New York Amsterdam News Aug.10-16, 2023

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A.R.I.S. the Movement’s Anthony Robinson offers youngsters a clean slate

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(Photo contributed by Anthony Robinson)

Unarmed security guard contractors at turnstiles to deter fare evasion on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2022. (Marc A. Hermann/MTA photo)

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INDEX

Arts & Entertainment Page 17

» Astro Page 20

» Jazz Page 24

» Theater Page 22

Caribbean Update Page 14

Classified Page 32

Editorial/Opinion Pages 12,13

Education Page 28

Go with the Flo Page 8 Health ...............................................Page 16

In the Classroom Page 26

Nightlife Page 9

Religion & Spirituality Page 30

Sports Page 40 Union Matters Page 10 MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS INFORMATION

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International News

rån Järva news site, the Festival Eritrea Scandinavia has long been criticized for its connections to Afwerki’s government.

Human rights groups describe Eritrea as one of the world’s most repressive countries. Since winning independence from Ethiopia three decades ago, the small Horn of Africa nation has been led by Afwerki, who has never held an election.

dent Bola Tinubu is facing pressure from some neighbors and his own government to reject a military solution to the troubles in Niger, where members of the military recently removed President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger in a coup.

of military action.

President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio suggested that the president did not seek the approval of the Senate to go to war in the Niger Republic.

RIOTING BREAKS OUT AT ERITREAN FESTIVAL, HUNDREDS DETAINED (GIN)—Long-held grievances between anti- and pro-government Eritreans exploded in the streets of Stockholm this past week during an annual festival of Eritrean culture that drew thousands.

Eritreans who oppose President Isaias Afwerki tore down tents and set cars on fire, according to the Swedish newspaper Expressen. The protesters then marched toward the festival grounds, pushing past police cordons and using sticks and rocks as weapons.

“Between 100 and 200 people have been detained,” said Swedish police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl. A significant police presence is still at the scene and investigations are underway, he added.

Sweden is home to tens of thousands of people with Eritrean roots.

According to the local Nyhetsby-

The festival began in the 1990s but was suspected of accepting millions of kronor (Swedish dollars) from the Eritrean government to hold the event.

In previous years, demonstrations against the festival were held by the Dawit Isaak Campaign, a group named after the Swedish-Eritrean writer who has been imprisoned in the country in appalling conditions, without trial, since 2001.

Isaak, winner of Unesco’s Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, is being held incommunicado, without access to his family or lawyers, according to Reporters without Borders, because he did his job as a reporter and covered the political debate in Eritrean society 16 years.

MILITARY INVENTION IN TROUBLED NIGER FACES PUSHBACK (GIN)—As the new head of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), Nigerian Presi-

Last week, the 15-member ECOWAS bloc gave the Niger coupsters a week to return Bazoum to power or face “all measures…[which] may include the use of force.”

“We are ready, and as soon as we receive the order to intervene, we will do so,” Christopher Gwabin Musa, a Nigerian Army general and the 18th chief of defense staff of Nigeria, told Radio France Internationale’s Hausa service on Monday.

But voices against a military solution are growing louder. Algeria has now joined Mali and Burkina Faso as being categorically against any military intervention in Niger, according to Ennahar TV, citing President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

“A military intervention could ignite the whole Sahel region and Algeria will not use force with its neighbors,” Tabboune said in an interview with local media.

On Saturday, Nigeria’s Senate urged the government to look at “political and diplomatic options,” supporting other steps being taken by Nigeria and ECOWAS to reverse the coup while rejecting the option

“The Senate has not asked for approval of the Parliament, approval of this Senate, to go to war, as [is] being erroneously suggested in some quarters,” Akpabio said.

“Rather, Mr. President and the Commander-in-Chief had expressed, and I quote: ‘a wish to respectfully solicit the support of the National Assembly in the successful implementation of the ECOWAS resolutions as outlined in the said communications.’”

Tinubu refuted the Senate’s claim, maintaining that the Senate had been informed of the measures, which include “military build-up and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they (the coupists) remain recalcitrant.”

Not following the military solution may create new problems, said Djiby Sow, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Dakar. “If (the West Africa countries) don’t go in, it will be a major problem of credibility. They have laid down a red line.”

See INTERNATIONAL on page 29

Edo Language Day Worldwide to be celebrated this weekend

Bronx-residing fellow Benin culture sustainer, proclaiming “Edo to the world,” Lady Aghabiomom Ogbeiwi, added, “Our Edo language is part of the group of Indigenous languages that are in danger of gradually becoming extinct.”

In an effort to stem the flow, Obasogie, a wellknown historian, and Nigerian cultural activist is also the author of “Great Benin: The Alcazar of Post-Colonial Culture and Its Relationship with the Europeans Since 1400 AD.” For the last couple of months, she has been promoting the celebration of Edo Language Day, set to take place on Aug. 13th.

By NAYABA ARINDE Amsterdam News Editor

Nekpen Obasogie, the author of “Benin Warriors & The British Colonial Rule in Nigeria,” is set to celebrate Edo Language Day Worldwide this weekend on August 12th and 13th, respectively, in Toronto, Canada; and in Edo State, Nigeria — in person and via Zoom online.

“The Edo Language speaking people of Nigeria

are celebrating their first annual Edo Language Day Worldwide on August 12th and 13th, 2023,” the Toronto, Canada-based Obaspgie told the Amsterdam News

The Edo Language Day initiative is a part of the Edo people’s response to the United Nations’ warning about the “extinction of Indigenous languages around the world.” Event organizers cited that an estimated “50% of today’s spoken languages [which] will be extinct or seriously endangered by 2100.”

Obasogie, an educator and media personality, said that the declaration of Edo Language Day Worldwide was suggested in 2022 at their first worldwide Edo Language Seminar organized by NEBO TV. Both event participants, Obasogie and Ogbeiwi, noted that this year, like the last, will be a historic event, featuring many dignitaries from the Great Benin kingdom and other notables.

Each declaring the greeting for recognizing the Benin King Oba Ewuare II as ‘God’s representative on earth;’ “Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo;” among the dozens of guest speakers and moderators are: Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, Former Governor Chief

See EDO LANGUAGE DAY on page 29

(GIN photo)

Nekpen Obasogie

Black-on-Black therapy is difficult to access in NYC and nationwide

By Brian Delk Special to the AmNews

Mental health resources are a necessity for many New Yorkers. Yet access to the right therapists has proved challenging for many due to race, sex, insurance coverage, and many other factors.

One in every 5 New Yorkers experiences mental illness every year, or approximately the same number of people living in Manhattan, according to the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health.

However, white residents are more likely to use mental health resources than Black, Latinx, and Asian populations. Also, men across all races seek fewer mental health resources than women.

A study published in Counseling Psy-

chology found that for every 1,002 Black, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC) across the nation’s 45 largest cities, there is only 1 BIPOC therapist. When compared to the ratio of white individuals to white therapists, 307:1, white therapists are three times more accessible for white patients seeking white therapists.

One of the study’s researchers, Matt Zajechowski, collected thousands of individual profiles from Psychology Today’s therapist directory to compare therapist availability with census data for different ethnicities and languages.

Mental health professionals have said speaking with a therapist with an equivalent ethnic background or shared lived experience benefits the clients’ comfort during their sessions — and can also save time.

Dr. Dana Crawford, a pediatric and clinical psychologist based in Manhattan, in her earlier experiences attending college and during her clinical practices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said many of her mentors and professors were white, and while they cared for their patients and the community — they did not understand some of the cultural nuances of Black and brown people.

“It’s one thing to say, ‘I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through.’ Or to say, ‘I can only imagine what you’ve gone through,’ It’s another thing to say, ‘I know it,’” she said. “For example, ‘I know what it means to be afraid that your Black son might be harmed, cause I have a Black son, and I know that fear in my bones.’”

Teen arrested and charged for hate crime murder of O’Shae Sibley

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Seventeen-year-old Dmitriy Popov was arrested and charged this past Friday, Aug. 4, for the hate crime murder of professional dancer O’Shae Leon Sibley in Brooklyn two weeks ago.

Sibley was fatally stabbed in front of a Midwood gas station July 29 around 11 p.m. He was voguing—a competitive dance historically fashioned by queer Black and brown New Yorkers—to Beyonce’s “Renaissance” played from inside the car he and his friends were filling up before the incident. They were returning to the city from a birthday party in New Jersey.

According to the criminal complaint,

Popov and his associates allegedly approached Sibley and his four friends, summarily telling them to “stop dancing here, we are Muslim. Get that gay sh** out of here.” Homophobic slurs were also allegedly hurled, according to the document. NYPD Assistant Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny says anti-Black statements were also uttered.

The exchange lasted for around four minutes. Sibley was then stabbed in the torso. He was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center and pronounced dead shortly after midnight.

This past Saturday, Mayor Eric Adams addressed potential tensions stemming from the incident between the city’s LGBTQ+ and Muslim communities. But

Popov is reportedly a Christian, according

to his lawyer and grandmother.

“Apprehension took place because every day New Yorkers contributed basic information we needed to identify and to apprehend,” said Mayor Adams. “The issue itself made an attempt to give the impression that it came from hate from the Muslim community towards the LGBTQ+ community, that was in fact not true.”

Sibley is originally from Philadelphia, but was living in Brownsville, according to police. He was reportedly laid to rest in his hometown this past Tuesday, Aug. 8. He was gay, according to his friend Otis Pena, who was present at the stabbing and recounted the incident over Facebook Live.

According to GLAAD, Sibley is one of at

Union Squaring Up: Unsanctioned gaming console giveaway devolves into chaos

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

An internet celebrity’s video game giveaway turned Manhattan’s Union Square into real-life Super Smash Bros as thousands broke into a riot last Friday, Aug. 4. Kai Cenat—who holds the record for most simultaneous subscriptions on video game streaming platform Twitch—was arrested and charged for first-degree rioting after allegedly organizing the viral event without a permit, said police.

“The park and streets were overrun by people,” said NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey. “It was disrupting both vehicular and pedestrian traffic … The crowd was

swarmed when the influencer finally arrived [at] the park. Individuals at the park began to commit acts of violence towards the police and public.”

Items from a nearby construction site—like paint cans, rocks and shovels—were introduced into the melee and fireworks were set off during the mayhem. The NYPD says several officers sustained injuries. A cop was injured from construction barrels tossed at him.

The NYPD counts 66 initial arrests, said a department spokesperson. But police continue to seek suspects.

Cenat, a Bronx-born Black New Yorker, announced his giveaway over a Wednesday Twitch stream. He promised PS5 consoles—which roughly retail

between $400-450 and were largely sold out for the past three years— along with gift cards and other video game devices for those who showed up at Union Square.

Dr. Keith Taylor—a former NYPD officer who now teaches at John Jay College—said pop-up events pose a particular challenge. Usual processes of obtaining permits and insurance allow police to prepare for public safety risks and deploy personnel. He added that the NYPD does monitor social media and believes newer forms of online fame should not be downplayed.

“Today’s world your popularity [and] the money you make is determined

See GIVEAWAY on page 35

‘The Beat, the Scene, the Sound’ in Coney Island

DJ Ray Vazquez’s Justus Worldwide Music will hold one of its famed “Groove Sessions” on Coney Island’s West 8 Street Boardwalk this Saturday, Aug. 12, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will also feature a book signing for DJ Disciple’s new book, “The Beat, The Scene, The Sound: A DJ’s Journey Through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music.”

“My book is a compelling read for anyone who wishes to learn about the impacts of biased (often bigoted) city policy, and the efforts taken to survive in the face of it,” DJ Disciple told the AmNews. “It’s not just historical in nature but also shines a light on the socio-political atmosphere around the emerging electronic dance movement, as well as the cultural significance of it as an art form of expression in both music and dance. Henry Kronk and I make the case that house music is a seriously overlooked chapter in American music history. It also looks at New York dance music from the ’80s and ’90s through a lens of social justice––taking in the crack-cocaine epidemic, broken-windows policing, the revival of cabaret laws, and the form of leadership exemplified by Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who shut down much of the club scene whilst in office. New York house music, to a lesser degree, has been written about before but without exploring the connection between the two. Our book traces a line between those policies and the effects they had on the New York house community.”

Rakim + Rapsody & Special Guests

Lincoln Center Presents will feature “Rakim + Rapsody & Special Guests” as part of its Summer for the City Hip-Hop Week. This free event takes place on Saturday, Aug. 12, at 8 p.m. in Damrosch Park (Amsterdam Ave. and West 62nd Street in Manhattan’s Lincoln Square).

“As part of Lincoln Center’s series of shows honoring Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, The God MC headlines the big stage at Damrosch Park for a concert of classic cuts, supported by a select roster of special guests, including Rapsody,” the Lincoln Center website announced. “The Jamla/Roc Nation artist has spent the better part of the present decade lapping peers and counterparts while mesmerizing fans who still prefer their rhymes detailed and nutritious. One-of-a-kind BedStuy native Mr. Life of Your Party fka DJ FLY TY gets the party started as opening act, and extends the night leading a Silent Disco at 10 p.m. Don’t miss this once-in-a-generation celebration of an eternal exemplar of New York’s Hip-Hop excellence!

“If you have any questions about this event, contact Guest Experience at 212-875-5456 or guestexperience@lincolncenter.org.”

Free legal services for older NYers

Older adults in New York City are eligible for free legal services. The Department for the Aging (NYC Aging) contracts with four

See SIBLEY on page 25

See THERAPY on page 25

Biden announces new monument for Native Americans

By Herb Boyd Special to the AmNews

Last month, many African Americans lauded President Joe Biden’s action in establishing a national monument in tribute to Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. A chorus of cheers now will resound from the Native American population with his designation of a new national monument near the Grand Canyon to protect lands sacred to Indigenous people.

On Tuesday, Biden spoke at the Historic Red Butte Airfield in Arizona prior to signing the proclamation and visiting the Grand Canyon. What he proposes will place a permanent ban on new uranium mining claims in the area that covers nearly a million acres.

“Our nation’s history is etched in our people and our lands,” the president said.

“Today’s action is going to protect and preserve that history, along with these high plateaus and deep canyons.”

The announcement comes after a yearslong effort and is part of Biden’s trip to shore up his presidential campaign on climate change and the economic challenges facing Americans in the West.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold the position, said the plan was “historic.”

“It will help protect lands that many tribes referred to as their eternal home, a place of healing and a source of spiritual sustenance. It will help ensure that indigenous peoples can continue to use these areas for religious ceremonies, hunting, and gathering of plants, medicines, and other materials, including some found nowhere else on Earth,” Haaland said. “It will protect objects

of historic and scientific importance for the benefit of tribes, the public, and for future generations.”

According to the announcement, the national monument will be named Baaj Nwaavjo l’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. This designation follows a proposal drafted by Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition and means “where tribes roam” in Havasupai, and “l’tah Kuvkeni” translates to “our ancestral footprints” in Hopi.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, putting a different spin on the notion that the monument was a campaign gambit, said, “We’re going to continue to do our jobs and continue to talk about it ... And the hope is that we’ll get our message out. We’ll see, I think, Americans start to feel and see what it is that we have been able to do in Washington, D.C.”

Unknown foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama

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

This year marks the 60th anniversary of major events of the Civil Rights Movement, Black people’s historic struggle for equality in the U.S. Birmingham, Alabama was one of the cities where many of these events took place, such as the Children’s Crusade, 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. arrest and famous letter.

Black journalists attending the 2023 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference, held in Birmingham this year, ventured out on a tour of the city. They spoke with surviving and often unknown members of the movement who detailed their firsthand accounts with abhorrent, racist segregationists and white supremacists during the 1950s and 60s.

Much of the driving force behind the Civil

Rights Movement is credited to King’s nonviolent demonstrations all over the south, but little is said about the coalition of Black faith leaders and children protesters that initially rallied to jumpstart the movement in Alabama.

Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, who lived until 2011, survived several attempts on his life, including church bombings and beatings, and worked to convince King to come help spotlight Birmingham’s tyranny in the burgeoning media. He also publicly took on Theophilus Eugene “Bull” Connor, a ruthless white supremacist and segregationist politician in Alabama that turned fire hoses, police dogs, and a tank on Black freedom fighters during the Children’s Crusade of 1963. Many attacked and arrested were Black teens and kids, some of whom were as young as 7-years-old, who had walked out of schools to march.

Shuttlesworth was adamantly opposed to violence and created the Alabama Christian

Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) pledge to peaceful protests in 1956 when Alabama outlawed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the state. He headed the Bethel Baptist Church in Collegeville, one of the epicenters for civil rights organizers at the time on the northside of Birmingham. He attended meetings in the “war room” at A.G. Gaston Motel, which catered only to Black guests, with King, leaders from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Ralph D. Abernathy, and others to plan and strategize.

Rev. Thomas L. Wilder runs the landmark Bethel Baptist Church, where he’s served as pastor since the late 1980s. Wilder said that Shuttlesworth challenged the established segregationist laws in Birmingham that would often lead to imprisonment or lynching for Blacks, inquired about voter registration and unlawful literacy tests, and fought

Mother of neglected child pushes for Fajr’s Law

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Najmah Nash, the mother of Fajr Atiya Williams, the 6-year-old with special needs who died because a school bus aide was not attending to her, wants to maintain her child’s memory by pushing for what she’s calling Fajr’s Law.

Nash has started a petition on Change.org that calls for new safety measures and regulations for New Jersey school bus aides and drivers: She’s looking to ensure that other families won’t have to suffer the loss of a child due to this kind of neglect.

“Fajr’s Law seeks to implement comprehensive safety measures for all students, particularly those with special needs, traveling on school buses,” a press release about the proposed new law states. “It will include stricter regulations on bus aides’ use of electronic devices during work hours, enhanced

training programs for drivers and attendants to address the unique needs of special education students, and regular inspections of safety equipment on school buses to prevent malfunctions that could endanger students’ lives. In the name of justice, safety of transportation, and equality amongst special education students and all abled-bodied students worldwide!”

Fajr, the daughter of Nash and Wali Williams, died after being choked by a safety harness during a school bus ride on July 17. Williams was attending an extended school program at Claremont Elementary School. Her bus monitor, Amanda Davila, had strapped her into a seat with a fourpoint safety harness for her ride to school. As the bus drove down a bumpy road, the harness re-adjusted and ended up tightening around Fajr’s neck. The child had a chromosomal disorder known as Emanuel syndrome or ESA (Emanuel Syndrome

Awareness) and was nonverbal; yet, cameras in the bus captured Fajr fighting for her life in the back of the bus while Davila was seated in the front, earbuds in while she perused apps on her cellphone.

The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office stated, in a July 20, press release that their “investigation revealed that this was in violation of policies and procedures.” Davila, a seven-year employee of the Montauk Transit LLC bus company, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and seconddegree endangering the welfare of a child.

But Nash is questioning the thoroughness of New Jersey’s policies and procedures for school bus employees.

“What I’m proposing is for, first, the Board of Education to fully vet these transportation companies that they’re awarding contracts to, as well as that they are transparent with the parents of the children that will be

Melba Moore receives her Hollywood Star

NYC-born, Newark, N.J.-bred Melba Moore will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Aug. 10. The Tony- and Grammy-award winning artist, known for hits like “You Stepped into My Life” and “Love’s Coming at Ya’,” famously attended Newark Arts High School and graduated from Montclair State University.

Moore wrote on her Instagram page: “As I look back over my life Harlem /Newark NJ, I am proud. Receiving a Hollywood Star made me reflect on the goodness of God.”

Moore’s star is being conferred under the Live Theatre/Live Performance category. Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph, R&B singer Freda Payne, and comedian Katt Williams are due to take part in the ceremony.

Tribute to the Honorable Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver

Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver will be honored this week before her burial.

Over a three-day period, which Gov. Murphy has proclaimed as a “Celebration of Life,” Oliver’s body will lie in state and be available for public viewing in the Rotunda of the State Capitol in Trenton, starting on Thursday. The Essex County Sheriff’s Office’s Honor Guard will escort her body to the Essex County Historic Courthouse for viewing on Friday, Aug. 11, for a tribute in Newark. Her funeral, which is also open to the public, will take place at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark on Aug. 12. Oliver’s burial will be private.

All U.S. and New Jersey state flags will fly at halfstaff from August 4–September 4 in remembrance of Oliver.

To attend the Essex County Historic Courthouse viewing, go to 470 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ., which will be open to the public from 10 a.m.–10 p.m. For assistance in gaining entry, contact the Sheriff’s Communication office at 973-621-4111.

85th Annual Middlesex County Fair

The 85th Annual Middlesex County Fair will take place Aug. 7–13 at the Middlesex County Fairground in East Brunswick. This year, the fair is celebrating 85 years of farming and fun in central New Jersey. Events this year include horse-riding shows, chainsaw carving art, comedy hypnosis, pig races, UWA Elite Pro Wrestling, and Mythicreatures––a new dinosaur attraction. The Middlesex County 4-H program will host art, craft, farming, and animal programs.

Tickets will be available online and at the gate from Monday–Friday, 5 p.m.–11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. For additional information about the fair, call 732-257-8858 or visit https://middlesexcountyfair.com/.

NJMVC Agency-on-Wheels in Piscataway

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s (NJMVC) Agency on Wheels will be available to serve residents at the YMCA at the Piscataway Community Center (YPCC) on Thursday, Aug. 31, from 10

NEW JERSEY on page 25

A.R.I.S. the Movement’s Anthony Robinson offers youngsters a clean slate

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

Always Ready to Improve Society (A.R.I.S) the Movement founder Anthony Robinson cleans after the community, literally and figuratively.

“We recruit young minorities in low-income neighborhoods for equal opportunity employment,” he said. “Which is based on cleaning companies and agencies that we affiliate our stuff with so we can get them off the street and out of harm’s way.”

Hailing from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Robinson himself worked as a janitor at a young age, due to early fatherhood and the financial responsibilities of rearing a youngster. Through the years, he learned the cleaning trade, everything from waxing and buffing to applying the proper chemicals.

In the music world, he was a frequent collaborator with rap legend AZ, whom Robinson says he continues to work with today. But while Robinson kept busy, it was hard to ignore the lack of investment around him. After all, it was New York City during the ‘80s and ‘90s. Witnessing the effect drugs and violence had on his community, Robinson decided to step up. So A.R.I.S. the Movement was born, partially named after his daughter.

Robinson’s work centers around connecting youth to employment, mentorship and education throughout New Jersey and New York

City. Not only does he want to keep them busy, but he also hopes to connect them to career opportunities such as union jobs.

“A lot of them don’t have resources, outlets [or] the connections,” said Robinson. “What I do is get them in the right position and direction to where they can go. Even if it is public knowledge, they don’t have guidance. This is where I come in. I’m the connection.”

He recalls working at a pizza parlor, and later bumping into an unemployed young man at Walgreens. Robinson handed the youngster some money and connected him with the eatery. The next time he visited the pizzeria, the young man was delivering pies. The Brooklynite says this is a form of violence prevention.

“When there’s something that went wrong and there’s someone in the street, maybe passed away from gun violence, even murdered in cold blood, or maybe it was a senseless killing, I always feel like that’s the one that got away and it hurts—so I take it personally,” said Robinson. For more information about the program, please contact Anthony Robinson: mranthonyrobinson00@gmail.com.

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.R.I.S. the Movement’s Anthony Robinson. (Contributed by Anthony Robinson) Black New

MTA combats fare evasion with AI surveillance as price hike and free bus program set to arrive

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Stand clear for rising fares, please. MTA bus and subway ride prices are going uptown by 15 cents later this month: Each swipe will cost $2.90 starting Aug. 20. The current fare is $2.75.

For power riders, a physical seven-day Metrocard will cost a dollar more, pushing the price from $33 to $34. One Metro New York (OMNY) fare-capping will soon start from the first digital tap rather than on Monday midnights—rides will not be charged after the 12th ride (or $34 cumulatively spent) on the same contactless method within seven days of the first payment.

Is the fare increase a fair increase? MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber argued that not too long ago, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warned the agency potentially needed a 30% fare hike—along with other cost-saving moves like slashing service—to avoid a “fiscal cliff” due to debt and lower ridership post-pandemic lockdown. But a “record investment” in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s FY 2024 budget for the MTA and other state-run transit agencies prevented such drastic measures.

“We’re voting on a 4% fare increase,” said Lieber at a July board meeting. “It’s a resumption of the historic pattern of small fare increases every second year so people can plan on it.”

Subway and bus fares have not been raised since 2015, when the price hopped from $2.50 to the current $2.75. But back then, ridership was up, and there was no COVID-19 pandemic.

Free bus program is on schedule

Sharing the road with the price hikes is the recent announcement of fare-free buses, a pilot program of five free routes

spread between each borough. Bronx’s Bx18 A/B, Brooklyn’s B60, Manhattan’s M116, Queen’s Q4 LCL/LTD, and Staten Island’s S46/96 will be free starting late September. Those five bus routes serve almost 44,000 daily riders during the workweek. The program stems from the “Fix the MTA” legislative package sponsored by New York lawmakers State Sen. Michael Gianaris and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.

“We do not subscribe to the false binary that you have to pick either one of reducing/stabilizing the cost or increasing service,” said Mamdani to the Amsterdam News. “We reject the crumbs mentality that we’ve been fed for so long in the chambers of power…This pilot program will run for six to 12 months for each route. And these routes were picked with attention to serving a disproportionately low-income ridership that deserves and needs that economic relief in an urgent manner.”

Routes were chosen based on multiple criteria, including fare evasion and equity for low-income and economically disadvantaged communities.

“Picking the route along 116th Street is a wise choice that shows that our state is pinpointing areas where affordability for basic services is becoming more and more difficult,” said State Sen. Cordell Cleare, who serves Harlem. “Most of the residents in my district, and throughout the city, rely on public transportation. While there is more to be done, this is a welcome step in the right direction.”

An MTA spokesperson confirmed that the fare hikes and the free buses were not linked. The pilot program stems from the state budget’s Education, Labor, and Family Assistance (ELFA) bill, in which $15 million went toward making the five lines free. The MTA aims to recoup $305 million by raising costs on fares and tolls. The key sponsors initially pushed to freeze fares, before settling with reducing the amount raised from

5.5% to 4%.

The money comes from a payroll tax on the city’s biggest businesses, along with state aid and further transit funding by the city. Along with free buses and a lower fare hike, more subway service on nights and weekends is included in the funding.

Beyond affordability, Mamdani also sees the pilot as a public safety measure for bus drivers—a slice of the New York City Transit workforce that is 47% Black. The Northern Queens lawmaker recalled conversations with a local transit union rep, who told him half of the assaults his operators faced were over farebox disputes.

MTA employing AI technology to fight fare evasion

But not every ride is free, so the MTA keeps a close eye on fare evasion. A very close eye, according to the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), whose Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) public records request revealed a transit authority contract for AI technology to monitor unpaid entries into subway stations.

“We were quite concerned by the MTA’s deployment of new cameras facing the turnstile, and that’s when we started asking for information related to their different camera systems,” said S.T.O.P. founder and director Albert Fox Cahn. “That’s what led us to this information about AI fare evasion enforcement technology, something we’d never even known was a concern prior to launching the FOIL.

“It really highlights one of the structural concerns here: that a program like this, as invasive and potentially biased, could be deployed without any public notice or comment or real oversight.”

According to the MTA spokesperson, the AI tool will “quantify the amount of fare evasion without identifying fare evaders,” serving as a loss prevention measuring stick. Seven stations currently are imple-

menting this technology, although they were not identified. The agency maintains the data is not shared with the NYPD, which reportedly arrested 2,500 people for fare evasion this year. But Cahn pointed to the court-ordered surrendering of MetroCard trip data to police and prosecutors as a potential precedent to the AI tool.

Between bus and subway fare evasion, the MTA reported $600 million in losses last year. The agency said levels have spiked in these two transit categories since the COVID-19 pandemic and “show no signs of dropping.”

Fare evasion still enforced by police

The NY Post recently reported that 1,136 of the roughly 2,500 people arrested by the NYPD for fare evasion this year—as of late July—had active warrants. But arrests make up only a tiny fraction of all fare enforcement by police so far this year. An NYPD spokesperson did not confirm that statistic but pointed toward the department’s fare evasion reports, which most recently tallied up this year’s first quarter arrests and summons.

Those first quarter numbers pointed to 923 fare evasion arrests made, compared with the 28,057 fare evasion summons issued. Transit District 4—headquartered in the Union Square Subway Station—was responsible for 6,116 of those summons, by far the most, but only 28 fare evasion arrests. For comparison, the Bronx’s Transit District 12 or Brooklyn’s Transit District 33 saw 200 fare evasion arrests made but fewer than 2,000 summons issued.

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

City’s first ‘Anti-Rat Day of Action’ comes to Harlem this weekend

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Sorry Master Splinter. New York City’s first Anti-Rat Day of Action will be held this Saturday, Aug 12 in Harlem. The event takes place at 137th Street’s Elizabeth Langley Memorial Garden.

The event offers locals insight and strategies toward reducing rodent encounters by cutting the critters off from their food source. It is co-hosted by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration and the BUFNY II/ Harlem Street Tenants Association.

“It’s still early, but these numbers show what we’re doing is working and that we are moving in the right direction,” said Mayor

Adams. “Every food scrap that we keep out of the trash and every black bag that we keep off the street is a meal that we’re taking out of a hungry rodent’s stomach.

“It takes all of us to win the war on rats, so I encourage New Yorkers to keep composting, keep putting your trash in containers, and I hope to see you out there at one of our ‘Anti-Rat Community Days of Action.’”

The city claims within the rat mitigation zones like Harlem’s, reported sightings have been reduced by 45%, as of late July. It also says total rat-related 311 calls are down by 20%, which was reiterated by rat czar Kathleen Corradi at a recent public safety briefing.

“New York City Parks, New York City Schools and NYCHA are doubling down on

rat reduction, utilizing seasonal staff and pest control teams to make sure our city’s properties are inhospitable to rats,” she said. “They’re removing harbourage, managing waste, and deploying extermination techniques to make sure we’re knocking down rat populations. Citywide, we’re cutting off rats from their food because we know, if you feed them, you breed them.

“Through DSNY’s new curb set out times and rules around containerizations for food establishments, we’re systematically taking away rats’ access to fruit food on our curbs and making New York a cleaner city.”

Earlier this month, food-related businesses were restricted from dumping waste in black trash bags directly on the curb and are now mandated to place gar-

bage in containers unless it’s collected by a loading dock, or if the contents are recyclables. Such black bags can leak and attract rats, says the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY).

According to Corradi, rats communicate largely through pheromones. So spraying down a curb is the best bet to keep personal rodent sightings to Pixar movies. Corradi suggests using a mix of one part bleach and nine parts water.

As of press time, there have been 24 rat sightings reported to the city this month from Harlem’s five main zip codes. Half were seen in multi-family apartments. While uptown will be the first to host an

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3 Additional information about the Down Payment program: Down Payment program is available with one mortgage product. Program funds can be applied toward down payment only. Borrowers cannot receive program funds as cash back in excess of earnest money deposits. Down Payment Grant program may be considered taxable income, a 1099-MISC will be issued, consult with your tax advisor. May be combined with other offers. The Bank of America Down Payment Grant program may only be applied once to an eligible mortgage/property, regardless of the number of applicants. Homebuyer education is required.

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Go With The Flo

Hazel N. Dukes is recipient of NAACP’s 108th Spingarn Medal

Congratulations to Ciara and her husband Russell Wilson! The celebrity couple are expecting a new baby. The songstress recently announced that she is pregnant and are anticipating baby number 4 — her third child with the Denver Broncos quarterback. Yours truly thought Ciara looked pregnant at her party last week for her new Gap x LoveShackFancy campaign because the outfit she modeled was very baggy, as opposed to her usual skin-revealing attire. In a video on Instagram, Ciara dances by a pool, showing off a pretty big baby bump......

In celebration of this year’s 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, BET Her is premiering a new interview and performance series called BET Her Live! Hosted by Yo-Yo. The show premieres on August 11 and will feature four individual episodes showcasing Lil Mo, Da Brat, 702 and MC Lyte. BET Her Live! Hosted by Yo-Yo was taped in Las Vegas......

The 5th Dimension’s Grammy award-winning songstress, Florence LaRue, gives her insight on beauty, style, diet, fitness, attitude, and being able to age gracefully in her first book, “Grace in your Second Act,” with Jenny Paschall, published by WestBow Press. Says LaRue, “I want my readers to take away from my book that there is a significant difference in getting old and growing old!”......

Bernard Chiu and D-Nice celebrated former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on his new book, “Our Unfinished March,” along with Kem, whose new tome is called “Share My Life.” Kem gave a special performance. The event took place August 7 in The Edgartown Room at The Harborview Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard. ......

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Dr. Hazel Nell Dukes received the NAACP’s 108th Spingarn Medal and was showered with a glowing bouquet of adjectives Tuesday evening at the Boston Convention Center.

“She exemplifies the spirit of the award,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, beginning the rosary of recognition Dukes received from speaker after speaker. “Dr. Dukes joins a long line of distinguished medalists, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou, and Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois.” Moreover, he added, “I have had the distinct pleasure of working alongside Hazel for many years.”

Oprah Winfrey; Maurice Coleman, an executive at Bank of America; Leon Russell, chair of the NAACP’s Board of Directors; Faith Blackburne-Proctor, the daughter of Laura Blackburne; Reena Evers-Everette, daughter of Myrlie Evers-Williams; Dr. Marcella Maxwell, chair of the Spingarn Committee; and musi-

cal interludes from Angelena Hightower were pleasant preludes before Hillary Clinton presented the award to Dukes.

“I am delighted to present the Spingarn Medal to my longtime friend,” said Clinton, the former Secretary of State. Among the accolades for Dukes, Clinton placed her in the historical context of previous winners, including Mary Talbert, the first woman to receive the honor in 1922. “Like her, Dr. Dukes has been part of the fight for women’s rights and carried on that tradition.”

At the podium, after Clinton’s warm regards for her friend, Dukes took a few moments to gather herself and address the moment. “I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude...what a blessing for me,” she began. Then, there was the long litany of praise for those who had come before her and saluted for their service to the NAACP. In an earlier interview, she explained that the honor was special “since I have nominated several recipients of the award, including Stevie Wonder, Jessye Norman, and Harry Belafonte.”

In the long list of people whom Dukes thanked for the occasion, including her son, she expressed passionate words for her mentor, Mildred Bond Roxborough, who at 97 remains an unflinching stalwart on the ramparts of civil rights. Toward the close of her speech, she recited a favorite quote: “If I can help somebody as I travel along, then my living will not have been in vain.” As if urging on the fight for justice and equality, she concluded by declaring, “I am not tired yet!”

Publicist Ken Sunshine; Bishop Talbert Swan, president of the NAACP Greater Springfield Branch; and vocalist Danielle Ponder captured some of Dukes’s tireless resolve—at 91, Dukes continues as president of the NAACP New York State Conference and a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors—in Ponder’s heartfelt version of Sam Cooke’s classic “A Change is Gonna Come.”

Like a potent, relentless river, Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, the freedom fighter who got her start in the struggle with her family in Montgomery, Alabama, keeps rolling along.

Dr. Hazel Dukes receives NAACP's 108th Spingarn Medal from Hillary Clinton. (Herb Boyd photo)

Gospel night in Harlem

Harlem’s SummerStage hosted its great Gospel Nite in the Plaza at the Adam Clayton Powell Building (125th Street, Harlem). The crowd was blessed with Rev. Tony Evans & the Praise Choir, and the young folk performed beautifully with Bishop Chantel Renee Wright.

Brooklyn ‘Blue’ Dems Annual Gala 2023

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

The Brooklyn Democratic Party (BK Dems) held its annual star-studded gala Monday in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A considerable number of the city, state, and country’s prominent political figures are all Brooklyn natives, most of which are Black or brown. They showed up in their finest to support their county party.

Prominent electeds in attendance included U.S. House Democratic Leader and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer, New York State Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.

“We are proud to unite Democratic leaders, including many Brooklynites, as we rally support and look towards the pivotal 2024 Elections,” said BK Dem Party Chair and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. “The Party’s Annual Gala is also celebrating key unions—along with their hundreds of thousands of members— alongside local, small businesses that have

played a pivotal role in our post-pandemic recovery.”

The gala kicked off with live music, a bevy of drinks, and food as donors and supporters intermingled with local elected officials and political stakeholders. Then began a round of fun speeches celebrating Brooklyn and democratic unity.

“I am declaring Brooklyn the epicenter of political power, not just in New York City or the state of New York, but the entire United States of America,” said Hochul excitedly.

The BK Dems took a second to honor Brooklyn-based small businesses, district leaders, and labor unions, such as Education & Hotel Trades, Community Leaders and Small Businesses, United Federation of Teachers (UFT), The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO (HTC), Local 372, N.Y.C. Board of Education Employees, and Council of School Supervisors (CSA).

IET and the Sam Pierre Band provided entertainment.

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

Bishop Chantel Renee Wright

Rev. Tony Evans with Praise Choir (Bill Moore photos)

Bishop Wright and Songs of Solomon

Sen. Jamaal Bailey (right) and US Sen. Chuck Schumer (left) on stage at the function. (Ariama C. Long photos) New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul at the function.

Attendees at the Brooklyn Democratic Party Annual Gala at Giando on the Water on July 31, 2023. Congressman Gregory Meeks at the function.

Union Matters

Nurses strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) went on an unfair labor practices strike on Friday, Aug. 4 — and have remained on the picket lines as their representatives from United Steelworkers (USW) Local 4-200 contend that management is refusing to negotiate on key issues.

USW LOCAL 4-200 represents over 1,700 nurses at RWJUH in New Brunswick. Their demands are for the hospital to set safer staffing ratios on floors, increase

salaries, and freeze workers’ insurance premiums.

“Our members remain deeply committed to our patients,” Local 4-200 President Judy Danella said in a statement. “However, we must address urgent concerns, like staffing. We need enough nurses on each shift, on each floor, so we can devote more time to each patient and keep ourselves safe on the job.”

Nurses complain that they are often working understaffed and that, on average, they find themselves taking care of six patients per shift in a hospital that prides

itself on being able to treat the state’s sickest patients.

This is the first time USW LOCAL 4-200 nurses have gone out on strike since 2006. The union began negotiations with hospital management for a new contract in April. After their contract expired on June 30, it was extended through July 21. But since then, the standstill in negotiations led to a July 24 notification that workers were ready to strike.

RWJUH is one of the 12 hospitals that make up RWJBarnabas Health, New Jersey’s largest healthcare provider. The Associ-

ated Press noted that the hospital has contracted with an outside firm to have replacement nursing staff cover the assignments of striking nurses while labor protests continue.

The hospital also acknowledged on Aug. 8 that it had enlisted the aid of 1,000 nurses from across the country to cover for its striking employees: “Simply put, if we do not have enough nurses, we cannot deliver the complex, high acuity care that our institution is known for. We cannot save lives,” said Dr. Anthony Altobelli III, the associate chief medical officer, in a video statement.

RWJUH remains open and continues to accept patients during the nursing strike.

Hospital spokesperson Wendy Gottsegen said in a statement: “Even after we extended a new offer on Wednesday that would have further addressed their staffing concerns, it was met with silence. We are awaiting a response from the union and are questioning why we are in this position instead of at the table, negotiating.”

USW LOCAL 4-200, though, said it wants to continue bargaining but wants its main concerns to be dealt with in a fair manner.

USW LOCAL 4-200 nurses strike in front of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (Contributed photo)

Affordable Housing for Rent

88

40

This

o

–disabled applicants (2%)

• Preference for a percentage of units goes to:

o Residents of Manhattan CB 11 (50%)

o Municipal employees (5%)

How Do You Apply?

Apply online or through mail. To apply online, please go to https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/. To request an application by mail, send a self-addressed envelope to: 88 East 127th Street Lottery, c/o K&R Realty, 316 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10026 Only send one application per development. Do not submit duplicate applications. Do not apply online and also send in a paper application. Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified.

When is the Deadline?

Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than October 9, 2023. Late applications will not be considered.

What Happens After You Submit an Application?

After the deadline, applications are selected for review through a lottery process. If yours is selected and you appear to qualify, you will be invited to submit documents to continue the process of determining your eligibility. Applicants are usually contacted from 2 to 10 months after the application deadline. You will be asked to bring documents that verify your household size, identity of members of your household, and your household income.

Español Presente una solicitud en línea en https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/ Para recibir una traducción de español de este anuncio y la solicitud impresa, envíe un sobre con la dirección a: 88 East 127th Street Lottery, c/o K&R Realty, 316 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10026 En el reverso del sobre, escriba en inglés la palabra “SPANISH.” Las solicitudes se deben enviar en línea o con sello postal antes de 9 de octubre de 2023

简体中文 访问https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/ 在线申请。如要获取本广告及书面申请表的简体中文版，请将您的回邮信封寄送至：

[88 East 127th Street Lottery, c/o K&R Realty, 316 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10026]. 信封背

面请用英语注明“CHINESE”。必须在以下日期之前在线提交申请或邮寄书面申请 2023 年 10 月 9 日

Русский Чтобы подать заявление через интернет, зайдите на сайт: https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/ Для получения данного объявления и заявления на

русском языке отправьте конверт с обратным адресом по адресу 88 East 127th Street Lottery, c/o K&R Realty, 316 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10026. На

задней стороне конверта напишите слово “RUSSIAN” на английском языке. Заявки должны быть поданы онлайн или отправлены по почте (согласно дате на

почтовом штемпеле) не позднее 9 октября 2023 г.

한국어 https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/ 에서 온라인으로 신청하십시오 이 광고문과 신청서에 대한 한국어 번역본을 받아보시려면 반송용 봉투를 88 East 127th Street Lottery, c/o K&R Realty, 316 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10026 으로 보내주십시오 봉투 뒷면에 “KOREAN” 이라고 영어로 적어주십시오 2023년 10월 9일 까지 온라인 신청서를 제출하거나 소인이 찍힌 신청서를 보내야 합니다

Kreyòl Ayisyien

ةيبرعلا

Aplike sou entènèt sou sitwèb https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/ Pou resevwa yon tradiksyon anons sa a nan lang Kreyòl Ayisyen ak aplikasyon an sou papye, voye anvlòp ki gen adrès pou retounen li nan: 88 East 127th Street Lottery, c/o K&R Realty, 316 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10026 Nan dèyè anvlòp la, ekri mo “HATIAN CREOLE” an Anglè. Ou dwe remèt aplikasyon yo sou entènèt oswa ou dwe tenbre yo anvan dat 9 oktòb 2023

ىلع تنرتنلإا ربع بلط لاسرإ nyc.gov/housingconnect

Polskie . Aby uzyskać polskie tłumaczenie tego powiadomienia oraz wniosek w https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/

Aby złożyć wniosek online, przejdź na stronę wersji wydrukowanej, wyślij kopertę z własnym adresem 88 East 127th Street Lottery, c/o K&R Realty, 316 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10026 Wpisz 日 9 月 10 年 2023 w j. angielskim na odwrocie koperty. Wnioski muszą posiadać stempel pocztowy lub zostać przesłane online nie później niż ”POLISH„ słowo

Français . Pour recevoir une traduction en français de cet avis https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/ vous sur le site -

Pour déposer votre demande en ligne, rendez ainsi qu’un dossier de demande papier, envoyez une enveloppe libellée à votre nom et votre adresse à l’adresse suivante 88 East 127th Street Lottery, c/o K&R Realty, 316 West 118th Street, New York, NY 10026. Inscrivez le mot « FRENCH » au dos de l’enveloppe. Les demandes doivent être envoyées par la poste ou , le cachet de la poste faisant foi. 023 9 octobre 2 soumises en ligne au plus tard le

Shades of a brutal past

Two states, Alabama and Mississippi which were sites of key battles during the Civil Rights Movement, commanded the news the other day; one of the incidents was caught on camera and the other, should have been videoed.

The brawl in Montgomery has been widely viewed and it shows a Black man, a black co-captain of a tourist vessel, being assaulted by several white men. Apparently, the Black man was doing what he normally does on the pier to ensure private boats are out of the way of landing tourist vessels.

Footage of the incident shows a white man assailing the captain, knocking him down, and then he’s joined by other whites who proceed to beat the Black man. Soon, others enter the fray, either trying to stop the fracas or help the two men fighting.

Four of the white men are being charged with active warrants.

In Jackson, Mississippi, six white officers devised a scheme to cover up several acts of brutality against two Black men.

Without a warrant, the officers burst into the home of Michael Corey Jenkins, handcuffed him and his friend, Eddie Terrell Parker, and then began physically, sexually, and psychologically abusing them. All of this occurred after they avoided being detected by security cameras.

The officers poured alcohol, chocolate syrup, and milk over their faces and then forced them to strip naked and shower together in order to conceal the mess. Their plan to torture them without leaving any evidence went awry when one of them shot Jenkins in the mouth. He miraculously survived.

All of the officers pleaded guilty to a list of federal charges and the state attorney general also announced charges, including assault, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.

These incidents cannot be seen as indicative of what’s happening in the States, but they are terrible reminders of a horrific and deadly past. Let’s hope that, unlike too many instances in the past, the white men in the melee and the officers in their cover-up scheme receive the full extent of the law.

Federal Trade Commission hinders Black economic achievement

By JULIANNE MALVEAUX

The Biden Administration has been pushing hard for credit for its significant economic successes in part by coining the phrase “Bidenomics.”

The term is meant to direct attention toward the administration’s strikingly successful economic agenda. Under President Biden, the rate of inflation has been more than cut in half, employers have created more than 13 million jobs, wage growth has outpaced inflation, and the unemployment rate of Black workers is at a record-breaking, historic low. Now, the administration wants the public to give it credit.

Yet, the key to widespread public support is not through grandiose statements or flashy catchphrases. Instead, it is through the ongoing prioritization of policy that enhances the everyday, lived experiences of Americans—especially Black Americans. On this front, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can play a crucial role.

The FTC is charged with protecting American consumers from everyday threats permeating the domestic marketplace. Appointed by Biden, Lina Khan now serves as chair of the FTC, and she has adopted a unique, ultra-progressive approach to its mandate.

Soon after assuming leadership, Khan de-prioritized the consumer welfare standard, a time-tested precedent that puts individual well-being at the forefront of any and all policy discussion, deeming it “too narrow.” Instead, the FTC has embraced a broad view of consumer wellbeing, focusing on antitrust cases that could theoretically have sweeping, longterm impacts on the economy.

While I appreciate this approach, a loss of focus on the FTC’s bread-andbutter consumer protection issues could have a devastating impact on Americans’ economic well-being, especially those most vulnerable.

We have already witnessed the consequences of a loss of focus on fundamental issues at the FTC. As the commission

focused its energy on theoretical risks rather than real threats posed to consumers, consumer fraud cases soared: From 2021 to 2022, fraud losses increased by over 30%. Last year alone, consumers lost $8.8 billion to fraudsters—and Black Americans are disproportionately suffering from the consequences of this tragic phenomenon.

According to the FTC’s Serving Communities of Color report, “predominantly Black communities filed consumer reports at a higher rate than predominantly white or Latino communities.” Beyond that, Black and Latino individuals have reported higher instances of fraud via payment methods that do not have refundable protections. Without a solution from the FTC, they remain at a loss—exacerbating income inequality for consumers already working in traditionally marginalized communities.

Americans are increasingly turning to gig economy work to make up for losses to increasing fraud, keep up

See FTC on page 29

Not Guilty. I Did Nothing Wrong. What Is Mr. Trump’s Definition Of Nothing Wrong?

By JAMES B. EWERS JR. Ed.D.

Words and phrases can get tangled up in meaning and interpretation. Subjectivity and nonobjectivity sometimes cloud the true meaning of them.

Former President Donald Trump has taken America on a merry go-round when it comes to right and wrong and good and evil. Since his election in 2016, traditional regulations and laws have been challenged.

icans have caught this illness from him. It seems to be spreading. Can we stop it? It depends upon who you ask.

Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, has been a sharp critic of Mr. Trump and says that the 2020 election was not stolen, and that Joe Biden is the president.

Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas has also said that the election results are real and there was no tampering.

Jack Smith, the U.S. special council, has four counts including conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding.

Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr believes this lawsuit has the best chance of finding Mr. Trump guilty of a crime. Barr said, “Trump is toast even if half the allegations are true.” Barr is certainly assertive in his comments. I just hope he doesn’t have to walk them back.

Do you know of any president in the history of our country who has told his vice president to scrub the election because it doesn’t count? He wanted to make a mockery of our democracy.

He believes it’s his Republic and not our Republic. His thinking is warped and woeful. It is my opinion he has made himself a laughingstock and an embarrassment to the Republican Party.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Nayaba Arinde: Editor

Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor

Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor

Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising

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

He has infiltrated the rule of law with bogus and illegal interpretations. Unfortunately, he believes his own lies and half-truths.

During this path of civic destruction, he has convinced many Americans to join him. What they see in Donald Trump is beyond me.

Lying is contagious and too many Amer-

Both are running for president on the GOP ticket, though they haven’t made a dent in the polling yet. We’ll see what happens as we get closer.

Mr. Trump has a big lead now with over 50% of the Republicans favoring him.

The big question facing him is the number of lawsuits. The allegations are serious, and trials will be forthcoming. Don’t forget, Georgia is still coming.

The latest lawsuit filed by

The former president has steadfastly held onto the First Amendment in defense of his rights. However, many legal scholars believe that his argument will not hold up in a court of law.

His refrain of “I did nothing wrong” isn’t holding any water except among his base of supporters. You don’t just take classified documents to your house, nor do you call the Georgia Secretary of State asking for more votes so that you can win the election.

Many in his party now remain silent. They know that they can’t defend the indefensible.

The DOJ is calling more Trump loyalists to testify about his time in office. His shields of protection are slowly but surely melting away. The facts are simply speaking too loudly about his improprieties.

The intersection of trial dates and rigorous campaigning dates will be here in the coming months. The sce-

A blueprint for educational excellence: Lessons from the trailblazers

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

In the vast tapestry of American education, certain states shine brighter, setting benchmarks that others can only aspire to reach. As we navigate the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, it’s worth pausing and reflecting on what these trailblazing states are doing right. Their success stories aren’t just individual achievements; they offer a collective roadmap for the nation.

Massachusetts, often dubbed the educational powerhouse, consistently tops national assessments. But what’s their secret sauce? For starters, the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks doesn’t just set standards; it aims for the stars. The state believes in challenging its students and pushing them to reach their zenith.

But it’s not just about the students.

Massachusetts knows that behind every successful student is an empowered teacher. By investing heavily in professional development for teachers, they ensure that their educators are always equipped to guide their charges. And let’s not forget the little ones. Massachusetts has been a vocal advocate for early childhood education, pouring resources into pre-K programs.

When we talk about education, we cannot ignore equity, and Minnesota stands as a testament to this. The state has a clear strategy: direct resources where they’re needed the most. Schools with a higher concentration of underprivileged students aren’t left in the lurch.

But it’s not just about funds. Minnesota celebrates its diversity, enriching its curriculum with culturally relevant content. It’s a state that believes in reflecting the diverse tapestry of its

Support those striking

student population in its lessons.

New Jersey’s vision for education is holistic. It’s not just about academics; it’s about creating well-rounded individuals. The state’s funding model is a masterclass in fairness. Whether a school is in an affluent suburb or a challenging neighborhood, New Jersey ensures it has what it needs.

And while academic achievements are celebrated, the state understands that emotional well-being is equally crucial. Robust mental health programs are a staple in New Jersey schools.

In the digital age, any discourse on education is incomplete without mentioning technology. Washington has been a frontrunner in this domain. The state’s curriculum is future-ready, designed for the tech-savvy student. But what about the teachers? Washington ensures they’re not left behind. Comprehensive training programs ensure that educators aren’t just familiar with the latest tech but can use it to enhance their teaching.

The achievements of these states are commendable, but they’re more than just success stories. They’re a clarion call to other states. The message is clear: every child, no matter where they’re from, deserves the best. Emulating these trailblazers can bridge educational disparities, drive economic progress, and foster a more enlightened society.

It’s essential to understand that the impact of a robust education system goes beyond the confines of the classroom. States that prioritize education witness a ripple effect, touching various facets of society. For instance, there’s a direct correla-

tion between quality education and reduced crime rates. When individuals are equipped with knowledge and skills, they are more likely to find gainful employment and less likely to engage in unlawful activities. Moreover, education fosters critical thinking, creating a populace that’s not just employable but also more informed, discerning, and resistant to misinformation. In an era where fake news is rampant, this cannot be understated.

In the global arena, the U.S. is not just competing with itself; it’s up against countries that are heavily investing in education, understanding its long-term benefits. Nations like Finland and Singapore, with their innovative teaching methodologies and emphasis on holistic education, are setting global standards. For the U.S. to maintain its position as a global leader, it’s imperative to look both inward, at states like Massachusetts and Washington, and outward, to learn from international best practices. The fusion of domestic success stories with global insights can create an education system that’s not just best for America but also world-class.

In conclusion, the path has been charted. It’s time for the rest of the nation to take note and embark on this journey toward educational excellence. After all, our children deserve nothing but the best.

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is manager / sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. www.armstrongwilliams.co | www.howardstirkholdings.com

I don’t know if you have seen people from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and most recently the Screen Actors Guild (SAGAFTRA) striking for better wages and future working conditions. As I learn more about their concerns and demands, the more I see how all labor struggles are inextricably linked and we need to pay close attention to these fights.

The wealth gap continues to increase in this country and we see studio executives making millions and cashing out for millions, all while paying their employees a mere fraction of their salaries.

Many people think of A-list celebrities and think, why should I support rich people striking? However, the household named celebrities are a very very small percentage of those in the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild. For context, there are more than 16,000 members in the WGA and around 160,000 members in SAG. The vast majority of the members of SAG are not even eligible for health insurance because they don’t make enough money. They are working actors and writers who use their skills to make a living and they do not want to let artificial intelligence (AI) come in and write their scripts or use their likeness in future projects. They are also asking for a piece of the pie from the studios who make millions from streaming services.

These strikes are for the future of their industry. Just like coal miners in Alabama striking for better working conditions, better wages, and the future of their industry, the members of WGA and SAG also want to

protect the future of their work. If you watch television or movies, you should be paying attention to the strike, their demands, and how studio executives are treating the workers in their industry.

Lots of people want to know how they can support members of WGA and SAG at this time. As of now, canceling your streaming subscription is not helpful. Unless the unions call for that, do not cancel your subscription to prove a point. The best way to help those on strike is to donate to the Entertainment Community Fund which provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. To find out more go to www.entertainmentcommunity.org. You can also learn more about the various labor struggles happening on college campuses, at hospitals, and airports all over the country, to name just a few places. As Dr. Martin Luther King always told us, we are all joined by collective labor struggles. Whether we are looking out for transit worker or sanitation worker, or writers or nurses, we should care that our fellow community members are making a decent living wage for their work. This is the beginning of a larger labor wave so let’s educate ourselves on how we can help fight and win.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an Associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”, and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio.

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

Caribbean Update

No more ex-cons in Surinamese parliament

BY BERT WILKINSON Special

to the AmNews

An interesting political situation is playing out in the Caribbean Community nation of Suriname. The multiracial Dutch-speaking nation of about 600,000 is currently run by a multiparty coalition encompassing the three major race groups—Hindustani-Indians and Surinamese of African-Maroon origins, and those of Javanese descent who won general elections back in mid-2020.

And even though the Hindustani VHP party, with 20 of the 51 seats-representing the largest bloc in parliament, cannot run the country without ABOP—the party of mostly interior Maroons— some of the VHP’s most prominent members are moving to introduce legislation that would effectively block current Vice-President and ABOP Leader Ronnie Brunswijk from being legally eligible to become president or deputy ever again because of his past criminal convictions.

Brunswijk, an extremely wealthy gold miner and timber magnate, has made no secret about his belief that the time has come for a Maroon to run the resource-rich country, since every other group has been represented at the highest level by a president or prime minister.

But The Netherlands, Suriname’s former colonial master, had controversially convicted Brunswijk decades ago of international drug smuggling, so the draft legislation being introduced by senior Hindustani lawmakers and coalition partners to block candidates with a criminal past from being eligible to become president or vice president is expressly aimed at ensuring that Brunswijk never qualifies again. All this is going on despite the fact that if Brunswijk withdraws his eight ABOP seats from the governing coalition, it would collapse and be forced to call fresh elections against a steadily declining currency, rising inflation and the failure of the government to get major projects off the ground.

The VHP move is also aimed at former president and ex-military strongman Desi Bouterse who, along with a group of disgruntled soldiers, staged a bloody 1980 coup to topple the elected government. Like Brunswijk, he was also convicted by the Dutch for alleged international drug smuggling more than two decades ago. Despite having this criminal smear like Brunswijk, Bouterse was able to be twice elected civilian president before losing power to the VHP-led coalition back in 2020. Bouterse is still the de facto opposition leader as his NDP party has 16 seats, the second largest block after the VHP. The draft legislation aims to clear the way for them to be banned from running. Fresh elections are due by May 2025 so the VHP is making its move despite its dependence on ABOP to keep it in power and to maintain good relations with VP Brunswijk.

Brunswijk says he has already acted as head of state several times in the absence of President Chan Santokhi without major incident. “I’m afraid of nothing. No one can

exclude me from participating. Now I am president, because I am the acting president,” he told a friendly Maroon audience recently. “What could stop me from running for president tomorrow? They are late, because they should have started this a long time ago,”

Former cabinet director Eugene Van Der San thinks that the VHP’s move is disingenuous. “It is a dangerous proposal. And we know who they are referring to with this change, because with this initiative proposal, both Bouterse and Brunswijk are eliminated,”he said.

For the VHP, it might be easier to deal with Bouterse as he will most likely be convicted by a local court for his alleged role in the late 1982 executions of 15 government opponents, who the then military government had accused of plotting with the west to reverse the 1980 coup. A court hearing the mass murder case has given every indication that it will uphold a 2019, 20year sentence on Bouterse so he might well be out of the electoral frame long before 2025.

The irony of Donald Trumpeto’s judicial situation

that Trumpeto might face.

duction Amendment Act.

IMMIGRATION KORNER

Donald Trumpeto’s xenophobia and sexism is legendary. He kicked off his presidential campaign by attacking immigrants and continued that trend throughout his presidency. But as the legendary saying goes, “Karma is a b***h.” The case will next be heard on August 28 in the court of District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will preside over the eventual trial.

Now, as Trumpeto battles against three separate federal indictments, the irony of all ironies is that two of the judges chosen to oversee his case are none other than firstgeneration immigrants.

Be careful what you put out because it will come right back to you, according to the laws of karma and attraction. Trumpeto has been so intently focused on voicing his disdain for immigrants that he has now manifested two immigrant judges, both of whom are women.

“What a thing,” as my Jamaican friends would say.

Let’s dig a little deeper into these judges who will be hearing his federal cases.

Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya

Moxila A. Upadhyaya was the first judge to read from the 45-page indictment from Special Counsel Jack Smith, including the four criminal offenses and potential jail sentences

Upadhyaya was born in Gujarat, India, and raised near Kansas City, Missouri. She received her bachelor of journalism degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism; bachelor of arts, with honors in Latin, from the University of Missouri; and J.D., cum laude, from the American University, Washington College of Law. In law school, she earned distinction for her trial work in representing clients in the Criminal Justice Clinic and was a member of the Administrative Law Review.

After graduating from law school, Upadhyaya served as law clerk to the Honorable Eric T. Washington, former chief judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals, for two years. She then joined the Washington, D.C., office of the Venable LLP law firm, where she practiced complex commercial and administrative litigation. From 2011–2012, she served as the first law clerk to the Honorable Robert L. Wilkins (currently U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit) during his tenure as a district judge on that court.

Upadhyaya rejoined Venable after her clerkship with Wilkins and continued her litigation practice until her appointment to the bench in September 2022. During her time as an associate and ultimately partner at Venable, she focused her pro bono practice on representing indigent clients in post-conviction proceedings, including clients who raised challenges under the D.C. Innocence Protection Act and the D.C. Incarceration Re-

For her work in this capacity, the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project gave Upadhyaya its Defender of Innocence Award in 2009 and Venable named her Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 2006.

Judge Tanya Chutkan

Tanya Chutkan is also a first-generation immigrant. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and received her B.A. in economics from George Washington University and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She was also an associate editor of the Law Review and a Legal Writing Fellow.

After law school, Chutkan worked in private practice for three years, then joined the District of Columbia Public Defender Service (PDS) as a trial attorney and supervisor. In her 11 years with the PDS, she argued several appellate cases and tried more than 30 cases, including numerous serious felony matters. She left the PDS to join the law firm of Boies, Schiller, & Flexner LLP, where she focused on litigation and white-collar criminal defense. Her clients included antitrust class action plaintiffs, as well as individual and corporate defendants involved in complex state and federal litigation.

From 1996–2000, Chutkan was a member of the Steering Committee for the Criminal Law and Individual Rights Section of the District of Columbia Bar. She is a frequent lecturer on trial techniques, and has served as a faculty member at the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop. Chutkan was ap-

pointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in June 2014 by former President Barack Obama.

She has already dealt Trumpeto one of the most significant legal blows of his lifetime, triggering perhaps the greatest deluge of evidence about his bid to subvert the 2020 election—for which he now stands charged with serious crimes. It was Chutkan who ruled in fall 2021 that the House Jan. 6th Select Committee could access reams of Trump’s White House files—a ruling that was subsequently upheld by an appeals court and left undisturbed by the Supreme Court.

Chutkan has delivered some of the harshest sentences to Jan. 6 defendants and made her disgust and horror over the attack clear, lamenting the prospect of renewed political violence in 2024, and noting that no one accused of orchestrating the effort to subvert the election had been held accountable.

“You have made a very good point,” she told Jan. 6 rioter Robert Palmer at his December 2021 sentencing, “that the people who exhorted you and encouraged you and rallied you to go and take action and to fight have not been charged.”

Chutkan, 61, was randomly selected to preside over Trump’s latest criminal case, his third in the last four months.

Oh, the irony! Or is it simply karma?

The writer is publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com – The Black Immigrant Daily News. She can be reached at felicia@caribpr.com.

Parts of this article relied on information available online.

Health

Seeking Medicare coverage for weight loss drugs, pharma giant courts Black influencers

something lawmakers have done repeatedly over the decade.

Drug companies have long used a variety of strategies to advance corporate interests, such as funding so-called patient advocacy groups focused on specific diseases and airing direct-to-consumer ads that spur patients to ask their doctors about brand-name drugs.

Novo Nordisk is the biggest corporate donor to the Obesity Action Coalition, which says its mission is “to elevate and empower those affected by obesity.”

Novo Nordisk contributes more than $500,000 annually to the group, according to its website. The group’s legislative objectives include reversing Medicare’s coverage ban on weight loss drugs.

bition on covering prescriptions for weight loss.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies did not respond to questions for this article. Novo Nordisk declined to say how much it contributed to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2022 legislative conference and whether it sponsored the panel to influence Congressional Black Caucus members’ positions; it similarly declined to specify its most recent annual contribution to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and its financial contributions for various APAICS events this year.

By RACHANA PRADHAN KFF Health News

Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has turned to influential Black Americans in pursuit of what would be a lucrative victory: having Medicare cover a new class of weight loss drugs, including the company’s highly sought Wegovy, which can cost patients more than $1,000 a month.

During a conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation last fall, a jampacked gathering featuring prominent Black lawmakers and President Joe Biden, Novo Nordisk sponsored a panel discussion about obesity for which it selected the moderator and panelists, company spokesperson Nicole Ferreira said. The foundation is a nonprofit affiliated with the Congressional Black Caucus, a powerful group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Former CNN political commentator Roland Martin moderated the session. Black health experts who support Medicare coverage of drugs used to treat obesity served on the panel, including Fatima Cody Stanford, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Stanford is a specialist in obesity who has received consulting fees from Novo Nordisk.

During the panel discussion, Stanford told the audience that obesity “is a real disease that

people struggle with,” she said in an interview with KFF Health News. “We’ve denied people care for obesity when we haven’t for other chronic diseases.”

Novo Nordisk, the leading maker of so-called obesity drugs, followed up on the September panel by sponsoring a streaming show in March hosted by Martin, during which guests advocated for Medicare to cover drugs for weight loss. Ferreira said the company suggested experts for the segment, but she did not name them.

Those activities are part of a broader Novo Nordisk campaign to shift the public narrative about obesity. They open a new window on drugmakers’ efforts to influence consumers and public policy.

Novo Nordisk is trying to reverse a 20-year-old ban on coverage of drugs used for weight loss under Medicare, the federal health insurance program primarily for people 65 and older. Congress excluded such medications when it established Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit in 2003. The ban effectively deprives drugmakers of millions of potential customers.

Expanding the patient pool Medicare coverage would put obesity drugs within reach of many people who could not otherwise afford them. It could have a multiplier effect because private insurers often follow Medicare’s lead.

It would be a financial boon to Novo Nordisk and other drugmakers, including Eli Lilly, which is seeking FDA approval for a weight loss drug.

Adding to the cost, and the potential upside for the industry: To keep weight off, patients may have to take the drugs indefinitely.

Wegovy’s list price is about $1,350 for roughly a month’s supply. Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, a drug for people with Type 2 diabetes that doctors prescribe off-label for obesity, is priced at about $1,023 for roughly a month’s supply.

Wegovy is FDA-approved for weight loss in adults who have a body mass index of 30 or greater—the definition of adult obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—or a BMI of at least 27 plus at least one weight-related medical condition, such as hypertension. It’s also approved for patients as young as 12 who are deemed obese.

In a statement, Novo Nordisk spokesperson Allison Schneider said, “We advocate for patients and policies that support access to all obesity treatments, including coverage for anti-obesity medications in Medicare Part D.”

The company supports the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, legislation introduced in 2013 that would overturn the Medicare coverage ban. In July, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate reintroduced the bill—

The Obesity Action Coalition “is not influenced in any way by our vast array of supporters,” said Kendall Griffey, a spokesperson for the group.

Novo Nordisk has advertised Wegovy, which the FDA approved for weight loss in 2021, and Ozempic, which is approved for diabetes and prescribed off-label to treat obesity.

Like many large corporations, Novo Nordisk has contributed thousands of dollars annually to nonprofits tied to different groups of lawmakers while seeking support in Congress for its causes.

In 2021, Novo Nordisk gave between $100,000 and $399,999 to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and between $25,000 and $49,999 to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, according to each nonprofit’s annual report.

The latter nonprofit, known as APAICS, is affiliated with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. APAICS lists Novo Nordisk as a partner on webpages for events in March and May where panel discussions touched on the treatment of obesity.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute also lists Novo Nordisk as a donor but doesn’t state how much the company contributed.

The Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus back a bill on health disparities that in 2022 was revised to scrap Medicare’s prohi-

“We support multiple organizations to help educate on and highlight issues important to their communities,” company spokesperson Natalia Salomao said of Novo Nordisk’s relationship with the nonprofits.

High-profile promoters

Martin’s streaming daily news show in March featured an hourlong segment “powered by Novo Nordisk” on obesity among Black Americans. Ferreira, of Novo Nordisk, said Martin and Novo Nordisk “agreed that a segment on his show was a good opportunity to reach his audience to help further inform them about obesity as a chronic disease and the importance of good nutrition and health care.”

Martin did not respond to requests for comment. During the episode, he cited Novo Nordisk’s role. “I certainly want to thank them for partnering with us,” he said.

Guests pushed for Medicare to cover patients’ anti-obesity prescriptions, with an eye toward what coverage could mean for seniors and other adults. The federal government is “supposed to be leading the way on this,” Nelson Dunlap, vice president of public policy and external affairs for Meharry Medical College, a historically Black institution, said during the segment.

“Commercial insurances tend to follow what Medicare does,”

on page 29

Novo Nordisk has turned to influential Black Americans in pursuit of what would be a lucrative victory: having Medicare cover a new class of weight loss drugs, including the company’s highly sought Wegovy (Steffen Trumpf / Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

Hip-Hop at 50: Tech N9ne talks growth, maturity, new album

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH

Special to the Amnews

Rapper Tech N9ne has sold millions of records as an independent artist since the inception of his career in 1991. At 51 years old, he’s a hip-hop veteran who is still present and active in the respective hip-hop sphere. Speaking to AmNews via phone last week, he took some time to reflect on the contents of his new album BLISS, his growth as a man and the dutiful relationship he has with the scene’s youth as an elder and leader in the community.

AmNews: 2023 feels like a closing of a chapter for the world. You have this new tour, and a new album. Tell me a little [about] how you’re approaching traveling and making your record.

Tech N9ne: 10 years ago was when I started meeting my Morph—I started changing. Me and my lady are goin’ on 10 years next year. A little before I met her I met this Morph. The Morph, I found out later, is Maturity. I’ve changed everything about myself. I just got a whole different state of mind, a whole different lifestyle…everything.

On March 3rd, me and my lady had a little girl. I’ve just been doing shows on the weekends so I can have more time with the baby. I won’t start touring until October, with Hollywood Undead. So it’s way different now because I’m only doing spot dates.

AmNews: The advice you [once] gave an artist was to really be about the pulses, the beat. It feels like you were really on-point with this album.

N9ne: Oh yeah. I’m evolving lyrically and spiritually, concept-wise. I’m super sharp now, way sharper than I was 10 years ago: cadence-wise, flow-wise, my content, especially on this album. I wanted to name it BLISS because that’s the state I’m in now. I’m happy at home; I can’t wait to get home from work. Because I’m in a blissful state of mind, I was able to say things I wouldn’t regularly say in a rap album. I let loose in this album on a couple songs.

AmNews: You were a little more sensitive back then, and now you’re able to really express that. Tell me about adulthood as a rapper.

N9ne: Adulthood, for me as an MC, I feel way more responsible for the loved

ones around me. And I don’t do it for the accolades of others. I’m blessed to have these core fans and more fans. And I love to show out to my fans and give them the best music possible. But I’m not seeking any approval from anybody; I’m doing what I feel in my heart. And once my house says, “Oh my God, this is beautiful…” I feel accomplished.

I used to do this for women, back-inthe-day, when I was young in ‘02, ‘03; ‘04, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07…. Back then I did it for material, for fake love. Now I do it for real love. Real love for hip-hop; real love for my home, my kingdom and the people in it.

Adulthood has got me staying out the way. I might go here every once-in-awhile to see someone perform, but I’m really careful. My life means everything,

to be here, for my children.

AmNews: Do you think surrounding yourself with the wrong people brings a risk to your stability?

N9ne: You don’t keep that kind of energy around you. Sometimes I miss hangin’ out on the block, I do. But sometimes you just gotta stay out of the way to survive. I live in Kansas City, but they claim it’s Killer City—people are droppin’ like flies. I look like food because people know what I do for a living. So I’m super alert when I’m out. I’m relaxed because I’m loved everywhere I go, but I keep my head on a swivel.

AmNews: Do you think that the [hiphop] veterans [are] going to create a new base for young people, or is it about family and moving forward?

N9ne: I have a video called “Drill Sergeant,” and it’s targeting young Black men, the ones who are dropping like flies due to homicides. In my 52nd year of living, I want to pass down knowledge to the youngsters. The song is saying if death and incarceration are your only choices, what are you doing? “Drill Sergeant” is a perfect demonstration on what not to do. When you see the video, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

We don’t need to bury our young. We’ve been doing it for decades. So as an older “legend,” (they call me) we want to pass down love to our young. Not just the ones at home, but the ones that are suffering out [in the streets] who might not have that guidance from their parents.

We want to stop the cycle of violence.

AmNews: So you’re the same age as hip-hop…

N9ne: I’m older than The Culture—I was born in ‘71; it was born in ‘73. So I’ve been tuned in since the beginning.

AmNews: You’re very aligned with history. It seems like hip-hop’s been a survival process. Doesn’t it feel frustrating that…we’re having the same conversation? What do you think is going to change that?

N9ne: With poverty there’s always gonna be crime. Without opportunities for the young to get ahead, we’re gonna always look like food to the hungry. No opportunities, more problems.

That’s why I do music. I give opportunities to young people, of all creeds. I’m a job creator: the video department; the social media department; the A&R people. We got seven buildings where people work. I want to keep creating opportunities.

AmNews: [Rick] Ross has been opening up a little more about financial stability. Now that you are abundant, what’s the secret that young people don’t know?

N9ne: The secret is when you make the money, don’t spend it—invest. Keep investing back into your business. Invest in yourself. And then you’ll look around and you’ll have all these plaques in your house, like me. Independently selling gold and platinum. I didn’t understand putting money back into my company but later I saw it just builds and builds and builds.

I’m creating, right now, generational wealth. And that’s because I keep on reinvesting.

Tech N9ne (Sam Levi photo)

Ascot’s Father aims to reestablish Harlem’s classic style

By BRENIKA BANKS Special to the AmNews

Interchangeability and customization of fashion are boosting people’s interest in high-class style. Distinctive elegance led to the creation of Ascot’s Father, a brand striving to elevate its customers’ wardrobe and style. The owner, Terrence Cook, joined together with partners Roosevelt “BlackRose” Taylor and Ligardy Termonfils to launch the BlackRose collection last month, and the limited-edition collection of purple ascots and pocket squares debuted at Harlem Haberdashery. The trio’s purpose is to guide young folks into wearing dapper and dressy threads like those donned during the Harlem Renaissance era.

The enhancement of finer wear presents more opportunities for Harlem residents to dress dashingly. Ascot’s Father gives Black people a chance to support a business that cares about them. BlackRose strongly believed the collection’s launch was a good day for his home neighborhood of Harlem. The BlackRose limited edition collection consists of material from New England made with 16 momme silk. During the debut event, all ten pocket squares and five ascots of the collection sold out.

BlackRose was grateful to Harlem Haberdashery for hosting the launch. This boutique is a staple in the Black business community. He shared that Harlem’s classic style involved a sense of pride. In the 1920s, people took their outfits very seriously before going out. “Back then, you couldn’t go outside unless you were pressed up, period,” said BlackRose.

Stylish attire is subjective, especially with different trends heavily influencing the youth. Termonfils, a Brooklyn native, prefers young people to dress with purpose instead of following trends senselessly and without a cause. “Let’s add a reason, let’s add a method, let’s add something different,” he said. Inspired by Harlem’s fashion, the owner of Liguardy Hats fits perfectly with the ascot business because designer silk bands are used to customize hats. “My goal specifically is to not have everybody looking the same,” said Termonfils.

Termonfils focuses on interchangeability and customization to help achieve the goal of fashionable individuality. “You take a hat and then you make it your hat” is the model and mantra he wants everyone to keep in mind while supporting and purchasing. These custom looks can be made for everyone, including women who are looking for non-typical hats. “You start with this blank canvas and with your influence, your ideas, and with my hands, we’ll create something together,” said Termonfils.

BlackRose is thrilled about his partnership with Termonfils and Cooks, expressing how “amazing” things have been. With Termonfils’ specialty in hats, the three men can completely target customers who are interested in eloquent fashion. “Now we have

a trifecta with the ascots, pocket squares, the hats with the trimming, for the winter, for the summer – we’re going to kill it,” said BlackRose. He promises his BlackRose collection will be different because the trio is bringing back a lost culture of elegant fashion. “Traditional style is what we’re trying to keep alive.”

Cook called Termonfils a “mastermind” when it comes to stylish hats and appreciated meeting him at a hat workshop.

Cook expects more engagement with the community because of his brand. “Ascot’s Father is not just about style; we’re teaching people about taste as well,” said Cook. “We’re teaching people about craftsmanship.” He believes the company will be a great education tool for fashion and predicts its longevity. Cook also wants people to be authentically them and hopes Ascot’s Father, the BlackRose collection and

Liguardy Hats provide various ways for the community to express their style. “And,” Cook added, “at the same time, understanding quality.”

Cook viewed BlackRose as the perfect person for their business endeavor. He describes the partnership as a “beautiful opportunity” to collaborate with a Harlem master painter. Although he was born and raised in Arkansas, Cook

always admired Harlem. He met BlackRose in Harlem months prior to the launch and admired his attire — BlackRose usually wears a suit or formal clothing. “Even with him being a painter in Harlem, as a designer, I wanted to take my inspirations, take my brand and do something that inspires me with Harlem,” said Cook.

BlackRose has spent most of his life practicing his passion for painting, a completely different endeavor from ascots. He credits fashion designer Dapper Dan as one of his influences who gave him insight. BlackRose also credits his father as one of his biggest inspirations. “This has been a dope process,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been asked to be [a part of a] collaborative effort like this.” The magnitude of this partnership drew BlackRose into agreeing to this fashion venture, especially because of Cook’s international connections. “For him wanting to work with me, being from Harlem, that reinforces my mantra for Harlem – keeping it classy, keeping it classic.”

BlackRose anticipates having ascot parties where people will not be admitted without an ascot. This will be an exclusive way of encouraging people to dress their best. For more information, please visit www.ascotsfather.com and www.onlineviewingroom.com.

BlackRose, Terrence Cook, and Ligardy Termonfils standing outside of Harlem Haberdashery (Brenika Banks photos)

BlackRose wearing a purple ascot with matching square pocket cloth

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 through Sunday, August 20, 2023

Hats from Ascot’s Father and Ligardy Hats as well as the BlackRose Limited Edition Collection (Brenika Banks photo)

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By SUPREME GODDESS KYA

August 10, 2023—August 16, 2023

Rebirth of A New Nation: There is so much spaghetti in the sauce that the spaghetti is broken down into pieces for you to digest. The new moon is in Leo at 23 degrees. This is the ancient wise elders stepping forward to exhibit to the next world the passing down of vital information. Connect with your elders, as they have been living longer than you and have learned a few lessons or two. It’s not so much the lesson, as the story being told. Listen with your heart and be open within your mind to inner-stand the change of timeline. A new leaf is turning that brings new beginnings; just like the seasons, the leaves adapt to the environmental changes, and so do humans. The universe has a preliminary exam before progressing forward. Stay tuned for the mercury in Virgo retrograde; it’s going to be an idiosyncratic and disruptive time, so be tranquil when challenges arise. “We forget the soul has its own ancestors.”

James Hillman

Concentrate on a plan to accomplish your weekly tasks with imagination. Have faith in your plans, and watch the bridge open for you to cross over to the other side. Any semi-legal matters, get a hold on them. Partnership and the initiation of new concepts are the theme this week. Indulge in some alone time and explore within your imagination to travel to places with beaches, tropical trees, and white sand. It’s time to make your mark in the world on another plateau. In the days leading up to August 16th around 7p.m. the universe is showing you signs in synchronicity; take heed of the data given at no charge.

When the wind blows, all sorts of ideas are on your mind. Being in nature helps with being stuck in the house, and with dusting off the old ways of doing things. Get out of the house and allow the air to blow through your hair and feel the mist surrounding you, and just be. Close your eyes for a minute and allow the wind to take you away to a spiritual paradise. Believe you can do anything your mind can conceive, it’s up to you to change your thinking patterns to better yourself. From August 9th around 9 a.m. until August 11 around 6 p.m.—tick-tock, the clock strikes, get ready for the renovation of you.

Life throws you curveballs and travels down roads that go up and down like a slide to keep you motivated to conquer an assignment. What may seem up in the air is you being in the midst of change, and the mist is your guide. Be mindful of the experiences you encounter, as not all of them will feel good; some will give you a stomach ache. Food looks good yet the taste will have you going to the commode soon as you digest the food. From August 11th around 6:52 p.m. until August 14th around 6 a.m. pay close attention to your surroundings. You will find the hints and clues to the puzzle.

Have you had enough? When life gives you limes you can make it sweet, in between, or just as it comes. Aries, you are in for a super ride of a heavy assignment. It’s up to you to choose and decide. Remember, only you know where your heart guides you, and which matters of the heart need addressing. Don’t give up, stay in the fight, it’s not about winning or losing. It is about your strength and truth preparing for advancement. From August 14th around 6:36 a.m. until August 16th around 7 p.m. serving and tithing is something we all do to clear the past or make amends.

What’s the tone, gesture, and posture of the conversation you are encountering, since much is said through body language? There are messages coming through to you from other beings or sources; most importantly, listen to what your spirit guides are conveying to you. Yes, sudden departures and changes take place to get you in harmony with where you need to be, to see, speak to, or meet an individual. In the days leading up to August 16th around 7 p.m. listen as information is being revealed in the darndest ways.

Does your life seem like you are in a whirlwind, or a whirlpool washer/dryer machine, then hung out on the line to dry more? Don’t run around town like a chicken with its head cut off. Take a moment to think and catch your breath before moving on your agenda. Question: Do you feel like you are running around in the same circle? If so, STOP, PAUSE for a minute, and ask yourself if you have boundaries. This week is slow intentionally on purpose, to learn a lesson and to stop and smell the roses. From August 9th around 9 a.m. until August 11 around 6 p.m. be the change within and it will project outwardly.

The divine creator gives you opportunities on top of blessings to get it together. You are on a new excursion in the limelight and making a name for yourself. A meeting with destiny is the synchronicity of finding out more about you and what you carry as a spiritual being. Explore and take charge of your life, as you are on a new leaf going about life differently. From August 11th around 6:52 p.m. until August 14th, you have a new attitude with the step in your walk to match. Look at you in the mirror.

Partnerships, revelations, promotions, networking, obligations, enjoyment of your leisure, and loose lips that sank ships are all within this weekly forecast. When the information leaked out it was meant for you to hear, see, and be within the boundaries of what is being displayed. It’s all a lesson to take notice of how to move. Not all information is privy to people within your cycle. From August 14th around 6:36 a.m until August 16th around 7 p.m. the universe has its way to make things happen, conspiring in your favor. The stars are in alignment.

What is meant to be is meant to be for you. Not everyone receives the same treatment, kindness, gestures, and offers. No need for validation, it’s written all over your face and your presence. One thing to take heed of, is that you must get uncomfortable to get comfortable, doing something else that brings you a new feeling. Sometimes the old way needs an update, reboot, and restoration within its environment. You call all the shots you want, yet the odd and unexpected will show you another route. In the days leading up to August 16th around 7 p.m. knowing what you know will open doors for you. Put yourself out there more so humanity can hear.

Who said stomp the yard when truly it clearly needs cleaning, editing, and revamping? This week, folks say the pen is mightier than the sword. Put your words to use for a good cause instead of utilizing them as weapons. Where are the actions in your progress to show results? Get the messages out loud and clear to travel through the mouth of others as they hear it through the grapevine. This week, apply yourself as the limelight is on you and the people want to see you perform. From August 9th around 9 a.m. until August 11 around 6 p.m. do it for yourself more than anything. This is a milestone in your life.

Utilize everything in your possession to get the job done. Look within your surroundings to pull your resources to aid in your process forward. This bigbang, grand adventure you are brewing up will take you to heights you’ve only imagined when your work is complete. As you get close to completion, the divine creator will test you in areas of matters of the heart. Resistance is key; instead, talk to yourself about what happened when you gave in last time. What was your experience, as there is always a lesson to learn in life? From August 11th around 6:52 p.m. until August 14th, what’s your drive to your purpose of why you began what you started?

When you are in motion, things move quicker for you and you accomplish more. You are in the storm of change plus an adventure of a lifetime that people wish to experience. Live, walk, talk by faith, as the universe is on your side. As you travel and journey this week, take a good look at your surroundings. Your environment will tell a story and all you need to do is look. What your eyes land and focus on is part of the details of the story paving the way for you. From August 14th around 6:36 a.m. until August 16th around 7 p.m., listen and you will know. Follow your gut.

Vinateria

Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’ leaves audiences more baffled than scared

By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews

Disney’s “Haunted Mansion,” directed by Justin Simien, provides a lackluster journey through the iconic theme park attraction. While this PG-13-rated horror-comedy might not deliver on scares, it does make a modest attempt to find humor in its absurd take on a ghostly tale.

Simien, renowned for his work on “Dear White People,” manages to salvage the film from being a total disappointment by infusing it with his comedic sensibilities. The story revolves around Gracey Manor, a haunted mansion grappling with supernatural troubles. The movie’s storyline starts with a couple—the skeptical astrophysicist Ben (LaKeith Stanfield) and the believer in the supernatural (played by Charity Jordan)—and unfolds through the tragedies that shape their lives.

Ben, who is actually a very bright inventor, creates a camera capable of capturing images of ghosts. The plot then shifts forward several years, introducing Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), a single mother, and her young son Travis (Chase W. Dillon), who embark on the ambitious venture of converting the haunted mansion

into a bed-and-breakfast, despite its eerie reputation. Along the way, they enlist the help of a quirky clergyman (Owen Wilson), a zany medium (Tiffany Haddish), and a jittery scholar (Danny DeVito), with Jamie Lee Curtis making a delightful cameo appearance.

The mansion’s resident ghosts find themselves in a frenzy as an evil spirit takes over, leading them to abandon their haunting grounds in fear. And that, essentially, encapsulates the entire story: a mansion, undeniably haunted. To its credit, “Haunted Mansion” doesn’t aim to terrify, but rather to entertain with a light-hearted approach to the paranormal.

Despite the film’s thin comedic material, the cast endeavors to salvage the experience. Stanfield, Dawson, Wilson, Haddish, and DeVito form the ensemble, striving to inject life into the movie.

Rated PG-13 for its mild ghostly antics, the film boasts a manageable runtime of 2 hours and 2 minutes—suitable for families seeking a gentle cinematic outing.

“Haunted Mansion” falls short of providing the spine-tingling haunted house experience horror enthusiasts crave. Its humor is limited, making it more appropriate for very, very, very young audiences.

“Haunted Mansion” is now playing.

‘Survival of the Thickest’ is delightful fusion of comedy, social commentary

By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews

Michelle Buteau, a comedic force to be reckoned with, brings her unparalleled wit and charm to the forefront in “Survival of the Thickest.” Available on Netflix, this brilliantly crafted series co-created by Buteau and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel is a remarkable blend of humor and thought-provoking themes.

Within the realm of comedy, “Survival of the Thickest” excels, consistently delivering laughs that will resonate with audiences. I’m gutted that the brass at the deep-pocketed Netflix streaming platform only ordered eight episodes. Eight. A mere eight episodes. As I raise an imaginary eyebrow, it becomes apparent, to me at least, that there’s a lack of faith. This series deserved and deserves better. Shame on you, Netflix. Buteau, the co-creative mind behind “Survival of the Thickest,” takes center stage as the charismatic fashion stylist Mavis Beaumont. Throughout all eight episodes, Buteau immerses herself in the character, guiding viewers through Mavis’s journey of selfdiscovery and empowerment. Her mission to dress plus-sized women, nurturing their inner divas and fostering self-confidence, resonates powerfully in today’s society.

The unraveling of Mavis’s long-term relationship with a well-connected photographer (Taylor Selé) exposes the fragility of love and trust. Forced to reside in a shared

Brooklyn apartment, where privacy is a luxury, Mavis embarks on a challenging quest for financial stability and clientele.

Alongside her two loyal best friends, Khalil (Tone Bell) and Marley (Tasha Smith), she navigates the complexities of love, friendship, and self-acceptance.

The chemistry between the trio is electric—a testament to the exceptional casting choices made for the series. Their interactions, set against the backdrop of modern-day New York, offer an authentic and downright interesting portrayal of real-life

issues. Khalil and Marley, both fascinating characters in their own right, deserved further exploration to deepen our understanding of Mavis Beaumont’s world.

With a runtime of just four hours, “Survival of the Thickest” endeavors to encapsulate Mavis’s journey, leaving little room for in-depth exploration. From navigating the complexities of dating to the introduction of an Italian beau (Marouane Zotti) and the revelation of Mavis’s Caribbean immigrant heritage, the series touches upon profound themes such as identity and the complexities

of familial relationships. Notable guest appearances, including Garcelle Beauvais as Natasha—an aging supermodel seeking Mavis’s expertise—and a delightful array of celebrity drag performers, further enrich the tapestry of the show.

While I hesitate to step into any spoilers that exist inside the more comedic moments, it suffices to say that “Survival of the Thickest” boasts an abundance of comedic genius. The show is a wonderfully audacious creation, expertly balancing humor with thought-provoking social commentary. Its only flaw lies not in its content, but in the limited episode count imposed by Netflix. This series deserves more seasons.

“Survival of the Thickest” Co-creator/Executive producer: Michelle Buteau

Co-creator/Showrunner/Executive producer: Danielle Sanchez-Witzel

Executive Producers: Linda Mendoza; Ravi Nandan and Alli Reich for A24, Anne Hong (Mosaic)

Starring Michelle Buteau and Tone Bell with recurring guest stars Tasha Smith, Taylor Selé, Garcelle Beauvais, Marouane Zotti, Liza Treyger, Anissa Felix, Anthony Michael Lopez, Monnae Michaell, Usama Siddiquee, Allan K. Washington, Becca Blackwell, Peppermint, J. Riley Jr., Anna George, Michelle Visage, Donovan Louis Bazemore, and Ambre Anderson

“Survival of the Thickest,” now streaming on Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/ title/81354524

(From left) Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, and LaKeith Stanfield in “Haunted Mansion” (Jalen Marlowe/Disney)

“Survival of the Thickest” co-creator/executive producer Michelle Buteau (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

‘FLEX’ is a fascinating slam dunk at Lincoln Center

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“FLEX,” playing at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 W 65th Street), is an incredible piece of theater that shows the varied and complicated facets of young Black female friendships, competition, and betrayal, as well as the spiritual bonding that can occur among Black high school basketball players.

The moving story is beautifully written by Candrice Jones and focuses on five members of the Lady Train basketball team who are getting ready to compete in the state competition and are hoping to be seen and appreciated by college basketball scouts.

Although the lead character is Starra, the point guard and captain of the team, this cast cohesively shines as a marvelous ensemble who can not only act, but can also play some ball! The other distinctive characters include Sidney, who is new to the team and has caught the attention of the college scouts, something that Starra is quite jealous of.

These girls live in Plainnole, Arkansas, in 1998 and each has her own issues to deal with. Cherise, Starra’s cousin, is a youth minister and has a personal secret that makes her life a constant conflict. Donna is a “special” friend to Cherise and has set a clear path for her future: She is intelligent and about to get a full scholarship, but receives no approval

from her father. The last of the five players is April. April finds herself pregnant just before they prepare for state competition and that leads the team down a very difficult road.

These young ladies are guided by the strong, strict hand of Coach Francine. She is full of wisdom about the game and establishing a team bond, and learns some life lessons from her student athletes as well.

This fascinating play has shots you don’t see coming and they land right in the basketball hoop—nothing but net. Okay, no more sports analogies. This cast is funny, skilled, touching, and they inspire you to aspire to know your

dreams and fulfill them, but also realize the value of the friends you have around you.

This play also demonstrates on many levels that you should not judge a person for what you see on the surface, because you don’t know what is behind their behavior. There are moments you will be stunned.

The actresses delivered slam-dunk performances and had the audience on their feet cheering. Erica Matthews is mesmerizing as Starra. She brings an intensity to her performance that enables the audience to understand the method to her madness.

Ciara Monique is marvelous as Cherise. She

allows you to experience the conflict happening in her character in a way that brings on empathy. Renita Lewis is wonderful as Donna. Her character has a great deal of depth and wisdom. Brittany Bellizeare delivers a moving April. Her story and trauma are captivating. Tamera Tomakili serves up sensational as Sidney. She shows that this character is not just a talented basketball player for L.A.—she had to struggle just like all the other members of the team. Christiana Clark brings a level of grace, patience, and wisdom to her role as Coach Francine. Eboni Edwards played multiple roles.

The direction of Lileana Blain-Cruz was absolutely brilliant. This play has your attention from the first appearance of the girls on the basketball court and the first bounce to the final play of the state championships. There is such a sense of teamwork, sisterhood, having each other’s back, and the devastation and betrayal that occurs when that ceases to be by one member of the team— anyone in the audience has to find themselves moved by this poignant work.

Every element of this production is clearly cohesive and flows, including the sets by Matt Saunders, costumes by Mika Eubanks, lighting by Adam Honore, and sound by Palmer Hefferan.

“FLEX” will have you FLOORED—in a good way!

For more info, visit www.lct.org/shows/flex.

‘Unentitled’ brought laughs and lessons on legacy

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

A sold-out run of Charles White’s “Unentitled” presented by the Negro Ensemble Company was recently completed at 59E59 Theaters. The play was quite entertaining, but in between the multiple laughs, there were a lot of lessons about Black ownership, legacy, and our connection to our past that we should and must pass on to our children.

We meet Frank Saunders, a recently laid-off senior attorney at a law firm. Frank, an older Black attorney along with other older Black attorneys, was weeded out by a larger white firm that took over his company. He has taken a severance package and now faces telling his wife, Deanna, that financially, they are in trouble. Deanna’s family has passed down a gorgeous beachfront home and land in Sag Harbor, where they have always spent their summers. With the loss of his income, Frank comes up with an idea to start his own company but needs start-up money to do so. He decides that this can happen by selling the house and land, which belong to Deanna and

her brother Ben. He and Ben have had a strained relationship for years, but now he seeks to repair it to get Ben on his side about selling the house.

Deanna is very much invested in the family’s legacy, and the house where she enjoyed her happiest childhood memories. Deanna also had a very close relationship with her father, a successful doctor, who died. She constantly shares the story of her grandfather buying the land and building the house himself and how this property is the family’s legacy for future generations. Ben, however, had a very different child-

hood than Deanna and does not have the same sense of attachment to the house or their father. We find out that Dr. Walters had skeletons in his closet, and one particular skeleton—by the name of Aaron—comes home to claim kinship with Deanna and Ben. Aaron declares that he is the bastard son of Dr. Walters and gets a DNA test to prove it. This story illustrates how people can have a totally different side to them that they hide from some family members; and in the end, everyone is human and flawed. The question is, once an individual commits an act that his family con-

siders a betrayal, how do you react to the person who is the fruit of that action, but has been left out of the family legacy and is alone? This play lets you see, through a lot of funny, touching moments, that we all just want to belong to a family and to feel recognized and loved. (It also deals with the way that society disregards Black men and does not give a second thought about it.) The cast delivered a stunning ensemble performance. Kenya Wilson was on point as Deanna, a woman dedicated to preserving her family’s property and legacy. Leah Finnie was delightful as Alice, Deanna’s

mother-in-law, who understood the importance of family and being recognized and accepted by one’s people. Gil Tucker, who played Ben, always brings 150% to every role. (His facial expressions and gestures are comedically priceless!) Reggie Wilson did well in the role of Frank; he demonstrated his character’s anger and frustration at his mistreatment, but also the struggle he felt in trying to figure out a way to keep his family afloat. Adrian Washington was memorable as Aaron, the unacknowledged son of Dr. Walters. White writes plays that are more than entertaining; they possess lessons that speak the truth to the cultural experiences of those he’s writing about. He lets audiences see the plight that people have with a clear, vivid voice. He puts a spotlight on gentrification in places like Sag Harbor. He emphasizes the importance of Black families maintaining their legacies for generations to come. This production had exceptional direction by Florante Galvez. If you see it go up again, please make plans to see it. There were people in the audience that had enjoyed it multiple times during the run.

Kenya Wilson and Gil Tucker in a scene from “Unentitled”. (Jonathan Slaff photos)

Leah Finnie and Adrian Washington in a scene from “Unentitled”.

Cast of FLEX playing at Lincoln Center’s Newhouse Theater. (Marc J. Franklin photo)

Bessies ’23: Dance World declares ‘You Won’t Break My Soul’ and celebrates

By ZITA ALLEN Special to the AmNews

The Bessies: The New York Dance and Performance Awards of 2023 pulled out all the stops Friday, Aug. 4, to honor outstanding work in dance at its annual ceremony in Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park on a pleasant summer evening where the stars on stage shone as bright as the ones in the sky. But this year, celebration mixed the bitter with the sweet as the award celebration opened with a tribute to 28-yearold O’Shay Sibley, the dancer brutally murdered at a Brooklyn filling station as he and friends defied the phallocentric masculine ideal while expressing their Black joy by voguing to the music of Beyoncé.

In a press statement, Robert Battle, artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where Sibley had studied, noted the tragic irony of the murder filled with racial and homophobic overtones. “We live in a world where the fact that someone wants to dance for joy can inspire hate; we dance for joy to inspire the humanity in each other.”

Recalling the 14-year-old boy whose love of dance, and a referral from the sister of the late R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, brought Sibley to her Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) years ago.

Outspoken matriarch Joan Myers Brown denounced the influence of white supremacy that allowed one group of men marked as Other by the dominant culture to think they were entitled to police the behavior of Sibley and his friends. “He was dancing. He wasn’t hurting anybody,” Brown said of the young man whose love of dance she had encouraged. “In fact, he danced with my second company and the first company.” In Sibley’s honor, The Bessies MC’s urged the audience to stand and dance in honor of Sibley’s memory before the official proceedings began.

As the ceremony got underway, the first to be applauded was Virginia Johnson, founding member and recently retired DTH artistic director,who received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement in Dance. Dancer, singer, and actor Dionne Figgins recalled how, when she was an aspiring young Black ballerina, the reaffirming image of Johnson in DTH’s “Creole Giselle” at Washington, D.C.,’s Kennedy Center made her believe that, “because she did, I knew I could”—

a “simple belief” that she said changed the trajectory of her life. With Johnson’s award, the Bessies recognized an impressive history-making, paradigm-shifting career that began at the Washington School of Ballet, and included a brief stint at New York University as a University Scholar, only to assume its magical trajectory with a trip uptown to Harlem in 1969, where she took class with Arthur Mitchell. It was a path that would change countless lives. Universally recognized as one of the great ballerinas of her generation, Johnson has danced an impressive repertory of classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works, but is perhaps best known for performances in the ballets “Giselle,” ”A Streetcar Named Desire,” and “Fall River Legend.”

At one point, Johnson ventured into choreography, but an interest in journalism led to a degree in communications from Fordham University. A circuitous route included a stint studying film-making and television production at the School of Visual Arts, but it wasn’t long before fate led her back to dance, albeit on a different footing: Johnson became the founding editor-in-chief of the national dance magazine POINTE (2000 to 2009).

In a life marked by impressive milestones, an equally impressive list of awards marks her impressive achievements, but one of John-

son’s most outstanding is probably the honor bestowed on her by Arthur Mitchell, DTH’s founding artistic director, when he asked her to take the helm of the company he created with teacher/mentor Karel Shook.

Then, in July 2023, after decades of steering DTH through troubled waters and protecting Mitchell’s legacy while securing her own, Johnson recently officially stepped down, passing the torch to Robert Garland, former DTH dancer and resident choreographer.

Welcomed to the stage by thunderous applause, Johnson graciously accepted the Bessies Award. In her characteristically measured tones, she thanked the New York dance community and the giants who inspired her, including a list of dance greats such as Mitchell, Mary Hinkson, Carmen de Lavallade, Maria Tallchief, and Janet Collins, as well as “the amazing members of Dance Theatre of Harlem; artists, staff, and board, past and present; and friends and colleagues.”

“What a gift it is to dance,” Johnson declared. “Dance, in whatever form, is a guiding light. In this time of change, dance alone has the possibility to transform across every demographic. It is on all of us to put dance at the center— to lead with our hearts and never doubt its power.”

In a sequence of what can only

be called dance brilliance, Johnson was followed by other impressive talents, beginning with celebrated choreographer and dancer, producer, composer, and director George Faison, whose career began as a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, followed by his Universal Dance Experience and his history-making achievement in 1975 as the first African American to win a Tony Award for Best Choreography of a Broadway musical, “The Wiz.”

Although Faison was a presenter, he began by calling the names of a treasured host of forerunners, including Donald McKayle, Eleo Pomare, Thelma Hill, Joan Myers Brown, and more before announc-

ing Symara Johnson as the winner of award for Outstanding Breakthrough Choreographer. And so it went at the Bessies, as presenters Tyler Ashley, Clifton Brown, Erin Fogerty, Dyane Harvey Salaam, Karisma Jay, Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte, Abdel Salaam, and Paz Tanjuaquio proceeded to honor an impressive list of dance notables, beginning with Michele Byrd-McPhee, founder and executive director of Ladies of Hip-Hop, who, in the year of the 50th anniversary of the artform, received the award for Outstanding Service to the Field of Dance.

A complete list of winners is available on the Bessies website at https://bessies.org.

Dancing in honor of O’Shae Sibley (AK47 Division photo)

Bessies Executive Director Heather Robles (Steven Pisano photo)

Lifetime Achievement in Dance awardee Virginia Johnson (Yekaterina Gyadu photo)

David Wright and Ingrid Silva of Dance Theatre of Harlem (AK47 Division photo)

Chicken Bone Beach, Dizzy’s, Great Jazz on the Great Hill

ist Regina Carter, who’s played everything from a classical concert in Genoa, using a violin made in 1743 by Niccolò Paganini, to the sound of her hometown Detroit, Also on the bill will be the Mary Cross Quartet. Cross, a native of New Jersey, is a renowned R&B singer, who will bring a soulful aspect to the evening.

For a comprehensive cultural history of CBB, these two books are essential: “Chicken Bone Beach (Images Of America)” by Ronald J. Stephens and Henrietta Shelton (Arcadia Publishing SC, 2017), and “Chicken Bone Beach: A Pictorial History of Atlantic City’s Missouri Avenue Beach” by Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks (Sunbury Press. 2017). Some of the iconic figures mentioned above are pictured in this latter book.

The festival is presented by the Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, Inc. For more information, visit chickenbonebeach.org or call 609-841-6897.

On Aug. 10-12, Dizzy’s jazz club will celebrate “Mulgrew Miller: Wingspan Reunion.” The bandmates of legendary pianist and composer Miller will observe what would have been his 67th birthday weekend, for their first reunion since his untimely transition in 2013.

Just lounging on the couch, still sleepy on a recent Sunday morning contemplating a piece for my column, and as I hit my WBGO app, a familiar voice was heard in the middle of an announcement referencing the Chicken Bone Beach Jazz Festival. Wait, what did she say? Chicken Bone Beach?! Suddenly, my “derogatory negro” antennae shot to the sky: What the hell, Chicken Bone Beach?? I immediately took to Google and YES, there it was: a Chicken Bone Beach in Atlantic City, the racially segregated beach during the 1920s through 1960s, which was established as Missouri Avenue Beach. It became one of the most famous beaches in Atlantic City, attracting Black celebrities, entertainers, civic leaders and athletes (from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sammy Davis, Jr. to Joe Louis). The Northside of Atlantic City was also known for its famous Club Harlem on Kentucky Avenue.

It seems the then-derogatory “Chicken Bone Beach” was called such in an unattributed statement which, some assume came from the white maintenance workers who cleaned the beach and in their bigoted humor began the rumor, probably saying, “man, you know every time we go to clean that negro beach we find thousands of chicken bones in the sand,” and thus Chicken Bone Beach—and it STUCK! But that moniker is no more outrageous than “The Inkwell,” the popular Black beach in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard (also founded in the early 1900s), that was negatively tagged thus by local whites relating to the beach-goers’ dark complexions.

Despite the pejorative beach brandings by whites, both Black communities (Oak Bluffs and Atlantic City) turned the nicknames into cultural attractions of pride, respect, and reflection. “The Inkwell” and Chicken Bone Beach remain two of the most enduring historical beaches in America.

Now that Chicken Bone Beach (CBB) is no longer a mystery to me, let’s get on to this 23rd Annual CBB Jazz on the Beach free concert series, held every Thursday

now through Sept. 7, at Kennedy Plaza between Mississippi & Georgia Avenues on the Boardwalk (7 p.m. -10 p.m.). The line-up casts a wide net that should catch those territorial New Yorkers who refuse to leave the city for any reason. The roster boasts influential headliners, as well as an exciting roster of local jazz musicians, who will perform 7 p.m. -8 p.m. There is no concert scheduled for Aug. 10.

On Aug. 17, Amina Figarove Sextet and Tribute to Charles Fambrough featuring pianist Aaron Graves and saxophonist Joe Ford will perform. The pianist, composer, and producer Figarove has been performing with her acclaimed sextet since 2005, over the years rotative musicians have included trumpeter Alex Pope Norris and saxophonist Wayne Escoffery.

On Aug. 24, the soft-spoken pianist Cyrus Chestnut, who drops classical notes in gospel-moving jazz phrases, will appear with the local Dwain Davis Quartet. On Aug. 31, trumpeter Etienne Charles, the creative jazz musician who infuses his native roots of Trinidad in his music, appears on the bill with Yocontalle Quartet; and the finale on Sept. 7 presents violin-

This celebratory occasion will be a reincarnation of Wingspan, one of Miller’s final bands, featuring vibraphonist Steve Nelson, trumpeter Duane Eubanks, and alto saxophonist Steve Wilson with guests; pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Carl Allen. The artists will bring a fresh interpretation to the 2002 Wingspan album, “The Sequel.” Nelson said, “It is with great joy that I anticipate this reunion.”

For more information and reservations, visit 2023jazz.org.

Great Jazz on The Great Hill is one of Manhattan’s most welcomed free events on Central Park’s Great Hill at 106th Street and Central Park West, the annual event presented by Jazzmobile and the Central Park Conservancy commences Aug. 12 from 4 p.m. -7 p.m.

This year’s established guests will include trumpeter and composer Jeremy Pelt (author of Guru: Examining the Lives of Jazz’s Great Storytellers, Vols. 1 & 2), trombonist Wycliffe Gordon (the Jazz Journalists Association named him Trombonist of the Year a record-breaking 15 times), percussionist Bobby Sanabria’s Multiverse Big Band (award-winning musician, composer, arranger, conductor, and producer), and the afternoon’s Emcee, vocalist Lezlie Harrison, the jazz voice of New York and beyond heard on jazz radio WBGO-FM.

Violinist Regina Carter (Jonathan Chimene photo)

Therapy

Continued from page 3

Crawford described the act of therapists projecting their unresolved problems onto the patient as countertransference.

When she saw how her administrators treated her, she immediately thought of how they may affect their patients.

“There is such an honesty … of a vulnerability, as if, ‘I’m going to tell you my full truth and know that you’re not going to hurt me or judge me or evaluate me or think I’m ghetto or think any of those projections. You’re just going to see me. And I think that’s really powerful,’’ Crawford said.

She said it is hard for people to find Black mental health professionals, especially Black male therapists. Terrance Martin, a licensed Black male therapist in Harlem, said he agrees wholeheartedly.

He said the negative portrayals of Black communities in media present an acute

Sibley

and pervasive trauma that affects many individuals. He said he believes mental health care is crucial in combating systemic inequities in healthcare and criminal justice systems.

Also, Martin acknowledged the challenges of becoming a therapist, especially for Black individuals who often face barriers such as the school-to-prison pipeline in early childhood education and mental health stigmas.

Martin said he also struggles with internal battles as a Black therapist, balancing his desire to care for the community with the need for financial stability. He said the support of financially empowered clients can significantly impact his ability to help those in need.

Crawford and Martin agreed that there is a massive shortage of Black and brown therapists in NYC. They also said that the destigmatization, in recent years, of therapy in Black and brown communities may have aided this shortage.

With fewer people associating therapy with “craziness” or severe mental ill -

ness, more people are open to the idea. For that reason, many of the therapists spoken to have extensive waitlists for patients seeking Black or brown therapists.

Roberta Jackson, a licensed clinical social worker in Harlem, said she wants to break the stigma against therapy in the Black community. She said while she paid her education fees in full, she hopes the city government can financially help individuals seeking licenses in mental health practices.

Jackson explained that mental health resources are still mystifying for some people and are new to many. She said a black therapist can help people in their communities understand therapy from a familiar perspective.

“One thing you have to consider is therapy is very new for a lot of people of color. For a while, it was something that was ‘for white people’ or to go to when you’re crazy,” she said. “It’s not that at all.”

Jackson said that therapy can be a tool for people to process their traumas and change their lives as they see fit.

Metro Briefs

Continued from page 3

Legal assistance providers can be reached for Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island residents at Legal Services NYC, 917-661-4500; Manhattan residents can contact Mobilization for Justice at 212417-3700; and Queens residents should reach out to the Jewish Association Serving the Aging at 212-273-5359. Others can call 311 or 212-NEW-YORK (212-6399675) for assistance.

For more information, visit on.nyc. gov/LegalHelpforOlderAdults.

–– Compiled by Karen Juanita Carrillo

least five LGBTQ+ people killed throughout the U.S. in recent weeks. Dr. Rich Blint— visiting assistant professor of African and African American Studies at Dartmouth College—said the incident is indicative of a partisan, nationwide effort condemning people like Sibley.

“The reality that allows a 17-year-old boy to ruin the rest of his life, because he sees someone voguing at a gas station, is absolutely astounding to me,” he said. “That has been going on for all the time I’ve been alive…we can’t pretend this is a new question, and we can see from the current discourse from Republicans—in certain presidential candidates—there’s a really stark division in the country along racial gender and sexual lines.”

The Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes does not comment on individual cases, but connected the AmNews with partnering organization NYC Anti-Violence Project (AVP) on how the city may strategize on stopping similar violence in the future.

“We continue to say O’Shae Sibley’s name and mourn his loss along with our community. Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is harmful and anti-LGBTQ+ violence and harassment is rampant among our communities,” said

Continued from page 3 a.m.–2 p.m.

Continued from page 4

AVP executive director Beverly Tillery. “Words can quickly escalate into physical violence and all hate violence puts our communities at more risk. We must prioritize working together, across communities, to eliminate bias-based violence across the board, and create a city and a country where people can live freely and fearlessly.”

Beyoncé honored Sibley over the weekend, changing her website header to simply say “REST IN POWER O’SHEA SIBLEY” over a black screen. Her “Renaissance” album played prior to the incident is heavily-influenced by Black queer music.

Only Popov was arrested and charged over Sibley’s killing.

“As of right now, the defendant’s going to be charged solely,” said NYPD Assistant Chief Kenny. “Based on our investigation the group dissipates. We had a lot of members from the community out here acting as peacemakers. The group did start to disappear. The defendant stayed unfortunately and stabbed the victim.”

Officially, Popov’s three charges are second-degree murder, second-degree murder as a hate crime and fourth-degree criminal weapon possession. He allegedly fled the scene in a Toyota Highlander before reportedly surrendering to Brooklyn’s 61st Precinct almost a week after the stabbing. Popov was remanded without bail, according to a Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office spokesperson.

A memorial GoFundMe supporting Sibley’s family was created by the company he danced for, Philadanco! It can be found at: https://www.gofundme. com/f/dancers-memorial-fund-for-oshae-sibley?utm_campaign=p_cp+sharesheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_ source=customer

PRATT

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.

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

OCCUPANCY STANDARDS: Two bedroom apartments. Two to four people. Three bedroom apartments. Four to six people OR parent or guardian with 2 children.

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

• Applications are not transferable.

• Current Shareholders are not eligible to apply.

• Applicant must be a New York State resident.

• Applicant must be at least 18 years old at the time of the lottery.

• Preference will be given to documented veterans selected in the lottery.

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

• 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.

• HPD is not affiliated with any third party organizations regarding Mitchell Lama lotteries. If applicants use a third party organization to assist with applying for the lottery, no preference will be given to applicants nor should an applicant pay any fees to apply to the lottery.

Additional Information: A $75 non-refundable application fee will be required at the completion of the lottery for candidates that are selected. Those selected will be notified by the managing agent and will be required to submit the application fee made payable to the managing agent only. The Two-Bedroom waiting list will be established by a limited lottery of 100 applicants and the Three Bedroom waiting list will be established by 50 applicants.

HOW TO APPLY: ONLINE You can now apply to a lottery online through Mitchell-Lama Connect. Applying is fast, easy and you will be able to check the status of your entry to see if you have been selected. To apply on line go to: https://a806-housingconnect.nyc.gov/nyclottery/lottery.html#ml-home

BY MAIL Mail Post Card or Envelope by regular mail. Registered and Certified Mail will not be accepted. Clearly print your full first and last name, current address and last 4 digits of your social security number and the bedroom size lottery that you wish to apply for. If you do not include the last 4 digits of your social security number or fail to indicate the bedroom size lottery, you will not be entered into the lottery.

duct other services by completing the registration form here.

Compiled by Karen Juanita Carrillo

Eric

Adams, Mayor • Adolfo Carrión, Commissioner • www.nyc.gov/hpd

legal assistance providers who can help with legal issues such as income and benefits; health and long-term care; consumer protection matters; housing and utility issues; guardianship and abuse/neglect, and more.

New Jersey

CLASSROOM IN THE

Dr. William Claytor, a prominent link in notable Black mathematicians

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

As I have noted, Sibrina Collins is the main source for this profile of Dr. Claytor, though there are several articles online about him and his legacy.

DISCUSSION

There are no actual published incidents of the racism and discrimination he encountered.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Dr. Claytor didn’t live very long—he died at 59—but his contributions and teaching were resourceful, particularly the number of accomplished students he mentored.

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Last week we examined the life and legacy of Evelyn Boyd Granville, a gifted mathematician who was among the so-called “Hidden Figures” at NASA. In fact, she was even more obscured than the more noted of the women, but nonetheless made a phenomenal contribution to the space race. William Claytor, like Granville, was an extremely talented mathematician, but unlike her, he had no affiliation with NASA.

He was born on January 4, 1908, in Norfolk, Va. but it was in the public schools of Washington, D.C. where he received early education.

He was the oldest child of Simsie Thorne, a graduate of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, and William O. Claytor, who taught at the Southern Norfolk Colored Graded School. He was five when the family moved to the nation’s capital. Again like Granville, or at least her mother and aunt, Claytor worked at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, before establishing his own dental practice in the city.

In 1929 and 1930, respective-

ly, he earned his B.A. and M.A. from Howard University. Claytor was mentored by the esteemed Dr. Dudley Woodard, Jr., his thesis advisor, and the second AfricanAmerican to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. At Howard, he was also taught by Dr. Elbert Cox, the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics.

On the recommendation of Dr. Woodard, Claytor was admitted to the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences where in 1934, with a focus on topology, he obtained his doctorate in mathematics—the third Black American to earn the distinction. Claytor’s education journey at Penn was facilitated by a Harrison scholarship.

With his freshly minted doctorate, Dr. Claytor accepted a teaching position at West Virginia State College where after a three-year stint he was funded by a Rosenwald Fellowship to a post-doctoral position at the University of Michigan. Among the significant moments at West Virginia State College was having Katherine Coleman Johnson as one of his students. She, of course, is best known as one of the “Hidden Figures” and

deemed the “human computer” with her calculations that helped John Glenn complete his orbital flight.

At University of Michigan, however, the rampant racial discrimination denied him an opportunity to teach at the institution. During World War II., he served as an instructor in Anti-Aircraft Artillery. After the war, he was offered a faculty slot at Howard University. The intense racism had stifled his interest in research, and he limited his academic time solely to teaching. In 1948, he married the psychologist Mae Belle Pullins, who shared his love of mathematics. They had one daughter. During his long tenure at Howard, he was often invited to various conferences, including insightful presentations at the national sessions of the American Mathematical Society. As in the past, these various invitations did not include accommodations at the hotels where the events were held. This abject racism, at last, led him to decline many of the offers he received.

Dr. Claytor was trained in mathematical research, according to Karen Hunger Parshall, a professor of history and mathematics at the University of Virginia. In her article titled

“Mathematics and the Politics of Race: The Case of William Claytor,” she wrote that “de jure segregations in the south and de facto segregation elsewhere, left the research universities largely closed to him, and made it hard for him even to participate in the activities of his professional societies.”

Eventually, Dr. Claytor became the chair of the Department of Mathematics at Howard and remained at the school until his retirement in 1965. Two years later, he passed away at 59. In 1980, the National Association of Mathematicians instituted the Claytor Lecture Series in his honor.

Kudos to Sibrina Collins, an organometallic chemist and former writer and editor for the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her research and publication of this profile . Collins became the first executive director of the Marburger STEM Center at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan.

The photo above contains one of Dr. Claytor’s articles, which I have no idea what’s being discussed, but maybe one or two of my readers can decipher it.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

Aug. 7, 1904: Ralph Bunche, the first person of color to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, was born in Detroit, Michigan. He died in 1971.

Aug. 8, 1866: Matthew Henson, co-discoverer of the North Pole, was born in Charles County, Maryland. He died in 1955.

Aug. 9, 1963: Grammywinning singer and actress, Whitney Houston, was born in E. Orange, N.J. She died in 2012.

Dr. William Claytor and one of his articles

against Black people’s complacency as second class citizens.

“The subjects of [voting] tests were so difficult, particularly for African American people. They may ask you a question such as, how many seeds are there in a watermelon? How many gallons of water are there in the Pacific Ocean? And no matter what you said it was wrong,” said Wilder.

Wilder said that some people categorized Shuttlesworth as either courageous or crazy for his actions. “But after the first bomb that went off on Dec 25, 1956 [at his home] he said all fear left him,” said Wilder. “And he was never afraid again.”

Birmingham was unfortunately nicknamed ‘Bombingham’ because there were about 60 racially motivated bombings of Black homes, businesses, and churches that were purposefully never solved by white law enforcement between 1948 and 1963. What’s often not said is that survivors of these hellish bombings are still alive today.

At the Civils Right Activist Committee Foot Soldier Headquarters in Birmingham, witnesses to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and those who participated in the Children’s Crusade gathered to speak with

Fajr's law

Continued from page 4

bussed by the companies they choose. At the least, the parents should be a part of the process and the discussions before contracts are awarded. And what I mean by full transparency is just keeping us up to date with what’s going on with the process.

“The Board should do full training courses for all the drivers and the aides according to the statutes. But also––in addition––the drivers and aides should each be trained in CPR and have current certifications on file for good record keeping that they can always, you know, go back to for future use.”

The current administrative code regarding training for school bus drivers and bus aides, N.J.A.C. 6A:27-11.3, only appears to require that they have training in student management and discipline, know bus accident and emergency exit procedures, and understand bus loading and unloading procedures. Under N.J.S.A. 18A:39-19.2, which covers guidelines for interacting with students with special needs, transportation workers are only required to know that when transporting students in wheelchairs on a bus, “restraints that may be necessary could include a three-point seat belt, harness/safety vest or a car seat for children who are small in order to keep them safe while transporting the student to and from school. You need to know how to get students in and out of these types of equipment.”

There does not appear to be any requirement for transportation workers to be able to provide any medical assistance. Adding that extra skillset might call for an increase in salaries for bus

NABJ journalists.

“We were going to have a youth day program. We were laughing all the way to church,” recounted Sarah Collins Rudolph, known as the ‘fifth little girl’ and lone survivor found in the basement covered in debris.

Rudolph’s sister, Addie, was one of the four little Black girls that died in the bombing of the church in September 1963 at 10:22 am. Rudolph was rushed to the hospital after. She lost her right eye and had pieces of glass in her body.

“When I came back to my room my mother was waiting so she told me that all the girls that was in the lounge with me. They was all killed,” said Rudolph.

Dr. Carolyn McKinstry, friend of the four girls who died in the explosion, was a 15-year-old Sunday school secretary for the 16th St. Church. She said she loved that church and the sense of community it fostered for her. She recalls being at the very first meeting that King, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Shuttlesworth held in Birmingham. “I came home from school. I came into this office and I heard what I called fiery speeches,” said McKinstry. “Somebody with a lot of passion and I didn’t know what it was.”

McKinstry remembers signing the nonviolent pledge in order to march with King and

Shuttlesworth before the horrific bombing of the church. She had arrived at church that morning with her two little brothers that also survived. She said she carried out her secretary duties. She had passed the bathroom and spoke to the girls. “And when I got to the top of the stairway the phone was ringing,” said McKinstry. “The male caller on the other end said ‘three minutes’ and as quickly as he said that he hung up the phone.”

She said she made it to about the first pew on the main floor of the church when the bomb exploded.“The first thing that entered my mind was thunder,” said McKinstry, about how loud it was. Others also said that the bomb that went off at 16th St. was so loud it was heard all over Birmingham.

“I tell people sometimes when the church was bombed I was 15, but for the next 20 years, I was 15,” said McKinstry, describing the trauma.

Birmingham and certain counties throughout Alabama at large have changed significantly in the past six decades. But in other ways, nothing has changed.

“Since Richard Arrington became mayor there have only been Black mayors to come behind him,” said tour guide Brenda Wright, who has lived in Birmingham for the past 78 years. “Birmingham is very progressive regardless of what you may have been told in the past. We’re moving forward.”

The push for Fajr’s Law will be coordinated under an organization called the Fajr Move-

Current Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin was present at some of the forums at the NABJ conference held at the large sports complex downtown.

Neighboring cities like Selma and Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, played equally major roles in the Civil Rights Movement. This week in Montgomery, a series of viral videos online captured a group of white boaters assaulting a Black riverboat captain. The boaters were blocking a riverboat from docking and staunchly refused to move. They then proceeded to attack the captain when he started to untie the vessel. Black coworkers, passengers, and other onlookers jumped in to help the man. Three white people are supposed to be charged with misdemeanor assault and one Black man who wielded a chair in connection to the riverfront brawl is being asked to turn himself in, reported the Associated Press.

The incident has once again spotlighted racial relations between Black and white residents in Alabama on a national stage.

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.

ment ESA and will be an effort to help fund research about the genetic disorder.

transportation workers, to which Nash insists, “If that’s what’s needed for kids to be safe, I don’t see the problem. They need to get it done.”

Nash told the AmNews that she has reached out to the offices of Senator Cory Booker, Gov. Phil Murphy, Franklin Township Mayor Phillip Kramer, and the New Jersey Department of Education regarding her Fajr’s Law proposal but has not had any response. In fact, no one from any of the named offices has even contacted her family to express condolences about the loss of her child.

The AmNews has also reached out to the offices Nash tried to contact, and so far, only the New Jersey Department of Education has promised to respond to our questions, but they were unable to respond by deadline.

Najmah Nash recalls that on July 17, the bus aide, Davila, and the bus driver were relatively new workers on Fajr’s summer program route. She noted that they arrived and just seemed focused on the mechanics of doing their job. “They didn’t interact much with my daughter at all. Which, unfortunately, isn’t anything new to us. A lot of times, you know, they don’t interact with the children, or they will barely interact with you: It’s like it’s forced.

“I’m just that type of mom where I’m engaging and making eye contact and saying good morning. I let them see me engage with my daughter and talked with her the entire time as they were loading her on the wheelchair lift, so they can see that even though she’s nonverbal, you can still talk to her and she responds to that.”

Pain is palpable after Navy Yard Clubhouse closing

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The shuttering of the Navy Yard Boys & Girls Club––which serviced the Downtown Brooklyn, Navy Yard, and DUMBO neighborhoods––has led to a broad dispersal of the children who used to attend the site.

The building at 240 Nassau Street now stands closed and empty. The commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been contracted to accept proposals from developers and organizations interested in purchasing the location, which is directly across the street from NYCHA’s Farragut housing projects.

For now, the children who took part in Clubhouse activities are off attending summer programs at Fort Greene’s P.S. 067, at the Farragut Community Center, and even at the nearby The Church of The Open Door. There weren’t exactly enough spots in the varied summer programs for all the former Clubhouse kids to go to, so some kids have spent most of their summer close to home. With fall quickly approaching, the next challenge is to find out where former Clubhouse kids will be able to go for afterschool and extracurricular services.

“The idea of what is yet to come is very scary,” community activist Samantha Johnson acknowledged, “because there won’t be any community-focused space. As gentrification and other things start occurring, we’re finding ourselves in complete battles for spaces and services when we’re in a very ‘rich’ area, so to speak, that has an image of having resources. But when you’re in the middle of NYCHA residences and you’re in the middle of developers, who wins?” Johnson points out that the Clubhouse building was not only a space for neighborhood children, it had also become a community resource. There were pantry services, and it had a meeting space: It was a facility that catered to people of varied ages.

The loss of the space for the children is the most obvious, but everyone is going to notice the difference. With the former building available to be sold or leased out, a new owner could renovate the property or completely demolish and redevelop it.

Dorian Muller, a former Farragut resident who remains concerned about his former neighbors, was the first to raise the alarm about the closing of the Navy Yard Clubhouse. He remembers playing basketball there when he was a child. “So that’s why I said to myself that I was fighting for this Boys & Girls Club,” he said. “I didn’t ask nobody no questions; I didn’t start to talk about I’m going to fight. I just said, ‘Listen everybody, I’m fighting whether you’re going to walk with me or not.’

“You know, we lost a daycare center in Farragut to a federal halfway house,” Muller added, referencing the conversion of the former Farragut Tenants Day Care Center at 104 Gold Street into a 161-bed halfway house for federal prison parolees. “And you know why we lost that? It’s

because we’re poor: Poor people lose everything. It’s because the downtown area is very inviting. And once you had 9/11, everybody wanted to live in that 11201 and that 11205-area code. These are some of the richest and most expensive area codes right now, even though we got people that’s in poverty across the street from the DUMBO area.

“It’s called DUMBO now, but when I lived there, it was called the Dots, with big rats. It smelled like eggs, and we just used to throw rocks against the dirty water.”

The trauma of gentrification

The Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Foundation is selling the Navy Yard Clubhouse because it faced hundreds of child sexual abuse lawsuits filed under the New York State Child Victims Act (CVA) against a former Foundation volunteer; claims were that the volunteer abused children beginning in the year 1948 and continued doing so up until 1984.

The Foundation filed for Chapter 11 restructuring in June of 2022 to save itself and said it found it could get the most money to pay those claims against them by selling their Navy Yard Clubhouse. The building could be sold for between $15 to $25 million.

This past July 28th, the Foundation announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court had accepted its reorganization plan, and it will be able to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

“The confirmation of our plan is a signifi-

cant step that puts us on a clear path to emerge from the reorganization process and continue serving New York City’s most vulnerable communities for decades and generations to come,” Tim McChristian, executive director of the Madison Foundation, said in a press release. McChristian said he hopes Foundation abuse survivors will be able to “continue to heal from the harm they suffered,” and he promised that Madison would continue “to support our community as one of the longestserving providers of afterschool programming and youth development programs in underserved communities in New York City.

“We are highly optimistic that the Department of Youth and Community Development will approve our ability to continue to provide afterschool programs in the new school year at a local school to be determined,” he added.

With the Navy Yard Clubhouse shuttered, fears are that the former building could become yet another luxury rental. Since 2004, more than 20,000 new apartments have been built in the Downtown Brooklyn area where, according to the apartment listings site RentCafe, monthly rents now average $4,048 a month.

“In terms of gentrification, nobody deals with people having to move out, nobody deals with the trauma,” The Church of The Open Door’s Rev. Dr. Mark V.C. Taylor expressed to the AmNews.

He said the situation echoes the many times

Black people are mistreated and damaged by the larger society, but nothing is done about it. There is little reflection on the pain that’s been caused. “So, a lot of times, when services are lost, when churches are closed, nobody deals with the trauma, nobody even asks about it.

“What is really so … I don’t even know the right words to describe it: crazy, insidious. What is so striking about the situation is that one person’s actions are impacting a whole community institution and impacting all of the kids, not only who have come but who will come.”

Samantha Johnson had helped form the ad hoc Farragut Fort Greene Coalition to try to save the Navy Yard Clubhouse. Now she says the Coalition is thinking about the future: “We’re thinking about what it means to have transparency and accountability in our community. We’re thinking about how we build this out to where the Coalition is a central source for information and how do we deal with issues in the community like loss of spaces, community-based work, and therapy. We’re really focused on the Boys & Girls Club right now, but we don’t know if we’re going be talking about another community center in the next few years, you know, we don’t know what we might be doing. So, our Coalition is very intentional about trying to get information out to the best of our ability.”

Those interested in contacting the Farragut Fort Greene Coalition can reach them via email at FarragutFortGreeneCoalition@gmail.com

Entrance to Farragut Houses (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

The building at 240 Nassau Street, which housed the Navy Yard Clubhouse, now stands closed and empty

Continued from page 12

with rapid inflation, or simply gain extra spending money. Black and Hispanic individuals are most likely to take up gig work, comprising over half of workers in the industry. Nearly one-third of Hispanic adults have earned money through the gig economy, while over a quarter of African American adults have earned money through these platforms.

Khan has now turned her attention to gig economy workers, with the commission vowing to “use its full authority” to investigate gig companies and worker practices. At an FTC Open Meet-

International

Continued from page 2

Meanwhile, ECOWAS has imposed a no-fly zone on Niger and has been sending emissaries to the junta in attempts to restore democracy.

The ECOWAS ultimatum has been rejected by neighboring Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea—all countries of the Sahel belt across Africa.

Meanwhile, a message from Bazoum, who has reportedly been locked in the presiden-

ing, app-based workers warned the commission against pursuing unnecessary legislation. Advocacy groups like the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and National LGBT Chamber of Commerce called on the FTC to consider that these apps and opportunities serve as a resource for members looking to empower themselves through another income stream.

Yet their pleas went unconsidered, and Khan decided to release a policy statement giving the FTC the power to regulate the American labor market in the form of gig-worker regulation—despite the fact that opposing commissioners claimed the decision “mean-

ders in and out of our jurisdiction into matters of employment law.”

Once again, Khan prioritized her own agenda despite what Americans were telling her they needed on the ground. In the name of individual American well-being, this trend cannot continue.

The Biden administration claims its goal is to “lower costs and help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive.” To achieve this, the FTC must recommit to its most fundamental pillar: the consumer welfare standard. This commitment will especially benefit Black Americans, who have become innocent bystanders as foolhardy legislation renders them even more vulnerable

hadist groups could increase and that Russia could expand its influence in the region if the coup leaders remain in power.

at the hands of scammers. When Americans feel the impact of thoughtful policy, they will be vocal in their support. From gig economy workers to small-business owners to high-level corporate executives—every single American benefits from a vigorous FTC committed to protecting consumer interests. It’s time that the FTC recommit to the day-to-day needs of consumers, rather than distant, theoretical policy ideals that do nothing to benefit the lived experiences of Americans.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and higher education leader. Her website is www.juliannemalveaux.com.

ECOWAS Commissioner AbdelFatau Musah on Friday.

Mr. Trump

Continued from page 12

nario could very well play out with Trump being in court one day and campaigning the next. The sustainability of that schedule will not last, and his supporters will invariably fall by the wayside.

Polls have shown that it will be difficult for him to win a general election. Of course, he says something entirely different. This is what happens when your imagination gets the best of you.

If you are a part of Trump’s team, your faith and belief will begin to be tested. You hear him saying not guilty now. However, you know he doesn’t have the final say.

tial palace by his own guards for 10 days, appeared in an opinion column published in the Washington Post. He called on the U.S and other allies to help restore constitutional order.

“I write this as a hostage,” the president said in his opinion essay.

“Niger is under attack from a military junta that is trying to overthrow our democracy.”

He warned that attacks from ji-

Black influencers

Continued from page 16

Tiffani Bell Washington, a psychiatrist specializing in obesity medicine, said on the show. Obesity is “a health issue, so it really does need to be covered, and if Medicare covers it, usually other people follow.”

Dunlap declined to comment for this article, and Bell Washington did not answer questions sent by email.

Novo Nordisk enlisted Black music and entertainment stars Queen Latifah and Yvette Nicole Brown to be paid spokespeople for an educational campaign that began in 2021 to communicate that obesity is a chronic disease and should be treated like other ailments. Both celebrities have openly talked about living with obesity.

Stanford, one of the participants in the September panel, received $23,188 from Novo Nordisk in 2022, nearly double what she received from the company in 2021, federal records show. The 2022 payments include consulting fees and expenses for meals and travel.

“I wouldn’t want someone that has no knowledge informing them on how this actually works in real life,” Stanford said, explaining her relationship with the companies. “The people they learn from are people like me—the people that actually do this work on the ground every day with patients.”

Another panelist was Eric Griggs, an assistant vice president at Access Health Louisiana, a network of federally qualified health centers. In an interview, Griggs said Medicare coverage of obesity drugs “would help the solution. If you can help one group, you can help them all.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on BMI, 50% of non-Hispanic Black adults in the U.S. are classified as obese, the highest rate for any race or ethnicity.

However, the BMI measurement has increasingly come under criticism as flawed. In June, the American Medical Association said it “does not account for differences across race/ethnic groups, sexes, genders, and age-span.”

But sanctions could weaken the economy of Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, and therefore stoke support for the junta and Islamist groups that offer money and shelter.

“We want diplomacy to work, and we want this message clearly transmitted to them (the military) that we are giving them every opportunity to reverse what they have done,” said

Since 2014, Novo Nordisk has spent more than $30 million on lobbying members of Congress and other federal officials, according to a KFF Health News review of lobbying disclosures. A consistent subject is the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act.

“We have enormous health care challenges that flow from obesity,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), a lead sponsor of that legislation. He argued that spending money on weight loss drugs would reduce spending on chronic diseases that drive up the federal government’s healthcare tab.

Carper is a longtime recipient of campaign cash from drug companies, including makers of weight loss drugs. However, some researchers express caution about lifting Medicare’s coverage ban. For seniors, the side effects of such drugs could be more dangerous, according to a paper by scholars at Vanderbilt University and the University of Chicago.

Side effects for Wegovy and Ozempic may include kidney problems, gallbladder disease, inflammation of the pancreas, and thyroid cancer, according to the product labels. Suicidal thoughts

But he warned that “all the elements that will go into any eventual intervention have been worked out,” including how and when force would be deployed.

Back in Niger, Adama Oumarou of the capital Niamy told an Agence France-Presse reporter:

“We’re going to fight for this revolution. We’re not going to retreat faced with the enemy, we’re determined…We were waiting for this coup for a long time. When it arrived, we breathed a sigh of relief.”

are listed as a potentially serious side effect of Wegovy, its label says.

The Vanderbilt and Chicago researchers found that, even with modest uptake of the medications, annual Medicare Part D expenses could increase by $13.6 billion. That could leave policymakers “in the position of making broad cuts to other types of care,” said Khrysta Baig, one of the paper’s authors.

But people who want Medicare and other insurance programs to cover the drugs emphasize potential advantages.

Coverage would save “the lives that we’re losing at early ages, especially in the Black community,”

Bell Washington said on Martin’s show in March, before calling on viewers to take action. “You need to write to your legislators, make sure you’re choosing people who are in support of health care for all,” she said.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.

Edo Language Day

Continued from page 2

Lucky Igbendion, California’s Aghahowa Obazee, London’s Amb. Joe Ehigiamusoe, Benin City’s High Priest Osemwegie Ebohon, United Kingdom’s Lady Esosa Edogiawerie, a speech and language therapist/pathologist, and the Uyiedo Cultural Troupe.

The central theme is to strategize on how to “preserve, revitalize, and harmonize” the Edo Language among Edo Indigenes worldwide. Their initiative is focused on promoting and preserving a standardized Edo Language worldwide.

This year’s event will be hosted by Edo Language Day Worldwide (ELDW), NEBO TV Canada, Edo State Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, in partnership with the University of Toronto, Canada. It will be held (in-person and virtually) on August 12th and 13th at the University of Toronto in Canada and Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

For more information email: edolanguage2023@gmail.com for more info. Or go to https://edolanguageworldwide.org for details.

(GIN photo)

Religion & Spirituality

Charles J. Ogletree, a courtroom wizard, and profound legal theorist, dead at 70

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Charles J. Ogletree Jr., who distinguished himself in the courtroom and the classroom at Harvard University Law School, died Friday, Aug. 4 in Odenton, Maryland after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 70.

Affectionately known as “Tree,” he gained national recognition in 1991 as the attorney for Anita Hill after she accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his Supreme Court senate confirmation hearings.

In his book “All Deliberate Speed,” Ogletree recounted the harrowing three days at the hearings and the Senate’s ultimate approval of Thomas’s nomination. “The next day [Oct. 16], I went with Hill to the airport. She returned to Oklahoma and I to Cambridge. Thomas had survived all of the challenges to his confirmation, and he took his seat in the Supreme Court that week. Once he was in the Court, it did not take him long to show his true colors.”

Ogletree devoted a searing chapter about this historical moment, and it was emblematic of his sterling career as a lawyer and legal theorist. “Charles was a tireless advocate for civil rights, equality, human dignity, and social justice,” said Harvard Law School Dean John F. Manning, in a statement he addressed to the campus community and emailed to the Associated Press.

“He changed the world in so many ways, and he will be sorely missed in a world that very much needs him,” Manning continued.

While the bulk of his book chronicles his legal career, Ogletree expends some riveting family

history that for him began December 31, 1952, in Merced, California. During his young life, he experienced similarities to the grueling migrant experience vividly captured in Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath.” “From the time I was born until I left home to go to college eighteen years later, we moved constantly, always facing poverty,” he wrote.

He recalled his first experiences in elementary school as fond ones. “My classmates, all poor and working class, were predominantly Black and brown, with a few whites,” he continued. “The topic of race never came up in those early days, and we all felt equal.” By the time he left Merced in 1971, he reflected: “Much had changed in my life. The Brown decision was instrumental in persuading colleges and universities to open their doors to students like me, and I was more than willing to enter.” He didn’t spend too much time discussing his achievements in high school, though he was the first African American to be president of the school’s student body. Even so, he headed off to Stanford, which wasn’t that far away in miles, though leagues away otherwise, with mixed emotions, he confessed.

At Stanford, Ogletree was a standout student, chair of his Black Student Union, and a vocal opponent of the racist ideas promoted then by William Shockley, a harbinger of his relentless political activism. If there was a milestone to his promising career in the movement, it occurred when he led the protests against the appearance of Daniel Moynihan, author of the 1965 “Moynihan Report,” as their commencement speaker in 1975. His opposition to the reactionary ideas of Moyni-

han was fueled by the influence he gained from his mentor St. Clair Drake, the eminent scholar and historian. All of this activity forged a steppingstone to his journey to Boston and into the hallowed halls of Harvard Law School, where his leadership acumen was indispensable to the BLSA (Black

ademic schedule. “When I left Harvard Law School in 1978 and moved to Washington, D.C.,” he wrote, “the judicial system was undergoing an enormous transformation, which would have a profound impact on Brown’s legacy and the legacy of Justice Marshall and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

He began his legal advocacy with the District of Columbia Public Defender Service in 1985, first as a staff attorney, then as training director, trial chief, and deputy director. The renowned rapper Tupac Shakur was among his clients. In 1985, he became a professor at Harvard Law School, where Barack and Michelle Obama were among his students. In 1992, he became the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law and vice dean for clinical programs.

His involvement in the reparations movement brought him into working relations with Johnnie Cochran, Randall Robinson, and Queen Mother Moore, who left a deep and abiding impression on him.

Law Students Association).

Ogletree arrived in Boston just in time to get deeply immersed in a number of civic disturbances, none more critical to his development than the busing fiasco, and he began working with community activists and the NAACP while maintaining a rigorous ac-

An inexhaustive legal adviser and writer, his articles, book chapters, and his books provide an extensive trove of scholarship, including “From Lynch Mobs to the Killing State: Race and the Death Penalty in America” (ed. with Austin Sarat, New York University Press, 2006). In February, a courthouse in Merced, California, was named in his honor, following a ceremony hosted by the Superior Court of California, County of Merced.

He is survived by his wife, Pamela Barnes, to whom he was married for 47 years; his two children, Charles J. Ogletree, III, and Rashida Ogletree-George; and four grandchildren.

Charles Ogletree (AP Photo by Lisa Poole)

Anti-Rats

Continued from page 6

anti-rat day, the city says each borough will receive one. Harlem is one of four neighborhoods picked for rat mitigation zones, with the others being Bronx Grand Concourse, Bed-Stuy/Bushwick, and East Vil-

lage/Chinatown.

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

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announces the appointment of Kathleen Corradi as the city’s first-ever citywide director of rodent mitigation, also known as the ‘rat czar’ during a press conference in St. Nicolas Park in Harlem on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office photo)

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NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT, Plaintiff AGAINST GEORGE BECK, DIANA E. BECK, ET AL., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 9, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse on the portico, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on August 23, 2023 at 2:15PM, premises known as 145 EAST 48TH STREET, APT./UNIT 20D, New York, NY 10017. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block 1303, Lot 1111. Approximate amount of judgment $832,166.26 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850001/2020. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NEW YORK County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. Allison Furman, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 19006449 75795

NOTICE OF FORMATION of FASHION BY SABINE LLC, Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York on 06/12/2023. Office location: New York County. Principal office of LLC: 548 West 28th Street, Suite 645, New York, New York 10001. The New York Secretary of State is designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail process to Fashion By Sabine LLC c/o Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, PC, 21 Main Street Ste. 200, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -against- JILL M. BOSSERT-SQUERI, STEVEN J. SQUERI, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated February 21, 2023 and entered on February 23, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on August 23rd, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .01995% common interest percentage. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. The Foreclosure Sale will be conducted in accordance with 1st Judicial District’s COVID-19 Policies and Foreclosure Auction Rules. All bidders must wear a face mask/shield at all times and social distancing must be observed by all bidders at all times. Bidders who do not comply with the face mask and/or the social distancing mandate will be removed from the auction. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $21,717.06 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850038/2022.

MATTHEW D. HUNTER, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. ARIEL AQUINO DUYONGCO and MEGAN DUYONGCO, Defts. - Index # 850229/2019. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 10, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 14,000/16,783,800 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 2 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $92,553.37 plus costs and interest as of December 2, 2019. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. VINCENT J. TRIMARCO, JR., Defts. - Index # 850017/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 10, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0450946335738578% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $54,964.87 plus costs and interest as of April 19, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. GLORIA JEAN WILLIAMS, Deft. - Index # 850233/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 20, 2023, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 2:15 pm, two 0.00986400000% undivided tenants in common interests in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $110,050.45 plus costs and interest as of May 5, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

Coeus Digital Media LLC. Filed 12/22/22. Office: NY Co. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: C/O Firstbase Agent LLC, 447 Broadway 2nd Fl #187, New York, NY 10013. Purpose: General.

SVG Plan Trucking LLC. Arts. of Org. filed on 03/23/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to 228 Park Ave S #536671, NY, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT- COUNTY OF NEW YORK

U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAMP TRUST

2005-AHL2, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES

2005-AHL2, Plaintiff, AGAINST NILLIE JACOB, et al. Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on May 4, 2022.

I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre St, New York, NY 10007 on September 6, 2023 at 2:15 PM premises known as 203 West 81st Street 4E, New York, NY 10024.

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 1229 and Lot 1039.

Approximate amount of judgment $1,401,190.22 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment. Index #850133/2016.

Mark McKew, Esq., Referee, Aldridge Pite, LLP - Attorneys for Plaintiff - 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200, Melville, NY 11747

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -against- ELAINE BAIRD, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated February 21, 2023 and entered on February 23, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 13th, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.0381% in common interest percentage. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442512 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1302. The Foreclosure Sale will be conducted in accordance with 1st Judicial District’s COVID-19 Policies and Foreclosure Auction Rules. All bidders must wear a face mask/shield at all times and social distancing must be observed by all bidders at all times. Bidders who do not comply with the face mask and/or the social distancing mandate will be removed from the auction. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK. Approximate amount of lien $19,657.96 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850240/2018.

THOMAS KLEINBERGER, ESQ., Referee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. TAX REVOLUTION INSTITUTE, INC., Deft. - Index #850169/2023. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 20, 2023, I will sell at public auction Outside on the Portico, NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, August 31, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an undivided 0.00986400000% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57th STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, in the County of NY, State of NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $73,772.32 plus costs and interest as of January 4, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell & Novitz, LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

L.A. Opulence LLC Arts. of Org. filed 10/20/20. Office: NY County. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: 1074 East 73rd Street, Apt. 1, Bklyn, NY 11234. Purpose: General.

Notice is hereby given that an on-premises full liquor license, Serial #1366952 has been applied for by Bowery Bungalow NYC LLC for the address located at 495 Broome St, New York, NY 10013, under the ABC law

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff -against- TREVOR C. MORAN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated April 22, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 13th, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. The Unit known as Residential Unit No. 10A in the building known as The Heritage at Trump Place, 240 Riverside Boulevard, in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Together with an undivided 0.7911% interest in the common elements. Block: 1171 Tax Lot: 2111. All bidders must wear a face mask/shield at all times and social distancing must be observed by all bidders at all times. Bidders who do not comply with the face mask and/or the social distancing mandate will be removed from the auction. Said premises known as 240 RIVERSIDE BOULEVARD, UNIT 10A, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $5,673,292.89 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney.

Index Number 850110/2019.

THOMAS KLEINBERGER, ESQ., Referee

David A. Gallo & Associates LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

47 Hillside Avenue, 2nd Floor, Manhasset, NY 11030

File# 5025.1930

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

USC 171 BOWERY LLC, Plaintiff -against- 171 BOWERY PROPERTY OWNER LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Consent Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 21, 2023 and entered on March 28, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on September 13, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the easterly side of Bowery, distant 20 feet 1 inch southerly from the corner formed by the intersection of the southerly side of Delancy Street with the easterly side of the Bowery, which said point is opposite the center of a party wall, standing party on the premises herein described and the premises adjoining on the north; being a plot 127 feet 1 1/2 inches by 20 feet 6 inches by 125 feet 10 1/2 inches by 20 feet 6 inches. Block: 424 Lot: 11. All bidders must wear a face mask/shield at all times and social distancing must be observed by all bidders at all times. Bidders who do not comply with the face mask and/or the social distancing mandate will be removed from the auction. Said premises known as 171 BOWERY, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $9,602,236.05 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850125/2022.

CLARK WHITSETT, ESQ., Referee

KRISS & FEUERSTEIN LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

360 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10017

ARWA PROPERTIES GROUP NY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/21/2023. 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 237 Eldridge St., Apt 2, NY, NY 10002. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of YES WE DID! LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 02/01/2023. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to YES WE DID! LLC, 130 Jane Street, Suite 5J, New York, NY, 10014. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of 625 MADISON REO JV LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/13/23. Princ. office of LLC: One Vanderbilt Ave., 28th Fl., NY, NY 10017. 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: Real estate.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. VERNDELL H. GILDHOUSE and NIHAT A. SURGUT, Deft. - Index #850093/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 22, 2022, I will sell at public auction Outside on the Portico, NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, August 31, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an undivided 0.0519144314871446% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as HNY CLUB SUITES –PHASE I located at 1335 Avenue of Americas, in the County of NY, State of NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $120,199.18 plus costs and interest as of October 21, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Paul Sklar, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell & Novitz, LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

Notice of Qualification of 625 MADISON REO JV SUB 1 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/13/23. Princ. office of LLC: One Vanderbilt Ave., 28th Fl., NY, NY 10017. 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: Real estate.

Broadway & 166th, L.L.C. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/08/00. 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, 3956 Broadway, New York, NY 10032. Registered agent address c/o Herbert Wetanson, c/o The BBQ Restaurant, 27 W. 72nd Steet, New York, NY 10023. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NORTH 43rd, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/04/01. Latest date to dissolve: 12/31/2099. 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, 147 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of 302 BEACH 149TH STREET LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 22 W. 66th St., Apt. #13, NY, NY 10023. 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 GREYSTONE SSG 1 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/27/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/13/17. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 60th Fl., NY, NY 10019. 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 DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SCOPUS GROUP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/26/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/17/23. 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 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CINEMAINTENANT LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 20 March 2023.

Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the served upon him/her is: 1850 Amsterdam Avenue New York NY 10031. The principal business address of the LLC is 1850 Amsterdam Avenue New York NY 10031. Dissolution date: perpetual. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

FOSTER AGENCY SERVICES LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/19/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to 228 Park Ave S #675149, NY, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 625 MADISON REO JV SUB 2 LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/13/23. Princ. office of LLC: One Vanderbilt Ave., 28th Fl., NY, NY 10017. 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: Real estate.

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #1367873 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 5 E. 17th St., NYC 10003 for on-premises consumption; Kinnaree Hospitality Group Inc.

Skin Therapy By Susan LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/17/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1123 Bdwy, Ste 712, NY, NY, 10010. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Lounge Kat Studios LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/09/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: Lounge Kat Studios LLC, 1412 Broadway, 21st Fl., Ste. 21V, NY, NY 10018.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

THE CLARK STANDARD LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/18/2023. Office loc: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 1988 Newbold Ave, Apt 2B, Bronx, NY 10472. Reg Agent: Nelson M Clark Jr, 1988 Newbold Ave, Apt 2B, Bronx, NY 10472. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

23RD & 8TH, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/17/01. Latest date to dissolve: 12/31/2099. 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, 261 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of 109Co MGMT, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/24/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/21/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 79 Laight St., Apt. 2F, NY, NY 10013. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of BRODAR LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/27/23. 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, 13-14 W. 54th St., 1st Fl., NY, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT NOTICE of FORMATION of a DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP Name of LLP: ZAHN LAW GROUP LLP. Date of filing of Notice of Registration with the NY Dept of State: 11/20/2019. Office of the LLP: NY County. The NY Secretary of State has been designated as the agent upon whom process may be served. NYSS may mail a copy of any process to the LLP at: 757 Third Ave., 20th Floor, New York, NY 10017. Purpose of LLP: Any lawful purpose. The LLP will have a perpetual existence.

Goat Getters Entertainment LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 7/11/2023. Office location: NY County. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #573402, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of GREYSTONE SSG 2 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/28/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/01/21. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 60th Fl., NY, NY 10019. 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 DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Application of Authority of Limited Liability Company FVP Servicing, LLC (“LLC”). LLC Application for Authority filed with the Secretary of State of New York (“SSNY”) on June 8, 2023. N.Y. Office location: 1201 Broadway, Ste. 701, New York, NY 10001 (New York County). SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against LLC served upon it is c/o the LLC: FVP Servicing, LLC 1201 Broadway, Ste. 701 New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of TUNGSTEN HEALTH HOLDINGS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/19/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/25/23. 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 Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF CLOUD POWERED SOLUTIONS LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/29/2023. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is: UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC. 7014 13TH AVENUE, SUITE 202 BROOKLYN, NY, 11228. The principal business address of the LLC is 228 Park Ave S #322277, New York, NY 10003. Dissolution date: Perpetual. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Application of Authority of Limited Liability Company Feenix Payment Systems, LLC (“LLC”) LLC Application for Authority filed with the Secretary of State of New York (“SSNY”) on June 8, 2023. N.Y. Office location: 1201 Broadway, Ste. 701, New York, NY 10001 (New York County). SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against LLC served upon it is c/o the LLC: Feenix Payment Systems, LLC 1201 Broadway, Ste. 701, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of GREYSTONE SSG 3 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/28/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/17/21. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 60th Fl., NY, NY 10019. 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 DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of MGHE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/23/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 65 E. 55th St., 31st Fl., 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.

Purpose: Hospitality.

Notice of Qualification of KEPPEL US MANAGEMENT LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/11/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/27/22. 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: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Bomber Jacket Productions LLC filed with the SSNY on 7/05/2023. Office Location: NY County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 119 Waverly Place, Apt 1, New York, NY, 10011. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Bomber Jacket Productions LLC is an independently run film/television and media company, with particular focus on documentary and nonfiction projects.

Holistic Flavors LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/29/2022.

Office Location: NY County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 150 W. 140th St., #2E, NY, NY 10030. Purpose: Any lawful act.

LMF Consulting Group LLC filed with the SSNY on 3/27/2023. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail process to: 201 East 69th St., Apt. 12B, NY, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Travel Dad, LLC filed with SSNY on 4/30/23. Office: New York County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 87 Barrow St., Apt 4F, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Galeriana LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/14/2023. 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 Galeriana LLC C/O Victor Tafur, P.O. Box 1642, New York NY 10163. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of PROMETEON TYRE GROUP COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS

LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/29/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/22/16. Princ. office of LLC: 100 Pirelli Dr., Rome, GA 30161. 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, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice is hereby given that license number 1352042 for liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to permit the sale of beer, wine and liquor at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at Moody Tongue located 150 W. 10th Street in New York County for on-premises consumption. MT 181 Waverly LLC, 150 W. 10th St, New York, NY 10014.

Notice of Formation of Lobo Creations LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 5/20/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail copy to: 165 West 91st Street, #11A, NY, NY, 10024. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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through social media … This is not someone who is an up-and-coming social media star He is someone who’s well-known,” said Taylor. “One thing that did go well was that nobody was killed with thousands of adolescent people not always acting in their best interests.”

According to Maddrey, police became aware of the gathering around 1 p.m. the day of the chaos. Cenat is currently the second-most subscribed streamer on the Amazon subsidiary Twitch, where content creators film themselves playing video games and interacting with viewers. He broke the platform’s all-time subscription record in March and was the first Black streamer to surpass the 200,000 benchmark, but his count cratered by almost 17,000 since Friday’s incident. Given the overwhelming participation of youngsters at the riot, Mayor

Eric Adams blamed parenting during a Saturday press conference.

“When I looked at what happened in Union Square, the first thing I did was text my son and say, ‘Where are you? Are you in Union Square?’” he said. “And I wonder, with the thousands of children who were there hurling dangerous objects at police officers, disrespecting the residents in the area, attacking each other, how many parents text their children? And that old commercial that says ‘It’s 10 p.m., do you know who your children are?’”

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.

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Police officers set off a smoke bomb in order to disperse a crowd, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, in New York’s Union Square. Police in New York City struggled to control a crowd of thousands of people who gathered in Manhattan’s Union Square for an Internet personality’s video game console giveaway that got out of hand. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FILING BY ANBARIC DEVELOPMENT

PARTNERS LLC

PURSUANT TO ARTICLE VII OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE LAW

On or about August 18, 2023, Anbaric Development Partners LLC (Anbaric) will file an application with the New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need pursuant to Article VII of the New York Public Service Law (Application), for the construction, ownership, operation and maintenance of a new major electric transmission facility, known as the Hera Power Link.

Hera Power Link is the New York State portion of a proposed transmission system connecting one or more offshore wind (OSW) generators located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New York and New Jersey to the transmission system of The Consolidated Edison Company of New York (Con Edison) in Brooklyn, New York. Hera Power Link will consist of: (1) a 345 kV underground/ submarine cable system buried in the seabed under New York waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the New York Harbor and in public streets in the New York City Boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn; and (2) a converter station to convert the electricity from Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC), to be located on Edgewater Street in Staten Island. From Staten Island, the submarine cable system will cross the New York Harbor and connect to the Con Edison system at either its proposed Clean Energy Hub or its existing Gowanus Substation in Brooklyn. The Application provides extensive information about the project, the proposed route and location, the nature of potential impacts stemming from its construction and operation, design features and construction practices that will avoid or minimize any impacts and alternative routes evaluated by Anbaric.

Anbaric’s website www.anbaric.com provides more information about the proposed Hera Power Link, including the Application and a detailed map of the proposed route. The Application will also be available at the Department of Public Service Document Matter Management System (DMM) system at www.dps.ny.gov. To access documents, go to “Search” on the top of the webpage and search using the Case Number 22-T-0547, or use the direct link: https://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterSeq=69099&MNO=22-T-0547. Information about the Article VII review process can be found on the DPS website at: https://dps.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/11/article-vii-guide-web-11-17-final.pdf.

Paper copies of the Application will be delivered to the following locations for public review:

• Sunset Public Library, 4201 Fourth Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11232

• Bay Ridge Library, 7223 Ridge Boulevard at 73rd St. Brooklyn, NY 11209

• Park Slope Library, 431 6th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215

• Fort Hamilton Library, 9424 Fourth Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11209

Public comments on the proposed Hera Power Link Facility can be filed by mail, email, or online on the DMM system by using the Web link above and then clicking the “Post Comments” button. Comments by mail and email should be sent to Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary to the Commission at the mailing or email address below.

Contact the NYS Public Service Commission:

Hon. Michelle L. Phillips

Secretary to the Commission

New York State Public Service Commission

Empire State Plaza, Agency Building 3

Albany, NY 12223-1350

Phone: (518) 474-6530

Fax: (518) 474-9842

Email: secretary@dps.ny.gov

• Red Hook Public Library, 7 Wolcott Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

• Carroll Gardens Library, 396 Clinton Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

• South Beach Library, 21-25 Robin Road Staten Island, NY 10305

• Stapleton Library, 132 Canal Street Staten Island, NY 10304

The Applicant can be contacted at the mailing or email address below.

Contact information for Anbaric Development Partners LLC:

Janice Fuller, President Mid-Atlantic

Howard Kosel, Partner & Project Manager

Anbaric Development Partners LLC

401 Edgewater Pl, #680

Wakefield, MA 01880 (781) 683-0711

herapowerlink@anbaric.com

Diana Taurasi continues to build on her WNBA legacy

BY LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

In recent weeks, three-time WNBA Champion, five-time Olympic gold medalist Diana Taurasi has continued to demonstrate why people consider her the GOAT (greatest of all time) in women’s basketball. She became the WNBA’s leading scorer in 2017, and on August 3 she cemented her legacy by becoming the first WNBA player to score over 10,000 career points.

“Diana’s achievement stands as a testament to her skill, determination and unwavering dedication to the game, which along with her competitive nature has captivated fans with her incredible scoring ability, clutch performances and unparalleled basketball IQ. We are honored to witness this milestone,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

The milestone came as Taurasi’s team, the Phoenix Mercury, secured a 91–71 victory over the Atlanta Dream. She scored 42 points in the game, including six threepointers . Live goats were even on hand at Footprint Center. After the game, Taurasi

August 3,

reflected on where her basketball journey began—in her family’s driveway.

“It was just a kid who liked to play basketball in her front yard,” said Taurasi. “Everyone was welcome to come and play.

Sometimes you forget that it is supposed to be fun. As the years have gone by, I have to keep reminding myself that when you do something you love, it is not your job. It is not work. It is just your passion.”

Mercury coach Nikki Blue marveled at Taurasi’s accomplishment. “For her to show that she’s still at the top of her game, it was really a sight to see,” said Blue. “Just to be able to witness this tonight was truly special and only the way the Diana Taurasi could do it. Forty-two points at 41-years-old? You guys! We have never seen anything like this. It was so much fun.”

Taurasi, the top pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft, is in her 19th WNBA season (she sat out 2015). Now 41, married to former Mercury teammate Penny Taylor and the mother of two, Taurasi does not talk about retirement, but has indicated she doesn’t anticipate coaching when that time comes. One can only hope that she remains connected to the game and sport of basketball. There have been many incredible players over the WNBA’s 27 seasons, but Taurasi stands out for her athleticism, swagger, charisma and the ability to make those around her better. She is simply an icon, and I’m proud to admit my favorite player. Here’s to a few more milestones before she exits the arena.

Liberty make a resounding statement im crushing Las Vegas Aces

By LORI WALLEN Special to the AmNews

The Liberty stunned those who follow the WNBA with the outcome of this past Sunday’s highly anticipated matchup with the Las Vegas Aces. It wasn’t that they defeated the Aces, the team with the best record in the league. It was that the game was noncompetitive.

The Liberty, now 22–6, annihilated the Aces, which were 24–3 when they faced the Dallas Wings on the road on Tuesday. The 99–61 final was the largest (38 points) loss by the Aces since moving to Las Vegas in 2017. They were previously the San Antonio Stars.

The Liberty took full control of the game by outscoring the Aces 30–9 in the third quarter. Winners of four straight, the Liberty, which holds the second-best record in the league, snapped the Aces’ eight-game winning streak in front of the most fans—11, 418 of them—to attend a home game since the franchise began playing at the Barclays Center in 2021.

Guard Sabrina Ionesuc paced the Liberty with 31 points and forward Breanna Stewart contributed 23 as all five starters reached double figures. The Liberty dominated on the glass, ending with a 48–24 rebounding advantage.

Forward Betnijah Laney led the Liberty with nine rebounds, while the Aces’ three guard lineup of Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young combined for just six. New York also pulled down 11 offensive rebounds that resulted in 20 second-chance points. In an on-court television interview with

ABC, which televised the game nationally, immediately after the game, Stewart said rebounding was a major aspect of their victory.

“We continued to defensive rebound and we knew to pick our chances on the offensive rebounding because Vegas is a good running team, but we wanted to

set the tone and send a message.”

Conversely, the Aces noted they have to shore up their presence in the paint. “Rebounding-wise, we gotta be better,” said Gray.

“Guards gotta come in and snatch some of those rebounds.”

The Aces didn’t make any excuses for the drubbing. Star

forward A’ja Wilson said the cross-country trek did not affect their performance.

“I’m not going to say that (travel) was the issue,” Wilson contended. “It is what it is. We just have to go back to the drawing board and see what we got going on, but it’s always gonna be Aces vs. Aces to me.”

The 2022 WNBA champion with the Aces, 2022 league Defensive Player of the Year and two-time MVP (2020, 2022) finished the game with just nine points on 2–14 shooting from the floor.

Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello credited her team’s defense as key to the win. “It was one of our best defensive games all season long. We’ve been preaching a way we want to play,” she said. “Everyone was on the same page. Great defensive teams aren’t just one player—sometimes it’s just playing harder.”

Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot’s six assists moved her into second place all-time on theWNBA’s career list, passing Ticha Penicheiro’s mark of 2,599.

The Liberty tied the season series with the Aces at 1–1. They will host the Chicago Sky tomorrow in Brooklyn, meet the Indiana Fever on the road on Sunday, and have a rematch with the Aces in Las Vegas next Thursday.

On

the Phoenix Mecury’s Diana Taurasi became the first WNBA player to score over 10,000 points in a 91-71 win over the Atlanta Dream (WNBA photo)

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu scored 31 points in her team’s stunning 99–61 victory over Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center this past Sunday (Brandon Todd/New York Liberty photo)

MLB Celebrates Announcement of First MLB Game at Rickwood Field

By ETHAN SANDS, MLBbro Special to the AmNews

Birmingham, AL—On July 3, Major League Baseball unveiled the official logo and name for the first MLB game at the oldest professional baseball park in the United States: MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to The Negro Leagues.

Rickwood Field was built in 1910 and is known for being a historic park that housed famous Negro League players, and the big show is finally coming to Birmingham, Alabama.

On June 20, 2024, the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants will play a game at the illustrious field.

“We can’t wait to welcome the Cardinals, the Giants, as well as the entire world to Birmingham,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said during the historic announcement.

The Major League game will be

preceded by a Minor League game between the Birmingham Barons and the Montgomery Biscuits, scheduled for June 18, 2024. Renovations will begin on October 23 to prepare the stadium relic for an unforgettable week.

“This is a seminal moment in Negro Leagues and Black baseball history to have Major League baseball come to Birmingham to Rickwood Field where so much baseball history was made,” Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick said.

“When we literally throw this back in time, this is going to be a watershed moment for Negro Leagues history.”

The Barons played in the Southern Association until 1961. The stadium also served as the home of the Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro Leagues between 1924 and 1960.

“We are proud to bring Major League Baseball to historic Rickwood Field in 2024,” said Com-

missioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. in a statement. “This opportunity to pay tribute to the Negro Leagues as the Giants and Cardinals play a regular season game at this iconic location is a great honor. The legacy of the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player, Willie Mays, is one of excellence and perseverance.”

Mays patrolled center field for the Barons at just 17 years old before making his debut in the Majors at 20 on May 25, 1951 with the New York Giants. He went on to become one of the best all-around players in the Majors. He won 12 Gold Glove Awards, hit 660 home runs, is a member of the 3,000hit club and won four stolen base titles. Mays missed two full seasons during the prime of his career while serving in the military.

The unveiling was a spectacle with history buffs, former players and MLBbros such as MVP Ryan Howard, Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia, All-Star Randy Winn, cur-

Baseball luminaries, including 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard (right), stand in the dugout of legendary Rickwood Field (MLBbro.com)

rent MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds, who emceed the event, and Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson in attendance for the news. The former athletes took time to speak on the meaningfulness of the game.

“The Negro Leagues was so important to the history of this ballgame,” Winn said. We have to focus on the history of this game. This game was built on the backs of the people that played this game before us. ... I didn’t play one out, one pitch here in the Negro Leagues, but that’s my beginning.”

The stands are expected to be

Time For Tim Anderson To Depart Chicago

By DAVID GRUBB, MLBbro Special to the AmNews

It should have happened before the trade deadline.

The Chicago White Sox should have traded shortstop Tim Anderson somewhere, anywhere, before it got to this.

The former batting champion was ejected, and will serve a lengthy suspension, for his role in an on-field fight this past Saturday between the White Sox and Cleveland Guardians that lasted roughly 15 minutes.

Tim Anderson was angry. After verbally getting into it with Gabriel Arias earlier in the game, he was late with his tag on Jose Ramirez as he legged out a RBI double in the sixth inning.

Ramirez said Anderson put the tag on harder than necessary and it escalated from there.

TA getting leveled by Ramirez was symbolic of how the last couple of seasons have gone in the Windy City.

Since his top-10 finish in the MVP voting following the 2020 season, he’s struggled to stay healthy, and in turn, productive. As of Sunday morning, Tim Anderson

had appeared in 338 of a possible 496 games (.681) for Chicago.

His batting average has dropped each year since he posted a careerbest .339 average in 2019 to .244 this season. Anderson has only batted below .250 once before, back in 2018.

He has just one home run and only 14 extra base hits in more than 350 at-bats. For comparison, he had 22 in 2020 while playing in 49 games with 208 ABs during that Covid-shortened campaign.

With Anderson on the field, the White Sox were a contender, with back-to-back playoff appearances and an AL Central title in 2021. Now the franchise has plummeted to fourth place, falling 14 games out of first place.

Now, we have the sight of Anderson falling to the dirt after taking one right on the chin.

It can’t be fixed on the South Side.

The fan base has no confidence in the ownership or the direction of the team. Next year, the team will likely have its fifth manager in five seasons. Executive Vice President Ken Williams’ job could also be on the line.

The White Sox are short on talent and time.

brimming with passionate Black and brown fans. However, as the historic event unfolds, there remains a concern over the lack of representation of MLBbros on the playing field, which could cast a shadow over the festivities. Both the Giants and the Cardinals currently house just one MLBbro each, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Jordan Walker, respectively. To truly capture the essence of this experience, it is crucial for these teams to make strides toward adding more African-American players to their rosters.

It’s beyond the expiration date of this relationship. One of the game’s top young talents and brightest personalities has transformed into a sullen and angry underperformer. That’s not good for Tim Anderson or Major League Baseball. This offseason, either the White Sox or Anderson, or perhaps both, will have to accept that the opportunity for a peak return has passed. Hopefully, there will be an acceptable team and city that allows Tim Anderson to return to form.

Not Too Late For Tim To Regain Old Form

A Tim Anderson that isn’t hitting or dynamic on the basepaths is just another ballplayer. His glove has been adequate, but his value at the plate is what made him unique. At age 30, it’s not too late for Anderson to put together some quality seasons that will once again place him on the short list of those who cause sleepless nights for opposing pitchers.

It is, however, too late for that rebirth to happen with the White Sox. Saturday night was proof positive.

Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (MLB.com photo)

Jake Paul drops Nate Diaz, earns unanimous victory

By DERREL JOHNSON

Special to the AmNews

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul (7–1, 5 KOs) defeated MMA legend Nate Diaz by a unanimous decision in their matchup on Saturday night held at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Paul dropped Diaz in the second round and dominated the fight in earning a 98–91, 97–92, and 98–91 victory.

“He’s real tough,” said the 26-year-old Paul, a native of Cleveland, afterward. “But tough in this sport doesn’t work.” Paul’s only defeat since embarking on a boxing career and making his debut on January 30, 2020, was against Tommy Fury three years later (January 27, 2023). The bout ended in a decision for Fury. Two judges scored it for Fury and one for Paul. In upcoming fights, Emanuel Navarrete (37–1, 31 KOs) will defend his WBO junior lightweight title against Oscar Valdez Valdez (31–1, 23 KOs) in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday night on ESPN. Navarrete hasn’t lost in over a decade, and Valdez, who defeated Adam Lopez in the comain event on the Haney vs. Lomachenko fight card, suffered the only loss of his career to Shakur Stevenson in April of last year.

“What has been missing in my career is precisely a victory against someone like Valdez,” said Navarrete. “(Valdez) says he’s going to knock my head off, but let’s see whose head comes off first. Let’s see what Valdez has to offer, and let’s see how much he can endure and how much I can endure, too.”

Valdez assessed his opponent before the match.

“It’s one of the most important fights of my career because it means everything for me to come back and win that title,” he said.

“We all know that Navarrete has an awkward style. We might not have the perfect sparring that

can emulate his style. But we try to imitate him in the mitt work and strategy. He’s not your typical fighter that throws straight shots.”

Also on Saturday, Emmanuel Rodríguez (21–2, 13 KOs) will take on Melvin Lopez (29–1, 19 KOs) for the vacant IBF bantamweight at the Theater at MGM

National Harbor in Maryland and on Showtime. Both fighters discussed the matchup at a recent press conference.

“I’m happy to have this chance to become a world champion again,” Rodriguez said. “We’re gonna go out there to win in spectacular fashion and my goal is to show that I’m the best fighter in the world at 118 pounds. My goal is to become undisputed at bantamweight.”

Lopez is eagerly looking forward to the opportunity.

“I’m very excited that the time is almost here to fight for a world title,” Lopez said. “We’ve had a great training camp and everyone has sacrificed and worked hard so that we’re at our best on August 12.”

On another card this Saturday, in London, United Kingdom, former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua takes on Robert Helenius, who is a replacement for Dillian Whyte, who tested positive for an illegal performanceenhancing substance.

Joshua suffered the first loss of his career to a replacement fighter, Andy Ruiz, at Madison Square Garden in June 2019. Meanwhile, Helenius suffered a first-round knockout to Deontay Wilder at Barclays Center in October 2022.

Texas A&M’s Joni Taylor coaches women to the U19 world title

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

With the Olympics just a year away, coaches aspiring to be part of head coach Cheryl Reeve’s staff are leading various USA Basketball teams as they circle the globe. Joni Taylor, entering her second season as head women’s basketball coach at Texas A&M University, has made a strong statement. Last month, Taylor oversaw the USA Basketball team that won gold at the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup.

Upon Taylor’s return to Texas, there was little time to decompress. “You can’t say, ‘Let me take a week break’ because you’ve already been gone for a month,” said Taylor. Despite the wear and tear, Taylor said she wouldn’t miss the chance to coach with USA Basketball. She remembers watching the 1996 Olympic team and seeing the

launch of the WNBA when she was in college.

“I knew I was never talented enough to be an Olympian as a player, so once I got into coaching it became one of those things that I always said it would be really neat

to be a part of because it’s such an elite group,” said Taylor, who last year served as head coach of the U.S. women’s U18 National team that won gold at the 2022 FIBA Women’s U18 Americas Championship. “Also, it’s my opportunity

to represent our country.”

Her experience on the international stage connects to her work as a collegiate coach because it exposes her to new scenarios and helps her develop new skills. As a USA Basketball coach, she has

a group of 12 players that she doesn’t really know, and her job is to unite them and achieve championship form in a short time span. This includes learning from fellow coaches. One of Taylor’s assistant coaches for the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup was DeLisha Milton-Jones, head coach at Old Dominion University and a twotime Olympic gold medalist.

“Your evolution as a head coach grows whether you’re with your players or with another team,” said Taylor, who was one of Reeve’s assistant coaches at last year’s FIBA World Cup. “To be able to see other countries and how they play, their style and have a feel for the international game. … All of that, you put into your toolbox and you come back and add it to what you’re doing.”

Taylor is excited for the coming Aggies season. Official practice begins in October and play starts in November.

Jake Paul catches Nate Diaz with left hand in their fight on Saturday night. Paul took bout by unanimous decision (Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions photo)

Players and coaches of the U.S. U19 team (USA Basketball photo)

Jets and Giants take micro strides toward larger goals

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Training camp is now roughly two weeks in for the Giants and Jets. However, the process of building a Super Bowl-caliber playoff contender began at the end of last season.

It is a perpetual endeavor, even for the Kansas City Chiefs, which has the best football player in the world in quarterback Patrick Mahomes and has played in three of the last four Super Bowls, winning two.

The Jets’ acquisition of Aaron Rodgers in April in a trade with the Green Bay Packers is viewed as being the team’s much-needed final piece to form a title contender. The Jets are a combined 11–23 over the past two seasons, finishing last in the AFC East both years. Their glaring weakness over the past two seasons after building a strong roster was at the quarterback position.

Rodgers, a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player, the last awarded for

his sterling 2021 campaign, brings leadership, a mastery of the game, and a steady hand at the game’s most consequential spot on the roster. He is an invaluable resource for secondyear head coach Robert Saleh.

Thus far, Rodgers, who spent 18 seasons with the Packers and turns 40 in December, has been part coach, mentor, advocate and future Hall of Fame QB to the Jets. All facets of his vast experience are needed to fast-track the Jets toward achieving their larger goals.

A consequential long-term value Rodgers has brought to the Jets is being an exemplar for third-year quarterback Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall draft pick by the Jets in 2021, who drew strong comparisons by many skill evaluators to Rodgers while playing at Brigham Young University. The 24-year-old Wilson has been the antithesis of an All-Pro in his brief NFL career.

“I hope this time for him is like a deep inhale and exhale, and he

can really take a breath and pause and deal with the disappointment of last year and the frustration, and then channel it,” Rodgers said of Wilson during the first week of training camp. “I feel like he has, just rechannel it as a positive and focus on the opportunity in front of him to learn with a guy who loves him and cares about him and wants him to be great and wants him to do incredible things every day and be better.”

Rodgers didn’t play in the Jets’ preseason opener last Thursday, a 21–16 loss to the Browns in the league’s annual Hall of Fame game. He isn’t expected to play much, if at all, in their remaining three preseason games, including Saturday’s matchup versus the Carolina Panthers on the road.

The Giants ended their five-year playoff drought last season, going 9–7–1, securing a wildcard spot, and beating the Minnesota Vikings 31–24 in a wildcard matchup before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles

38–7 in the divisional round.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll and his staff are scaffolding as they continue to construct the foundation for sustained success. They held joint practices this week with the Detroit Lions and will play them tomorrow in the first preseason games for both teams.

“I think it’s kind of the next step for training camp when you practice against another team,” said Daboll, according to Giants.com.

“I think there is competitive juices; the coaches have it, the players have it, but we are going to try to practice the right way against a really good team. I think the program that the Lions have and what (head coach) Dan (Campbell) and (general manager) Brad (Holmes) have been able to do has really been outstanding, so it will be a good test for us.”

Giants tight end Darren Waller added that the practices versus the Lions have a distinctly different feel than going up against teammates.

Yankees and Mets tenuously remain in the wildcard hunt

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

There is still a glimmer of hope for the Yankees and Mets that they can make the postseason as wildcard entries.

Yankees starter Domingo

German has entered an inpatient treatment center for alcohol abuse (MLB.com photo)

Three spots are for the taking in both the American League and the National League. Going into yesterday’s Major League Baseball schedule, the Tampa Bay Rays (69–46), Houston Astros (65–49) and Toronto Blue Jays (64–51) held the AL wildcard positions in order.

The San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies were first and second in the NL race, while the Chicago Cubs (59–55) and Cincinnati Reds (60–56) were tied for third.

The Yankees (59–55) were 4.5 games out of the third wildcard position and the Mets (51–62) 7.5. Adversity and damaging inconsistency has come to define both New York clubs. Over the past nine days, the Yankeees’ pitching staff and by extension the team has been plagued with problems, including starter Domingo German entering an in-patient treatment center for alcohol abuse and Carlos Rodon, who didn’t make his 2023 debut until July 7 recovering from back and elbow issues.

The pair’s troubles are emblematic of the Yankees’ underperform-

ing and disappointing season.

Over his seven-year MLB career, the 31-year-old German has been a paradox, battling internal demons while simultaneously displaying tantalizing talent, the latter evidenced by his perfect game—only the 24th in MLB history—authored this past June 28 in Oakland against the A’s.

He was suspended in 2020 for 81 games for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy and another 10 this past May for violating MLB’s foreign substance policy. In 20 appearances this season, German was 5–7 with a 4.56 ERA.

“Hopefully the steps that are being taken today will benefit him for the remaining part of his life,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on August 2 in revealing German’s status.

The 30-year-old Rodon, who the Yankees signed as a freeagent last December to a six-year, $162 million deal, was placed on the injured list on Monday due to hamstring issues. His first season with the team has been a debacle.

He has only six starts and is 1–4 with a 7.33 ERA.

Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, the Mets’ home stadium, are separated by only 9.7 miles. Their breakdowns this season are even closer in similarity. The Mets message was implicit in the days before the August 1 MLB trade deadline when they dealt their top two starters, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, to the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros respectively: This season is a wrap. Owner Steve Cohen followed up the trades with an explicit missive to season ticket holders via email last Friday.

“We do not take your support or loyalty for granted. It is your passion that makes Citi Field such a special place,” it read. “When we purchased the team in 2020, we said that we were doing it for the fans, our community. It was true then, and it remains true today.

“When our players arrived in Port St. Lucie for Spring Training, you had high expectations for the

“Just getting more acclimated to game-like situations and knowing that it’s a physical game at the end of the day,” said Waller. “It’s not always going to be 7-on-7 and people tagging off on you. It’s a good acclimation.”

club and so did we. We added several key pieces to our team, but things have not turned out how we planned. You are rightfully disappointed and so are we.”

Although the Mets remain in wildcard contention, they have for all intents and purposes pivoted towards next season and beyond. An abjectly frustrating outcome for fans who had plausible belief in the team being a World Series contender back on March 30, Opening Day.

The Yankees will be on the road until next Wednesday beginning tomorrow, facing the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves for three games each. The Mets are hosting the Braves for four games this weekend in Queens, including a doubleheader on Saturday.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has provided leadership and mentorship to a Jets team which holds workable Super Bowl aspirations (New York Jets photo)