New York Amsterdam News Issue - April 4-10,2024

FINDING SOLUTIONS TO HARLEM’S SOARING EVICTION RATES

(See story on page 6)

Roosevelt Island racial discrimination suit continues

(See story on page 3)

Haiti: From hope to terror

(See story on page 2)

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(GIN)—Paulin Jidenu Hountondji of Benin, West Africa, considered one of the founding fathers of modern African philosophy, recently died. He was 82 years old.

Hountondji’s 1976 work “On African Philosophy” contributed to clarifying the debate over African philosophy, freeing it from the colonial perspective that considered African

International News

metaphysics as a set of mythological beliefs.

Hountondji was the first African admitted as a philosophy student at the most prestigious school in France: the École Normale Superieure. His work shaped the study of philosophy in Africa and became a kind of second declaration of independence for Africa in the view of the African philosophers who followed him.

After Ghanaian philosopher Kwasi Wiredu died in early 2022, Hountondji was considered “Africa’s greatest living philosopher.”

A modest man who spent his career teaching in African universities, mostly at Benin’s national university, Hountondji believed there was something amiss in efforts by Europeans to tell Africans how they should think about their place in the universe. He rebelled against efforts to force African ways of thinking into European concepts, developing a critique of what he called “ethnophilosophy.”

Hountondji was an early critic of the book “Bantu Philosophy” by the Belgian missionary Placide Tempels, which had set the tone for African philosophy for nearly 30 years. Tem-

Haiti: from hope to terror

By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA Special to the AmNews

Translated by KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The independence of the Haitian people began with Toussaint Louverture in 1791 and culminated with Jean Jacques Dessalines on January 1, 1804, paving the way for the independence of the countries that make up America today, and for all the descendants of the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Haiti’s constitution of 1805, the most advanced of the time, declared in Article I, “The people who inhabit this island, called Santo Domingo, have formed a free, sovereign and independent State, under the name of Haiti.”

This article re-established the name of Haiti, or Ayti, which is the name given to the island by the original Arawaks. The word “Ayti” translates as “mountainous lands.”

The new nation’s independence leaders were of African origin and were paying tribute to the Indigenous people of these lands.

Article I of the Haitian constitution was an unprecedented act of decolonization in the libertarian struggles of the planet—decolonization begins by dismantling the names imposed by a colonizer.

Article 2 stated that slavery was abolished, making Haiti the first country to end enslavement. Article 3 said that Haitian citizens are brothers at home, equal in the eyes of the law. Article 12 established that “no white man of any nation shall put his foot on this territory with the title of master or proprietor, neither shall he in future acquire any property.”

pels’s book, published in 1945, was seen by a first generation of pre-independence African intellectuals as groundbreaking—restoring intellectual dignity to a continent viewed as “primitive” in the colonialist worldview. But in a series of essays collected in his book “African Philosophy: Myth and Reality” (published in 1976 in French and in 1983 in English), Hountondji demolished the Belgian priest’s work as no more than ethnographic racist musings that ultimately bolstered colonialism.

“Indeed,” wrote Hountondji, “‘Bantu Philosophy’ did open the floodgates to a deluge of essays which aimed to reconstruct a world view attributed to all Africans…But on closer scrutiny it is clear Father Tempels’ work is not addressed to Africans but to Europeans, particularly missionaries…for whom he closes his book with a chapter titled ‘Bantu philosophy and our mission to civilize.’

“In effect, [with Tempels’s book], we are back to square one: Africans are, as usual, excluded from the discussion and the Black man remains a topic, a voiceless face under

Unlike the constitutions of Latin America, which imposed the Catholic, apostolic, and Roman religion, the Haitian constitution was far ahead of its time, affirming in its Articles 50 and 51 that the law does not recognize any dominant religion and acknowledges the freedom of worship.

The arrival of Papa bon ké (Father with a good heart)

In 1806, Dessalines was assassinated due to internal political conflicts, and General Alexandre Pétion arrived. Known as “Papa bon ké” (Father with a good heart), Pétion governed the island from 1806 to 1818. The South American liberator Simón Bolívar turned to Papa bon ké for help to fulfill his dream of liberating Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

In a letter to President Pétion in 1816, Bolivar

wrote: “I beg your excellency to accept with the indulgence you have always treated me, the candid expression of unlimited admiration for your virtues, respect for your talent and gratitude for your favors.” Without Papa bon ké, Bolivar would not have achieved his utopia.

Haiti’s sun shone throughout the Americas. It was the first country on Earth to create an African diaspora army that, with its courage and ethics, liberated other peoples. That act was something that the world’s Western powers would not forgive Haiti for.

From Duvalier to today’s criminal gangs France, the United States, and the Roman Concordat began the dismantling of Haitian hope. Invasions and blockades followed, and the Haitian dream became a nightmare. Haiti was left alone, totally isolated.

AFRICAN PHILOSOPHER WHO CHALLENGED COLONIALISM LEAVES MAJOR LEGACY

Jesús Chucho Garcia with Haitian artist Louis Eknoc in Venezuela. (Jesús Chucho Garcia photo)

Paulin Jidenu Hountondji (GIN photo)

Rumble with Roosevelt Island racial discrimination suit continues; Black executives still on paid leave

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

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), a state public benefit corporation that runs the island, and Governor Kathy Hochul’s office are embroiled in a legal dispute with two suspended Black RIOC executives: CEO/President Shelton Haynes and General Counsel/ VP Gretchen Robinson. They allege there has been racial discrimination, a hostile work environment, and numerous “baseless” investigations into their conduct since assuming their positions in 2020.

Roosevelt Island (RI) is a small island made up of about 12,000 to 14,000 residents; all diverse in backgrounds, ethnicities, and economic status. The RIOC board and CEO/president run the local government similar to the way a mayor and city council would. The system was created in 1984 and the first CEO/president was appointed by the governor in 1986. A New York native, 46, Haynes is the second Black person to hold the position.

The island has three unions, its own public safety officers, landscaping, maintenance, legal and finance teams. For transportation, RI has a bus service, a subway stop on the F line that was closed for the last seven months for structural repairs, and a tourist boom with the island receiving hundreds of visitors on its famous red cable tram.

Robinson, 50, began working at RIOC in January of 2015 and Haynes started in April

of 2016, under former CEO/President Susan Rosenthal. Rosenthal was investigated in 2020 and subsequently fired by former Governor Andrew Cuomo over using “salacious” and “racially charged language” toward subordinates. In an amended complaint, Haynes detailed at least one of these encounters with Rosenthal and the “double standard” in treatment she received in 2019. Haynes and Robinson said they didn’t initiate Rosenthal’s investigation though, and also were never investigated at RIOC themselves before their promotions.

“Since I’ve been at this organization, it has been a very stressful situation and racially charged as well,” said Haynes, who has worked in public housing in Georgia and New York City.

“So the stress only actually increased, once I was elevated to the acting president and then the presidency.”

Haynes and Robinson are on paid administrative leave amid a current investigation into allegations against them that’s being conducted by Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP at the behest of the state. Amsterdam News reached out to Carter Ledyard for comment but they declined.

In the interim, RIOC operations are being overseen by Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & Vice President Dhruvika Patel Amin and Assistant Vice President & Deputy General Counsel Gerrald Ellis. RIOC Communications & Community Affairs Director Bryant Daniels said, in a statement, that the RIOC board of directors received notice of several employee concerns about the RIOC workplace. The board deter-

mined that it was necessary to conduct a review of these concerns with an outside professional, said Daniels.

The first state investigations ran from March 2021 through March 2022, but didn’t corroborate any allegations against Haynes and Robinson. Then in 2022, a vicious open letter accused Haynes, Robinson, and others in RIOC leadership at the time, of a misappropriation of state funds in the city and in Georgia, covering up a negligent death in regards to a swimming pool accident, mismanagement, cronyism, fraud, an abuse of power, predatory behavior, and ethics violations. Around this time, Roosevelt Islanders were completely dissatisfied with transportation conditions, especially concerning long tram wait times and the closed subway. There were also a slew of complaints from former employees, at least one of which was dismissed, who had been let go because of a restructuring plan.

This prompted the state to contract with an outside law firm, Greenberg Traurig LLP, for the first time to investigate. The subsequent Greenberg report released in 2023 found “no evidence” to support the claims in the open letter.

“The Hochul administration is a shining example of what happens when African Americans ascend to positions of power. They gave no support, no help, and in fact are completely hamstrung and blocked in any effort to create a positive energy themselves. When we became CEO and general counsel, they immediately tried taking control,” said Haynes.

Councilmember Yusef Salaam apartment hunts for New York City

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Yusef Salaam's story has already been enshrined in history books—but for him to actually live inside a museum is a novel concept. So this past Tuesday, April 2, the councilmember toured the Sugar Hill Project in Harlem for a potential blueprint for how the city can make affordable housing, actually affordable.

Mixed-use hardly describes the Broadway Housing Communities’ (BHC) development, which opened in 2015 and was designed by the visionary but now-denounced architect Sir David Adjaye—the same mind behind the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Thirteen stories worth of graphite slabs, punctuated throughout with asymmetrical windows, tower over Jackie Robinson Park, a far cry from the “sweet life” brownstones that earned the Harlem neighorhood’s name, Sugar Hill. But the cold exterior belies more than 100 affordable housing units that sit above both the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling and a universal preschool, where children of residents and local community members are enrolled. Students make regular trips to the galleries next door—but not before they line up

and sing, “We use our inside voices, we don’t shout,” ironically on the top of their tiny lungs, to the tune of “Frere Jacques.” It’s not hard to see why the development’s “three pillars” are housing, education, and art.

“This right here that I’m seeing is that very example of how to resuscitate life: providing housing for people who need it at various levels, providing school systems so that those individuals get the opportunity to also go out of their homes and seek employment, to better their quality of life, and also to have spaces that reflect where we are right now inside of the museum, where children and others get the opportunity to showcase their their work,” said Salaam, who represents the City’s 9th Council District in Harlem.

His tour officially started in the preschool. Housed between the lime-green walls are various art classes in session. At one table, a Spanishspeaking instructor teaches kids how to paint watercolors. Across from them, other youngsters are at work assembling clay sculptures. Their framed pieces decorate the space, joined by artwork made by the museum’s artists-in-residence who are voted on by the students.

Next up is the actual housing tour. A doorman greets the residents by name. Salaam is shown a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment. There’s a walk-in closet, which he joking-

“It was a backlash against us from islanders and the press. We complained about discrimination but there were no investigations. Yet when everyone else was complaining they opened 11 investigations up against us. It did not stop there. In addition to the state investigations, they went to a law firm and the federal prosecutor to investigate us. We were exonerated in a draft report of the investigation and also a discussion about discrimination but that discussion was removed. And sanitized in the following report rather than help us address the discrimination, they tried to remove us from our positions.”

AmNews reached out to Greenberg Traurig to confirm the existence of an aforementioned drafted report that mentioned discrimination. The law firm said that an investigation into harassment and treatment of Haynes and Robinson was outside of the scope of what they were hired to do. In the Greenberg report, the author noted that “non-specific complaints merely consisting of pejoratives directed at RIOC management were excluded.”

Robinson was quietly offered a new position upstate or elsewhere, which she viewed as a demotion, just before the Greenberg report came out.

“I’ve worked very hard to get to this point in my career, I have had no handouts. It’s all been on merit and my own driven self to get to this point. It was very disconcerting to read all these things being said about me, the allegations of misconduct, unethical behavior, etc.,” said

ly laments as the room to which his wife would relegate his office if they moved in. Salaam also points out the size of the fridge. It’s actually made for families that cook: Game-changing. The unit is prioritized for City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) voucher holders, according to a BHC spokesperson.

“It’s not okay to warehouse people. We really have to think about how we house them, and do that in a quality, respectful and humane way,” said BHC’s Executive Director Charlene Melville. “For us, it’s thinking, ‘What does that look like?’ Because whatever you do in that building that you create affects the rest of the community. And if we’re talking about building healthy communities, we have to think about all the people that we’re housing and how we can best support them.

“What are the systems that we need to put in place? And oftentimes that needs to come from a ‘strengths-based model,’ not looking at them as being needy, but thinking about them as people who are strong and resilient and need some additional support. And what does that support look like and being respectful of what those needs are?”

The tour wrapped up in the children’s museum. Salaam, in his navy blue peacock, was in his element, striding down the halls

while doubling his umbrella as a gentleman’s walking stick. One exhibit showcases the watercolor recountings of urban storefronts by Brooklyn artist Meridith McNeal. Another features eight women artists’ work depicting dynamic, structural pieces.

Salaam’s visit coincides with the city’s major housing crisis. Between 2021 and 2023, the net vacancy rate sat at just 1.43%, according to the latest Housing and Vacancy Survey. And cheaper units were almost completely off the market— just .39% of units asking under $1,100 a month were vacant, as were 0.91% of units asking between $1,100 and $1,649 a month. More expensive units were also limited but more readily available, with 3.49% of units asking for $2,400 a month or more having vacancies.

This past February, the Adams administration called for more affordable housing, advocating for the state’s collaboration on new tax incentives and situationally removing the “floor area ratio,” or FAR, a roughly seven-decade old law precluding sizable developments. Following Salaam’s visit, the Sugar Hill Project may provide indication of what the future could look like.

And the housing stock shortage coincides with a major exodus of Black New Yorkers, as reported in a census analysis by Gothamist See SALAAM on page 36

Biden woos Haley voters and salutes

transgender people

By HERB BOYD

Special to the AmNews

President Joe Biden’s campaign team, perhaps heeding the advice of many pundits, recently released an ad featuring words he used to defeat Nikki Haley in his Republican presidential nomination race. Trump charged that Haley was a “birdbrain” and “not presidential material.”

More meaningful for Biden is the Trump ad that said “If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote” and that “Haley supporters will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp,” which Trump posted on Truth Social.

“Save America. Join us,” the Biden ad declares.

According to the Biden team, the ad will cost them $1 million and is earmarked to appear in battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania for the next three weeks.

The ad campaign is a follow-up to Biden’s State of the Union address where he promised to target seven battleground states that will be critical in the November election.

If Trump doesn’t want Haley voters, Biden appears to be glad to welcome them aboard.

Meanwhile, Trump is hawking Bibles. “Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again!” Trump announced in his latest scheme to appeal to his base and raise desperately needed cash. The bible is endorsed by Trump and sold through a website, GodBlessTheUSABible.com, for $59.99. It’s another iteration of his hustling mentality, reminiscent of his trading cards and sneakers, both of which were mocked but sold out almost immediately.

Extending an invitation to Haley supporters seemed a no-brainer, and it was equally expected that Trump would lash back at Biden for proclaiming Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter, although the celebration was created in 2009. In a statement issued last weekend, Trump’s national press secretary called it “appalling and insulting” that Biden “formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as ‘Trans Day of Visibility.’” Biden’s comments, the statement added, were an example of his administration’s “years-long assault on the Christian faith.” Trump’s response, although unintended, will give more attention to a date that was established to honor transgender people and bring more awareness of the discrimination they face that in no way has decreased.

Fentanyl crisis awaits stronger border security laws and international sanctions while crippling Black families

By ASHLEIGH FIELDS Special to the AmNews

Nearly four decades after the emergence of crack-cocaine, a more deadly and toxic substance creeps around street corners in its wake. Fentanyl, a narcotic used to treat severe pain, is being trafficked through border states like California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and rampantly making its way through the rest of the country.

“Our increased California National Guard deployment helped federal partners seize over half a million fentanyl pills at the southern border last month,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom shared on March 26. “We’re doing our job, while Republicans in Congress drop the ball and block the bipartisan border security deal that would further crack down on fentanyl trafficking. They continue to choose chaos for political gain over the American people.”

His boiling frustrations resonate with hundreds of fellow elected officials annoyed at their peers’ stalling on a $20 billion bipartisan border agreement that would allocate funding toward hiring 1,500 border protection personnel, 4,300 asylum officers, 100 immigration judges, and adding 10,000 extra detention beds, if passed. The proposal has since been rejected by Republicans like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA).

“It’s not a border security bill. It doesn’t do anything of the sort. After careful review of this, we be-

lieve if it does pass we believe it would make it worse,” Johnson said last month.

He expressed disdain with the bill’s mention of work authorizations for “illegal aliens,” stating that it would threaten “Americans’ working wages” and serves as a pull factor to attract more migrants.

As Congress continues to debate remedies, the internationally trafficked opioid is increasingly being used as an alternative—or supplement—to heroin and methamphetamine.

“The illegally used fentanyl most often associated with recent overdoses is made in labs,” the National Institute on Drug Abuse released in 2021. “This synthetic fentanyl is sold illegally as a powder, dropped onto blotter paper, put in eye droppers and nasal sprays, or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids.”

The analgesic was first developed in 1959 and distributed in hospitals during the 1960s as an intravenous anesthetic. In 2011, officials noted an uptick of fatal overdoses tied to illegal use of the substance, which has only grown over the decade since.

Statistics from the Drug Enforcement Administration mark approximately 100 deaths per day—more than 50,000 lives per year—from fentanyl overdose. The chemical effects are approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, the DEA says.

“Fentanyl is produced in the

United States, in Canada, and in Mexico. And the chemical precursors come from Asia,” President López Obrador of Mexico shared in a CBS interview earlier this week. He noted traffickers from his country often use tunnels from Tijuana to San Diego to move materials without being encompassed by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

China remains the largest producer of fentanyl while Mexico follows closely behind, yet their populations have not endured the brutal effects of the narcotic on a mass scale.

“You know why we don’t have the drug consumption that you have in the United States? Because we have customs, traditions, and we don’t have the problem of the disintegration of the family,” Obrador said.

Statistics support his analysis. The substance is more rampant in Black and brown communities, claiming the lives of those most vulnerable in urban cities with high poverty rates exposing common trends in racial disparities. While overdose deaths associated with white users have decreased, the number of fatalities for Black individuals continues to rise.

Reports revealed the largest cause of death for Black men in the District of Columbia were tied to fentanyl, with a record 134 overdose deaths per 100,000 residents—nine times higher than the fatality rate among white men. That number is reflective of cases across the nation.

“President Biden is committed to

addressing the inequities that have led to Black and brown people entering addiction treatment years behind their white counterparts and is investing $83 billion in treatment—42% more than was made during the previous administration,” said Director of Black Media at the White House Rodericka Applewaithe. “To reduce barriers to treatment that often disproportionately impact communities of color, this administration has increased by 15 times the number of providers who can treat opioid use disorder and eliminated a near two-decade ban on mobile methadone vans that have proven critical in rural and underserved communities, among other efforts.”

Though there have been advances, the HALT Fentanyl Act, introduced by Republicans last year, permanently registers fentanyl as a schedule I substance, which ensures a 10-year mandatory sentence for offenses involving 100 or more grams of the drug.

Governors like Greg Abbott (RTX) have unconstitutionally arrested and detained migrants through effectively eliminating safe haven towns known as “sanctuary cities” for refugees hoping to curb the number of traffickers entering the country.

“This is just another example of Republican officials politicizing the border while blocking real solutions. We remained focused on delivering the significant policy changes and resources we need See FENTANYL on page 27

Uncommitted to Leave it Blank: Calls for a ceasefire hit the ballot box

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

A rumbling of dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Palestine war might affect the New York State presidential primary this Tuesday, April 2, as Bidein makes a bid for reelection.

Some grassroots organizations are encouraging voters to leave their ballots blank, which is an extension of the ballot box protests in other states calling for a ceasefire in the conflict.

“Presidential primary elections are unique in that voters are selecting delegates. Delegate allocation is based on the percentage of vote received by a candidate relative to other candidates, not relative to

total ballots cast, which could include blanks and/or voids,” said Kathleen R. McGrath, director of public information at the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE).

There are three candidates qualified for the Democratic primary ballot via petitions in New York: current President Joe Biden, Congressmember Dean Phillips from Minnesota, and author Marianne Williamson.

To be clear, New York does not have an “uncommitted” or “writein” option for presidential primary elections. The rules for the 2024 Presidential Primary were passed by the State Legislature, A.7690/S.7550, and signed into law in September 2023, said McGrath. However, blank or void votes are still counted.

“The canvass of the vote must be completed within 13 days of the primary election, and the certification of a primary election happens thereafter,” said McGrath. “The certification, which acts as the official election result, will include all votes cast for candidates, as well as blank and void votes.”

These protests began in New Hampshire’s primary in January, when organizer Rachel Rybaczuk and others urged both Democratic and Republican voters to writein “ceasefire” on their ballots. As the protest spread to other states, different methods had to be adapted to circumvent various voting laws. In Michigan, for instance, activists promoted the “uncommitted” option on the ballot instead of the write-in.

Rybaczuk has been acting as a national organizer since kicking off the first campaign in her state. She never imagined the movement would resonate with so many people. There have been at least 12 ceasefire campaigns across the country, including in Vermont, California, Washington, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Arizona, and North Carolina. She said shutting down bridges and flooding elected offices with phone calls wasn’t yielding results quickly enough, but the direct impact to votes in a crucial election year will hopefully make the federal government listen.

“It’s impossible to not pay attention for an administration that knows that this is on the minds of

Children of Promise founder Sharon Content invests in the future

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Sharon Content was uncontent with life on Wall Street. She felt destined for more, so she made a high-risk investment ditching her cushy gig for the unknown throes of nonprofit work. Fast forward to today, her organization Children of Promise, NYC, is celebrating more than 15 years serving children with incarcerated parents.

“I loved working in finance: the energy and the momentum and just the sexiness of working on Wall Street,” said Content. “There’s an ambiance [and] a finesse to it. And I really did enjoy it. But I just remember as I went up to 7 World Trade [Center] on the 50-something floor, and going to work—loving the work—but not feeling any passion, or for any real commitment to the work.

“I was looking at variances over a million dollars. Anything less than a million [I] didn’t even need to research what the variance was about. And it’s funny, because I look at a $10 variance now in my organization.”

Back then the future was unclear. Raised in Queens by Trindadian parents, she briefly left the Big Apple to attend Howard University, majoring in English and minoring in finance at the HBCU. Corporate America brought her back home.

Content landed her first post-Wall Street role with court diversion service Osborne Association thanks to her business experience. She directed the teen program, working with young people she says she remains in contact with to this day. Through her role, Content helped youth under her charge develop entrepreneurial skills, repurposing their existing hustle towards legitimate ventures.

She loved nonprofit work and soon moved onto a Boys and Girls Club affiliate, where she served as chief operating officer. There, Content witnessed the devastating impact of incarceration on children.

“Whenever a grandmother or a mother would lean in and say, ‘you know, we’re having a problem because his mom’s in prison or his dad’s incarcerated’...at the time, the best I could do was say you can go back to the program, you won’t be suspended [and] we’re gonna work through it,” she said. “But that stuck with me and motivated me and my own entrepreneurial spirit kicked in [and] I started Children of Promise, NYC.”

She talked about the urgency of her nonprofit and its mission.

“When a child loses a parent, as a result of military deployment, divorce or even death, society has a level of sympathy,” she adds. “But when a child loses a parent as a result of incarceration, that same level of empathy and compassion doesn’t exist. The child is bearing the burden of the parents’ infraction to society. I really

There are many reasons for opening a bank account. From depositing a check to making a transfer, working with a bank makes it seamless to manage your money in a safe way.

Opening up a bank account also makes it easier to pay bills on time, open a debit card, deposit and withdraw money from an ATM, and make transfers from an app, among many other things.

Whether you’re opening a bank account online or at a bank branch, it’s important to prepare and anticipate what information you will be asked for.

Personal Checking Account

If you’re opening up a personal checking account, you will need to fill out an application form and provide the following documents:

Identification: You don’t need to be a U.S. citizen to open an account, but you need documents to verify your identity. These may vary slightly from bank to bank, but valid documents typically include:

• A certificate with the legal name of your business.

• A business license if it is necessary to operate legally.

• Personal identification of the business owner, similar to those required for individual accounts.

• Employer Identification Number issued by the IRS.

• Money for an initial deposit.

What questions should you ask the bank when opening an account?

• Before walking into a bank branch, have a list of questions prepared to help you determine which account will work best for you and your financial needs. Some of those questions may be:

• What are your monthly maintenance fees, and how can I avoid those fees?

consider the children of imprisoned parents the collateral damage of mass incarceration. No one’s thinking of these children, and what impact is it having on their life. And what can we do as a society to break the cycle.”

Children of Promise, NY tackles the problem through after school programs centered around mental healthcare, encouraging them to share their feelings every step of the way and collaborating with licensed experts. More than 350 youngsters, who she calls scholars, are now enrolled in the program. The program began in Content’s basement. Now, she’s eying nationwide expansion as Children of Promise, NY now operates out of BedStuy and the South Bronx. And it all started from a leap of faith.

“I don’t think it was bravery,” said Content. “I think it was my calling and I just didn’t realize what it was then…but I was just thinking about it: if I had stayed on Wall Street, all the scholars that we made an impact on, that wouldn’t have happened. [But] it happened. It’s amazing.”

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

A government-issued photo ID. It could be a driver’s license, for example, or a state ID.

Passport with photograph and birth certificate for minors.

Social Security card or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues this identification number for those who do not have a Social Security Number. Having a Social Security Number to open a bank account is not mandatory. Some banks and credit unions may accept documents, such as a consular identification card with a photograph to verify identity.

Proof of address: An up-to-date and valid document showing the customer’s name and address. This information could be found in a utility or cable bill, for example—any payment document that provides both pieces of information—or even the rental agreement for the apartment where you reside.

Money: When opening the account, you need to make an initial deposit, which can be the minimum required by the institution or more. You can deposit with cash, a check, or a transfer.

Business Bank Account

If you’re opening a bank account for your business, make sure you prepare and bring the following documents with you:

• Documents regarding the structure of your business detailing who is in charge of finances and how it operates. For corporations or LLCs, this may include articles of incorporation or articles of organization—anything about the company’s name, purpose, structure, and basic administration.

• Ownership agreement outlining the rights and responsibilities of each business owner.

• Are there any fees associated with different services, including ATM fees within and outside the network, or overdraft fees, and how can they be reduced or eliminated?

• What is your process for accessing funds from abroad?

• Do you have any current offers or discounts with opening accounts or credit cards?

• What is your current interest rate for depositing into a savings account?

• For a business banking account, what are the monthly transaction limits? And what additional banking services would I have access to, including loans, credit cards and line of credit?

What if you want to save for a few years from now?

Whether it’s to prepare for retirement, or maximize the return on cash for a down payment on a house, many banks have financial experts who can recommend different strategies and investment products to grow your money over the years.

Choose to work with a financial advisor who you can create a strong relationship with and are comfortable expressing concerns and expectations. Keep in mind in some cases, financial advisors may receive a commission deducted from a percentage of the assets they manage for their client and/or charge transaction fees.

All banks offer online access, but not all banks have branches. While digital banking, whether online or with an app, makes managing your finances convenient, having access to a physical branch where you can sit down with someone to discuss your personal or business financing needs may make all the difference.

Exploring solutions to Harlem’s high eviction rates

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

As New York City continues to grapple with a housing crisis, Black and brown renters are hit the hardest. Adding to the sting, is the fact that Harlem’s eviction rates in 2024 are alarmingly higher than the rest of the city.

Kat Meyers, a staff attorney at Legal Aid Society, who’s been doing tenant advocacy work for over a decade, said that most often she sees the problem concentrated in communities of color. Many of Legal Aid’s clients in Upper Manhattan come from Central Harlem, East Harlem, and Washington Heights, which accurately reflects the data, she said.

“The majority of our clients are female-led households and oftentimes are families with minor children. I would say the largest demographic are women of color, Latina and Black,” she added. “I think of this work as being racial justice work in large part because of the fact that we see these patterns.”

More for the housing courts

New York City in particular has some of the strongest tenant protections and housing rights compared to the rest of the nation, said Myers. These protections began in the 1940s with affordable housing and back in the 1970s with the push for rentstabilized buildings. Of course, there was an equally strong landlord push to brazenly deregulate these buildings and jack up rents for years, until the Housing Stability & Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) of 2019 was passed. “The changes in 2019 to the law cut away a lot of those routes landlords were using to tack on additional rent increases or deregulate apartments in various ways,” said Myers. But Black and brown tenants are still at greater risk of losing their homes.

Myers feels that ending up in housing court to begin with is a symptom of racial inequities operating in the city, especially considering who ends up displaced without legal rep -

resentation. The good news is that the city’s Right to Counsel law has indeed been successful in helping tenants when faced with evictions. According to the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), the law changed landlord behavior and actually discouraged “frivolous filings” in housing courts right after it was passed in 2017.

Unfortunately, the impact from the pandemic in 2020 took its toll on New Yorkers and the housing courts, causing a ripple effect years later. There was a backlog after the rent and eviction moratoriums were finally lifted. More “moderate-income households” were threatened with evictions because of a loss of income or stability. Black households were most likely to experience “eviction threats” and Latino households were most likely to owe rent arrears, reported CSS.

Beyond the pandemic, legal service providers have consistently argued for more funding to deal with massive caseloads. The state version has less restrictions

than the city right to counsel law.

“We’ve had statewide right to counsel on the books, and we have a right to counsel in the city but it is underfunded. The city has not been paying out as much as it costs to actually have a lawyer for everybody,” said Sam Stein, a housing policy analyst at CSS. “And so a lot of people who qualify for the right to counsel are not getting it.”

The case for and against Good Cause Eviction

Centuries of structural racism within New York’s housing, lending, and job markets have shaped Black New Yorkers households, said CSS. Black New Yorkers tend to have far less in savings than their white counterparts while paying more in rent in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods. CSS and Legal Aid are huge proponents of passing the Good Cause Eviction law, which is sponsored by Assemblymember Pam Hunter and Senator Julia Salazar, to stave off these unfair evictions. Good Cause doesn’t have

the same universal appeal as the right to counsel law does. Some candidates for the upcoming state assembly race in district 70 are all for Good Cause, like Maria Ordonez and Josh Clennon. Others, however, were hesitant.

“Eviction is a horrible thing for all parties involved,” said Jordan Wright, whose campaign slogan is about connecting the old and new Harlem. “It begets another problem of what happens next because we already have a short stock of housing as it is, now we have more people who are looking for housing.”

Wright said if elected to office he would advocate for the Housing Access Voucher Program, which is aimed towards addressing homelessness; the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) that makes a path for tenants to buy their buildings from landlords if they can; and the right to counsel programs. “There are property owners and homeowners who own buildings of all shapes and

People stroll down the sidewalk along Malcolm X Boulevard, Monday, June 26, 2017, in New York, where residents are upset about a realtor’s proposed neighborhood name change from Southern Harlem to SoHa. Many residents say the name change devalues the area’s rich political and cultural history. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens photo)

Go with the Flo

Beyoncé headed to Japan over Easter weekend, where the 32 Grammy-winning songstress did an inperson autograph signing of her new country album “Country Carter” at the Tower Records in Tokyo’s Shibuya City, reports Dailymail.com. For her public appearance in Tokyo, the Texas-born songstress was decked out in a walnut-brown dress that clung to her statuesque figure. “Country Carter” debuted at midnight EST on March 29 and immediately became the most-streamed album in a single day on Spotify this year, according to Billboard. The album’s song “Protector” includes an intro by Queen Bey and Jay-Z’s six-year-old daughter Rumi Carter...

Mike Tyson has thrown his hat into New York City’s legal weed ring, according to Patch.com. The former heavyweight champion, who is in training for an upcoming fight with Jake Paul, is selling ear-shaped edibles at Housing Works Dispensary in Manhattan and Grow Together, in his home borough of Brooklyn. The ears are an ode to when he bit off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their fight for the WBA Heavyweight Championship in Las Vegas on June 28, 1997. Iron Mike, whose brand is called TYSON 2.0, said in a statement, “Growing up in Brooklyn, I could have never imagined a time when cannabis will be legally utilized for both mental and physical well-being.”...

On May 18, the city of Philadelphia will honor R&B icon Frankie Beverly, who began his career decades ago with the Butlers, then Raw Soul, which later became Frankie Beverly and Maze. Events will include a street renaming ceremony and a presentation by Councilperson Cindy Bass and the Philadelphia City Council with Maze Management. The ceremony is also being sponsored by the Black Promoters Collection, a coalition of six of the nation’s top independent concert promotion and event production companies. It is a 100 percent Black-owned business whose mission is to be the leading producer and provider of culturally relevant live entertainment experiences. The event will take place at noon on Norwood Street in the East Germantown area of Philadelphia, between Church Lane and West Godfrey—the neighborhood where Beverly grew up. Philadelphia media legends Patty Jackson and Dyana Williams will serve as spokespersons for the street renaming ceremony…

When veteran entertainment industry publicist Makeda Smith began pole dancing as a fitness hobby more than a dozen years ago, she had no idea it would morph into a life-changing journey. The 63-year-old grandmother, who has received international notoriety for her dance flow movement practice Flying Over 50, has announced a brand expansion during Women’s History Month. Makeda is releasing her first book, “Flying Over 50 At Any Age, A 30-Day Self Journal for Speeding Past Limitations,” on April 5—National Self Care Day. She has also launched an online wellness portal, the Makeda Method, offering healing breathwork sessions, deep stretch yoga classes, and dance flow movement lessons, all targeted to maturing seniors...

NewYorkAmsterdam News’ free NYCHA newspaper distribution pilot reaches finish line

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

No news is good news. Free AmNews is great news. The “Community Matters” pilot program wrapped up last Thursday, March 28 at the Frederick Douglass Houses in Upper Manhattan, marking the first step for the initiative to distribute the city’s oldest and largest Black newspaper throughout New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments—on the house.

“Douglass Houses [are] always making history so to get into the hands of our residents the Amsterdam [News] is the ultimate—it represents us, it looks like us,” said Carmen Quinones, the development’s resident association president. “And now, just reaching out and saying ‘we want to do this pilot program with you’ was an honor. For me to extend it to [the South Jamaica Houses] and other developments… is what we’re doing.”

Quinones, who recently announced candidacy for the 69th Assembly District, talked about growing up with the paper, joking that other “legacy” newspapers were banned in the house by her mother.

Financial vertical for the pilot comes from unions Teamsters Local 237 and 1199SEIU. And special shoutout to the AmNews’ distribution manager Benita Darby. As for what’s next, the papers hope to find their way throughout public housing citywide.

“Now that the pilot has been so successful, we look forward to the continued success of this ‘Community Matters’ initiative on an ongoing and continuing basis,” said Publisher Elinor Tatum. “Our hope is that we can expand ‘Community Matters’ to other New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Developments, and their predominantly Black and minority residents.”

“Today is a symbolic day where we have the ‘fourth division of government’—the press—making itself available to one of the most leveraged populations in the country [and one of] largest Black and Hispanic [communities] in the nation: NYCHA households,” added Manny Martinez, resident council president of South Jamaica Houses.

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.

Community Matters: Publisher Elinor Tatum (center left) holds up newspaper for Douglass Houses resident association president Carmen Quinones (left) as AmNews President and Chief Revenue Officer Siobhan “Sam” Bennett (right) observes. (Bill Moore photos)

Bronx BP Gibson honors Black women and girls in education

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

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson honored Black women and girls in education at the “My Sister’s Keeper (MSK) Unconference” at the University of Mount St. Vincent campus on Wednesday, March 27.

“Our young children and teens deserve every opportunity available to acquire the skills needed to thrive and prosper as adults,” said Gibson in a statement. “Through the ‘My Sister’s Keeper Unconference,’ we spoke directly to over 1,000 girls and young women across the Bronx about our unwavering commitment to ensuring that they receive the necessary support to become the leaders of the future.”

The MSK Bronx Committee is composed of leaders from all Bronx school districts and focuses on building sisterhood through empowerment, leadership, equity and inclusion, and confidencebuilding seminars. They honored former New York City Schools Chancellor Dr. Meisha Ross-Porter, New York State Commissioner of Education Dr. Betty A. Rosa, and University of Mt. Saint Vincent President Dr. Susan R. Burns.

More than 1,000 students from

grades 4–12 packed the auditorium. The young girls enjoyed dance performances from the South Bronx Academy for Applied Media dance team, a musical selection from the Songs of Solomon Inspirational Ensemble, and a live set from DJ Perly.

“It was such an honor to have the opportunity to welcome more than 1,000 young women to our campus for the My Sister’s Keeper Bronx Unconference,” said Burns. “Mount Saint Vincent was the first institution to offer advanced education to young women in New York, and while the university has grown to serve students of all genders, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds, our mission remains constant: to provide transforma-

tional educational opportunities that enable all learners to realize their potential and apply their experience at the Right Place on the River toward lives of leadership, service, and innovation.”

The MSK team also presented citations to three student emcees and three finalists in an essay -writing contest called MSK Embodiment of Sisterhood.

“The young women in our schools today are the leaders in our city tomorrow, and many of them are already stepping up as role models in their communities,” said current Schools Chancellor David Banks in a statement about the event. “Congratulations to today’s essay finalists and to everyone who took part in this amazing display of unity and community.”

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member who 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.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson at ‘My Sister’s Keeper Unconference’ on Wednesday, March 27

Students at University of Mount St. Vincent auditorium during ‘My Sister’s Keeper Unconference’

South Bronx Academy for Applied Media Dance team performs at ‘My Sister’s Keeper Unconference’ (Bronx BP Vanessa Gibson’s office)

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson (far right) honors Dr. Betty A. Rosa (middle right) and other Black women and girls in education at ‘My Sister’s Keeper Unconference,’ held at University of Mount St. Vincent campus on Wednesday, March 27

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

New York City’s food delivery workers now make a minimum wage of $19.56 an hour, but workers are complaining that the app services they work for are diminishing their wage gains by locking them out of access to the apps, effectively cutting their salaries.

“We want justice! No more lockouts!” members of Justice for App Workers chanted during a March 27 protest rally in front of New York’s City Hall.

Justice for App Workers claims that NYC’s app-based restaurant delivery workers––known as deliveristas––are being punished by the apps they work for. The national coalition group represents more than 130,000 rideshare drivers and delivery workers. They are organizing deliveristas to help them push for “living wages, a safe working environment, an end to unfair deactivation, quality healthcare benefits, reliable bathroom access, and the right to form a union.”

As a result of a 2021 law, New York’s more than 60,000 deliveristas who sign on with app-based delivery companies like UberEats, GrubHub, and DoorDash received their pay increase on April 1, 2024.

The wage increase was the end result of a

three-year campaign led by the Los Deliveristas Unidos (LDU) collective, who joined with the Worker’s Justice Project to fight for the basic labor rights of delivery workers.

The city government agreed that delivery workers needed a pay increase after conducting its own study, mandated by City Council passage of Local Law 115, which required the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to look at the average pay of app-based delivery workers and their working conditions.

However, Justice for App Workers is claiming that because there were no lockout protections attached to the mandated wage increase, some workers are losing income.

“When the original rule was announced, our coalition was worried it would lead to lockouts, and we have been calling for a solution to this issue for months. Unfortunately, we were right, and the lockouts have already started,” the coalition stated in a press release. “UberEats and DoorDash have also started using dirty tricks to hurt workers. They recently updated their systems to prevent customers from tipping workers during checkout, which has the potential to decrease our daily pay. As delivery workers, we don’t just live paycheck-to-paycheck. We live DAY TO DAY. And if we’re locked out of our app without

warning, or not given the tips that we deserve, we can’t pay our bills. That’s why it is extremely important that we get a raise WITHOUT lockouts.”

61,000 deliveristas a week

A 2021 law called for DCWP to investigate the employment conditions among the city’s app-based restaurant delivery workers and devise a minimum pay rate for their services.

In their published report, DCWP estimated that in 2022, apps like Doordash, Uber Eats, Postmates, and GrubHub employed on average a minimum of 61,000 deliveristas a week. More than half of the workers were aged between 18 and 34, and 91% of deliveristas are categorized as non-white and/or Hispanic.

The agency wrote that, “The three largest apps (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub) are all global, publicly traded companies. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, Uber Eats, including Postmates Inc. (Postmates), which it acquired in 2020, is the market leader locally, with approximately 40% of marketplace sales in NYC. Grubhub, which merged with Seamless in 2013 and was purchased by the Netherlands-based Just Eat in 2021, has about 35%. DoorDash, which is the largest and fastest-growing nationally, holds only

about a 25% share in NYC. The Department estimates that the deliveries that Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub perform in NYC generate about 4.8% of their global delivery revenue and 2.5% of their revenue across all lines of business.

“Despite large losses, which are not uncommon for growing technology companies, the three apps had a combined $75 billion market capitalization as of October 2, 2022. Relay, the fourth largest delivery app, is an NYC-based startup, and the only one operating in NYC that does not have a consumer-facing mobile application or website. Instead of marketing to consumers, Relay serves restaurants as a lower-cost option to fulfill their deliveries.

“Delivery apps,” the DCWP noted, “generate revenue by charging fees to restaurants and consumers (except for Relay, which charges only restaurants). Delivery worker pay is the main cost they incur.”

Justice for App Workers also claim that app companies have changed the ability for customers to tip deliveristas, making a tip show up as a request only after orders are delivered. More customers are declining or failing to tip.

The coalition is calling for the City Council to update the new app wage law and not allow app companies to lock workers out of their shifts.

Members of Justice for App Workers protested in front of New York’s City Hall (617MEDIAGROUP photo)

may 10 – 12 alvin ailey american dance theater

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Deepfake and other misinformation

We sympathize with those voters flummoxed by the welter of misinformation and still trying to decide which presidential candidate to vote for. Even as they try to determine the validity of polls—on the one hand, the Wednesday morning front page of the Wall Street Journal disclosed that Trump was six points ahead of Biden in critical battleground states, while on the other, a text message from the DNC said Biden was up by 6%—now comes deepfakes to further confuse the undecided.

A deepfake, as defined by MIT, is synthetic media, including images, videos, and audio, generated by artificial intelligence to portray something that does not exist in reality or events that have never occurred.

The photo of Trump posing gladly with six African Americans circulated on social media platforms is a good example of deepfake. And almost anything to do with Trump, even without deepfake, is false and fraudulent.

There have been few presidential elections as consequential and so besieged with lies and propaganda as the one this coming November. Added to this brew of unfiltered mishmash is Trump’s repeated promise of a “bloodbath” if he isn’t elected. In his speech on Tuesday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Trump doubled down on his previous warning and accused President Biden of unleashing “carnage, chaos, and killing” in a country he said was flooded with drugs and besieged by foreign criminal gangs. “I stand before you today to declare that Joe Biden’s border bloodbath...it’s a bloodbath, and it’s destroying our country and it’s a very bad thing happening.”

There are few things we can be certain of in these increasingly problematic times, but we believe Trump at our peril, and that my friends is not deepfake.

Urgency in healthcare equity: Tackling prostate cancer

By BRIAN KEITH McNEIL, MD, MBA, FACS

During a recent trip to the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, I contemplated the news about the loss of a dear friend’s mother to cancer the previous day. This vibrant woman’s death reminded me why I joined Downstate: to mitigate the ravages of cancer within underserved populations.

Later that day, text messages shared the news that Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., had succumbed to prostate cancer at age 62. His passing also reinforced my concerns about longstanding disparities in prostate cancer and its disproportionate toll on marginalized communities.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s apology for keeping his prostate cancer diagnosis private further underscored the urgency of addressing the issue. His candid acknowledgment of the impact, especially in the Black community, reminds us of the deeply personal and often silenced nature of such a diagnosis.

Austin’s continuing saga about his recovery from treatment elevates public discourse about prostate cancer, particularly in communities where awareness and access to screening remain inadequate. It is a stark reminder for all men, regardless of background, to prioritize regular screenings as part of proactive healthcare.

Under these circumstances, I am compelled to redouble my advocacy and outreach to ensure that those lost to cancer or facing cancer diagnoses fuel a collective commitment to equity and access to healthcare.

In 2024, an estimated 299,000 men in the U.S. will receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer; approximately 35,000 will lose the battle. It is the most frequently identified cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men. Black men are at a 70% higher risk than their white counterparts.

and its impact on marginalized groups. Coined by law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, the term intersectionality highlights how different forms of discrimination connect to affect marginalized individuals’ or groups’ experiences.

ing. As a urologist, I am committed to mitigating the burden of prostate cancer, a condition that can be effectively managed when detected early.

In Brooklyn, prostate cancer has the highest incidence and mortality rates among men, with Black men experiencing predominantly adverse outcomes. A recent article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, “Racism Does Not Cause Prostate Cancer, It Causes Prostate Cancer Death,” highlights the complex intersectionality of discrimination

As a healthcare provider, I often contemplate whether disparities in prostate cancer stem from inherent biological differences or societal influences, recognizing that both factors are likely to play a role. Prostate cancer diagnoses primarily affect Black men, as well as rural, Hispanic, American Indian, and Alaskan native communities.

Dexter King’s death and Lloyd Austin’s diagnosis are important reminders about confronting healthcare inequities headon. While specifics about King’s cancer are unknown, his loss emphasizes the importance of encouraging at-risk individuals to engage in discussions about screening with their healthcare providers.

My journey is deeply rooted in loss: My father passed away from complications of prostate cancer during my senior year of high school, igniting a sincere desire to prevent other families from similar suffer-

Achieving true health equity demands a concerted effort on both global and local levels. Addressing disparities in one demographic group can have ripple effects, with a positive impact on overall population health. I often wonder whether my father would have lived to witness my high school graduation had he possessed greater awareness and access to screening.

As part of a demographic at heightened risk and as someone committed to preventing untimely loss, my appeal is clear and potentially life-altering: Encourage your family members who are at risk, including fathers and brothers, to undergo screening. By taking proactive steps together, we can begin dismantling the cycle of disproportionate suffering that has afflicted Black men for far too many years.

A mourner holds a candle before a memorial service for Dexter Scott King in Atlanta. King died on Jan. 22 after battling prostate cancer (AP Photo/Alex Slitz photo)

The good guys, the bad guys, and Ukraine

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

We know the American or NATO storyline about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is the bad guy.

He breached Ukraine’s borders inherited from the Soviet Empire on February 24, 2022, after forcibly annexing Crimea in 2014. Mr. Putin has been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court and has refused to nix the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. He has violated the international law proscription on wars of aggression and is a clear and present danger to democracy in Europe and elsewhere. He further violated the 1994 Budapest Memorandum committing the U.S., Russia, and the United Kingdom to refrain from threatening Ukraine’s territorial integrity in exchange for its abandonment of nuclear weapons. President Putin systematically murders his political opponents both at home and abroad.

President Joe Biden is the good guy.

He has showered Ukraine with more than $75 billion in military and related assistance and shared intelligence to defeat Russia. President Biden has characterized the conflict as a clear test for democracies around the world against autocracy and portrayed the Ukrainian resistance as part of a “great battle for freedom.” Mr. Biden has said of Russian President Putin, “For God’s sake this man cannot remain in power.”

But pause and reflect. Is the storyline true? Is the war in Ukraine more complex? Is Biden or the U.S. the good guy simply because they are not Mr. Putin or Russia?

Let’s start with the presumed sanctity of Ukrainian or other territorial boundaries. Why should they be sacred? Every boundary in the world has been drawn and defended by the sword. They are not ordained by heaven or any principle of international law. Ukraine’s boundaries have changed numerous times over the centuries. Russia’s Nikita Khrushchev gave Crimea to Ukraine in 1954, and Russia’s Putin took it back in 2014.

The U.S. has not been averse to changing boundaries by force. Our boundaries expanded with the Mexican-American War, a conflict which Ulysses S. Grant lamented in his memoirs: “I… to this day regard the war [with Mexico] which resulted as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory.”

The U.S. supported the secession of South Sudan from Sudan by resort to force in 2011, and Kosovo’s separation from Serbia in 2008. It did not oppose the fragmentation of Yugoslavia into Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia,

and Macedonia after the death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980 by threats or use of force. After World War I at the Paris Peace Conference, the U.S. accepted the redrawing of multiple boundaries from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, the AustroHungarian Empire, the Roman Empire, and the Chinese Empire by the victors by force of arms.

Didn’t the U.S. set a precedent for President Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine in its gratuitous 2003 war against Iraq? There was no threat to America’s national security. There were no weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. policy towards Iraq had been regime change since former President Bill Clinton and the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act, notwithstanding that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was a cost-free asset against Iranian hegemony in the Middle East. As a senator, Biden supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and as president continues to maintain thousands of U.S. troops there despite calls from the Iraqi Prime Minister opposing their indefinite presence.

Who has the high moral ground in Ukraine?

Nobody? All bad guys to a greater or lesser degree?

From time immemorial, international affairs have been little more than the strong doing what they can and the weak suffering what they must, as Thucydides observed in “The History of the Peloponnesian War” over

Don’t forget about the solar eclipse

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

2,000 years ago. British foreign minister Lord Palmerston added more than 150 years ago, “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”

What is the national security interest of the U.S. in the fate of Ukraine? The Vietnam War discredited domino theory and the idea that if Ukraine falls, Putin will invade and conquer all of Europe and maybe even the U.S..

Shouldn’t we heed the wisdom of Senator Henry Clay in explaining the U.S. opposition to assisting Hungary in its war with Czarist Russia in 1849?:

“Far better is it for ourselves, for Hungary, and for the cause of liberty, that, adhering to our wise, pacific system, and avoiding distant wars of Europe, we should keep our lamp burning brightly on this western shore as a light to all nations, than to hazard its utter extinction amid the ruins of fallen or falling republics.”

I am no longer certain Putin is the bad guy and Biden is the good guy in Ukraine. It’s complicated. Armstrong Williams (@ ARight-Side) 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

On April 8, parts of the United States will get to experience a solar eclipse. I am not sure if those of us in New York City will be able to enjoy it as so many of us did in 2017. I am not sure if the weather will be clear enough for us to see a relatively rare wonder in nature. However, if the weather holds and you are in a part of the country where the eclipse might be seen, it is not too late to be prepared.

Weather permitting, the eclipse will begin in Texas and travel in an arc through portions of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

First things first: You must get a pair of eclipse glasses to look at the eclipse. Doing so without proper glasses could be detrimental to your eyes. It is also imperative to purchase glasses from a reputable source, because there are lots of knock-offs on the market.

If you are purchasing glasses online, be sure they are ISO-certified— that is, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12312-2 certification. These special glasses block harmful ultraviolet rays in ways that regular glasses and sunglasses cannot. It is not OK to use regular sunglasses to look at an eclipse.

Looking at the eclipse through your phone, binoculars, or a telescope without a proper filter can cause severe damage to your eyes and is not advisable. Some people

make pinhole projectors if they do not have glasses; how to do so can be found on various websites online. It’s a great activity to do with young kids as well.

What is an eclipse? The total solar eclipse occurring on April 8, 2024 will be when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. If you are in the path of the eclipse, even at midday, the sky will darken as though it is dawn or dusk.

Some of you may recall the eclipse from 2017, when many people in the city came outside to see what all the commotion was about. What I remember so vividly about that day, as I walked from lower Manhattan all the way up to Harlem to maximize my time outside enjoying the eclipse, was the number of people of color who had not heard anything about the eclipse and did not have glasses to enjoy it safely. There was an information gap that prevented people, young and old, from enjoying this wondrous experience. I hope that this year, more people will be prepared, have glasses, and—weather permitting—will take the time to enjoy the solar eclipse.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio; and a 2023–24 Moynihan Public Scholars Fellow at CCNY.

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*Rent includes sewer and trash removal . Income guidelines & permitted household size are subject to change.

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YOU HAVE RIGHTS!

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

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Caribbean Update

Haiti comes nearer to getting interim government

BY BERT WILKINSON

Special

to the AmNews

Haiti seems set to be run by a brandnew interim government, possibly as early as this week, as nearly all the systems that have to be in place to implement it have been ticked off.

All nine members of the transitional presidential council have been named and have taken up their seats at the planning table, less than a month after Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders sat with them at an emergency summit in Jamaica. They have collectively worked out the modalities of an interim government to fill the vacuum left by the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, which delayed general elections and left the country mostly without elected officials and lawmakers.

The early domestic resistance to the establishment of an interim government appears to have abated. In the past week, the last two holdout groups named representatives to sit on the council, which has two spots for non-voting civil society members from religious organizations and the private sector. The other seven come from the main opposition parties. One delegate is the Fanmi La-

“Over the weekend, Caricom sent a number of other legal documents to Haiti, including an order for the formal nomination of council members and a decree that would provide for its functioning. It also listed the names of the nominees or delegates who will eventually form part of an interim cabinet.”

valas organization, which was led by former President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

Over the weekend, regional bloc chair and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali sent a letter to outgoing Prime Minister Ariel Henry at his temporary exile spot in Puerto Rico, notifying him that the entire council is now in place. Ali’s letter reminded Henry of his promise to resign once that happened, and pointed out that he should cooperate with the council in moving systems and procedures forward.

“This entity is expected to facilitate a smooth and peaceful transition of power and ensure the continuity of governance, paving the way for free and fair elections in the shortest possible time,” Ali said.

Henry has been lying low in Puerto Rico because heavily armed groups, which have

been terrorizing the country for almost three years, have threatened to kill him if he returns to Haiti. They have also blocked roads to the main airport in the capital, preventing his return from overseas trips to Kenya and Guyana where he attended a meeting of regional leaders. Henry, a 74-year-old neurosurgeon, has been doing as much as he can from Puerto Rico while Caricom and the local stakeholders work to put together a new government.

“It is incumbent on you to take the necessary procedural formalities to facilitate the immediate installation of the transitional presidential council leading to the naming of an interim prime minister,” Ali said in the missive, dated March 28. “This is a critical and urgent first step to allow the council to commence functioning and to initiate the ac-

celerated deployment of a multilateral security support [MSS] mission authorized by the UNSCR 2699/2023. The MSS is intended to support the Haitian National Police in bringing the country to a situation of security and stability for the holding of free and fair general elections to pave the way for long-term recovery, growth, and development of Haiti. Caricom will revert to you once the name of the interim prime minister is known.”

Over the weekend, Caricom sent a number of other legal documents to Haiti, including an order for the formal nomination of council members and a decree that would provide for its functioning. It also listed the nominees or delegates who will eventually form part of an interim cabinet.

Regional officials are hoping that a local judge will be able to swear in the members as early as this week, as the security situation continues to deteriorate. A government is badly needed to formally invite the international security force to Haiti and liaise with it and the United Nations. Kenya has offered to lead the force alongside officers from Benin, as well as troops and police officers from various Caricom nations. Training of Caricom forces began in the past week in Jamaica and other destinations.

A case of clear Islamophobia plays out in the Senate

FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION KORNER

In case you missed it, Pakistan-born immigrant and attorney Adeel Abdullah Mangi could make U.S. history and become the first Muslim-American to serve as a federal appellate court judge—if he is ever confirmed by the Senate.

To date, what has played out in the Senate, including from White, Christian Democratic senators, is nothing short of Islamophobia; a dangerous weapon being wielded by mainly white politicians against a man who embodies the true immigrant story.

Mangi is just 47. He was born in Karachi, Pakistan, before moving to the U.S. 20 years ago and settling in New Jersey. Mangi came with a first-class degree in law from the University of Oxford, Pembroke College, and a postgraduate diploma in professional legal skills from the City University London Inns of Court School of Law in 1999. He received a master of laws from Harvard Law School in 2000.

Mangi began his career in law in the U.S. as an associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler in New York City in 2000, became of counsel in 2009, and was elevated to partner-

ship in 2010.

Mangi has litigated a number of religious discrimination cases, including winning permits for two mosques after local New Jersey governments in Bayonne and Bernards Township refused to permit the construction of mosques. The case against Bernards was settled for $3.25 million and a permit. The case against Bayonne settled for $400,000 and a permit.

In a 2020 lawsuit that Mangi litigated, the state of New York agreed to install cameras and microphones at the Sullivan Correctional Facility after a mentally ill Black inmate there died after being beaten by white correctional officers.

Last November, he was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Mangi, who has unequivocally denounced any acts of anti-Semitism or bigotry, and is supported by many Jewish organizations, including the American Jewish Committee and National Council for Jewish Women, has been subjected to irrelevant, combative lines of questioning about the Israel-Hamas war by multiple Senate Judiciary Committee lawmakers. He has even been asked whether he celebrated the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

These attacks are on a man who is an archetypical candidate for a federal judgeship and would bring needed diversity to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mangi has a sterling legal education, which he followed with a distinguished career at a high-profile private firm, mixing corporate litigation with important pro bono work. He also has a classic American story: He grew up in a poor country dreaming of a career as a lawyer and immigrated to the United States, where he ascended to the heights of his profession.

None of the senators can question his legal background or judicial philosophy, so they have taken to questioning his stance on Hamas.

“Do you condemn the atrocities of Hamas terrorists?” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas demanded of Mangi, a Pakistani American with no connection to Hamas or Palestine other than the fact that he is Muslim, along with 1.8 billion people across the globe.

A Senate panel advanced his nomination on a party-line 11–10 vote in January, after Sen. Dick Durbin, the committee’s Democratic chairperson, castigated Republicans for what he called a “new low” of attacks against a nominee driven by bias against his religion.

“What is it about Adeel Mangi that attracts such criticism? We know what the starting point is: He would be the first Muslim Amer-

ican to be appointed to serve on the circuit bench,” Durbin said.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates slammed the attack by Republican senators as “vile, unconscionable smears” and “hateful and undignified attacks.”

Durbin, Bates, and Biden are facing opposition from those in their own party. Sen. Joe Manchin has said, out of the blue, that from now on, he will only vote to confirm nominees who have the support of at least one Republican senator and since Mangi does not, he will vote against his nomination.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, another Democrat, announced her opposition to Mangi, saying the Black inmate whose family he represented after the inmate was beaten by white correctional officers actually killed a cop.

But as PBS News pointed out, the Senate has confirmed many other attorneys as justices in the past, some who represented a murderer of cops. The difference, however, was they were Christians.

Therein lies the issue at the crux of this case. As long as you are brown,an immigrant, and a Muslim, you must be a terrorist, aka “Hamas,” record and education be damned.

Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focusing on Black immigrant issues.

Arts & Entertainment

Beyoncé’s epic ‘Act ll: Cowboy Carter’ defies categorization, redefines American style

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer

LOS ANGELES— “Nothin’ really ends / For things to stay the same they have to change again,” Beyoncé sings on “Act ll: Cowboy Carter,” the opening lines of the opening track, “Ameriican Requiem.”

“Them big ideas, yeah, are buried here / Amen.”

In some ways, it is a mission statement for the epic 78-minute, 27-track release—or at the very least, functions like a film’s title card to introduce yet another blockbuster album.

In the days leading up to “Cowboy Carter,” the superstar said this “ain’t a Country album” but “a ‘Beyoncé’ album” —positioning herself in opposition to country music’s rigid power structures and emphasizing her ability to work with the style with her latest genre-defying opus.

A capital-C country album it is not—and of course it isn’t. Beyoncé is an eclecticist, known for her elastic vocal performances: in a moment, choosing to belt close to godliness and, in another, moving with marked ease into a fractured run, inheriting histories through the vowels she stresses, the handclaps she introduces and the genres she utilizes. (That’s evident in the instruments as well, which range from washboard, pedal steel, banjo, mandolin, Vibraslap, bass ukulele and mandolin, to name a few.)

If the album, five years in the making, was inspired by the racist backlash she faced after performing at the 2016 CMAs with The Chicks, as many fans have theorized, she’s eclipsed it and then some. Tell Beyoncé she isn’t welcomed in your space; she’ll carve out a bigger one.

“Ameriican Requiem” bleeds into a reimagination of a Beatles’ classic, “Blackbiird.” It was originally written by Paul McCartney about desegregation in American schools with particular emphasis on the Little Rock Nine, the first group of Black students to desegregate an Arkansas high school in 1957. In Beyoncé’s rendition, har-

monies are stacked. She’s joined by Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts and Tiera Kennedy—some of the most exciting voices in contemporary country— who are also Black women.

They aren’t the only next generation highlighted on “Cowboy Carter”: Willie Jones’s rich Louisiana tone turns “Just for Fun,” into trailriding gospel country. Shaboozey’s country-rap marks a pivot in the album’s trajectory on “Spaghettii,” setting the listener up for the singular listening experience of the Patsy Clinechanneling “Sweet Honey Buckiin’,” with its Jersey club beats.

and found that artists of color made up only 3% of all airplay, two-thirds of whom were men. In even her interludes, Beyoncé has taken her listeners to school.

“Jolene” is a reimagined take on

rare visibility in a genre stereotypically associated with whiteness.

She also appears twice on “Cowboy Carter,” first providing clarity on the complicated origins of country in “Spaghettii.”

Country veterans, too, appear: Willie Nelson is a rough-around-the-edges radio DJ on the fictional station KNTRY— the resulting effect is an alternative America where terrestrial country radio does not overwhelmingly prefer playing white performers; snippets of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Down by the River Side,” Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene” and Roy Hamilton’s 1957 “Don’t Let Go” bled into Nelson’s smoky voice.

The ‘50s cuts are an inspired choice; Beyoncé has chosen to reference the decade in which format-based radio emerged and, as a result, country music’s racial lines were all but codified. The effects are still felt. One frequently referenced study, conducted by University of Ottawa professor Jada Watson, examined over 11,000 songs played on country radio from 2002 to 2020

the 1973 Dolly Parton original; it’s preceded by “Dolly P,” a spokenword interlude from Parton. “Remember that hussy with the good hair you sang about?” she says, referencing “Becky with the good hair” from “Sorry” off 2016’s “Lemonade.” “Reminded me of someone I knew back when, except she has flaming locks of auburn hair. Bless her heart! Just a hair of a different color, but it hurts just the same.” Beyoncé’s version, of course, is very Beyoncé—there’s no shrinking and begging for this woman to step off; it’s a warning.

Perhaps Beyoncé’s clearest predecessor on this album is Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry. Martell’s 1970 landmark record “Color Me Country” should be considered country canon; she offered Black women

“Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they?” she says, laughing. “In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined.”

Shared histories and families are abundant on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter”: “Protector” begins with Beyoncé’s daughter Rumi Carter asking for “the lullaby, please,” leading into a tear-jerker of an acoustic ballad centering motherhood.

If listeners position “Act ll: Cowboy Carter” next to “Act l: Renaissance,” they might view the record as a continued dialogue in the Beyoncé mythos: “Lemonade” established Beyoncé’s dedication to Black empowerment. “Renaissance” reclaimed House music for its Black progenitors in a sprawling release that placed techno, Chicago and Detroit house, New Orleans bounce, Afrobeats, queer dance culture, and beyond on the same dance floor— highlighting the frequent invisibility of Black performance in music history books.

“Cowboy Carter” does something similar with country music—and, in true Beyoncé fashion, extends well beyond it, as vessel, captain and crew on this journey.

“Bodyguard” borders on soft rock; “Ya Ya” interpolates Nancy

Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’” and The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations”; “Riiverdance” and “II Hands II Heaven” bring back the electronica of “Renaissance.” “ll Most Wanted” features the raspyrich Miley Cyrus, and interpolates Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” “Levii’s Jeans” modernizes the timeless combination of R&B and country ballads, amplified by a surprising collaborator in a crooning Post Malone—lest we forget he also hails from Texas.

“Oh Louisiana” is helium-injected blues and funk; the classic guitars on “Daughter” lead into Beyoncé singing the famous Italian aria “Caro Mio Ben” in the original language. If you’ve been waiting for her opera moment, here it is.

When she’s back to English in the refrain, she declares, “If you cross me, I’m just like my father / I am colder than Titanic water,” reminiscent of outlaw country’s murder ballads and a successor to Bey’s first ever country song, “Daddy Lessons” from “Lemonade.”

Effortlessly—and momentously— “Cowboy Carter” weaves canonized classics into the same breath as Beyoncé’s country music evolutions and Black music history preservations. If the Beatles and the Beach Boys are unimpeachable, so is Martell, so is Beyoncé, and Adell, and so on.

The magic here, of course, is Beyoncé’s mastery of art and message. And at the center of everything is her larger-than-life performance— serious and jubilant, like when she plays her nails as percussion, an ode to Parton doing the same on “9 to 5.” (That’s on “Riiverdance,” a club song that also references country’s Celtic folk origins.)

On “Cowboy Carter,” historical course-correcting and evolution go down with honey. Lessons are learned on the dance floor, on the radio, at the imagined honky-tonk, in headphones.

It’s a massive album that will require close examination for full enjoyment—but Beyoncé fans have long learned to be great students.

“Act ll: Cowboy Carter” by Beyonce.(Parkwood/Columbia/Sony via AP)

Puerto Rico’s museums are exhibiting Afro Puerto Rican art

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Black art is currently on prominent display in Puerto Rico’s San Juan neighborhood of Santurce. Exhibitions at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (MAC) and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR) reveal how Afro Puerto Ricans interpret their roles in the island’s culture. Black art created from 1990 to the present in an exhibit called “Puerto Rico Negrx” is showing at MAC. The exhibition features the work of 30 artists and will be on view through September 2024. The show hearkens back to the “Paréntesis: Eight Contemporary Black Artists” showcase launched in 1996 by the artist and curator Edwin Velázquez. At the time, Velázquez’s “Paréntesis” was one of the first exhibitions to point to the importance of recognizing Afro Puerto Rican artists as a distinct group whose work spoke about an identity that is not always acknowledged.

Some of Velázquez’s work is on display as part of the four separate galleries that make up “Puerto Rico Negrx.” In his Afro Boricua altar series, he painted abstract imaginings that evoke the spirits of famous Afro Puerto Ricans and pairs them with the names of Africa’s supernatural orisha gods. There is “Osun/Sylvia del Villard (1928–1990),” “Oggún/Pedro Albizu Campos (1891–1965),” “Orula/Rafael Cordero y Molina (1790–1868),” “Eggún / Cecilia Orta Allende (1923–2000),” “Elegguá/Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (1874–1938),” “Obatalá/ Rafael Cepeda (1910–1996),” “Changó/ Ismael Rivera (1931–1987),” “Inle/José Celso Barbosa (1857–1921),” “Yemayá/ Julia de Burgos (1914–1953),” “Odduá/Tite Curet Alonso (1926–2003),” “Ochosi/Isabel “La Negra” Luberza Oppenheimer (1901–1974),” and “Olofi/Ernesto Ramos Antonini (1898–1963).”

Velázquez’s work points to the survival of an African essence in Puerto Rico. This idea is also proposed in “Teléfono Caracol/Seashell Telephone” by Kiván Quiñones Beltrán, which points to the conch shell and its power to reconnect present-day African diasporans with their past.

Shellyne Rodriguez looks at how the worship of Yoruba orishas was folded within Christianity in her work, “Las Potencias Anticoloniales en Puerto Rico/The Anticolonial Powers in Puerto Rico.” As the description of this piece points out, “In the center of the work, Carmen Reyes, a 96-year-old Carolina native, holds a machete symbolizing resistance rather than the passivity and martyrdom represented by the crucifixion of Christ in the original image.”

In the various photographs that make up the display “You Don’t Look Like...,” the writer, dancer, and actor Javier Cardona imitates the numerous depictions of Blackness that Afro Puerto Ricans are made to confront. Images show Cardona in the over-

exaggerated and clichéd acting roles Black actors are often offered. These are the kinds of portrayals that reinforce stereotypes of Blackness in Puerto Rico.

In contrast, the complexity of Afro Puerto Rican life is on display on the walls of “La Trampa/The Trap,” an installation by Edgardo Larregui. The artist interviewed, photographed, and recorded the poems and songs of the Afro Puerto Ricans who fish for blue land crabs. Walking inside the installation is a means of entering the world of an Afrodescendant culture that is currently changing due to strains from the threat of climate change.

“Puerto Rico Negrx” also features the work of Juan Sánchez, who uses imagery from the Nation of Islam and iconography from Africa to point to the ties between African Americans and Afro Puerto Ricans in his “Cries and wounded whispers for Malcolm X/Gritos y susurros por Malcolm X.”

While Ángel Borroto Díaz shows an altarlike triptych called “Direcciones/Pilares/ Estructura (Directions/Pillars/Structure).” Borroto’s work presents abstract drawings of slave ships––those massive structures used to kidnap and transport Africans to the Americas––which he highlights to emphasize their role in the institutionalization of anti-Black racism.

Works on display in MAPR’s permanent “Puerto Rico Plural” exhibition, which is within a 15-minute walk down the street from MAC, also feature Black artists and renderings of images of famous Black Puerto Ricans. Alongside horned vejigante masks and depictions of bomba dances, the MAPR’s show has silkscreens of

Albizu

an oil

Both the MAC and MAPR museums show how the interpretations of Afro Puerto Rican artists and their art are being accepted in the island’s culture.

Pedro

Campos by Lorenzo Homar and

painting of Julia de Burgos by Carlos Irizarry.

Images from Edwin Velázquez’s Afro Boricua altar series evoke the spirits of famous Afro Puerto Ricans (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

“You Don’t Look Like...” by Javier Cardona

“Teléfono Caracol/Seashell Telephone” by Kiván Quiñones

Scene from a wall in installation “La Trampa/The Trap” by Edgarda Larregui

Pedro Albizu Campos by Lorenzo Homar

Julia de Burgos by Carlos Irizarry

“The Anticolonial Powers in Puerto Rico” by Shellyne Rodriguez

April 2024 Dance Calendar

By CHARMAINE PATRICIA WARREN Special to the AmNews

Topping this month’s calendar is Harlem’s own Dianne McIntyre, who revives the spirit of her celebrated company Sounds in Motion with three days of performances (April 12-14) as part of the Apollo Theater’s New Works initiative, in the New York premiere of “In the Same Tongue” (2023). McIntyre’s movement and language-based work brings together dancers and musicians to explore how dance and music “speak” to each other. According to the release, the production “explores a legacy like that of 1920s Harlem salons, and the Black Arts Movement of the 60’s & 70’s with dancers, writers, musicians, students, photographers, thinkers and the who’s who of Black culture gathering to take part.” “In the Same Tongue” also includes original music by composer Diedre Murray and poetry by playwright Ntozake Shange, as well as live music and “vignettes to reveal how language creates worlds of beauty, alienation, harmony, tension, or peace.” For more information visit https://www.apollotheater.org/event/ in-the-same-tongue/

ALSO THIS MONTH:

April 2-7: Celebrate the iconic drummer, composer, and activist Max Roach’s

100th birthday at The Joyce Theater in an evening of works made in tribute to this legendary jazz pioneer’s greatest works. Slated for the celebration is a new work by Ronald K. Brown for the Havana-based Malpaso Dance Company and Brown’s own EVIDENCE, A Dance Company; the streetdance storytelling of Rennie Harris Puremovement; and tap artist Ayodele Casel. For more information visit https://www.joyce. org/performances/73/a-joyce-theaterproduction/max-roach-100 April 5-6: Raja Feather Kelly/The Feath3r Theory’s “The Absolute Future (or Death, Loneliness, and the Absolute Future of the Multiverse, or How to Cover the Sun with Mud),” is a devised theater performance about a group of friends who attempt to watch The Great American Eclipse (April 8, 2024) and miss it. Created by Kelly with original composition by Christoph Mateka, the shows happen at NYU Skirball. For more information visit https://nyuskirball.org/events/raja-feather-kellyfeath3r-theory-absolute-future/ April 6: Danspace Project’s DraftWork series will host Martita Abril, Jade Manns, and Glenn Potter Takata for a free, informal showing of new works in varying stages of development. Showings are followed by a

See DANCE CALENDAR on page 29

Take a Breath Music and the Family

Children and their families are welcome to this engaging workshop exploring the power of music to connects us. Featuring performances by New York Philharmonic musicians, and led by facilitators from Northwell Heath.

NYPHIL.ORG/TAKEABREATH

MARCH 9 AT 2:00PM FREE and open to the public on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Mother AME Zion Church 140 West 137th Street

Shaquelle Charles (foreground); Brianna Rhodes (midground); From left in background: Gerald Brazel, Cleave Guyon Jr., Christopher Page (Paula Lobo photo)

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

Dec 22

Jan 21

By SUPREME GODDESS KYA

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

When it rains it pours, so purge whatever needs to be discarded in your life. It will force you to change habits, patterns, places, folks, even your environments. As a reminder, sit still to quiet the mind, body, soul, and spirit to assist you in knowing what you need to know and do. From April 9 around 7:23a.m. until April 11 around 8:27 a.m., as odd and abnormal things get, remember you are equipped with a GOD/GODDESS-like power within you. There are instructions given to you, so ask for what you need then do your footwork to match what is forthcoming from that asking.

April is a month to dive deep and surf the waves of the ocean as they come. Always surf with the waves, not against them. Something spiritual is brewing up this week, and the message or signs are in forms of a bump, bruise, cut, meeting higher ups, relating the message to people upon encountering them, and planting the seed of a new beginning. In the days leading to April 11 around 8:59 a.m., get as dirty and muddy as you can get before rinsing, to get grounded as a protective barrier around you. Your presence will speak for you, so make it a lovely flowing glow.

This is a week of genius energy and there is no need for a genie in the bottle when you can simply spew out your creativity. Lovemaking is in your forecast and not just on a physical level—it’s the spiritual creativity applied in your work that says it all. From April 5 around 7:13 a.m. until April 7 around 6:52 a.m., tap into your brain-box and get fit with organizing, managing your time and space for acceleration in your plans. Put yourself on a pedestal to broadcast your talents, gifts, expertise, or skills.

The strong will survive and the weak will be your running-back for the team to stay robust in the team mission. We the people all work together on different levels. There is a lot going on in your aura field and in the arena of the line of work you do. Remember to play a bit in your schedule for flexibility, adaptability, and reflection, which will allow your creativity to spark in your plan. Listen carefully this week as everything that glitters and sparkles is not what it appears to be. From April 7 around 7:25 a.m. until April 9 around 6:56 a.m., apply the information you received accordingly as it resonates with you. A new you is emerging with this Solar Eclipse in fiery Aries.

What a ride April will be for you to enjoy this universal quest. Do you eat fruit, vegetables, grains, and love on your body with nature’s finest oils? Have you ever been on a water trip where you were soaking wet? Then came the sun to dry you off like nothing occurred, similar to a wash and dry cycle? From April 9 around 7:23a.m. until April 11 around 8:27 a.m., be prepared to relish the feel of the details being prepared for you, like a well-made tailored suit. Things can get a bit seesaw before they correct themselves on track.

Apr 22

May 21

May 22

June 21

June 22 July 23

Expect a plate full of intriguing entrees with a complimentary dessert. You are the captain, director, executive, and producer of your life. This week you have the green light to do whatever you wish for the good and wellbeing of others to engage with your services. In the days leading to April 11 around 8:59 a.m., network with those who are like-minded and those who can introduce you into another level of operating this life we the people live and love.

What’s work without play and game time while bearing the fruit of your labor?

Oct 24

Nov 22

Nov 23

Dec 21

Rebirth of A New Nation: What’s all that talk about? It’s the upcoming Aries new moon and solar eclipse. Let’s recap: On April 19, 2023 there was a solar eclipse in Aries at 29 degrees (numerically 2+9=11) (1+1=2). Fast forward to an Aries new moon and solar eclipse on April 8 at 19 degrees (1+9=10) (1+0=1); and there will be another Aries new moon/partial solar eclipse on March 25, 2025 at 9 degrees. The number 29 numerically cancels itself out, yet is potent when it believes it’s a powerful medium. Meanwhile, 19 is the price of heaven, honor, prestige, alpha and omega, and 9 is the revolution to the revolutionary that is taking place on a humanitarian and global level. It’s a week of short-term change that leads into a new beginning for growth, healing, and identity, so flow with the air as the air changes its direction from night and day. You can change to begin a new course in your life. “In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.”

—Abraham Maslow

What are the things that change the course of your life for a more fulfilling life? What do you love to do on a natural basis? What calls you to wake up from that dream and work towards it to see the end result? From April 5 around 7:13 a.m. until April 7 around 6:52 a.m., imagination is key to visualization in order to begin a mission with purpose. I guess that’s why companies have purpose, mission, and vision, statements that drive them to do what they do. What will it take for you to do what you love to do?

You can be thrown into a loop or wake up from a loopy experience to stop the bleeding of the continuation. You have been diligently working on something, ready to yield results. From April 7 around 7:25 a.m. until April 9 around 6:56 a.m., after you have done your work, allow the work to work itself until it’s ready, like allowing food to simmer. Let it get ripe enough to present to you a higher yield. Let all the factors of the business or personal deal show you.

Sometimes there has to be rain, thunderstorm, lightning, with gusty windstorms throwing up dust into your face. One thing for sure is that you have to push and look through it all as the sun will shine bright and hotter to clear the debris away. This cycle week, “shine bright like a diamond,” as Rihanna sings. From April 9 around 7:23a.m. until April 11 around 8:27 a.m., go after what you dream of doing on a magnificent scale. It’s not weighable, since greatness is not weighed; it’s acquired through confidence, competence, and wisdom. Begin that new thing with a new alliance.

No need to fumble the ball, it’s still in your hands. God gave you the vision of the play for you to alter the outcome. Feel what is coming to you, be one with sound and grounded as you stand tall. In the days leading to April 11 around 8:59 a.m., build on the foundation with all the ingredients you possess in your repertoire to create a service or product. That odd trip you will adventure upon is part of the plan like a detour. Keep what you are doing silent—nobody needs to know.

You can ask, inquire, petition, or chant what it is you need and want this week. You have to apply yourself in many different areas and do things differently. When you dive deep into yourself and let go of what is standing in the way, you will be more free to expand and create. From April 5 around 7:13 a.m.,until April 7 around 6:52 a.m., talk it out, get it off your chest, and speak or write out the inspirational words to keep you going. “Why?” is a question to ask in silence when you want to know something.

A board meeting with your elders, guru, or officials at the congregation table discussing important matters is indicated. It’s mostly business with a sound plan in motion. From April 7 around 7:25 a.m. until April 9 around 6:56 a.m., be ready for takeoff next week or keep planning the itinerary until you are satisfied. Even when you are satisfied, comfort is not where you want to sit. Keep it moving. A new beginning equals new growth and opportunities.

‘Gordon Parks: Born Black’ on display now through April 20

By DJ CRYSTAL CLEAR Special to the AmNews

Gordon Parks (1912–2006) described his camera as his “choice of weapons.”

He was a premier photojournalist and also a composer, author, poet, and film director. In those roles, he documented many aspects of the lives of Black Americans from the 1940s through the 1970s.

He started as a staff photographer for “Life” magazine in 1948 and elevated their profile until he died in 2006.

The overall theme of “Gordon Parks: Born Black,” currently on display at the Jack Shainman Gallery (513 W. 20th Street, Manhattan) is social justice. Parks captured images that represent the Civil Rights Movement, and everything we endured and survived during that time period: racism, economic decline, crushing poverty, and more.

But his work, and this exhibition, isn’t all doom and gloom. Parks also took a lot of joyful photos, as well as those that just stop you in your tracks and make you really think about the person/people in the photo. How are they feeling? What are they thinking about? You can get lost sometimes, in a good way.

This show is based on photos that appear in the book “Born Black.” It’s chock-full of all kinds of images, mostly black-and-

white, and a fair amount in full color. They’re all amazing. The walls of the gallery also feature powerful quotes from Parks in between photo groupings.

Powerfully composed, the photos provide a stark contrast: Civil rights leaders, random children at play, religious services, public protests, people in groups, and solitary figures. Parks had an incredible eye.

My constant thought while walking through the gallery was “human resolve and dignity.” I teared up and cried while looking at many of the beautifully framed (in basic black-and-white—a great choice) images that spoke out loud to me. I thought about my parents, aunts, and uncles, and the things they endured and survived in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s.

I highly suggest buying the newly expanded book—available for pre-order here and here: www.artbook.com/9783969992289.html— because it is wonderful. First published in 1971, it is woefully underrated and was pretty much ignored. I was lucky to grow up with it, thanks to my parents.

This newly expanded edition was published by Steidl in association with the Gordon Parks Foundation, which was founded by Parks and Philip B. Kunhardt Jr., former managing editor of Life Magazine. The show is up until April 20. Don’t walk, RUN to see this show! For more info, visit www.jackshainman.com/ exhibitions.

Photo by Rosalie O’Connor

(DJ Crystal Clear photos)

Dorian Harewood talks ‘The Notebook,’ shares thoughts about amazing career

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

If you haven’t seen “The Notebook” at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (W. 45th Street), you are missing out on a life-changing experience. I recently had the pleasure and privilege of speaking to actor Dorian Harewood, who plays Older Noah in this production. Harewood brings a tenderness, heart, and soul to this role that you will feel in the core of your being. He stars in “The Notebook” with Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie, along with Middle Noah and Younger Noah actors Ryan Vasquez and John Cardona, and Middle Allie and Younger Allie actresses Joy Woods and Jordan Tyson.

While talking with this extraordinary thespian, I said that I loved his work, from “Roots: The Next Generation” and “The Jesse Owens Story” to so much more. He’s done it all: television, film, theater. I told him, “I’m from that generation and I think you’re such an amazing actor, and when I saw you on that stage, you’re phenomenal in the way that you embody that character. I have been a theater critic for 39 years and I have never had a show affect me the way that that show did.”

The humble Harewood replied, “That’s so wonderful to hear and I’m very honored that you felt

(L-R) Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood in scene from “The Notebook.” (Julieta Cervantes photo)

that way about it. I’m honored at the way audiences have felt, very much like you’re talking about, and I’m very grateful to hear that because it’s a terrific project, and as an actor, I just do what I can do to make whatever project I’m working on work. This is a wonderful project—the way it was written and the character and the whole thing—and the way it’s turned out is wonderful, so I’m glad that people are getting it. People like you and the rest of the public are really understanding what this project is about.”

Harewood went into great detail about his career and this amazing musical. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

AmNews: What attracted you to the role of Older Noah?

Dorian Harewood (DH): It’s interesting because it’s pretty straightforward. My manager had told me they were doing an audition for Older Noah for the musical “The Notebook” and I had not read the novel or seen the movie [but] I said I would audition for it. I auditioned before I looked at the

movie. It was an audition my manager pushed me to do, saying, “You have to get more into the activity of performing; people need to know you’re still around.” I said “yeah” and I ended up looking at the movie and I liked it.

The character I was auditioning for was played by James Gardner in the movie and I had done two movies with James Gardner, so I said I’m auditioning for the role that he had done…Once I got the callback and I got the role, I found out that the project had been done in Chicago and my character had been played by a terrific actor, John Beasley, [and] I really liked his work. I found out that he had tragically died [while] on the project, so they had to get a replacement for that character when they were going to bring it to Broadway. For me, once I saw the movie, read the script—and as a singer, music is my first love, I knew this project was for me.

AmNews: How long has it been since you stepped onto a Broadway stage?

DH: The last Broadway appearance that I had was 46 years ago. I’ve done some stage [work] since then. Forty-six years ago, I was in a play called “The Mighty Gents,” by Richard Wesley. And it had at that time an unknown actor, Morgan Freeman, in the cast. It was a ter-

‘Corruption’ captivates at Lincoln Center

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“Corruption” is an astonishing look at the phone-hacking scandal of News International, the newspaper empire of Rupert Murdoch. From members of Parliament to everyday people, no one was safe.

Set between 2010 and 2011, the play at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 W. 65th Street) is the enthralling and devastatingly poignant new work of J.T. Rogers, based on the book “Dial M for Murdoch: News Corporation and the Corruption of Britain” by Tom Watson and Martin Hickman.

We see the story of Watson, who is at war with Rebekah Brooks, head of News International. She is going after him through the newspapers that she runs and destroying his life. When he seeks to destroy her, he runs into a lot more than he bargained for and sources come forth to reveal what has been happening for years at News International.

Their reaction was to fabricate stories that ruined so many people’s lives. Watson also finds out that going after powerful people comes with a price.

It is quite captivating to watch as sources come forward to declare the horrors that were inflicted on them by this news organization—horrors that Brooks justified. For her, it was all about circulation, not about truth. The characters, from average people to members of Parliament to leading members of the police department, all tread carefully when it comes to News International.

Watching this story unfold is stunning. This play will have you shocked, dismayed, and taken aback by the fact that newspapers will often go to great and unlawful lengths to increase circulation. It dares to ask the question “Who can take down a media empire and at what cost?”

The cast is absolutely terrific. Toby Stephens is superb as Watson. Saffron Burrows is remarkable as the

cold, calculating, and self-righteous Brooks. Robyn Kerr is brilliant, engaging, and memorable as Siobhan Watson, Watson’s wife, and also beautifully portrays two other characters: Surrogate and Mrs. Dowler. K. Todd Freeman is phenomenal as Chris Bryant, a gay member of Parliament, who Watson had maligned, but with whom Watson now has to work to take down a bigger foe. Freeman displays his versatility by also portraying the characters of Middle-Aged Man/Simon Kelner.

What is so amazing about this cast is that several members play multiple roles, and carry them off so effortlessly.

The other members of this splendid cast include Dylan Baker, John Behlmann, Anthony Cochrane, Sanjit De Silva, Eleanor Handley, Sepideh Moafi, Seth Numrich, Michael Siberry, and T. Ryder Smith.

This is a play that has to be experienced firsthand. It is filled with action, politics, corruption, harassment, intimidation, arro-

rific project. It didn’t last very long, but that led to me getting the role in “Roots: The Next Generation,” a role I would not have gotten if “The Mighty Gents” had been successful, because when it closed, that’s when the people in Hollywood hired me for the role of Simon Haley…, which turned out to be the largest part in the whole 26 hours of “Roots 1 and 2.” So that was fate, but that’s the last time I was on a Broadway stage.

When I came to New York over 52 years ago, my first Broadway job in late 1972 [was in] a musical called “Two Gentlemen of Verona” and it had won the Tony that year. I auditioned for standby for the lead and swing singer and dancer. It was monumental for me, because in that musical, I met my future wife and we’re still together. We’ve been married 45 years, but we knew each other for five years before that, so we have a total of 50 years. After that show, we did another musical together called “Brainchild” and that’s when we started dating. My wife is Nancy Harewood, but at the time, she was going by Nancy Denning. [After] not being on Broadway for 46 years, this was a great return and a terrific project.

For our full interview with Dorian Harewood, visit www.amsterdamnews.com.

gance, and fear—you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.

“Corruption” captivates the audience from the opening to the end.

It features vibrant projections by 59 Productions/Benjamin Pearcy and Brad Peterson that give that feel of breaking news throughout the play.

The production has riveting direction by Bartlett Sher. There are also interesting sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Jennifer Moeller, lighting by Donald Holder, and sound by Justin Ellington. For more info, visit https://www. lct.org/shows/corruption/.

A scene from “Corruption” (l-r) Robyn Kerr and Toby Stephens. (T. Charles Erickson photo)

Celebrating mixed-media arts through a Jamaican lens

By BRENIKA BANKS

Special to the AmNews

Caribbean, especially Jamaican, parents don’t usually view their children’s pursuits in the arts as sustainable careers. Hospitality and healthcare are generally viewed as guaranteed money-making fields (sites like Simplyhired.com mainly recruit Caribbeans for such positions). But arts and culture do exist in Jamaica, and the tropical island has been known to inspire its native artistic population to study and make artsy careers.

“It was just a passion…I didn’t even know you can make a living off arts,” said Noël Copeland. The Jamaican-born painter, sculptor, and mixed-media artist received his master’s degree in 1979 from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, at 24 years old. “I said, ‘Well, I might as well go to the best art school,’ which I didn’t know was the most expensive art school…I just knew I don’t want to be in no corporate business, so I went to art school.”

Copeland, now 69, paints, draws, sculpts, and makes ceramics—his specialties in his Brooklyn Navy Yard studio. His skillset protects him from boredom because he can switch between art forms. “The only thing is, I run out of time.”

Copeland shared his gratitude for a Caribbean club at Pratt. He recalled often being the only Black student in classes. According to the National Society of High School

Scholars and topuniversities.com, countries such as Italy, Spain, the UK, and the U.S. are listed as having best fine arts colleges in the world; no Caribbean country is on their lists. Copeland believes his challenges as a youth dealing with race were worth it; he loves his passion for art. He strategically learned different forms to actively work and earn money.

Copeland aims for his art to bridge an important gap. “The gap in terms of social, in terms of race— [I want to] use art to bring people together,” said Copeland. He revels in works that are asexual and aren’t specific to race or ethnicity.

His pieces maintain African and Jamaican roots, a foundation that he believes must be celebrated daily. “It’s good to celebrate the culture, but it should be an ongoing thing,” said Copeland. He admires conscious Jamaican leaders like Marcus Garvey for Black history and knowledge.

As a leader himself, Copeland is keen on having more people exposed to public art. He understands there are many individuals, Black people in particular, who don’t frequent museums and other art spaces. “I like the idea of public art, bringing art to people,” said Copeland. “That’s why I got into public art.” He has public art pieces in two MTA subway stations, Public School 121’s lobby, and public housing lobbies.

Copeland has been praised for

his creations, which explore ideas that inspire, according to Carli Beseau, vice president of impact and partnerships at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. “Noël’s unique artwork and bespoke products reflect the innovative spirit that speaks to the legacy of the Brooklyn Navy Yard,” said Beseau. “He approaches his multimedia practice through the lens of a creative entrepreneur…Noël participates in many of our programs and is a wonderful member of the Navy Yard’s maker community.”

Copeland starts creating a sculpture by how his hands and mind

perceive mental images from beginning to end. “I have a sketch in my mind, and then the journey is important,” he said. “What I discover along the way, how I do it… you have to go with the flow; it’s like a meditation.”

He surely contemplated and meditated while creating his Goddess piece, made from all-recyclable items. It’s one of his favorite pieces, mainly because of the effort put into creating her.

Copeland said his art can improve the world. “Art is like looking at a flower,” said Copeland. “It should be something to stimu-

late people’s mind or imagination; bring joy to them.”

Even with political works, like his carriage piece based on the slave trade that has enslaved people on the bottom, Copeland still aspires to make people hopeful. “My art should help people feel better for themselves, feel better about the world,” he said. “It should bring something good to people, something good to your life.” He looks forward to his art enriching the lives of those who encounter it.

For more info, visit www.noelcopeland.com.

Jamaican mixed-media artist Noël Copeland in his Brooklyn Navy Yard studio. (Brenika Banks photos)

Copeland’s politically driven mini statues.

AmNews reporter Brenika Banks with Copeland’s Goddess piece. Noël Copeland with artwork in Brooklyn Navy Yard studio.

Noël Copeland’s ceramics and statue pieces in his studio.

D-Composed, Shine, Harlem Is Music

In the unyielding world of classical music, African Americans make up only 2.4% of American orchestras, and twothirds of orchestra repertoires continue to feature compositions primarily from deceased white men. Meanwhile, in Harlem, there are the Harlem Chamber Players, who offer West Harlem diversity in classical music.

The classical ensemble D-Composed started in 2017 in Chicago—the only allBlack ensemble and the only ensemble that focuses exclusively on the works of Black composers. While reflecting on what the classical world could be, they refer to James Reese Europe’s (the Clef Club Orchestra) mission in the early 1900s, when he refused to bend to musical conventions. He responded to such disapprovals by noting, “We have developed a kind of symphony music that, no matter what else you think, is different and distinctive, and that lends itself to the playing of the peculiar compositions of our race.”

On April 4, the Kaufman Music Center presents Pamela Z & D-Composed. The Chicago-based chamber music collective that honors Black creativity and culture, will perform music by Pamela Z and composer, flutist, and vocalist Nathalie Joachim. The event will feature the world premiere of a new version of Joachim’s “In Between,” written for D-Composed and Pamela Z.

Kaufman Music Center is at 129 W. 67th Street; the show is 7:30 p.m.–9 p.m.

For tickets, visit the website kaufmanmusiccenter.org. or dcomposed/upcomingevents.com.

African American folklore was often centered around human and animal tricksters—dubious characters who talked trash with an end game. But some represented hope and resilience, like Walt Disney’s squeaky-clean cartoon character Brer Rabbit. However, in the Black community, folklore became known as toastin’—a hip, enduring poem that rambled with the speed of Charlie Parker’s bebop, often obscene and not meant for those church-goin’ folks. As a teenager in the projects, I remember one told by a neighbor just home from jail. It started, “Let me tell you a tale of Big Black Joe, king of the penitentiary slammer you know, He was so bad even the warden …” Oops, got to stop right there.

This brings up the captivating poetic tale of “Shine on the Titanic,” which revolves around the only Black person on board the luxurious Titanic ocean liner: “Shine,” a stoker, who after attempts to warn the captain of danger without success, leaped overboard and swam to safety on April 14,

1912. There are many poetic versions of Shine and the Titanic that were all collected by Langston Hughes between 1952–55. The most obscene poem was recorded by the comedian Rudy Ray Moore.

The masterful Ishmael Reed was the only playwright with the audacious, humorous wit and revolutionary thought to write a play such as “The Shine Challenge 2024” and bring it to the virtual stage of New York City’s historical Nuyorican Café. Now through April 15.

Reed has brilliantly molded the legendary African American folklore comedic poem of “Shine on the Titanic” into a plausible debate, questioning what really happened on the Titanic. The audience has a courtroom front seat as Shine (superbly played by Brian Simmons) represents himself on the charge of sabotaging the Titanic.

The prosecution stated it was impossible for such a well-built ship, with its state-ofthe-art equipment, to simply crash into an iceberg on its maiden voyage. No! It had to be a saboteur: Shine. The elitist prosecutor’s (played with biting humor by Caridad de la Luz) case was his dismay over heavyweight champion of the world Jack

Johnson being denied travel on the Titanic because of his race. The average person today has no idea that Johnson had any inclination to make the voyage. Reed’s insertion of Johnson’s situation highlights the problem of race relations, both in America and in Europe, during that period.

Shine efficiently took his witnesses to task for their desperate actions to save themselves, including the ship’s dastardly owner J. Bruce Ismay (played by Emil Guillermo), who downplayed the ship’s

inadequacies. His questioning of Captain Edward Smith (played by Jessie Bueno) was an elitist tell-all on the Edwardian England hierarchy’s perspective on class and race, particularly the way third-class ticket holders/Irish immigrants were treated, from boarding to the unfortunate sinking. His grilling of the captain proved to be chock-full of precise facts, reflecting Reed’s in-depth research on England and Titanic details, from its employment to microscopic statistical references.

Reed’s relevance to African American folklore is further depicted through his outrageous introduction of Shine’s animal witnesses: “Polar Bear Sam,” roaringly played by Rome Neal, and the sharky humor of “Jack Shark,” played by Maurice Carlton, who wears a rubber shark mask. Shark’s answer to why he didn’t eat Shine as he swam by was simple: “Sharks are allergic to Black meat, that’s why you don’t hear of Blacks being eaten by us.”

Shark even tried to grab a date with the judge, noting his love of her beautiful thighs. Of course, the aristocratic judge— Georgia St. Clair (played by Roz Fox), who was in complete cahoots with the prosecutor—turned him down flat.

As the Titanic slowly sank, ridiculous sums of money and matters of the flesh were no object when it came to aristocrats living another day; if the pay was to go to a Negro, so be it.

Carla Blank, who directs many of Reed’s plays, rates big cheers for this production, which went down another imaginative lane.

“The Shine Challenge 2024” is a crazy, rousing, slapstick tour of African American folklore trickery, with more laughs

than “Blazing Saddles” and more facts than Google, floating in the ocean of race, class, inequality, immigration, and what really happened on that ship. Look closely past all that insane humor and pay attention. Reed has pulled the covers off Shine. The truth is the light. Shine on.

I have seen the play three times ,which means it’s worth seeing at least once. Tickets can be purchased online at www.nuyorican.org now through April 15.

Note: The Nuyorican Poets Café is closed for extensive renovations, so this play is being performed online.

With the aggressive onslaught of Harlem’s gentrification, some of its historical landmarks have carelessly been demolished in favor of highrises and banks with a Trader Joe’s on the horizon. Fortunately, there is the “harlem is… Theater, Music, and Dance” multimedia, living history exhibition, completed after a 23-year journey with young people and journalists interviewing more than 100 creative people who have built and are sustaining Harlem’s cultural legacy.

“It is really powerful to be recognized by the community you were born into,” said Vy Higginsen, executive director of the Mama Foundation for the Arts. “Being honored in our community with my fellow journeymen, who have been on the same journey, striving to reach our goals, is so honorable and joyful.”

More than 3 million people have viewed the exhibition through the partnered efforts of Barbara Horowitz of Community Works and Voza Rivers of New Heritage Theater Group to bridge neighborhoods through the arts while sharing Harlem’s rich cultural history across generational lines.

The Harlem community recently came out to celebrate “harlem is… Theater, Music, and Dance” at the Harlem Hospital Center, the exhibitions’ now permanent home. “It feels real good to be honored in my hometown and in the hospital where I was born,” said Bill Saxton, saxophonist and owner of Bill’s Place. “Being around people like Lonnie Youngblood, who I admired and now we are being honored together, is one of those special moments.”

Trombonist and composer Craig Harris, one of the honored Music Legacy Keepers, entertained the SRO audience with excerpts from his commissioned “Harlem is a State of Mind.” He and his band began in jazz mode with vocals swinging into soul that grooved and clapped, from downhome gospel foot-stompin’ hand-clappin’ go-on-and-holla music, standing ovations and shouts. Harris demonstrated what Harlem is all about: theater, music, and dance. The audience brought it all home!

Visit the free exhibit Tuesdays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m; Thursdays and Saturdays, 12 p.m.–4 p.m. School and community groups visit by appointment; call 917-757-2242.

Roz Fox (top left), Caridad de la Luz (top right), Ishmael Reed (bottom left), Brian Simmons (bottom right) (Ron Scott Associates photo)

THURSDAY APRIL 11, 2024

IN FRONT OF THE AMNEWS BUILDING

2340 FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD. NEW YORK, NY 10027

12 PM - 4PM

DISCOVER HOW MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER’S MOBILE HEALTH UNIT IS BRINGING CARE TO OUR COMMUNITY! HEALTH EVENT SERIES

• Appointments for cancer screening services at the MSK Ralph Lauren Center (RLC) in Harlem. Eligible people can make appointments for breast, cervical, colorectal, prostate, and lung cancer screenings, as well as smoking cessation.

• Navigation for NYS health insurance enrollment

• Navigation/education to other healthcare programs (NYC Care, FQHCs, etc.)

• Primary care provider navigation (for insured and uninsured individuals)

• Education on primary care importance, chronic diseases, and cancer screenings

CLASSROOM IN THE

Louis Gossett Jr.: an actor for all seasons

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Early in his productive life, the actor Louis Cameron Gossett Jr., then a teenager, received a blessing and a sort of dressing down from his grandmother that guided him for the rest of his life. “Let me tell you something,” she told him. “God was here before you got here. He is going to be here while you are here. And He is going to be here long after you’re gone. So you might as well calm down and let Him handle things now.”

Gossett said, “I had never forgotten those wise words, which had taken me down a notch or two that night. When Bertha wagged what was left of a finger at you, she might as well have been Sergeant Emil Foley, whom I was to play years later in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman.’” Gossett was the first African American male to win an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor, for that role in 1982 in “An Officer and a Gentleman.”

This is just a sample of his grandmother’s wisdom that Gossett quoted from his autobiography (2010) “An Actor and a Gentleman,” with Phyllis Karas, where he recounts his coming of age in New York City and his early years on the stage. As the world knows now, Gossett died on March 29 in Santa Monica, California, according to his nephew, Neal Gossett. He was 87 and no cause was given for his death.

Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, on May 27, 1938, Gossett contracted polio as a youth and this confinement led him to become a compulsive reader. He made his stage debut at 17 and gained notice for his performance in “Take a Giant Step,” and in rapid succession, those steps would include “A Raisin in the Sun” (1959); “The Blacks” (1961); and “Tambourines to Glory” (1963).

“Thanks to my role in ‘Take a Giant Step,’ I’d been making more money than any other Black man in our Brooklyn neighborhood,” he wrote in his book. “Dressed in my Thom McAn shoes and my Robert Hall suit, I spent way too much time strutting down the streets, a girl on each arm, reveling in my newfound position as the center of attention.” It was this behavior that earned him the chastisement from his grandmother.

In 1968, Gossett flew to Hollywood for NBC’s first-made-for-TV movie. “I was coming back as one of the top clients for the William Morris Talent Agency,” he recalled. It was a bright

and promising period for Gossett, thanks to such notables as Marilyn Monroe, and Steve McQueen, whom he knew and studied with.

“I’d learned during those seven years that the only way I could afford my true loves—Broadway, off-Broadway, and summer stock—would be to shuttle back and forth from the East to the West Coast for episodic TV, which could pay a minimum of $2,500 per episode. The time was now right for me to begin this lifestyle, and the show for which I had come to Hollywood was ‘Companions in Nightmare.’ The first NBC Movie of the Week, ‘Companions’ was paying even more than the minimum, more money than I had ever seen as an actor,” he wrote.

He received another jolt of celebrity in 1977 for playing Fiddler in the “Roots” miniseries and won Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards.

“Reading the script for the first time, I was envious of the roles of the other actors, including O.J. Simpson, who

hawked at a corner near my house. ‘E.ra.cism,’ it spelled out, separating the letters in dictionary format, ‘the removal of the existence of the belief that one race is superior to another.’ I thought hard about the word eracism. I had seen it before in New Orleans and considered what a monumental task it would be to make that word a reality. Racism is even internal, within each race, reflected in black-on-black crime, and whiteon-white crime. It is not as if a person can simply wake up one day and say, ‘Today, I am no longer a racist.’ Racism is a disease, not unlike alcoholism or overeating. It takes deep introspection and self-examination to even begin to make the first step toward erasing it. I had to start with myself, to meditate and identify and erase any forms of racism to which I clung. The name ‘Eracism’ was the easy part, but its goal was lofty and overreaching. Entire nations and the greatest minds had made little progress in erasing racism. Even the great historian W. E. B. Du Bois had said that the main problem of the twentieth century would be the problem of race. But then again, I had arrived at a place where I now believed that nothing is impossible.”

ACTIVITIES

Although we leaned almost exclusively on Gossett’s autobiography, there are countless articles where he is cited, especially about Hollywood and the stage.

DISCUSSION

We wish there was more space here to discuss Gossett being handcuffed to a tree in LA, but those interested can find a full account in his autobiography, and it’s gripping.

Gossett came of age in the 1940s and ’50s, and burnished his acting career with many of the racist encounters he experienced.

appeared in the first hour of the weeklong series,” he related. “I mistakenly believed that the modern audience would see my character of Fiddler as an Uncle Tom. Yet Fiddler was old enough to know the difference, to understand what it took to stay alive in his world, and how to teach the others, including Kunta Kinte, how to behave. In the first scene, I tell him, ‘You in America now. You no more in Africa.’ And in so many ways, that is what I have been, an African American, acting properly respectful of his white employers and fellow actors. Too often, I was the only black in the white crowd, dressed in my tuxedo, clean and educated, teaching others to be properly respectful and to understand that this was the only way to survive in a white man’s world.”

Throughout his book, Gossett relays several encounters with the police, (including being handcuffed to a tree for three hours by the police in 1966), the microaggressions of white folks, and how he dealt with them. “One day, as I was out walking, I happened to notice a T-shirt being

After “Roots,” Gossett was still in demand, although he noted there was a decline in roles for Black performers. His roles in “Sadat” (1983); “Touched by an Angel” (1997), and “Watchmen” (2019) are highlights of his impressive résumé, to say nothing of the numerous awards.

Gossett was married three times, fathered one son, and adopted another. His wives were Hattie Glascoe, Christine Mangosing, and Cyndi James-Reese.

At the end of his book, he wrote: “My phone continues to ring. Never have I felt so full of energy, and so determined to accomplish my goals. There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not grateful for all I have been able to accomplish in my life.

Even though I might have faltered along the way, I do not look back but rather focus on today. To know that somehow I managed to help a child lead a better life would be the greatest reward I could ever imagine. To erase racism from the lives of these children, I fully realize, will be a gargantuan task. But for an exemplary black man who fell down and then learned how to stand up even taller than a marine drill sergeant, it is within reach.”

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

March 31, 1878: Boxer Jack Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas. He died in 1946.

April 1, 1949: Poet/musician Gil Scott-Heron was born in Chicago. He died in 2011.

April 4, 1928: Poet/ author/dancer Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She died in 2014.

Louis Gossett Jr. with his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Gossett, the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 87. (AP Photo)

Roosevelt Island

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Robinson about the stress of the situation. She considered leaving during the course of the investigations and interviewed at two other potential positions, she said, but was passed over.

Yet another investigation was undertaken by the New York State Comptroller in April 2023, which again found no wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Haynes and Robinson said that the state didn’t allow them to defend themselves, counter sue, or hire a media company to handle negative press. And “hostile” board members were appointed without following typical procedure or approval from Haynes.

“Then we sued and it all ratcheted up,” said Haynes. “Once we named the Chamber [State] and RIOC in the amended complaint less than a month after we sued, we were placed on administrative leave.”

Their lawyer, Milton Williams, a partner at Walden Macht & Haran LLP, filed the lawsuit with the United States District Court Southern District of New York seeking a temporary restraining order and an order restoring Haynes and Robinson to their offices from temporary leave. They were denied. “Shelton Haynes and Gretchen Robinson have been subjected to the kind of vile racist discrimination that the government should be fighting, not actively participating in,” said Williams in a statement.

Several people were named in the lawsuit either directly or indirectly.

Senator Liz Krueger and Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright were called out in the amended complaint for allegedly supporting “racist” blog posts about Haynes and Robinson specifically from David Stone, who is the editor and publisher for the Roosevelt Island Daily.

“While I decline to comment on the pending litigation, the residents of Roosevelt Island are entitled to a full and timely independent review

Fentanyl

Continued from page 4

to secure the border—that is why we continue to call on Congressional Republicans to pass the bipartisan border security agreement, the toughest and fairest set of border reforms in decades,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary.

President Biden emphasized those concerns and made it clear that the government will have to look beyond a regional framework to solve the epidemic.

“It’s a global challenge that demands global action,” Biden mentioned to reporters last November.

He managed to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in California that month to create an open flow of communication to counter narcotic efficiency. Since that convening, Biden has racked up meetings with world leaders like President López and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who serve as founding members of

of RIOC workplace and personnel practices,” said Seawright in response to an AmNews inquiry. “This should be aimed at impacting on service delivery and program effectiveness as well as accountability for the work environment. The response from past and present RIOC administrations has been disappointing on several issues of vital importance.”

AmNews also reached out to Stone for comment: “Shelton is a young man with considerable gifts, and it’s unfortunate that things devolved as they did at RIOC. Without getting too far into the weeds, I can tell you that Shelton gave me and others a completely different reason for stonewalling me when I confronted him. Racism seems like a sort of ludicrous last resort for a man who found himself in far over his head and unable to handle criticism. He even went so far as to say that, with my very limited, small town online newspaper, I actually drew two respected legislators into a racist scheme in support, he and Gretchen say, of his predecessor and once dear friend Susan Rosenthal.”

The lawsuit alleged that fellow blogger Rick O’Conor, who runs the Roosevelt Islander Online publication, exchanged emails and communications with new RIOC board member Ben Fhala that led to a series of fairly negative and critical articles about Haynes and Robinson that “raised numerous legal and ethical concerns.”

Deputy Communications Director Justin Henry out of Hochul’s office declined to comment “due to the pending litigation.”

The RIOC said there will be “no further comments” until the review is completed.

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.

the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee (TFC), established in 2022. The three recently met in Mexico this past February.

“Both Mexico and Canada committed to embed personnel at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection National Targeting Center to increase and expedite information sharing on criminals and illicit activities associated with the trafficking of both fentanyl and firearms,” said a White House senior administration official.

The group agreed to utilize more of ATF’s eTrace Database and present trilateral reports more frequently. The committee is scheduled to meet again this spring, most likely in Canada.

“To hold drug traffickers accountable, we have criminally charged leaders of the world’s largest and most powerful drug cartel, including Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of ‘El Chapo,’” Applewaithe expressed. “We sanctioned over 290 individuals and entities involved in the global illicit drug trade; led diplomatic initiatives to stepped up counternarcotics cooperation with other key governments, including Mexico and China; and launched the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, which unites more than 150 countries in the fight against drug trafficking cartels and illicit finance.”

Education

Should college essays touch on race? Some feel the affirmative action ruling leaves them no choice

By COLLIN BINKLEY, ANNIE MA, and NOREEN NASIR Associated Press

CHICAGO—When she started writing her college essay, Hillary Amofa told the story she thought admissions offices wanted to hear—about being the daughter of immigrants from Ghana and growing up in a small apartment in Chicago. About hardship and struggle.

Then she deleted it all.

“I would just find myself kind of traumadumping,” said the 18-year-old senior at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago. “And I’m just like, 'This doesn’t really say anything about me as a person.'”

When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in higher education, it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. For many students of color, more was instantly riding on the already highstakes writing assignment. Some say they felt pressure to exploit their hardships as they competed for a spot on campus.

Amofa was just starting to think about her essay when the court issued its decision, which left her with a wave of questions. Could she still write about her race? Could she be penalized for it? She wanted to tell colleges about her heritage, but she didn’t want to be defined by it.

In English class, Amofa and her classmates read sample essays that all seemed to focus on some trauma or hardship. It left her with the impression she had to write about her life’s hardest moments to show how far she’d come. But she and some classmates wondered if their lives had been hard enough to catch the attention of admissions offices.

This year’s senior class is the first in decades to navigate college admissions without affirmative action. The Supreme Court upheld the practice in decisions going back to the 1970s, but this court’s conservative supermajority found it is unconstitutional for colleges to give students extra weight because of their race alone.

Still, the decision left room for race to play an indirect role: Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that universities can still consider how an applicant’s life was shaped by their race, “so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability.” Scores of colleges responded with new essay prompts asking about students’ backgrounds.

When Darrian Merritt started writing his essay, his first instinct was to write about events that led to going to live with his grandmother as a child. Those were painful mem-

it all. “I would just find myself kind of trauma-dumping,” said the 18-year-old senior. (AP Photo/Charles

ories, but he thought they might play well at schools like Yale, Stanford, and Vanderbilt. “I feel like the admissions committee might expect a sob story or a tragic story,” said Merritt, a senior in Cleveland. “I wrestled with that a lot.”

Eventually, he abandoned the idea and aimed for an essay that would stand out for its positivity.

Merritt wrote about a summer camp where he started to feel more comfortable in his own skin. He described embracing his personality and defying his tendency to please others, but the essay also reflects on his feelings of not being “Black enough” and getting made fun of for listening to “white people music.”

Like many students, Max Decker of Portland, Oregon, had drafted a college essay on one topic, only to change direction after the Supreme Court ruling in June.

Decker initially wrote about his love of video games. In a childhood surrounded by constant change that included navigating his parents’ divorce, he found a source of comfort in the games he took from place to place on his Nintendo DS—but the essay he submitted to colleges focused on the community he found through Word is Bond, a leadership

group for young Black men in Portland.

As the only biracial, Jewish kid with divorced parents in a predominantly white, Christian community, Decker wrote he felt like the odd one out. On a trip with Word is Bond to Capitol Hill, he and friends who looked just like him shook hands with lawmakers. The experience, he wrote, changed how he saw himself.

“It’s because I’m different that I provide something precious to the world, not the other way around,” wrote Decker, whose top college choice is Tulane in New Orleans, because of the region’s diversity.

Amofa used to think affirmative action was only a factor at schools like Harvard and Yale. After the court’s ruling, she was surprised to find that race was taken into account even at public universities she was applying to.

Now, without affirmative action, she wonders if mostly white schools will become even whiter.

It’s been on her mind as she chooses between Indiana University and the University of Dayton, both of which have relatively few Black students. When she was one of the few Black students in her grade school,

she could fall back on her family and Ghanaian friends at church. At college, she worries about loneliness.

“That’s what I’m nervous about,” she said. “Going and just feeling so isolated, even though I’m constantly around people.”

The first drafts of her essay didn’t tell colleges about who she is now, she said. Her final essay describes how she came to embrace her natural hair. She wrote about going to a mostly white grade school where classmates made jokes about her afro. Over time, she ignored their insults and found beauty in the styles worn by women in her life. She now runs a business doing braids and other hairstyles in her neighborhood.

“Criticism will persist,” she wrote, “but it loses its power when you know there’s a crown on your head!”

Ma reported from Portland, Oregon.

The Associated Press’s education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Hillary Amofa laughs as she participates in a team-building game with members of the Lincoln Park High School step team after school in Chicago. When she started writing her college essay, Amofa told the story she thought admissions offices wanted to hear—about being the daughter of immigrants from Ghana and growing up in a small apartment in Chicago. She described hardship and struggle. Then she deleted

Rex Arbogast photo)

Eviction

Continued from page 6

sizes in varying terms of affordability and we need to be understanding that this would impact all of them in different ways,” said Wright about Good Cause.

Politician and activist Craig Schley said that Good Cause doesn’t resolve the immediate problems or a lack of jobs and income for tenants. Schley was against the rezoning of Harlem’s 125th Street back in 2007, and credits that shift in development, coupled with the expansion of Columbia university’s campus, for the rising tide of gentrification in Harlem. He said that if elected he’d fund income-targeted housing, create

Dance Calendar

Continued from page 19

reception, conversation, and Q&A between the artists and DraftWork curator, Ishmael Houston-Jones. For more information visit https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/ws2024-draftwork2/

April 9-14: Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Ailey II returns to the Joyce Theater under artistic director Francesca Harper. Slated for this season is Harper’s “Luminous”; Baye & Asa’s “John 4:20”; excerpts from Alvin Ailey classics; “Divining” by artistic director emerita Judith Jamison, and “Enemy in the Figure” by William Forsythe. For more information visit https://www. joyce.org/performances/70//ailey-ii

April 10-13: At the Chocolate Factory Theater, Leslie Cuyjet will premiere “For All Your Life,” a new dance performance, film and social experiment “that investigates the value of Black life and Black death; scrutinizing the mechanism of life insurance through the prism of the underwriting process,” notes the release. For more information visit https://chocolatefactorytheater.org/leslie-cuyjet-2024/

April 11-14: For artistic director Robert Garland’s inaugural season, Dance Theatre of Harlem will offer a collection of classic and contemporary works in three performances. On the program is Garland’s “Nyman String Quartet No. 2,” George Balanchine’s “Pas de Dix,” William Forsythe’s “Blake Works IV” (The Barre Project) and Robert Bondara’s “Take Me With You,” at New York City Center. For more information visit https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2023-2024/dance-theatre-of-harlem/

April 12 and 19: Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet returns to the Mark Morris Dance Center with a revival of Magloire’s “Secret Place.” For more information visit https://www.newchamberballet.com/performances

April 18-20: Dominica Greene, a Triskelion Arts resident research artist, will weave her core research practices of duration, somatics, raving, and ancestral channeling in this sharing. For more information visit

more jobs locally, create an intermediary city agency with social workers that mitigate distressed areas in housing courts. “We have a mediator to keep things in wraps and not clogging the courts,” said Schley. “It creates meaningful jobs and it encourages processes to be fair.”

Stein said that smaller landlords with a one to four unit building that they live in should be exempted from the Good Cause law, and that in reality, big corporations are also buying up one- and two-family homes all over the state.

The state budget

The battle over the state budget is currently waging past its deadline of April 1, with each camp trying to get their piece of hous-

https://www.triskelionarts.org/spring2024/dominica-greene

April 19: Sloka Iyengar will present “Saṃbhūya: Understanding the Brain Through Dance: A Bharatanatyam Recital” at City College Center for the Arts as part of the CUNY Dance Initiative. The event is free. For more information visit https:// citycollegecenterforthearts.org/event/ sambhuya/

April 19-20: For Harlem Stage’s 40th anniversary celebration, the signature series, “E-Moves,” returns with works by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and Roderick George. Jones will premiere a short work entitled “Memory Piece” and “People Places and Things.” For more information visit https://www. harlemstage.org/events-list/2024/4/19/ emoves-billtjones-arniezane

April 19 -20: Dance Iquail!, the Philadelphia-based company founded and directed by Dr. Iquail Shaheed, comes to the Ailey Citigroup Theater with works by von Howard, Maleek Washington, and Shaheed. For more information visit https:// bpt.me/6191970

April 23-28: At Joyce Theater, Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca, with choreography by artistic director Martin Santangelo and Barrio, bring “Searching For Goya” which pays homage to the longstanding influence of visual artist Francisco de Goya. For more information visit https:// www.joyce.org/performances/79//soledad-barrio-noche-flamenca

April 23-24: As part of the curated series, “Crossroads (Crosswinds, Crosscurrents, Crossfires)” presented by Pioneers Go East Collective, Angie Pittman offers a work-inprocess, with various artists. For more information visit

https://pioneersgoeast. org/upcoming

April 25-28: At New York City Center, Ballet Hispánico, in honor of Eduardo Vilaro’s 15th season as artistic director, will feature the world premiere of Vilaro’s “Buscando a Juan,” inspired by The Met’s exhibition of Juan de Pareja, an Afro-Hispanic painter. For more information visit

https://www.nycitycenter.org/ pdps/2023-2024/ballet-hispanico/

April 26: Sekou McMiller & Friends

ing legislation or initiative funded. There’s reportedly a chance that the housing portion might include “rollbacks” to rent stabilization laws that will benefit landlords.

“The higher eviction rates in Harlem compared to the rest of the city reflect longstanding systemic inequalities in housing, employment, and education. This impacts the community by exacerbating housing instability, financial stress, and homelessness,” said Shana Harmongoff, who is running in NY State Assembly District 70. “Some of the causes include historical discrimination, lack of affordable housing options, and insufficient legal assistance for tenants facing eviction. It’s imperative that we address these issues by incorporating housing initiatives into the New York State budget,

comes to LaGuardia Performing Arts Center as part of the CUNY Dance Initiative with an evening of dance and live music in “Afro Latin Soul,” highlighting the jazz and African roots of salsa dance and music and exploring the connection between the Black and brown communities through ritual, sound, and movement. The event is free. For more information visit

https://www.lpac.nyc/upcomingevents/afro-latin-soul

April 27: Music From The Sole and Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernández, as part of the CUNY Dance Initiative, bring tap

especially during budgeting season.” Clennon added that long-term solutions should include “building truly affordable, family-sized housing” that serves vulnerable seniors, young professionals, and working-class families. “Key to this is the development of community land trusts and the revitalization of cooperative homeownership programs to empower tenants genuinely,” he said.

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.

dance and live music celebrating tap’s Afro-diasporic roots, particularly its connections to Afro-Brazilian dance, to the Kupferberg Center for the Arts. For more information visit

https://kupferbergcenter.org/event/cdi10/

April 27-28: Jazz Choreography Enterprises, Inc., presents The JCE Jazz Dance Project in works by Kenya Joy Gibson, Derick McKoy, Pat Taylor, Chris Jarosz, and Priscilla Tom, among others at the KnJ Theater at Peridance. For more information visit

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/ b46ff1ba-dbbb-4d5a-8bef-1df0fac4aed9

MANHATTAN PLAZA • 400 WEST 43RD STREET

MITCHELL-LAMA RENTAL– PROJECT BASED SECTION 8 STUDIO AND ONE BEDROOM RENTAL APARTMENT WAITING LIST IS BEING OPENED FOR PROFESSIONAL PERFORMING ARTISTS (CAN RESIDE ANYWHERE IN UNITED STATES) To be eligible to receive Section 8 Housing Assistance, at the time of admission applicants cannot earn more than:

*Based upon the number of persons in household. Rents subject to change.

MANHATTAN PLAZA OCCUPANCY STANDARDS: Studio- One or Two Persons. One Bedroom- Two or Three persons PROFESSIONAL PERFORMING ARTISTS LIVING ANYWHERE IN U.S. earning 50% or more of their income for the past 3 consecutive years from Performing Arts work are eligible to apply under the Performing Artist Category. Under these guidelines, a performing artist is any of the creative collaborators of the varying performing arts media: theatre, television, film and radio entertainment. In addition to actors, dancers, comedians, musicians and singers, the concept of performing artists also includes ushers, directors, choreographers, voice overs, writers (of plays, screenplays, television and radio entertainment), designers (set, costumes, and lights), composers and motion picture screen cartoonists.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: (FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION)

• Applications are not transferable.

• Applicants must be financially responsible.

• PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO DOCUMENTED VETERANS SELECTED IN THE LOTTERY.

• Only Performing Artists are eligible for this lottery; those who do not meet the Professional Performing Artists standards for three consecutive years will be disqualified.

• Any applicant that does not have the proper family composition will automatically be disqualified.

• Applicants can only be on one waiting list at a development. If applicants have the right family composition, they can apply to more than one lottery. However, if they are selected for more than one lottery, they will have to choose which waiting list they prefer.

• ONE REQUEST ONLY PER APPLICANT. Any applicant placing a duplicate request will not be entered into the lottery. An applicant can only submit a paper entry or an on-line entry. If applicants enter on-line and also mail in a letter or postcard, they have submitted a duplicate request and will not be eligible for the lottery.

• An applicant whose name is selected in a lottery cannot be included in the family composition of any other applicant who is selected in the same lottery for that particular housing company development. Failure to comply will result in the disqualification of both applicants

Additional Information:

Waiting list will be established by a limited lottery. There will be a limit of 750 applicants drawn from each list.

MANHATTAN PLAZA

Protecting the maternal health of the Black community Health

By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews

The Fund for Public Health NYC and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recently held a discussion about “Protecting the Health of Black Women and Birthing People and their Babies” at the Trinity Commons of the Trinity Church Wall Street Campus. The conversation introduced the Maternal Home Collaborative Model to the audience, which aims to improve Black maternal health and reduce preventable maternal deaths through a variety of support networks and resources. Featured speakers included Dr. Chelsea Clinton, NYC First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, and Health Department leaders Dr. Michelle Morse and Dr. Leslie Hayes.

Wright began the event with a discussion about safety for Black women giving birth in New York City: “As we look at the data and we look at our own experiences, one of the things that we want to do is make NYC the safest, best place for a Black woman to have babies in the country.”

Wright introduced Vasan, who spoke about the “unacceptable” nature of poor maternal outcomes. “When we can generate the will, the focus, and urgency, and agree…that certain outcomes are just unacceptable, then we can marshal our resources to make it happen,” Vasan said.

Vasan also discussed the importance of social and structural issues such as housing, wealth and income, and accountability to individuals from birth: “How people are treated at birth, into life, and into educational and professional environments ready to start their own family, really, really matters. These experiences matter. How we align ourselves on a common vision, a common agenda to save lives, matters. We must all agree that the status quo is unacceptable and we must marshal our resources to change it, and we can’t do it without you. It will take all of us together, across industries, agencies, communities, sharing ideas and resources to create healthier and safer pregnancies and childbirth for all.”

Clinton spoke about the challenges faced by all New York City around maternal health. “This city I’m very proud to call home, and yet we know it’s not all that it could be to all…for those of us that are proud New Yorkers, we want to believe that this is the best place on Earth and it could

be, but it isn’t always for our Black and brown birthing people.”

Clinton referenced wraparound health services that are not available to all. “We know what it takes to build wraparound services, we know what it takes to… ensure that every birthing person has access to a doula, a midwife; to all the care that she believes she needs and her providers believe that she needs. I find that especially challenging here in 2024 during Women’s History Month because we have continually failed to live up to the promise of what [it should mean] to live in the greatest place on Earth.”

Speaking specifically about preventable maternal deaths, Clinton said that “it’s just unacceptable that we aren’t moving with urgency. . .purpose and deliberation.” She ended with a view toward the future: “While certainly cutting maternal health by 10% is ambitious…we cannot mistake

progress for success. We need…to set the next horizon…we’re very proud to be here.” Clinton, Vasan, and Wright all thanked Morse and Hayes for their contributions to this work. Both leaders spoke about solutions, with Morse laying the foundation for such solutions through an overview of the NYC Health Department’s Maternal Home Collaborative, a pilot initiative where Black birthing people in New York City generally and Brooklyn specifically have access to care that will address and reduce risks before, during, and after pregnancy/birth. The numbers, according to both Hayes and Morse, are clear:

• Black women and birthing people in NYC are four times more likely to die from a pregnancy-associated death than their white counterparts

• 72% of pregnancy-associated deaths among Black women and birthing people are preventable.

The goal of the program is to reduce pregnancy-associated mortality among Black women by 10% by 2030.

In an interview with the AmNews at the end of the event, Hayes spoke about the importance of the event and the call to action. “It’s great to…look at how we can make things better for Black birthing people. The Maternal Home Collaborative is one of those models that we can really use to make that happen,” she said. “Unless you are in a healthy state as far as your mind is concerned, how do you then deal with pregnancy [and] birthing? I’m glad we’re here, I’m glad we have the call to action, and we’re going to move forward and make changes here in New York City.”

To learn more about the Maternal Home Collaborative, visit www.fphnyc.org/mhcm or call 311.

A doctor uses a hand-held Doppler probe on a pregnant woman to measure the heartbeat of her fetus, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/ Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Haiti

Continued from page 2

Then came the dictatorship of François “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his paramilitary gangs, called the Tonton Macoutes. They are the origin of the current bloodthirsty gangs that have destroyed the Haitian people through military interventions; economic pressure from France, Germany, the United States, and puppet governments. Inclement hurricanes; earthquakes like the one in 2010 that killed more than 200,000 people, then the earthquake of 2021 with more than 2,000 deaths; governmental instability and the introduction of drug trafficking, as well as arms trafficking, the creation of paramilitary gangs; and the failure of United Nations troops from 2014 through 2017.

The Venezuelan committee, in solidarity with Haiti, formed by the Venezuelan parliamentary group with Haiti (Deputy Guarnieri, Casimira Monasterio, and Roraima Gutierrez, the Federation of Haiti in Venezuela, and the Afro Venezuelan movements) are urgently calling for the creation of a sanitary and food corridor for the Haitian people. The community of Latin American and Caribbean states call for peace to be implemented through a political solution and the denouncing of United States’ arms dealers supplying criminal gangs in Haiti. Setting clear rules for a Haitian committee of ethical leaders who can call for elections with international observation should take place as soon as possible.

Currently, two gangs are in control of Haiti. One is the G-9, led by Jimmy Chérizier, nicknamed “Barbecue,” who controls Port-au-Prince, and the other is the G-PEP, which controls Cité Soleil. Most of the weapons that both groups possess come from the United States, specifically from Florida, Texas, and Georgia.

International

Continued from page 2

private investigation, an object to be defined and not the subject of a possible discourse.”

Among the many tributes and condolences since his passing on Feb. 2 at his home in Cotonou, Benin, was this from the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), where he served as vice president:

“Born on April 11, 1942, Professor Hountondji became a towering intellectual figure and distinguished scholar who shaped the discipline of philosophy by advancing unparalleled insights and elaborating new thinking in the field of African philosophy.

“Even after achieving academic and intellectual acclaim, and long after obtaining a doctorate from the University of ParisNanterre in 1970, Professor Hountondji remained a lifelong student, continuing on to earn his doctorat d’Etat at l’Université Cheikh Anta Diop under the supervision of Professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne.”

“To this day, his contributions within the CODESRIA and the broader epistemic community remain immeasurable.”

DROUGHT GRIPS SOUTHERN AFRICA, HUNGER CRISIS FORESEEN

(GIN)—A severe dry spell in southern Africa linked to the El Niño weather pattern has gripped the nations of Malawi and Zambia.

Zimbabwe has also seen much of its crops decimated, intensifying concerns by the U.N. World Food Program that numerous nations in southern Africa are on the brink of a hunger crisis.

Malawi has declared a state of disaster over the drought in 23 of its 28 districts. President Lazarus Chakwera said they urgently need more than $200 million in humanitarian assistance, less than a month after neighboring Zambia also appealed for help.

According to the World Food Program, nearly 50 million people in southern and parts of central Africa are facing food inse-

curity as one of the driest spells in decades devastates the region.

Mozambique and parts of Angola have also had severe rainfall deficits.

Humans aren’t the only ones affected. Conservation officials in Zimbabwe are reporting the rare occurrence of at least 100 elephants dying in a national park late last year because of waterholes drying up in the drought.

Chakwera said he had been on a tour of his country to discover the extent of its drought crisis, and a preliminary assessment by the government found about 44% of Malawi’s corn crop had failed or been affected, directly affecting 2 million households.

Malawi has been repeatedly hit by weather extremes in recent years, emphasizing how some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries are feeling the worst effects of climate change even as they contribute the least to global emissions.

With this year’s harvest scorched, millions in Zimbabwe, southern Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar won’t be able to feed themselves well into 2025. USAID’s Famine Early Warning System estimated that 20 million people would require food relief in southern Africa in the first few months of 2024.

Many won’t get that help, however, because aid agencies also have limited resources amid a global hunger crisis and a cut in humanitarian funding by governments.

GAMBIAN WOMEN UP IN ARMS OVER VOTE LIFTING BAN ON FEMALE CIRCUMCISION (GIN)—“Over my dead body!”

That was how one Gambian woman expressed her frustration with a vote by the country’s majority male legislators to end the prohibition of female genital mutilation (FGM). The practice has been on the rise in recent years despite activist campaigns to outlaw it.

Lawmaker Almameh Gibba presented the repeal bill earlier this month, arguing the ban violates citizens’ rights to practice their culture and religion. Gambia is an overwhelmingly Muslim country.

If the bill is passed, Gambia would become

the first country to reverse a ban on FGM.

The vote came just a month after the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, observed annually on Feb. 6. This year, it was observed with the theme “Her Voice, Her Future.”

Gambian lawmakers have already voted to advance the measure that removes legal protections for millions of girls and has been in effect since 2015.

Ndeye Rose Sarr, head of the local United Nations Fund for Population Activities, shared some of the historical background: “From the age of 10, girls begin to be looked at as a potential bride for an older man. And if she has not yet undergone FGM, there will be those in her community who will want to make sure that she does.”

The rate of FGM in Gambia is around 76% of girls and women aged 14 to 49 years old, and about 51% for girls up to the age of 14. “That means that, on average, every other young girl you see in the Gambia has undergone this mutilation,” Sarr said.

Globally, more than 200 million women and girls are estimated to have undergone some form of genital mutilation, and girls aged 14 and younger account for about 44 million of those who have been “cut.”

The practice is almost universal in Somalia, Guinea, and Djibouti, with levels of 90%

and higher, while it affects far fewer girls and women in Cameroon and Uganda.

Contrary to popular perception, female genital mutilation is also practiced in the U.S. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half a million women and girls have either undergone the procedure, or are at risk of undergoing it in the future. Most, but not all, are immigrants to the U.S.

The ban was put in place during the tenure of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, whose government opposed the practice.

Isatou Keita, writing for the online InDepthNews, had this to say about FGM: “From my perspective as a Gambian woman, banning FGM is highly commendable…As a staunch advocate for human rights and gender equality, I firmly believe that every individual has the right to live free from violence, coercion, and discrimination, including harmful cultural practices like FGM.

“The ban against FGM signifies a step towards empowerment and autonomy, granting us agency over our bodies.”

World leaders overwhelmingly back the elimination of female genital mutilation by 2030 as one of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals. The U.N. considers it achievable if nations act now to translate that commitment into action.

RBGNYC1 Tours and Travels

Back To The Roots of Africa

We are going to Kemet (Egypt) tour with master teacher Mfundishi Jhutyms

June 6 - 20

Haiti Solidarity Commission: Congresswoman Yasneidi Guarnieri and the Haitian Federation meet in Venezuela. (Jesús Chucho Garcia photo)

Religion & Spirituality

Ralph Poynter, a revolutionary warrior

By MAL’AKIY 17 ALLAH Special to the AmNews

On Thursday evening, a multi-ethnic audience attended memorial services at Harlem’s Riverside Church (81 Claremont Avenue) for Brother Ralph Poynter, a longtime activist, educator, and private investigator who, with his wife, attorney Lynne Stewart, shared a vast knowledge and wisdom of Black philosophies with the working-class community, oftentimes at low, or no, cost.

Poynter was affiliated with Malcolm X’s secular group, the Organization of Afro American Unity, in the 1960s, regularly attending their weekly meetings at the Audubon Ballroom. He also was a teacher at Harlem’s P.S. 175, and continued teaching years after Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965.

Poynter died on December 25 but tributes

were withheld until what would have been his 90th bornday of March 21. The memorial was hosted and organized by his colleague, Sister Betty Davis. “He asked for us to pick up the work,” she noted in her remarks.

Davis also discussed how Poynter worked remotely even in his final days, continuing his education work online from his hospital bed. She echoed his sentiments about his constant advocacy by any means: “There’s nothing more revolutionary than teaching the truth about our liberation,” she said.

Members from all branches of the grassroots community also paid homage, including members of the Black Panthers, Young Lords, Philadelphia’s MOVE, and more.

K.O.S. & Effect 5 Allah highlighted Poynter’s work as a private detective, notably during the case of Larry Davis, a Bronx man whose claims of self-defense during a 1986

shootout with New York police officers were initially rejected. “Mr. Poynter’s investigation during Larry Davis’s case established that the police shot first, thereby proving that he shot six cops in self-defense, and that helped Larry get acquitted,” he said.

Poynter’s son Kevin fondly reflected that his father “was selfless to the community. Even in (the) ICU, he was determined. Make his sacrifices worth something and remember those behind bars.”

Paula McCrae, whom Poynter taught in fifth grade, explained how he inspired her to become an educator as well as an activist. “I’m so thankful he kept us off the streets. He was serious and didn’t play, but was always gentle. He introduced us to African culture,” she said. “Mr. Poynter’s legacy is that he was a lifelong teacher and a leader. He taught us that we were all lead-

ers in our own right, and we must speak up for what is right.”

Omali Yeshitela, chair of the African People’s Socialist Party, said that Poynter was “an antidote to the domestic colonialism that we experience here in this settled colony called the United States.” More boisterous remarks followed from New York City Councilman Charles Barron, who chanted “Black Power” before recognizing Poynter as “the consummate revolutionary.”

Poynter’s and Betty Davis’s goddaughter Sheryl recited a poem dedicated to him entitled “Let us be the light that we want to see in the world,” and added, “They poured into me (as a teen), and as a result, they helped me find my purpose.”

To watch a recorded tribute to Poynter, go to https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jT01xzUuIDU.

Civil rights activist Ben Chaney Jr. passes at 72

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Ben Chaney Jr. spent the final years of his life trying to recover from a stroke. His speech had slurred so much that it was difficult for others to understand him, but the last time we spoke, in February 2023, Chaney talked about moving from southern New Jersey, where he was living with family, back to New York City. He wanted to be back in touch with more activists; he said he was preparing to work on another case involving civil rights.

But he died on February 3, 2024.

Born on July 12, 1952, Chaney was the youngest of five children born to Ben and Fannie Lee Chaney in Meridian, Miss. He had three sisters––Barbara, Janice, and Julia––and an older brother, James Earl.

James Earl was that big brother—the kind a little brother could adore. Ben spoke about how after volunteering to work with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), James Earl had been a celebrated backwoods driver in Neshoba County. He knew how to speed through those backwoods roads and elude any menacing pickup trucks that might be following him.

In 1964, James Earl was forced to pull his car over when police sirens trailed him as he drove with two white New Yorkers: Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. Their efforts to register Black voters in Mississippi had enraged members of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner were stopped by Neshoba County Sheriff’s Deputy Cecil Price. After being stopped, they were handed over to 20 enraged members of the KKK.

on Ben Chaney for the rest of his life.

A full-fledged social justice activist

Ben Chaney became a full-fledged activist not long after his brother’s murder. Before, he had tagged along when James Earl visited local churches and organized voter education classes; now he decided to devote his own life to working for social justice. He was arrested for taking part in civil rights protests 21 times before he turned age 12.

The Chaney family ultimately moved to New York state: They had faced death threats and suffered fire bombings and cross-burnings in Mississippi from disgruntled white racists who were upset with the family’s activism and the notoriety brought by the killing of James Earl.

After he moved to the New York City area, Ben became active in the Black High School Coalition in 1969. He was part of the protests conducted by a group known as the Community Coalition, who were against the construction of the State Office Building at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue.

Ramsey Clark, who had served as the U.S. Attorney General under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

In 1985, Chaney took on work as a paralegal under Clark. In 1998, he created the nonprofit James Earl Chaney Foundation to further his work on social justice issues in his brother’s honor. Through the foundation, Ben gave talks at colleges and in schools. He also organized regular Reverse Freedom Rides from New York City to Mississippi to help educate younger generations about the locations and people associated with the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Local Harlem activist Sam White first met Ben Chaney in the 1980s. He said he fondly remembers visiting Ben at his foundation’s offices and helping him organize the Reverse Freedom Ride tours. “Oh, God, I’ve been many times going back and forth to his office and being down there, hanging out with Ben. Everybody was always doing something there.

The three young men were murdered, their bodies buried in an earthen dam. After a 44-day FBI-led search that made national news, their bodies were finally found. Although the federal government prosecuted some Klan members in 1967, it wasn’t until 2005––some four decades later––that Edgar Ray “Preacher” Killen was imprisoned for having orchestrated the killings of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. Killen served time from 2008 until he died in 2018, but the pain of the race-based murder of James Earl weighed

Chaney became a member of the Black Panther Party and later the Black Liberation Army. While working with militant Black activists to secure guns in Florida, two Florida Atlantic University students were killed. Chaney was convicted of firstdegree murder for those deaths and given a life sentence for the murder of another man in Fort Lauderdale. He was not accused of shooting the victims but found guilty as an accessory to the crime. Even with civil rights activist William Kunstler serving as his attorney, he wound up serving 13 years in prison. He was paroled in 1983 with the assistance of progressive activist attorney

“You know, there’s a book I read and one of the main points that it raised was that people in the Movement were fighting for democracy, just like soldiers. And they ought to get some reward, some recognition for their struggle. They stood up for democracy just like the soldiers who fought overseas did; they were just doing it right here––in the South. Many made a lot of sacrifices, and that kind of thing is our history; it ought to be put out there.”

Throughout his life, Ben Chaney continued working to ensure that civil rights cases were being furthered. Having spent his own time in prison, Chaney waged an ongoing campaign for the safety of people locked up in jails and prisons in Mississippi.

Ben’s mother, Fannie Lee Chaney, died on May 22, 2007. He is survived by his sister Julia Chaney-Moss.

Human rights activist Ben Chaney, younger brother of James Earl Chaney, one of three civil rights workers killed June 21, 1964, outside Philadelphia, Miss., in a June 20, 1999 photo. (AP Photo/ Rogelio Solis photo)

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NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT, NEW YORK COUNTY, CONNECTONE BANK, Plaintiff, against WADSWORTH LP, AARON DRAZIN, et al., Defendants.

Pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated December 18, 2023, and entered on December 19, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee appointed in said Judgment, will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Courthouse, on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 2:15 p.m., the premises known as and located at 140 Wadsworth Avenue, New York, NY 10033. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements situated, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan and County of New York, State of New York, Block 2163, Lot 61. Premises will be sold subject to the terms of the filed Judgment, Index No. 850052/2023, and the Terms of Sale, all of which are available from Plaintiff’s counsel upon request. The approximate amount of the Judgment is $9,647,319.27 plus interest and costs, as provided in the Judgment. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Thomas Kleinberger, Esq., Referee. Rosenberg & Estis, P.C., Attorneys for Plaintiff, 733 Third Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10017, (212) 867-6000, Attention: Richard Y. Im, Esq.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, NYCTL 1998-2

Trust and the Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian, Plaintiff, vs. Katherine Mosley, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated October 18, 2023 and entered on November 28, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, Room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on April 24, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., all that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 2011 and Lot 23.

Said premises may also be known as 125 West 142 Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $100,111.55 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index # 154723/2022. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Doron A. Leiby, Esq., Referee

The Law Office of Thomas P. Malone, PLLC, 60 East 42nd Street, Suite 553, New York, New York 10165, Attorneys for Plaintiff

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, NYCTL 2021A Trust, and The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 2021-A Trust, Plaintiff, vs. Tindaya Properties of New York II Corp., Defendant(s).

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT- COUNTY OF NEW YORK

ELIZON MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST I, U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS OWNER TRUSTEE, Plaintiff, AGAINST SHEHARBANO ALI, et al. Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on March 6, 2024.

I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre St, New York, NY 10007 on May 8, 2024 at 2:15 PM premises known as 303 East 43rd St 9A, New York, NY 10017.

Please take notice that this foreclosure auction shall be conducted in compliance with the Foreclosure Auction Rules for the First Judicial District, New York County, and the COVID 19 Health Emergency Rules, including proper use of masks and social distancing.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan City, County and State of New York. Block 1336 and Lot 1023.

Approximate amount of judgment $1,480,531.27 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment. Index #850131/2015. Elaine Shay, Esq. , Referee, Aldridge Pite, LLP - Attorneys for Plaintiff - 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200,

Supreme Court-New York County – Hilton Resorts Corp., Pltf. V. Any unknown heirs to the Estate of ROY STEPHEN POWERS, next of kin, devisees, legatees, distributees, grantees, assignees, creditors, lienors, trustees, executors, administrators or successors in interest, as well as the respective heirs at law, next of kin, devisees, legatees, distributees, grantees, assignees, lienors, trustees, executors, administrators or successors in interest of the aforesaid classes of persons, if they or any of them be dead, all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to the plaintiff, et al., Deft. – Index # 850208/2018. The foregoing supplemental summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Honorable FRANCIS KAHN, III, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, dated the 27th day of October 2023 and duly entered the 2nd day of November 2023 in the office of the Clerk of the County of New York, State of New York. TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS:

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s attorney, within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State) In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT

THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is for the foreclosure of a fractional interest of 10,000/16,783,800 in the premises at Block 1006, Tax Lot 1303 located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas NY, NY. Mortgage bearing the date of April 7, 2015, executed by Roy Stephen Powers to Hilton Resorts Corporation, a Delaware Corporation, to secure the sum of $61,457.62, and interest and recorded in the Office of the Clerk of New York County on November 13, 2015, in CRFN 2015000404903. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the Mortgaged Premises as described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

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

plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale.

purpose. Winthrop Consulting LLC, filed with SSNY on 3/6/2024. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: Kathleen Adams 34 West 139th St., #2P, NY, NY 10037. Purpose: any lawful act.

#101088

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated December 18, 2023 and duly entered on December 20, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on May 8, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 60 Riverside Boulevard, Unit 3602, New York, NY 10069. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1171 and Lot 4447 together with an undivided 0.7128 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $358,849.98 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #158815/2022. Paul Sklar, Esq., Referee Bronster, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff

HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR DEUTSCHE ALT-A SECURITIES INC. MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2005-3, -againstROBERT A. DEL VENTO, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York on June 12, 2023, wherein HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR DEUTSCHE ALT-A SECURITIES INC. MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2005-3 is the Plaintiff and ROBERT A. DEL VENTO, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the NEW YORK COUNTY CIVIL SUPREME COURTHOUSE, ROOM 130, 60 CENTRE STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10007, on May 1, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 335 EAST 51ST STREET, APARTMENT 9D, NEW YORK, NY 10022; and the following tax map identification: 1344-1074.

THE CONDOMINIUM UNIT (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE "UNIT") KNOWN AS UNIT NO. 9D IN THE BUILDING (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE "BUILDING") KNOWN AS THE

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MASANAO TANJI

of October 25, 2023. Sold subject to

and

of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Matthew D. Hunter III, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

NEW YORK - INDEX NO.:850222/2023 SUMMONS.

Plaintiff designates NEW YORK COUNTY as the place of trial based upon the location of the premises herein described having tax map Block 1397, Lot 1524, NEW YORK, NY, County of NEW YORK – CITIMORTGAGE, INC., PLAINTIFF, -against- CARMEL REAL ESTATE LLC, BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE BARBIZON/63 CONDOMINIUM, “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, DEFENDANTS. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff's Attorney within 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this Summons and Complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered against you and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated: Syosset, New York, February 28, 2024. Roach & Lin, P.C., attorney for Plaintiff, 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, NY 11791. Tel: 516-938-3100. To the above-named defendants: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. Francis A. Kahn III, a Justice of the Supreme Court, State of New York, dated February 14, 2024 and filed with the NEW YORK County Clerk together with the supporting papers thereon. This is an action to foreclose a mortgage held by Plaintiff on the premises known as Block 1397, Lot 1524, NEW YORK, NY, County of NEW YORK as described in the complaint on file and commonly known as 140 EAST 63RD ST, UNIT 6C, A/K/A 140 E 63RD ST 6C, NEW YORK, NY. 79893

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

ONESTONE LENDING LLC, Plaintiff -against- ALTA OPERATIONS, LLC, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated November 17, 2023 and entered on November 27, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on May 8, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County and State of New York, known as The Tower Unit 10A in the building known as "One Riverside Park Condominium" together with an undivided 0.3653% interest in the common elements. Block: 1171 Lot: 2508. Said premises known as 50 RIVERSIDE BOULEVARD, UNIT 10A, NEW YORK, NY 10069. Approximate amount of lien $1,027,596.74 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850198/2020.

HAYLEY GREENBERG, ESQ., Referee. The Camporeale Law Group PLLC, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 585 Stewart Avenue, 770, Garden City, NY 11530

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Home Loan Investment Bank, F.S.B. F/K/A Ocean Bank, F.S.B. , Plaintiff, vs . Jocely Padilha , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Amended Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on July 21, 2022 and a Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on January 5, 2024 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, Room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on May 8, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 210 East 47th Street, Unit No. 2C, New York, NY 10017 - all that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1320 and Lot 1408 together with an undivided 1.212 percent interest in the Common Elements (“the Premises”). Approximate amount of judgment is $280,884.71 plus interest and costs. The Premises is being sold subject to the lien of the portion of the first mortgage of Specialized Loan Servicing, LLC that is not subordinated to Plaintiff’s lien pursuant to the Order of the Court dated November 5, 2021. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850158/2019. Referee will not accept any cash payment(s) for any deposit or portion of the purchase price. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Bruce N. Lederman, Esq., Referee

Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C., Jackie Halpern Weinstein, Esq., One Battery Park Plaza, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME

COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST Pedro D. A. Alvarez Arenas, if living and if dead, the respective heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, purchase, inheritance lien, or otherwise or any right, title or interest in and to the premises…; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 28, 2022 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on April 24, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 15 William Street, New York, NY 10005. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block: 25 Lot: 1503. Approximate amount of judgment $792,245.73 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 810049/2012. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the First Judicial District. Mark McKew, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: December 15, 2023 78955

NOTICE OF FORMATION of NATASA KENNEDY CONSULTING LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/12/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to 228 Park Ave S. #178498, NY, NY 10003. R/A: US Corp Agents Inc. 7014 13th Ave, #202, BK, NY 11228. Purpose: any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE

WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF JPMBB COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE SECURITIES TRUST 2014-C24, COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2014-C24, BY AND THROUGH ITS SPECIAL SERVICER, LNR PARTNERS, LLC, Plaintiff v. IRONWOOD REALTY CORPORATION, BEN ASHKENAZY, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE CITY OF NEW YORK, and PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Defendants, Index No. 850274/2021. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision and Order on Motion dated December 1, 2023, and duly entered in the above-entitled action and filed in the Office of the New York County Clerk on February 6, 2024 (the “Judgment”), I the undersigned Referee in said Judgment named, will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Room 130 of the Courthouse, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, the premises directed by said Judgment to be sold. The premises will be offered for sale, as one parcel, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. The premises therein described are located at 635 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, also known as Block 1374, Lot 21 on the Tax Map for the County of New York, together with the buildings, improvements, fixtures, machinery, equipment, personality and other rights or interests of any kind or nature located thereon, and more particularly described in the Judgment. The premises will be sold subject to the provisions of the filed Judgment, Index No. 850274/2021, and the Terms of Sale, all of which are available from plaintiff’s counsel upon request.

The approximate amount of the Judgment, for the property referred to therein, is $99,758,265.13, plus interest and costs, as provided in the Judgment. The successful bidder will be required to deposit 10% of the bid by certified or official bank check, unendorsed, made payable to the Referee.

Matthew D. Hunter III, Esq., Referee (718) 309-1660

Herrick, Feinstein LLP, Attorneys for Plaintiff, Two Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016, (212) 592-1461, Attention: Scott T. Tross, Esq.

Notice of formation of Jeff Multi-Service LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) 02/10/2022 Office in NEW YORK Co. SSNY designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to 87 Hamilton PL 1S New York NY 10031 USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose

Notice of Qualification of SPECIAL PRODUCTION AGENCY

Notice of Qualification of HYDROGEN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/16/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/11/22.

Notice of Qualification of GREYSTONE MONTICELLO FUNDING SH-73 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/15/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/13/24. Princ. office of LLC: 600 Third Ave., 21st Fl., NY, NY 10016. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Engaging in and exercising all powers permitted to a limited liability company formed under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act.

Green Ductors LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/26/2023. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 57 West 57th St, NY, NY, 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act.

BERTRIS ENTERPRISES, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/08/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 299 Broadway, Suite 1405, New York, NY 10007. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of STRETCHD WORLDWIDE, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/07/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/17/24. Princ. office of LLC: 12636 High Bluff Dr., Ste. 200, San Diego, CA 92130. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o C T Corporation System, 28 Liberty St., NY, NY 10005. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CT Corporation System, 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Stretching services. Notice of Formation of BENNY BRONCO LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/15/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/07/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/19/21. Princ. office of LLC: 545 W. 25th St., 11th 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. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Mama Naya LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/29/2024. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 182 Bennett Ave., #1H, NY, NY 10040. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Evey Gallery New York LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/01/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 240 S County Rd, Palm Beach, FL, 33480. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of URBAN DECAY COSMETICS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/18/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 10 Hudson Yards, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

on 03/19/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 322 W 80th St., NY, NY 10024. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Engel & Davis, LLP, 620 Fifth Ave., Ste. 200, NY, NY 10020. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Princ. office of LLC: 205 Detroit St., Ste. 200, Denver, CO 80206. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of RGNNEW YORK C, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/16/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/16/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

ABOTOS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/12/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: ROCKET CORPORATE SERVICES INC., 2804 Gateway Oaks Dr. #100, Sacramento, CA, 95833. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Secret Society Dance Company LLC Arts. of Org. filed

Notice of Formation of 515 W18 1804 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/01/24. Office location: NY

County. Princ. office of LLC: 515 W. 18th St., #1804, NY, NY 10011. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: To purchase, own and sell real estate in New York.

Notice of Qualification of 30 HY WM UNIT DEVELOPER

LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/01/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/29/24. 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 c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Corp. Div., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of DD 82ND STREET PARTICIPANTS

LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/06/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jeffrey Levine at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of DD ST. NICHOLAS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/06/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 22 VANDERBILT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/12/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/01/24. NYS fictitious name: 22 VANDERBILT2 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. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of the State of DE, c/o Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of OTG CONCESSIONS MANAGEMENT, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/11/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/31/17. Princ. office of LLC: 352 Park Ave. S., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10010. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 820 N. French St., 10th Fl., Wilmington, DE 19801. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of DD ATLANTIC PARTICIPANTS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/06/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jeffrey Levine at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of PORTA MANAGEMENT, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/08/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/28/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Div. of Corps., PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 885 HOSPITALITY LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/05/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/07/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 200 INVESTORS GP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/18/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/11/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of ACI VI CLARKSON SH LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/12/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/12/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Digital Quill Publishing LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/24/2023. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 400 Chambers St, 9B, NY, NY 10282. Purpose: Any lawful act.

15 Barton Road LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/15/23. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 54 N Broadway, Yonkers, NY 10701. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of CERTIFIED ORNAMENTAL, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/07/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of DD SACK

WERN DEVELOPER LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/11/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

QUE RICO RESTAURANT LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/25/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 221 E 23 St, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Impulso Media LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/02/2023. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 536 Isham St, #52B, NY, NY 10034. Purpose: Any lawful act.

INWOOD BREAD LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/26/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 30 Seaman Ave, 4M, NY, NY, 10034. Purpose: Any lawful act.

GBM Capital LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/5/24. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 405 E 54th St., #12D, New York, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Milky Way Group LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/03/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 250 West 50th St, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of 22 MONTAIGNE ENTERTAINMENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/26/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/20/24. Princ. office of LLC: 19 E. 57th St., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Entertainment production.

ANASTASIA DOES ASTROLOGY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/10/24. Office: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon

The Levin-Fragasso Law Firm PLLC Arts. of

Notice of Formation of LONG YEARS AGO LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/19/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 1 Columbus Pl., N29B, NY, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Alana Kaminetsky Psychological Services PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 2/8/24. Office: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 2248 Bdwy, #1104, NY, NY 10024. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of AMO DYNAMIC RISK PREMIA ONSHORE FUND, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/11/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/24/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Salaam

Continued from page 3

last year. Salaam is an exemption; not everyone can move back to the Big Apple after assuming civil service. He says he’s making the most of the opportunity.

Uncommitted

Continued from page 4

millions of voters,” said Rybaczuk, about the protest’s effectiveness. “Even preceding the primary in New Hampshire, there were people expressing their discontent, their outrage, their demand for intervention by the Biden administration.”

In New York, it’s the Leave It Blank campaign.

Brittany Ramos DeBarros, an Afro Latina organizer from Staten Island, is the lead organizer of the campaign on the ground. She said they modeled their strategy after Georgia, which also doesn’t have an uncommitted option.

“Taking New York City as an example, we are literally watching our library budgets get cut; afterschool programs, community care programs that are desperately needed are underfunded; our schools are underfunded,” said DeBarros, “And yet we have billions and billions of our tax dollars being sent to be used for weapons and violence.”

The blank ballot campaign is focused solely on the primary since Biden is the assumed candidate to win the nomination, said DeBarros. The intention isn’t for him to lose the presiden-

“What we have to do is be about the business of righteous collaboration, that is the work,” said Salaam. “That is the undergirding and support needed to make sure that we make [an] account. Because the seat that any

cy, but to start paying attention to voters who are unhappy. There are no plans to encourage voters to leave their ballots blank in November’s general election as of now, she said.

Several local state and city groups have joined forces to form the Leave It Blank team, including Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, NY Muslim Action Network, Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress (BAPP), Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), NY Progressive Action Network (NYPAN), and Muslims for Progress.

Jawanza James Williams, director of organizing at VOCAL-NY, said the organization has been full steam behind a call for a ceasefire since last year, pushing for a ceasefire resolution to be passed in the New York City Council. He is gladly in support of the blank ballot strategy, and feels that America as a world political power, bears the responsibility of communicating a message for justice and peace whenever possible.

“I think bringing up the specter of Trump in the context of the Democratic primary [is appropriate] when it comes to Black Americans, Jewish Americans, conscientious Americans, calling for a ceasefire and calling for President Biden to do more,” said Williams, speaking about fears about former President Donald

one of us [is] in is a seat that we are in for a limited amount of time.

“How do we make sure that we properly prepare not only ourselves, if we’re going to be there next year and the year after that, but when we’re term limited out, we have to pass through the baton—the process of ensuring that the great work continues.”

Trump winning the election in November as a result of any protests against Biden. “If we continue to allow them to reduce our conversation to fear-mongering around Trump, it begs the question, what exactly are we voting for?”

The New York Working Families Party (WFP) endorsed the Leave it Blank campaign this past Friday. WFP Co-Director Jasmine Gripper said another impetus behind the campaign is voter engagement, since people who vote in the primary are more likely to vote in the general election.

“Oftentimes, by the time our state gets to vote, the primary is already decided, and we see that’s the case here. Biden already has enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination. Nonetheless, people still have a right to express their values and they can do that at the ballot,” said Gripper. “When voters are not excited about candidates on the ballot, they usually express their discontent by staying home, and that’s not healthy for our democracy when so much is at stake in this election. We wanted to say to voters, ‘Don’t stay home. Use your anger and frustration to vote and leave it blank now in the primary.’”

Quite a few progressive New York officials have also endorsed the blank ballot campaign, including Councilmembers Shahana Hanif,

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.

Alexa Aviles, Sandy Nurse, and Tiffany Caban; Assemblymembers Zohran Mamdani, Marcela Mitaynes, and Phara Souffrant Forrest; and Senator Jabari Brisport.

“Leave it Blank NY and the Uncommitted Movement are giving voters an option to voice their dissatisfaction with their tax dollars being spent on genocide and endless war instead of healthcare, housing, climate infrastructure, or any of the millions other things that the American people are crying out for,” said Forrest in a statement.

The NYSBOE encourages all eligible voters to vote in the upcoming presidential primary and cast a ballot however they choose, said McGrath. The unofficial primary election results will be available on Election Night on April 2. For information about elections and voting this year in the April and June primaries, please visit NYS’s website at elections.ny.gov/ or NYC’s website at www.nycvotes.org/.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member who 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.

The Mets stumble out of the gate in the new MLB season

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Mets’ scheduled season opener last Thursday at Citi Field against the Milwaukee Brewers was rained out. So was Game 6 in Queens this past Tuesday versus the Detroit Tigers. In between, the Mets were winless in the four games they did play heading into yesterday’s date with the Tigers at home, which inclement weather was also threatening to postpone.

The Mets were projected by most pundits that closely follow Major League Baseball to finish in the lower half of the National League standings. Per FanGraphs, a baseball statistics and analysis website, the Mets had a 30.2% probability to make the playoffs. While it’s still just a small sample size of games they have played, early on the projections are seemingly accurate.

In the four defeats prior to yesterday, the Mets were outscored by a combined 19-8 by the Brewers and Tigers. First-year manager Carlos Mendoza faces many challenges guiding a ball club that is trying to build a roster—the charge of first-year general manager David Stearns—to be a sustainable postseason ball club while endeav-

oring to be competitive. They wasted an excellent team debut by lefty Sean Manaea on Monday, who they signed to a two-year, $28 million free-agent contract in January.

The 32-year-old, eight year veteran went 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 117 2/3 innings for the San Francisco Giants last season.

He shut down the Tigers, going six innings and giving up just one hit with eight strikeouts. But the Mets’ bats were quiet and the Tigers plated five runs in the top of the 10th to drop the Mets to 0-4 for the first time since 2005.

“It’s one of those where it comes down to execution, because we are extremely prepared,” said Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor, who was 0-for-4 and one of five Mets who had at least three official at-bats without a hit. “We know what [our opponent] is going to do, what they are not going to do, how they are going to attack us,” Lindor said. “We have just got to execute.”

Mendoza pointed out that the Mets’ slow start hopefully isn’t emblematic of the next six months of the long 162-game schedule.

“At some point throughout the course of a year, you’re going to go through stretches like this,” he said. “It happened to be the

first four games of the season.”

After closing out the home stand playing the Tigers this afternoon (1:10 p.m.) the Mets will have their next seven games on

the road as they face the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series opening tomorrow then will meet the Atlanta Braves for four games Monday through Thursday.

Soto and the Yankees have hot start to open 2024 season

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

The New York Yankees were on the outside of last year’s Major League Baseball playoffs for the first time since 2016. American League Cy Young award-winning pitcher Gerrit Cole began this season on the 60-day injured list with nerve inflammation in his right throwing elbow. A slow start from the Bronx Bombers would not have surprised anyone.

Instead, the Yankees swept the Houston Astros, who were one victory away from playing in last season’s World Series, in a four-game road series. They became the seventh team to open a season with four or more straight wins after being tied or trailing in the 6th inning or later in each game, the first since the Cincinnati Reds in 2015 and the second in over 40 years. It was also the first time the Yankees started a season 4-0 since 2003.

They then made it five straight with a 5-2 road victory against the reigning National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks before taking their first loss on Tuesday. Yankees starter Nestor Cortes gave up three runs and eight hits in five innings and the lineup was held to three hits by a combination of four Diamondbacks pitchers in the 7-0 loss. Still, signs are encouraging early for the Yankees, which are expected to contend for the franchise’s 28th World Series title. They opened last Thursday in Houston down 4-0 and rallied to win 5-4. The next day

the Yankees trailed 1-0 before exploding for seven runs in the final three innings to win 7-1. The Bombers were behind 2-0 and 3-1 on Saturday before winning 5-3. The sweep was secured when outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a one-year, $31 million contract with the Yankees in the offseason after being acquired in a trade with the San Diego Padres in December, had an RBI single with two out in the bottom of the ninth.

“I mean, that’s what we play for,” he said, after having three hits in five at-bats. “We all know there’s going to be times that you fail and sometimes you’re going to have success, but I always want to be up there.

I don’t mind to be up there and get all the boos or all the claps.”

Soto’s performance over the first four games of the season was enough to earn him AL Player of the Week honors, as he hit .529 (9-for-17) with a homer and 4 RBIs.

“That’s the kind of start I wanted,” Soto said. “I grinded really hard this off-season and spring training to be successful in the beginning of the season and thank God it is happening that way.”

“Just a lot of fun watching these guys continue to kind of compete and it’s happening on both sides of the ball,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted.

After an off day today, the Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays in the home opener tomorrow, and will play the Blue Jays Saturday and Sunday as well. They begin a three-game series home against the Miami Marlins on Monday.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor shows his frustration in the Mets’ 5-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Citi Field on Monday. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was named the AL Player of the Week after hitting .529 with one home run and four RBI. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)

Brunson bears the weight of carrying the Knicks to the finish

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The consequence of playing without two high impact starters is finally taking its toll on the Knicks.

When they host the Sacramento Kings tonight at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks will be seeking to end a threegame losing streak, having succumbed to the San Antonio Spurs in overtime on the road last Friday 130-126, followed by a 113-112 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Sunday, and then falling to the Miami Heat in South Florida on Tuesday 109-99.

The Knicks had won seven of eight games immediately preceding their current losing streak. When the NBA schedule tipped-off last night, they were 44-31 and tied in record with the 44-31 Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference, a1 1/2 games behind the No. 3 seed Cleveland

Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was named the Eastern Conference’s NBA Player of the Month for March averaging 28.8 points and 5.8 assists. (Bill Moore photo)

Cavaliers, which were 46-30, reflecting the fluid nature of the playoff race in the season’s closing 10 days. The Knicks have seven regular season games re -

maining. They have played the last 29 without All-NBA power forward Julius Randle and 26 of their last 29 absent one of the league’s best two-way wing

players in OG Anunoby. Randle is still recovering from a dislocated right shoulder injured on January 27 versus the Heat. Anunoby sustained a right elbow injury in the same game, had subsequent surgery, played in three games and has been back on the sidelines since re-injuring it on March 16 versus the Kings. He is officially listed as having right elbow tendinopathy. Center Mitchell Robinson has returned to the active roster and Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is gradually working him back into the rotation. He had left ankle surgery in December and played 10 minutes off of the bench on Tuesday, going scoreless with one rebound. So the burden of carrying the team to the finish line has fallen on MVP candidate Jalen Brunson. The point guard will be certainly named to one of the three AllNBA teams this season, leading the Knicks at 27.8 points per game and 6.6 assists. His sensa -

Missing the play-in is now inevitable for the Nets

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNew

With back-to-back losses, first to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night at the Barclays Center and then on the road the following night against the Indiana Pacers, the Nets, 29-47 and the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference going into last’s game in Brooklyn versus the Pacers were facing the inevitable of being eliminated from the NBA Play-In Tournament. They had no margin for error entering last night’s game on the second end of a home-andhome series. They are chasing the No. 10 seed Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot with just five regular season games remaining. The Hawks were 35-40 before facing the Detroit Pistons last night, 6 1/2 games ahead of the Nets with six games left.

The Nets were down 17-0 on Sunday night to the Lakers and lost 116-104. They fell behind early in the first quarter again on Monday by 39-21 and and bowed out to the Pacers 133-111.

Nets second-year forward Trendon Watford has taken advantage of increased playing time but fell to LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 on Sunday at the Barclays Center. (Bill Moore photo)

“Give credit to them, they played their style of play,” said Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie, who is 8-14 since taking over for the fired Jacque Vaughn. “They are relentless at it. We need to un -

derstand that and can’t be surprised by the pace on Wednesday. They are going to try to do the same thing and I know our guys are going to be ready and give a better mental and physical battle.”

tional 61-point outburst versus the Spurs was one point short of Carmelo Anthony’s franchise record of 62 points achieved on Jan. 24, 2014.

On Tuesday, Brunson was honored as the Eastern Conference’s NBA Player of the Month for March, averaging 28.8 points and 5.8 assists and lifting the Knicks to a 9-5 record.

“Sometimes I think he gets overlooked,” said Thibodeau prior to his team playing the Heat. “And you’re making a big mistake because maybe he doesn’t look the part, but he is the part. And he plays his best in big moments. And he’s always trying to learn, grow and get better.

“He’s a great student of the game,” Thibodeau expanded. “And he’s driven beyond belief. The guy, there are no days off for him. And so he’s worked [for] and deserved everything he’s gotten because of the commitment he’s made. There are no shortcuts with this guy.”

It has been a disappointing season for the Nets. Ben Simmons being limited to just 15 games due to a nerve impingement in his back caused an imbalance in a roster that was already poorly constructed. The Nets are overstocked with too many wing players, lacking enough shot creators and need more frontcourt size and physicality. The 6-10, 240 pound Simmons provided rebounding, defense and playmaking in the role of point-forward. Vaughn ultimately was held accountable for the Nets’ poor performance but general manager Sean Marks bears more responsibility. One of the few bright spots has been third-year shooting guard Cam Thomas, who leads the team in scoring and was at 22.0 points per game going into last night. He had the highest scoring month in his career in March, averaging 26.8 points in 11 games after returning from a right ankle/midfoot sprain. The 6-foot-3-inch Thomas, who was drafted by the Nets with the 27th pick of the first round in 2021 out of LSU, has improved in finding his teammates, averaging 4.3 assists in March.

Forward Trendon Watford, also an LSU product and Thomas’s former college teammate, has embraced the opportunity of increased playing time in the late stages of the schedule, scoring a season-high 21 points on Monday against the Pacers.

“Just taking advantage of the work I’ve been putting in, in the dark,” said the 23-year-old Watford, who went undrafted in 2021.

“Even early in the year when I felt like I should have been playing it, even when I wasn’t,” he expressed on Sunday, “I was still just putting in the work, knowing the opportunity was going to come. So I think now it’s just trying to get wins on top of it. I think that is the most important thing, trying to finish off this season with as many wins as we can.”

The Nets will play their final three home games of the season starting with the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. They will host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday and close next Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors before two road games—April 12 versus the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and the April 14 season finale in Philadelphia against the 76ers.

St. John’s discus thrower Jamora Alves aims for the Olympics

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Make no mistake: St. John’s University thrower Jamora Alves is competitive, but she has a new approach this season. Her goal is to continually improve on her personal best and put forth strong performances. The end goal is to make it to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and also achieve the Olympic qualifying distance that will put her on Grenada’s team for Paris 2024.

“Competition is not always about winning,” said Alves, who placed first in last weekend’s Monmouth Spring Opener. “I’d rather lose with a big pr (personal best) than to win (and show) little results. You should set your goals and go after them instead of ‘I want to be the leader’ or ‘I want to win.’ Yes, you want to win, but at this moment…your focus is to meet the qualifying standards and go to the bigger level. When you’re at the bigger level, then you go hard to win.”

The Olympic qualifying distance

Track & field student-athlete

Alves

been

is 64.50 meters. Alves’s current personal best is 52.86. She needs to up her game, and she’s focused on achieving that. If all goes well, she

hopes to continue representing Grenada through the 2028 Olympics. Right now, she’s working to incorporate new technical elements

that St. John’s throwing coach, Lexia Robinson, has introduced.

“Some meets I’m going to, I’m most focused on my technique,”

said Alves, a sophomore. “Before, I used my strength more than my technique. As I’m getting to better understand the sport, I realize technique is key.

“There are a lot of changes I’ve made; it will take a little while to adapt, but I feel like from the period now until leading up to NCAAs, I think I should be mentally and physically ready,” she added.

Alves is majoring in health and human services. Her goal is to pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy. She said succeeding in a demanding major requires mental preparation, time management, and focus. She tries to do all her schoolwork before leaving for competition, so she doesn’t have to stress at a meet.

Should she earn an Olympic spot, she would be the first thrower from Carriacou, Grenada, to do so. It would be a big step toward pro track and field, which she would like to pursue after graduation.

“I will be training hard, doing extra work on my own,” Alves said. “I have my goals; extra work is no problem.”

Beyond the Game panel at Barnard College discusses resilience built through sports

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

Just days after five women from Columbia University’s fencing team received All-America status and the Lions finished third in the NCAA Championships, former student-athletes convened at Barnard College for this year’s Beyond the Game event, “Building Communities of Care: Supporting Resilience in Women Athletes.” Moderated by Stef Manisero of NY-1, the panel discussed how sport has helped shape their lives and how having a team gave them support and community. Barnard competes as part of the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium.

Tracey Bartholomew, Columbia head women’s soccer coach, said her first coaching job had a salary of $6,000, but after gaining experience, she earned coaching jobs at Colgate and LIU Brooklyn where she built her reputation. Last fall, Columbia earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Barnard alumna Trudi Patrick, a former swimmer who is now global product lead at Google, said, “There are so many parallels between the role that I played and now my role at Google. Barnard and Columbia prepared me to excel in my professional career.”

Patrick talked about starting her collegiate career with high expectations, but falling short. Her coaches directed her to a sports psychologist. Through that work and her team’s support, she became a record holder in the 200-meter butterfly and team captain. “[During an internship], I remembered some things that were unlocked in those conversations with the sports psychologist,” Patrick said.

In discussing mental health, Bartholomew said it’s important to build a sense of camaraderie and a safe environment within a team, so people can come forward if they are struggling. “If someone says they’re not OK, let’s just have a moment,” she said. “We’re stronger that way,”

during spring break in hopes of getting a spot in the postseason WNIT. Although it didn’t happen, they made the most of their time together and shared the positives they took from their season.

“One of the four pillars of resilience is finding your purpose,” said Manisero. “Not only that, it’s helping others do the same and putting it in perspective…That mind-body connection is real and it’s powerful.”

Jamora

has

shining for St. John’s. (St. John’s Athletics photo)

Lauren Dwyer, who played on Columbia’s women’s basketball team and is now the senior director of growth & innovation at the WNBA, recalled one year when she and her teammates stayed on campus

Panelists and moderator with president of Barnard College (l-r) Tracey Bartholomew, Stef Manisero, Lauren Dwyer, Laura Ann Rosenbury, and Trudi Patrick. (Lois Elfman photo)

Sports

Can anyone stop the UConn Huskies romp to the title?

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

It isn’t a coronation. Games still have to be played and won. But the reigning NCAA men’s Division I basketball champion UConn Huskies (35-3) look unbeatable as they enter their Final Four matchup on Saturday against Alabama (25-11) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, tipping off at 8:49 p.m Eastern.

In the other pairing, Purdue (33-4) will face North Carolina State (26-14) with a start time of 6:09 p.m Eastern. The winners will meet on Monday night (9:20 p.m.) for the championship.

Check UConn’s numbers. The tournament’s No. 1 overall seed has won 10 straight NCAA tournament games dating back to their title run last season.

This year?

They dismantled Stetson 91-52

in the opening round. Then dismissed Northwestern 75-58. Next up was San Diego State, which they defeated in last year’s title game. The Huskies devoured the Aztecs 82-52 in the Sweet 16 and then went on a 30-0 from the end of the first half into the second half on Saturday to annihilate Illinois by 77-52 in the Elite 8. Here’s the math. That’s victories by 39, 17, 30 and 25 points. They have led by 30 points or more in each of their four games.

They beat teams big with center Donovan Clingan controlling the paint on both ends. The 7-2 sophomore had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots against Illinois. In seniors Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer the Huskies have the best backcourt in the country.

Stephon Castle, a 6-6 freshman, may be the most dynam -

ic two-way wing in college. Early last month he broke Carmelo Anthony’s record (10 in the 2002-03 season) by being named Big East Freshman of the Week for the 11th time.

And oh, UConn has the deepest, most versatile bench in college basketball led by point guard Hassan Diarra. The Queens native, who began his high school journey at Holy Cross, was honored as the Big East Sixth Man of the Year and would be a starter on most squads.

Purdue is formidable with 7-4 senior center Zach Edey, last year’s National College Player of the Year. NC State is on an improbable journey, having had to win the ACC tournament just to make the field of 68. Alabama has a potent offense and is battle tested out of tough SEC. But until proven otherwise, UConn is simply different.

Purdue’s senior center Zach Edey and UConn’s freshman guardforward Stephon Castle are two of the several prominent players that will take the court this Saturday in the Final Four. (AP Photos/Paul Sancya,

Women’s NCAA basketball Final Four is set in dramatic fashion

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Caitlin Clark. That pretty much sums up the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. She was completely amazing—from hitting 3-pointers from an insane distance with hands in her face to making long-range passes to her open teammates. After University of Iowa’s 94–87 defeat of Louisiana State University, denying LSU a repeat National Championship, LSU coach Kim Mulkey described Clark as a “generational player.”

It should be noted that Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes teammates were also decisive contributors in the win that sent them back to the Final Four. Kate Martin had 21 points and Sydney Affolter had 16. After all, Clark did have 12 assists, so somebody was finishing.

Like Diana Taurasi at the start of the 21st century, Clark makes everyone around her better. While Taurasi won her first NCAA title with four seniors who were all

WNBA first-round draft picks, her second and third titles came with players she elevated to victory. Joining Iowa in the Final Four are the University of South Carolina, North Carolina State University, and University of Connecticut. The South Carolina Gamecocks head to Cleveland (site of the Final Four) undefeated this season after beating Oregon State 70–58. Three players—Kamilla Cardoso, Tessa Johnson, and Bree Hall—scored in double figures and Ashlyn Watkins had 14 rebounds.

South Carolina will face NC State on Friday. This is the Wolfpack’s first trip to the Final Four since 1998. To earn the spot, NC State pulled off two upsets, defeating Stanford in the Sweet 16 and Texas in the Elite Eight. Aziaha James had 27 points in the win over Texas.

Iowa’s opponent on Friday will be UConn, making its 23rd Final Four appearance. To gain its spot, the UConn Huskies defeated the USC

Trojans 80–73. Paige Bueckers was dominant throughout with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Aaliyah Edwards contributed 24 points and six rebounds. After the game, Bueckers, who missed the 2022–23 season due to injury, expressed gratitude and “so much joy and pride for this team.”

In other post-season tournaments, the WBIT concluded its inaugural tournament yesterday with Villanova taking on Illinois. In the WNIT, the Fab 4 of Minnesota, Troy, Vermont, and Saint Louis played yesterday. The Final will be on Saturday.

Look for Columbia Lions star Abbey Hsu at this weekend’s Final Four festivities. She will be playing in the Women’s College AllStar Game on Saturday.

(L-R) Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and North Carolina State’s Aziah James will lead their teams into tomorrow’s Final Four, where they will face UConn and South Carolina, respectively. (AP Photos/Hans Pennink, Ben McKeown)

Michael Dwyer)