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Deportation en masse: NYC immigration groups slam far-right agenda
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Incensed by the looming threat of mass deportation that has been promised for President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in office, myriad supporters of Black, Brown, and Asian immigrants gathered in Foley Square in New York City on Nov. 7 with a “renewed sense of purpose.”
The rally buzzed with rebellious energy as musicians and poets and activists slammed mass deportations, which would not only have a devastating impact on immigrant families but probably cost millions in lost economic activity once there’s a reduction in the city’s workforce.
“Trump’s victory won’t stop our movement from standing up to his racist and fascist agenda,” said New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) President and CEO Murad Awawdeh.
NYIC was joined in Foley Square by other immigration groups such as African Communities Together (ACT), Mixteca, MPower Action, Women’s Empowerment Coalition of NYC, 32BJ SEIU, MinKwon Center for Community Action, Asian American Federation, ChineseAmerican Planning Council, Caribbean Equality Project, and Planned Parenthood NYC.
“On Tuesday, I was so devastated but, you
A coalition of immigrant organizers from all backgrounds and religions came together to rally at Foley Square on Thursday, Nov. 7.
know what, I didn’t lose hope,” said African Communities Together (ACT) Lead Organizer Akinde Kodjo-Sanogo, who’s lived in the city for 29 years. “And also, I was worried about asylum seekers, those who came from the border. I was wondering what will be the decision when Trump starts in January because he said he’d send them back. I don’t know if it was a campaign message to bring voters, but we have to take everything he says seriously. We have to be proactive.”
Long before the city saw a sharp increase in
migrants and asylum seekers arriving from southern states in 2022, New York City was the epicenter of migration into the country from 1892 to 1954. An estimated 40% of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one ancestor back to their entry at Ellis Island. The city was built by immigrant and slave labor, and while its role as a central migration hub is somewhat forgotten, its legacy as a home for countless immigrant communities remains — whether they be newly arrived or third-generation descendants.
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NYCHA’s Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses another step closer to demolition, city promises “dignified transition” for residents
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced the next phase in their plans to demo and reconstruct the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses in lower Manhattan, set to begin in 2025.
NYCHA adopted a Master Development Agreement in October 2024 with terms and conditions agreed upon by the community and all entities involved with the demolition. It also details The Bridge Plan, which calls for repairs and quality-of-life improvements for residents while they wait for construction to start.
MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS INFORMATION
“All New Yorkers, especially our residents in public housing, deserve to live in safe, highquality, and dignified housing — and for the first-time ever in city history, we are completely rebuilding existing NYCHA developments through PACT and ensuring that all existing residents will have brand new apartments on their home campuses,” said Adams in a statement. (PACT is the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together program.)
The 18 public housing buildings in Chelsea that collectively make up Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses were built in 1947, 1964, 1965, and 1968, respectively. There was a capital deficit and crumbling infrastructure for years after decades of disinvestment, similar to other developments across the city that
were placed under an ongoing federal monitorship by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This led to talks of razing two 36-unit buildings and starting from scratch in 2019.
Under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, the city and NYCHA formally created a working group to discuss converting the two buildings into Section 8 PACT/Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) affordable housing. The intent was to craft a plan that would phase in construction so residents would not be displaced.
Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea resident surveys
officially began in 2023. Over a 60-day period, resident association leaders, NYCHA, and the PACT Partner hosted town halls, knocked on doors, canvassed thousands of residents in both developments, and held meetings with residents. About 29% of the total eligible population participated in the surveys and of that, more than half opted for new construction, according to city numbers. In one meeting last September, NYCHA Tenant Association (TA) Presidents said that it’s “unfortunate” that the demolition was
See NYCHA on page 25
Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses along 10th Avenue at W. 26th Street in NYC on Sunday night, June 25, 2023. (Elvert Barnes Photography)
(Ariama C. Long photo)
Sweeping authority: Advocates fear Prop 2 will hurt street vendors in parks
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
While critics of Proposal 2 often focus on the ballot measure’s broader ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s Charter Revision Commission, advocates fear the expansion of his authority to deploy NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) enforcement will have a negative impact on working-class and immigrant New Yorkers.
Particular concern stems from street vendors, who will be specifically “held accountable” by the measure’s clean-up efforts.
Mohamed Attia, managing director at the Street Vendor Project, said that while DSNY’s enforcement already exists elsewhere, the ballot measure greenlights agency deployment against vendors in city parks.
“Street vending is heavily enforced in city parks, given that the parks enforcement patrols are overseeing parks, and they, of course, enforce the vending laws, along with the NYPD and [the health department], so you already have several agencies that are involved in the street vendor enforcement” Attia said. “What this prop is doing is basically adding another agency to go after the vendors in city parks, which we can imagine would be very problematic and detrimental to a lot of the vendors, who are already facing crackdowns by several agencies.”
According to the DSNY, the measure does not directly expand agency enforcement authority to parks but rather, grants the mayor the ability to deploy the agency for “supplemental” clean-up efforts and enforcement.
Second chance starts Saturday: Cordell Cleare kicks off Clean Slate Act with upcoming expert clinic
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
A three-year window opens this weekend for the courts to seal the conviction records of qualifying New Yorkers under the Clean Slate Act. State Sen. Cordell Cleare will host a clinic in Harlem at City College breaking down the process this Saturday, Nov. 16. Service organizations tabling at the clinic can review Clean Slate eligibility on-site.
“With equitable access to housing, employment, education, and other growth opportunities, we will not only strengthen our community but also enhance our local economy,” Cleare said in her statement.
“People will be able to rebuild their lives and roots, addressing the lasting impacts
of past racist and biased policing practices. This is a moment of hope and renewal, one that we must embrace together.”
Excluding sex crimes and non-drug Class A felonies, older convictions will be automatically sealed from an individual’s docket if he or she maintains a subsequent clean record after a designated amount of time passes.
Misdemeanors dating beyond three or more years after sentencing or release qualify. For felonies, that span is raised to eight years. Those on probation, parole, or postrelease supervision do not qualify. The New York Unified Court System must seal eligible conviction records by Nov. 16, 2027.
New Yorkers could previously apply to seal their conviction records after a decade from their last sentencing or release. But the process required navigating a lengthy
process through the prosecuting District Attorney’s Office and paying multiple fees.
Sealing conviction records allows New Yorkers to pursue jobs and housing without an age-old past conviction showing up on a background check. While Fair Chance laws prevent employers from asking upfront, they can still rescind a job offer deep into the hiring process after learning of an applicant’s criminal record.
Without factoring in prison, a conviction record reduces an individual’s lifetime earnings by roughly $100,000 on average, according to Brennan Center for Justice research. Those incarcerated at an early adult age lost $484,400 on average in potential earnings.
Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs, one of the panelists, told the AmNews over the
Riverton Residents celebrate Veterans Day
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
Despite unruly gusts of wind and an inconsistent microphone, emcee Marc Whiten, a retired judge, managed to keep the Veterans Day ceremony at the Riverton Square on Monday upbeat and informative. Under the rubric “Riverton’s First Residents — ‘They Were the Village’” and organized by Glenn Hunter of the Harlem Cultural Archives, an ample contingent of Riverton residents were in attendance. As Hunter noted in the press release, “These men and women who also served became not only our parents but our role models.”
Included in the two-hour celebration was presentation of a plaque honoring the original residents of Riverton who served in World War II; raising a flag flown on Marine One with the president; and members of Boy and Girl Troop 183,
as well as the Spirit of Tuskegee 332nd Squadron Civil Air Patrol.
“Thank you, Lord … for all our brothers and sisters who served in World War II and returned to build the village …,” Whiten said.
He introduced Michael Joseph, historian of the Tri-State Tuskegee Breviary Group. “I’m not a military man,” Joseph said. “I’m not a serviceman. This is an 80-year-old uniform that I’m wearing, and these eagles represent Colonel Benjamin Odis, who rose to become a fourstar general.” After describing his attire, Joseph offered an extensive history of the Tuskegee Airmen and their achievements during the war, citing the heroic actions of Lee Archer, Bo Davis, Herbert Thorpe, Harry Stewart, Bill Wheeler, Roscoe Brown, Percy Sutton, and a long list of others.
Former Assemblyman Keith Wright, a
native of the neighborhood whose father was Judge Bruce Wright, recognized several notables in the audience, including Grant Reid, Councilmember Yusef Salaam, and his son, Jordan. “I have my father’s medal,” he said. “I have his Purple Heart. I have his Bronze Star. I have his Continuous Service Cross, among other things … I just want to say thank you.” Awards were presented to Sara Kobe and Patt Terrelonge, whose father was Tuskegee Airman Victor Terrelonge. Joseph and Burt Blasco, also Riverton originals, held up a large photograph of the flag donated by the Presidential Helicopter Squadron. Whiten then asked folks to emulate what the residents of Riverton had done. “Create a community that has value,”he urged. “Learn about the place we live in. Share that knowledge, not only with your kids, grandchildren, but with your neighborhood.”
State Senator Cordell Cleare in 2022. (Photo courtesy of NYS Senate Media Services)
Street vendors protest at City Hall Park this past August. (Tandy Lau photo)
Kamora Freeland, one of America’s youngest licenced pilots, was honored at the ceremony. (Herb Boyd photo)
See CLEAN SLATE ACT on page 36
See PROP 2 on page 36
Should Biden resign?
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
As President-elect Trump begins assembling his team, Democrats remain flummoxed by what happened, with a gallery of finger-pointers blaming a ton of reasons for the defeat. One that is gaining considerable attention nowadays faults President Biden, along with a few demands that he resign.
Jamal Simmons, a former communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, is among those leading a chorus calling for Biden to step down so Harris can become president for the remainder of the term. He made this recommendation during an appearance on Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. Such a move, he contended, would make Harris the first woman to hold the Oval Office. It would make her the 47th president and put a monkey wrench in all the plans citing Trump as that number.
“Joe Biden’s been a phenomenal president,” Simmons said. “He’s lived up to so many of the promises he’s made. There’s one
Trump’s distant but ever-present impact on NYC public safety
promise left that he can fulfill: being a transitional figure.”
For Biden to do so (and there’s no indication that thought has even crossed Biden’s mind), it would command such an action and, possibly in keeping with all the bizarre developments that occasioned the election, would upend Trump’s celebration and give media attention back to Harris, even though for only a couple of months.
Biden’s resignation would also spare Harris from having to certify a candidate who defeated her.
Simmons isn’t the first to suggest such a move, but his taking on the demand has given it a little more traction, even if it is probably not in the realm of possibility. Creating a way to salvage respect and some ointment for the setback may require more than an outlandish gesture for Harris.
Simmons, who served as Harris’s communications director for about a year beginning in 2022, said Biden’s departure would make it easier for the next woman seeking the office.
By TANDY LAU
Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
What does a red electoral map mean for the men and women in blue? And local public safety in general?
President-elect Donald Trump’s Nov. 5 victory could spell the return of the known police proponent to the White House, said Jill Snider, an ex-NYPD officerturned policy director at R Street Institute and adjunct lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Yet his impact remains largely symbolic given the limits to federal power over local and state law enforcement.
“Historically, I have never seen a president have that much of an impact on city agencies and the way in which they operate,” Snider said. “But when you have a sitting president that comes out regularly speaking in a way that seems supportive of the first responders and law enforcement, that has a trickle down effect to the
community, to the people who are watching the news and listening to local and national politics.”
She said such support can benefit the NYPD’s morale issues with retention and recruitment, as nearly 3,000 officers quit last year according to the Police Benevolent Association. Trump’s support of city police extends past his last term, most notably when he attended the wake of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller this past March.
Alex Vitale, professor of sociology at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, said the police may see Trump as an ally towards broader “conservative law and order” policies, which can be parlayed for building support for bigger budgets and more impunity “in the face of demands for greater accountability for police misconduct.”
Most immediately, Trump’s thinly-veiled promise to gut the Department of Justice means the agency will likely no longer serve as a “back-
stop” to the most abusive police departments, jails and prisons, eliminating “at least one of the potential accountability mechanisms that can be invoked when local systems of accountability fail.”
On a policy level, he said federal funding for non-police public safety efforts like the city’s Crisis Management System could be at risk under a second Trump term. Additionally, potential cuts to social programs superficially unassociated with policing like affordable housing, mental health services and substance abuse treatment are a concern and factor into the criminal legal justice system.
Vitale said that for police abolitionists like himself, the election’s recent fallout means also questioning the local New York political administration “and their willingness to give police near total impunity.”
While New York City remains largely a democratic stronghold, significantly lower margins between Kamala Harris against Trump com-
pared to Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016 certainly bring public safety’s role into question politically.
“From a public safety angle, I think that he’s going to prioritize those cities that most people in this country a week ago would have thought voted blue,” said Snider. “But voters and citizens are understanding that they live in these communities. They care about their safety, they perceive that their safety is at risk, and they felt more confident that having a Republican in the White House would make them safer.”
Snider believes even with Vice President Kamala Harris’s prosecutorial background, public safety in big cities like New York was not addressed enough during her campaign and during the Biden presidency. Still, she is unsure how accurate those anxieties are given NYPD crime stats typically show steady reductions. But she said discounting public safety fears cannot
President Joseph Biden speaks during 71st National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser)
Donald Trump speaks during a news conference after attending the wake of New York City police officer
Jonathan Diller, Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Massapequa Park, N.Y. Diller was shot and killed Monday during a traffic stop, the city’s mayor said. It marked the first slaying of an NYPD officer in two years. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Soul Tye, the corner food stand changing taste buds and lives
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
After 13 years of retail work, Tyeisha Odom felt called to do something new. She had enjoyed working directly with clients but felt she had outgrown the job and was ready to do something else she could be passionate about, something a little more entrepreneurial.
This was during the COVID-19 pandemic, so Odom had time to think about what she really wanted to do. “I like to cook: I like the results,” Tye said, explaining that she often doesn’t feel like cooking is really work. Her grandmother first showed her how to cook; nowadays, she also turns to YouTube to pick up new food preparation ideas.
It all aids her in her new job –– her self-created mobile food business –– Soul Tye LLC. “I like to do what I’m doing: engaging with people,” she told the AmNews. “I like the results people get when they taste my food. I like the satisfaction that comes from the stuff that I put out; I like when people taste my food and they’re happy.”
Odom sets up her mobile food stand at the nexus of Brooklyn’s DUMBO and Vinegar Hill neighborhoods, right at the intersection of Bridge and York Streets. It’s an ideal spot, down the street from the York Street stop on the F train, and in front of NYCHA’s Farragut Houses and the recently renovated Susan Smith McKinney Steward Park. Locals stop by to purchase plates of food from her stand, while tourists and international customers who’ve trekked
across the Brooklyn Bridge to visit the neighborhood’s art galleries and waterfront park stumble upon her stand and get an authentic taste of the neighborhood.
Odom was born in Brooklyn and raised in the Farragut Houses, so once she got her Mobile Food Vending License, some of her first clients were from her neighborhood’s adjacent buildings. Soul Tye serves a mix of soul food: at various times she’ll serve African American, African, Latino, and Caribbean dishes.
Now, she also has neighborhood tourists testing out her meals. Recently a group of 20 sightseers visited her food stand. They started out tentatively, ordering slices of her sweet potato cornbread to taste. They liked the cornbread so much that they also placed orders for plates of jerk chicken with sautéed green beans and mac and cheese. “Nearly everybody was ready
Black New Yorker
borhood: David and Jayshawn are her two assistants while Niguel Miranda is in training. They all have a good work ethic, Odom said: “They’re good with customers and their customer service skills are impeccable.
“They follow my lead. I trained them, and I just told them what my standards are. So, they don’t cook –– because I basically cook everything ––but they will monitor the grilled food and stuff.”
From in front of the Farragut Houses, Odom says she’s watched her neighborhood evolve and noticed that Soul Tye is steadily bringing in customers of all nationalities and races. Ultimately, Odom wants to establish Soul Tye with its own food truck.
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to order something, then they found out there wasn’t that many [options still left],” noted David, one of Odom’s assistants.
Another now-regular customer, a recent transplant to the neighborhood, has discovered a new love for fish sandwiches thanks to Soul Tye. The woman had stopped by the stand but proclaimed she did not like flounder and would only eat whiting. After she tried the flounder seasoned by Odom, she changed her mind. “She ended up loving it; she told us to put it on some bread for her, and it turned into an order.
“So I’m out here making nonbelievers, believers,” Odom laughs. “That’s what we’re doing out here, and we’re loving it too.”
Soul Tye, which started as an entrepreneurial dream in 2021, has grown to the point that Odom can now employ herself and a few assistants. She’s hired from within the neigh-
“The goal is to be in different locations,” she says. “The goal is to be where — you see these young men that hold me down? I want to make a difference in not only my life but others, so they can take care of their families and where they come from. That’s my goal. I want to be able to not just give good food back; I want to help my community because I love my community and I love my people.
“I want to continue being my own boss. That’s my goal. And I want to continue creating a menu that is unique from anybody else’s. And I want to continue just showing love and just making sure I put an imprint on anybody that comes in contact with me. That’s my goal.”
Soul Tye is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached by phone at 718-415-0129 or by email at Soultyellc@gmail.com.
Tyeisha Odom (left), Niguel Miranda, and Jayshawn of Soul Tye. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)
Post-election stress: Black women and their mental health
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Black women voters and elected officials poured their hearts and souls — and finances — into campaigning on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris for president for an emotionally turbulent three and a half months. Now that the 2024 presidential election is over, many are asking how herW biggest supporters are faring and dealing with the stress of the process and the result.
Generally speaking, politics can cause a form of chronic stress that evokes negative emotions and feelings of distress, said Brett Ford, associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. Ford said conversations about race and gender discrimination alone can often “feel” political, and perhaps lead to chronic stress-like tension.
“The mental health impact of this election cannot be overstated, especially where it concerns women of color,” said Sen. Samra Brouk, who chairs the Senate Mental Health Committee. “As a Black mother and an elected official, I can relate to feeling stressed, frustrated, or fearful about our future. I will continue to fight to secure mental health resources, improve maternal health outcomes, and uplift our young people so we can ease community burdens and help our most vulnerable individuals.”
A final count of 89% of Black women voters cast their ballot for Harris in 2024, according to the Associated Press (AP) VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC (formerly the National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago; more than any other demographic, and an unsurprising number considering that Black women remain a major and loyal voting bloc for Democrats.
Nationally, Black women advocates and organizers treated Harris’s announcement of her presidential candidacy in July as a battle cry, raising more than $1.5 million in just a few hours on a Zoom call. They rejoiced wholeheartedly when Harris made history as the first woman of color to be named the Democratic presidential nominee. They strapped on their boots and picked up their canvassing armor, trekking into Republican districts and swing states by the thousands in hopes of swaying voters. In short, they showed up and showed out for Harris.
When it became clear on Election Night, and into the next day, that President-elect Donald Trump would win the electoral college and the popular vote, the news left many women devastated. For Black women in particular, there was a sense of bone-weariness at first — a collective sigh of “I’m tired” or too tired to process this. “I think that’s so real. Anecdotally, in my
“As a Black mother and an elected official, I can relate to feeling stressed, frustrated, or fearful about our future. I will continue to fight to secure mental health resources, improve maternal health outcomes, and uplift our young people so we can ease community burdens and help our most vulnerable individuals.”
—NYS Senator Samra Brouk, chair of the Mental Health Committee
group chat, among my sorority sisters and friends, there’s this feeling of ‘sis breathe’ — like you have to take care of yourself right now,” said Dr. Nadia E. Brown, a professor of government and chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and affiliate in the African American Studies program at Georgetown University. That was largely the mood before Harris gave her concession speech on Wed., Nov. 6, which can only be seen as another rallying of the troops with a soft nudge of determination in the face of overwhelming defeat. To cope with the loss, Black women or-
ganizers and electeds AmNews spoke with said they cried and laughed with their friends, reached out to women in their families to check-in, hugged their kids, got a massage, got their nails done, read inspirational posts, or took time off to contend with their mental and physical health.
Since the election was called for Trump, Brown said she has limited her news media diet and started listening to more historical and fashion podcasts to focus on some things that are “joyful” for her.
“I feel proud of us for that and being able to hold space for one another, for turning
to one another to decompress, because I think that there were generations that didn’t prioritize self-care and just kept on going,” Brown said. “We know that internalized stress leads to a whole host of autoimmune disorders and cancers. It’s just not good.”
According to a long-term study conducted by Boston University, Black women are more likely to experience disproportionate health burdens and poor health outcomes due to myriad reasons, especially the environmental factors like racism, implicit bias in the healthcare system, and low-socioeconomic status neighborhoods that play a role in shortening Black women’s lives. The psychological trauma and stress of experiencing racial discrimination alone may increase cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, and lead to elevated blood pressure, memory problems, and other conditions, said the study.
Black women are also already more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to die from cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, lupus and auto-immune diseases, and several types of cancer. They are twice more likely than white women to develop diabetes when over age 55 or have uncontrolled blood pressure as well, according to other studies.
Senator Lea Webb, who chairs the Women’s Issues Committee, won her re-election to office in Ithaca on Election Day and was instrumental in getting the state Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ballot measure passed. Even though she celebrated personal wins this month, she’s still grappling with the implications and impact of the presidential election on issues she cares deeply about. She said some things as a state official are out of her control and the stress is “constant,” but that as a public servant, she’s determined to fight for her constituents.
“As Black women, we often bear some of the largest disparities in these issue areas and are often the most impacted, so the gravity of that, along with figuring out ‘where do we go from here,’ is most certainly concerning,” said Webb. “I’ve just been continuing to surround myself with folks who are also doing the good work and definitely trying to take time for reflection and self care.”
Webb said she journals, does physical therapy, enjoys traveling, spends time with her family, loves karaoke and music, and paints as a way to destress in her life right now. She also has a “literal village” of friends, family, and colleagues whom she relies on for support to stay anchored.
“It can be quite challenging and daunting, but what keeps me going is knowing that I have other folks who are also on this journey with me, for sure,” Webb said.
Black woman wearing crew-neck T-shirt praying. (Stock photo via Pexels)
Excitement. Hope. Grief. Betrayal. We followed one Black woman political strategist before and after the 2024 Presidential Election.
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
New York for Harris, a grassroots and civic engagement group founded by Ny Whitaker, was out in full force for Vice President Kamala Harris in the final four days leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Whitaker shared with AmNews her journey in those last moments of campaigning, her heartbreak over the post-election results, and what she plans to do next.
Whitaker’s group had been supporting President Joe Biden since 2019, making the pivot to digital advocacy, virtual meetings, textbanking, and phone banking to get the vote out instead of more traditional in-person methods during the COVID-19 lockdowns. She was already avidly campaigning on his behalf when he made the decision to drop out of the presidential race against then-former President Donald Trump and hand the baton off to Harris.
But Whitaker didn’t mind having to pivot and steer her campaign efforts toward Harris — this time, with all the raw excitement and momentum at being a part of a historic moment that many other Blackled organizations throughout the city, state, and country also felt.
“As a Black woman, [I’m] ready to go into gladiator mode,” Whitaker said at the time. An East Harlem native, Whitaker is a former White House senior advisor, founder of the New York for Biden+Harris presidential campaign group, and founder and chief strategist at PROJECT NYNE PRODUCTIONS.
Her group planned rolling weekly phone and text banks, forums about abortion access and women candidates, fun fundraising events, virtual e-banks, and pop-up educational series locally and statewide. They hosted a debate watch party, registered voters, and blasted social media. And most importantly, they recruited hundreds of volunteers to door knock and mobilize voters for Harris in mostly Republican districts and states — a tactic that many other worker unions and Democratic party organizers had committed to in New York City and State.
The weekend before the election was no different. In fact, the tension of the last three and a half months seemingly ratcheted up another impossibly high notch as hundreds of people once again gathered in the wee hours of the morning in Manhattan, or other counties, to get on buses and spend eight hours canvassing in the nearby swing state of Pennsylvania. On Nov. 2, one of Whitaker’s volunteer groups met at the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building in Harlem. “Nothing beats direct contact,” said Whitaker at the site. “This is what democracy looks like.”
From that location alone, four buses were leaving for four different cities in Pennsylvania. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine spoke a few words of encouragement, before volunteers separated into lines and filed onto their buses. One of the buses was a bilingual cohort, specifically gathered to reach out to Spanishspeaking residents.
Margarita Soto, a bus captain, recalled having deep conversations with Hispanic and Latino communities in Reading and Hazleton, Pennsylvania. In her time canvassing, she also found that Catholic and Evangelical Latinos were very conservative and Republican-leaning. They consider “a vote for Trump a vote for Christianity,” while others simply recognized Trump’s brand and name, she said.
“They’ve been there in those communities for, like, 20 to 30 years. They have turned those towns around, these were towns that were dying. These are working people with two or three jobs just trying to get ahead,”she said. “It’s all about affordability of life [for them]. So can I afford my home? Can I afford the food? Can my kids be healthy? Can we have healthcare and can we get a good education?”
At that time on Saturday, there was a feeling that Trump had offended Puerto Rican voters at his rally at Madison Square Garden where speakers had made racist and disparaging remarks about the island the week prior and therefore was on rocky footing with the entire Hispanic voter bloc.
In reality, the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections discussed the possibility that Trump would make inroads among Black and Latino voters. Polling data from early in April 2024 had noted a shift in party voting trends among Black and Latino voters, especially along gender lines. A small chunk of both groups identified as Republican, Republican-leaning, or independent, because of issues like LGBTQ rights, abortion, homelessness, and crime.
“There’s way more variation — Puerto Ricans being actual American citizens versus Cubans versus Mexicans versus first-, second-, third-generation,” Dr. Tasha Philpot, a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, told AmNews in a previous interview. “Each of those groups is very different in terms of their outlook toward politics, especially if they’re phenotypically white versus phenotypically Black.”
In all, Whitaker had 96 buses leave with volunteers that weekend. The work continued with a phone bank marathon she ran from noon to 9 p.m. everyday until the polls closed on Tuesday.
“I think that people are in mourning. That’s the best term that I could use,” said Whitaker over the phone. “People are in mourning and this is a day of reckoning for America. If the polls are correct, 62% of white women voted for him for a third time straight and I think it’s important for people to focus on that data point.”
According to the Associated Press (AP) VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, 53% of white women voted for Trump in 2024, while 89% of Black women voted for Harris. Latina women were more evenly split with 59% voting for Harris and 39% voting for Trump this year. Meanwhile, Latino and White men voted mostly for Trump as well.
Dr. Nadia E. Brown, a professor of government at Georgetown University, said that based on historical trends, this was not a great year for an incumbent or the incumbent party to win and that people were upset with the state of the nation’s leadership, whether that be the increase in asylum seekers or the administration’s handling of Gaza. She said that young Latino men and a percentage of Black men felt unheard by the Democratic party, while Black women organizers felt “betrayed” by other women voters who didn’t choose Harris.
“What happened in 2016, it doesn’t help that it happened again in less than a decade. And this understanding that white women ‘had to get their white women together,’ that there was no amount of work that Black women could do to make it better. The frustration is that there’s this fastidious viewpoint of Black women as magical negroes,” said Brown, “who do all this work, show up, and without seeing their kids, must lead from an altruistic place of making America better but get little partnership in return. And have to do it again with a smile. That’s the thing. It’s the doing it again.”
“Race and gender were on the ballot and people chose to vote for Trump and the GOP anyway,” said Whitaker.
In the end, Whitaker was satisfied that her grassroots group ‘left it all on the line’ for Harris. They had a total of 210,000 volunteers doing 2,000 door knocks a minute, which was unprecedented for them. She was proud of New York Democrats winning House seats that were previously Republican and getting the state’s Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ballot measure passed, even though Harris won the state by 12 points when Biden had won by 30 points.
After Harris gave her concession speech on Wednesday afternoon, Whitaker simply said that the “work begins anew.”
On Nov. 5, Election Day had finally arrived. In the city, voter turnout during early voting had been at an historic high and held promise, but also uncertainty. There was never an expectation that the presidential race would be called right away for Harris or Trump on election night. Whitaker’s group was prepared to begin “ballot chasing,” or follow up with people who requested an absentee ballot but didn’t vote yet, and “curing” early vote ballots, which means that a ballot had an error that needed correcting. Whitaker, who’s on the advisory board of the New York Democratic Lawyers Council, was prepared for a knock down and dragged-out legal fight. What she wasn’t prepared for was that the race would be called hours after the polls closed, early on Wednesday, Nov. 6, with Trump declared the winner for the electoral vote and, later, the popular vote. What she wasn’t prepared for was who the polls revealed voted for Trump. Later on that. morning, when AmNews caught up with Whitaker, she was on her way to the SOMOS conference held annually in Puerto Rico, where city and state electeds as well as political affiliates flock after the election is over. She was on the plane to the island as the official declaration for Trump came in. She felt exhausted, she said, and was already trying to focus on self-care as opposed to the crushing disappointment at the post election results.
Political Strategist Ny Whitaker (center, in black) with her lead volunteers in front of the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building in Harlem on Nov. 2. (Ariama C. Long photo)
Voters, electeds wait to see who will control Congress
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
In several races that are still too close to call a week out, Republicans are projected to keep majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives. However, top Dem House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black person to hold that position, hasn’t given up just yet.
“If I have the opportunity to continue to lead House Democrats in either the majority or the minority, it certainly would be an opportunity that would continue to be a great honor,” Jeffries told the AmNews about his future as the top Dem in the country.
Jeffries clinched his re-election in New York’s 8th Congressional District with no real opposition. He scored 74.61% of the votes while his Republican opponent, John J. Delaney, got 22.05%, according to the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) unofficial Election Night results.
With Jeffries’s victory secured, all eyes turned to a cluster of House races still not called in presstime in various states, including in California, Alaska, Maine, Ohio, Arizona, Oregon, and Iowa. Republi-
cans are defending their narrowest House majority in decades, and Democrats only need to flip four seats to take back control of the chamber.
“Those races are both too early to call in terms of the number of ballots that are still out there — we’re talking about, in some cases, more than 100,000 ballots that have yet to be counted because of the manner in which elections are run in California — and that’s just the reality,” Jeffries said in an NY1 interview. “It’s going to take a week or two. Or others in Southern California [where] we’re still waiting on additional ballots to come in.”
Jeffries said he was especially proud of the effort fellow New York Democrats put into flipping three House seats, two of which had been lost to Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections. Those races include the 22nd Congressional District up in Syracuse, where John Mannion beat incumbent Brandon Williams; the 19th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley, where Josh Riley beat out Mark Molinaro; and out in Long Island’s 4th congressional district, where Laura Gillen won over Anthony D’Esposito.
Regardless of the state wins, Jeffries said that it cannot be ignored that President-elect Donald Trump did better than “almost any other Republican presidential candidate in modern political history” in New York State.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 13, House Democrats had 207 seats and House Republicans maintained 216 seats. A party needs 218 seats to determine which one wins control of the House for the next four years of Trump’s term. Jeffries said that the “conservative estimate” will come down to about eight seats in total for them to win.
“It was very interesting because in the context of the House of Representatives, we’ve been able to withstand that presidential wave that broke against us,” he said. “By way of example, there were only 194 Democrats in the House of Representatives in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in November of 2016. Both sides believe that whatever happens with the majority in the next Congress, Democrats will be no shorter than 212 to 214 votes, and we still have a clear pathway to taking back the majority.” Republicans had already usurped control of the U.S Senate, with 53 seats to Demo-
crats’ 47. They needed 50 in total. In the interim, Jeffries vowed to push back against MAGA extremism whenever necessary, and defend Social Security, Medicare, reproductive health care, the Affordable Care Act, and climate progress. He also concluded that electeds have to focus on the issues that Americans, especially Black and Brown people, have said they care about throughout this election: inflation and affordability, the broken immigration system, securing the border, and the economy. “I think that people have been feeling economically distressed for decades; certainly in many communities of color. And we’ve got to do a better job of transforming that economic reality,” said Jeffries. “In this particular context, I think the economic anxieties exacerbated by the inflationary pressure that people have been under — gas, groceries in particular, which are everyday expenses and, certainly, rent or the cost of housing — things that consume the day-to-day existence of everyday Americans, and they should … We’ve got to do a better job of addressing those anxieties and coming up with plans to deliver real results.”
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Ariama C. Long photo)
Union Matters
Midwives want a fair contract at North Central Bronx, Jacobi
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
Midwives at the Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx and the North Central Bronx community hospital say they have been fighting for a new contract for far too long. Their last signed contract expired in June 2023, and since then, the union has been in negotiations for an agreement that grants the midwives salaries at parity with the private sector and a method of dealing with serious understaffing issues.
The midwives are represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). Their union contracts at Jacobi and the North Central Bronx are managed by the nonprofit Physician Affiliate Group of New York (PAGNY).
Kinikia S. Reid, a midwife and union negotiating committee member, vented to the AmNews about the frustration of the ongoing negotiations. Although the union has
been in bargaining talks with PAGNY, its representatives ultimately claim to be mere subcontractors to Jacobi and North Central Bronx; PAGNY claims they can only compensate the midwives based on the funds they are granted by the hospitals.
“That also is kind of a complexity to it,” Reid said, “because we also have been asking for Jacobi or [North Central Bronx] to come to the table, [since] this is one of the major aspects of our contract that still has yet to be settled. But they are saying, ‘Well, the fight is not with them, it’s with [PAGNY],’ but then [PAGNY tells] us ‘They’re not giving us anything to give you.’”
PAGNY did not reply to an AmNews request for a statement about the contract talks, but NYSNA claims the organization has already refused to address their safe staffing level concerns. The union also wants extra compensation for its members to cover the fact that midwives are on duty
24/7 –– they are on call for their patients, reachable and ready to respond if the labor of childbirth begins at any point during the day or night. NYSNA points to studies that show that nighttime workers often suffer adverse health factors. The midwives want extra compensation for their members who have to work these hours.
Despite having met five times over the course of the past year, NYSNA and PAGNY have yet to reach an agreement about a new contract. Reid said that at each of their meetings, PAGNY has been represented by a different negotiator, and each negotiator starts out their meetings seeking clarity on the role of the hospital’s midwives — a fresh learning curve each time.
“We are now [going to be] on our sixth person that is the representative or the talking person for PAGNY,” Reid said. “Every time we come back to the table, we are then describing once more to our employ-
er what the midwives do, specifically, at our jobs, even though they’re our employer and we sign off on these [job descriptions] every two years when we’re re-credentialing. They still, for some reason, don’t understand the different tasks that we perform and the workload that we carry at our places of work. We describe over and over again what we do to this new individual, and then the things that we accomplish or the tasks that we agree upon at one meeting are not passed on to the next person.” Reid said the union is currently waiting to hear back from PAGNY about when they will be able to schedule their next negotiation meeting. “We’re now going to see if this will hold, but we’re still waiting for this [next] meeting,” she said. “We already know the last person is no longer with us and this will be the sixth person we’ve been negotiating with, so it’s in bad faith; I feel like that’s the definition of negotiating in bad faith.”
Midwives at the Bronx’s Jacobi Medical Center say it’s past time for a new contract. (NYSNA photo)
AT THE WHITNEY EDGES OF AILEY
The lead sponsor for Edges of Ailey is the Jerome L. Greene Foundation
Okay, Kamalot was only an illusion, and it’s absolutely futile and pointless trying to find blame for the terrible setback. A multitude of reasons have crowded the media, everything from the failure of the Democrats to carefully weigh their deficiencies to an underestimation of the red wave that was overcome during the midterm election. Immigration, inflation, the price of eggs and gas, the devastating and still enduring impact of COVID-19, the war in the Middle East, lack of appeal to the working class in the Midwest are being cited as among some of the chinks in Harris’s armor. Of course, there was very little mention of two irreducible problems: racism and misogyny. But what about the Latino numbers and the African Americans who sided with Trump? Well, voting against one’s self-interest remains a potent element in our body politic. No use crying over spilled milk, belittling our colleagues, and finger-point-
ing until our nails fall off. To be sure, something has to be done to head off a government on the precipice of fascism. What the few of us who remain on the ramparts must do is to recommit ourselves to the fight for democracy. Roll up your working class sleeves and put your political muscle to the wheel of justice and righteousness. Cancel that flight to Portugal — our plight is here!
Hey, you don’t have to tell us about how painful it was losing to a convicted felon and psychopathic liar, and hearing people talk about how Trump doesn’t represent the true America. One letter we read from a citizen pretty much put our dilemma in a nutshell: She wrote that the one good thing we can glean from this election and defeat is that we don’t have to worry about another Jan. 6, which, of course, is a depressing conclusion about our country. Nope, we don’t have a Jan. 6; we got a Nov. 5, and it’s hard to imagine any date worse than this. Even so, a luta continua — the struggle continues, and at no point did we think it was ever over!
Addressing New York City’s flooding crisis
By MATTHEW MOULTON
Climate change is here, and according to the latest IPCC report, it’s primarily driven by human activity. Rising global temperatures, now estimated to be 1.1°C above the 1850–1900 average, are triggering higher sea levels and more extreme weather events. Cities like New York, with around 70% impervious land cover, are particularly vulnerable. As rainwater fails to infiltrate the ground, it flows across streets, picking up contaminants like oil and pesticides, polluting waterways, and amplifying flood risks. This situation is dire, but New York City’s Zoning for Coastal Flood Resiliency (ZCFR) plan provides a powerful framework for adaptation and protection.
Recent storms and hurricanes have underlined just how critical this issue
is for NYC’s diverse communities. Hurricane Ida’s unprecedented rainfall in 2021 overwhelmed the city’s infrastructure, claiming 13 lives in basement apartments in Queens. Hurricane Sandy’s catastrophic impact in 2012, with $60 billion in damages, is still fresh in many residents’ minds. The ZCFR plan is a proactive response, permanently lifting zoning restrictions that previously hindered flood-resilient construction. Property owners in flood-prone areas can now elevate buildings or add flood-proofing features without fear of breaking zoning rules.
The ZCFR is also innovating by promoting soft shorelines, bi-level esplanades, and tidal wetlands, which not only act as natural buffers but also offer community access during high tides. Studies have
praised NYC’s approach, with research placing NYC at the forefront of climateresilient urban planning among U.S. coastal cities.
It’s encouraging to see NYC setting this example, especially when so many other cities are still slow to adapt to climate realities.
However, critics have raised some important points. They argue that ZCFR shifts the cost burden of retrofitting homes to property owners, which poses an equity issue for those with limited resources in floodprone areas. Moreover, critics believe the plan’s timeline — projecting sealevel rise only to 2050 — is too conservative. These concerns are valid, but I believe they overlook a crucial reality: Any plan has to start somewhere.
By acting now, NYC is establishing a foundation for resilience, and improve-
ments — such as expanding funding mechanisms for low-income homeowners — can always be built into the plan.
In fact, I’m optimistic that NYC’s early actions will encourage other cities to follow suit and that, in time, more robust financial support can be provided for vulnerable residents. In addressing climate change, time is not on our side, and NYC’s decisive steps represent a proactive, community-focused response. The ZCFR is far from perfect, but it’s a necessary move in the right direction. Our city is ready for what’s next, and as our challenges evolve, so too can our solutions.
Matthew Moulton is a graduate student at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and a New York City native.
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief
Damaso Reyes: Executive & Investigative Editor
Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor
Aaron Foley: News Editor
Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor
"Sam"
Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Chairman
Estefani Nuñez in front of her home in Southeast Queens where water has collected after recent rainfall (Damaso Reyes photo)
(Kidfly182 photo via Wikimedia)
Find your people!
Hi, loves.
REV. DR. JACQUI LEWIS
FIERCE LOVE
I am so heartbroken about the outcome of the election. I am sitting with that feeling of grief. At the same time, I’m also overwhelmed by the hard work of so many people in this election season. At Middle Church, our Voters Reform Group wrote more than 23,000 postcards. Folks canvassed and made phone calls. My staff hustled so hard to share issues and inform folks about what was at stake in this moment. I am sad, and grateful — so grateful. Thank you all for your hard work. I am praying for you as you feel your feelings, whoever you are and whatever they are. I am praying you know you are loved, and you take good care of you.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, some of the folks with whom I’ve been organizing for 20 years decided we needed to connect. We created a “pop-up” Interfaith Gathering — A Prayer Vigil in Washington Square Park. I’m not sure why we didn’t have it planned so we could connect no matter the results of the election. But we didn’t. We’ve all been distracted, working so hard on the election and on the work of running our lives.
For me, if I am totally honest, even though I knew the election would be close, I expected a Harris win, I expected a Democratic party win, and I planned to celebrate that win with a couple of friends over dinner.
Well, that did not happen. It was not a close election; there was a mandate for Donald J. Trump, for Republican leadership in Congress, and with that, permission for the policies and practices in the Republican platform.
I am not sure how you voted, friend, and it is not my business, but I am worried about what these next four years will be like. I am worried about Project 2025, and I am worried about the promises Trump made to increase presidential powers and reduce the freedoms afforded to you and me by the Constitution.
I am worried; we are worried, so our team at Middle Church put calls out to our colleagues late morning and early afternoon on Wednesday. By 6:00 p.m., Middle Church, Judson Memorial Church, Lab/Shul, and the Muslim Community Network were hosting our communities in the park and in digital spaces. Gays against
came, trans leaders like Raquel Willis and Tiq Milan came. Students and professors came. Parents brought children; some press came. A multiethnic, multi-faith, many-gendered group of folks came to be in solidarity with each other.
We heard (as well as poor sound quality in a park would allow) some important speeches and prayers; we sang; we held hands. We screamed a primal scream that put our heartbeats on the same rhythm.
Although I am worried, I was reminded that I am not alone. I have people, a community, a diverse posse whom I’ve known for 20 years. We’ve organized against sexual violence, against racial/ethnic bigotry, against gun violence, against police violence, against dishonest politicians and politics. We’ve organized for Mother Earth, for climate justice, for marriage equality, for a living wage, and for the value of Black lives. We’ve welcomed new New Yorkers, we’ve hosted 12-step fellowships, we’ve fed people and set up COVID testing and inoculations. We’ve been to the border and repaired broken places after horrific storms.
We’ve sheltered each other.
We’ve sheltered each other not because we are alike and fully aligned; in fact, we are so incredibly different. What we have in common is wanting a just society in which all are welcome, and everyone has enough.
Friends, no matter our politics or religion; no matter our racial/
It’s OK to say ‘No’
CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.
ethnic or gender/sexuality identity; no matter our age or social location — we know a storm is raging. We are polarized and unsure of who we want to be.
In this difficult time, I pray you find your people — the people who will shelter you, who will love on you. The people you will call, and they will come.
If you want to build a more just society, if you want to work to create safe and brave spaces for all to flourish, for our children to grow and thrive; if you are looking for a place to connect and to call “home” in this moment: Middle Church and I would love to be your people! You can find us on social media @middlechurch. org or @RevJacquiLewis.
We’re going to need each other to heal our nation. We need to find our people, and build relationships. Even in my sorrow, even in my grief, I’m game to stay connected. I’m rev’d up to be in community. How about you?
In fierce love,
Jacqui
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. She champions racial, economic, and gender/sexuality justice and is the author of several books, including “Fierce Love” and the “Just Love Story Bible.” Her work has been featured on NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, NPR, and in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Ebony and Essence magazines.
As 2024 comes to a close, it is time to put the “No” in November. I remember that years ago, I learned the word “no” is a verb and also a full sentence. So many of us are being pushed and pulled in so many directions, we need a reminder that saying “no” is a way to restore and maintain our own social batteries while also setting boundaries. I don’t know about you, but the end of the year always has a certain hectic energy for me. I am wrapping up the semester, trying to schedule meetings before the end of the year and preparing for the holiday seasons. I am usually filled with a sense of being overwhelmed with all I need to accomplish before the year ends. As I am being asked to do tasks large and small, it is imperative that I protect my peace and exercise my ability to say no.
Many of us, Black women in particular, are expected to reflexively say yes to requests and figure out how to do it all, even if we sacrifice our own health and wellbeing to make things happen for others. For some, saying yes fills them with a sense of being needed. However, saying yes too many times does not leave room to include more activities or opportunities into one’s life. It is imperative that the word no becomes a word that is not taboo, but a word that helps lay a foundation for a more sane and healthy existence.
For the remainder of November, then, let’s
practice saying no. In doing so, we are not being negative — we are merely making space in our lives to say yes when needed. I know I have come a long way in my efforts to say no, but I still have a long way to go. I am getting better at declining requests to participate on panels or edit journals, but I still agree to far too many requests. I need to remember my golden rule before saying yes — before I commit, the request must satisfy two of three questions: Does it bring me professional advancement? Does it bring me monetary advancement? Does it bring me personal advancement?
Let’s continue to put the no in November and think about what will really fortify us. We are collectively exhausted from the last few years post- COVID, the last few months with national politics, and the last few weeks as the close of the year approaches. It is OK to say no; true friends will understand, family members and co-workers will learn better boundaries, and your body will thank you for giving it a little more rest.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC; and author of the forthcoming book “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams.”
Guns
Caribbean Update
Haiti is in turmoil again; Prime minister ousted
By BERT WILKINSON
Special to the AmNews
Earlier this year, Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders, along with the Friends of Haiti group, had moved nearly every obstacle in their path to put together an interim administration in Haiti as heavily armed gangs were threatening to take control of the capital and nearby areas.
They had cobbled together a nine-person transitional presidential council to stabilize the country, liaise with international partners willing to send peacekeepers to the island, and prepare for fresh general elections by early 2026, among other tasks.
Since the first-quarter move by regional leaders, the interim administration has tried to battle with a series of crises, from a deteriorating security situation, emerging pockets of famine, growing mountains of uncollected garbage, and internal wrangling between coalition members themselves.
In the past week however, the tensions and infighting among the council members have boiled over into a full-scale political war, with members voting to oust Prime Minister Garry Conille.
Conille, 58, has, only able to serve as head of government for six months before eight of the nine members of the council voted over the weekend to let him go. A formal announcement was made on Monday.
Conille had been feuding with council President Leslie Voltaire about how the business of government should be conducted, with Conille refusing a presidential request to reshuffle and reorganize it for alleged greater efficiency. Several meetings between the two to agree about a way forward bore no fruit, so the situation was put to a vote, with Conille emerging as the loser.
Reacting to his plight on Monday, a defiant outgoing prime minister dismissed the move by the council as unconstitutional, noting that such powers are reserved for parliament even though the country currently has no functioning national assembly.
“Although the presidential council has the prerogative to appoint the prime minister, no legal
text gives it the power to dismiss him,” Conille said in an open letter to the public. “The agreement of April 3 and the decree of May 27, 2024, which organize the transition, clearly define the governance procedures, but they do not in any way allow the council to unilaterally terminate the functions of the prime minister. We are currently going through a deep and extremely urgent crisis. Haiti faces colossal challenges. Gangs that control a large part of our capital, widespread insecurity that affects the population, a food crisis that is hitting the most vulnerable hard, and thousands of displaced families.”
Local business owner Alix Didier Fils-Aime, 52, will replace Conille as PM. Conille was a United Nationals development expert. He previously served as a PM just over a decade ago but was forced out by fellow high officials.
Speaking Monday, Caricom officials pointed out that Conille was bound to have lost a battle with Voltaire largely because he had not only overrated himself but also had not been the most popular among colleagues on the council, so the proverbial writing was always on the wall for an early departure. His dismissal was expected to be announced later on Monday, Nov. 11, even as arguments about the legality of his firing are swirling in Haiti.
As locals monitor developments, the main armed gang in Haiti
Monday served notice of a major resumption of gang warfare. Vivre Ensemble, led by former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, asked locals to remain indoors while gangsters took on the foreign legions of troops and police officers collaborating with local enforcement groups. Barbecue announced plans for gang warfare in a video message released to local media outlets.
Sensing that the internal disagreements were debilitating to Haiti, regional leaders in a recent statement chided the council, noting that “this growing lack of cohesion imperils the transitional process based on the spirit and the principles of compromise, consensus, and inclusiveness set out in the Political Agreement of March 11, 2024 in Jamaica and the Political Accord of April 3, 2024 drawn up by the Haitian stakeholders.” These differences between the leaders of the executive branch also undermine confidence among Haiti’s partners and the wider international community, impeding the provision of the critical assistance that Haiti urgently requires to address and overcome the complex crisis in which it is presently mired. “Caricom is deeply concerned by the ongoing differences being played out in public between the [p]resident of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) and the prime minister of Haiti,” the bloc had stated.
I predicted Kamala Harris couldn’t beat Donald Trump in July
In mid-July, as calls intensified for President Joe Biden to step aside after what was widely viewed as a “disastrous” debate with MAGA Republican Donald Trump, I argued in this column that it would be a “mega mistake” to nominate Kamala Harris without a mini-primary. My reasoning wasn’t based on Harris’s record as vice president or her polling against Trump, but rather on the enduring issues of race and
gender in America.
In that July piece, I stated bluntly: “America is still inherently a racist and sexist place; and in 2024, it’s more so than ever.” I continued: “Mark my words — America will not elect another Black president, much less a Black, female president.”
I feared that Harris would struggle against Trump and his base of white voters, who I believed, and still believe, are intent on preventing another Black president from being elected in America in our lifetime, and worse, a Black woman.
On the night of Nov. 5, 2024, I was unfortunately proven right. I felt dread as the re -
sults unfolded, but I had foreseen this months before others on TV networks, in mainstream newspapers, and even among Democratic strategists and socalled influencers.
Since Barack Obama’s historic win, right-wing voters in America have mobilized around a resistance to social progress. Trump’s rhetoric, steeped in the language of white supremacy and “taking back” power, struck a chord. Here was someone who vocalized fears of diminished influence, trashtalked everyone, and reassured supporters with promises to “Make America Great Again.” And so, on Nov. 5, we saw
white America — along with portions of the Black, Latino, and Asian communities — help elect a convicted felon back to the White House. Exit poll data revealed this was a vote largely shaped by the Caucasian demographic of voters.
According to the NBC Exit Poll data, 57% of white voters chose Trump in 2024, with 60% of white men and 53% of white women among them. This voting bloc was supported by 46% of Latino voters, 39% of Asians, and 13% of Black voters, as well as 52% of individuals identifying as “other,” including Native Americans, according to the poll.
The choice of 50.9%, or 72,751,731 voters, will now shape America for decades to come in 2025, with MAGAaligned leadership soon to be in control of the White House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and numerous states, reinforcing the influence of White supremacy and patriarchy for generations.
The message is clear: Know your place.
Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow. com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news about Black immigrant communities from the Caribbean and Latin America.
Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille speaks during joint press conference with Kenya’s President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
International News
Why people with disabilities in Nairobi are looking beyond public transport
By MAGDALENE MWANIKI Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — When Caroline Mwikali lost her ability to walk at age 13 after an illness, she quickly learned how difficult it is to get around in Kenya’s busy capital, Nairobi.
Mwikali, who now works at a car financing company, said public transport is not designed to accommodate wheelchair users like her.
Nairobi’s most popular modes of transport include motorbikes, minivans, and minibuses that are not fitted with ramps. They also are not designed for wheelchairs to fit in their aisles, so users must be hoisted up the stairs and placed on regular seats while their wheelchairs are put with luggage.
“In most cases, the people manning the bus terminals have to lift you off the wheelchair to help you board the buses. This is not only uncomfortable, but leaves you attracting unnecessary attention from the public,” Mwikali told the Associated Press.
She is among 2.2% of Kenya’s population, or about 900,000 people, who live with a disability. The most common type is mobility-related, at 42%.
One entrepreneur, Daniel Gatura, founded Ace Mobility in Nairobi in 2021. Its vehicles are modified with ramps and swivel seats to accom-
modate people with disabilities and anyone else who needs support with commuting.
Gatura said he was inspired by a personal experience growing up.
“My father sustained a spinal cord injury in an accident that left him in a wheelchair when he was just 5 years old,” Gatura said. “I witnessed the challenges my father faced, including losing his job due to transportation issues.”
Users can book rides through the Ace Mobility app. Drivers are trained as caregivers, ensuring they understand how to provide respectful and appropriate assistance to pas-
sengers with disabilities.
Gatura said they have 5,000 users. “We are changing the narrative around disability and reduced mobility. Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you cannot earn for yourself; it doesn’t mean you are a nobody in the society,” he said.
The transport is more expensive than public transport, charging the equivalent of $1 per kilometer (0.6 miles). The same amount can be used to pay for a 40-kilometer (24-mile) ride in public transport vehicles, but Gatura noted that his service delivers people directly to their homes.
Afro Argentinean history celebrated Nov. 8
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
This past Friday, Nov, 8, the second annual Afro Argentinean Day march was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. More than 20 Afro Argentinean organizations united to organize the 2024 Afro March, which began at the Plaza de Mayo and ended at the Plaza de los Dos Congresos. Marchers called for an end to racism and discrimination, and the inclusion of Afro Argentinean history in schools, acceptance of candombe and other Africanbased religions, and for the establishment of a National Institute of Afro Argentinean, Afrodescendent, and African Affairs (INAFRO).
The now-annual march aims to increase awareness of the Afro Argentinean community. It reflects the growing commitment of Afro Argentinean activists to honor their history and advocate for equality and reparations. In 2013, Argentina established Nov. 8 as its “National Day of Afro Argentines and Afro Culture” through Law 26.852. The law honors the bravery of María Remedios del Valle and serves as a mandate to the Ministry of Culture to enhance support for Afro Argentinean culture. Remedios del Valle is recognized as the
“Mother of the Nation” for her role in caring for Argentinean soldiers on the front lines during the fight for independence in the early 1800s, alongside fellow Afro Argentineans.
Remedios del Valle saw her family die during these battles. She was taken prisoner and beaten, escaped, and later served more time in battle on the front lines. Because of her bravery and loyalty, Argentinean military leader General Manuel Belgrano gave Remedios del Valle the title of captain. However, after the independence struggles, Remedios del Valle’s bravery was forgotten by the Argentinean government.
A special petition had to be drawn up for her to receive a pension at her advanced age. She is said to have died poor and sick, wandering through the squares of colonial Buenos Aires. The exact date of Remedios del Valle’s death is not known, but historians believe she died sometime between Oct. 28 and Nov. 8, of 1847.
This year’s Afro Argentinean Day March was peaceful; however, activists criticized the government’s intimidating display of force. Security forces encircled marchers with anti-riot vehicles, and filmed and photographed march participants as they passed through the streets.
“I find the charges quite fair, considering the convenience that it offers. I get to travel comfortably and without necessarily moving from my chair. It also somehow preserves my dignity,” said Mwikali, who has used the service for four months after a referral from a former classmate.
But others, like Cindy Cherotich, can’t afford the service. She must jostle for space on minibuses while on crutches.
“When I go to the bus station, sometimes the public vehicles do not allow me to board,” she said. “When they see my crutch and (see) somebody who is OK without crutches, they will let them in and I will be left.”
Lucy Nkatha, a disability advocate and coordinator of the Kiengu Women Challenged to Challenge Group, an NGO, said she had never heard of Ace Mobility and called for marketing support for such companies.
“It should also be made affordable,” she said.
Sandra Nyawira, the disability inclusion adviser at United Disabled Persons of Kenya, noted that Kenya has a number of policies in place to address accommodations for people with disabilities, but implementation is rare. She called for more political will.
“It’s one thing to have a policy that speaks to your issues, but then it’s another to implement them,” she said.
Nairobi’s minibuses are cheap and ubiquitous but few can accommodate people in wheelchairs. (Raffael Beier photo via Wikimedia)
November 8, the second annual Afro Argentinean Day march was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Teatro en Sepia/@teatroense photo)
When schools failing to act leads to the death of a student
By QUINTESSA WILLIAMS
Word in Black
When Kaleiah Jones, a 16-year-old Black teenager with a heart condition, collapsed in the hallway of her Newport News, Virginia, high school in February, her odds for survival were good. Her schoolmates immediately called for help, the school nurse and the resource officer raced to the scene, and the school had several life-saving automatic defibrillator machines installed nearby.
Yet 10 minutes later, Jones was still unconscious on the floor as the adults around her couldn’t figure out what to do. No one — not the nurse, nor the resource officer, nor the principal — had checked her pulse. No one had retrieved the defibrillator machines. The officer tried to perform CPR, but stopped after less than 20 seconds. When paramedics arrived nearly 20 minutes after Jones collapsed, they began CPR, but it was too late. She died an hour later at a nearby hospital.
Those are the allegations in a new lawsuit Jones’s family has filed against the city of Newport News, its school board, and the half-dozen or so Menchville High School educators who were there after she lost consciousness that day.
“The defendants’ gross negligence and willful and wanton negligence to Kaleiah’s medical needs caused her death,” the lawsuit said. “Had the defendants promptly commenced CPR and/or used the AED, Kaleiah would have survived.”
Benjamin Crump takes the case
Her mother, Keyonna Stewart, said the school was aware Jones suffered from bradycardia, a condition in which an individual’s heartbeat drops below 60 beats per minute, compared with a normal rate of between 60 to 100 beats per minute.
“My heart is broken. I wake up daily with the pain and sorrow that my sweet baby girl is not with me on this journey called life,” Stewart told local news station WAFB. “I will never get the opportunity to see Kaleiah fulfill every parent’s dreams of getting her license, graduating high school or walking down the aisle on her wedding day.”
The teenager’s death also points to a larger issue: Black K-12 students are at higher risk for receiving inadequate care in school emergencies.
Despite Virginia laws requiring school staff to be certified in CPR and having defibrillators on hand, no one took the necessary actions to save Jones’s life. According to the lawsuit, security cameras in the
school’s hallway recorded the scene on Feb. 20, just after Jones collapsed. The family is being represented by the Krudys Law Firm in Richmond as well as high-profile attorney Benjamin Crump.
When they arrived in the hallway, teachers, administrators, a school nurse, and a resource officer reportedly stood by for more than 16 minutes, only occasionally trying to revive her, according to the lawsuit. They shook her shoulders, rubbed her leg, and splashed water on her face; the resource officer performed chest compressions but stopped after just 17 seconds. The national disparity in emergency response
Currently, 20 states — including Virginia — have laws that mandate CPR certification for school staff. Some specifically require certain employees, such as teachers, coaches, or school personnel, to be trained and certified in CPR. However, CPR certification laws for students are more widespread, with 38 states requiring CPR training for high school graduation.
While many states focus on training students, fewer states mandate that all school staff — especially those not directly involved in athletics or physical education — be certified in CPR.
According to a 2019 Journal of the American Heart Association report, Black children are 41% less likely to receive bystander CPR than their white peers in public settings. Experts say the disparity — due in part to implicit racial biases, systemic neglect, and poor training — put Black students’ lives at greater risk.
In August, for example, a Black 14-yearold boy suffering from seizures suddenly collapsed at his Houston middle school and later died. Although the school nurse was there moments after the boy collapsed, police body camera footage recorded her stating that she was not trained in performing CPR or using AEDs.
A call for accountability
Incidents like Jones’s demonstrate the need for urgent reforms to hold schools accountable for the safety of all students, ensuring that when emergencies happen, every child — regardless of race — gets the care they need.
“The teachable moment starts now, just with the filing of the lawsuit, because you all are looking at Kaleiah’s face,” Crump said during a press conference. “…and I hope you’re thinking about your children. But by the grace of God, it could be your child.”
Bar graph showing the percentage of children who received bystander CPR (BCPR) by ethnic group. White children had a 48% likelihood of receiving BCPR, while Black children were 41% less likely, according to data from the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Arts & Entertainment Judith Jamison, 1943-2024
Photo captions:
1. Judith Jamison rehearsing “Divining” with Masazumi Chaya and Donna Wood. (TBC photo)
2. Judith Jamison (Jack Mitchell photo)
3. Judith Jamison in Alvin Ailey's “The Mooche.”
(Photograph by Henry Wolf, published in New York Magazine, November 10, 1975) 4. Judith Jamison, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Alvin Ailey. (TBC photo)
Judith Jamison. (Andrew Eccles photo)
6. Judith Jamison with Clifton Brown, Dwanna Smallwood, and Matthew Rushing. (Paul Kolnik photo)
7. Judith Jamison in Alvin Ailey's “Revelations.” (George Kalinsky photo)
8. Judith Jamison and AAADT's cast of “Hymm.” (Nan Melville photo)
9. Judith Jamison at the groundbreaking for the Joan Weill Center for Dance. (Kwame Brathwaite photo)
Judith Jamison, internationally acclaimed dancer and Alvin Ailey Artistic Director Emerita, passes at 81
By ZITA ALLEN and CHARMAINE WARREN Special to the AmNews
Judith Jamison, artistic director emerita and internationally acclaimed star of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater who, at Ailey’s request, took up the reins of running the company for 16 years, has joined the ancestors. On Nov. 9 at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, Ms. Jamison passed away at the age of 81 “after a brief illness,” according to a statement. Her passing is our loss and her memory is our solace.
Ms. Jamison’s long-limbed elegance etched indelible images of beauty and grace as her 5-foot-10 body unfurled a procession of breathtaking leaps, slashing kicks, and arm movements that sculpted space. She was the embodiment of the consummate Ailey dancer and the epitome of what poet Maya Angelou called a phenomenal woman.
When she joined the company in 1965, the sight of the long-limbed beauty caused audible gasps as she glided onstage in Ailey’s masterful “Revelations” holding an umbrella aloft in one hand as the opposite, outstretched arm executed gentle rippling moves with each step. She treated the air as if it was water while a choir sang “Wade in the Water.” As the embodiment of what then-New York Times chief dance critic Anna Kisselgoff described as Ailey’s fusion of ballet, modern, and more, Jamison became Ailey’s muse and dance icon.
“We connected to your very core as a human being and we just happened to do it through excellent dance,” Jamison once told this reporter when describing the Ailey company.
Judith Jamison embodied excellence her entire life from her early years in Philadelphia, where she started studying dance at 6 years old as a student at Marion Cuyjet’s Judimar School of Dance and in ballet classes with the legendary Antony Tudor and Maria Swoboda, and later with Agnes de Mille at the predominantly white Philadelphia Dance Academy. De Mille recalled, “I saw this girl, quite wonderful, and she and I had a wordless dialogue. I taught the class for her, the others went along as best they could.” Afterwards, de Mille cast Jamison in her work for American Ballet Theatre, “The Four Marys” (1965), along with Dr. Glory Van Scott, Cleo Quitman, and Carmen de Lavallade. Following a brief hiatus, as legend has it, when Jamison attended a Donald McKayle audition for a Harry Belafonte special he was choreographing, the tide turned, not because she didn’t get that job but because she was spotted by a man sitting on the steps observing the studio crammed with dancers in a scene that looked like something out of “A Chorus Line.” The man was Alvin Ailey and, in no time, he would ask her to join his company, beginning the journey of a lifetime.
Jamison has been described aptly as “a ballet-trained dancer who wore her hair closely cropped,” but that phrase ignores the loaded
historical context it evokes. It was the 1960s, and being a ballet-trained Black dancer involved a host of challenges. It was a time when the Civil Rights era was morphing into
the Black Power and Black Arts movement. The slogans “We Shall Overcome” and “Black is Beautiful” encapsulated the dominant tone of a time that was changing and the Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater delivered a message of hope that transcended national boundaries. As Columbia University scholar Farah Jasmine Griffin has observed, “Dance provided a new medium for the expression of protest against segregation” and “the dancer’s movement has the power to transform the observer’s consciousness.” This idea sounds similar to what Jamison said was at the heart of AAADT’s founding mission: “There were prejudices and biases going on in this country and he [Alvin Ailey] formed a company that said, ‘Yes, I will celebrate our African American experience and our cultural expression.’” Ailey and Jamison were a match made in heaven. Jamison was Ailey’s muse and the works he choreographed on her and for her speak volumes, works like “Cry,” the powerful tour de force Ailey dedicated to “Black women everywhere, especially our mothers.” In that dance, which both celebrated and challenged the strong Black woman archetype, Jamison showed the world how strength and femininity coexist in harmony and embody a beauty that is undeniable. But, that was not all. There was Ailey’s “Lark Ascending,” which showcased a femininity with its soft, light-as-a-feather lyricism, and the South African-inspired “Masekela Langage,” which captured the anguish in the face of racial injustice. At the same time, there was also the elegant glitz and glamour of “The Mooche” with its echoes of the Harlem Renaissance, and the breathtaking virtuosity of “Pas de Duke.” Then, lest we forget, there was the powerful “Revelations” duet “Fix Me, Jesus.” Ailey’s choreography allowed Judith Jamison to embody a multitude of stereotype-shattering images that defied the preconceived misconceptions of the white gaze. Her beauty was subversive, with an elegant and dignified resolve that opened people’s eyes in an America wrestling with an undercurrent of unrepentant white privilege. Folks clearly got the message. She was the first African American dancer to land on the cover of more than one major mainstream publication.
In 1988, when she stepped offstage to found her own company, the Jamison Project, she did that once again, creating works that communicated powerful messages. As a highly regarded choreographer, Ms. Jamison has created many celebrated works, including “Divining” (1984), “Forgotten Time” (1990), “Double Exposure” (for the Lincoln Center Festival in 2000), “HERE . .. NOW” (commissioned for the 2002 Cultural Olympiad in Salt Lake City), “Love Stories” (with additional choreography by Robert Battle and Rennie Harris, 2004), and “Among Us (Private Spaces: Public Places in 2009).” Her 1996 ballet, “Sweet Release,” featured original music by Wynton Marsalis and “Reminiscin’” (2005) was inspired by great female jazz artists and Edward Hopper’s famous painting “Nighthawks.” In 1993, Ms. Jamison created “Hymn” as a stirring tribute to Mr. Ailey, which was the centerpiece for the Emmy award-winning PBS “Great See JAMISON on page 19
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Judith Jamison. (Jack Mitchell photo)
Alvin Ailey and Judith Jamison. (Jack Mitchell photo)
Jamison
Continued from page 18
Performances: Dance In America” special, “A Hymn for Alvin Ailey.”
Then, in 1989, she made the most powerful statement of all, agreeing to Alvin Ailey’s request that she take over the company when the time came. “I was appointed artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on Dec. 20, 1989,” she told Howard Kaplan, who co-wrote Jamison’s autobiography, “Dancing Spirit,” edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and published in 1993. “It was a very traumatic experience to have Alvin pass away on the first of December, with the New York season beginning on the sixth.”
True to Alvin Ailey’s vision, the company flourished under her leadership. In 2004, under Ms. Jamison’s artistic directorship, and with the help of a staff led by Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, the idea of a permanent home for the Ailey company was realized and named after the company’s beloved benefactor and chairman Joan Weill. And, even when she relinquished the reins and became artistic director emerita, Ms. Jamison continued to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and remained committed to promoting the significance of the Ailey legacy — using dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present, and fearlessly reaching into the future.
Jamison has been the recipient of numerous awards, among them a primetime Emmy Award, an American Choreography Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, a National Medal of Arts, a “Bessie” Award, the Phoenix Award, and was presented the Handel Medallion by Mayor Bloomberg, the highest honor awarded by the City of New York. She was also listed in “The TIME 100: The World’s Most Influential People” and honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at the first White House Dance Series event. In 2013, Ms. Jamison was the 50th inductee into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance.
A recent Instagram post that has thousands of views captures her aesthetic and her legacy: “I don’t ask dancers to join the company to do steps. You can get robots to do steps. What separates these dancers is that they’re human beings first so that they can inform you about your humanity.” She told one interviewer, “We don’t survive unless we have something to say …. And boy we’ve had something to say for a long time and will continue to do so.”
While information about a future celebration of her life and legacy will be forthcoming, the testament to the magnificence of Judith Jamison as an incomparable artist and warm visionary leader is reflected in the memories of the many who knew her, worked with her, and loved her, as reflected by a tiny sampling below shared with my colleague Charmaine Warren and me:
Robert Battle,
Former Artistic Director, AAADT
“Judith Jamison was a bright light in this
world. She generously shared that light with me. Our bond is deep and wide. I am forever grateful for the honor she bestowed upon me. She blessed the world with her talent, tenacity, and courage. We can be and be and be better because she existed.”
Matthew Rushing,
Interim Artistic Director AAADT
“One of my most cherished lessons I learned from Ms. Jamison is the importance of excellence. Not only did she model integrity, elegance, and wisdom but she pushed us to never settle for mediocrity. Excellence was ALWAYS the goal:
Excellence of artistry.
Excellence of technique. Excellence of humanity!”
Sylvia Waters
Former Ailey Dancer, Founding Artistic Director Of Ailey II
“Judith Jamison was a treasure. To dance with her on the same stage was always inspirational and to just be in her orbit anywhere was uplifting. I always admired how she had a very high barre and she was all about excellence. Alvin was right choosing her. He had that in mind for a very long time. She took the Ailey company to new heights by realizing his vision for it. She said, ‘He left me the blueprint,’ and she followed that blueprint. As a leader she
was very strong, passionate, and dedicated to sustaining the company and Alvin’s legacy. She never wavered from that.”
Masazumi Chaya
Former Associate Artistic Director, Director, AAADT
“Judy and I talked every day. She was gorgeous, strong, and warm. When she came into the Ailey building she always greeted everyone, ‘Good morning. How is everyone this morning?’ Her impact was felt at every level of the organization. She knew how to raise money, and, of course, she knew how to work with the dancers. She came to every rehearsal and the dancers felt seen and heard. Alvin was that way, too. That open-mindness made dancers free to be their best selves.”
Mary Barnett
Former, Associate Artistic Director, AAADT
“I was there when she first got into the company in the 1960s. I have seen this woman set fire to the stage from downstage diagonal to upstage diagonal, eating up the floor. Girlfriend looked like she was flying. I’d stand backstage and say ‘Wow, to dance like that!’ She just seemed to fly through the air like a gazelle.”
Glory Van Scott
Educator, Writer, Actress & Dancer
“Judy was in ‘The Four Marys’ ballet that
Agnes de Mille created. There’s a picture of the four of us — Judy, me, Cleo Quitman, and Carmen de Lavallade in an American Ballet Theatre Souvenir Book. It was an incredible experience. She was a young, long-limbed, beautiful dancer. The thing that was so great about Judy was that she was willing to learn, and very open, warm, and loving.”
Alvin Ailey
Founder, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre
“I respect and admire her for her compassion and her beauty as a dancer. She has musicality, discipline and taste — marvelous taste. Above all, Judy is able to justify movement. That is all I ask of a dancer, to justify movement. Judith does that. She is, of course, an extraordinarily gifted dancer, but another extraordinary thing about her is her capacity for growth. She is always learning. I love her, we all love her.”
(Ailey to ZDA in a 1975 interview)
Judith Jamison in Alvin Ailey’s “Cry.” (R. Faligant photo)
Judith Jamison dancing as a young girl in Philadelphia. (Photo courtesy of Judith Jamison)
Judith Jamison in Alvin Ailey's “Revelations” in Paris. (Aigles photo)
Travel & Resort
Traveler’s notes: London’s diverse hostels
By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews
After six weeks as a Black woman traveler in London and fashioning my travel experience in a bit of an Orwellian manner (“Down and Out in Paris and London” quickly came to mind as an interesting concept), I have had myriad experiences staying in a number of hostels in the sprawling metropolitan city.
Among my favorites are Palmer’s, Hyde Park, and Kensington, each having the quality a hardworking 38-year-old woman can spend time in comfortably. Palmer’s was by far my favorite. The lounge, full of plush, lived-in couches where I found myself napping often, offered opportunities for great conversation and productivity with a number of outlets and a bar-like communal workstation at one end of the room.
Kensington is the highest-end, tucked away in a remote location deep in a wooded park, sitting right off a bike trail. I liked the private location.
Hyde Park has a great combination of a lovely location that is close to the West End for shopping and great coffee shops.
My least favorite were NX, St. Christopher’s, and the Birds Nest, although I have a slight affinity for the Birds Nest, which doubles as a full-on punk rock music venue where you will hear live punk, industrialmetal, etc., until about 2 a.m. while you are attempting to sleep. Now, I was a punk for much of my teens and 20s, so this didn’t bother me much. It was the bunk bed that was about 8 feet off the ground that freaked me out! I’m not quite young anymore, but it made for a great story.
St. Christopher’s also has a lively pub and live music that blares all night, but I found it less appealing as cover bands and bland techno pulsed through the walls.
NX was very unclean, and a bit scary. I had to trade 10 nights in a dorm for three nights in a private room because there were no partition curtains on the beds where you had to sleep, read, work on your phone, etc. Privacy is very important to me as a guest. There was a perk about NX, though: They provided a ton of free food — eggs, toast, butter, nutella, milk, cereal and even ramen for dinner. I ate well, but the place was not nice at all.
The staff at all the hostels were kind and respectful.
Here is a more general analysis of each hostel. Be safe, and happy travels!
Safestay London Kensington, Holland Park
Located in the lush surroundings of 54acre Holland Park, Safestay London Kensington offers a vibrant and affordable base for travelers exploring the city. With
its prime location, just an 8-minute walk from the Holland Park tube (subway) station and within easy reach of iconic attractions like the Victoria and Albert Museum and Buckingham Palace, this hostel is wellsituated for those looking to explore central London.
The hostel occupies three charming buildings nestled in the park, blending the energy of a bustling city with the tranquility of green spaces. Inside, the atmosphere is lively and welcoming, catering to both solo travelers and groups. The dormitories are simply yet thoughtfully designed, with a pop of color and modern touches. Each bed is equipped with privacy curtains, reading lights, and safes, ensuring a comfortable and secure stay. Both shared and en suite bathroom options are available, with the en suites providing extra convenience for those looking for more privacy.
A standout feature of Safestay London Kensington is its balance between a vibrant social atmosphere and the peacefulness of its park setting. Whether you’re looking to meet new people, relax with a book, or enjoy a drink with friends, this hostel offers a welcoming and dynamic environment.
St. Christopher’s Inn London Bridge
St. Christopher’s Inn London Bridge is a budget-friendly and lively hostel ideally located just a stone’s throw from some of London’s most famous attractions. Only a 2-minute walk from the bustling Borough Market and 5 minutes from London Bridge tube station, this hostel is in a prime spot for anyone looking to explore the city’s landmarks, vibrant food scene, and local culture.
The hostel’s dormitories are functional and bright, designed for comfort and practicality. With dorms ranging from four to 33 beds, St. Christopher’s accommodates a variety of guest preferences, whether you’re traveling solo or with a group. Private rooms are also available, offering a quieter retreat after a busy day of sight-
seeing. While not overly luxurious, these rooms are a great option for travelers who want a more intimate setting at an affordable price. One of the highlights of staying at St. Christopher’s Inn is the range of complementary perks. Guests can enjoy a continental breakfast each morning, helping to kickstart the day on a budget, as well as complementary walking tours, which are a great way to get acquainted with London’s history and must-see spots.
Smart Hyde Park Inn Hostel
Located just a stone’s throw from Hyde Park and within walking distance of popular shopping areas like Oxford Street, Knightsbridge, and Portobello Market, this hostel offers a prime location for exploring the best of London. The hostel’s emphasis on value for money makes it a standout choice for backpackers and budget-conscious travelers. Every room is designed with the practical needs of travelers in mind, featuring custom-built beds with privacy curtains and panels, which help create a more intimate and restful environment.
Whether you’re staying in a dorm or a private room, the layout is thoughtfully designed to ensure comfort and privacy, making it an ideal choice for both solo travelers and those traveling in groups. Security is a top priority at Smart Hyde Park Inn, with key-card access to rooms and the main building, as well as individual security lockers in every room to keep your belongings safe. This added peace of mind is invaluable when traveling in a busy city like London, although the hostel’s location is undoubtedly one of its strongest points
Palmer’s Lodge
Swiss Cottage
Palmer’s Lodge Swiss Cottage offers a charming and relaxed atmosphere in a beautifully restored Victorian-era building, making it a standout choice for travelers seeking both character and comfort in North London. The hostel’s design blends
rustic charm with modern amenities, creating a warm and welcoming environment. The dorms, available in mixed and female-only options, are simple yet comfortable, with bunk beds, free Wi-Fi, lockers, and either en suite or shared bathrooms. The rustic esthetic gives the rooms a cozy, homey feel, while the provision of linens ensures that guests can settle in without worry.
Palmer’s Lodge also provides plenty of social spaces to relax and meet fellow travelers. The guest lounge, complete with comfy sofas and a pool table, is a great place to unwind after a busy day of sightseeing or to socialize with other guests. If you’re looking for a bit of fresh air, the sunroom and BBQ area provide the perfect setting for relaxing outdoors when the weather permits. The hostel’s restaurant and bar area serve as a lively hub for guests, offering a range of drinks and casual bites.
The blend of historical charm and modern comfort ensures a pleasant stay, and the hostel’s well-maintained facilities, friendly staff, and inviting social spaces make it a great choice for both solo travelers and groups.
NX London Hostel
NX London Hostel is a straightforward and budget-friendly option for travelers looking to stay in the vibrant New Cross area, which is well-connected to central London. Situated on a lively street filled with shops and eateries, the hostel offers a relaxed, no-frills atmosphere just a 4-minute walk from New Cross Gate tube station. Its location makes it a convenient base for exploring both the local neighborhood and further afield, with the British Museum and Buckingham Palace only 6 miles away. While NX London may not have the luxury amenities of more upscale hostels, it delivers great value for money with its affordable rates.
The Birds Nest
The Birds Nest Hostel offers a budgetfriendly and comfortable stay in South East London, with a convenient location just a short walk from Cockpit Arts and a 5-minute drive from the picturesque Island Gardens. The hostel is a great option for those who want a simple, no-frills place to stay while exploring London, with easy access to local attractions and public transport. The 29 rooms at the Birds Nest are functional and provide the essentials.
For entertainment, the Birds Nest doesn’t disappoint. The hostel regularly hosts live performances, and there’s a nightclub onsite, making it a fun and lively choice for guests who want to experience London’s nightlife without venturing far from their accommodations.
Palmers London (Photo courtesy of Palmers)
Three performance highlights to see at EFG London Jazz Fest
By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews
This year’s EFG London Jazz Festival offers more than 100 events across London for an extensive 10-day stretch of amazing music. Here are highlights of upcoming events we’re looking forward to. Brandee Younger, Charles Tolliver, and Robert Glasper are leaders in their respective crafts. Do your best to see fresh iterations of their live performances and musical evolutions.
Brandee Younger + Caoilfhionn Rose | EFG London Jazz Festival
A Grammy-nominated harpist, Younger made history as the first Black female solo artist to be nominated in the Best Instrumental Composition category at the 2022 Grammy Awards for her composition “Beautiful Is Black.” This milestone is just one of many in a career that has already seen her collaborate with luminaries like Beyoncé, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, and more, showcasing her rare ability to infuse the harp into spaces where it has long been under-represented. During this year’s festival, Younger brings her talents to the stage with a blend of spiritual depth and rhythmic innovation. Younger’s mastery of the harp is clear — she has a remarkable ability to not only play the instrument, but to shape it, pushing the boundaries of what the harp can do in a contemporary music setting. Whether delivering intricate, soulful melodies or creating atmospheric, ambient textures, she has carved a space for the harp in modern jazz that is undeniably her own.
Opening for Younger is Manchesterbased artist Caoilfhionn Rose, whose music explores an exciting blend of folk, jazz, and electronic soundscapes. Rose’s work is deeply rooted in traditional songcraft but
simultaneously forward-thinking, incorporating elements of contemporary technology and production to create something unique. Rose’s core piano-playing serves as the foundation for her sound, while layers of synths, ambient samples, and a live rhythm section add depth and complexity. The addition of saxophone further enriches her performance, creating moments of melodic interplay and improvisation that kept the audience engaged throughout.
Charles Tolliver celebrates Max Roach @ 100 | EFG London Jazz Festival Nov. 18, 2024
Barbican Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
Perhaps one of the most significant moments in their musical collaboration occurred in 1971, when Max Roach asked Charles Tolliver to compose a drum suite adaptation of the Negro spiritual “Singin’ Wid a Sword in My Hand,” based on James Weldon Johnson’s book of spirituals. The composition premiered at the Montreux Jazz Festival that year, featuring Roach,
Tolliver, and pianist Stanley Cowell. This marked a moment of reflection on the power of African American history and culture, and a continuation of Roach’s commitment to both preserving and reinterpreting that heritage through jazz.
At this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, the American trumpeter and composer Tolliver pays tribute to one of jazz’s most revered and pioneering figures. “Charles Tolliver Celebrates Max Roach” brings together a unique blend of jazz history and modern innovation, featuring an orchestra assembled by saxophonist Tony Kofi and special guest performances that highlight the profound impact Roach had on the development of jazz, particularly in the realm of percussion.
Roach is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures in the history of jazz drumming. A master of rhythm and an innovator of drum techniques, Roach was instrumental in shaping the modern jazz idiom alongside fellow giants like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and Kenny
Clark. His rhythmic innovations and powerful approach to the drums elevated the role of percussion in jazz, and his work has inspired generations of drummers and musicians across genres.
Robert Glasper | London Jazz Festival Nov. 18–21
KOKO
1a Camden High Street, London NW1 7RE
Known for his ability to seamlessly blend jazz with elements of R&B, hip-hop, and soul, Glasper has long been a trailblazer in contemporary music, and his presence at the festival only reinforces his status as one of the most versatile and visionary artists of his generation. As the leader of a new sonic paradigm, Glasper has bridged musical worlds in ways that few artists have ever managed to do. His breakout album “Black Radio” (2012) changed the game for both jazz and popular music, creating a fusion that spoke to a broad range of listeners.
With “Black Radio,” Glasper set a new standard for what popular music could be, combining virtuosic jazz improvisation with soulful R&B grooves and hip-hop sensibilities. The album won a Grammy for Best R&B Album, marking the beginning of a series of influential works that have kept Glasper at the center of the music world.
Backed by an ensemble of outstanding musicians, Glasper has the ability to navigate complex harmonic structures while maintaining a groove and sense of intimacy, which will be on full display. His interactions with his band were fluid and intuitive, demonstrating his deep understanding of both the technical and emotional elements of music.
With an ability to bridge genres, Glasper has brought jazz to a wider audience while expanding the genre’s boundaries. His music invites listeners to experience jazz in new and exciting ways, bringing together the past and present in a way that feels fresh, vital, and forward-thinking.
Brandee Younger; Charles Tolliver; Robert Glasper (Younger and Glasper images courtesy of EFG London Jazz Festival; Tolliver photo by Jimmy Katz)
AUDELCO Award nominations are in!
BY LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews
The Annual Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Recognition Awards honor excellence in Black Theater and it is about to be that time of year. On Monday, Nov. 18, the 52nd AUDELCO Awards will acknowledge the productions from the past season; 37 shows received nominations. The place to be will be the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem (2116 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.).
The AUDELCO Awards are an unforgettable Black theater family reunion and always a divine experience. The productions nominated deserve these kudos. Let’s get right to the list of this year’s nominees.
Topping the lists with 11 nominations are “Buena Vista Social Club,” presented by the Atlantic Theater Company, and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” presented by PAC NYC.
“Buena Vista Social Club” is nominated for best musical; Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, choreography; Saheem Ali, director of a musical; Marco Paguia, outstanding musical director; Renesito Avich, lead actor in a musical; Natalie Venetia Belcon, lead actress in a musical; Mel Seme, featured actor in a musical; Kenya Browne, featured actress in a musical; Danaya Esperanza, featured actress in a musical; Tyler Micoleau, lighting design; and Dede Ayite, costume design.
“Cats: The Jellicle Ball” is nominated for best musical; Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, director of a musical; William Waldrop, outstanding musical director; Arturo Lyons & Oman Wiles, choreographer; Andre De Shields, featured actor in a musical; Sydney James Harcourt, featured actor in a musical; Antwayn Hopper, featured actor in a musical; Robert Silk Mason, featured actor in a musical; Tempress Chasity Moore, featured actress in a musical; Bebe Nicole Simpson, featured actress in a musical; and Qween Jean, costume design.
Receiving 10 nominations are “Hell’s Kitchen,” presented by the Public Theater, and “Sally & Tom,” presented by the Public Theater & Guthrie Theater.
“Hell’s Kitchen” is up for best musical; Michael Greif, director of a musical; Camille A. Brown, choreography; Maleah
Joi Moon, lead actress in a musical; Chris Lee, lead actor in a musical; Brandon Victor Dixon, featured actor in a musical; Kecia Lewis, featured actress in a musical; Dede Ayite, costume design; and Gareth Owen, sound design.
“Sally & Tom” is nominated for best play; Suzan-Lori Parks, playwright; Steve H. Broadnax III, director of a play; Sheria Irving, lead actress in a play; Alano Miller, featured actor in a play; Kristolyn Lloyd, featured actress in a play; Alan C. Edwards, lighting design; Riccardo Hernandez, set design; Rodrigo Munoz, costume design; and Dan Moses Schreier, sound design.
Being spotlighted with nine nominations are “Zooman and the Sign” from the Negro Ensemble Company and “The Refuge Plays” from Roundabout Theatre Company & New York Theatre Workshop.
The AUDELCO also presents special awards. This year, those honorees are: Board of Directors Award to New Heritage Theater, Voza Rivers (60 years), and Black Berry Productions; Stephanie Berry and John-Martin Green (40 years)
Special Achievement — Marishka S. Phillips and Reginald L Wilson Outstanding Achievement —
GO WITH THE FLO
Tongues are wagging that Saweetie recently returned to her alma mater, San Diego State University, for a special performance. According to Blavity, the California native went to the school’s homecoming to perform with her old dance team, the SDSU Diamonds. The team performed to Saweetie’s hit “My Type.” Social media was abuzz over the entertainer’s return to her college. One user posted, “I love seeing the girls thriving returning back to their Alma Maters.” Saweetie attended San Diego State before transferring to the University of Southern California, where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2016 …
Daniel Beaty, Layon Gray, and Alyson Williams Pioneer Award — Obediah Wright, Ralph Carter, and Michael Dinwiddie Lifetime Achievement — Trezana Beverley, George Faison, A. Dean Irby, and Lizan Mitchell. Legacy Award — June Terry Rising Star Award — Chistopher Woodley.
Be sure to make plans to be in the room where it all happens. For ticket information, call 949-291-8266, leave a message at 212-368-6906, or visit www. audelco.org. It is an evening you will long cherish. See you there! For the full article, please visit www.amsterdamnews.com.
Homegoing services for Tito Jackson will be held in Glendale, Calif., the same place where his brother Michael Jackson and their father Joseph Jackson’s funeral services took place. On Oct. 26, fans gathered at the Jacksons’ Hollywood star to honor Tito with a celebration of his music, contributions, and timeless legacy. Tito died after suffering a heart attack on September 15 in Gallup, N.M., at the age of 70. The day before celebrating Tito, the fans celebrated “Thriller” at Michael’s Hollywood star … Wingstop was named the official chicken partner of the NBA recently, and major players were embracing the delicious news during tip-off week. OKC Thunder star Chet Holmgren and Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray rocked the Wingstop bag with their tunnel outfits before their first games of the season. Jamal fed the entire team wings after the game at Denver’s Ball Arena … The National Society of Palm Beach County celebrated the upcoming launch of its 2024–2025 Grand Exhibition, “Wish You Were Here: Tourism in the Palm Beaches,” at a cocktail party hosted by Jean Shafiroff, a member of the society’s Board of Advisors, and her husband, Martin Shafiroff. International fashion brand St. John offered a fall fashion presentation at the cocktail event in Manhattan to celebrate the exhibit, which more than 100 guests attended. The opening reception for “Wish You Were Here” will premiere at the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum (West Palm Beach) on Nov. 14, and remain through June 28, 2025 …
Scene from NEC’s “Zooman and the Sign” at the American Theatre of Actors. (L-R): Reggie Wilson, Isaiah Martinez, Constance Sadie Thompson and Benjamin Rowe (Jonathan Slaff photo)
Scene from NFT’s “Telling Tales out of School” at the Castillo Theater. (L-R): Petronia Paley, June Ballinger, Richarda Abrams and Elizabeth Van Dyke (Lia Chang photo)
New York City Center Gala celebrates more than 80 years of the arts
By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews
New York City Center (131 W. 55th Street) recently held its annual gala, and it was magnificent. The production for the evening was “Ragtime,” and there was a fantastic energy and joy in the air as the packed theater enjoyed the amazing singing, dancing, and acting performances of a formidable cast, lead by Joshua Henry and Nichelle Lewis.
This beloved musical, with an inspiring book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and direction by Lear deBessonet, had the auditorium on its feet. People were screaming, cheering, applauding, and enjoying themselves.
After the performance, the party was on at the Ziegfeld Ballroom (W. 54th Street). Michael S. Rosenberg, president & CEO, addressed the packed room to talk about the accomplishments of New York City Center and thank the organization’s supporters.
The atmosphere in the ballroom was electric as celebrities and patrons of the New York City Center abounded. The cast of “Ragtime” was also in the house. For this celebration of the center’s 80-plus years of bringing theatrical and dance offerings to the New York community at reasonable prices, two individuals were honored: Denise Littlefield Sobel, a philanthropist and longtime supporter; and Brian Stokes Mitchell, the original Colehouse Walker, Jr. and Tony Award-winning actor who has performed in four productions at the cCenter.
It was an evening full of inspiration and good vibrations. Sobel, who has provided financial support to New York City Center for some time, was the subject of a video tribute showcasing her generosity. She has done so much and has taken on huge projects; City Center staff and creatives offered heartfelt praises.
Before Mitchell received his award, I asked him what he thought of Joshua Henry’s performance in “his” role. “I love Joshua,” Mitchell said. “It’s great seeing Coalhouse in somebody else’s voice and body and hands.
And Josh is a friend — we did ‘Shuffle Along’ together. I’ve seen him in so many things. It just excites me to see him and hear his voice — he’s really a very wonderful performer, so I was really happy to see him.”
Considering how he felt to be honored at the City Center gala, he said, “It’s a mixed feeling, I feel honored and happy, but I’m also a little embarrassed at these kinds of things. I like being in the show and performing, but to be honored like this and to make a speech — I get very anxious about it. But it’s a room full of friends and I’ve done so many performances here at City Center that I feel very comfortable, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Flaherty and Ahrens presented Mitchell with his honor after they shared some stories about him and the journey they shared when it came to “Ragtime,” since he was with them from the beginning of the journey
John Clay III (Booker T. Washington) and Daryl Bright Clay Brian Stokes Mitchell, Adrienne Warren, Ayodele Casel, Eisa Davis, Torya Beard, and Daniel J. Watts (Sofia Negron photos)
Lou Donaldson, the soul jazz master, dies at 98
Lou Donaldson — a preeminent alto saxophonist whose style as a disciple of Charlie Parker was steeped in traditional bebop with encompassing tones of blues and funk — died on Nov. 9, in Daytona Beach, Florida at his senior citizens’ residential home. He was 98. His death was confirmed by his grandson Daniel Tutt. No cause was given.
Donaldson had just celebrated his 98th birthday on Oct. 30 (birth date was Nov. 1), at Dizzy’s jazz club which was an annual celebration. Although he did not attend, he was on speakerphone to hear the sold-out audience sing a hearty “Happy Birthday!”
The celebration also included his induction into the Jazz at Lincoln Center Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and was named a NEA Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. His alma mater North Carolina A&T University awarded him the honorary doctorate of letters and a scholarship was established in his name that is awarded to the most gifted jazz musician at the University each year.
In 2022 the North Carolina Department of Transportation named a five-mile section of N.C. Highway 740 — Lou Donaldson Boulevard runs through his birthplace and childhood hometown, Badin, North Carolina.
Donaldson was an onstage personality: always impeccably dressed, he displayed showmanship, exceptional musicianship, and humor; he was the Redd Foxx of jazz. Upon coming to the stage, he announced in his defined high gravel voice, “No hip-hop, no fusion, no confusion, just straight ahead and bebop.” His solos were warm as a midnight kiss, so sweet, a radio DJ gave him the name “Sweet Poppa Lou.” “You can’t play jazz without playing the blues,” Donaldson once told me.
During the 1950s when the organ groove was happening in Harlem, Donaldson recorded on Jimmy Smith’s groundbreaking album “The Sermon!” (Blue Note 1959) That led Donaldson to implement the organ-saxophone format, bringing together organist John Patton, trumpeter Bill Hardman, guitarist Grant Green and drummer Ben Dixon. He went on to employ a host of great organists that included his long collaborative relationship with Dr. Lonnie Smith that continued to the organist’s transition (along with George Benson on Donaldson’s bestselling album “Alligator Bogaloo”), Jack McDuff, and Akiko Tsuruga (protégé of Dr. Smith). Donaldson referred to the organ-sax groove as “swinging bebop.”
He recorded two albums for Blue Note in 1968 “Mr. Shing-A-Ling” and “Midnight Creeper,” the lineup for the latter was the same as “Alligator Bogaloo,” with Donaldson only switching out cornet player Melvin Lastin Sr. for trumpeter Blue Mitchell. He kept the win-
Lou Donaldson performing at the Albright-Knox Art gallery, Buffalo, New York, 21 Nov. 21, 2009. (Marek Lazarski photo / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lou_Donaldson_ DSC0004a.jpg)
ning rhythm section of Smith on organ, Leo Morris alias Idris Muhammad on drums, and a 25-year-old George Benson on guitar. The result was another acclaimed jazz-funk adventure with bluesy ballads and bebop rivets that captured a younger audience.
He recorded one of his most famous albums
“Blues Walk” (Blue Note 1958), which is still selling today, featuring pianist Herman Foster, bassist Peck Morrison, percussionist Ray Barretto and drummer Dave Bailey.
“Sweet Papa” Lou Donaldson, though slight in stature, was a giant of a man on and off the stage,” said Sheila Anderson of WBGO jazz radio. “He was also a teacher where each conversation with Lou was a history lesson. and he had a great, wicked, sense of humor.”
Louis A. Donaldson, Jr. was born in Badin, North Carolina on Nov. 1, 1926. The second of four children, his mother Lucy Wallace Donaldson was a first-grade teacher and musical director at Badin High School, a concert pianist, and graduate of Cheyney University. His father Louis Andrew Donaldson, Sr., was a graduate of Livingstone College, an AME Zion minister, and insurance agent.
When young Donaldson was about nine years old, his mother noticed his innate music ability and got him a clarinet from the band director Leo Gabriel at the Alcoa Aluminum Plant Band. He eventually mastered the instrument, but he was still interested in becoming an attorney due to his father’s interest in politics and the lessons learned from his parents living in a segregated society.
At age 15, in 1942, Donaldson attended North Carolina A&T University where he received a bachelor of science degree and joined the marching band playing clarinet. After being drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1945 (despite his asthma problem), he played in the Great Lakes Navy Band where, when playing for dances, he played the alto saxophone. During his trips into Chicago to see various bands, he eventually saw Charlie Parker perform and immediately became drawn to his playing style, and wanted to make it his own. “Once I saw Charlie Parker play, I forgot about the clarinet, the way he played was so dynamic. I began focusing solely on my alto,” wrote Donaldson in his unpublished autobiography “A Wonderful Life.”
Upon returning from the military, he resumed his studies at North Carolina A&T, and played in the dance band led by saxophonist Billy Tolles. The touring bands of Count Basie, Buddy Johnson, and Andy Kirk came through Greensboro periodically and the A&T band members made sure they were in attendance to sit in with these famous bands. The band members often told them to visit New York, but Donaldson was too involved with playing on the baseball team to leave. He loved the sport and had hopes of making the major leagues, but an unfortunate accident on the field prompted him to pursue his music career. Donaldson did venture to New York City in 1949. He found an apartment on 127th Street and 8th Avenue and enrolled in the Darrow Institute of Music. “Although I had a college degree, I still earned another degree, the ‘125th
Street PhD.,’” he noted in his autobiography. While at the school, he played small clubs like Harlem’s Baby Grand and Brooklyn’s Coronet. In 1950, he married Maker Neale Turner, his longtime sweetheart from Albemarle, North Carolina, who remained his wife and business partner for 56 years until her death in 2006. Together they raised two children — Lydia TuttJones (died 1994) was a nurse, and Dr. E. Carol Webster, clinical psychologist and author (residing in Daytona Beach, Fla.)
Alfred Lion, co-founder of Blue Note Records, heard Donaldson playing at Minton’s Playhouse and invited him to record for his label, and suggested he make a Charlie Parker-type record. For that project in 1952, he played with the Milt Jackson Quartet that featured bassist Percy Heath, pianist John Lewis, and drummer Kenny Clarke which blossomed into the Modern Jazz Quartet. He then recorded with the same unit with Lewis being replaced by Thelonious Monk as the Thelonious Monk Quintet. Donaldson’s first recording as a leader included pianist Horace Silver, bassist Gene Ramey and drummer Art Taylor that was part of Blue Note’s “New Faces — New Sounds” series. That was followed with the Lou Donaldson/Clifford Brown Quintet. Donaldson’s presence at Blue Note also allowed him to bring such great musicians to the label as Clifford Brown, Donald Byrd, Horace Parlan, Tommy Turrentine, Horace Silver, Al Harewood, George Tucker, Jamil Nasser, and Curtis Fuller.
In 1954, he participated in one of the first live recordings (in jazz history) at Manhattan’s Birdland jazz club. The configuration featured Brown, Silver, bassist Curly Russell and drummer Art Blakey. It was recorded by the master sound engineer Rudy Van Gelder. The group was called the Blue Note All-Stars but at some point it became the Art Blakey Quintet, to Donaldson’s chagrin. These sessions yielded the “A Night at Birdland” albums (three Volumes Blue Note) that are now collectors’ items. He continued to record intermittently for Blue Note until 1980, and many of his bluesy bebop riffs were introduced to new generations in hip-hop sampling.
“When you say jazz, you’re not supposed to judge a person on how much training they’ve had or how much knowledge they have. You have to base it on playing only!” wrote Donaldson in his autobiography.
He officially announced his retirement from performing in 2018, at the age of 92, although he did appear at Dizzy’s on his 96th birthday in 2022 and returned for his 97th.
He officially announced his retirement from performing in 2018, at the age of 92, although he did appear at Dizzy’s on his 96th birthday in 2022 and returned for his 97th. Aside from his daughter, Donaldson is survived by his son-in-law Charles Webster (Daytona Beach, Fla.); sister Elizabeth Pauline Page (Hampton, VA.); sister-in-law Anita Donaldson (Virginia Beach, VA); granddaughter Tracy Webster, Esq. and spouse Derek Romich (Alpharetta, GA); grandson Daniel Tutt (Bronx, NY); and a host of nieces and nephews.
Deportation
Continued from page 2
“During the pandemic, while you all stayed inside and protected yourself from COVID, migrant and immigrant workers across this city ensured you had everything you needed,” said Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American activist and former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York. She stressed that immigration control has no party and would have been a topic to grapple with no matter who won the election. “Essential workers and immigrants made sure that you stayed safe while they risked their lives to keep this city going. Not only will we protect our immigrant neighbors, we owe them.”
During Trump’s first term, he instituted a travel ban against immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, pushed for Mexico to fund and build a border wall along the southern border, made it harder for immigrants to access public assistance benefits under the Public Charge Rule, and supported more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement in immigrant communities.
Despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself from Project 2025, many of his current calls to action draw directly from that farright Republican playbook. It seeks to create a nationwide deportation system that will target undocumented, migrant, immigrant, asylum-seeking, and refugee communities— an estimated 11 million people nationwide, about 4.5 million in New York, and 400,000 undocumented in the city.
“The result of the presidential election is disheartening,” said New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes in a statement. “I am deeply concerned that the implications of another Trump presidency will have detrimental impacts for generations to come. The continued
NYCHA
Continued from page 2
happening and that more resident turnout might have prevented the decision to move forward with the demo. There were also concerns about the shift from Section 9 to Section 8 housing and whether this could lead to a demolition of more NYCHA buildings across the city.
“In regards to the demolition of any public housing that’s happening right now, it’s like a domino: If you do one, the next one comes around,” said Manuel Martinez, TA President at South Jamaica Houses.
“And then, you got to remember that this is a private management company proposing this idea and if they’re proposing this idea, then there’s a profit function. When someone else is looking at a profit, promises tend to be broken and expectations are leveraged to them, not to us.”
In 2024, the plans for Fulton and ElliottChelsea went through an environmental review process, a round of drafts and revi-
polarization of our country is at a dangerous and terrifying precipice. Economic inequalities will likely widen. Women’s reproductive rights, environmental protections, and basic American civil liberties and freedoms are in jeopardy with the incoming administration’s potentially unchecked power to implement Project 2025.
“As a woman of color, I know all too well how marginalized people have historically fared poorly in our country. I pray and hold out hope that the American people will hold President-elect Trump accountable for his decisions and that we will see equitable treatment for everyone.”
Many voters cited more jobs, stimulating the economy, and hardline immigration policies as why they voted Republican this year, according to the APVotecast exit poll. About four in 10 voters polled by the AP said that immigrants living in the U.S. illegally should be deported to the countries they came from.
Trump also stoked xenophobic fears by claiming that those crossing the U.S./ Mexico border committed crimes, and during his debate with President Joe Biden, falsely accused Haitian immigrants in Ohio of eating dogs and cats.
Haitian Bridge Alliance Staff Attorney Erik Crew said, in a statement, that it’s “sad to think that the people of the United States elected a candidate who demonized immigrants and Black people in migration, who lied about Haitians in Springfield to inflame hatred and fear and incite intimidation and violence, who promotes racist and xenophobic narratives, who is willing to put an entire town in a state of emergency for weeks just to score political points, who has threatened to deport people in Springfield and across the country, and who has said the Haitians in Springfield were not legal in his mind.”
Still, according to AP numbers, 25% of Black men and 48% of Latino men voted for Trump in the 2024 election, considered a jump up from 2020 among historically
sions, and an additional series of public hearings. NYCHA and the PACT partners said that the first two buildings can be constructed within current zoning regulations. They anticipate construction starting next year.
The master development agreement states that all existing 2,056 apartments at Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea will be replaced with “high-amenity permanently affordable homes.” Other stipulations include in-unit repairs while the replacement buildings are being constructed, mixed-income and mixed-use communities, centering resident voices to guide the overall redevelopment, ensuring a collaborative process, and ensuring that all residents have rights to a new apartment and to return if temporarily relocated. The plan aims to have the vast majority of Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea residents stay in their existing apartments while NYCHA replacement buildings are constructed.
This method of tearing down NYCHA buildings to build new ones has been touted in the past as the more cost-effective approach to
marginalized groups. C. Marlene Galaz, director of immigrant rights policy at NYIC, said this may be the result of these communities being “scapegoated” by Republicans and Democrats for generations; the rise of anti-immigrant narratives; and that Latinos, in particular, are not a “monolith” when it comes to voting.
“Immigrants are a key part of the fabric of the country and city,” said Galaz. “The U.S has greatly benefited from the contributions of immigrants, so it definitely feels like an inner fight, like fighting against its own people.”
Even Mayor Eric Adams and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro have changed their tune a bit in the wake of the election results. Over the past two years of dealing with an influx of migrants, they’ve been working to roll back the city’s status as a “sanctuary” that must provide shelter to newcomers and the unhoused.
“New York City will continue to stand firmly by the values that have made it a thriving
preserving affordable housing, but has had mixed results.
After NYCHA tore down 22 decaying tenement buildings on 114th Street in central Harlem in the early 2000s, tenants said they were happy with the results — but “many passed away before the completion.” In the case of the redevelopment of Prospect Plaza, a three-tower complex in Ocean Hill-Brownsville, 200,000 units of public housing were destroyed in 2002 and 300 families moved out before the whole project became too expensive to keep as “affordable” housing. Some residents were successfully relocated.
More details about construction timelines will be shared with residents as plans are finalized, NYCHA said.
city of immigrants, where all residents — no matter their immigration status — should feel able to trust their local government and seek a better future for themselves and their families,” said Castro in a statement. “We understand that our immigrant communities are facing heightened fear and uncertainty. It is important they know that New York City is fully committed to following our Sanctuary City laws. These laws clearly define the boundary between our role as a city government and federal immigration enforcement [in] protecting the privacy and identity of immigrant New Yorkers.”
In Adams’s recent press conference on Nov. 12, he confirmed that he doesn’t support mass deportations but is a “supporter of making sure our borders are secure.”
New Yorkers rallied against mass deportation.
(Ariama C. Long photo)
Cpl. Lena Derriecott Bell King of the 6888 Postal unit during WWII
By Herb Boyd Special to the AmNews
An advertisement in a recent Sunday New York Times featured the upcoming Netflix film “The Six Triple Eight,” a true story about an all-Black female postal unit during World War II. The film will air on Dec. 20 and is a Tyler Perry production. It is based on an article by Kevin Hymel, a military historian, and a subject I covered 10 years ago and again recently. Notice of its arrival is an opportunity for another iteration here, but this time, centered on Lena Derriecott Bell King rather than the unit’s leader Major Charity Adams Earley, who died two years ago.
One of the reasons I selected King from the 855 women who served in the five units of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion is because she, at one time, was considered one of the last surviving members, and there is a photo and bio of her online. But choosing her comes with a caveat: All the women are listed in the Times advertisement, but only by their first names, so tracing their ancestry is difficult since many of them married after the service and changed their surnames. Such appears to be the case with Derricotte, who is listed as Bell during her tenure in the WAC.
Although Hymel was not a resource in my earlier research into the unit, he was indispensable in providing information about Derriecott, who died on Jan. 18, 2024, at 100 years old, having been born on Jan. 27, 1923, in Washington, Ga. She enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1943 when she was 18 and living in Philadelphia. After completing basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, she was assigned as a nurse at Douglas Army Airfield near Bisbee, Arizona.
She was a corporal by the time she joined the 6888, whose mission was to facilitate the backlog of mail in the European Theater of Operations in six months from their station in Birmingham, England. As Derriecott recalled, the unit’s motto was “No Mail, Low Morale,” and under the leadership of Adams Earley, they performed beyond expectations. As the Times ad notes, they “Delivered Hope” and inspiration.
“One thing people in the service looked forward to was mail, knowing somebody was still thinking
about them,” she told Hymel. “In the military, mail calls (when soldiers gather around a designated mail carrier as they call out their names for letters or packages) is a very important time.”
When the unit arrived in Birmingham, after traveling from Scotland, they were organized and ready to dispatch the accumulation of undelivered mail. By then, the war was over, although England was still a battleground. It was during this phase of the operation that Derriecott met Adams, then a major and soon to become a lieutenant colonel — the first African American woman to earn an officer’s rank in the U.S. Army. Today, the Army base once known as Fort Lee is now Fort GreggAdams, honoring her name along with another African American, Lt. General Arthur J. Gregg.
During her interview with Hymel, she recalled how hard the work was,
working in a dark, rat-infested, unheated warehouse. They had the onerous task of reducing the pile of letters and packages, some of which had been there so long that rats had chewed into them. Even so, the women worked through the difficulties of transferring letters to soldiers, many of whom had relocated to other units since their mail had been sent. “That took a lot of work,” she remembered. “It kept you really busy, on your toes.”
With the war over, Derriecott, then based in France, was offered an opportunity to stay in Europe. She entered her name in an education lottery and won a spot to study design in Leicester, England. It was not an exciting experience for her since she and her roommate were the only Black people in town. Later, after her unit was back in the States, she returned to France and secured passage with
a group of white WACs. Eventually, she was on a luxury liner homeward bound, and again the only Black person on the ship. By 1948, she was back in the States, where she had been married four years before to Hugh T. Bell. Census records note that the couple were living in Los Angeles in 1950. They had two children. It was here that she applied for U.S. Veteran Compensation. There is no record that she returned to her original work as a coppersmith after service, and very little is known about her endeavors after her interview with Hymel, when she was in her 90s. Perhaps more about her will be disclosed in the film, and like the rest of the country, we certainly look forward to seeing how she and her co-workers completed that task — delivering the mail, hope, and upliftment to thousands of troops stationed in Europe.
ACTIVITIES
FIND OUT MORE
Military records abound with information about this resourceful and dutiful unit, although the work of Kevin Hymel is quite sufficient.
DISCUSSION
If the film doesn’t fill in the missing years here, we will have to hope some determined scholar has the time and interest to pursue this mission.
PLACE IN CONTEXT
Derriecott, like her sisters in the 6888, was instrumental in fulfilling a job that had been left undone for more than two years, and some explanation is needed for this failure.
CLASSROOM IN THE THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY
Nov. 10, 1956: Comedian Sinbad was born David Adkins in Benton Harbor, Mich.
Nov. 11, 1959: Lee Haney, who became a Mr. Olympia, was born in Spartanburg, S.C.
Nov. 13, 1979: Former NBA star Ron Artest (World Peace) was born in Long Island City, NY.
(U.S. Army photo)
‘Simply overlooked’:
light on
Q&A with researcher aiming to shed
experiences of Black male gun violence survivors
SHANNON CHAFFERS
Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
Gun violence is the leading cause of death and disability among Black men, yet academic research on the experiences of Black men disabled by gun violence remains limited. That must change, according to a trio of public health scholars: Nazsa Baker, William Wical, and Tiffany Ricks.
Their new article, “Disability and Racial Justice Go Hand in Hand,” published in the American Journal of Men’s Health, argues that a lack of academic research about Black men with firearm-acquired disabilities has
meant that this group often fails to have their needs met post-injury. The AmNews’ recent series about the financial costs of gun violence highlighted some of these needs, including securing temporary and permanent disability benefits and accessing adequate physical and mental health care.
To better support Black male gun violence survivors, the authors argue for researchers to adopt a disability justice perspective that centers on the experiences of survivors and recognizes how structural racism presents them with unique challenges as they recover from their injuries.
We recently spoke to Dr. Nazsa Baker, one of the co-authors, to learn more about the state of research in this area, and what future research should explore.
Baker is the research director and program manager of the Wraparound Project, a hospital-based violence intervention program at the University of California San Francisco. Before that, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.
conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
How did this article about Black men disabled by gun violence come about?
This work came about very serendipitously. I was going through my dissertation post-graduation — I [was] in a post-doctoral fellowship at the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, and was going through my interviews, and I thought, Wow, a lot of these guys are suffering with a disability. I didn’t think about this when I was doing my interviews. They all talked about this concept of what it means to be a man — not necessarily to be a Black man, but what it means to be a man, and I started noticing that there were some similarities in their stories, in terms of them being disabled Black men, but disabled via firearms due to community violence. That’s how my original article [about Black male gun violence survivors], “Protect and Provide,” came about.
See SURVIVORS on page 33
This
Dr. Nazsa Baker is a gun violence researcher who studies the impact of community violence on Black men. (Courtesy photo)
Election outcome could bring big changes to Medicare
By STEPHANIE ARMOUR KFF News
On the campaign trail, both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are eager to portray themselves as guardians of Medicare. Each presidential candidate accuses the other of backing spending cuts and other policies that would damage the health insurance program for older Americans.
But the election’s outcome could alter the very nature of the nearly 60-yearold federal program. More than half of Medicare beneficiaries are already enrolled in plans, called Medicare Advantage, run by commercial insurers, and if Trump wins, that proportion is expected to grow — perhaps dramatically.
Trump and many congressional Republicans have already taken steps to aggressively promote Medicare Advantage. And Project 2025, a political wish list produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation for the next presidency, calls for making insurer-run plans the default enrollment option for Medicare.
Such a change would effectively privatize the program, because people tend to stick with the plans they’re initially enrolled in, health analysts say. Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Project 2025, though the doc -
ument’s authors include numerous people who worked in his first administration.
Conservatives say Medicare beneficiaries are better off in the popular Advantage plans, which offer more benefits than the traditional, government-run program. Critics say increasing insurers’ control of the program would trap consumers in health plans that are costlier to taxpayers and that can restrict their care, including by imposing onerous prior authorization requirements for some procedures.
“Traditional Medicare will wither on the vine,” said Robert Berenson, a former official in the Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton administrations who’s now a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a left-leaning research group.
While the fate of Medicare has gotten scant attention so far in the campaign, the different visions under Trump versus Harris indicate the high stakes.
A candidate’s position on protecting Medicare and Social Security is the most important health care issue, or among the most important, in determining 63% of Americans’ vote in the presidential election, according to a September poll by Gallup and West Health, a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations focused on health care and aging. Medicare, which covers about 66 mil -
lion people, is funded largely by payroll taxes. At age 65, most Americans are automatically enrolled in Medicare coverage for hospitalization and doctor visits, known as Part A and Part B, though others must sign up. Consumers must also sign up for other aspects of Medicare, specifically drug coverage (Part D) and supplemental plans from insurers that pay for costs that aren’t covered by traditional Medicare, such as extended stays in skilled nursing facilities and cost sharing.
People on Medicare pay premiums plus as much as 20% of the cost of their care.
Medicare Advantage plans typically combine coverage for hospital and outpatient care and prescriptions, while eliminating the 20% coinsurance requirement and capping customers’ annual out-of-pocket costs. Many of the plans don’t charge an extra monthly premium, though some carry a deductible — an amount patients must pay each year before coverage kicks in.
Sometimes the plans throw in extras like coverage for eye exams and glasses or gym memberships.
However, they control costs by limiting patients to networks of approved doctors and hospitals, with whom the plans negotiate payment rates. Some hospitals and doctors refuse to do business with some or all Medicare Ad -
vantage plans, making those networks narrow or limited. Traditional Medicare, in comparison, is accepted by nearly every hospital and doctor.
Medicare’s popularity is one reason both candidates are pledging to enhance it. Last month, Harris released a plan that would add benefits including care for hearing and vision, and longterm in-home health care. The costs would be covered by savings from expanding Medicare’s negotiations with drugmakers, reducing fraud, and increasing discounts drugmakers pay for certain brand-name drugs in the program, according to Harris’ campaign.
Trump’s campaign said he would prioritize home care benefits and support unpaid family caregivers through tax credits and reduced red tape.
The Trump campaign also noted enhancements to Medicare Advantage plans during his tenure as president, such as increasing access to telehealth and expanding supplemental benefits for seniors with chronic diseases.
But far less attention has been paid to whether to give even more control of Medicare to private insurers. Joe Albanese, a senior policy analyst at Paragon Health Institute, a right-leaning research group, said “a Trump administration and GOP Congress would be See MEDICARE on page 36
Education
Bike club promotes safe space for Black women, femmes, and nonbinary people
By JIANA SMITH Special to the AmNews
Manhattan-born Sophie Ming loves biking. She prefers riding her bike to taking the subways or buses, if she can help it; for her, it is a passion.
“From a mental and emotional standpoint, I just feel so free on a bike,” she said. “It just makes me happy.”
The 23-year-old Ming founded Black Girls Who Bike this year to share her love of biking and meet others with similar interests. Black Girls Who Bike (BGWB) is a social club focused on exactly what it is named for — Black girls, femmes, and nonbinary folks meeting up around the city to ride bikes together. “It’s just so much fun to be with people and meet people who, like you, want to ride,” said Ming.
While Ming previously had experience with programming for social justice and art exhibits, BGWB is the first time she has done an event so heavily based in activity and wellness.
“It’s still like mobilizing and organizing, but there are more factors that make it a little bit more niche and difficult,” Ming said.
Those factors not only include physical rigors and safety aspects related to biking, but also ensuring the meetups remain a
safe space for those involved.
In addition to the demographic niche being more practical since she organizes these meetups herself, Ming said that BGWB was particularly important because she had not noticed many safe spaces for Black women and femmes in other physical activity-related social clubs. While meeting people online and convening for activities has become more normalized, Ming said safety is still important, especially for marginalized people.
“There’s just a safety in this space — a safety that you don’t even need to say is there but can be felt through the space, where it’s like, ‘Okay, this is my community and these are people who look like me and are like me in these various aspects.’”
Ming said the community aspect is important because as human beings and social creatures, everyone needs a community they can feel safe in. “We cannot create significant social change without the help of other people, without community,” she said.
BGWB recently held its second and final ride of this year on October 27. Attendees met at Doris C. Freedman Plaza to mingle and ride a complete loop around Central Park together. Riders closed the day with a post-ride meal at 7th Avenue Burger’s Upper West Side location.
The event, which was co-hosted by local organization Black Girl Fight Club, featured far more attendees than the first meetup at Prospect Park in March.
Ming said that as more people join, she is becoming more attuned to how to streamline certain aspects of the event and make it more enjoyable.
“Everyone was so happy and kept telling me how much they loved it, so it was a success in my book,” she said.
Char King, 24, who heard about the October event via social media, said she came to support the group. “I like any type of Black woman-led event, to be honest,” King said. “And I love getting active, so that’s even better.”
Kyra Clemons, a 35-year-old avid bike rider from Brooklyn, was also excited to be in a space with other Black women. “Just sitting here, we’ve been noticing folks reaction to seeing the amount of Black women with bikes taking up space in Central Park,” Clemons said. “I’m just in awe and basking in it, because you just don’t get that often.”
Ming said her hope for BGWB is for it to remain a safe space and to influence more people to start biking. “I just really wanted to meet other people who love [biking] as much as I do,” she said. “Through starting Black Girls Who Bike, I definitely have done that.”
Black Girls Who Bike organizer Sophie Ming prepares to lead bicycling group. Ming started BGWB to connect with other Black girls, femmes, and nonbinary people who enjoy biking (Jiana Smith photos)
Attendees prepare for Oct. 27 meetup, which featured full loop around Central Park
Char King, 24 (left), heard about meetup online and shared with friend Milan Joseph, 24 (right)
Meetup participants (left to right) Karen Douyon, 25; Koozy Debose, 28, with pup Spidey, 3 months; and Lori Ann Scott, 26. “I love seeing Black women riding bikes,” Douyon said
and originated the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. “Stokes was our only Coalhouse from the very first reading, through all of the drafts,” Flaherty recalled. “We had found our Coalhouse and we weren’t going to let him go through the many drafts, workshops, going to Toronto to Broadway. No one deserves the New York City Center Award for Artistic Excellence more than Brian.”
Ahrens talked about Mitchell’s warm heart — all the things they learned about him as a person and friend over the years — and said that Mitchell inspired them to become better writers. “He helped make ‘Ragtime’ a better show,” Ahrens said. Mitchell went to the podium to a standing ovation and cheers from the packed room. He thanked Flaherty and Ahrens for their songs. “I feel blessed to have your music, lyrics, and humanity sing in me and others as well … Some of us have had the blessing of feeling their music and lyrics throughout your body [and] go[ing] out into the audience; they take that in and digest and throw it back. I’m just so grateful to you for introducing me tonight and presenting to me. I’m also grateful to City Center — I love this recognition from you. Congratulations on lighting up the stage for over 80 years. I’ve had the pleasure of being in four productions here. I’m grateful to my co-honorary Denise Littlefield Sobel for all she has done for City Center. She has done a lot of the heavy lifting [through her generosity]. I speak for myself and any actor who has graced that stage. I thank the staff of City Center and especially Lear deBessonet, a
brilliant director.”
He thanked the past cast members of “Ragtime” who were in the audience, members of the original cast who were in the audience, his wife Allison, and their son Ellington. He said “Three Summers of Lincoln” is his next work and will be Broadway-bound, and said that if someone asked him what is the most magical show he has done in his life, he would respond, “Without hesitation or question, the answer would be ‘Ragtime.’
“I offer my bravo, bravo, bravo to everyone in this cast, the crew, the creatives, all the folks backstage and front of house … It is in the hands of an incomparable cast. And my friend Josh — what a pleasure it is to see his Coalhouse with such heart, passion, and that beautiful voice that you have given him.”
Getting a bit serious, Mitchell said, “We are in troubled times, and in troubled times, ‘Ragtime’ is the show we need the most. The challenges that we faced as a country during Coalhouse’s era, the 1900s and [from] when E. L. Doctorow wrote the novel to 2024 — we’re still facing those challenges. Discord, racism, and xenophobia still exist and threaten to take down this country … The hope is that we exercise the right to vote that our forefathers and foremothers fought so hard to secure … We need to gather in a three-dimensional space where worlds are created … A building I think of as a temple of collaboration where people of different races, religious beliefs, and backgrounds … work together for a common goal.” For more info about the evening and upcoming productions, visit www.nycitycenter.org.
Which savings strategy works for you?
Sponsored content by JPMorgan Chase
Getting in the habit of saving money is important, as it helps lead to creating a financial cushion to cover future expenses. Saving is not easy, especially when everyday products are at an all-time high given recent years’ rising inflation and simply suggesting cutting back on small indulgences can be irritating.
Thankfully, there are options to help saving money become more of a habit to better equip you for life’s unexpected needs. Before determining how much to start saving, first understand money coming in and money coming out – like cost of rent, food, car or public transportation, utilities, and other direct payment expenses, such as subscriptions to various streaming services. Apps can help track these recurring expenses, making it a good time to reconsider or renegotiate them.
Once you’ve understood your monthly budget, check what’s remaining to determine a doable amount to start setting aside each month. When it comes to saving, there are various strategies, from keeping a certain amount in your bank account each week, to automating transferring money from your checking to your savings account each month. You can also save for something specific, like a vacation, home project, or a splurge you’ve had your eye on for a while. Here are a few saving account options to consider:
Standard Saving Accounts are the most common, easy to access and typically open. Savings accounts can often be accessed and managed online or through the bank’s mobile app, which can make things easier. Before choosing an account that best suits your needs, ask if there is a monthly service fee and potential ways to waive the fee.
Money Market Accounts are similar to savings accounts, but the customer receives more interest on their money, something that varies with banks. They usually require a minimum balance.
High Yield Savings Accounts are increasingly popular, often coming with higher interest rates, making them suitable for short-term savings goals. They work a lot like the typical savings account, allowing for deposits and withdrawals, but there may be transaction limits and minimum balance requirements. They are also protected up to $250,000 at FDIC insured banks.
Certificates of Deposit (CDs) are highly sought after when interest rates are favorable, but you must commit to leaving the money deposited in the CD untouched for the agreed upon term, which is usually months or years. There may be minimum deposit requirements, but they offer returns so are useful for short-term goals, such as the down payment on a house or car.
Long-Term Accounts provide an opportunity to accumulate returns over years, depending on how the markets fluctuate. These accounts are designed for a specific financial goal and have tax advantages. Consult your financial institution for long-term savings account options, some of which may include:
• 529 Plans: Saving over the years to pay for the education of a child, grandchild, or niece/nephew. Savings are tax-deferred and can only be used for the beneficiary’s education, whether for college or another educational institution.
• 401(k): Retirement savings accounts your employer offers. Contributions are usually made monthly (a percentage of the salary) via direct deposit. There are limits to how much you can contribute.
• IRA: There are various types of individual retirement Accounts (IRAs), offering another personal retirement savings option. Contributions are limited, not necessarily offered by an employer, and like the 401(k), they are only used after retirement.
Be sure to ask your bank or financial advisor whether the account you plan to open has a monthly deposit or balance minimum, or any additional requirements or fees. For more budgeting and savings tips, visit chase.com/financialgoals.
For informational/educational purposes only: Views and strategies described may not be appropriate for everyone and are not
“Ragtime” star Nichelle Lewis
Ellenore Scott, choreographer of “Ragtime” (Sofia Negron photos)
Religion & Spirituality
Legendary NY attorney Ken Ramseur remembered at Harlem Renaissance Hotel
By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews
Hundreds gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of celebrated New York attorney Kenneth E. Ramseur, Esq. at the Renaissance Hotel last week. NY Supreme Court Judge Dakota Ramseur, Ramseur’s daughter and only child, led the service.
Ramseur died on July 20 at the age of 77 after battling prostate cancer.
Throughout his career, which spanned five decades as an attorney, Ramseur represented hundreds of litigants in both civil and criminal cases throughout New York City. He also served as counsel to many notable Harlem greats and political leaders, including James Baldwin, Herman “Denny” Farrell Jr., Keith Wright, and Mayor Eric Adams; judges like Milton A. Tingling and Bruce “Cut ’Em Loose” Wright; and jazz legends like Max Roach, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Donald Shirley, and Donald Harrison (who also performed during the memorial).
Ramseur also mentored a number of attorneys, including Anthony “Tony” L. Ricco, Owen H. Lamb, Esq., and his daughter Dakota.
During the memorial, friends and close confidants, including New York County Democratic Leader
Keith L.T. Wright, Lamb, and Adams all shared tributes and celebrated Ramseur’s sense of humor, loving nature, and intelligence, as well as how he affected their lives professionally and personally.
“He encouraged me in my darkest moments,” Adams said about his close bond with Ramseur. Adams, who was a client of Ramseur’s for more than 30 years. Ramseur rode the roller-coaster of life to the fullest, “ Adams said.
“’Til his last days, he was still Ken.”
Life and career
Born on December 25, 1945, Ramseur grew up in Brooklyn in the NYCHA Gowanus housing projects. He attended Boys High School, now the Boys and Girls School.
After graduating early from Florida A&M University, one of the Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) on both an academic and athletic scholarship, Ramseur chose to return to New York and look after his family, making sure his younger siblings went to college. He was a social worker for the City of New York before eventually receiving his law degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1976.
Before going into private practice in New York, Ramseur first served as an assistant district attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, then as counsel with the City of New York Office of the Inspector General.
Ramseur married his wife Sheryl, with whom he had their only child, Dakota.
“People left feeling happy. They celebrated his life; [it] was a joyous affair,” Dakota said about the memorial.
Dakota, a Howard University graduate, said her father always emphasized that she did not need to follow his footsteps as a lawyer and to do what made her happy.
From a young age, she was surrounded by great legal minds and figures because of her father, including Bruce Wright and “Uncle Jimmy” Baldwin.
“That exposure that Kenneth gave me to people like Judge Bruce White definitely impacted my career as a judge — to make sure that I have courage and I remember that the ultimate goal always is justice for all,” Dakota said.
Owen Lamb, a student of Ramseur’s, began his career in law in 1980, working closely under Ramseur’s tutelage from the age of 19. He would eventually serve as principal law clerk to Wright. During his tribute, he told the story of Ramseur once getting him out of a commitment with the military.
“That guy touched so many people. We’re almost like we’re byproducts of Ken,” Lamb said.
Ramseur’s office at 299 Broadway was considered a “hub” where others would gather and share in dialogue.
“Being around those guys was like being at a seminar about African American history all the time. Imagine being in that bubble,” Lamb said.
In addition to his professional legacy, the importance of family in Ramseur’s life was firmly highlighted during the ceremony, as various family members, including his daughter, nieces, and nephews shared tributes. Ramseur would often hold family reunions in North Carolina.
Ramseur’s grand- and greatgrandnieces and -nephews will lay his ashes on their ancestor’s burial ground at their 120th family reunion in August 2025.
Kenneth E. Ramseur, Esq. had a career in New York law spanning five decades and serving hundreds of litigants in New York (Photo courtesy of Dakota Ramseur)
Continued from page 28
After I wrote that article, I was sitting and thinking and trying to do more research: What do we know about people in general with firearm-acquired disabilities, and [specifically], what do we know about Black men and disabilities, especially around firearm-acquired disabilities? And we know nothing. There’s a severe gap in the research when it comes to this topic.
What are some reasons that this topic has been under-researched?
I think this particular population hasn’t been studied because they are simply overlooked. Back before this big boom in funding for firearm research, researchers were looking at mortality rates. We were focused on the people who were dying, and not doing our due diligence and looking at those who are succumbing to their injuries and those who aren’t. Now we have [researchers] who are focusing on people who are surviving their injuries, but there’s this big push in looking at the mental health aspect. But where we’re not doing our due diligence is looking at the physical health impact, which also affects someone’s mental health.
What are some specific areas that public health or disability researchers should explore to better understand the experiences and challenges that Black male gun violence survivors face?
I think first and foremost, what we need to do is center their voices — find these individuals, and they’re not hard to find, and uplift and center their voices. Black men who suffer firearm injuries and survive them were already starting to do the work in this field, but when we take this a step further, talking about them having temporary or permanent disabilities, we just lack the knowledge of what is needed for them. What is needed for them, in terms of a rehabilitative state, a recovery state, but even just for themselves, is to be able to not just survive, but thrive.
The article argues that expanding eligibility for public health insurance is a step that can be taken to address the structural barriers Black men with disabilities face. Are there any other policies that you’d highlight that would result in better support for Black male gun violence survivors?
We know that Black men typically are under-insured or uninsured, even with the Affordable Care Act, so again, we need to make sure that men — Black men in general — have access to insurance, and not underinsured. We want them to be insured, if it’s through Medicaid or if it’s through their employer if they have one.
Source: 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates • Hispanic or Latino people may be of any race.
Black and Hispanic or Latino Americans are more likely to be uninsured than white Americans. Research has shown that violently injured young Black men are disproportionately underinsured.
I also think what this boils down to is access to Social Security disability. We need them to have some sort of income. We know that the wait times are long for SSI and SSDI, but there are certain things that we need to get pushed through, because we are talking about people having loss of income, which means that they cannot provide for themselves, let alone a household. [We need to expand] these services, again, to be inclusive, not having to go back and forth, saying, This doesn’t make someone qualify, this makes someone qualify … We really need policies to be inclusive of this population, especially when the numbers are out there in general that firearm violence is the number one cause of death and disability for Black men.
The article discusses how acquiring a disability affects Black mens’ masculinity. Could you provide some examples of what that looks like in their day-today lives, and the implications of this on their sense of self?
When I did this research, I never asked what it meant to be a Black man, nor did I ask what it meant to be a Black man with a disability. I only asked men, What does it mean to be a man? And overwhelmingly, the response was, if you’re a man, you take care of responsibility. You protect, you provide, by any means necessary. By “provide,” they’re meaning by being a financial provider: physically being able to protect themselves and their family, not being a burden on other people. You are the leader; everyone follows you. You are the burden-lifter. That is the job of a man. It’s very patriarchal. It goes along with hegemonic masculinity, which is created for white men. But
post-recovery to thrive.
This is all about equal access — equal access to health insurance so they’re not under-insured, they’re insured. Equal access to rehabilitation services, from occupational therapy to physical therapy. Some of the interviews I did were during Covid, and some of the guys said, ‘We didn’t have PT. We were told that we had to leave the hospital soon.’ Some of them said, ‘Fine, my room is on the third floor; I’ll figure out how to get upstairs.’ But who checks in with them to make sure that they made it to the third floor? Who checks in to make sure that they’re not falling down the stairs, and making sure they know different exercises to do to be able to increase their mobility? ... Who makes sure that these men are obtaining employment [like] other individuals who may have acquired disabilities via being born with them, or a motor vehicle accident, a fall, or whatever the case may be?
because society places rules on Black boys once women give birth to them, they are put in these boxes.
But what happens to those boxes, and what happens to that [path] that you’re supposed to go down, in terms of what it means to grow into a man, or practice whatever your masculinity is? [Your sense of masculinity] decreases potentially if you’re injured and acquire a disability. What’s interesting about this research is I’m a Black woman, right? I can’t tell them what it’s like to be a Black man. I can only base it on the stories that they tell me … but it seems to me that there has to be some sort of a shift in what protecting and providing looks like, especially if you acquire a firearm disability.
You write about the importance of approaching this topic through a disability justice lens. Could you explain what disability justice means, and how it applies to research about Black men disabled by gun violence?
Disability justice, for me, is just the beginning. It’s saying that we’re starting off with that we need to acknowledge this population. This population exists. They’re here. The number is growing. And they need services, they have needs
A lot of this is around equity. It is rooted in a commitment to acknowledging and addressing the historical roots of injustice. We’re doing this population an injustice, by one, not acknowledging them, and two, not uplifting and centering their voices, to know that they are here, and that this is, again, a growing population. Again, it’s all about being intentional about the advances in achieving health, safety, and well-being for this particular population.
SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF NEW YORK, Index #153737/2022, THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE 491-497 GREENWICH STREET CONDOMINIUM, suing on behalf of the unit owners, Plaintiff, -against- GABRIEL INCHAUSPE et al., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgement of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered in the New York County Clerk’s Office on August 6, 2024, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Supreme Court, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York 10007 on December 4, 2024, at 2:15pm, the premises known as 491-497 Greenwich Street, Unit 2C, New York, New York 10013, and described as follows: ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being designated on the tax maps of the City of New York, County of New York as Block 594, Lot 1206.
The approximate amount of the Judgement is $143,867.06, plus continuing future charges, interest, costs, disbursements, expenses, and legal fees.
The premises will be sold subject to the provisions of the aforesaid Judgement of Foreclosure and Sale.
The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the New York County Covid-19 Protocols located on the Office of Court Administration (OCA) website and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices if such rules are in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale.
Index #153737/2022
Colbert Law LLC
Sabbir Ahmed, Esq., Of Counsel
Attorney for Plaintiff
28 Liberty St., 6th Fl.
New York, NY 10005
646-880-3000
Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee
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In
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. EVAN GLOBAL CORP., Pltf. vs. MAHMOUD THIAM AND FATIM SOW THIAM, Deft. Index #161203/2018. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered July 30, 2024, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 11, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 170 East End Avenue, Unit 2C, New York, NY 10128 a/k/a Block 1584, Lot 1014. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,827,849.62 plus cost and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale.
CLARK WHITSETT, Referee. BALLARD SPAHR LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 1675 Broadway, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10019. #101766
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR GS MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES TRUST 2018-RPL1, Plaintiff,
Against ERAN ELYOF, ET AL.,
Defendant(s)
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 07/26/2024, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, in Room 130 at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on 12/18/2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 330 East 109th Street, New York, NY 10029, And Described As Follows: ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in theThe Unit Known As Unit No. 5A (Hereinafter Called "The Unit") In The Building Known As By The Street Number 330 East 109 Street, In The Borough Of Manhattan, County Of New York, City And State Of New York.
Block 1680 Lot 1115
The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $582,151.89 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 850167/2022
Allison M. Furman, Esq., Referee.
SHELDON MAY & ASSOCIATES Attorneys at Law, 255 Merrick Road, Rockville Centre, NY 11570
Dated: 8/6/24 File Number: 38262 SH
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Index No. 42842024 COUNTY OF BRONX
Tameka Fulton Plaintiff, against Chodhry M Aslam Defendant. Summons filed on: Plaintiff designates Bronx County as the place for trial.The basis of venue is:Plaintiff's residence.SUMMONS WITH NOTICE Plaintiff resides at:2822 Olinville Ave Bronx, NY 10467
ACTION FOR A DIVORCE
To the above named Defendant: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the notice set forth below.The nature of this action is to dissolve the marriage between the parties, on the grounds: Irretrievable Breakdown in Relationship for at Least Six Months DRL § 170(7)The relief sought is judgment of absolute divorce in favor of the Plaintiff dissolving the marriage between the parties in this action.I am not requesting any ancillary relief.AND any other relief the court deems fit and proper.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR BEAR STEARNS ASSET BACKED SECURITIES TRUST 2004-AC3 ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004-AC3, Plaintiff AGAINST MARC BERNSTEIN, DONNA BERNSTEIN, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 5, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 18, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 330 East 33rd Street, Unit 4M, New York, NY 10016. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, BLOCK 936, LOT 4054. Approximate amount of judgment $1,325,461.27 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850325/2013. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NEW YORK County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. Mark McKew, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 00296966 82196
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VERUS SECURITIZATION TRUST 2021-5, Plaintiff, vs. LUGUANG YANG, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS TRUSTEE OF LUGANG YANG REVOCABLE TRUST, ET AL., Defendant (s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on July 10, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on December 11, 2024, at 2:15 PM, premises known as 32 E 76TH STREET APT 804, NEW YORK, NY 10021. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the City of New York, County of New York and State of New York, Block: 1390, Lot: 1022. Together with an undivided 1.811(%) percent interest in the common elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $755,328.44 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850673/2023.
If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee's attorney, or the Referee.
ALLISON FURMAN, Esq., Referee
Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff
NOTICE OF SALE
Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, Index No. 850088/2022
Six Gramercy LLC, Plaintiff, v. Westside Units 17 th Street LLC, et. al., Defendants.
TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered August 2, 2024, the undersigned referee will sell at public auction on December 11, 2024 at 2:15pm in Room 130 at the Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, NY, NY, the property located at 7 East 17 th Street, Unit 7S, New York, NY 10003 (Block 846, Lot 1312).
The approximate amount of Plaintiff’s lien is $1,519,549.37 plus interest and costs. The premises will be sold in one parcel and subject to provisions of the judgment and terms of sale.
Allison Furman, Esq., Referee
Law Offices of Tae H. Whang, LLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 201, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, Tel. (201) 461-0300, 415 White Oak Road, Palisades, NY 10964 (By Appointment Only).
Notice of Formation of FOX SHORE PRESERVATION, L.P. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/12/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 6 Greene St., Ste. 500, NY, NY 10013. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2123. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
REFEREE'S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
STORMFIELD CAPITAL FUNDING I, LLC, Plaintiff - againstJRT340ASSOCIATES, LLC, et al Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on August 4, 2022. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York 10007 on the 11th day of December, 2024 at 2:15 PM. 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. Premises known as 340 West 86th Street, Unit 5A, New York, NY 10024.
(Block: 1247, Lot: 1022)
Notice of Qualification of 28TH STREET RETAIL LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/02/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/01/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., Federal and Duke of York St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of FLUENT MEDIA, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/03/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Ronald Kreidman, Esq., 94 Southfield Ave., Unit 1604, Stamford, CT 06902. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of SoHo Retail Portfolio 415 West Broadway LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/03/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/26/24. Princ. office of LLC: 233 S. Wacker Dr., Ste. 4700, Chicago, IL 60606. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Approximate amount of lien $1,548,403.75 plus interest and costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale.
Index No. 850223/2019. Clark A. Whitsett, Esq., Referee. McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, NY 10170 Tel. 347/286-7409
Dated: July 15, 2024
During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale
smile from The Lower East Side LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the SSNY on 10/15/2024. Office: New York County. United States Corporation Agents, Inc. designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to United States Corporation Agents, Inc. at 7014 13th Avenue Suite 202 Brooklyn NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST Arnold Quismorio Bengco a/k/a Arnold Bengco if living and if he be dead, any and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienor, heirs, devisees, distributees, or successors in interest of such of the above as may be dead, and their spouses, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residences are unknown to Plaintiff, Rachelle Bengco if living and if she be dead, any and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienor, heirs, devisees, distributees, or successors in interest of such of the above as may be dead, and their spouses, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residences are unknown to Plaintiff, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered July 29, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 18, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 322 West 57th Street, Unit 41K1, New York, NY 10019. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block: 1047, Lot: 2394. Approximate amount of judgment $1,056,344.82 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850260/2019. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NEW YORK County COVID-19 Protocols located on the Office of Court Administration (OCA) website (https://ww2.nycourts. gov/Admin/oca.shtml) and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832. Doron Leiby, Esq., Referee Frenkel Lambert Weiss Weisman & Gordon, LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01-092596-F00 82018
Twin Bull Properties LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 7/10/24. Office location: Fulton County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: Twin Bull Properties LLC, 693 Lakeview Road, Broadalbin NY 12025 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Bedrock DigitalOps LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/28/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 7014 13TH AVENUE SUITE 202, BROOKLYN NY 11228 Purpose: Any lawful act.
CONCORE CABINETRY LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/21/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 570 GRAND ST, APT H901, NEW YORK, NY 10002. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT: NEW YORK COUNTY. NYCTL 2021A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Pltf. vs., JILA SOROUDI, Defts. Index #157345/2022. Pursuant to for judgment of foreclosure and sale entered May 8, 2024 and order extending time to sell entered July 12, 2024, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 4, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 150 West 51 st Street, Unit 15-5, New York, NY 10019 a/k/a Block 01003 Lot 1240. Judgments amount $52,273.92 Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. DORON LEIBY, Referee. THE DELLO-IACONO LAW GROUP, P.C., Attys. For Pltf., 312 Larkfield Road, Lower Level, East Northport, NY. File No. 22-000027 - #101659
Reunion Event LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/7/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 75 West End Ave C15H, NY, NY 10023 Purpose: Any lawful act.
VRH 430 E 13 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/14/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: C/O Parag Sawhney, 41 Madision Ave, New York, NY 10010. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Mason Victor LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/03/24. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #108704, New York, N.Y. 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Meteor Property Management LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/4/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 200 E 94th St Apt 2217, NY, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Mental Millennials LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/27/2024. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 4178 Grace Ave, Bronx, NY, 10466 Purpose: Any lawful act.
DNA WATCHES NYC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/12/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 15 W 47TH ST STE 900, NEW YORK, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Tom Pina Edit LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on September 22, 2024. Office location: Dutchess County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 152 N Walnut Street, Beacon, NY 12508. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Simpler Engineering LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/09/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 377 Route 35 South, Mantoloking, NJ 08738. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Secondz Avenue LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/18/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #126365, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Samantha Lassoff Coaching & Consulting LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/07/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S PMB 985264, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
BISOU BISOU RADIO LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 7/30/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #263339, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Formation of DOUBLE LOBSTER LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/25/2024. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to Max Lifflander, 1700 Park Ave., Apt. 1011, Weehawken, NJ 07086. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
DUKE OUT EAST REALTY
LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/26/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 201 East 86th Street, Apartment 13F, New York, NY 10028. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HAFLETCHER CONSULTING LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/19/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is: 7014 13TH AVENUE SUITE 202 BROOKLYN NY 11228. The principal business address of the LLC is: 228 Park Ave S #423622 New York NY 10003. Purpose: any lawful act or activity
Notice of Formation of 56 WILLOUGHBY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/02/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: United American Land LLC, 73 Spring St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of DD LENDER 88 STREET LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/16/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 201 W. 79th St., NY, NY 10024. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of SoHo Retail Portfolio 72-76 Greene Street LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/03/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/26/24. Princ. office of LLC: 233 S. Wacker Dr., Ste. 4700, Chicago, IL 60606. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of CARBONDALE MILL STREET PRESERVATION DEVELOPER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/21/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. 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 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
214 WEST 11TH ST REALTY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/23/19. 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, 214 West 11th Street, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, Titan Capital ID, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. Bowery Shed LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on February 5, 2024 and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on July 12, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on December 18, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 354 Bowery, Unit 4, New York, NY 10012. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 531 and Lot 1204 together with an undivided 16.0 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $890,834.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850172/2022. Georgia Papazis, Esq., Referee Vallely Law PLLC, 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 165, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff
Notice of Qualification of 888 BROADWAY MEZZ OWNER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/23/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/16/24. Princ. office of LLC: One Market Plaza, Steuart Tower, Ste. 1050, San Francisco, CA 94105. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of 888 BROADWAY OWNER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/23/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/16/24. Princ. office of LLC: One Market Plaza, Steuart Tower, Ste. 1050, San Francisco, CA 94105. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of LAZARD FO WIND GP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/03/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/20/24. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112. 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 Jeffrey W. Bullock, DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of DIFFERENTIAL VENTURES FUND III GP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/11/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/04/24. Princ. office of LLC: 350 Park Ave., Fl. 27, NY, NY 10022. 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 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of CARBONDALE MILL STREET PRESERVATION GP, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/21/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. 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: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of FEP BEVERAGE LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/15/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/14/24. Princ. office of LLC: 1330 6th Ave., Ste. 3600C, NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of VELAN HORIZON GP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/29/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/21/24. Princ. office of LLC: 100 North Main St., Ste. 301, Alpharetta, GA 30009. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 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., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
JUDY TING MANDEL LCSW, PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/23/24. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 201 WEST 17TH STREET, 9C, NEW YORK, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Qualification of LAZARD FO WIND LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/03/24. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/23/24. Princ. office of LP: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112. NYS fictitious name: LAZARD FO WIND L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0340-24142356 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 2100 Frederick Douglas Blvd., New York, NY 10026 for on-premises consumption; Allende Hospitality Group LLC
PF741 WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/23/2024. Office loc: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 5535 Netherland Ave, Apt 1E, Bronx, NY 10471. Reg Agent: Paul Freyer, 5535 Netherland Ave, Apt 1E, Bronx, NY 10471. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.
Notice of Qualification of YAMO PHARMACEUTICALS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/29/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/01/15. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that a license, number NA-0340-24142387 for Wine, Beer, Cider And Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Wine, Beer, Cider And Liquor at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 101-21 Metropolitan Ave, Forest Hills, NY 11375, Queens County for on premises consumption. Pio Pio Metro Inc., Pio Pio
DENTAL Insurance
Prop 2
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Adams has not employed the authority since its passage earlier this month.
To be clear, the DSNY already enforces street vending laws on the street — but areas in and around parks are not legally considered “streets” when interpreting jurisdiction.
Prop 2 was downballot from the presidential election, so its passing coincided with Trump’s victory and subsequent concern about mass deportations and general anti-immigrant sentiment. Attia fears further enforcement means criminal sanctions and fingerprinting for more vendors, many of whom are immigrants, potentially flagging their arrests for federal enforcement agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Even licensed and permit-holding vendors cannot operate in city parks without a
Clean Slate Act
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phone that he is excited to participate in Cleare’s event. He says any of the roughly 2.3 million New Yorkers with a conviction record and their families should consider attending.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, and Paul Keith will round out the panelists alongside Cleare and Gibbs.
“Clean Slate will create economic opportunities and improve public safety where they’re needed most,” Myrie said in an email to AmNews. “That’s why it was sup-
Medicare
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request for bid, which requires “pretty difficult steps and processes to actually navigate,” according to Attia.
Advocates for the unhoused, such as VOCAL-NY’s Joseph Loonam, say they are still trying to understand how the measure language will affect those living on the streets.
After all, DSNY authorities already exist to break up encampments and the Grants Pass Supreme Court decision allows cities to “punish” people for sleeping outside.
“I don’t know what changes about their ability to do that, but it is a very short-sighted way to obscure a problem from public view without actually doing anything to immediately address it,” Loonam said.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1
ported by the largest and broadest coalition in state history. I’m so proud New York is joining the growing number of states from coast to coast who are breaking down barriers to re-entry, growing our economy and building more stable communities.”
The Clean Slate Panel and clinic runs between 12 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16 at City College’s North Academic Center ballroom on 160 Convent Ave. in Harlem.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1
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more friendly” to the idea.
The concept of letting private insurers run Medicare isn’t new. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican, asserted in 1995 that traditional Medicare would fade away if its beneficiaries could pick between the original program and private plans.
ly run plans has become bipartisan as they have grown.
“It helps inject needed competition into a government-run program and has proved to be more popular with those who switch,” said Roger Severino, lead architect of Project 2025’s section on the Department of Health and Human Services. He served as director of HHS’ civil rights office during the Trump administration.
The shift to Medicare Advantage was accelerated by legislation in 2003 that created Medicare’s drug benefit and gave private health plans a far greater role in the program.
Lawmakers thought private insurers could better contain costs. Instead, the plans have cost more. In 2023, Medicare Advantage plans cost the government and taxpayers about 6% — or $27 billion — more than original Medicare, though some research shows they provide better care.
The Trump administration promoted Medicare Advantage in emails during the program’s open enrollment period each year, but support for the private -
But enrollees who want to switch back to traditional Medicare may not be able to. If they try to buy supplemental coverage for the 20% of costs Medicare doesn’t cover, they may find they have to pay an unaffordable premium. Unless they enroll in the plans close to the time they first become eligible for Medicare, usually at age 65, insurers selling those supplemental plans can deny coverage or charge higher premiums because of preexisting conditions.
“More members of Congress are hearing from constituents who are horrified and realize they are trapped in these plans,” said Andrea Ducas, vice president of health policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal public policy organization.
After falling short of a World Series title, the Yankees
and Mets start over
By RUDY ROBINSON Special to the AmNews
The New York Yankees and New York Mets both had terrific seasons, but fell short of their ultimate goal of winning the World Series, as the Los Angeles Dodgers sent both teams home disappointed. The Yankees have not won it all since 2009 and the Mets not since 1986. Now consequential personnel changes are on the horizon.
The Yankees, guided by manager Aaron Boone, lost to the Dodgers 4-1 in the World Series, including the series-ending Game 5 in the Bronx. The changes began almost immediately for the Yankees as 35-yearold starting first baseman Anthony Rizzo, injured late in the regular season and returning for the playoffs, did not have his option picked up by the team.
Second baseman Gleyber Torres, who made his Yankees debut in 2018, was not extended a qualifying offer and probably will not return. When Torres, 27, was installed as the leadoff hitter in August, he was a catalyst in closing out the final weeks of the regular season, with the Yankees finishing with the best record in the American
League at 94-68. However, Torres’s lack of hustle and overall inconsistency factored into Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and senior vice president/general manager Brian Cashman’s decision.
Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, the team’s ace, after originally exercising a clause that allowed him to opt out of his contract with four years remaining, did so to have the Yankees add an additional year at $36 million. So the 34-year-old Cole will be under contract with the franchise for five more years barring a future trade or retirement.
Yet by far the most followed and tense offseason drama in baseball is the free agency saga of outfielder Juan Soto. After a season in which he scored a league-leading 128 runs, hit 41 home runs and had 109 runs batted in, the 26-year-old superstar is poised to sign one of, if not the highest contract in Major League Baseball history.
“Maybe the grass isn’t always greener. I think he’s happy where he’s at,” Cashman said of Soto at MLB’s recent annual GM meeting. Soto is expected to receive a contract totaling between $600 and $700 million. The Mets, led by owner Steve Cohen
and general manager David Stearns, are one team that will make a sizable offer. The Mets, under first-year manager Carlos Mendoza, made a surprisingly deep journey into the playoffs as a wildcard team, losing to the Dodgers 4-2 in the National League Championship Series. Soto would provide another major piece that could make them one of the World Series favorites entering next season. Like the Yankees, the Mets are facing important moves, most notably offering free agent first baseman Pete Alonso an attractive deal or letting him walk. Both Alonso and Soto are represented by Scott Boras, one of the most influential agents in sports. Alonso, a Met his entire career and a fan favorite, had 34 home runs and 88 RBIs, durably not missing a single game this year.
He received a qualifying offer from the team but will probably decline it and test the free agent market. Sean Manaea, arguably the Mets best starting pitcher with a 12-6 record and a 3.47 earned from average this past season, and fellow starter Luis Severino, also received qualifying offers which Manaea declined, becoming free agent for the third straight season.
Jaron Ennis dominates Karen Chukhadzhian to retain IBF welterweight title
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
IBF welterweight world champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis faced a familiar opponent on Saturday night fighting at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and the result was also the same. After dominating Karen Chukhadzhian (24-3, 13 KOs) 120-108 on all three of the judges scorecards 22 months ago to win the title, Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs), defeated his mandatory challenger again by unanimous decision 119-107, 117-109 and 116-110.
Although he easily defeated his opponent, the Philadelphia native was not satisfied with his showing and saw some of the crowd exit before the bout ended.
“My performance was okay,” Ennis said. “I don’t know, it might be time to go to 154. I felt good, but I feel at 154 I’m going to be way better.”
Ennis said he was prepared for whatever tactics his opponent would use, and Chukhadzhian had a point deducted for excessive holding. But the champion admitted he took more blows than necessary. He also gave himself an average grade for allowing the fight to go the distance.
“That’s on me though, I needed to take half a step back, rip those shots, use my angles, and just listen more. My dad
Jaron
(trainer Derek Ennis) was saying everything right and I just wasn’t listening,” Ennis said about not being able to get a knockout the home crowd desired.
“I appreciate everybody that came out and showed their support, even though it wasn’t a top guy,” he said. “Every time I fight here it’s going to get bigger and better.”
Ennis had been calling out former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford, who has since moved up a weight class and is the current WBA light middleweight and WBO interim light champion. Ennis is not ready for Crawford and he might know it. He did not mention Crawford after the fight and would likely suffer the first loss of his career if he faced him.
The UFC returns to Madison Square Garden on Saturday with UFC 309 as the man regarded by many as the MMA GOAT, Jon Jones (27-1-0, 1 NC), will make the first defense of his heavyweight title, going up against former two-time champion Stipe Miocic (20-4-0).
Neither Jones nor Miocic has been in the octagon in quite some time.Jones last competed in March 2023 when he easily defeated Ciryl Gane in the first round to win the title, while Miocic has not faced competition since March 2021, when he lost to the UFC heavyweight title to current PFL heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Free agent Juan Soto could shift the balance of power of New York baseball. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Ennis (left) presses Karen Chukhadzhian in retaining his IBF welterweight title in their fight this past Saturday. (Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing photo)
Columbia track team gets set for its indoor season opener at the Armory
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
As cross-country season winds down, Columbia University track and field prepares for its indoor season debut in three weeks. The opener will be the Rutgers Holiday Classic at the Armory in Washington Heights. Indoor track and field goes into high gear in January and then it’s run, run, run for the rest of the school year.
For middle distance runner Myla Abernathy, a junior at Barnard College (Barnard competes under the Columbia banner as part of the athletic consortium), now is a busy time, athletically and academically. Abernathy has a double major in Asian studies on the Chinese track and political science/political theory. Her goal is to work in international affairs and she is applying to the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs to pursue a mas-
ter’s degree. After that, she hopes to work at the United Nations.
“I checked out Barnard before I even thought about being recruited for Columbia Athletics,” said Abernathy. “I was looking through some of the Barnard groups and student pages on Instagram, and looking at the Barnard Instagram page and TikTok [account].”
She came on a visit with her mother. Abernathy’s coach at home in Maryland knew Columbia director of cross-country/track and field Daniel Ireland because they’d been college teammates at Georgetown. While in Manhattan, Abernathy called Ireland. The idea of attending a women’s college and competing at the Division I level fit her perfectly.
“Barnard is a special community,” she said. “I really like the type of things that Barnard has and the opportunities they have for women specifically … Then, I’m at
Columbia and I have teammates [who] are in [the engineering school] and Columbia College.”
Although Abernathy remains on the cross-country roster, she is currently focusing on middle distance indoors and outdoors, running the 800 meters and 1,500 meters. In Maryland, she trained outdoors year-round, so she decided to try cross-country. It was enjoyable, but a bit too taxing on her body.
“I was getting injured, and I’m not injury-prone,” said Abernathy, who spent this past summer studying in China. “I found it best to just do indoor and outdoor track.”
The discipline of sport helps her focus in all areas. “I definitely like for my schedule to be packed with things I’m interested in,” Abernathy said. “A lot of things I have on my plate are my interests and things I intend to pursue after graduation.”
Compelling documentary tells the story of a Black rhythmic gymnast
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
The documentary film “Breaking Boundaries” explores the question: What does it feel like to be the only one in the room?
The young woman at the center of this question is former rhythmic gymnast Nastasya Generalova, whose life has been captured on film by documentarians Dina Burlis and Melissa Azizi over the course of several years.
Born and raised in California by her single, white, Russian mother (her father is African American), Generalova embraced rhythmic gymnastics at age 4. In the film, she describes her day-to-day life of training, traveling, representing the U.S., and dealing with being the lone Black rhythmic gymnast in most situations (Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles are artistic gymnasts). Her inspiration was ballet dancer Misty Copeland.
“I’m used to cameras because once you become an elite athlete,
you always have cameras at competitions,” said Generalova, who was filmed from about 2016 to 2019. “What was different for me was having the cameras at home … It’s interesting watching myself [about] five years later.”
She saw rhythmic gymnastics as a form of expression. Generalova won gold and silver at the Pan American Championships and was the first Black rhythmic gymnast to win a World Cup medal and several Grand Prix medals. Despite her successes, though, she encountered bias as she rose in the competitive ranks. “There were certain things that were simply out of my control,” she said.
The film concludes with the end of her competitive days — after she fell short of qualifying for the 2020/21 Olympics. Now a New Yorker, Generalova models. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Columbia University and works with One Love Community Fridge in Brooklyn. Generalova described attending
screenings of the film as a journey.
“It’s an honor that the people who made this story about me saw something in me,” she said. “It’s been an honor to see how people resonated with the story, whether they’re an athlete or not.”
The film will be screened at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater on Dec. 8 during the 32nd Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion, moderated by USA Gymnastics Hall of Famer Wendy Hilliard, a trailblazing competitive rhythmic gymnast and founder of the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation.
“What’s highlighted in the film is that I said, ‘They say I should do it one way or I should look like this, but I try to prove them wrong,’” said Generalova. “Through my 18 years [in the sport], eventually people began to remember me for my own style … I want the audience to remember me for me, not for something somebody told me to be.”
Columbia middle distance runner Myla Abernathy. (Columbia Athletics photo)
Nets emerge as one of the NBA’s early season surprises
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
Early in this NBA season, the Brooklyn Nets are proving to be not only one of the league’s biggest surprises, with a 5-6 record going into last night’s game at the Barclays Center versus the defending league champion Boston Celtics, but also one of its most exciting teams.
This is a year of evaluation and establishing a base for the future for the Nets with rookie head coach Jordi Fernandez at the helm, but the expectations Fernandez has for the team are evident: Play hard every game and compete to win. They continued to display that mindset on Monday night with a 107-105 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
A key part of the Nets’ solid play has been veteran point guard Dennis Schroder, who has been a steady floor general running the offense. The 31-year-old, now in his 11th season in the NBA, was aver-
aging 19.5 points on 48% shooting and 6.2 assists before facing the Celtics. He has been instrumental in the ongoing development of young players such as Noah Clowney, who sparked the team’s win against the Pelicans. The 20-year-old secondyear forward scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action coming off the bench.
Nets guard Cam Thomas, the team’s leading scorer at 24.5 points per game before last night, and who had a Nets high 17 versus the Pelicans, noted the 6-9 Clowney’s ability to stretch the floor.
“He’s definitely a different weapon we have, just from being able to play the four (power forward) and the five (center), and being able to be that stretch four, stretch five that we could have in a second unit,” Thomas said.
“It’s just really a great thing to see for us. It’s good to have that as another weapon because in games like this, where teams are trying to
double-team and get the ball out of my hands a lot, we have a four- or five-man unit who can space out and knock it down.”
If Clowney, who shot 36.4% from three as a rookie last season, can consistently knock down 3-pointers, he will become an increasingly valuable asset for the team.
“I see him shoot every day and I know he is a good shooter,” Fernandez responded when asked if he was surprised by Clowney’s performance. “When I get mad at the guys is when they stop shooting, and one thing he’s done consistently is just continue to let it fly, and [that’s] how it works. You cannot control if it is going to go in. You can control if you take a good shot. He kept taking good shot after good shot …”
The Pelicans matchup also marked the eighth game in which Ben Simmons played this season. He has started six and had a strong showing in notching a team high 12 assists with six points and five
offense, averaging 19.5 points and 6.2 assists before facing the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center last night.
rebounds. The 6-10 Simmons appeared in only 15 games last season and 42 in the 2022–2023 campaign due to back issues.
Brooklyn will meet the Knicks in
back-to-back games tomorrow and Sunday at Madison Square Garden before returning to the Barclays Center on Tuesday to host the Charlotte Hornets.
The Knicks begin to gel in opening the Emirates Cup with a win
By JAIME C. HARRIS
AmNews Sports Editor
The Knicks ensured that the Philadelphia 76ers’ seven-time All-Star center Joel Embiid’s season debut wasn’t a celebration by bettering him and his teammates on Tuesday night. The Knicks’ 111-99 road win in the opening game of the NBA Emirates Cup, which was formerly named the In-Season Tournament in its league inaugural last year, was another step in them coalescing.
OG Anunoby scored a teamhigh 24 points, Josh Hart notched a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Jalen Brunson contributed 18 points to move the Knicks to 5-5 ahead of their matchup with the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden last night. The Sixers fell to 2-8 playing without injured (right hamstring) star
Giants/Jets
Continued from page 40
the NFL’s standings and build a sustained playoff contender has been elusive for both the Jets and Giants. The Jets are 3-7 this season heading into this Sunday’s home game versus the Indianapolis Colts and
guard Tyrese Maxey. Embiid appeared in his first game after being held out for injury maintenance then serving a three-game suspension for pushing a journalist after a verbal confrontation between them in the team’s locker room following a 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on November 2.
The Knicks’ starting lineup this season features newcomers Towns, a four-time All-Star forward/center, acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 2 in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, and Bridges, a small forward who was the Brooklyn Nets’ best player for the better part of the previous two seasons before joining the Knicks this past July 6. New York’s team president Leon Rose determined that Bridges was worth dealing five-future first round picks to the Nets.
The returning three starters, forward Anunoby, in just his second
the Giants 2-8 entering their byeweek. Both occupy the bottom space in their respective divisions, the Jets are tied with the New England Patriots for last place in the AFC East and the Giants alone in the NFC East basement.
The Jets will have a new head coach next season after team owner Robert “Woody” Johnson
season with the team, guard Brunson, and guard/forward Hart, have continued to ably fill their multifaceted roles in the early part of this season while Towns and Bridges adapt to head coach Tom Thibodeau’s vision how they can build a championship group after reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.
Brusnon and Towns are on an All-Star track. Both were selections last February and have continued to be among the league’s best players. Towns leads the Knicks in both scoring (24.5 points per game) and rebounding (12.4), while Brunson was only two-tenths of a point behind him at 24.3 and was pacing the team in assists (6.4) before facing the Bulls.
Bridges, who averaged 26.1 points per game in 27 games with the Nets two seasons ago after coming to them via a trade with the Phoenix Suns, and 19.1 last season, was
fired former head coach Robert Saleh on October 8 in the midst of a 2-3 start. Since, they have regressed even further. The Jets are 1-4 under Jeff Ulbrich, who was elevated from defensive coordinator to interim head coach status.
Several weeks ago when the Giants were 2-5, co-owner John Mara said he wasn’t going to ter-
All-Star level in his first season with the franchise. (Jamir Dickens/Fence Boy Media photo)
at 15.2 points on 47.4% shooting through 10 games before last night.
However, Bridges was the primary scorer for the Nets and had a higher shot volume than he does as a Knick. Although Bridges’s need to score at the same rate has been reduced in the Knicks’ lineup, he is still a key component of the offense.
minate third-year head coach Brian Daboll after this season, implying he would bring him back for another year. Now, after losing 20-17 in overtime to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Munich, Germany, Mara’s calculus might change. The 3-7 Panthers were widely considered the worst team in the league before
beating the Giants.
The Giants and Jets need a singular figure to do what dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has done in being central to dramatically changing the culture of the Washington Commanders from a dysfunctional franchise to playoff contender.
Shedeur Sanders can be that guy.
Nets starting point guard Dennis Schroder has effectively orchestrated team’s
(Bill Moore photo)
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, going up against the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo last Friday at Madison Square Garden, is playing at an
Sports
Shedeur Sanders should be quarterbacking the Giants or the Jets next season
By JAIME C. HARRIS
AmNews Sports Editor
The Jets and Giants are still trying to get it right. The Jets have not made the playoffs in 13 years, the longest active streak in the NFL. It is almost certain to extend another year. The Giants have reached the postseason just twice over the past 11 seasons, and it will be 12 when they complete this season.
University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, 22, could be a force multiplier in helping New York’s two NFL teams reverse this negative trend. The leaders of both organizations should be unwaveringly determined to make him the face of their franchise.
Aaron Rodgers will not be back as the Jets QB next season. Daniel Jones is virtually finished as the Giants starting signal caller. Shedeur should be up next for one of the teams even if it requires trading future high draft picks, which
Riverside Hawks
By LOIS ELFMAN
Special
to the AmNews
The Riverside Hawks, a fixture in the Harlem community since 1961, recently celebrated a year of excellence on the basketball court and in the classroom. The girls 16 and under team put together a 17-game winning streak and the boys Class of 2030 team won an AAU championship. There was a 100% high school graduation rate and those graduates went on to either college or a postgraduation college prep program. Those multi-faceted successes were celebrated at last week’s fundraising gala, HealthHope&Hoops.
“We need the funding to support our teams — everything from uniforms to travel to tournaments to tournament fees,” said board member Erika Irish Brown. “We need to make sure our students have all the academic programs that they need … so they can thrive and hopefully use basketball as a tool to achieve academic success.”
According to high school junior Laila Carr, “We’re very close and like family. That’s one of the things I really
might be the price if neither has the NFL draft’s No. 1 overall pick at the end of this season. If it takes moving up in the draft, then that’s what they should do.
Shedeur has stardom stamped all over him as a son of Deion Sanders, one of the greatest football players and athletes of all-time and the head coach of the 7-2 Colorado Buffaloes. Shedeur’s pedigree and resume affirm his talent — he’s the reigning Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week after leading the AP’s No. 18 ranked team as of Tuesday morning to a 41-27 win over Texas Tech this past Saturday, passing for 293 yards and three touchdowns.
Starting his collegiate career with his father at HBCU Jackson State after being recruited by numerous top programs out of Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas near Dallas, Shedeur was awarded the 2022 Deacon Jones Trophy as HBCU’s most outstanding player.
He has risen to be the No. 1 draft-eligible pro prospect at his position. Some evaluators have Texas’ redshirt freshman Arch Manning, the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, who won’t be draft eligible until
2026, as the most promising. That’s debatable. However, Manning does align with the Giants’ historically safe and relatively conservative quarterback personality profile. So does Jones, even though it hasn’t led
to winning many games.
Shedeur, similar to Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, is built for the immense media spotlight of NewYork City having been raised as an elite athlete of a famous father whose magnetic persona as Prime is iconic.
Contrary to perceptions as a product of Deion’s outsized image, Shedeur is not brash or verbose. He has been characterized as a mature grinder by his coaches and those who know him best. This season, under the tutelage of Pat Shurmur, Colorado’s offensive coordinator and the Giants’ head coach for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the 6-2, 215 pound prospect has further sharpened his skill set as a lethally accurate passer who can make every throw and cerebrally dissect defensive coverages. Securing a transformational head coach and transformative quarterback to lift them from the depths of
See GIANTS/JETS on page 39
celebrate another year of health, hope, and hoops
love about the program … Also, they did PSAT and SAT prep. They really care about the academics.”
Academic support is a huge part of the program, and the person who put much of that in place, Dr. Emily Anderson, was honored posthumously. Her absence was acutely felt by those who knew her and saw her impact.
“The Hawks meant so much to my mom because education was so important to her — not only having the children who are on the teams learn about teamwork and working together for a common cause, but also having the skills to be great people outside of basketball,” said Anderson’s daughter, Vanessa Jus-
tine Anderson. “She did so many things with scholarships and helping the kids be ready for college.”
High school junior
Jessie Lee Toxey said the program has uplifted her in every aspect of her life. Her twin, Kennedy Lee
Toxey, appreciated that boys and girls are treated equally.
Coach of the Year honoree Robert Dunn, who is also an assistant coach at Sarah Lawrence College, said, “I take what I learn at the college and I try to give it to them early, so when they get to college, they’re prepared and ready.”
“Our girls and boys are the future,” said Aswan Morris, the program’s executive director. “My hope is that we elevate both of those programs equally.”
Among the honorees were Gil Addo, Phil Isom, and Erik Gershwind, all significant longtime supporters of the Riverside program who have been instrumental in the individual and collective success of the scholar-athletes, on and off the basketball court.
Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, pictured with his father and head coach Deion Sanders, is the No.1 draft-eligible NFL quarterback prospect. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Members of 16 and under team with Riverside Hawks coaches Jamie Conroy and Michael Toro.
Members of Hawks Class of 2030 boys team. (Lois Elfman photos)
