New York Amsterdam News Issue #35 Sept 1- 7, 2022 by AmsterdamNews

WWW.AMSTERDAMNEWS.COM Vol. 113 No. 35 | September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 ©2022 The Amsterdam News | $1.00 New York City THE NEW BLACK VIEW Mayor and Schools Chancellor Can Transform Education for Low-Income Students Urban Agenda By David R. Jones, Esq., and Valerie King, Ph.D. - See page 5 (Contributed photo) (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office photo) Graduating student celebrates during BMCC commencement ceremony at the Barclays Center in BK (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office photo) IS IT ENOUGH? (See story on page 22) Let the cannabis tales begin: City launches legal weed industry applications (See story on page 4) Electeds, advocates demand more funding for asylum seekers in schools (See story on page 3) Vandal defaces Biggie Brooklyn mural (See story on page 3) DEBT FORGIVENESS (Nayaba Arinde photos)

SOUTH HIGHLIGHTS

“There is an information gap in the country where the gov ernment’s message doesn’t reach many people. They have not ef fectively communicated to people why things are getting bad and that is making people angrier,” she said.

AFRICA PROTEST

Protests are usually restrict ed in the tiny West African coun try, where 56.8% of the country’s 8 million people live below the pov erty line. Like in many other Af rican countries Sierra Leone has been badly affected by rapid infla tion caused in part by the war in Ukraine. The dire economic situ ation brought people out onto the streets.Experts believe that four pri mary factors contribute to Sierra Leone’s overwhelming levels of poverty: government corruption, a lack of an established education system, absence of civil rights, and poorAdditionally,infrastructure.anabsence of fund ing for educational programs leaves Sierra Leone behind in terms of gaining knowledge about civil rights or responsibilities. This contributes to gender inequality and the marginalization of women. The effects of gender inequality in clude women’s inability to join the workforce and a cultural view of women as servants to men. Despite the pain of expanding poverty, President Julius Maada Bio dismissed the economic rea sons for the unrest, blaming antigovernment protests which led to the deaths of six police officers and at least 21 civilians in an attempt to overthrow the government.

Meanwhile, the social architec ture formed over more than three centuries of white rule has main tained South Africa’s position as the world’s most unequal society, according to the Thomas Pikettybacked World Inequality Lab. Attempts by the now-democrat ic government to wipe away the legacy of apartheid and colonial ism have failed to narrow the im balance between rich and poor, with 3,500 adults owning more than the poorest 32 million people in the country of 60 million, it said in a “Therereport.isno evidence that wealth inequality has decreased since the end of apartheid,” the group said. “Asset allocations before 1993 still continue to shape wealth inequality.”

“We cannot stay at the same salary when everything has dou bled up,” complained Linda Gumede, another schoolteacher. “Cooking oil has tripled up. How can I buy everything when I have nothing?”Themarch was led by the coun try’s largest unions who called for a “total shutdown” of the economy in protest against high unemploy ment and rising fuel and electric ity costs. They blame the ruling party, the ANC (African Nation al Congress), for the poor state of the country’s economy.

GROWING ANGER OVER SOARING PRICES (GIN)––“We cannot breathe comrades. We cannot breathe when today it costs more than $277 to buy food for a family of just four people. No!”

Businesses, government offic es, and buses across eastern Free town were charred or destroyed completely in the violence as police and security officials bru tally cracked down on demonstra tors. At least 21 protesters and six officers were killed. A video veri fied by Reuters shows police firing live ammunition into the crowds.

“This was not a protest against the high cost of living occasioned by the ongoing global economic crisis,” Maada Bio said in an ad dress to the nation.

“The world cannot continue as it was. With all its wealth and assets, Africa cannot watch its people live through poverty,” he said. Tunisia hopes to take advantage of the summit to attract investors for about 80 projects worth 2.7 bil lion dollars in the health, automo tive, space and renewable energy sectors, which are expected to create 35,700 jobs.

JAPAN STRENGTHENS AFRICAN TIES WITH GENEROUS PLEDGE OF INVESTMENT FUNDS (GIN)––African heads of state and a Japanese delegation are meeting to discuss “African-led” develop ment at a meeting in Tunisia. Finan cial aid was discussed.

Tunisian President Kais Saied wel comed the participants to the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development––or TICAD––where Japan promised $30 bil lion in investment in African aid to be delivered over three years, with smaller amounts also available for African food security. The discussion comes at a time when Tunisia confronts a political and economic crisis, a COVID epi demic, and a wheat shortage creat ed by the war in Ukraine. Chair of the African Union, Pres ident Macky Sall of Senegal, cited the success of the Tokyo conference in the areas of education, agricul ture, health, and water. The confer ence emerged in 1993 after the end of the Cold War in an era of ‘aid fa tigue’ among donor countries and was critical in regenerating strong donor interest in Africa. On the agenda are measures aimed at countering China’s in fluence on Africa. China has been steadily increasing its influence in the region in recent years, notably through its ambitious “Silk Roads” project.Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed the need for re forms at the United Nations to address the “historical injustice against Africa.” It’s a ‘moment of truth’ for the U.N.,” he said while making a push for an African seat at the “JapanU.N.reiterates its determina tion to redress the historical in justice against Africa of not being represented through a permanent membership on the Security Coun cil,” Prime Minister Kishida told the conference.“Inorderfor the U.N. to work ef fectively for peace and stability, there is an urgent need to strength en the U.N. as a whole through Se curity Council reform.” In his opening speech at the con ference, Saied urged delegates to “search together for ways for Afri can peoples to achieve the hopes and dreams of the first generation after independence.” He praised Japan’s success in “achieving development at the same time as preserving its culture and social traditions.”

UNREST OVER HIGH PRICES SPARKS RARE STREET DISTURBANCE IN SIERRA LEONE (GIN)––The crisis of inflation is taking a toll on the poor and middle class and has spread to Sierra Leone where rare protests shook the capital of Freetown. Workers have been clearing broken glass from downtown res taurants. “It was an explosion of violence,” said Mohamed Sillah speaking of the damage inflict ed on his and other buildings. “We don’t usually see this in Sierra Leone, but we are in tough times.”

“It is time to abolish human ex ploitation once and for all,” said Audrey Azoulay, director gener al of UNESCO, speaking on Aug. 23, the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. “Today, let us re member the victims and freedom fighters of the past so that they may inspire future generations to build just societies.”

“The chant of the insurrection ists was for a violent overthrow of the democratically elected gov ernment,” he said, adding that the government would investigate all theMeanwhile,deaths. at a market in the Western Area Rural District, trad ers who asked not to be named, lamented how the prices of rice, onions, tomatoes, and beef had all risen by about 50% over the last year, with the price of fuel and palm oil roughly doubling.

Members of the unions marched across all nine provinces, singing songs from the country’s liberation struggle. The largest rallies were re ported in Cape Town and Pretoria. Like in the U.S., inflation has ac celerated to its highest level in 13 years in July, pushed mainly by surging prices for food, transport, andFoodstuffselectricity.that many people rely on have gone up by 10 per cent in the last year alone. Prices for bread and cereals were up by 13.7 percent in July from 11.2 percent in June. It means a loaf of white bread now costs $1.05 compared with $0.91 one year ago, StatsSA said. The price of fuel increased by 56.2 percent from last year and the jobless rate hovers near 34 percent.

Marcella Samba-Sesay, the di rector of Campaign for Good Gov ernance, said that the government had not clearly explained to the people why their economic chal lenges had worsened.

2 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

That was Moalusi Tumane, a schoolteacher in Palm Ridge, east of Johannesburg, speaking to some 1,000 workers who marched last week to the seat of govern ment in South Africa’s capital Pretoria to protest the country’s soaring cost of living, including record-high fuel prices and more expensive basic foods.

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Last week, Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie (D-Central Brooklyn) along with Assembly Member Chantel Jackson and nearly 50 other colleagues sent a letter to the CEOs of Mastercard and American Express, urging them to do more to monitor unusu al patterns of gun purchases. A simple coding change would enable card compa nies to categorize firearm dealers as a distinct group of merchants, allowing them to flag suspicious spending patterns.

Financial institutions like American Express and Mastercard assign Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) to categorize payments and assess transaction risks.

On Friday, August 26, some bright spark decided to paint over a popular mural depict ing the beloved Bed Stuy rapper Notorious B.I.G a.k.a Biggie Smalls, aka Frank White––real name Christopher Wallace. The world-famous entertain er hailed from the neighborhood, and in fact the painting is opposite the street where he used to live. Dark burgundy paint is smeared on his face, and “East Coast” is scrawled in blood red beneath it. And in his Bed Stuy/Clinton Hill St. James Place neighbor hood he is a much-respected presence, even 25 years after his still-unsolved murder in a drive-by shooting in Los Ange les on March 9, 1997. But, locals and other fans say sacrilegious is the vandal ism which saw someone deface the huge Vincent Ballentine painting which has decorat ed the corner building on St. James and Fulton Street in the some-parts landmarked area in Brooklyn, since 2019. Suspicion had fallen on more than the possibility of maraud ing kids up to mischief––some observers hinted that it might be newcomers to the heavi ly-gentrified neighborhood; or trouble-makers trying to perpe trate as disgruntled youths, or gang-members. When the Am sterdam News visited the site on Saturday morning residents of the area gathered to look at the destruction of the beloved image debating who may have done the senseless deed.

Hochul announces groundbreaking for Colored Musicians Club expansion project

Just a block away earlier this summer, hundreds of people waited from just after dawn into the early afternoon at the Clin ton–Washington Avenues subway station to pick up special-edi tion Biggie metro cards, to cele brate what would have been the rap stars’ 50th birthday. He was 24-years-old when he was mur dered. That same day a massive block party was held at his old St. James Place address to remember the Brooklyn dude who became a member of hip hop royalty. Residents are taking some solace in the fact that there are many cameras along that busi ness and residential block. parently a surveillance

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 3 Electeds, advocates demand more funding

Mayor

Adams stops two ghost gun retailers from selling ghost gun kits to NYC residents

“Our city has been, and will always be, a city of immigrants that welcomes newcomers with open arms,” said Adams in a statement. “Project Open Arms ensures we are well-pre pared to assist asylum-seek ers as the school year begins and that we are offering wrap around services to students andTeamsfamilies.”are coordinating with shelters to host pop-up Family Welcome Centers, where DOE staff assist fam ilies with the school enroll ment process. They have promised to connect families with translators considering that an overwhelming major ity of the people arriving are from Central and South Amer ica and English may not be their first language. The DOE also said programming and curricula “culturally and lin guistically responsive” for in coming“Thesestudents.refugees, no matter their nation of origin, share a

James sent letters to both CVS and Walgreens reminding the retail pharmacy giants that it is illegal in New York to deny customers prescribed or over-the-coun ter medications or products related to reproductive health care.

For months New York City has been grappling with an unexpected surge of asylum seekers arriving on buses from down South. Now the children of asylum seeking families are expected to begin enrolling on Sept. 8, amid budget cuts, larger class sizes, fewer arts programs, and fewer guidance counselors in many schools. As of this week, the The De partment of Education (DOE) said there are approximate ly 9,100 students between the ages of 3 and 17 currently in family shelters who are not yet enrolled in school. This figure does not include asylum seekers who have not entered or who have left the shelter system, said Additionally,DOE.there are ap proximately 13,600 students in family shelters that are en rolled. Most of the children en rolled so far are in grades K-6. DOE said that most asylumseeking families are concen trated in School Districts 2, 3, 10, 14, 24, and 30. The DOE added that for the safety of stu dents they don’t ask families about immigration status or if they are seeking asylum, so the numbers are estimates and subject to change.

DASNY also provided $350,000 in funding for the project.

video See BIGGIE on page 23 See ASYLUM on page 6 See METRO BRIEFS on page 23 photos)Arinde(Nayaba

Metro Briefs

for asylum seekers in schools

The not-for-profit club will make critical improvements through the help of a $2 million grant from Empire State Development’s (ESD) $65 million East Side Corridor Economic Development Fund. The upgrades will spark increased tour ism and visitation to Buffalo’s historic Michigan Street African American Corridor.

New Yorkers seeking contraception or other reproductive health prod ucts at these two major chains have a right to receive those essential prod ucts. Reports from other states indicate that some employees at CVS and at Walgreens have refused to provide reproductive health products or ser vices, and some Walgreens employees have even mistreated consumers by publicly harassing, embarrassing, and shaming them. In her letters, Attor ney General James makes clear that similar behavior by CVS or Walgreens employees at any of their more than 1,000 locations throughout New York state is a violation of New York’s public health and civil rights laws.

New York Immigration Coali tion (NYIC) Senior Manager of Education Policy Andrea Ortiz said that it’s “exciting” to see the city embrace immigrants as they arrive. On Aug. 19, Mayor Eric Adams announced Project Open Arms to help integrate asylum-seeking families being moved into shelters and tem porary housing. The interagen cy collaborative plan promises comprehensive access to wrap around services on the first day of school for kids, including so cial-emotional learning and language-based support.

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

In addition to the city’s lawsuit, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed her own lawsuit in June against 10 defendants—including the five the city sued—for selling tens of thousands of illegal, unfinished frames and receivers to New Yorkers.

AG James acts to protect access to reproductive health care at major New York pharmacies

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the Colored Musicians Club has begun an expansion and renovations that will allow for increased tourism and visitation to Buffalo’s African American Heritage Corridor.

State Sen. Myrie and others urging credit card companies to take action against gun violence

Vandal defaces Biggie Brooklyn mural

As part of the settlements with Rainier Arms and Rock Slide USA, the sellers agree, among other things, to immediately stop selling ghost guns to New York City residents, implement a technological bar to any such sales in the future, and provide the city with sales data for all such sales since 2020.

Eric Adams announced that two online ghost gun retailers—Rainer Arms, LLC, based in North Auburn, Washington, and Rock Slide USA, based in Broadway, North Carolina—have stopped illegally selling and delivering gun com ponents that are used to assemble illegal and untraceable firearms to New York City residents after the city filed a lawsuit against the two companies and three others in June 2022.

Founded in 1918, the CMC is the only remaining African American musi cians’ club of its kind in the U.S. It has hosted performances by such nota ble artists as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat “King” Cole, Miles Davis and Cab Calloway.

State Attorney General Letitia James took action to protect New Yorkers’ access to reproductive health care prescriptions and products at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. Employees at CVS and Walgreens stores in other states have report edly refused to provide customers with birth control, condoms, emergency con traceptives, and/or other medications related to reproductive health.

By NAYABA ARINDE Amsterdam News Editor

Thousands of distinct MCCs currently exist for merchants as specific as “candy, nut and confectionery shops,” or “wig” but gun shops currently do not have their

In Jackson, where the city is more than 80% Black, about 25% of its residents are living in poverty. The low water pressure has im pacted nearly every aspect of the infrastructure, including the de livery of water for showers, cook ing, and even flushing the toilet. It’s reminiscent of the water prob lem that occurred in Flint, Mich igan, only the circumstances are not exactly the same.

The first round of applications for the Cannabis NYC initiative, meant to attract and support cannabis business owners as the projected $1.3 billion industry de velops, is now open. The city and state said they’re working hard to create jobs while also addressing the decades of harm over policing and trumped up “drug-related in carcerations” have had on Black and brown communities.

Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders said the water crisis left his players without air condi tioning or ice at their practice facil ity. “We’re going to find somewhere to practice, find somewhere that can accommodate every durn thing that we need and desire to be who we desire to be, and that’s to domi nate,” he said. “The devil is a lie, He ain’t going to get us today, baby.”

See CANNABIS on page 28

The People’s Organization For Progress (POP) held a rally last Sunday marking the 1963 March On Washington and to boost current struggles for voting, civil, and human rights. The rally took place at the Martin Luther King Statue out side the Essex County Martin Luther King Jr. Justice Building in Newark. The rally marked the 59th anniversary of the March On Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have A Dream Speech.”

“Everyone opposed to rightwing efforts to erase everything that Dr. King and others in the Civil Rights Movement fought and died for is urged to attend,” said Lawrence Hamm, chair, Peo ple’s Organization For Progress. Speakers included grassroots activists and several individ uals who attended the 1963 march who will discuss their participation.

After Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency in the capital on Monday, President Biden bolstered the declaration with his own take on the water crisis. White House press secretary Karine JeanPierre tweeted that the president had ordered his team to surge fed eral assistance to the region.

Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Kevin D. Kim announce the launch of Cannabis NYC, a firstof-its-kind initiative and suite of services to support the equitable growth of the cannabis industry in New York City. Medgar Evers College, Brooklyn. Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.)

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka an nounced the 14 recipient organiza tions that will receive funding from the Nourishing Newark Communi ty Grants Program. The City of Newark is invest ing $2 million to support com munity-based organizations to combat hunger and food insecu rity resulting from, and worsened by the adverse economic impacts related to COVID-19. With the disruptions to the global economy, many low-income Newark families are experiencing a greater degree of food insecuri ty than ever before. The Nourish ing Newark Community Grants Program seeks to spur the creation and expansion of sustainable urban food cooperatives, and other com munity-based healthy food distri bution channels.

The program aligns with the New Jersey Economic Development Au thority (NJEDA) Food Desert Relief Program designed around the cen tral purpose of eradicating food des erts. A “food desert” is a geographical area in which it is difficult to buy af fordable or good-quality fresh food. In developing their programmatic focus, the NJEDA has determined that a large portion of the City of Newark is considered a “Food Desert.”

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

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

Let the cannabis tales begin: City launches legal weed industry applications

Jackson with its 150,000 residents had already been under a boil-wa ter notice for a month because of cloudy water that could lead to di gestive problems. Across the city, long lines formed seeking the lim ited supply of bottled water. Heavy rainfall over the last several days has left too much water on the ground and not enough flowing through the pipes for human consumption. According to an announcement from the governor’s office, con tractors have been hired to assist workers at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Facility, which is operat ing at diminished capacity after the water pumps failed. Mississippi’s National Guard has also been acti vated to alleviate the crisis.

4 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Activists mark 1963 March on Washington and rally for voting rights

NewJersey News

Over the last 30 years, rough ly 250,000 New Yorkers had mar ijuana-related arrests, said the State Office of Cannabis Man agement (OCM). The city es timates the cannabis industry will eventually generate $1.3 bil lion in sales by 2023 and jobs — 19,000 to 24,000 jobs created over the next three years. By law, the Marihuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA), there must be at least 40% of the revenue funneled back into impacted Black and brown communities.“Wemadethe promise that we are going to use this law to rein vest in those who were justiceinvolved, and that’s what we’re doing,” said Mayor Eric Adams at a presser on Monday, Aug. 22. “For too long, these communi ties have faced high rates of drugrelated incarcerations and they have been denied opportunities to build wealth. That’s a terrible combination and today we’re dis mantling that combination.”

“Projectresidents.U.S.E.’s existing work in the City of Newark to expose young Newark residents to gardening and healthy food access will be greatly expanded thanks to the Nourishing Newark grant project,” said Jeffrey Key, Director of Operations for Proj ect U.S.E. “In particular, we are look ing forward to both expanding our garden space, which will allow us to grow more produce and have the re sources to provide year-round em ployment opportunities to more youth in Newark, who will help in crease the number of residents with access to free or affordable healthy food choices.”

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

The current problem is the result of short staffing and “de cades of deferred maintenance,” said Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. He added that the influx of water from torrential rains changed the chemical com position needed for treatment, and this slowed the process of pushing water out to customers.

Clinton Hill will use its $350,000 grant to create a “Nourish-to-Flour ish” From Desert to Food Oasis” Farmer’s Market, the first residentrun food co-op in the South Ward. “No one should go to bed hungry or be forced to eat unhealthy food because they cannot afford or get access to it. Nourishing Newark will help us move the city from being a food desert to a food oasis. Our ‘pay what you can afford’ food co-op will serve as a model for giving everyday residents the tools and know how to solve long standing community challenges,” said Clinton Hill Com munity Action’s Executive Director Khaatim Sherrer El. Project U.S.E. is receiving $150,000 for “Newark Healthy Food Access and Empowerment Proj ect,” which will provide education, networking and collaboration, gar dening skills workshops, and food distribution to expand healthy food access and empowerment for com munity

Differences between the Demo cratic mayor and the Republican governor surfaced on Monday, when Lumumba wasn’t invited to Monday’s press conference.

“We are committed to helping the people of Jackson and the state of Mississippi during this urgent time of need,” she said. It was re ported that parts of Jackson, the capital, were without running water on Tuesday because flood ing had created problems in one of the two water-treatment plants.

Newark organizations to receive share of $2 million to combat food insecurity and food deserts

Adams simultaneously start ed pushing out the illegal and unregulated cannabis market that’s bubbled up all over the city since MRTA was signed into law on March 31, 2021. He said there won’t be arrests, but there also can’t be trucks on the streets openly selling and not payingDepartmenttaxes. of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin Kim crafted the Cannabis NYC plan with “equity” for ‘justice involved’ individuals at its core. Applications to the OCM opened up 150 retail dispensary licens es Thursday, Aug. 25. The licenses for legal adult weed use are called Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dis pensaries (CAURD). This first wave of CAURD licensees are sup posed to go directly to those im pacted by the ‘war on drugs’ who have run successful businesses in

Despite their long-standing dis pute, Lumumba said he’s having productive discussions with the Health Department and the Mis sissippi Emergency Management Agency and expressed his grati tude for the state’s help. Jackson is not alone in its water crisis. Many cities, particularly the more marginalized ones, are faced with water problems they can’t afford to fix. This is mainly a prob lem that stems from a diminished population and an eroded tax base.

Water crisis in Mississippi prompts state of emergency

“14 highly-deserving Newark community organizations are re ceiving $2 million in grants to advance urban agriculture and in crease our community’s food selfsufficiency,” Baraka said. “These grants will make a major difference in the lives of residents, improving their wellbeing by ending food des erts, creating community gardens that provide fresh, healthy food to families in need, and strengthen ing neighborhood economies. I congratulate each organization on earning this grant award. They will keep moving Newark forward.”

signed off on seven maternal health bills designed to empower moms and ensure their safety by educating people about maternal mortality and morbidity, ending pregnancy related discrimination, ex panding doula training programs, and providing sexual and reproductive health services, among other things. This week, Bandele is raising awareness around ‘Black Breastfeeding Week’ to pro mote breastfeeding among hard working Black moms, who are least likely to breast feed because of their jobs or affordability.

This summer has been fraught with debate over the issue of school funding, and rightfully so. In the face of declining enrollment, the NYC Department of Education (NYCDOE) and the mayor have significantly decreased school budgets. However, many parents and advocates see this decision as causing undue harm to communities that already suffered enormously during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. To their point, several schools have already had to make tough decisions about their programming and which personnel they can maintain on a smaller budget - cutting afterschool programs and releasing teachers for example. Yet, what is getting lost in this debate is the effect of the pandemic on student achievement and how school funding impacts student and teacher performance.According to the Community Service Society’s annual survey, The Unheard Third, the longest running survey of low-income communities in the nation, New Yorkers are extremely concerned about the effects of the pandemic on their children’s academic career and future prospects. Nearly two-thirds of low-income parents surveyed said that the impacts from the pandemic will likely result in a long-lasting setback for their children’s education. Among low-income parents, a staggering 74 percent of Latinx parents said that the impacts from the pandemic will likely result in a long-lasting setback for their children’s education.

Indeed, creating improvements to schooling in the face of the pandemic would only strengthen the hand of Mayor Adams and NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks to advance their education agenda in Albany. And finally, we urge NYC policymakers to think about the broader impacts of decreasing funds for public education in our city. New York City is home to the largest public school district in the country; we educate more than one million students a year, the majority of whom are now Latinx, Black and Asian – people who suffered the most during pandemic schooling. We expect these generations of students to go on to serve across sectors to fuel our city and our country’s workforce and its growth.

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

MomsRising presents Monifa Bandele

“Most women who seek abortions are al ready mothers. This is a mom issue,” said Bandele. “We’re about justice and equity for moms. They should be able to make these choices themselves and determine what’s happening with their bodies.”

“The U.S. has one of the highest ma ternal death rates in the developed world, and right inside of that, Black women and Indigineous women die at 3-4 times the rate of white women just giving birth,” said Bandele. “We are constantly working on these issues both on the state and the federal level.”

“In order to breastfeed you have to have leave from work. You have to have lactation consultants. And you have to have the eco nomic security, that you can take the time and establish breastfeeding,” said Bandele.

BlackNewYorker

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

“And that’s what some of the founders of breastfeeding week are breaking down.” Bandele currently lives in Bed Stuy with her husband and two daughters.

Now is the time to invest in our children and provide the requisite resources to help them succeed and compete in our economy, citywide, nationally, and globally.

“So very early on I got to see how important it was to have support systems for women, children and families and just the role that played in helping to stabilize a lot of mothers in the community,” said Bandele. Bandele was a national field di rector for the Right to Vote Cam paign at the Brennan Center for Justice before joining MomsRis ing. She’s been with the organiza tion for 11 years, she said.

Monifa Bandele is the senior vice president and chief strategy officer at MomsRising, a national grassroots organization focused on reproductive justice for moms, women, and families. Bandele is a Crown Heights native in Brooklyn, NY. She cred its her interest in healthcare and policy to her mother and grand mother. Her mother led a local Women Infants & Children (WIC) office as a social worker in Brook lyn, and her grandmother was a pi oneering nurse in Pittsburgh that developed a program to increase the number of Black nurses. Her father was a social worker as well.

Mayor and Schools Chancellor Can Transform Education for Low-Income Students

MomsRising was also involved in craft ing New York City’s recent legislation on maternal health. Mayor Eric Adams

The fears of these parents are well justified. A national report by McKinsey & Company found that students, on average, were several months behind in math and reading as a result of the pandemic. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has reported that the pandemic widened existing disparities between children of color and their white counterparts. Based on surveys and interviews of families from across the country, OCR highlighted disparities in several areas including academic growth, mental health, financial security, and college enrollment.

Bandele said that it’s also surprising that people assume the MomsRising group’s advocacy work doesn’t include abortion rights. Abortion rights help mothers plan their families, care for their own bodies and health, and their financial situation.

First and foremost, schools must provide increased mental health supports for students. A recent audit by the State Comptroller found that the NYCDOE is out of compliance with NYS education law as it has failed to provide any mental health program for 563 schools. Moreover, there is a deep need to provide a more engaging educational experience by leveraging technology and new curricula to empower children. Not to mention, NYC must still continue the development of community schools and expand its restorative justice program all while combatting racial segregation, improving school safety, and supporting over 100,000 students living in temporary or unstable housing. All of the aforementioned issues require an increase in funding to schools. This call for deeper investment may seem daunting, but we know that it is worth it. There is near consensus among researchers that increased funding to schools has positive impacts on student outcomes. Research from Northwestern University found that the connection between funding and student achievement is essentially inarguable. New York City is one of the few school districts in the country to operate under mayoral control. This means that accountability is centralized, but it also creates the potential for the mayor to direct the resources of public and private sectors toward the education system. Additionally, the mayor can divest from other parts of the City’s budget, to invest more heavily in our students and their schools.

Currently, the group is focusing on get ting legislation passed like the Pump Act, which protects working moms who breastfeed their children, and the Black Maternal Health ‘Momnibus’ Act of 2021, a package of bills meant to address the racism and inequities in healthcare that Black and brown birthing people face.

Considering the reluctance of the State to re-approve mayoral control (i.e., tying it to reduced class size and only renewing it for two years), a concerted effort to show how this centralized education system rises to the challenge would be beneficial to the mayor.

THE URBAN AGENDA

September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 5THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

By David R. Jones, Esq., & Valerie King, Ph.D.

Headshot of Monifa Bandele

(Contributed photo)

City Hall understands that something has to be done about the pandemic’s disruption to public schooling. We have seen that understanding made real in the form of Summer Rising and investments in afterschool academic supports. However, these investments do not account for the myriad ways in which schooling has to change to support students in light of the pandemic.

https://amsterdamnews.com/blacklight-donate/Code.

Asylum Continued from page 3

(Contributed photo)

TEXT “blacklight” to (202) 858-1233 to donate.

6 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS destination, and a common goal––the pursuit of freedom, and a peaceful life for themselves and their families,” said Council member Mercedes Narcisse.

“We must continue to fight to ensure that these individu als are welcomed and provid ed the resources to achieve their own American Dream as count less others who have settled in our great city have done before them. Let’s treat all refugees with the dignity they deserve, and give them the chance to succeed as this nation has given to count less others for many years,” she continued.Ortizsaid she has some con cerns about the plan’s bilingual and counselor staffing going into the Fall and has encouraged the city to provide at least $500,000 in additional funding for lan guage access and mental health resources for kids. Ortiz “doubts” that all the asylum seeking chil dren will be enrolled by the be ginning of the year, especially since documents aren’t required. She said that school placement in close proximity to the city shel ter isn’t always the best idea for families either, when better ser vices may be available at a school further away. And, Ortiz be lieves that schools could benefit from more training and security when it comes to ICE enforce ment officers as well consider ing many of the arrivals are not inclined to trust the government orIdapolice.Munoz, an ESL teach er at PS 443 in the Bronx, also advocated for more bilingual teachers and counselors to ac commodate the children. How ever, she thinks that most years these are the positions that are hardest to staff. Her school’s funding was cut, she said, re sulting in the loss of certain coaches and teachers. Munoz imagines the larger class sizes will definitely impact the stu dent’s“Theseeducation.kidsare coming from somewhere else and they’re prob ably scared. They need to have a sense of security and knowing that they’re in a safe place in the class room,” said Munoz. “So building that relationship with them first.” Munoz wasn’t sure if her school would receive any asylum seeking children. She also felt like Adams and Banks didn’t spend enough time in classrooms seeing the real impacts of their decisions on a day to day basis.

Advocates demand more school funding for asylum seekers

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3. Additional information about the America’s Home Grant program: The America’s Home Grant program is a lender credit. Program funds can only be used for nonrecurring closing costs including title insurance, recording fees, and in certain situations, discount points may be used to lower the interest rate. The grant cannot be applied toward down payment, prepaid items or recurring costs, such as property taxes and insurance. Borrowers cannot receive program funds as cash back.

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7 Isn’t the best time to continue building your legacy right now?

4. Maximum income and loan amount limits apply. Fixed-rate mortgages (no cash out reﬁnances), primary residences only. Certain property types are ineligible. Maximum loan-to-value (“LTV”) is 97%, and maximum combined LTV is 105%. For LTV >95%, any secondary ﬁnancing must be from an approved Community Second Program. Homebuyer education may be required. Other restrictions apply. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. © 2022 Bank of America Corporation. America’s Home Grant, Bank of America Community Homeownership Commitment, Bank of America and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. MAP4697912 BAAM9333000 | 06/2022

Learn more at bankofamerica.com/homeowner Closing costs help up to $7,500 as a lender credit.3 Down payment help up to $10,000 or 3% of the purchase price, whichever is less. Product availability and income restrictions apply.2 Down payment as low as 3% down. Income limits apply.4 What would you like the power to do? ®

Through our Community Homeownership Commitment,1 we’ve helped over 34,000 people and families get an aﬀordable loan to buy a home. Here’s how it can help you secure your family’s future:

2. 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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FLO ANTHONY (Bill Moore photos)

Serena Williams’ defeat of Danka Kovinic on Aug. 29 at the U.S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, was one star-studded affair. Celebs in the house included Spike Lee, Gayle King (who interviewed Serena af terwards), Anthony Anderson, Wendel Pierce, Gladys Knight and Queen Lati fah. Many fans reportedly also mistook Laverne Cox for Beyoncé......

According to the Arizona Republic, Chris Rock says he declined an invita tion to host the 2023 Academy Awards after he was infamously slapped by Will Smith during this year’s award ceremo ny back in March. During a comedy show at the Arizona Financial The atre in Phoenix, Arizona, on Aug. 28, the comedian/actor compared going back to the Oscars to returning to the scene of the crime. Rock told the audi ence he also turned down the opportu nity to appear in a commercial for the SuperWhileBowl……..NickCannon continues to make headlines with his announce ment that he has a 10th baby on the way, his third child with my novel “Last Call For A Deadly Diva’s” cover girl, Brittany Bell, his ex-wife Mariah Carey is ignoring the drama, parading around the Big Apple with her longtime boy friend Bryan Tanaka. On Aug. 27, the superstar songstress was spotted in an ankle length tan dress. To beat the heat, Mimi carried a butterfly-print hand fan while a security guard kept the sun off her face with a huge umbrella. A source told OK!, “Mariah has been very tightlipped when it comes to her feelings about Nick and his love life because she doesn’t even want to go there.”

Go With The Flo

Ministering to the community

Two-time Emmy Award-nominat ed actor, producer, comedian, youth pastor, and author, Kel Mitchell an nounced his sophomore book release, “Prank Day,” a comedy-fantasy illus trated novel for kids and tweens, will be available in stores, and online Sept. 6, 2022. Within its pages, the laughaloud novel for kids follows Chase as he masterminds a series of epic pranks only to discover that they’ve all become real on April 2, the day after April Fool’s. “”From the characters to the illustrations, to the hilarious mis haps in ‘Prank Day,’ this book is a story the entire family can enjoy,” says Kel Mitchell. ...

8 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS GO WITH THE FLO

Carol Mundy, ministry leader of the B.E.A.M.S Ministry of Harlem’s Betha ny Baptist Church, and her members continue to give back to the commu nity via educational events, commu nity block health fairs, health checks, information, food, music, and games for the kids.

James,

by David Goodson

Goodson

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS September 1, 2022 - September 2, 2022 • 9

OUT & ABOUT

others celebrate Inez Dickens Harlem celebrated the Assembly member Inez E. Dickens’ Summer Soiree where she honored community members Donald Notice, Dr Malcolm Punter, and Quenia Abreu. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul attended the event at Dickens Gardens on West 139th Street in Harlem where Assembly Member Dickens got the “Key To The Village Of Harlem.” The event was at tended by AG Tish James, Mayor Eric Adams, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, former Cong. Charlie Rangel, NYS Sen. Cordell Cleare, and other local electeds.

Dr. Malcolm Punter receives award (Bill photos) Nas (David photo)

Nas gears up for “NY State of Mind” tour

Moore

It must be extremely dif ficult for giants to move in silence, but some have managed the task. Having achieved Ju Dan status, comparatively, in hip hop, it was only a matter of time that the mind that spawned some of the illest lyrics known to man, would apply that same acumen to other disciplines. This new challenge again sees him perched in the win ner’s circle, but his victories have been quiet as a mouse. To put things in perspec tive, a collaboration of Nasir Jones, with any combina tion of a select few contem poraries––namely Shawn Carter, Curtis Jackson, Andre Young, Sean Combs, or Kayne West––could pro vide a sizable boost to the music industry, where they first achieved their notori ety. Now a collective part nership of those names could create industry. For Jones the entrepre neurial venture began in 2013, where Nasir, along with his manager Antho ny Saleh, founded Queens Bridge Venture Partners. In an interview at a Techfest panel hosted by the New Yorker, Nas revealed at a layman’s man response to his foray into the business world, “I always tell people that I came in the game as an artist and when I signed my contract with my record label, I instantly became a businessperson. I had some dreams of becoming a busi nessman as a small kid, but it really happened later on.” “Really happened” being the operative phrase as the focal point of his company which has been investing in startups in the seed stage of development, and now touts over 100 business es. Included in the portfo lio are early investments in crypto exchange com pany Coinbase, cloud stor age company Dropbox, and ride-hailing service Lyft, as well as Ring, Pluto TV, and Robinhood.Whilebusiness is boom ing for Mr. Jones, the busi ness of his famed alter ego Nas, is set to take the nation by storm as Nas and fellow legends the Wu-Tang Clan are teaming up for the “NY State of Mind” tour, easily the year’s most talkedabout rap show. The New York area appearance is slated for Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. and falls a day before Nas’ born day. We know already what the night gonnaIronically,be. the venue the Prudential Center, like Nas the co-headliner, is also in partnership with future business leaders with the Devils Buy Black Program. Through its partnership with Prudential Finan cial, the New Jersey Devils set an industry-first stan dard in the 2021-2022 Na tional Hockey League (NHL) season by donating the Devils premier helmet brand position for 30 games to a Black-owned Newarkbased business, driving un precedented marketing and business exposure to the company. In the pro gram’s third year, Pruden tial Financial will increase their helmet brand position donation by nearly 50%, to include all road games this season. New this year, former Devils Captain Bryce Salvador, along with current Devils players, will join the program, including the ap plication process to review submissions and help select a winner. A veteran of 14 NHL seasons, Salvador, who served as the first Black cap tain in the Devils franchise history, and third in NHL history, will join forces with the Devils to serve as a liai son for the Devils Buy Black Program presented by Pru dential Financial. In this role, Salvador will educate and engage current play ers, meet with the winning entrepreneur(s), participate in a lecture series with Pru dential executives, and be an ambassador for the pro gram. “The Devils Buy Black Program presented by Pru dential Financial has done tremendous work sup porting New Jersey-based, Black-owned businesses in our community, by provid ing resources, exposure, and opportunity,” said Salvador. “I look forward to helping advance that program, by being part of the selection committee with Pruden tial, connecting with the current and previous com panies that have participat ed, and helping our current players get involved and be part of its impact. The au thenticity of the work done has resonated with me, and I am proud to serve as a bridge between Pruden tial, the program, and the Devils then,now.leased.thenewvideandingwetionalnessesandtrepreneursimpactprogrambusinesses,”andningproudthermarketingPrudentialSusanorganization.”SomersilleJohnson,Financial’schiefofficer,addsfurinsight,“PrudentialistobepartofthiswingameplantosupportamplifyBlack-ownedshesaid.“ThisismakingabighelpingBlackenbuild,growsustaintheirbusionalocalandnascale,andtogetherlookforwardtoworkwiththeDevilsteamBryceSalvadortoprothesebusinesseswithopportunities.”We’llcircletheblockwhen2022/2023winnerisreOverandoutforHollanextweek.Tilenjoythenightlife.

Nightlife

Adams, Hochul,

Written

Union Matters

New York’s farm workers work as hard––or harder––than most New Yorkers, yet they are not entitled to overtime pay after 40 hours worked. This injustice needs to end now––farmworkers deserve the same dignity and respect on the job as other workers in the state, most of whom are already entitled to a 40-hour workweek.

NYC announces debt relief plan for struggling taxi drivers

Give Farmworkers the 40-Hour Workweek now!

By KAREN MATTHEWS Associated Press

New York City taxi drivers who owe hundreds of thousands of dollars on loans they took out to operate yellow cabs will see their burdens reduced substantially under a debt relief pro gram announced Tuesday. Under the program announced by city officials, the New York City Taxi Workers Alliance and taxi medal lion lender Marblegate Asset Man agement, loans for 3,000 drivers who owe an average of $550,000 will be re structured to a maximum of $200,000. Of that, $30,000 will be covered by a grant and the balance will be secured by a city-backed guarantee, the offi cialsThesaid.city-backed guarantee means that drivers won’t risk losing their homes if they default, said Bhaira vi Desai, the executive director of the Taxi Workers Alliance, a drivers’ union. “It’s lifesaving and historic,” sheManysaid.taxi drivers who borrowed to buy the medallions that are required to operate a yellow cab landed in deep debt when the value of a medal lion plunged from more than $1 mil lion in 2014 to $200,000 a few years later. Taxi industry representatives blamed predatory lending practic es as well as ride-hailing services like Uber for the crisis. City officials, the taxi alliance and Marblegate reached a tentative debt relief agreement in November of last year and worked out the details over the last several months. Under the plan announced Tuesday, medallion owners can apply to refinance their loans starting Sept. 19. Andrew Milgram, managing partner and chief investment officer of Mar blegate Asset Management, said driv ers should not wait to apply. “With a rapidly changing economy, it is vital drivers act in the month of Septem ber to realize meaningful debt for giveness and a sizable reduction in their monthly loan payments,” Mil gram said in a statement. Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, praised the deal hammered out by members of his administration in cluding the Taxi and Limousine Com mission.“Ourtaxicab medallion owners and drivers have always kept New York City moving, and it is finally time we pay it forward with real debt relief for owners in need,” Adams said. “We are likely putting tens of thousands of dollars back into the pockets of these owner-drivers and showing them what real relief looks like.”

10 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Stuart Appelbaum President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Twitter:www.rwdsu.org@sappelbaum.

Unlike most workers in the Empire State––and the rest of the country––New York’s farm workers are currently denied overtime pay by New York law until they’ve worked 60 hours a week. This is a shameful relic of Jim Crow-era labor laws that have histor ically treated farmworkers––the backbone of New York’s agriculture industry––as sec ond-class workers. Thanks to the efforts of New York’s labor movement, including the RWDSU, farm workers won historic legislation in 2019 that includes finally giving them the right to or ganize. Workers at Pindar Vineyards on Long Island made history last year when they joined RWDSU Local 338 and became the first farm workers in the Empire State to join a union, and others are organizing across New York. But as long as New York’s farmworkers are denied the 40-hour workweek, they are still denied justice and equality. New York has made some progress towards correcting this unfair standard, but unneces sary delay is holding back this progress. This year, the New York State Department of La bor’s Farmworker Overtime Wage Board in dicated it would recommend lowering the overtime threshold for farm workers to 40 hours per week, bringing these workers in line with virtually every other hourly in New York over a ten-year period. And, to address farm owners’ concerns about increased labor costs, a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for farm owners to cover overtime pay over 40 hours was approved in this year’s state budget. It’s been six months since the wage board met; it’s time to make this change a reali ty, and finally ensure justice and equality for farmworkers in New York. We call on state of ficials to immediately implement this plan and provide farmworkers with a 40-hour workweek. New Yorkers depend upon these workers every single day, and changing the labor law immediately to bring fairness to the fields where they toil is the right thing to do, both economically and morally. Let this be the last summer New York’s farm workers are denied the 40-hour workweek.

(Photo by LiveofPix)

While the outbreak continues to grow, public health officials have implemented a plan to stretch the currently available vac cine in a safe way so that more at-risk people can be protected.

In response to the proposed EUA, Paul Chaplin, president & CEO of Bavar ian Nordic au thored a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, and FDA Com missioner Dr. Robert Califf, stating that the company had “some reser vations on expressedapproach.”[intradermal]theWhilehehasconcerns about the EUA, Chaplin is also one of the co-authors of the 2015 clinical trial of the Jynneos vaccine that the federal government cites specifically to modify the Jyn neos dosing. The study specifically speaks to utilizing such a dosing modification during a public health emergency.

According to Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, University Professor Dr. Mathilde Krim-amfAR, chair of Global Health Epidemiolo gy at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health [Full disclosure the author of this article is an assistant professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health but does not work with Dr. El-Sadr], in an interview with AmNews, in order to be infected “some body has had contact with someone who has monkeypox and particularly what we call close contact, skin-to-skin close contact in particular. . . it takes a couple of weeks and then they come down with some of these symptoms of monkeypox and these could start with a skin rash and the skin rash can occur anywhere in the body and…it has a certain characteristic look some of the skin rashes on the palms and the soles, in the genital area but it's a very firm kind of skin rash and has a very specific appearance.”

You can learn more about monkeypox the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s monkeypox site: nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/monkeypox.pagehttps://www1.

By HEATHER BUTTS Special to the AmNews

On Aug. 9, 2022, the Biden administration announced a comprehensive plan to expand the number of vaccine doses available to combat the disease. Through an Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”), there have been changes to the way the vaccine is administered, thus increasing the number of doses accessible to healthcare providers.

Health

The AmNews also spoke with Dr. Demetre Daskalaskis, the White House National Monkeypox Response deputy coordinator and the CDC’s director of the Division of HIV/ AIDS Prevention, about who is most at risk.

Activists gathered at Foley Square in New York City, NY on July 21, 2022 to demand federal and state governments take infectedthoseavailablemonkeypoxactionimmediatetomakethevaccineforallatriskofbeing (Photo by Karla Coté/Sipa via AP Images)

According to Daskalakis, “[T]he majority of the cases con tinue to be seen among gay, bisexual, other men who have sex with men. They continue to be a really important group for us to work with to . . . increase access to [the] vaccine.”

After more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, many were hoping that this would be the summer that they could throw caution to the wind. But along with the COVID threat that refuses to go away, the number of monkeypox virus cases con tinues to rise. As of August 30, 2022, there are more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox in the United States alone. This, coupled with the short supply of vaccine for the disease, has led to a need for a solution to an increasingly growing public health emergency. Federal officials believe they have come up with a short-term solution in the form of an Emergency Use Au thorization (EUA) for the Jynneos vaccine, modifying the route of administration and dosage. Many in the community are asking if this is EUA safe and does the vaccine actually work?

Federal government responds to monkeypox surge with Emergency Use Authorization

According to Daskalakis, “The data really show that the dosing that you give in the skin that's the one that [the two delivery methods] really elicit the same level of immune protection or immune response in the lab… so they're equivalent which is really exciting because then one dose goes for five people.”

According to the White House, there are currently 400,000 vials of the vaccine available for use and in inventory. These vials could translate into 2 million doses using the new EUA.

September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 11THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

According to an article published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, that “although the current out break is disproportionately affecting gay or bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, monkeypox is no more a ‘gay disease’ than it is an ‘African disease.’ It can affect anyone.”

What did not end for the Jacksons was their commitment to civil and human rights, and in our obit on Esther some of the remarkable details of her life are cited. But one of the things that should be stressed about this activist couple is the role they played in the founding and the unwavering struggle to end Jim Crow and racist segregation as members of the Southern Negro Youth Congress (SNYC).

This week saw the passing of Esther Cooper Jackson, a noted civil rights activist and a cofounder of Freedomways journal. Much more could have been said about Mrs. Jackson, particular ly her devotion to her husband, James Jackson, a stalwart of the Communist Party for many years. Mr. Jackson died in 2007 and sever al years before, in the early 1990s, he withdrew from the Party as the Soviet Union collapsed. All of this, the con vergence of Jackson’s departure, and the end of the Soviet Union are evoked with the death of Mikhail Gorbachev. He was the nation’s leader from 1985 to 1991, just about the time Mr. Jack son ended his affiliation.

Congress went on recess––but the kids keep missing out

When your kids go back to school across our state this fall, their school breakfast and lunch won’t automatically be free like they have been through the pandemic. We know many kids struggle with hunger at home, and getting them a healthy break fast and lunch ensures they can thrive in and out of the classroom. But because feder al rules have switched back to the pre-pan demic status quo, families and caregivers in many districts including Amsterdam will have to submit an application to qualify for free or reduced price meals. If you’re a parent, it’s incredibly impor tant to fill it out right away. You can find them on your school or district’s website, or in person at school offices. Beyond ensuring your kids can get their school meals, the forms may quali fy your family for additional benefits like discounted exam fees and college appli cations, extracurriculars, scholarship op portunities, and even home wifi. They can also help your child’s school secure addi tional classroom resources that will sup port all students’ education. So as you’re checking things off your back to school to-do list, be sure to fill out the school meal application. After all, nutritious school meals are as important to students’ learning as notebooks and pencils.

When the books are written about the amazing couples in the movement, Ossie and Ruby, Malcolm and Betty, Martin and Coretta, Paul and Eslanda, et al they should not forget the Jacksons and re member their unflinching stand on the ramparts and fight for freedom, justice, and equality as we remember them.

Rachel Sabella is the director of No Kid Hungry New York.

Perhaps legislators and their staff do merit a break after a productive summer. But a permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit is needed once they come back

By GARY CUNNINGHAM August in the nation’s capital is not only infa mous for sweltering heat and humid days (a marshy urban heat island now worsened by climate crisis). It’s also that time of year when corridors of power, influence and policy-making empty out. Literally. Members of Congress, in both House and Senate chambers, eagerly rush back to their home districts to reconnect with constituents, reboot and break––during an election year like this one, there’s quite a bit of fundraising and campaigning, as well. In D.C. parlance, we call this congressional vacation the “August recess.” And just like the recesses from your school days, these weeks are begrudgingly viewed as a chance for Cap itol Hill’s legislators and staffers to recharge so they can return refreshed in September. No doubt, with the recent passage of an am bitious $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act, legislators and their staffers do merit a break. This new law kickstarts the important invest ments we need: more affordable healthcare and direct climate crisis response, along with decreased deficits and much-needed reve nue to the federal government through new tax provisions targeting large corporations and the wealthy. Especially exciting is the historic funding in our vital, but underfunded, Inter nal Revenue Service. A lack of resources to this critical agency (since the government can’t fund itself or function without it) has dis proportionately im pacted billionwe’rethecolor.landerandbrown,whomtaxpayers,low-incomemanyofareBlack,IndigenousAsianPacific-IshouseholdsofAsweexaminelegislationcloser,hopingthe$80ofadditional

Gary Cunningham is president & CEO of Prosperity Now. R. Tatum:

Remembering the Jacksons

They were key organizers in the South, especially in their commitment to end unfair labor practices of tobacco workers as well as their fight to end discrimination in busing and transportation. Some his torians have cited the SNYC as a forerun ner to the larger Civil Rights Movement and such organizations as SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). The couple was idolized for their un broken matrimonial ties and their un flagging militancy.

Make sure this year’s back to school to-do list includes applying for free school meals

EDITORIAL Elinor

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 Alliance for AuditedMemberMedia Opinion

12 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

funding over ten years to improve tax enforce ment leads to a fairer tax system that better supports our BIPOC communities. Still, the Inflation Reduction Act is not enough. A glaring omission is a permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit––a critical investment in children and their families. Re member: For six months in 2021, families re ceived advanced monthly Child Tax Credit payments to keep their incomes steady. The elements temporarily added to the Child Tax Credit in the 2021 American Rescue Plan—re fundability, advanced monthly payments, an increased credit amount––actually worked. Families used these funds for basic necessities like food, utilities, and car repairs. Did these payments or $250-300 per child replace work? Absolutely not, as numerous studies proved. But what these payments did do is offer families the space, temporary peace-ofmind and desperately needed resources to easily put food on their tables, pay for child care, get safe transportation to and from work, and pay for heat in their homes. We miss the Child Tax Credit because our nation was in a much better place with it. Considering 70% of children in pover ty being children of color, expanding the Child Tax Credit was a significant relief to al ready struggling BIPOC households wading dangerously through the pandemic. Before the expansion, nearly half of all Black and Latinx children were excluded from the full benefit because their families did not owe enough federal income tax to qualify. How do we know that the expanded Child Tax Credit worked? Because, by the end of 2021, 3.7 million children were kept out of pov erty, including 163,000 Asian children, 737,000 Black children, and 1.4 million Latino children. Some of our nation’s best economic minds, in fact, have argued for its continued expansion. But we cannot make expansions to the Child Tax Credit if it would mean cutting other crucial benefits programs and hurting families in the process. Recently introduced policies, like the Family Security Act 2.0 for example, contain draconian work require ments that would move us all in the wrong direction. With their racist origins, work re quirements (as innocuous as they sound) are counterproductive. To build racial eco nomic justice, we need provisions that sup port BIPOC communities, not hurt them. Reducing inflation is important, but low er-income households also need immediate and regular support as they struggle to pay for goods and services due to rising costs and stagnant wages. BIPOC communities are especially impacted by rising costs and more severely crushed by inflation, par ticularly when with the insensitive pricegouging we’re seeing from skyrocketing rents and other essential survival items. Was the expanded Child Tax Credit perfect? No—it excluded families based on which tax identification number they used to file their taxes. One million children from immi grant households could not access the CTC because they did not have a Social Security number. Mixed-status families contribute money to taxes and are often left out of relief, including pandemic relief. But this exclusion could easily be fixed in new legislation. Three years into a pandemic, the economic and health situations of our families have gone from bad to worse. The time to build back for justice is now––we can’t wait any longer to rei magine and establish an economy that works for all of us. That’s why a first step on our path to racial economic justice is for our nation to invest in the Child Tax Credit. Let’s take this August summer recess, a pause in the busy lives of pol icymakers, to think more about how we should help kids and their families this fall. When Con gress comes back to Washington in September, they should pass the Child Tax Credit expansion to finally give kids and their families the long overdue break they need … and deserve.

By RACHEL SABELLA

Someone recently asked me what some of my favor ite things were. I had to pause and think a moment about all of the things that bring me joy. I reflected on so many areas of my life where I was brought enjoyment without spending a dime. That’s not to say we can’t enjoy things that cost money, but in an effort to consume less and be more present, it is nice to know that the mere thought of nature or taking a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge can bring me so much joy in what sometimes feels like an insane world. So, my question for you gentle reader is thus, “What are some of your favorite things?” I always tell my stu dents they must have a favor ite president, two actually, one living and one deceased. It is important for them to recog nize that these flawed men could be great leaders or help pass significant legislation while also failing in a differ ent area of their presidency. For what it’s worth, my two fa vorite presidents are Jimmy Carter and Lyndon B Johnson. I also tell my students they need to have two favorite cities, one in the U.S. and one outside of the U.S. These are places that feel like “home.” Whether they visit the place often, live in the particular locale, or have only visited once, having a place that feels like “yours” is essen tial to the soul. My favorite do mestic city is Baltimore, M.D. and my favorite international city is London. Both places feel like they were made just for me. The cobble-stoned streets, the inner harbor with the salt air blowing through the city, and the Baltimore accent (I know, I know) make this old city so spe cial to me. Similarly, the archi tecture and history of London and the dreary weather with the sun fighting its way to the surface always makes me slow down just a bit and ap preciate the changing of the weather.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an as sociate 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. Imagine a world devoid of jour nalism. Would our lives be better without it? Historically, the re sponse was an emphatic “no. ”Journalism provides us insight into the affairs of the world, il luminates the dark secrets held by miscreants, and makes us far more conscious of the issues that will touch our everyday lives. However, although there are still a significant number of journal ists with integrity, we have seen an increase in the number of jour nalists who have been seduced by the pleasures of fame and led astray by their inability to disso ciate their personal views with the critical roles that they hold. With the advent of the Internet, the barriers to become a journal ist have eroded, making inter net journalism seize the mantle from print journalism. Conse quently, an increasing number of journalists have built a name for themselves and are able to deliv er news and insights in ways that were unimaginable just a few de cadesJournalismago.

ARMSTRONGWILLIAMS

My favorite things

Brooklyn Bridge (Amanda Ulloa photo)

GREERCHRISTINAPH.D.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not rep resent 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.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 13 OPINION

Is journalism dead?

is a business, and businesses need to make a profit. With the vast number of journal ists emboldened by their ability to disseminate news across the globe easily, instantly, and prac tically for free, these journalists must compete with one another and distinguish themselves from theThepack.use of misleading headlines, false news, inflammatory pieces, reputational assaults, and hur riedly compiled reports includ ing substantive evidence from questionable sources has become commonplace. The business has transitioned from one of integrity to one of Unfortunately,click-gathering.whether we like it or not, journalism is indis pensable –– it is the backbone of a functioning world. Journalists tear down the barriers separating us from the rest of the world. It is the responsibility of journalists to gather information on world events and other fantastic, terri ble, and intriguing tales in order to enlighten us about the status of our communities. Without them, our only sources of news would be word of mouth and governmentsupplied material. This crucial task must be carried out by im partial, independent parties that have no allegiance to any person or idea other than the truth. Yet, the leaders of the pack, those who have established themselves as trustworthy and dependable sources of information, have uti lized their power, reputation, and ability to attract “clicks” to propa gate news that suits their interests and suppress news that does not. This violation of trust by journal ists may serve their own interests, but not that of the general public. In fact, these journalists are nei ther independent nor impartial; they are mere cogs in the propa ganda machine. The only interests they serve are those of themselves or their parties, and the only thing that is objective to them is their fallible notions of truth. The news should not serve American interests. In fact, the news should not serve anyone’s interests. The only interests that the news should serve are those of freedom of information; to inform the public of the facts and let them draw their own conclu sions. However, journalists do the exact opposite. They either claim to serve America’s interests, their own interests, the interests of their party, or the interests of what they perceive to be right. If the media did not serve any in terests, our nation would not be facing the division that it is now experiencing. We would not need to be concerned that our thoughts might be censored. Instead, with independent, impartial journal ism, individuals are free to draw their own conclusions based on the facts. People may examine the stories they are told and de termine for themselves what they believe is right and wrong, who is good and who is bad, as op posed to a journalist repeated ly instructing readers to support a certain perspective or despise a particular individual. It should not be the case that a viewer of CNN sees just a portion of the information and must then flip to FOX to see the other facts, and vice versa. By virtue of this basic fact, it is evident that the media organizations that author these types of stories do not serve the public and instead are out to deceive them. What function therefore does biased news serve? It cannot be stated that the objective of this type of news is to serve us by making us more educated, more independent thinkers, and more well-rounded. Instead, biased news only serves the objective of those that media organizations want to serve. Will journalism ever return to its former glory? The days when the truth was not manufactured, but rather exposed? As the world becomes more connected, the number of journalists using novel strategies to earn more money and serve the interests of more powerful individuals increases. Regardless of the eventual con clusion, I implore anybody who sees a headline or reads a story to always dig deeper and seek the truth, rather than allowing the truth to be fed to you.

I don’t know if I could ever pinpoint my fa vorite singer or mu sician, there are far too many to choose from. I wouldn’t know whether to start with Aretha Franklin and Steve Wonder or list Bob Marley, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, or Betty Carter. I do know that Biggie a.k.a. The Notorious BIG a.k.a. Christopher Wal lace is hands down my favorite rapper of all time. Some may find my love of the rapper Biggie Smalls and my favorite author Mark Twain as a jux taposition, however, both are master storytellers so it makes sense to Makingme.these lists helps me think of all the beautiful expe riences, friendships, conversa tions, and travels I’ve had over the years. As the seasons change, I implore you to make lists of all your favorite things that make you happy and complete.

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

Several other CARICOM coun tries, including The Bahamas, Ja maica, and Grenada have made moves in recent years to attract oil companies to explore for oil and gas. In the case of Jamai ca, there are strong indications of seepage of both products on land as well as offshore. The Ba hamas government on the other hand, has placed a clamp on the local oil company from further ex ploratory drilling as it has bowed to the environmental and tour ism lobby which both argue that any oil spill will wipe out tour ism. Grenada, less than 60 miles north of Trinidad, is also fixing to attract oil companies as it is con fident that its location near Trin idad and Venezuela should mean that it is in the mix as well. And Guyana, whose basin is now regarded as a well proven one, is also preparing to auction a number of acres near Exxon's prolific Stabroek Block where more than 30 gushing wells have been found since 2015.

The racist comment from a judge sums up exactly why these so-called Bible-thumping, gun-loving Christians, who have said abortion should not be al lowed because it’s “murder” per the good book, have no prob lem in turning their backs on the hungry, poor, and homeless and forcing them on what can only be called neuvo slave ships. Which begs the question––would they be doing this if the immigrants pouring over to seek asylum were from Europe? We all know what that answer is regardless of whether it’s an un comfortable truth to face. We also saw it play out last year when Ukrainian refugees walked right in and into the welcoming arms of a prepared system that let them breeze right ahead to the head of the line. No such option for Black and brown anywhere who have become the new chattel in the latest chapter of the MAGA po litical handbook. The MAGAites are happy to cheer on Texas as it deports the “invaders” to New York and D.C., to make a point to President Joe Biden and so-called Liberals. The result as we see is a strain ing of resources all around in these cities with an already ex isting homeless crisis, and a system that is definitely un stainable. We cannot continue this way with no real solution. Not that Abbott cares or is trying to negotiate any. Oh, no. Emboldened by his “God” Donald, and supported now by several Southeast Texas coun ties, including Orange and Hardin, Abbott is happy to show how much of a tough “ole boy” from the South he is. The action shows exactly how The Donald has normal ized racism and xenophobia in America. The right’s new “God” has given them strength to voice racist comments openly and act upon what they always wanted to––stopping the Black and brown “invaders” by any means necessary.Whocares what Jesus would do? The writer is publisher of News AmericasNow.com – The Black Immigrant Daily News.

Energy Minister Kerrie Sym monds says a major find could im prove the fortunes of the more than 300,000 citizens, create jobs and bring in loads of foreign exchange to the tourism-dependent country.

— Barbadian Energy Minister Kerrie Symmonds "The action shows exactly how The Donald has normalized racism and xenophobia in America."

Would Abbot be busing immigrants out if they were white?

BY BERT WILKINSON, Special to the AmNews

On April 22nd, a headline from The Texas Tribune caught my attention, as it confirmed exactly what I thought was behind the move by the state’s governor to tag and force Black and brown immigrants onto buses and ship them out of his state and far away––to New York and Washington, D.C. The headline screamed: “Judge in Texas border crack down accused of using racist slur against migrants.”

While the 15-nation CARICOM bloc of nations is leading the fight to cut fossil fuel emissions into the atmosphere, a number of member nations are still trying to woo the world’s super major oil companies to explore for offshore oil and gas off their coasts. Just this week, tiny Barbados sig naled its intention to place more than 20 oil blocks up for auction later this year as its hopes to join oil and gas-rich neighbors Guyana and Suriname as the latest region al countries to become daily oil producers. Since it first discovered offshore oil in mid-2015, Guyana has become a producer with a daily output of about 350,000 bar rels per day of sweet light crude, which places its product in the high demand areas in major oil markets. Suriname, which found its own off shore deposits more than four years after neighboring Guyana, is on course to become an actual daily producer by late 2024. Since 2015, Guyana and Surina me have discovered some of the world’s largest deposits of offshore oil in a basin that the US Geolog ical Surveys had for decades pre dicted would have been one of the best and largest on the planet. Es timates of the basin run at more than 16 billion barrels. The strike rate in the Guyana portion of the basin brings success about 80 per cent of the time wells are drilled. Now, the Mia Mottley admin istration in the Caribbean island chain’s most easterly island is hoping to find oil and gas de posits in its exclusive economic zone in waters near oil and gasrich Trinidad and Tobago. Like Suriname, Barbados pro duces about 1,600 barrels (Surina me 17,000) of onshore oil daily, but authorities hope that the auction round of 22 blocks will attract some of the biggest oil firms in the world to its potential offshore deposits.

“They have phones and clothes and all kinds of other things,” Amos reportedly said in July to defense attorney Emily Miller, whose complaint was first re ported by The Daily Beast.

IMMIGRATIONPERSAUDFELICIAKORNER

The Oil Now publication re ported this week that the energy ministry has formally invited oil majors to send in offers and indi cations of interest in the lead up to the period beginning in No vember and closing in late 2023.

“You may, by now, be won dering why the government is pursuing the development of offshore hydrocarbon resources while simultaneously advancing investment in renewable and al ternative energy. The answer to this is because the government recognises the importance of ad vocating for energy security with an emphasis on the broad diver sification of our energy mix and portfolio,” he told a local forum recently. “The campaign will be governed by the island’s pe troleum laws and regulations, namely offshore petroleum act.”

14 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

The story was about an 80-year-old conservative judge named Allen Amos, who was tapped by Kinney County, a rural border county with hardcore conservative leadership, to oversee a large group of the mi grants they say are trespassing under Abbott’s border security initiative, Operation Lone Star. A defense attorney told the State Commission on Judicial Conduct that Judge Amos told her the migrants weren’t “your regular wetbacks,” according to a copy of the complaint ob tained by The Texas Tribune.

“You may, by now, be wondering why the government is pursuing the development of offshore hydrocarbon resources while simultaneously advancing investment in renewable and alternative energy.”

Caribbean Update

Barbados, neighbors step up offshore oil hunt

Due for release in September 2022, this book offers readers an opportunity to engage with imaginative, intelligent writers who share their extraordinary gifts. “Steven Van Patten’s dys topian story illustrates the sus penseful mission of a teenager completing his pizza delivery route in a white neighborhood, encountering discrimination, hatred and racial profiling from the moment he passes through its gates and Anita Shaw’s ma ternal poem reveals the fears and dreams she has for her son, whom she will have to raise painfully aware of prejudice for his own safety, in a world that vil ifies their community.”

Black Tarot: An Ancestral Awakening Deck and Guidebook (Hachette Books) Written by Nyasha Williams and illustrated by Kimishka Naidoo, “Black Tarot” is a new tarot deck that has infused the images of classic tarot figures with African features. Williams has written a guidebook that offers deep mys tical interpretations that will help any seeker in search of answers to the mysteries of their lives. Each card features original il lustrations by Naidoo that are beautifully intimate and detailed.

Arts & Entertainment Books pg 15 | Film/TV pg 16 | Theater pg 17 | Jazz pg 20 Pg. 18 Your Stars

Black mysticism is a facet of the Black American culture that has gone largely unrecognized. Black spirituality, which has deeply re spected roots in the Christian church, can be recognized for its diversity. Astrology and Tarot as ideologies and forms of divina tion are not religions, but spiritu al pathways to IG:www.nyashawilliams.online;IG:https://dossevia.com;self-discovery.@dossevia@writingtochangethenarrative

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews Following the tragic murder of George Floyd, mainstream media began to slowly recognize the era sure of Black experts in media in general, including Black practi tioners in modern and Hellenistic astrology and mysticism. Veteran Black astrologers like Sam Reyn olds and millennial leaders like Kirah Tabourn, founder of The Strology, Mecca Woods whose horoscopes and articles have been published in Refinery29 and Es sence, and Adama Sesay, founder of Lilith Astrology among others, have all been highlighted as bright stars and great resources. Black mystics, of course, date far back into ancient times in Afri can dynasties. Nonetheless, since the rise of modern mysticism in mainstream popular culture in the 1960s and 1970s, white voices and practitioners have dominated as their knowledge was amplified above all practitioners of color. Since the 2020s, social media plat forms like Instagram have given Black mystics opportunities to expand their audiences and attract clientele in an unprecedented fashion.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 15

It is vitally important that the Black community supports such anthologies in order to preserve the literary expression of our artists.

Signs & Skymates: The Ultimate Guide to Astrological Compati bility (Running Press) West African astrologer DosséVia Trenou has created a definitive guide for astrological compatibili ty. “Signs & Skymates” will enlight en readers about their relationships with family, friends and themselves through Via Trenou’s comprehen sive style that uses “whole-chart houses” to find compatibility between people’s astrology charts. Compatibility is found when two people’s birth charts are com pared and even overlaid upon one another to find the common alities, synchronicities, differ ences and clashes between two people who are in a relationship. The book encourages “readers to expand their ideas about each sign—including the ones in their own chart.” Whether you are very experienced in astrology or just learning, this book will assist you in discovering the nature of your interpersonal connections.

Black Age: Oceanic Lifespans and the Time of Black Life by Habiba Ibrahim (NYU Press) Black Age is a poignant book that journeys through the lifes pans of the Black body since the emergence of trans-Atlantic slav ery. The book “tracks the struggle between the abuses of Black ex clusion from Western humanism and the reclamation of non-nor mative Black life, arguing that, if some of us are brave, it is be cause we dare to live lives con sidered incomprehensible within a schema of ‘human time.’” We as a culture struggle to find a healthy space to understand our relationships with time. The daily struggle to survive in an aggres sive cultural landscape robs us of an abundant, and even minimal allotment of freedom to truly selfexamine our place in the world, and our surroundings truly affect us on macro and micro levels.

“Focusing on Black literary cul ture of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Habiba Ibrahim examines how the history of trans-Atlantic slavery and the constitution of modern Blackness has been re imagined through the embodi ment of age.”

Ancestral Illumination: A Guided Journal for Black Tarot is “a stun ning companion to ‘Black Tarot: An Ancestral Awakening Deck and Guidebook,’ [which helps] you connect with the divine.”

Two books that explore the depth of Black life

Black lives not only to matter, but they are the fabric of Amer ican culture. Our stories must become central to the historical lexicon of America if we are to enjoy a future of free thought and safety. These books look inward and offer depth and progression of the Black American existence.

Two Black mystical books to discover

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

The intricate complexities of the Black experience permeates within the cultural and historical layers of America. Black Amer icans, since the earliest days of the formation of this nation, have strived with grace, vision and aptitude to tell their stories in such a penetratingly vulnera ble manner, that the tradition of Black literature has survived and evolved with the birth of each newThegeneration.tradition of documenting the reality of Black life through prose, poetry, essays and academic books holds steadfast in this postmodern era. Here are two books that offer a myriad of perspectives from creative Black voices. Lunar Phoenix: An Anthology of Black Voices (Quail Bell Press) Lunar Phoenix is an upcoming collection of short stories, poetry and essays by an array of incred ible Black writers. One of the 34 authors who have contributed to the book, Jordan A. McCray, de scribes Lunar Phoenix as a col lection that “creates a channel for Black writers to define their experience as “I traverse through each and every space in this world, I know I matter equally in all of them.”

A Jazzman’s Blues — directed by Tyler Perry A story of forbidden love and family se crets that reach from the 1940s to the 1980s. Featuring songs by Terence Blanchard, cho reography by Debbie Allen, and music by composer Aaron Zigman. A Jazzman’s Blues is a testament to African American music, resilience, and storytelling. Black Ice — directed by Hubert Davis This incisive, urgent documentary ex amines the history of anti-Black racism in hockey, from the segregated leagues of the 19th century to professional leagues today, where Black athletes continue to strug gle against bigotry. Executive produced by LeBron James, Drake, and Maverick Carter.

Bruiser — directed by Miles Warren A 14-year-old boy turns to a charismat ic loner for help after being beaten up. Thefeaturedirectors’debut about fathers, families, and the effects of fighting.

Dear Mama — directed by Allen Hughes

On The Come Up — directed by Emmynominated actress Sanaa Lathan Making her feature directorial debut, this film is a love letter to hip hop as told through the eyes of Bri, a 16-year-old gifted rapper, who attempts to take the battle rap scene by storm in order to lift up her family and do right by the legacy of her father––a local hip hop legend whose career was cut short by gang violence. The film is based on the New York Times No. 1 best-selling novel by Angie Thomas.

Devotion — directed by JD Dillard Set during the Korean War, this viscer al film tells the story of the U.S. Navy’s first African American aviator and his dedicated wingman, pilots who both confront geopo litical uncertainty and racist hostility with uncommon valor. The King’s Horseman — directed by Biyi Bandele TIFF dedicates this presentation of “The King’s Horseman” to the memory of Biyi Bandele, (October 1967 – August 2022). The day comes for Elésin Oba (Odunlade Adekola) to accompany the Alaafin of Oyo, King of Yorubaland (contemporary Nigeria, Togo, and Benin), into the afterlife. Cele bration is in order! As the King’s Horseman, Elésin is responsible for the political ruler’s smooth travels in life and in death, making this day the long-intended end of his hon orable, fleshly commitments to the Yoruba people. Since the Alaafin is dead, Yoruba re ligious tradition insists Elésin must commit ritual suicide. For the full version of this story, visit www. amsterdamnews.com Umbrellamen

A series of mysterious deaths in an aban doned development north of Tunis sends two detectives down an all-consuming rabbit hole when workers discover the burnt body of a building watchman onsite and call in police detectives Fatma (Fatma Oussaifi) and Batal (Mohamed Houcine Grayaa) to investigate. ( https://www.tiff. net/events/ashkal ) —

Hughes’ quintessential documentary series explores the life and legacy of hip hop icon Tupac Shakur and his mother, the Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur, expos ing audiences to the dark realities of both the mother and son’s complicated relation ships with law enforcement, violence, and drug abuse.

An opulent historical drama, inspired by the true story of composer Joseph Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), brims with intrigue, romance, and sumptuous music—turn ing the spotlight on a brilliant artist whose legacy has been woefully obscured. The film opens with a bang as Bologne interrupts a Paris concert conducted by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and makes a dramatic impression on the preening genius and his fancy, 18th-century audience.

Chevalier — directed by Stephen Williams

A staggering adaptation of David Char iand’s award-winning novel about two Trinidadian-Canadian brothers coming of age in 1990s Scarborough, where they rec oncile their dreams and expectations with the violence that confronts them around every corner.

16 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Black star power shines at Toronto Film Fest,

Brother — directed by Clement Virgo

By MARGRIRA Special to the AmNews

The Woman King — directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood This epic tale, starring Oscar winner Viola Davis, brings to life the true story of the Agojie, the all-female military regiment charged with protecting the embattled West African Kingdom of Dahomey from adver sarial neighbors, European colonizers, and the horrors of the slave trade. The year is 1823. Orphaned at birth and raised by an abusive guardian who seeks only to marry her off for money, young Nawi (Mbedu) petitions for entry into the Agojie, led by the single-minded Nanisca (Davis). To defend their people against the oppressive and heavily armed Oyo Empire, the Agojie run candidates through an ardu ous training program. Nawi proves herself an outstanding, ferocious soldier, though she questions the Agojie rules, which state that no one in their ranks shall marry or have children. As the Agojie prepares for the fight of their lives against both the Oyo and the Portuguese slave traders with whom they are in league, long-buried se crets come to light, revealing harrowing stories of personal sacrifice that will only strengthen the bonds between these un stoppable warrior women.

Sept 8-18

Ashkal — directed by Youssef Chebbi

Free Money — directed by Sam Soko and Lauren DeFilippo When universal basic income (UBI) comes to the Kenyan village of Kogutu, lives are forever changed. The filmmakers juxta pose the story of these young economists, bankrolled by Silicon Valley and convinced that they have found an infallible algorithm to end world poverty, with portraits of local Kenyans whose lives are being dramatically impacted for better and for worse.

This year’s Toronto Film Festival is full of African, Caribbean, African American, and Afro Canadian star power, and we’ve com piled a list of everything you should have on your radar for TIFF 2022. Festival premieres include new work by Tyler Perry and Tim Story. We also get to see Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King” starring Oscar winner Viola Davis and documentaries on two, prolific creatives: “Sidney,” directed by Reginald Hudlin, and “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues” directed by Sacha Jenkins. Here are our picks for films to check out at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival (TIFF).

An encounter with a drag queen named Lola begins a journey that leads Charlie down a road he has never traveled before and one where he and Lola prove to enrich each other’s lives. “Kinky Boots” is a musical about prejudice, one’s ability to be com fortable with who you are de spite what that might mean in your family relationships, one challenging their limitations and people realizing that everyone has a right to how they perceive them selves and that in the end there is something that truly connects us all. This musical depicts—utiliz ing sassy humor—the discrimi nation that drag queens face and learn to overcome. There are so many beautiful moments in this musical as Lola and her Angels— six other drag queens—proud ly, beautifully and gloriously strut their stuff and make no apolo gies. It was wonderful to experi ence the world and their power in it through their perspective. It was also interesting that Fier stein’s marvelous book de clared that Lola and other drag queens still desired the acceptance and ap proval of their family and were hurt by the fact that it was not something that was necessarily going to happen.Thecast of this musical is absolutely stupendous!

Callum Francis is a force to be reckoned with as Lola! His portrayal of Lola has a great deal of heart, con fidence, but also vulner ability. She is a character that has many levels, but in the end she is a fierce human being that deserves ev eryone’s respect and bends over backwards to make people feel comfortable. While those around her may not all be concerned with her feelings, she is concerned for them. There are incredible les sons being taught in this musi cal. Francis commands the stage with utter control and brilliance! Christian Douglas is wonderful as Charlie Price. He needs a niche market to give new life to his fam ily’s failing shoe factory and he finds it with the drag queens. But he also has a lot of growing up to do and he does it during the musi cal. It’s touching to see the growth that this character goes through. Danielle Hope rocks the show as Lauren, a factory worker who tells Charlie to find another prod uct and then sticks by him when he thinks of kinky boots for drag queens. Her character is absolute ly engaging and a delight to watch. All the factory workers are incredi bly portrayed by an ensemble that just adds to the fun of the musical and includes Liz Pearce as Trish; Marcus Neville as George; Sean Steele as Don; and Bella Coppo la as Pat. Brianna Stoute is good as Nicola, Charlie’s fiancé who wants to get him to sell the facto ry and change the building into condos. Bringing the energy, the charged dynamic and fun to this musical are the other drag queens or Angels—Nick Drake; Ian Gal lagher Fitzgerald, Kevin Smith Kirkwood; Marty Lauter, Ricky Schroeder and Tarion Strong. There is just so much to be en gaged with while watching this musical! “Kinky Boots” will have you cheering, screaming approv al and ready to strut the runway yourself! The stunning choreog raphy and direction are the work of the amazing Jerry Mitchell! Put on your sneakers, boots, sandals or shoes, but strut to Stage 42 and experience “Kinky Boots”!

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 17

Callum Francis in "Kinky Boots"

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“Kinky Boots” tells the story of the Price family, who have been making men’s shoes for years. Mr. Price hopes to pass the business onto his son Charlie, but Charlie has other plans. When events lead to Charlie taking over the busi ness it is in dire straits and he has to come up with a plan to save it.

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews “Kinky Boots” struts its way into your heart at Stage 42! I love when a revival is done that lives up to the glory and expectations of the origi nal show. A revival that has cast in the main roles, thes pians who definitely make the cut and bring their “A” game and that is what has happened at Stage 42 on 42nd Street with the revival of “Kinky Boots”! This mu sical features a delightful book by Harvey Fierstein and terrific music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. When you first walk into the theatre prior to the musical start ing, you are treated to a fun soundtrack of Lauper songs to get you into the mood to just have a wonderful time and that is exactly what is about to happen.

The cast of "Kinky Boots" (Matt Murphy photos)

is“Boots”back!!!

It’s time to rise to the life you lead. Bring your A game with the pain, problems, and condition you experience to walk this path you are on. Share your story with others as some form of social media, TV, radio, is broadcasting you are invited to. It doesn’t have to be big, it can be your community reaching out to you. A cycle to take the initiation with a new perspective handling un finished business changing your reality. September 1st is the way to transform your reality on the first calendar day of the month. Substantial changes are occurring in your immediate environ ment. Your perspective on how you view yourself and the posi tion you play in the process. Information is accessible when you tap inside and flip the switch on. Admit your flaws, and take ac countability, as this cycle comes with a great, great, great, great grandma, grandfather lesson. After you learn, the rewards begin to flow in. Retrieve one thing that’s resonated within you from someone you re spect or look up to. September 2nd -3rd ask yourself the things you are doing daily, who are you doing it for?

September 7th - 8th it’s time to jump to embark on your passion.

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS September 1, 2022 — September 7, 2022 By GODDESS KYA WWW.KYAFRENCH.COM | CONSULTATIONS 866-331-5088

September starts with the moon in Scorpio. Between late August and 5 days after the 1st of September, your life picks up positively. Although it seems like you are pulling dead weight with an extra heavy load, always remember the divine creator will not give you what you cannot carry. Discipline is your execution as rewards are bestowed upon you. With the south node in Scorpio a time to renew yourself and your soul in a new direction updating your past lifetimes. September 1st new alliances and partnerships are emerging together for the better. Your intuition is on point with flashes of insight. You understand your worth. When you do you associate yourself with like-minded beings and souls without fear. When it’s time to cut people off you let them go like air and burn like fire. Step your game up higher, and higher as you have a winner mindset designed for struggle and success. This journey you are on is not for the faint of the heart. You have your spiritual guidings leading you and your haters on standby. You can show people rather than tell them.

Rebirth of a New Nation: The first week of September is a thrilling phenomenon: weekly cycles of experiences are unfolding right before your very eyes, faster than your eyes blink and lightning strikes. You may want to hit the alert button as things in the universe quiver, shake, shiver, flying here to there, and water mains break like a woman delivering her baby. The ancestors are moving with force, and pressure, in slow motion yet steady enough that you feel their presence within your bones that make the fat on your body jiggle. Mixed signals are flash news as the darkness and hilarious moments pop up like “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Finance, relationships, the Golden Rule is highly effective to reward or give you another lesson the grand old fashion way. “When the grandmother speaks, the earth will be healed.” Hopi proverb

September is a stupendous month in areas of business, per sonal, and family relationships transforming into a new direc tion. A new assignment came down the pipeline in January 2022 then paused until June thru October. The decision is up to you to decide what direction as opportunities present themselves to you. Financial gain and losses paying old, and new obligations while investing in you is a requisite. Sept 4th - 5th preparation for the new ush ering in breaking down old foundations emerging into the mature you. Selfawareness is key, and remember your WHY you began your journey.

 Capricorn Dec 22 Jan 21  Cancer June 22 July 23  Aquarius Jan 22 Feb 19  Leo July 24 Aug 23  Pisces Feb 20 Mar 20  Virgo Aug 24 Sept 23  Aries Mar 21 Apr 21  Libra Sept 24 Oct 23  Taurus Apr 22 May 21  Scorpio Oct 24 Nov 22  Gemini May 22 June 21  Sagittarius Nov 23 Dec 21

September 2nd-3rd silence is your best friend as you take another step forward in your life.

Schedule time out to nurture yourself with divine care. A full body massage, exercising, meditation, biking, the things you do in silence or by yourself for peace of mind. Opportunities and people are coming from all sorts of valleys, mountains, and from higher-ups. Listening to the right people who care about you not against you as they can be the ones telling you what you should do instead. September 4th-5th take a back seat for you to see the story play ing out. Are you ready to grab the bull by its horns to face your fears or take the steps necessary to start the process? While you are in the process of waiting for something to come through, you are the only come-through option in sight. In process mode, your appli cation is looked over, passed on, and stuck to the back of the work pile for later. Until you start to act upon the process, going through breakdowns, lonely moments, pressure applied, and the hard-knock lessons that make you cry only to align you with the next phase of your destiny. September 8th gives it your best shot even if it makes your knees weak and quiver.

18 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Old wounds become intelligence to strengthen, and encourage you when life knocks you down. Understand the true power lies within you. No need to give up, apply your confidence and perseverance through it all as pressure is on to reach a higher level. This is not an easy task, one that will make you throw in the towel. When those thoughts cloud your judgment remember where you started, the discipline it took to get thus far, and the relationship you built with self. You don’t see the development occurring in the background. Allow your faith to elevate you into higher grounds for the progress for ward. September 1st life is an experience and part of the manifestation of your passion to make an impact on others. A cycle week where that WHY question kicks in. There are things beyond this physical realm of life that we don’t see often. Using your imagination is the closest to the spiritual realm to find the answers you seek inside. As new developments occur for you to step your game up mentally to put projects, and events into rotation. Inside there is a burning desire to know something instead keep hustling, and moving as transformation forth coming will answer part of your question. September 2nd – 3rd pick up the pieces to the puzzle to discover the bigger picture. When you have been down in the trenches and at times no one was around only you to converse. You felt alone yet the divine creator was building you from scratch. Your devotion, respect, psychological mental transformation for an upgrade, and hungriness to change the ongoing cycles within your D.N.A. to be the one to pursue a different path. You un derstand the change in your behavior is key for your D.N.A. to begin the domino effects for rebooting itself into a new season. September 4th-5th consider this an invitation to awaken the bones in your bloodlines. Are you ready to run, rock, and roll to stand firm on what you believe in? You got to drop dead Fred on everything that doesn’t serve a purpose in your life. You are on a purposeful mission and vision to fulfill a purpose. Dream on with the application. It’s time to start that assignment. Take ad vantage of the resources and the people within your environment. Don’t drain or use them up for personal gain. It will backfire. Do the right thing.

It’s time to take the lead. Take accountability for your actions to cross over into the new you. It’s time to act upon your passion and what price you are willing to pay. Sacrifice comes with speed ing tickets, suffering, letting go, getting through the pain, and re fusing to be a doormat where you are. Cut the noise and focus on you. Work in silence. September 6th-8th follow through.

Vinateria

Moderated by Brandice Daniels, CEO & founder of HFR, the guest panelists in cluded Corey Smith, VP Di versity Inclusion LVMH; Jasmine Humphrey, Global PR director, Tiffany’s & Co.; Nelson Gillum, director, Consumer Engagement, MoetHFR’sHennessy.Lunch and Learn event provided invalu able insights into breaking through adversity in fash ion for upper echelon lead ership of color. “We wanted to do some thing with the fashion com munity and decided this was the right place and time,” said Daniels. “We are here to serve you.” When you are working for a com pany, “make sure you have a comfortable experi ence,” advised Corey Smith. “Expand your world. Read the stories of Black authors like Malcolm X, James Bald win, Richard Wright.”

Harlem Fashion Row, LVM host 50 future fashion designers at Melba’s

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 19

Harlem Fashion Row’s (HFR) Lunch and Learn affair, held recently at Mel ba’s Restaurant in Harlem, NYC, was a tremendous success! This well-attended event, done in collaboration with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), fea tured a panel discussion where industry executives highlighted important busi ness tips for fifty talented high school students who participate in either celeb rity stylist Misa Hilton’s Fashion Academy or Tony Danza’s The Stars of Tomor rowStudentsProgram.dressed to im press. Their looks were fash ion-forward, and in some cases, futuristic and color ful. Melba’s delicious threecourse lunch featured all of the tasty, yummy cultural delicacies the restaurant is famousLivingfor.legend and HFR’s “Godfather,” Dapper Dan (Daniel Day) and Tiffany L. Zeno, show producer with NBC Universal Local, were in attendance, along with fashion mogul Misa Hilton. The three fashion designers showing in HFR’s upcom ing Fall 2022 NYFW show, Clarence Ruth, Johnathan Hayden, and Nicole Bene field, were also in the house.

Brandice asked the stu dents what words inspired them. Answers included, “Love,” “Creativity,” “Con fidence,” “Humanity,” and “Being adaptable.” Nelson insisted that, “After high school, students should spend time finding out who they are. And, ques tion everything.” Panelists recounted their profession al journeys and gave a mini masterclass on excelling in this world. They encour aged the next generation of creative catalysts to dream, work hard, and to succeed. HFR continues to move to improve the environ ment by introducing de signers to the importance of sustainability. Presently, there is an opportunity for emerging talent of color to move forward. There’s no doubt that the fashion in dustry has changed. Their approach needs to be dif ferent, original and envi ronmentally friendly. HFR is thrilled to usher in a new era of diversification in the luxury fashion space, actualizing and execut ing strategic partnerships.

(Courtesy photo)

“Panelists recounted their professional journeys and gave a mini masterclass on excelling in this world. They encouraged the next generation of creative catalysts to dream, work hard, and to succeed.”

Trends

By RENEE MINUS WHITE Fashion & Beauty Editor

Harlem’s Fashion Row con tinues to instill confidence in our youth and is truly moving to make working in fashion achievable. HFR is vying for inclusiv ity, championing change through collaboration, and challenging the industry to acknowledge young, pas sionate, up and coming courtiers of color.

Fifty talented high school students pose with special guests and panelists at HFR’s recent Lunch and Learn affair at Melba’s Restaurant, on W. 114th St. and Frederick Douglas Blvd.

20 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Michael Bourne, the jazz man and longtime radio host for WBGO in Newark, died on August 21. He was 75. My phone began ringing early that morning from the ringtone to notifications of text messages to Instagram. Finally, after get ting up to take a look at all the urgency, one texted “sad news,” another “yo dude Michael died do you believe it?” Wow, that was a shocker for me––Bourne was the voice of WBGO radio from his start in 1984. He was unique, his voice was this big bellowing tone, the big roar that grabbed your attention. You mean Mi chael is really gone, the jazz cat, the jazz connoisseur, jazz his torian, the jazzhead, who had a jazz story for every occasion is no longer in the studio, he has left earth’s airways. When Bourne retired in early 2022, it was the end of a grand radio era. Even after his retire ment, he came out to WBGO events and other jazz happen ings. The station continued to use his voice for upcoming events and the like so he was still technically present. WBGO without Bourne is like super man without his cape. Everyone was so intoxicated by his vibrat ing vocal cords and the way he would say WBGO.O-R-G was hi larious. He put all the pronunci ation on .ORG. During the recent Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, Bourne’s name was echoed by everyone talking about his transition and how much he would be missed. Then someone said, “it seems like he was always on the air.” Yes, at one point he was work ing six shifts each week on Jazz 88, from 2001 to 2006. He was the host of the “Singers Unlim ited” podcast by WBGO Stu dios. Previously, he hosted the popular “Singers Unlimited” (1985-2022) show on WBGO. He also hosted the popular “Blues Break” for several years. He hosted WBGO’s syndicat ed show, “The American Jazz Radio Festival,” for five years, and he hosted or anchored 22 of WBGO’s New Year’s Eve broadcasts. Michael filled in on countless shifts at all hours until finally settling into the After noon Jazz shift. “Ironically, just after I’d come to WBGO, Rhonda Hamilton asked me what I wanted to do at the station, and I remember laughing and saying that I wanted her shift in the afternoons.” Bourne ended up following Hamilton’s shift on mid-days. Bourne shared all that jazz, blues, singers unlim ited from Broadway to jazz and more. He was a true lover of the music and he shared it every day with the Bourneworld.maybe one of the few or only jazz radio hosts with a Ph.D in Theater from Indi ana University which means he gave up possible Broadway roles as King Lear or Brutus in Julius Caesar. Reflecting on his radio career, he was overjoyed he gave up his possible Broadway roles as King, to hang out with real kings [of jazz] like Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck, Mark Murphy (he produced four of his albums), Clark Terry, Dizzy Gil lespie and the Queens who be friended him like Shirley Horn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Sarah Vaughan.TheDaily News asked the native of St. Louis when he turned 65 if he’d ever retire. “I said ‘From what?’ I get paid to play records and go to shows!” And I’m really happy to have gotten the chance. Jazz took me around the world. I can’t complain. That should be on my tombstone: ‘He could not complain.’”Heissurvived by Elizabeth Dicker, her husband, Glenn, and children Nora and Lukas. Plans for a memorial service are forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Actors Fund Home, actors fundhome.org.JoeyDeFrancesco, a multi-in strumentalist, who earned his reputation as a master Ham mond B3 organist, by adding his own special touch in the tradi tion of Jack McDuff, Dr. Lonnie Smith and his idol Jimmy Smith died on August 25. He was 51. His death was announced by his record company, Mack Avenue, which did not say where he died or cite the cause. DeFrancesco’s most memo rable performance for me was the Cape Town Jazz Festival in South Africa. He received three standing ovations after bringing smoke to the stage. It was my first time seeing him play trum pet, that could have easily been his main instrument. After the concert he said to me, “it was the audience that got me in such a groove man, they were great.” At age 16, he signed with Co lumbia Records and released his debut album at 16, “All of Me.” Sometime later he joined Miles Davis on a five-week Europe an tour at 17. Miles was so im pressed he invited him to play keyboards on his 1989 Warner Bros. album DeFrancesco,“Amandla.”likehis organ predecessors, was adept in blending blues, jazz, R&B, and soul into one swinging package. He was known for his techni cal command of the instrument running off notes with his right hand. He was in full-command of his organ console, moving switches with its drawbars and pedal board from gospel hollers to deep blues solos. A 2004 album of original music was called “Joey DeFran cesco Plays Sinatra His Way.” His “Never Can Say Goodbye” in 2010 paid tribute to the music of Michael Jackson. He also re corded albums with singer Van Morrison and guitarist Danny Gatton. The organist didn’t care about genres, he just wanted to play good music. Born in Springfield, Pennsyl vania, on April 10, 1971, Joey DeFrancesco lived in Arizona for many years. DeFrancesco’s father, “Papa” John DeFrances co, has been playing jazz organ on the Philadelphia jazz scene since the 1950s, NPR reported. His grandfather and namesake, Joseph DeFrancesco, had played saxophone and clarinet during the swing era of the 1930s in up state New York. His older broth er, Johnny, is a blues guitarist, according to DeFrancescoNPR.could also play the trumpet, saxophone, piano and synthesizer. But he built his career playing an old-school Hammond B3 organ and some times he took to singing. “I love the synthesizers and play all that stuff, but you can’t beat the sound of the B3,” he told The Associated Press in 1991. “The instrument has a very warm tone. It just has all those emotions in it. It’s got little bits of every instrument in it. It’s like having a whole or chestra at your fingertips.”

THOUGHTS ON MICHAEL BOURNE AND JOEY DEFRANCESCO

WBGO's longtime radio host Michael Bourne (Jonathan Chimene photos)

September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 21THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

ACTIVITIES

In Brian Lanker’s book on Black women who changed the world, “I Dream A World,” An derson is among those profiled and she com mented on how she developed as a singer. “I learned how to listen to other singers and take from them certain things and still have my own identity,” she said. “Everybody is influ enced by somebody, or something. If there’s an original, who is the original?”

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Ernestine Anderson gave ‘Harlem Nocturne’ and other songs special resonance

By this time she was living in Seattle and attending Garfield High School. She was still a teenager when bandleader “Bumps” Blackwell, hired her to sing in his Junior Band. Quincy Jones and Ray Charles would be among the alumni of the band. Two years later she was on the road with the Johnny Otis band and in 1952 she went on tour with Lionel Hampton’s orchestra, eventually set tling in New York City. Her recording career was launched with an appearance on Gigi Gryce’s 1955 album “Nica’s Tempo” on the Savoy label. In 1958, her debut album under her name was called “Hot Cargo,” on the Mercury Records label. Her burgeoning career got a considerable bump when noted jazz critic Ralph Glea son wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle that “she is the best new singer in a decade. She has good diction, time, and an uncanny ability to phrase well, great warmth in her voice, a true tone and, on top of that, she swings like mad.” In 1959, she was award ed “New Star” in Downbeat magazine. This merely accentuated what had been written about her a year before in Time magazine, who deemed her the “best kept secret in the land.” And then came the inevitable com parisons to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan, whom she most closely resembled in tone and phrasing.

The profile published in “I Dream a World” is about as definitive as you can get, though it’s possi ble to supplement it with many articles on her.

FIND OUT

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Working on a book about music in Harlem, particularly songs that referenced the com munity, I had concluded that “Harlem Noc turne” would be on the list. What I didn’t know was that one of the most popular versions of the standard was recorded by Ernestine An derson. “Deep music fills the night/Deep in the heart of Harlem. And though the stars are bright/the darkness is haunting me,” Ander son sang on the recording released in 1960. Against a lush background of strings, An derson’s voice has an easy lilt with a bluesy articulation that immediately evokes a shadowy night scene in Harlem. At this time she was well along in her adventurous career and returning to America after a so journ in Europe. But the real beginning for her was in Houston, Texas where she was born on Nov. 11, 1928, along with her twin sister, Jose phine. Her musical DNA was derived from her father who often sang bass in a gospel quartet. In their home blues records were constantly on the turntable, where she heard such notables as John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and others. And when the record player wasn’t spinning the radio was tuned to an assortment of music, including country and western, gospel and even occa sional pop recordings. “They had big bands coming through Houston like Jimmie Lunceford, Billy Eck stine, Erskine Hawkins, and Count Basie,” she told a reporter. These sounds had a tre mendous impact on her and she began to sing around the house. Her godmother en tered her in a local contest and “I only knew two songs,” she recalled, one of them was “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” When asked what key she wanted to sing it in, she had no idea and said “C,” which was wrong but she did a fabulous job of improvising, so much so that at the end of her performance the pianist told her “you are a jazz singer.”

Aug. 29, 1920: Jazz im mortal Charlie “Bird” Parker born in Kansas City, Mo. He died in 1955. Aug. 29, 1924: Blues diva Dinah Washington, born in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She died in 1963. Aug. 29, 1958: King of Pop, Michael Jackson born in Gary, Ind. He died in 2009.

The trajectory of her career conforms with the changing musical phases beginning with her blues orientation to her settling into a jazz motif.

For many jazz musicians, including the singers, there was a slog in the ’60s as rhythm & blues, funk, and rock and roll gained as cendance. But her career experienced a revival in the ’70s after a sensational ap pearance at the 1976 Concord Jazz Festival. There followed a succession of reasonably successful albums, concert appearances, and general recognition as a popular jazz singer and performer. In 1983 she earned a Grammy nomination for “Big City.” By the late ’80s she was back on tours, including a great stint in Japan. On her return came an invitation to sing at Carnegie Hall, and then there was the Hollywood Bowl, and then the Kennedy Center, and then and then. A decade later she left Concord Records and signed with Qwest, putting her back in touch with her soulmate and Seattle. There were other recording dates and none as bountiful and rewarding as her 2004 JVC CD “Hello Like Before,” the Bill Withers composition. Years before in her search for peace and tranquility she became a follower of Nichiren Buddhism. On March 10, 2016, she died peacefully in Shoreline, Washington, at 87, surrounded by her family and friends. INHISTORYBLACK

DISCUSSION Her adoption of Bud dhism needs embellish ing, particularly why she chose this particular reli gion.

CLASSROOMTHEIN THIS WEEK

He expects that ad ministrators that lead colleges or universities and lenders will have to “take a hard look” at the afford ability of tuition in the future.

Enyia said that Black students are often forced to borrow at higher rates and hold dispropor tionate debt which reinforces the racial wealth gap. The organiza tion is advocating for plain can celing all student debt to boost theNationaleconomy.Action Network (NAN) Senior Vice President of Policy & Strategic Partnerships Ebonie Riley said that the decision to for give some student debt is “his toric” but there’s still more work to do. Riley suggested canceling $50,000 of student loans and clos ing the income gap since Black households carry more student debt regardless of their incomes after graduation. “Approximate ly one in four Black Americans have negative net worth — mean ing their total debt exceeds their total assets,” said Riley. “The $125,000 income cap will leave a large amount of the popula tion behind, especially in an era of high inflation. A Black doctor or attorney who earns above the cap could very well have six-figure studentMeanwhile,debt.”

Allen said that the “equitable” program crosses race, gender, ethnicity, partisan, and class lines. He said at the end of the day, regardless of what people look like, millions will benefit from the“Theprogram.President believes strong ly in imposing accountability on college raising costs without de livering additional value to stu dents,” said the White House. The administration said that the re launching of regular student loan payments with the debt relief program will “offset the cost” in the short term. But, they won’t have an estimate of the real cost until the program starts. Many in impacted commu nities aren’t satisfied with the amount, though.

22 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Chair of the Biden Adminis tration’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Presi dent of Delaware State Universi ty Dr. Tony Allen, said that many of his students come from lower resourced communities, they’re first generation college students, and they have higher debt than the average student. The Asso ciated Press (AP) reported that Blacks with student loans have an average of $40,000 in debt compared to white counterparts.

“What the President has done is not just give immediate relief, he’s put some action behind what’s been a lot of words from a lot of people for a long time,” saidHowever,Allen. central questions of ‘why not more’ or ‘why should they get their loans forgiven’ have circulated since the an nouncement. The White House said Biden is focused on “growing our economy from the bottom up and the middle out’’ and that “some students in that situation were able to pay off their debt is a testament to them, but it is no reason to deny relief to others.”

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member President Joe Biden announced he’d forgive up to $20,000 for qualifying student loan borrow ers for ones who earn less than $125,000 a year. It’s projected that up to 43 million borrow ers could receive debt relief, and has sparked a nationwide debate about fairness and adequate compensation.Duringthepresidential cam paign, Biden promised to imple ment student debt relief. For a long time, the continued defer ments of payments seemed to be as close as he’d get to keeping his promise following the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have rejoiced that the President has finally de livered, while others are irritated about not qualifying or that they have already paid off their loans.

“Relieving student debt is criti cal for so many across New York. It should not turn into a cash grab by the state,” said Gianaris in a statement. “This is an impor tant step in making it easier to access the higher education and career training New Yorkers need andAndeserve.”application will be avail able in early October. Once com pleted, people can expect relief within 4-6 weeks if eligible. Indi viduals can apply until October 31 for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) waiver and up until November 15 for the stu dent loan forgiveness program. Go to studentaid.gov to sign up to be notified automatically when student loan forgiveness information is available.

The student loan forgiveness program promises up to $20,000 in forgiveness for Pell Grant re cipients and up to $10,000 for other borrowers. People earning less than $125,000 a year are el igible. They are proposing a cap on monthly payments for un dergraduate loans at 5% of their income. Additionally, borrowers who are employed by nonprof its, the military, or government may be eligible for relief through the Public Service Loan Forgive ness (PSLF) program for a limited time. The deferment of student loans is extended one last time through December 31, 2022 while the forgiveness program gets up and running.

“A post-high school education should be a ticket to the mid dle-class, but over the years, we have witnessed the cost of college skyrocket to exorbitant amounts preventing far too many borrow ers from being able to purchase a home, start a business, or save for retirement,” said US Rep. Adria no Espaillat in a statement.

Education Student debt forgiveness, is it enough for Black borrowers?

Allen calculates that for the last decade of HBCU graduates about 1.1 million alum will get some sort of forgiveness money, adding up to about $15 billion in aid. He said the historic program, despite any challenges that may arise, is critical because it’s a “significant beginning.”

Allen’s excited for his current students and incoming freshmen with loans who are eligible. The program states that loans must have started prior to July 1, 2022.

“While we acknowledge and welcome the sorely-needed relief that many need, we know that the Biden administration can go further by canceling student debt entirely. So many people need and deserve that relief,” said Dr. Amara Enyia, policy and research coordinator for the Movement for Black Lives in a statement.

A matriculating student celebrates during remarks at the Borough of Manhattan Community College's (BMCC) 57th commencement ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office photo)

Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris is push ing a new law that would exempt student loan forgiveness from state income taxes. Right now, student loan forgiveness is taxed in 13 states, including New York. Student loans can’t be federal ly taxed as income because of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), but this bill would bring that protection to the state level.

Brooklyn 5801 8th Ave., Brooklyn,

Wuddi told the Amsterdam News on Tues day evening. By then, artist Ballentine had repainted the mural, the damage gone. Wuddi added that it was not the guy with a dog as reported, he is known to the neighborhood and denied being involved. It was another individual who “spray painted it, then threw a can of paint. He cameBiggieprepared.”became known for his poignant lyrics about dealing drugs on the Fulton Street block as a youth, set to beats by Puff Daddy––the ’90s saw his star rise. A protract ed, possibly manufactured beef between the East and West Coast rap world saw violence and disruption in the world of rap.

Residents say that what was scrawled on the picture in the East Coast City of New York, close to Biggie’s Brooklyn homestead makes no sense to folks trying to figure out who the culprit is.

“Hip hop raised me, along with so many other Brooklynites, and Brooklyn raised Biggie,” Public Advocate Jummane Wil liams, told the Amsterdam News, “Vandal izing this mural just blocks from this icon’s home is disrespectful to the artist, his family, the broader Brooklyn community and iden tity, and the world he impacted. The Brook lyn way is to spread love, not destruction.”

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 23 captured someone with a dog next to the mural, but it is reportedly difficult to decipher what the person is doing. Locals told the AmNews that he is known to the community and it was not him, but another man seen on camera at around 2.30 a.m. on Friday night. Christopher Wallace, contradictions notwithstanding, is an icon to a certain demographic. Vincent Ballentine is the wellknown artist who took two days to create the mural in 2019 on the corner wall of Beauty World salon on Fulton Street and St. James Place. “Oh…the disrespect is real. Damn shame. Why did they do that?” wrote Bal lentine on Instagram. In an interview with CBS, he stated, “I woke up to this… I think the neighborhood really saw it as he was one of ours, and he made it out and made some thing of himself. That’s the story that people hold on to.” “It’s a terrible thing. I really don’t know why they did it, because they spray paint ed on it ‘East Coast’--and we’re in the East Coast. Like, if they vandalized it and they put ‘West Coast’ then it is understandable. But putting ‘East Coast’ and spilling blood on it like the red paint makes no sense. It’s definitely done by somebody not from out here. It had to be someone that has some thing against the East Coast to make it look like it is somebody from the West Coast,” local Keyfood supermarket co-owner Subi

Retired NYPD captain, and current mayor of New York City Eric Adams told the paper, “Biggie is a hero to our community, and

The NYPD public information told Am sterdam News, “There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.”

that’s darn sure not how you spread love the Brooklyn way, as Biggie would say.” The city’s chief executive officer who held an event at City Hall to mark what would have been Big gie’s 50th birthday continued, “We’re going to look into that and make sure that mural is cleaned up and repaired because this has a place there and it remains there, and we want to find the person responsible.” Any time of the day in the New York City borough––in particular folk walking, on bikes, in cars, or through open apartment windows––can be heard blasting Biggie hits: “Big Poppa,” “Mo Money, Mo Prob lems,” “Juicy,” Life After Death” etc. Pass ersby usually join in at whichever verse is pouring out of the speakers. Biggie––con tradictions notwithstanding––is a “hood hero” because he really did go from “ashy to classy,” to quote his famous line. His come-up is well documented, his murder is still a topic. Biggie used to bag groceries at the Keyfood supermarket which is directly opposite the mural. It has been owned and operated by the Wuddi family for decades, and proud ly displays a tribute to their famous onetime employee. Subi Wuddi continued, “Yes, I knew him personally. I was in the ‘Juicey’ video. He was a good guy. “He used to bag groceries here, and his mother, Violetta Wallace, is a sweetheart. He comes from a good, educated background. He was a good person, and until this day his name and legacy carries. Last Satur day [at Crispus Attucks Park], they had the Biggie basketball tournament for the kids. His mother funds that every year for the kids. Plus she takes the kids on three char ter buses to the water parks: to Wolf Creek, Great Adventures, Hershey Park. She gives back to the community, she gives back to the churches in the neighborhood. So, yes, she gives back.”

11220 | 718.435.1288 1322-1328 Ave. U, Brooklyn, NY 11229 | 718.998.2218 Flushing 135-11 Roosevelt Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 | 718.640.9388 38-05 Union St., Flushing, NY 11354 | 718.961.4966 Manhattan 208 Canal St., New York, NY 10013 | 212.710.2913 77 Bowery, New York, NY 10002 | 212.966.3303 One day you’ll reach further. One day starts here. Visit eastwestbank.com/homebuyer or call 888.726.8885. Looking to purchase your first home? There are many firsts in a person’s life. And buying a home can mean lots of questions and uncertainty. When you’re ready to be a homeowner, count on us to provide you with the guidance and financing options for your unique needs. • Down payments as low as 3% • Flexible qualification guidelines • Competitive rates All rates, fees, products and program guidelines are subject to change or discontinue without prior notice. Other limitations and restrictions may apply. All loans are subject to East West Bank’s application, underwriting, appraisal, and credit approval. Program is available in selected counties of California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Texas and Washington. NMLSR ID 469761 Biggie Continued from page 3 own category code. Instead they are catego rized generically as a “sporting goods store,” making it impossible to identify suspicious spending patterns that could be flagged for lawByenforcement.creatingadistinct MCC for firearm dealers, financial institutions could ef fectively track sales at stand-alone gun and ammunition stores separate from other merchants without limiting gun sales or creating new regulations. Metro briefs Continued from page 3

While Ballentine has been able to fix the damage, the energy in the proud neighbor hood of the Biggie-stronghold is both vexa tion and Amsterdamdisappointment.Newsnightlife columnist David Goodson said,“Not Surprisingly, it’s a whodunnit regarding who would do such an act. Instead we’ve been hearing disparaging remarks from a new wave of artists regard ing the accomplishments and skill level of BIG. Unfortunately their expression is often rooted in disrespect.” NY

Special from The Final Call

Born Ava Atkinson to William and Gladys Atkinson, both edu cators in Columbus, Ohio, Minis ter Dr. Ava Muhammad attended Columbus East High School and graduated with honors early from Central State University with a degree in history. She earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1975. In 1980, Minister Dr. Ava Mu hammad and her mother were diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent traditional treat ments. Having lost her father to lung cancer, she found herself in search of spiritual answers to these overwhelming circum stances. In late 1981, she attend ed a lecture by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. After hearing him she accepted Islam as her faith and joined the Nation of Islam. In 1983 she relocated to Chicago to serve as a legal advisor to the Nation of Islam. In 1985, she entered the ministry. Honoring Minister Dr. Ava Mu hammad on August 28th during Sunday service at Mosque Maryam, Student Minister Ishma el Muhammad, national assistant minister to the Honorable Minis ter Louis Farrakhan, referred to Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad as a “beautiful, beautiful, beauti ful woman” in Islam. “She was at the top of the class of student ministers of the Honorable Min ister Louis Farrakhan,” he said, “No one defended the Honorable Minister Louis Farra khan better than Min ister Ava Muhammad. That’s a Ministerfact.”Dr. Ava Muhammad was a sought-out national speaker, particular ly at Black universi ties and colleges, and was a frequent pre senter at the popular Essence Music Fes tival and other large Black gatherings. She was recognized by Essence magazine as one of the thirty most influential Black women in America in its 30th anniver sary edition in the yearMinister2000. Dr. Ava Mu hammad was married to Brother Darius Mu hammad. For the 33 years of their mar riage, he support ed her in her work for the Honorable Minister Louis Far rakhan and the Nation of Islam, including traveling extensively domestically and international ly. She was a mother of two chil dren and a grandmother of two grandchildren.WethankAllah (God) for his gift to us of Minister Dr. Ava Muham mad, and her service to the Hon orable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. Her work on behalf of Minister Farrakhan in raising and uplifting the con sciousness of Black and oppressed peoples is her legacy that will live on in our memory, and in the his tory of the Nation of Islam.

Religion & Spirituality

Dr. Ava Muhammad

Of Minister Dr. Ava Muham mad’s many accomplishments in service to the Nation of Islam was her transcribing of Minister Far rakhan’s words, which became a series of study guides and a cor nerstone for the spiritual de velopment of Nation of Islam members, titled, “Self-Improve ment: The Basis For Community Development.”Thoseteachings and guidance are infused in the many books and articles she published and through her radio show and pod cast called “Elevated Places.”

Nation of Islam mourns the loss of Minister

CHICAGO—Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad, the official nation al spokesperson for the Honor able Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam as well as a member of the Nation of Is lam’s Executive Council, depart ed this life on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. The Nation of Islam minis ter was 71 years old. Details about Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad’s janazah (funeral) service will be forthcoming.MinisterDr. Ava Muhammad was a staunch defender of the Honorable Minister Louis Far rakhan and the teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muham mad. An attorney by profession, prior to joining the Nation of Islam, Minister Dr. Ava Muham mad served as a prosecutor in New York City. After joining the Nation of Islam, she was instru mental in representing the Nation of Islam and giving valued advice and guidance on legal issues to Minister Farrakhan and Nation of Islam Ministerofficials.Dr.Ava Muhammad is the first Muslim woman in modern history to occupy a po sition of authority over a mosque anywhere in the world. She served as the Nation of Islam’s Southern Regional Minister, as well as the minister of Muhammad Mosque No. 15 in Atlanta, Ga from 1998 until 2000. Later, she was ap pointed as Minister Farrakhan’s national spokesperson.

Sister Ava Muhammad and Nayaba Arinde, Amsterdam News Editor (Daleel Muhammad photo) (Photo courtesy of The Final Call)

24 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

In Case of error, notify the Amster dam News 212-932-7440 100 PUBLIC NOTI CES

TION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK TO: Un known Distributees Attorney General of the State of New Yo rk Richard A. Nurse Unknown Distributee s of Norma A. Nurse Un known Distributees of Ronald A. Nurse to Richard A. Nurse, wh ose whereabouts are unknown, if living, and if they died subsequent to the deced ent herein, to their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, legatees, executors, administrators, as signees and successors in intere st whose names and places of residence are un known; to the he irs at law, next of kin and distributees of Norma A. Nurse and Ronald A. Nurse, if living and if any of th em be dead, to their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, legatees, executors, admin istrators, assignees and succe ssors in interest whose names and places of resi dence are unknown and cann ot, after diligent inquiry, be as certained by the petitioner herein; and to all other heirs at law, ne xt of kin and distributee s of Joyce J. Nurse, a/k/a Joyc e Nu rse, the decedent herein, if living an d if any of them be dead, to their heirs at law, ne xt of kin, distributee s, le gatees, executors, administrators, assignees and successors in inte rest whose names and places of residence are unknown and cannot after diligent in quiry, be ascertained by the petitioner herein; being the persons interested as creditors, legatees, devisees, beneficiaries, distributees, or otherwise in the estate of Joyce J. Nurse, a/k/a Joyce Nurse, deceased, who at th e time of her death wa s a resident of 61 Hamilton Pl, New York, New York 10031; A petition havin g been duly filed by the Public Ad ministrator of the County of New York, who maintains an office at 31 Chambers Street, Room 311, New York, New York 10007. YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the New York County Surrogates Court at 31 Chambe rs Street, New York, New York, on October 13th 2022 at 9:30 A.M., in room 503, why the fo llowing relief stated in the ac count of proceedings, a copy of the summary statement thereof being attach ed hereto, of the Public Administrator of the Co un ty of New York as admin istrator of the g oods, chattels and credits of said deceased, should not be granted: (i) th at her account be judicially settled; (ii) that a hearing be held to determine the identity of decedents distributees at which time proof pursuant to SCPA §2225 may be presented, or in the al ternative, that th e balance of the funds in this estate be depo sited with the Commissioner of Finance of the City of New York for the benefit of the decedents unknown distributee s; (iii) that the Surrogate approve th e reasonable amoun t of co mpensation as reported in Sche dules C and C-1 of the account of proceedings to the attorney fo r th e petitioner for lega l services rendered to the petitio ner herein; (iv) that the persons above ment ioned and all necessary and proper persons be cited to show cause why such relief should not be granted; (v) that an order be granted pursuant to SCPA §3 07 where required or di rected; and (vi) for such other and further relief as the Court may deem ju st and proper Hon. Rita Mella Surrogate Dated, Attested and Sealed August 17th, 2022 (Seal) Diana Sanabria Chief Clerk Schram Graber & Opell P.C. Counsel to the Public Administrator, New York County 11 Park Place, Suite 1008 New York, New York 10007 (212) 896-3310 Note: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear If you fail to appear it w ill be assumed that you do no t obje ct to the relief requested. You have the right to have an attorney-at-law appe ar for you and you or your attorney may req uest a copy of the full account from the petitioner or petitioners attorney

No tice of formation of 130 WEST 131st STREET., LLC. Arts of Org. filed with the Sec'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/26/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been de signated as an agent upon wh om process against it may be served and shall mail a copy to: 130 W. 131st St., Ste. 1, NY, NY 10027. Purpo se: To engage in any la wful act or activity No tice of Formation of JL De sign Studio LLC Arts of Org. filed with th e Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/29/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY has be en designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is: United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Ave., Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. The principal business address of the LLC is: 169 East 91st St, Apt 2B, New York, NY 10128. Purpose: any lawful act.

No tice of Qualification of EVERGREEN RESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT, LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/21/22. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty LLC formed in De laware (DE) on 10/11/21. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upo n whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corp oration Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543 DE ad dr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 1 9808. Cert of Form filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, 401 Federal St., Do ver, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity No tice of Formation of GCK ART LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/13/22. Office location: NY County SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Al bany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity No tice of Formation of 170 JAVA HOLDER, LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/05/22. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 60 East 42nd St., Ste. 1300, NY, NY 10165. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co ., 80 State St., Alban y, NY 12207-2543 Purpose: Any lawful activity No tice of Formation of 54 GREENE HOLDER, LLC Arts of Org. file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/05/22. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty Prin c. office of LLC: 60 East 42nd St., Ste. 1300, NY, NY 10165. SSNY desig nated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Al bany, NY 12207-2543. Purpo se: Any lawful activity No tice of Formation of EXCEED TALENT CAPITAL LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/13/22. Office location: NY County. SSNY designat ed as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Al bany, NY 12207-2543. Purpo se: Any lawful activity

No tice of Formation of GOLD SKY STRATEGIES LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/09/22. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty Prin c. office of LLC: 355 S. End Ave., Apt. 28L, NY, NY 10280. SSNY desig nated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Al bany, NY 12207-2543. Purpo se: Marketing services No tice of Formation of JAGUAR HOLDINGS 1 LLC Arts of Org. file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/23/21. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 347 5th Ave., Ste. 30 0, NY, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful Noactivitytice of Formation of JAGUAR HOLDINGS 2 LLC Arts of Org. file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/23/21. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 347 5th Ave., Ste. 30 0, NY, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful Noactivitytice of Formation of JAGUAR HOLDINGS 3 LLC Arts of Org. file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/23/21. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 347 5th Ave., Ste. 30 0, NY, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful activityNotice of Formation of JMB JUSTCOME SUIT LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/05/22. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty Prin c. office of LLC: c/o United American Land, LLC, 73 Spring St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10012. SSNY desig nated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr of its princ. office Purpo se: Any lawful activity

CLASSIFIED • Classified advertisements take the regular earned rate of their clas sification. Four line minimum on all ads except spirituals and horo scopes (14 lines).

ACCOUNTING FILE NO 2018-3842/A CITA

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, NYCTL 201 8A TRUST, THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT CUSTODIAN FOR THE NYCTL 2018-A TRUST, Plaintiff, vs WINNIE YEE, ET AL., Defen dant(s).

No tice of formation of BLOCKSURGE LAB LLC. Arts of Org. filed with the Se cy of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/5/22. Office location: NY Co un ty SSNY ha s been des ignat ed as an agent upon wh om process against it may be served. The address to wh ich the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is: Song Law Firm, LLC., 400 Kelby St., Suite 1900, Fort Lee, NJ 07024. Purpose: to engage in any lawful act or activity within the purposes for which limited liability companies may be organized pur suant to Limited Liabi lity Co mpany Law provided that the limited liability company is not formed to engage in any act or activity requiring the consent or approval of any state official, department, board, agen cy, or other bo dy without such consent or ap proval first be ing obtained.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of NYCNCC SUB-CDE 17, LLC (the “LLC”) filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Ne w York (“SSNY”) on 05/16/2022. Office loca tion: Ne w York County. The princi pa l business address of the LLC is: One Liberty Plaza, Ne w York, New York 100 06 SSNY has be en designated as the agent of the LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail service of process to c/o New York City Economic De velopment Corporation, One Liberty Plaza, New York, New York 10006, Attention: Gener al Counsel Purpose: any lawful purpose.

101 LEGAL 10NOTICES 1 LEGAL 10NOTICES 1 LEGAL 10NOTICES 1 LEGAL NOTICES 101 LEGAL NOTICES

REGULATIONSAND

CLASSIFIED DISPLAY • Classified Display (boarder or picture) advertisements take the regular earned rate of their classifi cation. Display (boarder or picture) advertisements one column wide must be 14 lines deep; two columns, 28 lines deep; 3 columns, 56 lines deep. Classified Display (boarder or picture) placed as close to classifi cations as rules and makeup permit.

BASIS OF CHARGE Charges are based on point size and characters per line. Upon reaching 15 lines the rate converts to column inch. Any deviation from solid composition such as indenta tion, use of white space, bold type, etc., will incur a premium.

RULES

CLASSIFICATIONS

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 25 CLASSIFIED ADS

Pursuant to a Judg ment of Foreclosure and Sa le dated on January 5, 20 22 and du ly entered on January 10, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the on the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, Ne w York, NY on September 7, 2022 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 630 1st Avenue, Unit 6A, New York, NY All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and im provements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, Co unty of New York, City and State of Ne w York, Block 968 and Lot 1036. Approximate amount of judgment is $40,865.59 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 152994/2019. COVI D-19 safe ty protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale Ro be rta Ashkin, Esq., Re feree Bronster, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, Suite 902, New York, Ne w York 1001 9, Attorneys for Plaintiff

PROCEEDING

No tice of formation of EN GAGE CONSULTING SERVICES LLC. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/14 /22. Office lo cation: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served The address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process a gainst the LLC served upon him/her is: Chialing Yang, 243 W. 21st St., Apt 4D, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: to engage in an y lawful act or activity with in the purposes for which limited liability companies may be organized pursuant to Limited Liability Company Law provided that the limited liability comp any is not formed to eng ag e in any act or activity requiring th e consent or approval of any state official, department, board, agency, or other body without such consent or approval first be ing obtained.

CANCELLATIONS must be made in writing by 12 Noon Monday. The forwarding of an order is con strued as an acceptance of all ad vertising rules and conditions under which advertising space is sold by the NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS. Publication is made and charged according to the terms of thisRatescard.and regulations subject to change without notice. No agree ments as to position or regulations, other than those printed on this. Til forbid orders charged for rate earned. Increases or decreases in space take the rate of a new ad vertisement.TheNew York AMSTERDAM NEWS reserves the right to censor, reject, alter or revise all advertise ments in accordance with its rules governing the acceptance of adver tising and accepts no liability for its failure to insert an advertisement for any cause. Credit for errors in adver tisements allowed only for first in sertion.

All advertisement accepted for publication is classified according to the standard classifications. Mis classification is not permitted.

AND

Fax: (585) 247-7380 Our File No 14-031865 #99690 . ANTIQUE LOVERS TAKE NOTE! BRIMFIELD IS HERE - ALL SHOWS! September 611, New shows open 5-109-14,com.BrimfieldAntiqueFleaMarket.-daily!2023ShowDates:MayJuly11-16,September

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing Summons is served upo n you by publication pursuant to an Order of th e Hon. Francis A. Ka hn III, a Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County, entered May 4, 2022 and Order entered August 4, 2022 and filed with the co mplaint and other papers in the New York County Clerks Office NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage and to secure $222,000.00 and interest, re corded in the New York County Office of the City Register on November 12, 2008 in CRFN 2008000437802 covering premises known as 443 West 151st Street Unit 5A, New York, NY 100 31 a/k/a Block 2066, Lo t 1016. Th e relief sought in the with in action is a final judgment direct ing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. Plaintiff designates New York County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises is situated.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of NYCNCC SUB-CDE 16, LLC (the “LLC”) filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Ne w York (“SSNY”) on 05/16/2022. Office loca tion: Ne w York County. The princi pa l business address of the LLC is: One Liberty Plaza, Ne w York, New York 100 06 SSNY has be en designated as the agent of the LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail service of process to c/o New York City Economic De velopment Corporation, One Liberty Plaza, New York, New York 10006, Attention: Gener al Counsel Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Acct #: 173 Ad #:

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS AND NOTICE Index No. 850241/20 19 Da te Filed: 5/5/2022 JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association,Plaintiff, -againstWinston Dzose a/k/a Winston K. Dzose, if he be living or dead, his spouse, heirs, de visees, distribu tees and succ es sors in interest, all of whom and hose names and places of residence are unknown to Plaintiff; The Board of Managers of Ha milton Heights Co ndominium Homeowners Associatio n; Citizens Bank, N.A.; City of New York Environmental Control Board; City of New York Parking Violations Bureau; City of Ne w York Transit Adjudication Bureau, State of New York, and JOHN DOE, said name being fictitious , it being the inte ntion of Plaintiff to designate any and all occu pants of premises being foreclosed herein, and any parties, corporations or entities, if an y, having or claiming an in terest or lien upon the mortgage d premises, De fendants.

YONOTICEUARE DANGER OF LOSNG YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILNG THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER TIE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY SENDING A PAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE AN SWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE DaCOURTted:March 17, 2022 Frank M. Cassara, Esq. Senior Associate Attorney LOGS LEGAL GROUP LL P F/K/A SHAPIRO, DICARO & BARAK, LLC Attorneys for Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Ro chester, New York 14624 (585) 247-9000 Fax: (585 ) 247-7380 Our File No 19-084158 No#99685ticeof formation of KOB NYC LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/8/22. Office lo cation: NY County. SSNY de signated as agent upon wh om process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to: 1-3 Eldridge St., NY, NY 10002, Purpose: any lawful act. USMILE SL CONSULTING LLC Art of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/25/2022. Office: Ne w York County. SSNY de signated as a gent of th e LLC upo n whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, LEGALCORP SOLUTIONS 1060 Broadway Suite 100 AL BANY, NY 12204 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Index

PROPERTY ADDRESS: 443 West 151st Street Unit 5A, New York, NY 1003 1 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the comp la int in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or a notice of appear an ce on the attorneys for the Plaintiff within thirty (30) da ys after the service of this summons, exclusive of th e day of service. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may appear with in sixty (6 0) days of service hereof. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief de manded in the complaint.

SUPPLEMENTAL

FrenchCocco LLC Arts of Org. filed with Sec'y of State (SSNY) on 06/21/22. Office: Ne w York County. SSNY de signated as agent of LLC for process & shall mail copy to: 35 W 90th St, 5K, NY, NY 10024. Purpose: Any lawful Lo veU4FreeMediaNYC, LLC Arts of Org. file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/19/2022. Office loca tion: NY County. SSNY designat ed as an agent u pon wh om process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 2937 8th Ave., Apt. 20K, NY, NY 10039. Purpose: any la wful activity 3113 Status: New SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK SUMMONS NOTICE No. 850168/2020 Date Filed: 8/9/2022 KeyBank, NA, s/b/m Goldome, Plaintiff, -againstKings County Public Administrator, as the Limited Administrator of the Estate of Mary Searcy a/k/a Mary L. Sear cy a/k/a Mary Rittenhouse a/k/a Mary S. Rittenhouse; Dolores Thompson; Albert Thompson; Vivian Davis; Tommie Benn; Marquita Benn, Charles Benn, if he be living or dead, his spouse, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to Plaintiff; Jermaine Benn; Micaela Benn; Tion Benn, if be he living or dead, his spouse, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff; Mark bolden, if he be living or dead, his spouse, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to Plaintiff; Nachon Shebaniah Benn; Ltan Hale, Mildred Benn; Roslyn McCain; Leah D. Hudnall; Truenetta Jackson; Gwendolyn Daughtery a/k/a Gwendolyn Daugherty, if she be living or dead, her spouse, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to Plaintiff; Johnny Benn; Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company; The Board of Manager of the Gramercy Park Condominium Homeowners Association; State of New York; City of New York Environmental Control Board; City of New York Parking Violations Bureau; City of New York Transit Adjudication Bureau, and JOHN DOE, said name being fictitious, it being the intention of Plaintiff to designate any and all occupants of premises being foreclosed herein, and any parties, corporations or entities, if any, having or claiming an interest or lien upon the mortgaged premises, Defendants.

OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $40,700.00 and interest, recorded in the New York County office of the City Register on May 3, 1989, at Reel 1569 of Mortgages, page 205 covering premises known as 151 East 20th Street, Unit 4C, New York, N Y 10003 a/k/a Block 876, Lot 1118. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. Plaintiff designates New York County as the place of the trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises is situated.

YOUNOTICEARE DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILLING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR SPEAKHOME.TOAN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR SENDINGPROPERTY.APAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE Dated:COURT.October 4, 2021 Frank M. Cassara, Esq. Senior Associate Attorney LOGS LEGAL GROUP LLP F/K/A SHAPIRO, DICARO & BARAK, LLC Attorneys for Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 247-9000

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. Francis Kahn, III, a Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County entered August 2, 2022 and filed with the complaint and other papers in the New York County Clerks Office.NOTICE

(585)

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or a notice of appearance on the attorneys for the Plaintiff within thirty (30) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.

26 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS 110 SERVICES 101 LEGAL NOTICES 101 LEGAL NOTICES 101 LEGAL 10NOTICES 1 LEGAL NOTICES 101 LEGAL NOTICES 195 HELP WANTED104 COLLECTIBLES

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST Pedro D. A. Alvarez Arenas, if livin g and if dead, the re spective heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors administrators, truste es, devisees, legat ee s, assignors, lienors, creditors and succes sors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said de fendant who may be de ceased, purchase, inheritance lien, or otherwise or an y right, title or interest in and to the premises; et al., De fendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure an d Sale duly dated March 15, 2022 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Ce ntre St, New Yo rk, NY 10007 on September 14, 2022 at 2:15PM, premises known as 15 William Street, Ne w York, NY 1000 5. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situ ate, lying an d being in the Borough of Manha ttan, Coun ty, City and State of Ne w York, Block: 25 Lot: 1503. Approximate amount of judgment $79 2,245.73 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Inde x# 810049/2012. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVI D-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the First Judicial District Ma rk McKew, Esq., Re feree LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Roch ester, New York 14624 (877) 4 30-4792 Da ted: April 22, 2022 71800 No tice of formation of REASSURE FUNDING LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/14/22. Office : NY Co un ty SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail copy to: Thomson Ollunga LLP, 41 Madison Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10010. Purpose: Merchant cash advance.

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There are nine total li censes that the state is issu ing next year for those that don’t initially qualify in this round. These other licenses involve on-site consump tion, delivery, micropro cessing, nursery, and other areas of the cannabis indus try, said Fagon.

Like the legions of am ateur bakers and firsttime investors, Gayle first dabbled with new pas sions during the pandem ic. He soon found a calling in music. There’s a record ing studio in his house. His 2021 party anthem collab oration with Hindi rapper Emiway Bantai “Jamaica to India” boasts over 57 mil lion YouTube views. And this October, his debut album “Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica: The Asian Edition” drops. Gayle won’t be the only legend on the R&BstillAmericannationalence.aNewbreakingself-assuredfeatures.theRedmanLaurynark-borntracklist—Neweight-songrapiconsHillandrepresentTri-StateareaasForthefamouslyGayle,intotheYorkmarketishumblingexperiHe’sanintersuperstarbutthecricketsceneisdevelopingandrapandwillalwaysbethena

Cannabis Continued from page 4 TO DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDSYOURADS CONTACT: ALI SHAQUANA.FOLKS@AMSTERDAMNEWS.COM212-932-7412SHAQUANAALI.MILLINER@(212)MILINER932-7435AMSTERDAMNEWS.COMFOLKS Whee ls For Wishes benefit ing Make -A-Wish® Northeast Ne w York. Your Ca r Dona tions Ma tter NOW More Than Ever! Free Vehicle Pick Up ANYWHERE We Accept Most Vehicles Running or No t. 100% Tax Deductible Minima l To No Human Contact Call: (877) 798-9474. Ca r Do na tion Foundation d/b/a Wheels For Wishes www.wheelsforwishes.org 634 DONATIONS CLASSIFIED ADS 643 6AUCTIONS 43 AUCTIONS (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office photo) Jamaican cricketer Chris Gayle makes music and builds bridges By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member West Indies cricket legend

OCM’s Chief Equity Of ficer Damian Fagon said that the phrase ‘justice involved’ is important to finding and verifying these potential licensees and connecting them with can nabis business services. Fagon said in order to start the conversation OCM has tapped church groups, Black business groups, and various other venues to meet people where they are from Buffalo, Kingston, and Albany to the Bronx. He said people who have shown interest in applying often have backgrounds in various industries, like contractors or barbers or taxAsaccountants.farastheillegal market crackdown, Fagon said this is a “public health situa tion” that necessitates reg ulation so people know where products are from, what’s in them, and how they were made. Especial ly, with concerns of people selling fentanyl laced weed or cannabis with pesticides and chemicals in them.

28 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS the past two years. Over the next month, OCM and the city will at tempt to distribute licens es to qualifying businesses owned by formerly incar cerated individuals, or their parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, or depen dent. If a person or a close family member had a mar ijuana arrest or conviction before March 31, 2021 and have been an owner or a partial owner of a profitable business for two years or more, then they qualify.

Fagon added that unli censed or illegal cannabis shops that have been oper ating for a while aren’t nec essarily from within New York City or the “legacy community that’s been sell ing weed in communities” for decades. He said store fronts are often out-of-state owners, not from the cul ture, and looking to make quick cash. OCM has sent out cease-and-desist letters to unlicensed shops and is trying to get people to tran sition into the legal market.

“I would leave this po sition if we started put ting people behind bars for selling a plant,” said Fagon. “But that’s not what the city did and that’s not what anyone’s talking about doing. There’s no law on the books that would put someone behind bars, but there are fines.”

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-de ductible gift of any amount today by clicking here: bit.ly/ amnews1 Chris Gayle blame the self-proclaimed “Universe Boss” for a late day start when the Kings ton-born 42-year-old is triple-dipping as an atom ic-powered batsman, chartclimbing recording artist and Jamaican cultural am bassador to South Asia. For over two decades, Gayle dominated the inter national cricket scene as a star player on the “Wind ies,” the famed pan-Carib bean West Indies team. He’s quick to remind everyone he’s still actively compet ing—Gayle is playing in a tournament this week. But these days, he’s dedicated to becoming a different type of hit-maker.“Mymain focus right now is [to] just get my music spread all across the globe and just try to get as big as possible—like I’ve done in cricket,” said Gayle. “It’s not going to be an easy task just being in the industry for two years“Butnow.”it’sthere for the taking, and it’s up to me to put in that work and get that done.”

New Yorkers can learn more about Cannabis NYC online at www.nyc.gov/can nabis or by calling 888-SBS4NYC closeApplications(888-727-4692).forlicensesonSeptember26.

“Indian food is excellent, but Jamaican food is definite ly No. 1,” he said, laughing. “But Indian food is amaz ing…absolutely amazing.”

Chris Gayle off-the-field and in the studio (Sean Edwards photo)

“As one of the Black com munities most harmed by the federal war on drugs and the state’s Rockefeller laws, we strongly believe that our people must benefit eco nomically from the legal ization of the billion-dollar marijuana industry,” said Regina Smith, executive director, Harlem Business Alliance in a statement. “Without tremendous re sources from the city and state—especially startup capital and intensive cul turally-competent, com munity-based, business development services— this will not happen.”

isn’t a morn ing person. But who can

tion’s musical bread-andbutter. Gayle cites Shaggy, Sean Paul and of course, Bob Marley as influences for Jamaican success in the UnitedThere’sStates.certainly plenty of love shared with South Asia in his music—Gayle spent many years playing in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi leagues. He’s played in the region for roughly a decade and a half, and while he doesn’t speak Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu or Bengali, sports is a univer sal“Oncelanguage.you play crick et, they will treat you like a king,” said Gayle. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, once you play that game, you’ll be looked upon like a national hero to them.”

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your do nation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing sto ries like this one; please consid er making a tax-deductible gift today by visiting: https://tinyurl. com/fcszwj8w

And he’s fallen in love with South Asian cuisine. Butter chicken is one of his favor ites. Gayle also recommends a fire pit-cooked fish he tried at a riverside eatery in the backwater Indian state of Kerala. But how does it stack up to food from home?

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor RJ Barrett is securely a Knick for now.Team president Leon Rose and the organization greatly pleased Bar rett’s group of believers by agreeing to a four-year, $120 million extension with the 22-year-old guard, who will be entering his fourth year in the NBA after being drafted by the Knicks No. 3 overall in 2019. Does the deal take the Knicks out of play to acquire the Utah Jazz’s threetime All-Star guard Donovan Mitch ell. On the surface it doesn’t seem promising he’ll come back to the area where he honed his skills as a youth to anchor the Knicks. Born in Elms ford, New York and raised in Green wich, Connecticut, the 25-year-old Mitchell would inject the Knicks with star quality they desperately need. They were 37-45 last season and fin ished 11th in the Eastern Conference, and didn’t have a single player who was a close All-Star consideration. A trade is still possible, but several reports, none confirmed, have stated Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge isn’t extremely high on any of the Knicks’ players, notably Barrett. Which brings this column to Julius Randle. Knicks fans should not live in a state of delusion driven by their emotion al attachments to players. It is illog ical that a legion of their passionate supporters have continually called for team president Leon Rose to trade Julius Randle, which is seem ingly based on their view he is not all in as a diehard Knick. Especially since Mitchell is not in the fold. Maybe it’s the thumbs down sign Randle directed toward the boister ous Madison Square Garden crowd and the suggestion they “shut the f**K up” while leading a 25-point come back in a 108-105 win against the Boston Celtics last January 6. Lead ing up to that unexpected victory, fans were justifiably booing the home team, much of their discontent chan neled at the 27-year-old for ward, who the prior season was living a dream carrying the Knicks to the playoffs and making All-NBA Second Team.Many fans never seemed to get over Randle’s acrimo ny. But he is inarguably the Knicks’ best player. But clear ly RJ Barrett is the collective fan base’s favorite. The con trast in Barrett’s and Ran dle’s approval rating is stark even though Randle has been the more productive and im pactful player. In part it is because they view Barrett as one of theirs, a homegrown player they hope will grow into the status Mitchell cur rently holds. The odds he does are less than even money. Which is why the Knicks pursuit of Mitchell must continue in earnest.

“I think there was definite growth, especially with the final games to make playoffs,” said New York Liberty veteran Rebecca Allen, the only player with the team from prior to 2019. “You really saw this grit. You saw us all coming togeth er and also showing we had our style of play and our identity. I feel that was a massive step compared to last year.”

After their playoff ouster, the

The WNBA playoffs contin ue with the semi-final round now in play. In the open ing games the Seattle Storm edged the heavily favored Las Vegas Aces and the Con necticut Sun defeated the Chicago Sky.

September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 29THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

“I think we need a little bit more toughness,” Brondello added. “This year…our tough est player was injured the whole year, and that’s Betnijah Laney. That obviously hurt us. We had to find other ways, and you adapt to the players that you have. When we’re all on the same page, things look great. Other times, we were inconsistent.”

Laney, the team’s leading scorer and an All-Star in 2021, spent most of the season on the sideline with a knee injury. She returned just prior to the playoffs and while not quite her best still brought offen sive and defensive power. This was not her first knee surgery, and she credits her support system for getting her back in action.

“We saw glimpses of just how great we can be regard less of what was going on— injury, record, any obstacle we were dealing with—and still being able to make that playoff push was really good for us,” said Laney. “Just imagine if we had all of that the entire season, we’d prob ably still be playing right now. That’s something to hold on to and embrace as we move into the future.”

Liberty look toward the future

The Knicks and guard RJ Barrett have agreed to a four-year, $120 million rookie contract extension (Bill Moore photo)

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

The Knicks extend RJ Barrett, but is Mitchell still in play?

While the Liberty’s play off berth did come down to the final regular season game, the team got stronger in the stretch, scoring three big wins to cement its spot. That carried into the first game of the play offs with a win over the Chica go Sky. Although the Liberty did not advance to the semifinals, hopes are high for 2023.

SPORTS

Betnijah Laney (Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)

It has been noted that sever al top players in other franchis es will be free agents after this season concludes. Head coach Sandy Brondello said the Liber ty is just a few pieces off from a championship caliber team. “If we get the right pieces, that will help obviously us continue our development,” said Brondello.

Judge’s home run assault continues for the first place Yanks

Giants shape their 53-man roster but changes are still ahead

“Relative to our roster man agement, that’s where we went at this point,” said Daboll re garding Webb. “We’ll see how that all unfolds.” Some close followers of the Giants were not expecting wide receiver Darius Slayton to survive the cuts. The Auburn product, now in his fourth year, saw his produc tion precipitously decline last season after catching 48 passes for 740 yards and eight touch downs in 14 games in his rookie season of 2019, followed up by recording 50 receptions for 751 yards in 16 games in 2020. But the 25-year-old Slay ton, slowed by injuries and in consistent play at quarterback by Daniel Jones, saw his 2021 numbers dropped to just 26 catches and 339 yards and only two touchdowns. The Giants acknowledged receiving inter est from other teams in possi bly trading for Slayton. In addition to Webb, other nota ble players released by the Giants were running back Jashaun Corbin, receiver C.J. Board and linebacker Quincy Roche.

SPORTS By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

For general managers and coaches, cutting players to reach the NFL’s 53-man roster limit can be gut-wrenching. In some cases, strong relation ships have been developed with players. In other situa tions players that are deserv ing of making the team are released due to salary cap con siderations or a need to retain a less talented player at a posi tion that requires depth.

Aaron Judge’s pursuit of break ing the Yankees single season home run record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961 continued in Anaheim on Tuesday night when the outfielder bashed his 51st homer of the season to help lead his team to a 7-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels. The Yan kees avenged a 4-3 loss to the Angels on Monday, a game in which Judge hit homer No. 50. “It’s just another number,” Judge said of reaching 50 in an interview on the YES Net work after the one-run Yan kees defeat. “It’s great, but I’m kind of upset that we lost. It’s a close game we could have won.” Judge’s 51st tied him with team mate Giancarlo Stanton (2017), Luis Gonzalez (2001), Mark Mc Guire (1999) and Maris (1961) for the most home runs before Sep tember. Barry Bonds holds the record at 57 (2001). “It’s 50 and it’s August,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Monday. “It’s hard to wrap your head around just how in credible of a season he’s had to thisThepoint.”Yankees ended their threegame series with the Angels last night (Wednesday) and will begin a three-game set on the road tomorrow versus the Tampa Bay Rays. They will return home to the Bronx on Monday to host the Minnesota Twins for three games. The Yankees entered the series finale versus the Angles 79-51, holding a seven-game lead over the second place Rays (71-57) in the American League East division and an eight game advantage over the third place Toronto Blue Jays (70-58). They started the week 17 games over .500 and remain the No. 2 seed in the American League, trailing the Houston Astros, who were 83-47 when they faced the Texas Rangers on the road last night. The Astros have beaten the Yankees five out of the seven games they’ve gone head-to-head this season. They have no more regular season matchups on the schedule.

30 • September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Fourth year wide receiver Darius Slayton was retained by the Giants as the team trimmed their roster down to 53 on Tuesday (Bill Moore photo)

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 51st homer of the season in his team’s 7-4 road win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday (MLB. com photo)

For a first year general man ager, assistant general man ager and head coach, namely the Giants’ Joe Scheon, Bran don Brown and Brian Dabol respectively, the exercise of de termining who stays and who goes can be much more pains taking than for those with ex perience as primary decision makers. The trio poured over granular details before trim ming the Giants roster down to 53 on Tuesday, two days after their final preseason game, a 31-27 loss to the Jets at MetLife Stadium, the franchise’s shared home. The Giants open the regular season on the road September 11 against the Ten nessee Titans. More players will likely be let go or signed to the 16-man prac tice squad as the Giants, like most teams, are certain to pick up a few players released by other squads. Perhaps the most unexpected move was the Giants waiving third-string quarterback Davis Webb. The 27-year-old was drafted by the Giants in the third round in 2017 after playing col lege football first at Texas Tech, where he was replaced as the starter in 2014 by current Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Ma homes, then one season at the University of California, where he was named the team’s MVP for the 2016 season. He was behind starter Daniel Jones and second-string er Tyrod Taylor on the Giants depth chart. It’s possible Webb could be brought back if he isn’t signed by another team. As of early yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon he was still available.

Sophomore middle blocker Saige Bradley Junior setter Torri Henry (Stony Brook Athletics photos)

September 1, 2022 - September 7, 2022 • 31THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

By LOIS ELMAN Special to the AmNews

Danielle Etienne, Fordham soccer standout, has international goals

This weekend is the Stony Brook Invitational, and the Seawolves will face off against South Florida, Mary land and Georgetown.

“We’ve made a lot of changes going into this year in terms of mostly our de fense, but also our style of play and trying to take ownership over a little scrappier identity,” said head coach Kristin Bel zung. “I’m excited about how the kids have bought into it and the way they’ve stepped up to the challenge.” Practice officially began on August 8, but most of the team arrived on campus on July 5 for optional workouts. Belzung is pleased with the core upperclassman group, noting that the junior class had their first off-season last spring. Tradi tionally a fall sport, their freshman year play was moved to the spring due to the pandemic.“Weused the spring to develop them as both students and as athletes. I feel they really benefited from having that spring and they’ve come into their own and have walked into this season like up perclassmen, having a little bit of owner ship over the program, having a different level of confidence. That’s allowing them to really help our incoming freshmen and transfers in getting acclimat ed,” said Belzung. Stony Brook is extreme ly demanding academically. Belzung said these studentathletes chose Stony Brook because it is a university where they can have success in multiple areas. Their work ethic is reflected both in the classroom and in the gym. Several of the players on the volleyball team are pursuing health-related fields. Two players to look out for this season are middle block er Saige Bradley and setter Torri Henry. “Torri is one of the most competitive people I’ve met and in a really quiet way. The value that she adds to our gym is significant be cause she’s constantly trying to figure out how to win,” said Belzung. “Saige is the life of the party, the person that comes in every day with the same upbeat energy. She’s super competitive and is also the cheerleader and person that keeps our gym ticking at a high level from an energy standpoint.”

There is fresh energy among the fall sports at Stony Brook University. The Seawolves are in a new athletic confer ence, the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and student-athletes and coaches want to show their skills. The volleyball team has opened the season 2–0.

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews Collegiate soccer season is in play, and Fordham University senior midfielder Danielle Etienne is excit ed to see the team find its rhythm. Under a new coaching staff, the team is feeling strong and showing improvement with every game. Etienne, who grew up in New Jersey and comes from a soccer playing family, brings her interna tional playing experience to Ford ham. “Before I can even remember watching soccer games, I was at soccer games watching my dad play,” she said. As her father and brother did before her, she plays for the Haitian National Team. Her decision to do so is especial ly meaningful to her grandfather, who played soccer in Haiti before immigrating to the U.S. at age 19. “I talk to my dad after every game,” said Etienne. “My grand father will call me and say, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ That’s heart warming and one of the reasons I wanted to play for the Haitian Na tionalAnotherTeam.”reason is gaining ex perience and skills, which each fall she brings back to her team at Fordham. “It definitely elevates my game to another level,” said Eti enne. “There are different qualities that come when [the Haitian team] goes into training camp. It’s a high level and it makes you better. I’m around really strong players. They test me every time. They challenge me all the time. When I come back to Fordham, I try to bring that same thing to my team, challenge my teammates and make them better.”

In college and on the Haitian Na tional Team, each year new play ers join, and familiar faces leave. Learning to adapt makes her more agile in new situations. A Psycholo gy major and French minor, Etienne said it’s pretty easy for her to adjust to new teammates. A common goal bonds teams, she noted. She chose Fordham because it is relatively close to home and is deeply appreciative of the uni versity’s stellar ac ademics. On track to graduate next spring, Etienne may take advantage of the additional year of eligibility avail able to any studentathlete who played in the 2020–21 school year and start a master’s degree program. Her goal after Fordham is to play soccer profes sionally, which her brother is currently doing with the Co lumbus Crew. While still a collegiate player, she hopes to help Haiti qualify for next year’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.Fordham wom en’s soccer takes on Yale on Sunday in New Haven.

Stony Brook volleyball is ready for action in the CAA SPORTS

Senior Danielle Etienne is looking forward to a strong season (Fordham Athletics photo)

Many of the fans were seemingly touched seeing Serena’s four-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., along with her father, Alexis Ohanian, cheering on her mother from her courtside seat. In a tribute to her mom, Olympia, as she is commonly known, wore the same beaded outfit as Williams. Oympia also had her hair designed with beads, sim ilar to the look of her fashion-conscious mom. It was a throwback to when Williams wore beads in the 1999 Open, the year she won her first title at the tournament. Over her illustrious career, Williams has remarkably faced players from 49 different countries and has 102 wins at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the most since the venue opened in 1997. Serena and Venus were extended a wild card bid to compete in the US Open doubles tournament and played Round 1 yesterday. Venus was eliminated from sin gles play on Tuesday with a 6-1, 7-6 (5) loss to Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium.

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“I wanted to do something that focused on honoring HBCUs, and it all started with the idea of creating a yard experience on the grounds of the event,” said Grimes. “I think it’s an amazing experience for both HBCU alums and for general US Open fans who may not be familiar with HBCUs to learn more about their history, schools and their contri bution to both tennis and society in general.”

Considered the Jackie Robinson of tennis, Gibson, who also excelled at golf, becoming the first Black woman in the Ladies Professional Golf Associa tion (LPGA), was the first Black woman to win a Grand Slam title, taking the French Open in 1956. She then won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1957, and was a finalist in the Australian Open, reaching the ranking of No. 1 in the world. Gibson repeated as champi on of both tournaments in 1958. Althea Neale Gibson was born in Claren don County, South Carolina and moved to Harlem with her family in 1930 during the Great Migration. She passed away in East Orange, New Jersey in 2003 at the age of 76.

Harlem honors

Williams advanced to last night’s (Wednesday) second round match versus No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia by defeating 27-year-old Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, 6-3, 6-3, in a match that lasted one hour and 33 minutes. After wards, Williams said the night felt surreal.

“I was just thinking, is this for real? Really?” Williams exclaimed in an inter view on the court. “At the same time, I’m also thinking, I still have a match to play, and I want to be able to play and I want to be able to play up to this reception.

By B. L. OLIVER Special to AM News

In other first round matches, Madison Keys, CoCo Gauff and Sloan Stephens all advanced to the second round with victories. Today, his torically Black Colleges and Universities will be featured with the theme HBCU Live at the US Open. The concept was introduced by Marisa Grimes, who joined the USTA as its chief diversity and inclusion officer in January.

Althea Gibson with street renaming

Serena creates a magical night to start the U.S Open

KatrinaandpresidentAdams,formerCEOof the U.S. AssociationTennis

Serena Williams may not play deep into the women’s singles draw at this year’s US Open. But she gave the fans a magical night in her first round match in front of a star studded, record setting crowd at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow-Corona Parks, Queens. An enthusiastic 29,402 patrons, the most ever for a US Open night session, came out to see the greatest women’s player in the his tory of tennis. Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles, the second most behind the 24 achieved by Margaret Court, and has cap tured six US Open singles titles. The crowd included former President Bill Clinton, ac tress/rapper Queen Latifah, film producer Spike Lee, heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson and singer Gladys Knight. The Open also reached the second highest attendance total for the first day of play at 71,332. After announcing earlier this month that she would be retiring from competitive competition after this year’s US Open, Wil liams, 41, the younger sister of 42-year-old Venus Williams, a two-time US Open sin gles champion, could have been playing her final match on Monday. But she did not disappoint the fans who held up signs reading “Welcome to the Williams Show” and “Thank You Serena” upon her entrance onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“It was so loud,” she continued. “I was just overwhelmed in a good way. At the same time, it’s like you have to be focused. That’s what I need to do, and that’s what I tried to do.”

Tennis and golf pioneer Althea Gibson, who was raised in Harlem, was honored in her childhood neighborhood with a street renaming ceremony last Thursday (Bill Moore photos) Playing in her final competitive tournament, tennis great Serena Williams won her opening round match at the US Open on Monday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Danka Kovinic (Margot Jordan photo)

“It is imperative that we keep her name alive,” said Katrina Adams, former pres ident and CEO of the U.S. Tennis Asso ciation, at the ceremony. “It’s the next generation (of Black players) that needs to know that before Coco (Gauf), Venus (Williams), Serena (Williams), Chanda (Rubin), me, Lori (McNeil), Zina (Gar rison) and Leslie (Allen), was Althea,” said Adams, also a former player. “Why? Because Althea came first.”

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the Amnews Legendary tennis great Althea Gibson re ceived another posthumous honor, having the intersection of West 143rd Street and Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem renamed Althea Gibson Way. The street naming, on August 25, took place on what would have been her 95th birthday. Gibson was raised at 135 West 143rd Street between Lenox and Seventh Ave nues, now Malcolm X Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard respectively. It is where she discovered her love for tennis.

New York Amsterdam News Issue #35 Sept 1- 7, 2022

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