you listen to, and what you watch. This cycle is about revamping your Jan 22 Aug 23 look on what you learned previously ushering you into this new era. business with a change of role within the workplace. The 24th and Feb 19 Weed out the distractions, fears, and anxieties to put you back in 26th hold the key aspects to your questions, and the answers you seek. touch with your craft. Around the 20th and 21st is your harvest time to publish, promote, network, and open doors for new episodes of your life. Take a well-deserved trip. When you seek within to ask questions, only a higher source will know it, and it becomes a daily practice and understanding for you. You can feel, sense, hear, and see in your dreams how things are being orOur higher self is our consciousness that hears, sees, feels, and smells Virgo chestrated. Now is the time to position yourself and align with other likebefore we do. The subconscious follows through by carrying out the Aug 24 minded souls of the same accord, elevating everywhere you go. Hone your mission to fulfill your order. This cycle finds you in tune with your Sept 23 Pisces specialty to get your point across. What are you contributing to the universe? own energy, as it seems your body is vibrating, or receiving electroFeb 20 Mar 20 The conversations and events, are they more vital than your appearance? magnetic stimulation in your body. The downloads are powerful and What comes out of your mouth and your skills will propel you to your next useful, as well as the more sensitive side to the energy. Changes in all aspects of your excursion. The 22nd and 23rd have your name written all over them, so get over yourself. life are materializing. The 18th and 19th suggest you’re going down the rabbit role.

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There appear to be transits from all around you. You may have had your entertainment and enjoyment this cycle, attending to family responsibility. Now, the theme is: what commitments are you Aries Libra making for yourself to fulfill a part of your heart and soul for happiMar 21 Sept 24 Apr 21 ness? Your appearance and style will change based on your feelings Oct 23 of this newness guiding you. Follow your heart. When your heart and mind are made up about a decision, make your move. On the 24th and 26th the question becomes, are you playing chess, checkers, or Tic Tac Toe? prep time to

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This month holds significant changes of importance and turn of events in your life. You’ve been steadily pushing through, due to the fact you know the rewards are greater than it seems. These experiences are your teachable moments as you learn the process of understanding the assignments. A spiritual message may be bestowed upon you to pass down certain codes needed to complete your mission. So, listen carefully. The 20th and 21st is the ideal start the chain reaction.

It’s your divine birthright to share, mentor, counsel, aid, or be This cycle is unique as your projects, ideas, and agenda are the messenger that understands the value of economics. Creating going as planned. Family obligations are a priority as well as your a path for yourself is a way to uplift others with your light while work. This is an interesting week as you’re working on projects Taurus Scorpio networking with those who share the same passion in a different your higher self, or spirit guides, are leading you to. Add a little Apr 22 Oct 24 way. This cycle may find you preparing for an event that’ll take you hint of this and there to get the job done. Take a break when in May 21 Nov 22 over the top where you’ve never been before. It can be as simple as need of digesting the codes and information to fuel you. The 22nd information, or words that spark your lightbulb giving more depth and 23rd suggest changes in your home, a possible remodeling, to what you’re already doing. The 18th and 19th are about forward progress and and even revamping your diet and a new look with the attitude. the transformation from where you started. You got this! Your game is at its highest peak this week. You’re ready to conNew ways to improvise the materials or services you rendered inquer and proclaim what’s yours. This week is memorable in so clude adding some feng shui to mix and match to catch your aumany aspects of your life to make those needed changes. This is dience’s attention. This cycle suggests forming a new one-on-one Sagitarius an awakening moment to you from the inside, and you’re now Gemini relationship with your soul. Your soul is a result of the reflections, ready to grab the bulls by the horns. The legacy you’ve been Nov 23 May 22 Dec 21 self-love, and dreams of seeing your true colors from within. Your building seems to be crystallizing right before your very eyes. June 21 soul has a message for you, so listen carefully, and watch the signs When you took that leap of faith, the manuscript or job descripthat follow. On the 20th and 21st you may find yourself in a knee-jerk reaction, tion wasn’t handed to you. You created your own path. The 24th and 26th sugor deja vu experience. Keep a record of these notions occurring as they will lead gest the smell of victory has arrived. This is a great time to start for those who you to greater clues. are just beginning.

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WWW.KYAFRENCH.COM | CONSULTATIONS 866-331-5088

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Camille A. Brown

Ntozake Shange

ment. Then we go into our stories of struggle. But how we begin is important.

The next stop was Broadway. Shange was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. King and Papp won the Tony for Best Producer. Trezana Beverley, the original Lady in Red, whose riveting “Night with Beau Willie Brown” monologue made her the first African American actress to win a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (the award the current production’s Kenita R. Miller has been nominated for), speaking of the hard work and focus that allowed her “to bring an extra layer of depth to the role,” noted that, “It was like we were having a religious experience. The essence of that was in Ntozake’s writing, because I think that when you are writing from that level of truth and passion, it does have that spiritual connection and that’s what was coming over.” That same spiritual connection is evident in the 2022 production as Camille A. Brown’s direction and choreography creates an alchemy that is the essence of Black Girl magic. CUNY African American Literature Professor Dr. Brenda Greene says it blends poetry, music and dance in a way that transformed the theater into a church the night she saw it. “I saw it with a predominantly Black audience and people were responding to Ntozake bridging a gap as she paid tribute to the African ancestors while expressing not only what was happening in her role as a Black woman in this culture

Continued from page 17

AmNews: Let’s talk about how important and relevant “for colored girls” is now and why people need to see it. CB: I mean if we look at Judge Ketanji Brown. If we look at Roe v Wade. I mean it’s astonishing how even though these poems were written over 40 years ago, you look at them and you read them and you go, “Oh my gosh wow this feels like they were written yesterday.” Just in terms of Black girl empowerment. I mean, the time is now. What we’ve seen, what we’ve witnessed, what happened with Ketanji Brown, how she persevered and pushed through all the questioning that was going on in order for her to arrive on top of the mountain. Well, for us to see reflections of that on Broadway, to have seven women as an ensemble standing tall next to each other, that’s something everybody needs to see. Following an earlier announcement that the show must close, the critically acclaimed and reimagined revival of Shange’s groundbreaking “for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf” will now play an additional two weeks through Sunday, June 5, at Broadway’s Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street). The previously announced final performance was Sunday, May 22. For more info, visit https://forcoloredgirlsbway.com

Continued from page 18

but throughout the African diaspora. She was looking at the similarities and looking at ritual and how all that helped define who she was as a woman.” Greene says the power of the work also lay in the fact that, “Ntozake was part of that group of Black feminist writers, like Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, and others, who laid the groundwork for conversations about the importance of Black women having our stories told. “Look at what’s happening now, and the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned. It’s just indicative of the society we live in that continues to try to silence women, particularly women who may be more subjected to inequities. ‘For colored girls’ spoke truth to power,” Greene adds, pointing to a key aspect of the work. That is just as true now as it was back then. After all, 1976 was a time when the air crackled with the electricity generated by the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements and the Women’s and LGBTQ movements were going strong. Chants of “Keep Your Laws Off My Body” filled the air. After all, Roe v Wade was only three years old. Ntozake’s choreopoem embodied those conversations on a global scale. Green notes, “You have to look at how you engage people to force them to listen and I think since we’re dealing with so many of the same issues now as we were then, Camille A. Brown’s staging does a really good job of setting that out. I think if people could see it they could relate to it. ‘For colored girls’...is intergen-

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 21

erational because it tells those stories that, as women we only talk to each other about and…telling our stories is a way to heal. I think all women across races and across classes can appreciate that. Cause we’ve all been there.” All the more reason why this play should be a box office smash. According to Don Sutton, literary trustee of the Shange Revocable Trust and seven-year steward of the production, “The first time around, ‘for colored girls’ opened in September 1976 with a significant advance in ticket sales because folks, especially Black folks, had gotten the buzz from what had happened at the Public Theatre also, the Black press gave it the necessary boost. That success quickly brought in the customary Broadway audience as it played to sold out audiences a week by the end of 1976 with that continuing through 1977 to the end of 1978. The play ran more than two years. It ran 200 performances longer than Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and at the time that made Ntozake and Lorraine Hansberry the only two Black women to have a Broadway hit.” Why, in 2022, was there even talk about it closing if ticket sales don’t pick up? Makes no sense especially since the Black community helped make “for colored girls” the box-office leader of the 1976-’77 theatrical season. It was a huge success— owing primarily to Black audiences the first time around. Don’t we have the power to make it a success again? I think so.

22 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

AmNews FOOD Make leftovers a luscious next-day meal Chicken paillard with mustard and caper sauce, crispy potato wedges, and baby gem salad with shallot vinaigrette (Kelly Torres photo)

Chicken Paillard with Mustard & Caper Sauce, Crispy Potato Wedges, and Baby Gem Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette By KELLY TORRES Special to the AmNews Yields 4 Ingredients for the potato wedges: 2 large russet potatoes 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Salt, to taste Ingredients for the chicken paillard: 4 chicken breasts, butterflied, pounded thin Salt & pepper, to taste Standard breading procedure: all purpose flour, 3 eggs, italian breadcrumbs (with 1 tsp creole spice mix & ½ tsp kosher salt) 2 cups canola oil for frying 1 lemon, cut in half

By KELLY TORRES Special to the AmNews This chicken paillard with mustard and caper sauce dish is great for turning any leftovers into a decadent chicken sandwich the very next day. Also to note, the potato wedges are absolutely no hassle to make: boil whole, cut into wedges, season, place in the oven and let a timer remind you when they’re ready! A baby gem salad provides great crunch, while the shallot vinaigrette adds a delicate touch to this meal. The winner here, however, is undoubtedly the chicken paillard. “Paillard” is a French term, known to the culinary world as a cooking technique that allows a piece of meat to be cooked quickly because it is pounded very thin. Cooking any piece of flattened protein quickly on high heat secures no loss of moisture, so whether it is veal, beef, or chicken, the paillard stays tender and juicy. In the late 19th century, approximately the 1880s, a French restaurateur named Paillard discovered that by cutting a piece of veal very thin, and then pounding it much thinner, it would essentially flash cook easily in a very hot pan. This creates highly sought after crispy edges, where all the flavor accumulates. Paillards have come in and out of fashion in the gastron-

omy world, and some people may even consider it retro. But whether it stays in trend or not, chicken paillards will stay relevant on my dining room table because it is a classic that stands the test of time. On the following day after making the chicken paillards, simply get your best bread for making sandwiches with the leftovers—I’m thinking ciabatta. Slice the bread open and toast the slices open faced in a hot oven until slightly golden. Slather the toasted slices with leftover mustard and caper sauce. Reheat the chicken paillards either in an oven or a microwave. Place the chicken on the bottom piece of bread. Trim the paillard, if necessary, to fit the shape of the bread. (Though an edge sticking out of the sandwich is not the end of the world; if anything, it’s more appealing!) Top the paillards with American cheese (or any other acidic cheese that is good for melting). While open faced, melt the cheese quickly in the already hot oven. Close the sandwich with the top bread piece. Cut in half and enjoy with any leftover potato wedges, or, if you ate them all, then just make sure you have a bag of potato chips on hand. If you’re one who needs some greenery in all of your meals, then yes, please tuck in some leftover baby gem lettuce leaves in your sandwich. This is what I call a two for one. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the mustard & caper sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup dijon mustard Zest and juice of 1 lemon 3 garlic cloves, rough chop 2 tbsp capers, rough chop Salt and pepper, to taste Ingredients for the baby gem salad with shallot vinaigrette: Whole baby gem leaves, washed, patted dry ½ small shallot, minced 1 tbsp dijon mustard 2 tbsp lemon juice 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Instructions for the potato wedges: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil whole russet potatoes in enough water to cover the potatoes for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the boiled potatoes and, when cool enough to handle, cut into wedges lengthwise. One potato will create 8 wedges. Season the potato wedges with extra virgin olive oil and salt. Transfer to a parchment lined sheet tray. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, or

until golden brown. Turn the oven down to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the potato wedges in the oven until they’re ready to serve. In the meantime, keep working on the other steps of this recipe.

completely in the flour, shake off excess flour. Step 2: Dip in the egg wash, making sure it is completely coated, shake off excess liquid. Step 3: Press the chicken into the breadcrumbs evenly, shake off excess breadInstructions for the chicken crumbs. paillard: Preheat the oven to 250 de- Instructions for the mustard grees Fahrenheit. & caper sauce: Butterfly each chicken Combine all the ingredients breast. into a food processor, except Place the butterflied chick- for the roughly chopped en breasts between two capers. Pulse until combined. pieces of plastic wrap on a Transfer the sauce to a bowl. cutting board. Using a kitch- Add the roughly chopped en mallet or a rolling pin, capers to the sauce, mix thorpound the chicken breast oughly. Season with salt and until it is very thin and even. pepper to taste. Set aside or keep It will spread out and appear in the fridge until ready to use. larger. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Instructions for the baby Season chicken breasts with gem salad with shallot vinsalt and pepper to taste on aigrette: both sides. Mix the shallots, dijon musBread the pounded and tard, and lemon juice in a butterflied chicken breasts bowl. using a standard breadIn a slow stream, add the ing procedure (see below). extra virgin olive oil and Place the breaded chicken stir vigorously with a whisk. breasts in the refrigerator Season with salt and pepper until ready to cook. to taste. When ready to cook, Add the baby gem lettuce to heat a large nonstick skil- the bowl and toss completely. let with 2 cups of canola oil Set aside. on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, shallow fry the Assembly: chicken paillards one at a Remove the potato wedges time, approximately 3 - 5 and the chicken paillards minutes per side. Transfer from the oven. Slice the the golden and crispy chick- chicken paillard into thin en paillards to the oven and strips, but keep together. On finish cooking until a digi- a serving plate, place potato tal thermometer reads 165 wedges on the bottom right degree Fahrenheit. Keep in of the plate. Add the baby the oven until ready to serve gem salad to the top half so that it stays warm. In the of the plate. Lay the chickmeantime, keep working on en paillard slices on the left the other steps of this recipe. side of the plate, slightly overlapping the salad and Standard breading proce- potato wedges. Spoon the dure: mustard and caper sauce Create a setup of 3 bowls. in a single line over the Fill the first bowl with flour, chicken paillards. Serve the second bowl with the egg extra sauce on the side in a wash, and the third bowl with small ramekin and place at the seasoned breadcrumbs the bottom of the plate, in (add the creole spice mix and between the paillard and the salt - see ingredients list). potato wedges. Garnish the Step 1: Dredge the chicken place with lemon. Enjoy!

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May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 23

DIZZY’S, HEATH LIVES, SARAH VAUGHAN COMPETITION

The pianist and composer Orrin Evans is independent, innovative and always exploring new jazz terrain closer to the outer limits. On May 19 the Orrin Evans Trio will bring a unique dynamic perspective to the music of genius pianist Thelonious Monk, to Dizzy’s stage for two sets at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. One night for this trio isn’t justice, so be there. His big deal ferocious trio of intuitive autonomous like-minds are bassist Eric Revis and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts. This one-night experience will surely turn your head and move your fingers. “I enjoy playing his music; pre-COVID we performed Monk compositions at Smoke on an annual basis, so this is a good fit,” said Evans. Some of Evans’ fearless projects include Captain Black Big Band, Eubanks Evans Experience (dynamic duo with guitarist Kevin Eubanks) and Tar Baby, his 20-year collaborative effort with Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits. Good news for Tar Baby fans: the trio are putting the final touches on their next album so stay tuned. Evans will improvise on Monk’s improvisations for two sets at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. For tickets, visit the website jazz.org. This mini-Monk series continues May 20-21 featuring The Young Monk Project with the fiery vibraphonist out of Chicago Joel Ross, pianist Sean Mason, saxophonist Zoe Obadia, U.K. bassist Mark Lewandowski and Detroit drummer Kayon Gordon. This is a devoted band of bandleaders and rising stars, five young artists, have not played together but have admired each other from afar. They each bring their own arrangements embracing the compositions and spirit of their iconoclastic improvising hero Thelonious monk. Two sets each night 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Dizzy’s. For a complete listing of series visit the website jzz.org. Jimmy Heath was so good on alto saxophone, he was called “Little Bird,” Charlie Parker’s nickname. A young Heath, not really overjoyed that some felt his sound was similar to his idol, immediately switched to tenor saxophone which he mastered while perfecting his talent playing flute. Little did he know that tenor sax would take him around the world multiple times before leading him to the ivey walls of Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College where he became a professor and founded the jazz program in 1986 and helped create its master’s curriculum up until his retirement a decade later. The saxophonist, composer, arranger and big band leader was responsible for bringing the likes of Donald Byrd and Roland Hanna to the faculty. The program grew to attract stu-

Orrin Evans (Kayfield photo)

dents from around the world to study jazz. Many of Heath’s students graduated to successful musical careers, winning Grammys, touring globally, and becoming published scholars and writers. On May 21, the first Queens College Jimmy Heath Scholarship Concert will take place in LeFrak Concert Hall (153-49 Reeves Ave., Flushing Queens). Some of the many invited special guests will include trumpeter Jimmy Owens, pianist Emmet Cohen, trombonist Robin Eubanks and saxophonist Mark Gross. “This is more a celebration of his life which we didn’t get the opportunity to celebrate during the COVID 19 pandemic,” said Queens College professor and Director of the Jazz Studies Program saxophonist/composer Antonio Hart. “Master Heath started this program and it gives our students an opportunity to be active in this celebration. They wouldn’t be here without him.” Heath’s book co-authored with Joseph McLaren “I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath” (Temple University Press 2010) discusses his sometimes complicated journey to becoming an elder in the jazz world. As a leader he recorded over 20 albums and 10 with the Heath Brothers. Some of the musicians he played with include Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Kenny Durham, Charles Tolliver, Max Roach and Dizzy Gillespie. The native of Philadelphia continued as an innovator performing, composing, teaching, touring and conducting while mentoring countless students and established musicians until his death at 93 (1926-2020). “I am very thankful that Master Heath brought me in and had the confidence in me to succeed him, my degree is education so it was a perfect match,” said Hart. This concert will raise funds to support the Jimmy Heath Scholarship Fund at Queens College. In-person tickets: $25 General, $10 Students. Livestream broadcast tickets: $10 minimum donation; for more information visit the website: https://kupferbergcenter.org/event/the-jimmy-heath-

scholarship-fund-concert/ The 11th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition is a giant step to getting the right attention— being talented is only half the journey, the right people need to see and hear you after you have mesmerized your entire family and community. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has just announced the competition is now open until Sept. 6; solo vocalists from around the world are encouraged to submit their

entries. In fall 2022, the top five finalists will be announced followed by a star-studded final performance on the NJPAC stage. The Competition, also known as “The SASSY Awards,” is open to singers over the age of 18, of all genders and nationalities, from anywhere in the world, and not signed by a major label. Entrants are judged on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation, and ability to swing. Some of the past young jazz vocalists winners who continue to make noted progress in the jazz world are Cyrille Aimee, Jazzmeia Horn, Samara Joy and G. Thomas Allen. The competition pays tribute to NEA Jazz Master Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990), who won an amateur night at the Apollo Theater talent show in 1942 as a teenager from Newark, New Jersey. On Nov. 20, 2022, the finalists will compete at NJPAC in front of a live audience and before a distinguished panel of judges, including jazz violinist Regina Carter, NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor and multi-Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride, drummer T.S. Monk, NEA Jazz Master Maria Schneider, and WBGO Radio personality Pat Prescott. The first-prize winner of The SASSY Awards will receive a $5,000 cash award, secondplace $1,500, and third-place $500. For more information about The SASSY Awards, visit SarahVaughanCompetition.com.

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24 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

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Basketball great and Hall of Famer, Bob Lanier By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews During a decade of fabulous performances with the Detroit Pistons, Bob Lanier was known around town as “The Big Dobber,” and there was much speculation about how the center got the nickname. One account said it came from his high school days and his prowess on the gridiron. Hard to say with any certainty about this name, but on the basketball court there was no question about his huge and prodigious production. He was born Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. on Sept. 10, 1948, in Buffalo, New York. He was always big for his age—and by the time he was a teenager he was 6-foot-5 and weighed more than 220 pounds. In high school he was scouted relentlessly and was sought after by a number of colleges, including St. Bonaventure in upstate New York where he decided to go. As the center on a team called the Bonnies, Lanier starred, averaging nearly 28 points a game and more than 15 points over three seasons. He led the team to a victory over Villanova in 1970 in the East Regional finals of the NCAA tournament, earning them a slot in the Final Four. Unfortunately, he injured his knee leaving the Bonnies without their outstanding scorer and leader. They lost to Jacksonville in the semifinal contest. Several years later after his retirement, Lanier recalled the injury, but told a reporter, “I didn’t even know at the time I tore my knee up, but when I ran back down the court and tried to pivot, my leg collapsed. I didn’t know at the time I had torn my M.C.L.,” which nowadays is a common injury. The injury, however, didn’t stop the Pistons from drafting him, making him

the number one NBA draft in 1970. At the same time, he was drafted by the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association. He chose to sign with the Pistons. A formidable presence on the court, Lanier now stood a bulky 6-foot-11 and tipped the scales at 250 pounds. He possessed an adequate mid-range jump shot, was a powerful rebounder, but it was his left hook that kept opposing teams on their heels and sports writers praising his skillful maneuvering at the post. And these successful moves were done against a coterie of all-time greats such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul

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Jabbar, Nate Thurmond, and Wes Unseld. And you can add the names of Willis Reed, Artis Gilmore, and Bill Walton to the list. With such big men at the center post, the game back then was a bruising encounter and none of the players were willing to concede their turf without a fight, and Lanier brought a devastatingly accurate left hook to the battles. His rookie season was shared with Otto Moore, but the next season he was the full-time center, averaging nearly 26 points and more than 14 rebounds a game, and in both categories he was among top ten in

the league. Piston immortal and once the mayor of Detroit, Dave Bing said that Lanier, “understood the small nuances of the game. He could shoot the 18-to-20 footer as well as any guard. He had a hook shot—nobody but Kareem had a hook shot like him. He could do anything he wanted to do.” During his nonfull seasons with the Pistons, Lanier was selected to seven All-Star Games, and in 1974 he was the most valuable player, leading all scorers with 24 points. Even so, the team had only four successful seasons and they never advanced very far in the playoffs. The fault may have been the large number of injuries to star players, and Lanier himself played through pain. The Pistons were chugging along in 1980 with a record of 14-40 when Lanier was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Kent Benson. “I’m kind of relieved, but I’m kind of sad too,” he told a reporter. “I’ve got a lot of good memories of Detroit.” He averaged 22.7 points and 11.8 rebounds a game with the Pistons. There was also a lot of fun poked at the size of feet, which depending on the source was anywhere from 18 to 22 inches. In the 1983-84 season, Lanier’s last season, he had a ruckus with Bill Laimbeer, the Pistons' new center for roughing him and Lanier retaliated and hit Laimbeer so hard he broke the man’s nose. He was charged with a $5,000 fine for the assault. According to one source, Lanier was also president of the players’ union, the National Basketball Players Association, and helped negotiate a collective bargaining agreement in 1983 that avoided a strike. He was inducted into Basketball’s Hall of Fame in 1992 and he died on May 10 after a short illness. He was 73.

ACTIVITIES FIND OUT MORE The Detroit papers and Detroitsportsfrenzy are the best sources for more information on Lanier and his legacy. DISCUSSION Wish more could have been found on Lanier’s early years, particularly in high school. PLACE IN CONTEXT Lanier came along just as the ABA was folding into the NBA and was a powerful force on the floor in the early seventies and late eighties.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY May 16, 1929: Congressman John Conyers born in Highland Park, Mich. He died in 2019. May 17, 1942: Blues musician Taj Mahal born in Harlem, USA. May 17, 1956: Boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard born in Wilmington, N.C.

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May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 25

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26 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Education Black teachers are fed up—and they’re quitting in droves lowing of 17,000, she has a front row seat to the industry’s changing landscape. Through her (now private) account, Seward cultivates conversations and amplifies issues facing school staff across the country. She even serves as a private confidant, getting direct messages from people who worry about backlash if they make their thoughts public. “There’s layers to what teachers were experiencing before the pandemic,” Seward says. “And now it’s just been magnified; it’s worse.” Through her online community, Seward has seen teachers quitting throughout the school year, even posting that they are resigning a month before the end of the academic year. “People are leaving left and right in the middle of the school year. I saw people post online three weeks ago that they left,” Seward says. “Now, if you leave that close to the end of the school year, you have exceeded your wits’ end.”

By MAYA POTTIGER Word In Black & STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff When she gets home from work, it takes Monise Seward two or three hours to decompress from the day. She sits there—just sits— to feel the stress leave her body. Seward is a middle school math teacher in Metro Indianapolis. She’s worked in schools for the last nine years—previously as a special education teacher in Atlanta—but has been in the field of education for a long time, including homeschooling her children. And, thanks to her Twitter fol-

What’s the state of Black teachers? In its 2021 State of the U.S. Teacher Survey, RAND Corporation researchers found that about half of Black teachers reported they were “likely” to leave their jobs by the end of the school year, which was higher than other races. “Teachers need to be well, teachers need to be Black teachers across America have joined the Great Resignation (Courtesy of Pavel whole, teachers Danituk/Pexels) need to be healthy for themselves and for the stuIn New York City, the United Fed- be somewhat above the #’s in the dents they teach,” says Eliza- eration of Teachers said that over- table,” Riley said in an email. beth Steiner, a policy researcher all, in 2020, 3,017 teachers filed The month that teachers have at RAND and an author of the retirement applications and in filed more retirement papers than survey. “Everything that was 2021, 4,126 teachers filed papers. any other month? July, which is going on during the pandemic, UFT Spokesperson Dick Riley also right after the school year ends in and is still going on, raised the said that as of Feb. 8, 2022, 726 the five boroughs. issue to a more urgent level than teachers have filed. perhaps it seemed to be before.” “March and April 2022 filings will See EDUCATION on page 30

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May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 27

Religion & Spirituality Malcolm X and his plight for human rights

By MAL’AKIY 17 ALLAH Special to the AmNews This Thursday, May 19, is the 97th physical day anniversary of human rights activist, Malcolm X, a.k.a. el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. Often misunderstood as a hate preacher and an advocate for violence, simply because he encouraged Black people to love themselves, what has been overlooked is his human rights plight for his people. After enduring centuries of emotional, psychological, and physical slavery in the wilderness of North America, many Black people thought that assimilating with their oppressors was what determined their freedom and success. However, Malcolm X utilized the theology of his Garveyite upbringing, as well as that from the Nation of Islam, in advocating Americanized-Africans to be a self-determining people. Homelessness, inadequate education, police terrorism, and rampant unemployment were just some of the issues plaguing Black communities. “As long as these injustices are labeled by us as civil rights this remains a domestic issue and none of our people from abroad, because of protocol, can be involved in Uncle Sam’s domestic problems,” Malcolm X noted during a June 25, 1964 interview on Boston radio. “So all the civil rights groups have to do is expand the struggle from civil rights to human rights. And once it’s expanded to the level of human rights then this puts us in the position to charge the U.S. with violating the U.N. charter on human rights.” His Organization of Afro-American Unity was established months earlier specifically to address these issues, and he utilized that platform perfectly. Having recently conducted his hajj to Mecca, and also visiting several North African countries, helped expand his global views. “As long as we keep it on the level of civil

On May 19, 2022 activists visit the gravesite of Malcolm X at Ferncliff Cemetery in Ardsley, N.Y. Others shut down stores on 125th Street Harlem to honor the man, as they consider his achievements. (Nayaba Arinde photos)

rights, then we alienate the support of our He concludes: “I do not believe that brothers and sisters in Africa and Asia,” jealous idiots within the Nation of Islam he explains. “But on the level of human had the intellectual capacity to underrights we have the support of billions of stand the depth of a Malcolm X, the diBlack, Brown, Red and Yellow people from all over this Earth behind us.” While implementing the Pan African paradigm of his upbringing, he was presenting vastly new ideas to the general public. “It is only in the United Nations where everybody has a ballot, where everyone has equal vote, that the plight of the Black man can be given a just hearing and the rest of the dark world can weigh on our side and balance the scales. Whenever you take it into the white man’s court you will never get justice because he’s the guilty one who committed the crime in the first place. It’s like taking your case from the wolf to the fox, in taking it to Washington, D.C. You can never have civil rights until you have human rights. Human rights represent the right to be a human being. Whenever you are recognized and respected as a human being, our civil rights are automatic.” By the time of his February 21, 1965, assassination, Malcolm X had become a threat to the global colonial powers, and is regarded as one of the most influential people in United States’ history. “He had gotten the pledge of eight African nations to take the case of Black America before the United Nations as a human rights case, against a civil rights case,” explains master teacher Dr. John Henrik Clarke in the documentary “Brother Minister: The Assassination of Malcolm X,” “and I don’t think this nation wanted to suffer the embarrassment of having that done. He was exposing colonialism.”

rection of a Malcolm X. So therefore, their hands may have killed him, but the direction of their hands—the intent—came from outside.”

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Governor's Race Continued from page 4

include giving judges discretion in bail reform, precision policing model, mental health treatments for homeless individuals, rigorous gun buyback programs, using shotspotters to triangulate shootings, and community policing. Suozzi said he’s passionate about prevention and intervention of crime and its underlying factors. “Reducing crime and guns are enforcement but it is also long-term prevention. You have to do both,” said Suozzi. “Public safety is the number one priority. The number one issue on people’s minds,” said his running mate, former Councilmember Diana Reyna. “We cannot continue delaying loopholes in bail reform. We have an affordability crisis, when you have young people graduating their careers, making good money and they can’t afford a place to live. Something’s wrong with our state.” Reyna was the first woman of Dominican heritage elected in New York State in 2001. She was on the city council for 12 years. Reyna also describes herself as a lifelong common sense Democrat that will reach across the aisle to have conversations on difficult policies. She criticizes the Democratic party, in particular the progressive left, for not “owning” issues like the gun violence crisis or a crackdown on the opioid crisis. “Interestingly enough there is a common

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS her democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. She chose not to do that,” said Reyna. “She had an opportunity to wait until the primaries were over to have a lieutenant governor that would have been elected by the people.” Both Suozzi and Reyna were supportive of protecting abortion rights in New York State. “I am pro choice, I believe in women’s reproductive rights. I believe that we should protect. I think Kathy Hochul has spent much more time talking about reproductive rights than addressing the issues of fixing bail reform and that is a travesty. Our neighborhoods are dying. We need to restore trust beCandidate for governor Tom Suozzi and his running mate for lieutenant governor Diana Reyna. tween community and law en(Contributed photos) forcement,” said Reyna. Suozzi said he stands with theme as you travel the state, rather than She would be the first ever Latina to win Hochul on the issue and that abortion differences,” said Reyna. lieutenant governor. “This is an opportuni- must remain safe, legal, and accessible. Reyna is a first-generation Dominican ty for Latinos to have a voice,” said Reyna, American, born and raised in Williams- “to have their values represented, to have Ariama C. Long is a Report for Amerburg, Brooklyn. She said her mom im- an opportunity to make history.” ica corps member and writes about migrated to the U.S. in 1965, became a Reyna said that Hochul could have just culture and politics in New York City seamstress and then a home attendant waited for the primary and had a ‘fairly’ for The Amsterdam News. Your dowhile raising three daughters. elected running mate instead of shoehorn- nation to match our RFA grant helps Reyna said one of her motivations for ing in U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado to replace keep her writing stories like this one; running for lieutenant governor was to see Benjamin ahead of the primaries. please consider making a tax-deductmore Hispanic/Latino representation in “The interim governor had an excellent ible gift of any amount today by visithigher offices of government in the state. opportunity to wait until the primary for ing: https://tinyurl.com/fcszwj8w

CHICKEN SOUP ISN’T ENOUGH COVID-19 treatment is available. Treatment stops severe symptoms of the virus and reduces the risk of hospitalization. It works best when you start as soon as you get sick. COVID-19 treatments are not a substitute for vaccination. If you have COVID-19, call your doctor. If you do not have a doctor, call 212-COVID19 to be evaluated for treatment.

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Marketplace Continued from page 3

significant commerce and affordable housing for years to come,” said Carrion. “Welcome home to the new residents of Caton Flats and the entrepreneurs and small businesses who bring this market to life. And thank you to Urbane and BRP Companies for a job well done.” Amenities also include space for food vendors, a shared commercial test kitchen, a bar, a lounge, long-time community entrepreneurs. The development project was a collaborative vision of former Councilmember Dr. Una Clarke, the late Dr. Roy Hastick, HPD, New York City Economic Development Corporation, and dedicated community members looking to preserve Caribbean commerce in the neighborhood back in 2015. “This is such a significant moment, this market and the spirit of Dr. Hastick who was a mentor and a friend. I can recall when he planted the seed of the concept of how we use this space, not to displace but to build up,” said Adams. Vendor Rodrick Brown, who sells fresh fruits and vegetables, praised the temporary relocation space on Clarendon Road while the building was completed, and the business training and incubator programs that the marketplace provided for the entrepreneurs. The Mangrove accelerator is an economic mobility platform and small business program to promote the growth of new and existing small local businesses, specifically targeting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs. One shopper commented that she could remember when the lot the building is currently built on, located at 2123 Caton Avenue, was an abandoned parking lot with mistreated vendors selling their wares to the community. Councilmember Rita Joseph also remembered

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According to the Jacobson court, “the liberty secured by the Constitution of the United States to every person within its jurisdiction does not import an absolute right in each person to be, at all times and in all circumstances, wholly freed from restraint.” In fact, government mandates around public health are deeply rooted in American history. Phillips v. City of New York, 775 F. 3d 538 (2015) upheld a law requiring that all children going to school in the City of New York are required to be vaccinated in order to attend public school unless they meet a religious exemption. The plaintiffs in the case argued that New York’s requirement that all children be vaccinated in order to attend public school was unconstitutional. Under the New York Public Health Law section 2164(7)(a) “[n]o principal, teacher, owner or person in charge of a school shall permit any child to be admitted to such school, or to attend such school, in excess of fourteen days” without evidence that the child has been immunized. The court in the case concluded that the New York Public Health Law was constitutional, the statute permissible, and the

about 14 years ago when the merchants were in the parking lot. “I used to see how they were treated,” she said. “And I remember talking to Dr. Clarke about how we needed to make sure that the vendors had a place to build generational wealth.” James Johnson-Piett, CEO of Urbane Development, said he was striving to create a place where development did not equal displacement when he took on the project. “I think for me it was learning how to become a steward for other people’s visions and integrating my own into it as well,” said Johnson-Piett. “The marketplace is one piece of it. The housing is something else, but really this is a complex for all things Caribbean.” “We are so proud that you can be here today because this is a labor of love,” said Meredith Marshall, co-founder and managing partner of BRP Companies. “It took seven years for us to come full circle.” Former Councilmember Mathieu Eugene said that he was blessed to have been a part of the project when he was on the city council. He was a strong supporter of the market and investing in capital to maintain the market as it was in the parking lot and the current mixed-use building, he said. “I think this is a wonderful thing because so many people worked on this. And today we can be here together to celebrate and to cut the ribbon because this is a good asset for the community,” said Eugene. Festivities raged throughout the weekend with live music, chef demos, food samplings, doublebarrel rum tastings, and cooking classes held at the marketplace. Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/fcszwj8w safeguards of protecting the public an important state interest. Ultimately, while mandates can be a tool in ensuring compliance with necessary public health measures, according to researcher and author Anudeep Pant in an interview with the AmNews, “[t]here are several ways to combat vaccine hesitancy. Since we know some of the measures of vaccine hesitancy, these data points should be utilized to develop pointed interventions. For example, public health officials can get ahead of false narratives by monitoring misinformation that is circulating in their communities and developing education campaigns tailored to fill knowledge gaps and clarify misconceptions. Since different communities will have different reasons for refusing vaccination, specialized public health campaigns are key, this is no one-size-fits-all solution.” “Lastly, partnerships between local trusted leaders, faith-based leaders, local politicians, healthcare workers, social workers, culture bearers, scientists…can be a powerful tool when everyone is working toward the same goal. The background and expertise of each stakeholder will be diverse so complementary knowledge, skills, and experience can create grassroots movements that can be critical in tipping the scale,” he added.

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 29

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In cold blood jority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “This targeted attack against Black Americans is not a new phenomenon in this country, and now is the time that we as a nation come together to confront this hatred.” “This week the CDC announced that 45,000 people were killed by gun violence in 2020, a tragic record and an indictment of our failures on all levels of government to combat this crisis and save lives,” stated New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “45,000 lives lost and families devastated—a number so massive in scope that it can almost seem abstract, but the pain these families and communities feel is intense, acute, urgent. “The threat of gun violence in our subways, our supermarkets, on our streets, will continue until we can finally, meaningfully address both the systems that enable individuals to perpetrate senseless violence and the weapons that enable such suffering,” continued Williams. On Tuesday U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Buffalo to mourn the victims of the shooting. The president acted as consoler-in-chief to grieving families, which has been a dominant strain in Biden’s tenure when took office in the throes of the COVID-19 epidemic. The shooting also comes as pundits believe the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court could potentially allow concealed carry in all states. New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. vs. Bruen challenges the state’s ability to deny petitioners applications for concealed-carry licenses for self-defense, claiming it violates the 2nd Amendment. New York State currently operates under the NY SAFE Act, which stops the mentally ill from buying guns and fights against the distribution of illegal weapons. While the language of the SAFE Act specifies that the state will not deny a person’s ability to bear arms and/or sell and buy weapons, the Bruen case challenges the state having any laws at all. While the country struggles to deal with gun control, authorities are struggling to curtail the radicalization of white kids online. “As these events continue to become normalized, it is up to us to ensure that we educate our community to work towards ending racism and gun violence,” stated

Unite the Right rally. Another white supremacist mantra is known as “the 14 words,” which read, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” A writer who groups like the Anti-Defamation League blame for the current crop of white supremacists is Jean Raspail, author of the 1973 novel “The Camp of the Saints.” In the book, Raspail writes about an invasion of non-whites from Africa, the Middle East and India into France and “the world” overwhelming the white population while being welcomed with open arms by naïve liberals who don’t realize they’re being preyed upon. The book helped create the fear of the end of “Western exceptionalism” among supremacists while mainstream conservatives have also uttered that phrase. You can buy the paperback of “The Camp of the Saints” on Amazon. In the “customers who viewed this item also viewed” section of the page you can find “The Bell Curve,” the infamous book released in 1996 that discusses intelligence and its possible ties to class and race. Some social justice groups are pushing Biden to take extreme right wingers headon and convene a national summit addressing extremism. “All of us deserve to feel safe, especially as we move about in our communities and interact with our neighbors in places we all congregate, such as a supermarket,” stated Nikitra Bailey, senior vice president of public policy of the National Fair Housing Alliance. “We must come together as a nation and find ways to stamp out the hatred that led a gunman to target and terrorize a community—apparently because that’s where African Americans live.” Bailey also relayed the fact that the area the market is located is 97% Black and has had difficulty obtaining fresh, healthy food. Tops (Courtesy of NNPA)

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New York City Council Member Farah Louis (D-Brooklyn). “By dismantling oppressive culture variables, our communities will be stronger than ever. At this time, I ask you all to join me in prayer for those affected by these tragic events.” Grendon wrote an online manifesto before traveling to East Buffalo to commit acts of murders. In the 180-page screed, he thanked the website 4chan, and its community, for radicalizing him and cited the Great Replacement Theory that’s at the core of white supremacists’ beliefs. The theory originates with books written by French nationalist Maurice Barres in the early 20th century and was reintroduced to this generation through the writings of Renaud Camus. In a 2011 essay titled “Le Grand Remplacement,” Camus expresses his belief that native white Europeans are being replaced in their countries by African, Middle Easterners and immigrants. According to the March of Dimes Foundation, between 2018 and 2020, 52.1% of live births were white. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, 1.8 millions of 3.6 million live births were white. Camus believes that white people are lagging behind the non-white population in birth rates globally, and this will eventually lead to the extinction of the white race. In the United States, anti-semitic white supremacists blame Jews for non-whites immigrating to this country further emphasizing the “great replacement” theory in their eyes. This explains the chants of “Jews will not replace us” and “You will not replace us” on University of Virginia’s campus the Friday night before August 2017’s

Education In July 2020, 1,161 teachers filed papers. In 2021, 1,602 teachers filed. That number is the most since 2019, pre-pandemic when 1,583 teachers filed their retirement papers. As with so many aspects of life, Black adults serve multiple roles in schools— and not all of them are visible. Children of color are, widely, more academically successful when they have a Black principal, and that success continues down the ladder. Black students who

(Courtesy of Word in Black)

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learned from a Black teacher in elementary school are more likely to graduate from high school and enroll in college—13% more likely if they had

was one of the few places in the neighborhood that provided such. For the time being, the shooting and its investigation have made the neighborhood a food desert. However, Gov. Hochul said that rideshare companies Uber and Lyft will provide residents free rides to and from other grocery stores. Those who reside in the zip codes 14208 and 14209 can receive a free ride to a Tops Friendly Markets located on 425 Niagara St. and a Price Rite located on 250 Elmwood Ave. BuffaloLyftUp is the code for residents to get $25 off on the app and SHOPBUF is the code to get at least $20 off per ride on Uber. Users can take advantage of the deal for a maximum of eight rides. Another issue that conservatives like Fox News pundit Laura Ingraham have pointed to is mental health. Mental health is always mentioned after a shooting, but Schroeder Stribling, president and CEO of Mental Health America, wanted to remind the public that mental health has nothing to do with racial hatred. “We live in a time where these acts of violence occur far too often and with enormous hate as the motivator,” Stribling said in an emailed statement. “Our nation’s BIPOC communities continue to disproportionately face such violence, and it must stop. Let me be clear: Hate is not a mental health condition. “In the shadow of such a heinous act, the cracks in our system become ever more apparent: Our communities need more clinicians of color,” Stribling continued. “Getting help for mental health struggles must happen sooner, and it should not be stigmatized.” The shooting, while standing at the intersection of race, gun control, food deserts and radicalization, race is the name of the game…and one person is tired of it. Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, took to social media to let his frustrations with the current state of race relations in America known. “Only in America can a white supremacist buy a gun, kill 10 people in a racially motivated massacre, get arrested peacefully… all with absolutely no action from Congress to prevent the next act of domestic terrorism,” said Johnson. “Black people are tired. Tired doesn’t mean defeated. We’re gonna fight like hell because our sons, daughters, brothers, sister, parents and loved ones are being shot and killed by white supremacists every day #BuffaloShooting.” one Black teacher, and more than double that at 32% if they had at least two. So a decline in Black teachers would really have far reaching effects on students. “The Black kids won’t have any representation except for the few of us who grin and bear it and take whatever comes their way,” Seward says. “By being silent, we’re not doing anything for the kids who are coming after us if we continue to work in these conditions, and we continue to essentially beg people to see us as human beings, to see us as professionals.”

Sanitation Continued from page 3

in general, but also for the community that uses bike lanes to do their work, delivering this will be safer for them,” Tisch said. When she sat with the media for a discussion, she highlighted several key concerns for reporters. “So what do I want to do? Two big areas. The first is cleanliness,” said Tisch. “I think that all New Yorkers have seen and experienced…less clean [streets], post-pandemic than it was prepandemic. And I believe that one of the most important things that the city needs to do now is to clean up our streets to give all the workers in every neighborhood in every community, the dignity of a clean-living environment, for the residents and certainly for also for tourism. “People come to the city, and they won’t come back if the city isn’t clean,” Tisch said. “And I am going to place a very heavy emphasis on restoring the cleanliness of our neighborhoods and communities that I think that New Yorkers deserve.” The other goal?

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS “What we have to do is make our a real toll on the cleanliness of compost collection is both effec- neighborhoods and communities tive and cost effective,” said Tisch. across the city. And that was why “We have to push harder on ex- on my first day, I was actually very tended producer responsibili- proud to announce that we were ty. So while I know we’re talking restoring alternate side parking to about cleanliness today, I want endemic levels of effective July.” it to be very clear that the work She said that the department was around sustainability…is also waiting until July so New Yorkers very important to me and central aren’t surprised by the return to to the mission of the sanitation normal. department.” One former elected official once Some of the cleanliness initia- had an issue with alternate side tives for Tisch include bringing parking and tried to pass bills in back alternate side parking. the City Council to address. Back “On my first day on the job, we in 2014 New York City Councilannounced that we were restoring man and current New York City alternate side parking to pre-pan- Department of Transportation demic levels,” said Tisch. “…at the Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez beginning of the pandemic, alter- introduced a bill that would end nate side parking was cut back in alternate side parking restriction most places to once a week. And as soon as a street has been swept what that did was it sidelined the cutting the wait time that drivers most effective clean streets tool had to deal with. that we have, which is the meWhen the AmNews contacted chanical broom.” Rodriguez’s people, they sent a This return-to-normal wasn’t recent release where Adams and met with open arms by New York- Tisch announced a new $11 milers as much as reopening res- lion commitment to new street taurants were, but Tisch said it’s cleaning alternatives. Those alternecessary. natives include a full restoration of “Many New Yorkers once in a alternate side parking and funding while would get an alternate side to clean bike lanes year-round. parking ticket. That’s the cost of “Today’s announcement is a doing business,” said Tisch. “[Cut- great way to kick off Earth Week ting alternate side parking] took by delivering cleaner and more ef-

ficient streets to New Yorkers,” Rodriguez stated in April. “I thank Mayor Eric Adams for his leadership on climate and sustainability matters and look forward to New Yorkers enjoying clear bike lanes and cleaner streets. And I welcome new Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch as DOT continues our partnership with DSNY.” When it came to the question of snow season Tisch said the department hires a new class every summer in preparation for the year. She also mentioned another initiative designed to counter the trash New Yorkers see on the streets in the summer as well as the winter called the Clean Curbs Program. “Some places will fall into a five o’clock shadow, you know when garbage bags [are] on the street and [you] almost have to play again hopscotch and navigate around the big mountains, mountains of trash that we have on the street that does not look good. It also attracts rats and New Yorkers keep talking about it. “Things like weatherization, making sure that the containers work. [Making sure] the containers working in all seasons,” continued Tisch. “Other

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 31 issues are sizing. How big do containers need to be, what if some neighborhoods need to be smaller than many other neighborhoods? So it’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all approach. It has to be very much customized and tailored to the needs of each neighborhood and frankly each street. Last week, we announced our first container was on the street. We did it in Times Square and joked that if we can make it here we can make it anywhere.” When the AmNews asked Tisch about hiring a new class in the summer to get ready for the winter, if they were hiring for summer as well to stave off any smells in the heat. “What we do is we hire once a year. We do it in the summer,” said Tisch. “We always make sure that our numbers don’t, at any point in the year, go below a certain level that is required for the department to do its work. We hire based on what we think the number will be the following summer. So it’s not that we have the highest staffing in the winter, we just always make sure to do our hiring in the summer so by the winter they’re all trained up.”

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Vol. 106 No. 18 | April 30 - May 6, 2015

THE NEW BLACK VIEW

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EDITORIAL

See HILLARY on page

And CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff And SALIM ADOFO Special to the AmNews

National Black United front (Salim Adofo photo)

#March2Justic Welcome, Attorney e

By SAMANTHA M. COLTON Special to the Am News

Loretta Lynch Available atGeneral Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and Dorrance Publishing Company

Monday kicked off Justice By HERB BOYD investigation of Gray’s death League NYC’s firstto the AmNews March2Justice. Particip and send two top officials to ants started their Special walk on Staten Island and will Baltimore to help calm the continue for nine days until Attorney they arrive in Washing Gener- city and stop the rioting. ton, D.C. Along theU.S. way, they plan on engaging al Loretta Lynch had hardly “As our investigative proin rallies and mobiliz ations before they meet with finished being sworn in cess continues, I stronglegislators to demand con- as the first African- ly urge every member of the gressional intervention Monday on the national crisis of woman to hold the Baltimore community to police brutality. Accordi American ng to the organiza tion, when the outrage adhere to the principles of they are “inspired and position moved by young people and others across the country and violence in Baltimore nonviolence,” Lynch said in a that continue to keep NEWS this RDAM moveme nt alive in the name after Freddie Gray’s death in statement Monday evening. THE NEW YORK AMSTE want of justice. We now custody became an “In the days ahead, I intend to see action from the police powers that be, and it's time we take the moveme immediate flashpoint. to work with leaders throughnt t them.” The march will cover In effect, she has to hit the out Baltimore to ensure that five states, with movements planned in cities ground running with a sit- we can protect the securisuch as Trenton, Philadel phia, Baltimore and D.C., uation- that is becoming all ty and civil rights of all resiwhere the final rally will take place on Capitol too customary in Ameridents. And I will bring the full Hill. The group then plans Vol. 106 No. February 26 -resources March 4, 2015 Lynch’s first9 | statement of the Department See MARCH on ca. page upon6 taking office was her of Justice to bear in protectpromise that the Justice De- ing those under threat, invespartment will continue the See LYNCH on page 6

s, confirm No more excuse

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The killing of another Black male by police left Baltimore burning Monday, April 27, 2015. It is calmer now, with curfews, multiple arrests and a simmering anger replacing the unbridled outrage that followed the funeral of Freddie Gray. The irony is not lost on social observers that the volatile response to a death in police custody occurred just two days before the 13th anniversary of the 1992 civil unrest ignited by the vicious videotaped police beating of

this is not an either/or dilemma, but a problem that requires a both/and solution. To be sure, fighting wars on two fronts is hard enough, but it gets even harder when we need one of the so-called enemies as an ally. Police-community relations have had their ups and downs. Whereas a segment of the pop-

coma and died April 19. At a press conference this week, Deputy Police Comfree him. True to his i missioner Jerry Rodriguez time cuts and rever- vowed to rumored to have controlled receive Hamilton had Acevedo a SOLOMON SAINTwas ByGray said, “When Mr. He, too, was back in La- word, a large percent of the illic- sals. the street before the n put in that van, he could talk Gardens in less than a back on it activities in that particular fayette century. the of turbulent turn the During and he was upset. … When decade. od. In 2000, while Hamilton was b early 1990s, when neighborho 1980sofand he was taken out that In 1987, 50 Cent was immorsimultaneously, J.R. was Almost mayhem and drugs Julio “Wemo” still in jail, his brother murder, van, he could not talk and seaNorth Homicide talized when down murdered inside of his plagued the inner cities, Brooklyn he could not breathe.” a roving Acevedo gunned him developed According to Squad restaurant. gangsters of self-made scores hallway located in food See BALTIMORE on page 34 task force to quell in a dusky Damion Acevedo was a federal indictment, vied for control of certain 40-man murder epidem- Albany projects. another Laneighborhoods. In Brook- Brooklyn’s detectives, Louis subsequently arrested, con- “World” Hardy, resident, was Of all the lyn, Fort Greene and Lafay- ic. shipped to an up- fayette Garden was most famous victed and responsible for ordering that ette Gardens were atop the Scarcella state prison. solving murders. hit. Word on the list that harbored some of for In 1991, a Brooklyn man particular In 1983, Hamilton was jailed was street was Hamilton, while the most infamous characof violent named Nathaniel Cash , had convinced incarcerated name While Killer Ben and for an assortment ters. Hamilton’s such as manslaugh- murdered. lackey to kill Hardy. 50 Cent found infamy in Fort crimes, up in the investigation. a paroled a head weapon possession and came have the pa- Although he sustained Greene, Lafayette Gardens ter, During his time in Scarcella didn’t Hardy survived the was dubbed “Bush Gardens” robbery. and wherewithal for wound, Elmira prison, Hamilton, tience because of the way Der- an He believed that he shooting. Scarcella lly, self-taught jailhouse lawyer, justice. a along Coincidenta Hamilton, arrestHe “Bush” law. rick the other convicted killers was above lost a brother, Michael, with his brother J.R., were helped ed Hamilton post haste. After also cop who committed suicide a lengthy trial, Hamilton was a WWW.AMS y witnessed TERDAonce again convicted and as he depressingl MNEW tainted career decades of con- his brother’s to OM sentencedS.C unravel and capsize. finement. In 2011, Hamilton’s legal worried. wasn’t Publisher Hamilton Elinor R. Tatum: coupled with Scarand Editor in Chief This wasn’t his first rodeo. In prowess, faulty and shoddy Member fact, he and fellow Brooklynite cella’s work secured his preKristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Acevedo ended up in the police release from prison. same prison. After exchang- mature Nayaba Arinde: Editor 2013, Acevedo plows ing penitentiary pleasant- In Alliance for Penda Howell: Vice President, Sales, Advertising a crowded Brook©2015 The Amsterdam News | $1.00 New York City Media Audited ries, Hamilton told Acevedo through Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Emeritus street while driving drunk Vol. 106 No. Chairman of the Board, CEO and Publisher that he knew of some legal lyn 4 | January crashes into a taxi, caus22 - January discrepancies in his case and and 28, 2015

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It may be a great disservice to mention the Rev. Al Sharpton and Rudy Giuliani in the same article, but they are two public figures with a long affair with the media—one longing for it to go away and the other courting it for coverage. This week they are both back in the news—again. Rumors are afloat that Sharpton’s “PoliticsNation” on MSNBC may be put on a weekend schedule. Other hosts on the network are also, as they say in the business world, scheduled for reassignment, including

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agree with many took happens to ng In 1984, the Senate ent of the policies of the outgoi to do Presid onThat had as much a year to confirm ey general and the ining the presinominee, attorn the rub. imng with underm Ronald Reagan’s president. Several days after It’s simply amazi a dent’s executive authority as attorney going for , may be able Meese panel, Senate past Yes, the we would Edwin was pressing a Senate that bills can get gum at the anything else, and red l, but that delay chew that appea and genera hit walk the Lynch to then Loretta believe that committee messy busibut we all suffer succeed Re- be naive to based on Meese’s to be a shoo-in to igans are not at if some same time, is stuck to their implacable wall called U.S. atThe same shenan ness practices. And way, when the gum are politically Eric Holder Jr. as s confirmation. publican repugnance. licans have their leave it Repub- play in Lynch’ and they er is right Repub (Bill Moore photo) torney general. But with the shoes story here is that Sen. Chuck Schum , meandon’t Lynch will be tarred immobilized. to the mischievous licans apparently when he noted that given the alleged point to on are clearly imbrush, licans funds same things Two spirited Repub “can walk and mind gathering with drug race and . At for the Senate dealings she had mutable—Lynch’s rain on her parade from predators fined but chew gum at the same time,” it! money launderers. By MILTON temSo get overand , politics.ALLIMADI accused of fathering several her difficult lords and a sh. least, we hope, only es hogwa sex trafficking crimes becom this excuses. Confirm children with teenage secreAll of this is BENJAMIN No more can’t be used but she COLIN considering porarily. money that this is when m s to proble proces d ! Lynch’s for aborSpecial toLynch the AmNews taries. The popular narrative Just when she seeme put forth by Preswoman who Loretta by the victims to pay action Black any particd strong a post, is was that Malcolm was killed a. be a lock for the Republicans conten ident Barack Obam prominent tions. money such Was the NYPD involved or by Muhammad loyalists after the of with use ularly Hatch that such did they merely know about he was expelled from the NOI. Republicans as Orrin Arizo- would compromise the Hyde of the impending murder of But many people, especialwhich, except of Utah, Jeff Flake ment, Amend m of South Malcolm X and allow it to ly in the Black community, use of tax na, Lindsey Graha for rape, forbids of 2015 Collins 13, March happen 50 years ago? Were never believed that version of Carolina and Susan for abortions. to confirm dollars to do with some reporters, including events as being the complete Maine promising What has this got or the famed scribe Jimmy Breslin, story. While there had been ation nell confirm her, there is a snag. s Hon. Mitch McCon problem? Lynch’ This tipped off that something was a clear rift between Malcolm So what’s the of rice in China? Majority Leader Senate Ma- price about to go down? and Muhammad, it was also is very similar to The problem is United States Senate McCo- boondoggle The official story has been a period when the FBI was over Homeland jority Leader Mitch ngton, D.C. 20510 to the impasse Washi nce relucta includ his that Malcolm X was killed conducting its Counter Intelnnell and ty funding that e of a hu- Securi Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audu- ligence Program, initially tarcall a vote becaus immigration attach Hon. Harry Reid that in- ed an see bon Ballroom in Harlem be- geting suspected communists man-trafficking bill would ment. We were pleased to Minority Leader that cause of a Reid feud between him but later expanding it to disHarry licans capitulate on cludes a provision United States Senate Mitch McConnell for victims the Repub re and allow the and his former allies in the rupt groups such as the Black establish a fund that measu ngton, D.C. 20510 service conWashi to publichad those Seby itmentMalcolm Nation of Islam. Panthers and other Black nacomm the from fines paid tment of Homeland skills, ement States attorney for a falling d ing crimes. Depar manag United forwar strong traffick go out with NOI leader tionalist organizations. of to g victed fundin t of New York, and to serve Dear Mr. Leaders: itedguide the Demo- curity ration her well-su s Eastern Distric and his former spiritual Indeed, records revealed immig make expres to a These funds, as tossing ped letter has develo I write this be used while Elijah after Malcolm’s death show this position. who he’d caation Ms. Lynch s, inMuhammad, nomin crats proposed, could the ement limbo. for into rt achiev a of es lies suppo record therein Our nation requir to become long for abortions, and reputation a advove enjoys of Loretta Lynch she effecti l of the and ndedly pable and Loretta Lynch the attorney genera fairly and evenha as for such tment cate United States Depar ng the law. She dem- to head its chief law enforceattorney enforci reaextraordinary charof Justice. As the agency. For these of New onstrates judgment and ment ate to eral for the state

EDITORIAL

See SHARPTON on page 6

Was Jimmy Breslin tipped off about Malcolm X’s assassination 50 years ago?

ship gressional leader Letter to the con

that the FBI had been actively monitoring him, as Malcolm’s files, available on the FBI’s website, confirm. Therefore, it isn’t beyond reason that the FBI, under the maniacal J. Edgar Hoover, could have played a role in the assassination by either fomenting, participating or at least turning a blind eye and allowing it to happen. Could it be that the NYPD also came to know from the FBI, or from its own investigations, that Malcolm would be killed by opponents on that fateful February date? Could it be that the NYPD and the FBI worked together to allow Malcolm to be killed by not warning him or by not

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Joy Reid, Ronan Farrow, Ed Schultz, Chris Hayes and Lawrence O’Donnell. It sounds as if MSNBC is cleaning house and dissatisfied with its leftist orientation. And if we can believe Erica Snipes, Eric Garner’s daughter, Sharpton “is only in it for the money,” as she said to a right-wing mischief maker recording her comments on a concealed camera. She later recanted, indicating that Sharpton and the National Action Network had paid for her father’s funeral. Later, in a statement to NAN, she clarified her position on the matter. “It is unfortunate that the New York

HAVE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR? Such actions of police misconduct may not be sanctioned or as blatant as in the past, but they are no less deadly and we need look no further than the

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but also marches, too, like the one over the weekend in Madison, Wis. after the police shooting death of an unarmed Black teenager by a white officer.

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ulation has never trusted the police, a great many did and wanted to cooperate with them to strengthen their neighborhoods. But as time has gone by, a shift has occurred—a shift in trust that is now so apparent that the police cannot do their jobs effectively because there is no cooperation, not even from the victims.

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Front pages of the New York Amsterdam News following Bloody Sunday in 1965

the the one goo help the The wer wer ly, t not the me T Bla tur it, the ful op in This situation is madness, ex ol and it shows how deep the rifts ki have become. Any trust that ar once existed is now completely eroded. Youngsters on the qu beat the street used to know w knew cop beat the and cop, b them. The police were a posm itive fixture in the communia ty and they were a part of the c from community, not apart

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past several months, a lot of attention has been focused on killer cops. Every other day, we seem to witness a case of police brutality that ends in murder. Although it is not a new phenomenon, it is one that is reaching epidemic proportions—a deeply troubling epidemic. But as we shout “Black Lives Matter!” in protest, we have lost of the other battle Rodney King insight Los Angeles. violence in our againstpeople Several thousand s. communitie have come out into the streets there is no Althoughthe of Baltimore protesting , and some may comparison killing of 25-year-old Freddie you restart the battle say that Gray over the past fewifdays. ack crime, Black-on-Bl stop Police arrested to Gray April 12, lose focus on the we incithen or without resistance their tactics that police dent, and he died fromand injuus. So where does areinkilling ries suffered while custody. us? leave His family said that his voice box was crushed,Unfortunate 80 percent ly, it leaves us two wars the middle—in of his spine wasinsevered and be fought simultathat must his neck was snapped. Gray andaswiftly. In effect, neously eventually slipped into

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNew s

About a minute and half into her online announ cement of her presiden tial bid last Sunday, Hillary Clinton said, “Everyday America ns need a champion. I want to be that champion so you can do more than just get by, so you can get ahead and stay ahead. Because when families are strong, America is strong.” Interestingly, April 12, 154 years ago, the Civil War began, and Clinton has begun her campaign to turn things around, althoug h with an arsenal of words, at least for the moment. The announcement, which

Opinion Loretta Lynch TO DISPLAY YOUR BUSINESS INFORMATION,

The Obama family joins hands as it begins the march with the foot soldiers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

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Vol. 106 No. 16 | April 16 - April 22, 2015 in their fare, up these 10 cent hike ride, which isn’t way in. Luckily, the to $1.35 a you’re on a riders are not on in welcomed when d the dise—an rapid transit system by the MTA have fixed incom t they When a fare hike expec where , rarely can Japan Sunday, the rs, abled, who went into effect “oshiyas,” or pushe of common courte angers, parsible an ounce moans from straph workers. whose are respon have been pas- sy from weary ticularly those who ted that for making sure It’s been estima to pay $2.50 way struggling even billion is sengers are all the than the more than $30 the per ride, were louder de car. the upgra into coming to a are needed to gers brakes of an A train These problems system. Passen were lucky during subway money halt—that is, if you compounded ting any of that g at your ent weath- expec Albany to have one arrivin periods of inclem trickle down from le. authorities to station on schedu wait than the er. Again, MTA all realize ss have a longer addre train. “I realize it and we to nd sed l of any weeke have promi is not where to speed up arriva comes to transportathat service … it such issues and and not necwe need it to be d to restore When the state, Gov. Andrew the time neede our cusin a malfunc- tion be far essarily meeting o appears to s,” said schedules after ly, the rem- Cuom tomers’ expectation ent of in those in tion. Unfortunate presid more interested fast as Lag Carmen Bianco, on their way to edies are not comin Transit. This sym- cars and we New York City and ced by his hikes, as the fare ent of the Guardia, eviden is an understatem customers who in expansion with e AirTra consed pathiz while se propo highest order, and it to know if the increa es and plan to spruce up the soul, want the for good ve servic fession is . in fares will impro to the workTappan Zee Bridge system. angers, brings little relief in the century-old be the most So my dear straph little of the ing poor, who will To be at the mercy after grin and bear it, dig a increase as even impacted by the depleted 4, 5 and 6 lines often inadedeeper into your quarter they are by the is to have the exextra that hour for ts rush it’s pocke sing—and quate service. next fare a sardine. The r daily the more distres two and hope the on perience of Ask any of the regula the ble delays. According to challenging or d most comm distant as ordeal is doubly MTA, the secon uters on hike is as slow and the trains are reports from the 6 million comm y—who, by the system and latest h January there was complaint— with passengers for the elderl the next train. city’s subway experiencing a jammed of com- throug your way, are only more than so you will hear a litany an average of you have to wedge on that comm Even . delays a month plaints—the most intermina- 43,000 one being the regardless tacked unfairness, , racial or ZIP code. ’s regionBy - because of my AUTOD . I lived of a school by dividin g allo- IDACT 17 who serve us honor I grew up in the Bronx Special to the AmNew are tall on to those l, income mix, I understand s cates on both sides away from schoo ably in uniform. district student enblock by s a falling AN on cation all are nate BLYM By ASSEM are all passio ideology, but we passed the corner rollment and assessing student and re- that we E lives where I Two and pay. of ceremonies at to days MICHAEL BLAK short on cooperation is about how about improve the a on one side local ability Harlem’fully this s Abyssinian Baptist an- need and give them bodeg on and n pizza was of Aid childre membering that slice of our Foundation Church last week bought my 008 s. But this conI knew that Sadly, only in the allowed as2007-2 succes down, to the children. Deep paths sociates, comrades, family fascinating, e if it’s other. have what funded The dialogue is Great Recesion is unproductiv and our schools didn’t fiscal year. The friends l funding to versat of acclaim g ed Kemetaor” consideration full fundin because of inaderanging from schoo , tenure, an “either a “both and” where we needed, sion knocked thatphysicia n Dr.- Yosef A.A. ben-Jog. than teacher performance and the inequi versus char- rather wledge that each side quate fundin financial dispar- off the tracks, channan the opportunity to pay to the point evaluation, public rged their In 1993, that parochi- we ackno on how final light ties re-eme respects before he billion greater to $4.9 ter and private versus erations has legitimate points y came imatel ity reality approx was interred ign for Fiscal of rm our educational al. All of these consid owed to publicat Ferncliff Cemetimely to to transfo the better and de- when the Campa shed and CFE money still tery Friday afternoon. st areas. for are necessary and Equity was establi schools in our needie ic, social, system “It’s close honor to to be here and improve the academ setting termine a path forward. hits an to the landmark victo- This inequalitycelebra al invok- later led York, thist great life that distric blyte mental and physic the tone We are sometimes .E. v. State of New my Assem has been . But s of sav- ry in C.F sful- home, as amongst us for 97 image succes n and for young people coalitio ring $76 million terms the ng where is owed a staggeyears,” ibly divi- ing remarke any d colleague e than has become incred sides of agery rather than pursui . ly argued that the city’s school —mor tion money educa Dr. LeonardYork lly in CFE on all current compromise The t in New Jeffries, beginning el- sive. Advocates e system was woefu constructive distric been bly are financ has we Assem Thursda that that Albany y evening g ’s wake, the debate in denied its studiscourse say not the first time that fundin underfunded and Imagine what the need to the are not, This is capacity crowd the word savage utional right City. evated because of war.” Actually, we our kids? Smallererupting in apology I have heard be education. dents their constit state budget “at could do for plause, ion. and drumming. leave that termin pass a New York teachers, morechants used to descri sound basic educat om sizes, tion advo- so let’s “We have to lities: Chil- of a sed the classro be aware that Dr. by March 31. Educa es, books, buildIn “Savage Inequa That decision addres York school suppliBen has made his transitio Schools,” n dren in America’s bed my chronic shortfalls for New , etc. repairs ing and he’s expectin cara- g us to condescri re this intoler Jonathon Kozol schools, but its logic You compa tinue hisequal greatgut l, P.S. 79, in City of poor legacy that he the elementary schoo to upstate’s mix ble reality with shared with challenges ried us.”g” ts and high-tax, the 178 “failin that way. Given the of 10 ofOne her 19 - March 25, 2015 James urban distric of Jochann 12 • March town and blow schools an’s Elinor R. Tatum: Publis daughsmall ling) my great principal, ealth that strugg (I prefer ter’s exhorted, “IIt’s e to em- low-w and Editor in Chief t alone. challenge you Carter, had to endur hearts, rural districts. in mytodistric go home Member and and ane. curing that are continue the and inhum power our minds The remedy for Managing Editor BEN instead of nali- beyond unjustSeewe Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: putting d on page 34 arecontinue it saddens me that g of unconstitutio a The conditions as scholarly, findin Nayaba Arinde: Editor robust funding under being described ts, teachers, admin , Sales, Advertising as “savage.” ty was called our studen ATION on page 32 la bed WWW.AMSTERDAMNEWS.COM Penda Howell: Vice President formu descri Alliance for ble were we 9): See EDUC g was more equita Audited Media Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-200 Emeritus part, that framin Aid, which atlarge Publisher ation In and CEO Found Board, Chairman of the future, but not because of my

Vol. 106 No. 11 | March 12 - March 18, 2015

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

12 • April 23 - April 29, 2015

Dawnmcdermott32218@yahoo.com

by Frederick Newsome, MD, MSc

THE NEW BLACK VIEW

(904)442-3810

WWW.AMSTERDAMNEWS.COM

See MALCOLM on page 6

President greets 103rights lege year-old nd Amelia Boynton Rob civil with Rep. inson Terr of www.whit i Sewell (Photo cour tesy ehouse.gov)

Obama’s au dacity

By DEMETR IA Special to the IRWIN By HERB BOY AmNews when stan ding Special to the D tunate to have up. I have been forAmNews and gun viole The Black nce, which Agency Exe and encourag received the support ly stressed gan izat ion cuti at his previous was heaviIf the usual rece ntly held ves or- people thro ement of many goo rhetorical flair Union addr State of the ann ual Dr. d sional lyric ess. and occaMar tin Luth its 38th life in pub ughout and beyond al reso Of course, my Luncheon. lic service. er Kin g Jr. from Presiden nance were missing Black Ame Aptly hosted Not one of managed t Barack Oba ricans hear little that Pat Batt le, us to by get NBC of d direc to where ma’s State 4’s without the Union the even t tly related we are address Tues though man at the Hilt the help of New York to them, abound with day, it did on before y those who in Mid tow a came itably will affecof his proposals inev us. n atte nde d. proposals for number of audaciou The Hon orab was well t them “We s , the Republica if the prop say that als ever see Dinkins, New le Dav id oson and mul the light of ns to chew somebody’s everybody stands on York’s first l over day. may His befo only Black not shoulders, word re they soun reject them mayor, was and so far we gen and by that dly can inve have had that poetic arch s . erally the keynote spe ake r. , st in a speech, he In this addr King, Harriet mean people like Dr. but the num ess, there were leaped from While refle Tubman, bers or reference the page—a no quotes ctin s to past page he said King, Dinkins g on the legacy of Sojourner Truth, Rosa Malcolm X, no Lincoln, presidents— was time to turn. it Parks pers sha

of hope

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 33

CLASSIFIED ADS 100 PUBLIC NOTICES

100 PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE OF FRANCHISE AND CONCESSION REVIEW COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING ON AGENCY ANNUAL CONCESSION PLANS

RULES AND REGULATIONS CANCELLATIONS must be made in writing by 12 Noon Monday. The forwarding of an order is construed as an acceptance of all advertising rules and conditions under which advertising space is sold by the NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS. Publication is made and charged according to the terms of this card. Rates and regulations subject to change without notice. No agreements as to position or regulations, other than those printed on this. Til forbid orders charged for rate earned. Increases or decreases in space take the rate of a new advertisement. The New York AMSTERDAM NEWS reserves the right to censor, reject, alter or revise all advertisements in accordance with its rules governing the acceptance of advertising and accepts no liability for its failure to insert an advertisement for any cause. Credit for errors in advertisements allowed only for first insertion. CLASSIFIED • Classified advertisements take the regular earned rate of their classification. Four line minimum on all ads except spirituals and horoscopes (14 lines). CLASSIFIED DISPLAY • Classified Display (boarder or picture) advertisements take the regular earned rate of their classification. Display (boarder or picture) advertisements one column wide must be 14 lines deep; two columns, 28 lines deep; 3 columns, 56 lines deep. Classified Display (boarder or picture) placed as close to classifications as rules and makeup permit.

ADMINISTRATION CITATION

Notice of a Franchise and Concession Review Committee (FCRC) Public Hearing on Agency Annual Concession Plans for Fiscal Year 2023 pursuant to Section 1-10 of the Concession Rules of the City of New York (Concession Rules), to be held remotely on Monday, June 6, 2022, commencing at 2:30 P.M., via Microsoft Teams dial in. At this hearing, the FCRC will further solicit comments about the provisions of the Concession Rules from the vendor commu nity, civic groups and the public at large. The FCRC shall consider the issues raised at the Public Hearing in accordance with the procedures set forth in the New York City Charter under the City Administrative Procedure Act. The following agencies submitted an Annual Concession Plan for Fiscal Year 2023: the Department of Parks and Recreation; the Department of Citywide Administration Services; the Department of Environmental Protection; the Department of Correc tions; the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; the Department of Transportation; the New York City Fire Department; the Department of Housing Preservation and Development; the NYC & Company on behalf of the Department of Small Busi ness Services; the New York City Economic Development Corporation on behalf of the Department of Small Business Ser vices; the New York City Administration for Childrens Services; the New York City Department of Records and Information Services and the New York City Police Department. The portfolio of Agency Annual Concession Plans covers significant and non-significant concessions expiring, continuing and anticipated for solicitation or initiation in Fiscal Year 2023. Furthermore, the portfolio covers, inter alia: · Department of Parks and Recreation: mobile food units, food service facilities, golf courses, driving ranges, marinas, tennis professionals, athletic facilities, Christmas trees, parking lots, markets, fairs, restaurants, concerts, newsstands, stables, gas stations, amusement venues, ice skating rinks, carousels, ferry services, bike rentals, sailboat rentals, souvenirs and gifts, beach equipment, and event programming. · Department of Citywide Administrative Services: maritime/non-maritime occupancy permits, merchandise and marketing, vending machines and restaurants. · Department of Environmental Protection: gas purification. · Department of Corrections: commissary services and vending machines. · Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: drug discount card program. · Department of Transportation: vending machines, pedestrian plazas, food courts, café, markets. · New York City Fire Department: fire museum. · Department of Housing Preservation and Development: café. · NYC & Company on behalf of the Department of Small Business Services: marketing, advertising, intellectual property and trademark merchandising. · New York City Economic Development Corporation on behalf of the Department of Small Business Service: events/installa tions, parking lots, maritime and non-maritime occupancy permits. · New York City Administration for Childrens Services: vending machines. · New York City Department of Records and Information Services: licensing representation. · New York City Police Department: vending machines and cafeteria. The public may participate in the public hearing by calling the dial-in number below. Dial-in #: +1-646-893-7101 Access Code: 307 259 070; Press # on further prompts Written testimony may be submitted in advance of the hearing electronically to fcrc@mocs.nyc.gov. All written testimony must be received by June 3rd, 2022. In addition, the public may also testify during the hearing by calling the dial-in number. Interested parties may obtain a copy of the Agency Annual Concession Plans by contacting Gregg Alleyne via email at fcrc@mocs.nyc.gov. Upon request, a PDF version of the Agency Annual Concession Plans is available free of cost. A transcript of the hearing will be posted https://www1.nyc.gov/site/mocs/reporting/agendas.page

the

FCRC

website

For further information on accessibility or to make a request for accommodations, such as sign language interpretation ser vices, please contact the Mayors Office of Contract Services (MOCS) via e-mail at DisabilityAffairs@mocs.nyc.gov or via phone at (646) 872- 0231. Any person requiring reasonable accommodation for the public hearing should contact MOCS at least five (5) business days in advance of the hearing to ensure availability.

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101 LEGAL NOTICES File No. 2019-1502\C

SURROGATES COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY CITATION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK By the Grace of God Free and Independent TO the heirs at law, next of kin and distributees of Calvin Ramsey, a/k/a Calvin E. Ramsey, deceased, if living, and if any of them be dead to the heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, legatees, executors, administrators, assignees and successors in interest whose names are unknown and cannot be ascertained after due diligence; A petition having been filed by Kimberly Phillips who is domiciled at 211 Porterfield Place, Freeport, New York 11520, YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogates Court, New York County, at 31 Chambers Street, New York, New York on June 10, 2022, at 10:00 o'clock in the forenoon on that day, why a decree should not be made in the estate of Calvin Ramsey, a/k/a Calvin E. Ramsey, lately domiciled at 40 West 135th Street, Apt. 1IE, New York, New York 10037, granting Letters of Administration d.b.n. upon the estate of the decedent to Kimberly Phillips or to such other person as may be entitled thereto, and determining the status of Ivane Phillips, Pierre Lovelace, Jerome (Jerry) Tibbs, Toyer Beavers, Ivan Phillips and Kimberly Phillips as nieces and nephews of the decedent. Dated, Attested and Sealed

April 26

HON. RITA MELLA Surrogate

/2022 Diana Sanabria Chief Clerk Daniel G. Fish Print Name of Attorney (212) 448-1100 Telephone Number dfish@mclaughlinstern.com Address email

McLaughlin & Stem. LLP Firm 260 Madison Avenue. New York. New York 10016

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

LOST TITLE APPLICATION NO.: 2385471 OFFICE OF TITLES

CLASSIFICATIONS All advertisement accepted for publication is classified according to the standard classifications. Misclassification is not permitted.

101 LEGAL NOTICES

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. LUCKIE PROPERTIES, LLC., A Florida Limited Liability Company, Deft.- Index #850107/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated February 28, 2022, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Wed., June 22, 2022, at 2:15 pm, an undivided 0.0519144314871446% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 of HC Suites located at 1335 Avenues of the Americas, in the County of NY, State of NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $70,678.13 plus costs and interest as of October 21, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Georgia Papazis, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, &amp; Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

101 LEGAL NOTICES Notice of Formation of ASBURY PRESERVATION CLASS B, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/04/22. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE PURSUANT TO SECTION 82 OF THE REGISTRATION OT TITLES ACT (RTA) WHEREAS the applicant(s) in the above stated application has/have declared that the following duplicate Certificate of Title has been lost, I HEREBY GIVE NOTICE that I intend to cancel the said Certificate of Title and issue a new one in duplicate fourteen days after the last publication of this advertisement. Volume: 1350 Folio: 489 Lot: 58 Place: Trinity Parish: St. Mary Registered proprietor(s): Nathan Palmer and Monica H. Palmer L. Dunbar Deputy Registrar of Titles

34 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

101 LEGAL NOTICES

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

101 LEGAL NOTICES

Supplemental Summons and Notice of Object of Action Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of New York Action to Foreclose a Mortgage Index #: 850196/2019 Wilmington Trust, National Association, As Successor Trustee To Citibank, N.A., As Trustee For Bear Stearns ALT-A Trust, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2006-5 Plaintiff, vs Gregg L. Singer, Eleanor B. Singer Intervives Revocable Trust Agreement Dated 2/26/91 Eleanor B. Singer TTEE, Chesterfield 19, L.L.C., People Of The State Of New York, Board Of Managers Of The Chesterfield Condominium, New York City Environmental Control Board, New York State Department Of Taxation And Finance John Doe (Those unknown tenants, occupants, persons or corporations or their heirs, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, assignees, creditors or successors claiming an interest in the mortgaged premises.) Defendant(s). Mortgaged Premises: 180/186 West 80 Street, Apt/Unit 4j New York, NY 10024 AKA 409/417 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024 To the Above named Defendant: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of New York. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. TO Eleanor B. Singer Intervives Revocable Trust Agreement dated 2/26/91 Eleanor B. Singer TTEE, Defendant In this Action. The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. Francis A Kahn of the Supreme Court Of The State Of New York, dated the Twenty-Eighth day of April, 2022 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York, in the City of New York. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, dated March 24, 2006, executed by Gregg L. Singer to secure the sum of $200,000.00. The Mortgage was recorded at CRFN 2006000451392 in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County on August 10, 2006. The consolidated mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed March 24, 2006 and recorded on August 10, 2006, in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County at CRFN 2006000451394. Plaintiff is also holder of a mortgage dated March 24, 2006 executed by Gregg L. Singer to secure the sum of $235,000.00 and recorded at CRFN 2006000451395 in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County on August 10, 2006. Said mortgage was consolidated with the mortgage referred to at CRFN: 2006000451392 by a Consolidation, Extension and Modification Agreement executed by Gregg L. Singer dated March 24, 2006 and recorded August 10, 2006 at CRFN 2006000451396 in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County to form a single lien in the amount of $435,000.00. The consolidated mortgage was subsequently assigned to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. as nominee for America's Wholesale Lender by an assignment executed on July 19, 2019 and sent for recording in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County The consolidated mortgage was subsequently assigned to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. as nominee for Countrywide Bank, N.A. by an assignment executed on July 19, 2019 and sent for recording in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County The consolidated mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed June 5, 2012 and recorded on June 21, 2012, in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County at CRFN 2012000245247. The mortgage was subsequently modified on May 27, 2014. The consolidated mortgage was subsequently assigned to WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO CITIBANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR BEAR STEARNS ALT-A TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-5 by an assignment executed on July 19, 2019 and sent for recording in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County; The property in question is described as follows: 180/186 WEST 80 STREET, APT/UNIT 4J, NEW YORK, NY 10024 AKA 409/417 AMSTERDAM AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10024 NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: May 3, 2022 Gross Polowy, LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 The law firm of Gross Polowy, LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose. 71989 Notice of Qualification of 175 PALMETTO LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/14/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/11/22. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Two Sigma Real Estate, 100 Ave. of the Americas, 16th Fl., NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Real estate.

Formation of 57 READE STREET APT 9E, LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/30/2022. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to Jane Liu, 101 Tournament Dr., Monroe Twp., NJ 08831. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Ahern Painting Contractors, Inc is seeking M/WBE and SDVOB Subcontractor proposals for the Project: Cleaning and Painting of the Queens Approach at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Contract No RK-PT PHASE II. Please contact Anna at 718-639-5880 for details. Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #1345867 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 363 3rd Ave., NYC 10016 for onpremises consumption; Beyond Pho Corp 3 Notice of Formation of DEVONSHIRE HOUSE 2022 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/21/22. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co, 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

101 LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Qualification of 540 DRIGGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/14/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/11/22. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Two Sigma Real Estate, 100 Ave. of the Americas, 16th Fl., NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Real estate.

Notice of formation of Mala Project Management LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of NY (SSNY) on 02/11/22 NY office location NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is C/O the LLC: 122 1st Ave, New York, NY 10009. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 58 PALMETTO LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/14/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/11/22. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Two Sigma Real Estate, 100 Ave. of the Americas, 16th Fl., NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Real estate. Notice of Qualification of EP UCB LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/15/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/21/22. Princ. office of LLC: 450 W. 33rd St., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of the State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION of Unconventional Minds LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy. of State (SSNY) on 2/23/22. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 1/6/20. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: InCorp Services, Inc., One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Ave., Ste. 805-A, Albany, NY 122102822. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of EP UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/18/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/30/22. Princ. office of LLC: 450 W. 33rd St., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of the State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of WYANDOT SQUARE PRESERVATION CLASS B, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/04/22. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of WSW PRESERVATION CLASS B, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/09/22. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Mala Project Greenpoint LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of NY (SSNY) on 03/03/22 NY office location NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is C/O the LLC: 122 1st Ave, New York, NY 10009. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of formation of MK BOOKKEEPING & TAX SERVICES, LLC . Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/19/2021. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 2612 West St, Brooklyn, NY 11223. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Notice of Formation of Selvi LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 3/25/22. Office location: NY County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 250 W 89th St, Apt 3H, New York, NY 10024. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. SHORT TERM CAPITAL LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/14/2006. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 255 Glen Cove Road, 2nd FL, Carle Place, NY 11514. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. TITAN MOMENTUM LLC Filed with SSNY on: 05/02/2022 Location: New York County SSNY designated as agent for service of process & shall mail to: TITAN MOMENTUM LLC, 167 Madison Avenue Ste 205 #160, New York, NY 10016 Purpose: Any Lawful. Notice of Formation of WSW PRESERVATION GP, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/09/22. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity. MUSIC ART PUPPET SOUND, LLC filed Arts. Of Org. with the Secty of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/30/2018. Office: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agents of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: The LLC, 71 Sullivan Street, Apt 3-D, New York, NY 10012. Purpose: any lawful act.

101 LEGAL NOTICES Notice of Formation of ASBURY DEVELOPER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/04/22. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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36 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

Redistricting Continued from page 3

The map leaves 15 Dem-leaning districts and 3 GOP-leaning districts more competitive. The Democrats have more to lose. Congressmembers Grace Meng (NY-6), Nydia Velázquez (NY-7) and Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) were drawn out of their current districts. There are 15 majority non-white districts in the state, but to Jeffries, the newly redrawn map puts Black representation in Congress in its crosshairs. “The Court, shockingly, uses a sledgehammer to break into pieces the majority Black and historic neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant, once represented by the legendary Shirley Chisholm,” stated Jeffries. “The legacy Chisholm district was created in 1968 pursuant to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, with the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood at its core. Apparently, the Steuben County Court either doesn’t know this history or doesn’t care…”

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS Jeffries isn’t the only Black congressman in “The Black voting power in NY-16 cannot be diNew York who feels the same way. luted in favor of more compact but less fair maps.” Under the special master’s redrawn districts, Others, such as New York CongresswomCo-Op City is mapped into NY-14, Williams- an Nicole Malliotakis, have an easier path to bridge and Baychester are mapped into NY-15. victory after Cervas eliminated much of the Edenwald stays in NY-16. According to Con- Democratic-leaning side of her district (a.k.a. gressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), this re- Brooklyn) leaving it staunchly more conservaduces the Black voter population by 17% and tive. The initially proposed map threw Sunset removes much of the Bronx from his district. Park and Park Slope into her district, areas that Most of his district now resides in the southern are heavily Democrat and would’ve made it half of Westchester County. He believes that more difficult for her to get re-elected. Co-Op City, Williamsbridge, and Edenwald are One thing is for sure, New York State’s Repubstrong communities that share similar interests. lican leader is satisfied with the new districts. “The whole point of redistricting is to create “Justice has been served and will be again in congressional districts that keep communities November when Kathy Hochul and the Demoof interest together,” stated Bowman. “Unfortu- crats pay the price with voters for trying to rig the nately, the map created by the special master election with their illegal #Hochulmander,” said splits NY-16’s historically low-income Bronx NYGOP Chairman Nick Langworthy on Twitter. communities into three congressional districts New York Republicans now smell blood and and decreases the Black voter population by want to challenge other kinds of districts. 17%. This occurred despite an outpouring of On Monday, legal representatives Jim Walden testimony urging redistricting officials to pro- and Peter Devlin, of Walden Macht & Haran tect the Black vote by keeping the northeast LLP, filed a lawsuit in New York County SuBronx with lower Westchester together. preme Court of Manhattan on behalf of New

Breast-feeding In March 2014, Bed Stuy (former) City Council Member Robert Cornegy opened a Lactation Station in his suave office in Restoration Plaza. The father of six, including twins, Cornegy told the AmNews then, “I just thought about the experience my wife, Michelle, encountered when she had to nurse our boys, and while a mother is able to nurse where and when she needs to—and she should—I was excited to be able to provide a safe and secure room where mothers can come in off the street and feed their babies.” Cornegy said his community lactation station was created to facilitate and promote breastfeeding for working mothers and Central Brooklyn residents. “Breastfeeding reduces a mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Breastfeeding also reduces an infant’s risk of ear, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and asthma, and promotes maternal bonding and optimal growth and development.” Current 36th District City Council Member Chi A. Ossé, 24, said that the Lactation Station is still fully functional. “Breastfeeding can be a moment of vulnerability in many conditions, especially cold weather. Further, many mothers seek privacy while breastfeeding, which can be difficult to find while out in public. Our office exists to serve our neighbors in many capacities, ranging from food distribution to housing assistance. One of the capacities in which we can be of service is to provide mothers with this particular sanctuary, as well as cold storage for milk.” “I breastfed all of my three children—two daughters and a son. I saw my mom breastfeed my youngest sister, and I always knew breastfeeding is best because whatever immunity you had, you pass it on to the child,” said attorney Casilda E. Roper-Simpson, a mother of three, and grandmother of five “with one on the way.” She reminisced, “It was not just about convenience, because yes, I didn’t have to get up and make a bottle. My husband would get the baby,

(Pexels / Brianna Lisa photo)

Continued from page 6

and I would just feed the baby.” There are the known positive side effects of breastfeeding too, the lawyer added. “The tightening of the uterus is another plus. It helps the body get back into shape after carrying a child in your body for almost a year.” With full transparency, she also said, “Initially I was frustrated by the process. I didn’t know if I was doing it right—nothing was coming out. My mom told me how to comb my breast, and so I did. There was so much milk I could feed all the children in the country.” A thought suddenly crossed her mind when she told the Amsterdam News, “Black women used to be used as wet nurses for the enslavers’ children. They weren’t pushing alternative milks then.” Proud of her own grown-up family, with a second generation in the making, happily she said, “You bond as your baby looks at you. How much closer can you get? If you can’t produce milk, it is understood, then you have to explore other options.” Expensive formula in the 1990s also took the option off of the table for her, Roper-Simpson noted. “I couldn’t afford it with my first daughter. Back then I think it was about $20. We couldn’t afford it. I was a young secretary temping, and

my husband worked at an alarm company. We always had Carnation milk, but they said don’t make anything at home. But, I thought ‘Why not?’ Back then we had Carnation milk and cornmeal pap.” “When I took my daughter off the breastmilk and tried to give her formula, she had a reaction to it, and they put her on soy. They wanted to look at her gastrointestinal system, but she was actually just allergic to the formula.” “I nursed both my sons, but near the end I stopped with my youngest because he had an issue with swallowing. But, I used natural alternatives—rice milk, almond milk—but never cow’s milk. I soak almonds and blend them. These so called trendy alternative milks are usually junk,” said Joan Lorraine, cosmetologist, esthetician, body and skin-care specialist. “Breastfeeding is so much better. It helps the womb heal, and helps the woman’s body heal. I don’t understand why wouldn’t want to, unless you can’t. Yes, it’s painful, at first. But, what isn’t.” Maxine was a 20-something mother of a newborn boy and girl. “What do I do?” she cried almost in despair. Luckily, she was surrounded by her mom and a great circle of girlfriends. “Feed your beautiful twins,” they said. “You have all you need right with you!” There was gentle coaxing, sharing of experience and information, and the nursing mom overcame her initial fear and concern, and was breastfeeding like a champion within days. Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman told the Amsterdam News, “There are Lactation Stations in all municipal buildings, so if you’re doing business with the city or state. But we are not doing any education on why it is important for baby’s and women’s health.” Member of the Task Force on Women’s Issues, Legislative Women’s Caucus, Task Force on Women’s Issues, the Committee on Agriculture, and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus, among others, Zinerman said, “I have all these intergenerational conversations, with grandmothers and mother, where we talk about theme not trying to shame their daughters in their choices.”

York gubernatorial candidate Paul Nichols, former State Senate candidate Gary Greenberg and New York Young Republican Club President Gavin Wax. The group is asking the court to invalidate New York State Assembly voting district lines. They called the currently drawn districts a violation of the New York State constitution. “For too long political leaders have placed their interests before the people they are entrusted to serve,” stated Nichols. “This important action today is a critical step forward in the battle to rebuild the lost trust in government. Fairness, participation, inclusion, and following the law should be the bedrock of our democracy in the State of New York.” “A fundamental part of democracy is fair elections,” added Greenberg. “The New York State legislature and governor willfully implemented redistricting maps that did not meet the requirements of the New York state constitution. The voters deserve constitutionally correct legislative districts and candidates gaining signatures in the correct districts.” Saying that she herself gave her daughter formula, after nursing for some weeks. “ I had trouble for a bit, and I didn’t have the wraparound support. It is my one regret as a parent.” Women approach pregnancy, birth, and rearing children differently. Zinerman said, “We need more public awareness. Our health department should be compelled to have ongoing health and wellness programs in our state. “We are also pushing for more insurance for women who request midwifery and doula services.” She spoke on what she called the “generational and cultural differences. My mother used Carnation milk in the ’60s. Then there was this new forward movement where they pushed formula, saying that that is what women should feed their babies, because it was more professional, and it signified upward mobility if they didn’t breastfeed. But, they ended up losing money because of the cost of formula. “It needs to be part of the curriculum in schools. We should talk about the first food when talking about food they should be eating. The nutrients in breast milk are superior to any other type of milk. There are no artificial additives, or food coloring, or anything. We are the only mammals who use other mammals to feed their offspring.” There are lots of practical issues as to why nursing should get mainstream focus, Zinerman said. “Also, when cost becomes an issue, a woman may go to the dollar discount store, and end up buying expired formula, and unknowingly introduce other illnesses and allergies to their baby. And we need to get our men involved in this conversation too, because they need to understand that the aesthetic some of them say they prefer can affect the decision a woman may make about feeding their newborn.” For more information: https://coursehorse.com/nyc/classes/lifeskills/parenting/breastfeeding https://freeformula.exchange/

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS S P O R T S

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 37

NY native Chevonne Mansfield makes a big move to Howard By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Ch e vonne Ma n s f i e ld ha s move d mu ltip le ti m e s f o r h e r ca re er, bu t Ne w Yo rk e n e rg y w i l l a lways b e a d r i vi ng f o rc e. B o rn and ra i s e d o n L o ng Island, the St. Jo h n ’s Un i versit y graduate i s n ow ba s e d i n Wa sh ing ton, D. C . , si n ce b e c om ing the e xe cu ti ve s e n io r a ss o c iate ath le ti cs d i re cto r a n d s enior w o m e n ’s a d m i n istrator at Howard University in Ma rch. No stra ng e r to HB CU cu l ture—Mans f i e ld ea r n e d h er maste r ’s d e g re e at Un ive rsit y of Ma r yla n d E a ste r n Sh ore—s he is th r i vi ng i n h e r n e w env ironme nt. “ I have a l o t o f love fo r Howard; I pre vi ou sly sp e nt th re e years he re,” sa i d Ma nsfi el d, w ho sta r te d h e r ca re e r in c ol le g iate ath le ti cs a s a n a ssist a nt sp o r ts i n f o r mati o n d ire c to r at Howa rd . “ Fo r me, th i s is like com i ng f u ll ci rcl e. It ’s a return to h o m e. “ For my t raj e cto r y, th i s is a nothe r ste p towa rd s my ca re er g oals, wh i ch a re to

b e i n at hl e t i c a d m i nistra t i o n sup p o r t i ng stud e nt-ath l e te s a n d he l p i ng to shap e a n d m o l d t he m,” she adde d. “ I l i ke w o rki ng o n a ca mpu s.” A f te r he r t hre e years at Howard (2007-’10), Mansfield w o rke d at t he S out hw estern At hl e t i c Co n f e re n c e ( a Divi si o n I c o n f e re n c e o f H B C Us), he l p i ng to re shap e p erc ep t i o n s o f t he S WAC . She th en w o rke d at t he S out heastern Co n f e re n c e b e f o re b e c o ming c o m mun i cat i o n s d i re c tor for t he A m e r i ca n At hl e t i c s Conf e re n c e a n d t he n t he L E A D1 A ss o c iat i o n ( at hl e t i c s dire c to rs) . W hi l e w o rki ng a s d e put y at hl e t i c s d i re c tor at Fl o r i da Me m o r ia l Un i versit y, she stepped in as inter im athl e t i c s d i re c to r f o r a l m o st t w o years. Ma n sf i e l d re ca l l s he r intro d uc t i o n to H B CU l i f e i n graduate school and sees the value o f stud e nt s s e e i ng p ro f ess ors w ho l o o k l i ke t he m a n d take a ve ste d i nte re st i n t he i r su cc e ss. She va l ue s b e i ng a rol e m o d e l f o r Howa rd Bi s o n stu d e nt-at hl e te s.

Chevonne Mansfield is thriving with the Howard Bison (Howard Athletics photo)

“ Rep res ent at io n really matters to me,” s he said . “ Throughout my care er, I didn ’ t have a lo t o f Black w o men to lo o k to in t hes e ro les. The st at s are out t here ab out t he low hir ing, at least in D iv isio n I out sid e o f HB CUs. There are n o t a lo t o f Black admin ist rato rs in t he head chair p o sit io n o r e ven s en io r st aff at mo st D iv isio n I s cho o ls. “ That ’s o n e o f t he rea s o n s I d e cid e d to co me back to Howard,” s he co nt inue d. “[At hlet ic ad min ist rat io n ] has always b e en d eman d ing, but t he chang es t he last few years w it h sp o r t s b ett ing, NI L an d ment al healt h, t he st akes are really high. B eing in t his ro le is imp o r t ant, an d I’ m ho p ing t hat can s how young Black w o men t hat t his is an o p p o r tun it y t hat you can pursue e ven if you co me fro m a n o n -t rad it io nal backgroun d. I wasn ’ t a stud entat hlete an d I d idn ’ t have any connections in college athletics. It was just hard w o rk. You can g et here if you want.”

Knight Commission addresses issues of gender and racial inequities By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

teams. The argument has been coming into the NCAA and the championships following the that the television media con- money being distributed out flagrant inequities at the 2021 tract for the Men’s Tournament consistent with principles of Tournaments. Each year, the NCAA “We’re in a world awards 28% of its where we know for annual revenue distria fact that given the bution, which comes popularity of womto more than $160 milen’s sports, there lion—based on Diviis real revenue that sion I men’s basketball can be obtained and teams’ wins and parachieved from womticipation in the NCAA en’s basketball and Division I Men’s Basprobably from some ketball Tournament. of the other womZero dollars are en’s sports as well,” awarded by the NCAA Kaplan said. “It’s for performance by unfortunate if not women’s basketball somewhat illogiteams in the Division cal the NCAA isn’t I Women’s Basketball taking full advantage Tournament. of that.” On Monday, the Next month marks Knight Commisthe 50th anniversary sion, an independent of Title IX, the fedgroup that advocates eral civil rights law Knight Commission panel (l-r) Dr. Nancy Zimpher, Len Elmore and Amy Perko (Knight for change that priorstating that any edCommission photo) itizes the health and ucation program rewellbeing of studentceiving federal funds athletes, called for the imple- is what funds the distribution. gender equity,” said Rober- cannot discriminate in allocamentation of a gender equity “As a matter of gender equity ta Kaplan, founding partner tion of those funds based on principle that would provide and frankly fairness, there of Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, gender. Kaplan said equitable equal rewards for the perfor- should be no connection what- which conducted an indepen- distribution and investment in mance of women’s and men’s soever between the money dent equity analysis of NCAA women’s sports will lead to true

gender equity. The Knight Commission also recommended a new racial equity standard to help close the graduation gap between white and Black student-athletes. It was noted that despite the Academic Performance Program too many colleges and universities with large racial gaps still qualify for academic awards. The recommendation is that to qualify for academic-based awards, institutions must demonstrate a racial gap of less than 25 percentage points and this be evaluated every three to four years with the ultimate goal of eliminating the gap and achieving racial equity in the graduation success rate. “Black college athletes are both the largest racial minority in Division I and the minority group with the largest negative graduation gap compared to the graduate rates of white athletes,” said Knight Commission member Len Elmore. “The NCAA should stop sending millions of dollars to schools that fail to close those gaps.”

38 • May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS S P O R T S

Liberty, still developing team chemistry, off to a 1–4 start By CHRISTOPHER PERSLEY and PEPPER PERSLEY Special to the AmNews

The Ne w Yo rk L i b e r t y ’s 9 2 - 65 loss to th e Co n n e ct icu t Sun on Tue s day n ig ht at th e Ba rclays Ce nte r wa s th e i r fou r t h straig ht d e f eat f o llowing a 8 1- 79 s ea s o n o p e n i ng victor y over the Sun on May 7. The start of the season was promising as the victor y e n d e d t h e L i b e r t y ’s n i n e game losing streak against the Sun. They were led by g u a r d S a b r i n a I o n e s c u ’s 2 5 points, six assists and four rebounds. “ I t ’s h u g e ,” s a i d I o n e s c u a f t e r t h e g a m e . “ We ’ v e been putting in the work t h i s e n t i r e o f f -s e a s o n . A l l o f us individually. As soon as training camp started, we had a goal in mind, a miss i o n , a n d s o i t ’s b e e n s u p e r nice to see it all come to frui t i o n i n t h e f i r s t g a m e .” The game was also notable as it marked the return of three Liberty players : Jocelyn Willoughby, who missed all of the 2021 WNBA season d u e t o i n j u r y ; A s i a D u r r, w h o

was back with the squad for the first time since 2019 after facing a long battle with C O V I D ; a n d t h e 6 - f o o t- 1 0 c e n t e r Ha n Xu f r o m C h i n a . Since that victor y over the Sun, the Liberty have struggled, losing in Chicago to the defending champion Sky, 83-50, dropping 92-86 in overtime to the rookie-lade n I n d i a n a Fe v e r, a n d f a l l i n g Sunday to the Dallas Wings 82-71. The Wings were led by Arike Ogunbowale, who scored 18 of her 21 points in the second half. The Suns then avenged their loss to the Liberty with a convinci n g v i c t o r y o n Tu e s d a y . After the loss to the Wings, L i b e r t y g u a rd B e t n i j a h L a n e y assessed what the team is d o i n g t o r e v e r s e t h e i r c u rr e n t t r e n d . “ Ju s t t r y i n g t o find things that we lacked and improve upon those. Ma k e s u re t h o s e a re t h e f o c u s w h e n w e ’ r e w a t c h i n g f i l m ,” she said. Stefanie Dolson, who joined the Liberty this o f f -s e a s o n a f t e r w i n n i n g a championship with the Sky and an Olympics gold medal as a member of the inaugural

w o m e n ’s 3 x 3 t e a m , o f f e r e d a veteran perspective. “ T h e r e ’s a l o t o f g a m e s l e f t , s o, h o n e s t l y , w e ’ r e j u s t g o i n g t o h a v e t o l e a r n ,” s a i d D o l s o n . “ We h a v e t o l e a r n what we can get better at, defensively get better at, and j u s t k e e p g r o w i n g a s a t e a m .” One bright spot during the losing streak has been the p l a y o f Ha n Xu , w h o s c o r e d 10 points against both the Sky and the Wings. Liberty g u a r d S a m i W h i t c o m b, w h e n a s k e d a b o u t Ha n ’s i m p a c t o n S u n d a y , s a i d , “S h e r e a l l y injected us with a lot of energy and just a punch that we really needed when we needed it. She was tremendous in that way. “ H o p e f u l l y ,” continued W h i t c o m b, “ w e c a n j u s t k e e p making her feel comfortable out there and keep finding her when she does come in, b e c a u s e o b v i o u s l y , s h e ’s a r e a l t h r e a t o u t t h e r e f o r u s .” The Liberty has seven days without games to regroup a n d re f o c u s. T h e t e a m b e g i n s a three-game road trip next Tu e s d a y a g a i n s t t h e M i n n e s o t a Ly n x .

After missing the Liberty’s season opener, veteran Betnijah Laney is back in the lineup (Photo courtesy of Getty Images/New York Liberty)

The ping pong balls slot the Knicks No. 11 at the NBA Draft Lottery By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Quentin Grimes, who was selected 25th in last year’s NBA Draft, was a solid performer for the Knicks in his rookie season (Bill Moore photo)

The NBA Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday. For longtime Knicks devotees, the annual event has been akin to hoping for a Christmas gift that is never placed under the tree. The odds of the Knicks getting the first pick entering the 2022 lottery was 2%. They had a 77.6% chance of landing 11th pick. Of course, the latter was the outcome. So now, Knicks president Leon Rose and his staff will have to decide if they will use the asset in a trade package to acquire an established impact player if one is available on the market—Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is the name most prominently referenced—or keep the pick with the optimistic outlook that whoever they draft at that spot will develop into a critical piece of a contending squad. Last season, rookies Quentin Grimes (25th) and center Jericho Sims (the 58th pick) emerged as rotation players who can potentially become mainstays of the lineup.

The Orlando Magic wound up with the top pick, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 2, the Houston Rockets No. 3, the Sacramento Kings No. 4 and the Detroit Pistons rounding out the top 5. The Knick haven’t had the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft since 1985, when they selected Patrick Ewing. In 2019, when they finished the regular season with the league’s worst record at 17-65, Knicks fans were certain the team was eternally cursed after the ping pong balls awarded the New Orleans Pelicans the first pick and the Memphis Grizzlies the second. Both had ended the 33-49, 16 games better than the Knicks, who wound up in the third spot. The Knicks drafted R.J. Barrett, who has shown promise, but the two players selected ahead of him have displayed superstar ability. When healthy, Zion Williamson, taken No. 1 by the Pelicans, has been a ferocious force. His critics will point out that the 6-foot-6 Williamson has only played in 85 games in the three seasons. But the 21-year-

old’s 25.7 points per game average on 60% shooting suggest he’s a budding franchise player with maintaining good health as the disclaimer. Williamson missed all of this season with a foot injury. Ja Morant is already one the NBA’s best players. His dazzling regular season play in which he averaged 27.4 points per game, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds was exceeded by a remarkable playoff run as the 6-foot-3 point guard posted numbers of 27 points, 9.8 assists and 8 rebounds over 9 games. It will be a consequential summer for Rose and the Knicks. The team finished 37-45 for 11th place in the Eastern Conference and a non-playoff campaign. They can improve through freeagency and likely will make a strong run at current Dallas Mavericks point guard Jalen Brunson, who will be an unrestricted free-agent. Yet acquiring a star player, a singular talent who will be the foundation on which to build a sustained contender, should be the primary objective.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS S P O R T S

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 39

Yankees’ stellar pitching helps keep them at the top of MLB By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

Yankees starter Nestor Cortes has been outstanding this season going 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 49 strikeouts in seven starts ahead of tomorrow’s outing against the Chicago White Sox (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia (DR. Buddie CC BY-SA 4.0))

T h e Ya n k e e s ’ s c o r c h ing start to the season doesn’t seem as if it will tail off just yet. They had the best record in baseball at 26-9 and led the American League East heading into Tu e s d ay n i g h t ’s g a m e o n t h e r o a d against the Baltimore Orioles, the last place team in division at 14-22 b e f o r e Tu e s d a y ’s m a t c h up. Playing the Baltimore Orioles four times this w e e k h a s g i v e n t h e Ya n kees a prime opportunity to add more wins. Immediately before the Orioles series, the Ya n k s t o o k t h r e e o u t o f four games on the road against the Chicago White Sox fueled by a potent offense. They scored a total of 33 runs in four games

versus the Sox and began the Orioles series putting up six in a win (6-2) o n M o n d a y . T h e Ya n k e e s pitching has been even more impressive. Lefty Nestor Cortes has been as good as any starter in baseball, going 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 49 strikeouts in seven starts. Starter Luis Severino (3-0) set the tone to open the week by giving up just one run and one hit with seven strikeouts in six innings to e a r n M o n d a y ’s v i c t o r y . “The first two games, they were just better than u s ,” s a i d W h i t e S o x c e n t e r fielder Luis Robert last Saturday through an interpreter after his single o f f Ya n k e e s r e l i e v e r A r o l dis Chapman drove home the winning run in the ninth inning giving Chic a g o a 3 - 2 w i n . T h e Ya n kees hammered the White

Sox in the previous two games, scoring 15 runs last Thursday (15-7) and 10 the next night (10-4). “But today, we came prepared and were able to execute and then we got on t o p ,” a d d e d R o b e r t . T h e Ya n k e e s w i l l p l a y their 38th game of the season this afternoon with Jordan Montgomery as the scheduled starter t o c o n c l u d e t h e f ou r- ga m e series with the Orioles. They will return home to host the White Sox f o r t h re e ga m e s to m o rrow through Sunday, then face the Orioles for three games Monday through We d n e s day . In addition to being the best team in the win c o l u m n , t h e Ya n k s a r e a l s o t h e h a rd e s t w o r king. Their last day off was May 7 and their next day off is May 30.

The Mets maintain consistency and their lead in the NL East By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor Th e Me ts h o ste d th e St. L ouis Cardina ls f o r a d ou bl e header on Tuesday after Monday’s game wa s ra i n e d ou t. Th e y have b e e n a m o ng th e b e st teams in Maj o r L eagu e Bas eball since w i n n i ng n i n e o f t h eir first 1 2 ga m e s. Af te r sp l i tt ing Tues day’s s e t o f ga m es, taking th e o p e n e r 3-1 a nd dropping th e n ig htcap 4 - 3, t h e Me ts w e re 2 4 - 1 4 , si x ga m es ahead o f th e s e co n d p la ce Miam i Ma rli n s. T h e y h a d a c e Ma x S c h e r z e r, w h o w a s 4 - 1 w i t h a 2 . 6 6 ERA , 0.91 whip and 55 strikeou t s, s t a r t i ng l a s t n ig ht i n t h e t h i rd g a m e o f t h e f o u r- g a m e s e r i e s at C i t i Fi e l d i n Qu e e n s. T h e f u t u re Ha l l o f Fa m e r h a s been as advertised, coming t o t h e Me t s a s a f re e - a g e n t i n Nov e m b e r. C h r i s B a s s i t t , w h o i s a l s o h av i n g a n o t e w o r t hy f i r s t s e a s o n w i t h t h e

Me t s a f t e r c o m i n g t o t h e m i n a t ra d e w i t h t h e Oa k l a n d At h l e t i c s i n Ma rc h, w i l l b e o n t h e mound this afternoon in the s e r i e s f i n a l e. Bassitt, who was the A’s No. 1 starter, is 4-2 and carries a strong 2.34 ERA in seven starts. The Mets’ bats haven’t been as productive or efficient as the pitching. They scored an average 3.5 runs per game over their previous eight games prior to last night, going 4-4 during that stretch. The backend loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday was an example of the Mets not pushing across vital runs when the opportunity was presented. Mets second baseman Luis Guillorme and pinch hitter Dominic Smith had one-out singles in the ninth inning, putting their teammates in a favorable position to push across the tying and or winning runs. But Cardinals closer Giovanny Gallegos struck out Mark Canha

and Francisco Lindor to end the Mets’ threat. Lindor went 0-3 with two walks and was hitting just .228 with a middling on-base percentage of .315 before facing the Cardinals last night. The four-time All-Star shortstop, who was acquired by the Mets in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians in January of 2021 and then signed to a franchise record 10-year, $341 million deal three months later, had an underachieving debut season with his new team, hitting an uncharacteristically low .230 in 452 at-bats. His power production was also lacking as Lindor had only 20 homers and 63 RBI. The Mets will begin a sixgame road trip tomorrow, playing three against the Colorado Rockies before a three-game series versus the San Francisco Giants.

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is off to a slow start at the plate, batting just .228 with an OBP of .315 before facing the St. Louis Cardinals last night at Citi Field (Wikipedia photo (All-Pro Reels))

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

May 19, 2022 - May 25, 2022 • 40

Sports AM NEWS With a chip on their shoulders, the Heat send a message to the Celtics 04/07/22 01154

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Leading up to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night, the Miami Heat were being relegated by many in the wide basketball orbit as an afterthought. Most of the conversation regarding the series was centered around the Boston Celtics and their superb young forward Jason Tatum, 24, who had elevated himself from the dimension of star to superstardom over a seven game period by carrying his team to a 4-3 series win over the 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in their conference semifinal matchup. The Heat and especially their six-time All Star Jimmy Butler rightly had a chip on their shoulders. They concluded the

The Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro, the 2022 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and the ultra-talented Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown, both had standout performances in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals (Bill Moore photo)

regular season as the East’s top seed above the No. 2 seed Celtics, posting a record of 53-29, then dismissing the Atlanta Hawks 4-1 and Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 in the first round and Eastern Conference semifinals respectiveAM NEWS ly to reach the conference finals. Furthermore, Butler 04/14/22 had played like a top 10 NBA player in both series, a status in which he is rarely considered by a majority of media talking heads and fans. So his 41-point virtuoso display in Game 1, leading the Heat to a 118-107 over AMwin NEWS the Celtics, was a message sent: Butler and 04/21/22 the Heat are indisputably for real. “I think I speak for my teammates and the Miami Heat organization,” said Butler following his third game of 40 points or more this postseason, “…I

AM NEWS 04/28/22

AM NE 04/07/ 7 don’t0do this to score 40 points. I play the way 74470 22784 that I play to win. “By all means necessary and it just so happens that I scored 40. But if I scored 40 and we lose I’d be really pissed off.” Butler’s high point output was needed, even on a night the Celtics played without starting center Al Horford (health and safety protocols) and starting point guard Marcus01164 Smart (right AM NE foot sprain). Yet he did much more than put 04/14/ 0 7 the ball in the basket. 74470 22784 The 32-year-old Butler authored a complete game on a night the Heat fell behind by 62-54 at home by halftime. The five-time All NBA Defensive Second Team selection was locked in guarding on all three levels, including a highlight block of a Tatum jump shot from the left corner, one of his01174 three blocks to go along with four steals. He also addedAM nine NE rebounds to his stat line. 7 04/21/ 0 Tatum 74470 paced 22784 the Celtics with 29 and Jaylen Brown had 24. NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro contributed 18 for the Heat off the bench. Game 2 is tonight in Miami, with Games 3 and 4 in Boston Saturday and Monday. 01184

The Warriors and Mavericks bring star power to the Western Conference Finals By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the Amnews The Western Conference Finals began last night in San Francisco as the No. 3 seed Golden State Warriors hosted the No. 4 seed Dallas Mavericks in a best-of-seven series. Golden State’s 34-year-old Stephen Curry, a two-time league MVP and threetime champion, and the Mavericks’ 23-year-old Luka Doncic, who is rising on the list of the game’s best players, bring star power to a series in which the winner advances to the Finals. The Warriors and Mavericks met four times during the regular season with the Mavs taking three. Game 2 of the West finals will be tomorrow in San Francisco, and Games 3 and 4 will take place in Dallas Sunday and next Tuesday. The Warriors got past the talented but young No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies 4-2 as the Grizzlies were without their spectacular point guard Ja Morant for Games 5 and 6. Before suffering a bone bruise in his right knee late in Game 4, the Warriors were unable to contain Morant. They’re likely to have the same issues with Doncic, who dominated

AM NEWS 05/05/22

AM NEWS 05/12/22

AM NEWS 05/19/22 The Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic are key figures in their respective team’s hunt for the Western Conference title. (Bill Moore photos)

AM NE 04/28/ 74470 22784 the Phoenix Suns, including scoring 27 points in the first half of a shocking 123-90 Game 7 victory on Sunday over the West’s No. 1 seed. The home crowd was stunned as they watched their team fall behind by as much as 46 points to the Mavericks. The Mavs win was a disappointing ending for the Suns, who had the 01194at 64-18. NBA’s best regular season record AM NE They led the series 2-0 before the Mavericks 05/05/ 0 7 forced Game 7 in 22784 Phoenix. 74470 “I’m really happy. You can’t get this smile off of my face right now,” said Doncic after the game. He finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds, and controlled the pace of the series. Dallas also received solid scoring from former Brooklyn Net Spencer Dinwiddie, who added 30 points on 5-7 shooting on three-point attempts. 01204 Jalen Brunson, who will be an unrestricted freeAM NE agent this summer, contributed 24. 05/12/ The0Warriors looking 7to move on to their 74470are22784 sixth finals appearance in the last eight seasons while the Mavs are chasing their first since defeating the Miami Heat in 2006. 0

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