Presidential race—a rock and a hard right

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

If a recent, highly regarded poll is a barometer of the 2024 presidential race, neither Biden nor Trump is that popular, each getting only 43 percent of registered voters. Bear in mind that this is just the first poll in the upcoming election cycle by the New York Times and there’s plenty of time and space for change.

As the poll clearly notes, this is only 86 percent of the registered voters. What about the other 14 percent? Well, they either declined to choose a candidate or said they will sit out the election, the poll stated.

Both candidates are saddled with challenging issues that may have some bearing on the current poll results—Biden’s trouble is right at home with his son, Hunter, and his problems; Trump’s plagues may be even more devastating with an indictment on multiple charges from a special prosecutor.

A few of those polled said they would consider voting for a third-party candidate, and that possibility becomes more and more a point of discussion, particularly with Professor Cornel West as the Green Party candidate.

With voters not that excited about Biden and unenthusiastic about Trump, their number can be added to the disenchanted independents, making the race all the more difficult to call this early.

Biden and his team are doing a good thing by accentuating the positive chang- es they have brought to the American public, while Trump is lacerating his contenders, most specifically Gov. Ron DeSantis. Rather than beating up on DeSantis, he should be paying—and that’s the operative word—more attention to the possible indictment. But since he’s come out unscathed in the past on two impeachments and with one of his judges waiting to handle the case, perhaps it’s understandable that his focus is elsewhere. No matter the polls, issues, and other circumstances that may arise, Biden will be the Democratic nominee and Trump will hoist the GOP banner, and the American voters will be uncomfortably caught between the proverbial hard right and Biden’s rock of ages.

New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, first Black woman to serve as state Assembly speaker, dies at 71

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO

Amsterdam News Staff with The Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who made history as the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the state Assembly, died Tuesday, Aug. 1. She was 71.

Oliver served as Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s top deputy, stepping in for him while the governor was out of state and also overseeing the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), which coordinates state aid to towns and cities and supervises code enforcement.

Oliver’s coordination of the DCA was a major profile win in her political career: it’s what may help cement her political legacy, political insiders told the Amsterdam News.

As head of the DCA, Oliver oversaw one of the largest agencies in the state, an agency that deals with housing issues for communities throughout New Jersey.

Rev. Derrick L. Green, a former senior advisor to Phil Murphy during his gubernatorial campaign, knew Sheila Oliver for a period of over 30 years. Oliver had worked as a social worker and throughout her political trajectory, she made strong connections with individuals and organizations who helped further political causes she was aligned with, he said.

Oliver’s role as lieutenant governor was not only emblematic, it was also necessary. Murphy deliberately picked her to serve as the state’s lieutenant governor, Rev. Green says: “There are very few people who know the state of New Jersey as far as the politics, the legislature, the community, the diversity, the businesses, the educational system, than Sheila

Jeffries gave $1M to MET Council

By ARIAMA C. LONG

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

House Democratic Leader and Congressmember Hakeem Jeffries spent this past Sunday distributing kosher and halal food with the Met Council, the nation’s largest Jewish charity, in Starrett City, Brooklyn. Jeffries also announced $1 million in federal funding for the organization.

“Met Council has really been a shelter in the time of storm for the people that I represent here in the 8th Congressional District,particularly East New York, Canarsie, Marine Park, Brighton Beach and Coney Island,” said Jeffries in a statement. “Met Council has done tremendous work— but that work was urgently necessary when a once in a century pandemic struck our community, struck the nation, and struck the world.”

Met Council is the largest free distributor of kosher food in the nation, and helped deliver over 21 million pounds of food to more than 250,000 New Yorkers last year, said the organization. Each month, it serves over 20,000 people in the surrounding district, which is mostly made up of immigrants and people of color.

The federal funding will be used to stock kosher and halal foods throughout pantries in Jeffries’ district. This represents Jeffries’ “enduring commitment” to his constituents and the Met, said his office.

“We are so thankful for this vital funding from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who has always been a champion for Met Council and for the Jewish community,” said Met Council CEO David Greenfield in a statement. “We know that Rep. Jeffries always has our backs in Washington and fights hard to make sure people have access to food, meals, and the ser- vices they need. We are grateful for his leadership and look forward to our continued partnership.”

East New York’s Jewish voters in Starrett City were also considered vital in shaking up the recent city council June primary, where longtime former Councilmember Charles Barron was “ousted” in favor of newcomer Chris Banks, reported Jewish Insider. Barron has been widely called Jeffries’ “rival’’ since he ran against him for a congressional seat back in 2012.

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.

Black Girls Go to Yale initiative

One hundred young Black girls from East Orange, Newark, and Hillside took a trip to Yale University on July 28th to participate in the Black Girls Go to Yale initiative. The initiative, which was created last year by Dr. Ijeoma Opara, brings young Black girls to New Haven, Connecticut, to tour the Ivy League campus, meet the many Black women who work there, and see for themselves that higher education is an attainable goal. The theme for their trip was “You Belong in the Room.”

Dr. Opara, director of Yale University’s Substances & Sexual Health (SASH) Lab, founded the Black Girls Go to Yale initiative under the auspices of her research-based Dreamer Girls Project (DGP). The DGP employs Black girl focus groups that develop sexual health and drug use prevention programs for Black girls.

The DGP has also morphed into a Black girl empowerment project, Dr. Opara explained to the AmNews. “It basically gets Black girls interested in public health so that they could be the ones actually making public health studies in the future. It’s my way to bring Black girls into public health, to get them excited about research, so that they could be the ones leading these prevention projects that are for Black girls, by Black girls. One of the ways that I want to get Black girls interested in public health is by bringing them to a place like Yale.”

The 100 girls who visited the university on July 28th were brought there via a collaboration with the East Orange Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training, Newark Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, and Hillside Innovation Academy. They were preceded by 25 girls from Paterson who visited the campus on July 13th. This past January, Dr. Opara also brought 9-year-old Bobbi Wilson to Yale to ensure she was honored for the work she’s done eradicating spotted lanternflies in her hometown of Caldwell, New Jersey.Born and raised in Jersey City, Dr. Opara says she knows the challenges young Black girls face in urban communities. After her parents passed away when she was 16, she had little exposure to places like top colleges. “Nobody is telling them you can go to Yale, you can go to Harvard, you can go to Dartmouth, nobody’s exposing them to these things,” she said. Working with community partners throughout New Jersey, Dr. Opara envisioned the Black Girls Go to Yale initiative. Her ultimate goal is to bring 1,000 Black girls to Yale over the next couple of years. Young Black girls interested in participating in the Black Girls Go to Yale initiative can contact Dr. Opara at www.oparalab.org.

Funding for Locust Hill African Cemetery and Museum

New Jersey state Sen. Shirley K. Turner and state Assembly Members Verlina ReynoldsJackson, Anthony Verelli, and Dan Benson have pushed through two supplemental appropriation bills granting $400,000 to the Locust Hill African Cemetery Museum.

The funds will be used to renovate and set up operations for the Locust Hill African Cemetery Museum. The Locust Hill Cemetery, located at 73 Hart Ave. in Trenton, N.J., is the city’s largest See NEW JERSEY on page 25