New York Amsterdam News Issue #45 Nov. 10-16, 2022

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(GIN)—Some civil rights activists suspect this year’s U.N. climate conference, held in a country reputed for holding thousands of po litical prisoners, will give the host country a great opportunity to remake its image and po sition itself as the voice for the Global South.

In fact, Egypt is facing a barrage of criticism over what rights groups say is a crackdown on protests and activists, Egyptian journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous shared some of these concerns with American peace activist Medea Benjamin who wanted to know how repressed civil soci ety leaders view Egypt playing host to COP27.

“It was very disheartening for a lot of people in Egypt who work for human rights and jus tice and democracy when Egypt was granted the right to host the conference. But Egyptian civil society has not called on the interna tional community to boycott the COP meet ing; they have called for the plight of political prisoners and the lack of human rights to be linked to the climate discussions and not ig nored,” responded Abdel Kouddous.

“They want a spotlight to be placed on the thousands of political prisoners like Alaa, like Abdel Moneim Aboul Foitouh, a former presi dential candidate, and others.”

“The issue of climate reparations to the Global South is very important. It needs to be discussed and taken seriously. But how can you give climate reparations to a country like Egypt when you know the money will mostly be spent on bolstering this repressive, pollut ing state? As Naomi Klein said in “Greenwash ing a Police State”, the summit is going beyond greenwashing a polluting state to greenwash ing a police state,” he observed.

“I think what we are going to see in Sharm el-Sheik is a carefully managed theater. We all know the problems with the UN Climate Sum mits. There are a lot of negotiations and cli mate diplomacy, but rarely do they amount to anything concrete and binding.

“But they do serve as an important place for networking and convergence for different groups in the climate justice movement, an opportunity for them to come together to organize.”

This year, protests will only be allowed out near a highway, far away from the conference

center and any signs of life… “This is why people like Greta Thunberg are not going.”

More importantly, members of Egyptian civil society, including the allies and environ mental groups that are critical of the govern ment, will not be allowed to attend.

Environmental issues that will be allowed are issues such as trash collection, recycling, renewable energy and climate finance, which is a big issue for Egypt and for the Global South.

Environmental issues that implicate the government and military will not be toler ated – such as coal mining, oil and gas pro duction and exports.

For Richard Pearshouse, environment di rector at Human Rights Watch, human rights and climate justice are inextricably linked.

"The international community is facing a di lemma,” he said.

“How do we engage on global climate pol icies in a country where there is severe re pression of civil society?"

The official Cop27 app, which has already been downloaded more than 5,000 times, requires sweeping permissions from users before it in stalls, including the ability for Egypt’s ministry of communications and information technology to view emails, scour photos and determine users’ locations. “This is a cartoon super-villain of an app,” said Gennie Gebhart, the Electronic Fron tier Foundation’s advocacy director. “The biggest red flag is the number of permissions required, which is unnecessary for the operation of the app and suggests they are trying to surveil attendees.

Their concerns were echoed by Hossam Baghat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, who tweeted a screenshot of the app’s terms and conditions that read: “Our application reserves the right to access customer accounts for technical and admin istrative purposes and for security reasons.”

The Egyptian government also blocks online access to over 500 websites, including the country’s lone independent news outlet Mada Masr, using technology provided by the Canadian company Sandvine.

According to rights groups, security forces have been setting up checkpoints on Cairo streets, stopping people and searching their phones to find anything related to planned protests.

The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Free doms, an NGO, said that 93 people had been ar rested - some of whom allegedly sent videos calling for protests over social messaging apps. Indian climate activist Ajit Rajagopal was de tained after setting off on a protest walk from the Egyptian capital to Sharm el-Sheikh.

Separately, a group of five independent human rights experts, all of them UN spe cial rapporteurs, published a statement de nouncing restrictions ahead of the summit. They said the Egyptian government had placed strict limits on who can participate in the talks, and that “a wave of government restrictions on participation raised fears of reprisals against activists.”

In a departure from UN rules, those groups that manage to participate will have been vetted and approved by the government and will have to be very careful about how they op erate. Other Egyptians who should be there are unfortunately in prison or are subject to various forms of repression and harassment.

CAMEROON LEADER SUSPECTED OF FAILING HEALTH AFTER SKIPPING A ‘MEGA-RALLY’

(GIN)—Thousands of Cameroonians gath ered in the capital Yaounde on Nov. 6, Sunday, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the presi dency of Paul Biya.

But the 89-year-old Biya was a no-show at the ‘mega-rally’ designed to commemorate his many years in office. It raised long-simmering doubts about his health and ability to serve.

At the capital Yaounde’s city hall, there were giant portraits of the absent leader inscribed “an exceptional president,” while critics, wearing black, stepped up their campaigns for change in election laws that were amend ed to keep Biya in power forever.

Biya has not appeared in public since French President Emmanuel Macron visited in July. Decrees and photos of Biya receiving various diplomats are regularly posted on the presi dent’s social media accounts.

“Nov. 6 is considered a day of national mourning because Mr. Biya inherited a rich, prosperous and growing country,” said critic Darling Nguevo. “And he set about unraveling every sector of life and society.”

“Corruption has made its bed in the coun try. So has bad governance. Paul Biya is old and his public appearances are rare, and this is happening against the backdrop of the suc cession battle,” he added.

Still, any talk about who might succeed Biya, who turns 90 in February, is strictly taboo in government circles.

‘Ministers have fallen into disgrace just for thinking about a theoretical departure of the president,’ says Aimee Raoul Sumo Tayo, a Cameroon defense and security specialist.

The celebration of the country’s “unity” takes place as Biya faces growing challenges that range from a secessionist movement in Camer oon's English-speaking provinces to the threat in the north posed by Islamic extremists aligned with the Nigeria-based Boko Haram group.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH—CAREFULLY MANAGED THEATER?

(GIN photo)

Gov. Hochul, Delgado beat out Zeldin

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

Governor Kathy Hochul, New York State’s first woman to hold the position, has successfully won her first full term in office against Republican challenger Lee Zeldin in this November’s gubernatori al race.

“I have felt the weight on my shoulders to make sure that every little girl and all the women of the state who have had to bang up against glass ceilings every time they turn,” said Hochul in her victo ry speech a few hours after the polls closed. “To know that a woman can be elected in her own right and suc cessfully govern a state as rough and tumble as New York.”

The race was scathingly close. According to unofficial New York State Board of Elections election results, Hochul had 52.11 % of the votes and Zeldin had about 47% of the votes as of Nov. 9.

Hochul, along with Lt. Gov. An tonio Delgado, were running for reelection after scandals of their predecessors put both of them in office. Hochul was elect ed as Lt. Gov. along with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Novem ber 2014. She went on to replace him as governor after he resigned due to sexual harrasment allega

tions in 2021. Similarly, Delga do replaced Hochul’s former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin. Benjamin resigned in April 2022 after being charged with bribery and cam paign fraud.

Hochul promised to contin ue championing progressive pol icies and building a new cabinet

See ELECTION on page 25

Randall’s for All: Officials address Senegalese migrants in growing housing conversation

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

On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams confirmed reports of Senegalese migrants moving into the contro versial pilot Humanitarian Emer gency Response and Relief Center (HERRC) built on Randall’s Island in response to southern border of ficials bussing asylum seekers to New York City.

“What happened was that we’re using the HERRCs to all asylum seekers and migrants, no matter where they’re coming from,” said

Adams. “We’re using the HERRCs to do the process as we continue with the appropriate measures, making sure we give the housing that’s needed.

“And this was brought to our attention, some of the imams reached out to us and stated that some asylum seekers and migrants were living in terrible conditions, and we responded ac cordingly. So no matter who the asylum seeker is or the migrant may be, we are going to follow the same process.”

The shelter, often dubbed as a “tent city,” was initially construct

ed in Orchard Beach. But flood ing, community pushback in the Bronx and drama over contract ing Trump border wall develop ers on the project set the process back. By the time the facility was relocated to Randall’s Island and open to migrants, the buses from the southern border already eased up due to federal concessions to restrict Venezuelan entry.

Shortly after the shelter opened, Adams told 1010 WINS on 92.3 FM the city’s long-term plan was to dismantle the HERRC but would use the facility for other

See RANDALL'S on page 27

Lee Zeldin’s narrow loss reflects city’s public safety concerns

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

Close, but no cigar for Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY District 1) who pro vided a stiff but ultimately failed challenge against Democrat ic Gov. Kathy Hochul during this past Tuesday’s election. While the narrow margin comes as a sur prise in a state that hasn’t seen a Republican governor since George Pataki, the congressman

managed a near fourth quar ter comeback last month as his tough-on-crime platform in New York City seemed to resonate late with voters during an October where violent transit crime dom inated the local newscycle. Recently, the NYPD released last month’s citywide crime stats. And like Zeldin’s margin to Hochul’s, murder and assault numbers are down compared to October 2021. But while there were some reduc tions in violent crime, every other

major index crime is up, includ ing rapes, robberies and burglar ies. As expected, transit crimes rose by 28%. Shootings were down by 33.6%. Overall, index crime was up by 5.9%.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe is our mission—and the NYPD’s commitment to the public will never waver,” said Police Com missioner Keechant L. Sewell. “Our work to suppress violence, to maintain order on our streets

Metro Briefs

New York Urban League hosts 35th annual HBCU Fair

The New York Urban League (NYUL) is hosting its 35th annual Histori cally Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Fair Saturday Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park.

This year’s fair, presented by The Malcolm Bernard HBCU College Fair, Inc. in partnership with the NYUL, returns in-person after being virtu al due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will have access to dozens of HBCU admissions representatives, alumni and staff, along with col lege and scholarship resources from organizations such as College Board and other organizations.

All high school and community college students and their parents, community and faith-based youth groups and college prep groups are encouraged to attend. Students and youth groups can register online and find more information at www.hbcu-cfnj.com.

Harlem Holiday Lights event set for Nov. 15

The 125th Street Business Improvement District is hosting its annual Harlem Holiday Lights Event on Nov. 15, on 125th Street between 5th Avenue and 12th Avenue, commemorating its 29th year.

This year’s grand marshals are restaurateur, cookbook author, and tele vision personality, Melba Wilson owner of Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem and legendary rapper/producer Doug E Fresh.

There will be activation hubs all along the route, special promotional launches by 125th Street businesses, and information stations for those seeking help on everything from health and wellness to cure programs. The event will also feature a tree lighting ceremony at Marcus Garvey Park, and a stop at Mount Morris Park Ascension Presbyterian Church for a special Blessing.

NYC subway sets ridership records on marathon weekend

Ridership on the subway reached 2.11 million Sunday, surpassing the previous pandemic-era Sunday ridership record set on June 26, 2022, of 2.01 million, and 84% of the pre-pandemic baseline for the comparable second Sunday of November in 2019. The ridership was 12% more than last year’s marathon Sunday subway ridership of 1.89 million, and 13% more than the previous Sunday ridership of 1.88 million.

The record-breaking Sunday, on the day of the 51st running of the New York City Marathon, was preceded by yet another Saturday post-pan demic record. On the eve of the NYC Marathon, 2.45 million people rode the subway, surpassing last Saturday’s record of 2.44 million. In addition to the third straight record-day on the subways Saturday, paratransit also set a record. On Saturday, paratransit carried 100% of its pre-pandemic baseline with 16,800 scheduled trips.

The records come on the day that MTA officials had announced plans to reduce planned maintenance-related service changes in the subway system to ensure New Yorkers can move around the city with minimal disruptions on marathon Sunday.

Broadway theater renamed after Lena Horne

The Brooks Atkinson Theatre was officially renamed the Lena Horne Theatre in honor of the iconic entertainer and civil rights activist, be coming the first Broadway theater to be named for a Black woman. The formal celebration will take place on Nov. 1 on 47th Street.

The ceremony included special performances, remarks, and an un veiling of the new marquee, kicking off with a DJ’d block party to cele brate the occasion. Joining in the celebration were stars and luminaries from the Broadway and entertainment communities.

As the first Black woman ever to be nominated for a Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical, Horne also had a special history within the Nederlander family. James (Jimmy) L. Nederlander’s father, James M. Nederlander, was instrumental as one of the lead producers of “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music” which played at the Nederlander The atre in 1981. The show was an instant success and was extended to a full-year run, garnering Horne a special Tony Award and two Grammy Awards for the cast recording of her show.

(Ariama C. Long photo)

Dems may hold Senate but the GOP has the House edge

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Call it an election of jump balls, hanging in the bal ance or any other metaphor suggesting it’s too close to call and you have the outcome of Tuesday night key midterm races, none more consequential than control of the Senate.

It was a 50-50 split before the election and as we go to press it stands at 48 to 48, thus with four races still wait ing to be decided, including the showdown between in cumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia. And with neither candidate acquiring the 50% needed to be declared a winner, a run-off, as it was in 2020 will be slated.

On Wednesday morning, the tally was a dead heat, to cite another metaphor, between Warnock (48.5%) and Walker (49.5%) and Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver with (2.1%) of the overall count. A runoff may be set for Dec. 6 after the results are certified.

“Whether it’s later tonight, or tomorrow, or four weeks from now, we will hear from the people of Georgia, the people who have given me this great honor of representing you in the Senate, and we will move forward,” Warnock told a throng of supporters Tuesday night. Walker said that “The fight for Geor gia’s Senate seat is going into overtime,” a term fit ting for his acclaim on the gridiron. “It’s going to be all hands on deck for the next four weeks, so I need your help once again.”

Meanwhile, one of the other critical Senate races in Pennsylvania has Democrat John Fetterman de feating television doctor Republican Mehmet Oz by a vote of 50.4% to 47.2%. Since the campaigning began it was projected to be a tight contest with Fetterman,

the state’s lieutenant governor, taking on the Trumpbacked celebrity.

Still outstanding in the race to control the Senate are the contests in Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada. The race between the conservative incumbent Ron John son and rising star Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, an African American, remains too close to call with Johnson get ting 50.5% of the vote and Barnes at 49.5%. In Arizona, incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly holds a narrow lead of 51.4% over his Republican challenger Blake Masters at 46.4%. A large portion of the vote has yet to be counted.

Going into the midterm elections Nevada was deemed the most vulnerable for the Democrats where Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina senator in the nation trails Republican Adam Laxalt, 47.2% to 49.9%, but the race continues to be a toss-up.

In the end, the Senate could still be evenly divided, thereby placing the deciding vote once more in the hands of Vice President Kamala Harris, but that finali ty is quite a bit down the road, considering the runoff in Georgia.

Things are less in command for the Democrats in the House of Representatives where Republicans hold 212 seats and need six more to gain the majority. Democrats have 220 seats, and there are three vacancies—one of ficeholder died and two others resigned.

Ordinarily, the party in power loses seats during the midterm but the results thus far have not been as di sastrous as predicted, despite the setbacks encoun tered with gerrymandering. One disturbing setback for the Democrats occurred with the defeat of Sean Malo ney, the chair of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He conceded to challenger Mike Lawler. It has been more than 40 years since a campaign commit tee chair lost a race.

Black Floridians organizing after Hurricane Ian

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Hurricane Ian made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on the afternoon of Sept. 28 as a Category 4 Storm. With 150-mph winds and heavy rains, Ian was one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S.—it knocked out power for 2.6 million Floridi ans, many of whom are still trying to recover from the damage.

As the after-the-storm cleanup began, Florida’s Black communities were vocal in pointing out how they were being ignored by media and assistance

organizations. The east Fort Myers neighborhood of Dunbar (which sits between Tampa and Miami) was among the hardest hit by Hurricane Ian, but initial media attention focused on the stories of white families who lost their homes on nearby island communities like Sanibel and Captiva.

Dunbar is a long-established traditionally Black neighborhood: it developed as Fort Myers became an important trading location in the 1880s. Mem bers of the Civil War’s U.S. Colored Troops 2nd Regiment and formerly enslaved Blacks created the neighborhood and in the 20th century, it was a

SOMOS Conference, the ‘PFKNR’ Resistance Tour

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

The SOMOS Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico is unofficially a political party for New York’s gov ernment officials and affiliates while they alleg edly make backroom deals that decide the fate of our city and state. In the wake of Hurricane Fiona, which devastated the island in September, some are galvanizing more on the ground efforts to keep the spotlight on recovery for local communities.

Councilmembers Alexa Aviles, Tiffany Caban, and Amanda Farias, with Senator Gustavo Rivera,

the Executive Leadership Development Council and other local community groups are organizing a ‘resistance’ bus tour on Nov. 12 during the con ference in San Juan.

The bus tour will visit with less commercialized non profits across the island still working towards reconstruction and relief efforts from Hurricane Fiona and Maria.

Jonathan Soto, the coordinator for Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana in the Diaspora and a former city hall staffer, has a pretty “anti-SOMOS” stance.

He will be attending the conference this year, but heavily criticized the “viper’s nest” that the

Black Solidarity Day commemorated in NJ

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

On Monday, Nov. 7, the People’s Organization for Progress (P.O.P.) continued its ‘Justice Monday’ pro tests at the Peter Rodino Federal Building acknowledging Black Sol idarity Day.

Conceptualized by the late Brooklyn-based Panamanian scholar activist Carlos Russell, Black Solidarity Day was launched in 1969 as a Day of Absence to consolidate the Black Vote on the Monday before Election Day.

Protesters condemned the New Jersey attorney general’s decision last week to exonerate the officer who killed Hasani Best in a mental health crisis in August 2020. They also condemned the Town of New ton’s refusal to acknowledge the service of Major Gulia Dale III in a ceremony of recognition of res ident veterans this past Saturday.

Dale, who was a recently retired life time highly decorated veteran, was killed in a mental health facility by Newton police officers last Fourth of July. One of the officers involved in the incident, Steven Kneidl, was ac knowledged.

“Why couldn’t a 42-year deco rated Black vet be acknowledged in a veterans’ service,” said P.O.P. leader Lawrence Hamm. “Be

cause he was killed by the police in a mental health crisis. They should’ve made a special point to not only mention Major Dale, but to look at what vets like him go through. What they did instead, in ignoring him as if his service and his life didn’t matter, is almost like killing him all over again.”

P.O.P. hosted 300 Monday protests that were originally launched in February of 2016 to honor the birth of the Sit-in Movement of Black col lege students opening a new wave of the Civil Rights Movement in Febru ary 1960 and to spotlight New Jer sey’s victims on police brutality.

At that time, the protests centered on the cases of Abdul Kamal killed in Irvington, of Jerome Reid killed in Bridgeton, of Kashad Ashford killed in Lyndhurst and of Radazz Hearns shot in Trenton. Hearns, only a teen at the time, survived his encounter.

Since then, New Jersey has seen the loss of Jameek Lowery in police custody in Paterson, whose death contributed to the signing of the In dependent Prosecutor’s Bill into law, Darryl Fuqua, killed by Bridgeton police, Maurice Gordon killed by a NJ State Trooper just before George Floyd, the previously mentioned Major Gulia Dale, Hasani Best by Asbury Park police, and most re cently Thelonious McKnight by police in Paterson.

Newark Public Schools hosts ALL Schools Fair

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

Newark Public Schools hosted The ALL Schools Fair last Sat urday with families eager to connect with school represen tatives to learn about opportu nities in the city’s schools. The fair was attended by more than 2,000 students and their families amid the launch of Newark En rolls, the district’s universal en rollment system.

This year, the fair was held at the newly renovated Newark Vo cational High School where the students’ Career and Technical Education programs in Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Tour ism were on full display. Fami lies were greeted with delectable treats of muffins, cupcakes, pasta, and pizza as they visited the vari

ous school stations.

Families have until Feb. 3, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. to make their choices. Officials encour age families to visit the Newark Enrolls website to review each school’s profile and promotion al video (www.NewarkEnrolls. org). Newark Enrolls is the only universal enrollment system in Newark that provides families with a transparent and equita ble process to access the city’s schools. The system, which in cludes all district schools, private pre kindergarten pro viders, and participating char ter schools, is administered by the district and powered by the SchoolMint platform. School Mint supports 16,000 school dis tricts, 11 million students, and more than 70% of U.S. Charter Management Organizations.

IHOPE: NY-NJ soul food magnate Adenah

Bayoh makes room at the table

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

An International House of Pancakes is not an international home of pancakes, ac cording to some. So when Adenah Bayoh became the youngest Black woman to fran chise an IHOP in 2007, she introduced a side menu where New Jersey locals could order catfish, whiting and collard greens next to their Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity pancakes.

“IHOP was pissed as hell when it found out this was happening,” said Bayoh. “They [were] mad as hell. And I remember getting this phone call and the letter from that at torney was a cease-and-desist letter.

“What saved me during that time was 10% of my gross revenue was the soul food menu. They had a problem on their hands— they couldn’t say no to this thing that was growing like wildfire. So they allowed me to do a modified version of it.”

Bayoh’s spot soon became the fastest growing IHOP in the northeast. She followed up by opening three other locations in the “Garden State” including a pair in Newark. Still, Bayoh wanted a concept she could call her own. In 2017, she started the restaurant Cornbread Farm to Soul with business part ner Zadie B. Smith. This past summer, a lo cation opened up in Crown Heights.

“We were in Brooklyn when it was so hard to do business in Brooklyn,” she said. “We built that project and we opened our doors this May. And the support from the commu nity has been mindblowing. I always tell my customers, ‘one thing about Brooklyn, y’all support your own.’”

Between meals, Bayoh also develops af fordable housing and serves on the Small Business and Agricultural Advisory Council for the New York Fed. She’s currently work ing on a greenlight for her Southside View project in Newark. If approved, the pro posed 40-unit complex would be the first woman or Black-led property to receive a federal 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit in New Jersey. Bayoh, who lived in public housing, says the property would meet community needs, boasting playgrounds, community gardens and in-apartment laundry. And break another glass ceiling for women in development.

But she wasn’t always running a NY-NJ restaurant/real-estate empire or getting calls from the federal reserve. Bayoh start ed her first business at around age 8 selling vegetables to fellow refugees in Sierra Leone after her family was displaced during the Li berian Civil War. She saw the lack of familiar foods in the camp. So Bayoh and her older cousin would trek to their home village to bring back those veggies.

The mindset carried over when she ar rived in the United States at age 13. Bayoh soon started a babysitting business for chil dren around the neighborhood. Then, she offered laundry services—come back in three hours and clients would find their

Black New Yorker

clothes washed and folded. She also says she worked at McDonalds as a teen. In col lege, Bayoh balanced a trio of jobs, working at a bank and as a resident assistant, along with braiding hair in her dorm room.

But beyond hard work, Bayoh credits the long line of women who paved the way for her, starting with her grandmother, who grew up in a remote, rural village.

“She was a really amazing, badass woman that raised me since I was an infant all the way to adulthood,” said Bayoh. “She had a real estate holding company, and she had restaurants, she had a farm. And she was an advocate of other people and other women. She believed in community.”

Then, there were her teachers who put in extra hours to acclimate her to American life and pushed her to attend college. And then there’s Nicole, an IHOP employee who connected Bayoh to financial backing for her first franchise after she was rejected in her first seven attempts to secure funding. So she’s paying it forward, for other women.

“When you’re at the table, make room at the table, right?” said Bayoh. “Most of the managers in my organization today, well over 60 or 80% of them are women. Women that I’m teaching to eventually be their own boss. Go open your own restaurant, start your own franchise, right? Your mother did not [birth] you to work for me for the rest of your life. Go start your own business, do something meaningful, right?”

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

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

A “Supreme” Beneficiary of Affirmative Action Wants to End It

There is every reason to believe that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to outlaw affirmative action, the tool that has given countless women and people of color access to equal opportunities. During hearings last month, the court’s conservative 6-3 majority made it clear that it was ready to rule that the race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina (UNC) are unlawful.

The ringleader of the campaign to kill affirmative action is Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving justice and the court’s second Black member. His more than 700 opinions have staked out controversial positions on abortion, guns and race that are now followed by a majority of the court. His views have stirred something dangerous.

“I’ve heard the word diversity quite a few times, and I don’t have a clue what it means,” Thomas quipped during the recent court hearing. “It seems to mean everything for everyone.”

As disingenuous statements go, this ranks pretty high. Does Clarence Thomas actually believe that his race has nothing to do with his current position on the Supreme Court? Race is the reason Thurgood Marshall, a much more qualified judge, was put on the Supreme Court. And it’s the reason Thomas was put on the highest court.

Comments like these, however, do provide cover to prominent conservatives who acknowledge racism as a constant, ineradicable feature of American life, but maintain that the only hope for oppressed racial minorities lie within themselves. To be sure, Thomas’ words are also meant to be a distraction from the real legal issue. More on that later.

The Supreme Court will likely announce its decisions in both the UNC and Harvard cases sometime next year. Nine states have already ended consideration of race in university admissions, including Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Washington.

Both Justice Thomas and I attended Yale Law School during the early years of its affirmative action program, when sharp debate raged in the school about the cost vs. benefit of raceconscious admissions.

I strongly believed that bar exams, admissions tests and grading scales were culturally biased, and that affirmative action leveled the playing field, granting folks like Justice Thomas and myself admission. I have dedicated my life to racial and economic equity, and social justice ever since.

Thomas believed that Blacks did not need what he called “separate-but-lower” admission standards at Yale, even though Thomas enjoyed all the advantages of affirmative action. In his

2007 memoir, “My Grandfather’s Son,” Thomas claimed it diminished his achievements at the law school. He maintained minority students should be able to prove their capabilities without racial preference.

For someone who reaped the benefits of affirmative action, it’s awfully hypocritical to now close the door on others benefitting. And affirmative action as a factor in his career did not diminish his achievements, certainly not in the 21st century judging by how revered he is among conservatives.

Thomas, who is a big originalist and likes to rely on a plain reading of the U.S. Constitution, can’t rely on those two forms of analysis when it comes to the Equal Protection Clause, which is the basis for the current fight on affirmative action. The Equal Protection Clause as a textual matter does not support his affirmative action position. The clause is vague at best, but a plain reading of it does not say you cannot help Blacks.

In fact, there is evidence that the framers of the 14th Amendment believed in raceconscious programs to help Blacks. Consider the Freedman’s Bureau which was established by Congress in 1865 to provide relief and help to formerly enslaved people to become self-sufficient.

The odds of affirmative action surviving this court are not good. But I am encouraged by the stance of the newest Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, who joined the court last month. During oral arguments in the UNC case, she contrasted two hypothetical candidates: a White student who would be the fifth generation in his family to attend UNC and a Black student descended from slaves who would be his family’s first college student.

“Now, as I understand your no-race-conscious admissions rule, these two applicants would have a dramatically different opportunity to tell their family stories and to have them count,” Jackson said.

If admissions officers could consider factors like whether applicants were parents, veterans, disabled or legacy applicants — but not if they were members of racial minorities who faced extraordinary challenges – that has “the potential of causing more of an equal protection problem than it’s actually solving,” Justice Jackson argued.

And that is the point: It is fair to take race, a deep-rooted attribute in American life, into consideration alongside academic achievement and multiple other elements.

A level playing field requires that our stories be told, and truths are heard, and whether people like Clarence Thomas acknowledge it or not, race is the elephant everyone knows is in the room.

(Adenah Bayoh Photo)

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

Closing Rikers: 18th jail death leads to 18-hour protest, 18 body bags by City Hall

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

Gilberto Garcia is the 18th person to die in—or shortly after—Department of Cor rections custody this year. The 26-yearold man was found dead in Rikers last Monday, Oct. 31. This news comes just nine days after 28-year-old Erick Tavira was also found dead in the notorious jail.

Last Thursday, Nov. 3, advocates held a rally at City Hall Park demanding Rikers’ closure: 18 hours for 18 deaths. And 18 mock Department of Corrections (DOC) body bags were lined up across the sidewalk. Or ganizers included Freedom Agenda, VO CAL-NY and the #HALTsolitary Campaign. In the late morning, they sounded off for a rally alongside elected officials. “2022 has become one of the deadliest years in the history of NYC Department of Corrections,” said Freedom Agenda co-

director Darren Mack. “The dysfunction, chronic staff absenteeism, and lack of ac countability has intensified. Advocates have been sounding the alarm and calling for urgent action from the City.”

“This is not about safety,” said Council member Tiffany Cabán. “This is about in terest. And so again, I am here to condemn every single actor that has played a role in this brutal, f--king crisis.”

“Eighteen people didn’t have to die this year,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Eighteen families didn’t have to face the deep, unimaginable grief of a loved one lost to our criminal legal system. The injustices and neglect at Rikers must and can be stopped.”

Beyond the closure of Rikers, organizers also demanded that Mayor Eric Adams de lineate a public plan to stop sending New Yorkers to the city’s deadly jails, as well as apply his authority to decarcerate and pro tect current detainees.

This rally comes on the heels of another demonstration two weeks prior at Gracie Mansion, where religious leaders from the Interfaith Center of New York remembered those who died this year in DOC custody. The date, Oct. 17, marked the third year an niversary of the city council’s vote to close Rikers in favor of borough-based facilities.

“We believe that all people here in the United States are innocent, until proven guilty, and that no one should be subject ed to cruel and unusual punishment,” said organizer the Rev. Dominique Atchinson. “There seems to be some cruel and un usual punishment, and punishment that is happening to people who have not actual ly been convicted of a crime.

“And so all of that together feels like a moral imperative. It feels like something that the faith community should be and has been involved in. And so we felt like it would be a great opportunity in that moment to remind the mayor and other

elected officials involved of their commit ment to close Rikers.”

The majority of detainees to die in DOC custody were not convicted of the crime they were held for. All, with the exception of neurologist Ricardo Cruciani—who is white––are identified as Black, brown, mul tiracial or “other” by The New York Times’ death tracker.

A recent, independent but officially man dated status report on the DOC’s action plan found length of stay as a key root to Rikers’ problems. Detainees are not exiting jails fast enough, leading to overstretched staff, housing units and mental health ser vices, along with more frequent violent conflicts. Garcia, for example, was report edly in DOC custody since before the pan demic.

Additionally, the report blamed a signif icant number of the 2022 deaths on inad

‘Together for Kingsbridge’ groups reimagine historic Armory

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

Yet another community-driven move ment to reinvest into the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx is underway. The his

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toric landmarked building is one of the few remaining armories in New York City and was considered the largest in North Ameri ca at the time it was built in 1917.

“Kingsbridge is a vibrantly diverse neigh borhood,” said Councilmember Pieri na Sanchez. The surrounding community around the armory is made up of middleand working-class immigrant residents from Latin, Hispanic, Caribbean, and Afri can countries.

“What I’ve been hearing is what we need for the armory to do is to bring economic development, jobs, and opportunities for youth. That can look a lot of different ways which is why we have this process to see what the community wants here,” she con tinued.

The beautifully bricked building is 180,000 square feet of open space with roughly 120 foot ceilings. It was previous ly used by the National Guard up until 1994 to store weapons, perform drills, and hold special events like boxing matches and film shoots. Ownership of the space was transferred to the city from New York State in 1996. With the exception of emergen cies and the COVID-19 pandemic, where it served as a temporary food distribution center for those in need, the building has mostly sat unused by the community for decades.

The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), along with various electeds over the years, have led a nearly 30 year crusade to have collec tive and cooperative land ownership of the armory, make the building and reservoir beneath it more sustainable, and have any armory projects benefit local businesses. They fiercely advocate for generating local union jobs with any armory restoration

projects and procurement for residents in District 14.

The ‘vision’ meetings and sessions from this past weekend were led by NWBCCC, Sanchez, Bronx Borough President Vanes sa Gibson, and the New York City Econom ic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). In the coming months, the community en gagement process will outline a new vision for the future redevelopment of the Kings bridge Armory.

“This is the third go-around,” said Juan Nuñez, lead organizer for the NWBCCC.

“One of the times we fought was against Mayor Bloomberg in 2009. He wanted to build a mall here and we pushed back against that because we knew that if you build a mall here those local businesses would have been destroyed.”

NYCEDC Fernando Ortiz said that the EDC has been involved with the previous failed attempts at redeveloping the armory since the ’90s. Despite having communi ty enthusiasm, the last proposal failed be cause the developer couldn’t find financing to get the project started which led to years of litigation with the development team until February 2022, he said. In February, community leaders jumped at the oppor tunity to implement a long-held vision for the building.

“I think what makes this attempt differ ent is that this time we’re going with the community first. We want to first build this community vision document that captures what the needs and priorities and values for redevelopment is from the communi ty perspective and then create an RFP that reflects that,” said Ortiz.

Executive Director of NWBCCC Sandra

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Go With The Flo

FLO ANTHONY

“9-1-1” on Fox actress and executive producer Angela Bassett recently breezed into the Big Apple from Los Angeles, taking the entire city over, as she promoted her new film, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which hits theaters Nov. 11. The Oscar nominee was also honored at Glam our’s 2022 Women of the Year Awards on Nov. 1 at The Grill & The Pool in midtown Manhattan while in NYC, and did the rounds on talk shows which included “Good Morning America,” “The View,” “Good Day New York” and “The Tamron Hall Show,” clad in one fabulous outfit after another.

Scripps Network announced a slate of five new original holiday motion pictures to premiere on ION and Bounce. This year’s new original movies feature familiar faces, including Vivica A. Fox, Jackee Harry, Billy Baldwin and Tom Arnold. Fox guest stars as the chairwoman of the board of the design company where long suffering Emily (Sara Ball) works in the film “Dognapped: Hound for the Holidays,” which premieres Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. ET. The movie centers around an egotistical social media influencer’s dog being kidnapped and Emily teaming up with local vet Jonathan (Noah Fearnley) to find the puppy before Christmas.

After working with a variety of community ser vices over the past 25 years, the Queens, N.Y. based non-profit org 1 World Fest Global’s CoFounder Kamel Ellis set out to be a part of the solution when he started the organization five years ago, born out of a need to serve multicultur al communities year-round by providing aware ness, assistance, and critical access to resources. Faced with the challenge of addressing the issue and creating a more unified world, 1 World Fest Global seeks to discuss the critical problems and offer real solutions to close cultural and racial gags by hosting a series of panel discussions and media presentations, culminating with a Unity Concert on Nov. 13 at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC) in Jamaica, Queens, entitled World fest: The War For Peace. Admission to the event is free. The event features an art installation show casing the work of photographer Jamel Shabazz, pieces from artist Steven Cogle, an outdoor food court, live music sets and a concert.

Huff Post is reporting that more than 40 Black leaders have sent a letter to MSNBC President Rasheda Jones in protest of the cable network’s show “The Cross Connection With Tiffany Cross” being canceled. The leaders are demanding to meet with Jones to “discuss a path forward that is restorative to the reputation and dignity of” Cross. The letter was signed by various heads of not-for-profit organizations and civil rights lead ers who included Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP; sports journalist Jemele Hill and journalist Roland Martin.

Brooklyn celebrates annual Black Solidarity Day

care is a human right.”

The program, which began with a video of Black Solidarity Day found er Afro Panamanian Dr. Carlos Russell talking on the power of unity, there was a brief audience question/statement portion of the program where people expressed the way forward in terms of the action and activities they were involved in.

By NAYABA ARINDE Amsterdam News Editor

Acknowledging the under-reported, yet essential everyday contributions of the Black community to every aspect of every part of the economy, the culture, the civic and the socio-political engage ment, Black Solidarity Day was cele brated on Monday, Nov. 7.

In the affectionately named People’s Republic of Brooklyn, New Canaan Bap tist Church hosted a program honoring the anniversary of the day inspired by Douglas Turner Ward’s 1965 play “A Day of Absence.”

The human rights group December 12th Movement hosted “this annual coming together of African Americans to reflect, rejuvenate, and further de velop plans to resist oppression in the next year, [which] was initiated by the late Dr. Carlos Russell.”

Deacon William Brown welcomed the people in. With an audience filled with people from all walks of life, young and old, active and eager, experienced and new, speakers shared that it was impor tant to forge a path with Black solidarity in mind. With an ‘old men for counsel, young men for war,’ philosophy, the ex perienced elders in the room spoke on a variety of issues, and younger folks listened and spoke later on what they thought, and how they are organizing.

Dr. Kamau Kokayi on his career and feted contributions as a medical doctor, herbalist, alternative medicine prac titioner, former publisher and WBAI radio host.

December 12th Movement co-found er Viola Plummer slammed the failure of the city, state and federal govern ments to address the real issues that face us, such as education, unemploy ment, housing, but particularly “health care…because if you don’t have it you die.” She demanded that the people fight for the implementation of the life-

over-death and illness New York State Health Care Act.

Whatever their issue, “take one of them and follow that one,” to ensure that when politicians come looking for their donations, people should stand up and fight for what concerns them.

Former Assembly Woman Inez Barron and City Councilman Charles Barron attacked the “racist capitalist system” which he said is leaving the masses in dire straights. As of now, he said, with the cost of living and food prices being so high, “It would be cheaper if you ate your money… the necessities of life are for profit; housing food, shelter, cloth ing, medicine….all the necessities of life you need to live.” He added despite always being told not to mention it, “under socialism it’s free.”

Assemblywoman Stephanie Ziner man said that from gentrification, to mass incarceration and other methods of oppression, under the systems that be, “It looks like in 2022, they’ve gotten to the point that they believe their own lies––and are trying to convince us that we’re crazy, that we don’t understand that they’re trying to get rid of us.”

Meanwhile, as they train in woods, plot and plan to destroy those they see as a threat, the community too must have a “preparedness” agenda. Black Panther activist Zayid Muhammad de livered one of his fierce, on-the-issue poems, and demanded the release from decades of incarceration of Dr. Mutulu Shakur, who had trained others in the ways of medicine.

As Black Solidarity Day always takes place the day before a general election, State Senator Jabari Brisport had en couraged folk to go out and vote. The Black Solidarity Day tagline is always,” No work. No school. No shopping,” but to recognize that “Our collective experi ences and voices are vital. Let’s address the serious issues before us; from rep arations to housing and quality health

Some of the attendees at Black Solidarity Day program at the New Canaan Baptist Church, Bed Stuy (Nayaba Arinde photos)

Former Assemblywoman Inez Barron and City Councilman Charles Barron

Dr. Kamau Kokayi

Abyssinian holds service for Rev. Calvin Butts

Nightlife

Ayy yoo hip hop, you aiight? You sure? Cos…

A five-hours magnificent homegoing celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III was held at Abyssin ian Baptist Church on Nov. 4, 2022. It was

Founded in 1993. the Thurgood Mar shall Academy was developed by the Abyssinian Baptisit Church and Devel opment Corp., in collaboration with NYC

You aiight? You sure? The way you been movin’ lately leads me to believe other wise. A lot of shapeshifting you pulling. So much so we need to ask you directly, do you remember where you came from? Better yet, did you ever know? It’s blatant ly noticeable that when it’s celebratory (spotlights, cameras, action, award shows) you’re called multicultural. When you’re at the cool table, getting lauded for your stature, how many people there look like you now, let alone from your inception? Flipside, to when things get ugly. Courts, prisons, and morgues are involved. Coin cidentally enough, people who look like your creators are there solely to be demon ized and ostracized. Enough. This is not working. To know you is to love you, and with love you can have open and brutally honest discus sion even if it means severing ties. That’s kinda where I stand now. Perhaps you need to hear from another voice, in an other manner. Enter Chris Robb. Robb has parlayed his multi-instrumentalist skill set into a successful career as a singer, song writer, and producer. Formal training as a child was augmented with the inspiration of hip hop music. “Hip hop was a gateway to all the other forms of music that I do. Funk, soul, jazz; I learned about through what was going on in that golden era of music,” says Robb.

As a musician, he sees your eternal beauty through a different lens, sans the politics, controversy, or economics, just the art. It was that motif, using the Blue Note stage as a conduit that Rob revealed his heartfelt expression with his “Open Letter to Hip Hop.” That 90-minute trip down memory served as a powerful re minder of what the marriage of beats and rhymes can provide for the soul. In a live intimate setting emcees like Tiye Phoe nix, Punchline and Lord Finesse can step up and groove improvisational style that harkened back to the turntables and mic days of the parks. Featured EMCEES Grand Puba dipped into his Brand Nubian bag with “Step To The Rear” and glided over what he deemed a sexy, reworked ver sion of his solo smash “I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are.)” CL Smooth closed the show with a fuller, richer rendition of one of greatest songs in hip hop history, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” that if you listen carefully, you can probably still hear the horns blaring in and around West 4th Street.

launched into a full version of “The Boss” and during a drum solo you’d pick up on “You’ll Like It Too.” Staple pieces of work that contributed to the overall hip hop life style. When altered that the homage was noted, Robb offered, “The yin and yang of James Brown and George Clinton in hip hop particularly throughout the Golden Age and beyond, was crucial to the music becoming much more than a passing phase. While James Brown was inspiring producers like Marley Marl & DJ Premier to drive the East Coast sound, ParliamentFunkadelic found themselves in the mix largely on the West Coast in Dr. Dre & Shock G productions. Of course, they overlap here and there, but it was this movement that took hip hop much more mainstream and, in a sense, helped the music become more appreciated beyond younger listen ers. Now the music was in 3D. No more 808s and splashes of keyboards and rock guitars. Now the music was straight funk with the heavy drums rockin underneath. Now the parents could relate to the sound because their soundtrack was in the mix.”

He continued, “Of course, you can see the showmanship from James Brown with rappers like Big Daddy Kane and MC Hammer, as well as tightness of his band influencing the Roots, among others. Par liament had a second coming through Dig ital Underground’s take on them. These gentlemen became legends in a whole new era of music because hip hop leaned on them to lay the soundscape for their latest creations.”

Board of Education. A vigil was held on November 2nd in front of the school, with community members and students in attendance.

As a standalone, the music in and of itself was worth the price of admission. Nahh, it ran a little deeper if you were on that frequency. Any musical tribute to hip hop should include not just the songs that charted on the rap charts. Two profound segments paid homage to the very pillars of where we currently stand. The band

The vibe continues next weekend as for one unmissable night, NJPAC unites some of the leading voices in jazz, hip hop and poetry. The legendary lineup includes hip hop royals Rakim, Speech, and Chuck D along with award-winning poets and spoken word performers Nikki Giovanni, Jessica Care Moore, Mayor Ras Baraka, and The Last Poets; saxophonist Javon Jackson and Musical Director Christian McBride at the 11th Annual TD James Moody Jazz Fes tival on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. Contact www.njpac.org or 888.GO.NJPAC (888-4665722) for tickets.

Over and out. Holla next week. Til then, enjoy the nightlife.

well attended by decades-long church members, elected officials, candidates from across the nation, and the New York tri-state area community.

Written by David Goodson

(David Goodson photo)

(Bill Moore photos)

Union Matters

Unions and railway owners remain in dispute

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

A last-minute Biden White House brokered tentative agreement halted a nation wide railroad worker strike back in late September, and it looks like the federal govern ment is making plans to step in again between the two par ties—soon.

Last month, members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE) the union representing track maintenance workers and the third largest union of railroad workers—rejected the ten tative labor agreement (TA) with the freight railroad com panies: BNSF, Union Pacif ic, Kansas City Southern, CSX and Norfolk Southern. Most recently, in late October, the Brotherhood of Railroad Sig nalmen (BRS) passed on the deal.

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh has stated that Congress may need to take part in ending any potential strike. But union reps are not happy with that possibility.

“Congress should not inter vene and rescue the railroads if they continue to refuse to provide railroad workers with paid sick leave,” the BMWE declared in a statement . “But, if Congress does intervene, then we demand that Con gress must side with the work ers by imposing the tentative national agreement and carri er-specific agreements along with paid sick leave for all railroad workers.”

Some Railroad Workers United (RWU) members took part in a recent panel discus sion co-hosted by The Real News and Haymarket Books. During the panel discussion, which is available on YouTube , union members talked about why they are rejecting the ten tative agreement. “I’m a CSX roadway mechanic and also a local chairman of Lodge 696 Richmond, Virginia,” Reece Murtagh told the panel. “So, we were the first group to vote down the TA. I’m very proud of that. Our guys shot it down.

Our guys are highly skilled. We’re certified welders who work on modern diesel en gines, computer-controlled electrical systems, hydraulics, pneumatic systems. Many of our members have CDL driv er’s licenses. Simply put, the TA was not good enough for us. The next TA, right now what we’re voting on, still isn’t good enough. So let me back up to September 13th. We re jected the TA. We also voted to strike. This vote was sup ported by 89% of the mem bers. Very important to note this vote occurred inside the 30-day cooling off after the PEB was issued. What does that mean? This means that our members had every legal right to strike under the Rail way Labor Act on September 16th.”

“The railroads continue to reject all BMWED and BRS proposals for paid sick leave,” BMWE said. “There are re ports indicating the railroads intend to begin ceasing vari ous rail operations within the next few days, in anticipa tion of a strike on November 20, even though in September they did not start taking such action until five days before the date of potential exercise of self-help. These service shutdowns would be a prema ture exercise of self-help by the railroads and a violation of their common carrier obli gations to provide services to their customers. These shut downs would also represent a blatant attempt to cause panic and economic harm to the railroads’ customers and the U.S. economy right before the Thanksgiving holiday. They would also be a manipula tive attempt to instigate Con gress to intervene against the interests of railroad workers. The railroad workers are not the problem here and are not to blame for the current sit uation. The American public and the railroads’ customers deserve better. They cannot be held hostage to protect the immense wealth of the rail roads’ greedy executives and shareholders.”

Metro-North train in NY State (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

The grind for Ms. Griner

The midterm elections were not as bad as we thought they would be but not nearly as promising as they could have been, nevertheless there’s every reason to be optimis tic as we look down the road to 2024, particularly with the presence of so many women running and some attaining new political heights.

We are also pleased to learn of the several breakthroughs, including a Gen Z to office as well as the in creased turnout of young voters, and nothing is greeted with as much en thusiasm as this development.

Yes, there are celebratory moments as you can see in our pages, and sev eral troubling setbacks that we will return to later, especially upon learn ing that Brittney Griner has been transferred to a penal colony in Russia. Perhaps the only hope left for the beleaguered WNBA icon is that some sort of prisoner exchange is in the works, though that would not be one of equivalency.

From what we’ve heard about the conditions in the Russian penal colo nies, they are not at all different from the Gulags of the past, and the treat ment there is brutal with no regard for human decency.

Thus far, Brittney has shown a tough determination to endure the imprisonment but more challenging days, weeks, months, and—heaven forbid—years are ahead. Her situa tion will probably be with us as long as the war continues in Ukraine, and it’s an unfortunate circumstance that she finds herself inextricably tied to a terrible war.

Even so, our hopes and prayers have not ceased and we will remain ever vigilant until she receives some sense of justice where very little has occurred in the past.

FDNY still doesn’t reflect the diversity of our city. Our legislation will change that.

By SPEAKER ADRIENNE ADAMS, COUNCIL MEMBER KEVIN RILEY, AND COUN CIL MEMBER NANTASHA WILLIAMS

In January 1919, Wesley Williams enlisted as one of the first Black firefighters to serve in the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). On his first day, according to reports, every fire fighter of Engine Company 55 in Manhattan requested a transfer because they refused to work alongside him.

Despite hazing, discrimination, and mis treatment, Williams made history in 1938 when he was promoted to battalion chief, the highest rank for a Black firefighter in the nation. Two years later, along with dozens of other Black firefighters, he helped form the Vulcan Society, an association of Black fire fighters. Williams eventually served for 33 years in the FDNY before retiring in 1953.

Nearly 70 years later, the FDNY––the larg est fire department in the country––is still not even close to being representative of our city’s rich diversity, and reports of discrimina tion and harassment of Black firefighters and those from other underrepresented groups remain. At a Council hearing just weeks ago, we heard from a Black woman firefighter who is an eight-year veteran about the alleged ha rassment she has endured

This reality must change, and we are proud that our most diverse City Council in city his tory just recently took steps to address this decades-long injustice with several bills that we sponsored.

Currently, 76% of the FDNY’s firefighters are white. Just 8% are Black, 13% are Hispanic, and 2% are Asian. By comparison, 21% of New Yorkers identify as Black, 29% as Hispanic, and more than 14% as Asian.

While those numbers are shameful, the gender disparities in the department are even worse. Only 137 out of the FDNY’s 11,000 fire fighters are women, equating to just 1.3% in a city where women make up more than half of the population.

Laura Kavanagh recently made history as the first woman to be appointed FDNY com missioner, an achievement we should cele brate. Yet, it is clear that far more progress is needed to make the FDNY reflective of the city it serves.

Last week, the City Council passed a pack age of legislation to improve diversity in the FDNY by changing important policies and practices. Our bills, championed by the Coun cil’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus (BLAC), will require the FDNY to implement a con crete plan to recruit and retain women, Black, Latino, and Asian firefighters; finally make fire houses appropriate for a mixed-gender work force; require ongoing diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination training for all FDNY staff; and increase transparency of firehouse demo graphics and potential equal employment op portunity violations through public reporting.

Taken together, this legislative package rep resents the most robust effort undertaken by city government in decades to diversify the FDNY. It is no coincidence that solutions to

this entrenched problem are finally being advanced by a historically diverse and first women-majority City Council. Passing these bills marks an important step, and we are clear that continued efforts and diligence will be required.

Diversifying our FDNY workforce is crit ical to our city and will only succeed with sustained progress. Accountability will be essential, and the Council has an important role to play in monitoring the progress of these efforts and their outcomes through our oversight.

The dedication, sacrifice, and heroism of New York’s Bravest, who protect New Yorkers and save lives every day, is unquestionable. Firefighters are essential public servants, and they always deserve our respect and admira tion. But for too long, exclusionary, discrim inatory, and racist practices have shut out women and communities of color from ac cessing opportunities to become a firefighter in New York City.

These opportunities are pivotal to providing our neighborhoods with safety and our res idents with economic mobility through civil service careers.

The Council is proud to lead efforts for eq uitable opportunity, representation, and treat ment, alongside advocates and firefighters who have been in this movement for decades.

We can honor their efforts, and those of trail blazers like Wesley Williams, by working to wards building a future where the FDNY finally looks like the residents of our great city.

Can incivility and democracy exist together in America today?

By JAMES B. EWERS Jr. Ed.D.

Our America is going through some diffi cult times right now. Good times have been replaced by bad times. Politicians on both sides are trying to convince us to follow them. They say what we want to hear yet their talk doesn’t match their walk in many instances.

The question at the podium is can any thing be done to change this feeling of de spair?

In days gone by, we would not have to debate about civility and democracy going together. It would be a no-brainer yet today; we are living in times of mayhem and meanspiritedness.

squash them as they didn’t overwhelm us. Bad people with bad intentions were in the background however they couldn’t get a foothold on our democracy. It is my opin ion that closet haters and racists have come out of their dungeons and now are in full view in America.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Kristin

Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Nayaba Arinde: Editor

Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor

Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor

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

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

Running for public office has made them say about anything that will make people clap and cheer. They make us feel good for 50 minutes and then, like smoke, that feeling evap orates.

We are left disil lusioned and dis appointed.

When did this period of callousness begin? It depends upon who you ask. For some, this era of rancor and recklessness is just fine. They revel in it and love the con fusion that it brings.

However, if you ask them about it, they ramble on about how much is wrong in America.

If you mention the January 6th catastro phe, they justify it in some awkward and nonsensical way.

I believe this period of insolence start ed in earnest with the last president of the United States of America. Don’t get me wrong there were problems before but not to this extent. As a nation, we were able to

They spread lies and half-truths. Sadly, they are influencing a significant number of people who lack understanding and clarity about the issues of the day.

According to reports by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, hate crimes increased during the first half of this year. The FBI defines a hate crime as “a crimi nal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an of fender’s bias against a race, religion, dis ability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.” Data for this report was collected in 15 major cities with a combined population of 25.5 million people.

An unprecedented lawsuit is moving forward; school administrative corruption will finally be revealed

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opin ions of others that may differ from our own.

Veterans Day—a day to honor and remember

CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS

Education is the most priceless gift we can give our children. It is more precious than any material gift or benefit they might receive. No home, expensive automobile, or extrava gant trip could ever replace and de liver what an education can. That is because an education provides an opportunity to achieve greatness, power, and luxury—it gives its holder the ability to do and succeed in what ever they desire.

The tragic reality persisting through out the United States is that there are a large number of school systems that are failing. Moreover, these institu tions are frequently comprised mostly of minority students, indicating that those who are impacted the most are traditionally the ones who need edu cation the most.

Yet, for too long we have accepted that some schools would be excel lent and some will be poor, frequent ly blaming the students for their lack of interest and tendency toward vio lence.

The truth is that it is rarely the stu dents fault, but rather the fault of those who make decisions behind closed doors; the real reason for fail ure, general lack of motivation, and a high inclination towards criminali ty and violence is the policies imple mented and the indifference shown towards these students by school ad ministrators.

The Baltimore City school district is an anomaly when discussing fail ure. Despite having one of the high est per-student expenditures in the country, this school district is one of the lowest performing, with difficul ties that most schools in the United States could not even imagine, no less continuing for decades.

Enrollment rates and average test scores are affected by issues such as ghost students—children who are listed as being enrolled but have either graduated or dropped out—

and improper grade promotions, in which pupils are improperly promot ed to a higher grade. Even allegations of improper grade inflating have been made.

All of these problems have resulted in a city plagued by crime and adults who cannot read or write above the elementary school level. Despite this, administrators’ and union officials’ coffers have become progressively fat, school funding has increased enor mously, and the district has little—if nothing—to show for it.

This is precisely why a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the taxpaying citi zens of Baltimore City, who, despite the enormous amounts of money they have paid in taxes that have been funneled into the failing school system for their children, are still suf fering from the corruption plaguing these schools.

If you don’t know much about the legal process, you should be aware of one aspect that is absolutely essential for revealing the truth and increasing the transparency of public processes: this is the discovery phase of a legal proceeding.

Discovery is simple; it is simply the process of obtaining information from one’s adversary. This procedure differs significantly from the standard, nonlitigation-related technique of obtain ing information since it permits you to compel, by court order, every indi vidual who can provide information relevant to the case, including public authorities closely connected to the issue. In addition, documents and correspondence, even private ones, must be produced.

As a consequence of the discov ery process, all of the plaintiffs’ find ings will become part of the case and public record, with limited excep tions. This means that for the first time in history, we will have a glimpse behind the scenes of a corrupt, fail ing school district administration.

The taxpayers of the Baltimore City school district have a right to know where their money is being spent and, more significantly, why their neigh borhoods are in ruin.

The lack of transparency provid ed by the Baltimore City school dis trict is frequently what I find most startling. The Baltimore City school district is funded by taxpayers, yet of ficials appear indifferent to people who support them and, at every turn, refuse to disclose what occurs behind closed doors. They have gone so far as to file a motion to dismiss this case, which was defeated.

Moreover, prior to the case, they re fused to divulge the results of an in ternal inquiry they financed with taxpayer dollars into improper grade inflation.

Despite what has transpired in the past, the present and future are prom ising. Not only will Baltimore City, but the whole United States and even the world, get the opportunity to watch how an educational system can go horribly awry. It will enable every one to determine for themselves who the perpetrators are, what motivates them, and why they are apathetic to the ruin of their own communities.

This lawsuit’s outcome will serve as a wake-up call for all educational in stitutions in the United States. It will demonstrate to the parents of failing students that there is hope to find the truth and influence change. The finish line is in sight; it is now only a matter of enabling the attorneys to do what they do best, which is uncover the truth. Stay tuned.

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

I’m not sure if you read ers are aware, but 11/11 is my favorite day of the year. I get to celebrate two important holidays that are near and dear to me. The first holiday many of you likely recognize and spend time observing is Veterans Day.

Veterans Day began as a day to honor and re member our service men and women who died, so that we may have the freedoms we experience each and every day. Vet erans Day is also the day we properly thank and honor all of those who served honorably in the military—in wartime or peacetime. It is impor tant to remember the thousands of veterans who fought in various wars and interventions overseas. However, it is also important to re member the many vet erans who may not have ever seen combat but stood ready to leave their families, risk their lives, and defend our nation.

I don’t know if we can ever truly thank our vet erans (and their families) for the service they have provided our nation. I have complicated feelings about some of the wars and interventions the United States military has chosen to engage in. How ever, I don’t have compli cated feelings about the individuals who brave ly put on a uniform each morning without ques tion to face an unknown.

November 11 is also one of my favorite holi days because I get to cel ebrate National Corduroy Day. Yes, you read that correctly. 11/11 looks like corduroy and has been designated the official day to celebrate. I have

always been a lover of cor duroy. Anyone who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s no doubtedly had sever al corduroy items in their closet.

Corduroy comes in sev eral different thicknesses and I for one am a fan of a thinner wale, that is the width of the ribbing of cor duroy. On 11/11 one must wear at least 2-3 pieces of corduroy to properly cele brate the holiday. I know it may sound silly, but I look forward to 11/11 all year long. I don’t know when my true love of the “king’s cloth” came to be (some say it is from 17th-centu ry France and comes from the phrase ‘corde du roi’ or ‘the king’s cloth’), but I am so glad I have joined this odd group of people who love the different textures and colors of this unique fabric.

Some say Novem ber 11th is connected to the Mayan Apocalypse while others observe Ar mistice day when mil lions of people across the world fall silent at 11 a.m. on November 11th to re member the fallen from World War I. However you choose to celebrate No vember 11th, just know you have a community of people who are honoring, remembering, reflecting, or celebrating. We are all connected and hopeful ly you will look at Novem ber 11th with a new pair of eyes.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate profes sor at Fordham Univer sity, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigra tion, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions pod cast at TheGrio.

Caribbean Update

Dutch to issue apology for slavery in Suriname

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

Authorities in The Nether lands are preparing to for mally apologize for the role of the Dutch in the brutal trans Atlantic slave trade following visits by a multi party parliamentary dele gation and Prime Minister Mark Rutte to Dutch pro tectorates and Suriname in the past three months, local and international media are reporting.

Until Rutte’s visit to Suri name in September, cabi nets led by him and other prime ministers have stoutly resisted calls for an acknowledgement and an apology for slavery but the mutterings from The Hague have changed in recent months in the wake of increasing pressure from rights groups both in The Netherlands and the Caribbean.

For example, the delega tion of lawmakers who had spent several days in the Dutch-speaking Caribbe an Community nation in August has recommended a formal apology be made after noting the lingering

effects of the genocide on local society. Rutte had also said in his recent comments that perhaps the time had come for the nation to “take the next step” in the con versation of the role of The Dutch in slavery.

And in a recent throne speech, King Willem Al exander hinted that next year would be a landmark one for relations with Su riname and other former or existing Dutch colonies, noting, “If we want a soci ety where there is no place for racism and discrimina tion, where everyone feels heard and appreciated, we must openly reflect on the

less pleasant chapters in our history. Not to judge our forebears through the prism of modern values, but to understand what our history means to various groups and cultures that form part of our society.

By engaging in a dialogue about the past, the govern ment hopes to foster neces sary recognition, and help people connect with each other. As we approach next year’s 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, we need to acknowledge this part of our history, too,” the King said.

All the political fuss about whether an apology will be

made is firmly linked to 150 anniversary celebrations of the end of the slave trade next year. This is one reason why the lawmaker delega tion visited Suriname and other Caribbean countries this year to determine how The Hague should handle increasing calls for an apol ogy and reparations, well aware that the 150th anni versary will attract such de mands.

At the weekend, a number of Dutch and internation al media including the NL Times, Fortune.com, ANP, as well as Surinamese publi cations, reported on the im minent move by the cabinet

to deal with the issue.

Additionally, they are even reporting that a special fund of 200 million Euroswill be set aside to create aware ness and improve the deliv ery of education, while an additional 27 million is ex pected to be budgeted for a slavery museum and me morial in Suriname.

Rights groups argue that if The Dutch follow through with the plans being report ed, The Netherlands will be the first among Europe an former slave trading na tions not only to apologize but to set aside money as a start in dealing with com pensation for the genocide

against Africans. Demands for reparations have gained significant traction in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement. Britain has already been forced to pay Kenyan tribesmen for mass murders committed by troops during the colo nial era. Caribbean govern ments have hired the same firm which fought for the tribesmen to engage Eu ropean governments. The British attorneys say the region has an extremely strong case to make.

As all eyes are now on The Hague’s next move, the umbrella Caribbean Rep arations Commission and other groups have taken note of a move by Canada to set aside Canadian $40 bil lion to compensate indige nous peoples for separating families and other atrocities Fortune.com is reporting.

Fortune is also report ing that a number of Dutch cities’ commercial banks and other entities have al ready issued apologies for their role in supporting plantation life, participat ing as shippers and insurers of Dutch slavery business in the West Indies.

My crystal ball tells me immigration will take a back seat yet again

FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION KORNER

By the time you read this column, the Nov. 8th mid term elections will be over, but the madness will not. This is especially true when it comes to what issues will take center stage come Jan uary, when the new con gress will be sworn in.

Regardless of who wins or loses, it is now crys tal clear that immigra tion will be far down the totem pole for any party. It will of course be worse if the predictions are cor

rect and the right, by scare tactics and voter suppres sion, manages to take back dictatorial control of the House and Senate.

That will usher in the start of the lame duck session of the Joe Biden administration, leav ing immigrants further screwed and Biden lean ing more on administrative policy changes that will be undoubtedly challenged in the courts by Republicans across the country.

No need to look into my crystal ball right now. A Washington Post and ABC polling prior to the elec tions that found immigra tion ranking dead last on

voters list of top priorities tells me all I need to know.

The top issues of con cern for voters, according to the Washington Post / ABC poll, are the econo my, abortion, inflation, threats to democracy, edu cation and schools, crime, and climate change. Im migration came in at ninth on the Top 9 list and gar nered just 9% when it came to voters who thought this was important.

The Pew Research Center survey reported an even worst ranking for immigra tion. On its list of Top 18 issues, immigration ranked at a lowly 11. In the Pew survey, the top issue was also

the economy followed by the future of democracy in the country, education, health care, energy policy, violent crime, policies about how elections and voting work in the country, gun policy, abortion and Supreme Court appointments. Immigration came in at 11th.

Even Latino voters did not seem as concerned by the issue according to Pew. According to the Pew Re search Center, the econ omy also remains the top issue ahead of midterms for Latino voters polled, followed by health care, education, violent crime and gun policy. Immigra tion came in ninth.

This is an interesting shift as politicians often make it the singular issue to attract and potentially sway Latino voters.

It’s showing again that all politics is local, and voters will always be more con cerned about the issue that affects their bottom line and pocketbooks.

Even if Democrats manage to pull off a Hail Mary and hold on to the House and the Senate, their list of priorities will be changed per voter demand, and they will un doubtedly again kick im migration further down the road. If Republicans win, that will be even worse as

their main priority will be returning to building the Trumpeto wall and stem ming what they feel is the Biden open border policy.

This is bad news for all immigrants, but most es pecially for DREAMERs, immigrants here on TPS, (Temporary Protected Status), as well as those seeking asylum or wish ing to be allowed in for asylum.

So much for change we can believe in. Thanks Joe and Kamala—for nothing!

The writer is publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com –The Black Immigrant Daily News.

“If we want a society where there is no place for racism and discrimination, where everyone feels heard and appreciated, we must openly reflect on the less pleasant chapters in our history.”

Fixing a Plate: Food Bank for New York City chats Thanksgiving hunger with AmNews

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

In New York City, food insecurity is on the rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic—by over 44% projects the Food Bank for New York City. That means over 1.6 million New Yorkers.

“We do something called an intake and that’s where we’re asking people that come into our line for example, ‘how many people are in your household?’” said Janis Robinson, the organi zation’s vice president of institu tions and partnerships. “We ask how many adults, how many se niors, how many children, so we get a sense of how many people within that household are being served by our resources.

“And then we’re in a position to compare that data year over year. And so what we’ve learned is that the numbers have only gone up in the last few years; COVID, cer

tainly, had a lot to do with the in crease in numbers. But then we have seen an increase from last year to this year of at least 10% of people in our lines greater than we had last year.”

The city reports emergency food service use during the pan demic continued to increase among Black New Yorkers while every other racial/ethnic group saw decreases by October 2020. Alongside those findings were ac cessibility issues. The majority of Black New Yorkers polled per ceived an increase in food costs at the start of the pandemic, with a sizable minority saying they strug gled to access emergency food services.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, Robinson says the food bank receives plenty of dona tions at this time. Additionally, its member agencies are helping New Yorkers celebrate on a full stomach by handing out tradition al holiday dinner ingredients. But

not everything should be donated.

“There is a tendency for people to say, ‘oh, I’ve got this canned good that I haven’t eaten in five years, I hate to throw it out, I might as well give it to the food bank.’ We’d rather not have the canned goods that are super ex pired. And that may have a lot of sodium—we really work to pro vide the kind of food that we want to eat. So we want healthy, nutritious food donated.”

For those who can’t donate food, financial contributions are encouraged. She also discourag es donating sugary drinks and treats.

“We don’t take things like Gato rade, or soda—Coca Cola, Pepsi or those items,” said Robinson. “And then we also don’t take pas tries. Because we’re trying to get people healthy, nutritious food.

“We don’t want to just take the dozen doughnuts that were eaten for the last couple days, and force them upon the

community.”

Food Bank for NYC resources available at: www.foodbanknyc. org

Tandy Lau is a Report for Ameri ca corps member and writes about

public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please con sider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://bit.ly/amnews1

Thanksgiving Dinner from National Action Network event (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Factcheck: False: Current COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective against Omicron

Claim: Current COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective against Omicron.

Factcheck:

By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews

With the rates of COVID Omicron variants BQ1and BQ1.1 outpacing BA5, the question of the effective ness of the vaccines and new biva lent booster is critical as the fight against COVID hospitalizations and deaths continues. The myth that the current vaccines are ineffective against COVID continues to circu late on social media. Getting to the truth is essential to safeguard Black and brown communities, those who are underserved, underac cess, or misinformed.

According to the CDC in various reports and data, and NYC DOH data, as of October 24, 2022, 1.8 New Yorkers/100,000 hospitalized with COVID were vaccinated as opposed to 12/100,000 New York ers who were unvaccinated.

According to the paper The Vac cine Efficacy Against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, “Although the ef fectiveness of the currently avail able vaccines against new variants may decrease, vaccination still provides protection against severe COVID-19 caused by different vari ants and may also decrease the emergence of new variants.”

The authors go on to state that “[t]he full dose of SARS-CoV-2 vac cination effectively reduces infec tion from the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant; however, the effectiveness wanes over time. The booster vac cine provides additional protection against the Omicron variant.” The authors conclude by stating “our data clearly indicated the effective ness of vaccination and the promot

er role of booster vaccination against the Omicron variant. The results also confirmed the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines in preventing the Omicron variant infections.”

The combination of the primary vaccines series with the new Omi cron specific booster is a powerful tool in the fight against COVID. Ac cording to a previous AmNews ar ticle on the Omicron booster, “[t] he boosters that were recently ap proved are considered to be biva lent vaccines, meaning they will protect people both from the origi nal COVID-19 strain and the current Ba.4 and Ba.5 Omicron subvari ants.” The issue, however, is getting more people to actually avail them selves of the bivalent booster.

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseas es and President Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor in an interview with the AmNews, “we have less than 10% of the country getting [the bivalent booster] and that's a very poor percentage. We’ve got to do better than that.”

Dr. Sara Al-Dahir, clinical pro fessor in the division of clinical and administrative sciences at Xavier University spoke to the AmNews and sees an analogy to a virus that is still with us. “Just like HIV. HIV redefined what … people defined as safe and unsafe behaviors and it really opened conversations for a lot of people and it was the beginning of a new beginning.” Encour aging people to get vaccinated, boosted, and to continue other safety measures may be the “be ginning of a new beginning” in the fight to combat COVID-19.

Information about the primary vaccine series can be found at the CDC’s website page entitled “Overview of COVID-19 Vaccines”: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/differentvaccines/overview-COVID-19-vaccines.html For more information regarding vaccines and boosters in New York City, please go to www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines.page These and other resources can also be accessed on the AmNews COVID-19 page: https://amsterdamnews.com/covid/

A tweet falsely claims that COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are ineffective against Omicron variants

Boosters make a difference

This chart from the NY State Dept of Health shows that unvaccinated New Yorkers are far more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 (Source: /coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-breakthrough-data)

Arts & Entertainment

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’— Who wears the suit?

By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews

The positive word-of-mouth for Ryan Coogler’s “Black Pan ther: Wakanda Forever” ( a Disney and Marvel Studios pro duction) is spreading and at a whopping 160 minutes it ap pears that the emotional tug has done its job with the first reac tions for the film being over whelmingly positive.

The first installment, “Black Panther” was one of Marvel Cin ematic Universe’s biggest hits, reportedly earning $700 mil lion at the domestic box office and $1.3 billion worldwide and became the first comic book film to be nominated for best picture

at the Oscars.

The sequel is powerful and emotional and pits the African nation of Wakanda against the South American/Mexican nation of Namor, an advanced and clev erly hidden nation of Talokan. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Le titia Wright, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michae la Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett and follows the unexplained death of King T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman).

As expected, the film correct ly honors the late Boseman who appeared in previous Marvel movies and who passed in power in 2020 after a private battle with

colon cancer.

Coogler has paid great atten tion to honoring Boseman and was so deeply impacted by his passing that he contemplated leaving the franchise because of his deep-seated grief. The end result is a moving tribute to Chadwick Boseman and another shining example of how our cul ture shows respect for our lost loved ones.

Across the board, the critics have been consistent with their praise including Variety’s Clayton Davis who praises Angela Bas sett’s performance saying that the veteran actress is “command ing every scene she inhabits.” Academy Award-winning cos tume designer Ruth E. Carter

(“Black Panther”) is back for “Black Panther: Wakanda For ever” teasing the details of the new Black Panther suit on the red carpet, pointing out the de tails seen in the trailer where the new costume highlights golden accents which are dif ferent than T’Challa’s purpleaccented suit. The new suit also shares similarities with Shuri’s from the comic.

Power-hungry nations are at tempting to find other sourc es of vibranium which is a deep concern for the African nation of Wakanda who, without the power and commitment of The Black Panther, has become vulnerable to seen and unseen opponents.

What makes this installment

so exciting is the introduction of the underwater King Namor (Tenoch Huerta), a powerful mutant whose love for his people and his promise of keeping his hidden underwater world safe, is what drives all of his actions. To the world, he’s called K’ukulkan, the feather serpent god, but to his enemies, he is known as amore (love).

For comic book lovers who have followed these characters, the storyline in “Deadliest of the Spe cies” by Reginald Hudlin and Ken Lashley (2009) shows Shuri wear ing the Black Panther suit. A hint that’s built into the universe.

Buckle up because “Black Pan ther Wakanda Forever” is going to shake you up and make you think.

(Photos courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL)

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’—in

By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews

On Nov. 11 the second installment of the Black Panther saga—“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” opens world wide. The question of whether the saga would continue hung in the air for a long time after the unexpected passing of the late Chadwick Boseman, who succumbed to colon cancer in 2020.

For director and screenwriter Ryan Coogler (“Black Pan ther,” “Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”) the gravity of his grief was significant and he had moments when he was stand ing inside the swirling hurricane of doubt. The loss of Bose man meant a rethinking of how to shape the story and with a heavy heart, the director and his creative team deeply im mersed themselves in reshaping the story while still hon oring the character and the actor.

Enter Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) a.k.a. “Ku’ku’lkán,”aka Feathered Serpent God—the supernat ural ruler of a technologically advanced water kingdom whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means “Precious serpent” or “Quetzal-feathered Serpent” and is part of Mexican history.

The two nations are evenly matched and despite stateof-the-art technology and hyper-vigilance, the Wakan dans didn’t know anything about Namor and his kingdom. Namor is a being whose heart only beats to protect his people.

In describing Namor, Coogler says this: “He’s not inter ested in ruling the world for power. He’s not interested in money. He’s interested in protecting his people. And what’s more altruistic than that?”

And how can you protect an aquatic, hidden world when the greed of other top-dwelling nations are known for their appetite for war, and whose lust for absolute power is rav enous? How can Namor convince Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett ) and Shuri (Letitia Wright) to join with his people and fight their common enemies? There is a global threat and if these two powerful nations don’t see eye-to-eye they will exterminate each other which is exactly what the white race wants engaging their centuries-old plan which is to divide and conquer.

Namor first appears as Sub-Mariner in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939, and is one of Marvel’s oldest characters, acting both as hero and villain in the years to follow.

Here’s what the director and cast had to share about “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”:

RYAN COOGLER (Director)

On honoring the late Chadwick Boseman (King T’Challa)

Chad was very much our artistic partner in this project, in this franchise, and in this storytelling. I would spend time with him, just he and I, talking about where we wanted to see the character go, where we wanted to see the story go, and how much he admired the other characters and the actors that portrayed them. We realized that it would only be right for us to continue the story.

On family Ramonda realizes that it’s been a year since T’Challa’s passing and Shuri’s still not healing—she’s not taking steps to move forward in a healthy way. We were really excited to explore their relationship. The first film has a lot of fatherson dynamics—both the protagonist and antagonist had to deal with moving on after his father passed away. This film very much became a story of motherhood…they take a re treat—stepping away from the city, from the technology— to sit with no distractions and perform what is essentially a grief ritual. That’s when Namor shows up.

Namor is the ruler of Talokan, an underwater civilization who are descended from an ancient Mayan community and are hidden in the depths of the ocean.

On his Mexican heritage

I’m Mexican. I’m mixed, which means that in my heri tage, I have Indigenous blood. So, for me, to be part of this world is a dream. It’s the opportunity to play a character that I hope is going to be really important in terms of rep resentation for many, many kids all around the world—es pecially in Latin America, especially those who have the strongest Indigenous heritage.”

LETITIA WRIGHT (Shuri)

On moving past grief

There is a quote that one of my directors, Steve McQueen, used. He said, “Sometimes life imitates art and art imi tates life.” In “Black Panther,” Shuri is so bold in her choic es about science and technology, and creation. There’s a space for her to just be amazing, to make mistakes. And she has her brother and her family. She has this lack of lim itation. There are no ceilings, and her brother trusts her to create his whole armor. So, we see this young woman in her element, in her light. Then, she is transformed through this experience of loss and change. It was at that moment that it hit me—when I read the script, art was imitating life. Shuri has to process grief unexpectedly. It really is a 180. It’s hard to find [the] light. It’s hard to find peace. It’s hard to wake up and say, ‘I’m going to go create today.’ Who is she creating for?

On describing Nakia

In the first film, we meet Nakia, and she is this lone wolf who returns to play the mysterious character. She’s very idealistic and independent and tenacious about sticking to her beliefs. She also has this incredible love relation ship with T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). All these years later, after the blip and “Avengers: Endgame” and the loss of T’Challa, we find a Nakia who has definitely matured. I think compromise is a word that she entertains more.

On

her costume

The cool thing about my costume is that it’s beautiful in and out of the water with an uncanny quality where it never looks wet, so it actually made filming easier because I could do many takes and look dry without having to get into a new suit.

TENOCH HUERTA MEJÍA (Namor, ruler of Talokan)

LUPITA NYONG’O (Nakia a.k.a. War Dog)

Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Photo by Eli Adé. © 2022 MARVEL)

Letitia Wright as Shuri in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL)

Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL)

their own words

RUTH CARTER (Costume Designer)

On Nakia’s costume

She has a submersible suit that has a lot of biolumi nescence to it. It has a lot of magic and a lot of tribal markings. There are a lot of South African painters who do this wonderful full body tattoo work that has tribal markings—that was one of the influences to cre ating her suit. Also, because of the beauty of the ocean and the bioluminescence, we wanted to keep her in green color.

On Queen Ramonda’s costume [Angela Bassett, Queen Ramonda’s costumes] are really all based on beauty, African royalty, technol ogy. We brought in our 3D artists to create a new crown for her that she wears at the United Nations— Ryan [Coogler] really wanted her to enter the U.N. in something very regal and a big, big presence. Purple was chosen for the U.N., and red was chosen for the palace. We have a color story going even for the white that she wears. Angela definitely empowers her cos tume. Of course, Angela Bassett could wear a 10-gallon hat and still make it work.”

DANAI GURIRA (Okoye, leader of the Dora Milaje)

On re-shaping Okoye

It was very exciting the way that [director Ryan Coogler] envisioned her and the idea of her being a general, the idea of the Dora Milaje as a whole, and then her specific type of energy. It just became really great to explore her.

On changing with the times

Her traditionalism was definitely something that helped me anchor her because of her connection to her country [Wakanda] was so, so passionate, and also so militaristic. The loyalty and the readiness to do whatever for her nation’s well-being, for her people’s well-being, was something that I found very organic to connect to because I grew up on the continent. I grew up in a country that had recently come out of coloni zation when I moved there. I understood how special a nation like Wakanda existing was—a nation that left you with that question: Who would we have been as a continent had we never been colonized?

WINSTON DUKE (M’Baku, ruler of Jabariland)

On M’Baku’s role in Wakanda

I look at M’Baku as a stress test to see if things belong. He did not disappear as a result of the snap, so he was there as the country had to deal with that loss. He was involved in the battles of “Avengers: In finity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” and he is trans formed. He had to go through all of it, and he was essentially one of the pillars of Wakanda during that time. So, he has seen the consequences of opening the borders, the consequences of a brand-new world. He is now a full-fledged member of Wakandan soci ety. He’s a part of the tribal council so he has a lot more responsibility and we’ll see that play out in this film.

On the future of Wakanda and M’Baku’s role in it M’Baku puts pressure on things to make sure that they are deserving and can withstand the changes that will come in Wakanda. He pressures everything. He pressures everyone. Sometimes, it’s with humor. Sometimes, it’s antagonistic. But at the end of the day, he wants the best for Wakanda, and I think that’s a deeply honorable, powerful thing. He doesn’t mind making enemies if it means protecting his people.

ANGELA BASSETT (Queen Ramonda)

On handling grief and ruling the most powerful nation in the world It’s been a year since the passing of her son, Shuri’s brother. And to Ramonda, tradition is important. Grieving, recognizing that grief, going through the various stages of it, that’s something that this mother understands, that this queen under stands, with her husband and her son passing. She’s a woman of faith. Shuri’s a young woman of science. So, the respect for that, the recogni tion of that, the embracing of that is not in her wheelhouse. But a mother knows. A mother can see. I really was very interested in her unexpect ed aspects like her humor, and her cheekiness. I thought that this is a woman who really enjoys her life, and she loves being a Wakandan.

Angela Bassett as Ramonda in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Photo by Annette Brown. © 2022 MARVEL)

(L-R): Danai Gurira as Okoye and Angela Bassett as Ramonda in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Photo by Eli Adé. © 2022 MARVEL)

Angela Bassett as Ramonda in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.)

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By GODDESS KYA

November 10, 2022 — November 16, 2022

Rebirth of A New Nation: The unthinkable, as some say immaculate conception of what is occurring globally, abruptly and in your neck of the woods. The intensity of this full moon lunar eclipse in Taurus at 16 degrees is presence, and your mind is taking a break with Mars in Gemini retrograde calling on your mind to receive and respond to the 411. November is a month of applied pressure, and pressure breaks, pipes and forces things out. Be grounded, listen, and open your heart to love, forgiveness, healing, separation, ending while being connected to mother nature. A time to get out of your own way and uplift yourself with some grit, gumption, and feel-good energy. The moon is conjunct with Uranus in Taurus and Mars retrograde in Gemini indicates electronics not properly working, streetlights not working, possible power outage, contracts ending and a spiritual warfare on your mind/beliefs. The news has so much to say so watch the show at your leisure. Prioritize your needs, wants, plans, agenda, and go deep within to solve issues. Surrender and release old news. Kanye West states in his songs, “Father stretch my hands, you’re the only power that can, God will protect you, I just want to feel liberated, if I ever instigated I’m sorry, tell me who in here can relate.”

Every being born in the universe has specific talents, skills, expertise, and unique gifts installed within themselves. This is a cycle of rebirthing, purging, and restoring your faith operating on a different scale. The deeper you study your inner self the more information comes to you. Drink plenty of water as your body is going through a metamorphosis just as plants need water to grow. Spiritual revelations, initiations, and conversations are revealed more in detail to under stand the messages. Nov. 16-18, instantaneously phenomenal events transpiring.

A fleet-footed cycle where everything is moving abruptly. Doublecheck your schedule for overbooking and know your boundaries and limits with people, places, things, or habits. Change occurs at an ap pointed time to propel you to the next transit. Disagreements, gossip, self-awareness, and your reputation are showing you lessons within your environment. Listening is your best bet and finishing up the workload on your desk. November 9-10, figure out ways to allocate your resources.

Who’s talking, the director, CEO, or the boss as information is coming from the left, right, and out of state or country? Seems like a monkey in the middle and folks are asking you for sound advice or can you do this/that? Listen carefully then ask them to repeat it back to themselves due to the answer being found within the question. A cycle to improve your character and address any issue with family members also leaves time for entertain ment. November 11-13, a quick response is required, a yes or no answer and a new career opportunity or gig is presented to you.

Let there be light after the darkness, heavy-duty, toughness time has mel lowed out from what it appeared to be. It’s not over yet, things are up in the air due to the fact that all the details haven’t been decided yet. This is a rest, health, work, and isolation cycle. After rejuvenation sparks of ideas flow like water and you are ready to decorate or change the scenery up a bit, maybe plan a trip out of the blue. November 14-15, utilize your resources, connections, and people you know to assist you.

What’s the plan and the commitment on your agenda? This requires apply ing love, art, design, your skills, and meticulous items to your creation. In ret rospect, what occurred during the second week of February? Take some 411 data and apply it differently to your plans. When you notice your behavior and mood change, it’s time to ask not to get frustrated because your higher self has a message for you. November 11-13, insights and hints come through codes in conversations, messages, signs, symbols, and unusual events.

Your time, effort, sweat, tears, obligations, and investment applied is bear ing fruit this month.

This is a new chapter in your life which involves long-distance travel, work, communications, and working with foreigners. Organize your plans, review them if needed, and know what you are investing in by reading the contract. This is a major month where personal, business, and family obligations are swinging the bat at you at once, and then there’s all the decision-making. November 14-15, what is the equation and who is in the equation playing a significant role? Do your due diligence and what role are you playing. Make it make sense.

Work is booming, and your health is calling on you to follow the signals your body is sending you. The odd and unusual week where spiritually you need a break as unexpected events unfold. Ask for help if needed while you recover and get up early when your body is more highly active before noon. Changes are occurring within your home, work, appearance, exercise agenda, and diet— sounds like a makeover. What seems like a heavy load isn’t much when you con centrate, organize, and prioritize your schedule. November 16, your heart is conveying a message with a certain dialogue and tone, listen more than you speak.

You feel highly in tune with yourself––as you should. Information is being re vealed, be it you heard it through the grapevine, dreams, or specific conversa tion; also your spirit guides have privy information for you. Get in touch with your spiritual side in your ways of how you channel the energy from the divine source. Partnerships are a theme. Review contracts and also ask questions if you do not understand. November 10, payoff comes in handy; also news comes out of nowhere and hits you like an airbrush against the back of your neck.

Spiritual forces and protection are surrounding you; I know you can feel them, sense them, see them and some are familiar to you. Communication is occurring through your dreams. The divine source is setting you on another mission. This is your higher self-speaking conveying a message. Certain con versations are meant to be and it is what it is when you experience it. A private invite to an important meeting or meeting an important person. Divine timing is prime time. November 16, you know what you know and find time for solitude to reach the breath of stillness which is a direct link to insights.

This is an R.O.I. kind of cycle where the money that appeared to be on back order just to claim interest is being deposited throughout the month. This is always a new cycle to step out on your own and be the Braveheart—you are walking in a new direction. This is a month that requires you to put in the work, invest time and money, and get into action to receive the rewards. Make sure you mail off anything or sign off on any important paperwork after a thorough review. November 11-13, there is a lot in store for you. Something is lagging in your environment.

This is an odd month for you. On the back end of it, it’s great due to the fact that you can see what’s going on internally and analyze the cause and effects. Self-diagnosis plays a role, be it a test or life experience that naturally occurs to get you to pay attention. In the meantime, complete the task you set out to do this week and anything extra someone needs you to do is last. Remember, you made a commitment that changes the way you operate. Stick to it. November 9-10, having boundaries is respecting your peace, time, and mental environment.

Your stomach may not agree with everything you digest. Drink plenty of fluids this cycle and also fresh fruits/vegetables to revitalize yourself. You are looking mighty plump fitting your clothes and your energy is radi ant. Check up on your health with your doctor if you feel or sense some thing is off within your body or if it’s time for a regular checkup. Plans are going well, yet there are hiccups set in motion to show you new details in hindsight. November 14-15, don’t you just love that the universe delivers what you need on time and loves on you?

Vinateria

‘Immersive Frida Kahlo Exhibit’ opens in Dumbo

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The new “Immersive Frida Kahlo Exhibit—The Life of an Icon” has opened in Dumbo, Brooklyn for all those who remain fascinated by the life and work of the Mexican artist who used her art to interpret her life.

Kahlo is today representative of an understanding of Mexican art that is rooted in Indigenous and Afrodescendant schema ta. Traditional Mexican art only depicted the nation’s Europe an/colonial inheritance, but the themes tackled by artists like Frida Kahlo took on the po litical aspects of a Mexico that lives, eats, and breathes in a world first occupied by Indige nous cultures and later strongly influenced by Africans.

This new immersive exhib it focuses on how her work is viewed and experienced— how the imagery of Frida has become as celebrated as her

work. From the entrance, the show gives viewers information about Kahlo’s life and places it in the context of Mexico’s histo ry. “Dualities are very present in her work,” a narrative in the ex hibit explains: “where the sun shares space with the moon. A face can be half Frida, half Diego; and two Fridas, one with

her heart intact and the other one with a broken heart, con figure just one Frida, the gen uine one. The hummingbird, which in Mexican tradition rep resents good luck in love, some thing Frida longed for so much, only responds to reality when painted dead.

“And fruit: watermelons, pome

granates, papayas... opened, fleshy and juicy, evidently refer to sexuality and fertility, imper fect but desirable, and in several stages of freshness and ripen ing, as if they were people, as if they were Frida herself.” As you walk through the show—seeing historical photographs and film, hearing the music, and seeing

the colors and flowers and fab rics she used in her clothing— you are made to feel like you’re on a journey through the parts of the world that affected Frida Kahlo’s life.

Immersive Frida Kahlo Exhib it––The Life of an Icon, 259 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201; // www.fridakahlonyc.com/

Dawn Williams Boyd’s cloth paintings are lessons in U.S. history

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The work of Atlanta-based artist Dawn Williams Boyd is current ly on view at Manhattan’s Fort Gan sevoort art gallery. The show, which only lasts until Nov. 19, features 12 of Williams Boyd’s famed cloth paint ings—pieces she’s constructed from sketches, paintings, textiles, and de signs. The work is both beautiful and provocative.

“The artwork that I do is, frankly, a result of things that make me mad,” Williams Boyd explained in an in terview with the Amsterdam News. “There are just some issues that get under my skin.”

Many of the pieces take on a polit ical stance. In “All Through the Night: America’s Homeless” (assorted fab rics, cotton embroidery floss, and mixed media 39 x 61.5 inches, 2017) the artist shows a family: homeless, bundled in blankets, yet together. Williams Boyd says she was inspired by stories about the thousands of Americans who remain unhoused— and the fact that large numbers of them are children. “I was really inter ested to see that the shelters that exist are inadequate to the task of hous ing everyone—even everyone who wants to be in a shelter—and that

they are segregated by gender.” She said she read about a mother with several sons who was not allowed to be in the same shelter with her ju

young, entrepreneurial Black boys who traditionally sell water on Atlan ta’s street corners and at traffic lights. The city often harasses these kids be

your kids. So I put the two things to gether and imagined that there were young men who were too young to vote yet had the idea of volunteer ing their services, their stock, what they already had to offer in a nonpar tisan way as their present to those of us who can vote. And they were trying to do their part to encourage others; they were there to, you know, give you a potty break, they were there to hold your place in line, they were there to give out snacks and food. In both in stances, like I said, things just kind of pissed me off. And so, in order to work out that passion, that anger, I have art flashes and they’ll just come to me, ‘Well, you should say this about that, and you should say it in this way.’”

“COVID Scream” (assorted fabrics, cotton embroidery floss, and mixed media 59 x 59 inches, 2022) she can turn to fabrics that are bright and beautiful while presenting a moment of pure agony.

venile boys. “It occurred to me that there would be families who were unhoused because they had fathers and sons and mothers and daugh ters would have to split up in shelters, and who would not want to do that. So, you know, they would live in their cars or, you know, live over a grate or live in a cardboard box. …I needed to find a way to say something about those statistics that people would be able to relate to.”

In “Voting Rights. What’s Next?” (assorted fabrics and cotton embroi dery floss; 59 x 60 inches, 2022) the artist said she wanted to portray the

cause they regularly dart out into traf fic, but Williams Boyd admires them. She wanted to depict them as being part of the voting rights efforts in At lanta, Georgia.

“During the 2016 election, the lines in the Atlanta area, the voting lines, were outrageous,” recalled Williams Boyd. “Even with that, people came out to vote in droves. They talked on the radio about people who were in line for eight hours. So, I’m thinking, well, how do you stand in line, waiting to do something for eight hours? You know, you have to use the bathroom, you have to eat, you have to check on

Almost all the work on view at Fort Gansevoort was completed this year. Williams Boyd says she works in an assembly line style: at the beginning of each year, she writes down all her ideas in a little black book. She sets aside the projects she wants to work on and then does them all at the same time. So, if she’s working on 10 different pieces, she’ll do 10 sketches; blow up those 10 sketches; transfer those 10 blown-up sketches to trac ing papers; do the embroidery on all 10 pieces; and put the tube on the back of all 10 pieces.

When she works on a piece like

“Massacre on Black Wall Street” (assorted fabrics and cotton em broidery floss 59 x 118 inches, 2022) is Williams Boyd’s homage to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre—and to the many other prosperous inde pendent Black towns that have faced terror from white mobs. “This is a part of American history that some Americans are deliberately down playing because they will ‘feel guilty’ about something,” she noted. “They don’t want to own up to the reali ty of what their ancestors did. They want to say, well, you know, I wasn’t there, why am I being blamed? It’s not about being blamed, it’s about taking…about acknowledging that the reasons that we have the race problem in this country that we have is because of what your ancestors did to my ancestors and the result of what you, however unknowingly, are doing to me and mine.”

Williams Boyd has seen her work go to both collectors and muse ums. “The reality of the fact is that collectors are where the money is,”

(Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

“Massacre on Black Wall Street” (assorted fabrics and cotton embroidery floss 59 x 118 inches, 2022)

One year later: A matter of pride for Academy Museum Director Jacqueline Stewart

By SUNIL SADARANGANI Special to the AmNews

A year has already jetted by for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. September 30, 2021—the date when the Academy Museum’s doors opened to the public. Since then, the museum has sold more than 700,000 tickets, presented 535 individual film screenings, and hosted 137 education and public programs, many of which featured notable film artists. The Museum saw a sizable influx of an under-40 demographics which comprised half of the museum’s visitors. Also notably, half identified as belong ing to underrepresented ethic and racial communities.

I had the opportunity to talk to Jacqueline Stewart, director and president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, in an inspired and insightful conversation.

Congrats, the museum has ac complished so much in just one year! How does this feel and what has the journey so far been for you?

Jacqueline Stewart: The pri mary feeling, at the core, is pride because we have such an ex traordinary team at the Museum. This could only have been ac complished because we have so many talented and committed people in every area of museum work. You’ve seen the exhibitions, and that of course is not only the result of our brilliant curatori al team but also our exhibition design team, and our conserva tors. We have sold 700,000 tick ets in our first year—that speaks volumes to our visitor experience and marketing team. Our retail store has been doing so well. The fact that the museum has been so successful in connecting with vis itors is just a testament to how hard the museum has been work ing to make sure it really connects with people.

Los Angeles has such diverse cultures with so many commu nities living and thriving in the city. What does this mean to you?

JS: When we conducted our re search, we found that half of the Academy Museum’s visitors were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Again, we felt we were doing something right in our

museum. It’s really important to remember what kind of museum we are—a film museum. Cinema has an appeal to people that can draw audiences that are more di verse, more than other types of museums. We are a brand-new museum, so we can see across the field how older museums have really been trying to figure out how they can be more inclu sive in ways to reach out to L.A.’s diverse population—they had to kind of go back and re-tool them selves. We had the opportunity to open with this mandate, and to think very carefully how our col lections, how our exhibitions are reflective of the diversity of the global community. I think that matters to people. So as you’ve seen, when you walk through our galleries, it’s not just that we have exhibitions that focus on particular groups—it’s across the board. We have hair and makeup design, costume design, pro duction design, casting. We have always, along with the Academy branches that cover every area of filmmaking, expressed the com mitment of really reflecting the diversity of these fields.

Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971 has been an impor tant milestone in the Academy Museum’s programming. You are further expanding on the Regen eration experience. Tell us more about it.

JS: I can’t say enough about our Regeneration exhibition. It is such a powerful and comprehensive look at the work of Black film art ists going all the way back to the dawn of cinema. It is also an exhi bition for us that has many differ ent facets. We have multiple film series that we are doing. We will be hosting a Regeneration Summit in early February of 2023 where we are going to bring together artists and scholars, students and activists to talk about the legacy of those film makers and the meaning of their films today, and for the future. In fact, as part of Regeneration, the Academy Museum will present a Dorothy Dandridge and Ruby Dee film series from November 3–25, next month, showcasing these two groundbreaking African Ameri can actors—born in the same year a century ago—whose artistry and activism continue to inspire film makers and performers today.

Regeneration will also be our first traveling exhibition; it’s going to the Detroit Institute of Arts after it closes at our Museum. We are ex ploring that the exhibition will travel to other locations as well. That’s the model we want to follow going forward—that our exhibi tions have all of these ways of ex panding.

What are the future goals of the Academy Museum for 2023?

JS: We really want to think carefully about the experienc es that particular groups have in our museum. It’s a major prior

ity to us to make sure that there is a welcoming and an enjoyable space for LA’s LatinX families. We have been thinking a lot about ways that we can expand our Spanish-language offerings at the museum, so that’s an important goal for us over the next year. We want to be a space that is fun for families as well. Families visit ing the museum have different needs than when you come as a grown-up individual; we want it to be a space where members of a whole family can feel that they can have an enlightening and inter-generational experience. Another big goal we have is to

think deeply how to make all of our spaces accessible. It’s always been incredibly important to us to have open captioning of our mon tages, induction loops for visitors who are hard of hearing and so on. We want to keep listening to our visitors who have needs, to make sure they can really connect with all the content the museum has to offer. It’s important that we continue supporting each other as a community and make sure that we continue to keep these doors open for accurate reflec tions of our communities and have meaningful, powerful rela tionships with each other.

Broadway’s ‘Cost of Living’ has priceless life lessons

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

Have you ever seen a play that takes your breath away?

That’s what “Cost of Living” does. This 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama is one of the most compas sionate plays you will ever experience and it is simply talking about the experi ences of being human and the importance of interac tion for human beings. It also lets one see never judge someone else because all you see is what’s on the sur face. You don’t have any idea of the struggles that people are going through. We as human beings are also dis trusting and on the defen sive. What’s candid about this play is when a vulner able character puts down her guard it is not a happy ending, but one more tragic than you could imagine. Playwright Martyna Majok takes the audience into the experiences of four people: one couple and one em ployee and her employer.

Majok looks at the el ements in life that sepa rate people like education, wealth and our own mis conceptions of people solely based on first impres sions and outside appear ances. Majok has characters that have severe disabilities and characters that though physically healthy, are ex periencing anguish, anxi

ety and stress in their own ways. The characters are Jess, John, Eddie and Ani. This is definitely the type of play you must go into as pri marily a blank slate and just be prepared to absorb the humor, the pain, the frus trations and the vulnerabil ity of these characters.

The cast of four is the most brilliant, captivating set of thespians you will have the good fortune to experience on a Broadway stage. Kara Young as Jess brings a gen tleness, a feistiness, a sad ness, a sense of care for her fellow man and a vulnera bility and mystery that will endear her to your heart.

Gregg Mozgala is com pletely captivating as John. He brings a sense of truth, candor, defensiveness and vulnerability as well. Watch ing these two characters start to reveal their layers is stunning. David Zayas is an actor you won’t take your

eyes off of. He comes to this role with a great deal of heart, humor, compassion and self-reflection. Katy Sul livan gives Ani’s every emo tion to the highest level. You feel her pain, fear, insecuri ty and her moments of ap preciation.

Watching “Cost of Living” you realize that life isn’t just about waking up in the morning, but it’s about the quality of life you live while you are among others. It is about the quality of life you experience when you’re by yourself. The playwright also brings home the point that we can’t control what happens in our lives, but we can choose to acknowl edge, embrace and bring joy to a moment that could be difficult. “Cost of Living” is a play that has life lessons that will stay with you for decades to come. Jo Benney provides superb direction. She makes the actors and the audience experience every interaction.

This play is a Manhattan Theatre Club production in association with William stown Theatre Festival and is playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on West 47th Street. The scenic design by Wilson Chin, cos tumes by Jessica Pabst, light ing by Jeff Croiter and sound by Rob Kaplowitz so beauti fully and smoothly work to gether to bring this story to amazing life.

she acknowledged. “How ever, those collectors—the ones that I have interacted with—are the type of people who are willing to share their pieces with the public. Some of them have donated them to museums and have said that they are willing to share.

“I like having my work in museums because that means that more people will have a chance to see it. … But I’m always happy to talk about my

work at schools. I was just at Sarah Lawrence: my traveling exhibit, ‘Woe,’ is there until the first part of December. It’s im portant for me, especially with the educational pieces, the historic pieces that talk about things that actually happened, it’s important to me that the story be shared with young people because they’re not going to get that in school. And I think it’s extremely impor tant for the future of this coun

try and the world, for people who are children now who are going to be voting adults in a few years, that they know where we came from, what happened in the past. Because that’s what will explain what’s happening now.”

“Dawn Williams Boyd: The Tip of the Iceberg” is on view Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at Fort Gan sevoort New York, 5 Ninth Ave., New York, NY, 10014 through November 19, 2022. For information, phone: 917639-3113 or email: gallery@ fortgansevoort.com.

Katy Sullivan and David Zayas in “Cost of Living” (Julieta Cervantes photo)

Arts for Art, the non-profit or ganization on the Lower East Side, is dedicated to bringing jazz to the community in its un apologetic revolutionary state no smooth no cool just straight-up what it is, truth music.

November 10-12, AFA will con tinue the second day of its mis sion with their presentation of JAZZ LIBRE: Multi-Cultural Free Jazz, highlighting music of the Af rican diaspora and Latin America. “In a World of Division—AFA brings Art that stands for Truth and Toler ance.” As Hispanic/Latin Heritage Month comes to a close, come listen enjoy music, dance and poetry. The event, now in its 11th year, will take place at The Clemente (107 Suffolk Street) in the Flamboyan Theater. November 10 at 7 p.m. will fea ture pianist/vocals Janice Lowe & Namaroon with Olithea Anglin on electronics and vocals, sax ophone Ras Moshe and bassist guitarist Yohann Potico. The com poser, poet and multi-disciplinary artist Lowe is the author of “Leaving CLE poems of nomadic dispersal” (Miami Press). She is the composer of the musicals “SIT-IN at the FIVE & DIME,” words by Marjorie Duff ield, “SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS,” li bretto by Charles E. Drew, Jr. and “LIL BUDDA,” text by Stephanie L. Jones. At 9 p.m. the tenor saxo phonist producer composer James Brandon Lewis Dvorak Quartet will perform, is a visionary, who per forms from varied creative plateaus.

On November 11 the series opens at 7 p.m. with the exciting pianist

Angelica Sanchez with drummer Chad Taylor. Fred Moten poetry at 8:30 p.m. and at 9 p.m. CooperMoore Quartet with DoYeon Kim on gayageum, keyboardist Matt Mottel, percussionist Michael TA Thompson and Moore on piano and diddley bow. The final day No vember 12, 7 p.m. Colors of The Night, pianist Eri Yamamoto, bass ist William Parker, drummer Ikuo Takeuchi, at 8pm the poet Bob Holman with the dynamic duo of pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist Wil liam Parker, at 9:30 p.m. Matthew Shipp on solo piano.

“JAZZ LIBRE is a footstep into trying to get back to that unifica tion of all music,” said bassist, poet, composer William Parker. “We listen to all kinds of music that is inspira tional from Latin to John Coltrane to James Brown and Tito Puente, it’s a unity among the music, musicians and the community.”

For a complete schedule visit the website Artsforart.org. Tickets are $35 and live streaming is $10.

Eunice Newkirk is known as a jazz singer but that term is so confining for such a multi-facet ed singer whose roots began in the church giving her gospel blues timbre that captures the emotions of her life experiences.

On November 12, you can expe rience her vocal journey “The Two Sides of Eunice” up close at W83 Re deemer Presbyterian Church (150 West 83rd Street), one show at 7 p.m. Newkirk will be joined by an accomplished Trio featuring pianist Eric Reed, bassist Tom DiCarlo and drummer McClenty Hunter.

Newkirk has enthralled audiences in South America, Asia and Europe, as well as performances through out the United States. While diving deeper into her gospel roots and

performing in churches on a regular basis, she has earned the title “God’s Messenger.” She has an intuitive way of fusing her gospel roots into her jazz swing and pop rhythms.

Tickets can be purchased on her website eunicenewkirk.com or purchased at the door.

That old cliché, “looks are de ceiving,” may have some relevance when BLKBOK (Black Bach) takes the stage at the Loft in City Winery (25 11th Ave. at 15th Street), on No vember 16 for one show at 7:30 p.m. Dressed in a t-shirt showing off his tattoos, baseball cap, jeans and hightop brand sneakers one immediately thinks he’s headed toward the mike to spit some dope rhymes. “I am a rapper, except I spit lyrics and tell my stories through my hands, and these notes,” BLKBOK Charles Wilson III raps. “You see me one way and hear me another.” The Detroit neo-clas sical pianist and composer was an acclaimed piano prodigy, at age 8, winning statewide accolades and college level competitions. Since that time, he has worked with ac knowledged stars such as Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and John Mayer. ”I see myself as a disrupter; classi cal music needed an overhaul,” said the pianist. “I’m still discovering my own voice, it’s one big experiment. Mozart never played Detroit.” He is the B.I.G. of classical music with a softer voice perhaps he vocaliz es the phrase verse or notes of the great Black pianist composer Wil liam Grant Still, who never received his just accolades in his world of seg regated Jim Crowism.

BLKBOK is touring in support of his 25-track opus “Black Book DLUX” (2022), released through Billy Mann and Benton James’ icon+giants. The largely instrumen tal work includes 11 poems written

and narrated by award-winning Ja maican poet Lauren Delapenha and a standout vocal collaboration with Hamilton’s Tony and Grammy Award-winning Renée Elise Golds berry on “My Life.” Through provoc ative singles including “Kendrick + Karine,” “November 7th, 2020,” “George Floyd and the Struggle for Equality,” and “Michelle’s First Day at the White House,” BLKBOK takes listeners on a musical jour ney that reflects these crucial times. The poems are sharp arrows of ex cruciating thought, some sweet ened with the warmth of a mother’s bosom; his music is a deep river of bluesy improvisational classical soul. This album follows his critical ly acclaimed, neo-classical debut album “Black Book,” and various mixtape projects and collabora tions. “I wasn’t classically trained in a conservatory or anything like that; I’m doing what hundreds of Black artists did before me just going to the lab and creating my own Black ex pression,” explained the musician. For tickets visit the website citywinery.com/newyork

Some jazz musicians not only use their improvisational skills on the bandstand but on canvas using paint brushes as their instrument of choice. Some such artists will appear as The Art of Counterpoint 8 Musicians Make Art opens Novem ber 10 (6 p.m.-8 p.m.) thru January 10, 2023, at the Zurcher Gallery (33 Bleecker Street). The musicians fea tured are Marion Brown (who died in 2010, was a saxophonist, com poser, writer, visual artist, and eth nomusicologist. He was part of the New York avant-garde jazz scene); Bill Dixon (who transitioned in 2010, was a trumpeter, composer, improviser, visual artist, activist, and educator); Douglas R. Ewart (is a Ja

maican multi-instrumentalist and instrument builder, he plays sopra nino and alto saxophones, clari nets, bassoon, flute, and bamboo flutes (shakuhachi, ney, and pan pipes); Ted Joans (who transi tioned in 2003 was a jazz poet, surrealist, trumpeter, and paint er); Oliver lake (is an alto saxo phonist, poet, arranger, his art work extends from shoes to wood and canvas); Matana Roberts (a must-hear saxophonist, who brings commentary to her music, her art work which instantly grabs you, tends to lean toward large canvas installations); Cecile McLorin Sal vant (the young jazz vocalist, who turns well-traveled tunes into shiny gems); and Wadada Leo Smith (the avant-garde trumpeter, who was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music, says he was into art since the age of 12. “It’s all about your identity,” he noted.)

This exhibit will be just as exciting as the musicians’ live concerts. A grouping of these incredible artists’ works displayed at the same time may not exist again so make haste.

The Jazz Gallery (1158-1160 Broadway) where the music is always straight up no chaser, no noisy ice machines, no scurrying waiters, order taking at tables, no shaken not stirred. No, just great uninterrupted music taking you on a venture to non-threating galaxies.

Now thru November 14, The Jazz Gallery’s annual Fall Online Fundraising Auction is in full swing—visit the website and get your bids in there are some great gifts, once-in-a-lifetime experi ences, and delicious restaurant gift certificates excellent for first dates or anniversary dinner and more. Don’t lose out bid’em in get’em go to the website jazzgallery.org

Neo-classical pianist and composer BLKBOK (Spencer Heyfron photos)

separate from Cuomo and has garnered a lot of support from downstate voters.

The Amsterdam News asked Black, white, men, women, young, and elderly voters in Brooklyn about their political leanings and what motivated them to come out to the polls. Despite concerns that New York voters would be fatigued from attending two separate pri maries this year, polling sites and poll workers reported high traffic crowds getting the vote out all day.

According to the unofficial New York City Board of Elections numbers, there were a total of 432,634 voters that participat ed in early voting for the general election. The largest votes came from Manhattan with 133,618 and Brooklyn with 135,239.

Of the people surveyed, most were staunch Democrats that voted for all Democrats down the ballot with a goal of keep ing “Trump Republicans” out of office. None seemed particularly rallied by the ‘rise in crime’ nar rative that had become a major talking point for Hochul and Zeldin. Instead, city voters spoke

about gun control, congestion pricing, climate change, abortion rights, and protecting a greater sense of democracy as being in finitely more important.

Additionally, there was a wide range of state and federal offices on the ballot this year with Demo cratic incumbents, like U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York State Attorney Gen eral Letitia James. Schumer and James attended Hochul’s elections results watch party in lower Man hattan. Both Brooklyn natives gave stirring speeches.

Schumer said he was “deeply humbled” to be the first New Yorker to be voted into the Senate five times in a row. James is the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected at torney general.

“Tonight, we heard from New Yorkers from across the state, and I am so proud to earn a second term as your attorney general,” said James. “Over the past four years, we have worked tirelessly to make New York a place where there is only one system of justice for all, and tonight is an affirma tion of all that we have accom plished. In our first term, we have taken thousands of guns off the

streets and cracked down on dan gerous drug and crime rings; we have taken on Big Pharma for its role in the opioid crisis and deliv ered more than $2 billion to New Yorkers; we have protected wom en’s rights, immigrant communi ties, and the future of our planet; and we have fought for the rights of everyday people from Brooklyn to Buffalo.

“But as long as any New Yorker feels unsafe, can’t afford to live in their community, or is locked out of the sunshine of opportuni ty, we still have work to do. I will continue to fight for the rights of every person in our great state and ensure the rule of law is ap plied equally to everyone. ”

Now the work begins, “In this election cycle you showed the nation what voters are made of,” said James. “This election was a call to action.”

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing sto ries like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://bit. ly/amnews1

Safety

and in our subway stations is in telligence-driven, flexible, and focused on prevention. Our of ficers are elevating their work every day—particularly in the subway system where the public is seeing our visible presence, extensive coverage in trains and platforms, and more engage ment with riders and those who work in the system.”

October started with three fatal stabbings on New York City public transit. Since then, multiple other incidents occurred including an argument that escalated into a man fatally struck by an incom ing train after he fell onto the tracks. Since then, police presence is tightening on public transit, with increased officer presence on platforms and further mental health response training.

Last month, Gallup found a significant uptick in public per ceptions of increased local crime across the country. The poll re ported 78% of Americans think there’s more crime in the United States. 73% of Republicans and 42% of Democrats polled told Gallup they thought crime was

up locally.

During his campaign, Zeldin frequently went after cashless bail reform, which he sourced a “crime wave” to and promised to suspend. He also targeted Man hattan District Alvin Bragg who he deemed as soft-on-crime. He even promised during the de bates to fire the chief prosecu tor as his first move as governor if elected.

But the election is now over, with Hochul serving out her first term as the state’s first elect ed woman governor. Her track record of public safety is largely centered around gun regulation, including keeping concealed carry weapons away from crowd ed areas like Times Square after the Bruen decision struck down state licensing laws. As for tran sit crime, she announced camer as would be installed on all New York City subways.

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

LOTERIA™/©: Licensed by Don Clemente,

CLASSROOMIN THE

Angelina Weld Grimke, gifted, versatile writer of mixed ancestry and sexuality

moved with her father to Wash ington, D.C., thereby joining her uncle, Francis Grimke.

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

A play by Michael Dinwiddie and a book by Kerri K. Greenidge evoke an illustrious American family of mixed ancestry, and none more emblematic than Angelina Weld Grimke. She was three-quarters white—her mother was white and her father was half-white—and thus taken together, Angelina was a “woman of color.” The proverbi al “one-drop theory,” may have its poster girl with her.

Notwithstanding the race matter, Angelina was a talented poet, and she is best remembered for her words in several genres than the color of her skin. She was born on Feb. 27, 1880, in Boston. Her father, Archibald Grimke, was a prominent attorney whose father was a slave owner, includ ing an enslaved woman his father owned. He was the second Black man to graduate from Harvard Law School. Angelina’s mother, Sarah Stanley, was a woman of Eu ropean ancestry, and other than that little is known of her.

We do know, however, that they met in Boston where Archibald

established his law office. She was named to honor her father’s paternal white aunt Angelina Grimke Weld, and thus a flip in her name. Their marriage was not appreciated by the family with race being the principal issue. After Angelina’s birth, Sarah left her husband and began a career of her own in the Midwest. When Angelina was seven, she was sent back to Massachusetts to live with her father. That ended her contact with her mother who committed suicide a few years later.

No reason has been given for her taking her life, though it could be her being connected to a family with a convoluted mixture of slav ery and complicated ancestry. Moreover, we can never be com pletely assured of how these fac tors may have troubled her and compelled her to send her daugh ter back to live with her father. Even so, her in-laws had a number of distinguished personalities, and Angelina would follow in their wake as she began her educational journey at Boston Normal School of Gymnastics, later the Depart ment of Hygiene of Wellesley Col lege. After her graduation she

Angelina began teaching English at the Armstrong Manual Training School in 1902. The school, con sistent with the Jim Crow system at that time, was Black and segre gated. By 1916, she was a teach er at the renowned Dunbar High School. Among her notable stu dents was the playwright and poet, May Miller. During her summer break, she often took classes at Harvard University. On July 11, 1911, she was traveling on a train to Connecticut when it crashed; she sustained a back injury that never completely healed. Seven years later her father became ill; in 1928 she retired to care for him and attended him until his death in 1930. She left the nation’s cap ital and moved to New York City where she lived in a semi-recluse apartment on the Upper West side before her death in 1958.

Her literary legacy was quite im pressive, having published in a number of prestigious journals, including the NAACP’s Crisis mag azine and the Urban League’s Op portunity. She was among a coterie of noted writers in several anthol ogies and her poetry was includ ed in “Caroling Dusk and Negro Poets and Their Poems.” Depend ing on the publication, she is often considered a writer of the Harlem Renaissance or shortly before. In 1916, her play “Rachel” was pro duced in both New York City and Washington, D.C. According to the NAACP, her play was “the first at tempt to use the stage for race pro paganda in order to enlighten the American people relating to the lamentable condition of ten mil lions of Colored citizens in this free republic.” The play depicts the life of a Black family from the South who migrates to the North in the early 20th century and their responses to the racial ignominies they faced and endured. Also, she interrogates themes of mother hood, and the problems children

encounter. Crucial to the play’s de velopment is an episode of lynch ing. “The play was published in 1920, but received little atten tion after its initial productions. In the years since, however, it has been recognized as a precursor to the Harlem Renaissance. It is one of the first examples of this polit ical and cultural movement to ex plore the historical roots of African Americans,” one review noted.

Angelina wrote a second an ti-lynching play, “Mara,” parts of which have never been published. And lynching continued to be a central concern in subsequent publications, both in a fictional and non-fiction mode. Her play “Goldie” was based on the 1918 lynching of Mary Turner, antici pating Toni Morrison’s “Beloved.”

As to her sexual orientation, that was revealed in part when as a teenager she wrote to a female friend and lover, “I know you are too young now to become my wife, but I hope, darling, that in a few years you will come to me and be my love, my wife! How my brain whirls how my pulse leaps with joy and madness when I think of these two words, ‘my wife.’” This disclosure caused a break in her relationship with her father when he learned of it in 1903. Her father presented her with an ulti matum about the affair, insisting she choose between him, and the young woman.

Her sexuality was often a topic of controversy and evidence of her lesbianism or bisexual ten dency was given further credence in such publications as the “Dic tionary of Literary Biography: Af rican-American Writers before the Harlem Renaissance” which cites: “In several poems and in her diaries Grimké expressed the frustration that her lesbian ism created; thwarted longing is a theme in several poems.” Some of her unpublished poems are more explicitly lesbian, implying that she lived a life of suppression, “both personal and creative.”

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

As suggested in the narrative, several an thologies include her poetry and her plays.

DISCUSSION

More needs to be said about her sexual ori entation––when she began expressing it and its impact on her family.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Depending on the source, Angelina is in cluded in the Harlem Renaissance era and a little before.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

Nov. 6, 1972: Actress Thandie Newton was born in Zambia; she is noted for her role in “Be loved.”

Nov. 6, 1901: Actress Juanita Hall was born in Keyport, New Jersey; she is famous for her role in “South Pacific.”

Nov. 7, 1967: Carl Stokes of Cleveland became the first elected African American mayor of a major city. He died in 1996.

Angelina Weld Grimke as a young woman

purposes for the time being. Current ly, there are no accurate official cost esti mates for the Randall’s Island center.

In Central Harlem, State Sen. Cordell Cleare hosted a forum to address migrant housing in the West African enclave often dubbed Little Senegal. Stakeholders pres ent included Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro, Sene galese Consul General Elhadji Ndao and As semblymember Al Taylor. Gov. Kathy Hochul was scheduled to appear but did not.

“We have been working on the condi tions on West 116th Street and we have asylum seekers and we have other things that are happening,” said Cleare. “There’s an impact to this neighborhood. And it put us in a situation where we didn’t know what to do. So we said we’ll collect folks, we will make sure that we have the right agencies in place, make sure that people have the right information, know where to go, know what the rules are, know where to get help.”

“We’ve seen in other locations where it’s not the same type of warm or welcom ing atmosphere, but here in New York, we see the efforts that the Mayor’s Office is doing,” said Ndao. “We are very aware of all the efforts on Randall’s Island and some hotels that are taken by the public offic es to make sure that the dignity of these people is taken care of.”

The officials beckoned migrants in Harlem to avoid transporting any packag es or driving strangers for money, which can preclude any potential pathway to cit izenship. Castro promised expanded legal services on the way along with increased Wolof resources for West African migrants. And there was a call for donations of cold weather clothes given many migrants come from warmer temperate climates than New York City.

Also addressed was the community con cern that asylum seekers were prioritized over other marginalized groups already in New York City.

“If you can feed five, you can feed six, if you can sleep seven, you can sleep eight—

all this stuff and their math and what they do, we can feed each other,” said Taylor. “I know that from living and I’m not saying this is right what they’ve done to us, but we will not let our brothers and sisters lie in the scenario that they’ve dumped them in. That’s inhumane. They didn’t ask for it. Our job is to help them and hold those ac countable that [are] doing that.

“Because if you want to think about this, you really want to get the goat about some thing, get up and go vote because those folks down in Texas are doing that delib erately to get you ticked off and what are they doing this atrocity that they’re doing? They’re using human beings as tools and trafficking in their evilness.”

Castro told the Amsterdam News that southern border officials are intending to sow division by chartering migrants to New York City.

“This is exactly why Gov. Abbott [was] misleading asylum seekers and coercing them into coming to New York—this is what they wanted to do,” he said. “They wanted to foster obstruction, confusion and tension. But what the vast majority of New Yorkers knew not to fall for that.

“There are people that feel ‘well, what about us?’ or have questions and some of

them are valid if they’ve always felt a sense of disenfranchisement. But I think most New Yorkers are able to say, ‘well, no, actu ally, these are people that are being taken advantage of, and let’s welcome them with humanity.’”

Supplies and new/packaged cloth ing can be donated to asylum seekers in Harlem via the Office of Manhattan Bor ough Pres. Mark Levine at: 431 W. 125th St. New York, NY 10027 Mon.-Fri. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There’s also a downtown drop-off point at 1 Centre St. 19th Floor (South Side), New York, NY 10027 Mon.-Fri. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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

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

OCCUPANCY STANDARDS:

STUDIO: One or two persons. TWO (2) BEDROOM: No fewer than three persons, a brother and a sister who are both adults, or a parent or guardian with at least one child. THREE (3) BEDROOM: No fewer than five (5) persons, (B) parent(s) or guardian(s) with two children of the opposite sex, (C) a household of three adults with one child where at least one adult is the parent or guardian of such child, or (D) a household of one parent or guardian and his or her three children shall occupy a three-bedroom apartment.

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

• Applications are not transferable.

• Applicants must be financially responsible.

• Applicants must be a New York State resident.

• Current Shareholders are not eligible to apply.

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

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

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

• ONE REQUEST ONLY PER APPLICANT. Any applicant placing a duplicate request will not be entered into the lottery.

An applicant can only submit a paper entry or an on-line entry. If applicants enter on-line and also mail in a letter or postcard, they have submitted a duplicate request and will not be eligible for the lottery.

• Applicants can only be on one waiting list at a development. If applicants have the right family composition, they can apply to more than one lottery. However, if they are selected for more than one lottery, they will have to choose which waiting list they prefer.

• An applicant whose name is selected in a lottery cannot be included in the family composition of any other applicant who is selected in the same lottery for that particular housing company development.

Failure to comply will result in the disqualification of both applicants.

Additional Information: A $75.00 non-refundable application fee will be required only for applicants that are selected from the lottery. Applicants should not mail in their money order with their post cards at this time. There will be a limit of 300 applicants drawn from the Studio Lottery. There will be a limit of 500 applicants drawn from the Two-Bedroom Lottery. There will be a limit of 100 applicants drawn from the Three-Bedroom Lottery.

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

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

Box 775 114 John Street, New York, NY 10038

Education

Touro students connect with community at Harlem Health Fair

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) students and two dozen community orga nizations convened at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building Plaza in Harlem recent ly for the school’s 14th biannual Health Fair.

Students and faculty provid ed a variety of health screenings and information, counseling and giveaways to over 100 attendees.

Emphasis on heart health

“The main theme of this year’s health fair was risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, the lead ing cause of death for minority populations, especially African

American,” said Dr. Kamilah Ali, the TouroCOM faculty member who organized the event.

Key offerings for heart health were screenings for blood pres sure, cholesterol, blood glucose and body weight. Information on mental health, smoking ces sation and healthy eating were also offered, with healthy food prepared on site by the local non-profit Harlem Grown, along with demonstrations of physical fitness activities.

Twenty-three organizations participated, about half of which were new to the fair. They in cluded New York State Sickle Cell Advocacy Network, NYC Smoke

Free, T.E.A.L. (Tell Every Amaz ing Lady About Ovarian Cancer), Food Bank For NYC, Planned Parenthood, Safe Horizon/Street Works, Mount Sinai Mobile Pros tate Cancer Screening, NYU Col lege of Dentistry, and the NYC Department for the Aging. Harlem resident Stephen Morris signed up for a PSA blood test for prostate cancer after walking by Mount Sinai’s mobile screening van on the perimeter of the plaza. “I saw my parents die of cancer when they were very young,” said Morris. “A lot of people, especially in the African American community, don’t have access to services. I hope more

people in the community will see [the van] and become informed.”

Janet Williams participated in exercises on the plaza while ac companying her mother-in-law, a senior citizen and Harlem res ident, to the fair. “I’m enjoying it and learning a lot. I have a prob lem with my knees. The exercises they showed me loosened up the joints for me. It’s very helpful.”

Medical student volunteers learned first-hand how people feel about their health and how to treat patients. Kristina Fecan ji, a second-year medical student and president of the Association of Women Surgeons group on campus, said she wanted to raise

awareness of ovarian cancer and the importance of preven tative measures like timely pap smears.

“I wanted them to know there is help out there and that they can reach out.”

Touro College of Pharma cy second-year student Ryan Fabian worked a table for the National Hispanic Pharmacists Association, where he spoke with attendees about how to take medications, manage side effects and other tips. “Often we find people just take their med ications but don’t really change their lifestyle to actually help them,” he said.

Harlem Grown prepares healthy food on site

Touro Fair organizer and professor Dr. Kamilah Ali

equate security practices like securing doors or removing window coverings, along with other issues like unmanned posts and staff inaction. It also stated mental health issues among de tainees are often walled off by “real and perceived” HIPAA barriers be tween the Departments of Health + Hospitals and Corrections.

An evening vigil was held during the 18-hour protest, to commem orate those who died in custo dy. One of the speakers, Lezandre Khadu—whose son Stephan died in Rikers in September 2021—told the Amsterdam News she wants those who pass by to envision

Kingsbridge

Continued from page 6

Lobo laments that the Bronx is mostly known for its deficits and its community resources. She be lieves that community ownership and shared wealth of the armory can begin to turn that tide while staving off predatory real estate development that will push out the community’s long-time lowincome tenants. “What we need is a community project that will ac

themselves in her shoes.

“I just want every human being, especially those people there in the city in those buildings, and those politicians and the DAs, the judges—that can be you,” she said. “And that could be a family member, it could be a friend, it could be a neighbor. And until it happens close to them [and] if it happens, they’re gonna move to change something.”

In 2021, 16 people died in cus tody according to the Board of Corrections—14 according to the DOC. Stephan Khadu was the 12th. This year, the unofficial death tallies have already exceed ed either count—two detainees were given a compassionate re lease shortly before they died and excluded from city numbers. But

a mother’s pain doesn’t reset with the calendar year.

“I am still in September 22, 2021,” said Khadu. “I’m still sit ting here screaming despite what people see…for long I kept saying he died. He didn’t die. They killed him because they didn’t help him.

“Who helped this family, who helped the rest of the family? There’s no support to help us. I’ve got to figure that out on my own.”

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

tually build skills and have the ca pacity for Bronx residents. Not just in its construction,” said Lobo. “But a workforce of Bronxites that can build their own businesses and worker owned cooperatives that can bring health and wellness into our borough.”

At the large community meet ing in the school annex across from the armory, Gibson spoke about her excitement for Bronx ites. She said that securing the $100 million in funds specifically for an armory capital project was

not easy but she had a lot of sup port during this year’s budgeting process.

“We talked to the governor’s office,” said Gibson, “and we said we need to make sure this money is not only recommitted but the language is in the budget.”

Gibson added that Speaker Adrienne Adams put in a direct allocation of $5 million in cap ital funds from the New York City Council. Those funds will ad dress the most immediate haz ards facing the armory so that it may be opened to the public during the redevelop ment process.

“New York ers from every borough de serve communi

Incivility

Continued from page 12

Arusha Gordon of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said, “It always makes me very nervous discussing the data around hate crimes just because we know that the data is really so lacking.” With hate on the rise, America is falling and failing its citizens. As mid-term elections have come and gone, we will see what happens with those that we have elected to lead us.

Prior to the mid-term elec tions, some states were being overly influenced by folks who wanted to see injustice reign

supreme. Candidates in some states had questionable creden tials and dubious reputations. America, we were being duped and hoodwinked. Can we do better? Yes, we can. However, we the sane must overcome the insane. Whether you were a Democratic winner or a Republican winner, you must put America first on your agenda. If you were a Republican winner, please do not talk about the 2020 election being stolen. It wasn’t and Joe Biden is the president of the United States of Ameri ca. If you won, develop relation ships with the other political party. Being isolated and think

ing your way is the only way will not work.

Democracy is a cornerstone of the American way of life. Be an advocate of right and not a carri er of wrong. As we have all heard before, we are better together. Breaking news! The Houston Astros and their manager, Dusty Baker are the 2022 World Series Champions!

ty spaces that will open up doors of opportunity and access,” said Adams in a statement. “The re development of the Kingsbridge Armory represents a unique chance for residents of the Bronx to envision a space that meets their needs. The Council recog nized the potential of transform ing the armory and invested $5 million in the city budget to fund

the remediation process.”

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing sto ries like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https:// bit.ly/amnews1

Apartment Size: Income Limits - Min-Max* Purchase Price - Min-Max** Monthly Maintenance – Min-Max** One - Bedroom $29,636 - $150,125$7,410 - $10,507 $741 - $1,066 *Based upon the number of persons in household. **Subject to change.

OCCUPANCY STANDARDS

ONE (1) BEDROOM APARTMENTS: Two to Three persons. Minimum of two persons is required.

IMPORTANT NOTICE (FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION): Applicants can only be on one waiting list at a development. If applicants have the right family composition, they can apply to more than one lottery. However, if they are selected for more than one lottery, they will have to choose which waiting list they prefer.

• Applicant must be a New York State Resident.

• Applications are not transferable.

• Applicants must be financially responsible.

• Current Shareholders are not eligible to apply.

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

• Preference will be given to documented veterans selected in the lottery that are NY State residents only.

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

• ONE REQUEST ONLY PER APPLICANT. Any applicant placing a duplicate request will not be entered into the lottery. An applicant can only submit a paper entry or an on-line entry. If applicants enter on-line and also mail in a letter or postcard, they have submitted a duplicate request and will not be eligible for the lottery.

• An applicant whose name is selected in a lottery cannot be included in the family composition of any other applicant who is selected in the same lottery for that particular housing company development. Failure to comply will result in the disqualification of both applicants.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

A $75.00 non-refundable application fee will be required only for applicants that are selected from the lottery. Applicants should not mail in their money order with their post cards at this time. The One-Bedroom waiting list will be established by a limited lottery. There will be a limit of 500 applicants drawn for this lottery.

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

HOW TO APPLY: BY MAIL Mail post card or envelope by regular mail. Registered and Certified Mail will not be accepted. Clearly print your full first and last name, current address and last 4 digits of your social security number. If you do not include the last 4 digits of your social security number or bedroom size, you will not be entered into the lottery. Do not include the application fee with your entry. If selected in the lottery, the application fee will be requested. Mail post card or envelope to:

Body bags and names of those who died in DOC custody this year (Tandy Lau photo)

Kingsbridge Armory (Ariama C. Long; Tandy Lau photo)

Religion & Spirituality

Electeds pay respects to late Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts III at funeral service

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

Harlem’s own the Rev. Dr. Calvin Otis Butts III was laid to rest on Friday, Nov. 4, after news of his passing shook the nation. At his funeral, elected officials from all over the state and country were in attendance at Abyssinian Baptist Church, including former Pres ident Bill Clinton and Georgian U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock.

Butts, 73, was a political pow erhouse who had been in bad health for quite some time due to an uphill battle with cancer. He died on Oct. 28. His approximate ly 5-hour-long funeral services at his beloved church were packed with mourners, followers, and po litical colleagues he’d worked with throughout the decades.

Some people made jokes, some read poetry or sang, some rallied people to their feet with memories of Butts’ great works, while others were much more somber in their remarks. Still, it was clear that all in attendance were deeply moved by the passing of Butts.

Clinton was the first elected offi cial to speak at the podium. Clin ton and Butts had been friends since his presidential election and he spoke to him not long before he passed. He said that Butts not only challenged him but demonstrated faith and wisdom in his lifetime that he had come to rely on.

“He can be blunt and tough but he had a beautiful spirit. And I learned a lot from him and I’m grateful for everything,” said Clin ton. “I also occasionally took orders.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader

Chuck Schumer shouted out Butts’ family and children, one of whom worked in his office. He spoke of Butts’ wide reach ing network of supporters and disciples. “To all of these souls that the pastor touched from the pulpit here at Abyssinian, to all of the young minds that he cultivat ed at SUNY Old Westbury out on Long Island,” said Schumer. “Dr. Butts had a positive and indelible impact on all those he encoun tered. That the fruits of his labor can be found throughout our city, our state, our nation.”

New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul, who was on the cam paign trail at the time, stopped at the church to give her remarks. Hochul said that Abyssinian was the first stop she made as soon as she was made governor after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s res ignation. She asked for a “spiritual bless ing” over her time in office from Butts. She called Butts a “beautiful candle” and light of empow erment that can live on.

The Central Park Conservancy staff and Board of Trustees mourn the passing of Rev. Calvin Butts, a Board Member of the Conservancy from 1990 to 2000 and one of Central Park’s most ardent advocates. Rev. Butts was a firm believer in the mission of Central Park as a respite for all New Yorkers, and he devoted much of his life to making sure residents of Harlem and East Harlem – especially its young people –shared an understanding of the tremendous benefits the Park offered its neighboring communities. Rev. Butts was a critical force in helping to secure federal funding for the revamped Frederick Douglass Circle at 110th Street and other improvements along the north end of the Park, and recently helped to inform the creation of free neighborhood programs that will be a part of the Conservancy’s new Harlem Meer Center. His devotion to the Conservancy and his commitment to building a truly inclusive New York will be deeply missed by our Board and staff.

“I came here because I knew that the place that was so steeped in his

tory, a place where people creat ed leaders. A place where elected leaders, spiritual leaders, commu nity leaders were always in this church,” said Hochul. “And I knew that because I came here and wor shiped as lieutenant governor.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that he has been inspired by Butts throughout his career in law enforcement and as a senator and borough president in the city.

“I remember when music was demonizing Black women in our community, and he came with that big construction roller and rolled over the CDs,” said Adams.

“And long before people were talk ing about ‘Don’t advertise alcohol and cigarettes in our community to harm our community,’ he had a white roller brush painting over the posters and said, ‘Lock me up if you want to, because I’m going to stand on truth.’”

Adams acknowledged that many

in his administration, such as Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Schools Chancellor David Banks, came from Abyssinian. He con cluded that he loved Butts and would truly miss him.

“We know how challenging this moment is,” said Adams. “It is for all of us, but nowhere in the con tract of life does it say immor tality is part of the deal. We’re all mortal. And I can rest assured in all my heart, all of the elected offi cials in this room he loved, but he adored me.”

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing sto ries like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https:// bit.ly/amnews1

Mayor Adams spoke during funeral services for the Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, which were held at Abyssinian Baptist Church on Friday, Nov. 4. (Bill Moore photo)

(Office of Governor Kathy Hochul photo)

(Office of Governor Kathy Hochul photo)

(Bill Moore photo)

(Bill Moore photo)

(Bill Moore photo)

(Office of Governor Kathy Hochul photo)

(Office of Governor Kathy Hochul photo)

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This is to announce that the next open meeting of the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Aca demy I Charter School Board of Trustees will be held on Wednesday, Nove mber 16th, 2022, at 7:30 am The meeting will take place at 245 West 129th St, NY, NY

This is to announce that the next meeting of the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy II Charter School Board of Trustees will occur in person on Wednesday, Nove mber 16th, 2022, at 7:30 am The meeting will take place at 245 West 129th St, NY, NY

Notice of Qualification of 428 & 432 WEST 19TH STREET

LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/20/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/06/19.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Anbau Enterprises, 11 E. 26th St., NY, NY 10010. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808.

Cert of Form filed with Secy. of State, DE Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT NEW YORK COUNTY

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR VELOCITY COMMERCIAL CAPITAL LOAN TRUST 2017-2, Plaintiff against

200 LENOX AVENUE, LLC, et al Defendant(s)

Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Schiller, Knapp, Lefkowitz & Hertzel, LLP, 15 Cornell Road, Latham, NY 12110.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered May 9, 2022, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at the Portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre St, New York, NY 10007 on December 7, 2022 at 2:15 PM

Premises known as 27 West 120th Street a/k/a 200 Lenox Av enue a/k/a 200 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, New York 10027. Block 1720 Lot 1. 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, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $2,196,777.57 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 850002/2021.

CES 100 PUBLIC NOTI CES 101 LEGAL NOTICES101 LEGAL NOTICES101 LEGAL NOTICES 101 LEGAL NOTICES

The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 1st Judicial District's Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check made payable to the referee.

Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee 20-05155

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, HOME LOAN INVESTMENT BANK, F.S.B. F/K/A OCEAN BANK, F.S.B., Plaintiff, vs JOCELY PADILHA, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Amended Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision and Order on Motion duly entered on July 21, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 7, 2022 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 210 East 47th Street, Unit No 2C, East Midtown, NY 10017. 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, City and State of New York, Block 1320 and Lot 1408 together with an undivided 1.212 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $280,884.71 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 850158/2019. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale

Heavens Love Puzzle LLC Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 08/15/2022 Office Location: NY County. SSNY des ignated as agent upon whom process may be served against it & shall mail a copy to: 1425 Amsterdam Ave, 5B, NY, NY 10027. Purpose: Re lationship podcast & coaching in any lawful activity www.heavenslovepuzzle.com

Notice of Formation of MARCUM PHILIPPINES LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/22. Office location: NY County Princ. office of LLC: 730 Third Ave., NY, NY 10017. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543 Purpose: Gener al corporate use.

Notice of Qualification of MARITIME MANAGEMENT, L.L.C. Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/20/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/23/16. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

N9363V LLC Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 09/29/22. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served against LLC to: 345 W. 30th St., NY, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful act.

MTA REAL ESTA TE (MTA RE)

Request for Proposals no BW102022: Lease of five retail units at Beach 116 Subway Station, Rockaway Park, Queens

Request for Proposals No. MT102022: License opportuni ty for an employee cafeteria at Mother Clara Hale Bus De pot located at 721 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10039.

Request for Proposals No. MT102022: License opportuni ty for an employee cafeteria at Randalls Island Training Fa cility, Building 104.

More info on the abov e RFPs at http://mta.i nfo/real estate

17R LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/14/22.

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, 1129 Northern Boulevard, Suite 400, Manhas set, NY 11030. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

57 PARK OPS LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/13/22. 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 Gary Spindler, 250 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of AEL FINANCIAL SERVICES, LLC

Appl for Auth filed with Se cy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/22. Office location: NY County LLC formed in North Carolina (NC) on 06/22/22. Princ. office of LLC: 1155 Ave. of the Americas, 35th Fl., NY, NY 10036. 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. NC addr of LLC: 2101 Rexford Rd., Ste. 310, Charlotte, NC 28211. Cert of Form. filed with Secy of State, 2 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27601-2903 Purpose: The business purpose is to act as a registered broker-dealer, and conduct certain approved securities transactions

Ahern Painting Contractors, Inc is seeking DBE Subcon tractor proposals for the Project: “C-34921R Overcoat Painting and Steel Repair of Elevated Structure, Jamaica Line” Painting Subcontrac tors experienced in perform ing Lead Abatement and Painting on Elevated Train Lines are encouraged to contact us Please contact Anna at 718-639-5880 for details

GRAPEVINE TECHNOLO

GIES LLC Articles of Orga nization filed with Sec. of State of NY(SOS) on 10/17/2022. Office Location: New York County SOS is designated as agent of LLC for service of process. SOS shall mail copy of process to 1107 Broadway, 8H, New York, NY 10010. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #1353058 for beer & wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a tavern under the ABC Law at 39 E. 13th St., 6th Fl., NYC 10003 for on-premises consumption; One Tree Hill LLC

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #1353228 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the under signed to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 3480 Broadway, NYC 10031 for on-premises consumption; Lux Bar & Grill 142 Inc.

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #1353513 for beer wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a cafe under the ABC Law at 19-21 Clinton St., NYC 10002 for on-premises consumption; Group Gem LLC

Bruce Lederman, Esq., Referee - The Referee will not accept any payments in cash

Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C., One Battery Park Plaza, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff

101 LEGAL NOTICES 101 LEGAL NOTICES 101 LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Qualification of SIFI NETWORKS NEW YORK CITY LLC Appl for Auth. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/20/22. Princ. office of LLC: 103 Foulk Rd., Ste. 500, Wilmington, DE 19803. 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. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of Form filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Development and operation of fiber optic network

NY CITY PSYCHOTHERAPY

LCSW PLLC, a Prof LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/29/2022 Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served SSNY shall mail process to: The PLLC, 82 Nassau St., #60683, NY, NY 10038. Purpose: To Prac tice The Profession Of Li censed Clinical Social Work

Notice of Qualification of SU PER NICE GUYS, LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/21/22. Office location: NY County LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/28/22. Princ. office of LLC: 335 W. 38th St., Apt. 5, NY, NY 10018. 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., Al bany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of Form filed with Secy. of State, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of formation of A&P DECOR LLC Arts of Org filed with SSNY on 10/03/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY designat ed as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to: 2075 2nd Ave., Apt. 20E, New York, NY 10029. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of formation of FIVE IRON GOLF INDIANAPOLIS LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State NY (SSNY) on 06/15/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY designat ed as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to c/o 883 Avenue of the Americas, Floor 3, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of formation of Anny77 LLC Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 10/26/2022 Office Location: New York County SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served against it & shall mail a copy to: 225 W. 86th St., Hall 1, Ste. 717, New York, NY 10024. Purpose: To en gage in any lawful activity

Notice of formation of CALL TO GATHER LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State New York (SSNY) on 09/21/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY designat ed as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy to: 226-230 E 12th St., 7E, New York, NY 10030. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of formation of CLEARLINE RE LLC Arts of Org filed with SSNY on 08/22/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY designat ed as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to: 950 Third Avenue, 23rd Floor NY, NY 10022 Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of OR BITAL KITCHENS USQ LLC

Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/29/22. Office location: NY County Princ. office of LLC: 74 5th Ave., NY, NY 10011. 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 RK ART LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/29/22. 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 STRONG & FREE LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State New York (SSNY) on 09/13/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY designat ed as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy to: 244 West 136th St., Ground Floor, New York, NY 10030. Purpose: any lawful act.

RMR Solutions LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/3/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 496 W 133rd St, Apt. 2E, New York, NY 10027. Purpose: any lawful activity

Notice of Qualification of THALASSIC MANAGEMENT, L.L.C. Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/20/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/14/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of formation of ALOE VERA SUPREME LLC Arti cles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 7/5/2022. NY office location: New York County SSNY has been des ignated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, The post of fice address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him is Lawrence Long, 229 E 85th Street #564 NYC NY 10028. Purpose: any lawful.activity

Notice of Formation of NO MAND ADVISORY LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/26/22. Office location: NY County Princ. office of LLC: 15 E. 30th St., Unit 48D, NY, NY 10016. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Johnathon Gibson at the princ. office of the LLC Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of Qualification of STABILIS JV LENDING LLC Appl for Auth filed with Se cy of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/14/22. Office location: NY County LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/22/22. Princ. office of LLC: 140 E. 45th St., Ste. 22-C, NY, NY 10017. 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., Al bany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of Form filed with DE Secy of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of Qualification of WOREC BOERUM FUND ING, LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/05/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/03/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form filed with Secy of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of formation of Only Love Strangers LLC. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy. of NY (SSNY) on 08/19/22. NY office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is C/O the LLC: 122 1st Ave, New York, NY 10009. Purpose: Any lawful activity

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major stop on the famed Chitlin’ Circuit as well as a location where the first Black players to integrate Major League Baseball roomed when they were banned from rooming in Fort Myers’ whiteowned hotels. The Pittsburgh Pi rates’ Roberto Clemente roomed with a local family in a Dunbar area known as “The Bottom.”

When Hurricane Ian hit, Dunbar and another Fort Myers neighbor hood, Harlem Heights, saw their residents waiting to have their power restored and for food sup plies to be delivered. “You know it happens with every disaster, every storm,” MacKenzie Marce lin, climate justice manager with the grassroots political power or ganization Florida Rising, told the AmNews in response to ques tions about the trials locals are still facing.

“And then, even with the pan demic, folks are being left behind by authorities and feeling that they’re not responding—there are gaps in the response, and it usually falls on Black and brown communities being the last to get their lights turned on, the last to get their power turned on, the last

SOMOS

conference has become. Soto said that groups that are communityled, like Comedores Sociales de Puerto Rico, have been operating for a long time and deserve more financial support during this time of “disaster capitalism.”

“Comedores Sociales. They are a mutual aid organization,” said Soto. “Many of them occupy schools and they cook for the community. I think they’ve been a really important source of support and I suggest connecting directly with those grassroots groups with out intervention of any nonprofit from New York City because then it becomes political.”

SOMOS Inc. is in fact a nonpar tisan nonprofit partnering with the New York State Assembly/ Senate Puerto Rican and Hispan ic Task Force to put on the con ference. The Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force was creat ed in 1987 to better represent the growing population of Puerto Ricans in the city and state. By 1988, the first Somos Uno annual mock session was held in Albany,

to, you know, get significant re sponses.”

Florida Rising is part of a 50+ group coalition that signed onto a letter demanding a “just re covery” following Hurricane Ian. The letter stated that coalition members wanted it known that as part of the Hurricane Ian re sponse every Floridian has a right to food, utilities, and safe housing; renters should not face the possi bility of evictions during the re covery; workers should not have to worry about losing their em ployment as they are trying to restabilize their living conditions; and Florida’s immigrants should not be deprived of access to shel ters or services during this emer gency period.

Florida Rising has coalesced with other grassroots groups such as Dream Defenders, Flor ida Immigrant Coalition, FL Jobs With Justice, and Faith in Florida to create the Florida Ian Response Fund (www.IanRe sponse.org). These groups plan to use any donated funds they receive to provide food and sup plies and help people figure out relief programs during the re covery period. Those who want to send support to Hurricane Ian survivors can send funds via this website.

“These disasters,” adds Marce lin, “they’re like, you know, they’re undiscriminating. They’re going to hit whoever. But I think in our re sponse that’s where we start to see discrimination, you know what I

mean? Where folks aren’t receiv ing—certain communities aren’t receiving—the assistance and the help that meet their needs. And so, we need to do a better job— to continue doing a better job and

learn from these situations that a lot of our communities have the answers. They have the solution; they know how to bounce back. They just need the resources to be able to do so.”

New York, before the name change and a second conference was added on the island.

Puerto Rican Activist David Galarza works for a union and will also be attending SOMOS while organizing the resistance tour.

“Given everything that Puerto Rico is going through. The en vironment, financially, energy crisis, privatization, labor strug gles, poverty, health,” said Galar za. “As the oldest colony of the U.S., it’s going through some dif

ficult times. To parachute into San Juan and stay in that Albany, City Hall bubble and not engage with folks or local activists in solidarity and elevate issues, is a wasted opportunity.”

Galarza intends to have the re sistance tour be an alternative space to uplift issues concern ing the Puerto Rican communi ties on the island. He mentioned, for instance, advocating for more federal and Federal Emergency Management Agency monies to

create a sustainable energy grid as opposed to LUMA, the faulty privatized American-owned system that’s currently in place.

“I have a long history of hear ing about SOMOS and how it was basically a place where people would go to talk to lobbyists and get drunk. And I found that very much to be true,” Councilmember Alexa Avilés told City & State about last year’s conference.

“I was not going to meet with any lobbyists. My time was not for them

there. If they want to meet with me, they will meet with me here on business hours,” said Avilés.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing sto ries like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https:// bit.ly/amnews1

Members of Florida Rising have been part of the recovery following Hurricane Ian (Florida Rising courtesy photo)

Councilmembers Amanda Farias and Alexa Avilés coordinated with the Clemente Center in LES and La Goyco in Puerto Rico in 2021. This was not a SOMOS event. (Contributed photos from David Galarza)

Beating the NBA’s best is the Knicks’ stiffest challenge

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Knicks were in Brooklyn last night (Wednesday) to play the Nets, a fragile and disjointed team that was without All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who was suspend ed by team CEO and governor Joe Tsai last week for a minimum of five games. The banishment came after Irving failed to put forth what Tsai deemed to be an adequate apology for posting a link to a movie on his Twitter account that has been char acterized as antiSemitic.

The Nets also announced on Wednesday that Jacque Vaughn, who was named the interim head coach when former head coach Steve Nash was fired on Nov. 1, had been installed as the team’s permanent head coach with a contract that runs through the 2023-24 season.

Last night was the first time this regular season the Knicks and Nets have met. The Knicks were 5-5 prior to the matchup and the Nets were

4-7. What has stood out thus far for the Knicks is that they have handled the team they seemingly should beat but have not fared well against the NBA’s better competition.

Heading into last night’s game, the Knicks had defeated the De troit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Char lotte Hornets all at Madison Square Garden, the Philadelphia 76ers on the road who were without stars James Harden and Joel Embiid, and the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road on Monday, a group that was missing center Rudy Gobert, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year who is averaging a league leading 13.9 rebounds. Gobert was in the league’s health and safety protocols when the Knicks took down the Wolves 120-107.

The Hornets, the Pistons—who the Knicks will face again at the Garden tomorrow night—and the Magic were the bottom three teams in the Eastern Conference standings as of yesterday. Con versely, the teams to whom the Knicks had experienced all of their

losses—the Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cav aliers, Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics—are among the most tal ented clubs in basketball.

To be more than just a team that will have to claw for a PlayIn Tournament spot, the Knicks must gain a representative number of victories versus the league’s top teams. They have been getting balance from their lineup, with head coach Tom Thibodeau shuffling his rotation. One player whose numbers are down is guard Evan Fournier, the Knicks’ best perimeter shooter.

After averaging 14.1 points per game last season in 80 starts, and setting the Knicks’ single season three-pointer mark with 241, the 11-year veteran had come off of the bench in three of the Knicks’ ten games prior to last night and his point-per-game average was down six points from a season ago to 8.1. Fournier’s reduction in scor ing correlated with his lower shot attempts, down from 12.1 to 7.3.

Becky Hammon doesn’t hold back in interview at espnW summit

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

“I’m not afraid to roll up my sleeves and go to work,” said Becky Hammon, head coach of the 2022 WNBA Champi on Las Vegas Aces, in her key note conversation with Hannah Storm at last week’s espnW Women + Sports Summit. “The

hard stuff—being cut, not being picked on a team, being traded or tearing your knees up— builds resilience.”

Hammon deftly took the helm of the Las Vegas Aces, being named WNBA Coach of the Year in her first season. After a 16year WNBA career—eight years with the New York Liberty and eight years with the San Anto nio Stars—Hammon spent eight years as an assistant coach with the NBA San Antonio Spurs. In recent years, she interviewed for NBA head coaching positions, but was not hired.

“I don’t need someone’s stamp of approval to tell me that I’m a good coach,” said Hammon, who is so greatly enjoying coaching in the WNBA that she isn’t sure that her long-term career goal is still to be a head coach in the NBA.

“In the NBA, if you’re hiring a coach, your season did not go well. Who’s ever hiring you is also in the hot seat. [Do they want to] put their ass on the line for something that’s never been done? I think it can be done, but I’m not the one hiring.

“You can either lead or you can’t; it’s genderless,” she con tinued. “If my name was Brian

and I had a 16-year NBA career, we wouldn’t be having these con versations right now. … In some ways I feel like it’s around the corner, in other ways I don’t.”

Having spent several years play ing professionally in Russia as well as playing with the Russian national team at two Olympics— winning bronze in 2008—Storm asked for her thoughts on the Brittney Griner situation. “She’s been turned into a political pawn and it’s really unfortunate,” Hammon said. “We’ve got to get her back as soon as possible.”

Authenticity, commitment and competitiveness are priorities for Hammon. She wants to build relationships and trust, which she sees as essential to effective coaching. “I want to walk into work every day and be myself, and I want [the players] to be able to walk into work every day and authentically be themselves,” said Hammon. “At the end of the day basketball brings us together, but our humanity is really what brings people together and you form relationships.”

During the WNBA off-season, Hammon will be joining ESPN as NBA studio analyst. She debuts in December.

Becky Hammon (WNBA photo)

Becky Hammon celebrating the Las Vegas Aces’ WNBA title (ESPNW photo)

Knicks guard Evan Fournier has seen his scoring averaging drop from 14.1 points per game to 14.1 last season to 8.1 this season prior to facing the Brooklyn Nets last night (Bill Moore photo)

The Jets put the NFL on notice with a win over the Bills

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

The NFL has been alerted. The New York Jets are legitimate. They are going into their bye-week riding one the fran chise’s most important wins in years, de feating the Buffalo Bills 20-17 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. They earned the re spect of the Bills and many doubters and are now 6-3, thick into playoff conten tion with eight games remaining. There’s still a lot of season left but the Jets seem to have staying power.

The victory over the Bills put the Jets at 6-3, tied with the 6-3 Miami Dolphins for second place in the AFC East. The 5-4 New England Patriots make the divi sion the only one of eight in the league in which every team is over .500. The Jets’ position has shocked close followers of the NFL. Many predicted the Jets would win six games at best all season.

“It’s been a long time since they’ve had success like that,” said Bills lineback er Von Miller, a future Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams.

“The Jets did a great job today. Hats off to those guys. They’ve built up a great team.”

The Jets held the Bills to their lowest point total of the season and ended their four-game losing streak. They sacked Buffalo’s Josh Allen five times and held the MVP candidate to no touchdown passes for the first time this season and intercepted him twice.

“They did a great job rushing the quar terback,” said Miller. “When I’m sitting there and I’m watching, I’m always drawn to the defensive ends and tackles, and they brought the pressure…they really did.”

Down 14-10 at halftime, quarterback Zach Wilson’s seven-yard touchdown pass to running back James Robinson with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter put the Jets up 17-14. Buffalo tied the score on a 51-yard field goal at 13:13 of the fourth quarter but the Jets took the lead back late in the fourth at 1:43 on a 28-yard kick by Greg Zuerlein.

The Jets’ defense sealed the game as they didn’t allow Allen and the Bills to move the ball into field goal range for a poten tial tying score. It ended with Buffalo fail ing to convert on fourth-and-21, and in the final series of plays Allen suffered an

ulnar (elbow) collateral ligament in his throwing arm.

The Jets’ sensational rookie cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was crucial in help ing to stop the drive as he has been the entire season. Gard ner’s interception of Allen in the third quarter was his second of the season.

Wilson, who hasn’t been elite, and struggled mightily in the two previous games leading up to the Bills, had a bounce-back performance. Wilson didn’t si lence critics but protected the ball and made smart decisions. He was turnover free after throwing three interceptions in Week 8 in a 22-17 loss to the Pa triots. Overall Wilson was 18-25 for 154 yards and one touch down versus the Bills.

“We expected to win this game,” he said confidently.

After their bye-week, the Jets return Nov. 20 to play the Patri ots in New England.

The NFC East becomes a beast for the Giants to slay

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Last season, the NFC East di vision was one of the weakest in the NFL. The Dallas Cow boys were a flawed 12-5 division champion and the NFC’s No. 3 seed, and fell at home 23-17 to the No. 6 seeded San Francisco 49ers in the opening round. The Philadelphia Eagles were a 9-8 wild card team and the NFC’s lowest seeded playoff team at No. 7 that lost to the No. 2 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-15.

The then Washington Football Team, now the Commanders, finished 7-10. The Giants? They were tied for the third worst record in the league at 4-13 and failed to make the playoffs for the ninth time over the past ten seasons. This season the di vision has undergone a trans formation. The Eagles are the only undefeated team at 8-0. The Cowboys are laden with exceptional talent throughout their roster and at 6-2 have the makings of a Super Bowl con tender. The Commanders are a

competitive 4-5.

However, no team has signi fied the resurgence of the divi sion as much as the Giants. With a new first-time general manag er and rookie head coach Brian Daboll, the duo, along with the front office, coaching, med ical and sports performance staff have simultaneously al tered the culture and outcomes on the field. Before this season began, few if any prognostica tors picked the Giants to match last season’s win total by the second week of October. Yet they were 4-1 after Week 5 and have proven to possess the ca pabilities to play with anyone.

The Giants face the 1-6-1 Hous ton Texans this Sunday at MetLife Stadium coming off of their byeweek. Their previous game was a 27-13 loss to the NFC West leading Seattle Seahawks on the road. The Texans are a clas sic trap game for the Giants who have the Lions, who are current ly 2-6, in Week 11 before a critical Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Cowboys in Texas.

The Giants will be missing

their defensive signal caller and one of the league’s emerging top safeties in Xavier McK inney, who is out at least four weeks after breaking several fingers and requiring surgery resulting from an ATV accident in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico during the bye-week.

“Kinda just tilted over and fell on my hand,” said the 23-year-old McKinney, who the Giants drafted in the second round (No. 36 overall) out of Alabama in 2020. “We were on a sightseeing tour, that’s what I can tell you. It was nothing that was reckless…and it was just an unfortunate event that happened.”

Safety Julian Love, 24, a four-year veteran, will now assume the role of signal caller for defen sive coordinator Wink Martindale.

Giants safety and defensive signal caller Xavier McKinney will be out at least four weeks after suffering an injury to his hand while on vacation in Mexico during the Giants bye-week (Bill Moore photo)

Jets rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner had his second career interception on Sunday, picking off Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in his team’s 20-17 win (Bill Moore photo)

Starr Andrews makes history at Skate Canada

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

On Oct. 29, figure skater Starr Andrews made history as the first Black U.S. skater to medal at a Grand Prix competition when she placed second in the ladies’ event at Skate Canada International, the second stop on the International Skating Union Grand Prix circuit. The Grand Prix began in 1995. Making this historic medal even more significant is that Andrews’ coach, Derrick Delmore, is also Black.

“She’s not only been consistently training, but also training consistently. In her training she’s been running pro grams with consistent elements,” said Delmore, who has worked with Andrews for nine years. “It was nice to see every thing come together and for the skating community and the world to see what she’s been working so hard on.”

Her silver medal performance showed considerable maturity and development in Andrews’ skating. After an outstand ing debut at the senior level in 2018, An drews, 21, has struggled with consistency. Last season, she also dealt with a health issue, supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), which caused her heart rate to elevate to dangerous levels. An ablation procedure last spring has alleviated the condition.

Delmore said after an extremely dis appointing short program at the 2022

U.S. Figure Skating Championships, An drews said she was quitting. Delmore and fellow coach Peter Kongkasem told her the decision was totally hers. After skating much better in the free skate, An drews said she was ready to continue.

Over the last few years, particularly in the wake of #BlackLivesMatter, Andrews has been more aware of race issues. “We are not only looking at the issues in the world at large, but also how they pertain to her as an individual and the poten tial impact that she can have as a young Black athlete in a sport that doesn’t have many Black athletes,” said Del more. “Her program to ‘Black Like Me’ that she did during the pandemic…got all that great feedback. I think that was very empowering for her and made her feel like she was really standing with her community and using her athleticism and artistry to make a statement, which was wonderful.”

Delmore said he doesn’t realize histor ic accomplishments until they’re point ed out, and then he’s incredibly proud. Andrews’ next competition on the ISU Grand Prix circuit is the NHK Trophy next week in Japan.

“What Starr has done and will con tinue to do will be remembered and respected,” Delmore said. “The expec tation isn’t for her to be perfect all the time. It’s for her to be authentic.”

White Plains native Isabella Fountain finds bliss in the pool

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

When Howard Uni versity’s swim team headed to New Jersey last weekend for a TriMeet against NJIT, LIU and Sacred Heart, junior freestyle swim mer Isabella Fountain was looking forward to seeing family in the au dience. Born and raised in White Plains, Foun tain has found a second home at Howard but re mains closely connect ed to her roots.

“I really liked my community,” said Fountain. “I just love how everything is so convenient. All my friends are so close. We all live within 10-15 minutes of each other.”

Fountain’s path to swimming began at age 3 on a family trip to Puerto Rico. The hotel where they were staying had a pool and at first sight she ran into the water. “My mom does not swim, so my aunt pulled me out of the water,” she recalled. “My grandmother said, ‘Once we get back to New York, she needs to go to swimming lessons be cause this cannot happen again.’ I’ve loved it ever since.”

It took her until seventh grade to see it as a serious competitive sport. That’s when she started qualifying big competi tion meets. “That’s when it solidified that this is what I want to do,” said Fountain, who trained and competed with sever al clubs, including Riptide, Condors and Middies. “It’s always been a place for me to be my truest self.”

When she was deciding on a college, she knew swimming would be part of her experience. “I knew I was still meant to compete. I never considered going to a school where they didn’t offer swim ming. I knew Howard was the place for me to continue my passion for the

sport,” Fountain said. She chose Howard because her recruiting trip experience was unforgettable. “You can feel that energy,” she said. “I’m a big vibe person. I felt that instantly.”

Swimming was Fountain’s haven when she was diagnosed with rhabdomyo sarcoma (cancer) during senior year of high school. She thanks her mother, family and friends for being there for her. Going to practice even while undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy helped her clear her mind and persevere.

Today, her teammates and coach es are her family away from home and being a student-athlete—even with the early mornings and hard practices— makes the college experience better. Her major is sports medicine with a minor in psychology. She’s unsure of her path, but she’s leaning toward physical therapy.

“Sports medicine fits my personality because I don’t want to leave the athlet ic world yet,” Fountain said. “I want to be able to help athletes, whether that’s physically or mentally.”

Starr Andrews in her medal-winning free skate at Skate Canada (Robin Ritoss photo)

Isabella Fountain (Howard Athletics photo)

Sports

Sharon Lokedi surprises the field in winning the TCS NYC Marathon

By JUANNE HARRIS Special to the AmNews

On a warm, humid Sunday morning, among a field of talented and experienced veterans, in one of the most competitive distance races in the world, newcomer to the 26.2 mile club Sharon Chesang Lokedi of Kenya won the TCS NYC Marathon in her debut at the distance.

Although well known in American distance running, Lokedi, 28, was not the favorite to take the title. In fact, she wasn’t even mentioned in most circles as a contender in a competition head lined by reigning 2022 World Athletics Championships gold medalist Goty tom Gebreslase of Ethiopia, and that included Kenyan-Isreali runner Chem tai Salpeter, the bronze winner at the World Athletics Championships held last July in Eugene, Oregon.

Also vying for the top placing was two-time world champion and 2010 NYC Marathon winner Edna Kiplagat of Kenya and former U.S. marathon record holder Keira D’Amato. But the rookie

Lokedi, who was a standout scholar-ath lete at the University of Kansas where she studied nursing and business while becoming a 10-time All-American and 12-time Big 12 champion, etched her name among the sport’s greats.

“I wanted to be in the race,” Lokedi said at Tavern on the Green in Central Park after finishing in 2:23:23, edging out Sal peter, who was second in 2:23:30. Gebre slase was third clocking 2:23:39.

“I know I was strong. I had really good training. I wanted to put myself in it and race and see where I end up. Halfway through I felt really good. I had really good help from Salpeter. I didn’t expect to win. I’m really excited for today.”

Part of the lead pack coming up First Avenue after exiting the Ed Koch Bridge, Lokedi remained patient, trusting her training and instincts. Bunched with Ge breslase and Salpeter as they approached

Columbus Circle and then entered the park, Lokedi surged away from the two veterans in the final mile and received loud cheers from the crowd in the closing stages as she crossed the tape.

Lokedi is just the eighth athlete in history, male or female, to win in New York in their marathon debut. She was familiar with the city’s landscape. Lokedi was second at the Mastercard New York Mini held in Central Park last June and was fourth at the United Air lines NYC Half in March. But her vic tory on Sunday was Lokedi’s first in a New York Road Runners event.

When asked whether she planned on running more marathons in the near future, Lokedi replied, “To be honest, I’m just going to enjoy this and go back to Arizona and sit down with my coach and lay out the plan for the next. I don’t know. It was great today, so maybe.”

The top U.S. finisher was Aliaphine Tuliamuk, who was seventh with a per sonal best of 2:26:18. Emma Bates (8th, 2:26:53) and Nell Rojas (10th, 2:28:32) also had strong showings.

Evans Chebet is victorious in TCS NYC Marathon debut

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

It has been 13 years since an American finished first at the TCS New York Mara thon. But for Kenyan runners, winning the race has become business as usual. Since 2011, a Kenyan has won eight out of 11 times. (The race was canceled in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy.) On Sunday, after passing the lead runner, who had col lapsed at the 21st mile of the 26.2 mile course, Kenyan Evans Chebet easily won the men’s division of the world’s most prestigious marathon in 2:08:41.

It was Chebet’s first time competing in the annual race through New York City’s five boroughs, and his second major marathon win this year. He also won the Boston Marathon in April. Chebet, who turned 34 today (Thursday), was fol lowed by Shura Kitata of Ethiopia, who was timed in 2:08:54. Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands finished third in 2:10:31.

Chebet, Kitata, Nageeye and other run ners passed Brazilian Daniel Do Nasci mento, who was ahead of the field by two minutes and 12 seconds before col lapsing on a Bronx street with five miles

remaining and the lead runners head ing back into Manhattan. Do Nascimen to took a roughly 20-second bathroom break several miles before collapsing at Mile 21, just before crossing the Willis Avenue Bridge into Harlem. He was quickly attended to by medical person nel, but he was done for the day. It wasn’t determined by the end of the

marathon what caused his collapse, but unseasonably warm temperatures and Do Nascimento's fast pace were likely factors. At a high of 75 degrees by noon, it was a beautiful day for spectators, but a humid day for running, requiring partici pants to be well hydrated.

Chebet said he saw Do Nascimento lying on the ground, and that he “felt bad

for him, but had to continue to race” as the top runners were in a close battle. “He knew that it was hot and humid,” Chebet noted. After taking the lead, there was never a threat of Chebet losing it on his rush to the finish line, becoming the first runner since Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 to win both the Boston and New York City Marathons in the same year.

For the fifth time and second year in a row, Paralympian athlete Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the NYC Marathon men’s wheelchair division, finishing in 1:25:26, tying Kurt Fearnley of Australia for mostever victories in the event. Hug, 36, nick named the Silver Bullet, also set a new course record, breaking the previous mark of 1:29:22 set by Fearnley in 2006.

Not affected by the extremely high hu midity, the warm weather benefited Hug. “The conditions were great for us,” he said. “My goal was to go as fast as possi ble and didn’t focus on the time.”

In the women’s wheelchair division, American Susannah Scaroni took gold and established a new course record of her own, breaking the tape in 1:42:43, bettering fivetime NYC Marathon winner Tatyana Mc Fadden’s old standard by 21 seconds.

University of Kansas graduate Sharon Lokedi captured the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon this past Sunday in her marathon debut (Bill Moore photo)

Evans Chebet of Kenya, competing in the NYC Marathon for the first time, finished atop the winner’s podium on Sunday with a time of 2:08:41 (Bill Moore photo)