New York Amsterdam News Issue #11 March 16-22, 2023

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INDEX

Arts & Entertainment Page 17

» Astro Page 20

» Food Page 22

» Jazz Page 24

Caribbean Update .........................Page 14

Classified Page 32

Editorial/Opinion Pages 12,13

Education Page 28

Go with the Flo Page 8

Health Page 16

In the Classroom Page 26

Nightlife Page 9

Religion & Spirituality Page 30

Sports Page 40

Union Matters Page 10

International News

WITH COLONIALIST TONE, U.S. ANNOUNCES SHAKEUP OF AMBASSADORS HEADED FOR AFRICA

(GIN)—In the wake of the contentious election exercise in Nigeria, now facing court challenges by at least two of the parties unsuccessful at the polls, U.S. President Joe Biden has named new U.S. ambassadors to four African nations where troubles also abound.

The four countries are on the radar of the new U.S. Africa strategy.

The new appointees were introduced by Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), one of the U.S. senators whose offices were heavily damaged by rioters in the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol.

In response to the nomination of Pamela M. Tremont as U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, Risch said he was “appalled by the continued abuses of power, excessive corruption, and horrific human rights record under Zimbabwe’s leadership. These not only inhibit the U.S.-Zimbabwe relationship, but also deprive the region of benefitting from a prosperous Zimbabwe.”

“With elections expected this summer, we already see the Zimbabwean regime taking the country down a dark and familiar path of electoral violence, repression, and impunity.”

Tremont, from Virginia, has 30 years of experience in foreign services. She will arrive in Zimbabwe before that country’s general elections, which she said was an opportunity to “deliver on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s yet-tobe-realized commitment to hold a peaceful and democratic electoral process.”

Risch said that Eric W. Kneedler as ambassador to Rwanda, where the U.S. has critical priorities, will have an important job and that Rwanda can be either a constructive partner or an unhelpful constraint. He cited the regional conflict in Eastern Congo and the re-engagement of M23 and other rebel groups; the Rwandan government’s detention of U.S. permanent resident and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Paul Rusesabagina; and Rwanda’s role in helping to stabilize northern Mozambique and the Central African Republic.

“I am keen to hear how Mr. Kneedler will confront these challenges while shaping a U.S. policy in Rwanda that requires greater clarity and direction,” Risch said.

On the nomination of Kathleen A. FitzGibbon as ambassador to Niger, it was noted that Niger is central in the U.S. fight against terrorism. Having worked in Nigeria, Chad, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Gabon, FitzGibbon has a wealth of experience in counterterrorism.

“I look forward to hearing how Ms. Fitzgibbon will support the U.S.-Niger security relationship while being a visible proponent for developing resilient, democratic institutions in Niger,” Risch said.

Finally, on the nomination of Richard Mills of Georgia as ambassador to Nigeria, Risch observed that recent elections in Nigeria still showed many of the technical and institutional challenges that plagued previous polls.

“The new government will be faced with many challenges,” Risch said, “such as how to beat back the threat from ISIS, Boko Haram, and other

criminal elements in Nigeria; how to reduce intra-communal strife in the country that has claimed the lives of far too many Nigerian Muslims and Christians; and how to harness Nigeria’s vast oil wealth to improve the lives of its citizens.

“It is critical that Nigeria find a path forward that serves the will of the Nigerian people,” he said.

While Risch called the elections “deeply flawed,” the U.S. was the first to congratulate President-elect Bola Tinubu on Wednesday.

“Lastly, the human rights record of Nigeria’s military gives us pause about how we provide the country with much-needed security assistance,” said Risch. “Nigeria’s partnership with the U.S. must include lasting solutions to seemingly unending human rights abuses. I look forward to hearing how Mr. Mills plans to approach these issues.”

violence, saying it only sought to ensure “laws of the land are respected to avoid spreading chaos.”

According to Lawyers Without Borders, an advocacy group, approximately 800 sub-Saharan Africans have been arrested. Others have been evicted from homes they had rented, or have lost their jobs.

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS SUFFERS BODY BLOW IN SENEGAL

(GIN)—A campaign targeting Black migrants in the north African nation of Tunisia has escalated with misleading videos on social media. The African Union has responded by cancelling a major conference on illicit financial flows that was due to take place in in Tunisia this month.

The misleading videos repeated remarks by President Kais Saied, who called migration a “plot” to change the African country’s profile from Black to Arab, but according to Reality Check and BBC Monitoring, nearly all the videos that claim to show African migrants in Tunisia were actually filmed elsewhere: While the video purports to be filmed in Tunisia, a Senegalese flag can be seen and the language heard is Wolof, a Senegalese language.

One of the videos, which has had millions of views, reads in Arabic: “Tunisia under occupation.” Another says, “Tunisia has become the kingdom of Africans.”

There are an estimated 20,000 sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia, which has a population of 12 million.

Tunisian rights researcher Kenza ben Azouz told the BBC: “This is not a matter of legality or illegality. It’s about being Black in this country.” Black Tunisians, who make up around 10–15% of the country’s population, suffer discrimination because of the color of their skin, she said.

Hundreds of people have protested In Tunis to denounce Saied’s speech, accusing him of racist comments against refugees, while Ivory Coast, Mali, and Guinea have begun repatriating their citizens from Tunisia.

Tunisia has rejected responsibility for the racial

(GIN)—Journalism is in trouble in Senegal.

On March 3, a reporter with the news service Walf TV was detained and then charged with six crimes, including “spreading false news,” after reporting on the questionable prosecution of an opposition politician.

The legal columnist, Pape Ndiaye, was arrested based on his exposé of politician and opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who was accused of rape.

According to Ndiaye’s attorney, Moussa Sarr, the alleged victim never filed a complaint against Sonko and the case was being pursued at the discretion of a government prosecutor. Ndiaye had alleged in the broadcast that all 19 deputy prosecutors in Dakar were in favor of dismissing the case. However, it was the wish of President Macky Sall that the case be sent for criminal prosecution.

Angela Quintal, Africa program coordinator with the New York-based the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), urged Senegalese authorities to release Ndiaye immediately, cease jailing members of the press for their work, and reform the country’s laws to ensure they cannot be used to criminalize journalism.

“The jailing of journalists has thrown into serious doubt Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa,” said Quintal.

The six charges filed against Ndiaye were provoking a crowd, contempt of court, intimidation and reprisals against members of the judiciary, speech discrediting a judicial act, spreading fake news, and endangering the lives of others, the journalist’s lawyer told CPJ.

In November 2022, another journalist, Pape Alé Niang, head of the news website Dakar Matin, was arrested and charged with “divulging information likely to harm national defense” in the same case.

At the request of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 78 African journalists and press freedom organizations signed a letter asking for the release of editor Niang and to respect the country’s constitution, which enshrines press freedom.

In the letter, titled “Pape Alé Niang Has No

RACIST ATTACKS AND ‘FAKE FACTS’ ON VIDEOS SPARK AFRICAN MIGRANT FLIGHT FROM TUNISIA

(GIN photo)

(GIN photo)

Deeper dive into NYC Comptroller’s “people-powered”

NYCHA audits

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

For the NYC Comptroller’s Office, nobody puts authority in the housing authority quite like those living in one of its 335 developments. Last week, the Amsterdam News reported that residents led the selection process of two generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS) audits on the NYCHA through a citywide survey and a steering committee. Ultimately, they picked probes looking into repair processes and evictions under the new Section 8-based Rental Assistance Demonstration/Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (RAD/PACT) program.

“As we’ve listened to hundreds of NYCHA residents at Family Days, structured roundtables, and informal discussions this summer, it’s been agonizing to hear the level of frustration, distrust, and appall-

ing conditions they endure,” said Comptroller Brad Lander in December. “The challenges NYCHA faces are large, and both the costs of repair and the need for management reform can seem overwhelming. But by making sure we include residents in the conversation, we can bring transparency to the process and take meaningful, achievable steps to restoring basic services, safety, and trust.”

So what’s concerning residents? Suggestions for repair audits led the way on the office’s survey, with concerns about elevator maintenance, scaffolding, and mold as some prevalent issues. Deputy Comptroller for Audits Maura Hayes-Chaffe told the Amsterdam News that another audit looking into repair tickets was offered, but ultimately, the one on how contractors are chosen and the standards their work is held to was chosen. Roughly 12 audit ideas were presented, with proposals centered around sanitation and safety.

Metro Briefs

She added that the second audit over PACT program evictions is largely driven by resident distrust. Hayes-Chaffe said the housing authority’s federal monitor, as well as the false-positive arsenic tests on drinking water at the Lower East Side’s Jacob Riis Houses last year, as sources of skepticism.

“It’s fair to say that residents overall find it very difficult to believe NYCHA,” she said. “There has been a very big push to do RAD/PACT as an alternative. From the city perspective, it’s driven by a desire to bring in new funding streams. But from the residents’ perspective, it’s a very big change.”

The two audits are quite intertwined. NYCHA estimates a $40 billion tab to fully renovate its developments and see Section 8, which opens the door to private developers and management, as a pathway to funding the much-needed repairs. But a move away from Section

Ousting of Crown Heights 'model tenant,' raises 'Good Cause' eviction questions

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Crown Heights resident Darrell Stone needs a new place to live for the first time in more than 15 years at the end of this month because he was served an eviction notice from his long-term, garden-level apartment last October over an unrenewed lease and a debt of $1,284. Stone claims he never owed the money and says he’s facing homelessness if he can’t find a new apartment soon.

“I really don’t want to go to the shelter, but if I have to I will,” he said. “I’m 59 years old, I can’t worry about it too much. I’m an older guy and I can’t live on the streets. I’m just trying to find a place to enjoy the golden years of my life.”

But such a place isn’t easy to find. Stone fired off multiple applications, including one to the NYC Housing Connect lottery, with no luck so far. He’s not looking for much, either, although he needs to live close to public transit—Stone works as a pasta chef in Lincoln Square and has to transfer to the 1 train to get work.

The fight for greater transit equity

By ARIAMA C. LONG

Amsterdam News Staff Report for America Corps Member

Transit advocates and riders gathered this week to call on Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature to fully fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in state budget proposals. They said more frequent service and shorter wait times are the best ways to achieve transit equity.

Millions of commuters depend on trains and buses as their primary method of transportation for daily commutes. Rehabilitating the

MTA to serve them, especially since the devastating effects of the pandemic, has been a hot topic.

“From the Financial District to Far Rockaway, New Yorkers deserve a public transit system that works for everyone,” said Councilmember Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, who chairs the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“We call on the state to provide the MTA the short- and long-term funding to ensure frequent, reliable service citywide, including to underserved outer borough communities. Reliable and timely service is critical as we work to restore and build the confidence for the in-person workforce.”

When asked if he would like to shorten his commute by living in Manhattan, he answered an enthusiastic “yes,” but he hasn’t bothered looking there. Last month, Borough President Mark Levine found the average rent in Manhattan was $5,142 a month. Stone currently pays $1,200.

Lawyers for Stone’s landlord, Ricky Muhammad, did not wish to comment.

Stone’s plight is now central to the Legal Aid Society’s efforts in championing a 2019 “Good Cause” eviction bill the organization contributed to.

on page 27

A #6MinuteService goal

Danny Pearlstein, director of policy and communications at Riders Alliance, has long advocated for the #6minuteservice goal, meaning that the first issue is for trains and buses to run more frequently and on time. A greater proportion of commuters still has to deal with infrequent service because of shifts in work patterns and many people still working from home, Pearlstein said.

“The governor’s budget proposes maintaining existing service levels by keeping the MTA afloat as federal pandemic aid runs

Tyler Perry to receive award from Rev. Al Sharpton

Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), will honor actor and producer Tyler Perry with NAN’s President’s Award at the Keepers of the Dream Awards this year on April 12.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Tyler stepped in to help those in need, including purchasing groceries for the elderly in Georgia and Louisiana, and grocery store gift cards for police to hand out to Atlanta communities in need; donating $100,000 to the legal defense fund of Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker; paying for funeral expenses for Rayshard Brooks and Secoriea Turner, a young girl killed in Atlanta; and covering travel expenses for George Floyd’s family to attend his funeral services. The assistance he showed toward the Floyd family represents his unwavering support for NAN that began nearly 20 years ago, when he marched in Louisiana for the Jena Six. Keepers of the Dream is held on the first night of the annual NAN Convention, which will be held in New York City from April 12 through April 15 this year. The awards are given each year to mark the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. by recognizing those who have kept his dream alive by using their platforms and positions to improve civil rights. Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and NAN Chairman Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson will present Perry with this year’s award.

NYCHA rent bailout proposed for state budget, with $466 million owed

Albany lawmakers are looking to throw the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) a lifeline this week, proposing to add millions of dollars to the state budget to give public housing tenants the same financial aid as struggling private-sector renters got during the pandemic.

Under its version of the federally supported Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), the state paid off millions of dollars in rent arrears for private-sector tenants who stopped paying their rent during the COVID crisis.

But state lawmakers and then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo specifically placed public housing tenants at the back of the line for ERAP assistance, and the funds are set to run out—with NYCHA and other public housing authorities throughout the state having received not a dime of aid. More than 70,000 NYCHA tenants now owe a total of $466 million in back rent, an unprecedented gap that the authority said is forcing it to dip into the reserve fund and is threatening its ability to complete major upgrades to its aging buildings.

Plans for NYC rail link to LaGuardia Airport now abandoned

Plans were abandoned Monday for a rail link that would have connected LaGuardia Airport to New York City’s subway and commuter rail system, after intense criticism about its $2.4 billion-plus price tag and the potential effects on surrounding neighborhoods.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul accepted the recommendations made by a panel of transportation experts who determined it would be more feasible in the near term to increase bus service and add a shuttle. Hochul’s action effectively means that LaGuardi —in the borough of Queens, across the East River from Manhattan—will remain among the major U.S. airports without rail service.

In 2015, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed the 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometer) elevated link, similar to one serving John F. Kennedy International Airport elsewhere in Queens. The link was envisioned to serve air travelers who currently rely on taxis and car services, and was originally estimated to cost $450 million.

-Compiled by CYRIL JOSH BARKER

Biden on gun control and Carter’s eulogy

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

While addressing a crowd during a fundraiser at Rancho Santa Fe, California, President Biden may have divulged information inadvertently: that he had been asked by former President Jimmy Carter to deliver the eulogy at his funeral services.

Biden said he had spent time with Carter, now under hospice care, “and it’s finally caught up with him, but they found a way to keep him going for a lot longer than they anticipated because they found a breakthrough.”

Biden said that Carter “asked me to do his eulogy” and before he caught the words, he realized, “I shouldn’t say that.”

Carter has been under hospice care

since last month, having been diagnosed with a form of metastatic melanoma that has spread to his brain. This was discovered while he was undergoing surgery on his liver. The 39th president was also suffering from other ailments.

There was nothing inadvertent about Biden’s announcement about gun control, a measure he has been drumming relentlessly. On Tuesday in Monterey Park, California, Biden explicitly announced an executive order to stoke measures to curb violence resulting from gun shootings. “It’s just common sense,” he said to an audience, where a mass shooting there in January left 11 casualties.

“Today,” Biden declared, “I’m announcing another executive order that will accelerate and intensify this work to save lives.” Included at the event were

family members who had lost loved ones in the incident. He also said he would be pushing for stronger background checks on those seeking to purchase weapons.

For many Americans, Biden’s words were a familiar refrain and it will be all the more challenging to get the measure through a divided Congress.

As we go to press, it was reported that a Russian jet had collided with a U.S. drone over the Black Sea. It’s a developing story that multiplies the chances of a clash between Russia and the U.S. Several accounts suggest it was only a pilot’s mistake and that the drone was not targeted, although one report said the Russian plane forced the drone down after it had been damaged in the collision.

Signature, SVB failures lead to new look at banking services

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The first lawsuits over the demise of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) were filed as early as Monday, March 13.

The Associated Press reported that the lawsuit is against the banks’ holding company, SVB Financial Group, its CEO Greg Becker, and CFO Daniel Beck. The suit claims some quarterly and annual financial reports from SVB didn’t fully account for warnings from the Federal Reserve about interest rate hikes, the AP said. That has been the main accusation against SVB: that the banks’ directors made faulty financial decisions that put the bank in jeopardy.

SVB’s demise began on Wednesday, March 8, when the bank announced that because it was short on cash, it planned to sell its long-term U.S. government bonds at a $1.8 billion loss. But it expected to regain financial health by issuing new common and convertible preferred shared to raise $2.25 billion

SVB depositors had little faith that the bank could succeed with this plan and began withdrawing their deposits immediately. Shareholders also lost confidence in the company, and stock in SVB Financial Group fell first 60% on Thursday, and another 60% in premarket trading on Friday, March 10, before activity was halted.

After depositors at New York-based Signature Bank also began withdrawing funds from their accounts on March 10, leading to Signature Bank being ordered to close by the New York State Department of Financial

Services on March 12, venture capitalists and financial investors pressured the federal government to do something to help ease the worries on Wall Street. President Biden addressed the collapse by stating that he would ask Congress and banking regulators to strengthen the rules for banks and make it less likely for this kind of bank failure to happen again.

a special assessment on banks, as required by law,” the FDIC said in a statement.

The takeovers of Signature Bank and SVB are the two largest bank failures in the U.S. since the last major financial crisis, when Washington Mutual Bank was taken into receivership by federal regulators on Sept. 26, 2008. The closing of Washington Mutual still serves as the largest bank failure in U.S. history.

NJ rep announces $1.1 million-plus to tackle racial disparities in maternal health

The Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, a state-licensed health consortium that supports maternal and newborn care in South Jersey, has received a $1,144,121 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to an announcement from Representative Donald Norcross (NJ-01). This funding will help the organization address and eliminate racial disparities in maternal health among Black and Latina women.

“I’m pleased to see more federal dollars go toward saving lives and cutting down on the racial gaps in maternal health,” said Norcross. “Improving health outcomes for expecting mothers—especially among Black and Latina women in New Jersey—requires a concentrated effort, and the good people at Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative are well-positioned to continue that work. As a husband, as a father, and as a member of Congress, I remain committed to improving maternal health.”

Last year, New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy highlighted investments made in maternal and infant health initiatives in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) budget. Murphy’s initiative, Nurture NJ, aims to reduce New Jersey’s maternal mortality by 50 percent over five years and eliminate racial disparities in birth outcomes. Since its inception in 2019, Nurture NJ has made significant strides in addressing maternal and infant healthcare in New Jersey. The FY2023 budget includes over $58 million to support Nurture NJ programs and policies.

“First, all customers who had deposits in these banks can rest assured…they’ll be protected, and they’ll have access to their money as of today,” Biden declared on Monday morning. “That includes small businesses across the country that banked there and need to make payroll, pay their bills, and stay open for business.

“No losses will be…borne by the taxpayers. Let me repeat that: No losses will be borne by the taxpayers. Instead, the money will come from the fees that banks pay into the Deposit Insurance Fund.”

The FDIC has announced that it will insure all deposits at both Signature Bank and SVB, including losses totaling more than the customary $250,000. “Any losses to the Deposit Insurance Fund to support uninsured depositors will be recovered by

Regional banks like First Republic and PacWest Bancorp also initially saw a share selloff as confidence waned in the ability of smaller banks to withstand current economic challenges. But the National Bankers Association, the nation’s leading trade association for the country’s minority depository institutions (MDIs), issued a statement urging banking customers to recognize that many different banking services are available, and banks use varied financial instruments to stay operational.

“In light of recent industry events, the National Bankers Association wants to assure consumers that your money is safe with minority banks,” said Nicole Elam, president and CEO of the National Bankers Association. “Minority depository institutions are very different from both SVB and Signature Bank, which had high concentrations in crypto deposits and volatile venture capital. Minority banks are not exposed to riskier asset classes and have the capital and strong liquidity to best serve consumers and small businesses. If you’re looking for a place to bring your deposits and have greater impact, bring your deposits to minority banks.”

Since its inception, Nurture NJ has seen 43 pieces of maternal and infant health legislation signed by Governor Phil Murphy, developed and implemented groundbreaking programs and policies, hosted annual Black Maternal and Infant Health Leadership Summits, and more.

“On behalf of everyone at Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, Camden Healthy Start, and the constituents of Camden who will be the beneficiaries of this continuation funding, I wish to thank the United States Department of Health and Human Services and Congressman Donald Norcross for their unwavering support in our shared goal of achieving greater healthcare equity for all,” said Helen Hannigan, executive director of the cooperative, which administers the Camden Healthy Start grant program.

Murphy signs legislation authorizing special license plates for Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity

Gov. Phil Murphy has signed legislation recognizing the contributions and achievements of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. by establishing special license plates for members of the organization.

Kappa Alpha Psi is the second-oldest existing collegiate historically Black Greek Letter Fraternity and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, also known as the Divine Nine. The legislation signed today authorized the chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to issue special Kappa Alpha Psi license plates. The bill provides for the design of the license plate to display appropriate words and an emblem honoring the fraternity.

Murphy was joined by Kappa Alpha Psi 34th Grand Polemarch and International President and CEO Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq.; Northeastern Province Polemarch Christopher Thompkins; Polemarch See NEW

Entrance to Signature Bank in Brooklyn, taken on March 13, 2023

(Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

Keepin’ it real Sudsy with Black entrepreneur LaChena Clark

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Black entrepreneur LaChena Clark, who runs the Sudsy Water Laundry & Dry Cleaners business chain, based in Harlem and the Upper East Side in Manhattan, advocates for more minority-owned womenrun businesses in the city.

“As a full-time employed working person, I would have to send my laundry out,” Clark said in recalling how she started her business. “The first day that I did that while I was working, it felt like another layer of freedom for me. That’s why it was on [my] list of businesses.”

A Bronx native, Clark attended high school locally and eventually graduated from Hampton University. She then pursued a career in financing as a loan officer in 2004 in a bank on 125th Street, but was laid off during the recession of 2008. Shortly after, Clark got another position at Chase Bank but was laid off due to residual effects of the economic collapse. Tired of job instability, Clark decided she’d work for herself from then on.

“I worked 70 hours a week. How could you lay me off? Right—I was devastated. Shocked,” said Clark. “And I said, well if I work 70 hours a week for myself, guess who will never lay LaChena off. Business may go bad, things may change, but I’ll never lay myself off.”

She wanted to open a viable business that was “recession proof.” A friend was instrumental in her takeover of a laundry spot

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

To Unlock Fair Fares’ Potential, Expand Eligibility to 200 Percent of Poverty

Last week, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams added her voice to the call for expanding the reach of the City’s half-priced transit discount program, Fair Fares, to include New Yorkers whose incomes are just above the program’s income eligibility cut-off.

Since its launch in 2019, Fair Fares has provided an economic lifeline to New Yorkers struggling with transit affordability. Under the program, low-income residents with household incomes at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) can receive half-priced bus and subway fares.

But as Speaker Adams acknowledged during her “State of the City” remarks last week -delivered before a packed Bronx audience featuring Mayor Eric Adams, City Council members and a venerable “who’s who” of city leadership -- the income threshold for participation in the Fair Fares program is too low, and leaves out many New Yorkers who still struggle every day to afford the fare.

that was vacant. By 2009, she opened the first Sudsy Water in the Bronx before expanding to Harlem.

Clark wanted to make it easier for others by creating a reliable, streamlined service that would help alleviate the chore of laundry. She was excited to open up a laundromat in the same neighborhood where her grandmother, who moved to the city from Louisiana, once owned a clothing store. After two years, she was a certified minority- and/or women-owned business enterprise (M/WBE).

During the COVID-19 crisis, Clark said that the laundromat was deemed an essential service. She lost some staff and implemented social distancing rules, but her business didn’t falter or close during the pandemic. Sudsy Water also provided free or discounted laundry services for elderly people in the neighborhood, as well as no-contact pickup/delivery. Later, in partnership with Doctors Without Borders, her business began providing laundry services to homeless New Yorkers.

Clark became president and senior business advisor of the Bradhurst Merchants Association in Harlem, which helps her continue to advocate for other minorityowned businesses in the city.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics 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://bit.ly/amnews1

Approximately 280,000 New Yorkers are enrolled in Fair Fares, about one third of the eligible population. Some may ask: Why expand a program with low enrollment?

Research shows that Fair Fares’ modest enrollment numbers can be tied directly to lack of public awareness. Many of those eligible for the program simply haven’t heard of it. About half of the 932,000 New Yorkers eligible for Fair Fares had not applied for the program, with another 14 percent reporting they did not know how to apply.

More robust publicizing of the program is sorely needed. But it should go hand in hand with opening the program up to more New Yorkers.

Our Unheard Third survey found that one in four New Yorkers with incomes between 100 and 200 percent of FPL often struggle to pay for transit. These individuals and families— most of whom are working multiple jobs— experience economic insecurity on a daily basis and can be pushed into poverty by even the smallest, unexpected expense like a visit to the emergency room or a malfunctioning appliance.

By expanding Fair Fares to capture New Yorkers with incomes under 200 percent of the poverty line, the City would be making the transit discount available to a large swath of working-class New Yorkers. We’re talking about home healthcare workers, laborers, food service and restaurant workers. In other words, the very people who make this city run.

Consider this: for a family of four, the official poverty level is $26,550. However, for a mother and two children it’s only $23,030, and for a

single New Yorker it’s an unimaginable $13,590. The official poverty level--which is the same nationwide, in rural Alabama as in New York City-- excludes many New Yorkers who earn a little more, but are still struggling to get to work, medical appointments and school for themselves or their kids. A more realistic measure of economic need in New York City should be at least twice the federal poverty level. Importantly, expanding eligibility for Fair Fares transit discounts from 100 percent of FPL to 200 percent would provide targeted assistance to a group of working-class New Yorkers who rely almost exclusively on public transit. Such an expansion would provide a steady stream of revenue, making it a winwin for the MTA and working New Yorkers.

Based on a Community Service Society (CSS) analysis of data available from the Census Bureau, roughly 1.7 million working age New Yorkers would qualify for Fair Fares at 200 percent of poverty. Of that number, 45 percent or around 772,000 are likely to be regular bus and subway commuters.

As for the cost, expansion of the program is estimated to cost the city between $195 million and $225 million annually, a rounding error in the city’s $102 billion budget. That seems like a reasonable investment of taxpayer dollars to spread the economic benefits of the program to more New Yorkers.

Compared to other transit agencies with discount fare programs, New York City has one of the most restrictive. According to data compiled by the Journal of the Transportation Research Board, nine of the nation’s 14 largest transit agencies require recipients who receive fare discounts to have incomes between 125 and 200 percent of poverty. That includes the BART system in San Francisco and Kings County Metro which serves the greater Seattle, Washington area.

Of course, none of these systems approach the scale of New York’s. Even so, we need to find ways to keep transit fares affordable for all New Yorkers. To manage costs, the city could phase in expansion based on ridership growth, and adjust funding to meet the need.

When we first imagined Fair Fares, we started cautiously. But today, we know the actual program cost and utilization patterns. All of this tells us that we can afford to expand the program to more of those in need. And we should.

As city budget negotiations begin, we hope Mayor Adams will work with the Speaker and City Council to expand Fair Fairs. In doing so, he will be keeping a promise to fight for working-class New Yorkers.

David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), the leading voice on behalf of low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer. The Urban Agenda is available on CSS’s website: www.cssny.org.

‘People over everything,’ says Speaker Adams in city address

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

In a stirring State of the City address at Justice Sonia Sotomayor Houses and Community Center in the Bronx last week, Speaker Adrienne Adams spoke about her vision to invest in the city, centering women’s needs and people of color since they make up the majority of the frontline workforce.

“Whether lifelong New Yorkers, immigrants and transplants who arrived years ago, or recent migrants seeking asylum, the shared joys and struggles we uniquely experience as New Yorkers are what unite us,” said Adams. “For us to succeed, we must build a city that works for everyone, and that hinges on investing in historically underserved communities that have lacked equal access to economic mobility.”

Adams announced several new proposals to increase industrial development, preserve affordable housing, expand Fair Fares, fix the city’s childhood education system, and close Rikers Island, which numerous advocates praised.

For transit, Adams plans on expanding half-price rides on buses and subways. She also proposed expanding eligibility for the Access-A-Ride and Fair Fares program to more low-income New Yorkers.

“The City Council was the force behind establishing the Fair Fares transit discount program in 2019,” said David R. Jones, president and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York. “Under the leadership of NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, the Council is poised to once again lead on the critical need to ensure that our public transit system is more accessible and affordable to all New Yorkers. By increasing the income eligibility threshold for the Fair Fares program from 100 percent of the federal poverty line to 200 percent, more working-class New Yorkers with incomes just above the eligibility cut-off will be able to take advantage of the program.”

The city’s workforce has been struggling with an understaffing issue among mental health workers, nurses, public defenders, and housing attorneys. Adams said she plans to advocate for budget investments in front-line positions and expediting agencies’ abilities to hire. She also proposed passing bills that open more civil service jobs and collaborating with labor unions and the mayor’s administration to identify jobs that no longer require college degrees and other qualifications.

“New York City’s future depends on a strong municipal workforce that is both prepared and supported to deliver the critical services we all rely on,” said Henry

Garrido, executive director of District Council 37. “We thank Speaker Adams for her leadership in advancing these workforce development initiatives and look forward to a continued partnership with the City Council to address the barriers our members face in and out of the workplace.”

Blondel Pinnock, president and

CEO of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, said the city needs workforce development and financial inclusion that center Black and brown communities.

“We applaud Speaker Adams and the City Council for advancing plans to expand workforce hubs across the city, increase SBS resources for minority- and women-owned businesses, and support equitable lending programs,” Pinnock said. “We also endorse plans to pilot critical anti-poverty measures, including offering free financial literacy training through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) for under-resourced young adults.”

To combat the “dire” housing crisis that disproportionately burdens low-income working families and the city’s Black population, Adams said she wanted to preserve public housing units in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and create a Fair Housing Framework that targets housing production at the community district level.

According to Christie Peale, executive director of the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Speaker Adams’s housing proposals, coupled with the mayor’s and the movernor’s focus on increasing housing supply, are important. Peale added that leadership should also fully fund community-based housing nonprofits “that do the

work to protect New York’s homeowners from displacement.”

“We know that the safest communities are the ones with the most resources, not the most incarceration,” said Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda at the Urban Justice Center. “The long-overdue investments Speaker Adams has outlined—in supportive housing, community-based treatment, and diversion and re-entry programs—will make our communities stronger, healthier, and safer, and keep us on the path to closing the Rikers Island jails. For generations, Rikers has fueled cycles of trauma and violence instead of interrupting them, at great moral and financial cost. We applaud Speaker Adams for her leadership and commitment to erase this stain on our city once and for all.” Adams’s other proposals include creating year-round public pool access and free swimming programs, $5 million toward anti-poverty assistance payments to low-income mothers, and public safety investments.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America (RFA) corps member and writes about politics 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://bit.ly/amnews1

Speaker Adrienne Adams delivers 2023 State of the City address (Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit photos)

‘We Are Here’—NYS crusade for more inclusion of DeafBlind people of color

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

The nation has fallen in love with American Sign Language (ASL) performer Justina Miles, who interpreted for singer Rihanna during this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. But more than just praise for individuals like Miles, local legislators are taking the opportunity to highlight programs that can create real change for disabled communities of color that are often left out of the conversation.

According to data collected from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS), approximately 2.47 million people have combined hearing and vision loss, or considered DeafBlind under federal guidelines. In New York State (NYS), ACS data indicated that about 120,000 individuals reported combined vision and hearing loss, representing .61% of the state’s population.

The racial breakdown of the state’s DeafBlind ACS data shows there are about 60% white, 13% Black, 18% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. Organizers believe that there is definitely an undercount of disabled people, especially DeafBlind people of color across the state, leading to severe “underfunding” of services compared to other states.

On-the-ground information has found that there are large numbers of DeafBlind people in Rochester, the Bronx, Albany, and Long Island.

In NYS, Harlem’s Senator Cordell Cleare and Brooklyn’s Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman are sponsoring bills for a statewide DeafBlind co-navigator program. A co-navigator is specially trained to assist DeafBlind people with jobs, travel, school, and day-to-day activities. They often use tactile sign language in addition to ASL and Braille to help their

clients communicate.

“Thanks to the organizing and awarenessraising work of the Black Deaf community and others, we have come to understand that members of the DeafBlind community who are also people of color experience double prejudice against them, in the form of racial discrimination and communication barriers,” said Zinerman, “The world has not been built for them.”

Zinerman has established an AD 56 Disability coalition in her district. She champions the idea of accessibility for all of her constituents. That includes websites that are easily navigated with text-to-speech functions, interpreters during Zoom calls and meetings, a building that people can get in and out of easily, and translating voting materials into Braille in the near future.

“I’m proud to use my position to help push for this measure that will help DeafBlind persons get the assistance they require, not as charity but as their human right,” said Zinerman.

Marc Safman, 54, a dedicated community advocate and a DeafBlind Black man living in New York City, has been leading the crusade for a fully funded statewide co-navigator program and more representation in DeafBlind healthcare. Safman had brain surgery when he was 16 and lost much of his hearing and sight throughout his life as a result. He is blind in his right eye and hard of hearing. For most of his life, he fell back on pen and paper before technological advances allowed him to use his smartphone and apps to communicate.

Safman didn’t understand why his senses were so bad and had no real insurance when he came to New York City in 1997. “When I moved to New York, I saw mostly white doctors,” he said about his

Garvies Point 46 UNITS AT 500 & 700 Dickson Street, Glen Cove, Nassau County

Application Due: April 17, 2023

Phone or Email: (631) 910-6200, garviespoint@cgmrcompliance.com

By Mail: Garvies Point, PO Box 440, Wading River, NY 11792 Include your address & the name and address of the building where you want to apply.

Lottery Date & Location: May 1, 2023 at 12pm at Hilton Garden Inn, 3 Harbor Park Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050 The lottery will determine which applications will be reviewed for tenancy

YOU HAVE RIGHTS!

 If you have experienced housing discrimination: https://dhr.ny.gov/journey-fair-housing or call 844-862-8703

 Learn about how your credit and background check will be individually reviewed: https://on.ny.gov/3uLNLw4

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Incluya su dirección y la dirección del edificio en el que quiere presentar la solicitud.

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负担得起的住房可用 申请提交截止日期：2023 年 4 月 17 日 必须在该日期之前在线或通过邮寄方式提交 如 果您提交超过 1 份申请，您可能会被取消资格。 获取应用程序：

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soumèt plis pase 1 aplikasyon ou ka diskalifye.

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Mete adrès ou ak adrès bilding kote ou vle aplike a

Dat ak kote lotri a: 1ye me 2023 a 12 p.m.

Hilton Garden Inn, 3 Harbor Park Dr., Port Washington, NY 11050

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ng aplikasyon: Abril 17, 2023

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Sa pamamagitan ng koreo:

Kathy Hochul

Photo of Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman with Activist Marc Safman in Albany (Contributed photo)

Go with the Flo

FLO ANTHONY

Normally, the winner of the Oscar for Best Male Actor from the previous year presents the winner of the Oscar for Best Actress at the ceremony the next year. However, since last year’s winner, Will Smith, has been banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years, Halle Berry joined Jessica Chastain in presenting the award to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Michelle Yeoh. Berry who arrived on the champagne carpet with her boyfriend, Grammy award-winning musician Van Hunt, and was stunning as always, wearing a floralembellished Tamara Ralph white dress with a thigh-showing slit on the side. Berry’s presenting the Oscar to Yeoh was especially meaningful for this year’s Oscars and both ladies. Yeoh became the first Asian woman and second woman of color to win the Best Actress Oscar; 20 years ago, Berry was the first actress of color and first Black woman to win the category… Speaking of Will Smith, the actor, who is currently filming another “Bad Boys” movie with Martin Lawrence, and his wife Jada PinkettSmith, reportedly took time out during Oscar weekend to attend best-selling author Jay Shetty’s Los Angeles show, along with Jada’s mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, at the YouTube Theater. The event was part of Shetty’s Love Rules Tour. In the 90-minute presentation, Shetty takes the audience “on a journey of finding, keeping, and letting go of love.” Other celebs reportedly also in the audience included actresses Lily Collins and Lauren London…

There was as much dancing and singing offstage as there was on recently in the theater district’s 54 Below supper club. The crowd roared with laughter as well as shed tears as they witnessed the part of a show that brought back the fondest memories. Roz Live presented A Celebration of Gladys Knight and the Pips with hit songs like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train To Georgia.” The stellar occasion featured songstress Priceless, who brought the house down alongside Tyrice Harrell, Matt Mabry, and Lance Officer. At hand to cheer on the night was “Real Housewives of New York” cast member Luanne De Lesseps, who danced along to the songs. A Celebration of Gladys Knight and The Pips comes to Harlem for Mother’s Day…

The series premiere episodes of the newest Bounce (@BounceTV) original series “Act Your Age” were seen by 2.14 million viewers in telecasts on March 4, making “Act Your Age” the most-watched half-hour series launch in Bounce history. Starring Kym Whitley, Tisha Campbell, and special guest star Yvette Nicole Brown, the multiple-camera comedy tells the story of three vibrant, successful Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia-area women in their 50s who are each at a personal crossroads and decide the best way forward in life is together…

Remembering Biggie

There was a community commemoration of the 26th anniversary of rapper Biggie Smalls’ death in front of the Clinton

Hill Key Food at 991 Fulton Street, where young Christopher Williams used to bag groceries. Noting the worldwide influence

of the Bed Stuy, Brooklyn rapper, Mayor Eric Adams helped unveil the interesting mirrored mural of the Notorious B.I.G.

(Nayaba Arinde photos)

Harlem celebrates her seniors

Better late than never! Here are some Black History Month photos from the Philip Randolph Sr. Center in Harlem, which hosted February Birth Days cel-

ebrations and a fabulous senior fashion show with fun and food.

Written by David Goodson

Blacks in Games bigger than ever

Fighting to win the game, while intense, can be fun. Fighting to get into the game, not so much. Unfortunately for African-Americans, that’s been a continuous cycle that’s still a plague on our community in various fields of endeavors.

Take, for instance, the gaming industry. A large sector of the African-American community spends hours upon hours in front of a monitor or television with the capability of competing against worldwide opposition. If entertainment was the sole inspiration of gaming, we are talking about some major coin. In 2023, with all the various methods of participation, there exist subgenres within the gaming community that are generating millions of dollars.

Now we are talking about another league of paper; we are talking multi-BILLIONS. Now the question arises: are we getting a share? Looking to see that a portion of the pie comes our way is the Black in Gaming (BIG) Foundation; a 501(c) organization that’s a volunteer community dedicated to cultivating, supporting, and promoting Black professionals in the video game industry by actively working on creating opportunities for Black people in the video game industry, BIG also develops action plans to combat systemic institutionalized racism that manifests itself in unsafe spaces, microaggressions, and hidden discrimination in the workplace.

As a company, they don't just provide lip service and after a year-long hiatus, the 6th Annual Blacks in Gaming Awards show returns bigger and better than ever - to recognize and celebrate the significant contributions and achievements of “hidden figures” in the game developer space while advocating for diversity and inclusion.

The cutting-edge event will converge at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, on Thursday, March 23 at 6:00PM PST / 9:00 PM EST in front of a

live crowd for the first time since 2019. The sixth annual BIG Awards will honor content creators, developers, and gamers who have played pivotal roles in shaping the gaming industry. The awards show will also be live-streamed on Facebook and Instagram. Honorees include: Josiana Valverde, Head of Special Projects, Diversity & Inclusion at Ubisoft receiving the Jerry Lawson Lifetime Achievement Award; Michael Lee, Senior Director Global Talent and Acquisition receiving the Industry Champion Award; Dr. Kishonna Gray, Associate Professor in Writing, Rhetoric, & Digital Studies and Africana Studies at the University of Kentucky receiving the Education Award; Shawn Alexander Allen, founder of games company NuChallenger receiving the Excellence in Design Award; and more.

To uplift this celebration, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Netflix have returned as partners to help support BIG’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

“Research shows that Blacks make up a staggering 2% of the video game industry and only 11% of Black characters are featured as the central player outside of athletes in sports games. The BIG awards underscores the need for black gaming professionals. We give executives and developers a platform to be recognized while creating a fun and unique experience – all during a time when it’s so desperately needed,” said Laura Teclemariam, BIG’s Chairwoman of the Board.

In an effort to address these disparities, in 2022, the BIG Foundation set out for the “BIG ...5-in-5”—an organizational goal to increase Black representation in the gaming ecosystem from 2% to 5% by 2028. BIG is working with various corporations to hit this lofty– yet tangible target. With that kind of bread on the line, we need that kind of BIG thinking!!! I’m gone. Over and out. Holla next week. Til then, enjoy the nightlife.

(Bill Moore photos)

Union Matters

Our better angels

All across the nation, throughout the month of March, there will be numerous celebrations and tributes to mark the accomplishments of women in America.

No doubt, there will be seminars, conferences, and podcasts galore to discuss the struggles and wisdom of accomplished women, from Maya Angelou, who once said: “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women,” to Rihanna, who is quoted as saying: “There’s something special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.”

In the labor movement, many women have set examples of courage and determination to improve the lives of working women and families. Some did so indirectly and regrettably, as in the case of the 146 young immigrant garment working girls killed, and the 78 who sustained injuries, in the notorious Triangle Shirt Waist Factory fire in Greenwich Village on March 25 of 1911. From exit doors chainlocked by their employers to fire department ladders too short to reach them on the eighth floor, the findings in the aftermath of that horrendous fire led our state and the nation to legislate safety and health hazard measures to protect workers on the job.

At Local 237, we don’t have to look very far for fearless women with extraordinary strength of character who exemplify “never take no for an answer.” One such Local 237 member is Marie Colvin. Marie was a war correspondent. She wrote about innocent women and children caught in the crossfire of civil war. Her bravery was legendary. A movie “A Private War” told Colvin’s real-life story, with Rosamund Pike portraying her, that depicted her life behind enemy lines,

covering stories of human suffering that many did not want told, in dangerous locations, where few would dare to go. It was a sentence in one of the movie’s reviews that caused us to wonder about a possible link to Teamsters Local 237.

Our research paid off because we discovered that fresh out of college, Colvin was hired by Local 237 to write our newsletter. Marie Colvin was a Teamster! Her family told us that she wore our lapel pin proudly. One could easily imagine her today, if she were still alive, condemning the bombing of a children’s hospital in Ukraine.

Marie’s journalistic diligence caused her to lose her eye at the hands of Sri Lankan terrorists in 2001, then her life, at age 56 in 2012, killed by a senior Syrian military officer to silence her.

As proud as we are of Marie, several other Teamster women have done remarkable things on different battle grounds. For example, in March of 2010, Local 237 sued New York City on behalf of our 5,000 School Safety Agents, 70% of whom were women, mostly African Americans and Latinas, many single mothers. Their annual salary was about $7,000 less than their counterparts with similar titles working in other city agencies, most of whom were male.

Some called this just a coincidence. It was discrimination! School Safety Agents have a tough job to do. They help protect other peoples’ children. All they wanted was to put bread on the table for their own children.

I called for a meeting of School Safety Agents to tell them about plans to sue the city. I told them that we needed some volunteers to sign the papers and be the official plaintiffs. Of the 25 women in the room, 22 left, but three remained: Patricia Williams, Bernice Christopher, and the late Corinthians Andrews. And for four years, these three gave testimony after testimony. They refused any settlement that did not include retirees. They took days off from work. They took time away from being

To host 2024 DNC, cities need a good labor profile

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

There should be a decision coming soon regarding where the next Democratic National Convention (DNC) will be held.

As the Democratic Party gets ready to select its next candidate for the presidency—be it President Joe Biden or somebody else––those attending the DNC want to be able to do so in a city that promotes their values to the broader U.S. public.

The DNC is where delegates come together to adopt a party platform they can unify around. They want the site holding their convention to stand for the principles the party wants to project.

Atlanta, New York, and Chicago are the cities reportedly in contention to hold the 2024 DNC. Each one wants the DNC because it means a potential flow of funds for local businesses and the possibility of clout if the next president is selected there.

Under Joe Biden, who pledged to be “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen,” each city’s goal is to promote its labor union bona fides.

So far, Chicago has created a website promoting itself as the perfect emblem for the Democratic Party––and of what the future holds for U.S. democracy.

In their “Our Future Is Created Here” video, Chicago is touted as a place in the heartland of America that encourages ethnic and cultural diversity, green energy, voting rights, and access to a higher minimum wage. “Working to grow a stronger, fairer economy. It’s part of our motto and engraved in our philosophy,” the narration for the video affirms. “Creating more jobs and raising minimum wage. Making sure everyone sees and feels a change.”

New York put its pitch in via a video by the New York State Democratic Committee. NYC’s “iconic venues and vibrant energy” are celebrated as “the perfect backdrop to rally Democrats in 2024.” The city’s “Welcome to New York! We’ve Been Waiting For You” promotional video, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, declares “New York

turn the tide for the Biden-Harris ticket.

One of the standout moments Atlanta had in 2020 was when, at the height of the pandemic, the city famously turned its State Farm Arena––where it normally holds concerts and Atlanta Hawks basketball games––into an early voting site. More than 40,000 voters cast ballots in the arena during early voting in 2020. It became the first city to have an arena host a voting site. But these forthright voting rights efforts don’t align with the city’s labor rights losses, union leaders say. Georgia is a “rightto-work” state, which means workers can be employed in a position and not required to join any union that could represent them.

values are democratic values: we are proud to be a strong union town. Our state ranks first in union density, among the nation’s largest with a unionization rate two times the nation’s average. And we stand proudly with our brothers and sisters in labor behind this bid. Our workers want this convention right here in New York.”

Atlanta’s quest for the DNC is heavily weighted toward its Civil Rights Movement past and rests on the fact that Georgia’s voting strength put the Democratic Party over the top during the last election. The city’s #GoodTrouble2024 social media campaign, which includes a TikTok video, points to how the state helped

The U.S. currently has 27 right-to-work states, a concept initially established by southern legislators who fought authorization of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Shane Larson, senior director for government affairs for the Communications Workers of America (CWA), explained in a 2021 “Pitchfork Economics” podcast that right-to-work states were “concocted by a bunch of Southern segregationist white supremacists as an effort to try to stop unions…from growing in the South and as a way to keep workplaces from being integrated.”

In the 1930s, Texas-born conservative lobbyist Vance Muse used an organization he created to fight against the progressive advances made under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” Muse’s Christian American Association received funding from major corporations to lobby against unionization, which he frequently referred to as communist-oriented and

Gregory Floyd

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

Under Joe Biden, who pledged to be “the most prounion president you’ve ever seen,”

each city’s goal is to promote its labor union bona fides.

‘Mothers of the Movement’ hold ‘Menthol Ban — No and Floyd Policing Act — Yes’ rally at NYC City Hall

Families of Eric Garner, George Floyd, and Gary Hopkins came together on the steps of City Hall on Thursday, March 9, when members of the Mothers of the Movement, a group of women whose African American children have been killed by police officers or by gun violence, rallied against racism, inequity, and policies targeting people of color.

The mothers and families are pleading with Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and asking New York legislators not to support a ban that will increase both smoking and crime.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a necessary, bold, and comprehensive approach to holding police accountable, ending racial profiling, changing the culture of law enforcement, empowering our communities, and building trust between law enforcement and our communities by addressing systemic racism and bias to help save lives. Our communities need this.

As proposed by Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York City Council, the menthol cigarette ban is not an education-first

approach. The prohibition will increase crime and negative interactions between law enforcement and communities of color. In addition, a new 2023 study of a similar Massachusetts menthol ban found that it led to a “58.6% relative increase in smoking among [B]lack women; the menthol cigarette ban led to a net increase in smoking among [B]lack adults,” according to JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) Internal Medicine

“Our communities need reform and education, not racial profiling and increased police interaction. When women and activists stand together, systems change, and barriers are dismantled,” said Gwen Carr. “Our elected officials must pass legislation that helps heal and to do better for our communities.”

The rally followed an Eliminating Racism & Inequality Collective (E.r.i.c.) Initiative Foundation retreat hosted by Carr before the foundation’s annual New York philanthropy event on September 16, 2023. The foundation is in honor of her son and is dedicated to youth empowerment and education.

(Bill Moore photos)

Let the mummies speak!

It may be unwise for us to venture into the current controversy about the race and color of ancient Egyptians—we leave that matter to trained historians and anthropologists—but we do have the responsibility to sound the alarm.

Okay, here’s the gist of it: Beginning in May, Dr. Zahi Hawass, whose expertise on ancient Egypt is often promoted in various ads in the American press, will conduct a 23-city Grand Lecture Tour in the U.S., espousing the idea that the “origin of Ancient Egyptians was purely Egyptian…and that Egyptian civilization did not occur in Africa, it occurred only here,” Hawass, the former minister of state for antiquities affairs, told the press.

First of all, the last time we checked, Egypt was in Africa. Even so, this fact means nothing to Hawass and his contention that Black Africans were not seminal in the evolution of the Egyptian dynasties.

Such a conclusion flies in the face of the lessons we derived from the scholarly lectures and research of Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, Dr. Leonard Jeffries, and Cheikh Anta Diop. Let us turn to Diop and a quote from his book “Civilization of Barbarism: An Authentic Anthropology.” “The new Egyptological ideology, born at the opportune moment,” Diop stated, referring then to a development more than a century ago but useful today, “reinforced the theoretical bases of imperialist ideology.”

That is why, Diop continued, “…it easily drowned out the voice of science, by throwing a veil of falsification over historical truth. The ideology was spread with considerable publicity and taught the world over, because it alone had the material and financial means for its propagation.” By taking skin samples from mummies, Diop was able to determine their color by the amount of preserved melanin, thereby allowing the Black mummies to speak.

What Hawass plans to do is to provide those who attend his costly lectures with a fresh iteration of the falsification. Perhaps in the coming days, through an article from one of our more informed scholars, we can properly and adequately deal with Hawass’s negations, which in several respects have a correlation with the attempt to nullify the agency of Critical Race Theory.

Hawass is slated to appear here in New York on June 9—and let us hope this notice about his appearance reaches some of our Kemetic teachers and scholars who are better prepared to challenge his contentions. And a shout-out to Dennis Boatwright II, who alerted us.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Bringing diverse film and television productions to New York

By Chiquita Woolfolk Banks

Film financing is a daunting task, particularly for independent and minority creators. That’s because making movies and TV shows isn’t necessarily an economically rational business. One expert estimated that more than 40% of all widely released films over the last 10 years flopped. And for independent producers without the backing of studio production budgets or ready access to capital markets, the challenges abound. Indeed, many indies end up maxing out credit cards, borrowing funds from loved ones, and mortgaging their homes to finance their films—unable to realize their creative visions without taking on these huge personal financial risks.

Understanding these finance related challenges,

Governor Kathy Hochul deserves praise for her proposed enhancement to New York State’s Film Tax Credit Program. As a threshold matter, the credit will ensure that New York’s creative economy remains competitive.

Although not widely known, production jobs pay an average of $90,000 annually—37% higher than the median New York State wage in all sectors. That’s a significant wage, particularly when 44% of all jobs in that industry do not require a four-year degree. Furthermore, New York’s film productions created more than 114,000 local jobs and added more than $20.5 billion to New York’s economy from 2019–2020 alone.

But less well-known are the opportunities the credit creates for diverse and independent creators. Here’s how.

I’m a regular participant on finance panels at the Empire State Development (ESD) Multicultural Creativity Summit. At the annual summit, the ESD and Motion Picture Association partner to educate attendees about the New York film tax incentive.

A few years ago, I met a young Black filmmaker seeking financing for his first feature film. Although an avid New Yorker, he initially considered shooting in New Jersey. However, after the panel and our subsequent conversations about the accessibility of the NYS Program, he applied for and obtained a NYS Certificate of Conditional Eligibility (CCE). The CCE established that if he shot the project in New York and spent the funds as budgeted, his film would receive program credits. As I ex-

plained to him, that certificate (and the economic certainty it represented) is an “asset” that can be used as collateral with financiers to secure funding. He was able to do just that.

The film shot in New York in early 2022, hired more than 215 cast/crew members, created dozens of jobs for novice minority content creators, and is now in post-production. Without the incentive as a key component of its finance package, the project might still be just a script!

This story can and should be repeated over and over again.

My consulting business is primarily focused on helping filmmakers of color obtain financing; programs like New York’s incentive are an important piece of the finance puzzle. The NYS Film Tax Credit Program helps solve

Excitement and unforgettable moments make March Madness America’s signature sporting event

By JAMES B. EWERS JR., ED.D.

The month of March signals that spring is on the way and the flowers will begin to bloom. We will be able to leave our homes without our boots and gloves. The term “wind chill” will be in our rearview mirror.

March also begins a truly American tradition called “March Madness.” Basketballs will be bouncing non-stop as we the fans enjoy all the tournament action.

According to well-documented reports, the term March Madness was first used in reference to basketball in 1939 by Henry V. Porter, an Illinois high school official. The NCAA didn’t use March Madness until legendary sportscaster Brent Musburger used it during the 1982 tournament. I was honored to have taken a picture with him some years ago.

the World Series for baseball and Wimbledon for tennis, certainly have a place on everyone’s scoreboard. But March Madness has a different ring to it.

It even has a set of terms that go along with the event. On the bubble, bracketology, buzzer-beaters are all terms that you hear associated with March Madness. Others include going to the big dance, the last four in, and the last four out.

Part of the March Madness vocabulary is the term Final Four. Ed Chay, a sportswriter, coined the term in 1975. Of course, the NCAA has now trademarked the term.

Get familiar with these terms because for the next three weeks, you will be hearing them a lot.

and televised on CBS and ESPN. I have watched the selection shows for many years, and I don’t grow weary of them. Happiness is just spontaneous when you see young student-athletes going bananas when they know they are going “dancing.” I would guess these moments of joy will be etched in their hearts and minds forever. Some moments are so wonderful in a college athlete’s career that they will always be cherished. I humbly submit that I have had a few of those moments.

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Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

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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

No other sporting event rises to the level of March Madness. To compare it to something else, in my opinion, is quite debatable. Some will opine that the Super Bowl is a big event, while others will say that the NBA Finals top their list. Both events, along with

ESPN has Joe Lunardi who, again in my opinion, has become a March Madness guru and somewhat of a sports prophet. In a funny and humorous way, he only comes out during this time of year. During March Madness, he is on ESPN every day, talking about the selections or other media personalities are quoting him.

A little-known fact about him is that he is credited with creating the term bracketology.

There will be 68 men’s and women’s teams playing in the NCAA Division I basketball tournament. The selection shows were held on Sunday, Mar. 12,

The 12-person NCAA-appointed committee has made its selections. The number 1 overall seed for men is Alabama and the overall number 1 seed for women is South Carolina.

Sports shows will dissect each team, with coaches and players being interviewed for their perspectives. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Critics will say that if your team made it to March Madness, then you are a pretty good coach. I agree.

The season is over for some teams and just beginning for other teams. That is the ecstasy and agony of March.

Bobby Hurley, one-time guard for Duke and now the coach of Arizona State, said recently that he had never gone to the National Invitational TourSee MARCH MADNESS on page 29

See DIVERSE FILM/TV on page 29

Running Scared: Biden’s desperate move to get tough on crime

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

The political landscape of America has been fraught with tension and division, but one issue that has transcended party lines and united citizens across the nation is the growing concern over crime.

The recent announcement by President Biden that he will take a firm stance against crime has come as a small glimmer of hope to Republicans, and even many Democrats, who have been calling for action to address this pressing issue.

Biden is typically seen as beholden to the far left, yet he has taken a step in the right direction by announcing his intention to sign a bill that would override the D.C. City Council’s override of the D.C. mayor, who originally vetoed a bill that would allow lighter sentences for those who commit petty crimes.

While I applaud Biden for this move, my heart remains heavy with concern for the delay in taking such action. How many innocent individuals had to suffer the heinous consequences of criminals running rampant before he realized the dire need to tackle the surging crime rates head-on? The notion of doling out lighter sentences to those who commit crimes— an implicit incentive to engage in more criminal acts—must be cast aside. We cannot afford to release hardened criminals back onto the streets, perpetuating an environment in which crime becomes a lucrative and risk-free business.

For far too long, we’ve witnessed the devastating impact of petty crimes on our cities and communities. It’s not just murder or arson that wreaks havoc on our society; it’s the persistent and insidious nature of petty crimes that leave ordinary citizens feeling unsafe, disillusioned, and—quite frankly— annoyed. Criminals who engage in theft, burglary, and other such offenses are emboldened by the lack of consequences and the ease with

COVID, you’re still here?!

which they can commit these acts.

With minimal penalties, these crimes become an attractive and profitable enterprise, giving criminals the incentive to continue their illegal activities.

It’s only when we begin to take a tough stance on such crimes that we can begin to see a positive change. We must recognize that the well-being of our cities and communities is inextricably linked to how we treat criminal actions.

The reason behind President Biden’s decision to act couldn’t be clearer, and the timing couldn’t be more apt. It all started with the stunning defeat of soon-to-be former mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, in the most recent mayoral election— a loss that left her in third place with a measly 17% of the vote, breaking a 40-year streak of incumbents winning re-election. This blow sent ripples throughout liberal circles, with Lightfoot hastily pointing fingers at racism for her loss, all while overlooking the glaring reality that she had been elected as a Black woman in the first place.

The real culprit? Rampant crime, of course, which had left the city’s streets unsafe for even the briefest of walks, as residents feared becoming victims of robbery, assault, or—even worse—murder.

This all-too-familiar narrative has plagued liberal-run cities, where criminals are motivated to escalate their nefarious activities and shielded from the consequences by far-left city council members, mayors, and district attorneys who continue to enact laws that lighten sentences and decriminalize certain offenses. As citizens remain disarmed in the face of soaring crime rates, criminals grow ever more audacious, secure in the knowledge that the authorities are unwilling or unable to prosecute them.

It’s high time we abandoned the

notion of extending sympathy to criminals. Of course, many find themselves in dire straits, struggling to provide for themselves or their families. I understand that, and I empathize with their situation. However, feeling compassion for their plight and wanting to hold them accountable for their crimes are not mutually exclusive.

We can acknowledge the existence of individuals in dire circumstances while also recognizing that no one should have to endure victimization simply because of someone else’s predicament. We can also recognize that not all people in dire circumstances commit crimes. Instead of lightening sentences and turning a blind eye to criminal behavior, we should focus on providing better resources to support those in need, encouraging them to turn their lives around and steer clear of crime.

Sadly, where one obstacle falls, another may rise: Now that Biden has taken a stand against crime, it’s likely that liberals will push him further to the left on other radical ideals, hoping to use their might to threaten his policy aspirations. We may see movements like transgenderism gain further momentum, emboldened by the Biden’s endorsement, as a compromise to the left.

While I sincerely hope that this is not the case, it remains a likely outcome, given the fact that Biden has had to compromise on such a significant issue.

Only time will tell, but for now, let’s take heart from the progress we’ve made and the prospect of a safer, more secure future for our cities.

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.howardstirkholdings.com

Can you believe three years ago we were all hunkering down and preparing for the unknown? I had just returned from a funeral in North Carolina, a work trip in Detroit, a play in Brooklyn, and a conference in Washington, D.C. All of those trips and adventures occurred in the first 10 days of the month. When I finally returned to New York, it was time to start taking seriously this mysterious virus that seemed to be coming to America—and quickly.

I don’t know if you all remember making trips to the grocery store to buy toilet paper and canned goods. I bought water and cleaning supplies, masks and gloves, and so many lentils. What exactly was I going to do with red, green, and yellow lentils? But many of us were preparing for the unknown. I debated leaving New York City altogether and staying with family or friends who had homes with yards and more space than my 800-squarefoot apartment. The unknown was at once frightening and exhilarating.

As we know, so much has happened in these past three years. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives and their families, friends, and communities will never be the same. So many people have lost jobs (or full industries) and have felt unimaginable financial burdens. Some have even lost their homes and have been forced to move out of state to lands unknown in order to seek relief.

This may be a radical or controversial statement for some,

but COVID is still here and very much real. It is still taking lives. It is still complicating people’s ability to gather safely. It is still preventing so many folks from finding gainful employment. And it is still hospitalizing the young and old. Long-term COVID is real. I’ve seen the effects, and it has altered lives and trajectories in ways we may not know for years to come.

I am still trying to take COVID seriously by washing my hands, wearing a mask in close quarters, and trying to remember the very real dangers that persist. I know many people are eager to “get back to normal,” but the normal we once knew before 2020 no longer exists. We have been through something enormous, individually and collectively. I don’t know when we will ever be able to fully articulate what we have experienced, endured, or embraced. So where do we go from here? Let us remember to check in on friends and family who have lost loved ones to COVID. Let us remain vigilant in our sanitary practices. And let us remember that we are all processing the last three years in different ways. I am working on extending grace to others by starting with extending it to myself first.

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 cohost of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio.

CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.

(Amanda Ulloa)

Caribbean Update

Mexico, Carib countries consider suing U.S. gun makers

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

Mexico’s government has embarked on a spirited campaign to enlist Caribbean nations in a joint effort to sue American gun manufacturers, blaming them for crime and security problems affecting the two intended litigants.

The unusual but ambitious move is already gaining some level of traction, with at least three of the 15-regional member states in Caricom saying they have every intention of joining the fight because gun violence, criminal gang activity, and weapons smuggling are providing major governance headaches for them daily.

Trinidad, for example, had, until last year, believed that most of the high-powered weapons and handguns being used by gangs and other criminals were coming across the seven-mile strait of water shared with Venezuela. Police say that the latest data now shows that the U.S. states of Georgia, Maryland, and Florida are the main smuggling origins.

This timely bit of information might be the reason why Prime Minister Keith Rowley was able to tell a local party audience last week that Trinidad is likely to sign on with Mexico to test whether any legal action can be taken against American manufacturers.

“T&T is actively considering [testing] the legality of those who make those weapons of war that are destroying our societies,” Rowley said. “We have to join that fight. It will be a test case. Those who are making guns, knowing where the guns are going and what they could do, have been insulated from lawsuits but recently, a couple

of people had sued the manufacturers in America and won so the dam has cracked.”

Rowley also confirmed that Mexico has “approached Caricom,” asking it to sign onto the litigation. “I want Caricom to speak as one voice to our major trading partner, our friend in the north, with one voice, to say to them that America must do more to prevent guns from coming from America into our country.”

Antigua and Belize have already confirmed intentions to participate, while Mexico is continuing its lobbying effort individually and collectively. Whichever works is just fine,

said Ambassador to Guyana and Caricom Mauricio Vizcaino Crespo: “We are promoting that litigation. We need to give the information to all the Caricom countries and we are trying to sign all the states. It is about looking for support from Caricom and so far, Antigua and Belize are coming on. The others can come individually or as a bloc of Caricom, “

Murmurings about the possibility of the bloc joining up with Mexico are coming in the wake of complaints by many governments in the region, especially Trinidad, Jamaica, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, and—to a

lesser extent—Barbados, about illegal weapons entering ports undetected, not forgetting how easy it is for violent gangs in Haiti to possess such weapons and almost bring life to a standstill in some parts of the island.

Trinidad set all-time records for murders last year with more than 606, easily surpassing the previous record of 529 in 2008. Jamaica, on the other hand, continues to battle with similar problems, recording nearly 1,400 murders annually in recent decades, while the Bahamas and the others have complained about unusual spikes in the past three years. At the weekend, police reported that four people were shot and killed in St. Lucia by unidentified gunmen, upsetting the sensibilities of what used to be a tranquil tourism paradise, famous for weddings and honeymoons. The Mexico initiative came up briefly at a meeting of regional leaders last week when Antigua raised it, but officials say it is yet to be formally discussed at the highest level.

TPS for Somalians to be extended

FELICIA PERSAUD IMMIGRATION KORNER

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to redesignate Somalia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, beginning March 18, 2023, and continuing through September 17, 2024.

The registration process began on March 13 with publication of a notice in the Federal Register. All individuals who want to request TPS under Somalia’s designation must apply.

The extension of TPS for Somalia allows approxi-

mately 430 current beneficiaries to retain TPS through September 17, 2024, if they re-register and continue to meet TPS eligibility requirements. The redesignation of Somalia for TPS also allows an estimated 2,200 additional Somali nationals (or individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Somalia) who have been continuously residing in the United States since January 11, 2023, and continuously physically present in the United States since March 18, 2023, to file initial applications to obtain TPS if they are otherwise eligible.

Re-registration is limited to individuals who pre -

viously registered for and were granted TPS under Somalia’s prior designation. Current beneficiaries must re-register in a timely manner during the 60-day re-registration period from March 13, 2023, through May 9, 2023, to ensure they keep their TPS and work authorization. DHS recognizes that not all reregistrants may receive a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD) before their current EAD expires and is automatically extending the validity of certain EADs previously issued under Somalia’s TPS designation through March 17, 2024.

U.S. Citizenship and Im-

migration Services (USCIS) will continue to process pending applications filed under Somalia’s previous TPS designation. Individuals with a pending Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, or a related Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, as of March 13, 2023, do not have to file either application again. If USCIS approves a pending Form I-821 or Form I-765 filed under the previous designation of TPS for Somalia, USCIS will grant the individual TPS through September 17, 2024, and issue an EAD that is valid through the same date.

Under the redesignation

of Somalia, eligible individuals who do not have TPS may submit an initial Form I-821 during the initial registration period that runs from March 13, 2023, through September 17, 2024. Applicants may also apply for TPS-related EADs and for travel authorization.

Applicants can request an EAD by submitting a completed Form I-765 with their Form I-821, or separately later.

For further information about TPS, including guidance on the registration process and additional information on eligibility, visit the USCIS TPS webpage at https://www.uscis. gov/tps. For specific infor-

mation about Somalia’s TPS designation, select “Somalia” from the menu on the left side of the TPS webpage.

For additional questions about TPS, visit uscis.gov/ tools or call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833).

Applicants seeking information about the status of their individual cases may check Case Status Online at the USCIS website at uscis.gov or visit the USCIS Contact Center at https://www.uscis.gov/ contactcenter.

“Those who are making guns, knowing where the guns are going and what they could do, have been insulated from lawsuits but recently, a couple of people had sued the manufacturers in America and won so the dam has cracked.”

Health

Seniors with anxiety frequently don’t get help

By JUDITH GRAHAM KHN (Kaiser Health News)

Anxiety is the most common psychological disorder affecting adults in the U.S. In older people, it’s associated with considerable distr ess as well as ill health, diminished quality of life, and elevated rates of disability.

Yet, when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, influential panel of experts, suggested last year that adults be screened for anxiety, it left out one group: people 65 and older.

The major reason the task force cited in draft recommendations issued in September: “[T]he current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for anxiety” in all older adults. (Final recommendations are expected later this year.)

The task force noted that questionnaires used to screen for anxiety may be unreliable for older adults. Screening entails evaluating people who don’t have obvious symptoms of worrisome medical or psychological conditions.

“We recognize that many older adults experience mental health conditions like anxiety” and “we are calling urgently for more research,” said Lori Pbert, associate chief of the preventive and behavioral medicine division at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and a former task force member who worked on the anxiety recommendations.

This “we don’t know enough yet” stance doesn’t sit well with some experts who study and treat seniors with anxiety. Dr. Carmen Andreescu, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, called the task force’s position “baffling” because “it’s well established that anxiety isn’t uncommon in older adults and effective treatments exist.”

“I cannot think of any danger in identifying anxiety in older adults, especially because doing so has no harm and we can do things to reduce it,” said Dr. Helen Lavretsky, a psychology professor at UCLA.

In a recent editorial in JAMA Psychiatry, Andreescu and Lavretsky noted that only about one-third of seniors with generalized anxiety disorder—intense, persistent worry about everyday matters—receive treatment. That’s concerning, they said, considering evidence of links between anxiety and stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease, autoimmune illness, and neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia.

Other forms of anxiety commonly undetected and untreated in seniors include phobias (such as a fear of dogs), obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (a fear of being assessed and judged by others), and post-

traumatic stress disorder.

The smoldering disagreement over screening calls attention to the significance of anxiety in later life—a concern heightened during the Covid-19 pandemic, which magnified stress and worry among seniors. Here’s what you should know.

Anxiety is common. According to a book chapter published in 2020, authored by Andreescu and a colleague, up to 15% of people 65 and older who live outside nursing homes or other facilities have a diagnosable anxiety condition.

As many as half have symptoms of anxiety— irritability, worry, restlessness, decreased concentration, sleep changes, fatigue, avoidant behaviors—that can be distressing but don’t justify a diagnosis, the study noted.

Most seniors with anxiety have struggled with this condition since earlier in life, but the way it manifests may change over time. Specifically, older adults tend to be more anxious about issues such as illness, loss of family and friends, retirement, and cognitive declines, experts said. Only a small fraction develop anxiety after turning 65.

Anxiety can be difficult to identify in older adults. Older adults often minimize symptoms of anxiety, thinking “this is what getting older is like” rather than “this is a problem that I should do something about,” Andreescu said.

Also, seniors are more likely than younger adults to report “somatic” complaints— physical symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, and gastrointestinal problems— that can be difficult to distinguish from underlying medical conditions, according to Gretchen Brenes, a professor of gerontology

and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Some types of anxiety or anxious behaviors—notably, hoarding and fear of falling—are much more common in older adults, but questionnaires meant to identify anxiety don’t typically ask about those issues, said Dr. Jordan Karp, chair of psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson.

When older adults voice concerns, medical providers too often dismiss them as normal, given the challenges of aging, said Dr. Eric Lenze, head of psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the third author of the recent JAMA Psychiatry editorial.

Simple questions can help identify whether an older adult needs to be evaluated for anxiety, Lenze and other experts suggested: Do you have recurrent worries that are hard to control? Are you having trouble sleeping? Have you been feeling more irritable, stressed, or nervous? Are you having trouble with concentration or thinking? Are you avoiding things you normally like to do because you’re wrapped up in your worries?

Stephen Snyder, 67, who lives in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, and was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder in March 2019, would answer “yes” to many of these queries. “I’m a Type A personality and I worry a lot about a lot of things: my family, my finances, the future,” he said. “Also, I’ve tended to dwell on things that happened in the past and get all worked up.”

Treatments are effective. Psychotherapy—particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people address persistent negative thoughts—is generally consid-

ered the first line of anxiety treatment for older adults. In an evidence review for the task force, researchers noted that this type of therapy helps reduce anxiety in seniors seen in primary care settings.

Also recommended, Lenze noted, is relaxation therapy, which can involve deep breathing exercises, massage or music therapy, yoga, and progressive muscle relaxation. Because mental health practitioners are extremely difficult to find, especially those who specialize in seniors’ mental health, primary care physicians often recommend medications to ease anxiety. Two categories of drugs—antidepressants known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors)—are typically prescribed, and both appear to help t older adults, experts said.

Frequently prescribed to older adults, but to be avoided by them, are benzodiazepines, a class of sedating medications such as Valium, Ativan, Xanax, and Klonopin. The American Geriatrics Society has warned medical providers not to use these in older adults, except when other therapies have failed, because they are addictive and significantly increase the risk of hip fractures, falls and other accidents, and short-term cognitive impairments.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information about health issues to the nation.

(Istock / Getty Images Plus)

&

Inside the 95th Oscars, Governors Ball

It’s true: A picture is worth a thousand words. Here’s a look at the Governors Ball, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ official post-Oscars® celebration that immediately followed the 95th Oscars ceremony marking its 64th year. —Magrira and Sunil Sadarangani

Oscar® winners Daniel Scheinert, Ke Huy Quan, and Daniel Quan during the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Kartiki Gonsalves gets their Oscar® engraved at the Governor’s Ball following the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Oscar® winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan attend the Governors Ball (Kyusung Gong /©A.M.P.A.S. photo)

Oscar® nominee Brian Tyree Henry attends the Governors Ball after the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Mark Von Holden/©A.M.P.A.S. photo)

Oscars® awards at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Josh Sudock / ©A.M.P.A.S. photo)

Questlove attends the Governors Ball following the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Al Seib /©A.M.P.A.S. photo)

Ailey II exudes joy of being young, gifted and Black

By ZITA ALLEN Special to the AmNews

On March 22, Ailey II swings into its two-week season at the Ailey Citigroup Theater with two programs spotlighting a potpourri of works by a diverse group of choreographers that astonish the senses, tug at the heart strings, titillate the intellect, and satisfy the spirit. This troupe of members of the critically acclaimed Ailey II dance company will present 14 performances, with six works grouped together under two themes that tickle the imagination while conveying the essence of each evening’s presentations: Poetic Motion and Empowered.

The Poetic Motion program mixes the lyricism of an excerpt from Alvin Ailey’s The Lark Ascending with AAADT Artistic Director Robert Battle’s Alleluia, which fuses the Baptist Church’s foot-stomping, hand-clapping religiosity with classical Baroque idioms, and includes former Ailey Company member Elizabeth RoxasDobrish’s exploration of relationships in mediAcation, as well as the physicality of an excerpt from William Forsythe’s Enemy in the Figure.

Forsythe’s piece also appears on the Empowered program, along with Andrea Miller’s unexpected partnering and complex solos in Psukhe and Ailey II Artistic Director Francesca Harper’s Freedom Series, which takes audiences on an evocative, unexpected journey.

“I think the stage is a platform for social change,” said Harper, whose creative vision is informed by a thoughtful and lifelong relationship with dance that began at a very young age with classes at the Ailey School, then headed by her mother, former Martha Graham dancer Denise Jefferson.

Harper’s professional career began with Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem before she moved on to dance with Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt (1991–’99), where she became a principal dancer in 1994. Throughout her career, she also blossomed as a talented choreographer and her work has been performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Dance Theater of Harlem, Hubbard Street II, Tanz Graz, and many other companies, including her own Francesca Harper Project, founded in 2005.

Her work has also been shared with international audiences from Holland to Stuttgart to New York City Center and Harlem Stage.

Before joining the Ailey family as head of Ailey II, Harper was involved in a diverse array of performance projects in film, recording, television, and Broadway and off-Broadway produc-

tions involving an impressive list of collaborators.

Now, in her second year as head of Ailey II, Harper continues bringing her wealth of experience, innovative vision, and passion to the troupe, providing this diverse group of young performers with experiences that offer a glimpse of the limitless possibilities available to them.

“For them to have an experience where African Americans’ voices are centered within a diverse community—celebrating that is very special,” Harper said.

She knows the value of representation and cites the fact that the Ailey II dancers have been able to work with someone like former Ailey dancer Rojas-Dobrish, who not only created her own choreography for them but coached them in a work she learned from Ailey himself, Lark Ascending.

Harper also noted that there is the many-layered experience of working with Battle on a work that has not appeared by any dance company other than his own former Battleworks. “To have Robert super-enmeshed in the work with them was very special,” Harper said. “For me, that experience helps concretize and continue this feeling of family that envelops the Ailey II dancers.”

Ailey II dancer Patrick Gamble agreed: “I’ve been in the Ailey building studying dance since I was 5 years old.”

While he started by tagging along with an older sister, it wasn’t long before he, too, was smitten. When it came time to apply to college, Gamble’s choice of the Ailey/Fordham BFA program was even richer still. “I like to think that program made me into the dancer that I am today,” he said. “Mr. Ailey has been known to say that he doesn’t want cookie-cutter dancers and Ms. Harper is similar. She really values creative minds, so when a dancer is able to make really innovative choices and contributions to the choreography, that’s really what she loves.”

More than that, this young dancer believes dance is about more than just steps—it is about “how we interact with the other dancers, the choreographer, and the audience,” which is an example of what makes Ailey II performances so special.

Under Harper’s wing, and, indeed, under the wing of the entire Ailey family, dancers like Gamble and other budding young talents in Ailey II have not only blossomed into impressive performers, thanks to an embracing, nurturing environment, but share something special with the audience that makes their performances memorable. For more info, visit www.alvinailey. org/about/ailey-ii.

Ailey II with Artistic Director Francesca Harper and Rehearsal Director Lakey Evans-Pena (Nir Arieli photo)

Ailey II in Robert Battle’s Alleluia (Erin Baiano photo)

Ailey II in Francesca Harper’s Freedom Series (Erin Baiano photo)

New books: Angela Davis graphic novel; Jamel Shabazz photography; ‘Black Novella’; ‘The Deep’

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

There is something about the visual aspect of books, whether they be graphic novels, photography books, or cinematically written stories that are so vivid and clear that every word creates images of the movement, nature, and intrapersonal exchanges of each character in our minds. Books are powerful tools for the imagination, along with advancing our education about Black leaders and heroes, artists, creators and thinkers, and courageous survivors.

It was exciting to see the emergence of the new “Angela Davis: A Graphic Biography”; photographer Jamel Shabazz’s new book, “Albums”; and a wouldbe classic novella by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes entitled “The Deep.”

Each book is a reminder of the different ways Black stories are being told. It is both exciting and comforting to know that we are not just a wordy, historical monolith of thought, suffering, and pain, although Davis, Shabazz, and very possibly the authors of “The Deep” have surely gone through nearly insurmountable challenges to be who they are. Their stories are more than enough for us to learn how to rise above the darkness of life and the discrimination of our American and colonialized culture.

“Ms Davis: A Graphic Biography” by Amazing Améziane, Sybille Titeux de la Croix (Fantagraphics)

Prison abolitionist, professor, and American icon, Angela Davis’s incredible story is illustrated in a new graphic biography. Her life and work, which placed her on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List for her connection with the Black Communist Party, along with her journey to Cuba, revealed to the world her story of rightful redemption via the solidaristic protection of her Black community (who founded the Black People in Defense of Angela Davis and demanded her freedom from incarceration and martyrdom). She attained her freedom in the early 1970s, and since then, her graceful, yet adamant fight against mass incarceration and for Black feminist issues has created a deep foundation for the Black American culture and beyond to grow and organize to protect Black people well into post-modern times, including this very moment in 2023.

“The graphic biography also includes illustrated educational supplementary material that adds historical context about the various political organizations and programs referred to in the book, such as COINTELPRO, an ille-

gal FBI program dedicated to destroying U.S. political groups it deemed ’subversive,’” said the book’s publisher, Fantagraphics.

“Jamel Shabazz: Albums by Jamel Shabazz” (Gerhard Steidl Druckerei und Verlag)

The trailblazing photographer and influential, profoundly talented Jamel Shabazz has returned with a new book of photographs after having published the 2020 photography book, “City Metro,” which was described as an “ode to New York’s subway” by the British Journal of Photography because it highlights images of young people riding the NYC subway during the1980s through 2018.

“Jamel Shabazz: Albums” is a fresh, crisply crafted collection of pictures that tell the intimate story of the Shabazz family from the 1970s–1990s. “This book,” wrote publisher Gerhard Steidl Druckerei und Verlag, “[was] awarded the Gordon Parks Foundation/ Steidl Book Prize [and] presents, for the first time, Shabazz’s work from the 1970s to ’90s as it exists in his archive: small prints thematically grouped and sequenced in traditional family photo albums that function as portable portfolios.”

“The Deep” by Rivers Solomon with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes (Saga/Gallery Press‎)

“The Deep”’s interesting backstory and entrancing theme deserve to be covered and shared for years to come. It was commissioned after the 2017 airing of an episode of radio’s “This American Life” that explored Afrofuturism; its esthetic and possibilities as an art form; and the musical expression of the concept of a mythical underwater world inhabited by beings born from Black mothers and thrown into the ocean from slave ships, written and re-

corded by the hip-hop group Clipping. The idea of senior editor Navah Wolfe at Saga Books to expand the story through literature brought this book to life.

Speculative fiction author Rivers Solomon did an incredible job of crafting an

Afrofuturistic oceanic community of slave descendants who adapted their bodies to survive the depths of the water to live, thrive, survive, and remember.

“Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu,” said Simon and Schuster.

Solomon was the perfect author to write the book because their interests as a speculative, futuristic author were already steeped in issues related to ecology, slavery, and memory. However, it should be understood that no research or description can satisfy a reader more than experiencing the powerful vision, intelligence, and empathy of the Black body and psyche than reading this book for yourselves. “The Deep” also won the Lambda Literary Award in 2020.

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By SUPREME

GODDESS KYA

March 16, 2023—March 22, 2023

Every little signal needs a zoom-in with a pair of looking glasses on standby. March is a month of new beginnings—a new era on the rise with new rules, laws, and legislation—and we the people are healing, putting our differences aside to come together, inner-standing there is a bigger fight and view ahead for humanity.

The rainbow looks amazing when we look up at the sky; what about the rainbow on this green Earth and rainbow people walking among us, including our rainbow offspring? Spring into action with a steady plan with commitment, dedication, and discipline to achieve the goal. “Concentrate all your thoughts on the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”

— Alexander Graham Bell

Life is full of an abundance of surprises. It’s in everything surrounding you, even in your daily aspects, such as people, places, things, items, messages, signs—you name it. Listen, feel, see, and believe the universe speaks to us in many shapes and forms, even through your phone. The words you speak have a vibration, so be mindful of the tone and when you get the signals, act on them. Nikola Tesla said, “If you only knew the magnificence of the 3,6, and 9, then you would have the key to the universe.” This is that kind of week where you can use the key to unlock certain passages and wishes and be privy to wisdom. From March 15 and 10 a.m. until March 17, timing is everything; it’s the energy of the essence of time. Ask and you shall receive. Take notes.

Whatever mastermind plan you’ve been making, it’s time to apply the final bells and whistles on it by the end of March. This March brings sudden insights with change on the rise. Be prepared to decide whether you are ready for the upcoming change. In astrology, there are certain houses called angular, succedent, and cadent. This week, you are traveling in the angular, succedent where you initiated, taking action, and where you are headed is in the cadent houses for completion and distribution of what took place in the angular, cadent houses. From March 17 until 11 a.m. on March 19, choose a direction and stick with the program.

Saturn entered your sign on March 7 at 0 degrees Pisces. From March 7 until March 15, the things you thought of are now coming to a reality. It bypasses the “applying footwork” part and goes straight into the “action.” This is just a sample of what you can receive when you apply the footwork. Smile now as you can see what your results are. It’s all in you and getting all aspects from paperwork, meetings, interactions, organizations, and the skills needed to complete the assignment within three and a half years. From March 19 until around noon on March 21, buckle up, you are going on an adventure.

Time is of the essence as you initiate the proposal, then apply the required action, and before you know it, you receive results. This week has an inner tone of when you believe what seems like magic occurs, it’s happening on the spot. There is no time to waste at this moment as time is also time-sensitive, meaning everything must happen, so be sure you come with your paperwork and common sense. The test is next week to see how you follow up on your engagement, so do the work. From March 21 until 2 p.m. March 23, the choice is up to you to play your role.

The assignment, lesson, and blessings are pouring in with an abundance of all the work you applied. Venus enters Taurus from March 16 until April 11; then you have Jupiter in Taurus preview from May 16 until September 3; and finally, Jupiter in Taurus retrograde from September 4 until December 31, going back over what occurred so what was missed can now be applied before Jupiter moves directly. Seize the moment and make substantial investments as protection is your aura field. From March 15 until around 10 a.m. on March 17, it’s time to lay the foundation and build a new program or take things to the next level.

This cycle’s week feels like you are flying with the birds, swimming with the fishes, dancing with the stars, in alignment with sunrise and sunset. It may feel like it’s all a dream and it can be an illusion; just know you have to initiate the process to see results. Otherwise, you are all in your head and in your own way for what’s coming. Take the first step, then you can reap the benefits as you work through the assignment and learn the lesson. From March 17 until 11 a.m. March 19, the goal is to obtain, not experience repercussions. Get on the winner’s side.

The universe does a dance, traveling through all the sun signs at its appointed time. Although things seem to be going well, here comes some more paperwork to fill out. Remember that you received privy information first and you felt like a sitting duck who didn’t know anything until it all started to come together. Now that you have the coming together of the plan with certain details, you can see the bigger picture and the part you play. From March 19 until around 12 p.m. March 21, now it’s time to make a move and strike fast while the iron is hot.

The payoff or payout is on the way, so keep putting in the work and allow your light to shine. This cycle feels like being in the mud. When you are in the mud, you are receiving all the nutrients, vitamins, and potent energy before sprouting out like flowers or roses that lean toward the sun. Progress is progress, which is a process before we see development. Spread the word, assist when you can, and initiate and follow through without speeding up the process. From March 21 until 2 p.m. March 23, the darndest or oddest way of how things are working out is exactly how it works.

You are reaping the benefits of work initiated; also an ending of something and a fulfillment of a goal. When you apply water and fire, they boil in an uncontrollable process, or a controlled process of combining the two elements to work together. Your plans are coming together at a higher meaning, and there is another assignment ahead—you will have many, once one assignment is complete for advancement. From March 15 until around 10 a.m. on March 17, reflect back on your journey, the assignment, and the process for your progress on which you are standing firmly.

As soon as you begin a project and lay out all the details, you are ready to finish the mission. In the process of finishing the mission, provide the details of the body of how you derive your conclusion. Give examples and facts about the ingredients of your projects for more clarity and inner-standing. You have the ancestors dancing at your feet, yet the sacrifice of applying the work is the reward. From March 17 until 11 a.m. March 19, something to think about is who is the link to the game “monkey in the middle,” and why is the monkey in the middle?

New beginnings are on the rise with the ending and fulfillment of an accomplishment. This week, as you think it, it will be your reality and you will see how the law of attraction is playing out in your immediate environment. The rewards are given beforehand for a reason to motivate, encourage, inspire, and spark that flame to get the ball rolling. When April comes, you are in the soil of the unseen during the process, receiving all nourishment for a rebirth process occurring. From March 19 until around 12 p.m. March 21, the change is already happening; it was just a slow, steady process before the full effect showed up.

You are in the lead and league of the initiator with Jupiter in Aries. There is more work to do, follow up on, and follow through with before the next phase. This is the action, as humanity is being shown exactly what is going on and humanity has to follow the insights, just as when we the people say follow the money and you will know what’s going on. The inner work is approaching at different times, angles, months, seasons, days, minutes, etc., to see what the Big Bang theory entails. From March 21 until 2 p.m. March 23, the big adventure is on the rise.

Vinateria

Angela Bassett lost, but Ruth E. Carter won—again

By MAGRIRA Special to the Amnews

Angela Bassett didn’t win the Oscar for Best Supporting actress. That award went to Jamie Lee Curtis for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which was Curtis’s first Oscar nomination and win.

This was Bassett’s second Oscar nomination. Her first nomination was for her leading role as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”

My colleagues in the media room showed their shock at Bassett’s loss as did fans across the world via social media.

Actor and director Michael B. Jordan, who co-starred with Bassett in "Black Panther" in 2018, along with his “Creed III” co-star Jonathan Majors, didn’t miss a beat in showing their disappointment about Bassett’s loss. On stage, the men expressed their admiration to her: “Hey, Auntie,” Jordan said, with Majors adding, “We love you.” “Mm-hmm,” Jordan agreed.

Where we did win was with Ruth E. Carter, who earned her second Best Costume Design Oscar for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She won her first for the original “Black Panther” in 2019.

In her speech, Carter remembered her mother, who died recently at 101 years old, saying that she was now with the ancestors.

Here’s what Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter had to share about winning her second Oscar. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity).

On winning

“Oh, man, what a win. This is a tough lineup of the Best Costume

Design, so I’m really happy for my colleagues as well. Because they deserve the nomination, and they also deserve to win.”

On her process

“Well, you know...I love costumes, so that’s really hard for me. But, you know, it’s about storytelling. You don’t want to distract. You don’t want to…you want to support. And I enjoy supporting actors. I enjoy shepherding them to the set in a costume that they feel good in, and that they can perform in. So I never wanted to overshadow the story or the performance. I’m here to support, and it’s a collaborative medium.”

On finding the right tone

“In the first film, we were introduced to Queen Ramonda as the queen, as support to T’Challa. In ‘Wakanda Forever,’ we’re introduced to her as the ruler of Wakanda. So we stepped up… We enhanced … Angela always wanted to play a queen. And so, to amplify her as the ruler of Wakanda, we added vibranium—more vibranium. We added an extra element to her isicholo—the married woman’s crown that she wears. We gave her the royal color of purple and adorned her in gold as she enters the UN in this gown and it was incredible to elevate Queen Ramonda to this new status, so the process was to give her strength and show…the way that she embodied her place in Wakanda.

“As you can see in the film, when she sits on the throne, she’s in a gray, one-shoulder dress. And the one…the exposed shoulder shows her strength because Angela’s got those guns, right? So we exposed her arms in the UN to show how beautiful women can be, how strong and vulnerable at the same

time, but also can lead a nation.”

On what the win means to her “Listen…I pulled myself up from my bootstraps. I started a single-parent household. I wanted to be a costume designer. I studied, I scraped, you know. I dealt with adversity in the industry that sometimes didn’t look like me. And I endured. I feel that this win opens the door for other young costume designers who

may not think that this industry is for them. And hopefully, they will see me, and they will see my story, and they will think that they can win an Oscar, too.”

On legacy

“My mom passed away last week, and I had a great relationship with her in her final years— the same relationship that I’ve always had with her. I was her ride-or-die, I was her road dog, I

was her sidekick, and she always wanted me to follow my dream. Even after I graduated from college, I came back home to do an internship, and I didn’t quite know where I wanted to step next. And I packed up my Volkswagen Rabbit, and my mother said, ‘You don’t want to stay here. You can just go.’ I know she’s proud of me. I know that she wanted this for me as much as I wanted it for myself.”

Costume designer Ruth Carter wins second

By RENEE MINUS WHITE

Amsterdam News Fashion &

Beauty Editor

Costume designer Ruth Carter received her second Oscar this week or her designs for the latest Marvel movie hit, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” after winning her first for “Black Panther.” Carter is the first African American designer to win an Oscar for costume design.

Overwhelmed with happiness and excitement, she looked beautiful in a bright-yellow

strapless gown with matching long gloves.

Carter was inspired by traditional African tribal looks and merged these fashions with contemporary costumes. Her designs were both fashionable and functional. In both movies, actress Angela Bassett looked amazing, as did the other actors and actresses. Carter dedicated this Oscar award to her mother, who died recently.

Born in 1960 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Carter preserves Black fashion history through

her designs. Her eye on fashion offers a glimpse of the looks that Black folks donned in the past and into the present. On set, her clothes are well-constructed and very wearable, as seen on the actors and actresses wearing her designs, especially those playing the action parts on-screen. With a career that has spanned more than three decades, Carter has been recognized for her work in theater, film, and television. She has collaborated with director Spike Lee on 14 of his films, including “School Daze,” “Do the

Right Thing” (both of which are archived in the Library of Congress), “Malcolm X,” “Mo Better Blues,” and “Old Boy.” She also worked with Robert Townsend on films like “The Five Heartbeats”; Keenan Ivory in “I’m Gonna Get You Sucker”; and “Baby Boy” and “Rosewood” with the late John Singleton, all of which received rave reviews. She earned more than 40 film credits and two Academy Award nominations for “Malcolm X” (1993) and an Emmy Award nomination for “Amistad” (1998).

Oscar

Carter’s love for and knowledge of Black history and her gift for creating the right look for the time period are evident. She has worked closely with Steven Spielberg and Debbie Allen, and on hit period ensembles such as Lee Ava Duvernay’s “Selma” and Reginald Hudlin’s “Marshall.” She recently completed work on “Yellowstone’” starring Kevin Costner.

Congratulations!

In retail, Carter also created a collection inspired by her early films in collaboration with H&M.

Ruth E. Carter poses backstage with the Oscar® for Costume Design during the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (©A.M.P.A.S. All rights reserved)

Slutty Vegan owner redefines the “s” word during Harlem grand opening

By BRENIKA BANKS Special to the AmNews

Harlem has finally been “Sluttified” thanks to its Tuesday, Mar. 7, grand opening of Slutty Vegan. This marks the Black-owned vegan burger chain’s second New York City location and ninth overall location. The $100 million franchise brought out a long line of many supporters despite the 30degree temperature on a windy New York City afternoon.

Slutty Vegan employees have greetings using variations of the word “slut” when customers walk into the establishment. “Hey, slut, welcome!” is the first greeting heard on entering the vegan franchise. First-time visitors receive extra endearment by an employee shouting, “We got a virgin in the building” through a microphone while ringing a cowbell. Customers are told,

“Thank you for being Sluttified, have a great day” as they exit.

The sexual connotations of the word “slut” are being challenged by founder and owner Aisha “Pinky” Cole. The CEO said the company is redefining the word to mean a term of endearment. “It’s like saying, ‘Hey friend,’” said Cole. “We do that because we want to show people that there is power in the tongue and as long as you can recreate negative narratives and make [them] positive, you will always win.” Those greetings and farewells using the word “slut” have become part of Slutty Vegan’s culture. Cole said her plant-based business was never just a “fast-food place”; she called it a cultural movement.

“I’m happy that so many people continue to support [us], even five years later,” said Cole. “Businesses usually don’t last that long—not the restaurant industry, anyway.”

Cole said she felt “amazing” on Slutty Vegan’s Harlem opening day and grateful for the lengthy line on 135th Street despite the 30 degree weather. She believes that she and her team are doing honorable things for people to support.

“I’m just happy to be a staple in the community now all over again; it feels good,” said Cole. She once had a restaurant in Harlem that she lost to a grease fire in 2016. Cole describes her Slutty Vegan Harlem location as a fullcircle moment. “New York is like home to me,” she said.

The timing of the grand opening coincided with Women’s History Month. Cole said it’s Women’s History “every single day; we aren’t going to just use a month to identify the greatness that women have always possessed.” She is an advocate for women, especially Black women, running businesses while

changing the narrative of what someone should look like as a business owner. “You don’t have to be a man in a suit anymore; you could be a chick with a hoodie, some jeans, and some sneakers on,” said Cole. “I’m in the business of disrupting ceilings; I’m a disruptor.”

Harlem native and restaurant employee Aquiline “Que” Hayes is excited that Slutty Vegan has opened in Harlem. She is happy to have the privilege to walk down the block from her home and “experience this culture” that Cole has created. Hayes’s first day on the job was as front door greeter. “This is an iconic moment!” said Hayes, not missing a beat while greeting customers. She was curious about the vegan burger chain and flew to Atlanta a few years ago to try it herself. Now, as an employee, she’s a part of the growing cultural movement and

adds her Harlem swagger to her greetings. “Harlem energy is just different,” said Hayes. “When I’m at the front door, you’re going to understand why Harlem is Harlem.”

She shared her favorite greetings during the excitement of the grand opening: “‘We got a slut in the building’ and ‘We got a virgin in the building’ are my favorite ones,” said Hayes. “It acknowledges the people; we are celebrating the people and it’s a collective effort.”

The collective energy of great vibes were present for DJ Vybz Empress, who was hired to lend her musical talents to the opening. Empress depicted her experience DJing at the grand opening as amazing. “The energy was through the roof; you just had to be there to experience those vibes,” said the DJ.

Vybz Empress is proud to have DJing for the CEO of Slutty Vegan on

Harlem opening with long line and artist Ian Sullivan (Brenika Banks photos)

Another shot of inside with employees and staff

her résumé. She called this opportunity an “honor” and indicated her sincere appreciation of Cole as another Black female entrepreneur.

“It’s important we stick and work together to show the generation after us that teamwork really makes the dream work,” said Empress.

Collective support is the main component of making any dream work, even if it’s as simple as word of mouth, according to Onerine Browning. She was excitedly screaming “Slutty Harlem!” while waiting in line for her meal, although she is familiar with Cole’s establishment. “I came back in 2019 to New York [from Atlanta] and I’ve been telling everybody about Slutty Vegan; now they’re in Harlem,” said Browning.

Despite crediting the entire menu as her favorite, she chose the “One

Night Stand” burger during the opening. The Harlem native has been vegan for the past four years.

“I’m not going back,” said Browning. She lives by the saying “health is wealth,” and is convinced that feeding her body plant-based meals, especially Slutty Vegan, promotes good health.

Bronx artist Ian Sullivan said Slutty Vegan’s grand opening is a great way to properly introduce vegan fast food on 135th Street, which didn’t have a vegan restaurant until now. “[Cole] really knows what she is doing,” said Sullivan. “She’s got a way with her own style, and everybody seems to absolutely love it.” Sullivan isn’t vegan but thoroughly enjoyed the food. He defined his burger as being “fire” and “seriously amazing.”

“[Cole’s crew] does an amazing job of bringing out all the flavors— having all the right textures so it’s

not too obvious that it is vegan,” said Sullivan. The graffiti artist was flattered to be contacted via Instagram as the official artist for the Harlem opening. He characterized his piece for the event as a design style deriving from ways to use artistic tags.

“Inside the designs, I’ve hidden a bunch of words that are relevant to [Slutty Vegan] itself and the neighborhood,” he said. “I got [the word] ‘Harlem’ up here, ‘NYC’ is here, and ‘125th’; the other one is ‘ATL’ because that’s where this started.”

Sullivan was shocked at the crowd who were dedicated to waiting in line for their taste of Slutty Vegan. Employees kept the energy high with calls like “When I say Slutty, you say Vegan…” happening throughout the day.

For more information about the company, including menu items and more NYC future openings, visit www.sluttyveganatl.com.

Employees and staff at Sluty Vegan (Brenika Banks photos)

DJ Vybz Empress playing music

Pinky Cole posing for the media

“Sloppy Toppy” burger and fries

Continued from previous page

STYLE VOCALIST JANN PARKER HAS TRANSITIONED

Jann Parker, the jazz vocalist and composer whose magnetic vocal stylings captivated audiences from Harlem to Europe, died in New York on February 18.

A memorial service was recently held in Harlem at Benta’s Funeral Home. In the program, Parker’s birthdate was intentionally omitted per her request—she believed that age could not be defined by numbers and time.

Parker was known as a warm and giving human being. Her singing ability was an after-thought to her friends and family. But when she did commence to song, her understated timbre filled the room with smokey notes that merrily lingered through up-tempo pieces and ballads, like one of her signature songs: “You Go to My Head.”

She developed a cult following in Gotham even before she began leading her own groups, which led her to being a first-call vocalist. She was a featured vocalist with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Rahn Burton Trio, and Larry Ridley’s Jazz Legacy Ensemble. She was called upon for special performances and/or recordings with the likes of T.K. Blue, Charlie Persip, Steve Turre, Ron Carter, Don Braden, and Joe Lee Wilson.

Randy Weston called on Parker for the celebration of his 50th anniversary concert recording of “Uhuru Afrika.” It featured a 23piece orchestra and vocalists Parker and Gregory Porter. She was often the guest vocalist for the HARLEM WEEK VIP receptions at Gracie Mansion, as well as performing at the Showman’s Café, Lenox Lounge, Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium (CBJC), and Jazzmobile. While performing regularly throughout New York City, she was also a welcomed international performer for audiences in Greece, Paris, Portugal, Finland, and the Caribbean.

The songwriter and arranger took on the status of producer for the recording of her album “Voicings,” and co-producer of her album “Masterpieces Live” at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 2004.

Parker, a longtime resident of Harlem, remained devoted to her hometown roots in New Bern, North Carolina, where she founded the Jazz Preservation Society in 2003.The following year, she was honored with the key to the city.

Janet (Jann) Elizabeth White

Parker was born to James White and Inez Dudley White in New Bern, N.C. In elementary school, she won her first talent contest, singing the song “Don’t Fence Me In.” The song’s title became somewhat of a mantra for her: “Don’t fence me in, don’t categorize me, I am a singer

whatever genre it may be.”

Parker earned her BA degree in speech and drama from North Carolina Central University. While she was a student, she performed at local venues in the Raleigh/Durham area, where she met Robert Parker, whom she married in 1969. The couple made their home in Harlem, where their daughter Marsha was born.

“Jann Parker will forever be my sister, friend, and comrade in music! She recorded several of my original compositions—‘Thru The Rain,’ ‘The Lady In White,’ and ‘A Prayer For Us,’” said saxophonist and composer T.K. Blue, who performed at the memorial. “I recommended Jann for the soundtrack recording of the film ‘Queen City’ by Peter McGinnes. Jann did a voiceover for the jazz singer character played by actress Vivica A. Fox. My heart is broken and I’ll always keep Jann close to my heart with fond memories.”

Over the years, I had the opportunity to interview and converse with Parker on many occasions. Her understated singing style, which often verged on the likes of Nancy Wilson and Shirley Horn, will be missed.

Parker is survived by her daughter, Marsha Parker; her former husband, Robert Parker of Philadelphia; four sisters, Lind White, Clarissa Covington, Debbie Dominguez, and Judy White, all of New York; and a host of other loving relatives.

New Federal Theatre presents tribute to Micki Grant, March 21–25 only

By LINDA ARMSTRONG

Special to the AmNews

From March 21–25 only, Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre, in the Castillo Theatre (543 W 42nd Street) will present a special tribute to the genius of Micki Grant. Titled “Micki Grant: Step Into My World,” the presentation will feature unpublished works by the late playwright and poet.

The late, great Grant was a lady of so many talents. Most people know her as the first Black woman to achieve the distinction of writing the book, music, and lyrics for a Broadway production with her fabulous musical “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope.” You might also know her as the co-author of “Your Arms Too Short to Box with God.” She wrote about the Black experience in various ways that gave a voice to our people, our struggles,

our spirit, and our successes.

This event is an opportunity to hear Grant’s unpublished poems, lyrics, and thoughts about love, politics, America, family, food, historical figures loved and lost, all presented with music seldom heard, and some accompanied by songs from “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope,” “Your Arms Too Short to Box with God,” and “So Nice to Be Civilized & Working.”

The events, to be presented at 7 p.m. each evening, have been compiled and will be directed by Nora Cole, a long-time friend of Grant. She will also perform along with Ebony Marshall Oliver and Debra Walton. It is an opportunity to step into a world with Grant’s deep, funny, penetrating, mesmerizing, reaffirming thoughts, so don’t miss the chance.

For tickets, go to wwww.newfederaltheatre.com. See you there!

Jann Parker (Photo courtesy of Peter McGinnes)

Micki Grant (James E. Alexander photo) Micki Grant (center) with Jasmine Armstrong and Linda Armstrong at the 2018 Encores! Off-Broadway production of “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” (Linda Armstrong photo)

NYCHA

Continued from page 3

9—the public housing model NYCHA is traditionally funded through—stokes anxieties about displacement and redevelopment. At last month’s announcement of the audits, steering committee members said they’ve heard their fellow residents express such concerns.

“Why does it seem like the people are stating that they’re being evicted on a rapid rate from RAD/PACT and not from NYCHA?” said resident Joveta Paige. “Our job is to dive into that, and not just look into it but also give a hand. Let’s fix it and do something different.”

MTA

Continued from page 3

out,” said Pearlstein. “We believe that to put the MTA’s fiscal house in order, they actually need to provide better service than before the pandemic and compete harder for riders.”

Pearlstein said more frequent service would also help maintain public safety because commuters won’t be waiting on the platform and vulnerable for long periods of time. His group is asking for $300 million and up in the state budget to funnel money into MTA payroll, energy, fuel, electricity, etc.

“When the transit system you depend on fails you, it is a direct reflection on how our state’s budget priorities are not meeting the needs of everyday New Yorkers,” said Councilmember Amanda Farías. “Six-minute service is about streamlining our city for the benefit of our local communities and tourists alike. For outer-borough communities like mine, who rely on our trains and buses to get us to and from work, school, healthcare appointments, and citywide recreation, public transit is an essential service.”

Fair fares

Transit groups are supporting investments in more frequent service and expansion of the Fair Fares program, which gives half-priced Metro cards to riders who make up to 200% below the federal poverty level.

“A big priority for us is to remove barriers to transportation access,” said Elizabeth Adams, senior director of advocacy and organizing at Transportation Alternatives. “We want to do as much as we can to encourage people to take public transit and for everyone to afford public transportation because it’s more sustainable. We shouldn’t be punishing people because of their income status.”

Last year, Transportation Alternatives and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) released the Spatial Equity NYC report, which used the city’s Open

A spokesperson for NYCHA responded with a statement welcoming the audits but defending the Section 8-based PACT program as a tool for “improving conditions and quality of life for residents.”

“The PACT program has proven to be one of the most successful tools the Authority has for unlocking billions of dollars in funding to address long-overdue repairs, while ensuring resident input regarding the future of their homes,” the spokesperson said via email. “NYCHA additionally monitors maintenance and repairs at all PACT properties, as well as evictions, legal proceedings, grievances, and distribution of eviction prevention resources, and we welcome continued collaboration with residents, the Comp -

Data to show how different boroughs, council districts, and demographics are disproportionately affected by the effects of traffic-caused health issues, traffic violence, and poor service.

“When we talk about transit deserts— who’s prioritized in our city and who is not, we see real disparities around places like southeast Queens, where there’s very little transit access. They have extreme heat and little tree coverage and really harsh concrete infrastructure, so all of those things overlap,” said Adams. “When we have more walkable neighborhoods and green space, it improves access, public health, and environmental well-being.”

The report found that there are higher numbers of residents of color in 10 city council districts, 64% fewer streets with protected bike lanes, 49% fewer streets with bus lanes, and 51% higher asthma rates. In the “top five” city council districts, which have the most streets with bus lanes, 58% of residents are white. In districts where more than 10% of streets have a bus lane, 70% of residents are white.

State Senate action

As of this Tuesday, the Senate rejected the MTA’s “proposed biennial fare hikes” in 2023 and 2025, as well as Hochul’s proposal to raise money through a payroll tax. The Senate countered with an increase in a corporate franchise tax from 30% of state liabilities to 45%.

The Senate did, however, support Hochul’s recommendation of $892.2 million, the MTA implementing a pilot program to provide two free buses in each borough, and a camera enforcement pilot program for MTA bus lanes to help speed up commute times.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics 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://bit.ly/ amnews1.

troller, as well as other partners, to improve conditions of our buildings following decades of disinvestment.”

Hayes-Chaffe said comptroller audits on agencies like NYCHA are traditionally selected through internal risk assessments. The last probe looked into the conditions of development entrance doors back in 2018. She says this time around serves as a pilot for Lander’s “people-powered” audits, which she believes will increase engagement among the biggest stakeholders.

“One of the drivers of change is public interest—just based on the launch of this and the interest we’re seeing—it’s a success from the standpoint of lifting interest in NYCHA audits,” said Hayes-Chaffe.

“That didn’t exist three weeks ago. That in itself speaks to the power, and we also hope that residents will feel more satisfied because they’ve been consulted. Hopefully they will see more trust in our results, because they’re aware we’ll be talking to them about the processes and how we’re approaching testing in a way that is not normally done.”

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/ amnews1.

MICKI GRANT: STEP INTO MY WORLD

Compiled and Directed by Nora Cole

Musical Director: Ray Leslee

Featuring Nora Cole, Ebony Marshall Oliver, and Debra Walton

Fumiko Tanaka: Stage Manager

Amanda Santiago: Assistant Stage Manager

We enter into the personal world of the Micki Grant through her unpublished poems, lyrics, written musings on love, politics, and America, family, accented with music rarely heard and with songs from her work: Don t Bother Me, I Can t Cope, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, and more!

Elizabeth Van Dyke Producing Artistic Director

History Month

CLASSROOM IN THE

Josephine T. Washington, writer and educator

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

In his encyclopedic The Afro-American Press and Its Editors, published in 1891, Irvine Garland Penn included the journalistic prowess of Josephine Turpin Washington. A listing of the various publications that featured her stories fills three pages, and a photo of her wearing a stylish hat of the era is included. He begins the profile of her by noting that she was born on July 31, 1861, in Goochland County, Virginia. Other dates have been published for her birth, but the year appears to be consistent, as are the names of her parents: Augustus and Maria Turpin.

According to Penn, Washington was taught to read “by a lady who was employed in the family.” After rudimentary lessons at home, she continued her education at normal and high school, and at the Richmond Institute, which later became the Richmond Theological Seminary. She enrolled in Howard University and graduated in 1886. Her teaching career began at both previous institutions of her training and was briefly interrupted when she married Dr. Samuel Washington.

Given her husband’s practice in Alabama, Washington began teaching at Selma University. When Frederick Douglass was the recorder of deeds for the District of Columbia, he hired her as a copyist. This venture was in keeping with her early aspirations as a writer— as a teenager, her article “A Talk about Church Fairs” appeared in the Virginia Star. Her criticism of churches selling wine during their fundraisers was a harbinger of her later concerns about social and political affairs.

One of her most publicized essays was “Higher Education for Women,” featured in the People’s Advocate in the early 1890s. In it, she waxed eloquently and perceptively about the conditions facing

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women as they strove for educational opportunities. “The dense darkness, which for six thousand years, has enveloped women’s intellectual life, is rapidly disappearing before the rays of modern civilization,” she began.

“Advanced public sentiment says, ‘Let there be light!’ and there is light; but it is not that of a brilliant noonday, rather it is the brightness of a rising sun, destined to flood the world with glory. There are still many, who, while advocating female education to a certain point, decry the necessity and propriety of giving to women what is known as higher education. By this term we mean that education which involves the same headtraining, having for its banks the

same general studies, deemed essential to our brothers; that education acquired only at the college and the university.

“The very fact that a woman has a mind capable of infinite expansion, is in itself an argument that she should receive the highest possible development. Man is placed here to grow. It is his duty to make the most of the powers within him. Has anyone the right to thwart him in these efforts, to shut him out from the means to this end, to say to him as concerns his educational training, ‘Thus far shalt thou go and no further!’”

Moreover, she added, “Should not those who have capacity and inclination be allowed to receive this higher education? Should not those

who have a gift be permitted to develop and exercise it? If a woman has a message for the world, must she remain dumb? God forbid that man should close the lips of one commissioned from heaven to speak! Who wishes that Mrs. Stowe had not taken up her pen to depict the horrors of slave life? Yet had she desisted from such labors, probably she would have darned a greater number of stockings and sewed on more buttons…The better the training she has received, the better enabled she will be to perform the social duties devolving upon her. The more effective the intellectual armor in which she encases herself, the more prepared she will be to engage in the contests of [the] mind. Men adapt themselves to their company, and conversation in society does not rise above the level of its women. Is it not necessary that women be ready to meet men upon equal intellectual ground? Is it not important that her mental equipment is not inferior to his own? No one would have social converse composed exclusively of discussions on the ‘elegies,’ or made up of quotations from the ‘little Latin and less Greek’ learned in the schools; but the discipline gained by such scholastic training makes one undeniably brighter, wittier, more entertaining, capable of wielding a greater influence for good.”

Washington delivered this same essay in 1885, with some editing, to the Young Ladies Literary Society at Howard University.

Thus we have a sample of her insight and declarations—she was fearless in her proposals and admonitions. She published about the important issues as widely as she spoke in public forums, particularly pertaining to women’s rights and educational advancement.

Josephine T. Washington died on March 17, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, at age 87.

Washington’s essays are available in The Collected Essays of Josephine J. Turpin Washington: A Black Reformer in the PostReconstruction South by Rita Dandridge (2019) and the excerpt quoted in the article was taken from that work.

DISCUSSION

Dandridge’s book may say more about Washington’s work with Frederick Douglass.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Her life span almost covered the end of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th, and she made her immutable mark.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

March 12, 1940: Vocalist Al Jarreau was born in Milwaukee. He died in 2017.

March 18, 1933: Unita Blackwell, the first Black woman elected mayor in Mississippi, was born in Lula, Mississippi. She died in 2019 at 86.

March 18, 1959: Actress and singer Irene Cara was born in the Bronx. She died in 2022. She was 63.

Eviction

The proposed legislation is quite straightforward and self-explanatory: no evictions or non-renewals without a good cause. It would also limit rent hikes. Legal Aid staff attorney Patrick Langhenry, who represents Stone, believes his client would enjoy extensive protections under the bill if passed.

“Mr. Stone’s case is tragic, but it isn’t unique,” he said in a statement. “We hear similar horror stories daily from tenants in unregulated apartments who face eviction or exorbitant rent increases, deprived of any legal protections to help them remain in their homes. To combat this crisis head on, Albany must immediately codify ‘Good Cause’ eviction legislation. State lawmakers can no longer shirk their responsibility to advance this critical measure.”

But the “Good Cause” eviction law was arguably the most notable exclusion in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent housing plan. Langhenry’s Legal Aid colleague Ellen Davidson helped craft the 2019 bill and told the Amsterdam News that the governor’s playbook to mandate the development of 800,000 homes over the next decade doesn’t address short-time housing crises faced by New Yorkers like Stone.

“Her plan requires building more housing—she is correct, that is the way to solve our housing crisis [but] it’s years away,” the spokesperson said. “It requires localities to meet housing goals within three years and if they don’t meet those housing goals, then certain consequences will happen. But it may mean the actual building of housing will take an awfully long time. Right now, people are suffering.”

Good Cause eviction laws face stiff opposition from property owners throughout the state and have already been shot down or overturned in Albany, Rochester, and Newburgh. Davidson said the bill will affect “model landlords” minimally and excludes owners of three- or fewer-unit buildings, because such landlords often lived in their properties and would have a further, vested interest in vetting tenants whom they would

also call their nextdoor neighbors.

She added that the Good Cause eviction bill could help lower renting costs and open up availability, making Stone’s search for a place to enjoy his “golden years” a less elusive one.

“Part of the reason the rents go up as much as they do is that the market for this type of housing is incredibly hot,” said Davidson. “You have investment groups coming in and buying one- and two-family homes all over the state … [and] that also makes it harder for ordinary New Yorkers to actually purchase property to buy their first house…one of the things a Good Cause [eviction] law would do is take some of the heat out of that market [for] the investment groups [and] the predatory equity investors who might not want to purchase in New York anymore.

“…taking some of the heat out of the market would also lead to taking some of the heat out of the crazy rent increases we’ve seen for people who are trying to rent in New York City.”

Legal Aid Society proponents also say the bill would prevent landlords from discouraging repair requests by retaliating with the threat of evictions and non-renewals. Stone told the Amsterdam News this was

never a concern for him, although his apartment was reportedly in disrepair. Stone recalled waking up at 4 a.m. due to leaky plumbing dripping on him. He also reportedly provided Patch a picture of his unit’s ceiling collapsing in a previous story about his eviction.

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit. ly/amnews1.

CITY OF WHITE PLAINS

POLICE OFFICER EXAM

Salary: $56,563 - $110,749

Apply now through May 4, 2023

Exam to be held on September 9 or 10, 2023*

Women, Minorities and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

EDUCATION: HS or equivalency not needed to take exam, but required for appointment.

RESIDENCE: Must be a legal resident of Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Bronx or Nassau County at least one month preceding exam and continuously until date of appointment. Preference in appointment may be given to White Plains residents.

US citizenship and NYS driver’s license: not needed to take exam, but required for appointment.

AGE: May not have reached 35th birthday as of exam date.

Application available at: www.cityofwhiteplains.com

• White Plains Personnel Dept 255 Main Street

• Thomas Slater Center 2 Fisher Court

• El Centro Hispano 346 South Lexington Avenue

FREE TRAINING: for both the written and physical agility portions of the exam. White Plains is hiring under the terms of a Federal Court Consent Judgment

*You will be assigned to Sept 9, 2023 or Sept 10, 2023. Equal Opportunity Employer

Continued from page 4

Stephen White; Trenton Chapter Founding Member and Alumnus Samuel Floyd; legislators; and Kappa Alpha Psi members, mentees, and alumni.

“I am proud to sign legislation authorizing the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to issue special license plates for the distinguished members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity,” said Murphy. “For 112 years, Kappa Alpha Psi has stood for progress, equality, and brotherhood. As a member of the Divine Nine, it has stood as a national leader in community service efforts large and small and its members have made invaluable contributions across every facet of society.”

The chief administrator will select the design and color scheme of the Kappa Alpha Psi license plates in consultation with the Northeastern Province Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi.

In addition to all fees otherwise required by law for the registration of a motor vehicle, the bill provides an application fee of $50 and an annual renewal fee of $10 for each Kappa Alpha Psi license plate.

“I am pleased and honored to attend this momentous occasion with the Governor and my Fraternity brothers today,” said Shelton. “It is gratifying the State of New Jersey recognizes the significance and impact of Kappa Alpha Psi and all Black Greek letter organizations that we proudly and affectionately proclaim as the D9. Kappa is rooted in community service and civic engagement. We pledge to help the governor and the State of New Jersey in all endeavors that promote the welfare of its citizens.”

Under the bill, the fees would first be used to reimburse the commission for certain costs incurred in the implementation of the license plate program. Thereafter, additional fees would be deposited into a special non-lapsing fund, known as the “Kappa Alpha Psi License Plate Fund,” and monies would be appropriated annually to support the organization’s mission and programs.

-Compiled by CYRIL JOSH BARKER

Darrell Stone (Photo courtesy of Darrell Stone)

Education Banks, DOE planning Black studies curriculum

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is in the process of developing a comprehensive Black studies curriculum for schools supported by School Chancellor David Banks and Mayor Eric Adams. The goal is to implement a pilot program this fall.

The DOE introduced similar curricula focused on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history and heritage last fall that was lauded by education groups and lawmakers, and LGBTQ social studies coursework in 2021.

Banks called attention to the coming Black studies pilot program at the Central Family Life Center (CFLC) 18th Annual

Staten Island Black History Town Hall meeting during Black History Month on Feb. 25.

“For these young people to become all that they really can be, they must have a much deeper understanding of their own history,” said Banks at the town hall.

“We had folks from the community pushing to say we need that,” he continued.

“When you have a deeper understanding about who everybody is and the commonality between all of us, that every one of us has fought, bled, died, and sacrificed to help to build this nation and have contributed to this nation, then you have a deeper respect. That only comes from knowledge.”

He added that the Black studies curriculum will include civil rights figures and feature African history that preceded the trans-Atlantic slave trade. “Your story started before slavery,” said Banks.

Deputy Chancellor of Teaching and Learning Hewetté Moore said that the Black studies program has had the “generous support” of city council. The program’s development is due largely to the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition (EEAPC), which is a group of education advocates and organizations like United Way of New York City (UWNYC), Eagle Academy Foundation (EAF), Black Edfluencers United (BE-U), Association of Black Educators of New York (ABENY), the Black Education Research Collective (BERC), and city council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus (BLAC).

“It’s really important that we make sure that we are honoring the either misrepresented or absent voices from this work,” said Moore. “So in that really being sure that all students that identify with African American history and African diaspora have a place in

this conversation in their classroom and in their instructional experience.”

Moore said that the program was a gap in learning that the DOE had identified years ago and is not necessarily a response to the larger nationwide struggle to preserve Black history in classrooms in Republicanleaning states happening currently.

The DOE said that since the program is still in the works, there’s no set numbers on funding or which schools will be included yet.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics 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://bit.ly/amnews1

School Chancellor David Banks at the Central Family Life Center (CFLC) 18th Annual Staten Island Black History Town Hall meeting on Feb 25. (Ariama C. Long photo)

Diverse Film/TV

Continued from page 12

one of the most significant obstacles minority creatives face in the film business: Financial barriers to entry are too high to produce culturally authentic stories featuring diverse casts and crews.

A recent McKinsey & Co. study, for example, found that “Black-led projects have been consistently underfunded and undervalued even though there has been clear evidence that they outperform other properties when it comes to a return on investment.” This study shows that the lack of access to funding shortchanges both our industry and the culture; leaves $10 billion in revenue on the table annually; and deprives audiences of fresh new perspectives, voices, and talent.

jobs-generation and dollars-spent basis, the incentive program delivers a colorblind, front-end boost that primes the pump for a richer mix of films and shows.

The result is an active pipeline of New York-based projects telling stories for underserved audiences and giving diverse artists and crews on-set experience to launch their careers.

What’s more, the enhanced incentive will increase total annual funding for diversity and pipeline training programs to $3.5 million. And all credit recipients are required to produce diversity plans with specific goals to include training, education, and recruitment programs that will be used.

ators have urged support for the enhanced program.

The appetite to produce diverse films and shows in New York is immense, but new productions can only get off the ground if they are economically feasible and can win support from wary financiers. For many diverse young filmmakers, the state’s production incentive program makes the difference between getting shut out and signing on the dotted line. The governor’s proposed enhancements keep the future of the film and television industry in New York State.

Continued from page 2

Place Being in Prison,” they wrote:

“We, journalists from the African continent, are alarmed by the plight of our colleague Pape Alé Niang and are very concerned about the consequences of his imprisonment on his health, on press freedom and on the right of all citizens to news and information.

“His imprisonment highlights other challenges for the media

in Senegal, once a press freedom flagship in Africa. Senegal lacks a law on access to information, which prevents journalists and citizens from accessing state-held information.

It is time to remedy this without delay and to amend the Press Code in order to decriminalize press offenses.”

CPJ’s calls to government spokesperson Abdou Kerim Fofana and Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall rang unanswered or did not connect.

March Madness

By evaluating projects on a pure

Teamsters

Continued from page 10

Because of the proposal’s diversity enhancements and continued access for minority content creators, more than 55 diverse New York-based filmmakers, film festivals, major creative industry guilds and unions, and other local cre-

Chiquita Woolfolk Banks is CEO/owner of Bankable Consulting, Inc., a tax and legal consulting firm specializing in the film, television, and multimedia industries. At Bankable, Banks supports content creators, with a focus on filmmakers of color, and advises about options to finance the creator’s projects.

women workers, but benefiting all School Safety Agents.

nament and doesn’t want to start now. The committee must have heard him. Arizona State is a part of March Madness. Have you gotten your bracket completed yet? Some folks have two or three of them.

Now it’s time to enjoy the drama and the upsets. Upsets are what make March Madness so much fun to watch because, at the beginning, every team has a chance. Who will be the last team standing? That is the question on the court.

exactly what these women did!

Continued from page 12 with their families. They worked on the case despite health issues and attended most of our rallies.

At times, we felt pretty much alone, but then we received support from two people: Hazel Dukes, president of the NYS NAACP, and Sonia Ossorio, president of the NYC Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW)—two women who came to aid a cause on behalf of

2024 DNC

Continued from page 10

developed by “Jewish Marxists” who wanted to upset the South’s racial order. Muse was able to help get the first rightto-work laws passed in the South.

Today, labor union leaders are lobbying hard for Chicago or New York to play host to Biden’s pro-union DNC convention.

In January, eight union leaders signed a letter endorsing the selection of New York for the DNC. “New York is…uniquely positioned to demonstrate pro-worker principles as the labor movement gains strength and popularity across the nation,” the letter states. “Throughout the state, union membership is celebrated as a badge of honor for over 1.7 million workers. New York ranks first in union density among the nation’s largest states, with a unionization rate more than double the U.S. average. Legislators in Albany have also successfully rejected dangerous ‘right to work’ legislation intended to take away union protections from working people. In short, New York values are union values.” The

I still remember the day of the judge’s final ruling. Pat, Bernice, and Corinthians came into the courthouse and knelt in prayer before they took their seats. Perhaps there was a little divine intervention, but with the help of Hazel and Sonia, an historic settlement was reached. Clearly, the words of Vice President Kamala Harris ring true: “You’re going to walk into many rooms where you may be the only one who looks like you or has had your experiences, so use that voice and be strong.” And that’s

news site City & State, which first published the letter, said that a DNC 2024 NYC Host Committee spokesperson claimed “the committee worked with union leaders on the letter, ‘who were eager to sign on.’”

And several labor union leaders of organizations like the AFL-CIO; Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU); Service Employees International Union (SEIU); UNITE HERE; and AFSCME signed on to a letter published by Politico that lauded Atlanta’s civil rights and racial justice history, but claimed that “the city has done nothing during its long convention bid to address” its low labor union representation at the hotels DNC delegates would find themselves staying in. “With the deadline for the Party to choose a convention site getting close, this lack of union hotel capacity is disqualifying.”

Georgia may now be a pivotal swing state for the Democratic Party, but it still has not declared itself as definitively pro-labor. That fact may hurt Atlanta’s chances of hosting the 2024 DNC.

Throughout the pandemic and beyond, so many of our women members were an integral part of our union’s overall efforts to keep the city functioning. For us, it is not difficult to identify women who should be honored during Women’s History Month. We are especially blessed to

have among our own members, and our friends, women who care about others and want everyone else to care, too. That’s who they are. That’s their legacy. And we take pride in knowing them. Thank you, Marie, Pat, Bernice, Corinthians, Hazel, Sonia, and so many others who are the personification of our better angels.

Religion & Spirituality

Jazz & gospel vocalist Eunice Newkirk dies at 83

By RON SCOTT Special to the AmNews

Eunice Newkirk, the jazz vocalist who effortlessly blended the deep-rooted genres of blues and gospel into an enriching sound that touched the soul to its core, died on March 1. She was 83.

Newkirk was known as a jazz singer, but that description was so confining for such a multi-faceted singer whose roots began in the church, instinctively giving her a gospel, blues timbre that captured the emotions of her life experiences. She recorded three CDs: “Yes, God Is Real,” “Your Request” (jazz-based) and “In Your Honor.” All three were well received throughout the Harlem community and her international fanbase.

Her repertoire from these three CDs demonstrated her intuitive fusing gospel, jazz swing, and pop rhythms.

She was a frequent performer at Jazzmobile’s Summerfest and its special events. One of her final performances last year, entitled “The Two Sides of Eunice,” gave that New York audience an up-close, in-person view of how her spirited passion took listeners directly to the church, from singing along to loud clapping to a cool jazz standard. She was enthusiastically acknowledged in Harlem, throughout the United States, and in South America, Asia, and Europe. The saxophonist and composer Bill Saxton noted, “Eunice was one of the very best vocalists in any kind of music. You could always hear the blues when she sang.”

Performing her truth of gospel music in churches throughout the Tri-State area on a regular basis earned Newkirk the title “God’s Messenger.” In 1991, Newkirk joined Abyssinian Baptist Church where she remained a member until her transition. As an active member of the choir she shared her professional music experiences with the church’s music ministry.

“Eunice Newkirk was more than one of my dearest and most cherished friends. She was family, sometimes mom, sometimes sister,” said educator and consultant Ron West. “Our Abyssinian Baptist Church ‘Song Bird’ was most noted as one of Harlem’s most accomplished jazz performers.” Newkirk was one of the original singer participating at the “Abyssinian Jazz Vespers.”

In 1987, Newkirk tried her thespian skills, performing in the play “Over Forty,” written by her long-time friend Weldon Irving. The play opened at the Billie Holiday Theater and ran for more than two years before hitting the road on a national tour. She went on to perform in at least eight more theatrical productions as well as appearing in television commercials.

Eunice Newkirk was born in the Bronx, New York, to Climith and Queen Esther Newkirk. She was the youngest of 14 chil-

dren of a religious and musical family. Her parents’ inspiration led her to pursue a career in music. She married John Marcelli in 1962 and welcomed two children, Robyn and Kevin.

Newkirk’s vibrant stage presence, affirmed by her colorful tones, will be missed, along with her big smile after each of her performances.

Newkirk is survived by her two children; Robyn Marcelli and Kevin Marcelli; her grandson, Kevin Marcelli; her sister Lee Kirk; and many nieces and nephews. A virtual service was held for Newkirk on March 11. A memorial tribute service “Celebrating Her Life” will be held on April 22, (11am) at Abyssinian Baptist Church.

Eunice Newkirk (Ron West photo) (Courtesy photos)

struggles when he was in his 40s. “They told me there was an issue with my vision that could not be corrected, but none of them advised me to go to the Commission of the Blind and be declared legally blind in order to receive benefits.”

It was the first time he had pondered whether white and nonwhite people were treated equally when it came to accessing the healthcare system. “I know people who are DeafBlind who are white. They discuss the problems they face, but they get their accommodations,” said Safman. “I get fired.”

Many of the co-navigator programs the state has developed to date are geared toward youth with very few easy-to-navigate resources for middle-age working DeafBlind adults until they hit retirement age. The current programs also have a regional and racial disparity, said Safman, with long waiting lists and low pay for co-navigators.

Safman reached out to Cleare for help and began his advocacy journey.

Cleare said she was proud to introduce Senate Bill 2503. She said that DeafBlind co-navigator programs have been successful in other states and it is time that this “world of services” becomes open to New Yorkers.

“I believe that a DeafBlind Co-Navigator

Program has the ability to change, empower, and enrich the lives of so many in New York State by assisting individuals in their everyday lives with a host of important tasks,” said Cleare in a statement. “I sincerely hope we pass the bill this year, get the program in place, and then fully fund it so it can make a manifest difference as soon as possible.”

Chris Woodfield, the associate executive director for the Helen Keller National Center, is also in favor of the bills for DeafBlind New Yorkers. He said that a statewide program would allow people to

fully participate and access the communities where they live and work. It is also critical for DeafBlind people to be able to get access to environmental information, human guides, and communication facilitation, Woodfield said in a statement.

“This will liberate New York DeafBlind citizens from isolation that they experience without access to co-navigators and support service providers,” said Woodfield. “This will enable them to be able to shop, attend appointments, participate in community and cultural events, and participate in other recreational activities that

would not be possible without a co-navigator or support service provider.”

Safman said the bill would also create good jobs and increase economic opportunities for DeafBlind people as well as co-navigators.

“Governor Hochul has made fighting for greater equity, equality, and opportunities for historically marginalized communities a chief priority of her administration,” said Hochul’s office.

Hochul’s office said that the state included $250,000 in her executive budget proposal for the 2023–2024 fiscal year. The funds will go toward restoring the Interagency Coordinating Council for Services to Persons who are Deaf, Blind, or Hard of Hearing in the Office of the Chief Disability Officer, established in February 2022. The chief disability officer is charged with establishing New York as a model for inclusivity, integration, and accessibility by ensuring all state policies, programs, and activities truly meet the needs of all people with disabilities, said Hochul’s office.

“The governor will review this bill if it passes both houses of the legislature,” said Hochul’s office.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics 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://bit.ly/amnews1

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SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

INDEX NO 850377/2015 COUNTY OF NEW YORK

BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, Plaintiff designates NEW YORK as N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS the place of trial situs of the real property MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST, Plaintiff,

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS vs Mortgaged Premises: 340 WEST 57TH STREET, UNIT 9-E

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF NEW YORK AS DISTRIBUTEE NEW YORK, NY 10019 OF THE ESTATE OF MARIAN S. O'HARA; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DISTIRBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF MARIAN S. O'HARA, Block: 1047 , Lot: 1096 an y and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property de scribed in this action; such unknown per sons be ing herein gen erally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, he irs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legat ees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and a ssignees of such deceased, any and all persons der iving interest in or lien upon, or title to sa id real pro perty by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, ad ministrators , devisees, legat ees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienor s and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE PARC VENDOME CONDOMINIUM; SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Defendant(s),

TO: THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S)

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff's attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of th is Summons, e xclusive of th e day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any ma nner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United Stat es of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or ap pear with in sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgmen t against you by defau lt for the relief demanded in the Complaint In the event that a deficienc y balance remain s from the sale proceeds, a judgment ma y be entered against you.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT

THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to se cure the sum of $625,500.00 and interest, recorded on February 24, 2009, in CRFN 200 9000055488, of the Public Records of NEW YORK County, New York., covering premises known as 340 W EST 57TH STREET, UNIT 9-E, NEW YORK, NY 10019.

The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. NEW YORK County is designated as the place of trial because the real property af fected by this action is located in said county.

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 f iled this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home

Spea k 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 the mortgage company will not stop the forecl osure action.

YOU MU ST R ESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF TH E ANSWER ON TH E ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT

Da ted: January 25, 2023

ROBE RTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff

Ma tthew Rothstein, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbu ry, NY 11590 516-280-7675

No tice of Qualification of ASTON 41C LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/14/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in New Jersey (NJ) on 08/19/22. Princ. office of LLC: Ira Z. Kevelson, 410 Ce ntral Park West, #3A, NY, NY 10025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Irina Stanovitch, 7 Berkley Pl., Co lts Neck, NJ 07722. NJ addr of LLC: 7 Berkle y Pl., Co lts Neck, NJ 07722. Cert of Form filed with Acting State Treasurer, 33 W. State St., Fifth Fl., Trenton, NJ 08646. Purpose: Any lawful activity

CRYSTAL UP! LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 12/02/2022. Office loca tion: One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12231, New York County. SSNY has be en designated as agent of the LLC upon wh om process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Mary Ternovsky, 422 E. 72nd St., Apt 37C, NY, NY, 10027. Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice of Formation of DD ATLANTIC AVENUE LLC Arts of Org. file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/31/23. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty Prin c. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Corporation at the princ. office of the LLC Purpo se: Any lawful activity

No tice of Qualification of ELYSIAN COMMUNICATIONS LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/14/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in New Jersey (NJ) on 10/03/12. Prin c. office of LLC: 255 W. 94th St., Apt. 11-U, NY, NY 10025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Kristina B. DiPalo at the princ. office of the LLC Ce rt of Form. filed with State Treasurer, Dept of the Treasury, PO Box 002, Trenton , NJ 0862 5-0002 Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice of Fo rmation of ATLANTIC AVENUE GP LLC Arts of Org. file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/31/23. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty Prin c. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr of its princ. office Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice of Qualification of energyRe Services, LLC

Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/15/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in De laware (DE) on 11/04/22.

Princ. o ffice of LLC: 30 Hu dson Yards, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corp oratio n Service Co (CSC), 80 State St., Alban y, NY 12207-2543.

DE addr of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 1 9808. Cert of Form filed with DE Secy of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 40 1 Federal St - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19 901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice is hereby give n that an On-Premises Liquor License for beer, wine and liquor has been applied for by the under signed to permit the sa le of beer, wine and liquor at retail rates for on-premises consumption at the premises located at 750 Eighth Avenue under the Alcoholic Beverage Co ntrol La w. 750 Eighth LH, LLC and Distilled LLC

Adal ys Trains LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 1/10/2023. Office: NY County SSNY ha s been de signated as agent of the LLC upo n wh om process against it may be served and shall mail process to : 530 East 88th St., #1B, New York, NY, 10128 Purpose: any lawful act.

Good Kid En tertainment LLC

Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 10/12/2022. Office Loc: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served against it & shall mail to: Omar Diongue, 233 West 111th St., Apt. 3C, NY, NY 10026 Purpo se: Any lawful activity

Guangstar LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 1/17/2023. Office loca tion: NY County. SSNY has been de signated as a gent of th e LLC upo n whom process against it may be served and shall mail to: 307 W. 111th St., Apt. 2R, NY, NY, 10026. Purpo se: any lawful activity

No tice of Qualification of JLT HOLDINGS, LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/06/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Virginia (VA) on 01/29 /19. NYS fictitious

name: JLT HOLDINGS 197 1 LLC SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. VA addr of LLC: 13511 Split Creek Dr., Ch ester, VA 23831. Cert of Form. filed with State Corp Commission, 1300 E. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219-3630. Purpose:

Any lawful activity

Formation of NORTHERN STANDARD CONSULTING, LLC filed with the Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/17/2023. Office loc.: NY Co un ty SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to 517 W. 147th St., Apt. 32, New York, NY 10031. Purpose: Any lawful activity

U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY

Plaintiff designates NEW YORK as BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST, the place of trial situ s of the real property

Plaintiff, SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS vs Mortgaged Premises:

AYRIN WIDJAJA A/K/A AYRIN POOR, if living, and if she/he be dead, any and all persons

50 PINE STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10005 un known to plaintiff, claiming, or wh o may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific Block: 41, Lot: 1015 lien upon the real property de scribed in this action; such unknown persons being he rein gener ally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, admin istrators, de visees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, an y and all persons deriving interest in or lien up on, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their resp ective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, ad ministrators , devisees, legat ees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors an d assigns, all of whom and whose na mes, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; BOARD OF MANAGERS OF 50 PINE STREET CONDOMINIUM; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU, THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ADAM REDICH; MELISSA SILVERWOOD,

"JOHN DOE #3" thro ugh "JOHN DOE #12," the last ten names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended be ing the tenants, occupants, pe rsons or corporations, if an y, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, De fendants.

To the above named De fendants

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff?s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within th irty (30) days after service of the same is complete wher e service is made in any manner other th an by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, ma y answer or appear with in sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to a ppear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default fo r the relief demande d in the Complaint In the event that a deficienc y balance remain s from the sale proceeds, a judgment ma y be entered against you.

NOTICE OF NATUR E OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT

TH E OBJECT of the above caption action is to forecl ose a Mortgage to se cure the sum of $1,000,000.00 and interest, recorded on March 28, 2006, in CR FN 20060 001 71967, of the Public R ecords of NEW YORK County, New York., covering premises known as 50 PINE STREET, NEW YORK, N Y 10005.

The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing th e sale of the premises described above to sat isfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

NEW YORK County is designated as the place of trial because the real property aff ected by this action is located in said county

NOTICE

YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by servi ng a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you a nd filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home

Spea k 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 the mortgage company will not stop the forecl osure action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE AN SWER WITH THE COURT.

Da ted: Februar y 17, 2023

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf v. MALOU RIVERA BRAGANZA, Deft.-

Index # #850 030/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale da ted September 26, 2022, I will sell at public auction Outside the Po rtico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Ce ntre Street, NY, NY on Wedne sday, Ap ril 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an undivided 10,000/28 ,402,1 00 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as HNY Club Suites located at 1335 Ave nue of the Americas, in the County of NY, State of NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $82,674.53 plus costs and interest as of January 12, 2022 Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale wh ich includes annual maintenance fees and charges Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitche ll, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingd ale, NY

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf v. ROSA LIE T. MALONEY, Deft.- In dex #850005 /2022. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 2, 2023, I will se ll at public auction Outside on the Portico, NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Str eet, NY, NY on W ednesday, April 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, two undivided 0.00986400000% tenants in common interest in the timeshare known as 57th Str eet Vacation Suites lo cated at 102 West 57th Street, in the County of NY, State of NY Appr oximate amount of judgment is $51,714.89 plus costs an d in terest as of April 22, 202 2. Sold subject to terms and condition s of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which include s annual maintenance fees and charges Allison Furman, Esq., Refe ree. Cruser, Mitchell & Novitz, LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingda le, NY

ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff Matthew Rothstein, Esq. 900 Me rchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590

516-280-7675

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

CAPITAL ONE, N.A., Plaintiff -against- MAJESTIC HOLDINGS (USA) LLC, THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF CIPRIANI CLUB HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION A/K/A THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF CIPRIANI RESIDENCE AT 55 WALL CONDOMINIUM, Defendant(s). Pu rsuant to a ju dgment of foreclosure and sale dated October 7, 2022 a nd entered on October 7, 20 22, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at pub lic au ction on the por tico of th e New York Coun ty Courthouse located at 60 Centre Stree t, New York, NY on Ma rch 29, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, bounded and described as 55 Wall Street, Unit 714 , New York, New York being the same property conveyed by 55 Wall Associates LLC to Majestic Hold ings (USA), LLC and recorded on 11 -24-2006 under CRFN 20060 00 651956

All Bidders must wear a face mask/shield at all time s and social distancing must be observed by all bidders at all times.

Bidders who do not comply with the face mask and/or th e social distancing mandat e will be removed from the auction. Said premises known as 55 WALL STREET, NEW YORK, NY Approximate amount of lien $960,250.96 plus interest and costs

Premises will be so ld subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale Index Number 850024/2015

JOSEPH BUONO, ESQ., Refe ree MENASHE AND LAPA LLP, ATTORNEY(S) FOR PLAINTIFF 400 RELLA BLVD., SUITE 19 0, SUFFERN, NY 10901

DATED: February 16, 2 023

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, ALABAMA CASE NO DR2022- 900699.00 IN RE: THE MARRIAGE OF GLENDA F. ARRINGTON,PETITIONER WIFE AND ROWANTA D. ARRINGTON, RESPONDENT/HUSBAND. NOTICE OF PETITION FOR DIVORCE Rowanta D. Arrington, whose whereabouts are un known, must answer Glenda F. Arrington Complaint for Divorce by thirty (30) days of the last notice of publication, or thereafter, a judgment by default may be rendered against him in Case No DR2022-90069 9.00.

No tice is he reby give n that a license, serial #13591 91 for beer & wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a kiosk under the ABC Law at Grand Central Madison-Kiosk for on-premises consumption; Fratoni LLC

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

INTERAUDI BANK, Plaintiff, -against- SOHO 1602 OWNER LLC, BOARD OF MANAGERS OF TRUMP SOHO HOTEL CONDOMINIUM NEW YORK, TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTELS MANAGEMENT LLC, NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD, and JOHN DOE NOS. 1-5, Defendants. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to a Judgment of Fo reclosure and Sale dated September 6, 2022 and entered on September 9, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at pu blic auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the por tico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on March 29th, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. the following premises identified as Block: 491 and Lot: 1276, located in the premises identified as Block 491 Lot: 36 and Block: 491 Lot: 34, situ ate, lying and being in the Borough of Ma nha ttan, City, County of Ne w York, known as Unit No 1602 in the condomin ium kn own as "Spring Street Condominium f/k/a Trump SoHo Hotel Condominium" toge ther with an undivided 0.1315% interest in the common elements, said premises, Block: 491 and Lot: 1276, to be sold in one parcel. All bidd ers must wear a face mask/shield at all times and social distancing must be observed by all bidders at all times. Bidders who do not comply with the face mask and/or the social distancing mandate will be removed from the auction. Sa id premises known as 246 SPRING STREET, UNIT 1602, NEW YORK, NY

Approximate amount of lien is $376,915.68 plus atto rney's fees of $18,287.45, intere st and co sts. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment an d Terms of Sale

Index No. 850039/20 22

ALLISON FURMAN, ESQ., Referee

Do na ld Pear ce

Attorney for Plaintiff

260 Madison Avenue, 17 th Floor

Ne w York, NY 10016

(212) 221-8733

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK HILTON RESORTS CORPORATION, Plaintiff, -aga in st- FOLAYEMI ANIFOWOSHE, if living, and if they be dead, an y and all per sons unknown to Plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown perso ns being herein generally described and intended to be in cluded in the fo llowing desig nation, namely: the wife, widow, hu sband, widower, heirs-at-law, next of kin, de scendants, executors, administrators, devisee s, legatee s, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assig nees of such de ceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real prop erty by, th rough or u nder them, or either of them, and their respective wives, wido ws, husbands, widowers, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, le gatees, cred itors, trustees, committees, lienors and a ssigns, all of whom and wh ose names, except as stated, are unknown to Plaintiff, Defendants. INDEX NO.: 850029/2020 FILED: February 16, 2023

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS:

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to an swer the comp laint in this action, and to serve a copy of yo ur answer, or, if t he complaint is not served with th is summons, to serve a no tice of appearance on the Plaintiff's attorney with in 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within 30 days after comp letion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery with in the State. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by de fault for the relief demanded in the complaint.

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing Summons is served upon you by p ublication pursuant an Order of the Hon. FRANCIS A. KAHN, III, a Justice of the Supreme Court, New Yo rk County, dated January 24, 2023 and entered January 31, 2023

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT

THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Timeshare Mortgage in the amount of $28,125.00, re corded in Ne w York County Clerk's Office on August 14, 2014, in CRFN: 2014000 27 1605 of Mo rtgages covering the 5,000/28,402,100 undivided tenant in common in terest in the Timeshare Unit ident ified as HNY CLUB SUITES Phase I which comprise s a por tion of the NYH Cond ominiu m at th e premises also referred to as the New York Hilton, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 1 0019-6012

The relief sought in the within action is a fina l Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale directing the sa le of the 5,000/28,402,100 undivided tenant in common interest in th e Co nd ominium Un it known as the Timeshare Unit identified as HNY CLUB SUITES Phase I which comprises a portion of the NYH Co ndominium at the premises also referred to as the Ne w York Hilton, described a bove to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage.

Ne w York County is desig nated as the place of trial on th e basis of the fact that the real prop erty affected by this action is located wholly within said County. Da ted: Westbury, New York October 28, 2022 Maria Sideris, Esq. DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC Attorneys for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue Westbury, NY 1 1590 (516) 87 6-0800 WE AR E ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAIN ED WILL BE U SED FOR TH AT PURPOSE.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK Morgan Stan ley Private Bank, National Associatio n, Plaintiff AGAINST Joseph J. Ceccarelli, III aka Jos eph J. Ceccarelli; Susan K. Lagholz aka Susan L. Ceccarelli aka Su san Langholz Ceccarelli; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale du ly entered Ap ril 29, 2021 I, the undersigned Refe ree will sell at public auction at the Portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre St, New York, NY 10007 on April 12, 2023 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 200 Ea st 32nd Street, New York City, NY 10016. All th at certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erecte d, situate, lyi ng and being in the Boro ugh of Manhattan, County, City and State of NY, Block 912 Lot 1165. Approximate amount of judgmen t $1,6 76,660.05 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850018/2017. The auction will be con ducte d pur suant to the COVID-19 Po licies Concerning Public Au ctions of Foreclosed Property established by the First Judicial District Arthur Greig, Esq., Referee LOGS Lega l Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro , DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorn ey(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Cro ssing Boulevard Rochester, Ne w York 1462 4 (877) 430-4792 Dated: December 7, 20 22 74355

No tice of Formation of THE DIGGING CREW LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/27/23. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Sam Karp, 279 Crown St., New Haven, CT 06511. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Queen's Ransom Media LLC

Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 02/16/23. Office located in Ne w York Co SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Queen's Ransom Media LLC, 360 W. 36th Street, Apt 7N, New York, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity

No tice of Formation of WALNUT HILL HOUSING DEVELOPER, LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/27/23. 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., Alban y, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice of formation of Lodeco Books LLC Arts of Org with the Secy of State of New York on 3/3/2023 New York (SSNY) Office lo cation : NY Co un ty SSNY ha s been designat ed as an agent upon wh om process against it may be served and to which th e SSNY shall mail a copy of an y process against the LLC served upon is C/O the LLC/LLP 1390 Lexington Ave, #4 ; New York, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice of Qualification of MAROON PEAK MANAGEMENT LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/10/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/01/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmingt on, DE 19808. Cert of Form. filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

RADER COMMUNICATIONS

LLC, Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/28/2022. Office loc: NY County. SSNY ha s been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served & sh all mail process to: 250 West 94th St., Suite 15D, NY, NY 1002 5. Purpo se: Any Lawful Purpose.

RHG Chelsea LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 01/12/2023. Office: New York Co un ty SSNY ha s been designat ed as a gent of the LL C upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail to: Gary Wallach, 2 Renwich St., NY, NY, 10013. Purpose: an y lawful act.

No tice of Formation of WALNUT HILL HOUSING CL ASS B, LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/27/23. 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., Alban y, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Un ited Laundre LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 11/16/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agen t of the LL C upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 2320 Frederick Douglass Blvd ., Ne w York, NY, 100 27 Purpo se: Any lawful activity

UTOPIAN COLLECTIVE LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 11/11/20 22 Office location: NY County. SSNY ha s been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and sh all mail process to: Elitia Mattox, 19 90 Lexington Ave., Ap t. 3K, New York, Ne w York, 10035. Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice of Qualification of OTCex Derivatives Hold ing LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/24/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in De laware (DE) on 03/07/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upo n whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Co rporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Fa lls Dr., Wilmin gton, DE 19808. Cert. of Form filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK INDEX NO. 850236/20 22 COUNTY OF NEW YORK

U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST Plaintiff,

Plaintiff designates NEW YORK as the place of tria l situs of the real property

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Mortgaged Prem ises: 418 CENTRAL PARK W EST, NEW YORK, NY 10025 Blo ck: 1837 , Lot: 1036 vs

ALON BARASHI; B418 CPW LLC; BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE BRAENDER CONDOMINIUM, its successors and/or assigns; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED

NAME) AS JOHN DOE #1; “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED

NAME) AS JOHN DOE #2; “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED

NAME) AS JO HN DOE #3, “JOHN DOE #4” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last nine names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the per sons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, per sons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, de scribed in the comp la int, Defe ndants

To the above named De fendants

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the abo ve entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiffs attorn ey with in twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete wh ere service is made in an y ma nner other than by personal delivery with in the State. The Un ited States of America, if designa ted as a defendant in this action, may answer or appea r within sixty (60) da ys of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgmen t against yo u by default for the re lief demanded in the Complaint. In the even t that a deficiency balan ce re mains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT

THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $741,000.00 and interest, recorded on June 21, 2016, in CRFN 2016000207933, of the Public Re cords of NEW YORK County, New York., covering premises known as 418 CENTRAL PARK WEST, NEW YORK, NY 10 02 5.

The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises de scribed above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

NEW YORK County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county.

NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summon s and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this fo reclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a defau lt judgment may be entered and you can lose your home

Speak to an attorney or go to the cour t wher e your ca se is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your prop erty

Sending a payment to the mortgage compan y will not stop the 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

Da ted: February 24, 20 23

ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC

Attorney for Plaintiff

Matthew Rothstein, Esq.

900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590

516-280-7675#

KLM Advisory, LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 1/15/2023. Office loca tion: NY County. SSNY has been de signated as a gent of th e LLC upo n whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: KLM Advisory, LLC, 64 East 94th St., #6F, NY, NY, 10128. Purpo se: Any lawful act.

No tice of Formation of NYPC CROWN, LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/26/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY de signated 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. Purpo se: Any lawful activity

CHRISTIAN G CAROLLO MANAGEMENT, LLC filed Arts of Org. with th e Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/6/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY has be en designated as agent of the LLC upon wh om process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 12 Ash Pl., Huntin gton, NY, 11743. Purpose: any lawful act.

Sprezzatura Pa rtners, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 01/13/23. Office located in Ne w York Co SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: United States Co rporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 1 1228. Purpo se: any lawful activity

TICKET ME PINK LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/13/23. Office : New York County. SSNY de signated as agent of the LLC upo n wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 178 Duane Street, 3rd Floor, Ne w York, NY 10013. Purpo se: Any lawful purpose.

RHG Time Square LLC file d Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 01/12/2023. Office: New York County. SSNY has been de signated as a gent of th e LLC upo n whom process against it may be served and shall mail to: Gary Wallach, 2 Re nwich St., NY, NY, 10013 Purpose: any lawful act.

He art & Seoul Food Co LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 11/08/2022. Office: Ne w York County. SSNY has been designated as agen t of the LL C upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail to: Heart & Seou l Co LLC, 55 W 95th Str eet, Ne w York, NY 10025 Purpo se: Food Ma nufacturing.

Ha arex Laboratorie s LLC filed Arts of Org. with the SSNY on 12/22/2022. Office: Ne w York County. SSNY has been designated as agen t of the LL C upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail to: Firstbase Agent LLC, 477 Broad way, New York, NY 10013. Purp ose: an y lawful act.

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Injury issues already a concern for Mets and Yankees

By RASHID MCDONALD Special

to the AmNews

Three weeks into spring training, the Mets and Yankees have already experienced injuries to key players. Back on February 13, Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr., who last season went 12–4 with a 2.44 ERA in 28 starts, pulled out of the World Baseball Classic, currently being held, because of a hamstring injury, which was later diagnosed as a grade 2 strain.

The lefty Cortes had recently begun to work his way back, throwing a three-inning simulated game. He said in an interview on the YES Network that his body and arm are feeling well and “I think I have prepared well enough so far this spring, hopefully, to get into live games here soon.”

While that is positive news for a Yankees team looking to redeem itself after getting swept 4–0 by the Houston Astros in the American League

Championship Series last October, the status of starter Frankie Montas wasn’t as optimistic. On February 22, Montas had right shoulder surgery that will keep him out at least until the second half of the regular season.

The 29-year-old righty was acquired last August 1 in a trade with the Oakland A’s in exchange for pitchers JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk, and Luis Medina, along with infielder Copper Bowman. Last week, Montas gave an explanation for why he never spoke of the injury despite having discomfort upon his arrival in New York.

“I was trying to pitch through it,” he said. “I got traded to a new team and I wanted to show what I [could] do.” Yankees manager Aaron Boone had a simple view of the situation. “Obviously, he’s a pitcher and he was dealing with a shoulder injury before the trade, but these things happen.”

Yankees general manager

Brian Cashman defended the trade. “Montas came to us with a clean bill of health, but he obviously wasn’t healthy. Ultimately, it’s part of the business, but it happens.”

These are just a few problems from the suddenly growing list of injuries for the pinstripes. Along with Montas, reliever Tommy Kahnle (right biceps tendon) and prized free agent pickup, left-handed starter Carlos Rodon (left forearm strain) will be on the injured list to begin the season. These injuries affirm why it is critically important for teams to have pitching depth and the Yankees’ will be tested. As for the Mets, starting pitcher Jose Quintana, whom they signed to a two-year, $26 million free-agent contract this past December, will undergo bone graft surgery to repair a stress fracture in his rib. The 34-year-old lefty is expected to be out until July or longer. He was also diagnosed with a benign lesion on his rib.

WBC continues to live up to the hype

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The World Baseball Classic is in its second week and thus far has lived up to advance billing as a thoroughly entertaining, competitive, and visceral tournament. Star players whose contract values are in the hundreds of millions of dollars are showing emotions and energy that remind them, as well as the multitude of fans watching, the reason they first played the sport was purely for the love of the game.

Some teams are looking dominant while others will not make it out of pool play. Two-time defending WBC champion Japan swept through its four games in Pool B with a plus-38 run differential, led by reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. Pool play ended last night (Wednesday) with two powerhouses, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, facing each other in a loser-go-home Pool D match -

up in Miami. Venezuela already clinched its spot in the next round out of Pool D.

Team USA needed a win over Colombia to advance to the quarterfinals out of Pool C after a shocking 11–5 loss to Mexico on Sunday night.

“We’re a really good baseball team,” said Team USA reliever Brady Singer after the defeat.

“I’m not too worried about it. We have to come back fighting tomorrow.”

Under manager Mark DeRosa, a native of Carlstadt, New Jersey, and former University of Pennsylvania star who played for eight teams in Major League Baseball from 1998–2013, they bounced back on Monday, crushing Canada 12–1. The game ended with Canada up to bat in the seventh inning due to the WBC’s 10-run mercy rule in which the team with a 10-run or more lead is declared the winner.

Team USA put up nine runs in the first inning, highlighted by Mike Trout blasting a three-run homer in his second at-bat of the inning.

Yankees lefty Nestor Cortes, who went 12–4 with a 2.44 ERA in 28 starts last season for the team, is working his way back from a grade 2 hamstring strain (Photo credit: DR. Buddie (https://commons.wikimedia. org/wiki/File:Nestor_Cortes_Jr.jpg), https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is trying to do his part in helping Team USA win its second World Baseball Classic championship (Photo credit: Wikipedia Ryan Casey Aguinaldo Creative Commons)

Knicks return home after positive 2–2 road trip

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Prepare for success. Gird against a setback. Maintain your ground. The Knicks successfully did all three over the past week.

They returned to New York from a four-game, six-day Western Conference road trip after a 123–107 victory over the Portland Trailblazers, going 2–2 and holding the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

After losing three games in a row, including the first two of the recent road trip, the Knicks took the last two, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 112–108 on Sunday after a 122–117 loss to the Kings on March 7 to begin the stretch and falling 106–95 to the Los Angeles Clippers last Saturday.

They are 41–30 and one game in front of the 39–30 Brooklyn Nets, which host the Sacramento Kings at the Barclays Center tonight. The Knicks’ next game is Saturday at Madison Square Garden versus the Denver Nuggets (1:00 p.m.).

The Knicks had a nine-game winning streak spanning February 11 through March 5 that elevated them in the East seedings.

With the regular season rapidly coming to a close, teams are urgently jostling for favorable playoff positions. The Knicks have 11 regular season games remaining and were three games behind the 44–27 No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers when the NBA schedule tipped off last night (Wednesday).

The win over Portland was a demonstration of the Knicks’ resilience. Playing again without starting point guard Jalen Brunson, who is managing a sore left foot, they had six players score in double figures, including three off the bench placed by reserve point guard Miles “Deuce” McBride’s career high 18 points (4–5 on 3-pointers). The second-year player was also a menace on defense, harassing the Trailblazers’ future Hall of Fame guard Damien Lillard, who dropped 71 points on February 26 against the Houston Rockets.

Lillard still had 38 against the Knicks on 26 shots, going 8–17 on 3-point shots, but the Knicks minimized the damage. Down 33–20 at the end of the first quarter and 55–49 at halftime, the Knick dominated the third quarter, out-scoring the Trailblazers 34–20 to enter

the fourth quarter up 83–75.

“We knew we wanted to finish this road trip [up] right,” said McBride in a postgame interview on the MSG Network. “We came out a little flat…at the end of the road [trip], we just wanted to make sure we finished it off right and [came] out with more energy.”

Immanuel Quickley, in the starting lineup for the 14th time this season and filling in for injured teammates, had a team high of 26 points and added 10 rebounds with only one turnover in 34 minutes. Julius Randle tallied 24, RJ Barrett 22, and Josh Hart 16 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

Brunson has been exceptional in his first season with the team, although his sore foot has kept him sidelined for most of the past two weeks. He has only played in one half—the first half versus the Kings—over the Knicks’ last six games. They are 3–3 in those contests.

Brunson (23.8) is second of the Knicks in scoring, behind Randle (25.3), shooting an efficient 48.7% overall, 41.4% on 3-point attempts, and 83.3% from the foul line, and leads in assists at 6.1.

Jacque Vaughn keeps the Nets steady and competitive

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Nets haven’t selfdestructed.

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have been out West for a month, Irving traded to the Dallas Mavericks and Durant to the Phoenix Suns. Both have already been sidelined by injuries. Irving is currently out with right foot soreness, and Durant is expected to be unavailable for at least another two weeks with an ankle sprain.

The Mavericks, with Luka Doncic missing his fourth straight game last night (Wednesday) with a left thigh strain, were under .500 at 34–35 before facing San Antonio and fighting to maintain a play-in tournament spot as the No. 9 seed. The Suns were

No. 4 at 37–32, four games behind the 40–27 No. 3 Sacramento Kings and trailing the No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets (46–23) by nine games.

The Nets? They had a better record than both Irving’s and Durant’s new teams. The Nets are 39–30, the No. 6 seed in the East and only one game behind the 40–31 Knicks. The Nets are 5–3 in their last eight games heading into tonight’s matchup versus the Kings at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They ended a five-game, eight-day road trip on Tuesday that started on March 7, losing 121–107 to the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder. Yet it was an uplifting week as the Nets went 3–2 away from home.

They have been steady and rapidly gaining cohesion under head coach Jacque Vaughn despite initially plummeting after Irving and Durant’s departures. From February 6 when Irving was traded (Durant was gone three days later on February 9) to March 1, the Nets went

from being 11 games over .500 at 32–21 to 34–28, losing eight out of 10 games. But Vaughn kept his team together, working in new additions Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dimwiddie, and Dorian Finney-Smith. He has done so without Ben Simmons, who will miss his 12th straight game tonight with left knee soreness. Simmons continues to be a nonfactor since coming to the Nets from the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 10 last year in a trade for James Harden. He has played in only 42 games this season.

Earlier this week, Vaughn gave an update on Simmons’s status. “He’s still managing his back and knee soreness,” said Vaughn. “He’s back home in Brooklyn. We’ll get a chance to see where he’s at when we get back home after this trip.”

They have arrived, and are doing quite fine without Simmons. After the Kings, the Nets will play the Cleveland Cavaliers twice in a row, first at the Barclays next Tuesday and on the road next Thursday.

Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has capably guided the team through controversy and transition with 13 regular season games remaining beginning tonight versus the Sacramento Kings in Brooklyn (Bill Moore photo)

Knicks point guard Miles “Deuce” McBride scores career-high 18 points off the bench in his team’s 123–107 road win over the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday night (Bill Moore photo)

NCAA tournament madness has begun

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

Arguably the most dramatic three weeks in sports is underway as the 2023 men’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament began Tuesday with a pair of First Four matchups—the last teams selected to play in the tournament. Two No. 16 seeds went at it, with Texas A & M-Corpus Christi defeating Southeast Missouri 75–71 and No. 11 seed Pittsburgh knocked out No. 11 Mississippi State 60–59 in a thriller that is one of many more to come.

Two more First Four games were held last night (Wednesday), with local hoops team Fairleigh Dickinson taking on HBCU SWAC champion Texas Southern and Arizona State going up against Nevada.

The First Four format began in 2011, increasing the field from 64 to 68 teams. The single- elimination event will be sliced to the Sweet 16 after this weekend. Afterward, winners will advance to the Elite Eight. Surviving teams

will move on to the Final Four and ultimately the championship game, both being held at NRG Stadium in Houston on Saturday, Apr. 1, and Monday, Apr. 3, respectively.

The Alabama Crimson Tide is the tournament’s top overall seed headlining the South Region. The Houston Cougars are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, the Kansas Jayhawks No. 1 in the West, and the Purdue Boilermakers No. 1 in the East.

Texas Southern and Howard University are the historically black college and university teams to earn a spot in the tournament, with Howard defeating Norfolk State 65–64 last Saturday in the MEAC championship game to make the field for the first time since 1992. They will play Kansas today at 2:00 p.m.

Along with the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights from Hackensack, New Jersey, two other New Yorkmetropolitan area programs made their way into March Madness. The Iona Gaels (No. 13) from New Rochelle (Westchester

County), which took the MAAC regular season and conference championship game, will meet the UConn Huskies (No. 4) from the Big East tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. in a West Region showdown. “This is no picnic,” said Iona’s

head coach Rick Pitino. “We know we have a tough matchup, but I think we’re up for the test.”

The former Knicks head coach won the 1996 NCAA title coaching Kentucky and leading Louisville in 2013, but the championship at

Long Island University gymnastics flourish

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

The last few years have brought a new level of exposure for collegiate gymnastics. While there has been intercollegiate competition for decades, viral videos and powerful, expressive floor routines have brought unprecedented interest to the sport. When Long Island University (LIU) launched its gymnastics program in 2020, it provided opportunities for student-athletes eager to combine their sport with stellar academics.

“I wanted to be part of a new experience and I wanted to see what being on a new team and joining a new program would be like,” said junior Jah’Liyah Bedminster. “Since LIU is a new program, we’ve been a part of the next step forward into bringing a bigger audience to collegiate gymnastics. I feel very grateful to be a part of that.”

Over the past few years, collegiate gymnasts have received attention for floor routines with social justice messaging, as well as music and choreography reflective of stepping and hip-hop. “With the NIL (name, image and likeness) deals, people are seeing more on social media, so they can bring an audience to watch their floor routines and they can express,” said Bedminster, who selected music from the

film “Black Panther” for her floor routine.

“When I do my routine, I feel like I have so much power. The movie inspired me to be a strong floor performer.”

Alana Ricketts doesn’t do floor routines—she focuses on beam and vault— but said, “I love that college gymnasts have more freedom to express themselves and show what things mean to them through their dance movements.”

LIU’s season wraps up this weekend at the EAGL Conference Championships. Both are pleased with the progress they’ve seen this year. “I think as a team, we have really progressed; you can see that with each meet that we do,” said Ricketts. “Personally, I also feel like I grew a lot this season. I’m ready to see what’s to come.”

Bedminster is a biology major with a premed concentration. Her plan is to go to medical school and become a surgeon. Ricketts is an English major with a concentration in writing. Her goal is to go into publishing and be an editor, and she hopes to do an internship this summer. Both feel being student-athletes has given them discipline, focus, and persistence.

“I know I’m going to get the job done when I need to,” said Bedminster.

“Through sport, we’ve learned a lot of transferrable skills that we can use in our lives,” said Ricketts.

Louisville was later stripped due to several NCAA rules violations. Pitino is rumored to be St. John’s top candidate to fill their head coaching vacancy after parting ways with former head coach Mike Anderson last week.

The Howard Bison men’s basketball team celebrates a 65-64 victory over Norfork State in the MEAC championship game and a trip to the NCAA tournament (hubison.com photo)

Alana Ricketts of LIU gymnastics (LIU Athletics photos)

Jah’Liyah Bedminster

Sports

Women’s local hoops teams well represented in tournaments

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

What a difference a year makes. Last year, just one team from the New York/New Jersey area made it to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. This year, there are four: Monmouth University, Princeton University, St. John’s University, and Iona University.

Monmouth won its first Colonial Athletic Association Championship and with it the team’s first trip to the big dance in 40 years. The team’s top scorer is graduate student guard Bri Tinsley, who is averaging 12.1 points per game.

The Hawks take on Tennessee Tech tonight in the round of 68. The winner will face Indiana, the top seed in the Greenville 2 region, on Saturday.

St. John’s University, making its first trip to the tournament

since 2016, is also opening play tonight in the round of 68. The Red Storm takes on Purdue University with the winner facing North Carolina on Saturday. Fifth-year seniors Jayla Everett and Danielle Patterson dreamed of finishing their collegiate days with a flourish and they’ll give their best.

Princeton University is making its 11th trip to the Big Dance, taking on North Carolina State tomorrow. Last year, the Tigers upset SEC Champion Kentucky in the first round. The goal is to make more waves.

In Iona’s first year as a university, the school’s men’s and women’s programs scored trips to their respective NCAA Tournaments. Iona women take on Duke on Saturday.

Four local teams earned berths in the post-season Women’s National Invitation Tournament

(WNIT). Columbia received an automatic qualifier after claiming a share of the Ivy League regular season title. The Lions must shake off a devastating loss to Harvard in the semi-finals of the Ivy League Tournament and focus on surpassing last year’s WNIT run to the final eight.

Other automatic qualifiers for the WNIT are Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall. Fairleigh Dickinson had an outstanding season, going 14–2 in conference play, but lost to Sacred Heart in the NEC Tournament final. Seton Hall had a good, not great season, but scored some solid wins. Last year, the Pirates advanced to the final of the WNIT, and for fifth-year players, the dream is to claim a championship.

Fordham University received an at-large bid.

WNIT action began yesterday.

Women’s college basketball announces postseason honors

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Last week, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) began announcing its post-season honors, with Rutgers University head coach Coquese Washington receiving the Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award. Presented annually, the award honors a coach who shows spirit, integrity, and character through sportsmanship.

“This game has given me a lot and I’ve always tried to give back to the game and give back to players,” said Washington. “To receive an award for that is really humbling and special.”

March Madness is underway and the NCAA Division I Women’s Bas-

ketball Tournament began yesterday. The overall top seed in the tournament is defending champion University of South Carolina. Although USC is undefeated this season, it is still anyone’s game as the tournament unfolds, and Washington said there may be some surprises.

“I don’t know if the top eight seeds will make the Elite Eight,” Washington said. “I’m rooting for good games because that makes our game more compelling and continues to grow the interest.”

As it was last year, the tournament will be a showcase for female coaches of color. Niele Ivey, head coach at Notre Dame and the first Black female head coach to lead a team to a regular season ACC title, was named ACC Coach of the Year.

“It speaks to what happens when people have opportunities,” said Washington. “When you look at the women who are having success, the women of color, that wouldn’t happen if they didn’t have the opportunities.”

South Carolina’s first-round match is against Norfolk State University, one of two HBCU institutions heading to the Big Dance. The Spartans punched their ticket by defeat-

ing Howard in the MEAC Tournament. There are three New Yorkers and two players from New Jersey on the Norfolk State roster. Graduate student guard Deja Francis from Queens is the team’s leader in assists and number three in scoring. She came in as a transfer last year and is thrilled to play a role on the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002, bringing NYC creativity and passion for the game.

“It’s a blessing being able to come here and actually play my game how I want it to be played,” said Francis, who finished her bachelor’s in mass communications last year and is currently studying for her master’s in media management. “This year, we got it done. It is really good to play for an HBCU and come make history here.”

Top scorer Jayla Everett leads St. John’s into Big Dance (St. John’s Athletics photo)

Columbia senior Kaitlyn Davis is ready to take on WNIT action (Columbia University Athletics/ Joshua Wang photo)

Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington (Rutgers Athletics photo)

Graduate student guard Deja Francis of Norfolk State University (Norfolk State Athletics photo)