New York Amsterdam News November 16, 2023

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Vol. 114 No. 46 | November 16, 2023 - November22, 2023

THE NEW BLACK VIEW

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FAITH AND FEAR: THE IMPACT OF GUN VIOLENCE ON MUSLIM COMMUNITIES

Harlem holiday lights shine (See story on page 8-9)

Thanksgiving Special Section (See stories starting on page 24) (Illustration by Amtah)

)

2 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

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International News FREEZE ON WEAPONS SALE TO NIGERIA OVER ‘ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES’

er this month by Amnesty International demanded justice for “cases of enforced disappearances recorded in Northeast Nigeria.”

“By allowing the military to carry out thousands of enforced disappearances in the country’s Northeast and subsequently failing to genuinely and effectively investigate and prosecute those responsible, (GIN photo) the Nigerian government has vio(GIN)—An arms race has been lated its international and regional breaking records around the world— human rights obligations and has defying efforts to keep firearms, failed victims,” they argued. handguns, and larger weapons from falling into the wrong hands.

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES FACE EVICTION Of the many countries currently in BY ENVIRONMENTAL PROFITEERS conflict, 32 are in Africa. The list includes Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, and Uganda.

Morocco, Ethiopia, and Zaire (GIN photo) have been the largest African purchasers of U.S. military equipment and services. Kenya has recently (GIN)—Kenya’s government is ilagreed to a large sale, but Nigeria, legally evicting members of the which has the largest military force Ogiek community from their ancesin sub-Saharan Africa, currently tral lands in the Maasai Mau Forest, buys few U.S. military items. to profit from carbon offsetting This could change. In a report by schemes, human rights lawyers say.

Charles Kwuelum, a senior peace Members of the Ogiek communieducation and advocacy associate, ty say they’re living in “absolute fear” and Iyabo Obasanjo, associate pro- over the evictions by the government fessor of public health at the College of Kenyan President William Ruto. of William and Mary, more weapons “We are calling for an immediwon’t solve Nigeria’s security crisis. ate cessation of ongoing demoli“The degree of insecurity in Nige- tions and the evictions,” said Cyrus ria is unprecedented,” they wrote. Maweu, deputy director of Kenya Na“In addition to an ongoing terrorist tional Commission on Human Rights. insurgency in the northeastern part “The first day they started bringof the country—which has seen gov- ing down houses using axes, hamernment troops battling the likes of mers, and pangas [machetes],” said Boko Haram and an offshoot of the Daniel Kobei, executive director of Islamic State—there is widespread the Ogiek Peoples’ Development farmer-herder violence and bandit- Program. “They brought down ry in every region of the country. the school and on the second day “It’s not just external analysts, they even started burning some such as former U.S. Ambassador houses. Now they have gone back to Nigeria John Campbell, who with heavy machines to bring down are arguing that Nigeria is a failed houses that were not completely state. Nigerian public and govern- destroyed…We are living in absoment officials regularly say as much lute fear. They are really bringing themselves, and act accordingly. down everything.”

“Clearly, the need to address NigeCommunity leaders fear that ria’s high level of insecurity is both houses of cultural significance may acute and widely recognized,” they be destroyed. “This kind of destruccontinued. Still, “we cannot sup- tion can bring the extinction of a port the nearly $1 billion sale of ad- community,” Kobei added. vanced weaponry from the U.S. In a case heard by the African Court government to the Nigerian Armed on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Forces, which claims they need the Ogiek were found to have ancestral weapons to fight terrorism.” rights to the Mau forest and could The reasons for previous holds rightfully occupy it. In 2022, the on U.S. weapons sales to Nige- Ogieks were awarded about US$1.3 ria remain largely unresolved, they million to be paid by the Kenyan govsaid. And a report published earli- ernment for breaching their rights.

Dr. Justin Kenrick from the Forest Peoples Programme said that carbon credits and offsetting are key to what is happening.

The carbon credit market allows a polluter to emit carbon dioxide or other climate-heating gas and pay a forest owner to capture those emissions through the carbon-absorption power of their trees.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Tanzania, the World Bank is said to be financing a project that purports to protect the environment, but has been linked to grave human rights violations, according to nonprofit organization Rainforest Rescue.

The latest report by the Californiabased Oakland Institute, “Unaccountable & Complicit–The World Bank Finances Evictions & Human Rights Abuses in Tanzania.” blames the taxpayer-funded institution of “enabling” evictions, rapes and murders near the site of a proposed tourism project it is funding.

The $150 million tourism project will protect the environment and attract more tourists to Ruaha National Park, the government says.

However, villagers living near Ruaha told Oakland Institute researchers that rangers had killed and beaten cattle herders and fishers, raped women, and confiscated thousands of head of cattle, under the premise that the Ogiek had encroached on the national park.

To expand the park for tourism revenues, the government announced evictions impacting over 20,000 Indigenous and local communities from legally registered villages.

More than 21,000 people from dozens of villages around Ruaha are also facing eviction by the government, it was claimed.

Anuradha Mittal, founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute, said: “[The] Regrow project is not about protecting wildlife or conservation. Instead, the bank is financing an oppressive and violent economic growth model based on boosting tourism revenues.”

“The World Bank should have scrutinized the Tanzanian government’s record on human rights before financing it,” she continued, citing the case of Nzigiyimana Zabron v. United Republic of Tanzania. Orders (Re-opening). “The government has been criticized for its handling of forced evictions in northern Tanzania, which “should have triggered internal alarm before the bank decided to finance the project,” added Mittal.

“Instead, it looked the other way and continues to do so. It should be held accountable.”

The institute said villagers were told in October 2022 that they would have to leave their land despite holding title deeds, which the government has canceled, claiming the property fell within the boundaries of the national park.

More than 850 villagers have challenged the evictions in Tanzania’s high court.

SOMALI AMERICAN WOMAN SCOOPS RACE FOR MAYOR IN MINNESOTA Nadia Mohamed (GIN photo)

(GIN)—Voters in the Minnesota city of St. Louis Park turned out in force for Nadia Mohamed, a 27-yearold Somali American, choosing her as the city’s first Black, first Somali, and first Muslim mayor.

Mohamed easily defeated Dale Anderson, a former banker and continuing education teacher, by a margin of 58% to 41%.

“I am very happy to win as a Somali American, Muslim, migrant and Black [person],” she told VOA’s Somali Service. “I say thank you to all of those who supported me in this. It is our victory.”

Maine State Rep. Deqa Dhalac was the first Somali American to serve as mayor of an American city in 2021, when South Portland’s city council selected her for the role. Mohamed becomes the first Somali mayor in American history elected directly by voters.

“I have lived in this city for 18 years,” said Mohamed. “I grew up and finished my school here, so it was easy for me to get elected because people know me.”

Over the past few elections, racially and ethnically diverse candidates have won elections and bring new perspectives to Minnesota city government.

Mohamed said she and her family moved to the suburban city west of Minneapolis when she was 10 years old. Nearly two decades later, the 27-year-old leader celebrated an election night victory with her family and the community she loves.

See INTERNATIONAL on page 35

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 3

What we know about Mayor Adams & the FBI probe

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been in the hot seat for the last two weeks as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe, mostly into his 2021 mayoral campaign donations, ramps up tensions around City Hall. So far he’s maintained that he is cooperating, but refuses to “speculate” on what the federal authorities are looking for.

The FBI has raided the Brooklyn home of Adams’s chief election campaign fundraiser, 25-year-old Brianna Suggs, and seized his electronic devices, reported the Associated Press (AP). As of Tuesday, November 14, no charges have been brought against them.

In a debrief at City Hall last Wednesday, Adams didn’t mention to the press that the FBI had taken his devices.

“First of all, last week my information was completely accurate on what I shared with you. Accuracy is important and we were.

And this is, and I cannot emphasize this enough and I’m just going to continue. It takes a lot of discipline,” said Adams in his defense at this week’s meeting. “This is an ongoing review. And as a former member of law enforcement, it is always my belief, don’t interfere with an ongoing review and don’t try to do these reviews through the press.”

Mayor Eric Adams and senior administration officials hold an in-person media availability.

City Hall. Wednesday, November 8, 2023. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

Lisa Zornberg, chief counsel to the mayor, also was adamant that the administration is “proactively cooperative” with FBI investigators.

The AP and other media outlets have reported that the FBI investigation centers around two things: illegal campaign contributions funneled through straw donors or possibly a foreign country, and whether or not Adams colluded with the Turkish government to get a 35-story skyscraper approved.

Earlier this year, Adams’ mayoral campaign and transition team was called into question a few times. The New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) fined him $19,600 in May for three violations: the account for Adams transition and inaugu-

ration committees had accepted prohibited donations, failed to respond to requests for documents, and failed to properly track expenses. Then in July, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted six people “for conspiring to use a straw donor scheme” for Adams campaign for mayor, two of whom pleaded guilty in October.

Amsterdam News attempted to contact Evan Thies, a lead consultant on Adams’ mayoral campaign, but has not received a response yet. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan has been pretty quiet about what they are looking for currently. AmNews reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for comments as well but there was no response by post time.

The investigation has been left vague by the FBI, almost deliberately so said political sources. Naturally, that’s turned the gossip mill in, out, and around the city’s political scene. It has also dragged mayoral candidates from 2021, like Andrew Yang, out of the woodwork on social media to throw shots at Adams.

Lupe Todd-Medina is the creator of Effective Media Strategies and has worked on numerous political campaigns in the city.

She noted the straw donor situation, when someone falsely uses a person’s name or information to give more money to a candidate, is not uncommon and there’s usually checks and balances to catch it.

Former Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin was brought up on federal fraud charges in 2022, later dropped, and is in ongoing litigation over records falsification charges. Even former Mayor Bill de Blasio was the beneficiary of sorts of an illegal scheme and bribes to get him elected, reported the New York Times.

“Your campaign is supposed to make sure that doesn’t happen. Before you’re even submitting your paperwork you have people that are cleaning, that’s what we call it,” said ToddMedina. “That’s why sometimes campaigns give back money even before they file.”

Ben Weinberg, director of public policy at Citizens Union, said essentially the system See ADAMS PROBE on page 33

New legislation would add 31 new offenses to the hate crime statute

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg wants to know why the same exact racially motivated attack can’t be charged as a hate crime if the victim was attacked by a group of people instead of an individual. Well he knows why, he’s just befuddled by the logic: assault is chargeable as a hate crime, but gang assault—when the suspect is “aided by two or more other persons actually present”—is not.

The newly-introduced Hate Crimes Modernization Act would close such a loophole by expanding the number of hate crime chargeable offenses from 66 to 97 statewide. Bragg announced the bill alongside sponsors State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Grace Lee earlier this month.

“Whether you live in Harlem, Chinatown or Hell’s Kitchen, no community is immune from experiencing hate crimes,” said Bragg over email. “Bias-related harassment and violence are unacceptable, and this new legislation is a commonsense fix that addresses loopholes in the current statute. Adding to the list of eligible hate crimes offenses will help deter these acts by bringing additional cases and goes hand in hand with our community outreach efforts to ensure victims feel comfortable reporting incidents to their local precincts and to our Office.”

“As we witness an unprecedented rise in bias-motivated crimes against Jewish, Muslim, Asian American, Black, and LGBTQ people, it’s of utmost importance that New York closes the dozens of loopholes in our hate crime statute to send the urgent message that hatred won’t be tolerated in our state,” added Hoylman-Sigal. “I’m proud to introduce the Hate Crimes Modernization Act (S7737) with District Attorney Bragg and Assembly Member Lee, which will give prosecutors the necessary tools to take appropriate action against hate.

With this bill, we can protect New Yorkers of differing backgrounds.”

The 31 proposed offenses covered by the bill include first-degree murder and seconddegree rape. Second-degree murder and firstdegree rape are already on the hate crime statute. False reporting of an incident could also be charged as a hate crime if the bill as it stands passes.

According to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office, anti-Black hate crimes currently account for the fourth most open cases in New York County, behind anti-Asian, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-Semitic offenses. Citywide, there were four antiBlack hate crimes reported by the NYPD last month and 43 this year as of Oct. 31.

“New York is currently experiencing an unprecedented epidemic of hate, and this includes anti-Black hate crimes, which is one of the most common forms of hate crimes in Manhattan,” said Lee over email. “The Hate

Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg (center) announces Hate Crimes Modernization Act alongside sponsors State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Grace Lee (from left to right). (Yakov Mantelman/DANY Photo Unit )

Crimes Modernization Act will protect vulnerable communities, including New York’s Black community, by equipping our laws to address hate crimes when they take place. Every time a hate crime goes unrecognized, its victims are denied justice, and hate is further normalized and allowed to spread.

“This bill will empower minority communities by validating victims’ experiences, and it delivers a clear message that hate has no place in New York.”

District Attorneys of the other four boroughs also provided their stamps of approval.

“The Hate Crimes Modernization Act adds dozens of serious crimes to the penal law ensuring greater accountability for those who commit violence with hate in their hearts,” said

Bronx D.A. Darcel Clark in a statement. “Our city has seen a record number of hate crimes, and we will have more tools responding to ignorance and prejudice.”

“Prosecutors need the ability to enhance bias motivated offenses whenever they take place, and the Hate Crime Modernization Act would allow us to do just that,” added Brooklyn D.A. Eric Gonzalez.

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.

4 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Biden and cabinet members sued for genocidal action in Gaza

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews President Biden and his administration have a complex bag of issues to deal with, and almost daily another ball of wax arrives, most recently a lawsuit charging him and two of his cabinet members with aiding and abetting “genocide” in Gaza.

On Monday, civil liberties group Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), filed a suit on behalf of Palestinian human rights organizations, Palestinians in Gaza, and U.S. citizens with relatives trapped in the region that have faced more than a month of re-

lentless bombardment by Israel. Related to the suit is the assertion that the U.S. provides funds and weapons to Israel.

The other cabinet members charged in the suit are Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Moreover, the suit cites that some 11,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel responded to the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7 that left 1,200 people dead. All of this comes in the wake of another destructive blow to a major hospital in Gaza that according to Israeli Defense Forces has now been invaded to root out Hamas members below the facility.

In the introduction to its complaint, the CCR said that “Numerous Israeli government leaders have expressed clear genocidal intentions and deployed dehumanizing characterizations of Palestinians, including ‘human animals.’” The complaint coincides with several organizations and legal scholars who have voiced their concerns about the genocidal actions taken by Israel. At the same time, massive groups on both sides of the conflict have marched in cities across the globe.

There was no immediate response from the Biden administration that has been unequivocal in its support of Israel. The complaint further notes that the U.S. being the

largest supplier of military and financial assistance to Israel “could have a deterrent effect on Israeli officials now pursuing genocidal acts against the Palestinian people.”

Astha Sharma Pokharel, a lawyer at the CCR, told Al Jazeera, “They have a significant responsibility under customary international law [and] under federal law, to prevent this genocide [and] to stop supporting this genocide. At every step of the way, at every opportunity, they have failed. They have continued to provide cover to Israel; they have continued to provide material support to Israel; and currently, they intend to send more money and more weapons to Israel.”

As city’s involuntary removal directive turns one, Human Rights Watch reimagines mental health crisis support

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member Nearly a year ago, Mayor Eric Adams directed city agencies, including the NYPD, to involuntarily remove and hospitalize people experiencing mental illness in public, expanding the interpretations of the existing Kendra’s Law, which mandates treatment for those deemed “unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision.”

Advocates widely criticized the move, with concerns ranging from lack of consent to New Yorkers, especially those who were nonwhite, getting mistakenly swept up.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) researchers are the latest to address those concerns, releasing a report this week advocating for a “rights-respecting” and communitycentered approach toward mental health crisis support.

The research examined mental health support practices in 60 countries and found they “frequently fail to comply with international human rights standards.” Factors include mental health stigma, coercive measures, and power imbalances between service providers and those receiving care.

Olivia Ensign, senior advocate and researcher at HRW’s U.S. program, said the city’s directive affects Black and brown New Yorkers the most due to housing, employment, and healthcare discrimination.

As the report came about during the racial reckoning of 2020, there were also concerns about how police respond to those populations.

She also referenced the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which specifically mandates “health professionals to provide care of the same quality to persons with disabilities as to others, including on the basis of free and informed consent.”

“Recovery means different things for different people, but one key element under human rights law is having control over one’s own mental health treatment, and that can include the option to refuse treatment,” said Ensign. “Just because someone has unhoused or disability status, that doesn’t remove a person’s right to personal autonomy and legal capacity.”

Through the report, HRW determined that a human rights-respecting approach for mental health service providers requires prioritizing the choices of people experiencing mental health crises and

going beyond immediate intervention and de-escalation. The findings suggest that services addressing immediate needs like food and housing, along with recognizing other factors like racism and discrimination, are critical.

The case study looked at Toronto’s Gerstein Crisis Centre as a model, which Ensign called a “detailed, viable, [and] replicable framework for a holistic approach to mental health crises.” Established in 1989, the Canadian service provider reroutes those in crisis away from unnecessary police and hospital emergency interactions and into a consent-based response.

HRW found that, like in New York, Canada often employs police as first responders to mental health crises.

“There’s a number of ways in which we are available to people, including a telephone crisis line [and] our mobile teams that go out and see people in the community. We also operate a couple of houses with short-term crisis beds,” said Susan Davis, executive director of the Gerstein Centre.

“We have also recently added some specific teams…where there’s been a lot of street activity and conflict with businesses …we have a team that is available in two neighborhoods in Toronto.

“The goal behind that team is to give the community something other than the police to call [when] they’re worried or when they’re having difficulties with somebody, and providing a more appropriate response.”

The Gerstein Centre also boasts a significant number of staff members—including leadership—who live or have lived with a mental health condition, which HRW deemed critical to fostering community-based support. Ensign said the service provider offers just one of many ways that mental health crisis support can respect human rights.

“The hope is, for the many kinds of programs that are happening across the United States right now, as well as in New York, that folks look at this model and hopefully draw out some lessons and again, an example of good practices, and hopefully integrate it [into] all the work that’s going on in New York,” she said.

A spokesperson for the mayor responded by email, defending the directive and saying that Adams maintains “there is nothing humane about the decades-long practice of turning a blind eye toward those suffering from severe mental illness, See HRW on page 33

Lawyers for Jordan Neely’s family express concern over Daniel Penny’s motion to dismiss

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member Attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards, spokespeople for Jordan Neely’s family, told the Amsterdam News they are concerned about last month’s court filing seeking to dismiss second degree manslaughter charges against Daniel Penny over the Black New Yorker’s death earlier this year.

“We are aware that a motion was filed to dismiss the case against Daniel Penny for the senseless killing of Jordan Neely,” they said.

“More importantly, we are aware of the histo-

ry of these types of cases and the routine outcomes that don’t deliver justice. Alvin Bragg and the District Attorney’s office are responsible for the criminal part of this case. We legally cannot intervene in that process.

“There are questions about whether they did everything right from the beginning of the case and that makes the outcome uncertain. As you can imagine, we are concerned.”

The plans for a motion to dismiss by Penny’s defense were first reported on October 10 and cited multiple witnesses feared for their safety, per their grand jury testimony.

Before his May 1 death, Neely, who was unhoused and experienced serious mental

illness, entered an uptown-bound subway car and threw his jacket while yelling before Penny placed the 30-year-old in a fatal chokehold, which was documented on video.

Dueling narratives spawned from the incident, with Penny’s proponents arguing the former Marine intervened to protect fellow passengers. They raised almost $3 million for his defense fund. But others want accountability for the death of an unhoused Black man during a crisis with multiple large demonstrations through the city before Penny’s arrest over a week after the encounter.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office

did not comment during the filing, but a spokesperson said a response is planned by this year. After Penny was arraigned, Bragg said the DA’s office was “constrained from speaking outside the courtroom (about the case) to ensure this remains a fair and impartial matter.”

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

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 5

Whitney R. McGuire talks about reclaiming Black practices of sustainability

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Whitney R. McGuire is the first person in the country to lead a major art institution in sustainability; the Guggenheim Museum is the first major art institution to establish a director of sustainability (Courtesy photo)

Law school was incredibly boring, Whitney R. McGuire says. She initially hated it, but then her first-year property law professor told her about fashion law and at the time, Fordham University had just started their Fashion Law Institute. They were getting ready to put on a symposium.

“So, I went to the symposium my first year and just was like, Okay: these are my people, they’re speaking my language. I’m learning about labor issues in the fashion industry, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions––all types of legal issues that I’ve always been very fascinated by and interested in.”

McGuire was a student at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. After attending the Fordham symposium, she returned to D.C. energized. She worked with some students from the Howard University School of Law to produce a Fashion Law Week—a series of events focused on educating the public about fashion law and the legal issues that affect the fashion industry. After law school, she took on various internships and law-related jobs throughout D.C., “And New York, at the time, in terms Catching on in a new city took some but eventually decided to move to New of intellectual property, had pretty good time. She did consulting work; clerked York City because she really wanted to law firms that specialized in creative in- with a federal judge; advised artists and practice fashion law. dustries,” she said. art institutions about hybrid legal, busi-

Black

New Yorker

ness, sustainability, and equity issues. At one point, she even moved to Las Vegas to work on trademark issues.

But realizing that she wasn’t doing the work she loved, McGuire decided to establish her own law firm. She returned to New York and continued advising recording artists, fashion designers, and other creatives about their intellectual property rights, while also writing and hosting workshops about sustainability and fashion.

“There was this kind of overarching conversation about the labor issues impacting the fashion industry and fast fashion, but nobody was really…addressing it from the perspective of the communities that are most impacted by unsustainability—the lower-income communities, the Black and brown communities,” McGuire said she thought to herself. “I rarely ever saw people from these communities being represented in these conversations.”

With her own law firm and having become the mother of a young son, McGuire joined with environmental educator and community advocate Dominique Drakeford to co-found Sustainable Brooklyn, an organization designed to combat the white orientation of sustainability issues. Sustainable Brooklyn conducts See MCGUIRE on page 37

6 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Faith and fear: The impact of gun violence on Muslim communities

down the same path, no matter how many kids die. They don’t care.”

Her son, Nick, was shot while at school. She agreed that not enough people are talking about the trauma that stems from historical, communal, and personal suffering in Muslim communities. She said that gun violence doesn’t discriminate; it’s as much a Muslim issue as it is an American issue.

Gun violence also makes other social issues worse. Domestic violence is a societal problem that becomes much more lethal and traumatic in the United States when guns are involved. Denise Berte, current executive director of the Peaceful Families Project and a licensed clinical psychologist, researcher, trainer, professor, and forensic practitioner with more than 25 years in multicultural trauma, including trafficking and violence against Muslim women, explained the situation further.

The Peaceful Families Project conducted a study (that has not yet been published) over 18 months between 2021 and 2023, based on 25 case studies of domestic homicide in the U.S. Muslim community. While the sample size was small, they found that guns were involved in many of the cases they studied.

In about 84% domestic violence cases, Berte said that “gun violence was one of the highest risk factors Gun violence has a disproportionate impact on Muslim Americans, many of whom are people of color. (Photo by Karla Ann Coté/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images) within the case. And that makes

By TASMIHA KHAN of whom identify as Muslim. In 2020, that Muslims did experience in- their education, life skills, and re-en- sense if you think about it…if you’re Special to the AmNews 12,179 Black Americans were killed security from the political climate try, spoke about being threatened beating someone, you’re going to with guns, compared to 7,286 white of the Trump years, with Muslims with a gun after 9/11. hear them crying, you see the pain Mass shootings, police violence, Americans. Among Hispanic and and Jews the most likely to report “I was coming back from pray- that you’re inflicting, it’s physically and street crime have been in the Latino people, 60% of gun deaths experiencing fear for their person- ing Salat ul-Isha [the last nightly tiring, it’s not easy to beat someone American news for decades and are gun homicides. al safety from white supremacist obligatory prayer]...I heard some- to death…With gun violence, it lithave been portrayed as intractaFirearms are used in more than groups (and) post-election anxiety body yell ‘Bin Laden’ or ‘terrorist’… erally takes half a second and you’ve ble problems. Our schoolchildren half of female homicides in the in 2017 (38% of Muslims and 27% of the next day, I prayed Asr [the day’s killed one person, two person[s], are being trained to escape bullets United States. American Indian/ Jewish Americans). Muslim women third obligatory evening prayer] at three persons, and yourself.”

Guns make the process of comas campuses become hardened Native women are murdered by were more likely than Muslim men the musalla. When I came back,I targets rather than hubs of learning guns at approximately three times to report such fear,” Ikramullah said. heard the same voice…He was just mitting acts of violence much and growth. The gun violence epi- the rate of white women. Among ISPU’s research shows that being mocking me…he motioned with faster, making the ability to stop demic in the United States is “driven these groups, the most common inherently violent is a salient false his hand condescendingly to move practically nonexistent. Guns in 6 • November 2, 2023 - November 8, 2023 THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS by…a violent culture in the United gun violence occurs in situations of stereotype held about Muslims, with along. And I didn’t. And behind him, households have a complicatStates and… access to guns,” said street violence, domestic violence, 9% of the general public in agree- another person, who was in their ed place, especially in houseMargari Hill, co-founder and exec- robberies, homicides, accidental ment that most Muslims living in front yard, said, ‘Stay right there, I holds who feel marginalized in utive director of the Muslim Anti- deaths, and gang feuds. the U.S. are more prone to violence got something for you’ and then this country due to racism, xenoRacism Collaborative.

The root causes of this gun vio- than other people (down from 13% went inside his house…when I saw phobia, or Islamophobia. Some in the Muslim community have startAccording to the Centers for Dis- lence are many: intergenerational in 2018). a rifle, I left.” ease Control and Prevention (CDC), trauma, distrust of police and auShaykh Rami Nsour of the Tayba The common response to gun ed buying guns as a self-defense more than 40,000 people die from thority, lack of stable housing, lack Foundation, a nonprofit working violence is extra policing, but mechanism “with the idea that this gun-related injuries each year in the of economic opportunities, under- with incarcerated people to improve Kami N. Chavis, a vice dean at will protect them,” said Berte. But that is as notVice thePresid realUnited States. This number includes performing schools, and an array of the WilliamJoe and Mary Law School President Biden and Rep. Maxwellunfortunately, Frost, D-Fla., applaud ity. More often, these same weaphomicides, suicides, and accidental military weapons easily available to and director ofofthe W&M announcement new WhiteCenter House Office of Gun Violence Prevention on S House Rose Garden (APPolicy Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) used to harm the family the deaths.The impact of gun violence Americans, to name a few. for Criminal Justice and ons are extends beyond the immediate Unfortunately, Islamophobia Reform, said, “I do not think we’re weapon was supposed to protect.

INVESTIGATION “What we have found, howevphysical harm caused by the inju- and gun violence can also be intergoing to arrest our way out of this er, with the intersection of familyries, because it also has a profound twined. Erum Ikramullah, a research gun violence problem.” impact on the mental and emotion- project manager with the Institute Clearly, a reactive approach to based violence, is that…having that al well-being of individuals, families, for Social Policy and Understanding gun violence is not working. Mere- weapon in the home is much more and communities.

(ISPU), explained how some Musdith Elizalde, a Muslim mother who likely to move a situation from doThis epidemic of gun violence has lims often feel unsafe in certain parts lost her son to gun violence in front mestic violence, which is bad, to OF THE a disproportionate impact on mem- of America due to their identity. of her eyes, said, “Nothing chang- domestic homicide, which is a combers of BIPOC communities, many “Our previous research shows es. This country—it just keeps going plete tragedy,” said Berte.

Inside the White House’s ne Violence Prevention BEYOND

THE

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Addressing the dual crisis: gun violence and mental health inequities

Black and brown communities often face systemic barriers to accessing mental health services and support, which can further exacerbate the impact of gun violence on their well-being. Margari Hill explained that Muslims, in particular, have compounding anxiety regarding the safety of their children because they have read too many “Janazahs,” or death prayers, for the younger generation.

Many Muslim individuals “experienced [a] great deal of trauma in their life,” according to Amin Eshaiker, who works with inmates in a prison outreach program, Link Outside, to offer resources, programming, and support for a better life in—and outside— prison. “…And a lot of those traumas are unresolved, whether it’s parenting, whether it’s the neighborhoods they grew up in, whether it was the criminal justice system, racism, etc.”

The growing mental health crisis proliferates both in response to and as an instigator of the gun violence epidemic. To solve one problem, both issues have to be worked on simultaneously.

Fortunately, the situation is not all bleak. There are potential solutions to address gun violence in BIPOC communities and, by extension, Muslim communities.

Individual states are taking action to curb gun violence. In California last year, Attorney General Rob Bonta set up the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to tackle the epidemic from multiple fronts: “seizure of firearms using the Armed and Prohibited Persons System database, prosecution of firearm trafficking cases, and defense of existing common sense gun laws.”

Kavi N. Chavis emphasized the importance of paying attention to the mechanisms being used to combat gun violence: “We are so fortunate to live in a country where we have so many diverse populations living side-by-side…my hope and aspiration would be that we all learn from each other…”

Chavis suggested another approach would be to increase mental health resources and support for communities in need, especially those 127 or so cities where half of gun violence is concentrated. These cities suffer from increased poverty, lower rates of education, and racial segregation.

The solution offered is straightforward: Provide mental health support and resources to the cities that

bearing arms, for instance, may not always align with the American context, historical traditions can be adjusted and interpreted to better fit current situations. Cultivating cultural sensitivity among participants is imperative for the success of educational initiatives.

Mustafa Umar advocated for Islamically trained and acculturated mental health therapists.

“We need to get more Islamic counselors because what ends up happening is we have Muslim counselors, but we don’t have the Islamic counselors,” he said.

This is important because not all Muslims may be well-versed in the teachings of Islam; having scholarly training in Islamic jurisprudence and theology would help facilitate smoother understanding.

In highlighting the impact of proper Islamic education, Shaykh Nsour recounted a story about one of his students who was a victim of gun violence but not retaliating because of “taqwa,” meaning the fearing of God. “The work that we do is to increase people’s understanding of Islam and of themselves, and not only through Islamic education, but also through understanding criminality, understanding recovery and action plans,” Nsour said.

Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, an academic and executive director of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, explained that there is not derscored the need for Islamic enough support in Muslim comcounselors—professionals ed- munities. “The fact [is] that many ucated in both Islam and counseling—who can understand the religious and cultural nuances of Muslim communities.

When it comes to educational initiatives, he believes it’s crucial to engage individuals who have expertise in the realm of weaponry while also having a deep understanding of the cultural dynamics at play. By establishing a connection with culture or cultural history, significant positive outcomes can be achieved. He said there is a certain type of background in the community; they can invite an expert who not only understands the subject matter comprehensively but also maintains Providing mental health support strong ties with diverse home that is culturally and religiously countries. Doing so would allow sensitive is critical. (Photo by Karla an individual to address the preAnn Coté/Sipa USA) via AP Images) vailing situation, while highlighting the historical significance of of our community organizations, the community and emphasizing nonprofits, or mosques are uninstances of resistance and social derstaffed and often not as mature movements. as some of the other sort of…faith Mustafa Umar said this ap- communities, institutions…many proach can assist in finding equi- mosques are run by either volunlibrium, emphasizing that while teers or one or two staff members

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Times Square in New York City to take a stand against racism, bigotry, and xenophobia. (Photo by Karla Ann Coté/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

have the most common gun violence occurrences. Gun violence exposure is associated with PTSD, antisocial behavior, depression, stunted cognitive and emotional development, risky substance use, and a heightened likelihood of engaging in violent behaviors.

Empowering Muslim communities toward resilience

To break the cycle requires widespread support. Ahmad, who was wrongfully convicted of murder, said that “in places like where I am, ERDCC prison in Missouri, people from major towns like St. Louis and Kansas City are affected continuously by assaults and murders of family members and/or friends.

They often seek out counseling from fellow prisoners because they don’t feel safe or have yet to overcome the stigma of seeing a ‘pysch’ about their personal problems.”

He further explained that Muslim prisoners do not have the same resources to deal with trauma as their Christian counterparts.

Shaykh Mustafa Umar, former director of the Link Outside prison outreach program, un-

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 7 at best. [which] means that there is capacity on that and then that means that outreach, that awareness needs to happen at an increased level.” He believes gun violence can be allayed through proper investment.

Other Muslim leaders focus on combating violence with retrospection, community support, and education. The Tayba Foundation offers courses relating to addiction, recovery, and therapeutic community to help incarcerees change their coping mechanisms with trauma.

The courses, said Shaykh Nsour, help “increase people’s understanding of Islam and themselves, criminality, recovery plans” through realization of “what trauma is, how it affects a person, how a person can cope with it and …heal it,” ultimately to prevent gun violence or any other type of violence by changing behavioral thinking.

Tayba emphasized community support, which is evident in incarcerees creating courses and contributing to literature that is used to teach other incarcerees, using their experiences with the system and trauma to teach others about the most effective coping mechanisms. They have a course “that specifically addresses addiction and recovery from an Islamic standpoint.”

When it comes specifically to domestic violence, many organizations support women and children who are the primary victims of this behavior. However, leaving men untreated and without help leads to creating another set of victims and continuing the cycle. Thus, the Peaceful Families Project also has a program in place called “Peaceful Partners” that specifically addresses male needs by providing “male-to-male allyship, male-tomale support, male-to-male defining what is Muslim masculinity in a positive way,” said Berte.

Ultimately, gun violence cannot be tackled until the root causes are addressed: racist policies in policing, inadequate access to housing, and lack of educational and economic opportunities for BIPOC communities. State legislatures, attorneys general, and local governments can step in to address these problems. Creating community violence intervention programs, preventing domestic abusers from accessing firearms, and addressing the unique needs of women of color can drive down the rates of gun violence deaths and casualties in America, including Muslim communities.

This article was made possible by a grant from the Google News Initiative.

8 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

Go With The Flo FLO ANTHONY

Terrence Howard’s new movie, “Showdown at the Grand” held its premiere on November 8 at Malco Powerhouse Cinema in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The Oscar-nominated actor sang at the event and also played the piano as Doll McCoy sang.

The “Empire” star also participated in a Q&A session. In “Showdown at the Grand,” which also stars Dolph Lundgren, Howard portrays George Fuller, a movie palace proprietor trying to save his place from unscrupulous developers, according to Variety........

MilkPEP and its agency GALE have enlisted “The Equalizer” star Queen Latifah to take on “dairy deniers” who have been bullying milk drinkers with a new campaign that’s a direct hit to the funny bone. The actress, rap icon, songstress, producer and avid milk drinker lends her star power to bring down the house and “pour milk shaming down the drain” in “OK2Milk,” a public service announcement from the national milk processors’ organization.

The spoof introduces a fictional group that offers “support, community and compassion for dairy milk in coffee shops, at school and beyond.”.......

In 1990, veteran comedy talent scout and entertainment TV producer Bob Sumner created the legendary HBO hit series “Def Comedy Jam” with Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons, introducing the world to comedic geniuses such as Martin Lawrence.

Today, Sumner brings his talent scout skills to Washington D.C. In partnership with D.C.-based television producer Russell Webster of Union District Films, Sumner and Webster will unveil their new series, “Union Time To Laugh,” on December 5, 2023.

Filmed weekly at the Union District Oyster Bar, the live comedy show will feature up-and-coming comedians from around the DMV and beyond, with surprise cameos by some comedy superstars......

Aspire TV will be celebrating the Christmas season with Holiday Block Party all December. The Holiday Block Party will showcase Black Movie Magic, as well as new holiday specials and movie premieres meant to bring the family and community together in the spirit of the season. Aspire TV will debut the cable premiere of the holiday film “Our Christmas Love Story.”

The network will also air “Jam Sessions: Christmas Special” featuring performances by Syleena Johnson, Kyante’, Tarrey Torae, and J. Holiday. .....

G

O

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS W I T H T H E F L O

Harlem Holiday Lights celebrates 30 years The 30th anniversary of Harlem Holiday Lights took place Tuesday night on 125th Street featuring a parade of lights to kick off the holiday season.

The parade began with a brief ceremony and countdown before 15 lighted floats from various Harlem businesses and organizations made their way down 125th Street from Broadway to Fifth Avenue.

The theme for this year’s Harlem Holi-

day Lights focuses on “Celebrating Our Youth,” featuring special grand marshals including Stephanie Pacheco, NYS Youth Poet Laureate, as well as Dr. Lena Green, DSW, LCSW, CLC, and executive director of HOPE Center Harlem. NYC Dept. of Small Business Services Commissioner Kevin Kim also served as an honorary Grand Marshal.

Five new singing trees were also lit up the

Harlem Holiday Lights (Cyril Josh Barker photos)

125th Street corridor with lighting color spectacles and patterns paying tribute to different musical genres celebrating the diverse sounds of Harlem, from jazz and hip hop to old school, R&B, and classical.

The trees will allow visitors to support nearby local businesses even beyond the holidays through the “Shine On Harlem Challenge” as the trees remain active through March 2024.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS O U T & A B O U T

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 9

10 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Union Matters

New rule would make it easier for millions of Americans to unionize, but businesses are pushing back

Workers and family members take part in 15-city walkout on May 19, 2021, in front of a McDonald’s restaurant in Sanford, Fla., to demand $15 per hour wages. Federal rule that goes into effect next month could make it easier for millions of workers to form unions at big companies like McDonald’s but is already facing significant pushback from businesses and some members of Congress (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer A new federal rule that goes into effect next month could make it easier for millions of workers to form unions at big companies like McDonald’s, but it’s already facing significant pushback from businesses and some members of Congress.

The rule, announced late last month by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), sets new standards for determining when two companies should be considered “joint employers” under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

It sounds wonky. But essentially, the rule could widen the number of companies that must participate in labor negotiations alongside their franchisees or independent contractors. For example, it might require Burger King to bargain with workers

even though most of its U.S. restaurants are owned by franchisees, or it could require Amazon to negotiate with delivery drivers who are employed by independent contractors.

“It’s trying to take in the realities of today’s workforce, when many employers subcontract out work and say, ‘Oh, we’re not the employer,’” said Cathy Creighton, director of the Buffalo Co-Lab at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. “It’s the employer who is really calling the shots and has the money.”

The NLRB says the new rule changes a 2020 rule that made it too easy for joint employers to avoid their responsibility to negotiate with workers.

The 88-year-old NLRA guarantees the right of U.S. workers to form or join unions.

Critics say the new rule is an overreach by the labor-friendly

Biden administration that undermines independent business owners. Some—including the American Hotel and Lodging Association—have already sued to block it.

“The franchise business model is a really great American innovation. It’s created wealth for thousands, particularly underrepresented minorities and women,” said McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempczinski during a recent conference call with investors. “This is something we think needs to be supported, not attacked.”

U.S. Senators Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, and Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, have introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution that would overturn the rule. The resolution must pass both houses of Congress and be signed by President Joe Biden.

Biden hasn’t said whether he

supports the new joint employer rule, but has cast himself as the most pro-union president in history.

The new rule is scheduled to go into effect on December 26.

Richard Eiker, 54, has worked in fast food for 25 years and now works at a McDonald’s in Kansas City, Missouri. He said McDonald’s clearly controls its franchised stores and is sidestepping its responsibilities to workers.

Eiker, a leader in the pro-union group Stand Up KC, said unionizing could improve his pay, benefits and working conditions. Eiker has foot pain and high blood pressure, but said his job doesn’t offer affordable healthcare or paid time off to see a doctor. He often cuts his prescription medicines in half because he can’t afford to refill them.

“McDonald’s made almost $15 billion in profits over the last two years. They can certain-

ly afford to treat us better, and with a union, we could make them do right by us,” he said.

The new joint employer rule had its origins in the Obama administration. In 2015, the NLRB ruled that Browning-Ferris Industries, a waste management company, should be considered the joint employer of contract workers who were sorting its recycling because it had authority over their working conditions. A federal court upheld the NLRB’s decision in 2018.

But during the Trump administration, the Republican-controlled labor board narrowed the definition of a joint employer. Under the 2020 rule, companies could be considered a joint employer only if they had “substantial direct and immediate control” over employment conditions.

See PRO-UNION on page 37

THE NEW YORKS:9.25" AMSTERDAM NEWS

What does it take to have a care team in Harlem who sees you, not just your cancer?

When Theresa was being treated for breast cancer at MSK, her care team made both her recovery and her comfort top priorities.

“Everyone was so kind. From the administrative staff to the nurses, they were always doing little things to show they cared.”

We’re here for you at the MSK Ralph Lauren Center, 1919 Madison Avenue at 124th in Harlem. Go to MSK.org/HarlemCancerCare or call 347-671-7868 to reach a cancer expert today.

Theresa L. Treated for breast cancer ©2023 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. All rights reserved.

Where you’re treated first matters.

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 11

12 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Opinion What’s at stake in suing Biden?

EDITORIAL

Currently, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) has sued President Biden and two of his cabinet members. We filed a story on this but didn’t have an opportunity to quiz them on this and what they hope to achieve.

One thing is for certain, the president can be sued but not just for anything, we’ve discovered. Biden, as the sitting president, according to some experts, is immune from liability in a personal capacity when acting within his executive power or when completing official acts.

Those last three words beg the question: Does the complaint filed against him and his cabinet members fall within the jurisdiction of “completing official acts,” even if those acts violate human rights?

Our research reveals that there has been a long history of lawsuits against a sitting president, and most of them ended up going nowhere with the Supreme Court rendering the final decision, which makes this lawsuit dead on arrival.

Two cases are usually referenced in this discussion: Nixon v. Fitzgerald in 1982 and Clinton v. Jones in 1997. In the former, Mr. Fitzgerald brought a lawsuit against several government officials, including Nixon. The Supreme Court decided that presidents are not immune to criminal charges while in 6 office. In the other case, the court decided that a sitting president [Clinton] could not be charged in a civil suit for official actions until the conclusion of his term. When he was no longer in office, Paula Jones resumed her lawsuit.

How this lawsuit will end is about as complex as predicting when the war between Israel and Hamas will end. But at least in the legal issue, perhaps with a response from the CCR, we can get a better understanding of what the organization is seeking to gain from the complaint.

To be sure, they’ve got our attention and that’s one positive result.

Proposed Rx regulation would increase cost of medicines

By KHARI EDWARDS According to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data, New York experienced “the largest numeric decline” in its population from 2020 to 2021 of any state, losing a whopping 123,104 people. We’re seeing young professionals, families, seniors and employers leaving in droves because the cost of living is simply too high.

A recent news report highlighted that New York is the fifth most expensive state in which to live. We expect this critical situation to worsen if a recently proposed rule from the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) takes effect. The DFS regulation would increase prescription drug costs for labor unions, employers, patients, and seniors, making it harder for us all to access and afford our medications.

The DFS rule inexplicably sides with some special interest pharmacies to propose a substantial increase in prescription drug costs for New Yorkers, at a time when too many already face financial hardship affording their medications—and at a time when many employers are struggling to afford quality healthcare coverage for their employees.

This rule would tack on a $10.18 fee on most prescriptions filled at the pharmacy counter in the form of higher co-pays, premiums, or deductibles. For seniors living on a fixed income, this could pose a significant financial burden.

For individuals who routinely need prescriptions or even someone needing just one prescription, this added cost on every prescription would have a severe negative impact. If someone needs just five monthly prescriptions, this could total a shocking $600 in increased prescription drug costs every year. This will acutely affect many of our state’s seniors. For retirees like my father who receive their healthcare through their union benefit plan, the additional cost to the plans could also result in higher copays and premiums passed on to retirees and other members.

One analysis found that nearly 90% of older adults regularly take at least one prescription drug, almost 80% take at least two

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher Member

Alliance for Audited Media

and Editor in Chief

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising

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

“The New York State Department of Financial Services rule inexplicably sides with some special interest pharmacies to propose a substantial increase in prescription drug costs for New Yorkers, at a time when too many already face financial hardship affording their medications—and at a time when many employers are struggling to afford quality healthcare coverage for their employees.” and more than 33% take more than five.

The older people get, the more they will likely need prescriptions. For seniors like my father, this kind of additional spending could be life-altering.

Once people start seeing additional direct costs on every prescription they pick up at the pharmacy counter, we can almost guarantee we’ll start to see even more individuals leave the state, keeping the Empire State from further prosperity.

If the added fee isn’t enough, the rulemaking would also undermine home delivery as an option for patients to get their prescriptions. This goes far beyond just impacting seniors, but also has direct consequences for working professionals like me.

Home delivery helps save valuable time and money and for such a bustling state like New York, time is money.

Seniors like my dad also rely on home delivery and the COVID-19 pandemic underscored that. Getting to and from brick and mortar pharmacies can pose a serious challenge for seniors with limited mobility, access to transportation, and healthcare support.

For these New Yorkers, home delivery provides them the peace of mind of knowing they will receive critical medications without the

added burden of getting to the pharmacy to pick them up. This helps save people money as well as ensures patients can better adhere to their prescriptions.

As someone who is a leader in non-profit healthcare, I see everyday individuals struggle to afford healthcare, with the pharmacy being the most commonly used health benefit. This rule will make it harder for employers to offer health coverage, hurting working professionals and retired individuals struggling to maintain their health.

Our state should be improving healthcare, not taking away choices and access, and making things more costly. The negative implications of the DFS rule, especially when they acutely affect seniors, make it incomprehensible as to why Albany would move forward with it.

I hope Governor Hochul and her administration will reverse this proposed regulation that directly targets New York patients.

So many families are counting on them to protect our pharmacy benefits.

Khari Edwards was the first Black Vice President at Brooklyn’s Brookdale Hospital and a former Brooklyn Borough President candidate.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS O P I N I O N

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 13

A path forward for Trump: What is going on politically? rising above the fray DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opinions of others that may differ from our own.

CHRISTINA

GREER, PH.D.

ARMSTRONG

WILLIAMS

In these tumultuous times, our beloved United States finds itself at a crossroads of division, rife with political strife, cultural clashes, and social discord. It’s a challenging moment in history, one that begs for leadership that transcends the partisan bickering and personal animosities that have marred our recent political landscape. Former President Donald J. Trump, a polarizing figure for many, stands at a unique crossroads himself. The question is not whether he should seek revenge, but whether he can rise above and adopt a more presidential and unifying posture.

The future of our nation depends on his choices, and the path he takes from here on out.

It is undeniable that Trump has his legions of supporters who revere him for his plain-spoken approach and his commitment to shaking up the political establishment. Yet, it is equally undeniable that he has his detractors, who decry his divisive rhetoric, name-calling, and prolific use of Twitter to air grievances and settle scores. To chart a path back to the presidency, Trump must reckon with these realities and work to become a different person, one who seeks unity rather than division.

First and foremost, Trump should embrace the wisdom that comes from experience. The presidency, one of the most challenging roles in the world, demands a level of decorum and restraint. It necessitates a focus on the welfare of the nation as a whole, rather than the settling of personal scores. To truly become presidential, Trump must rise above the urge for revenge and name-calling.

The United States deserves leaders who can prioritize the greater good over personal vendettas, and Trump needs to rise above and be the type of leader his detractors don’t think he’s capable of being.

Trump has always been a fighter,

and that’s a quality his supporters admire. But in this moment of division, the fight should be for the unity and prosperity of our nation. Trump can channel his energy into constructive change and the betterment of American lives. He can do this by focusing on his policy achievements from his time in office, whether it be tax reform, deregulation, or reshaping the federal judiciary. It’s through policies and accomplishments, not personal feuds, that he can build a legacy that endures.

To that end, Trump should put the constant social media attacks behind him. His use of social media has been a double-edged sword, rallying his base and providing a direct line of communication to the American people, while also exacerbating divisions with his inflammatory tweets. In his quest to become presidential, Trump must adopt a more disciplined approach to communication, one that prioritizes thoughtful discourse over impulsivity. Instead of reacting to every slight and provocation, he should engage in measured, substantive discussions, and avoid the kind of social media warfare that exacerbates our already fragile national unity.

Trump should reach across the aisle, bridging the divide that separates Republicans from Democrats and conservatives from liberals. It is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. The political polarization that plagues our country has become a major impediment to progress.

Trump can show true leadership by working with Democrats on issues of common concern, such as infrastructure, healthcare, and immigration reform. It is by embracing a spirit of cooperation that he can help mend our fractured political landscape.

On the cultural and social front, Trump must also strive to be a uni-

fying force. Our nation is marked by its diversity, and a president must be a leader for all Americans, regardless of their race, religion, or background. Trump has an opportunity to be the kind of leader who respects and values the differences that make our country strong. He can set a tone that encourages respectful dialogue and fosters a climate where differing opinions are considered and appreciated rather than vilified.

One key aspect of becoming presidential is a commitment to moral and ethical leadership. Our nation has been sorely tested in this regard, with scandals and controversies that have eroded trust in government institutions. Trump can help restore that trust by adhering to the highest ethical standards and by promoting transparency in government. He should surround himself with advisors who share this commitment and work tirelessly to root out corruption and impropriety in all levels of government.

The United States stands at a critical juncture, with political, cultural, and social divides threatening to undermine the very fabric of our nation. As he is once again seeking the presidency, Donald Trump must rise above the urge for revenge and divisiveness. He can choose to be a different person, one who embodies the ideals of unity, decorum, and moral leadership that our great nation deserves. It is a path that requires strength, humility, and a commitment to the greater good.

Only then can we hope for a more harmonious and prosperous future for our beloved United States.

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

I can’t be the only person deeply concerned about our democratic republic.

This country seems to be coming apart at the seams and I am constantly reminded of just how fragile our democracy is with each passing election cycle. If we have any hope of moving forward in a productive and inclusive direction, we must become more participatory and aware.

Our recent election on November 7 had yet another abysmal participation rate.

Fewer than a quarter of eligible New Yorkers bothered to vote. Indeed, this was an odd-year election and there was no race for members of the House or Senate, never mind governor or president on the ballot. However, we did have races for City Council members, judges, and even ballot initiatives related to spending.

Why would we ignore elections where individuals are in charge of billions of dollars? Why would we ignore a race to elect judges who decide the fate of our families and communities?

Yes, New Yorkers are asked to go to the polls quite often. Depending on where you live, you could go to the polls every year. Most New Yorkers have the ability to go to the polls more than twice every three out of four years. Sadly, many people are ignoring their civic duty and social responsibility, and resting on the tired argument that “nothing changes” or that “both parties are the same.”

These statements couldn’t be further from the truth.

With the rhetoric of the 45th president, this country is careening swiftly toward fascism and

isolationism. We cannot become a nation that vilifies immigrants and seeks to strip away hard-fought civil rights policies.

So many of us are incredibly busy or stressed in our lives, but voting and paying attention to the actions of our leaders must be built into our priorities.

I have never been so uncertain about the future of our city, our state, and our federal government.

As the FBI questions the past actions of the mayor, as Governor Kathy Hochul tries to gain footing in a state that is increasingly become more “red,” and as sitting president Joe Biden is currently tied in the polls with a man who has state and federal indictments in four jurisdictions, I am unsure about why so many Americans are choosing to ignore the dangers that lie ahead if we do not correct the ship…and soon.

I implore our readers to make political education a part of their daily lives.

As I tell my students, reading the news should be like brushing your teeth: done in the morning, ideally at night as well, and if you’re really good, done throughout the day. The future and success of our nation depend on our participation.

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 FAQNYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio; and a 2023–2024 Moynihan Public Scholars Fellow at CCNY.

14 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Caribbean Update

Guyana’s government refuses to meet Black U.S. representatives

BY BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews Guyana’s Indo-dominated government has said it will not meet with a delegation of U.S. African American state representatives headed to the country this week to investigate allegations of racial discrimination against Guyanese of African descent.

Comprising several state assembly members and senators from a number of southern states, including Texas, Georgia, and the Carolinas, the delegation had asked to meet with President Irfaan Ali and other government officials, but the cabinet said it will not in any way treat with the delegation and its obvious bias toward the political opposition and its persistent narrative of racial discrimination against Blacks.

This is the second high-level delegation of American political and Congressional delegations to have visited this economically thriving oil- and gas-rich Caribbean Community (Caricom) headquarter nation of about a million people in two

months. The country has been traditionally bedeviled by tensions between Indians at 37% of the population and Afros at 34%, with both groupings voting for electeds representing strictly along racial lines.

More than a month ago, the government did engage with a previous New York State delegation that included representatives such as Senator Roxanne Persaud and Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman. Several rounds of high-level meetings were organized with Ali, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, and other top officials.

This time around, officials appear to be angry with the New York-based Guyana Caribbean Institute for Democracy (GCID), headed by New York attorney Rickford Burke. They said the visit by the delegation this week clearly stemmed from an early September forum in Washington that was organized by the GCID and related organizations and individuals, to which the government was not invited.

Lawmakers and other politicos from Guyana did make presentations to Con-

gressional groups, including the Black Caucus. Democratic House Leader Hakeen Jeffries did bless the forum but Georgetown said that enough is enough.

“This one-sided engagement (in Washington) presented the platform for opposition politicians to spew concocted and fabricated narratives about the government of Guyana, including their usual diatribe about racial discrimination and extra-judicial killings, without any fact-checking mechanism and without the government being afforded a hearing or the facility of a response.

It is obvious that these jaundiced, baseless, and unfounded narratives of these Opposition Politicians, unsupported by any evidence whatsoever, have influenced this delegation. The government of Guyana will not be engaging this delegation acting in their private capacities as this is a clear interference in Guyana’s domestic politics with a bias toward the political opposition in Guyana,” a statement said.

Opposition, rights groups, and social activists have been railing against the

Guyana government, blaming it for excluding a large section of the population from senior positions, state contracts, and other forms of largesse, contending that only a small group of friends, family, and preferred foreigners are the ones with access to major state jobs and awards.

For his part, Burke said in a separate statement that “the delegation intends to use the insights gained from all of the available information to inform and guide its discussions with relevant leaders in Congress and the White House upon their return to the United States.”

The group said it also “plans to advocate for positive change and promote inclusivity and equality at both national and international levels.”

For the September forum in Washington, President Ali and other top officials rushed ahead to DC to preempt the conference and meet with some of the same officials with whom the Guyanese lawmakers had interacted to explain its side of the political narrative, particularly in regard to racial discrimination against Black Guyanese.

Six must-know immigration news stories FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION KORNER While immigration has been pushed off the front page by the war in the Middle East, the issue remains a hot-button one, especially as it relates to the broader national security funding package requested by President Joe Biden that includes aid to Israel, Ukraine, and border security.

Here are six major headlines you should know.

1: Bipartisan deal?

A bipartisan Senate group, including Senators Michael Bennet, James Lankford, Chris Murphy, Kyrsten Sinema, and Thom Tillis, is working on a compromise deal to reform asylum policies and address the surge in migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. The proposed compromise would be part of a broader national security funding package, including aid to Israel and Ukraine. The bipartisan talks aim to find common ground on issues like processing migrants, addressing border security concerns, and implementing asylum changes. The negotiations come amid heightened concerns about the porous border and the flood of migrants into

many U.S. cities, including New York.

2: TPS for Palestinians Senator Dick Durbin (D-Il.) is spearheading an effort urging President Biden to grant temporary legal status to Palestinians living in the United States due to the ongoing violence in the Israel-Hamas war.

In a letter to Biden, Durbin asked the president to designate the Palestinian territories for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and to authorize Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), for Palestinians living in the U.S., arguing that they should not be forced to return to Gaza in light of the escalating conflict.

3: Trumpeto back to pushing deportation mantra At a rally in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 8, former President Donald Trumpeto declared that, if elected again, he would initiate extensive deportations of immigrants on his first day in office. Trump, who skipped the GOP debate in Miami for a Hialeah rally, criticized the Biden administration, alleging that the U.S. has become a global dumping ground.

He claimed unprecedented levels of immigration, describing it as an “invasion,” and vowed to end every open border policy on his first day and launch the largest domestic deportation operation in American history. Hialeah has a popu-

lation that is nearly 96% Hispanic, with a foreign-born population above 74%, according to recent U.S. Census data.

4: Texas moves A Texas House committee approved House Bill 4, a controversial border security measure allowing state law enforcement officers to enforce immigration law, typically a federal authority. The bill proposes making it a state crime for non-citizens to enter the U.S. illegally, empowering any state peace officer to arrest or order the return of individuals entering Texas unlawfully. Representative David Spiller, the bill’s author, argues that the federal government’s insufficient border security measures necessitate such state intervention.

Critics contend that the legislation may violate the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, asserting federal authority over immigration enforcement.

5: Apple’s immigration fine Apple Inc. will pay $25 million to settle U.S. Department of Justice claims that it unlawfully favored immigrant workers for specific jobs over U.S. citizens and green card holders.

The settlement, the largest ever for the Justice Department in citizenship discrimination claims, requires Apple to pay $6.75 million in civil penalties and $18.25 million to affected workers. Apple acknowl-

edged unintentional non-compliance with DOJ standards, stating it has implemented a remediation plan to align with government requirements and continues to prioritize hiring American workers.

The Justice Department cited Apple’s failure to actively recruit citizens and residents for certain roles, violating federal law.

6: Cost of backlog The United States is potentially losing trillions in economic gains due to worsening green card backlogs, according to projections by the Bipartisan Policy Center. Around 7.6 million individuals are currently caught in queues for lawful permanent residency, with the majority being new potential immigrants stuck outside the country. The BPC estimates that easing green card barriers for both new entrants and existing workers on temporary visas could contribute $3.9 trillion to the gross domestic product over the next decade.

The report highlights the substantial economic growth potential, primarily driven by incorporating new immigrants into a labor force facing ongoing shortages and lifting job restrictions for green card seekers already working in the U.S. The writer is publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, the Black Immigrant Daily News.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

i n

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 15

C o n c e r t

DECEMBER 20–23 Relive the excitement of Black Panther as the film plays on a towering screen while the New York Philharmonic performs its Oscar®-winning score.

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Programs are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Conductors, programs, pricing, and sale dates are correct at the date of printing and are subject to change. All concerts take place in the Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center. © 2023 New York Philharmonic. All rights reserved. Photo by Chris Lee.

© Marvel

16 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Health Talking about tobacco initiatives and resources from the NYC Department of Health

By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews Dr. Achala Talati, DO, MS, MPH, director of Tobacco Policy and Programs, Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, spoke with the Amsterdam News for a Q&A about tobacco programs, initiatives in the department, and resources for New Yorkers. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Dr. Achala Talat, director of Tobacco Policy and Programs, Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Heather M. Butts photo)

AmNews: Please tell us about the work of your department.

Dr. Achala Talati: In terms of tobacco, even though we’ve made a lot of progress, [tobacco deaths are] still definitely a leading cause of death, still something really important that we need to address to reduce chronic disease. We tried to take a comprehensive approach, so that includes mass media campaigns and communication, to get that education and word out there is

community engagement and outreach. We are having more of a bidirectional conversation and hearing [what people have to say].

Making sure we’re providing resources.

Making sure that people know what those resources are, but also making sure that everyone in the city has access to no or low cost tobacco treatment resources.

Finally, evaluation to make sure we’re evaluating what we’re doing, including using our surveillance data to see what’s working and what’s not working, and also where we need to reach the people who are affected the most.

AmNews: Could you speak to some of the smoking campaigns the department has launched over the last few years?

We do tend to have a few different big campaigns every year. “You quit, you win” we’ve got right now. In tobacco control, media campaigns have a really strong evidence base and so that’s definitely a priority—for us to put out some of those media campaigns every year. We do intro-

duce new and different campaigns every year because I think part of what we’ve realized is rotating some of those messages, having different messages out there, can help reach different people as well because different messages will resonate with different people.

One of the big things that we promote in all the campaigns is the New York State Quitline [1-866-NYQUITS (1-866-6978487; text, 716-309-4688), which is a great resource…people can apply for a free starter kit, they can talk to a coach to get help to make an individualized plan for what might work for them get some specific tips, and they can also call back as many times as they want if they ever need additional support.

We’ve also realized that not everyone is ready to quit right away and so we’ve also been trying to make sure that people know that there are options for everyone, so if you’re ready to quit, that’s great and medications and counseling can definitely See TOBACCO INITIATIVES on page 35

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 17

Arts & Entertainment Theatre pg 17 | Film/TV pg 19 | Jazz pg 22 | Trends pg 23

Pg. 20 Your Stars

Nominations are out for the 51st AUDELCO Awards

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews There is nothing more joyous and rewarding than attending the Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Awards which recognize excellence in Black theater. This year the awards will take place on Monday, November 20 at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem, at 2116 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard on the 6th floor. The AUDELCO Awards is a Black theater family reunion where we get to applaud the outstanding work our people have done this theater season across a number of different artistic categories. The nominations are in and it is very exciting, as 34 productions made the list!

There’s a three-way tie for the most nominated productions: “Malvolio” presented by the Classical Theatre of Harlem, “Rock & Roll Man,” presented by Caiola Productions, and “The Harder They Come” presented by The Public Theatre. “Malvolio” is up for best play, directed by Ian Belknap and Ty Jones; choreographer, Dell Howlett; lead actor in a play, Allen Gilmore; lead actress in a play, Kineta Kunutu; featured actor in a play, John-Andrew Morrison; featured actress in a play, Marjorie Johnson; set design, Christopher & Justin Swader; lighting design, Alan C. Edwards; costume design, Celeste Jennings; and sound design, Frederick Kennedy. “Rock & Roll Man” received nominations for best musical; director of a musical, Randal Myler; outstanding musical director, Dave Keyes; choreographer, Stephanie Klemons; lead actor in a musical, Constantine Maroulis; featured actress in a musical, Valisia LeKae; three nominations for featured actor in a musical went to Rodrick Covington, Jamonte, and Matthew S. Morgan; and lighting design, Aja M. Jackson and Matthew Richards.

“The Harder They Come” earned nominations for best musical; director of a musical, Tony Taccone and Sergio Trujillo; outstanding musical director, John Bronston; choreographer Edgar Godineaux; lead actress in a musical, Meecah;

“Rock & Roll Man” (Joan Marcus photos)

lead actor in a musical, Natey Jones; featured actress in a musical, Jeannette Bayardelle; featured actor in a musical nominations for J. Bernard Calloway and Jacob Ming-Trent; and costume design, Emilio Sosa.

Coming in with an impressive nine nominations each are “A Raisin In The Sun” presented

by The Public Theatre and “black odyssey” presented by Classic Stage Company. “A Raisin in the Sun” is nominated for best revival of a play, director of a play, Robert O’Hara; lead actress in a play, Tonya Pinkins; lead actor in a play, Francois Battiste; featured actress in a play nominations for Perri Gaffney and Mandi Masden; set design Clint Ramos; costume design, Karen Perry; and sound design, Elisheba Ittoop. “black odyssey” is nominated for best play; playwright, Marcus Gardley; director of a play, Stevie WalkerWebb; outstanding musical director, Linda Tillery; featured actress in a play nominations for Harriett D. Foy and Adrienne C. Moore; featured actor in a play, Jimonn Cole; costume design, Kindall Almond; and sound design, UptownWorks.

“White Girl in Danger” presented by Vineyard Theatre/Second Stage Theater and “The 84th Annual Star-Burst Cotillion” presented by New Georges and the Movement Theatre Company

each received eight nominations.

“White Girl in Danger” is nominated for best musical; director of a musical, Lileana Blain-Cruz; outstanding musical director, Anessa Marie; choreographer, Raja Feather Kelly; lead actress in a musical, Latoya Edwards; featured actress in a musical, Tarra Conner Jones; and featured actor in a musical nominations for Vincent Jamal Hooper and James Jackson Jr. “The 84th Annual StarBurst Cotillion” is nominated for best play; playwright and director, Colette Robert; outstanding musical director, Dionne McClainFreeney; choreographer, nicHi Douglas; lead actress in a play, Akyiaa Wilson; costume design, Mika Eubanks; and sound design, Sadah Espii Proctor.

Seven nominations went to “Hamlet,” presented by Classical Theatre of Harlem, “Unentitled” presented by the Negro Ensemble Company, and “Mama I Want To Sing” presented by the Mama Foundation. “Hamlet” is nominated for best revival of a play; director of a play, Kenny Leon; lead actor in a play, Ato BlanksonWood; featured actress in a play, Lorraine Toussaint; featured actor in a play, John Douglas Thompson; lighting design, Allen Lee Hughes; and sound design, Justin Ellington. “Unentitled” received nominations for best play; playwright, Charles White; director

of a play, Florante Galvez; lead actress in a play, Kenya Wilson; featured actress in a play, Leah Finnie; featured actor in a play, Gil Tucker; and set design, Kristen Chang. “Mama I Want To Sing” is up for best revival of a musical; director of a musical, Ahmaya Knoelle; outstanding musical director, Kevin McKoy; lead actress in a musical, Asa Sulton; lead actor in a musical nominations for Bishop Richard Hartley and Lamont O’Neil; and featured actress in a musical, Letrice Arlene Cherry-Sturdivant.

Six nominations went to “Flex” presented by Lincoln Center Theater. “Flex” is nominated for best play; playwright, Candrice Jones; director of a play, Lileana BlainCruz; outstanding ensemble performance; lighting design, Adam Honore; and set design, Matt Saunders.

There were so many productions this season that left audiences stunned, enlightened, and inspired. Receiving five nominations are “Triple Threat” presented by T32 Theatrical and “This Land Was Made” presented by the Vineyard Theatre. “Triple Threat” is nominated for solo performance and playwright, James T. Lane; director of a play, Kenny Ingram; lighting design, Emmanuel Delgado; and sound design DJ Potts. “This Land Was Made” is up for best play and playwright, Tori Sampson;

lead actress in a play, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy; featured actor in a play, Julian Elijah Martinez; and set design, Wilson Chin.

Tying with four nominations are “The Half-God of Rainfall” presented by New York Theatre Workshop; “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” presented by Crossroads Theatre Company; and “The Bandaged Place,” presented by Roundabout Theatre Company.

“The Half-God of Rainfall” is up for outstanding ensemble performance; choreographer, Beatrice Capote; lighting design, Stacey Derosier; and sound design, Mikaal Sulaiman. “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” is nominated for best revival of a musical; director of a musical, Count Stovall; outstanding musical director, Nat Adderley, Jr.; and lead actress in a musical, Terry Burrell.

“The Bandaged Place” is nominated for best play; playwright, Harrison David Rivers; choreographer, Tisiarm Bouie; and lead actress in a play, Stephanie Berry.

Productions with three nominations include “Shadow/Land” presented by The Public Theatre, “Candida” presented by Gingold Theatrical Group, and “Primary Trust” presented by Roundabout Theatre Company. “Shadow/ Land” is nominated for outstanding ensemble performance; lighting design, Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew; and costume design, Azalea Fairley. “Candida” is up for lead actor in a play, R.J. Foster; set design, Lindsay Genevieve Fuori and costume design, Dustin Cross. “Primary Trust” is nominated for lead actor in a play, William Jackson Harper; featured actress in a play, April Matthis; and featured actor in a play, Eric Berryman.

Four productions came away with two nominations: “Picking Up the Pieces,” presented by Black Spectrum Theatre; “Crumbs From The Table of Joy,” presented by Keen Company/Rosalind Productions; “King James” presented by Manhattan Theatre Club; and “Downstate” presented

by Playwrights Horizons. “Picking Up the Pieces” is up for outstanding ensemble performance; and set design, Fulton C. Hodges See AUDELCO on page 19

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Harlem’s new Renaissance Hotel wants to integrate with the community

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff The newly opened Renaissance New York Harlem Hotel (located on 125th St. between Frederick Douglass Blvd & Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd) hosted an event on Monday, November 13 which welcomed neighborhood residents and local culture trendsetters. This was an invitation for locals to come in and check out the new building.

The evening featured a symposium with Harlem-based panelists who spoke about the depths of this community’s culture. Later there were breakout sessions which had audience members and some of the panelists joining in to explore how the new hotel might be able to insert itself within Harlem, and not simply extract a profit from its newly prized real estate location.

Kamilah Forbes, the executive producer of The Apollo Theater, said she realized when she came to Harlem 20 years ago that 125th Street was “emblematic of the center of Black culture.”

The Studio Museum in Harlem’s director Thelma Golden talked about understanding Harlem’s past and the potential of its future. Alexander Smalls, the chef and co-owner of The Cecil and Minton’s restaurants, said that he first moved to Harlem in 1998. “I’m indebted to this community,” Smalls said. “I believe that it gives me life, and I enjoy being a part of what I feel is a community that has given me meaning.” Meanwhile, journalist/talk show host Bianca Vivion said that after she moved to Harlem from Atlanta at the age of 18, it quickly became home for her and a safe space she could always return to. “I think as an artist and as a writer, Harlem functions in two ways: a lot of people think of it as an idea,” Vivion said. “You sort of walk down the street and think ‘This is where Langston Hughes was making his poetry.’ But then you’re also walking down the street and that’s where you’re going on your dates.

And that’s where you’re having your heartbreaks and your failures.”

Harlem’s meaning as a basis of culture reflects the fact that it has remained one of the most prominent homes to an assortment of people from the African diaspora for over 100 years now. The cultural movement of the 1920s made Harlem famous, but it has remained an ever-evolving neighborhood that has welcomed Blacks of varied economic classes and allowed them to live close enough to get to know each other.

Harlem’s cultural soup is what brings tourists to the area—and it brought the

Kamilah Forbes, the executive producer of The Apollo Theater, Thelma Golden, director of Studio Museum in Harlem, chef Alexander Smalls, journalist/talk show host Bianca Vivion were panelists at a Renaissance New York Harlem symposium. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

The entrance to the newly opened Renaissance New York Harlem Hotel is built on top of the former landmark Victoria Theater. The new hotel has revamped the Victoria’s façade and lobby. (Ryan Kobane photos)

Marriott Bonvoy franchise to the neighborhood as well. Marriott Bonvoy opened its luxury-brand Aloft Harlem hotel on Frederick Douglass Blvd at 124th Street in December of 2010. Now, with the Renaissance New York Harlem, it is adding one of its premium trademark hotels to the area. Marriott’s Renaissance Hotels focus on giving hotel guests an entrée into a local experience. The hotel’s literature touts its Renaissance Hotels as places “where we invite our guests to take a journey through the neighborhoods that surround each of our hotels, with the help of our on-site navigators.”

Built on top of the former landmark Victoria Theater, the owners of the Renaissance New York Harlem want all the benefits that come with its new location: they’ve retained and spiffed up the Victoria’s historic façade and lobby and constructed a cultural facility for events and conferences. The hotel also features many African American-oriented retail products.

Many attending the symposium and panels talked about the rapid gentrification that is taking place in Harlem and what that could mean to this historic Black community. The debate raged on, though, as to whether Harlem will be subsumed, or if the neighborhood can keep its residents and thrive—maintaining Black culture at the forefront.

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‘Black Cake’ takes viewers on melodramatic journey of mystery, heritage

By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews The title alone, “Black Cake,” caught my attention, floating the question: “Is there such a thing?” And if so, what on Earth could it possibly taste like? But this limited series, now playing on Hulu, isn’t about baking or food at all, despite being set in the Caribbean.

“Black Cake” is actually the adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s best-selling novel of the same title. The story, in this eight-episode series, revolves around Eleanor Bennett (Chipo Chung)—a loving mother who, like so many of the older generation, has kept a boatload full of secrets from her children. We briefly meet her one year before her death, in present-day Southern California, where a surfing accident leads to a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer.

Her son, Byron (Ashley Thomas), a brilliant oceanographer, never leaves her side. But his younger sister Benny (Adrienne Warren), an artist who left

away from her own name, which wasn’t Eleanor Bennett but Covey Lin Cook.

This little girl had the spirit of the goddesses. A gifted and strong swimmer, she spent her life in competitions (which she won), training, and planning her life with her best friend, Bunny (Lashay Anderson).

Because her gambling and nervous father, Lin (Simon Wan), was strict, she hid her boyfriend, Gibbs (Ahmed Elhaj), from him.

Despite having a full romance, her real love and steadfast dream were competing (in swimming) on an international level.

But because of Lin’s weakness, his growing debts to a local criminal, and his equally ruthless brothScene from “Black Cake” now streaming on Hulu (James Van Evers/Hulu photos) er, he negotiates her marthe family and hasn’t been she wants them to listen The series takes us back riage to that very gangster, seen for eight years, years to together, along with to her 1960s childhood Little Man (Anthony Mark that included the death of Mr. Mitch. To further add in the West Indies, which Barrow). Torn and brokentheir father, doesn’t show drama to the entire story, blows her kids’ minds since hearted, young Covey is up until it’s time to read she has left them a small they were told she was an forced to go through with the will. Eleanor’s lawyer, black cake that she’s baked, orphan. The truth is that it. But fate steps in and Charles Mitch (Glynn instructing them to eat it she was raised by a Chinese Little Man is poisoned at Turman), reads her will, together when the time is father and a Black mother the wedding reception. which is full of surprises. right. A way, she says, to who left the island when she Covey fakes her own death The most compelling are honor her memory. The key was still small. and flees to England, where the hours of recordings that word here is “Together”…

And she ripped the veil Gibbs is studying.

AUDELCO Continued from page 17

and Anthony Ellison. “Crumbs From The Table of Joy” is nominated for best revival of a play and outstanding ensemble performance. “King James” is nominated for best play and outstanding ensemble performance. “Downstate” is nominated for lead actor in a play, K. Todd Freeman and featured actor in a play, Glenn Davis.

Two productions nominated in the category of solo performance are “Misty” and “Where We Belong.” “Misty” earned a nomination for Arinze Kene. “Where We Belong” garnered a nomination for Madeline Sayet.

Nine other productions were recognized with single nominations including “Bernarda’s Daughters,” “Mecca Is Burning,” “Harlem Hellfighters on a Latin Beat,” “Vanities the Musical,” “Only Gold,” “The Gospel According to Heather,” “Being Chaka,” “The White Blacks” and “Mandela.” “Bernarda’s Daughters” is nominated for outstanding ensemble performance. “Mecca Is Burning” is up for outstanding ensemble performance. “Harlem Hellfighters on a Latin Beat” is nominated for lead actor in a musical, Calvin Thompson. “Vanities the Musical” is nominated for lead actress in a

musical, Jade Jones. “Only Gold” is up for lead actress in a musical, Karine Plantadit.

“The Gospel According to Heather” earned a lead actress in a musical, Brittany Nicole Williams. “Being Chaka” is nominated for lead actor in a play, Kahiem Rivera. “The White Blacks” is up for lead actress in a play, Justine J. Hall. “Mandela” is nominated for best revival of a play.

The honorees this year are a stellar list.

“Rock & Roll Man” (Joan Marcus photos)

Legacy Awards will be presented to Allie Wood Jr. and Sonia Sanchez. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be given to Ted Lange, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Petronia Paley, and Roscoe Orman. Pioneer Awards will be bestowed upon Dr. Aduke Aremu, Elain Graham, and Terria Joseph. Outstanding Achievement Awards will be presented to Yolanda Brooks and John Ruiz Miranda, John Douglas Thomp-

Now this story has turned into a proper mystery. Who really killed the hated Little Man, the man with a list of enemies as long as a mile?

On the run now, Covey makes it across the Atlantic and back, over the years.

A crafty girl with the courage of 100 lions, she knows she’s being hunted, so over the years, she changes her identities to hide.

Now playing on Hulu, “Black Cake” isn’t the most compelling limited series on the streaming platform.

The details of the “mystery” are given up so easily, I feel silly even calling it that. It’s really a melodrama and it ticks all of those boxes.

There are some solid performances in this uneven series, including Warren, who has risen above the weak script, finding those small places where empathy was hidden.

And in case you were wondering, there is a cake by that very name. It’s usually eaten at Christmastime, and it takes effort to make it. It includes dried fruit soaked in rum and brandy for days, weeks, sometimes more.

son, and Karen Thorton. Board of Directors Awards will go to Senator Cordell Cleare, Brian A. Moreland, and Johnnie Mae. Special Achievement Awards will be given to Roslyn Ruff, Javon Johnson, Dietrice A. Bolden and Luther D. Isler.

Come out and support your favorites from the season. Tickets can be purchased by calling 949-291-8266 or 212-368-6906 or visiting www.audelco.org.

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HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By SUPREME GODDESS KYA WWW.KYAFRENCH.COM | CONSULTATIONS 866-331-5088 NOVEMBER 16, 2023—NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Rebirth of A New Nation: Going back around the merry-go-round pretending you are not hip to the patterns, sequences and cycles showing up revealing something. When you recognize the energy, take heed and do things differently to change the outcome. When you change, other things within your environment in your life will change. It will seem like magic and what you have been asking, hoping and wishing for is manifesting more quickly. When you change your state of mind, you attract what you need. Try it out for one day and then two days, until you reach 21 days consistently.

Write down what you notice. “With the right mindset, we can’t lose—we either practice what we’ve learned, or we learn what we need to practice.” Hitesh Patil

Fill out the facts before deciding or concluding. This cycle week, sit

Seems like time, money, energy and days are revolving faster as the night is approaching sooner. Relationships are ending and beginning to make space for missions ahead. Are you ready to take the lead to adDec 22 June 22 thrown in your plans is testing your willingness to stand on your ground. venture in something that comes naturally to you? When the oddest Jan 21 July 23 Do what is conducive to your agenda, and take time to remain focused moment occurs in your life, what seems like things not going right is on the assignment ahead. From November 16 around 2:41 a.m. until Nowhen the breakthrough or change begins. From November 20 around vember 18 around 6 a.m., your wellbeing—which brings peace, joy, stability, and hap- 9:29 a.m. until November 22 around 12 p.m., doors are opening, filled with opportunipiness—takes priority. Rise above when you feel that things and people are against you. ties to remember you are the prize.

 back and relax, just as the wind blows upon your skin on a sunny day Capricorn communicating good vibes. What may seem like a monkey wrench

 Cancer

Things are in your favor within your profession for advancement. Do Say yes! You are saying yes to the things you have accomplished and you have a strategy for your investment and how you operate in your busithe journey that brought you this far. Tina Turner said “big wheel keeps on turning, Proud Mary keep on burning.” Keep elevating higher Aquarius ness and personal affairs? Health is a highlighted topic along with setting Leo Jan 22 July 24 boundaries, which assist in the change of flow to keep things in place, and and higher. At some point in time during this cycle week the most unFeb 19 Aug 23 in not stretching yourself too thin in your daily affairs. Your health is just as orthodox, strange feeling and change of your behavior will send you important as the work you do. From November 18 around 6:28 a.m. until the information you need to know. When the 411 comes, pay attenNovember 20 around 9 a.m., when needed, take a short-term vacation or break/nap from tion to your surroundings. In the days leading up to November 22, know you can work in 15 to 25-minute increments to rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul. sense that vibe.

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You are receiving the 411 from family, friends and business of things going You have a new Kool-Aid flavor that folks haven’t tasted yet due to on plus a side dish of gossip. Decipher what and who you can trust when the fact that they’ve never heard information like the way you mix it comes to information as you can be misinformed. Besides the 411 and it. Well, all music isn’t for everybody just as the information you are Pisces Virgo Feb 20 Aug 24 gossip, your agenda is too full to participate in any of the foolishness in the mixing up. Not everyone is ready to receive and some folks would Mar 20 Sept 23 air. This is a time of self-improvement and deciding on which opportunities rather drink the Jim Jones Kool-Aid. Changes in your immediate envior offers best suit your line of work. These things will elevate you to the next ronment are encouraging you to make a move on a new mission. From level. Think big, dream big, and do things on a grand scale to position yourself well in cer- November 16 around 2:41 a.m. until November 18 around 6 a.m., like in the movie tain arenas. From November 20 around 9:29 a.m. until November 22 around 12 p.m., it’s all “The Matrix,” Morpheus said, “Follow the white rabbit.” about the building blocks and the foundation of your purpose and mission.

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Ready, Set, Go! You are rising to the occasion against all odds and What didn’t you know that you now do? And now that you know, what are continuing to push through. Who said the road will be easy? You have you going to do? When things reveal themselves to you in the light and in to learn by experiencing ups, downs, lows, and high moments to teach Libra the dark, it is what it is. Seems like the candy called “Now and Later.” The those who will need your wisdom and guidance. Trust what you feel Sept 24 Aries Oct 23 effects of what took place in your life or something you started is showing and check your health. Remember the advice the wise women and Mar 21 Apr 21 its face. A cycle of maturity is accepting, acknowledging, and admitting to men told when you were a young child? From November 18 around the changes that are brewing within you. In the days leading up to Novem- 6:28 a.m. until November 20 around 9 a.m., just when you feel your temperature boilber 22, when life gives you flowers, create a garden out of the ones you have. ing, cool down before you turn nothing into something and cause a scene.

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Folks say your health is your wealth and your wealth is your health. This The song “Respect” by Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul said, “What is a mindful week where you may feel slight discomfort within your body you want, baby I got it. What you need, do you know I got it? All I’m sending you signals to check your health. This can also be a sign form of asking is for a little respect when you get home” is the theme for this Taurus Scorpio your ancestors reaching out to you in a weird way guiding you to be privy week. What happens to respect, manners, values, and homemade Apr 22 Oct 24 May 21 Nov 22 to certain information. Cut your losses on certain things that don’t serve meals? Listen closely for your cue when the ancestors reveal what you a value in your life to receive what’s being prepared for you ahead. From need to know in due time. From November 20 around 9:29 a.m. until November 16 around 2:41 a.m. until November 18 around 6 a.m., see what you see, hear, November 22 around 12 p.m., no need to ask a question. Watch, observe and learn and feel within the silence of your stillness. as the script plays out.

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Irresistible change is upon you. You can probably smell and feel the pres“There you go” like the song title by Johnny Gill. What are you going ence of what’s upcoming. What are you planning and investing in to see to do when all your investments, network, and labor pay off handchange in your daily business and personal performance? This is a resilient somely? This is a time when you take off and go where your spirit is Gemini Sagitarius guiding you. Family, friends, neighbors, cousins will ask if can they week to buckle up to hit that curveball when it curves your way to make it May 22 Nov 23 June 21 happen. How often do you check yourself in the mirror when you are dressed borrow, lend, and spare. Traveling is indicated in your plans, but also Dec 21 and undressed? Do you like what you see either way? From November 18 know your limit, and keep an eye on your surroundings. There’s somearound 6:28 a.m. until November 20 around 9 a.m., small changes make a big difference. thing only for your eyes to see.

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Spice up for your rice: Two new gift offerings to level up in the kitchen

By KELLY TORRES Special to the AmNews Every year I challenge myself to add novelty to my holiday celebrations, whether that be with a new recipe, a new product, or simply new activities. Remember that time when everyone went wild for sous vide? How about the air fryer craze? I admit I never hopped on either of those trains—yet. However, I am one hundred percent amused with new-to-me recipes and styles of cuisine. If I am not riding that “newto-me” train, I am the conductor. It adds novelty to my life. In this feature, I am presenting an opportunity for you to add novelty to your holiday gift list, whether it be on the table with a new rice recipe from Chef JJ Johnson in his new cookbook, “The Simple Art of Rice: Recipes from Around the World for the Heart of Your Table,” or in marinades and cooking bases with the Latin Caribbean-inspired hot sauces and savory adobo seasoning from Maritza Abreu, who founded Pisqueya.

I chatted with both business owners on separate occasions. Read on as I talk about how I picked their brains.

Chef JJ is an author and the owner of the fast casual restaurant, FIELDTRIP, with locations in Harlem and Rockefeller Center. His rice recipes, and his enthralling pilgrimage story written in the opening of his new cookbook, highlight not only the essentials, but also the alternatives in flavor, to making rice. The “Simple Art of Rice” is an excellent resource for trying out all of those rice dishes from around the world, from the arroz gordo from Macau to the djon djon rice from Haiti. Rice has been a staple food for decades across a wide variety of cultures. Why is it not celebrated like pasta is celebrated? Those were the questions in Chef JJ’s head as he went out into the world and sought for himself the questions about rice he wanted to answer.

AmNews: I looked through your new cookbook. It is fantastic! I am looking forward to making the crispy rice salad with quick pickled onion. What inspired you to create a cookbook about rice, and how did your cultural identity play a part in this project?

Chef JJ: I created a cookbook about rice because when I traveled around the world, everybody was celebrating rice. And I was traveling everywhere. I was in Ghana, I was in India, I was in Singapore, I was in Israel, and everybody was celebrating rice through my culinary adventures and even on leisure adventures. I got my identity from growing up around the table. Being a kid made up of the American South, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean, that experience of growing up really shines through the cookbook. It allowed me to tell the untold stories of many cultures from around the world who celebrate rice.

AMN: In your introduction to the cookbook, you write, “I was reminded again and again that everyone has a different point of view about rice.” What was the most surprising tidbit of rice knowledge you found during your research for this cookbook?

CJJ: I learned that wild rice is a grass and it is indeed rice. But growing up in the culinary

(Los Plebeyos @losplebeyos photos) Chef JJ (Cleo TV photo)

world, we were taught that wild rice is not rice, and that’s false. Wild rice is one of the original crops of America.

AMN: I listened to the podcast episode you were featured in on “The Splendid Table” hosted by Francis Lam, and you playfully said not everybody can cook it. What are some of your first memories of cooking rice?

CJJ: I was a young kid, probably an early teen.

My early memories of rice were coconut rice and peas at the cookout, my Southern grandmother making the perfect pot of steamed rice with Vienna sausage sliced up in it, my aunt Jeanie pouring the gravy from the turkey wings over white rice. Those were some of my many early memories of rice. I was like ten years old, maybe eleven.

AMN: From previously being the executive chef at both The Cecil and Minton’s (now closed) and earning James Beard Awards for your previous cookbook, “Between Harlem and Heaven,” to your fast casual restaurant FIELDTRIP and appearing in food television shows like Cleo TV’s “Just Eats with Chef JJ,” what’s next for Chef JJ? What do you see yourself pursuing in the next three years, food-related or not?

CJJ: I hope to see FIELDTRIP continuously grow. I hope to see more of myself on TV, to grow more in the food space. I hope that in three years when you look at Chef JJ, you don’t only see me as a chef, but you’ll see Chef JJ as a food company. That would be my three year goal.

AMN: Name three people that you would love to rub elbows with at a party or simply collaborate with on a project.

CJJ: I would love to cook for Michelle Obama.

I would love to kick it with Drake at a party. And I would love to collaborate with Jeff Staples.

Maritza Abreu is the founder and CEO of Pisqueya, a food company celebrating Latin culture and Dominican flavors. Pisqueya’s “hot like fuego” and “calentón” product line of hot sauces, bbq sauce, and their first all-natural adobo seasoning offer a huge leap up for your cooking. These sauces will not only diversify, but also simplify, your cooking repertoire.

Using their sauce is as easy as enjoying it as a condiment to an empanada, adding a table-

(Beatriz da Costa photo)

spoon or two to marinades for meat or veggie proteins, adding a dash or two to the cooking base of rice dishes, stews and soups, or being the main component to the citrusy flavors of ceviches. Pisqueya offers all this and more, and even partnered with UPS to feature their Hot Like Fuego gift box on a huge billboard display in Times Square.

AmNews: In your origin story, you say “soy de aqui y de allá,” meaning “I am from here and from there.” You’re talking about growing up in New York, but having a deep connection to the Dominican Republic, where your parents are from. Where did this sense of responsibility to fill the gap in Dominican representation in the fast-growing food market come from? How has this decision impacted the trajectory of your career?

Maritza Abreu: It comes from love. Not necessarily the romantic kind of love, but truly love of culture through food, through spices, through aromas—all a sensory representation of my family and life. When you experience this kind of secure and grounding love, you naturally want to share it. So the sense of responsibility, ultimately for me, is a way to share what I have experienced as love. When I realized that this wasn’t represented in the food market, I simply had no other choice than to make it happen.

When I made this commitment, my career aligned with my passion—Pisqueya.

AMN: Pisqueya sources peppers and oregano from the farmlands of the Dominican Republic.

I know how essential oregano is to the cooking of hispanic foods, but I don’t think the rest of the world truly understands the difference between Dominican oregano and the regular dried oregano widely available in all U.S. supermarkets.

Did you foresee that incorporating ingredients from the Caribbean into your products would not only play a major role in your brand story, but also impact the success of your business?

Do you see the influence of Latin Caribbean cooking growing into markets outside of NYC and other culturally diverse areas? How so?

MA: Again, I truly only stayed true to what I knew. I did know it was a part of the Pisqueya story, but I didn’t think of it as being something intentional. For the success part, I inherently knew that the flavors unique to Pisqueya would resonate based on the experience of seeing years of customer reactions at my family’s restaurant. I do see the influence growing because of the globalization of food trends and the interconnectedness of our world which has made Latin Caribbean flavors more accessible. I also think that the popularity of fusion cuisine has allowed Latin Caribbean ingredients to transcend geographical boundaries.

AMN: You have this respect for the ecology that I presume to say is in alignment with your values. Where did that come from? Tell us how Pisqueya and the product line you offer stays true to this vision for you, your company, and the impact on the world.

MA: I’ll speak to sustainability first. Latin Caribbean culture is essentially rooted in the traditional principles of farm-to-table, celebrating traditions and practices that go back thousands of years. Our clean brand offers recipes without added fillers or high levels of sugar and sodium.

All of our products are packaged in glass with recycled labels in efforts to minimize our carbon footprint.

AMN: In your “Entrepreneur” interview, when you knew working for a corporation wasn’t your calling, you described it as a “fire inside” that burned. Now that you’re on the other side of that moment, can you describe what it feels like today?

MA: It feels grounding, scary, exhilarating, and humbling all at once. But knowing that I stayed true to who I am in every sense, I know that Pisqueya will continue to grow!

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Ghana cultural sites and jazz

Upon arriving at the airport of Accra, the capital of Ghana, African American sisters and brothers are greeted with “Welcome home,” and my response is “Thank you, so happy to be here.” Their international airport, like any, is a beehive of activity, with drivers standing at the exit waving client name cards, friends and family waiting anxiously, the usual scurrying drivers looking for fares, and airport security keeping it all on a mellow tone.

At the airport, it became apparent how Ghanaians are so willing to accommodate.

As we know, Americans are always alert to the scheme or schemer, but former radio host and jazz/cultural writer Ahoma Bosco Ocaney was quick to point out, “We are much too chill to attempt to rip someone off or commit bodily harm. In Ghana, there aren’t a lot of shootings and murders like in the States.” Since 1993, it has been one of the most free and stable governments on the continent.

The weather was amazing, topping 85–90 degrees daily—perfect beach weather. Although it was mentioned that Accra has some great beaches, I never made it to them. Who wants to waste time sunning when there is so much historical culture to be explored?

Fortunately, our Airbnb was centrally located, getting us to downtown Accra in 15 to 20 minutes by Uber at a cost of 20 cedi (about $1.67 in U.S. currency). Downtown Accra is a serious hustle-bustle of activity, with cars speeding by making those sharp turns, passing little open air markets on the side of the road where native Ghanaians peddled their wares, from soft drinks and water to peanuts and other treats, many of them balancing these items on their heads in baskets, often walking in the streets to approach cars in efforts to make a sale.

The traffic rush hour in Accra is just as bad as or worse than New York. We were only minutes away from downtown, but when caught in that rush hour traffic (4–8 p.m.), that same trip became two hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic with cars sitting idle, no movement at all. Yes, traffic was a monster!

Accra offers a treasure chest of historical cultural institutions and entertainment.

My visit to the W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture was an illuminating experience. Walking into the house where Du Bois and his wife Shirley Graham once resided, standing in their space, now occupied by their spirits, was eerie and astounding. The opportunity to examine each room—his office, his dressing room with his garments displayed—

+233 Jazz Bar & Grill (Ron Scott photos)

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park & Mausoleum, with statue of Nkrumah

and see the original furniture, the many photos that adorned the walls featuring prominent Black men both African and African American…

His wife’s office was dedicated to female warriors (as the tour guide noted, they are often forgotten, but we are here to remind everyone), from Queen Nzinga to Michele Obama and Harlem’s adopted Queen Mother Audley Moore. In 1972, Moore was given the chieftaincy title “Queen Mother” by members of the Ashanti people in Ghana. In New York City, she was honored and acknowledged as a Royal Elder in the Harlem community by the city’s Mayor David Dinkins and Congressman Charles Rangel.

Most impressive was Shirley Graham’s library (on my next visit, I will obtain the necessary permission letter from the director to use this library, filled with her and Du Bois’s books and other written gems). She is often overshadowed by Du Bois, but she was a prominent writer, playwright, composer, an activist, and Pan Africanist in her own right.

In 1932, she composed the opera “Tom-Tom: An Epic of Music and the Negro,” which fea-

tured an all-Black cast and orchestra, structured in three acts; act one taking place in an Indigenous African tribe, act two portraying an American slave plantation, and the final act taking place in 1920s Harlem. The music features elements of blues and spirituals, as well as jazz, with elements of opera.

In 1961, at the age of 93, Du Bois and his wife traveled to Ghana to take up residence. In early 1963, the United States refused to renew his passport, so he made the symbolic gesture of becoming a citizen of Ghana.

Standing at the grave of Du Bois and Shirley Graham (cremation urn) just a few yards from their house, ignited a feeling in me of active inspiration and a more definitive concept of Pan Africanism. Reading about Du Bois and his profound contribution as a Pan African civil rights activist, author, essayist, writer, and orator can never compare to being in the same room as his spirit and lingering thoughts.

Another spiritual experience was visiting the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum in downtown Accra. The fiveacre property pays homage to Ghana’s first president. The building is set to represent

an upside-down sword, which in Akan culture is the symbol of peace. The mausoleum houses the remains of Nkrumah and his wife Fathia Nkrumah.

The sacred site holds an abundance of artifacts and exhibits facts and photos from the life of Nkrumah. To date, there has yet to be a president to accomplish as much as he did for Ghana. Nkrumah once noted, “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.”

These two empowering homages to Du Bois and Nkrumah connect the dots and represent the undeniable relationship between America and Africa—a relationship that should be nourished. These two learned ancestors understood the importance of such a relationship and moved forward to enhance a better cultural relationship through education and economic means.

Accra’s jazz scene features the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill. As Bosco informed me, “It’s where dignitaries and regular folks come to hear good music.” Live jazz swings every Tuesday and Saturday with a mix of live music on the weekend.

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Spring ’24 Bridal Report

By RENEE MINUS WHITE Fashion & Beauty Editor For Spring ‘24, Julie Vino’s bridal collection, shown recently at Bridal Fashion Week, created magic on the runway. The looks were breathtaking as they flowed down the runway. Shapes were bodyfitting, fit-to-flair, and often in stunning mermaid silhouettes. Today, bridal design perfection is found in the details of delicate lace techniques, intricate embroidery, hand-beaded crystals, and full-beaded lace gowns. Every one of her wedding dresses was infused with romance.

This New Zealand-based bridal brand offers an expansive line of stylish cuts and size ranges. Their goal is to make all brides feel and look their best. At Hera Couture’s show, bridal gowns embodied an innovative design and timeless elegance. These looks reflected a holistic sustainability, made-to-order craftsmanship and lasting quality.

Note: In a world of disposable fashion, your bridal gown should be a cherished keepsake. Hera Couture exemplifies responsible design practices such as quality workmanship and style.

Continued from page 22

We caught two shows on different nights: a large jazz ensemble from Switzerland called African Vibes and Hemp featuring drums, congas, vibes, violin, viola guitar, electric bass, keyboards, and trumpets.

They played a colorful rainbow mix, from African Hi-Life to classical avant garde and jazzy bossa nova beats.

Another night, it was the Frank Kissi Quartet. Saxophonist and composer Kissi played a mean sax: straight-ahead jazz with a homegrown Ghanaian mix. “Musicians don’t have it easy here or anywhere really. We don’t have many places to gig, but you play wherever the music takes you,” said Kissi.

During the jam session, Blay Ambolley, one of Accra’s favorite jazz singers, dropped his impressive interpretation of “Blue Moon.” “Our music is an extension of American jazz. The music is in our DNA,” said producer, composer, and arranger Ambolley. “They took us out of Africa but they couldn’t take the Africa out of us.”

He was introduced to jazz by, as he describes, a jazz fanatic who listened to the Voice of America every night from 10 p.m.– 11 p.m. during the 1960s. “I got a chance to hear Dizzy, Miles, and John Coltrane,” Ambolley said. “The young musicians here are very encouraging, they are intent on

Spring ’24 bridal designs by Julie Vino. (Photos courtesy of designer Julie Vino)

The big news of the week was the growth of the bridal wholesale market. Grace Loves Lace introduced an exquisite collection of wedding gowns. The company was founded by Megan Ziems nearly 13 years ago. “We have been getting requests to go into the wholesale business,” Ziems said. “We are thrilled to focus on this new avenue.” Aside from the discount bridal stores like David’s Bridal, wholesale bridal operations will help to cut costs for brides-to-be, while still donning a beautiful gown for your walk down the aisle.

Grace Loves Lace designs are meticulously conceived and developed in the brand’s Australian studio, under the creative guidance of Ziems and her head designer, Rosie. They are supported by a team of in-house pattern-makers, cutters and seamstresses. The brand’s unwavering passion for authentic dressmaking and design transcends every aspect of gown development and manufacturing. Their designs are rooted in the belief that quality triumphs over quantity.

As Grace Loves Lace embarks on their new wholesale chapter, their designs and services are available at their stores. In New York, they are located at 43 Wooster St., New York, NY 10013. www.graceloveslace.com.

They also have stores in Washington D.C., Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

moving the music forward.”

The Gold Coast Hub is another club/restaurant that presents live music during the weekend.

It was an honor to be invited to discuss my favorite subject on one of the popular talk shows, Class Radio 91.3, with its engaging host Korku Lumor, whose talk format reminded me of the talk show warriors Imhotep Gary Byrd and Bob Law.

My meeting with newly elected officers of the Musicians Union of Ghana, consultant Bosco Ocaney and president Bessa Simons, opened a dialogue that I hope will lead to joint ventures with some of New York City’s nonprofit organizations.

Some of the union’s goals, as described

by Simons, include securing health insurance and pensions for musicians, and implementing a digital platform with

workshops on digitizing music and its importance in the 21st century.

“We also want to open our union to exchange programs with universities and other organizations,” said Simons. “We also want to collaborate and work with musicians in Ghana to assist them in getting visas.” Most importantly, Simons said, the union is in need of musical instruments for students and aspiring young musicians.

Grave of W.E.B. Du Bois. This monument represents an upside-down sword, which in Akan culture is a symbol for peace

W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture

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Local groups are fighting hunger, strengthening community ated an intake form. This was [so that we were] not only thinking about homelessness, because if a person’s homeless they’re dealing with other issues as well. The intake form consisted of assessing how do they get back and forth to school? Do they have enough clothing to feel comfortable in the classroom? Are they eating balanced meals every day?

Are they having to do technology on their phone? I looked at a holistic approach––not just at the homelessness––and it turned out that not only were these students homeless, they were also hungry on campus.”

Some community organizations have taken it upon themselves to try to tackle this crippling problem, by creating food programs that provide nourishment and allow people to push themselves further in life.

Members of the New Afrikan Black Panther Party (NABPP) have been working for the last four years with a South Jersey farmer and a local company to bring free food to residents in Newark, New Jersey. (NABPP photos)

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff Food discussions always take place with the onset of the holiday season. Many questions come up: what to eat, how many to serve, who’s doing the cooking, and how will the food be prepared?

The holiday season is also one of the primary times when the larger society remembers those who will not be celebrating with food—those who live day by day with food insecurity.

When people lack access to good quality, affordable and nutritious food, it takes a toll on their physical and mental health.

Food insecurity means a person may not know if they will have another meal, much less what that meal will consist of. “By November 2022, food insufficiency grew to 10.8% of New Yorkers and rates for households with children increased to 13.4%,” New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said in a report published this past March. “Over the last two years, Black and Hispanic or Latino adult New Yorkers

were more likely to report food insufficiency than both white adult New Yorkers and adult New Yorkers overall.”

Some community organizations have taken it upon themselves to try to tackle this crippling problem, by creating food programs that provide nourishment and allow people to push themselves further in life.

Dr. Waleek Boone, director of the Transition Academy at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College (MEC), says that at one point it was not unusual to find MEC students who were homeless.

These were students from lowincome households who had lost their food assistance and medical benefits after graduating high school. They were registered for college but couldn’t afford to pay for MetroCards, so they were hopping the turnstiles or asking bus drivers for a free ride. They were homeless, or sometimes just had

fresh produce at the local farmers market, as well as developing relationships with local supermarkets so they could give students vouchers to go to Foodtown where they could find some of the things not available in the MEC pantry.

Transition Academy also conducts workshops and helps students find jobs. What started as MEC’s effort to support students experiencing homelessness and food insecurity has become a point of entry where students can find all kinds of resources. “It was difficult in the beginning because when

difficulty trying to maintain themselves in a home. And then, when at home, they had no food.

Often the whole situation would become so discouraging that some students simply stopped attending school altogether.

Transition Academy started as an idea, a method to try to help students live securely while studying. Initially, Transition Academy had no resources, just an office, says Dr. Boone: “The first order of business was I cre-

MEC’s Transition Academy created its own Cougar Country Food Pantry which offers kale, collard greens, bok choy, chicken, salmon, halal meats, fresh beans, 100% juice, and more. But they found that the food pantry didn’t fully satisfy the needs of MEC students and their families. Organizers turned to offering vouchers to the school cafeteria and vouchers for reduced price/

students are faced with those hardships, they generally hide in the shadows to avoid this embarrassment. They don’t want anyone to know their business. So, the best selling point was: ‘Anything you share will be confidential with us.’

That’s how we began to build up Transition Academy and have students come out from behind the shadows to seek the resources.”

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Medgar Evers College’s Transition Academy looks to end hunger among students. (Transition Academy photos) Continued from previous page

Countering food desert communities Meanwhile, across the Hudson River, members of the New Afrikan Black Panther Party (NABPP) have been working for the last four years with a South Jersey farmer and a local company to bring free food to residents in Newark, New Jersey. Their program brings in produce like garlic, peppers, onions, and other “stuff that our community don’t get—or, if it’s in our community, it’s sold at an exponential price,” said Zulu Sharod, chair of NABPP. “Last Wednesday, we gave out over 100 whole chickens, free of charge,” Sharod told the AmNews. “You didn’t have to show us an ID. You didn’t have to write your name down on a piece of paper. You didn’t have to give us your name. They came and they took those chickens. And I’m hoping like hell that we get some turkeys or chick-

ens this Wednesday because the price for a turkey right now is damn near $50 and if we can get that to a family where they can feed their kids over the coming holiday, then that’s a job well done.”

The NABPP’s efforts are to counter food scarcity in New Jersey’s highest populated city, Newark, where Blacks make up over 46% of the population.

In 2022, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) designated Newark a food desert community (FDC)— a city with infrequent “geographic access to healthy food options.” And Newark is not that unusual. The nonprofit news organization Sentient Media points out that, “in the U.S., food deserts are a result of efforts to segregate U.S. cities into predominantly Black and predominantly white neighborhoods through federal urban planning and housing policies…

“The USDA estimated that in 2019 some-

where between 11% and 27% of the population lived in areas where there is a significant concentration of poverty and physical distance from a supermarket. Other research suggests that approximately 20% of Black households reside in food deserts.”

When the NABPP decided to initiate its free food program in the tradition of the 1960s Black Panther Party organization, it purchased the building at 309 S. Orange Ave., which had sat empty for years. Now renamed the Hassan Shakur Community Center, NABPP uses the building for their food program, to conduct workshops, for political education classes, and will soon offer karate classes for kids.

“Not only the Black community, but the brown community and the poor white community––all of us are suffering in hell because our community is controlled by monopoly capital. It’s controlled by people that don’t really give a damn if we eat or not,”

Sharod said. “That’s why we have to develop these gardens where we cultivate our own food. That’s why we have to come to our neighbors and say you don’t have to spend $10 on a bag of apples. You could come right to the community center and get it free of charge and use the $10 towards your medicine or towards a kids’ uniform.

“Food is an important aspect of our survival. It’s not an aspect of our struggle, it is survival. If you don’t eat, you die.”

Both NABPP and Transition Academy are open to community support and donations. To contact them, send an email to Transition Academy at transitionacademy@mec.cuny.edu or to the New Afrikan Black Panther Party at zulus6003@gmail.com.

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How Giving Tuesday can fuel Amsterdam News’ racial equity journalism

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member As the young people say, it’s giving. Giving Tuesday that is, which goes down next week on Nov. 28. Here at the Amsterdam News, the occasion marks an opportunity to continue and expand on racial equity journalism dating all the way back to 1913.

“Our readers’ generous support will continue to fund our Beyond the Barrel of the Gun reporting project which is helping our community understand the root causes of, impact on, and solutions to gun violence in Black and Brown communities,” said investigative editor Damaso Reyes. “We will also continue our work highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on our communities as well as what we can do to stay safe.

“We can’t do this vital work without the support of our readers and our community. From making donations to providing tips, the investigative work we do can only happen when we are deeply engaged with those that we serve.”

Over the past year, projects including Reyes’ “Hard Labor” series and gun violence reporter Shannon Chaffers’ “Driven By Fear” story dove deeper into issues affecting Black and brown

New Yorkers. For a weekly newspaper, these stories are rarely possible to complete without patience and resources.

The newspaper also took a major step in modernizing its website and shifting to a “digital-first” approach. Such a move allows the paper to provide daily news stories on Black issues nationwide online and helps reach audiences who traditionally get their news from the internet. Digital editor Josh Barker says Giving Tuesday donations will go a long way towards updated software, and overall enhance the newspaper’s digital presence.

For the uninitiated, Giving Tuesday started in 2012 on the premise of a “global generosity movement” five days after each Thanksgiving.

Last year, roughly $3.1 billion was donated in the United States alone.

This Giving Tuesday comes at a time when local news continues to decline. Between 2004 and 2022, more than 2,000 non-daily local newspapers closed down.

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

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 27

Black Newspapers Host Student Journalism Seminar!

New York Amsterdam News (1962-); Mar 22, 1975; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Amsterdam News pg. B5

DEEPEST THANKS TO ALL OUR SUBSCRIBERS, READERS, ADVERTISERS, DONORS AND SUPPORTERS! Our 113 years of racial justice journalism and programs continue!

None of it would be possible without your deeply appreciated support.

Despite incredible challenges, we have accomplished so much over the past year—you make sure our work continues!

YOUR SUPPORT FUELS OUR SUCCESS! AMSTERDAMNEWS.COM/GIVETO/

Montage exerpted from Amsterdam News photo archives from 1909-present

28 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Thanksgiving dinner will likely be just another meal for migrants at Brooklyn shelter A long line forms outside the shelter for the “Hunger Truck,” which ends up moving to another block due to congestion. (Tandy Lau photos)

Muslims Giving Back cook up food for migrants.

Migrants wait in line for the “Hunger Truck.”

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member Muslims Giving Back director Yamina Kezadri hopes future Thanksgivings will offer more reasons to be thankful for to migrants.

Outside the 47 Hall Street shelter in Clinton Hill, she accounts the roadblocks they’re facing as she awaits the organization’s “Hunger Truck” to arrive.

“Our work has mainly focused on how I can make sure how you can have a safe shelter [or] how I can make sure you have a warm meal,” said Kezadri. “Thanksgiving is an extra, we do change up the menu to be extra giving in a sense… but it’s pretty hard because they’re going through a lot right now with the changes in shelter regulations and them having to be here for just 30 days and it’s just like ‘okay, what should I really be thankful for?’”

Through the Hunger Truck, faith-based nonprofit Muslims

Giving Back (MGB) feeds migrants free halal meals regardless of occasion, like this past Tuesday Nov. 14. The process is a long one, with Kezadri arriving hours before.

She’s frequently approached by the shelter residents who recognize her and enlist her help with connecting to resources. The Algerian New Yorker speaks Arabic, Spanish and French and employs her full linguistic toolkit throughout the night given the diverse shelter population.

A line quickly forms when the Hunger Truck arrives, a big red mobile with “FREE HOT & FRESH MEALS” blazing over the food window. Volunteers distribute meals in an orderly fashion.

Line-cutters are ejected to the back. By the time the last plate is handed out, most migrants are done eating. One shelter resident holds a trash bag and others help him clean up.

Given how deeply embedded Thanksgiving is to the United States,

migrants are likely getting their first exposure to the holiday. Kezadri says there’s too much to deal with to explain to them the holiday, repeatedly mentioning the 30-day stay limits as priority concern.

For MGB, a food handout on Thanksgiving evening is an opportunity for the migrants to participate in a tiny way, even if the goal is the same as this past Tuesday: get a hot meal.

“Being that in any festive holiday, whether they celebrate or not, we don’t want to keep them out of it,” said Kezadri. “When they ultimately try to experience it, they’ll have some memory of [it]...so they perhaps may appreciate it down the line.”

On the holiday menu will be a quarter chicken, rice, salad, veggies, and bread; the meal is halal.

Kezadri says there’s currently a blindspot for Muslim migrants with dietary restrictions and language services. Many are from North and West Africa, like Barry, a migrant from Guinea whose

last name is withheld to protect his identity.

“I need to study [for] school in addition to looking for a job so that I can help my family in my country,” he wrote in French through Google Translate. “Everything is not going well, except for [the] demonstrations only.”

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

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 29

Beware the Tripledemic! Tips for staying healthy this Thanksgiving

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member The long, forlorn days of COVID lockdowns are hopefully well behind us, but pesky viruses are very much still around.

Here’s a few great tips to stay healthy this Thanksgiving during in-person family gatherings.

This fall and winter season has been a haze of freakish weather patterns that seemingly force you to don a tank top in the sun and a goose down in the shade.

Not only are these fluctuations super annoying, but this time of year can leave New Yorkers vulnerable to viruses like COVID-19, influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV ). These illnesses can potentially spread around the dinner table if people aren’t mindful.

It’s important to remember to wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer when needed, wipe down surfaces that family members and friends will frequently touch like countertops and doorknobs, ventilate stuffy areas by cracking windows, sanitize dishes, wash linens that guests use, have tissues or masks on hand, and politely ask people that are already sick to stay home, said Health.com.

“This is the first fall virus season when vaccines for COVID-19, RSV and flu are available—which are the conditions that typically keep our emergency rooms busy in the fall and winter,” said New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan in a statement. “This year we have all of the tools we need to get through this viral season healthy and well.”

According to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) data from October 15-21, there was a “26% increase” in flu occurrences, including influenza A and B, from the previous week. And at least a 53% increase of RSV. In addition, as of Monday, Nov. 13, the DOH’s COVID tracker reported an average of 270 daily cases, 20 daily hospitalizations, and two total deaths in the last seven days.

Vasan said the updated COVID-19 vaccines are designed to protect against currently circulating variants and provide a boost to people’s immune systems.

The health department said that updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines will be accessible at pharmacies and clinics with most insurance. It’s especially recommended for those 65 or older, pregnant people, and people with underlying health conditions and disabilities.

You can find vaccine locations on the nyc.gov/vaccinefinder.

Photo of woman with locs washing her hands. (RDNE Stock project via Pexels)

“This is the first fall virus season when vaccines for COVID19, RSV and flu are available—which are the conditions that typically keep our emergency rooms busy in the fall and winter” —New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

Happy Thanksgiving G R AT I T U D E F O R T H E

NEW BEGINNINGS IN

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD Wishing our community a warm and happy holiday It's a time of gratitude and a time to celebrate the spirit of unity and compassion that makes a community special. Happy Thanksgiving to an amazing Brooklyn community!

Ya n k e e s

theconeynyc.com

30 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

A&M HBCU Band to play at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Alabama A&M University (AAMU) Marching Maroon & White band member.

(Photo contributed by A&M)

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a spectacular holiday show that highlights high school and college bands from across the nation. This year, one of the country’s top Historically Black College/University (HBCU) bands—from Alabama—will be taking center stage on Thursday, November 23.

The Macy’s parade began in 1924, originally intended just to “boost holiday sales,” but quickly became a timehonored and grand tradition for many

Band Director Carlton Wright has led the AAMU marching band for the last 10 years and is an AAMU alum from Montgomery. He was watching the parade with his family when he was struck with the inspiration to fill out the Macy’s band application for a chance to perform in the parade. families to watch. The Alabama A&M University’s (AAMU) Marching Maroon & White band won a prized parade slot this year, along with 10 other schools.

“For nearly 100 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has selected the finest marching bands and performance groups representing every musical genre and marching style to perform in this beloved holiday celebration,” said Wesley Whatley, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade creative producer. “When it comes to entertaining audiences, no marching, step, or dance style delivers like HBCU bands and step groups. Their creative energy and showmanship bring an unmatched energy to the parade. This year, we are thrilled that Alabama A&M University will step into the spotlight and showcase their talent on a national stage for millions of viewers across the country this Thanksgiving.”

The marching band of Morgan State University (MSU) in Maryland was the first HBCU band to perform in the parade’s history, in 2019. This will be a first for AAMU. AAMU is in Huntsville, Alabama. The school specializes in food science, engineering, education, and business degrees, said AAMU Assistant Vice President Aaron

J. Thompson. Plenty of students are drawn to the school because of its outstanding band. The band is made up of about 250 band members, some of whom have music and academic scholarships. He said many of the students are traveling to the Big Apple for the first time and fully plan on taking advantage of exploring the city and networking events.

The band’s Dancing Divas will also be performing with the Radio City Rockettes, said Thompson.

“We know how big this parade is and how sought after this opportunity is for marching bands. It’s a great opportunity to represent the university, the state, and HBCUs as a whole. Exciting times all around,” said Thompson.

Band Director Carlton Wright has led the AAMU marching band for the last 10 years and is an AAMU alum from Montgomery.

He was watching the parade with his family when he was struck with the inspiration to fill out the Macy’s band application for a chance to perform in the parade. After a few months, he got the call that their band was chosen, he said. They started fundraising to make sure everyone could go and that every student contributed to the trip.

“The students are beyond excited,” said Wright. Although he couldn’t reveal the band’s song selection ahead of the show, he told Amsterdam News that they have a diverse set planned that will amaze all listeners, young and old.

The route for the parade is 2.5 miles long, kicking off at West 77th Street and Central Park West at 8:30 a.m and winding down to Macy’s at Herald Square. Early risers are encouraged to arrive by 6 a.m. on the west side of Central Park West from West 75th to West 61st Streets. There is no public viewing on Central Park West between West 59th and West 60th Streets, Central Park South, 6th and 7th Avenues, or at Herald Square, according to Macy’s.

In addition to the bands, the 2023 parade will feature 25 balloons, 6 “balloonicles,” 31 floats, 29 clown crews, seven performance groups, and 18 famous singers, including Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Cher, En Vogue, Jon Batiste, and the a cappella group Pentatonix.

Macy’s said that next year’s parade will feature the 369th Experience, a Harlem Hellfighters reenactment band made up of HBCU and Puerto Rican students.

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

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 31

Rev. Al Sharpton and NAN giving back for Thanksgiving Previous Thanksgiving community meals at the National Action Network (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Rev. Al Sharpton, president and founder of the National Action Network (NAN), is hosting several community events at the House of Justice ahead of Thanksgiving.

First, NAN distributed turkeys to members of the community at the House of Justice on Thursday. The turkeys will ensure Harlem residents are able to enjoy a full, traditional Thanksgiving meal.

On Thanksgiving Day, Sharpton and NAN will celebrate the holiday by hosting a meal distribution at the House of Justice, a yearly tradition benefiting hundreds of underserved New Yorkers, which is open to all people.

Several officials will be on hand at the Thanksgiving meal including NAACP New York State Conference President Hazel Dukes, State Senator Cordell Cleare, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and Deputy Manhattan Borough President Keisha Sutton-James.

Last year’s event marked the first time since the start of the pandemic in which NAN welcomed a sit-down dinner to the House of Justice. This year’s event will convene elected officials, community advocates, and civil rights leaders to help distribute meals.

(Cyril Josh Barker photo)

(Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

(Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office)

32 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

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Adams probe Continued from page 3

to maintain campaign finance integrity and oversight over contributions is working as it should. “We had hundreds of candidates that took part in the 2021 elections, we had tens of millions of dollars in the system. The fact that there are both honest and dishonest mistakes and attempts to violate campaign finance law is probable in any kind of system,” said Weinberg. “The cases that we do see are when the system worked and caught them.”

One vibrant theory about the investigation purports that President Joe Biden has weaponized the FBI to take Adams down a peg because of his criticisms on federal immigration policies and the very public ongoing asylum seeker crisis. Adams has said repeatedly that he’s “not speculating” on what is motivating the FBI, and if this is a retaliation, or about resigning.

“Our criticism, critique, analysis is based on the fact that this is unsustainable for New York City. And I can’t speculate that it was [because] people are upset because I’m raising that. I must fight on behalf of New Yorkers,” said Adams, “And I’ve stated that last year, this is not an attack on the president. And in fact, I kid myself by calling myself the Biden of Brooklyn. I thought that what he helped us around crime

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and other initiatives were important, but this is a real issue for our city. As we just mentioned, the economic strain to this city is something that is not sustainable and we have to get the assistance that we need from the federal government.”

Adams said that his lawyer, Boyd Johnson, has been retained “for over 30-something years” for legal counsel and is being paid out-of-pocket and within the law. And that a compliance attorney is determining if any campaign money is being used. He added that his donors have definitely called him, some of which go back to his days as a state senator, and pledged their support.

Should Adams be suspended or unable to hold office, the city’s charter mandates that the Public Advocate Jumaane Williams temporarily fill in for him as mayor.

“The ongoing developments and circumstances surrounding the FBI investigation are very troubling. As this investigation continues, New Yorkers deserve consistent transparency and clarity about the situation,” said Williams’s spokesperson.

AmNews reached out to NYCCFB, but a press secretary declined to comment on the record.

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

HRW Continued from page 4

especially those who pose a risk of harm to themselves.”

“We believe people with severe mental illness also have rights to food, clothing, shelter, and medical care—something many do not have access to now—and the right to not be perpetually tormented by terrifying delusions and hallucinations,” added the spokesperson. “To deny these rights is heartless and an abdication of our moral responsibilities. We will continue to do everything in our power to help those among us in a severe mental health crisis, even when they are unable to—by no fault of their own—recognize their own needs.”

Most publicly known data about involuntary removals come from public records requests obtained by organizations like the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU).

From November 29, 2022, to February 28, 2023, 112 involuntary transports were made between behavioral health professional-led Mobile Crisis Teams (MCTs) and the interagency Subway Homelessness Outreach Teams. Only the MCT documents track the data; Black New Yorkers are the most involuntarily removed. Transport referrals for Black New Yorkers, both voluntary and involuntary, were also the highest.

NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) told the NYCLU that 38 individuals were “identified

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 33 for evaluation under the NYC Mental Health Involuntary Removals Policy” and 24 were connected with housing services. Race was not provided to protect patient privacy.

The City Hall spokesperson said the figures will be available within a few weeks.

Beth Haroules, NYCLU staff attorney and director of disability justice litigation, said currently there’s not enough data to extrapolate from.

“If we were to go with the numbers that I got back in the spring, in a way, it tracks anecdotally [with] what we’ve heard, which is not a lot of people have been impacted here, but there is no sort of real time data that’s being released,” said Haroules. “There’s no dashboards, there’s no accountability.”

And while the affected population seems nominal based on known information, Haroules is concerned that as the weather gets colder and sheltering in the subway system becomes more common, the potential for removals will increase.

“I am concerned because the policies still exist,” she said. “The directive is still there to the NYPD and also to the clinicians in the city, [in] hospital settings, to direct people to be picked up.”

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.

34 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

IN

THE

CLASSROOM

Memphis Tennessee Garrison: educator, activist, mediator

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews The other day, during a family visit to Muskogee, Oklahoma, and thereabouts, I ran across several books about Black Oklahomans, many of them of mixed Native American ancestry; in fact, one person my wife and I encountered wanted to know if she was of Cherokee heritage. While researching the history of her hometown, Taft, which is listed among the all-Black towns in Oklahoma, another arcane piece of information caught my eye. It was an article about a woman named Memphis Tennessee Garrison. That brought to mind the writer Ishmael Reed, whose daughter is named Tennessee.

Thanks to the insightful study of Garrison’s life by Kelli Johnson, I received enough material to fashion at least a brief bio of her remarkable life. She was born Memphis Tennessee Carter in Hollins, Virginia, on March 3, 1890. Her parents, Wesley and Cassie Thomas Carter, were formerly enslaved. Her father worked in the coal fields of West Virginia, where Garrison spent most of her childhood. She was named after the city where her aunt worked as a teacher.

The family moved to Gary, West Virginia, a small town named in honor of Elbert Henry Gary, one of the founders of U.S. Steel. We should note that Memphis’s father was killed after being hit by a train.

She was about 7 or 8 years old when it happened. Her mother never remarried, devoting her life afterward to religious study, so much so that eventually she served as president of the Missionary Society. Meanwhile, Memphis pursued elementary schooling in Gary before moving on to Ohio to attend high school.

In 1939, she graduated from Bluefield State College in Bluefield, W.V. A score of years earlier, she had married William Melvin Garrison, who was an electrician at U.S. Steel.

“Memphis said that she thought that maybe the bosses did not know or did not care that her husband was Black and that is why he had such autonomy,” Johnson wrote.

They never had any children. They went off to college. William died in 1942. Garrison by then was teaching

ACTIVITIES FIND OUT MORE The Marshall University Collection and the profile by Kelli Johnson were indispensable to this brief bio.

DISCUSSION Obviously, much more should be said about Memphis Tennessee Garrison’s participation in the movement, particularly as an arbitrator and mediator.

PLACE IN CONTEXT Memphis Tennessee Garrison lived through some turbulent times in American history and consistently found a way to contribute to civic and educational rights.

Memphis Tennessee Garrison (Photo courtesy of Marshall University Special Collections)

in McDowell County, W.V., where her main interest focused on students tracked into special education.

Many of the students came to school poorly nourished and thus found it difficult to concentrate on their lessons, so Garrison made sure they were given decent meals from her kitchen before class. Nourishing and nurturing were joined in her classroom as she experimented with various forms of teaching methods.

In 1929, she became the first woman president of the West Virginia State Teachers’ Association (WVSTA). The organization was established in 1891 for African American teachers who were not permitted to join the white teachers’ association. She served in this

capacity for a year. By 1954, the WVSTA was dissolved, after the Brown v. Board of Education decision with the intended purpose of eliminating segregated schools.

During her stay in Gary, Garrison also acted as a social worker and a community liaison to mediate the differences on issues. “She helped the Black ministers talk with the mine bosses and with the union organizers,” Johnson noted. “She learned about the National Association of Colored People (NAACP) while in college and started reading the NAACP magazine, The Crisis.”

Given this indoctrination, it was an easy segue for her to assist in establishing branches of the organization in other parts of the state. Subse-

quently, she served as the national vice president of the NAACP and as a field secretary, helping to raise funds for the organization, particularly during its drives to provide funds for the Christmas Seals Project.

After years of teaching, Johnson said, Garrison “retired to 1701 10th Avenue in Huntington, W.V., where she lived and worked as a substitute teacher for 30 years.” Along with this endeavor, she continued her community activism, most significantly advising the young aspirants and members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

On July 25, 1988, Memphis died and her home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY Nov. 16, 1873: W.C. Handy, celebrated as the “Father of the Blues” was born in Florence, AL. He died in 1958.

Nov. 16, 1963: Tennis great Zina Garrison was born in Houston, TX. Nov. 16, 1964: Major League Baseball star Dwight Gooden was born in Tampa, FL.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 35

Tobacco initiatives

International

help and even double the chances of success. If you’re not ready to quit, maybe you are ready to cut back.

“I was thrilled and over the moon,” Mohamed said. “It’s been like a moment of a lifetime.”

Mohamed said she plans to dedicate her tenure to elevating and addressing the concerns of St. Louis Park’s roughly 50,000 residents.

In 2019, Mohamed was elected to the city council when she was 23 years old. After serving for four years, she decided to launch a bid for mayor.

The campaign was hard fought, she said, and critics often hurled

Continued from page 16

AmNews: Could you speak to some of the discriminatory issues around smoking?

We actually have a report that we published last year called Addressing New York City Smoking Inequities, and one of the pieces of data that we showed there is that retail density of tobacco retailers is higher in neighborhoods that have

TBD

Continued from page 6

ferent people to be speaking about the same issue at the same time. We can put together messages and spehigher poverty levels. If there’s a cific resources, or materials we can higher density of tobacco retailers, share with everyone. it means that people are interacting with those stores more often, so For additional resources about if you’re already smoking, that may tobacco awareness and smokmake it harder to stop and it also ing cessation, visit https://www. may promote youth initiation. nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/ pr2023/free-help-to-quit-smokAmNews: November is Lung ing-media-campaign.page as well Cancer Awareness Month and Sep- as https://www.health.ny.gov/pretember 25 every year is World Lung vention/tobacco_control/camDay. Why are events like this im- paign/quit_smoking/quit.htm portant? and https://www.nyc.gov/site/ I think it is helpful because it doh/health/health-topics/smokoffers an opportunity for a lot of dif- ing-nyc-quits.page.

Continued from page 2

insults at her on social media for not only her young age, but also her Somali heritage.

“People are filled with hate and don’t want you to be a part of their neighborhoods or part of their community because they don’t want to share that,” Mohamed said.

But her Nov. 7 victory put an end to any questions of belonging, she said.

“If you don’t want to share, you can go somewhere else,” she said. “But I’m staying here.”

Thank You

WE EXTEND OUR SINCERE THANKS TO THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE AMNEWS 9TH LABOR UNION AWARDS BREAKFAST AND BEYOND THE HEADLINES CONVENING FOR MAKING BOTH EVENTS A SUCCESS. YOUR ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT WERE INVALUABLE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO FUTURE COLLABORATIONS WITH THIS WONDERFUL COMMUNITY. WELCOME US SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (NY) INVOCATION ELISE BRYANT PRESIDENT, COALITION OF LABOR UNION WOMEN

TBD

Continued from page 23

HONOREES GARY LABARBERA PRESIDENT, NEW YORK STATE AND THE NEW YORK CITY BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCILS

LAVON CHAMBERS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT PATHWAYS TO APPRENTICESHIP

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PANEL 1 JACKIE ROWE-ADAMS

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MAYOR APPOINTEE THE BOARD OF NYC HEALTH AND HOSPITALS AND FOUNDER OF HARLEM MOTHERS S.A.V.E.

PUBLIC HOUSING BUSINESS AGENT TEAMSTERS 237

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STAY UPDATED WITH WHAT IS ACTIVIST BE-LOVED RANDI WEINGARTEN HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY MILLY SILVA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, 1199SEIU UNITED HEALTHCARE WORKERS EAST

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36 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Education Here’s how NY Regents exams, high school grad requirements could change

Student looks at her phone during graduation ceremony at Boys and Girls High School in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn in 2015 (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

By JULIAN SHEN-BERRO Chalkbeat This story was originally published by Chalkbeat and has been lightly edited for AmNews style. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

The Regents exams, a rite of passage for New York students for more than a century, aren’t going anywhere, but high school seniors in the coming years could see a big shift in what’s needed to graduate, with a slew of additional options to demonstrate mastery, as well as new subjects that could count toward their diplomas, including civic responsibility, financial literacy, and the arts.

A 64-member Blue Ribbon Commis-

sion, tasked more than a year ago with rethinking what knowledge and skills high schoolers should be required to know upon graduation, released its findings to the state’s Board of Regents on Monday.

Among its 12 recommendations is a move to further increase the number of assessment options beyond the Regents exams, offering students other ways to demonstrate their learning, such as performance-based assessments, capstone projects, and experiential learning. Other suggestions include broadening access to career and technical education, better aligning the state’s learning standards with college and career expectations, and enshrining instruction in culturally responsive-sustaining education practices in teacher preparation programs.

The recommendations also call for additional credit requirements in subjects like civic responsibility, cultural competence, financial literacy, and more.

But it may be some time before any of the recommendations are adopted.

In a press briefing last week, State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa called the report “a blueprint,” adding, “The real work starts with the design.”

State officials plan to take a “deeper dive” into each recommendation this summer, with hopes of developing timelines for implementation in the fall, she said.

and how New York’s graduation policies should change.

In 2019, Rosa — then Chancellor of the Board of Regents — called for revising the state’s graduation requirements.

She pointed to “stubborn gaps in achievement” that persisted between students of color, those with disabilities, English language learners, and those from low-income backgrounds, compared with their white and more affluent peers.

Rosa is looking forward to a future of graduation assessments that are expansive—offering more options to students who may have struggled with the more traState officials have debated future of ditional exams, she told reporters last week.

Regents for years She hopes the new recommendations will The commission launched in 2022 after years of discussion about whether See REGENTS continued on next page

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

McGuire

Continued from page 5

workshops and promotes information about the sustainability movement and ways to stave off climate change.

“Sustainable Brooklyn was really meant to educate and reclaim sustainability through the lens of the African diaspora and educate communities, like the ones from which we’ve come, about sustainability and fashion, agriculture, and well-being industries,” McGuire said. “Sustainable Brooklyn was…like my entry point into becoming a subject matter expert in this space: merging the intellectual property conversation––the theft of

Pro-Union Continued from page 10

The latest rule—passed by a board now controlled by Democrats—more closely resembles the Browning-Ferris ruling from 2015. It says companies may be considered joint employers if they have the authority to control, directly or indirectly, at least one condition of employment. Conditions include wages and benefits, hours and scheduling, assignment of duties, work rules, and hiring.

The rule only applies to labor relations. The Department of Labor sets its own joint employment standards for issues such as meeting minimum wage

Regents

Continued from previous page

establish a more inclusive learning environment, while building more opportunities for work-based learning and college readiness.

She wants to move away from a “one-sizefits-all approach” and toward something “nurtures” students’ differences.

“Our students have different ways of demonstrating their knowledge,” she said.

“What we want to do is uplift that.”

The future of Regents exams The process of rethinking the state’s graduation requirements initially sparked speculation over the potential end of New York’s Regents exams, which have been offered since the 1870s and have been required of most students to earn their diplomas.

New York is one of a handful of states that still require exit exams, although research has found little evidence to show such exams improve student achievement.

Over the past year, the commission reviewed the state’s graduation requirements, as well as research findings, workforce trends, and community input.

Members also considered graduation requirements, assessment options, apprenticeship models, and educational policies

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 37

intellectual property and cultural appropriation––[with] how that leads to ultimately a culture of waste when it is based on a colonial framework, which is really what the fashion industry is based on.”

Her work on sustainability has now led to serving as the director of sustainability at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

McGuire is the first person in the country to lead a major art institution in sustainability; the Guggenheim is the first major art institution to establish a director of sustainability. Her job is to help the museum reorient its institutional culture so it focuses on sustainability.

“With our buildings and facilities, for example, I’m tasked with making sure that our emissions are in line with Local Law

97 and with the Paris Agreement, and that we’re drawing down our carbon [footprint] overall; that we’re auditing our waste, our water, our energy usage. And I advise our facilities director on the necessary upgrades that would help us meet those targets.” McGuire also ensures that when the Guggenheim puts up an exhibition, it meets the institution’s sustainability goals.

She conducts staff workshops and works with the museum’s curators and exhibitions designers to do carbon audits on upcoming exhibitions and to track shipping and travel emissions.

McGuire’s new role at the Guggenheim has found her traveling to speak out about the urgency of investing in cultural preservation and the importance of climate fi-

nance fundraising. She regularly travels across the country and around the world to talk about educating communities about sustainability. “This idea of reclaiming sustainability through the lens of the African diaspora is a resistance to this capitalist urge to buy into sustainability––or to be told that our community is ‘less than’ because we may not be practicing sustainability as it’s packaged and sold to us in the mainstream media,” she said.

“This idea of reclaiming sustainability is an empowering way to engage with our history and our culture––and cultures––and practices that have sustained us for generations and to highlight their importance. We need to ensure these practices are passed down to our children.”

requirements. Still, the new rule could have a major impact. Local franchise owners employ more than 8 million people in the U.S., according to the International Franchise Association. Millions more work for subcontractors or temporary agencies.

John Motta, who owns 32 Dunkin’ locations in New Hampshire and Virginia, said franchisees must meet certain brand standards and use Dunkin’ uniforms and signage, but beyond that, they want to run their businesses independently.

“We don’t want our corporate partners to be telling us, ‘You have to pay this much per hour,’” he said. “That’s not why I came into this business. I wanted to make all those decisions by myself.”

Motta leads the Coalition of Franchisee Associations, which represents around 46,000 franchisees. He’s worried the rule will prompt Dunkin’ and other companies to stop working with franchisees and run stores themselves so they won’t be held responsible if a franchisee commits labor violations.

Michael Kaufman, an attorney who represents companies in labor disputes, said the rule has other potential complications. If a business hires temporary workers through a contractor but then asks the contractor to fire a temporary worker for harassing someone, the new rule might allow the temporary worker to bring unfair labor charges against the business, Kaufman said.

“The NLRB thinks they are holding more people accountable, but they’re holding the wrong people accountable,” he said.

Labor unions say the NLRB will consider such circumstances on a case-by-case basis, but the rule is still necessary to ensure all workers can negotiate wages and working conditions.

“Workers’ right to collectively bargain cannot be realized if the entity that has the power to change terms and conditions of employment is absent from the bargaining table,” the AFLCIO, the Teamsters, and the Service Employees International Union wrote in a letter sent this month to members of Congress.

in other states and countries.

Parents and students involved in the process called for more flexibility in credit requirements and testing, according to the report. Many students reported feeling the Regents exams were not sufficient measures of student learning and called for more project-based forms of assessments, as well as the option to replace the state tests with Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams.

Angelique Johnson-Dingle, deputy commissioner of P–12 instructional support, said the state’s Education Department is already working to identify such alternative options and pathways for students.

“We have students that suffer with test anxiety that at times makes it difficult for them to be able to truly show everything that they’ve learned,” she said. “This is just one way to help those students—to give them another option to be able to meet the requirements of high school graduation.”

Some schools have already embraced alternative options. New York City already has nearly 40 schools that are part of a “performance standards consortium” and receive waivers from the state to forgo Regents exams, and instead have students work on projects or experiments and present their findings to a panel of educators and experts in what’s known as a “perfor-

mance-based assessment.”

The commission’s recommendations also call for the number of diploma types to be reduced from three to one, while offering options to add seals or endorsements. Currently, the state doles out local, Regents, and Regents with advanced designation diplomas, which vary based on the number of assessments a student passed and the required passing scores.

In the report, commission members also developed a “portrait of a graduate,” or a set of attributes that New Yorkers should dem-

onstrate upon graduation. Those included critical thinking, effective communication, cultural and social-emotional competencies, innovative problem-solving, literacy across content areas, and a status as a “global citizen.”

The portrait will serve as the “North Star” of the state education system, according to the report.

Julian Shen-Berro is a reporter covering New York City. Contact him at jshen-berro@ chalkbeat.org.

PUBLIC NOTICE Dated: November 13, 2023

DEMOCRACY PREP NEW YORK SCHOOL MEETING OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES Pursuant to Section 104 Public Notice of the Open Meetings Law, and pursuant to Executive Order 202.1, this notice is to inform the public that the board of trustees of Democracy Prep New York School will hold a remote meeting by teleconference on November 21st, 2023 at 6:30 pm., local time, at Winston & Strawn LLP, 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166-4193, Room 43C.

38 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Religion & Spirituality

Bridging an ocean, Angolan king visits Brazilian community descended from enslaved Africans

King Tchongolola Tchongonga Ekuikui VI, of Angola’s Bailundo kingdom, visits Quilombo do Camorim, a community of descendants of runaway slaves, many from Angola, in Rio de Janeiro

By DIANE JEANTET Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Residents danced and chanted Wednesday in a community descended from runaway slaves in Rio de Janeiro as they welcomed the visiting monarch of the Bailundo kingdom in Angola, to which many of the residents trace their ancestry.

King Tchongolola Tchongonga Ekuikui VI visited the community of Camorim as part of a trip to Brazil that began three weeks ago. Camorim dates back to 1614, when it would have been forested land, and is Rio’s oldest quilombo, or community descended from escaped slaves. Nearly 100 people live there today, maintaining their traditional religion and medicinal plants.

“This visit has been on the agenda for a long time,” the king told the crowd. He later told the Associated Press that “Our presence here is to say to AAfrodescendents, to our brothers, here in Brazil and especially in this quilombo, that we are here as roots that are alive, roots that keep this ancestry, roots that maintain our habits and customs.”

King Ekuikui VI arrived wearing a tradi-

Resident waits for arrival of King Tchongolola Tchongonga Ekuikui VI, of Angola’s Bailundo kingdom, in Quilombo do Camorim, a community of descendants of runaway slaves, many from Angola, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (AP Photos/Bruna Prado)

tional black-and-white robe and hat, both featuring his kingdom’s emblematic eagle.

He is his nation’s most important king, representing the largest Angolan ethnic group.

While Bailundo is a non-sovereign kingdom, he holds political importance and is regularly consulted by Angolan authorities.

Residents of Camorim received him with traditional drums, singing, and dancing, and served him feijoada, a typical Brazilian dish made of black beans, pork, and rice that some say enslaved Africans created.

“The people here in this quilombo are from Angola,” said resident Rosilane Almeida, 36. “It’s a bit like if we were celebrating to welcome a relative [who] came from afar.”

On Tuesday, the king visited Rio’s Valongo Wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

where as many as 900,000 slaves made landfall after crossing the Atlantic Ocean, and which the international organization considers “the most important physical trace of the arrival of African slaves on the American continent.”

Of the 10.5 million Africans who were captured, more than a third disembarked in Brazil, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. Some experts place that number higher, saying as many as 5 million Africans landed in the country.

Brazil was the last country in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery, doing so in 1888. The communities of formerly enslaved people persisted, but it was not until a century later that a new constitution recognized their right to the lands they occupied.

Brazil’s most-recent census—of 2022— found quilombos in almost 1,700 municipalities; they are home to 1.3 million people, or about 0.6% of the country’s population.

Almeida said she was looking forward to hearing how her community’s culture compares to that of their root country. She and others showed King Ekuikui VI the quilombo’s archeological site, where centuries-old ceramics are still being excavated, and its garden of medicinal plants.

“I look to the south, I look to the north, and at the end of the day, we are not lost,” he told them. “We are here, and there are a lot of people who look majestic.”

AP reporter Tomas A. Teixeira contributed from Luanda.

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SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK - COUNTY OF NEW YORK HILTON RESORTS CORPORATION, Plaintiff, -against- ANDREW OVIKUROM ORU, if living, and if he be dead, any and all persons unknown to Plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to Plaintiff, Defendants. INDEX NO.: 850030/2020 FILED: OCTOBER 25, 2023 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff's attorney within 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within 30 days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication pursuant an Order of the Hon. Francis A. Kahn III, a Justice of the Supreme Court, of New York County, dated October 23, 2023 and entered October 23, 2023 NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT: THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Timeshare Mortgage in the amount of $109,286.23, recorded in New York County Clerk's Office on October 3, 2011 in CRFN: 2011000349327 of Mortgages covering the (1) .009864% undivided tenant in common interest of the Timeshare Unit, (2) .009864% undivided tenant in common interest of the Timeshare Unit, and (3) .009864% undivided tenant in common interest of the Timeshare Unit which all comprise a portion of the premises known as 102 WEST 57th STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10019-3302. The relief sought in the within action is a final Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale directing the sale of the (1) .009864% undivided tenant in common interest of the Timeshare Unit, (2) .009864% undivided tenant in common interest of the Timeshare Unit, and (3) .009864% undivided tenant in common interest of the Timeshare Unit which comprises a portion of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage. New York County is designated as the place of trial on the basis of the fact that the real property affected by this action is located wholly within said County. Dated: February 1, 2023, Westbury, New York. Maria Sideris, Esq., DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, New York 11590, (516) 876-0800. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.

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NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -against- ELIZABETH FERRER, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 27, 2023 and entered on July 3, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on November 29, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.0381% in common interest percentage. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations.

Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442513 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1302. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $19,155.50 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850084/2019. ELAINE SHAY, ESQ., Referee. DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 Notice of Qualification of RGNMCA BOWMANSVILLE I, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/26/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/25/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF M. Perotti LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/08/2023. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon her is: United States Corporation Agents, 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn NY 11228.

The principal business address of the LLC is 320 W 38th Street, New York, NY 10018.

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #146081 for beer & wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 103 Lexington Ave., NYC 10016 for on-premises consumption; Pongal Restaurant NYC Inc. NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST Gerarda Ragone a/k/a Gerarda Anna Ragone, Individually and as Trustee of the Ragone Living Trust; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered June 21, 2023 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre St, New York, NY 10007 on December 6, 2023 at 2:15PM, premises known as 415 East 37th Street Unit 14K, 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 969 Lot 1114. Approximate amount of judgment $75,165.09 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850017/2018. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the First Judicial District. Allison Furman, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 4304792 Dated: October 19, 2023 76999

GCW & Associates LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/29/2022. Office: NEW YORK County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, Emigrant Funding Corporation, Plaintiff, vs.

Hershey chan Realty, Inc., ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Amended Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on July 14, 2023 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on December 6, 2023 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 44 Bowery, New York, NY 10013.

All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 202 and Lot 28.

Approximate amount of judgment is $4,103,570.52 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850215/2021. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee Borchert & LaSpina, P.C., 19-02 Whitestone Expressway, Suite 302, Whitestone, New York 11357, Attorneys for Plaintiff

ROMchip LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/24/2023.

Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 769 Broadway #1102, NY, NY, 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of FOCUSED RESEARCH ORGANIZATION FOR IMMUNOLOGY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/31/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/05/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of THE HEAVY JAMZ LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/05/23. Princ. office of LLC: 111 E. 10th St., #8, NY, NY 10003. 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 Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secy. of State DE, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

40 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

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METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY REAL ESTATE (MTA RE) Request for Proposals No. MT112023: Opportunity for the exclusive right to lease, develop, manage, and operate twelve (12) retail units in the New York City Transit system at Times Square - 42 St Station.

Additionally, one (1) retail unit is available and the ability to construct up to eight (8) kiosks at the 42 St -Grand Central subway station Shuttle Platform and Passageway. Food uses involving cooking, as well as the sale of alcohol, will be permitted in certain locations subject to MTA review and approval. The MTA will provide utility upgrades for food use as part of the offering.

Request for Proposals No. MT112023: Opportunity for the exclusive right to lease, develop, manage, and operate approximately 5,000 square feet of food and retail space in the New York City Transit system at 47- 50 St Rockefeller Center Station. Food uses involving cooking, as well as the sale of alcohol, will be permitted subject to MTA review and approval. For more info on the above RFPs, please go to http:// mta.info/realestate Supreme Court – New York County – Hilton Resorts Corp., Pltf. v.

YAKUBU O. AFOLABI, if living, and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to Plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to Plaintiff, et al., Deft. – Index # 850172/2017. The foregoing supplemental summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Honorable FRANCIS KAHN, III, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, dated the 5th day of October 2023 and duly entered the 10th day of October 2023 in the office of the Clerk of the County of New York, State of New York. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY, 5165868513.

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s attorney, within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State) In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is for the foreclosure of: An undivided 5,000/16,783,800 tenants in common interest in Phase 2 of HNY Club Suites located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas NY, NY. Section: 4 Block: 1006 Lot: 1302. Mortgage bearing the date of February 23, 2015, executed by Yakubu O. Afolabi to Hilton Resorts Corporation, a Delaware Corporation, to secure the sum of $31,875.00, and interest and recorded in the Office of the Clerk of New York County on May 29, 2015, in CRFN 2015000181419. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the Mortgaged Premises as described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF KINGS SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Index No: 510883/2023 Plaintiff Designates Kings County as the Place of Trial The Basis of Venue is the Location of the Plaintiff place of Business and the Premises. Premises: 1143 Saint Johns Place, Brooklyn, New York 11213 Block:1251, Lot: 50 Saint Johns Organization LLC. Plaintiff, -against- Unknown Heirs of Vilna Smart, a/k/a Vilna E. St. Louis et al, and “John Doe”, “Jane Doe”, distributes, executors, administrators, trustees, committees, devisees, legatees, and the assignees of said Defendants or any one, being unknown to Plaintiff, it is being intended to designate persons or parties having or claiming an interest in or a lien upon the premises, if the aforesaid individual/s defendant/s are living, and if any or all of said individual defendants be dead, their heirs at law, next of kin, distributes, executors, administrators, trustees, committees, devisees, legatees, and the assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest of them, fee owners, tenants or occupants of the premises and/or persons or par- ties having or claiming an interest in or a lien upon the premises, Defendants, TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the plaintiff’s attorney 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 or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.

Dated:04/04/2023 Manhasset, New York 11/06/2023 By Leslie S. Nizin, Esq., Attorney for Plaintiff, 55 Fair- way Drive, Manhasset, N.Y. 11030, 718-263-2411 To: Unknown Heirs of Vilna Smart, a/k/a Vilna E. St. Louis et al. NOTICE: THE NATURE OF THIS ACTION AND THE RELIEF SOUGHT. THE OBJECT OF THE ABOVE CAPTIONED ACTION IS TO SEEK A DECLARATORY JUDGMENT ESTABLISHING THAT THE PLAINTIFF HAS A 100 PERCENT INTEREST IN FEE SIMPLE FOR REAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1143 Saint Johns Place, Brooklyn NEW YORK, 11213, BLOCK1251, LOT 50.

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101 LEGAL NOTICES

Supreme Court – New York County – Hilton Resorts Corp., Pltf. v. NAYDA FIGUEROA AND CARISSA R. VILLANUEVA, if living, and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to Plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to Plaintiff, et al., Deft. – Index # 850135/2020. The foregoing supplemental summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Honorable FRANCIS KAHN, III, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, dated the 5th day of October 2023 and duly entered the 10th day of October 2023 in the office of the Clerk of the County of New York, State of New York. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY, 5165868513.

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s attorney, within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State) In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is for the foreclosure of 0.00986400000% undivided tenants in common interest in 57th Street Vacation Suites located at 102 West 57th Street NY, NY. Block: 1009 Lot: 37. Mortgage bearing the date of December 31, 2016, executed

by Nayda Figueroa and Carissa R. Villanueva to Hilton Resorts Corporation, a Delaware Corporation, to secure the sum of $26,373.60, and interest and recorded in the Office of the Clerk of New York County on March 8, 2017, in CRFN 2017000092280. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the Mortgaged Premises as described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. SUMMONS IN TAX LIEN FORECLOSURE–SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF NEW YORK – NYCTL 2021A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN FOR THE NYCTL 2021-A TRUST, Plaintiffs, against TAHIR, et. al., Defendants. Index No. 158819/2022.

To the above named Defendants –YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action within twenty days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within thirty days after service is completed if the summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. Plaintiffs designate New York County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the county in which the property a lien upon which is being foreclosed is situated. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Hon. Francis A. Kahn III, J.S.C., dated October 11, 2023. The object of this action is to foreclose a New York City Tax Lien covering the premises located at Block 1010 Lot 1637 on the Tax Map of New York County and is also known 157 West 57th Street, Unit 46B, New York, New York.

Dated: October 18, 2023 BRONSTER LLP, Attorney for Plaintiffs, NYCTL 2021-A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN FOR THE NYCTL 2021-A TRUST, By: Josef F. Abt, Esq. 156 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019 (347) 246-4776

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, Board of Managers of 207-209 East 120th Street Condominium, Plaintiff, vs. Kwame Leslie Dougan, Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on April 5, 2022, a Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on June 26, 2023 and an Order duly entered on October 13, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 6, 2023 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 207 East 120th Street, Unit 1F, New York, NY 10035 a/k/a 207-209 East 120th Street, Unit 1F, New York, NY 10035. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 1785 and Lot 1001 together with an undivided 10.2363 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $37,331.07 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #158033/2019. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C., Attn: Danny Ramrattan, Esq., One Battery Park Plaza, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10004, Tel: 212.825.0365, Attorneys for Plaintiff

101 LEGAL NOTICES

101 LEGAL NOTICES

Supreme Court – New York County – Hilton Resorts Corp., Pltf. v.

ISKANDAR RIZAL AND ISKANDAR FAREED, if living, and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to Plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to Plaintiff, et al., Deft. – Index # 850171/2018. The foregoing supplemental summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Honorable FRANCIS KAHN, III, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, dated the 5th day of October 2023 and duly entered the 10th day of October 2023 in the office of the Clerk of the County of New York, State of New York. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY, 5165868513.

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s attorney, within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State) In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is for the foreclosure of: An undivided 7,000/28,402,100 tenants in common interest in Phase 1 of HNY Club Suites located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas NY, NY. Section: 4 Block: 1006 Lot: 1302. Mortgage bearing the date of January 15, 2015, executed by Iskandar Rizal and Iskandar Fareed to Hilton Resorts Corporation, a Delaware Corporation, to secure the sum of $43,353.00, and interest and recorded in the Office of the Clerk of New York County on June 1, 2015, in CRFN 2015000182108. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the Mortgaged Premises as described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Supreme Court – New York County – Hilton Resorts Corp., Pltf. v.

CHRISTOBELLE KEELSON-ANFU, if living, and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to Plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to Plaintiff, et al., Deft. – Index # 850135/2018. The foregoing supplemental summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Honorable FRANCIS KAHN, III, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, dated the 5th day of October 2023 and duly entered the 10th day of October 2023 in the office of the Clerk of the County of New York, State of New York. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY, 5165868513.

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s attorney, within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State) In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is for the foreclosure of: An undivided 5,000/28,402,100 tenants in common interest in Phase 1 of HNY Club Suites located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas NY, NY. Section: 4 Block: 1006 Lot: 1302. Mortgage bearing the date of April 11, 2014, executed by Christobelle Keelson-Anfu to Hilton Resorts Corporation, a Delaware Corporation, to secure the sum of $30,000.00, and interest and recorded in the Office of the Clerk of New York County on August 14, 2014, in CRFN 2014000271732. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the Mortgaged Premises as described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

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101 LEGAL NOTICES SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF 435 EAST 117TH STREET CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff -against- CHRISTINE HEALEY, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 29, 2023 and entered on July 3, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on December 13, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, State and County of New York, known and designated as Section 6 Block 1711 and Lot 1203. Said premises known as 435 EAST 117TH STREET, UNIT NO. 3, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $57,680.99 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 152950/2022.

GEORGIA PAPAZIS, ESQ., Referee Mitofsky Shapiro Neville & Hazen, LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 152 MADISON AVENUE, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10016 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF New York ADR LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/27/23.

Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to Fensterstock, P.C., 200 Vesey Street, 24th Fl., NY, NY 10281. Principal business address of the LLC is 200 Vesey Street, 24th Fl., NY, NY 10281.

Purpose(s): any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of AD XXIII Consulting LLC. Arts of Org Filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/16/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to 160 Riverside Blvd, Apt 22A, NY, NY 10069, R/A: US Corp Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave, #202, BL, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of CPG STEVENSON B4 GP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/06/23. Office location: NY County. 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: Real estate investment/development.

101 LEGAL NOTICES

101 LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF SALE In pursuance and by virtue of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly granted and entered on or about July 26, 2023, in an action pending before the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, entitled SND Management v. 321 East 84th Street Owners, Inc., et al., bearing Index No. 850152/2017, by The Honorable Francis A. Kahn, III, IAS Part 32, I, the Referee, duly appointed in the action for such purpose, will expose for sale and sell at public auction to the highest bidder on December 6, 2023, at 2:15 p.m., in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, at 60 Centre Stret, New York, New York 10007, the mortgaged premises designated as Block 1547, Lot 11, in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, State of New York and known as 321 East 84th Street, New York, New York.

The approximate amount of the judgment is $4,996,965.97 plus interest and other charges, and the property is being sold subject to the terms and conditions stated in the judgment, any prior encumbrances and the terms of sale which shall be available at the time of sale. The sale is subject to the New York County Auction Part Rules.

Dated: November 6, 2023 New York, New York Thomas P. Kleinberger, Esq. Referee 411 5th Avenue New York, New York 10016 David P. Stich, Esq. Attorney for Plaintiff 521 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor New York, New York 10175 (646) 554-4421 NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NEW YORK THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, F/K/A THE BANK OF NEW YORK AS TRUSTEE FOR REGISTERED HOLDERS OF CWABS, INC., ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-6, Plaintiff, v.

ALLAN A. JOHNSON, ET AL. Defendants.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of New York County on May 3, 2023, I, Scott H. Siller, Esq. the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on December 20, 2023 at the New York County Courthouse, Room 130, at 60 Centre Street, County of New York, State of New York, at 2:15 PM the premises described as follows: Frederick Douglass Boulevard, Apt/Unit 5F a/k/a: 300 West 140 Street a/k/a: 301 West 139 Street a/k/a New York, NY 10030 Block 2042 Lot 1123 ALL THAT CERTAIN plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York.

The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 850102/2019 in the amount of 584,567.02 plus interest and costs.

The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System's 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.

Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP Attorneys for Plaintiff 500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604 Tel.: 855-227-5072 101862-2

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #23-147164 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 238 Madison Ave., NYC 10016 for on-premises consumption; Jupiter 23 LLC

Notice of formation of Limited Liability Company (“LLC”).

Name: Albany State Street GP LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (“SSNY”) on October 17, 2023.

N.Y. office location: New York County. The SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to Albany State Street GP LLC, c/o CSC, 80 State Street, Albany, New York 12207-2543. Purpose/character of LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of QBV CAPITAL LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/21/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated an agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to: 1 Union Square, South 210, New York City, NY 10003.

Purpose: Any lawful act.

MHO - My Humble Opinion LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/02/2023. Office: NEW YORK County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 200 E 62ND ST APT 16B, NEW YORK, NY 10065. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of Currant Productions LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/27/2023. Office location: New York County.

SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon them is 135 W 52nd St, Apt 31B, New York, NY 10019. The principal business address of the LLC is 135 W 52nd St, Apt 31B, New York, NY 10019. Dissolution date: Perpetual. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

TNTSERVICE23 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/09/2023. Office: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy to: 156 West 141 St, Apt 3G, NY, NY, 10030.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

101 LEGAL NOTICES

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 41

101 LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -against- JJL CAPITAL CORP., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 18, 2023 and entered on July 20, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on December 20, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an undivided 3.1810% in common interest percentage. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442512 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1302. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $21,722.48 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850089/2018. SCOTT SILLER, ESQ., Referee, DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 Notice of Qualification of 1S REO OPPORTUNITY 1, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/02/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/09/19. Princ. office of LLC: 370 Highland Ave., Ste. 200, Piedmont, CA 94611. 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 of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Is to own real estate in the State.

Notice of Qualification of PALACE CAPITAL LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/10/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/05/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP, Attn: Gina Piazza, Esq., 1350 Broadway, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10018. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Stop, Drop & Scroll LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/04/2023. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave. #619229, NY, NY, 10003.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of limited liability company (LLC).

Name: MEKBROS, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/2023. Office location: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and address SSNY shall mail a copy of process is 39 W. 14th Street, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

WORKSHOP DIGITAL LLC. Arts of Org filed SSNY 10/13/23, NY Co. SSNY desig. agent for process & shall mail to: US Corp Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Ave, #202, BK, NY 11228.

Purpose: General.

Notice of Qualification of 570 WASHINGTON STREET LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/06/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/04/23. Princ. office of LLC: 40 W. 57th St., 29th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of BRODSKY FLATIRON LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/11/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: The Brodsky Organization, Attn: J. Dean Amro, 400 W. 59th St., NY, NY 10019. 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 COMMONWEALTH PIER F&B LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/05/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 853 Broadway, 17th Fl., NY, NY 10003. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Union Square Hospitality Group at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

HOLISTIC AFFAIRS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/29/2023. Office: Bronx County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 828 E. 149 St., Apt. 405, Bronx, NY 10455. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Crowdwork Hack LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/18/2023. Office: NY County.

SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 685 Post Rd, Darien, CT 06820. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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44 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

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November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 45

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS S P O R T S

Rick Pitino-led St John’s loses to Michigan at the Garden

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews The Rick Pitino era for the St John’s Red Storm began with a 90–74 win over Stony Brook at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York last week led by senior Joel Soriano, who scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and added three blocks.

Pitino, who coached the New York Knicks in the late 1980s, made his Madison Square Garden debut as St John’s men’s basketball head coach Monday night against the Michigan Wolverines. The Red Storm battled for most of the first half but had their final lead of the game after a made free throw by graduate student guard Chris Ledlum that made it 31–29 with 6:28 left in the first half. Michigan closed the first half on a 19–7 run and never looked back and defeated St John’s 89–73.

Senior guard Nimari Burnett sparked Michigan with 21 firsthalf points. Sophomore guard Dug McDaniel led Michigan with 26 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds.

St John’s was led by Soriano with 15 points and 9 rebounds, while graduate student guard Daniss Jenkins and senior guard Jordan Dingle both added 10 points.

“We knew Michigan was a great team,” Pitino said after the loss.

“It’s very difficult to judge how good teams are this time of year because of the portal and all the transfers. It’s a guessing game.

But when we saw them beat Marquette 106–101 in 12-minute quarters and then watched them in their two games, we knew that they were one of the best-shooting teams in the country. What we didn’t expect was to get dominated by their point guard [Dug McDaniel] the way he dominated us tonight. And that’s a credit to him. He’s a terrific little player and just dominated us and made the difference.”

Pitino looked ahead at the upcoming schedule, which includes three games in the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday.

“We’re going to Charleston to play in a very difficult tourna-

St. John’s head coach addresses the media after a 89–73 loss to Michigan at Madison Square Garden on Monday night (Derrel Johnson photo)

ment,” Pitino said. “If we play, like we did with Stony Brook, with sharing the basketball and moving and cutting, we’ll do well.

If we play like we did tonight, we’ll struggle. So it was a good lesson. But they deserve all the credit. They were brilliant at the way they ran their offense. I think that when you look at it, we did a

good job of putting this team together. Where we didn’t do a good job, I mean, it’s nobody’s fault because we just couldn’t get it done.

Our frontcourt depth is terrible.

It’s not enough. You need to have five or six frontcourt guys and we have too much depth in the backcourt and not enough depth in the frontcourt.”

With a new head coach, a new system, and 12 new players, the Red Storm should improve as the season continues with a legendary coach at the helm. But it was a shaky start in the second game of the season. We will learn more about the team in Charleston, in which they open the tournament against North Texas tonight.

Candace Parker documentary explores the various aspects of female athletes Director Joie Jacoby (Photo courtesy of ESPN)

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews Before heading to practice, three-time WNBA Champion Candace Parker drives daughter Lailaa to school. Home from a long road trip, she spends precious time with her family. She works hard to solidify her career as a sports broadcaster to secure a life after professional basketball.

The life of a female professional athlete is carefully detailed in the film “Unapologetic,” which was directed and executive produced by Joie Jacoby. It debuted on ESPN on Nov. 12. The project interested Jacoby because as acclaimed as Parker is, no film had documented her life.

“I felt her game was transformative to the sport,” said Jacoby, who worked on the film for almost two years. “She has changed the way that bigs in the WNBA play.

Nobody on these [best players] lists had done all of the things that she had done while being a young

mother and with all the injuries she had. I really wanted to examine her career.”

Parker gave birth to Lailaa between her rookie and second seasons in the WNBA. Over the course of her career, Parker has undergone multiple knee procedures as well as shoulder surgery.

For several years, she spent her WNBA off-seasons playing overseas with Lailaa and her mother, Sara Parker, in tow.

While there is WNBA game footage and lots of video Parker shot of her family, which now includes wife Anna Petrakova and son Airr, the archival footage documenting her childhood, high school days, and local TV interviews was saved on VHS tapes at Sara Parker’s home. Jacoby bought an old school TV/VCR on eBay to go through the tapes.

“She let me take them for a limited time to a digitizing facility once we had identified what we wanted,” Jacoby said. This included footage Sara Parker shot on a

camcorder as well as photographs.

Although Jacoby hoped the Chicago Sky, with whom Parker achieved a hometown glory championship in 2021, would repeat as WNBA Champions in 2022, that did not happen. Instead, Jacoby

got to film the aftermath.

“A big thing about Candace is she’s so grounded by her family that she can move on from these struggles,” said Jacoby. “What I wanted to come across in this film was life outside of basketball. The

sport defines her in many ways and she loves basketball, but I want people to come away with an understanding of what it takes to be great as a working mom. I want them to see the full extent of everything Candace does.”

46 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS S P O R T S

The Jets drop to 4-5, the Giants to 2-8 in Week 10 losses Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito’s 86 yards passing versus the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday was far less than needed in a 49–17 loss.

(Giants.com photo)

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor The hope for a playoff spot dissipated weeks ago for the 2–8 Giants.

For the Jets, a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on the road this past Sunday left them with the sight of just a speck of light at the end of the tunnel as far as playoff hopes—but it is fading fast.

The Giants were battered again by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday after a season opening 40–0 loss at home at MetLife Stadium on September 10. This time on the road the final score was 49–17 but it had the feel of a shutout after the Cowboys took a 28-point halftime lead, scoring 21 in the second quarter.

The Giants have eight weeks remaining, including their Week 13 bye week, and yet the most intriguing question of their schedule ahead is how high will they be drafting next April? With an impotent offense that for the moment is being operated by their rookie third string quarterback, Tommy DeVito (who passed for only 86 yards on 27 attempts versus the Cowboys) it is tough to envision the Giants,

even with four of their seven games left set to be played at MetLife, surpassing five wins and selecting any lower than No. 6. It’s likely their pick will be in the top five.

They are last in the 32-team NFL in total yards per game (259.2) and points per game (11.8). Heading into this Sunday’s (1 p.m.) road matchup versus the 4–6 Washington Commanders, the Giants were tied with the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, both also 2–8, for the second worst record in the league.

The Carolina Panthers are 1–8.

The Giants’ regressing defense also shoulders culpability. They surrendered 640 total yards with little resistance to the Cowboys.

It was 12 yards short from Dallas’ single game franchise record.

“We are at where we are at, and that’s where we’re meant to be right now, relative to what we’ve done,” said Giants head coach Brian Daboll on Monday.

“So, you don’t feel sorry for yourself, you got about it with the right mindset and your head down.”

The Jets left Vegas after midnight Eastern time on Sunday with a 16–12 defeat and no actionable solutions as to how to consistently generate

points. They have gone 11 straight quarters and 36 consecutive drives without scoring a touchdown with QB Zach Wilson guiding the offense.

The Jets’ last touchdown was against the Giants in the first quarter of their October 29 Week 8 13–10 overtime victory. The scoring versus the Raiders came on 47-, 53-, 30- and 45-yard field goals by kicker Greg Zuerlein. The Jets’ potential comeback victory was halted when Wilson threw an interception to Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane at the Las Vegas 15-yard line with 1:14 to go.

The offense got the ball back on downs with 13 seconds to go and failed to score on two plays as a last gasp throw in the end zone fell nearly snagged by wide receiver Garrett Wilson fell to the turf as time expired.

"We're looking at some things, some different personnel changes, which I'm going to keep here with me, but we're looking across the board to see if we can find a way to generate some offense," said Jets head coach Robert Saleh on Monday as his team prepares to face the Bills in Buffalo this Sunday (4:25 p.m.).

New York Road Runners 15K honors pioneer Ted Corbitt NYRR Ted Corbitt 15K to be held in Central Park on December 2 (New York Road Runners photo)

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor “Long distance runners have to be very strange people. You have to really want to do it. You don’t have to win or beat someone; you just have to get through the thing.

That’s the sense of victory, that’s the sense of self-worth.”

These penetrating words were once spoken by the late Ted Corbitt.

On December 2, the organization that he helped begin will continue to honor the late running great and WWII veteran by staging the annual New York Road Runners Ted Corbitt 15K in Central Park. The race will commence at 8:30 a.m. and span approximately 9.32 miles.

No one was more a more qualified authority on distance running than Corbitt, a University of Cincinnati and NYU alumnus.

Given the designation “father of American long distance running,” he was the first African American to compete in an Olympic marathon when he raced in the 1952 games in Helsinki, Finland.

That was merely one of Cor-

bitt’s many accolades and accomplishments.

Born in 1919, the Dunbarton, S.C., native, the grandson of slaves, was a co-founder and the first president of the internationally acclaimed New York Road Runners.

In 1947, he joined and aided in the ascension of the New York Pioneer Club, an integrated vanguard running organization in Harlem started in 1936 by a trio of Black men: Robert Douglas, William Culbreath, and Joseph Yancey.

In 1998, Corbitt was one of five inaugural inductees of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame.

Along with legendary distance racer Sandra Kiddy, Corbitt was one of the two initial members of the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame enshrined in 2004. He was prominent in laying out the 26.2 mile New York City Marathon course, which was run solely in Central Park from its inception in 1970 through 1975.

The NYC Marathon became its current five-borough race in 1976.

Corbitt completed an astounding 223 marathons and ultramarathons. He died in 2007 at 88.

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS S P O R T S

November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023 • 47

USA Basketball begins preparations for the 2024 Olympics The Phoenix Mercury’s (L) Brittney Griner and (R) Diana Taurasi hope to again be Olympic teammates (WNBA photos)

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews Most years, at the start of the WNBA’s off-season, players head overseas, return to their off-season jobs, or simply take time with family and friends to relax and rest their bodies. For some of the best players, however, that time off was brief as they gathered for USA Basketball training camp and exhibition games. Head coach Cheryl Reeve said the convening provided a great opportunity to check out some potential first-time Olympians, such as Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard and Arike Ogunbowale.

Gold medalists in 3x3 at the last Olympics, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Allisha Gray, are looking to make the move to 5x5.

“It’s important in terms of our ability to spend time together,” said Reeve. “The drill down is not

really possible with USA Basketball because you have to form a simple identity and really maximize that each time you’re with the team.”

USA Basketball is in pursuit of its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. Last year’s World Cup marked a shift in the roster with A’ja Wilson becoming the team’s MVP. Who will join her next summer in Paris is a work in progress, and some veterans are not stepping away.

Among those eager to represent the U.S. at least one more time are two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner and fivetime gold medalist Diana Taurasi.

At Tokyo 2020 (played in 2021), Taurasi and Sue Bird made history as the first five-time basketball gold medalists. With Bird now retired, Taurasi is alone in pursuit of a sixth gold medal.

“In terms of [Griner’s] enthu-

siasm, I think it’s palpable,” said Reeve. “This is near and dear to her, her USA Basketball experience. She’s very committed.”

Also in consideration for next year’s Olympic team are two New York Liberty players, Betnijah Laney and Sabrina Ionescu, both of whom played on the 2022

World Cup team. Two-time Olympian Breanna Stewart is also likely to play in Paris, but she did not participate in this training camp and exhibition games.

“I feel less of the rookie than I did last year,” said Ionescu.

“Coming here for the second time, obviously still being one of the

younger players on the team, but understanding what’s expected of me…and what is needed from me in training camp.”

In two exhibition games, USA Basketball took on some well known college teams, prevailing 95–59 over University of Tennessee and 87–58 against Duke University.

Columbia women’s basketball sets milestone with win over Seton Hall Columbia’s women’s basketball team kicking off their Empowering the Harlem Youth Community campaign (Columbia University Athletics/Teyvon Bussey photo)

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews Last Friday evening, the Columbia University women’s basketball team played its first home game of the 2023–24 season, coming away with a 72–61 win over Seton Hall University. In addition to 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals, Abbey Hsu became the Ivy League’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made. The victory also marked head coach Megan Griffith’s 100th victory.

“I’m really proud of my staff; every one of those 100 wins [associate head coach] Tyler Cordell has as well,” said Griffith, noting she was pleased with her team’s defensive effort. She also said how glad she is to see this team with several new players learn, find its identity, and gel.

Before the start of the game, the banner was raised for Columbia’s 2023 Ivy League Championship—the first banner to be raised at Levien Gymnasium since the men’s basketball team in 1968.

Columbia prevailed in its 2023–24 home opener 72–61 over Seton Hall (Lois Elfman photos)

To mark the start of the season, Columbia women’s basketball announced its 2023–24 season campaign, Empowering the Harlem Youth Community, which embodies the team’s goal to make a difference beyond the basketball court. The team is partnering with the Harlem Link Charter School, which they visited last month. The Lions also continue their work with Grow Our Game, a New York City organization with the goal of empowering girls.

Unquestionably, there were mo-

ments when Columbia’s players looked uncertain. They would dominate for a while and then Seton Hall would catch up and, at times, take the lead. Columbia finally pulled away in the fourth quarter.

“There are, obviously, always things we can learn for the next game, but I’m really proud of how we executed down the stretch,” said Hsu, who was pleased but not overly excited by her milestone.

“I played the game, stuck to the game plan, and I know those [3point] shots will come to me.”

Another standout was transfer student Cecelia Collins, a junior guard who played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Bucknell, who had 14 points and six rebounds. “I was super-hyped for my first home game at Columbia,” said Collins. “This is just one step in a really long journey, so we’ll take this one and move onto the next.”

Columbia plays Towson tonight at Levien and then heads to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship.

48 • November 16, 2023 - November 22, 2023

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Sports

Julius Randle seeks consistent rhythm on the Knicks’ road trip

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor Julius Randle’s emotionally charged and fluid relationship with Knicks fans has the latter already calling for extreme actions only 11 games into this season.

Although head coach Tom Thibodeau’s squad was an even 5–5 before playing the second of an eight-day, five-game road trip last night (Wednesday) against the Atlanta Hawks, and Randle was posting 18 points per game and 10.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per outing—solid numbers and close to or exceeding his career averages—Knicks faithful are blowing up social media platforms with grating criticism and analysis of Randle’s early season performance.

Despite being a two-time All-Star (2021, 2023) and All-NBA (2021, 2023) player in his fifth year with the franchise after signing as a free-agent in the summer of 2019, the veteran power forward is a constant target of criticism.

Randle has not shot efficiently and was at 34%, and an ice cold 26% on three-point attempts over the Knicks’ first 10 games heading into last night. Isolated defensive lapses and evident mental errors seemingly assoNets center (top) Nic Claxton has played just three games this season while forward (bottom) Ben Simmons is out with a nerve impingement in his back (Bill Moore photos)

AM News

06/01/23

AM News

06/08/23

AM News

06/15/23

ciated with frustration have helped drive fans’ ambivalent or downright disapproving feelings on who Randle is and will be as the season moves along.

Unfair expectations are prevalent in shaping viewpoints. Although he has embraced the strenuous challenge of being a force multiplier, Randle isn’t a franchise carrying figure comparable to Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, or (earlier in his career) LeBron James. But many Knicks fans persist in unrealistically holding him to that standard and scrutinizing Randle based on that perspective.

The Dallas native and All-American at Kentucky under coach John Calipari first drew an angry, biting tongue lashing from the Garden crowd when he gave them a dismissive thumbs down and suggested they “shut the f^*k up,” during a game at MSG back on January 6, 2022.

It was a reaction to the team being loudly jeered after falling behind 24 points to the Boston Celtics before mounting a 108–105 comeback victory. Many of the expansive Knicks fan base took it personally and have held onto it like a family heirloom. So for some, calling for the Knicks to trade Randle is a rite of passage.

Last Friday, Randle explained why he had

come out of the gate erratically.

“I told you guys from the beginning it was a process,” he said at the Knicks’ practice facility in Tarrytown in Westchester County.

“I had [ankle] surgery four-and-a-half months ago [in June] and it’s a lower extremity surgery.

So to think that I would come into this season and be Julius off the bat is kinda naive,” he said at Knicks practice on Friday.

“I knew from the beginning it was gonna be a process. It’s a gradual buildup. I’m starting to get better, but it’s a gradual buildup.”

Thibodeau said he was uncertain how Randle would begin the new campaign following the summer surgery and rehab.

“I wasn’t sure what we were going to get,” he noted last week. “I knew whatever we were going to get was all that he had.”

Randle scored 25 points on 7–19 shooting and 9–11 from the foul line with 9 rebounds in a 114–98 loss to the Celtics on Monday to open the current road trip. The Knicks will play the Washington Wizards tomorrow in the second of their four Eastern Conference Group B NBA In-Season Tournament games in which they are 0–1.

They will take on the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday to end the trip.

Knicks forward Julius Randle was averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds but shooting a subpar 34% before the Knicks faced the Atlanta Hawks on the road last night (Wednesday) (Bill Moore photo)

The Nets grind through injuries to stay above .500

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews Injuries to key players combined with a tough schedule filled with NBA heavyweights have been a huge factor in the first 11 games of the 2023-2024 NBA season for the Brooklyn Nets.

Still, Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn AM News had his team off to a 6–5 start following a 124–104 win over the08/17/23 Orlando Magic at home on Tuesday. The Nets have stayed above .500 playing recently without leading scorer Cam Thomas, who has been out since November 8 after suffering a sprained left ankle in the team’s 100–93 win over the AM News Center.

Los Angeles Clippers at the Barclays The 22-year-old guard, in his third season 08/24/23 in the NBA, is averaging 26.9 points per game—the highest on the team. He is expected to miss at least another week.

Additionally, forward Ben Simmons, a former three-time NBA All-Star and Brooklyn’s leading rebounder 10.8 per game, AMat News hasn’t played since Monday, November 6, and has been diagnosed with a nerve im08/31/23 pingement in the lower left side of his body, which will sideline him indefinitely. “[Simmons will] be out at least a week,”

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Vaughn said prior to Tuesday’s game. “I had provided the rim protection vital to Brookbeen telling you guys that he was day-to- lyn’s defense. He appeared in just his third day. I tried to give you as much as I can, as game on Tuesday.

“I tell [Nic], he can't take them fouls home honest as I can, and Ben was day-to-day. He was improving, and got to a point where ob- with him, so go ahead and go out there and play,” Vaughn said. “But, overall, you saw his viously he wasn’t playing.

“So we wanted to be extremely thorough,” ability in that combination, he and Spencer.

Vaughn continued. [He] had an MRI yester- So Spencer’s getting downhill while he is getday, which was read today, which AM showed Newsting to the rim. So that’s a lethal combination a left side impingement. We’ll look at him a to guard. “And then, Nic covers up sins for us 11/2/23 week from now. He has been getting treat- on the defensive end of the floor. Let’s just be ment. He’ll continue to get treatment. Hope- honest. His ability to come over and deter shots, be a shot blocker, even in foul trouble, fully [he] responds to that.”

Simmons has played in six games this you still see him back there. We were able to mix up our defenses because of him and be season.

The Nets will go into tonight’s game the aggressor tonight because of him.”

News Brooklyn will host the Philadelphia 76ers versus the Miami Heat on the roadAM having won two in a row. After a 121–107 loss in on Sunday then play the Hawks in Atlan11/09/23 ta next Wednesday before beginning a fiveBoston to the Celtics last Friday, Brooklyn defeated the Washington Wizards at home game home stand. on Sunday by 102–94 led by Mikal Bridges’ 27 points, and then defeated the Magic an in In-Season Tournament game paced by Spencer Dinwiddie’s 29.

AM News The Nets, the East’s Group C, are 2–1 in tournament play with wins over the Bulls and 11/23/23 Magic and a loss to the Celtics.

Center Nic Claxton’s return from an ankle injury sustained in the season opener has

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