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U.S. Rep. Torres, Fordham University awarded $50 million for environmental justice grants by the EPA
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Congressman Ritchie Torres and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a roundtable discussing $50 million in environmental justice grant money to be doled out to local clean energy organizations.
These climate initiatives are funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA’s Justice40 section is specifically focused on uplifting disadvantaged communities impacted by climate change and pollution in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Native American nations.
“As many of you know, the IRA is the boldest piece of climate legislation ever conceived anywhere in the world. It’s going to set the United States on a trajectory to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030,” Torres said. “It is the first law in history that is specifically designed to proactively prioritize the lowest income communities — the communities that need the money the most and have been most affected by catastrophic climate change.”
issues,” said EPA Region 2 Deputy Regional Administrator Alyssa Arcaya.
MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS INFORMATION
This is broken down into two major sections for nonprofits, churches with a 501(c) status, local government, and communitybased organizations in the city and state: the EPA Community Change Grants (CCG) and the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.
Track 1 of the CCG grants range from $10 million to $20 million, while Track 2 entails smaller, $1 million to $3 million payouts for organizations. Most of the funding is intended for community-based projects, like local clean-up efforts or workforce development in clean energy, that directly address environmental concerns.
“The main goal is to reshape communities that are facing deeply rooted environmental
Eligibility for who qualifies as “disadvantaged” is determined by a combination of census tract information, income data and historical poverty levels in a neighborhood, energy and housing costs, unemployment and education levels; and proximity to flooding, lead paint, diesel particulate matter exposure, wastewater discharge and underground storage tanks, traffic pollution, and other hazardous risks.
The application period for CCG is open until Nov. 21. Harlem’s WeACT for Environmental Justice has been appointed as the region’s technical assistance provider to help organizations sign up, fill out applications, find collaborators, and get projects off the ground until 2028.
The Thriving Communities Grantmaking is run through Fordham University,
giving local organizations subgrants ranging from $75,000 to $350,000. Projects will be evaluated by a convened board of organizers of about 20 people from region 2, led by Mothers on the Move Executive Director Wanda Salamán.
“With strong Environmental and Community Activist Leadership, we ensure that everyone in our community has a fair and equitable chance to apply for this funding.
It is especially important that disadvantaged communities, often the most affected by environmental and social inequities, are in leadership roles in this process,” said Salamán, who’s originally from Puerto Rico. She’s been a community organizer in the Bronx since she immigrated to the U.S. in 1975.
“By having a voice in reviewing applications and shaping the direction of these initiatives, we can ensure that the funding reaches those See ENVIRONMENTAL GRANTS on page 25
Congressmember Ritchie Torres (podium) at the Environmental Protection Agency Inflation Reduction Act roundtable on Friday, Sept. 13 at Fordham University in the Bronx. (Ariama C. Long photos)
Organizers ask questions at the IRA roundtable at Fordham University in the Bronx.
Incensed by Trump’s ‘pet-eating’ comments, Haitians across N.Y. rally together
By AARON FOLEY AmNews News Editor
Leaders of New York City’s Haitian-American community, which claims the largest concentration of Haitians in the country and one of the largest outside the island itself, are rallying to condemn presidential candidate Donald Trump’s lies about immigrants eating pets in Ohio and other hateful rhetoric, while also hastily making plans to travel from the five boroughs to the Midwest to show their solidarity and support for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is seeking to be elected to the Oval Office in November.
“We’re going to help people in Springfield, and we’re going to educate them on voting,” New York Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the first Haitian-American to hold such a post, told the AmNews in an interview this week, referring to the Ohio city that found itself thrust into the national spotlight after Trump and Harris’s televised debate, where the former claimed Haitian immigrants were “eating the dogs [and] eating the cats” in front of millions of viewers.
Trump’s comments have spun Springfield, a city of nearly 60,000 that has seen an influx of thousands of Haitians seeking refuge from the conflicted island nation, into fear and turmoil. A bomb threat was called into the city’s municipal offices, local events have been canceled, and residents have reported increased fear-mongering geared toward its newest residents. For Haitians across the world, however, Trump’s comments are nothing new.
“Being a Haitian American, growing up in this country was very difficult because there were always these stigmas thrown at us,” said Bichotte Hermelyn, who was born in New York City after her parents immigrated to the U.S. “We were the people that come from a witchcraft country, we are a ‘shithole’ country, we eat trees, all sorts of things.
“The stigma kind of stayed with us for a very long time,” she added. “It’s something that we as a people are, unfortunately, used to.”
Trump’s comments have galvanized Haitians across the world. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who penned an op-ed for the AmNews earlier this year, called Trump’s rhetoric “bizarre” and “hateful” during a recent press briefing, saying “our country deserves better.” Actress and reality TV star Garcelle Beauvais, perhaps the most visible HaitianAmerican celebrity in Hollywood, took to her social media accounts in tears, saying that “we must condemn this kind of hatred — this kind of racism — for anyone. I have always been a proud Haitian immigrant. Coming to America, working hard — that’s what we do. Coming from gratitude. And I will not sit by and let people talk about my community in any way they want for their own gain.”
The ripple effect those comments could have politically could unfold in the coming days as Haitian-American elected officials across New York state come together to “look into what
kind of legal consequences we can impose on this man,” Bichotte Hermelyn said.
A long history in New York Haitians have a rich yet tumultuous history in New York, having contributed to the Black diaspora while simultaneously being demonized within it.
“The reason [Trump] gets away with it is because we as Americans allow him to get away with it,” Bichotte Heremlyn said.
In 1990, thousands of Haitian New Yorkers marched across the Brooklyn Bridge after their community was identified as the source of the then-widespread AIDS virus — “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” as Bichotte Hermelyn characterized it. In the years since, Haitians have had to fight that stereotype and others, while their accomplishments went overlooked.
“We are a very accomplished group of people, no matter how quote-unquote ‘poor’ … people make (our country) to be,” Bichotte Hermelyn said. “No matter how hard it is to maintain within the working class … we still produce the largest (number of) doctors in the Black diaspora, the largest (number of) healthcare workers in the Black diaspora.”
According to Darnell Benoit, founder and director of the Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project, in an email to AmNews, there is a persistent concern across the boroughs about discrimination against Haitian students and limited resource allocation to Black immigrant students in general.
“For too long, our students have faced ridicule and prejudice based on their language, culture, and identity,” Benoit wrote. “This has impacted their ability to thrive in a safe and supportive learning environment.
“We are committed to ensuring that this
A presidential race of increasing uncertainty
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
Each day has brought fresh uncertainty and drama to the presidential race between Vice President Harris and former President Trump, so the second attempt on the latter’s life comes as no surprise, nor does the claim from Trump that Harris and President Biden are responsible.
On Monday, in comments to Fox News Digital, Trump said “their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out.”
cycle of anti-Haitian hate does not spill into the public schools. Haitian students have been and continue to be a vital part of the rich cultural tapestry of New York City. Yet, too many have been targets of harmful stereotypes, xenophobia, and isolation. This has a lasting impact on their academic success and emotional well-being.
Benoit called on NYC public schools to “remain vigilant in addressing and preventing hate,” especially against Haitian students. She also asked that schools promote inclusivity and respect for all immigrant communities through cultural awareness and anti-bullying programs.
“Haitian students deserve to be celebrated for their history and contributions, not ostracized or bullied because of them,” Benoit wrote. “We stand against anti-Haitian immigrant hate, and hate of any kind. We stand with Haitian youth and their families, and we are committed to working with school officials, educators, and other community organizations to foster environments where every child, regardless of background, can succeed without fear of hate or discrimination.”
Meanwhile, Bichotte Hermelyn is looking toward a future of working with the White House should Harris take office. The Biden administration allowed Haitian immigrants into the country to reunite with their families, “better than most presidents,” she said.
“If VP Harris becomes the president, I’d like to see her continuing to open borders to Haitian people,” Bichotte Hermelyn said. “We’d definitely like immigration reform policies that are more sympathetic to Haitians. We have let thousands of Ukrainians in due to political instability, and we’d like the same for Black immigrants.”
The charge comes with little evidence, and he takes no account that his own inflammatory insults and derogatory accusations might be part of the violence that endangers his life. Placing the blame on those opposed to his demeaning of people, including his assertion about Haitians eating pets, is nothing new and it follows the same remarks he made after the first attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, doubled down on those charges during a speech at a dinner on Monday, stating that Democrats cannot call Trump a “threat to democracy” and a “fascist” and expect that violence would not follow. Nothing was said about Trump’s use of the same words to assail Democrats.
While Trump has expressed no intention of toning down the heated comments, Biden said that the country must work to stop the ongoing violence. “America has suffered too many times the tragedy of an assassin’s bullet,” he said at the start of an address to the National HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia. “It solves nothing. It just tears the country apart. We must do everything we can to prevent it and never give it any oxygen.”
Harris, as she said after the first attempt on Trump’s life, condemned political violence. “We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence,” Harris said on Sunday in her statement, adding that she was “deeply disturbed” by the apparent attempt on Trump’s life.
Douglas Brinkley, a Rice University historian and author, summed up the situation, noting on Sunday that this presidential race has been a dramatic one. The year, he said, “has just unspooled in a chaotic and frightful fashion. It’s impossible for anybody to get footing in their daily lives with a news cycle that is so constantly grim and absurd.
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. (File Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA) (Sipa via AP Images)
End of the Affordable Connectivity Program means the end of critical broadband access for Black families
By LEAH MALLORY Special to AmNews
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a federally funded program providing discounted internet service to economically disadvantaged households, officially ended on June 1, 2024, due to lack of funding from Congress. With no more federal financial support, millions of households are left to reap the consequences.
“Everybody needs internet service. Everybody,” said East Harlem resident Sonya Gibson. “I’ve got a lot of things I have to do. Even though I have my phone, I have to have internet service. You can’t go without it.”
Gibson, a senior who lives on a fixed income, explains that it can be challenging to prioritize necessities, but having subsidized internet service makes the burden of choosing between essential resources easier.
“Nobody understands until you’re dealing with one income how important it is to have these essential things,” she said. “When am I going to do that? How am I going to do that? So to have one thing free – it’s sensational.”
Gibson receives free internet through BetterB, a broadband service powered by Silicon Harlem, a nonprofit that aims to make the internet more accessible in Harlem.
With the end of ACP, founder Clayton Banks says providers like Silicon Harlem
have been hit hard.
“Silicon Harlem would get a monthly check based on the number of people [enrolled in] ACP,” he said. “And so when it went away, it hurt us, [but] not the people that we serve. We took that shot because it was so important for us to make sure people in Harlem are getting the internet.”
Bringing it back to Harlem
More than 23 million households nationwide were enrolled in ACP, with nearly one million homes in New York City depending on the program. Launched in 2021 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the $14.2 billion initiative replaced the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) pro-
Mavens of Black culture: Maitefa Angaza,
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
Last weekend saw a profusion of celebrations in Harlem and Brooklyn, beginning with one for Maitefa Angaza, who joined the ancestors on August 8, at the Major Owens Community Center. It was a glorious turnout for Angaza, whose literary productions equaled her commitment to marginalized communities. She left us with a tremendous legacy, including a generous supply of books from her collection, freely available for attendees, and some folks took more than one.
After a thunderous welcome from three percussionists, her firstborn son, Osayande Jabulani Angaza (Men-t Saungkh Heru), set the stage for commemorations, one of which was delivered in keeping with Angaza’s devotion to the Kemitic tradition. As expected, there were several reflections from family members and guest speakers, moments highlighted by journalist Milton Allimadi. He recounted her editorial insight
and courage during their days at the City Sun. “She had such confidence in me, and would only ask if my story was 100% solid,” he said. “‘All I need is your word’ and I said yes and that was it.”
Given the length of the memorial and a previous commitment, there was no way for me to experience the full celebration.
Greg Thomas, a writer who knew Angaza in several ways, including their monthly rituals as members of Ausar-Auset Society in Brooklyn and her role in promoting his career, gave me a quote as I left. “She was a soft-spoken and soulful sister who I remember fondly,” Thomas said by text. “She was a good editor who gave me a shot as a young writer.”
Carolyn Butts, the founder of African Voices, where Angaza was an unflagging associate, offered her impressions and memories of Angaza on several platforms. “We were cheerleaders for each other,” Butts wrote in a statement to Our Time Press, another outlet for Angaza. “As friends, we pulled each other up. If there was a dream
gram spearheaded during COVID-19 as a long-term investment in affordable broadband.
Qualifying households received a discount of up to $30 per month, and households on eligible Tribal Lands received up to $75 per month on their internet service.
Data analysis from the New York City Council shows that in 2021, 8.1% of NYC households had no internet at all, while 28%, on average, lacked high-speed broadband internet access. For Black and Hispanic households, the rates are even higher at 35% and 36%, respectively.
Data from the Center for an Urban Future reveals several neighborhoods in Upper Manhattan rank among the top 25 ZIP codes with the highest enrollment rates, including several areas in Harlem.
In East Harlem, a predominantly Black and Hispanic community where the median household income is under $40,000 (2022), broadband access becomes even more critical upon recognizing these disparities.
“To fully participate in a 21st-century society, you must have access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet,” said Alisa Valentin, broadband policy director at Public Knowledge, a D.C.based consumer advocacy organization.
“It’s important as it relates to folks being able to access education. It’s important for people to be able to work. It’s important for folks to have opportunities to up-skill for
Karen Taylor, and Nikki Williams
to be had, we claimed it together.”
One of Angaza’s short stories that was included in the program for the celebration of her life was about a memory of her grandmother, Mari: “The women in our family — we move mountains!” The women who surrounded Angaza viewed her as the inspiration and the aspiration to move the mountains of oppression, racism, and misogynism.
Under the best circumstances, you can get to Harlem from Brooklyn in about an hour, and I got to the Harlem Prep School (E. 123rd Street) in the middle of a performance by Burnt Sugar Arkestral as part of the 8th Annual Harlem Sugar Hill Music Festival, with a salute to the group’s founder: the late Greg Tate.
A notice that rain was predicted forced Karen Taylor, who spearheads While We Are Still Here, to find an alternate site, which she was able to do at the last minute. That would not have been possible without the speedy response and rescue by Carmen
Cruz, founder of the Silent Procession for Puerto Rico, who also sits on the WWSH advisory board, as well as Iris Aponte, manager of Taino Towers.
The Tato Laviera Theater was a perfect alternative with its ambience. The music was as soothing as it was uplifting, particularly to hear Nelson George and LaTasha Nevada Diggs chant “Nobody Loves a Genius Child,” Tate’s tribute to the artist Jean Michel Basquiat, from his book “Flyboy in the Buttermilk.”
When the event’s moderator, Billy Mitchell, known as “Mr. Apollo,” brought Taylor to the microphone, it gave the performers a break in a lineup that featured such entertainers as Allan Harris, pianist Marcus Persiani, the Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra, TC III, and Jenn Jade Ledesna. The indefatigable Taylor described some of the programs underway at WWSH, most notably “Signs of the Time,” a Harlem Heritage Markers Project. “We are going to install 25 historical markers throughout See ACP on page 31
See CULTURE on page 35
Silicon Harlem partners with Columbia University to share a city-scale digital project with high school teachers (Photo courtesy of Silicon Harlem)
Dr. Jatali Bellanton tackles youth financial literacy by addressing mental health
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
Money doesn’t grow on trees. But money can grow like trees, so Dr. Jatali Bellaton helps others tackle financial literacy at an early age.
Originally from Manchester, Bellaton splits her time between New York City and the United Kingdom, an arrangement stemming from her mother figure (she doesn’t use the term “stepmother”) living in Brooklyn. As she was growing up, she witnessed an adult in her life struggling with financial literacy.
“I just knew what I didn’t want to do when it came to money, I knew I did who I didn’t want to be,” Bellaton said. “As time progressed, it just allowed me to just learn about stocks and bonds and investing in real estate portfolios.”
She started her first job at age 13 and continued working ever since. But Bellaton left her steady life in the finance world to pursue entrepreneurship after motherhood. She wrote a children’s book on financial empowerment for her son — easy enough for him to understand, informative enough for him to actually learn.
Spurred by educating her own son and her psychology background, she began breaking down financial literacy for youngsters through her program Kids Who Bank.
Black
Head and Neck Cancer Screenings in Harlem
Her children’s stories simplified concepts like depreciation and compound interest in nursery rhyme fashion.
Parents, teachers and school administrators soon became interested in enrolling in similar financial literacy programs, but they felt embarrassed to participate in children’s courses, explaining how Bellaton’s Brilliant Minds Unite came to be. Now, she’s enlisted by new money for programming about crypto and Name, Image, and Likeness.
But the crux of her work merges financial health with mental health. Bellaton points to survivor’s guilt by many first-generation big earners who use money as a coping mechanism.
“Not to say that money solves all problems, but oftentimes it’s the desire to just have a meal, or the money to go to school, or making a commute easier,” Bellaton said. “So you see a lot of issues that arise because of money, and then no one talks about the financial health aspect and no one talks about the mental health correlation with that.”
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
Dr. Jatali Bellanton (Photo courtesy of Tene Nicole Creative Agency)
New Yorker
Raids, resignations rattle city hall; Adams ‘not going to be commenting’
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe into the city’s top leaders is ramping up, leaving voters and electeds to ponder — equally out loud and in hushed whispers — the impact this will ultimately have on next year’s mayoral election.
The big question: Will Mayor Eric Adams, the second Black mayor to ever lead New York City, go down as a one-term like his historic predecessor, the late David Dinkins?
Thus far, more than a dozen people in the Adams administration and other city agencies have been thrust into the multiple investigations into City Hall, prompting resignations from city commissioners and staff, and subsequent indictments related to the FBI probe of Adams campaign finances. This includes city aides and their relatives: Timothy Pearson, Dwayne Montgomery, Philip Banks III, David C. Banks, Sheena Wright, Edward Caban, Winnie Greco, Brianna Suggs, Eric Ulrich, Rana Abbasova, James Caban, and Terence Banks.
“Our hallmark is not being distracted,” said Adams at Tuesday’s in-person press conference. “Stuff comes up in the city and we’re not going to be distracted. One of the distractions is answering the same question over and over and over and over again, like you’re going to get a different answer. I’m just not going to do that. I got a city to run.”
Since 2023, Adams and his administration has been under intense scrutiny from law enforcement, mostly because of alleged fraud in his 2021 mayoral campaign and a sexual assault case brought against him.
It began last July, when Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg indicted six people, including retired Deputy Inspector Dwayne Montgomery and a consulting company, for participating in a straw-donor scheme — meaning a person or entity illegally evades campaign finance contribution limits. These indictments really set the ball rolling and drew more attention to Adams campaign finances.
Before that, Adams had only been hit with New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) fines for accepting prohibited donations and failing to properly respond to requests for documentation in May 2023.
In June 2023, former NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell, the first Black woman to head the agency, announced that she was stepping down with little warning. She was replaced by former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, the first Latino to head the department.
In September 2023, former New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) Eric Ulrich was charged for using his position to dole out favors in exchange for cash and other bribes, the Associated Press reported.
The legal situation ratcheted up to an 11 in November 2023, when the FBI suddenly raided the Brooklyn home of Adams’s chief election campaign fundraiser, 25-year-old Brianna Suggs, while Adams was heading to a meeting with the White House about the migrant and asylum seeker influx. Suggs worked for Adams during his time as Brooklyn Borough president. As a teenager, she reported directly to her godmother, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a longtime Adams ally who currently serves as the mayor’s chief advisor. Adams distanced himself from both cases,
which were brought in state court and did not directly implicate his campaign or administration. He also had his electronic devices seized by the FBI but no charges were brought against him directly. He has still not been charged directly for any wrongdoing.
Because the FBI probe was left deliberately vague, the rumor mill swung to life. Adams was determined not to comment on the ongoing investigations, though, and has said repeatedly that he was cooperating completely.
The AP reports there were FBI subpoenas for Adams’s schedule, his overseas travel, and potential connections to the Turkish government. It’s assumed that this was to determine whether the Adams campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive donations from foreign sources, funneled through straw donors, but the FBI did not confirm. Other news outlets reported that the investigation was examining whether Adams tried to assist the Turkish government in getting city approval to open a Manhattan building for diplomatic facilities in 2021, despite concerns about the skyscraper’s fire safety systems, before he was mayor.
By February 2024, FBI had raided the Bronx homes of former director of Asian affairs and campaign fundraiser Winnie Greco, reported the AP. They once again seized Adams’s phones and iPad as well.
In June 2024, a former Brooklyn pastor, Bishop Lamor Whitehead, was indicted and sentenced to nine years for wire fraud, attempted wire fraud, attempted extortion, and making false statements to federal law enforcement agents. Whitehead had said Adams was a mentor and confidante, although Adams had very publicly distanced himself
from Whitehead during the investigation.
This September, in rapid succession, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright; Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks, his brothers Schools Chancellor David Banks and political consultant Terence Banks; and mayoral adviser Timothy Pearson, who’s former NYPD, were all raided by the FBI.
FBI agents also seized devices from Caban, prompting his swift resignation from office. He has been criticized for moves made as he departed.
“New Yorkers need accountability and transparency from the NYPD because building public trust is the key to public safety,” said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Public Safety Committee Chair Yusef Salaam in a joint statement. “For outgoing Commissioner Caban to lessen penalties for police misconduct and abuses on his way out of office, amidst an ongoing federal investigation, is an alarming misuse of power. The Council enacted the creation of a disciplinary matrix with the NYPD to help ensure proper and standardized penalties for misconduct. Yet under this administration, we continue to see the erosion of accountability and safeguards designed to protect New Yorkers.”
Around the same time, retired FDNY Chiefs Brian Cordasco and Anthony Saccavino were indicted by the FBI after a yearlong corruption investigation and City Hall’s legal counsel Lisa Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor, also abruptly resigned.
Zornberg reportedly was pushing for Pearson, whom the mayor has described as a “good friend,” to be fired. Pearson is currently facing multiple lawsuits accusing
Mayor Eric Adams and senior administration officials hold in-person media availability at City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 2024. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)
Commitment
and closing costs grants. (Restrictions apply.)
AmNews roving camera
By SIYAKA TAYLOR-LEWIS
Q: How do you feel about students having phones in schools?
Sehu, 75
Bed-Stuy
Things jump off in school. Kids need access to the outside world. If you took them away, kids would be emotionally distraught. It’s not like it was 20 years ago. Even 10 years ago. I think teaching kids how to properly use their phones should be a part of their education.
Jelani, 36
Bed-Stuy
That’s complicated. They can be superproductive but also super-distracting. If
there is a way to monitor them, then yes, but monitoring would have to be tested. If the teachers and curriculum are on point, it’s smooth sailing. We adapt to the technology.
Lewis, 24
Bed-Stuy
Some might believe it causes a distraction to education. Because of the turbulent and outrageous circumstances we find ourselves in, in this country, recently with another mass shooting — those students weren’t able to use their phones. I would say that, just based on the fact that we have such loose and reckless gun laws, children, unfortunately, need to have some kind of access to their phones in school.
Sehu
(Siyaka Taylor-Lewis photos)
Jelani
Lewis
Harlem comes out for African American Day breakfast and parade
Before the 55th annual African American Day kicked off the 22nd Breakfast celebration at the Harlem Tavern, Keith Wright and Deneane Brown-Blackmon hosted the Awards and Scholarship presentation. The African American Day Parade was held on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and chaired by Yusuf Hasan.
(Bill Moore photos)
Union Matters
Something we can all agree upon …
It’s not so easy to find a holiday that crosses so many boundaries: racial, religious, ethnic, generational, and gender lines. Questions of: Your political party, Mets or Yankees fan, Beyoncé or Swift, married or single, gay or straight, homeowner or renter, blue collar or white-collar worker, union member or not, public or private sector, high school or college grad, drive an SUV or compact car, pet owner or not, vegan or meat eater — all matter very little.
For sure, it’s not easy to find a holiday that most Americans celebrate in similar ways — usually involving a hot dog or two … but whether it’s all beef or tofu, yes: Labor Day is a rarity: A holiday we can agree upon.
Congress created Labor Day in 1894 by making the first Monday in September a national holiday — but only did so in response to the death of 34 striking Pullman workers from the American Railway Union at the hands of U.S. Army soldiers and marshals.
And then there’s the Labor Day Parade. It’s not held on Labor Day. That’s usually when so many of us are sad about the summer’s end and reserve the day to get in those last rays of summer sun, a swim at the beach, flipping burgers on the BBQ, watching the U.S. Open tennis match on TV, or hunting for “Back to School” sales. Instead, the parade is held a week later.
New York City’s Labor Day parade has some major distinctions: It’s not only the largest one in the nation, but also the oldest. The parade was organized by the New York City Central Labor Council in 1882, when an unheard-of number of workers — 10,000 — took off from their jobs in celebration of worker solidarity and pride, and marched from Union Square to City Hall. Through the years, Labor Day and the parade have come to symbolize the long-lasting presence and indestructible power of the labor movement, despite the efforts by the corporate 1% in America who decry unions as contributing to driving up prices with higher production and service costs — and thereby, affecting their bottom line. They, and some others in power — not only in big business, but government, too — fear the power of our unity, and worry that our voices represent votes.
They are simply trying to do us in.
And it’s been working. Currently, union membership is at an all-time low of only around 10.7% nationwide (equaling one in 10 workers) compared with peak years of the mid-1950s, when membership was 40% of all American workers (or four out of every 10 workers). New York State leads the nation with the highest percentage of union workers — nearly 24%. Of that number, nearly 70% are public sector workers, with African Americans making up the largest component of that group.
At Teamsters Local 237, we understand the value of unity, and our commitment to it is both practical and moral. We know the facts. For example, non-union workers earn on average 20% less than union members. We know, too, that the 40-hour work week, health benefits, paid vacation and family leave, and the $17 an-hour minimum wage are just some of the hardfought — and hard-won — battles. We also know that workers’ rights and civil rights are unquestionably intertwined.
Let’snot forget that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis when he joined striking sanitation workers — men who made $1.65 an hour and were treated by their bosses like the garbage they collected. Dr. King believed that “The labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By raising the living standard of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed of levels of production. Those who attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers.”
Now, there seems to be a glimmer of hope that the anti-union trend is starting to end, as many average Americans are coming to the realization that unions matter. They help to make our lives better. In fact, the approval rating of labor unions has recently been on the rise. Some have speculated that the Covid crisis helped with this current trend.
Too many Americans learned the hard way that many of our government institutions and leaders were illprepared for the catastrophes so many endured. They came to rely on their unions to do something, and unions did. We distributed face masks and plastic gloves. We provided health and death benefits. We provided our members and their families with a fast, reliable, and professional response to their
Teamsters Local 237 election is a debate on effectiveness
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
City University of New York (CUNY) peace officer Mohamed Alshami is running for president of Teamsters Local 237 with the goal of unseating Gregory Floyd, who has served as president since March 2007.
According to Alshami, the incumbent Floyd has lost touch with his union members: “We’re all frustrated because they’re not doing anything –– they’re not filing grievances, they’re not handling the disciplinary actions properly, they’re not fighting for our wages,” Alshami said. “Greg Floyd has been ignoring our requests to help us file lawsuits, even when I provided him attorneys that could help us for free. He just ignored it. They wanted to help us to fight for better wages. And, you know, when somebody is providing free attorneys to help us, you take that opportunity and work with them, but he decided to ignore our request.
“Everything that we’ve been asking for is not being met. So once I had the opportunity and was notified about the election, I decided to run for president.”
Floyd pushed back against these accusations. He told the AmNews he has consistently strengthened Local 237 during his presidency and is not hearing from any disgruntled union members. Floyd confessed he does not know who Alshami is nor understand the basis of his complaints. “I don’t know him,” Floyd said. “He’s never been to a union meeting; he’s never been to the union building. He didn’t come to the nomination meeting –– He emailed it in, he’s running by himself.”
Floyd asserted that Alshami’s rhetoric doesn’t match the facts. “This is not my first election,” Floyd said. “This is actually my fourth. And every time there was an election [in the past], there were at least one or two slates of candidates running for office. This is the first time that we had virtually no opposition in the other offices –– or in this office, because he didn’t show up.”
Alshami admits his campaign is a little small. He says he has been surprised by the restrictions on his ability to campaign but is using social media to get his name –– and that of his vice-presidential pick, Nadeem Mohammad –– out in front of union members.
Local 237, the Teamsters’ largest local union with some 24,000 members, represents public hospital police, elevator mechanics, school safety agents, custodians, cooks, NYCHA caretakers, water use inspectors, civil service attorneys, and cement masons/ mason helpers.
Ultimately, Alshami wants to make changes to the way Local 237 operates. He said if he wins the election, he would prioritize listening to the union’s membership. “I want everybody to send me an email [listing] their complaints
against business agents, lawyers, the executive board, or whoever works for Local 237. I want them to send a complaint and tell me what happened after they submitted their grievance, complaint, or whatever –– what did that Local 237 employee do? Most of the complaints are being ignored or they’re working behind their backs with management, or they negotiate for lesser charges or whatever.
Sometimes they’re just being ignored.”
Alshami says that’s one of his chief complaints, and it’s the most serious kind of response to union members he wants to see changed.
“I want to have everybody’s complaints and then investigate who should stay with Local 237 and who should be replaced. That way I could change the whole union from top to bottom. And then after that, I’m going to look into everybody’s salaries and see if I can get better salaries by comparing with other agencies that do the same or similar work as them and then start legal actions through arbitration or courts …. I do believe that we could change this. It’s that I have to lead the unit in order to get this done.”
Floyd counters that because his administration of Local 237 has given members free health coverage, five-dollar copays for prescriptions, maintenance of benefits, annuity plans, and contracts that are up to date, he has seen virtually no opposition from union members.
“If not all of them, most of them are satisfied with the job that we’re doing,” Floyd said. “Now, do I have a few people here and there that are not satisfied? Sure. Is Mr. Alshami one of them, probably so. But I’ve never met him. Never even had a conversation with him. So I don’t know who he is or what his problem is, but this election will show where our members are on this.”
Gregory Floyd
President, Teamsters Local 237 and Vice President at-Large on the General Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Mohamed Alshami is running for president of Teamsters Local 237. (Mohamed Alshami photo)
NYC Council OKs reparations study, racial injustice bill package
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
The New York City Council voted to pass a package of reparations bills last week that would study the city’s role in the enslavement of Africans, indigenous Americans, and their descendants in U.S. history and address continuing racial injustices — a movement that’s been met with resistance in some cities.
New York State took the historic step of creating a nine-member Community Commission on Reparations Remedies last December. The state commission is tasked with producing a written report examining the state’s legacy of slavery and making recommendations within a year. It’s only the second state after California to launch a reparations commission.
“I want to see this happen in my lifetime,” said Iyafin Olatunji, a 95-year-old Crown Heights resident, at the press conference.
There have been numerous local and citywide reparations efforts across the nation, including in Providence, Rhode Island; Evanston, Illinois; Asheville, North Carolina; and Greenbelt, Maryland.
“This monumental step will address the persistent disparities that continue to affect Black communities,” said Councilmember Farah Louis at the Sept. 12 press conference.
“The reparations movement is often misunderstood as merely a powerful compensation for the enslaved Africans, who built this country and this city, but it is far more than that,” Louis continued. “It is a testament of our unwavering commitment to acknowledging and addressing the deep rooted injustices that have plagued our societies for centuries. Generations of oppression need and require study into generations of harm.”
New York City legally sanctioned the practice of slavery for more than 200 years, and in 1730, had one of the highest rates of slave ownership in the country outside of Charleston, South Carolina, according to the New York Public Library (NYPL) Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Wall Street, between Pearl and Water Streets, hosted a world-renowned slave market for decades. The enslaved population, as the library put it, “literally built the city and was the engine that made its economy run.”
Even though the Wall Street slave market closed in 1762, Black men, women, and children were still bought and sold throughout the city. This continued well past the statewide slavery ban in 1827, said the NYPL.
“The Declaration of Independence proudly declares that all Americans are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, this promise has been repeatedly denied to Black and Brown Americans,” Louis said. “We see other groups receive restitutions for generational disenfranchisement while Black Americans are met with resistance. Told that reparations are too difficult, too controversial, too expensive. But we must defy these dismissals. I stand firm and our belief that in-
justice cannot be deferred. Our fight for reparations is about ensuring that the dream of equality becomes the reality for all of us.”
Louis sponsored Intro. 279-A, which would require the NYC Commission on Racial Equity (CORE) to study the city’s role in perpetrating and perpetuating slavery and other racial injustices, and then recommend potential measures to help remedy or redress associated harms.
Intro. 471-A, sponsored by Council Members Nantasha Williams and Christopher Marte, will establish a task force designated to create two Freedom Trails commemorating historical sites tied to abolition and civil rights. One path will be citywide while the other will concentrate on lower Manhattan.
“When you find out that the first commodity on Wall Street was actual human beings that looked like myself and my relatives, that does a lot to you,” said Williams.
Marte, who represents lower Manhattan, told the AmNews the trails will map out a his-
tory the city often attempts to ignore.
“We need to highlight the civil rights activists who walked these streets, who lived in our buildings and had historic events here in New York City,” he said.
The New York Historical Society, where Marte himself learned about the city’s role in the slave trade, offers a substantial archive. Individual historians will also play a role in putting together trails, and the Landmarks Commission can identify buildings with historical significance. The taskforce will help gather these different institutions in order to put together a recommendation within a year.
Other bills in the reparations package include Intro. 242-A, sponsored by Councilmember Crystal Hudson, and Intro. 833-A, sponsored by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams This legislation comes after a majority voted to pass the 2022 Racial Justice Commission’s (RJC) ballot measures that called for an address to racial inequity.
James Sanders Jr. and Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages, who sponsored the state reparations commission bill, along with local racial justice groups like the December 12th Movement and BLIS (which stands for Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty) Collective also attended the rally to show their support.
Since the reparations movement started making earnest legislative strides, there has been resistance from the right.
In Chicago, Evanston became the first local municipality to offer $20 million reparations to Black Americans for past housing discrimination in 2021. Eligible residents and their descendants could receive $25,000 in direct cash payment towards buying a home or housing related debts.
Currently, a conservative legal group filed a lawsuit against Evanston claiming that the reparations package is a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and unconstitutionally discriminates against nonBlack residents. This is an extension of the ramped-up Republican backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and affirmative action practices on college campuses and universities.
Most recently in Atlanta, a Black-owned, women-led venture capital firm called Fearless Fund was forced to reach a settlement after being hit with a lawsuit. Yet another conservative group, the American Alliance for Equal Rights under Ed Blum, had filed alleging that their grant contest to support Black women business owners was discriminatory on the basis of race, the Associated Press reported.
In liberal New York’s Republican pockets, conservative city officials and residents are stewing over the state and city bills and have vowed to never pay reparations.
“These are just tactics to reinstitute white supremacy,” said Nicole Carty, executive director of Get Free Together, about the Republican pushback.
Senator
Brooklyn Branch National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) L. Joy Williams spoke about reparations last week. (Ariama C. Long photos)
Councilmember Farah Louis (at podium) held a conference about reparations and racial justice bill package at City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 12.
Mary Trump’s diagnosis of her uncle
When Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ended his presidential campaign and threw what little support he had to Trump he seriously damaged his family name, many of whom didn’t want him to run in the first place. Let us hope that similar damage can be done to Trump’s name with the news that his niece Mary has published her third book on him, “Who Could Ever Love You--A Family Memoir.” In this edition of the family’s troubled history, Trump writes that she watched her uncle gain favor from her grandfather for being a “killer,” someone who would stop at nothing to get his way.
Given her inside perspective and training as a psychologist, Mary is twice qualified to spill the beans on the former president and analyze his mental state, declaring he is not fit to govern the nation.
As she stated during interviews and from her books, her uncle is “far beyond garden-variety narcissism; Donald is not simply weak, his ego is a fragile thing that must be boistered every moment because he knows deep down that he is nothing of what he claims to be.”
We needn’t say more, and those with the gump -
tion and interest can get a copy of the book and witness her excoriation of The Donald. She defines him as a sociopath who co-opts others and uses them “toward their own ends — ruthlessly and efficiently, with no tolerance for dissent or resistance.”
For the moment, with other pressing issues on the plate, we will spare further exploration of Trump’s discombobulated mind, and she said her family never actually interacted “with people of color.”
Much of what she discloses merely confirms what far too many Americans have experienced, but it’s good to know that someone in the family has the guts and courage to tell it like it is. Check out the book!
AI is a growing threat to our elections
By REP. YVETTE CLARKE
As we approach this upcoming election, we must examine the threat that artificial intelligence (AI) will have to our ability to participate in a free and fair election, and the ramifications of another four years under Trump, with the implementation of Project 2025.
For years, I’ve stood at the forefront of Congress’s fight to regulate AI, and the many technologies born from advancements in this space. I have been raising concerns with my colleagues in Congress and emphasizing that without appropriate safeguards in place for AI, we risk facing dire consequences such as the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation.
When Elon Musk shared a deepfake video of the vice president, I knew this problem was a long time coming. Earlier in the year, President Biden’s voice was cloned using AI to send a fake robocall to thousands of voters in New Hampshire. This is particularly significant for communities of color across the country, including families in New York’s 9th District in Brooklyn.
A recent report showed at least 40 million Americans might be regularly targeted and fed disinformation in Black online spaces by a host of sources throughout social media, fueling false information around the election. In fact, the past few election cycles have seen misinformation weaponized and targeted at communities of color by racist and antidemocratic actors who seek to intimidate voters of color and use lies to discourage Black people from participating in the democratic process. Unfortunately, far more than our ability to responsibly regulate AI is at risk this November. The truth is far more terrifying.
The truth is that our freedoms are at stake.
ing the 9th District, is a portal that is representative of the world’s cultures and peoples, and many of my constituents also share those experiences. As a Caribbean American, I understand their origin stories and how valuable becoming citizens of this great nation is to everyone — particularly those I represent.
The Caribbean community has a long history with the United States.
The history of Caribbean people dates back as far as slavery in this country. As time passed, enslaved people brought from Barbados formed a substantial portion of the Black population in Virginia, particularly in the Tidewater area around the Chesapeake Bay.
U.S. history. Trump has suggested he would deputize local police officers to identify suspects and make arrests, and said that they would be granted “immunity.” In an interview with Time magazine earlier this year, he bragged about the speed at which he would deport tens of millions. A mass deportation plan on this scale is pure horror with no consideration of humanitarian concerns or family separations. Project 2025 even calls for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to be allowed to carry out “civil arrest, detention, and removal of immigration violators anywhere in the United States, without warrant where appropriate.”
“t’s not difficult to imagine what kind of communities they would target first, especially considering that the former president referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole” countries — legitimizing the targeting of people of the African diaspora, and furthering his agenda to restrict immigration policy in a potential second term.
If elected, Trump and his gang will enact Project 2025 — a 900-page manifesto published by the Heritage Foundation as a guide to implement their far-right, radical policies nationwide, and uproot the very foundation our American values and principles are built upon.
As a daughter of Jamaican immigrants, part of my lived experience was learning to understand and appreciate my parents’ journey to their American dream. Brooklyn, includ-
In the centuries that followed, people from the nations of Haiti, Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and more arrived in this nation, becoming doctors, caretakers, Oscar-winning actors like Sidney Poitier, activist-musicians like Harry Belafonte, and even legendary politicians like my idol, Shirley Chisholm. Caribbean culture was molded into this great American mosaic, adding different foods, music, and a stubborn sense of selfdetermination.
Immigration is the centerpiece of the former president’s campaign to retake the White House, and if he wins a second term in November, he has pledged to embark on the biggest deportation program in
Project 2025 seeks to destroy Temporary Protected Status (TPS), cutting more than 850,000 individuals from the program and repealing all active TPS designations. This is more than troubling at a time when my colleagues and I in the Haiti Caucus have been continuing to beat the drum for expanding the TPS designation for our Haitian brothers and sisters as the island nation of Haiti has descended into chaos from political instability, natural disasters, and gang violence. Project 2025 would treat immigration as a threat to the nation, rather than the great benefit it has always proven to be.
Now more than ever, we must protect the great American mosaic we have worked so diligently to craft. We came here not to create division, fuel xenophobia, or strengthen extremism, but to spread one-love, build unity, and have the opportunity to reach our highest aspirations. We must fight on. There is no future for the Caribbean community in Project 2025. It is time for us to use our inalienable rights as Caribbean Americans, do our civic duty, and head to the ballot box — because we are not going back.
Yvette Diane Clarke has been the U.S. representative for New York’s 9th congressional district since 2013.
(United States Congress photo)
¡Basta ya! Enough! NYC must permanently fund community composting
By GABRIEL-JOSÉ MALDONADO
With a month until curbside composting starts, it’s important to reflect on the history of grassroots movements to keep uptown clean.
In the summer of 1969, a group of young people blocked traffic on 110th Street with piles of garbage to protest poor sanitation services. The “Garbage Offensive,” as it was called, was an action engaged by the Young Lords Party; it was their first campaign. Today, however, it seems that sanitation is yet again an issue knocking on the doors of northern Manhattan, and Harlem in particular.
Due to effective citywide campaigning and Councilmember Shaun Abreu’s advocacy, the New York City Council reinstated the Community Composting for the FY2025 budget, restoring $6.245 million to programs. While impressive, that is still very much a temporary solution. Community Composting should be a fixed program that is funded by the city for years to come.
As a land steward of a local nonprofit horticultural organization, I have seen the positive impact of community composting and the interpersonal connection with our community, even through the smallest exchange of words of someone dropping off their food scraps.
Community composting should be reinstated permanently because it helps our most vulnerable to combat climate change. Processing food waste on a micro level not only can build community, it tackles the most important issue of our time: climate change. Due to the Urban Heat Island Effect, a phenomenon caused by the high presence of skyscrapers and the sweltering heat from asphalt across NYC, communities of color are unduly affected by climate change. According to the Columbia Climate School, Black city residents die from heat stress at double the rate of white residents. The demographics of communities in Northern Manhattan — communities primarily made up of Black and Latiné people of color — mean that we need to resolve issues that exacerbate the heat island effect, and Community Composting can do just this. By improving our way of life when it
comes to air quality and shade, composting will help care for and protect street trees. Compost — or “Black Gold,” as it’s called — can hold 20 times its weight in water, so adding just 1% organic matter to a garden can help the soil hold thousands of gallons of extra water, preventing future floods and soil compaction in the Harlem area. Community Composting needs permanent funding because through it, our city can offer more green jobs. The Frank White Memorial Garden, a sanctuary for people of all ages, is doing it right and serving as a model for other organizations, such the LES Ecology Center, Big Reuse, BK Rot, Earth Matter, Riverside Conservatory, GreenFeen, East New York Farms, and many others. It is home to an Educational Learning Center for the enrichment of young people and a place to gain real on-the-job training in an array of sustainable practices, particularly hot-box composting.
Nando Rodriguez, a land steward of the garden and senior manager of the Environmental Program at Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis), has paved the way for young people to create a sense of community and prepared them for the workforce through his composting efforts. By advocating for the diversion and processing of food waste on a micro level, he helps funnel money to young people and refocuses more attention on how compost can be used more efficiently and sustainably.
Looking toward the future, Rodriguez has initiated a campaign to bring 1K Composting Systems to NYC. A collaboration with BroSis and Open Road NY,
New book alert
CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.
You know I’m always excited to share new books with friends, family, colleagues, and those who read my weekly column. I get even more excited when the author is someone I know, adore, and respect. My friend and colleague, Maya Wiley, has just penned a powerful memoir, “Remember, You Are a Wiley: A Memoir” (Hachette Book Group), that is not only a reflection of her social justice journey, but an important call to action for all of us in this political moment.
this campaign has the potential to bring more composting systems to more spaces in hopes of creating a more sustainable network that moves away from a massive industrial scale that is built on numbers. This campaign puts the effort back into the hands of the community.
In the next month, curbside composting will come uptown as a result of the Zero Waste Act being passed. Originally terminated last year on December 31, due to Mayor Adams’s budget cuts, it was revived and reinstated by community efforts.
Curbside composting needs to be a mainstay in our city budget. Today, 55 years after the Young Lords Party protest, Northern Manhattan is in need of permanent solutions if it is to remain clean. It is imperative that our city leaders follow Abreu’s lead and maintain funding for initiatives that keep our city clean.
In the words of Zoe Tagoe, a BroSis leader, community composting is “the environmental spin on ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’” It helps her “see the things I once called trash in another light,” she said. It is why she joins the age-old cry of “!Basta ya!” and demands that our city keep funding initiatives like Community Composting.
Gabriel-José Maldonado is the Environmental Program horticulturalist for Brotherhood Sister Sol and the lead land steward for the Frank White Memorial Garden. To teach young people how to garden, he curates workshops centered around composting, botany, and agriculture.
Some of you may remember Wiley from her 2021 mayoral run. I always admire people who run for public office. That level of commitment to public service is not a decision that is made lightly. Reading Wiley’s memoir will make it all the more evident why this lawyer, activist, and political analyst decided to make the leap into electoral politics. Although Wiley was not successful in attaining the top job in New York City, the path that is meant for us will be made clear in due time, as our elders often reminded us.
Since 2021, Wiley has been leading the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights as president and CEO, and continues to work closely with social justice organizations across the country to help keep issues pertaining to civil rights and civil liberties at the forefront of political discussions and decision-making.
While reading “Remember, You Are a Wiley,” I couldn’t help but think about how our differing family histories
somehow intertwine with a greater American story. So many families worked to increase equality and dignity in their communities in large and small ways. So many of our parents and grandparents built coalitions with others to make this country a better place. Not everyone’s elders led social justice organizations or fought injustice in a courtroom, but this memoir reminds all of us of the work and dedication that has gone into making the country a better place. It is also a reminder of the work that we must continue to do … to honor the legacy of our loved ones. In this political moment, it is imperative that we better understand our past collective struggles so we may be better-educated and more-participatory citizens. This memoir will help remind us of what has been, as well as what we need to do to create the society we want to see. And as always, it is important for us to support, promote, and buy books by Black authors. Wiley will be on a book tour discussing her memoir, and I am so glad the two of us will be in conversation on September 24 at 6 p.m. at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York Public Library, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York City).
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
Gabriel-José Maldonado (Photo courtesy of Gabriel-José Maldonado)
Caribbean Update
St. Vincent PM Gonsalves wants info about seized Maduro aircraft
By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews
A small Caribbean island nation with a history of involvement in global diplomacy has launched a probe to determine how and when an executive jet belonging to controversial Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was allowed to transit the Eastern Caribbean nation without the knowledge of the cabinet.
According to Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the longest serving head of government in the 15nation Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping, American federal agents seized a Dassault Falcon 900EX (tail number T7 ESPRT) earlier this month in the Dominican Republic. The feds accused its owners or controllers of breaching economic and other sanctions against Venezuela by using third parties to buy the plane in Florida and sneaking it out of the country for use by Maduro. Maduro has been using the
aircraft for months for flying to various international conferences around the hemisphere. The aircraft was flown back to the U.S. and remains confiscated.
Speaking on a radio program recently, Gonsalves said he and his cabinet want answers about how the aircraft was allowed to move across the country to Venezuela. International reports have suggested that the Venezuelans received all the help they had needed to sneak the plane to Caracas through St. Vincent.
“I’ve seen various reports that the plane came from Miami to St Vincent, and went on to Venezuela,” he told WEFM’s Issue at Hand program. “I’m trying to ascertain whether that has actually happened. They haven’t said that the plane was registered in St. Vincent. The report said that it was the company which allegedly owned the plane, but I don’t know if that is true, either, because that has not been checked.”
Gonsalves said he is also aware of accusations that a shell company might have
been used as the front to purchase the aircraft and get around American sanctions. Elaborating on the situation, Gonsalves argued that governments are not normally aware of what aircraft land or transit a country. This is the preserve of the director of civil aviation, who determines what crews are compliant with rules and regulations in the sector. “Once, under the rules, she sees that everything’s fine, she will give the permission to enter and pass through.”
He made it clear that if authorities had been informed about such a plane traveling in the eastern Caribbean island, the government would have cooperated with international investigators.
His statements came as the U.S. and the international community increase pressure on Maduro to step down after controversial general elections in late July ,which Maduro claimed to have won by a majority. Critics say the opposite had occurred — that the combined opposition had won by a landslide.
Where are the Haitians for Trump in this latest racist attack
FELICIA PERSAUD
IMMIGRATION KORNER
In the 2016 presidential campaign, thencandidate Donald Trump visited Little Haiti in Miami at the invitation of the now-late Haitian immigrant and Republican Bernard Sansaricq. Trump promised the HaitianAmerican community that his administration would tackle their concerns and that he would be their “greatest champion.” Fast-forward to today, and the story of Haitians for Trump reveals a grim reality: one of empty promises and, now, racist attacks. Sansaricq, to his credit, eventually saw through Trump’s façade. Before his death, he penned an open letter denouncing the Trump administration, stating, “The gangs now have full control of the country and for three and a half years under Trump’s presidency[,] the situation has worsened both politically and economically — corruption is the law all over the land … Haiti, which was once the Pearl of the Caribbean, is now worse than Somalia.”
It’s hard to forget that, just two years after vowing to support Haitians, Trump allegedly claimed that Haitian immigrants “all have AIDS” and referred to Haiti as a “sh-hole” country. In 2017, he canceled Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti.
And yet, despite these egregious actions, Trump continues to enjoy some
Haitian support.
Enter Madgie Nicolas, who leads the current iteration of Haitians for Trump. Nicolas touts her credentials on her Instagram profile as a “former Advisor to the 45th President” and chair of Haitians for Trump. Recently, she hosted a rally for Trump in Florida and claims to have been involved in several political campaigns, serving as an appointee and surrogate on Black Voices for Trump.
But today, as MAGA nativists and proponents of the Great Replacement Theory launch vile campaigns against Haitian immigrants, Nicolas and her followers have remained conspicuously silent. The latest wave of racist rhetoric has erupted in Springfield, Ohio, a predominantly white city and the home state of Republican U.S. Senator JD Vance, who has seized on a baseless and inflammatory claim targeting Haitian immigrants.
The allegations began with a local Facebook post by Springfield resident Erika Lee, who falsely claimed that a cat was found hanging from a tree, butchered, and eaten by Haitian immigrants. This grotesque lie was quickly amplified by the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, which organized an “anti-Haitian Immigration march” in Springfield on August 10. The group marched with swastikas and used the incident to spread their hate.
Not surprisingly, Vance took to X (formerly Twitter) to amplify the falsehood, declaring that Haitian immigrants were “causing
chaos” in Springfield. He went further, claiming that people’s pets were being abducted and eaten by Haitian newcomers.
Other prominent figures joined in, including Senator Ted Cruz, who posted a meme on X depicting cats begging people to vote for Trump “so Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.” Even Elon Musk and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene jumped on the bandwagon, spreading more incendiary memes.
Then, on September 10, Trump himself took the hateful rhetoric to a new level during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, stating: “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” These unfounded accusations have triggered bomb threats against a school and City Hall in Springfield, and have tarnished the reputation of the Haitian Community Help & Support Center, a nonprofit established to support new Haitian arrivals.
In the face of these outrageous and dangerous lies, Nicolas has remained silent — unlike Sansaricq, who had the courage to acknowledge that Haitians were deceived. Instead, Nicolas has previously dismissed Trump’s racist attacks, calling them part of “a dirty fight” and accusing Democrats of “playing the victim.”
Trump, not content with the damage already done, ratcheted up his attacks on September 12. He labeled Haiti a “totally failed country” and claimed that Haitian immigrants were “destroying” Springfield, Ohio.
Just this week, Washington announced additional sanctions on senior Venezuelan officials, including visa cancellations. Maduro and several of the smaller eastern Caribbean nations enjoy extremely close relations through membership in the umbrella ALBA grouping, and by way of aid and trade assistance from Caracas over the years. These governments have basically blessed the results showing that Maduro had won, while the international community has claimed that he had lost.
Last year, St. Vincent’s sister isle, Canouan, was used as the prisoner swap venue between the U.S. and Venezuela. Washington released Alex Saab, a close associate of Maduro, in exchange for 36 prisoners, a third of whom were Americans. In late 2022, Canouan was again the venue for a swap when Venezuela freed seven jailed Americans, including five oil and gas executives,a in exchange for two relatives of the wife of Maduro.
against Haitians?
“This was a beautiful community, and now it’s horrible what’s happened,” Trump declared at a rally in Tucson, Ariz., even going so far as to assert that 911 calls confirmed Haitian migrants were “walking off with the town’s geese.”
The rhetoric being used is a clear echo of the dangerous Great Replacement Theory (GRT), a racist narrative that claims the nation’s greatness is imperiled by an influx of foreign races, ethnicities, or religions. Throughout history, GRT has been used to justify mass atrocities. Hitler propagated it in his genocidal quest against Jews and Black soldiers in Europe. In the U.S., it has inspired mass murders like the 2015 Charleston church shooting and the 2019 El Paso Walmart massacre.
Trump’s latest attacks put a dangerous bull’s-eye on the backs of Haitian immigrants across the country. The silence from Nicolas and Haitians for Trump only serves to fuel the fire. One can’t help but wonder: Is this victimhood, as Nicolas claims, or the sinister ideology of the Great Replacement Theory at play?
The time has come for Nicolas and others who have thrown their support behind Trump to take a stand — because history has shown us that this kind of rhetoric can quickly lead to tragic consequences.
Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news about the Black immigrant communities of the Caribbean and Latin America.
Kamba Cuá: African presence in Paraguay
By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA
Special to the AmNews
Translated by
KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO
Amsterdam News Staff
I first learned about the African presence in the South American country of Paraguay after reading “Presencia africana en Sudamérica (The African presence in South America),” compiled by the Mexican anthropologist Luz M. Martínez Montiel. The book featured contributions from several specialists on the African presence in South America, among them was the linguist, Germán de Granda Gutiérrez, who had studied bilingualism in Paraguay and researched the African history of that country.
De Granda had written about his findings in the book, “Origen, función y estructura de un pueblo de negros y mulatos libres en el Paraguay del siglo XVIII: San Agustín de la Emboscada (Origin, function, and structure of a village of free Blacks and mulattoes in 18thcentury Paraguay: San Agustín de la Emboscada)” (Revista de Indias 1981).
Three regions in Paraguay still have an African presence. Germán de Granda and the U.S. linguist John M. Lipski wrote in 2009 that these regions are: San Agustin de La Emboscada (originally named Emboscada de Pardos Libres or Free Blacks ambush) which free Black people founded, Kamba Cuá de Fernando de La Mora, and Kamba Kokue. The Blacks of Kamba Cuá came to Paraguay in 1820 as soldiers in the army of the Uruguayan General Gervasio Artigas; when he was exiled to Paraguay, Black members of his army arrived with him. Granted a portion of land, they named their area Kamba Cuá. The word Kamba in the Kimbundu language of Angola means friend and Kamba dame means friends of the soul.
Today, the Black population in Paraguay represents almost two percent of the general population. Afro Paraguayans celebrate a religious holiday for San Baltazar, one of the celebrated three magi or “wise men” who visited the baby Jesus of Nazareth on January 6. That day is set aside for Afro Paraguayans to meet each other, and they often gather in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay.
Lázaro Medina: Afro Paraguayan leader
During the Third World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Discrimination in Durban, South Africa in 2001, Lázaro Medina spoke about Afro Paraguayans as a component of the cultural diversity of the Paraguayan nation. He gave a lecture that focused on how racism and discrimination affect the Afro Paraguayan population.
In the late 1990s, Professor Sheila Walker and I created the working group Afro Paraguayans Speak for Ourselves. Medina told us about the African presence in Paraguay, where music and dance are their greatest African cultural expressions. They use drums that are similar to the Afro Uruguayan drums used in candombe, having its center in the Kuarahy dance and its three essential rhythms: cuareim, Andean, and cordon.
During the feast of San Baltazar, most of the participants are women who are accompanied by more than 40 musicians playing cylindrical drums that look like wine barrels.
At the end of the 1990s, Professor Sheila Walker and I created a working group and as a result we produced the work “Afrosudamericanos ...una visión desde adentro (Afro South Americans: a vision from within).” Lázaro wrote about Kambakua history in that text, based on knowledge that was passed down to him by his father, Santiago Medina (1917-2012).
Lázaro, a simple man and great dancer, was the founder of the Ballet Kamba Cuá in 1991; he died prematurely on March 4, 2013, at the age of 48, but he left two lines of work that reaffirmed Afro Paraguayan culture and the advances for a law against racism in Paraguay.
The Ballet Kamba Cuá, following the legacy of Lázaro Medina, presented a draft bill against racial discrimination in 2019. In the year 2022 the Paraguayan state approved the law number 6.940-2022 that establishes mechanisms and procedures to prevent and punish acts of racism and discrimination against people of African descent. This law, the text of the bill asserts, aims to “recognize, value, and dignify the Paraguayan Afrodescendant population and Afrodescendant people who live within the national territory, who have historically been victims of racism and discrimination.”
KEEPIN’ THE CITY CONNECTED BY SOLVING THE UNEXPECTED.
PARKER - CYBER SECURITY ANALYST
Eric Adams Mayor
Lazaro Medina poses with Afro Chilean activist Marta Salgado (in white) and her sister. (Jesús Chucho Garcia photo)
In measured tone, Harris addresses Black journalists on gun violence, Black male vote, and more
By JASON EVAN PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews
PHILADELPHIA — In stark contrast to a tense and combative discussion between her opponent for president and the same affinity organization, Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a calm and measured discussion with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at WHYY, a Philadelphia public media station in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, with less than 50 days until the November election.
For about 45 minutes, Harris fielded questions from three Black moderators, touching on topics ranging from the national economy to challenges facing Black males, the Israel-Palestinian conflict, American gun violence, and more from the Grio’s Gerron Keith Gaynor, Politico’s Eugene Daniels, and NPR’s Tonya Mosley. The event was live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook, and primarily available to NABJ professional and student member journalists.
The event was announced last week after a back-and-forth between NABJ and Harris when the Democratic nominee for president was unable to appear at the organization’s annual convention in Chicago in July, where former President Trump’s appearance drew significant backlash. That conversation, which drew criticism immediately after it was announced, quickly went off-course with its three moderators, with the former president continuing to spread falsehoods, attacking the press and one of the moderators, and drawing frequent boos and gasps from the crowd.
It is routine for NABJ to invite presidential candidates to its convention if it falls during an election year, but there was already steady controversy heading into Trump’s interview as NABJ members expressed frustration on social media with boththe decision to give the former president a platform despite routinely lying and attacking the media. The event’s announcement even led to the resignation by convention co-chair Karen Attiah, a columnist and editor at the Washington Post Members at the time also questioned whether Democratic candidate Harris had been afforded the same opportunity to appear. The NABJ said there was a scheduling conflict for Harris, who had only recently become the Democratic frontrunner after President Biden stepped aside.
Tuesday’s interview gave more insight into policy solutions for the vice president, who has faced growing questions about her policies — and access to the press — despite a strong debate performance last week and a raucous reception at the Democratic National Convention.
‘You have to earn the vote’ Mosley opened with questions about the economy, to which Harris emphasized her “opportunity economy” plan, including pol-
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is interviewed by National Association of Black Journalists members Tonya Mosley and Gerren Keith Gaynor, with moderator Eugene Daniels, at the WHYY studio in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/ Matt Rourke)
icies to help families, such as extending the child tax credit to $6,000 as she highlighted the administration having reduced Black child poverty by half in 2021.
“No working family should pay more than 7% in childcare,” Harris declared.
When asked about appealing to young Black male voters, a group Harris has notably not been as strong with, she spoke about the importance of supporting young Black businessowners and other racial equity issues affecting the community.
“Black men are like every other voting group: You have to earn the vote, so I’m working to earn the vote,” Harris said Harris said her “economic opportunity tour,” launched in the spring before she became the nominee, focuses on supporting Black male entrepreneurs and bridging the gap with banks to provide the capital needed, including funding community banks and expanding the tax deduction for startup businesses from $5,000 to $50,000.
“We have so many entrepreneurs in the community who do not have access to capital, but they’ve got great ideas, an incredible work ethic, the ambition, the aspiration, the dream, but don’t have the relationships necessarily,” Harris said. “Our Black men, just like any group of people — our small businesses — are really the backbone of our economy overall and when they do better, we all do better.”
Harris talked about eliminating racial inequities, including the administration’s pushback in June to remove medical debt on credit scores. She further pointed out that such debt has had a disproportionate impact on Black families and their ability to secure loans and other economic opportunities.
“Part of my approach is understanding the obstacles that traditionally and currently exist to allow anyone, including Black men, to be
able to achieve economic wealth,” she said.
When asked about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, and the broader Israel-Palestine conflict, a significant issue among Muslim communities, as well as many young voters who have been critical of the administration’s level of support for Israel, Harris gestured toward being open to halting distribution of weapons, referencing her support of the decision in July to stop the shipment of bombs to Israel. Many on the left have called for an arms embargo, something the Biden administration has not formally adopted. But in talking about leverage the U.S. holds, Harris said: “We are doing the work of putting the pressure on all parties involved to get the deal done.”
Harris affirmed both support of Israel’s right to defend itself and Palestinians to have “dignity” and “self-determination” in achieving a two-state solution. “But right now the thing we need to get done is this hostage deal and a ceasefire deal,” she said.
A particularly somber moment came in Harris’s response when asked about attacks against Haitian immigrants in Springfield after incidents of bomb threats in two schools in the town due to Trump’s unsubstantiated claims — since confirmed as phony — that Haitian immigrants were stealing neighbors’ cats and dogs and eating them.
“It’s a crying shame,” Harris said about what is happening to families in the community. Harris also called out the fact that law enforcement resources are “being put into this because of serious threats that are being issued against a community that [was] living a productive and good life before this happened.”
“This is not new in terms of these tropes,” Harris said about racist messaging as she once again referenced Trump’s call for the death penalty against the wrongfully impris-
oned Black and Latino teenagers in the Central Park Five case in 1989. Four of the men in the case — current New York District 9 City Councilmember Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — also made an appearance during the DNC convention last month and spoke out against the former president.
In addressing gun violence, Harris emphasized the need for an assault weapons ban, stronger background checks, and paid violence intervention programs. “There are very few solutions we haven’t thought of. We need to put the resources into them,” she said. When asked about reproductive rights and if she would support restrictions on abortion, such as in the third trimester, Harris said the protections of Roe v. Wade have to be codified:
“Most people, I think, agree you don’t have to abandon your faith or deeply held beliefs to believe the government should not be telling [a woman] what to do with her body.”
Gaynor asked about the possibility of the HR 40 commission for reparations for Black Americans, as outlined by late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (who was eulogized by Harris at her funeral last month. Harris explained that while not discounting executive action on her part, “any substantial way” of addressing the issue would require Congress. Harris then mentioned tackling issues such as student loan and medical debt, racism in home appraisals, and Black maternal mortality.
“Part of what we can do right now is, for example, what I’m talking about in building an opportunity economy [that] is addressing explicitly the obstacles that historically and currently exist, and dealing with them,” she said. Harris also said she had a brief conversation with Trump earlier in the day after the recent apparent second attempt on his life. “I checked on him to see if he was okay,” she said. “I told him what I have said publicly: There is no place for political violence in our country.”
Respect in a Black space
The event’s setting and tone for the discussion with Harris was a cordial affair in comparison to the one with Trump. A limited, first-come/first-seated audience was able to watch and listen to the vice president in person while dozens of the other NABJ member attendees were positioned in a separate room to watch the interview.
Speaking with the AmNews, NABJ President Ken Lemon expressed his delight about being able to host Harris and “close the loop” by getting her to appear after Trump.
In response to the controversial Trump appearance and criticisms of NABJ, Lemon expressed the benefit of getting his statements out on the national level.
“I challenge anyone to go back and listen to that Trump interview and then say ‘I found absolutely no value in that.’ There are things that he said in that space with us that he hadn’t said
Arts & Entertainment
Rehabilitation Through the Arts remains multi-act story following ‘Sing Sing’ fame
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
Throughout the film “Sing Sing,” characters “trust the process,” whether towards putting together a comedy production or challenging a wrongful conviction. Doubts are met with patience, even if the system gives Black and Brown men incarcerated in New York State little reason for faith.
“It’s just trusting that if we do everything as it aligns itself, it’s going to turn out right,” said Sean Dino Johnson, who plays himself in the film. “Working in the theater, we tend to want to just catch it when we catch it. And sometimes it’s not meant for you to catch that. You might be practicing [and] rehearsing, and then the day before the show is chaotic.
Now, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), the real-life program featured in the movie, will also “trust the process” as last month’s nationwide release of “Sing Sing” brings unprecedented momentum. As the film depicts, the nonprofit organizes stage plays in New York State prisons starring the very people incarcerated there, including Johnson, who was held at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, where the program began.
Charles Moore, RTA’s director of programs and operations, says people as far as Japan and the United Kingdom line up to volunteer or pitch in following the film’s release. But RTA remains a plucky New York-based operation housed on the SUNY Purchase campus and reliant on teaching artists commuting to remote prison towns — with travel sometimes almost as long as the class-
“And [it’s] like that with our lives, too. We’re so busy saying it’s not gonna work, but if we just relax and trust in the hard work that we put in, something magical just happens. And that’s the process.”
es themselves.
“We would like to grow, but sometimes growth could be dangerous,” said Moore. “As long as we grow slowly and smartly, we’ll be alright. You can’t have this film come out and say, ‘Oh my god, this is our opportunity, here’s all this money [to] be in 50 states.’”
The organization’s first major grant showed Moore the pitfalls of success. The bigger the budget, the more money needs to be raised the following year. Still, many communities can benefit from a prison arts program, and the ambition is certainly there.
John “Divine G” Whitfield — a founding member of RTA who served as an executive producer for “Sing Sing” and is played by Colman Domingo as the lead protagonist in the film — is excited at the prospect.
“When we came into the program, that was our mission of expansion,” said Whitfield. “We wanted to share it, because if it
was helping us, we knew it could help other people. This movie is giving us what we’ve been always trying to do, but now we get ready to take it to a whole new level. I think pretty big. Everybody [tells] me to reel it in a little bit…this is a step by step process [but] I believe we need to take something as good as this and share it with the world.”
Behind the Curtain
The nonprofit continues to expand at a healthy pace, now operating core programming in eight medium-to-maximum security prisons across the state — six men’s facilities and two women’s. Beyond theater, courses in other mediums like dance, music composition, and visual arts are offered.
Last spring, RTA launched a reentry program called Reimagining Myself, which was recently enlisted out-of-state by the Sierra Conservation Center, a California state prison. It is also
offered at the Greene and Otisville correctional facilities here in New York. Jermaine Archer, RTA board member and alumnus, believes post-release programming was necessary.
“We provide resources for people to become their best self, and we realize what happens when they walk out of prison, we don’t have that community,” he said. “I can yell across the aisle to someone else, and we can talk about the experience. And I had someone there 24 hours a day that could connect with me on these things, with shared experiences.
“When you come home, you’re in the rat race in the subways [and] the grocery store, it’s people all in your space, and people have those freakout moments. And we realized we needed more than just an alumni base.”
In fact, plays only represent a small portion of RTA drama programming. Acting workshops
“Of Mice and Men” RTA production in Sing Sing Correctional Facility. (Photos courtesy of RTA)
“The Odd Couple” RTA production in Fishkill Correctional Facility.
RTA members perform “Thoughts of a Colored Man” at Green Haven Correctional Facility in the program’s most recent production.
Sing Sing
occur multiple times a week and will never make it in front of an outside audience. Course exercises focus on tying improv and character study with personal development, rather than hitting the stage. The actual rehabilitation starts there.
“[Most of] RTA’s work [are] these little magical reckonings that happen in back classrooms and facilities that no one but the 12 members of that classroom and the teaching artists will ever see,” said teaching artist Margaret Ables. “It’s not the day that ‘12 Angry Men’ goes up at Sing Sing, and everybody comes and applauds. It’s the constant transformation that’s happening, 12 men or women at a time, [at] 6 p.m. [in the] back of [a] Green Haven classroom.”
The “Sing Sing” cast boasts many alumni who play themselves, including Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, who co-stars alongside the lead man Domingo. Both performances garnered early Oscar buzz, according to award odds aggregator GoldDerby. But there is no RTA prison-to-Hollywood pipeline.
“Even when we take this film into the facilities for our participants to see, we don’t want them to get the misillusion that they’re going to be the next person to be in a film like this and [that] RTA is about producing big-time actors,” said Moore. “This is a dream come true for Clarence [Maclin]. We never knew that such a great film would be written about RTA and it would have the impact that it’s having.
“We do not promise any of our participants that you’re going to become an actor, a visual artist, or professional dancer. But what we can offer you is an opportunity to improve your life skills and give you a couple tools that will help you make it through this incarceration, and hopefully make you successful as a tax-paying citizen upon your release.”
Fewer than 3% of RTA participants return to prison after release. Comparatively, the state’s overall three-year recidivism rate stands at around 19%, the lowest in four decades. And while arguments and disagreements are expected in such an emotionally-charged environment, not a single physical fight has broken out in RTA programming throughout its history.
“These creative outlets provide incarcerated individuals with the opportunity to reflect on their life experiences and thoughtfully discuss and share those reflections through their work,” said a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. “By engaging in these collaborative art projects, incarcerated individuals acquire valuable skills and selfawareness, fostering personal growth; which is essential for their successful reentry to the community and helps reduce recidivism.”
Rehabilitating Through the Arts
Moore participated in RTA himself, usually as a perennial supporting cast member. But he says his role didn’t matter — for him, boosting his self-esteem and confidence came first. Ultimately, he was hired by RTA post-release, the first alumnus to work full-time on the nonprofit side.
Both Archer and Moore recall first encountering the program as audience members and mistaking the cast as professional actors before bumping into them later in the yard. They initially wondered what the thespians did to get themselves locked up.
A close friend compelled Archer to interview in his place for the program after being transferred to another facility the year he got off RTA’s waitlist. Archer was reluctant, but wanted to fill his time.
Similar to Maclin’s portrayal in the film, the Brooklynite was a known troublemaker. And it was Maclin
who vouched for him given their similar backgrounds.
“As a matter of public safety, RTA allowed me to release my inner bozo and allowed me, in prison, to have the childhood that I never had,” said Archer. “I was able to be a child again. I was able to have fun. We used to roll around on the floor. We used to dance. We used to do a bunch of foolish stuff that you can’t do in a maximum security prison, the projects, in the hood.”
“It allowed us to understand, this is the life I probably should have had all this time.”
Despite his early reservations for singing and dancing, Archer found himself playing Riff in “West Side Story” for his first role. Yet he felt himself the most portraying characters who weren’t gangsters. Playing George from John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” allowed him to explore a man burdened with a dear friend holding him back. It was too real. Archer came home in 2020 after serving 22 years. He now works on a criminal justice grant-making team and sits on the RTA board. While his fellow alumni hail Archer as a magnetic presence, he never auditioned for “Sing Sing.” He spent the time challenging his conviction. It was vacated this past July.
Humble Origins of RTA Rehabilitation Through the Arts dates back to the mid-’90s and was initially known as The Theater Workshop, recall Johnson
and Whitfield, two of the founding members. In fact, the program wasn’t initially intended for rehabilitation; the guys just wanted to put on a play.
Whitfield hopped at the opportunity as a former High School of Performing Arts student with a penchant for ballet, breakdancing, and martial arts choreography. Johnson needed more convincing, initially picturing himself in a leotard outrageously reciting Shakespeare while held in a maximum-security prison.
In reality, the program kicked off with script reading. Early on, participants cliqued up, with some groups refusing to intermingle due to longstanding prison history.
“Everybody just sticks to their own, so we start giving out scripts and we start reading,” said Johnson. “Next thing you know, everyone just got so lost into the material, reading the scripts and acting it out.
We enjoyed it, we all learned something about ourselves. We learned some things about other people. And we also learned that we all had a lot in common.
“That was the beginning of the RTA community.”
Through theater, a diverse group held at Sing Sing gathered to put on a performance for the ages and left an impression on everyone from the prison population to the corrections officers. Something special was happening.
As shown in the film, Whitfield knew the ins-and-outs of creating
a prison program thanks to his experience in grievance work and as a jailhouse lawyer. They turned to founder Katherine Vockins. Soon bylaws and mission statements were drafted.
Before the program, Johnson rarely spoke more than two words in 10 minutes. Now he works as a marketing director and sits on the RTA board. Whitfield credits the program’s creative writing courses for his success as a novelist. He has since won five national writing competitions.
“Sing Sing” is an extension of RTA’s mission to create change through the arts. Putting back on prison greens for the movie was tough for Johnson. But he says he needed to show the public how humanity exists behind bars. Whitfield, who makes a cameo in the film, hopes audience members take away a simple message:
“Love is the power,” said Whitfield. “I think because we had that element of love within us that circulated through us when we interacted with each other, when we envisioned this program, when we put it on its feet and got it moving. The motivating force behind it all was love.”
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
The cast of “Sing Sing.”
John “Divine G” Whitfield (Dominic Leon photos)
The sensational Stephanie Mills is back on Broadway in ‘Hadestown’
By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews
The one and only Stephanie Mills is back on Broadway! Mills is appearing as Hermes in “Hadestown,” playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre (W. 48th Street).
The eight-time Tony Awardwinning musical with music, lyrics, and book by Anaise Mitchell, developed with and directed by Rachel Chavkin, is still going strong.
“She walks in beauty and grace like the night” are the words that came to my mind as Mills slowly moved across the stage, audience cheering. This is a lady with a very recognizable and lovely voice, and thanks be that she is back doing what she does best: singing and acting with a bit of dancing as well. Mills has — always has had — IT! She sings with a spirit and energy that inspires.
Tito Jackson, member of iconic pop group The Jackson 5, passes
GO WITH THE FLO
Toriano Adaryll Jackson, affectionately known as “Tito,” a member of the iconic pop group, the Jackson 5, along with his brothers, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael and after Jermaine left the group to go solo, Randy, died Sept. 15 of a massive heart attack while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma.
The Jacksons’ longtime family friend, publicist Steve Manning, called me a few hours after Tito passed away to give me the sad news.
Tito’s three sons, Taj, TJ, and Taryll who comprise the musical trio 3T, posted a joint statement on their group’s Instagram account on Sept. 16 following the news of their father’s death that read, “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson, is no longer with us. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.”
has so much fun with the role. There is definitely a wonderful chemistry that she shares with Hades, played by the phenomenal Phillip Boykin.
Watching her onstage is heartwarming and inspiring.
At the performance I attended, Chibueze Ihuoma played Orpheus, a role normally played by Jordan Fisher (who I have definitely enjoyed in the role).
Ihuoma has a magnificent voice and delivered a stellar performance as Orpheus, displaying an innocence and wonder that befit his character.
The character of Persephone is now played by multiple Grammy-nominated singer Yola, who definitely brings the joy, the spirit, and the energy. Her voice is stupendous, and she clearly
As Hermes, Mills interacts with the cast like a loving, gentle, wise mother. She definitely has a motherly connection and takes on the role of a caring guide for Orpheus, the lead character, treating him with tenderness and compassion. She sounded amazing as she led the cast in the “Road to Hell.” Mills has an energy that is contagious.
This man has a voice that makes you melt and the smooth dance moves that make you smile. Yola and Boykin are absolutely adorable together and you can feel the passion they share on that stage, especially when they renew their characters’ love. Mills is also joined on stage by Maia Reficco, who plays Eurydice and shines in the role.
I have often listened to Mills on YouTube singing “Home” from “The Wiz,” and now she’s back and she’s brilliant in the role of Hermes. She will only be there for a limited time, so make plans to go and see Mills in her new Broadway role after 40 years away from the Great White Way.
For more info and tickets, visit www.hadestown.com.
The 3T continued, “Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson from the legendary Jackson 5, some of you may know him as ‘Coach Tito’ or know him as ‘Poppa T.’ Nevertheless, he will be missed tremendously. It will forever be ‘Tito Time’ for us. Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is ‘Love One Another.’ We love you Pops.”
Many fans and people do not realize that Tito is the reason the Jackson 5 got started. Their father Joe Jackson played in a band in Gary, Indiana. One day, Tito was fooling around with their dad’s guitar and broke one of the instrument’s strings. When Joe came home from work at the Steel Mill in Gary, he opened up the case, discovered the broken string, and was livid. He lined his sons up and demanded to know who broke it. Tito admitted he was the culprit. When Joe got the string fixed, he handed the guitar to Tito and told him to show him why he was playing it.Tito began
playing like a pro. That is when the Jackson 4 began. Shortly after, Michael sang “Climb Every Mountain” at his elementary school’s talent show, and the Jackson 5 was born.
I had the opportunity to work with Tito on the TV Show “The Insider” a month after Michael’s death in 2009. Tito’s blues band was performing in Jamaica, and he was kind enough to give me an exclusive interview. Prior to his death, the acclaimed guitarist was in the midst of touring with the Jacksons, which most recently consisted of himself and his brothers Jackie and Marlon. The group recently performed in Los Angeles in Hollywood Park on Aug. 31. The concert was attended by their mother matriarch Katherine Jackson and sister LaToya.
(L-R) Stephanie Mills and Yola in scene from “Hadestown” (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade photo)
Singer Tito Jackson was an original member of the Jackson 5. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File photo)
Singer Nicki Richards to perform in Harlem Sept. 26
By NADINE MATTHEWS Special to the AmNews
It’s not easy for singer, music producer, songwriter, and actress Nicki Richards to pin down a hometown. In a recent interview with the Amsterdam News, she said, “My father was in the military, so every two years, we would move to another state.”
In addition to always being the new kid, Richards was also usually the youngest. “I was smart, so I would test out of my grade and end up being the youngest [in my class].” Not surprisingly, Richards always felt, and was made to feel, out of place. Luckily, she had music. “Music kind of saved me and kept me sane when [I was] the only Black kid, and nobody wanted to talk to me. I escaped into music.”
Still, music didn’t protect Richards from all life’s problems. She recalls playing clarinet and being passed over for first chair at school in the Deep South, something she believes was due to racism. “I played the clarinet and smoked everybody with my skills, but could only get as far as second chair. In the Deep South, I was never going to make first chair.”
Ironically, Richards had turned to the clarinet after some not-so-subtle discouragement when it came to playing her first instrument of choice. “They told me, ‘You can’t play the trumpet. Your lips are too big.’ And I was so young, I didn’t know how to respond. Now I would say, ‘Louis Armstrong.’ Now I could clap back. But when you’re a kid, I was like, ‘Wow, okay, what should I do?”
Richards is bringing her talents to Harlem on Thursday, Sept. 26, on a double bill with Amanda Homi, presented by the Harlem Speakeasy at the OneTwoSeven Soundstage (36 W. 127th Street).
For her upcoming show, in addition to playing fan-favorite songs from her previous albums, Richards will perform her newest single, “Anything,” which she describes as “having a New Orleans, slightly second-line style feel to it.” An anthem of inspiration, the lyrics remind the listener, “You can do anything if you put your mind to it. I wrote it for my nieces and the young women in my family, and really for myself on the days when I felt down — you know, reminding myself that even when things get tough, that I just have to buckle down and I can figure something out.”
Hailing from a musical family, Richards started her learning early. “My grandmother was choir director at five different churches,” she said. “My mother was a singer. She started in the church but was the rebel and jumped out of singing in the church, and went and sang more worldly music, mostly jazz.”
The way she acquired her musical skills was as improvisational as jazz. “I was always in a new school, so it was always a different instrument or a different vocal ensemble or sort of different thing that I was learning. It was a piecemeal education, but it was great.” Of course, there was an international element to her musical exposure as well. “I fed off of that. My father’s taste of music was so eclectic. Being in the Navy, his friends were from all over the world, so I was influenced in that way as well.” And of course, there were the artists she often heard on radio and saw on TV that further fueled her passion to perform. “I wanted to be Stevie Wonder. I wanted to be Prince. Diana Ross was very glamorous and larger than life. And Gladys Knight just sang with so much passion and emotion.”
son, Tina Turner, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Linda Ronstadt, Mary J.Blige, Missy Elliott, Lenny Kravitz, Lady Gaga, Bette Midler, Maxi Priest, Al Green, and many, many more. Much of Richards’s musical style has been cool R&B — a cross between Melba Moore, Vanessa Williams, and Karen White. Unlike some other artists, Richards always had a passion for writing and producing. “I wanted to be as prolific as a Prince or a Stevie Wonder or Paul McCartney or George Duke,” she recalled. “Those were my heroes.”
rich fantasy life, and I would amuse myself by writing songs. We also had this little, tiny electronic keyboard, and I would make music, so I started out being self-taught.”
Women in the music business is an issue that Richards feels still needs more attention. “I think about the fact that female producers are still only 1% of all producers. I might be wrong about that statistic, but I know it’s still pretty low, so some things still need changing.”
After winning Star Search in her teens, Richards was signed to Atlantic Records by record exec Ahmet Ertegun, after which she went on to write and record several albums, all of which she produced and arranged. The list of top artists with whom she’s recorded and performed is vast, and includes Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Mick Jagger, Michael Jack-
She also observed that there weren’t a lot of women who also produced. “There were women [who] wrote music, but not a lot [who] played instruments and produced, so Roberta Flack is a big influence for me.”
Her outsider position enabled her development in music production. “I spent a lot of time observing on my own, because I was always the new kid in a town. I had a
Richards tries to bring the gift of a diverse musical palette to young people. “I love it when I talk to aspiring musicians and I ask them about their musical tastes. The response I get is, ‘Oh, I listen to all kinds of music.’ Then they’ll list only two genres! I love the idea of opening up their musical world by talking to them about what I know. I am a big nerd when it comes to music, and I love to share all of this information.” For more info, visit www.nickirichards.com.
Nicki Richards (Sandrine Lee photo)
AmNews Food
Talking SCHOP! Dom ‘N AmNews FOOD
By KYSHA HARRIS Food Editor, @SCHOPnyc
It’s been a long time since I’ve been back on these pages waxing poetic about my life in food. There have been lots of trips, events, and happenings still to report. However, the most meaningful part of this time are the people I have met and with whom I have become friends. To be in community with like-minded people and nerd out over food literally feeds my soul.
One of these food souls is Dominek Tubbs, better known to most as Dom ‘N The City on social media. By day, Dominek is a senior operations specialist at Squarespace. By night (plus weekends and days off), she is out in these streets finding all the cool things to eat, drink, and do in NYC with an emphasis on Blackowned businesses, and reporting back to her followers in that warm, easy vibe I admire.
Dom and I met a couple of years back at a new restaurant tasting. We had a lovely time and exchanged Instagram handles. Since then, her followers have grown, she has made appearances on national television, and has been awarded for her content. Fellow Harlem residents, Dom and I move in some similar circles
and have bumped into each other at events all over the city. We’ve sat on a panel, served on an awards committee for New York State, and made other appearances together. I asked Dom to get together for a quick drink to catch up so I could put a plan in motion. She quickly recommended Chef Cisse’s (Ponty Bistro, Renaissance Harlem, Harlem Café) newest Harlem addition, PB Brasserie Steakhouse on 125th street. Perfect. As I arrived at the restaurant, Dom was already in conversation with Chef Cisse, cocktail in hand.
‘Table 17’ is a funny,
Since it was the beginning of service, chef generously and proudly walked us around the space from the cocktail lounge, past the large bar and dining room to the private dining room and ample kitchen. It’s beautiful. Congratulations, chef ! Dom and I grabbed a couple of tufted chairs at the bar and caught up over cocktails and calamari. She was headed out of town on a Black content creators’ trip down the West Coast to visit Black-owned businesses, including Black vintners. Have no fear: I have already asked her to cover
this for us. We discussed her philosophy on creating relevant content for her audience and the importance of community. “I am into people that care about Harlem and communitycentered businesses,” she said. I dig it.
As I return to my 17th year writing for the Amsterdam News with renewed vision, Dominek takes me back to the early days of my hustle and “anything is possible” vigor.
I realized I need this voice on this page at this moment. So, please welcome Dominek Tubbs, Dom ‘N The City, as the newest contributor
romantic, interactive good time
By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews
“Table 17,” which has been extended at the MCC Theater through Sept. 29, is a romantic hoot! This world premiere play by Douglas Lyons is a hilarious show about relationships, and when the actors ask your opinion during the play, they really want you to give it! Be forewarned: this interactive show may bring up any old or current wounds you may have about any relationships that may have gone south. (Many audience members were quick to admit this play made them think of their exes.) In a very intimate, restaurant-like setting, Jada prepares to go on a date with her ex, Dallas, who had recently reached out to her. She wants him to see what he’s lost, so we help her decide which outfit will make him have the most regrets. They meet at Bianca’s and the host of the res-
taurant, named River, keeps the laughs and the responses flowing. He is a flamboyant host who will give you much more than you bargained for when you walked into this establishment.
The couple share flashbacks that reveal what happened in their relationship and what went wrong. You find out who cheated and why.
Kara Young, the gorgeous, hilarious, Tony-Award winner herself, plays Jada, and Kara can work it like no one else. She has such a marvelous stage presence and totally submerges herself in her character, which represents what so many women have to deal with concerning their exes. Biko Eisen-Martin is absolutely fantastic as Dallas; he is romantic, a little cocky, and very funny. Michael Rishawn demonstrates his versatility as a thespian as he effortlessly transitions between the roles of River the host; Eric, Jada’s co-worker; and Others.
to the AmNewsFOOD team!
Happy eating and thanks for reading!
Kysha Harris is a chef, food writer and editor, culinary producer, consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service in NYC for over 22 years. Follow her on Instagram, @SCHOPnyc and on Facebook, @SCHOPnyc.
Questions, comments, requests, feedback, invitations! Email us at AmNewsFOOD@SCHOPnyc.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @NYAmNewsFOOD.
Rishawn completely inhabits each character with such energy, vitality, and, at times, sensuality that he will have men and women swooning! There is a great deal of romantic chemistry between Young and EisenMartin and it is delightful to experience. This is the type of play that you want to see with a bunch of friends because you are all going to get a big kick out of it.
Direction by Zhailon Levingston is completely on-point. You will laugh from the beginning to the end of this very enjoyable and relatable work. The play features scenic design by Jason Sherwood, costume design by Devario D. Simmons, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Christopher Darbassie, and hair and wig design by Nikiya Mathis, who just won a special Tony for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” For ticket info, visit www.mcctheater.org and rush to 511 W 52nd Street to catch this while you still can.
Interior of PB Brasserie Steakhouse.
(L-R) Biko Eisen-Martin, Michael Rishawn, and Kara Young in a scene from “Table 17” playing at MCC Theater. (Daniel J. Vasquez photo)
PB Brasserie Steakhouse on 125th Street.
Kysha Harris with Dominek on 125th Street. (Kysha Harris photos)
Downtown Brooklyn Arts Fest to celebrate BK artists & art institutions
By NADINE MATTHEWS Special to the AmNews
Though Manhattan has historically received the lion’s share of attention for its arts and culture scene, Brooklyn, which gave the world such luminaries as Jean Michel Basquiat, Jay-Z, Barbara Streisand, Lena Horne, and many more, is home to such important arts institutions as the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA), the Billie Holiday Theatre, and the historic Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center. It’s also home to dance companies such as Mark Morris and Brooklyn Ballet, and centers such as Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance and Dancewave. At the heart of the borough is the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), which hosts some of the most dynamic and culturally impactful performances in the country each year. Pratt Institute and Brooklyn Museum, one of the world’s premier art schools and art museums, respectively, live here. In addition, Brooklyn boasts a plethora of art galleries filled with work from the most promising and distinguished artists of our time.
On Sept. 27 and 28, Brooklyn will celebrate its artists and artistic institutions with the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival (DBAF). Taking place in the Downtown Brooklyn Arts District on or near the Plaza at 300 Ashland at the corner of Flatbush and Lafayette avenues, it will feature a broad spectrum of activations, performances, and collaborations.
President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership Regina Myer stated in a press release for the event that “DBAF showcases the best of our local talent at one of our neighborhood’s most beloved public spaces…This year, we’re bringing an exciting new lineup of DJs, dance performances, and vocalists from some of Brooklyn’s most renowned cultural institutions. There is something for everyone to enjoy at DBAF and we look forward to welcoming the community back for a two-day celebration of our borough’s creative spirit.”
Most of the events will be free and open to the public and will include a Friday evening kickoff party featuring DJ Spinna, DJ K.Tea, and two-time Grammy winner Dawn Tallman, also known as the Queen of Gospel House. Dance group Nutribe will perform in collaboration with Mark Morris Dance Group exploring a number of dance styles originating in the Black American community including Waacking and Krump. The festival’s opening night will also celebrate Brooklyn’s literary arts scene with an event at the Center for Fiction at 15 Lafayette Avenue. Five contemporary authors — Regina Porter (“The Rich People Have Gone Away”), Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (“The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois”), Kim Coleman Foote (“Coleman Hill”),
Shayla Lawz (speculation, n.), and Francesca Momplaisir (“My Mother’s House”) — will celebrate the centennial of literary giant James Baldwin in conversation about the role of women in his stories.
Saturday events begin midday with interactive art installations by Theater for a New Audience and UrbanGlass, and a co-presentation from BAMkids and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership of training and performance in Afro-Caribbean rhythms and movement. It will be taught by BAM teaching artists Okai Fleurimont and Yasmar Cruz.
Later on, singers will hold court at the Plaza. First, Natie Music, who has collaborated with a variety of artists including the Sketchy Orkestra, Kennedy Administration, and, more recent-
ly, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, brings her unique meld of Kreol Soul, hiphop, and jazz. Following will be Nicholas Ryan Gant, also known as GhettoFalsetto, presented in partnership with 651 Arts. Gant’s singularly soulful stylings have brought him into collaboration with the likes of Mariah Carey, Jon Batiste, Run the Jewels, Sy Smith, Childish Gambino, Miri Ben-Ari, and Michael McDonald.
Another party, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., introduces the closing events, this time helmed by beloved father-son DJ duo, Chad and Jo Vill, known as St. James Joy, who grew in popularity after their spontaneous music accompaniment grew into a regular party for those cheering essential workers during the COVID19 pandemic.
Finally, the celebrations cul-
minate with a performance by #SampleSaleMusic given in partnership with MoCADA. Jazz, blues, and soul inflections mark this immersive musical journey of the duo who describe themselves as “Jazzy rap guys who love Soul and Caribe music.”
The Plaza at 300 Ashland is one of the largest outdoor public spaces in Brooklyn and often hosts the artistic and cultural happenings that give the city its character. Since its opening, the 15,000-square-foot space has hosted hundreds of performances, dance and fitness classes, and major public art installations, many in partnership with institutions of the Brooklyn Cultural District and beyond.
For more information, please visit www.dbartsfestival.org.
(Photo courtesy of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership)
Apollo, NBT collaborate for immersive work across Harlem
By CHARMAINE PATRICIA WARREN Special to the AmNews
The Apollo and the National Black Theatre (NBT) recently began a two-week long presentation of “The Divining: Ceremonies from in the name of the m/other tree,” the New York City premiere of an immersive new theatrical ceremony from playwright, director, and choreographer Ebony Noelle Golden that explores the journey of climate reparations through multi-disciplinary performances in the streets of Harlem and at Apollo Stages at the Victoria.
Conceived and curated by Golden and featuring the Jupiter Performance Studio, this three-part series of ritual performances, processions, and visual installations invites audiences to experience the intersection of art, activism, and spirituality. “I have been profoundly quickened by the creation of this offering,” said Golden. “I am immensely grateful for my East Texas and rural Louisiana ways of living and loving. Our connection to the divine, our food, our conjure, our soil song, our dance are my inheritance. May my elders, teachers and ancestors be pleased and may all who witness ‘The Divining: Ceremonies from in the name of the m/ other tree’ be lifted up.”
“We are honored to have this deeply prescient production as part of our Apollo New Works program, and to work with our part-
ner, the National Black Theatre, to provide an incubation space for Ebony and her genre-defying, boundary-pushing work,” said Apollo Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes. “This is what the Apollo is about: providing space for artists to challenge themselves and expand their practice. By allowing them to take risks they wouldn’t otherwise be able to take, we are fostering and cultivating new lines
of inquiry, pulling a new narrative thread from the diasporic tangle of the Black experience.”
The New York premiere took place outdoors throughout Harlem and on the Apollo’s Stages at the Victoria. Performances continue this weekend at the Victoria on Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22. Performances are free and open to the public. RSVPs are open at apollotheater.org/event/the-divining.
Celestial songs in surround sound at Cathedral of St. John the Divine
By KRISTIN FAYNE-MULROY
AmNews Managing Editor
From now through December 31, 2024, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is presenting Janet Cardiff’s The Forty Part Motet, on loan from the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City. This immersive sound experience presents a reworking of “Spem in Alium,” a 40part choral piece composed by Thomas Tallis (ca. 1505–85). In it, the voices of 40 separately recorded choral singers are each played through 40 individual speakers, all placed in a wide oval around the edges of the room.
Visitors can experience the composition in different ways: From the center of the oval, each listener can hear the choir as a whole; by moving closer to each speaker, lis-
teners can home in on individual voices — sometimes catching the sound of singers’ breathing, or fragments of conversations with other choir members in between songs, bringing the humanity of each celestial-sounding singer to the fore of the visitor’s experience.
According to a statement from the Cathedral, “This work exemplifies the value of listening carefully and with intention, traits that we hope might be carried outside of the Cathedral and into our everyday lives.”
The installation, which is included in the cost of admission, is in the Cathedral’s North Transept, which had been closed to the public since December 2001 when a fire caused major damage to the Cathedral’s gift shop and bookstore. For tickets and for more info, visit www.stjohndivine.org.
(Tony Turner photos)
(Photo courtesy of Cathedral of St. John the Divine)
The passing of icons: Frankie Beverly, Dan Morgenstern, Sergio Mendes
Due to the proximity of such prominent contributors to American music passing in recent weeks, this column is dedicated to the iconic contributions of Frankie Beverly, Dan Morgenstern, and Sergio Mendes. Their contributions, whether through music or words, transcend boundaries of genre, connecting music as a whole.
It came as a total shock to awaken that morning to a text that read “this is a hard one Frankie Beverly,” with the sad face and prayer emojis. To confirm beyond a doubt, I googled Frankie Beverly, and there it was: “dies at age 77 on September 10.”
Beverly’s was one of the few R&B groups that still maintained an actual band similar to Kool and the Gang in the mode of Sly & the Family Stone. Frankie Beverly and Maze: you knew the band’s sound after a few funky bars, and its frontman’s high-spirited baritone vocals could be acknowledged in one beat that was the distinctive sound of one of America’s most influential R&B groups.
Although the guitarist, producer, and songwriter Beverly and the seven, then later eight-piece band Maze were never affiliated with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s The Sound of Philadelphia label (TSOP), their Philly sound was just as innate. It enthralled the world. Their soulfulness tantalized the heart and made us swoon. Maze was just as smooth and hard hittin as MFSB, TSOP’s studio band.
From 1977 to 1993, the songwriter and Maze unleashed a string of R&B hits: “Golden Time of Day,” “We Are One,” “Joy and Pain,” “Happy Feelin’s,” “Southern Girl,” and “Before I Let Go.” Beverly’s songs are cemented in Black community celebrations; they are anthems, such as his 1981 song “Before I Let Go,” which immediately beckons folks to the dance floor whether they are at a cookout, community room, or house party. That song is multigenerational: elders to teens take to the floor for that communal “electric slide,”
and it doesn’t matter if your cousin or uncle steps on your foot — no, at that moment it’s all about family or good friends enjoying the groove that was about “Happy Feelings” during that “Golden Time of Day.” Who would’ve known his beautiful ballad “We Are One” could become an anthem or that his midtempo “Joy and Pain” would charm the world? His music has a stimulating warm groove that brings comfort and joy to listeners, a healing groove that brings people together.
Beverly, finished his farewell “I Wanna Thank You” tour in his hometown of Philadelphia in July. That same month, the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans included a special tribute to Beverly and Maze, who closed out the event for its first 15 years. Maze will continue touring with vocalist Tony Lindsay.
Beverly’s family said the singer “lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better. He lived for his music, family, and friends.”
Dan Morgenstern, an esteemed jazz writer, keeper of jazz history and its musical tradition, who won eight Grammys for his prolific liner notes, died on Sept. 7 in Manhattan. He was 94.
Some months prior to Morgenstern’s passing I had the opportunity to speak with him briefly during the Jazz Gallery’s annual gala where he was presented with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. Despite his huge presence in the jazz world, he would take time to speak with aspiring writers or musicians.
“The late Dan Morgenstern was my jazz journalist compass for four decades, pointing me in the right direction as a young writer, with his encyclopedic knowledge, vast connections, and deep humanity,” stated freelance writer Eugene Holley Jr. “To paraphrase Duke Ellington, I will miss him madly!”
Morgenstern was one of the last jazz scholars to have known the giants of jazz he wrote about as both a friend and a chronicler, from Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, and Roy Elridge to Oran “Hot Lips” Page. “I don’t like the word ‘critic’ very much. I look at myself more as an advocate for the music than as a critic,” he wrote in “Living With Jazz.” “My most enthusiastic early readers were my musician friends, and one thing
led to another. What has served me best, I hope, is that I learned about the music not from books but from the people who created it.”
His two authored books, “Jazz People” (1976) and “Living with Jazz” (2004), the latter a reader edited by Sheldon Meyer, both won ASCAP’s Deems Taylor Award, and in 2007 he received the A.B. Spellman Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The record producer and historian became known as an advocate for musicians and works he considered were overlooked, such as the avant-gardist Ornette Coleman and the late recordings of blues singer
and made this information available in various ways,” said Hank O’Neal, a close friend of Dan’s. “I often told him he had to hang in there until science came up with a way to download his brain. He almost made it.”
The Brazilian-born pianist and composer Sergio Mendes, who intensified world sounds in the 1960s with his bossa nova music of Brasil 66, which turned memorable songs like “Fool on the Hill,” “So Many Stars,” and “Mas Que Nada” into restructured bossa nova hits, and recorded albums with Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann, died on Sept. 5 in Los Angeles. He was 83.
Early in his career, Mendes played with fellow Brazilian guitarist, composer, and songwriter Antônio Carlos Jobim, who was regarded as a mentor. Mendes formed the Sexteto bossa Rio and recorded Dance Moderno in 1961. He moved to the U.S. in 1964 and cut two albums under the group name Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘65 with Capitol Records and Atlantic Records.
After signing with A&M Records, it was agreed he would record albums under the name “Sergio Mendes and Brasil ‘66.” The group soared with their first single, “Mas Que Nada,” written by Jorge Ben. The original vocalists of Brasil ‘66 were Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel. The group’s best selling album was “Look Around” (1966 A&M).
Bessie Smith. Morgenstern enjoyed positions as editor at three celebrated jazz magazines: Metronome, Jazz (later Jazz & Pop) and DownBeat; wrote album and concert reviews for the New York Post and Chicago Sun-Times; and directed the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University at Newark (1976). Under his leadership, the Institute became an essential resource for scholars and musicians. He retired in 2012.
“Dan (Morgenstern) was a living Encyclopedia of Jazz and while alive, its ultimate historian. To create his thousands of published works, he first gathered the facts, and combined the result with what he already had stored in his mind
The pianist and arranger continued as an influence in popular music for more than six decades, releasing over 35 albums and winning three Grammys, and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2012 for best original song (as cowriter of “Real in Rio,” from the animated film “Rio”).
The Mendes’ bossa nova sound was an effect of Brazil’s dance music style known as samba, which has roots in Africa. Bossa nova means “new wave” which referred to a new way of singing and playing samba that began on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s as jazz grew in popularity. The subtle drums often accompanied by a melodic conga, keyboard arrangements, and those alluring vocals introduced a new rhythmic flow that swayed the body. Mendes never tried to fit in; he infused jazz and pop music into his native musical tradition.
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly performs at the Essence Music Festival in the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunday, July 5, 2009. Maze has closed out the annual festival since its inception in 1994.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Environmental grants
Continued from page 2
who need it most and that our communities are leading the way toward a more just and sustainable future,” Salamán said.
The application portal will open for the Thriving Communities Grantmaking online for interested organizations this September. Information on how to apply for grants can be found through the
Thriving Communities form.
“I think this is a really important step forward for Fordham to live its social responsibility. That we are an institution, not just in the Bronx, but of the Bronx. We have tremendous resources at our fingertips. We have a big, vibrant university population. We do a lot of teaching, learning, and re-
Raids & resignations
him of sexually harassing female employees, and is facing a separate investigation for his role in a physical fight at a shelter for homeless migrants, said the AP.
The ongoing FBI probe has definitely rattled support for Adams among the more progressive city officials and political clubs in the city, but many argued that some of his public safety and solitary confinement policies, flooding the streets with NYPD officers while cutting the city budget, his handling of the immigration crisis, and the “power grab” battle between him and City Council members is the real reason for that move.
“Raids, corruption allegations, and chaos have become hallmarks of the Adams administration,” said New York Working Families Party Co-Directors Jasmine Gripper
and Ana María Archila in a joint statement.
“Under Adams, the people of New York are sandwiched between a constant stream of budget cuts and FBI raids. New Yorkers need a mayor who can govern to make people’s lives better, not a mayor who’s fighting a laundry list of corruption allegations. Today’s news is the latest example of the Eric Adams administration’s questionable morals and values. We deserve better. We can do better.”
So far, two progressive Democrats — Brooklyn’s Senator Zelnor Myrie and Queen’s Senator Jessica Ramos — have announced plans to run against Adams in 2025 and have started campaigning.
“I think all of New York City is concerned about all of the allegations that we’ve seen about the FDNY, about the NYPD, across city agencies,” said Ramos, whose cam-
search, but we also have the infrastructure that allows us to support programs like this to distribute funding and to offer support and technical assistance to community organizations that need it most,” said Dr. Julie L.Gafney, Fordham’s associate vice president of Strategic Mission Initiatives.
“I’m so excited and I’m so humbled to serve as a partner to the federal government,” she continued. “And as a trusted partner, more importantly, to the organizations here, in the Bronx. Trying to get that
paign slogan is riding on rooting out corruption. “When I started this race a few days ago, I talked about how people are losing faith in our institutions, losing faith in government — none of this helps. We need a path forward to show people that government can work, that government can do good for them.”
Ramos was spotted at this week’s postDemocratic National Convention (DNC) breakfast, held at Junior’s Cheesecake restaurant in Brooklyn by the Brooklyn Democratic Party. Adams has been noticeably absent from many national political events for Vice President Kamala Harris as she makes a bid for president, despite being a New York State delegate.
Ramos said that city aides, like Pearson and Banks, should have resigned as well as Caban. “The mayor should know better — to know who he’s vetting and hiring for such important posts.”
However, while deeply concerned about
funding to the front line communities that are doing the real work on the ground.” For more information about Community Change Grants, please visit communitychangeta.org/how-do-i-apply. For the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program, please visit Fordham’s website and fill out the form.
If you need help navigating grant information, contact WE ACT’S EPA Region 2 Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center at www.weact.org/tctac/.
the legal matters, not everyone has rushed to drop Adams.
At the post-DNC breakfast, many attendees said that they are withholding judgment of Adams until he is officially charged. This, said sources, is mostly because of his upbringing as a native New Yorker and the city’s second Black mayor. No one, particularly in Brooklyn among Black and Brown voters, wants to see another Black man whom they view as one of their own embroiled in scandal or leave office after one term. However, many declined to speak on the record about their feelings about Adams or have actively distanced themselves from him and City Hall.
“You know, every mayor I have communicated with says that there are moments of crisis in an administration. I think that when you do a reflection, you’re going to see that I am the person that I stated I am,” Adams said. “My North Star is improving the city that I love, that I wore that bulletproof vest for 22 years [for].”
CLASSROOM IN THE
Sybil Haydel Morial, matriarch of a distinguished family and civil rights crusader
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
All too often patriarchs and matriarchs are mentioned only when a notable family member passes. Such is the case with Sybil Haydel Morial, though her legend is well known in the annals of New Orleans where her husband was the city’s first Black mayor. And she established an enviable reputation on her own as a civil rights crusader.
She was born Sybil Gayle Haydel in New Orleans on Nov. 26, 1932, the second of four children of Dr. Clarence Haydel and Eudora (Arnaud) Haydel. Her father was a descendant of Victor Haydel, an enslaved person and her mother was a schoolteacher. According to several accounts, she attended parochial schools, Xavier University Prep School and Xavier University before transferring to Boston University. In her memoir, Witness to Change: From Jim Crow to Political Empowerment (2015), Sybil wrote, “I grew up in New Orleans, on Miro Street, in the Seventh Ward near the London Canal… Ours was a real New Orleans neighborhood with a mixture of rich and poor and everything in between. Two grand houses stood in the block — ours and the one next door, owned by another Negro family. Directly across the street were three single-family homes owned by two white families and another Negro family. A group of shotgun houses, one occupied by whites and two by Negroes, stood down the block. My friend Mona Lisa lived in one of them.”
She was a product of a highly respected family of Creole ancestry, her father a surgeon, and she recalled that “growing up, it was a complex task to maintain our dignity within the invisible bars of Jim Crow, but my parents were wise in the ways of the world. They set an example in the conduct of their own lives for what they wanted us to learn. Still, I was a teenager before I really understood — in an emotional way — what being a Negro meant, even in a mixed city such as New Orleans. My parents told us that things would get better. They said this every time we had to drive past a nice beach or a restaurant and not stop. They tried to
reassure us, but it was hard to continue believing. I was a teenager on the verge of starting college in Boston before I took a train trip by myself, all the way from New Orleans to Boston.”
At Boston University she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. It was also at the college that she met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She had wanted to study at Tulane University but was told the school did not admit Blacks. She met Ernest “Dutch” Morial in 1954 and they married a year later. He had become the first Black graduate of Louisiana State University Law School. His rise in the city’s politics subverted many of her aspirations; she took care of their five children as he became, in succession, NAACP chapter leader in the city, Black assistant U.S. attorney in New Orleans, and ultimately the Mayor of New Orleans. Family may have been foremost among her duties, but it didn’t exclude her from making her own mark in the fight for civil rights. In 1961, when she was denied entry
into the League of Women Voters in New Orleans because of her race, she formed the Louisiana League for Good Government. “In the beginning,” she wrote of the organization’s founding, “we met at my home and the homes of other members. Quickly, we established our purpose and selected a name. An all-female group at the time, we incorporated in 1963 with the following mandate: ‘The Louisiana League of Good Government is a nonpartisan, integrated — at the time, we had one white member — women’s organization whose purpose is to promote good government through an informed and participating citizenry.’”
In 1977, she and her husband cast their ballots in the New Orleans mayoral elections, accompanied by their daughter, Monique. He served two terms and died suddenly of a heart attack in 1989. There was a movement for Sybil to replace her husband but she deferred to her son, Marc, then a state senator, and he went on, like his father, to serve two terms. She wrote that following her hus-
band’s death, “I had to consider my life going forward. After classroom teaching, Xavier University afforded a second, extraordinary career. For 28 years, serving in several administrative positions, I worked with an administration, faculty, and staff, all committed to educating students not just for their professional lives, but for leadership, so they could contribute to creating a more just and humane society. Here, too, I honed my own professional skills — A House Divided emerged from Xavier — and I deepened my values under the guidance of President Norman Francis, who set high standards for the entire Xavier community. Xavier would be a place I could continue to grow.”
Just before the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Sybil retired. and cherished an opportunity to spend more time with her growing family, that included a number of grandchildren. It was also a time to reflect on her eventful life and compose a memoir.
Sybil died on September 4, 2024. She was 91.
FIND OUT MORE
We have cited information from Sybil’s memoir and it is indeed rich — her family’s illustrious history as well as New Orleans’ prominence.
DISCUSSION
More about her Creole background appears in her memoir for those interested.
PLACE IN CONTEXT
Just reviewing her husband and her son’s legacies sheds light on nearly a century of commitment and stewardship
THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY
Sept. 15, 1945: Grammy-award winning diva Jessye Norman was born in Augusta, Ga.
Sept. 16, 1921: Jazz singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks was born in Newark, Ohio. He died in 2017.
Sept. 18, 1971: Actress Jada Pinkett Smith was born in Baltimore, Md.
Sybil Morial, left, looks on after her husband Ernest won an outright victory in his race for a House seat in the Louisiana Legislature, in New Orleans, Nov. 5, 1967. (AP Photo/Jack Thornell photo)
Black
anywhere else, and there are individuals who said ‘I took something away from that that I never heard — I heard a side of him that I never heard before,’” Lemon said.
“What happened on the stage in Chicago was something that was so telling and informing and so enlightening that you had more people watching this time around.”
Many NABJ members were particularly angry about Trump’s combativeness with the hosts, especially ABC’s Rachel Scott, whom he called both “nasty” and “hostile.”
“It was unfortunate to see a Black journalist be disparaged,” said Gaynor, a former AmNews intern and one of the moderators for the Harris interview. “We are here to do a job. It’s not personal. It’s simply about getting to the truth and getting our candidates on the record on the issues that voters care about.”
Gaynor was proud of the interview, saying he believes it was important for Black America to hear from Harris directly and that she explained her economic policies a little better this time around. He commended both Harris and the NABJ for the event.
“I think it’s important to recognize that the vice president kept her word,” Gaynor said. “She said that she would reschedule. She rescheduled and it was not too long after the convention. I think that’s important to lift up.”
For Trinity Webster-Bass, 21, a senior Howard University student who was in the room for both interviews, the distinction in atmosphere was evident. The WHYY session
Teamsters
Continued from page 10
needs along with a sympathetic, compassionate ear. They knew we had their backs in a horrific, unprecedented time of chaos and confusion.
Renewed interest in belonging to a union may also have a link to the phrase that developed into a long-held quest for many people: achieving the “American dream.”
Coined by historian James Truslow Adams during the Great Depression, the phrase symbolizes the desire for a better future that could be obtained in this country through hard work.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his 1933 inaugural address, famously declared about the challenges of troubling times: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and continued in his speech to emphasize the spiritual qualities underlying the American dream by saying, “Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement.”
However it is defined, for some, the American dream remains just a dream whose realization may never come — and is reduced to being a nice idea that more aptly fits a different time in American history. For others, especially many new im-
was “quite intimate,” she said. “The energy of the room was completely different.”
Webster-Bass recalled an “emphatic” response to Trump from the NABJ crowd, including shouting out at points. “The people were just reacting to what (Trump) was saying because what he was saying was quite outlandish.”
She said the main difference was the responses of the candidates. “(Trump) was allowed to, in that space, speak freely without being fact-checked, which was very disheartening.”
While Webster-Bass was happy for the opportunity, she did not appreciate the lack of accommodation for many NABJ member guests like herself who had to stand to be able to watch the interview in person, compared to some other nonNABJ members who were seated in the main audience.
“I saw nearly half the crowd with people who weren’t Black, people who weren’t part of the Black press,” Webster-Bass said. “That was something that I was frustrated with.”
Other HBCU student journalists were from Howard University, Morgan State University, Cheney University, Lincoln University, and Clark Atlanta University.
Edward Robinson, 47, a professor of journalism at Morgan State, brought a group of his students to the WHYY event and was glad NABJ was able to put it together in light of what took place in Chicago.
“I’m happy that they could work it out, and, for our organization, that we had a platform with the vice president of the United States in an election cycle so critical,” Robinson said. “We had a platform where real issues were discussed.”
migrants in the current surge of migration, the dream has become a political dog whistle that often stokes fear among America’s current residents and hinges on racism … a nice idea that wasn’t meant for them — perhaps it’s just a mall in New Jersey.
Interestingly, in 1997, 72% of Americans thought the American dream was possible. Today, studies indicate, “not so much.”
Here’s where labor unions come in.
Just like our role in helping to build the middle class in America in the 1950s, we are both the ramrod and the equalizer. Especially as we work to cultivate a next generation of active union members, the labor movement can be a bridge to tomorrow and the new American dream. We fight for the rights of workers while helping to create a level playing field where the American dream is not the sole property of the corporate 1%. We help give everyone a fair chance. An opportunity. We help by giving hope.
This is why we march in the Labor Day parade. There were thousands of union members sending a clear message to elected leaders and to the public at large: “You can bash us. You can try to bust us. We are not going away. Be our friend, not our foe. We have a voice and a vote. This is something we all agree upon.”
Say “I do” to Your Financial Future Together
Sponsored content by JPMorgan Chase
If you’re planning to get down on one knee, pop the question or make your relationship official in some other way, use this time to begin thinking about your finances. While talking about money can feel anything but romantic, the financial foundation you set before tying the knot can help you and your partner build together for a lifetime.
“Being in a committed relationship can change how you spend, save, invest and plan for the future. But financial compatibility between two partners is rarely achieved without discussing what money means to each of you, including the “money messages” you received growing up,” said Erika Shaw, matrimonial advisor at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “Communication and transparency around money is critical to the health of any partnership, especially as life evolves.”
Here are some considerations as you plan your financial future together:
• Determine how you’ll share expenses. Couples have different methods for managing daily finances. None are right or wrong – it all depends on each couple’s preference. Consider how much each partner earns and discuss how each of you will contribute to these expenses. Will you combine all your money in a joint account to pay expenses, or keep separate accounts and delegate responsibility for bills? Maybe you’ll consider a mix of both.
• Be honest about any financial baggage. Any debts coming into the relationship -student loans, credit card debt or other financial liabilities – should be discussed, as they may impede your ability to buy a home, start a family or make certain career and life choices. Consider having an indepen-
dent third party or financial advisor serve as a sounding board in your conversations.
• Set your financial goals. Agreeing on your top financial goals and aligning your saving and investment strategies accordingly can get your marriage off to a strong financial start. What does your current lifestyle look like, and how might that change in the future? Do you want to save for a down payment on a home? Are there other large expenses on the horizon, such as a vacation or a car? Be specific about the timing, cost and priority of each of your financial goals.
• Consider how future life changes might impact goals. Are either of you going back to school or changing careers? If you are considering children or already have children, how would you approach childcare and educational decisions? Do you expect to care for aging family in the future? All these choices will impact your finances.
• Have open discussions about past experiences. Making your personal finances— past, present and future—an ongoing part of your life together can help you weather disagreements about money. Explore how your views on money were shaped by your upbringing and your family’s approach to spending, saving and investing. Don’t shy away from talking through financial disagreements, as they often represent deeper divisions that can affect your entire relationship.
Countless money decisions await every couple. The sooner you begin talking about your finances—and financial expectations— the better equipped you both will be to plan your future together. 1
Health
How doctors, nurses, and pastors are overcoming vaccination hesitancy in Black communities
By DEREK LAMB Special to the AmNews
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted stark racial inequities in the U.S. healthcare landscape, disproportionately killing and harming Black Americans. Compounding increased exposure to the virus, decreased access to healthcare and inequitable resources was that Black Americans were more hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it first became available, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Black community leaders developed initiatives to overcome this hesitancy and in doing so, have transformed the way that Black Americans receive healthcare.
To better understand vaccine hesitancy, the AmNews spoke with Dr. Simon Haeder, a professor of public health policy at Texas A&M University who conducts research on the topic. According to Haeder, hesitant individuals are those “who have concerns about vaccinations that may then trigger them to either delay or outright refuse vaccinations.” Haeder’s research has shown that vaccine hesitancy is not a single defined concept, but rather an overlap of many differing attitudes toward vaccines.
Complicating this is the fact that different vaccines provoke different degrees of hesitancy in the public, and different communities have different opinions on these vaccines. For example, with COVID-19, political affiliation strongly predicted whether someone would receive the vaccine, “but, if you go into other things like polio vaccines, acceptance is very high and those predictors are very, very different,” Haeder said.
Past is prologue
Vaccine hesitancy did not begin with COVID-19, but like many other problems, the pandemic exposed what was already hiding beneath the surface. Haeder said that “it was always there … there was always a subgroup of people who were hesitant or concerned about vaccinations, but I think social
norms, as well as requirements, have suppressed [these concerns] for a very, very long time.”
Vaccine hesitancy in the Black community is largely based on past experiences with the biomedical establishment. After decades of mistreatment by public health professionals, medical institutions, and scientists, there is legitimate concern about how these institutions view Black Americans.
According to Roxanne Spurlark, a Doctor of Nursing Practice who was working in a Chicago safety net hospital during the pandemic, this negative history has created a perception of hostility toward the Black community.
“These are perceptions, and the perceptions are the reality when it comes to the community,” Spurlark said.
The history Black people have experienced has created perceptions created even more barriers to accessing healthcare, in a community that research has shown was already disproportionately affected by the disease.
As COVID-19 vaccines became available, governments were quick to implement vaccination mandates. “We know the best way to increase vaccination rates are vaccination requirements … es-
pecially when it comes to things people can’t avoid, like having a job or a K–12 education,” Haeder said.
However, historically, imposing mandates on Black parents has done little to overcome perceptions of antagonism between the Black community and the public health sector. Initially, Black Americans were less likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine than white Americans, according to a CDC report.
Breaking barriers
If mandates are not that effective in getting Black Americans to get vaccinated for themselves or their children, what works? In a study, Spurlark and her colleagues examined the barriers that prevent Black Americans from vaccinating and proposed solutions to overcome those barriers. One of these solutions was to work with trusted community leaders. “[Black Americans] wanted to see that the people that they trusted were doing it,” Spur-
lark said. “It is not a secret that in the Black community, the only thing that is owned is the church, so if you can get your church leader to present and take the vaccine, most of them will follow their church leader.”
One such faith leader was Rev. Dr. David K. Brawley, lead pastor at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn. As the pandemic began, Brawley and other pastors “discovered that we are a front-line entity. Churches are front-line and faith institutions are a front-line entity that has to be involved at this level … One thing that we had to offer was space. Our institutions had spaces that we could offer for testing and then eventually for vaccinations.”
When Brawley received the COVID-19 vaccine, his vaccination was filmed by Doctors Without Borders, and he publicly encouraged others to get vaccinated.
“When I was first vaccinated … I had a deep concern for [my congregation members’] mental
health and well-being, but also, I needed some advice and guidance from them, from the front lines” he said. Brawley spoke with his congregation, which included a number of healthcare professionals. He emphasized the role of the congregation in discussing the vaccine and making the decision to get vaccinated together: “It was not a hierarchical decision in any way — it was definitely under the advisement of people within our own congregation who had more understanding about what was happening than I did.”
For the community, by the community
The community-level response initiated by churches like St. Paul Community highlights a crucial and continuing development in the relationship between Black Americans and healthcare. Pastors like Brawley are using the relationships created during the pandemic to address other health issues within their congregation.
Rev. Dr. Brawley
(Photo courtesy of St. Paul Community Baptist Church)
NYC Vaccination rate (Source: NY State Dept. of Health)
“Given where [St. Paul Community is] located, and being the epicenter of diabetes and hypertension and other chronic diseases, we want to turn that narrative around,” said Brawley.
Many of the resources to support these endeavors come from Choose Healthy Life, a collaboration of Black churches — including St. Paul Community — that was launched to address the crises caused by COVID-19. It has since expanded, and Brawley explained what is revolutionary about this new approach: “During the pandemic, you came and got tested, right? Then you came to the church, and you got the vaccination. Now you’re coming to the church, and now you can get blood work done. Now you can go to the church and now you have referrals [to physicians].”
In New York City, 20 churches of different denominations are part of Choose Healthy Life. Reverend Jacques DeGraff, the NYC clergy leader for Choose Healthy Life, explained the vision that the program has for the Black community: “When you talk to our community, health is sometimes interpreted as ‘not being sick,’ [but] we actually want to move to wellness.”
To do this, Choose Healthy Life has partnered with Quest Diagnostics to create a “blueprint for health.” On “Wellness Wednesdays,” community members can go
churches or other community locations and, in addition to vaccinations, receive individualized health assessments. This
members to seek out healthcare professionals with knowledge in hand and on their own terms.
“That empowers individuals who may not have a physician, or they may be negligent about their own situation,” said DeGraff.
For healthcare workers like Spurlark, normalizing community-based healthcare is also crucial preparation for the future rather than being complacent now that the pandemic is over. “It’s not if it happens again, it’s when,” she said.
Key to this preparation is to separate the association between community-based healthcare, such as mobile clinics or health fairs like “Wellness Wednesdays,” from the trauma and chaos of the pandemic.
“Through these normal events, community health providers “[are] becoming a trusted representation. Now, if something happens … those people become known and trusted.” said DeGraff.
While things are changing for the better, now is not the time to stop. “The only way to keep the momentum with it is to create the opportunity for education and restorative justice in between [events like the pandemic],” Spurlark said. Through recognizing past harms to Black Americans, government and public health officials can support the developing community health initiatives in Black communities.
“We need resources,” Brawley added. “We need the resources, and the leadership can come from within the community, as Choose Healthy Life has proven.” Ultimately, Brawley said, “Healthcare cannot be done to us. It has to be done with us and through us.”
to
blue-
print allows community
VP Harris receiving second COVID-19 vaccine dose (Photo courtesy of the Office of the VP)
Education
Educator Dr. Kassie Freeman joins Export-Import Bank’s Council on Advancing Women in Business
By DAMASO REYES
AmNews Executive Editor
It has been long said that knowledge is power and Dr. Kassie Freeman, founder, president and CEO of the African Diaspora Consortium (ADC) is among those leading the fight to make sure that education, and education around the African diaspora is being centered. Dr. Freeman, who is a former dean of academic advancement at Bowdoin College, led the effort to create African diaspora content to be incorporated into an Advanced Placement (AP) seminar. The success of this effort helped to shape the design of the new African American AP Course. She was recently named to the Export-Import Bank’s Council on Advancing Women in Business and she spoke with the Amsterdam News about her lifelong dedication to education. This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.
AmNews: Can you tell us a little about the work that ADC does and its recent projects?
Freeman: One of our members, Dr. Michael Nettles suggested that we approach the College Board about adding an Africa topic to their portfolio of Advanced Placement seminar courses. In fact, at the time they had no Africa-themed courses, and that was just maybe 10 years ago. So we were quite surprised that they had he had the conversation with a senior vice president and on the spot he agreed that would be an interesting idea. With a phenomenal team of scholars, from Ernest Morrell to Henry Levin and the former premier of Bermuda, the Honorable Paula Cox, we set out to develop something that had never been done before, and the content has exceeded all of our expectations. What started as a pilot in four or five schools has now grown to nearly 300 schools in more than 25 states and five countries as far as Senegal and Mexico. And people are surprised by the fact that even in the midst of the pushback, our courses continue to be in growth mode.
AmNews: Tell us about the Export-Import Bank and you being named to the Council on Advancing Women in Business. How did this appointment come about? And what do you hope the council will be able to accomplish?
Freeman: I’ve been a long admirer, for sure, of the president, Reta Jo Lewis who is the first African American to head the Export-Import Bank. So I’ve known her for a long period of time, and just the way in which she has led has just been awe inspiring. She’s worked across countries and visited and spent quite a bit of time in Africa for sure. So that led to my admiration for her and her work. And
so when she was naming these very various councils, she asked me if I would be willing to serve on the Council for Women in Business, and that speaks very much to what I value in, seeing all individuals, a global knowledge and influence, but particularly women. One of the things that I pride myself on is helping people to understand the way in which education impacts everything else, whether it’s economics, politics. Individuals who are educated are more politically active; they’re advancing into the middle class and beyond. And I think sometimes people underestimate and devalue the important role that education plays in every aspect of uplift. And so I hope to bring that aspect to the work. I think I’m the only individual on the council that focuses on education, and so I really hope to have an impact in that way.
AmNews: When people think about the Export-Import Bank, they might think of loans or funding but they don’t necessarily think of education. What role do you think business, something an organization like the Export Import Bank, can have on education around the world, especially when it comes to women?
Freeman: I think the very fact that there’s an emphasis on women in business through the new council provides an opportunity to help people understand the role of the Export-Import Bank a little bit more than simply that it is strengthening American jobs through facilitating export. I think that education plays a huge role in helping both women and then organizations to be able to take advantage of the services that an organization like the Export-Import Bank offers. There is a really important role for us to play, because people often don’t really understand the role education plays in building more women who are ca-
pable of owning businesses and leading to the success of not just owning the business, but leading to the success of
ADC Kassie Freeman (Courtesy of ADC)
jobs. It’s also important as it relates to care, whether it’s something as simple as [what] many of us take for granted, like your ability to make an appointment online or to search for a doctor.”
As Valentin describes, the absence of reliable broadband means being cut off from other critical services like health care and education, which have historically been inaccessible to Black and Brown communities, indicating that the issue of inaccessibility extends beyond broadband to greater systemic inequalities.
Banks shares a similar message, noting that while the issues are interconnected, there is a simple solution.
“There is one thing that could actually address all of this, which is to make sure everyone has internet access,” he said.
At Silicon Harlem, they carry out this mission through various services such as educational workshops, digital literacy programs, and community outreach initiatives. With BetterB, they’ve connected 20 apartment buildings in East Harlem to the internet at a low cost. With ACP, that dropped to no cost at all.
Larger internet providers react
Despite the program’s end, the organization managed to keep their services free through local partnerships, which is not the
case for other internet providers.
Charter Communications, a leading provider of broadband and cable services available through its Spectrum brand, reportedly lost 149,000 internet customers during their second quarter, primarily due to the end of ACP.
“We put a lot of effort into the ACP program, and it wasn’t renewed,” Charter President and CEO Christopher Winfrey said during their second-quarter earnings call, according to a transcript of the meeting.
“Beginning early this year, we’ve been actively working with customers to preserve their connectivity. Our service and retention teams are handling the volume of calls well and we’ve retained the vast majority of ACP customers so far. The real question is customers’ ability to pay, not just now, but over time.”
To offset the impact of losing ACP, larger internet providers like Charter have implemented alternative strategies to keep prices low and retain customers. For example, Charter offered ACP customers a free Spectrum Unlimited Mobile line for one year.
At Verizon, they’re giving free home internet service for six months to new subscribers. The limited-time deal started earlier this year as news spread about the impending end of the ACP. Households losing ACP from other internet providers can access this offer when they switch to Verizon.
Federal investment is key
While these short-term efforts by bigger
internet service companies are helpful, they are not permanent solutions to closing the digital divide in New York and bringing affordable broadband to households.
For Valentin, federal investment is essential to that mission.
“[At Public Knowledge] we are still advocating for short-term funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program,” she said. “Our strategy hasn’t changed because we’ve had the same ask but the entire year is going to be dependent on Congress actually taking up some action here.”
Looking towards the future, Banks advocates for what he calls “municipal broadband,” a mandate where the city would provide and own internet access in partnership with organizations like Silicon Harlem.
“We have a great way to do it,” he said. “We know how to do it, and we’re ready to do it.”
At the political level, disapproval persists, with representatives urging Congress to provide additional funding for ACP.
In late March, New York Congresswoman Yvette Clarke organized a bipartisan letter directed toward Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The letter, co-signed by 158 members of congress, called for preserving ACP as it went through its wind-down phase, emphasizing the importance of the program for accessing resources like telehealth ser-
vices or government benefits.
“Reliable, affordable broadband access is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity in this increasingly digital age,” Clarke wrote in the letter.
Most recently, the local government has taken action to mitigate the effects of the ACP’s end. Just last month, Governor Kathy Hochul reached a settlement agreement with Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum, requiring the company to give discounted internet service to customers who receive Supplemental Security Benefits and those in the National Free School Lunch Program.
“My administration has been steadfast in its commitment to expand internet service to all New Yorkers, and this settlement directly benefits thousands of low-income New York families,” Governor Hochul said, according to a press release. “Broadband is crucial to driving economic growth and opportunity for all of our citizens, and we will continue our efforts to provide broadband access across the state.”
For Black residents of New York, internet access is vital for survival in a world that becomes more internet-dependent each day. Though the end of ACP leaves a significant blow to these households, the fight for equitable broadband access continues.
This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.
Religion & Spirituality
Make a plan for love — love is an action
REV. DR. JACQUI LEWIS FIERCE LOVE
“Fierce love is not for the faint, the indolent, or the idle! We can’t just feel love, we must give love, we must do love, we must be love ourselves. Our calling is to see something, and, seeing it, to call it out and do everything we know is good and just and vital to heal our souls and the world.”
— “Fierce Love”
Hi, Love,
I’m just back from vacation. My love tanks have been filled to bursting by time with family, beauty with Mama Earth, and quiet moments all to myself. I’ve been working on some new writing projects I can’t wait to share with you, but I’ve also found time to stop doing and be. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how — in a moment of breath — we are struck, again and again, by our interconnectedness. As much as my body found refuge in time away, my heart is still with you, tethered to the work of building a beloved community. We cannot escape the way our lives are intertwined, because that is not a product of our doing; it is simply the truth about who and whose we are. When God promises, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” that promise is not only to the individual. It is God’s commitment to the whole of humanity — an eternal investment in love that nurtures collective flourishing. Again and again, that is the biblical story. From God leading the Israelites through the desert with pillars of fire and smoke to appearing to Daniel in the middle of the lion’s den, or the very mystery of the resurrection itself — life where there should be death, these stories remind us that we are personally treasured by God, but we are also part of a movement; a river headed toward freedom. There are times to step out of that justice river and lie upon the banks, and there are times to paddle with every ounce of strength. Beloved, we are in that second period. Regardless of what happens in the September 11 debate, the stakes of this presidential election are already crystal-clear. There was a moment last week that again brought home this staggering gravity. When asked about more dead kids in Georgia, J.D. Vance called school shootings “a fact of life.” This is the man who Donald Trump wants to put a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
Sadly, some folks in the Republican Party have made peace with unspeakable evil. It pains me to paint the picture that starkly, but love demands we tell the truth. Faced with devastating problems, including deep and growing violence, this ticket either denies reality or shrugs shoulders and declares the circumstances beyond solving.
Good people of moral courage will not — cannot — tolerate school shootings as “a fact of life.” When people are dying because they lack abortion access, we cannot look away. When systemic racism kills, again and again, no one should be “colorblind.” When millions live in poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth, offering tax cuts to the rich is a lethal betrayal to the common good. We cannot abide “leaders” who look at this horror and lack the moral courage to do anything about it. But let’s be clear: It is not enough to be horrified. It is insufficient to condemn how this violates our beliefs on our self-righteous soapbox. As the Book of James puts it bluntly: “Without works, faith is dead.”
I invite you to join me in making an action plan in these next two months. Call your friends and family. Share this piece and others like it. Tell them what is on the line in this election and remind them to vote. Help defeat Project 2025 by Voting Just Love and organizing with @MiddleChurch.org. Write op-eds for your local paper. Volunteer to knock on doors or make phone calls to support the candidates of your choice.
Draw your circle wider; remember that all the people are your kin. Reach out with the fiercest love and settle for nothing less. Public suffering is a policy choice, not “a fact of life.” Let’s choose differently this November. Let’s vote “just love” on every ballot, every time!
P.S. Follow me @RevJacquiLewis on Insta, Threads, FB, and X to stay tuned what @middlechurch and I are doing in the name of love. To join our movement, go to middlechurch.org/join.
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. Celebrated internationally for her preaching and commitment to building a just society with fierce love, Lewis champions racial, economic, and gender/ sexuality justice. The author of several books, including “Fierce Love” and the “Just Love Story Bible,” her work has been featured on NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, and NPR and in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Ebony and Essence magazines.
Tito Jackson has died at 70
By BRIAN P. D. HANNON Associated Press
Tito Jackson, one of the brothers who made up the beloved pop group the Jackson 5, has died at age 70.
Tito was the third of nine Jackson children, which include global superstars Michael and sister Janet, part of a musicmaking family whose songs are still beloved today.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their wellbeing,” his sons TJ, Taj and Taryll said in a statement posted on Instagram late Sunday.
The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The family group, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s including “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.”
The Jackson 5 became one of the biggest names in music under the guidance of their father, Joe Jackson, a steelworker and guitar player who supported his wife and nine children in Gary, Indiana. As the family’s music careers took off, they relocated to California.
Born on Oct. 15, 1953, Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson was the least-heard member of the group as a background singer who played guitar. His brothers launched solo careers, including Michael, who became one of the world’s biggest performers known as The King of Pop.
Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009.
Speaking to The Associated Press in December 2009, Jackson said his younger brother’s death pulled the family closer together.
“I would say definitely it brought us a step closer to each other. To recognize that the love we have for each other when one of us is not here, what a great loss,” he said, adding he would personally never “be at peace with it.”
“There’s still moments when I just can’t believe it. So I think that’s never going to go away,” he said.
In 2014, Jackson said he and his brothers still felt Michael Jackson’s absence in their shows, which continued with international tours.
“I don’t think we will ever get used to performing without him. He’s dearly missed,”
he said, noting that Michael’s spirit “is with us when we are performing. It gives us a lot of positive energy and puts a lot of smiles on our faces.”
Days before his death, Jackson posted a message on his Facebook page from Germany on Sept. 11, where he visited a memorial to Michael Jackson with his brothers.
“Before our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I, visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson. We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive,” he wrote.
Tito Jackson was the last of the nine Jackson siblings to release a solo project with his 2016 debut, “Tito Time.” He released a song in 2017, “One Way Street,” and told the AP in 2019 that he was working on a sophomore album.
Jackson said he purposely held back from pursuing a solo career because he wanted to focus on raising his three sons, TJ, Taj and Taryll, who formed their own music group, 3T. Jackson’s website offers a link to a single featuring 3T and Stevie Wonder titled, “Love One Another.”
Tito Jackson also is survived by his brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie, his sisters Janet, Rebbie and La Toya and their mother, Katherine. Their father died in 2018.
Jackson’s death was first reported by Entertainment Tonight.
Singer Tito Jackson was an original member of the Jackson 5. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File)
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SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST, -against-
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF NEW YORK AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MARIAN S. O’HARA, ET AL.
NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York on May 16, 2024, wherein BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST is the Plaintiff and PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF NEW YORK AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MARIAN S. O’HARA, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the NEW YORK COUNTY CIVIL SUPREME COURTHOUSE, ROOM 130, 60 CENTRE STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10007, on October 9, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 340 WEST 57TH STREET, UNIT 9-E, NEW YORK, NY 10019; and the following tax map identification: 1047-1096.
ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE, OR PARCEL OF REAL PROPERTY WITH THE IMPROVEMENTS THEREIN CONTAINED, SITUATE, AND BEING A PART OF A CONDOMINIUM IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY, CITY, AND STATE OF NEW YORK, KNOWN AND DESIGNATED AS APARTMENT UNIT NO. 9E AT 340 WEST 57TH STREET TOGETHER WITH A .1080 PERCENT UNDIVIDED INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS OF THE CONDOMINIUM
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 850377/2015. Shari S. Laskowitz, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.
KETTELY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/25/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 470 W 165th Street, Apartment 24, New York, NY 10032. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
NOTICE OF SALE
Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, Index No. 850084/2022
Six Gramercy LLC, Plaintiff, v. Westside Units 17th Street LLC, et. al., Defendants.
TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered May 14, 2024, the undersigned referee will sell at public auction on October 2, 2024, at 2:15pm in Room 130 at the Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, NY, NY, the property located at 7 East 17th Street, Unit 3N, New York, NY 10003 (Block 846, Lot 1304).
The approximate amount of Plaintiff’s lien is $1,881,618.28 plus interest and costs. The premises will be sold in one parcel and subject to provisions of the judgment and terms of sale.
Paul Sklar, Esq., Referee
Law Offices of Tae H. Whang, LLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 201, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, Tel. (201) 461-0300, 415 White Oak Road, Palisades, NY 10964 (By Appointment Only).
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MICHAEL IACOVELLO and CARMELLA M. IACOVELLO, Defts. - Index # 850041/2019. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 10, 2021, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 7,000/28,402,100 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase I HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $56,809.33 plus costs and interest as of January 23, 2020. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
NOTICE OF SALE
Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, Index No. 850087/2022
Six Gramercy LLC, Plaintiff, v. Westside Units 17th Street LLC, et. al., Defendants.
TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered May 17, 2024, the undersigned referee will sell at public auction on October 9, 2024, at 2:15pm in Room 130 at the Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, NY, NY, the property located at 7 East 17th Street, Unit 6C, New York, NY 10003 (Block 846, Lot 1310).
The approximate amount of Plaintiff’s lien is $1,443,159.80 plus interest and costs. The premises will be sold in one parcel and subject to provisions of the judgment and terms of sale.
Georgia Papazis, Esq., Referee
Commons Software LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/12/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 10 Hanover Square Apt 6S, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful act.
CheKells Enterprise LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/7/2024. Office location: Kings County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 928 E 86th St, Brooklyn NY 11236 Purpose: Any lawful act.
CONSERVATIVERAP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/15/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: LEGALCORP SOLUTIONS, 11 BROADWAY SUITE 615, NEW YORK, NY 10004. Purpose: Any lawful act.
STAU LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/21/2024 Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: SOHO WORKSPACES, INC., 447 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10013, USA. The registered agent of the LLC is SOHO WORKSPACES, INC., 447 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10013, USA Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT – NEW YORK COUNTY – WEST 45TH RETAIL LLC, Plaintiff v. ALANDALOUS PROPERTIES CORP. f/k/a PEOPLES FOREIGN EXCHANGE CORPORATION, et al., Defendants. Pursuant to an Amended Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision and Order on Motion entered on September 29, 2023 (the “Judgment”), I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder in Room 130 of the New York County Supreme Court, 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, on October 9, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., the premises known as 24 West 45th Street, Unit C-1, New York, New York. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in New York County and State of New York: Block 1260, Lot 1001, as more particularly described in the Judgment. Approximate amount of Judgment is $1,632,632.61, plus additional interest and fees. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index #850207/2021. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 1st Judicial District's Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee. Andriola Law, PLLC, 1385 Broadway, 22 nd Floor, New York, NY 10018, Attorneys for Plaintiff
BRUNSONCLINE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/29/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: United States Corporation Agents Inc., 7014 13th Ave, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY, 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Law Offices of Tae H. Whang, LLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 201, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, Tel. (201) 461-0300, 415 White Oak Road, Palisades, NY 10964 (By Appointment Only).
Dostar Marketing LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/09/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 330 East 38th Street Apt. 38L, New York, NY, 10016. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Fillet Edge LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/06/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 435 W 31st St., Apt 8G, New York, NY, 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.
OPDEE HOLDINGS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/28/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 347 W 57TH ST, Suite 40A, New York NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act.
CEZI LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/07/2023 Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 557 Grand Concourse Suite 6005, Bronx, NY 10451 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Sport Temp LLC filed w/ SSNY 2/17/21 Off. in NY Co. Process served to SSNY - desig. as agt. of LLC & mailed to Yehuda Brown, 1472 E. 8th St, Brooklyn, NY 11230. The reg. agt. is Yehuda Brown at same address. Any lawful purpose.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. NYCTL 2021-A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN FOR THE NYCTL 2021-A TRUST, Plaintiffs -against- EDDIE Z. CHEN a/k/a EDDIE CHEN; CHEN@HOME LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on April 15, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on October 2, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 440 Lot 1301 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map. Said premises known as 427 EAST 12TH STREET, #1A, NEW YORK, NY 10009 Approximate amount of lien $598,893.24 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 158480/2022. PAUL R. SKLAR, ESQ., Referee Phillips Lytle LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs 28 East Main Street, Suite 1400, Rochester, NY 14614
Blue Diamond Trading Company L.L.C. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/31/2024 Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #742246, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
FURDONNAS CUSTOM CREATIONS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/08/2024 Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2588 7TH AVE, BLDG 2, STE 6D, NEW YORK, NY 10039. Purpose: Any lawful act.
The Speech And Accent House LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 7/23/24. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: United States Corporation Agents Inc., 7014 13th Ave. Suite 202, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Arrakis Ventures LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/06/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 7014 13TH AVENUE, SUITE 202 , BROOKLYN, NY, 11228, USA. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY
OF New York , NYCTL 2021-
A Trust, and the Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 2021-A Trust , Plaintiff, vs . 187 Street Mazal LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated May 17, 2024 and duly entered on May 21, 2024 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on October 16, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 663 West 187th Street, New York, NY 10033. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 02170 and Lot 0031. Approximate amount of judgment is $46,350.43 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #159354/2022. Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee Bronster, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff
LEGAL NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE, Supreme Court – New York County, WHITE WALKER HOLDINGS
1 LLC, Plaintiff v. 388 BROADWAY OWNERS LLC, et al. , Defendants, Index# 850264/2021. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale docketed on June 28, 2024, I will sell at Public Auction to the highest bidder in Room 130 of New York County Supreme Court, 60 Center Street, New York, New York 10007, on October 9, 2024 at 2:15 PM of that day, the premises known as 388 Broadway , New York , New York 10013, Block 195 Lot 3. The approximate amount of Judgment is $26,503,146.50 plus interest, advances, and expenses accrued from February 29, 2024 to the date of sale of the Premises. Premises will be sold subject to: (a) provisions of Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale docketed on June 28, 2024; and (b) the terms of sale. IF YOU ARE BIDDING AT THE AUCTION, YOU MUST BRING A CERTIFIED CHECK MADE PAYABLE TO THE REFEREE ELAINE SHAY , ESQ . IN THE AMOUNT OF 10% OF YOUR BID. If you have any questions, contact Attorney for Plaintiff: ANNA GUILIANO, BORAH, GOLDSTEIN, ALTSCHULER, NAHINS & GOIDEL, P.C., 377 Broadway, New York, New York 10013, (212) 965-2628.
AMALIER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/04/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 224 W 35TH ST STE 500, NEW YORK, NY, 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.
West Seneca Holding, LLC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/06/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: C/O West Seneca Holding, LLC,, 445 Park Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Ready Capital Mortgage Financing 2019-FL3, LLC , Plaintiff, vs . PB 151 Grand LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Decision + Order + Judgment on Motion duly entered on May 14, 2024 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on October 16, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 158 Lafayette Street a/k/a 151 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 233 and Lot 17. Approximate amount of judgment is $35,289,017.65 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850041/2022. Mark L. McKew, Esq., Referee Duane Morris, LLP, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, Attorneys for Plaintiff
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff AGAINST ELVIRA P. CHRISTI, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered May 23, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 16, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 520 West 112th Street Unit 4B, New York, NY 10025. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block 1883, Lot 1104. Approximate amount of judgment $392,131.52 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #116866/2009. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NEW YORK County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. Allison M. Furman, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 18003305 81301
Notice of Qualification of COMVEST GROUP HOLDINGS LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/17/24. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/01/02. Princ. office of LP: 360 S. Rosemary Ave., Ste. 1700, W. Palm Beach, FL 33401. NYS fictitious name: COMVEST GROUP HOLDINGS L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. #101, Dover, DE 19904. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF SALE
In pursuance and by virtue of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly granted and entered in an action entitled NYCTL 1998-2 Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 1998-2 Trust v. Reginald Borgella, et al., bearing Index No. 156969/2018 on or about May 3, 2024 and Order entered on or about August 19, 2024, by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, I, the Referee, duly appointed in this action for such purpose, will expose for sale and sell at public auction to the highest bidder on October 16, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, Room 130, New York, New York 10007, the liened premises designated as Block 768, Lot 1217, in the City of New York, County of New York and Borough of Manhattan, State of New York and known as 134 Seventh Avenue, Garage Unit 6, New York, New York 10011 , directed in and by said judgment to be sold. The sale will be conducted pursuant to the Court’s Auction Rules and any COVID Restrictions. The approximate amount of the judgment is $10,374.32 plus interest and other charges, and the property is being sold subject to the terms and conditions stated in the judgment, any prior encumbrances and the terms of sale which shall be available at the time of sale.
Dated: September 12, 2024 New York, New York
Roberta Ashkin, Esq. Referee
400 East 70 th Street, Apt. 2205 New York, New York 100215392 (646) 779-8520
David P. Stich, Esq. Attorney for Plaintiff 521 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor New York, New York 10175 (646) 554-4421
Safari Atelier NYC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/20/2023. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 900 W 190 ST #15B, New York, NY 10040. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Stay Strong LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/02/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 400 West 43 Street 35R, NY, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOAH 2004 REALTY, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/16/04. Latest date to dissolve: 12/31/2099. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Antonino Settepani, 602 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
This Is Neatly LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/22/2024 . Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 275 W 96th St, 10025. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
NYCTL 2021-A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiffs -against- D.K.S LTD, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on May 14, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on October 23, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 1262 Lot 602 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map.
Said premises known as 62 WEST 47TH WEST 47TH STREET #608, NEW YORK, NY 10036
Approximate amount of lien $236,520.13 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 158712/2022.
GEORGIA PAPAZIS, ESQ., Referee
Phillips Lytle LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs
28 East Main Street, Suite 1400, Rochester, NY 14614
NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, JOHNSTON COUNTY
In the General Court of Justice, Before the Clerk, Superior Court Division of Johnston County, North Carolina:
Margarita Hernandez v. Ramon A. Abreu
24 SP 000051-500
Ramon A. Abreu:
Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is: Petition to Partition real property located at 2370 Valley Drive, Clayton, NC 27520, and such other and further relief as Petitioner may be entitled.
You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than October 29, 2024, which is forty (40) days from the first publication of this notice, and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought. This, the 11th day of September, 2024.
Marcus C. Burrell
Attorney for Petitioner
P.O. Box 369 Selma, NC 27576 9/19, 9/26, & 10/3
Notice of Qualification of TH MSR HOLDINGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Arizona (AZ) on 06/30/24. Princ. office of LLC: 1601 Utica Ave. South, Ste. 900, St. Louis Park, MN 55416. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Cert. of Form. filed with Executive Director, 1300 W. Washington, 1st Fl., Phoenix, AZ 58007-2929. Purpose: Owning and managing mortgage servicing rights.
RT HORATIO PROPERTY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/29/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 167 Madison Avenue, Suite 205, #328, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of CARTOON PHYSICS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/30/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 207 W. 25th St. - 6th Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of MRA IVC MANAGER I, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/30/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Metropolitan Realty Associates LLC, 555 Madison Ave. - 6th Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
MATAURO LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/22/10. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Matthew Klein, 375 Willowemoc Rd, Livingston Manor, NY 12758. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
676 Broadway LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/10/2020. Office: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Boddoohi & Friedlander LLP, 29 W. 125th St, 3rd Fl, NY, NY 10027. Purpose: any lawful act.
Notice of Formation of MISCHIEF MERCANTILE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/16/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of MALHOTRA FAMILY 2024, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/26/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Vikram Malhotra, 168 E. 74th St., Apt. 4C, NY, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of 20 EXCHANGE PLACE OWNER, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/22/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/12/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Stephen Benjamin, 729 7th Ave., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10019. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., No. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of WSC OPCO LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/22/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/13/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, c/o Winter Properties LLC, 9 W. 57th St., 47th Fl., NY, NY 10019. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
SLAINTE ACUPUNCTURE PLLC. Art of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/01/2024. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC. THE LLC 114 W 73RD ST. APT 4A, NEW YORK, NY, 10023. Any lawful purpose.
NOTICE is hereby given that a license, number NA-0240-24104042 for wine, beer & cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell wine, beer & cider at retail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 5057 Broadway, New York, NY 10034, New York County for on premises consumption. Patok by Rach LLC d/b/a Patok
Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0340-24133825 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 862 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10017 for on-premises consumption; Zara East Inc.
Autobahn Collision And Repairs LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on May 25, 2024. Office location: Richmond County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1388 Richmond Rd, Staten Island, NY 10310 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Townsend & Bastien, LLP Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on July 19, 2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1350 Ave Of The Americas, Flr 2, #1068, New York, New York, 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Partnership Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons, LLP. Notice of Registration filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/27/2024. Office location: 575 Lexington Ave., Ste. 2310, New York, NY 10022, New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to: 700 N. Pearl St., 25th Fl., Dallas, TX 75201. Registration as LLP originally filed on 8/27/2010 with Texas Secy. of State, P.O. Box 13697, Austin, TX 78711 Purpose: The practice of law.
Francisco Lindor’s back issues could derail Mets’ chances for wildcard spot
By RUDY ROBINSON
Special to the AmNews
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has proven to be a candidate for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award this season. Switched to the leadoff position on May 18 after a slow start, he’s been the catalyst of the New York Mets drive for a wildcard spot. However, an injury to his lower back, which forced him to miss Monday’s 2-1 10-inning win against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field, could be the main reason the Mets don’t earn one of three league wildcard positions.
The Mets’ 11th walk-off victory on a single by outfielder Starling Marte tied them for most in Major League Baseball and improved their record to 82-68 before the second game of the three-game series on Tuesday. The Mets were one game in front of the Atlanta Braves, which were 81-69 before facing the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. The San Diego Padres and Arizona Cardinals, 86-65 and 83-67 respectively when Tuesday’s schedule began, held the top two slots. Yet how much more Lindor will play for the remainder of the regular season, which ends on September 29, is questionable.
MRI results revealed on Monday showed no structural issues. Lindor’s back has been nagging him for well over a week and the discomfort became more intense as he was
running the bases last Friday in an 11-3 win versus the Philadelphia Phillies, causing him to sit out his first game of the season on Saturday. He returned on Sunday but left the field in the second inning. Lindor has been as important to his
team as any player has been to theirs. He began this week ranked in the top 10 in the league in at least five major categories: home runs, runs scored, hits, slugging percentage, and doubles.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodg-
ers, his main competition for MVP, is having a tremendous season. His quest for 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases would make him the first player in history to accomplish that feat. However, the Dodgers were virtually certain to make the playoffs this season when this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Mets.
Their first-year manager, Carlos Mendoza, who has done an admirable job of guiding the team and should receive some votes for NL Manager of the Year, changed the trajectory of the Mets when he moved Lindor from third to first in the lineup — a bold move — and Lindor rose to the challenge. Lindor, second on the team to first baseman Pete Alonso (32 homers as of Tuesday) with 27 home runs, led the Mets in at-bats (601), batting average (.271), RBI (86), hits (163), and on-base percentage to open the Nationals series.
Defensively, Lindor has had an equally important impact. He is presently fourth in the league with a .980 fielding percentage and has been a stabilizing force in the Mets’ infield.
It’s often said that health is always a critical part of any team’s fortune. In the midst of a battle to make it back to the postseason after a wildcard appearance in 2022 — a 2-1 series loss to the Padres, the Mets, who have ridden Lindor’s ailing back for the past four months, know it’s just not a baseball cliché.
The Yankees hold a loose grip on the AL East in chasing the division title
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
There was unease, or even palpable concern among the Yankees perpetually anxiety filled fan base when the team opened the second half of the season losing four out of seven games and were 60-45 on July 26, far from the rampaging team that was 50-22 in mid-June and looking every bit like a group constructed to end the franchise’s 15-year drought without winning a World Series. They still may be the champions when all is said and done, yet there is a lot of work ahead, with the AL East division title the first goal to attain. The Yankees faced the Seattle Mariners on the West Coast on Tuesday night in the opener of a threegame series winning 11-2 to improve to 88-63, four games up on the second place Baltimore Orioles (84-67). Both teams are locks to earn postseason spots, either as a division champion or wildcard. But the AL East pennant is the prize.
The Yankees will stay out West to play the Oakland A’s for three games this weekend and then host the Orioles for three at Yankee Stadium scheduled for next Tuesday through Thursday that could be a pendulum swing for the division crown. The Yankees have clear flaws in their lineup and pitching staff, the latter mainly the bullpen which
closer, Clay Holmes, led MLB in blown saves as of Tuesday with 12.
It is demonstrably proven that center fielder Aaron Judge and right fielder Juan Soto must produce consistently and proficiently for the Yankees to beat the best teams in the league that they’ll ultimately meet up with in the playoffs. Judge is the likely AL MVP and Soto should finish third in the voting when the results are announced in November following the conclusion of the World Series. As of today, Judge, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Soto are the top three betting favorites in succession.
After being on pace to break his AL home run record of 62 set in 2022, Judge had the longest home run dry spell of his career, going 16 games dating back to August 25 before hitting a dramatic grand slam last Friday in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox in the Bronx. It was Judge’s 52nd of the season. He went into last night’s game topping MLB with 53 home runs, 136 RBI, 123 walks and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.149. Judge was also third in batting with a .323 average.
Soto, who hit his 40th homer of the season and 200th for his career on Tuesday was second in walks (121), fourth in home runs (40) and tied for seventh in RBI (103).
Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge celebrates with teammates after a 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday as the Yankees maintain their first place lead in the AL East division. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Mets shortstop Francsico Lindor, National League MVP candidate, is dealing with a sore back in final weeks of MLB regular season. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
The Liberty clinch the No. 1 overall seed heading into the WNBA Playoffs
By LOIS ELFMAN
Special to the AmNews
With an 87–71 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday night, the New York Liberty clinched the No. 1 overall seed and home court advantage in the 2024 WNBA Playoffs. The win raised their league best record to 32-7. It is the first time since 2015 that the Liberty have gone into the playoffs in this position. They play their 40th and final game of the 2024 regular season tonight at the Barclays Center. As is an annual tradition, the game is billed as Fan Appreciation Night. Tonight marks the end of the WNBA regular season for all teams as the playoffs start on Sunday.
Every member of the team had minutes in the win over Washington and the bench was sterling, generating 40 points. Leonie Fiebich had 13 points and Nyara Sabally had 12. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said she’ll play the entire bench again tonight.
“We talked about it all season long, how they’re going to help us have success,” she noted. “We can go to the bench and maintain a really high level. When we have balanced scoring, I think that’s when we’re most dangerous.”
As the team worked to maintain the top spot, it also looked to assert their dominance over the league. That grip as top dogs was loosened by Minnesota Lynx,
who defeated the Liberty 88–79 at Barclays Center on Sept. 15. The Lynx also might have gained a mental edge over the Liberty. Including the Commissioner’s Cup final, New York is 1–3 against Minnesota this season. The Lynx have secured the No. 2 seed for the playoffs, capping it off with a 78-76 victory over the No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun on the road on Tuesday. The win moved them to 30-9 with one game remaining tonight against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Liberty forward Breanna Stewart had another amazing game versus the Lynx, with 38 points and 18 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome the collective firepower of Minnesota. “I was happy for 10 minutes tonight; the rest of it wasn’t so good,” said Brondello after the loss.
“We didn’t come out with the urgency I would have liked or had expected. This is a very disciplined team—the way they defend, but also the way they move the ball can be a really tough match up there. The only great thing about it is hopefully we meet them again and it should be fresh. We can learn a lot from that.”
On the positive side, Stewart said the Liberty could have just given up in the fourth quarter, but instead the team continued to fight until the final buzzer.
“They’re a good team and they’re playing really, really well together,” she said. “They deserved this more than we did.”
WNBA commissioner fumbles when asked about toxic fan behaviors
By LOIS ELFMAN
Special to the AmNews
Let’s start with the fact that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert does not condone racism. That said, she failed to articulate that during an appearance on the CNBC program “Power Lunch.” When asked about WNBA rivalries, notably Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and the dark side of social media, she pivoted to an analogy about when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird first joined the NBA in 1979 and how rivalries are good for sports. She then followed up with upbeat words about the increase in the league’s corporate sponsors.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Association responded with a decisive statement from executive director Terri Jackson in which she laid out how Engelbert should have answered. In part, her statement read: “This is not about rivalries or iconic personalities fueling a business model. This kind of toxic fandom should never be tolerated or left unchecked. It demands immediate action, and frankly, should have been addressed long ago.”
Engelbert subsequently issued an apology for her comments and denounced racism. Rather, now is the time to apply meaningful solutions so that the WNBA’s stand on such
behavior is clear and people can learn how harmful this sort of toxicity is.
“If left unaddressed, toxic behaviors will permeate into every aspect of the game and league,” said Nevin Caple, founder and CEO of Return On Inclusion and a former basketball player. “Sport is a microcosm of society, so these issues aren’t new, but with a growing fanbase the league has a tremendous opportunity, starting with the commissioner, to flex a little and set a new standard of what will be tolerated and what won’t.”
Caple noted that without active work to unlearn harmful behaviors and stereotypes, they continue to perpetuate in society. Creating an inclusive environment takes the work of all players, and that work takes practice just like the game of basketball, she said.
The league and the players have shown commitment over the past few years — with social justice initiatives and the WNBA Changemaker Collective — but there has not been decisive pushback against hostilities on social media, including those with racial overtones.
“In the WNBA, there is a greater responsibility to the players of a predominantly Black league to lead inclusivity, not just through policy and programs, but words and actions,” Caple said. “This work starts with leadership.”
The New Liberty wrap regular season with Fan Appreciation Night. (Brandon Todd/New York Liberty)
Indiana Fever All-Star rookie guard Caitlin Clark and WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert at the league’s draft last April. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Nicky Nieves considered the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris as her redemption. She missed the 2020/21 Games in Tokyo due to COVID, but this year’s games were a truly amazing experience. It began with being selected as the U.S. flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony and finished with winning a gold medal with the U.S. women’s sitting volleyball team.
“I felt so honored to be the flag bearer,” said Nieves, who also won gold at the 2016 Paralympics. “They trusted me to represent Team USA. Everything I’ve been through and everything I’ve accomplished thus far — it was incredible and amazing. I almost feel a little without words about it because I don’t think that words would be justice about how I was feeling carrying that flag.”
Sitting volleyball had matches from the start to the finish of the games, so Nieves and her teammates remained focused on their goal, a third consecutive gold medal.
“Whenever we weren’t playing, we were literally lifting and training,” she said. “It was one game at a time, and then at the end, for me personally, I just felt my redemption was complete. It all came together so perfectly, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”
The genuine enthusiasm for these Paralympic Games was palpable. “It definitely felt
like we finally were equal in terms of coverage, social media, and press,” said Nieves. “All of our games streamed on Peacock” (replay videos remain available).
Nieves was born in the Bronx and grew up in Queens. She moved to Florida but after high school, felt a yearning to return to NYC, so she decided to attend Queens College, where she played volleyball for a year. “Then I found sitting volleyball and I never looked back,” said Nieves.
Gold medal accomplished, Nieves returned home to her master’s degree program in clinical mental health. She is currently doing an
internship. If everything goes according to plan, she’ll be done in December so she can become a licensed therapist.
“The population I want to work with is children in trauma,” she said. “The focus right now is finishing that degree and starting my therapy career.”
Los Angeles 2028 is also in the picture. The U.S. sitting women’s volleyball team has a training camp in November, which she plans to attend.
Canelo Alvarez dominates Brooklyn’s Berlanga to remain unified champion
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
Mexican boxing superstar Canelo Álvarez put on a boxing clinic against Brooklyn native Edgar Berlanga for 12 rounds that saw the future hall of famer retain his unified WBC, WBA, and WBO super middleweight titles on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Canelo, in his annual Mexican Independence Day (celebrated Sept. 16) bout, dropped Berlanga in the third round with a powerful left hook on his way to a 118109, 117-110, 118-109 victory.
“What are the 12 rounds for?” Canelo (622-2, 39 KOs) answered when asked why he was unable to knock Berlanga out after knocking him down in round three. “The 12 rounds are for showing who’s the best. The knockout is unpredictable. You can’t just go out and get it because you want to. Did I want to? Of course, I did. But there’s also an opponent in front of you, someone that also does things well. So I did my thing and I was able to prove that I was the best throughout all 12 rounds.”
The 34-year-old Canelo has not knocked out an opponent since November 2021, when he defeated Caleb Plant and it shows that he is on the downside of his career,
though he is still fighting at an elite level. However, anyone looking for Canelo to challenge the best in his 168-pound weight class should not hold their breath.
Berlanga, 27, whose parents are from Puerto Rico, experienced his first loss as a professional and is now 22-1 (17 KOs).
“I fought a legend tonight,” he said after-
wards. “Hopefully this is the start today of me becoming a future legend.”
Also in Las Vegas on Saturday night, Merab Dvalishvili became UFC Bantamweight champion after defeating Sean O’Malley in a unanimous decision in five rounds at UFC 306, the very first sporting event at the Sphere, 48-47. 49-46, 48-47.
Because of the close scores, look for a rematch late this year or early next year.
WBA and WBO light middleweight champion Terence Crawford and Saudi Arabian boxing promoter, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, issued a challenge to Canelo while at UFC 306. When asked about it, Canelo gave no comment. Though it would be the biggest payday of his career, Crawford should not move up to 168 pounds from 154 pounds to fight Canelo. Boxing has weight divisions for a reason, and although Crawford won his first fight at light middleweight, he didn’t look like the same dominant fighter he was at lesser weights.
The UFC will return to Madison Square Garden for UFC 309 with Jon Jones making the first defense of his UFC heavyweight title against former two-time champion Stipe Miocic.
Next Friday, Puerto Rican fighter Xander Zayas returns to the Theater at Madison Square Garden to face Damian Sosa in a 10-round junior middleweight bout. Brownsville’s Bruce Carrington will face Sulaiman Segawa in a 10-round featherweight match. In the main event, Sandy Ryan will defend her WBO women’s welterweight title against former champion Mikaela Mayer in a 10-round fight.
New York native Nicky Nieves helped U.S. Women’s volleyball team win gold medal at 2024 Paralympics in Paris, France (Photos courtesy of Nicky Nieves)
Canelo Alvarez (left) sizes up Edgar Berlanga en route to a unanimous 12-round win in their super middleweight fight Saturday in Las Vegas. (Del Rio/Premier Boxing Champions photo)
Nicky Nieves
Sports
Jets’ exhausting opening schedule concludes
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
Networks and streaming services are paying the NFL $111 billion through 2033 for the rights to the single most valuable entertainment content in the country. Thus, they also influence scheduling — when games will be aired and which games will be broadcast nationally. The Jets have been the team most affected.
When they host the New England Patriots tonight at MetLife Stadium to begin Week 3 of the 2024 season, it will be their third game in just 11 days — a physically and mentally taxing stretch. They played the San Francisco 49ers on the road on Sept. 9 in a Monday night match-up, a 32-19 loss. Then this past Sunday, the Jets were in Tennessee where they defeated the Titans 24-17. Coming out of this condensed slate of games 2-1 could be the impetus for a playoff campaign, which has eluded the Jets
since 2010, the longest active period of not making the postseason of any team of the four major (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) North American sports.
“There’s always going to be changes with regard to Monday: short week, get ready to go to Tennessee, short week on Thursday, long week to Denver, short week to London, back to a mini long week,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh in late August, looking ahead to the Jets schedule.
“I mean, there’s all kinds of changes.”
After tonight, the Jets will play the Denver Broncos at MetLife on September 29 before traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to take on the Minnesota Vikings in London on Oct. 6 in a 9:30 a.m. ET start.
The return of quarterback Aaron Rodgers from a torn left Achilles tendon sustained in last season’s opener provides star power to a team expected to compete for a playoff spot coming into this season. This makes the Jets one of
the league’s featured teams, playing seven standalone games (the only game at that specific time slot) in the first 11 weeks of this season.
Rodgers led the Jets on a late fourth-quarter drive culminating in a go-ahead touchdown with four minutes and 31 seconds remaining in the win over Tennessee. Overall, he was 18-30 for 176 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Second-year defensive lineman Will McDonald IV powered the defense with three of the Jets’ four sacks.
But the Jets did not come out of the game unscathed: Their 2023 Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jermaine Johnson suffered a seasonending torn right Achilles tendon in the third quarter.
After losing to the Washington Commanders 21-18 on the road this past Sunday to drop to 0-2, the Giants will be in enemy territory again this Sunday to take on the Browns in Cleveland.
Howard gets the better of Morehouse in the HBCU NY Classic
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
The Howard University Bison of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) moved to 2-1 and kept the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) (0-3) still seeking their first win of this season with a 35-21 victory on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the HBCU NY Classic. Kasey Hawthorne, a fifth year
senior running back/wide receiver for Howard, opened the scoring with a three-yard run at 9:43 of the first quarter that gave the Bison a 7-0 lead.
Sophomore wide receiver Se’Quan Osborne’s 12-yard touchdown pass from redshirt senior quarterback Jaylon Tolbert, his first of four TD throws on the day, put Howard up 14-0 with 5:49 left in the quarter.
Morehouse sophomore quarterback Miles Scott connected on a 16yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Ajani Williams to cut the deficit to 14-7 at 7:46 of the second
quarter, but a little over three minutes later, Tolbert hit freshman tight end Ke’Untae Mosley for a 33-yard touchdown and Howard pushed its lead back to 14. Morehouse would not get closer.
The Maroon Tigers had two fourth quarter touchdowns on passes from Scott — 21 yards to Williams at 8:33 and 27 yards to freshman receiver Kamrin Brunson at 1:54 but it was merely academic by that point.
HBCU football is not just about what happens on the field, but off. Before, during, and after the game,
sponsors including Toyota and Walmart, and radio stations like WBLS entertained enthusiastic attendees with giveaways and music.
The Sing Harlem Choir performed the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice” before the game and singer and recording artist Honey Bxby performed the national anthem. Actress Marsai Martin handled the pregame coin flip to determine the first possession. Marching bands from each side performed at halftime, and Grammy-winning performer Sean Paul had a 30-minute postgame concert.
after
and entertainment
take on another HBCU this Saturday when they face the Hampton Pirates in the Truth and Service Classic at Audi Field in Washington D.C., before meeting up with the Princeton Tigers on the road on Sept. 28. Morehouse will be in Chicago this Saturday to battle Kentucky State University, before heading home to Atlanta to host Benedict College on Sept. 28.
Hip-hop legend Slick Rick performed at Toyota’s
party at the nearby Dream Wheel at the American Dream retail
center. Howard will
Jets edge rusher Will McDonald IV exits field at Nissan Stadium in Nashville this past Sunday after registering three sacks in 24—17 win over Titans. (AP Photo/John Amis)
The mood at MetLife Stadium on Saturday was festive as Howard defeated Morehouse 35-21 in the battle of HBCU football programs. (Bill Moore photos)
