As southern border arrivals turn one, African migrants face extensive challenges

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Author’s Note: The migrants interviewed are only identified by their first names in this story. Their interviews were conducted in French and translated by an ACT employee.

African Communities Together (ACT) greets visitors with a glass of water first thing after entering its Harlem Offices, followed by offers of coffee and tea. The organization—which connects African migrants to key legal, employment, and governmental services—hopes those who seek its help feel at home. But ACT’s Community Navigator Sophie Kouyate feels

See

Black street vendors talk about issues amidst recent moves by Mayor Adams

By ARIAMA C. LONG

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

By JASON PONTEROTTO Amsterdam News Intern

In places like Harlem, Black entrepreneurship is a part of the lifeblood that has supported the local economy for decades, before the forces of gentrification and commercialization arrived. However, street vending, a fairly visible form of entrepreneurship along Harlem’s major corridors, has been met with resistance both historically and in the present day under Mayor Eric Adams.

A few months ago, Adams handed off enforcement over street vendors from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to the Department of Sani-

BronxWorks hiring event

BronxWorks presents a Jobs Plus Hiring event on Thursday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. in the BronxWorks courtyard (547 East 146th St., Bronx, NY 10454). Available positions include maintenance, warehouse, customer services, social services, hospitality, food services, and many more.

Interested? Contact Ricardo Roman, 347-773-3270, rroman@bronxworks.org, or Corinthia Tart, 718-993-8880, cotart@ bronxworks.org.

HBCU Allstar Dream Classic

Bridging Structural Holes Inc/The HRC will present the HBCU Allstar Dream Classic this Saturday, Aug. 5, from 3–9 p.m. at Harlem’s Rucker Park.

This HBCU Harlem Takeover features 40 of the best HBCU basketball players. It will be a merging of HBCU sports, education, and traditions with Urban Streetball Culture.

The HBCU Allstar Dream Classic will feature a step show, cheerleaders, and live music, plus coaches, representatives from G-Leagues, European Leagues, and sports agents in attendance.

Free tickets are available on EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hbcu-allstar-dream-classic-tickets-644887003387.

Rain barrel giveaways

tation (DSNY), which the NYPD assists with. The concern arose that the shift would lead to more criminalization and discrimination since the city’s street vendors, licensed or not, are primarily Black, African, or Caribbe-

NYers rally for Fair Chance Housing Act

By ARIAMA C. LONG

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

The passage of the Clean Slate Act, which works to automatically seal people’s conviction records after a certain time period, earlier this year was just the tip of the iceberg for criminal justice advocates. They are determined to fight discrimination against formerly incarcerated New Yorkers on all fronts—especially housing.

The Fair Chance for Housing Campaign supports a city council bill that would end housing discrimination against people with convictions in New York City. They gathered at Foley Square in Manhattan last Wed with local electeds.

Andre Ward, associate vice president of public policy at the David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy (DRCPP) Fortune

Society, led the rally. He has been pushing for the passage of Fair Chance for public and personal reasons for the last four years, he said.

Ward was deeply involved in illegal activities as a teen and was sentenced to 24 years in prison by age 20. He has been out for the last 14 and a half years, he said. Since then, he has achieved numerous accolades, a prestigious position, a high level of education, and taught at institutions.

“I’m someone who came out, did the right thing, contributes to our community, and yet, I didn’t put my name on the housing application that my wife applied for because I knew that if I did, they probably wouldn’t allow me to live there,” he said, about a lease situation with his family in 2016. “Because I have a conviction record.”

His organization runs several supportive and transitional housing locations an immigrants, and Latino migrants. There are currently just over 2,000 licensed general vendors, according to the DCWP. Under the law established by around the city for formerly incarcerated people, including Long Island City, Harlem, and the Bronx. They have extensive rehabilitative services for people once they’ve been released, emergency housing for those with nowhere to go, and reintegration plans for people willing to commit to programming. “Central to the work is believing in people’s capacity to change and transform their lives,” said Ward.

Residents of Richmond Hill/South Ozone Park, Queens, can register to receive free rain barrels this coming Sunday, Aug. 6. State Sen. Joseph Addabbo and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will give away 55-gallon plastic rain barrels at the Lefferts Boulevard/Linden Boulevard parking lot, across the street from the Key Food supermarket.

Ward believes that once someone does the work, they deserve a fair shot at life, and a conviction history shouldn’t deter that.

From 1980 to 2021, there were about “6.6 million New York criminal cases impacting nearly 2.2 million people that ended in a conviction,” said research collected by the Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ). New York City accounted for 53% of these convictions in 1980. The rate

Residents must pre-register with State Sen. Addabbo’s office at 718-738-1111 and have their name, address, and phone number added to the list for the giveaway. Pre-registrants will be able to pick up their rain barrels from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Barrels left over after scheduled registrants are supposed to receive them will be given out to the public on a first-come, first-served basis from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Registrants will have to show a photo ID to confirm their name and address to claim their barrel.

Back to School/Business to Business Street Festival

Join Councilmember Althea Stevens, the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, New Settlement, and NYC government agencies in celebrating the annual return to school at the Back to School/Business to Business Street Festival (1377 Jerome Avenue in the Bronx) on Aug. 31, from 11 a.m.–3 p.m.