New York Amsterdam News: Issue # 46 Nov.17-23, 2022

Current Mayor Eric Adams with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg at City Hall

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International News

around this year’s U.N. climate summit to add heft to land restoration efforts.

(GIN)—A coalition of climate philanthro pies, governments, technical support provid ers and others, responding to an urgent call by African leaders for environmental funding, this week pledged close to $2 billion to help protect carbon reserves and biodiversity.

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), Africa suffers from the highest level of forest degradation on earth at 65%, which leads to food and water insecurity, widespread erosion, limited economic opportunities and vulnerabil ities to climate change. Currently, WRI’s region al director is Wanjira Mathai, daughter of Nobel Prize winner Wangari Mathai who founded the Green Belt Movement and who characterized the environment as Africa’s life support system.

To stop degradation and accelerate resto ration, the African Forest Landscape Initia tive (AFR100) partnership was launched with 32 African governments, local entrepreneurs, financiers, and technical support providers. WRI and the African Union Development Agency are providing foundational support alongside dozens of like-minded partners.

As part of the financing effort, the Bezos Earth Fund, founded by American entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, has pledged $1 billion by 2030 and has already allocated $50 million in support of AFR100’s work in two iconic landscapes: the Rusizi River Basin and the Great Rift Valley.

Bezos’s philanthropic organization so far has pledged 30% of its $10-billion fund toward nature conservation, restoration and food-sys tems transformation. The fund is seeking a co alition with African and European countries

The Earth Fund is hoping to start revers ing deforestation and land degradation on 250m acres of land in Africa by 2030, Andrew Steer, the philanthropic organiza tion’s chief executive, told Reuters.

Three financing partners of AFR100 have an nounced commitments to a finance mecha nism that will build local capacity and make loans and grants available to local communities and entrepreneurs restoring land in Africa.

But Bezos’ generosity has limits if not flaws, according to his critics. Tax and climate activ ists point out that Bezos’ freedom to donate is largely derived from Amazon paying a corporate tax rate of barely 1%. Then there’s the question of Amazon’s convenient deliveries and massive data centers, which together emitted about 44.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018.

At a recent meeting of the U.N. Green Cli mate Fund, wealthy nations were push ing for donations from big businesses and the super-rich, despite the secretariat ex pressing doubts about this strategy. Private sector donors are unwilling to cede control over funding decisions, the GCF found.

YOUNG RESEARCHER FROM IVORY COAST TAPPED FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE PRIZE

(GIN)—Twenty-five-year-old Adjata Ka mara’s specialized research into plant-based biopesticides brought her to the attention of the L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO—two organizations that aim to give visibility to women researchers worldwide. This week, Kamara was among five young

women working in science to receive the UNESCO/L’Oréal prize. She had been explor ing the use of plant extracts, fungi, and bene ficial bacteria on yams rather than chemicals which, she said, depletes the soil. Yams are a root that is highly prized in sub-Saharan Africa.

“The prize allows me to show my research to other women, to other countries and it puts a little pressure on me because I tell myself that now I have to be a role model for young girls in science,” she said. Adjata explains that her goal is to develop “biopesticides based on plant ex tracts, fungi, and beneficial bacteria,” in order to treat without chemicals this anomaly that disrupts the production of a plant that is the basis of staple food in several regions of Africa.

“I work on the development of biopesti cides based on plant extracts, bacteria, and also fungi. These bacteria and fungi are said to be beneficial and so I’m trying to find methods to control the fungi that attack

Garífuna fight land confiscations in Punta Gorda, Roatán

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Activists in Honduras’ Garí funa community of Punta Gorda, Roatán were violently removed from their ancestral lands on Nov. 7.

In a video posted to her Twit ter account, Miriam Miran da, a leader of the Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña (Honduran Black Fraternal Or ganization (OFRANEH)), showed the moment when members of Honduras’ military and national police showed up in tactical gear and rousted Garífuna activists from a plot of land they had taken over in September after it ap peared to have been illegally sold.

Punta Gorda was the Garífu na’s first community, formed 225 years ago when they were exiled from St. Vincent and left in the Bay Islands by the Eng lish crown. The Garífuna es

tablished homes in Punta Gorda and their community remains there to this day; Garífuna dias pora communities also formed along the Atlantic coast of Hon duras and there is a strong Garí funa community, today, in the New York City area.

But Punta Gorda has been a source of contention in Hondu ras for more than 40 years; it is the only Garífuna community in Honduras that the community lacks title ownership to. Recent ly, Punta Gorda has also become a tourist hot spot where foreign ers are buying up property with the permission of the govern ment. The area has even become an object of desire for cryptocur rency investors who are looking to create an independent island home base for themselves.

Carla Garcia, the interna tional relations coordinator at OFRANEH, told the AmNews,

FUNDERS COMMIT TO RESTORING AFRICAN FORESTS BUT IS PHILANTHROPY THE WAY TO GO?

(GIN photo)

Six Garífuna leaders—Dorotea López, Richard Martínez, Efraín Sánchez, Keider Gonzales, Augusto Dolmo and Melissa Fabiola Martínez—were arrested and detained for taking part in the Nov. 7 protest (OFRANEH photo)

Childcare bills signed into law

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

Mayor Eric Adams signed a package of childcare bills into law last week sponsored by a majority woman city council. The bills address chronic issues with the city’s child care system and access to services.

“No parent leaves home with out their phone, their keys, and without knowing that their child has a proper place and well-being. COVID-19 really decimated families of far too many; they had to make some strong and challenging deci sions,” said Mayor Adams at the signing on Wednesday, Nov. 9. “They have lost wages and childcare in the process. We un derstand that and we’re focused on rightsizing to get this right.”

East Harlem’s Union Settle ment, an education and com

munity-building organization in operation since 1895, hosted the signing. Union Settlement Chief Executive Officer Jenni fer Geiling said that expansive early childcare is core to their programming and mission. She applauded the city’s efforts to bolster childcare and early childhood education.

The sponsors for the bills in clude Councilmembers Julie Menin, Crystal Hudson, and Jennifer Gutiérrez along with major support from Mayor Adams, Speaker Adrienne Adams, and Public Advocate Ju maane Williams.

Menin, who has four kids of her own, was heralded at the signing for her dedication to getting the bills passed. She said her bills would help close the gender inequality gap while giving choice to mothers to return or stay in the work force. “It’s a historic moment.

I’m thrilled to be here and as a working mom with four kids I can’t tell you how much this personally means to me,” said Menin.

Menin said that over 375,000 parents last year were forced to leave or were downsized in their jobs because families could not afford childcare, costing the city over $2.2 billion in lost eco nomic revenue.

The seven childcare laws es tablish a childcare task force to assess affordability for fami lies, require the city’s health and technology department to create a directory of citywide childcare programs, establish a Child Care Advisory Board, create an online portal that provides information on childcare subsidies, create a childcare grant pilot program, and develop guidance for prop erty owners that want to open childcare centers. There’s also a

Racial Equity proposals pass

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

New York City voters passed three landmark racial equity pro posals put forth by the Racial Jus tice Commission and a proposal aimed at funding climate change initiatives. The ballot measures scored at least 70% or more of the votes last week.

As of Nov. 9, the Board of Elec tions’ results for Proposal 1 in volving the CLEAN WATER, CLEAN AIR, AND GREEN JOBS Environmental Bond Act of 2022 had 81.06% yes votes. Proposal 2, which adds a statement of ‘Values to Guide Government’ to the city charter, had 72.31% of the yes votes. Proposal 3 establishes the first ever, citywide Racial Equity Office, Plan, and Commission. It had 69.80% of the yes votes and 30.20% of the no votes. And Pro posal 4, on the measure of the ‘True Cost of Living’ in New York City, had 81.03% of the yes votes.

The proposals make structur al changes to combat racial jus tice, economic inequity, and climate change in our city’s char ter. The city’s charter is important because it helps shape nonparti san policy and is much harder to change as opposed to a law or ex ecutive order.

“Equity and justice go hand in hand and are key to build ing a prosperous city that serves all New Yorkers,” said Mayor Eric Adams in a statement. “By using their voices and their votes for all three racial justice ballot pro posals, New Yorkers have placed racial equity at the heart of our city’s government. Our adminis tration is fully committed to ad vancing equity, and I am proud of New Yorkers’ decision to create the first-ever Racial Equity Office.”

The Racial Justice Commission (RJC) was convened by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in March 2021. The commission’s job was to produce a formal report and recommendations on underly

ing sources of inequity by Decem ber 2021. It was a temporary task force and now, through the voted on proposals, the commission will be a permanent office.

Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and executive director of The Federa tion of Protestant Welfare Agen cies, is the current chair of the RJC. She wasn’t sure if she would be appointed to a permanent po sition. Regardless, she was excit ed and proud to see proposals pass that people could “see them selves in.” Austin explained that many pieces of legislation on the surface appear “race neutral” but end up benefiting one group be cause of biases and bigotry in its

Metro Briefs

Harlem Holiday Lights event postponed until Nov. 22

The 125th Street Business Improvement District announced that it’s postponing the annual Harlem Holiday Lights Event until Tues day, Nov. 22 due to expected inclement weather. The event will take place on 125th Street between 5th Avenue and 12th Avenue, commemorating its 29th year.

This year’s grand marshals are restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality, Melba Wilson owner of Melba’s Res taurant in Harlem and legendary rapper/producer Doug E Fresh. There will be activation hubs all along the route, special pro motional launches by 125th Street businesses, and information stations for those seeking help on everything from health and wellness to cure programs. The event will also feature a tree light ing ceremony at Marcus Garvey Park, and a stop at Mount Morris Park Ascension Presbyterian Church for a special Blessing.

Adams takes steps to help homeless access permanent housing

Mayor Eric Adams today announced a package of major new housing reforms that will help New Yorkers exit the shelter system—or avoid it entirely—and move more quickly into perma nent affordable housing, including in higher-income neighbor hoods that have long been out of reach for lower income families.

The reforms include significant improvements to the City Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) housing voucher program that will ensure more New Yorkers are eligible for the program and make the voucher more flexible and easier to use; a groundbreaking pilot program, “Street to Hous ing,” that will place New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered home lessness directly into supportive housing; and a major expansion of the city’s housing mobility program, which helps families with federal housing vouchers access apartments in more neighbor hoods across the five boroughs.

The reforms deliver commitments in Adams’ “Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness,” which re oriented the city’s approach to homelessness, treating it as a hous ing problem. The package also complements other key initiatives in the housing blueprint, including efforts to accelerate the creation of supportive housing, expand overall housing supply, and eliminate unnecessary obstacles New Yorkers face to obtain housing.

NYC workforce sees largest decline since Great Depression

Attrition outpaces hiring among New York City’s municipal workforce, which could have an impact on critical city servic es and programs, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The report shows the city’s full-time workforce declined by 19,113 employees over the last two years, the largest decline in staffing since the Great Recession of 2008. Despite the city hiring over 40,000 new employees in the last fiscal year, city job vacan cies stand at more than 21,000.

The 6.4% decrease in the city’s workforce during the pandemic was found to be uneven across its 37 largest agencies, with 11 ex periencing a decline in staffing of more than 13%. The Department of Correction had the greatest loss of employees with a 23.6% de cline, followed by the Department of Investigation at 22.2% and the Taxi & Limousine Commission at 20.5%.

Soweto Gospel Choir to perform at Lehman Center

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is hosting the four-time Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m.

Direct from South Africa, the Soweto Gospel Choir returns to Lehman Center with an all-new concert, entitled “Hope: It’s Been A Long Time Coming,” commemorating the freedom movement in South Africa and the Civil RightsMovement in the United States.

(Ariama C. Long photo)

Student loan debt relief paused again

By HERB BOYD Special to the Am News

A panel of federal judges have put President Biden’s student debt dream on hold, and this comes as a result of MOHELA, a formidable Missouri agency allied with six-Republican based states that have charged Biden with overreaching the White House authority. What is MOHELA?

Simply put, it’s the state of Missouri’s Higher Edu cation Loan Authority, and one of the largest hold ers and servicers of student loans, based in St. Louis.

Central to its mission, since 2021 it has provid ed student loans to nearly 3 million recipients and counting, is to remove “barriers for students so they can access higher education.” It is, according to its website, not a government agency but is closely tied to Missouri’s financial operations and obligations. Back in July MOHELA was given the responsibility of determining a waiver on student loans of a certain amount, and that waiver expired in October.

When Biden announced that he would take steps to eliminate up to $10,000 of public student loan debt for millions of borrowers, including up to $20,000 who received Pell Grants, Republicans who opposed

the plan took action to challenge it in court.

Biden’s plan was deemed fiscally unwise, and lawsuits poured in from several states, arguing that debt forgiveness needed to be blocked because it harmed the “states’ financial and proprietary inter ests.” These states used MOHELA as evidence that if the loans were forgiven it would hurt the agency, then it would also hurt the state.

At first a federal judge in St. Louis refused to buy the argument and dismissed the case, who was ap pointed by George W. Bush. The case was appealed in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to get an other ruling. The three-panel judge, consisting of one Bush appointed and two by Trump, ruled with the states and blocked the program. As we go to press, MOHELA has abstained from the ruling on the program.

Everything at the moment is put on hold, and it’s to be seen if the White House extends the freeze on the payments, which would have been over if Biden’s plan had gone through.

It would appear to be a hearing in the Supreme Court is inevitable, though that may never happen and an earlier denial on the issue was rendered by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, another Trump appointee.

Elder activist Mutulu Shakur granted parole

By MAL’AKIY 17 ALLAH Special to the AmNews And by NAYABA ARINDE Amsterdam News Editor

It was announced Nov. 10 that after an incarcera tion of 36 years, the U.S. Parole Commission grant ed ailing Black Liberation Army activist, Mutulu Shakur, 72, a compassionate parole in October. United States Federal Bureau of Prisons doctors estimate he has less than six months to live. He’s scheduled to be released from a Lexington, Ken tucky federal medical prison on Dec. 16.

“We now find your medical condition renders you so infirm of mind and body that you are no longer physically capable of committing any Fed eral, State or local crime,” wrote the Parole Com mission in a letter filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl Morgan last Thursday.

Shakur has served 35-plus years of his 60-year sentence, been denied parole nine times, and has been enduring deteriorating health, namely catching COVID-19 three times, and has stage3 multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that affects bones and kidneys.

New York-based Malcolm X Commemoration Committee activist Dequi kion-Sadiki told the Amsterdam News, “Dr. Mutulu Shakur, a 72-yearold grandfather and respected healer and elder, is one of thousands of incarcerated older people in federal and state prisons who has been repeated ly denied parole for over a decade after completing his minimum sentence.”

“We are elated that Mutulu is being released!” said activist Zayid Muhammad. The member of the Malcolm X Commemoration Committee con tinued, “Let us be on several things, however. One, that he is indeed a sick man. That cloud hangs over us all of us heavy. Two, he has done his time and has already been denied parole nine times already, and three, he is slated to be released on the same date that we are back in Philadelphia for Mumia

(December 16) before a handpicked Black female judge who is already disposed to dismiss all of the new evidence exonerating Mumia and potential ly shutting down all of his last rights to appeal his conviction. We are elated Mutulu is coming home, but we have serious work to do for the rest of his comrades.”

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams denied his motion for compassionate release this summer, citing the “severity of his crimes.” Shakur was also denied compassionate parole in 2020.

He was convicted in 1988 for an October 1981 Brinks armored truck robbery which resulted in the deaths of two Nyack, New York cops and a security

Baraka announces third year of funding for artists and arts organizations

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced the allocation of $750,000 of American Rescue Plan funds to support the third year of the City’s Creative Catalyst Fund, which will provide artists and cultural groups with flexible grant support during the COVID19 crisis and beyond.

Announced in January 2020 as Newark’s first-ever municipal arts grant program, the inaugural round of Creative Catalyst Fund grants offered much-needed sup port in the early months of the pandemic that took an enormous financial toll on the creative sector.

“Newark has a long history as a center for arts and culture. That sector is an important part of our economy and focus on equitable development and neighborhood growth,” said Mayor Baraka. “Em powering artists has an impact greater than economics alone—it empowers the creativity of our city.”

The financial support from the Creative Catalyst Fund has bol stered Newark’s creative commu nity, which has vital contributions to civic economy and quality of life. The Fund was launched as a multi-year initiative providing up to $1 million annually for at least three years. In its first two years, the Fund issued a total of $1.6 million for the arts.

Last year, the Creative Catalyst Fund awarded grants to 134 artists and organizations for programs that served over 250,000 Newark residents and visitors and paid over 1,000 additional artists for their work supporting these proj

ects. The average award amount was $10,900 for organizations and $3,800 for individual artists and col lectives. Grantees used the funds to help pay for operating costs, space rentals, staff, programming costs, supplies and equipment, and CO VID-related expenses.

The Creative Catalyst Fund is administered by the City’s Divi sion of Arts and Cultural Affairs in partnership with Newark Arts, and was designed and facilitated with support from Bloomberg As sociates, the pro bono municipal consulting arm of Bloomberg Phi lanthropies.

“Newark Arts is thrilled to part ner with the City of Newark for a third year to facilitate Creative Catalyst Fund grants to Newark’s arts community,” said Executive Director of Newark Arts Felicia A. Swoope. “These much-need ed resources help small arts orga nizations and individual artists to thrive as they enrich the city with artistic vibrancy and cultural rel evance. Newark Arts’ mission is to help to drive funding, space, and coordination that supports the arts community.”

To apply for the grants go to cityofnewark-arts.submittable. com/submit. The deadline to apply for the 2022 Creative Cata lyst Fund grant is Thursday, Dec. 1, at 11:59 p.m. A selection com mittee composed of community representatives, city staff, and arts experts will evaluate the submis sions. An online public informa tion session about how to apply will be provided on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. Interested can didates can register at Eventbrite to learn more.

Archdiocese of Newark to distribute 200 free turkeys to families in need

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

The Archdiocese of Newark’s Mercy House is distributing ap proximately 200 free turkeys to families in need during its Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Giveaway on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 11 a.m. All who visit The Mercy House’s Newark location (620 Clinton Ave.) will receive one turkey as well as one bag of

side dishes like stuffing and cranberry sauce—everything required to prepare a Thanks giving meal for their loved ones. Additionally, families with young children will get a gift bag filled with crayons and other fun treats. The giveaway will operate on a first-come, first-served basis while sup plies last.

This year’s Thanksgiving Giveaway is made possible

Mutulu Shakur with Talib Shakur

Continuing the capoeira traditions with instructor Joao Lampreia

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

Instructor Joao Lampreia, 50, teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the art of self-defense, and capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that com bines dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. He holds adult and kids classes on Nevins Street in Brooklyn most days of the week.

“In Brazil, capoeira is like bas ketball in Brooklyn,” said Lam preia. “The only difference is that capoeira is the whole [country], especially in poor communities, Black communities.”

A native of Brazil, Lampreia be lieves that the self discipline cen tral to martial arts is tantamount to living a meaningful life. Prior to the pandemic, he taught in many schools but hit an all too familiar financial snag in 2020. Thanks to the support in his community, he managed to pivot to online class es and continued until he could

resume in-person classes in his own space. “It was really hard,” said Lampreia. “I didn’t stop teaching.”

He said that music as well as learning and teaching capoei ra allowed him to excel in school and travel. He began practic ing when he was very young and began teaching others under the tutelage of his master when he was 17 years old. By 19 years old, he branched out to teach on his own.

“Very soon I start to travel and teach in communities, at schools. And I started to think that that was something I could do for the rest of my life and be happy and help people,” said Lampreia.

Lampreia reminisced on how hard it was to teach at such a young age but credited the arts for its immense focus. He said while traveling the world he was invited to teach workshops in Brooklyn, Boston, New Jersey, and Connect icut in 2002. He soon decided to

settle in Brooklyn. With the city as his home base, he continues to have students all over the world, including back home in Brazil.

“Any kind of martial art gives discipline. If you don’t have it, it’s very hard to go to work and be happy. That’s the number one thing for adults,” said Lampreia. “For kids, you understand that it’s not only about having fights.”

He tries to go home and visit Brazil as often as he can. His chil dren are 17 years old and 14 years old, and while they have prac ticed capoeira all their lives, they are avid soccer players.

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

Joao Lampreia sharing capoeira traditions with students (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

Black New Yorker

Adams is a Republican? Mayor faces harsh criticism for political views

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

Mayor Eric Adams is in the infancy of his term as New York City’s second Black mayor. Even so, his controversial stances on how to handle crime in the city and his recently published op-ed about the gener al election have kicked up a haze of critics calling him a “Republican” as his first year as mayor comes to a close.

The Amsterdam News reached out to electeds and various organizations to get their thoughts on this narrative and where it stems from.

First on Elon Musk’s Twitter, a grassroots Democrat organizer tweeted that Adams “knew crime panic would hurt Dem chanc es” but kept “fear-mongering right wing talking points” throughout his campaign and the following election cycle. Then on Nov. 10, a Daily News city hall report er’s tweets sparked a conversation about Adams and bail reform.

Both threads devolved into blatant accu sations that Adams is a “Republican.” Many commented that his secret conservatism is not surprising considering his stances on cashless bail being linked to high crime rates, something that many have statisti

cally disproven.

Brooklyn Assemblymember Latrice Walker, who’s been somewhat at odds with Adams, said that it’s disingenuous for the mayor to help “spread lies” to voters across the state about crime and bail reform. “It’s like setting a fire inside a structure, run ning outside and then pontificating on the origin of the blaze. The impact of the mayor spewing falsehoods about the relationship between crime and bail reform is impossi ble to measure accurately,” said Walker in a statement. “But, I’m sure his right-leaning narrative didn’t help.”

Adams posted an op-ed in USA Today on Nov. 13 about Democratic Party losing working class voters in the 2022 general election. Some traditionally blue Demo crat seats in Brooklyn went ‘red’ this year.

“A majority of Americans are in a precar ious economic position, many just one ill ness or job loss away from financial ruin. They will vote for candidates who ac knowledge those problems, even if the so lutions on offer are less than effective,” wrote Adams. “So, despite an overall bet ter-than-expected showing for Democrats on Tuesday, working people continued the long trend of voting more often for Republi can candidates. We cannot ignore the con tinued erosion of their support while we celebrate avoiding electoral disaster. Dem ocrats’ support—and base—is wavering.”

Though Adams made valid points about reliable Black, Latinx, and Asian voting blocs for Democrats changing as of late, the op-ed did not seem to help make him appear less “right-leaning.” He was again criticized via Twitter for “not helping” and “undermining” Democrats in his city.

Walker did add that she too is a little con cerned about areas of the city and state that have long been Democratic strongholds with low voter turnout, despite Democrats winning every statewide race. She pointed

out that preliminary numbers show there were more than 520,000 fewer voters state wide, compared to four years ago, with much of the decline happening in New York City. “We absolutely should embark on a thorough study to determine wheth er apathy, poor messaging or simple voter discontent contributed to the low turnout,” said Walker.

To be clear, Adams earned a degree from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice among others. He was a transit NYPD of ficer, a captain, and co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement. He has made no effort to hide his law enforcement background and fierce support from cops and police unions. He has consistently spoken about battling crime in the city since he started campaigning for mayor last year and he never fails to mention the influence his cop experience has on his decision-making. His chief technology officer, former NYPD offi cer Matt Fraser, even stayed strapped with a gun at work.

Adams has ran and won on the Demo cratic ticket for mayor, Brooklyn borough president, and four times for state senator in District 20. However, it is known that he has registered as a Republican at least once

Figured Out: Why citywide crime stats don’t fully reflect October’s public safety panic

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

Technically, crime is up. More New York ers were robbed and fewer were killed this past month compared to October 2021, ac cording to the NYPD’s recently released citywide crime stats. The figures don’t jump off the page. Yet New Yorkers were on high alert. What do these numbers really mean during a month when public safety in the “Big Apple” was a national conversation and a central issue during this past gover nor’s race?

“When New York talks about crime, they’re talking about seven crime catego ries,” said Marq Claxton, director of the Black Law Enforcement Alliance. “They’re not talking about all the crimes in the penal law. They look at seven particular crimes. And based on those seven crime categories, they make a determination whether ‘crime is up, crime is down.’”

The seven major index crimes account ed for are murder, rape, felony assault, rob bery, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto. Claxton, a retired NYPD de tective, says those categories limit a broad er assessment of public safety. Instead, he recommends looking at other, more minor and common offenses to get a better gauge of crime in the city. For example, felony as saults makeup a small fraction of overall assaults—instead, misdemeanor assault stats paint a much clearer picture of how

frequently New Yorkers are attacked on the streets.

And most serious crime isn’t even reported to police, according to Dr. Chris Herrmann, an assistant professor at CUNY John Jay Col lege of Criminal Justice and former NYPD Crime Analyst Supervisor. The U.S. Depart ment of Justice’s National Crime Victim ization Survey found only 45.6% of violent crime was reported to police last year.

“We’re only looking at half of the picture, at best,” he said. “And based on that half picture, we’re supposed to come up with all these great ideas and policies and strat egies and prevention and control. It’s like a little bit of a crapshoot.”

Major index crimes are tallied through police reports, which are reviewed by high er-ups and higher-, higher-ups before they’re computerized as an actual physical record. From there, analysts dive back into the database to tally up crime statistics.

But the process often requires subjec tive judgment calls by police when catego rizing an offense. Herrmann says robbery, grand larceny and burglary are frequently intertwined and can be manipulated to ex acerbate or reduce violent crime numbers. Claxton adds that departments are often tasked with putting on their best “Antiques RoadShow” impression and appraising the value of items during a larceny arrest— the assessment can often determine whether the offense is tallied as a felony or misdemeanor.

Last month, burglaries, robbery, grand

larceny and grand larceny auto were all up in New York City according to the NYPD. Herrmann says this is a good sign for cred ibility—given the categories’ inherent con nection, aberrations between the four crimes should be met with suspicion.

In fact, New Yorkers benefit from one of the most accurate crime tallies in the nation, boasting the NYPD-piloted Comp stat process.

“We got more people that are counting crime than the majority of police depart ments are taking care of all their crimes,” said Herrmann.

He adds that the FBI can’t properly esti mate a nationwide crime rate this year due to the lack of reporting and antiquated doc umentation processes by smaller depart ments across the country.

Then there’s the matter of how different communities are policed due to race. For example, statistics point to higher illegal drug activity in Black and brown commu nities. But felony drug use is comparable, if not higher, in white neighborhoods, ac cording to Claxton.

“If your crime-fighting strategies focus on Black and brown communities, then [un surprisingly], you’re [going to have] some great recordings of incidents in Black and brown communities,” he said. “If you don’t enforce and police the same way in other communities and if you don’t document offenses in those communities, then it’ll show as if nothing happens there, when it’s just not the reality.”

So in the end, major index crime stats don’t fully paint the picture of public safety. Claxton says they’re useful for determining which specific crimes need to be resolved. But they don’t explain why New Yorkers stand meters away from the subway track or hire private security guards to police their block these days.

“If we just look at those statistics, we lose what’s really important to people, and that’s how they feel,” said Claxton. “That sense of safety, that feeling of safety, because those types of feelings are contagious. And they shouldn’t be ignored, even when the statis tics show otherwise.”

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

NYPD officers at a crime scene (Nayaba Arinde photo)

New York City Mayor Eric Adams votes in the 2022 general election. PS 81, Brooklyn, N.Y. Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office photo)

11/11

Honoring those who serve 24/7

With over 200,000 veterans and service men and women reentering the workforce each year, Bank of America is supporting the unique needs of our heroes as they transition to civilian life and careers.

Some steps we’re taking to support veterans and military members:

• Offering free online resources through BetterMoneyHabits.com on topics specific to them, from home buying to retirement

• Expanding the number of financial centers near military installations to address the needs of military customers

• Continuing our hiring momentum — more than 15% of our new hires are military veterans

My teammates and I here in New York City are proud to support our military service men and women, especially as we celebrate Veterans Day. Thank you for your service.

José Tavarez President, Bank of America New York City

What would you like the power to do? ®

Learn more at bankofamerica.com/metroNYC

Bank of America, Better Money Habits, Mejores Hábitos Financieros and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Credit Opportunity Lender © 2022 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

Go With The Flo

FLO ANTHONY

Whoopi Goldberg will be absent from “The View” for a while after testing pos itive for COVID-19 for the second time. The EGOT (Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/ Tony) winner’s representative confirmed to Entertainment Tonight, on Nov. 14, that Goldberg didn’t feel well prior to the show and tests later confirmed she had coronavirus. Joy Behar was scheduled to be off for the week, but returned to the show on Nov. 15 because Goldberg is out sick. Back in January, Goldberg tested positive, causing her to miss several ep isodes following the Christmas break of 2021.

On Nov. 14, Comcast Xfinity and Face Forward Productions celebrated the new upcoming three-part docuseries “The Black Beauty Effect,” at the Regal LA Live in Los Angeles. The Black Carpet premiere screening and on-stage Q&A featured series creator and Executive Producer Andrea Lewis, and Executive Producer and Emmy-nominee CJ Faison, moder ated by Stacy Ike. There was also a sur prise extended conversation with former Editor-At-Large at Essence Magazine, author, and TV personality Mikki Taylor and Carol’s Daughter founder Lisa Price. The celebration continued with a cock tail after party at the Grammy Museum.

Kanye West was spotted out and about in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Nov. 12, after Dave Chappelle tackled the rapper/fash ion designer’s recent antiSemitic remarks in his opening monologue the same night on “Saturday Night Live.” On the show, Chappelle, who is now also in hot water for reportedly “polarizing” antiSemitism by repeating Kanye’s words, delivered a different speech at the dress rehearsal for the show, than he performed on live tele vision, according to the New York Post.

Nick Cannon welcomed his 11th child, his third with DJ Abby De La Rosa on Nov. 11. Beautiful Zeppelin Cannon joins her big brothers, Zion and Zillion Cannon, who are a little over one-year-old, as part of the growing family. Underneath a photo of the new baby, De La Rosa and himself, Cannon posted on social media, “Beautiful is privileged to have such a Loving and Spiritually inclined Mother. Watching you smile through the world’s madness and my constant craziness is so impressive.” Meanwhile, “The Masked Singer” host says he pays more than $3 million in child support a year. Model Alyssa Scott recently announced she is pregnant with Cannon’s 12th child.

‘Tis the season for food—giving

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

On a frigid Monday evening, Harlem res idents gathered along West 125th Street to collect a free bright green grocery bag full of food supplies. The event was organized by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Hunts Point Food market to de liver fresh fruits and vegetables to the com munity since Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

The grocery giveaway had 500 free bags of foods you would need for Thanksgiving dinner, like cranberries and sweet potatoes, inside each.

“There’s still a lot of people, uptown Manhattan and New York City wide, who are struggling economically,” said Levine about the event.

“There’s still the aftershocks of the pan demic, rising inflation which makes gro ceries too expensive for some people, rising rents and not to mention thousands of families who have come here as migrants. Homeless shelters which are full. And so we wanted to do our part to help those in need and there are families for whom food is a struggle and to have a nice bag of healthy produce makes a difference,” he continued.

Levine was a former Manhattan council member just elected to BP this year. He said

that when he was on the city council they had a much smaller food giveaway opera tion, but were able to go really big this year.

Northern Manhattan Office Director Athena Moore said, “We’re doing a mi grant drive right now, we’re helping with food for the holidays. We have other initia tives that are bringing the community to gether. We want to just do all that we can to help and especially in these times that are difficult, post pandemic and we know that there are so many people who go without and we want everybody to feel like there’s an opportunity for them to be heard and to be fed.”

Moore’s office is partnering with the New York Immigration Coalition and local com munity-based organizations to give assis tance to many migrants who have been bussed to New York in the last few months. As of now the number of people showing up has dropped. Levine said that the pace of arrivals has dramatically slowed down from six to eight buses a day at the peak. Moore and others are supporting the mi grants who are still here with housing and whatever assistance they need.

“Our office really has been helping with collecting donated items, toiletries, cloth ing, socks. You know, things that we can pass on to those who are in need,” said Moore. “And so the immigrant communi ty has been 100% coming through getting

the things that they need.”

Meanwhile, residents looked beyond eager to endure the cold to have free gro ceries. A few mentioned how helpful it was since food was so “expensive” nowadays.

Longtime NYCHA Grant Houses resi dent Irene Francis has lived in Harlem for over 40 years. She is originally from White Plains, N.Y. but moved to downstate when she was a teenager. She stood on the line by herself, bundled up and patiently wait ing her turn.

“My niece may need to do cooking be cause I’m actually a [breast] cancer survi vor,” said Francis about her Thanksgiving plans. “Being that I was diagnosed last year. So for you to look at me this year and see me, you would never—a lot of people say they would never know, it was rough.”

She said a free bag of groceries is mon umental in this current economy. “The expense of buying things out of the store now has changed so much. This means a lot,” said Francis.

Ariama C. Long is a Report for Ameri ca corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Am sterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a taxdeductible gift of any amount today by vis iting: https://bit.ly/amnews1

ReSURGEnce 2022 conference sparks Black-owned business bounce-back

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

Temperatures are dropping, but Black business ownership is about to heat up thanks to the Rev. Dennis Dillon. The New York Christian Times founder is hosting the reSURGEnce conference for Black Church and Black Businesses this Thurs day, Nov. 17 and the next day, Friday, the 18th at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature speak ers such as Mayor Eric Adams, Dormito ry Authority of the State of New York Pres. Reuben McDaniel III and “New York Un dercover” actor Malik Yoba.

“The reSURGEnce, as the name sug gests, is really to create a resurge, revival or a restoration—a recharge, so to speak of Black-owned businesses coming out of the pandemic,” said Dillon. “The pandem ic has been deeply devastating to Blackowned businesses.

“And so this reSURGEnce conference is really about the creation of a new Black economic renaissance. That’s really what this is about, and how do we work to ensure that all that is needed, and all that is necessary to create this renaissance and how all of the energies and resourc

es ought to be brought to bear to facilitate and to create this renaissance.”

But Dillon doesn’t need a Sistine Chapel ceiling. His canvas is the Black consum er market in the New York/tri-state area, which tops $190 billion. Yet Black entre preneurship doesn’t come close to com mensurating to the community’s spending power. According to the city, only 3.5% of local businesses are Black-owned. So re SURGEnce aims to flip the switch by coaching entrepreneurship and assisting with applying for loans, government con tracts and franchising opportunities.

In Aug. 2020, a city report found Black entrepreneurs, like most business owners, face challenges accessing capital. There was also a need for larger networks and support for customer acquisition. And they overwhelmingly open businesses to pursue their passions. But Dillon hopes they can think even bigger.

“We’re selling culture, we’re selling cul tural food, we’re selling cultural attire, we’re cutting hair—for the most part, most of the successes that Black busi nesses have endured has been wrapped around culture,” he said. “And we’re simply saying that it’s time for us to move the Black entrepreneurship to the main stream. We gotta move it greatly to the

mainstream. For instance, we have been extremely weak in New York and across the globe, as it comes to, as it relates to retail businesses.

“So we want to create more retail busi nesses, the challenge we’ve had in the retail space for a lot of years, is the fact that most times we do not own the real estate associated with the retail. And in most cases for retail businesses, to truly succeed, there has to be a related owner ship as it relates to the real estate.”

He adds that property ownership is key for true claim over Black communi ties, especially in neighborhoods battling gentrification like Harlem and BedfordStuyvesant.

“We’re not in a position where we can truly claim any community as our own, because we really do not own the com munity,” said Dillon. “We only live in it. Only economics can change that.”

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

December 12th Movement reports back on Zimbabwe

By ROGER WAREHAM Special to the AmNews

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the December 12th Movement International Secretariat held a report-back to the community on its recent trip to Zimbabwe. A four member delega tion composed of D12 Chair Viola Plum mer, Omowale Clay, Colette Pean and Sekou Willis attended the 7th Congress of ZANU-PF, the country’s governing party.

The evening began with a video showing the November launching of Zimbabwe’s first satellite, ZIMSAT. The satellite will pro vide the country with the ability to identify underground mineral resources, map out its topography, secure its borders, moni tor climate activities and improve agricul ture. The attendees greeted the conclusion of the video with loud applause and enthu

siastic shouts of “we did it.”

As the delegation pointed out, the satel lite launching was only one example of the progress that has been made under Pres ident E.D. Mnangagwa’s leadership since his 2018 election. Advances in agriculture, mining, education and health have Zimba bwe moving steadily forward to achieving its immediate and long term goals for the country.

A lively question, answer and commen tary took place between the delegation and the attendees. Afterwards one said, “I now have a better understanding that, in spite of U.S. sanctions, [for having returned to its people the land stolen by colonial set tlers], Zimbabwe is continuing to defend its right to self-determination and its commit ment to securing a higher quality of life for its citizens.”

Nightlife

Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige lead Soul Train Awards 2022

Got kinda spoiled after getting a home game last year at the Apollo Theater. This year, it was back to normal, so we had to leave the warmth of New York City and brave the elements for that brisk Vegas temperature (no cap, it was warmer here!!) for the 2022 Soul Train Awards. While the award winners listing can’t be revealed, know that Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige lead Soul Train Awards 2022 nomi nations with an impressive seven nods. Ari Lennox garnered the second-highest number of nods with six nominations. Lizzo and Chris Brown are tied at five nods each, followed by Burna Boy, Muni Long, and Steve Lacy with four nods. Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic, PJ Morton, and Tems each garnered 3 nominations.

Now we can run and tell who the re cipients for their years of toil in the game were. First up are “Kandi” Burruss-Tuck er, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, Tamika Scott, and LaTocha Scott of legendary, multi platinum-selling R&B supergroup Xscape who collectively received the ‘Lady of Soul’ honor at the feel-good party of the year. Xscape emerged on the scene in the ’90s with a sound of their own along with the fire material to match. With hit songs like “Just Kickin’ It,” “Understanding,” and “The Arms of the One Who Loves You,” the powerhouse group took the in dustry by storm with their amazing har monies and industry-defining sounds.

In a statement released prior to the taping, the ladies of Xscape said, “Given how important Soul Train is to all of us, we’re so thankful to be honored with the ‘Lady of Soul’ Award this year. It’s going to be an amazing night, and we can’t wait to see you all there.”

“Xscape is one of the most notable R&B supergroups of all time. Their pow erful vocal harmonies laid the founda tion for ’90s R&B and some of today’s chart-topping hits,” said Connie Orlan do, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy. “Their sound is undeni ably unique and masterful. We look for ward to honoring these multi-talented artists collectively on R&B’s biggest stage, Soul Train Awards.”

The other cat out of the bag announced honoree is for keepers of the funk, Morris Day & The Time who will receive their flowers with the ‘Legend’ award. Worldclass musician, composer, and actor Morris Day is best known for his role as lead singer of the legendary band Morris Day & The Time; the original incarnation of the group features recent Rock & Roll honorees Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as well as Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, and Monte Moir. Day also saw success as a hit-making solo artist with songs like “Oak Tree” and the No. 1 smash on the U.S. R&B hits chart “Fishnets.”

“They say the way you start is the way you finish, and being that I’m retiring end of next year, it’s only fitting that I return to the place that helped start it all,” said Day. “Our first major TV appearance was in 1981 on Soul Train with Don Corne lius. And 41 years later, to be honored with the Soul Train Awards Legend Award is what we call full circle. Truly amazing!”

Connie Orlando chimes, “Morris Day & The Time create and perform timeless, feel-good music for fans to enjoy all over the world. Their unique sound, style, and artistry continue to serve as inspira tion to music lovers and recording artists today. We can’t wait to get the Soul Train Awards party started with our star-stud ded slate of soulful artists and can’t-miss moments.”

The other staple of the broadcast will feature Boogie Down Bronxian D Nice and vocalist Alex Vaughn, Durand Ber narr, Muni Long and Tasha Cobbs Leon ard who blend harmonies for this year’s Soul Cypher.

Hosted by award-winning comedi an and actor Deon Cole, the Soul Train Awards 2022 premieres Saturday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET, BET HER, Logo, MTV2, and VH1. The “Soul Train Awards Red Carpet Special” pre-show will air at 7 p.m. ET/PT, with hosts Tank covering the Main Stage, Letoya Luckett on the Corre spondent Stage, and Novi Brown (“Tyler Perry’s Sistas”) in the Walmart Lounge. Over and out. Homeward bound. Gotta catch that Valerie Simpson & Friends sing Ashford & Simpson show at Sony Hall on Friday, Nov. 18.

Tickets are available at the box office (235 W 46th St.) or ticketmaster.com.

General admission: $45 advance / $55 day of show

First served VIP reserved seating: $79.50 advance / $90 day of show (in cludes guaranteed seating in designat ed section)

Holla next week, til then enjoy the nightlife.

Written by David Goodson

Xscape (David Goodson photo)

Union Matters

Let’s take the stress out of holiday shopping!

Stuart Appelbaum

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

The holiday shopping season is already under way, with sales starting earlier than ever, and shop pers are coming back to stores and are ready to hunt for values. But it’s important that shoppers and re tailers recognize one of the greatest values they’ll find in these stores: the value brought by retail workers to the holiday shopping experience. Retail workers are the face of the stores they represent and they’ll help shoppers find the perfect gifts, let them know where to find the best deals, and aid with re turns and exchanges. The value they provide for both retailers and shoppers should be recognized by all of us as they help make our holiday season a great one for our families.

It’s a challenging time and season for retail work ers. They aren’t seeing their wages keep up with the increased cost of living amid higher grocery bills and increasing rents and utility costs. Staffing issues persist at many stores, stretching workers thin and adding to their responsibilities at the worst possi ble time. Supply chain issues continue to affect the availability of high-demand items, adding to cus tomer frustration.

Big crowds, irritable customers, busy days, and the need for workers themselves to take care of their own holiday obligations can all weigh heav ily on workers’ shoulders. Too many shoppers and employers don’t appreciate the pressure that retail workers are under this time of year.

And, especially for retail workers in non-union stores, the stress of the holidays is stacked on top of the daily obstacles they face every day of the year: insufficient hours, insufficient wages, and unpre dictable scheduling that makes it difficult to work another job, plan childcare, or attend school. Nonunion retail workers may have no control over when they work, regardless of their own holiday plans, and they likely won’t be compensated fairly for working during the holidays. For these workers, it can be a struggle just to survive—to say nothing of providing their families with a joyous season.

Workers are not to blame for shoppers’ frustra tions and the challenges of the post-pandemic economy and supply chain, and they need support from shoppers and their employers. Stores should provide security, safety protocols and training to handle agitated shoppers this season as well as safe staffing levels to meet the longer demand period. And shoppers need to remember what this season is supposed to be all about—kindness.

When we are doing our holiday shopping this season, let’s take some time to consider the stress the workers who are helping create holiday mem ories are under. Lend a smile, and some patience to workers and your fellow shoppers. It’s the time of year we can all give a little back and do our best to spread good will.

Raise Up NY Coalition commemorates 10-year anniversary of the Fight for $15 and call for a $21 minimum wage

On Nov. 15, Raise Up NY, Senate Labor Chair Jessica Ramos, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller Brad Lander gathered to commemorate the 10-year an niversary of the Fight for $15 with a rally at City Hall, and to launch a new campaign for a $21 minimum wage for New York.

The coalition, known as Raise Up NY, which includes workers, labor unions, community organiza tions, and businesses, demanded that the New York State legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul act swiftly to raise New York State’s minimum wage, which has eroded dramat ically in recent years as the cost of living has spiraled. Following a heated gubernatorial race defined by voters’ economic concerns, the popular legislation could prove to be the major issue heading into the state’s 2023 budget and legis lative sessions.

“The Fight for 15 continues to inspire workers here in New York and around the country,” said Senate Labor Chair Ramos. “But its historic gains are evaporat ing as rents and costs skyrocket. We’re now at the point that Fresno and Yakima have higher minimum wages than New York State––it’s unacceptable for a state with such pride in our worker protections and such a high cost of living. We can’t leave New Yorkers behind. After last week’s election results, it’s clear that we need to lead with bold economic vision by restore New York’s minimum wage to re flect the true cost of living, and then guarantee automatic annual increases so we don’t have to fight tooth and nail every few years to catch the wage back up.”

Raise Up NY came together to fight for legislation ( S3062D / A7503C - bill numbers are subject to change pending re-introduc tion) introduced by Senator Ramos and Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner. If passed, the legislation would catch New York’s minimum wage back up to where it would have been if it had been adjusted each year since 2019 to keep up with rising prices and worker pro ductivity gains. That translates to raising the wage to $21.25 by 2026.

After that, it would automatical ly adjust the wage each year so that it wouldn’t fall behind again. And while upstate New York never made it to $15 an hour under the last compromise minimum wage deal, Raise Up NY’s proposed leg islation would catch all of the state up to the same wage level by 2027.

Record rising prices are causing the real value of New York’s mini mum wage to plummet across the state as consumers struggle with the rapidly rising cost of necessi ties. In New York City, its value has already fallen more than 15% and is projected to fall an additional 15% by 2027. This steep decline is reversing the historic reductions in poverty and earnings inequali ty that the state achieved with the $15 minimum wage.

“The family budgets of New York’s working families are being squeezed to an unprecedented degree and working families ur gently need a minimum wage that protects them against the ravag es of rising prices,” said Assem blywoman Joyner (D-Bronx, 77th AD), chair of the Assembly Labor Committee. “The catch-up pro visions included in the Raise the Wage Act will enable working families to regain lost purchas ing power while strengthening the local economy in the Bronx and communities throughout New York.”

“As time is ticking our work place hasn’t met the needs of employees. Cost of living keeps going up but our wages are not. As a job coach I don’t even make $15 per hour. We need the min imum to get to $15 now,” said Tameka Earley, SEIU 200United member at The ARC of Greater Hudson Valley.

While in 2016, New York led the nation as the first state to adopt a $15 minimum wage, today, it has fallen behind the many other cities and states that are rais ing their minimum wages well beyond $15. About 50 cities and counties and two states will have wages above $15 an hour as of Jan uary 2023––and a growing group will have minimum wages of more

than $17 or $18 an hour. The fact that Yakima, Washington; Fresno, California; and Denver, Colora do will all have higher minimum wages than New York shows how far pay has fallen in the state.

“Our restaurant chain is suc ceeding and growing in a very competitive industry because we realize that our most valu able stakeholders are employ ees. Higher wages are the single clearest way to say to our work force, ‘We value you,’” said Mi chael Lastoria, founder and CEO of &pizza and member of Busi ness for a Fair Minimum Wage. “Raising and indexing the mini mum wage is an essential way for lawmakers to say to New Yorkers, ‘We value you.’ And higher wages lead to greater consumer spend ing and greater workforce pro ductivity, things every company benefits from. It’s time to raise New York’s minimum wage.”

“As a Chipotle worker and a pregnant mother, I have no in tention of supporting my family on anything less than $20/hour,” said Alyssa Roman, Chipotle worker. “While I would hope that Chipotle, and other big corpora tions, would understand the need for higher wages for families like mine, they will likely need a push from New York’s elected leaders. Luckily, Sen. Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Latoya Joyner are more than happy to lead the charge with their groundbreak ing legislation raising the wage to $20/hour. If Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol claims he cannot afford to give us a raise, I’d like to remind him that he made $17.9 mil lion last year. I think he and his fellow wealthy corporate bosses can afford to pay their workers $20 an hour. I want to thank Sen. Ramos, Assemblymember Joyner, 32BJ SEIU and the entire Raise Up NY Coalition for boldly push ing forward an agenda that cen ters working New Yorkers first and foremost.”

Following the rally, hundreds of attendees marched from City Hall to the Chipotle at 404 Broadway to support the workers there who are currently unionizing.

NY doesn’t need it sugarcoated.

Knowing the facts about your blood sugar levels can help you prevent type 2 diabetes. That’s why we go beyond coverage to connect you to local screenings, free diabetes education, and in-person support at our Neighborhood Care centers. Get connected at emblemhealth.com/diabeteshealth

Art by KITKAT PECSON

Campus debt and death relief

Students across the country are anxiously watching the next move on debt relief, but they may need to turn their atten tion to death relief after reports Sunday of homicides at the University of Virginia and four found dead near the campus of the University of Idaho. Both universities canceled classes on Monday after three team mates on the University of Virginia football team were shot and killed on a bus as they returned from a game. The four slain in Idaho were alleged ly targeted and reportedly killed by a sharp-edged instrument. No one is in custody for that crime; a former player for the Virginia team has been arrested in the shooting incident.

According to the father of the man in custody in Virginia, the motive for his shooting the victims may have been that he was being bullied.

For him to go to that extent if in fact that was the case is obviously exces sive, but the incident is still under in vestigation.

When we hear about such occur rences happening so far apart and un related you worry about the copycat syndrome, especially for young people on the verge of mental and physical breakdown.

And then there are the predators who lurk on the campuses and take advantage of young people who are less attentive, and too often leaving themselves open to strangers.

Like the citizens in Virginia and Idaho, we are still processing what circumstances led to these fatalities. There may have been some warnings in one incident and the other more random and harder to anticipate. Whatever the causes, you must talk to your children about bullying and how to move with caution in the early morning hours.

Tell the Supreme Court: We still need affirmative action

By BEN JEALOUS

One of the great joys of my life is teaching. I’m fortunate to teach classes on social jus tice at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most respected schools in the coun try. Penn has a longstanding commitment to affirmative action, and I have seen firsthand how diversity in the classroom bene fits all my students. There’s just no question that diversity is a core piece of a vibrant ac ademic community and a critical part of the learning experience—for all of us. Bringing together students with different lived expe riences forces them to think critically about their assumptions, which is an essential goal of a university education.

That’s why I, like so many of us, am deeply concerned about two affirmative action cases argued at the Supreme Court just a few days ago. Opponents of affirma tive action have been trying to destroy it for years. And now it looks like they just might get their chance.

Two universities, Harvard and the Univer sity of North Carolina (UNC), are defending their admissions programs against oppo nents who want them declared unconstitu tional. (The university where I teach, Penn, and the organization I lead, People For the American Way, have both joined briefs sup porting the universities’ positions.) Con sidering race as one of many factors in admissions has been upheld by the Su preme Court for decades. The Court has said repeatedly that diversity in higher ed ucation is a “compelling interest.”

But today’s Supreme Court is different.

AMNEWS READERS WRITE

It’s dominated by far-right justices who have made it clear they don’t share this view. Chief Justice John Roberts’s famous quote, “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race,” sums it up: conserva tives believe affirmative action is at best un necessary and at worst just another type of discrimination. Some conservatives would like to retire affirmative action because they claim it’s accomplished everything it set out to do. But it hasn’t. Not even close.

In Texas and Michigan, applications and enrollments of Black and Latino students plunged after state politicians banned the consideration of race in admission to their public universities. That’s a huge red flag. Nationally, there’s a big gap between the percentage of white and Black students who earn a bachelor’s degree. And that per petuates all kinds of harm and inequities in income, health, family wealth, and more. We still have a long way to go in building a fair society in which all our children can thrive.

And here’s an important point that often gets lost. All students—no matter their race or color or creed—benefit from affirmative action. Having diverse classmates promotes a stimulating exchange of ideas and view points. It prepares all students for living and working in our increasingly diverse society. The Supreme Court as a whole used to un derstand that. Today, I worry that only a mi nority of the justices do.

One of those justices is Ketanji Brown Jack son, the first Black woman on the Court and a person of profound insight and wisdom. Her questions in oral arguments got to the

heart of the matter. Imagine two qualified students applying to UNC, Justice Jackson suggested: a white North Carolinian stu dent whose family members had attend ed the school for generations, and a Black North Carolinian whose family had histor ically been shut out. The white applicant might make the case that attending UNC is deeply meaningful to her because it is a family tradition. The Black applicant might make the case that it is deeply meaningful because her family was so long denied.

Jackson’s question made it clear what would happen if the Court adopted the Far Right’s position: the white student’s appeal to family history would be allowed to help their chance of acceptance, while the Black student’s would not. It would further insti tutionalize discrimination and the harm it has caused generations of Black Americans.

I am so grateful for Justice Jackson’s voice on the Court. I also know that the six rightwing justices expressed skepticism of af firmative action at oral arguments. Many reporters are already writing its obituary. I hope for the sake of our education system and the next generation, that they will be wrong. The “compelling interest” that led the Court to uphold affirmative action in the past still exists—in fact, it may be stron ger than ever.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. A New York Times best-selling author, his next book will be “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free.”

The Westchester County menthol ban will target Black community

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

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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

As Black law enforcement professionals, we agree that the health of Black people in Westchester is a concern. Yes, there is a crisis in health care, obesity, cancer, and other chronic and seriously fatal illness es. We recognize the Westchester County legislature’s wellintentioned ef forts to reduce tobacco product deaths and dis eases. However, this county legis lation will affect Black commu nities more than white communi ties. Depending on the data used, it is estimated that 74% to 95%

of Black Americans smoke menthol ciga rettes, and 80% to 90% of white Americans smoke non-menthol cigarettes.

A menthol ban that only punishes West chester’s Black population while the lives of Westchester’s white population are un affected is biased and, some might say, outright racist.

All Black law enforcement organizations, including the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, have said that this ban is a bad idea, that the bill is biased, will feed the black market, and will create the new Stop-and-Frisk.

To pass legislation that will have a severe racially disparate impact on Black people while white people in Westchester can smoke freely with impunity is a sign of governmental microaggression, which is unacceptable, even with the intention to save Black people’s lives.

If passed, the legislation that will have a severe racial disparate impact on Black people while white people in Westchester can smoke freely with impunity is contra dictory to your government’s message of equity and diversity.

New York State has the highest rate of inbound cigarette smuggling activity in the U.S., with an estimated 60% of cig arettes consumed in the state deriving from smuggling. Eighty percent of the cig arettes sold in New York City are sold il legally, either over the counter or in the backrooms of bodegas. While our poli ticians legalized marijuana on the one hand and plan to criminalize only men thol cigarettes, which are primarily used by Black people, on the other, we are only substituting one illegal substance for the

Despite America’s trials, the midterms demonstrate that America is stronger than ever

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

Food memories

CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS

The midterm elections of 2022 have concluded, democracy has pre vailed, and despite our optimism for the future of our country, we are still a nation divided. In spite of the set backs each person’s party suffered, everyone has cause to be grateful for and to celebrate the fact that de mocracy emerged triumphant; ev eryone, regardless of race, color, or religion, was able to cast a ballot with general ease.

Our nation has endured a variety of challenging moments over the past several years. This nation has been ripped apart by tribalism and a culture of division, making it diffi cult for its citizens to find common ground on even the most basic issues on which they could former ly at least agree to disagree. Voting is the most accurate representation of what it means to be an American citizen. Our midterm elections pro vide the American people with the opportunity to exhibit their pride in our nation’s values and elect their leaders; a principle for which even the most extreme loyalists and in dependents would give their lives to preserve.

On the other hand, elections do have consequences, and each elec tion has winners and losers. Accep tance of election results and the peaceful transfer of power from one political party or candidate of a po litical party to another is, notwith standing defeat, a vital ingredient for a successful democratic process. This is because accepting election results is the only way for power to be distributed fairly. This is precise ly what transpired throughout this year’s election season, and we are all in better shape for it. It indicated to the rest of the world that despite our recent string of domestic problems, the United States is still able to agree on and find stability in its most fun damental doctrines.

As we move past the midterm elec tions, the focus switches to the 2024 presidential campaign. Both Dem

ocrats and Republicans will soon begin focusing on fundraising for their respective campaigns. In spite of Joe Biden’s declaration that he would run for president again, the spotlight is on the Republican can didates. Trump has indicated that he expects to make an announce ment soon, but in light of the results of the midterm elections, I doubt that many people within or outside his party are enthusiastic about his running again. Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, and Senator Tim Scott, on the other hand, are gaining favor and fi nancial support from the GOP base across the country. DeSantis’ man date and dominance in Florida is the most remarkable development so far. In Florida, Trump’s margin of victory was just 3%, but DeSantis’ margin of victory was 20%.

The fact that many Trump-en dorsed MAGA candidates lost is an obvious sign that he is losing influ ence and standing in the Republican Party. Trump’s attacks on DeSan tis and Youngkin following the elec tion results have further eroded his base’s support. Coupled with the fact that Trump has become such a major issue for the Republican party and is viewed as a loose cannon by a sizable portion of the populace, the former president’s chances of being re-elected are indeed challenging.

To be blunt, the majority of people would rather see Trump become an elder statesman and support the emerging future leadership. This is an honest assessment of the situa tion. To be a successful candidate, the former president will need to demonstrate self-control and put forth the required effort, includ ing heeding the counsel of political strategists and advisors. Trump, as we all know, is not a man who enjoys losing, and he is unlikely to accept the risk of running and losing again.

This is what brought attention to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who now has the mandate to–– un officially––enter the presidential

race early and with confidence. He looks presidential, he seems equipped to lead, but what is most important is that he has a vision for the future and how he intends to build the nation’s top executive if he decides to run for office. Trump, on the other hand, bases his campaign on the fact that he is Trump, which is insufficient. Where is his vision, and what is his strategy outside “Make America Great Again?” The requirements of the people exceed that significantly. People are be coming bored of resentment-based and petty politics and are ready for something fresh.

Despite the fact that the party’s de feats are still foremost in everyone’s mind, 2024 will be different for the Republicans and foretells potential hope for the party. There will be a greater number of Democrats run ning for re-election in the Senate, including several contested races. This also affords the GOP a chance to reset and reorganize around messaging that appeals to a wide spectrum of voters, including inde pendent swing voters and suburban voters whose confidence the GOP must continue to earn back. As the election pendulum swings from left to right, each political party has the chance to demonstrate to the Amer ican people why they are more qual ified to lead the nation.

Nevertheless, as we go forward into the year 2024, the people have made it quite clear that they want our political leaders to listen to what they have to say. I hope that someone will say something along these lines: “the people have spoken, and the message is crys tal clear…They are demanding that we work together for bipartisan so lutions to the difficulties that our nation is facing. No other man date exists than that of making our nation safer, more powerful, and more unified––to truly be again the ‘United’ states. That is my sole mis sion. May God Bless America.”

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is manager / sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Tele vision Stations and the 2016 Multi cultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. www.armstrongwilliams.co | www.howardstirkholdings.com

I recently interviewed food editor extraordi naire Jamila Robinson for my podcast The Black est Questions. I was cu rious to speak to this amazing Black woman who is a food editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and regional chair of the World’s 50 Best Restau rants. There are not many Black people, let alone Black women, in these elite food spaces and as the holidays approach, I was curious to hear from her about the power of memory and communi ty when discussing, cook ing, and eating food.

I am always fascinated at how recipes are shared and passed down through generations. For exam ple, in Jamila’s family, her grandmother kept de tailed recipes with exact and precise measure ments. For some, baking and cooking are like sci ence, filled with chemis try in the kitchen. As we talked about our favorite pies and recipes, I shared that my grandmother rarely wrote down her recipes. Luckily for me, I “translated” her sweet potato pie recipe one year since my grams didn’t own a measuring cup. Every thing was done by “feel” as we added more sugar and butter to our pies.

As I shared stories of cooking with my grams, Jamila reminded me that so much of the ex perience in the kitchen involves sharing the sto ries from our loved ones while cooking or learn ing to cook. How we taste food or prepare food is wrapped in our histo ry, our culture, and our sense of place and be longing. Who are we if we do not know the stories of our food? As we begin to gather for the holidays, it

is so important we share stories with our loved ones as well as learn sto ries from family members while we prepare and/or eat our family recipes.

Speaking to Jamila made me think of the conversations I’ve had with famed Haitian chef Nadege Fleurimond. If Jamila’s love language is pie, Nadege’s love lan guage is plantains. I was curious as to how she began her journey as a chef, an educator, a busi ness owner, and a lover of plantains. I am fascinated as to how these two Black women navigate elite cu linary spaces that often do not have many Black women in their ranks. What struck me about my conversation with both women is their un derstanding of memory and creating memories in the kitchen.

I implore you to spend a little time talking to your family members this hol iday season about your family recipes and the memories attached to them. So much of our shared cultures through out and across the dias pora involve food. Here’s a small assignment for this holiday season: write down a family recipe and share it with another family member or friend. And whether you decide to cook or reap the bene fits of those who do, have a safe and enjoyable holi day season.

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

Caribbean Update

Bahamas moves to ensure all is well after collapse of FTX crypto firm

By BERT WILKINSON Special to AmNews

The global financial world has been shaken up by the collapse of crypto currency giant FTX in the past week, and its move to file for bankruptcy has forced authorities in The Bahamas to determine whether any crime has been committed as the firm had been headquar tered in the Caribbean ar chipelago off Florida.

Local officials reported on Monday that the Ba hamian securities com mission wants to know whether company offi cials are guilty of breaking any local laws, so the cab inet has assembled a team

to probe to what extent the Caribbean nation is embroiled in this scenar io. “In light of the collapse of FTX globally and the provisional liquidation of FTX Digital Markets Ltd, a team of financial inves tigators from the finan cial crimes investigation branch are working close ly with the Bahamas Se curities Commission to investigate if any crimi nal misconduct occurred,” a police brief had stated. As news about prob lems inside the company began to leak out, author ities rushed to protect cli ents by freezing assets and seizing control of the firm. The Tribune news paper reported Monday

that FTX had acquired a whooping $74 million in real estate assets for this year alone so local involvement cannot be avoided, officials said. The company filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. last Friday.

The local high court, meanwhile, has also ap pointed top attorney Brian Simms as the liquidator of the company to take con trol of it and any related assets it might have held in The Bahamas.

The Bahamian securi ties commission said on the weekend that it had become aware of reports that FTX had misappro priated and had mishan dled client assets and/or

had transferred assets to Alameda Research, one of its so-called sister com panies in the U.S., so reg ulators want to know if any laws were breached. Additionally, compa ny boss Sam BankmanFried is reported to be cooperating with local in vestigators even as the administration of Prime Minister Phillip Davis is under pressure to explain whether any local money had been invested in FTX. Police also say they are waiting to question him. He reportedly met with se curity commissioners on Saturday.

Davis, one of the Carib bean leaders who have been campaigning for

polluting nations to pay for their negative role in climate change, had said he was exploring the idea of setting up a carbon credit exchange in The Bahamas with the help of FTX. It is unclear wheth er any of his plans had been implemented and whether any state funds had been used but the opposition Free National Movement now wants ex planations according to Leader Mike Pintard.

“We are all shocked by the daily revelations that are now becoming known nationally and interna tionally and call upon the government to provide the investing public a clear and cogent statement on

Why did Hispanic voters in Florida shift so far right? The answer

FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION KORNER

Latino talking heads and so-called analysts are scratching their heads and having a hard time ex plaining away the results of the Nov. 8th mid-term elections in Florida, which showed a marked shift to the right again by many Hispanic voters.

The biggest shock of the night on Tuesday, Nov. 8, was the fact that Republican Ron DeSantis was able to turn a once blue county— Miami Dade—bright red, thanks to Latino voters there from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Yes, Venezuela, despite DeSantis’ human traffick ing of a number of asylum seekers from the same South American country less than two months ago. One expected the oppo site—a backlash—but that did not come as the Trump mini-me rode the Hispanic wave to victory.

An exit poll shows that a whopping 58% of Lati nos voted for DeSantis over the Democratic contend er, Charlie Crist. Crist man aged to get only 40% of the Latino vote according to the same poll.

Compare that to 2020, when Joe Biden picked up 53% of Latinos voters in Florida compared to 46% who went for Trump and 32% went for Trump na tionally to 65% for Biden. That red percentile line has now increased to 39% na tionally according to Tues day’s exit poll.

So, what led to Latinos, in the Sunshine state especial ly, to shift so far right in this election? The answer lies in the false ads that were run in Florida during the elections, and which were repeated by voters in Miami-Dade a day after the elections.

Asked by a CBS Miami re porter on Nov. 9 who they supported and what they did not want, voter after voter interviewed in Mi ami’s Little Havana, as well as areas that are popular havens for Venezuelan and Nicaraguan immigrants

and naturalized U.S. citi zens, repeated one word: “Socialism.”

They all told the reporter they had lived through so cialism and did not want a repeat, and they feared Democrats will push that agenda here in the United States. As they relayed it to the reporter, they felt they had no choice but to vote Republican since Demo crats are embracing social ism or leftist policies.

Are Democrats paying at tention to this false narra tive that is being piped to what was once their solid base or are they off in the clouds somewhere? Two years ago, in the aftermath of the 2020 elections, when there was again a marked shift towards the right by Latino voters, Equis Labs stated that Hispanics’ con cern about socialism has worked “to create space for defection” of voters.

In the post 2020 elec tions, the polling firm found that 4-in-10 Latinos who voted then were con cerned about Democrats embracing socialism. Fear of Democratic embrace of

socialist or leftist ideas was highest among U.S. born Cubans, followed by main land born Puerto Ricans at 57%, the poll found. Latin Americans who are not of Cuban descent or Puerto Rican were equally con cerned about socialism in the Democratic Party and fascism in the GOP.

The fear increases in sub sequent generations of U.S. Latinos, growing from a concern among 45% of im migrant Latinos to 59% of fourth-generation Latinos, according to the survey.

Stephanie Valencia, cofounder and president of Equis Labs, tied the social ism concern or fear to the near absence of contrary messaging on social media apps such as What’sApp and YouTube, where many Latinos get political news. In its report, Equis deemed the GOP’s messaging on so cialism propaganda that is sometimes reduced to dis information.

“This uncontested pro paganda with these closed media ecosystems are feed ing this modern red panic, and there is a weapon

the matter and the steps being taken to guard against the jurisdiction al fall out and to shore up investor confidence,” he said. “Given current events, what impact will this development have on the potential for carbon trading, what alternative arrangements are being made and when will we see the first trade and benefit from this activity, if any?” he asked.

While headquartered in The Bahamas, the compa ny was registered in Anti gua after being founded in 2018. Up to mid this year, FTX had had over a million users and had functioned as a crypto currency ex change for global traders.

lies in one word!

ization of the American Dream,” Valencia said in 2020, adding that the GOP is peddling socialism as the opposite of the American Dream and something that will destroy the dream, cre ating fear around the social ism label.

In Miami, Cuban American María Elvira Salazar won back her con gressional seat from State Sen. Annette Taddeo, over a “horrendous” attack ad ac cusing Taddeo of rubbing elbows with Black, Demo cratic socialists.

The ad was part of a $1.7 million reservation in Eng lish-and Spanish-language airtime the Republican Congressional Leadership Fund made to help Salazar keep her seat representing Florida’s 27th congressio nal district.

The video says Taddeo was “spotted huddling with the Miami chapter of a so cialist group that supports the Cuban communist regime” and “joined them to rally for socialist-style spending that could bank rupt the country.”

It was the same tactic

that led to Salazar’s elec tion in 2020, when she un seated the 27th District’s Democratic congress woman, Donna Shalala. She branded Shalala as falsely and toxically a “so cialist” in the mold of all the left-wing Latin Amer ican dictators so many Latinos in South Florida have fled. She ran ad after ad claiming it and hurled that same bogus epithet at the Black Lives Matter racial justice movement and claimed Shalala, Joe Biden and the Democrats get their orders from its leaders. The move won in 2020 and it has won again in 2022—bigger for sure. The question is—are Democrats even listening or are they too busy playing the nice guys and patting themselves on the back for not losing as badly as they thought? A loss is a loss re gardless of the margin. Time to wake up as voters of color are defecting on lies!

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

Rival conga bands give a vision of Cuba in ‘Lazaro and the Shark’

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Havana, Cuba-born William Sabourin O’Reilly, director of the new film “Lazaro and the Shark: Cuba Under the Surface” (2022), says he’s lived in the U.S. for over 20 years now. He’s adapted to the rhythms and systems of how life func tions here. But he said he quickly real ized that, for most people, there is a void about what life in Cuba is really like.

“The general public, many times they don’t have anything to do with the real people of Cuba. They get the propagan da—whatever they, the government, or what the Cuban people themselves want you to hear about as a visitor, or as a tourist, or as an outsider,” he ex plained.

Visions of what Cuba is really like and how people live every day are rare, Sab ourin O’Reilly said in an interview with the AmNews on the eve of his film’s world premiere at the DOC NYC docu mentary film festival. “I just needed a break or two. I needed multiple breaks, a breakthrough, so that I could tell the story that I wanted to tell.”

The film “Lazaro and the Shark” is the story of rival conga bands, competing to best each other at the annual carnival in July. The story takes place in Santia go de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city, known for its Afro Cuban cultur al traditions. Sabourin O’Reilly said he counts himself lucky to be able to focus the film on four distinct characters: Lázaro, a young father of triplet tod dlers, has been forced to raise his chil dren on his own while his wife, a trained doctor, is performing a three-year med ical residency in Venezuela. As a musi cian, Lázaro had been able to perform abroad when he was younger, and he’d considered going into exile in another country. But ultimately, he returned to his then-girlfriend/now-wife and start ed a family. Now we see him trying to get his Conga de Los Hoyos band to create a performance that will beat the routines performed by the Conga San Agustin band, led by Tiburón (The Shark).

Tiburón confesses to having been on the wrong side of the authorities for many years. But now that he leads the Conga San Agustin band, the government finds

See ‘LAZARO AND THE SHARK’ on page 35

William Sabourin O’Reilly, director of “Lazaro and the Shark: Cuba Under the Surface” (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

Mount Sinai physician appointed to

The President’s Commission on White House Fellows has appoint ed Mount Sinai’s Makini ChisolmStraker, MD, MPH, to the 2022-2023 class of White House Fellows. This nonpartisan program equips ex ceptional young leaders with the necessary skills to be better com munity leaders through opportuni ties to work at the highest levels of the federal government.

Before starting her fellowship, Dr. Chisolm-Straker served as as sociate professor of emergen cy medicine and core faculty in the Institute for Health Equity Re search at the Icahn School of Med icine at Mount Sinai. Her research focused on invisible populations, in cluding labor and sex trafficking sur vivors, and trans and genderqueer patients in emergency settings.

“I’m grateful for the trust the White House Fellowship Com missioners have put in me. The Fellowship provides me with a prestigious opportunity to devel

op a portfolio outside of health care, in social policy, and to learn with and from the current and future leaders of the United States,” said Chisolm-Straker.

Each fellow chosen for the pro gram spends a year working with senior White House staff, cabinet secretaries, and other top-ranking administration officials. During her fellowship, Chisolm-Straker will work at the Social Security Ad ministration, where she will study the structural contributions to dis ability with SSA Acting Commis sioner Kilolo Kijakazi. PhD, MSW.

“We are operationalizing ‘disabil ity’ according to the social model of disability, which defines ‘dis ablement’ as the social, econom ic, and/or political exclusion of people who live with impairment. We will collaborate with lived-expe rience experts—people who live or have lived with mental and/or physical impairments. To final ly achieve a nation that respects

2022-23

and values the diversity of bodies, minds, and life events, we need to understand what people who ex perience disability—experts— say we need to build that nation,” Chisolm-Straker said.

Chisolm-Straker anticipates that this work will further her mission to amplify the voices of those who have been historically excluded or discounted. The fellowship will also deepen her capacity to serve in domestic social policy, the key determinant of individual and community well-being.

“The biggest problems many of our patients in the ED face are not inherently medical or psycho logical; they are rooted in the en vironments in which they grow, learn, live, and work,” ChisolmStraker said. “My job is to bring the wisdom of those with lived experi ence to policy-making spaces, ide ally by bringing those individuals to these spaces. Their experienc es are data, and they are experts.”

class of White House Fellows

Collaborative research project to identify genetic drivers of cancer disparities in African ancestry populations

It was recently announced that the Syl vester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center will collaborate with Pfizer’s Institute of Translational Eq uitable Medicine to identify novel genetic drivers of cancer disparities in African an cestry populations.

• Collaboration leverages the African Ca ribbean Cancer Consortium, a multi-insti tutional and transcontinental network of scientists, oncologists, and health profes sionals focused on understanding cancer risk and outcomes among people of Afri can ancestry.

• The overarching goal of the study is to create a cancer genome registry of ethnical ly diverse patients designed to expand ex isting resources and advance health equity through genomics, molecular epidemiology, and social determinants of health research in African Ancestry oncology patients.

The Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center an nounced a collaboration with Pfizer’s In stitute of Translational Equitable Medicine (ITEM) will launch the cancer genomics study to characterize novel genetic, molecu lar, and social determinants of cancer across populations of African ancestry.

“People of African ancestry disproportion

ately develop aggressive, high-grade cancers, particularly in breast and prostate tissues, and the underlying driving factors are not well understood,” said Sophia HL George, PhD, associate director of Diversity, Equity, and In clusion at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, and co-leader of the African Caribbe an Cancer Consortium (AC3) Women’s Cancer Working Group. Despite a high unmet need, there are a limited number of research studies statistically powered to investigate cancer risk and outcomes in people of African ancestry.

In order to address these knowledge gaps, this collaboration will build a clinic genom ic registry of biological specimens accom panied by epidemiological, behavioral, and clinical data from African ancestry patients diagnosed with breast and prostate cancer.

Leveraging the AC3 network’s global reach, the team will recruit patients from ethni cally, geographically, and socioeconomical ly diverse subpopulations across the African diaspora: U.S. born and immigrant Black pa tients residing in the United States, patients from moderate and low-income countries in the Caribbean islands, and patients from Western, Eastern, and Southern countries in the African subcontinent.

Scientific objectives of this study include 1) identifying somatic and rare pathogen ic germline genetic drivers of cancer using

paired tumor-normal whole exome se quencing, 2) determining inherited cancer risk using gene panel testing in known cancer drivers, 3) characterizing hormone receptor status using immunohistochem istry, and 4) denoting key socioeconomic and lifestyle factors influencing cancer out comes in African ancestry patients.

“We established the Institute of Transla tional Equitable Medicine to achieve health equity by preventing, treating, and identify ing disease drivers that disproportionately impact underserved and minority popula tions nationally and globally. Our goal is to use data to help better understand the drivers of health inequities,” said Aida Habtezion, MD, MSc, FRCPC, AGAF, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Worldwide Medical & Safety at Pfizer. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Fox Chase Cancer Center, Sylvester Comprehen sive Cancer Center, and the African Caribbe an Cancer Consortium to begin closing gaps in applying scientific knowledge to dispari ties in disease incidence, prevalence, and out comes for African ancestry cancer patients.”

“This registry will allow us to conduct stud ies that will add to the limited available data for Blacks, including genetics, genomics and gene-environment interaction studies that will help to fill specific knowledge gaps in the literature addressing aggressive disease in Af rican ancestry cancer patients,” said Camille

Ragin, PhD, MPH, associate director of Diver sity, Equity, and Inclusion at Fox Chase and co-leader and founder of AC3.

The study will include cancer patients from Fox Chase Cancer Center, Sylvester Compre hensive Cancer Center, the University of Ala bama, Augusta University in collaboration with Morgan State University, as well as nine inter national AC3 research sites in the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Jamai ca, Kenya, Namibia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

“This is a very big effort and is possible only because of our long-standing working re lationships with AC3 site leaders like Valer ie Odero-Marah, PhD, of historically Black Morgan State University, who is co-leader of the AC3 prostate cancer working group, and Ann Korir, of the Kenya Medical Research In stitute, who is co-leader of the AC3 women’s cancer working group. The only way we could pull off this kind of coordinated effort is be cause everyone in the AC3 network is playing and leading their part of it,” said Ragin.

“We want to enable African and Carib bean researchers ask questions collab oratively across the U.S, Africa, and the Caribbean so that we can lead projects that affect our populations,” said George, “This is exciting because the way the collabora tion has been designed, there is equity in who is participating, who is leading, and who is at the center of the project.”

Makini Chisolm-Straker, MD, MPH (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai website)

‘Kimberly Akimbo’ is musical theater at its best!

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“Kimberly Akimbo” is a beauti ful, moving and hilarious new mu sical playing at the Booth Theatre on West 45th Street. It has an origi nal and amazing book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire with incred ible music by Jeanine Tesori. It is based on a play of the same name by Lindsay-Abaire. Every moment of this musical is absolutely mes merizing and a joy to behold.

Lindsay-Abaire tells the story of a Bergen County, New Jersey high school teenager named Kimber ly who has a rare disease which causes her to age rapidly. Though she is a teenager, her body and appearance are that of an elder ly woman. While this is a major issue, which will cause her to die at a young age, this is not the only serious issue happening in her life. She comes from a complete ly dysfunctional family. Her par ents, pregnant mother Patty and her alcoholic father Buddy, are a huge problem. Patty constant ly lets Kimberly know that she is a disappointment. She nor Buddy show her any type of love or sup port. They argue all the time. Then add to that she has Debra who is a criminal and takes getting hers by any means necessary to another

level, and you have more trouble than one teenage girl should have to handle.

Kimberly finds herself be friended by Seth, a student in her biology class. When they need to do a science research project on a disease, he asks if she will partner with him and they do a presentation on her ill ness. Awkward right? Kimberly has so many strange things hap pening in her life that you can’t

blame her for deeply longing for normalcy. She deeply wishes to be part of a normal family and have a home-cooked meal. She also encounters four oddball students at her school—Delia, Martin, Teresa and Aaron—who are the unpopular kids. They are going through their own feel ings of being ostracized by the popular kids and never getting invited to parties. They want to be seen as important and tend

to bond together in their misery. The way all the elements of this musical come together is actu ally very funny and delightful.

You will spend a good deal of time laughing very loudly.

This cast takes you on a marvel ous journey of friendship, family relationships, disappointments, alcoholism, rejection, betrayal, self-discovery and criminal en terprises and does so with such unbridled energy you can’t help

but be drawn in and captivat ed. The production is coming off a very successful Off-Broadway run and marvelously has mostly the cast who brilliantly originat ed these roles intact including Victoria Clark as Kimberly, Justin Cooley making a phenomenal Broadway debut as Seth, Steven Boyer as Buddy, Alli Mauzey as Pattie, Bonnie Milligan as Debra, Olivia Elease Hardy as Delia, Fer nell Hogan as Martin, and making her Broadway debut as well Nina White as Teresa. Another actor making an impressive Broadway debut is Michael Iskander who plays Aaron who was brought on for the Broadway cast. Every one with this fantastic musical is magnificent to watch. There is de lightful direction by Jessica Stone, engaging choreography by Danny Mefford and music direction by Chris Fenwick. All technical as pects work as well to add to the joy of this production and include scenic design by David Zinn, cos tume design by Sarah Laux, light ing design by Jeanette Ol-Suk Yew and sound design by Kai Harada. This show will touch you on so many levels. Though the subject matter has very serious elements, it will inspire you in the end. Make plans to see “Kimberly Akimbo”— you will laugh and be moved!

AUDELCO noms named for 50th golden anniversary awards

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

For 50 years the AUDELCO Awards have been the awards that are made especially to recog nize the best in Black theater and Black performances and they are coming up on Monday, Nov. 28 and will be held at the Tribeca Per forming Arts Center at 190 West St. Please make plans to attend and cheer on your favorites. The nom inations are out and they are proof that this past season was nothing less than extraordinary. There are 30 productions that are up for VIV Awards, named after AUDELCO founder, the late Vivian Robinson. Five productions are tied with eight nominations apiece. Classical Theatre of Harlem’s production of

“Twelfth Night” is up for best reviv al of a play; director of a play—Carl Cofield; lead actress—Kara Young; lead actor—J’Laney Allen; featured actor—Allen Gilmore; choreog rapher—Tiffany Rea-Fisher; cos tume design—Mika Edwards; and lighting design—Alan C. Edwards. “Dreaming Zenzile” from New York Theatre Workshop is nominated for best musical; director of a mu sical—Lileana Blain-Cruz; out standing musical director—Herve Samb; lead actress—Somi Kakoma; lead actor—Aaron Marcellus; fea tured actress—Naledi Masilo; fea tured actor—Phumzile Sojola; and choreographer—Marjani ForteSaunders. Another New York The atre Workshop production, “On Sugarland” is up for best play; See AUDELCO on page 25

Theater

Victoria Clark, Justin Cooley and Steven Boyer in a scene from “Kimberly Akimbo” (Joan Marcus photo)

An uncommon Tutankhamun

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

If you have an hour or so to spare in your busy day, take a trip down to Pier 36 and journey back more than 3,000 years to ancient Egypt or Kemet and experience, and immerse yourself in the life and legacy of King Tut. No, there is no mummy of Tutankhamun to behold and only a few replicas in this almost boundless exhibit to commemorate the 100th anniver sary of the discovery of his tomb. There is a cost to see the digital rec reation by the National Geographic Society, but there is no line of view ers—my wife and I made it six for this afternoon’s attendance.

Before you enter the several gal leries, you watch an intro film, though it speeds by quite rapidly, and then you step into the cham bers, each of them showcased on the walls, beginning with the ex plorations led by Howard Carter back in 1922. Unlike those fever ish times, there’s no worry now

that he desecrated the tombs and unleashed a host of supposed curses and vengeful demons. There is, however, some dis pute among Egyptologists about the actual location of King Tut’s

chamber—he became a pha raoh at eight or nine, depend ing on the source, and ruled for ten years before his death around 1323 B.C.E—several noted author ities controversially contend that

what has been generally under stood to be his chamber was really the antechamber. We won’t bother you with that convoluted discus sion that even baffles some of the most informed about that long

time ago.

Even so, the exhibit is a splen did display, particularly the huge gallery with a replica of the ship of Ra that transports the dead back to the other world of Isis, Osiris, and the other gods. It’s a spectac ular light show that ends the tour after you’ve seen the process of mummification, Tut’s family tree, and a few items that entertained the boy pharaoh.

Before you exit, there are—as it is with most exhibits—some items to purchase, including the customary tee-shirts, books, and other bric-a-brac for your walls, refrigerator, or shelves.

But the most memorable keep sake is in your head, which after the immersive tour leaves you breathless. Tut might have been a bit disenchanted with the mo ment’s poor turnout but there’s still lots of time before it closes, Jan. 1, 2023, and it’s an education al trip back to a past that many be lieve set us off on this odyssey to the future.

New books examine Black identity in words and images

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

As the world continues to evolve and expand upon the poignancy of Black re ality, whether it be through images, art or words, it is vital that Black readers and explorers challenge them selves to stay connected in the conversation of the intri cacies of Black life through self-education. The number of resources to help the Black community under stand themselves through the thought and understand ing of authors, scholars and photographers grows every day. This is a fact that we should not take for grant ed. We have learned through circumstances like the pan demic that the world goes through changes, and through the changes, we can support ourselves and one another by offering profound information and literature about the beauty and grace that Black thinkers have to offer.

There are two new books that will be released this winter that will allow readers and explor

ers to engage more deeply with Black reality.

“Black Life Matter: Blackness, Religion, and the Subject” by Biko Mandela Gray (Duke Uni versity Press), due out Novem ber 2022

“Black Life Matter,” by author Biko Mandela Gray, an assistant professor at Syracuse Universi ty’s Department of Religion, is

an incredible work examining the lost lives of four key figures in the post-modern Civil Rights Movement, also known as Black Lives Matter. “Gray offers a philosophical eulogy for Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, and Sandra Bland that attests to their irreducible sig nificance in the face of unre mitting police brutality,” writes

Duke Uni versity Press. This book is centered in bravery and works through the process of “sitting with” the gravity of the deaths of Black people at the handson police violence.

“These four Black lives were more than the brutal vio lence enact ed against them; they speak to a mode of life that cannot be fully captured by the brutal logics of anti-Blackness," says Duke. We as a culture must take the time to consider the brevity of the consequences of police brutal ity in our communities. Mande la Gray does an amazing job at demonstrating, and never for getting, the recent atrocities and injustices of our culture.

“Black Archives: A

Celebration of

Life” by

Cherlise (Ten Speed Press), due out February 14, 2023

“‘Black Archives’ is a stunning collection of timeless images that tell powerful, joyful stories of everyday life and shed light on Black culture’s dynamic, endur ing influence through the gen erations,” describes Penguin Random House. The book, writ ten by Renata Cherlise, a mul tidisciplinary, research-based visual artist, creates a beautiful collection of photography that reveals the quiet power of the ordinary lives of Black human beings. With “more than three hundred images that spotlight the iconic and the candid, ‘Black Archives’ offers a nuanced com pendium of Black memory and imagination,” continues the publisher’s description. The visual world exploration of the Black community is a medium that is beyond valid as Black ness in the form of images cre ates an opportunity for our eyes and minds to ponder the truth about Black American cul ture, a truth that has countless layers and gorgeous avenues to connect with.

Photographic

Black

Renata

(Herb Boyd photo)

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’—A masterpiece for myriad reasons

By MARGRIRA Special to the Amnews

There’s no getting around the fact that the original film “Black Panther” was a smash hit when released in 2018, earning $1.3 bil lion across the world and earning numerous award nominations, including a Best Picture nomina tion at the Oscars. Four years later and the second installment “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which opened globally Nov. 11, has dived headfirst into introducing us to a new world that’s hidden and as powerful as Wakanda.

Director Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” opens with great respect being shown by the citizens of Wakanda for the death of King T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman). Meanwhile the world waits and plots because their nation is the most power ful nation on earth, because of its reserves of vibranium, native to their country, a purple-glowing metal that’s the source of its im mense power.

The thirst for power consumes the nations of the world, espe cially America, and in act one, mercenaries break into Wakan

da’s technological nerve center attempting to steal vibranium by bloody force. Naturally, they are stopped and captured, and it’s a scene that highlights and per fectly reflects how the real world works in the United Nations where King T’Challa’s mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), the queen of Wakanda, is caution ing the greedy world leaders and dressing them down for their (now) transparent lies.

The twist in the story is that there’s another nation that also has vibranium and the U.S., in secret, sends an exploratory vessel into the ocean and before they can report their findings to the world, the operatives are killed by the su pernatural, otherworldly power of Talokan, an aquatic, ancient civili zation (underwater ) that is ruled by Namor (Tenoch Huerta) known to his people as a god who can live in the water and who is able to fly because of the wings attached to his ankles.

M’Baku (Winston Duke), the sharped-tongue leader of the mountain tribe, tells the truth plainly saying: “His people do not call him general or king. They call him K’ukulkan. The feather

serpent god. Killing him will risk eternal war.”

Namor understands the moti vation of the surface world much better than the Wakandans. In fact, he tries to warn them not to ever trust white people and he re quests that the Talokans work with the Wakandans and extends an in vitation to Shuri to help him burn the whole surface world.

The power of women pulsates in this second installment in a way that creeps into your very bones. The story’s focus is on Shuri as she tries to manage her deep grief, which is tinged with guilt for not being able to use her scien tific abilities to save her brother. Coogler (smartly, and slyly) infus

es the opposite side with woman power as well, casting comedic actress Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as the head of the CIA, who is many steps in front of her ex-husband, Agent Ross (Martin Freeman), and openly ruthless as a representa tion of today’s America.

The other role that hits home is the development of M’Baku— all hail to Hanuman, whose wise council is always delicately laced with wit.

What hits hardest is watching Africans and Mexicans fight each other when we all know (and this is history, not opinion) the real enemies are the white/Europe an nations that think nothing of genocide and enslaving our

people. So to watch the heroes of Wakanda fight for their lives against evenly matched oppo nents of color (blue hue, to be exact) is heart-breaking, but the masterful storytelling of Coogler saves the day and without shar ing any spoilers, he shows the world clearly that he “understood the assignment.”

In “Black Panther: Wakanda For ever” Coogler teamed again with co-screenwriter Joe Robert Cole where the team expanded on key characters, layering their grief in the appropriate places and adding dynamic new characters that crack up the viewers’ imagination.

Coogler pulls of debuting a brand-new underwater empire that’s like experiencing a fever dream while still exploring the characters of Okoye (Danai Gurira), the head of Wakanda’s all-female special forces, War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and introducing us to Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), an MIT prodigy, and the underwater Talo kans’ warriors/protectors Attuma (Alex Livinalli) and Namora (Mabel Cadena) who are just as effective, motivated and fierce as the Dora Milaje.

Emmy-winner Lena Waithe to be 2023 American Black Film Fest ambassador

By MARGRIRA Special to the AmNews

The 2023 American Black Film Fes tival (ABFF) will be held June 14-18 in Miami Beach and ABFF Ventures LLC has chosen Emmy-Award win ning writer, creator, actor and found er of Hillman Grad Lena Waithe to serve as the ambassador for the 2023 American Black Film Festival.

It seemed like it was just yesterday that Hollywood was buzzing about the talent and prowess of an upand-coming talent who I playfully coined “baby mogul” and now, fast forward to 2022, Waithe is lending her creativity and loyalty to ABFF injecting it with her spirit of cre ative entrepreneurship and collec tive career building.

Waithe, who has been an influential advocate for under-represented sto rytellers in Hollywood for a minute now, has always stood in the thick of it, so to say, advocating for those di verse storytellers. As ABFF 2024 am bassador she will be a big part of their mission of showcasing African/Afro Latino/African American talent and discovering new voices and will col laborate with the festival for one-of-

a-kind moments.

“Lena is a powerhouse in the film and television industry and a trail blazer for emerging creative artists,” said Nicole Friday, festival produc er and president of ABFF Ventures LLC. “Her commitment to elevate diverse voices personifies ABFF’s commitment to diversify Holly wood. We are excited to have her unique perspective and talent as our 2023 ABFF ambassador.”

“I am so honored to have been chosen as ABFF’s 2023 Festival am bassador,” Waithe said. “I am excit ed to collaborate with the festival to shine a light on unique and ground breaking stories and the creatives behind them.”

Since its inception, the highly an ticipated festival has become a cor nerstone for diversity in Hollywood. It has premiered the work and sup ported the careers of many of today’s most successful filmmakers, actors, writers and stand-up comedians and is recognized as the standard bearer of excellence for Black creativity.

As founder and chair of Hillman Grad, Lena oversees a slate of proj ects that give marginalized sto rytellers access to the industry,

including projects at Warner Bros., Netflix, BET, Disney, Amazon, Uni versal, Focus HBO, HBO Max and Showtime. Her company most re cently negotiated an exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, which includes HBO Max, cable and broadcast networks.

Waithe created and executive produced the critically acclaimed Showtime series “The Chi,” which has received a Peabody Award nomination, and she also received two NAACP Image Award nomina tions. Her semi-autobiographical series, “Twenties,” which she writes and executive produces for BET, has been praised for being the first pri

metime series starring a masculine presenting queer woman of color in a lead role. Recently, Waithe ex ecutive produced the film “Beauty” for Netflix, and is currently working on producing a Sammy Davis Jr. biopic. Other upcoming projects in clude: the feature directorial debut of A.V. Rockwell’s “A Thousand and One” which is set for a March 2023 release; “Chang Can Dunk” for Disney+; and “Being Mary: The Mary Tyler Moore Documentary,” directed by James Adolphus.

On the acting front, Waithe can be seen in the critically acclaimed third season of “Master of None: Mo ments in Love” on Netflix, which she co-wrote and executive pro duced. Waithe received an Emmy Award in the category of Outstand ing Writing for a Comedy Series, for the series’ “Thanksgiving” episode making her the first Black woman to ever do so. Her credits also include HBO’s “Westworld,” Justin Simien’s horror satire “Bad Hair,” Steven Spiel berg’s “Ready Player One,” Netflix’s “#BlackAF” and their animated series “Big Mouth,” NBC’s “This Is Us” and many more.

Waithe made her feature film

screenwriting debut with Univer sal’s “Queen & Slim,” directed by Melina Matsoukas and starring Academy Award nominee Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner. An ad vocate for queer representation throughout the industry, Waithe has been honored with such recog nitions as the New York City LGBT Community Center’s Trailblazer Award, a GLAAD Media Award, The Trevor Project’s Hero Award, the MTV Awards Trailblazer Award, and OUT Magazine’s Artist of the Year.

The list of former ABFF ambassa dors includes Issa Rae, Halle Berry, Mary J. Blige, Idris Elba, Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina Hall, La La Anthony, Jay Ellis, Morris Chestnut, Omari Hard wick, Common, Taraji P. Henson and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

ABFF sponsors and partners to date are City of Miami Beach, Greater Miami Convention & Visi tors Bureau (GMCVB) (Presenting) and UPS (Premier).

For festival information, including submission deadlines and how to obtain an ABFF pass, visit www.abff. com. Follow @ABFF on Twitter and @ AmericanBlackFilmFestival on Insta gram and Facebook.

Lena Waithe (Shayan Asgharnia photo)

(Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL)

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By GODDESS KYA

November 17, 2022 — November 23, 2022

The process is moving at a graceful pace this week like great, great, great grandma, aunts, Daisy, Emma, Ruth, Ethel, Florence accompanied by the men great, great, great grandpa, uncle, George, Bill, Fred, Elijah, Henry on the yellow cheese bus with a delivery and a message. Nurture your seeds, baby, projects, and plans as the big new bang theory forms like a hurricane, erupting like a volcano preparing to strike. Mother nature ushered in with her agenda slowly yet surely on the way. Silently, sophisticated she walks to step foot in the house, and when you see, feel, taste, and smell her you know her presence is divine. As she slowly sits on her throne to deliver the agenda. Listen carefully. Unfinished business old and new are addressed.

New beginning, relationships, discoveries, alliances, and directions in your life. Faith is your teacher this cycle as you go through this reawakening of your soul mission. Continue to study, practice, learn and ask if you do not know or understand. Rewards are surely paying off from the work you applied in the game accompanied by sleepless nights, sweat, pain, trials, and tears you have cried. Listen very closely as certain information allows you to put a piece to the puzzle. Details and information are also given through the dream state. November 16-18, star tling phenomena transpire organically like the sunrise and sunset.

Something is cooking in your neck of the woods and folks can sense it. Be it a project is complete, you meet a goal, learn something new, and mostly you are committed to staying the course. Take a deep sigh. Take the back seat, be an ob servant student and take notes. Newsflashes come in quickly, be selective of what you tune into and speak your truth and also what’s on your heart. Finance, ro mance, career, a wedding proposal, or a commitment be it business or personal is presented to you. The choice is yours. November 19-20, contracts, and partnerships, are renewed so that your establishment is moving in a new direction.

Can you say change at its finest? Change comes with a pause with a moment of stillness to figure out your next move. Hold tight, you need all the details and 411 to understand what’s happening. Bits and pieces are revealed yet it’s not the whole puzzle. Look in the mirror to see the true reflection of the answers you seek. It’s something deeper within you need to face. Quick action and decisions are being made so seek advice if needed. November 21-22, the focus is career and partnerships. You are in the middle of a breakthrough.

A weekly cycle of feeling sedate and lagging with a slur to the words coming out of other people and your mouth. The reason is to ensure you have the nutrients needed, the right amount of sunlight and everything is aligned as planned like a preview before the main event begins. Focus on your position and the role you are playing. If there was ever a time you needed to express yourself and follow your heart no matter what, now it is time to make your move. The development of your projects, relationships, and other affairs needs a little attention from you. Days leading up to Nov. 23, get in tune with yourself and the sacrifices you made to get where you are today.

Get to business as usual and develop new ways to operate and maneu ver in this universe. New opportunities are presented to you. Decide on the ones that align with your agenda. Trying new ways has its ups and downs as long as you know anything can be redirected to fit the theme. A one-on-one conversation with self, be it through the dream state, person al, or a significant meeting with someone. Partnerships, contracts, semilegal matters, and renewing certain aspects of your life differently.

Mirror, mirror on the wall who do you see? What is your reflection convey ing to you? Does a review of your life flash right before you? Recognize the relationships with yourself and you will understand your outer world. Any sickness/illness that you feel is part of what you are eating, mainly what you are thinking and what you are comfortable with. Instead, Mars in Gemini is assisting you to break any habits, patterns, places, and people that don’t serve a purpose to your soul. November 19-20, you are a rebel without validation.

Your mind is on the money and the money is on your mind, think ing of ways to elevate yourself within your business or career. During this cycle get everything in order, organize your cabinets, dresser, home, work, and other things that need to be straightened out to look the part. If you need something ask, also money owed is due, or is coming back to you. A cycle to enhance your spirituality and any area of focus on self to develop. Guard your ears, nose, and throat, and get a full body massage. November 21-22, what’s the plan and your goal to rev up your life?

Travel, higher learning, self-expression, creating projects, or at least creat ing an outline of the agenda. This weekly cycle is important due to the infor mation received, the people in your environment, and understanding there is a message you need to hear and something you need to see. The story playing out is backed by a hidden lesson as you feel a sense of destiny and purpose playing its card. Change is needed for upgrades and updates. Days leading up to the 23rd your perspective on life elevates to a higher meaning.

Plans are going accordingly yet there seems to be something trying to dis tract, block, to steer you in another direction. Keep moving along with the plan; even if something breaks it can be fixed. Being stuck between a rock and hard place where you feel like a monkey in the middle, just know when you catch the ball it’s fair game now. The roles are being switched. Hints, clues, messages, signs, etc. are hovering over you within your environment. Novem ber 16-18, being still and the wait-and-see game can be a better option than acting on some thing. The law of attraction is a divine tool.

The water is boiling, and the stove is hot, ready for what you have prepared to cook, and when it’s done it’s showtime. Be prompt and show up before the bosses as this week is about preparation working in slow motion. It’s up to you to take notes and heed the information given. Be original, and strike out on your own to rise to the occasion. The pitcher has thrown you a curveball—it’s up to you to swing or not. November 19-20, decisions need to be made with a few cancellations.

This cycle the boss is in the building and no need for a title, your aura de mands and commands authority this week. It’s time to step up to the plate and delegate what needs to be done. You have a strategy in place regarding busi ness and personal matters being addressed and also resolved. Change comes within one’s mindset to operate differently toward ascension. As the plan is in effect check off what is complete to see the progress forward. Once you do that you understand the assignment and what’s needed. November 21-22, a new director is writing the script and also repositioning your team members or family including yourself to get pre pared for the new journey to lead the way.

There is a lot of talk circulating and what you need to know or address will come to you. No need to look for it. This is helping the hand cycle within your neighborhoods, assisting with friends and family. The up-in-the-air waiting on something to change is gathering information as you keep continuing to handle your business. Enjoy life, the conversation you engage in, and the change of flow this cycle will make sense toward the 25th of November. November 21-22, take a brisk walk through nature and engage in solitude to regain focus and work a miracle on the mind.

Vinateria

AmNews Food

Thanksgiving traditions and memory-making meals

Starting with parades and ending with family meals, Thanksgiving provides allday opportunities for celebrating life’s special moments with those nearest and dearest to your heart.

Waking up to watch the Macy’s Thanks giving Day Parade is a tradition that brings smiles and happiness to many families, and this year, an iconic brand will join the festivities. Since 1921, Wonder Bread has captured the “wonder” its founder Elmer Cline experienced when first watching a hot air balloon race. It’s often credited with the popularization of sliced bread in the United States and now, for the first time, its legacy will be on display on Nov. 24 parad ing through the streets of New York City.

To celebrate the special occasion and the joy that Thanksgiving brings, you can enjoy Turkey Cranberry Dinner Rolls as a delicious homemade meal that’s as easy to make as it is to share. If you’re searching for a tasty side that’ll leave your loved ones stuffed, look no further than this Thanks giving Stuffing, a classic accompaniment to holiday meals and a favorite of home chefs across the country.

To learn more about the Macy’s Thanks giving Day Parade and find family-favor ite recipes fit for Thanksgiving feasts, visit wonderbread.com/macys-parade

Turkey and ham may sit centerstage, but classic holiday sides can make the season truly special. You can bring smiles to your loved ones’ faces by dishing out those favor ite recipes everyone asks for year after year.

Made with a delicious combination of rice, cheddar cheese, cream of mushroom soup and broccoli florets, this quick and easy ver sion of Broccoli and Cheese Rice Casserole is an ideal one-pot dish to keep the holidays simple. With three easy steps and everyday ingredients, it comes together with minimal effort for traditional casserole taste.

When it comes to feeding a crowd, it’s often best to let your oven do the work. This Brus sels Sprouts and Ham Rice Gratin recipe allows you to serve up a filling favorite with little effort using pantry staples. Plus, it’s a kid-friendly way to encourage veggies at this year’s holiday meal with gooey cheese pro viding tempting taste bud motivation.

These seasonal classics and more are made quick and easy with an option like Success Boilin-Bag Rice, a pre-measured, mess-free way to make fluffy, high-quality rice. It’s cooked by simply dropping a bag of rice in a pot of water or broth then boiling it for 10 minutes. BPA-free and FDA-approved, the bags are safe to use and made to withstand high temperatures.

An added bonus: If you’re aiming to achieve a particular flavor, just season the rice by cooking

in water infused with herbs, spices, broth, coconut milk or other liquids like juice for sweeter recipes.

Visit SuccessRice.com to find more holiday recipe in spiration.

Thanksgiving Stuffing Turkey Cranberry Dinner Rolls

Nonstick cooking spray

1 package of Wonder Dinner Rolls

2 cups diced turkey, cooked

1 cup cranberry sauce or relish

6 slices Swiss cheese

6 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon yellow

mustard

1 tablespoon Worcester shire sauce

½ tablespoon dried minced onion salt, to taste pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon parsley

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325° F. Cover 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Remove rolls from package in one piece, cutting entire slab in half lengthwise to create one-half of “tops” and one-half of “bottoms.”

Place bottom half in foil-covered pan and layer with turkey, cranberry sauce and Swiss cheese. Add top half of rolls.

In microwave, melt butter and whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion and salt and pepper, to taste. Pour evenly over rolls.

Cover with foil and let sit 5-10 minutes then bake, covered, 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese. Slice into individual rolls.

Serve up smiles with favorite holiday sides

Brussels Sprouts and Ham

Rice Gratin

Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 25 min.

1 bag Success White Rice ½ pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved 1/3 cup diced ham 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil ¾ teaspoon salt, divided

teaspoon black pepper, divided 1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Prepare rice according to package directions.

In large bowl, toss Brus sels sprouts, ham, garlic, olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place on parchment paperlined baking tray and roast 12-15 minutes, or until car amelized. Decrease oven temperature to 425° F.

In large bowl, toss rice,

Servings: 4

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 cup shredded sharp ched dar cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1/3 cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

½ cup unsalted butter, divided

3 cups chopped onion

2½ cups chopped celery

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1½ tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons celery seeds

1 pinch grated nutmeg

1 pinch ground cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 loaf Wonder Classic White Bread, cubed ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1½ cups low-salt chicken broth

Heat oven to 325° F.

In large skillet over medium heat, melt ¼ cup butter. Add onion, celery, garlic, sage, thyme, celery seeds, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

Cover and cook until onions are soft, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.

In large bowl, toss sauteed vegetables with bread cubes and season with pepper. Melt remaining butter and pour over stuffing along with broth then toss to coat.

Bake, covered, until heated through, about 35 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes. (Family Features)

Brussels sprouts mixture, cream, chives, Dijon mustard, remaining salt and remaining pepper. Stir in cheddar and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Transfer mixture to greased, 2-quart baking dish.

In small bowl, stir bread crumbs, remaining Par mesan and melted butter. Sprinkle over rice mixture. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling.

Broccoli and Cheese

Rice Casserole

Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 30 min. Servings: 4-6

1 bag Success White Rice or Brown Rice nonstick cooking spray

1 can (10¾ ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained

1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided ½ cup evaporated milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted 1 tablespoon grated onion

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Prepare rice according to package di rections. Preheat oven to 350 ° F.

Coat 2-quart casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine soup, broccoli, 1 cup cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, butter, onion, salt and pepper. Fold in rice.

Pour mixture into prepared dish and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 20 minutes.

(Family Features)

DOC NYC, America’s largest documentary fest, returns

ica’s

“African Moot,” directed by Shameela Seedat

Students across the African continent come together for an annual contest of oratory skills and knowledge of the law. The film follows diverse teams of law students as they prepare for this prestigious, high-stakes mock trial, the African Human Rights Moot Competition. In her feature film debut, former lawyer-turned-filmmaker Sha meela Seedat gives us this feelgood chronicle showcasing the best and brightest of African youth. (South Africa, 85 min.)

“Aftershock,” directed by Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee

Aftershock puts a spotlight on the crisis of Black mater nal deaths in the United States by focusing on the cases of two New York City mothers, Shamo ny Gibson and Amber Isaac, who died during childbirth-related complications in recent years. We watch how their bereaved families become activists on this issue. “Aftershock is a moving ode to Black families in a soci ety where too many forces work to tear them apart” (NY Times). (USA, 87 min.) (Onyx Collective)

“Dusty & Stones,” directed by Jesse Rudoy

Gazi “Dusty” Simelane and Linda “Stones” who are country music singers, living in Swaziland. The film cap tures their wondrous tenday road trip through the American south, gifting us with great music and leav ing us questioning the in tersectional issues of race, power, and whether any de mographic can lay claim to country music, or any other art form. (USA, 83 min.)

“Ellis,” directed by Sascha Just

Patriarch of the famed “First Family of Jazz,” Ellis Marsa lis was a master jazz pianist, composer and educator. This intimate documentary delves into the life and career of this music icon, sprinkled with historical tidbits about his be loved hometown of New Or leans, and footage of his final live performances. Anecdotes from sons Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, Ellis III, Jason, and actor Wendell Pierce, round out the story as Ellis recounts for us the story of his illustri ous life. (USA, 96 min.)

“Fati’s Choice,” directed by Fatimah Dadzie

A Ghanaian mother of five survives the perilous journey to Europe in search of a better life, only to return to her village to reunite with her children, much to the disdain of family and neighbors. Steadfast in her convictions of what’s best, first-time filmmaker Fati mah Dadzie tells her own unique story of determi nation and courage. (South Africa, 42 min.)

“Gumbo Coalition,” directed by Barbara Kopple

Driven by a mutual determination not to be “the generation that allows progress to slip,” nation al social justice leaders Marc Morial of National Urban League and Janet Murguía of UnidosUS join forces to fight structural racism amid a trou bling resurgence of white supremacy in the Trump era. Two-time Academy Award-winning filmmak er Barbara Kopple takes a vérité approach to ex amine the experiences that have shaped Morial and Murguía into leaders of their diverse African American and Latinx American communities as they navigate the complex arc of racial justice in the pandemic years. (USA, 108 min.)

and The Shark,” directed by William Sabourin O’Reilly

This film charts the extraordi nary presence and impact of the Afro-Cuban legacy in everyday life and the electric annual Conga competitions in Cuba. “Lazaro” tells a vibrant story of contempo rary life in Cuba, marked by gener ational conflicts and the suspense of a competition. The music and dancing featured throughout the film emphasizes the undeniable and exhilarating presence and importance of the rich Afro-Cu

ban legacy on the Eastern part of the island. Stripped of the exotic gaze of an outsider, the film brings the audience to life in Santiago, to fathom the real racial, cultur al, and social diversity of this fas cinating country. These Cuban street parades are saturated with so much drama, love, pain, power ful music and ecstatic joy, as entire communities struggle to express themselves while facing harsh police brutality and repression.

“Lee Fields: Faithful Man,” directed by Jessamyn Ansary, Joyce Mishaan

Blues and soul singer Lee Fields’ career spans 50 years, from his early days play ing Harlem clubs to stints with Kool & the Gang and Sharon Jones, to inspiring to day’s rappers Travis Scott and A$ap Rocky. Despite comparisons to James Brown, Lee is his own man: loving husband, dynam ic performer, and oh, that voice! Brimming with classics and new hits, this film charts his journey through a career lull and back into the limelight with the resurgence of vinyl recordings. (USA, 81 min.)

The 13th annual DOC NYC, Amer

largest documentary festival— running in-person Nov. 9-17 at IFC

Center, SVA Theatre and Cinépolis Chelsea and continuing online until Nov. 27—includes more than 110 fea

ture-length documentaries among over 200 films and events. Included are 29 world premieres and 27 U.S.

premieres with most festival films available digitally to U.S. viewers. Films include:

“Lazaro

“African Moot” (Courtesy photos)

“Aftershock”

“Dusty & Stones”

“Fati’s Choice”

‘A Man of No Importance’ has paramount importance at CSC!

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“A Man of No Importance” is actually a musical of great importance! Playing at Classic Stage Company (CSC) at 136 E. 13th Street, it is important because this touching, powerful musical with a lov ingly written book by Terrence McNally and heart-stirring lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty is a love letter to Dublin, one of its most famous sons Oscar Wilde, and the intoxication of theater. Theater is very dear to many of our hearts—it is freeing, an escape, transforming, and something that can bring everyone together. The musical fo cuses on Alfie Byrne, a bus driver by day, but leader of an amateur theater com pany in Dublin, Ireland in the 1960s by night. A company full of regular people, the butcher, the housewife/mother—a bunch of neighbors who have become a community due to their love of the arts. Alfie is determined to put on Oscar Wil de’s “Salome,” but finds pushback since

his theater company’s space is con trolled by the Catholic Church.

Alfie has a passionate relationship with theater. He believes that theater is a sacred thing and that creating a re ality for people to buy into and then having that first rehearsal and plan ning how to bring life to the story and the characters, is a blessing in one’s life. He is also a great fan of Wilde for not only the beauty of his writing but the fact that Wilde was a person who dared to experience a different type of love, a forbidden love in his life. This type of unspoken, unacceptable love is some thing that burns in Alfie as well.

This musical shows the homophobia and censorship that controlled the the ater in Dublin in the 1960s. As Alfie bat tles to do his production of “Salome,” he also gets inspired by his idol Wilde to try something different, no matter what others may think. Try something differ ent no matter what that might mean in the lives of those who know and love you. This musical lets the audience see

the prison that people who love differ ently live in on a daily basis and the scrutiny they are always put under. But in the end, you also see that people can look past society’s phobias and support and love their friends.

Sitting in this intimate theater you were immediately engrossed in the pure pas sion and love that Alfie has for theater and the place that it has also in the hearts and lives of his fellow amateur thespians. You also get to know the motivations of the other members of the company, for making sure they get to the theater for re hearsal and find themselves buzzing with the thrill of putting on a show.

The singing in this musical is absolute ly captivating. This cast makes ensemble work look easy. Everyone’s performance just flows with an entertaining and kind delight that will warm your soul. Jim Par sons is fantastic and incredibly well-cast as Alfie. His passion for the arts is some thing that blatantly penetrates his soul. Mare Winningham as his sister Lily is de lightful, as she tries to get him interested

in women and off of theater. A. J. Shively and Nathaniel Stampley are magnificent as they play Robbie, a bus driver, and Father Kenny. These men may be famil iar as they were last seen on Broadway in the phenomenal “Paradise Square.” Shereen Ahmed is captivating as Adele Rice, a new girl in town who is cast in the role of “Salome.” She has a lovely singing voice. Da’Von T. Moody plays the dual roles of Peter/Breton Beret and he is out standing. This is truly a cast of thespi ans that demonstrate the importance of giving the gift of great theater. Addition al members of this extraordinary cast are Alma Cuervo, Kara Mikula, Mary Beth Peil, Thom Sesma, Jessica Tyler Wright, and Joel Waggoner. This musical has some of the most stunning design and direction by John Doyle.

If you are a lover of marvelous theater and especially incredible musical theater as I am, then you MUST make plans to go and experience “A Man of No Importance.” Hurry, you only have until December 18! For more info visit www.classicstage.org

A.J. Shively and Jim Parsons in a scene from “A Man of No Importance” (Julieta Cervantes photos)

Nathaniel Stampley in a “A Man of No Importance”

VTY JAZZ, FAMILY GATHERING, SMOKE

JAZZ CLUB, VANESSA RUBIN

Over the years some jazz musi cians have attempted to start their own record labels such as Charles Mingus and Max Roach (Debut Records); on the West Coast pia nist Gene Russell and percussion ist Dick Schory started the Black Jazz Record label in 1969. Both labels are now defunct. Playing music is fun but the business of music isn’t based on creativity or talent. However, two musicians, trumpeter, composer and arranger Charles Tolliver and pianist/com poser Stanley Cowell (transitioned in 2020) in New York City were able to make a real business out of owning their own record label called Strata-East founded in 1971. The label released over 50 albums in the 1970s. Many of those releas es are now hailed as innovative jazz influences, the most popular being Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s album “Winter in America” that featured the hit single “The Bottle.” Although Strata-East is not sign ing acts, the label remains active. The impressive catalogue boosts albums recorded by Charlie Rouse (Thelonious Monk’s favorite saxo phonist), Sonny Fortune and The Heath Brothers. There is a rare configuration led by bassist Larry Ridley with Sonny Fortune, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Cornel Dupree and Grady Tate, the album “Sum of Parts.” This one has to be a collec tor’s item, Cecil Payne’s “Zodiac” with Kenny Durham, Wilbur Ware, Wynton Kelly and Albert Heath. “Trying to record our own records, tour and play local gigs while at tempting to run a record label wasn’t an easy task, but I would like to think we did a pretty good job and made some great records along the way,” said owner Tolliver. “Yes, Stanley and I did a pretty good job and I am still holding it down.”

On Nov. 19, in tribute to the ef forts and perseverance of Toll iver and Cowell, VTY Jazz pays tribute to Strata-East Records, at the Cutting Room (44 E. 32nd St.), 3 p.m.-5:45 p.m. The abled quin tet assigned to play the creative contributions of Strata-East will be trumpeter Josh Evans, alto sax

ophonist Bruce Williams, pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Carl Allen with spe cial guest vocalist Melvis Santa (whose Cuban roots always take audiences on an exciting journey). Tolliver has given her some origi nal music he wants her to interpret with a mix of her Cuban roots and New York City jazz experience from Harlem to Brooklyn. The writer T.J. English will be available for a book signing of “Jazz and The Under world Dangerous Rhythms.” For reservations call 917-882-9539.

On Nov. 19, The Family Gather ing: 2022: Artists & Friends Fun draiser Celebration takes place at the Flamboyan Theater at The Cle mente (107 Suffolk St., NYC), 6 p.m. Avant-garde music is known for its outer zone rhythms, its inner soul emotions and its audacity to BE as humorous as a Boondocks cartoon series. A host of these spirited mu sicians will appear from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Come out and support the

cause in the moment. The evening will open in pursuit of the Big Band, some of the band members are trombonist Dick Griffin, bassoonist Claire deBrun ner, baritone saxophonist Dave Sewelson, pianist Sam Yulsman and drummer Lesley Mok. Sure to be an exhilarating journey with Cooper-Moore on solo piano. Fol lowed by the captivating ensemble of trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah, so prano saxophonist Sam Newsome, bassist William Parker, drum mer Francisco Mora Catlett with dancer Dayalois Fearon. A quartet with types of possibilities will fea ture tenor saxophonist, compos er James Brandon Lewis, pianist Eri Yamamoto, bassist Brandon Lopez and drummer TA Thomp son. Poets will include Raymond Nat Turner and Patricia Spears Jones. “My family, my communi ty, from the teachers to the store keepers, all played a role in who I have become,” said Cooper-Moore. “This event is about community—

my responsibility is to lift people up.” For a complete schedule and tickets visit the website artsforart. org/family 2022

The tenor saxophonist George Coleman has been playing for some time. The NEA Jazz Master has en joyed extensive recording and tour dates with Chet Baker, Elvin Jones, Slide Hampton, Max Roach, Miles Davis and of course that memora ble intro on the title track of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage.” The master brings his years of expe rience, improvisations and inter pretations to the Smoke Jazz and Supper Club Nov. 17-20; he will be accompanied by two first-call gui tarists who when not leading their own bands find joy in contributing added dimensions to fellow musi cians, guitarist Peter Bernstein and Nov. 19 guitarist Russell Malone (he is the mainstay in Ron Carter’s trio).

Sistas’ Place (456 Nostrand Ave.), the little oasis in Brooklyn BedStuy. The music is revolutionary soul roots of the African diaspora no chaser straight up Black music improvisational hardcore swing ing oh no dancing so keep your happy feet under the table stand up clap shout that’s all right.

On Nov. 19 the singer/lyricist Van essa Rubin comes to Sistas’ stage. She’s basically a Brooklyn person where she’s lived for over 20 years

but is a native of Cleveland. Rubin is one of those wonderful jazz vo calists coming out of the Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn school of singing, you know she lays a ballad out you may have to suck up your tears, she tells the story with crys tal clarity, warm enticing timbre. Of her albums my favorite re mains “Girl Talk” (Telarc, 2001). As a lyricist she’s penned some lovely songs for herself including “Once Was Not Enough” and “If You Ever Go Away.” To her credit she also wrote lyrics for Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil” (vocally re-titled “All For One”) and Tadd Dameron’s “The Dream Was You” (vocally retitled “Reveries Do Come True”).

Vanessa Rubin Trio had me on an emotional rollercoaster some years ago during her one-woman perfor mance of the play “Yesterdays: An Evening with Billie Holiday” writ ten by Renee Upchurch and di rected by Woodie King Jr. That role earned her the 2011 Kevin Klein award for Outstanding Lead Ac tress in a Musical. She is the epit ome of a well-rounded performer. While she has received some ac colades, she deserves much more as one of America’s influential jazz singers. Well, enough with the words, get out to Sistas’ so you can see and hear for yourself.

Two sets at 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Each set is $25. Call 718-398-1766 for more info and reservations.

Vanessa Rubin Vanessa Rubin's 1997 cover album for New Horizons

director of a play—Whitney White; playwright—Aleshea Harris; lead actor—Billy Eugene Jones; featured actor—Caleb Eberhardt; featured actress—Stephanie Berry; cho reographer—Raja Feather Kelly; and sound design—Mikaal Sulai man. The New Group’s “Black No More” is nominated for best mu sical; director of a musical—Scott Elliot; lead actress—Tamika Law rence; lead actor—Brandon Victor Dixon; featured actress—Lillias White; featured actors—Tariq Trot ter and Ephraim Sykes; and cho reographer—Bill T. Jones. “Cullud Wattah in all places” presented by The Public Theater is nominated for best play; director of a play— Candis C. Jones; playwright— Erika Dickerson-Despenza; lead actress—Crystal Dickinson; fea tured actresses—Alicia Pilgrim and Lizan Mitchell; set design—Adam Rigg; and lighting design—Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew.

“Confederates” the Dominique Morisseau play presented by Sig nature Theatre received seven nominations for best play; direc tor of a play—Stori Ayers; play wright—Morisseau; outstanding ensemble—Elijah Jones, Kris tolyn Lloyd, Andrea Patterson, Kenzie Ross and Michelle Wilson; set design—Rachel Hauck; sound design—Curtis Craig and Jimmy Keys; and lighting design— Amith ChandraShaker/Emma Deane. Theatre for a New Au dience’s production of the late Alice Childress’ play “Wedding Band” tied with seven nomina tions. It is up for best revival of a play; director of a play—Awoye Timpo; lead actress—Brittany Bradford; featured actress—Eliz abeth Van Dyke; set design— Jason Ardizzone-West; costume design—Qween Jean; and light

ing design—Stacey Derosier.

Tying with six nominations was The Madison Theatre’s presenta tion of “Ella: First Lady of Song,” with nominations for best mu sical; director of a musical—Lee Summers; outstanding musical director—Dionne Hendricks; lead actress—Freda Payne; and fea tured actress nominations for both Harriett D. Foy and Debra Walton. “Fat Ham” from The Public Theater/National Black Theatre carved up nominations for outstanding ensemble—Billy Eugene Jones, Marcel Spears, Adrianna Mitchell, Calvin Leon Smith, Benja Kay Thomas, Chris Herbie Holland and Nikki Craw ford; playwright—James I James; director of a play—Saheem Ali; set design—Maruti Evans; sound design—Mikaal Sulaiman; and lighting design—Stacey Derosier.

Seven productions garnered four nominations each. New Federal Theatre’s “Gong Lum’s Legacy” received nominations for best play; outstanding en semble—Anthony Goss, Alinca Hamilton, DeShawn White, Eric Yang and Henry Yuk; set design— Chris Cumberbatch; and sound design—David Wright. “Inti mate Apparel” presented by Lincoln Center received nom inations for best musical; lead actress—Kearstin Piper Brown; lead actor—Justin Austin; and featured actress—Adrienne Dan rich. MCC’s production of “soft” is nominated for best play; play wright—Donja Love; lead actor— Biko Eisen-Martin; and featured actor Leon Addison Brown. MCC’s “Nollywood Dreams” is nomi nated for best play; outstand ing ensemble—Abena Mensah Bonsu; Charlie Hudson III, Nana Mensah; Sandra Okuboyejo, Ade Otukoya, Emana Rachelle; play wright—Jocelyn Bioh; and set design—Arnulfo Maldonado. “What will the end be” presented

by Roundabout Theatre is nomi nated for best play; lead actor— Keith Randolph Smith; featured actor—Ryan Jamaal Swain; and set design—Reid Thompson. The Public Theater’s “Richard III” is nominated for best revival of a play; lead actress—Danai Gurira; featured actress—Sharon Wash ington; and costume design— DeDe Ayite. “Little Girl Blue” presented by World Stages has earned nominations for solo per formance—Laiona Michelle; di rector of a musical—Davanand Janki; outstanding musical di rector—Michael Fifer; and sound design—Twi McCallum and Jamie Tippett.

Black Spectrum Theatre’s pro duction of “Oya” received three nominations for best revival of a play; choreographer—Dyane Harvey Salaam; and costume design—Rhonda Lucas. East Harlem Repertory’s production of “Mandela” also has three nom inations including lead actor in a play—Robert Greene; featured actress—Malika Nzinga; and fea tured actor—James Garrett. “Su perhero” presented by House on the Moon is up for outstand ing ensemble—Jeorge Bennett Watson, Bryce Michael Wood, S. J. Hannah, Valisa Lekae; play wright—Ian Eaton; and light ing design—Amina Alexander. “Tambo and Bones” from Play wright’s Horizon is nominated for outstanding ensemble—W. Tre Davis, Tyler Fauntleroy, Bren dan Dalton and Dean Linnard; costume design—Dominique Fawn Hill; and sound design— Mikhail Fiksel.

Black Spectrum Theatre’s “Black Love” has garnered two nominations for best revival and outstanding musical director— Jerome Brooks Jr. Negro Ensemble Company’s “Lambs to Slaughter” is up for two VIVs as well for out standing ensemble—Adiagha

Faizah, Shaquila Gooden, Terayle Hill and Khalil Kain; and musical director—Keith Johnston. “Kim berly Akimbo” from Atlantic The ater Company is nominated for lead actor in a musical—Justin Cooley; and featured actor in a musical—Fernell Hogan II (by the way, these young men are star ring in the musical which is on Broadway as we speak).

Several productions earned a single nomination. “Queens Girl Around the World” from Abingdon Theatre Company is nominat ed for Solo performance—Felicia Curry. “Heart” presented by Audi ble is also nominated for solo per formance for Jade Anouka. “The Last of the Love Letters” from Atlantic Theater Company has Daniel Watts nominated for lead actor. “Ain’t Misbehavin: The Fats Waller Musical” from Gallery Play ers is nominated for lead actor in a musical—Alexander Jay Brown. “I Just Want To Tell Somebody” from Theater for the New City is up for solo performance—Ronald “Smokey” Stevens. “Lessons In Survival, 1971” from Vineyard Theatre is up for lead actor—Carl Clemons-Hopkins. “Your Negro Tour Guide” from Astoria Per forming Arts Center is nominat ed for solo performance—Torie Wiggins.

The AUDELCO Awards are all about us! In addition to reward ing Black excellence in theater, AUDELCO honors its people with special awards. For the 50th anni versary the recipients are known and loved members of the theater community and those who sup port theater. Lifetime Achieve ment Awards will be given to the much deserving Rome Neal, pro ducer, director and actor; Eliza beth Van Dyke, producing artistic director of New Federal Theatre, director and actress; playwright Richard Wesley; and producer, di rector and actor Count Stovall. Pi

oneer Awards will be bestowed upon Ben Harney—director, actor and original “Dream Girls” cast member; Peggy Alston, executive director of Brooklyn Restoration Youth Academy, and an actress; and Jamal Joseph who is with New Heritage Theatre Co. Impact Rep ertory Theatre. Recognizing the importance of its 25th anniver sary, the cast of “The Five Heart beats” will be given outstanding achievement awards—Carla Brothers, Harry Lennix, Leon, Tico Wells and Michael Wright will be on-hand. Board of Directors Pio neer Awards will go to Assembly woman Inez Dickens, radio host extraordinaire Jeanne Parnell of WHCR Radio, Marcia Pendelton founder of Walk Tall Girl Produc tions and Don Thomas A&E editor of the New York Beacon Newspa per. Special Achievement Awards will be presented to Eric Lockley of The Movement Theatre Com pany; Linda Stewart of It is Done Communication and To Go Girl for Public Relations, marketing, promotions; and Anthony Wayne, actor, singer, activist. The firstever Humanitarian Civil Rights Award will be posthumously pre sented to Sidney Poitier! And there will be some surprises as well! Tickets are $75, with VIP tick ets for $125. For more informa tion please visit info@audelco. org. There is nothing on earth like the AUDELCO Awards. It is a Black theater-family reunion not to be missed. For so long with COVID we could not be together to sup port and hold each other up into the limelight and now we can. Come and shine lights on those who too often are left in the shad ows. This is our Black Theater Family. It is a place where there is much love, appreciation and spiritual renewal to be gathered, come to this gathering and let it

CLASSROOM IN THE

Butler Wilson, a leading attorney and civic activist

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Last week’s column devot ed to Angelina Weld Grimké brought to mind her father Archibald Grimké, the prom inent lawyer and abolition ist. And any mention of Archibald evokes his associ ation with W.E.B. Du Bois and Butler Wilson, both members of the famed but short-lived Niagara Movement.

Okay, we know who Du Bois was and a little about the Niagara Movement, an early harbinger of civil rights activism, 1905-1909, but who was Butler Wilson? Well, to begin with, Wilson was born in Greensboro, Georgia on July 11, 1861, just as the Civil War was breaking out. Notwithstanding his birth in Georgia, Wilson’s parents were free people of color. His father was the highly re spected Dr. John R. Wilson and a civic leader of some renown in Atlanta.

Butler attended Atlan ta University, where he was captain of the varsity base ball team and voted class orator. He received his B.A. degree in 1881 and his M.A. three years later. But he de clined to follow his parents’ desire that he enter the minis try, choosing instead to pursue a law degree at the Boston Univer sity of Law. It was there that he formed a friendship with fellow student Archibald Grimké, and began writing for Grimké’s Re publican newspaper, The Hub Always an industrious and dis ciplined student, he graduated with honors from law school and was admitted to the Massachu setts Bar Association in 1884.

Ten years later when he mar ried Mary P. Evans, whose activism compared favorably with But ler’s, the ceremony was conduct ed by Archibald’s brother, Francis. They moved to Boston’s South End and raised six children, where each continued their involvement in a number of organizations, in

cluding Evans becoming head of the Boston Branch of the NAACP. Meanwhile, Butler temporari ly joined Archibald in a law firm, and at the same time worked with Judge George Lewis Ruffin, the first Black judge in the U.S. After the death of Ruffin, Butler opened his own criminal law practice in 1887.

Over the succeeding years, his practices flourished and he was soon among the most important attorneys in New England. Among his clients was Moorfield Storey, a white Boston attorney who later became a founding member of the NAACP. Massachusetts Gov. Roger Wolcott appointed Butler as master of chancery in 1898. In 1911, Butler, along with Wil lian Henry Lewis of Boston and William R. Morris of Minneapo lis, was admitted to the American

Bar Association (ABA), which un beknownst to the august body was that they were men of color. How ever, upon learning of their igno rance of their race, all three had their memberships rescinded.

These rejections were met with a furious outpouring of protests, particularly from the Massachu setts Bar Association for the two Black Boston attorneys. On several occasions, the ABA was confront ed with applicants of color and continued its practice of denial for decades, even making disclo sure of race a requirement. From 1905 to 1909, Butler was an active member of the Niagara Move ment, serving along with Grimké and Clement Morgan, another Bostonian lawyer. For a period of time, he was the organization’s legal committee. In fact, in 1913,

Clement and Butler persuad ed the YMCA of Boston to end its discrimination policy in its swimming pools. The following year Butler was successful in re moving a songbook from public schools that contained racist ep ithets. He was also a decisive lit igant opposing the extradition of Black defenders to South ern states who were likely to be lynched.

Butler was among the lead ers protesting the screening of “The Birth of a Nation” in the movie theaters in Boston be cause of its race-baiting theme. He was united with the iconic William Monroe Trotter in this campaign. During this same period of time, he and Grimké were outspoken about the lead ership changes at the NAACP, particularly as it revolved around Du Bois and the Crisis magazine. Among his several national initiatives was his role in rallying against the creation of segregated training camps for soldiers during World War I.

The list of organizations to which he lent his insight and energy is endless, including his leadership of the Boston Home for Aged Colored Women; board secretary of the Harriet Tubman House; membership of the American Red Cross, ad infini tum. On the national front, he was a vocal supporter of the Re publican Party, so much so that in 1892, he declared that “The Negro who votes the Democratic ticket is either a fool or a knave.”

He would later put his inestima ble influence on others in their resistance to Booker T. Washing ton’s “accommodation” policy.

He was active as well in the ed ucational arena, advocating that each citizen be given an equal opportunity to achieve the best learning atmosphere possible. Voting rights for women was also a top priority on his agenda and his presence was expected at the most important gathering of suffragettes.

Butler died of pneumonia on Oct. 31, 1939, at 79, and his home is marked with a Heritage Guild plaque.

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

There are several fairly rewarding sites with in formation on Wilson, but see The Crisis, 46 (12). 371, December 1939.

DISCUSSION

Not much informa tion on his formative years, nor a more thor ough discussion of his alliance with William Monroe Trotter against Booker T. Washington.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Born at the advent of the Civil War he lived to see the beginning of WWI.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

Nov. 13, 1949: Oscar winner and comedian Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Johnson in New York City.

Nov. 14, 1915: The great leader Booker T. Wash ington died. He was 59.

Nov. 14, 1954: Con doleezza Rice, the first Black woman secretary of state, was born in Bir mingham, Ala.

Butler Wilson, circa 1918

resolution included that calls for the state to provide financial assistance to families and childcare providers.

At least two bills came straight from Mayor Adams’ childcare blueprint. Adams said that parents shouldn’t have to “obtain a Ph.D." just to access services for their kids and has vowed to stream line the process through the health and technology department.

“As the first women-majority Coun cil in New York City history, we fully un derstand that childcare remains one of the biggest challenges facing work ing women and families,” said Speaker Adams in a statement. “The Council has always prioritized advancing solutions to support our communities, including the expansion of affordable, high-quali ty, and accessible childcare on a univer sal basis. Now that this groundbreaking legislative package has been signed into law, our city will deliver the help and care that families need while boosting our economy.”

Hudson said in a statement that pro hibitive costs of childcare hurt com munities by stifling the growth of local economies. She said that ‘childcare for all’ meaningfully and tangibly address es the lingering effects of the pandem

EQUITY

Continued from page 3

implementation. That’s what the commis sion and office works to correct.

She said she anticipated a little bit of a dip in support for Proposal 3, which was the only ballot measure to specifically men tion racial equity.

“For some people they saw it as just a layer of government and might cost New York more money if there was like a tax. There’s a segment of the population that still today doesn’t appreciate that you just can’t talk racism away. I think there are people who believe in opportunity for all but are challenged when it comes to what that would actually look like,” said Austin about why Proposal 3 had the lowest number of yes votes among the proposals. “Notwithstanding, we should feel good that it did [pass].”

Austin added that all the ballots had an element of racial justice and equity, even the Clean Water Bond Act of 2022 in Proposal 1. The bond act is essential ly an authorized loan that gives the state permission to borrow money in order to fund climate justice and goals that have to be met in the coming years. “It is the communities of color, lower income, where climate change is having the most devastating impacts,” said Austin. “Where you see flooding issues, pollut

ic felt disproportionately by women, and women of color in particular.

“Universal childcare will help narrow this per sistent gap, ushering more women back into the workforce and en suring parents do not have to choose between their families and their careers,” said Hudson in a statement. “As part of my Black Agenda for New York City, I called for a universal childcare system in New York City. And I’m proud to have delivered on that promise and worked to ensure the Council follows through as well.”

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

ants pervade the skies, pipeline erosion and the impact that can have on quali ty of water.”

Most voters who spoke to the Amster dam News on Election Day at the polls said they voted yes for all the ballot mea sures on the back of the ballot because they just “made sense” for the city.

“New York City voters made clear that they support our city government prior itizing racial justice by confronting the structural and systemic inequities that have long impacted New Yorkers. Black New Yorkers, as well as many other com munities of color, have long endured disparities in access to economic and educational opportunities, health, and safety,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams in a statement.

Speaker Adams said that a new Racial Equity Office, Plan and Commission will be critical to reducing and eliminating racial disparities, while a new measure of the true cost of living will help the gov ernment more accurately account for the economic pressures facing New Yorkers in our policy decisions.

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

Metro briefs

Continued from page 3

The Soweto Gospel Choir will per form a series of South African free dom songs along with music of the Civil Rights era including selections

by legendary artists James Brown, Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield and the oneand-only, Aretha Franklin.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West. For tickets go to lehmancenter.org/events/soweto-gos pel-choir or call 718-960-8833.

Mayor Eric Adams signed a package of child care bills: Intro. 242, Intro. 477-A, Intro. 485-A, Intro. 486-A, Intro. 487-A, Intro. 488-A, and Intro. 489-A at the Union Settlement in East Harlem on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Education

Alabama’s capital removes Confederate names from 2 schools

The Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)—Two high schools in Alabama’s capital, a hub of the Civil Rights Movement, will no longer bear the names of Confederate leaders.

The Montgomery County Board of Educa tion on Thursday voted for new names for Jefferson Davis High School and Robert E Lee High School, news outlets reported.

Lee will become Dr. Percy Julian High School. Davis will become JAG High School, representing three figures of the Civil Rights Movement: Judge Frank John son, the Rev. Ralph Abernathy and the Rev. Robert Graetz.

The schools opened in the 1950s and

1960s as all or mostly white but now serve student populations that are more than 85% African American.

“Our job is to make our spaces comfort able for our kids. Bottom line is we’re going to make decisions based on what our kids’ needs may be, not necessarily on sentiment around whatever nostalgia may exist,” Su perintendent Melvin Brown said, as report ed by WSFA-TV.

Julian was a chemist and teacher who was born in Montgomery. Johnson was a feder al judge whose rulings helped end segrega tion and enforce voting rights. Abernathy was a pastor and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Graetz was the only white pastor who openly supported the Mont

gomery bus boycott and became the target of scorn and bombings for doing so.

The new school names were given two years after education officials vowed to strip the Confederate namesakes. A debate over the school names began amid protests over racial inequality following the police killing of George Floyd in Min nesota. Someone ripped down a statue of Lee outside his namesake school during the demonstrations.

Like many other Confederate-named schools, Lee—named for the Confeder ate Army general—opened as an all-white school in 1955 as the South was actively fighting integration. Davis, named for the Confederate president, opened in 1968.

But white flight after integration orders and shifting demographics meant the schools became heavily African American.

The Montgomery City Council last year voted to rename Jeff Davis Avenue for at torney Fred D. Gray. Gray grew up on the streets during the Jim Crow era and went on to represent clients including Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

After the street name change, the Ala bama attorney general’s office told city officials to pay a $25,000 fine or face a lawsuit for violating a state law protecting Confederate monuments and other long standing memorials. The city paid the fine in order to remove the Confederate reference.

Happy Centennial to the Ladies of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

By OLAYEMI ODESANYA Special to the AmNews

This past Saturday, members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated cele brated the 100th year of the sorority’s ex istence. Members, including this reporter, went to Butler University located in Indi anapolis, Indiana where the seven found ers: Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little, Vivian White Marbury, Dorothy Hanley White side, Bessie Mae Downey Rhoades Martin, Nannie Mae Gahn Johnson, Hattie Mae An nette Dulin Redford and Cubena McClure created this organization. One-hundred years later, members continue their legacy of sisterhood, scholarship and service.

After charting their Alpha chapter at Butler University on Dec. 30, 1929, the orga nization became an incorporated national collegiate sorority. It wasn’t until 1937 that the sorority joined the National Pan-Hel lenic Council which is also known as the Divine Nine. The Divine Nine is an orga nization composed of historically African American Greek-lettered five fraternities and four sororities.

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. is the only D9 Greek letter sorority to be found ed at a predominantly white campus where racism, sexism and prejudice was at its all-time high. These women, howev er, prospered and found a way to start their organization. Members who join aim to provide community service, and civil and social action for women and their families internationally. Some of the well-known

international programs are Operation Big Bookbag, Project Reassurance, Hattie Mc Daniel Breast Cancer Awareness and Youth Symposium.

Quick facts:

Sorority colors: Royal blue & gold

Mascot: French toy poodle

Flower: Yellow tea rose

Motto: Greater Service, Greater Progress Notable members: Soror Kelly Price (R&B singer), Soror MC Lyte (rapper), Soror Robin Kelly (U.S. Congresswoman), Soror Martiza McClendon (Olympic ath lete) & Soror Nina Turner (Ohio state senator)

While founders’ day may be over, mem bers are still celebrating for the whole month of November. So if you see a pretty poodle today, you can still wish them a Happy Founders’ Day!

The weekend was spent with members from all walks of life and regions happily cel ebrating this once-in-a-lifetime experience. There was dining, live entertainment, and historic fellowship. Yes, “No one can do it like we can, We are the baddest in the land!… ee-yip!”

post-harvest yams,” said Adjata.

Adjata is one of the five laureates of the “For women in science” young talent prize from sub-Saharan Africa who will receive US$10,000 apiece to help them in their work.

She explained her interest in the field: “From an early age, my father had a mango plantation. And this plantation was attacked by mushrooms, but at that time we did not know it. And as the years passed, there was a drop in production. And from then on, I wanted to know why these mangoes were being attacked [by fungi], and why produc tion was falling. And it’s since then that I de voted myself to it and that I loved science.”

WHILE CHINA RAMPS UP FUNDING FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY, WHAT ABOUT THE U.S.?

(GIN)—China is one of the main funders of renewable-energy projects in Africa.

At last year’s China-Africa Cooperation forum, Beijing committed to ramping up in

Garífuna

“OFRANEH and the communities have been demanding the restitution of our right to the use of the territory for more than 40 years. We have already had people murdered, dis appeared, we have had many problems in different communities, precisely because we are demanding the return of the territo ry that has been taken from us, we are claim ing the ancestral possession of the territory.”

The activists removed from Punta Gorda on Nov. 7 had established themselves on what they deemed reclaimed land. The plot of land was an extension of Garífu na ancestral land—they had taken posses sion of it on Sept. 3 and named it “Wagaira Le” (“This is our village”). When police and military forces came to remove the activ

vestments in solar, wind, and other renew ables across the continent and has made no overseas coal power investments since 2021. It is also one of several nations funding the International Monetary Fund’s $20 billion IMF Resilience and Sustainability Trust on pandemics and climate change resilience.

In comparison, similar accomplishments by the U.S. are very few. The U.S. govern ment has funneled more than $9 billion into oil and gas projects in Africa since it signed up to restrain global heating in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a tally of of ficial data shows, committing just $682 mil lion to clean energy developments such as wind and solar over the same period.

Two-thirds of all the money the U.S. has committed globally to fossil fuels in this time has been plowed into Africa, a conti nent rich in various minerals but also one in which 600 million people live without elec tricity and where floods, severe heatwaves and droughts are taking an increasingly dev astating toll as the planet heats up due to the combustion of coal, oil and gas. President Joe Biden pledged to increase international

ists, Miriam Miranda states in one video: “They destroyed our property, they burned everything, they beat more than 15 of our compañerxs, they viciously attacked us, but we continue to fight for our ances tral territorial rights.” Six Garífuna lead ers—Dorotea López, Richard Martínez, Efraín Sánchez, Keider Gonzales, Augus to Dolmo and Melissa Fabiola Martínez— were arrested and detained for taking part in the protest and another 15 people were injured. Those arrested could now face trial and up to six years in prison for “mis appropriation of land.”

In a statement, OFRANEH termed the military raid “illegal, violent, cowardly and racist.”

“As established by the IACHR [InterAmerican Court of Human Rights],” the statement declared, “the Inter-Amer

climate financing from $5.7 billion to $11.4 billion per year by 2024. However, Congress approved just $1 billion this year.

“I was thrilled with the promises from the Biden administration but over the last two years it’s been a slow walk back to the point where you couldn’t tell the differ ence between Biden and [Donald] Trump on overseas fossil fuel finance,” said Kate DeAngelis, international finance program manager at Friends of the Earth, who said it was “absurd” that wealthy oil companies were supported by U.S. taxpayers.

“It’s been frustrating and tiresome to see so many opportunities lost to transition away from fossil fuels,” she said. “It’s just business as usual. We are seeing some of the most vul nerable communities in Africa be negatively impacted and they don’t have a voice.”

One analysis by Carbon Brief, a U.K.based website specializing in the science and policy of climate change, concludes that taking account of historic carbon emissions with proportional contributions to the $100 billion pledge, the U.S. owes de veloping countries nearly $40 billion.

ican Court and ILO Convention 169, the Garifuna people ancestrally have the right to be legally recognized as the legitimate owners of their territory, making any forced eviction illegal and racist. We are NOT invaders, we are NOT usurpers, we are the legitimate owners of our ancestral territory…”

NOTICE

European leaders also received criticism from African activists who accuse Europe of using Africa as a personal gas station. Germany has been pursuing the develop ment of a gas field in Senegal to plug its energy crisis while demanding that African governments fast-track renewable energy for their own electricity needs.

At a press conference, Mohamed Adow, di rector of Power Shift Africa, an energy and cli mate think-tank, commented: “Having been thrust to the front lines of a climate crisis we did not cause, Africans have long urged rich countries to wean themselves off fossil fuels and slash their greenhouse-gas emissions.

“But, instead of heeding our calls, the rich have remained addicted to oil and gas— much of which, in Europe’s case, has come from Russia. Now they are taking this insult a step further: in their drive to end their de pendence on Russian energy, the world’s wealthiest economies are turning to Africa.

“Here is a message we want to send to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz,” said Adow. “The days of colonialism are over. We won’t accept energy colonialism.”

“Commissions from the National Con gress have arrived,” Garcia told the AmNews , “Human Rights commissions have arrived, international commissions have arrived. All to see what is happening in this place. There will have to be more conversations, which is what should have happened in the first place.”

COUNCIL TOWERS IV WAITING LIST IS CLOSED EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

Council Towers IV, under the sponsorship of Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty will close its Section 8 assisted wait list effective immediately.

COUNCIL TOWERS IV will NOT accept any NEW applications on or after this date. Currently there is no scheduled date to reopen the waiting list. When Council Towers IV is ready to reopen the waiting list, an advertisement will be placed.

If you are already on the waiting list, you do not need to take any action at this time. Council Towers IV will maintain your name, date and time you applied. You are still required to update your personal information by submitting changes in writing to Council Towers IV, Management Office 99 Vandalia Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11239. While Council Towers IV will not be taking new applications during the time the wait list is closed, staff will continue to process those currently on the list.

Garífuna returned to Wagaira Le after authorities tried to evict them (OFRANEH photo)

Religion & Spirituality

Mosque No. 7 reopens

“Making All Things New”— On Nov. 13, 2022, there was the grand reopening of the histor ic Muhammad Mosque No. 7 at

106 West 127th St., Harlem, New York City. FOI—Fruit of Islam, Nation of Islam soldiers, and be lievers marched from Adam Clay

ton Powell State Office Building to Mosque No. 7 on 127th Street. Student Min. Arthur Muhammad delivered the message.

(Bill Moore photos)

guard. Initially, he remained underground until getting arrested in 1986 and then was hit with the Racketeer Influenced and Cor rupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Investigators claimed he was part of a squad of revolutionaries that robbed banks in New York and Connecticut, attempting to link them to 12 heists, from 1976 to 1981. He also was convicted for assisting Assata Shakur’s exodus from prison in 1979.

Supporters contend he was a revolution ary, holistic healer, renowned for rehabil itating heroin addicts via acupuncture, mainly at the South Bronx’s Lincoln Detox Center. They say the FBI through COIN TELPRO operatives wanted to make him an example due to his courageous activism.

“There are a lot of tears of joy,” noted Jomo Muhammad, an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. “There’s still disbelief because we were steadying ourselves for another denial. Now folks are excited about being able to reunite Mutulu with his family. We were crying together. It’s a long time overdue.”

Shakur will be forced to wear a GPS device, and be confined to limited travel, as well as other restrictions. Throughout the 1970s he was a godfather to Tupac and his sister, Sekyiwa.

“He was not exonerated. He was given medical parole, which means he could still be snatched back from us. His release doesn’t end his cancer,” Muhammad said. “We’re preparing for him to come home, and we have to figure out transportation because his condition has deteriorated so much that he can’t fly commercial. He’s been able to make it longer than what the doctors have given him, but he still has cancer and he’s still dying.”

There are many organizations who for de cades have fought for the release of Amer ica’s political prisoners—individuals who were former members of Black liberation groups like the Black Panthers and the Black Liberation Army.

“We are pleased with the recent decision to grant Mutulu Shakur parole,” said Lu

New Jersey News

Continued from page 4

entirely through The Mercy House’s donors, who contributed 100% of the items being distributed. These bene factors include archdiocesan employ ees, who held a food drive at their Pastoral Center in Newark. Leah and Bobby Antonicello of Grid Real Estate also supplied 100 turkeys, while the Cheer Me Up Foundation provided 20 large baskets of poultry and sides.

mumba Bandele, organizer with the Mal colm X Grassroots Movement. “Our calls for the paroled release have been based on Dr. Shakur clearly meeting the guidelines for parole. We were not asking for favors. We were simply requesting the parole commis sion fairly apply the regulations and release Dr. Shakur. We are now preparing to sup port Dr. Shakur’s release and his transition to finally being reunited with his family.”

Last month the Movement for Black Lives, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and #FreeMutuluNOW ahead of the up coming parole hearing for the dying 72-year-old acupuncturist activist, held a press conference, and delivered, they claimed, over 60,000 petition signatures to the U.S. Parole Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, demanding his compassionate release.

They stated that the terminally ill elder “has stage three bone marrow cancer and been given less than 3 months to live.

“Dr. Shakur has been in custody for over 36 years and fits every possible criteria for release. Under the law he should be granted mandatory parole, which would allow him to spend the remainder of his life fighting his cancer and being with his family and community, people who love him and need him. The various agen cies within the DOJ—the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Attorney, and the U.S. Parole Commission—are each abdicating their responsibility to do justice. The result is death by bureaucracy for Dr. Shakur and others like him.”

Dequi Kion-Sadiki declared, “As family, friends and community prepare for Dr. Mutulu Shakur’s release from decades in prison, let us remember that Freedom Ain’t Free; that Mutulu and his family have paid an enormous price for his par ticipation in the Black Freedom Struggle. It is now our turn to pay our gratitude forward by donating to the Family &

Friends of Dr. Mutulu Shakur Return Home fundraising campaign.

“Mutulu, who is ‘struggling and juggling’ through Stage-4 bone cancer, is in urgent need of financial resources to aid in the cost of being transported from the Ken tucky prison hospital he has spent the last several years in to the airport, onto to a flight headed for Los Angeles, where he will reside, a hospital bed when he gets there, round-the-clock home care, continued cancer treatment, a nutritional diet, holis tic medical resources and more. In short, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, a healer himself, is now in need of healing. We are asking folk to donate towards his healing.

“After 36 years of imprisonment, Dr. Mutulu Shakur is scheduled to be released on parole. December 2022 will mark a new chapter in the lives of the Shakur family. We are asking for your support to aid in making their transition as comfortable and smooth as possible. We are also asking that you re member there are seven veteran Black Pan ther Party members still held captive as U.S. held political prisoners. We must con tinue the struggle to FREE ‘em ALL. Until all of them are free, none of us are free.”

“Mutulu is deeply grateful and thankful for the expressions of trust and support,” the Malcolm X Commemoration Com mittee said. “We ask that he have space and time to be with family when he is re leased and to continue receiving medical treatment.”

The grassroots organization stated, “In order to bring Mutulu home to his family in California safely and comfortably, we must raise funds to cover several urgent costs. These costs include Mutulu’s ground transportation from the prison to the air port, medical air transport from Ken tucky to Los Angeles to be reunited with his family, adding a wheelchair accessible ramp and other modifications to his home, health care to address existing and emerg ing urgent medical needs, and other costs associated with him returning home.”

To this end the FFMS (Friends and Family of Mutulu Shakur) are asking folk to donate to Mutulu’s release fund through the Com munity Aid and Development Corporation: https://www.cadnational.org

Northern Manhattan Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

Opened in 2018 as a center for pregnant and parenting women, The Mercy House has since expanded its mission to sup port anyone in need. Today it provides nonperishable food, clothing, baby sup plies, furniture, and help finding work and housing to all who visit its Newark lo cation every Tuesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.rcan.org/respect-life/mercy-house.

NorthernManhattanRehabilitationandNursingCenterat116East125thNewYork,NY10035 a participant in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, or sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity) in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs and activities, whether carried out by Northern Manhattan Rehabilitation and Nursing Center directly or through a contractor or any other entity with which Northern Manhattan Rehabilitation and Nursing Center arranges to carry out its programs and activities. Northern Manhattan Rehabilitation and Nursing Center does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, or sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity).

Mutulu painting by Tyrone Shakur

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NOTICE OF SALE

In pursuance and by virtue of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly granted and entered in an action entitled NYCTL 1998-2 Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 1998-2 Trust v. NYC Property Owners Inc., et al., bearing Index No 155371/2019 on or about February 22, 2022, by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, I, the Referee, duly appointed in this action for such purpose, will expose for sale and sell at public auction to the highest bidder on December 14, 2022 at 2:15 p.m., on the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, New York 10007, the liened premises designated as Block 1643, Lot 129, in the City of New York, County of New York and Borough of Manhattan, State of New York and known as East 115th Street, New York, New York, directed in and by said judgment to be sold The sale will be conducted pursuant to the Courts Auction Rules and any COVID Restrictions

The approximate amount of the judgment is $2,099.77 plus interest and other charges, and the property is being sold subject to the terms and conditions stated in the judgment, any prior encumbrances and the terms of sale which shall be available at the time of sale

Dated: November 15, 2022 New York, New York

Thomas Richard Kleinberger, Esq. Referee 411 5th Avenue New York, New York 100 16-2203 (917) 326-5523

David P. Stich, Esq.

Attorney for Plaintiff 521 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor New York, New York 10175 (646) 554-4421

OF SALE SUPREME COURT NEW YORK COUNTY

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

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

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

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered May 9, 2022 , I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at the Portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre St, New York, NY 10007 on December 7, 2022 at 2:15 PM Premises known as 27 West 120th Street a/k/a 200 Lenox Av enue a/k/a 200 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, New York 10027. Block 1720 Lot 1. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $2,196,777.57 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 850002/2021.

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

Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee 20-05155

Notice of Qualification of 428 & 432 WEST 19TH STREET LLC Appl for Auth filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/20/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/06/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Anbau Enterprises, 11 E. 26th St., NY, NY 10010. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of Form filed with Secy. of State, DE Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

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

Office: New York County.

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

SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 1129 Northern Boulevard, Suite 400, Manhas set, NY 11030. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

57 PARK OPS LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/13/22. Office: New York County SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Gary Spindler, 250 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: COUNTY OF NEW YORK 307-309 Sixth Av enue LLC., Pltf v. 307 Assets LLC, et al., Defts. Index No 850138/2020, pursu ant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 1, 2022 and entered on June 6, 2022, I will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, at the portico of the Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, on December 14, 2022 at 2:15 p.m., prem k/a 307/307-A Sixth Avenue, New York, NY (Block: 589; Lot 40) and 309 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY (Block: 589; Lot: 39) (the “Properties”). Approx amt of judgment is $13,686,392, plus costs, attorneys' fees and interest Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale Bruce Lederman, Esq., Referee. JACOBOWITZ NEWMAN TVERSKY, LLP, Attys. for Plaintiff, 377 Pearsall Ave., Ste C, Cedarhurst, NY

NOTICE OF SALE

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

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

Notice of Qualification of AEL FINANCIAL SERVICES, LLC Appl for Auth filed with Se cy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/22. Office location: NY County LLC formed in North Carolina (NC) on 06/22/22. Princ. office of LLC: 1155 Ave. of the Americas, 35th Fl., NY, NY 10036. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. NC addr of LLC: 2101 Rexford Rd., Ste. 310, Charlotte, NC 28211. Cert of Form. filed with Secy of State, 2 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27601-2903 Purpose: The business purpose is to act as a registered broker-dealer, and conduct certain approved securities transactions

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

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

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

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

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

Purpose: any lawful act.

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

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

Mark Andrew Ahart (also known as Mark Ahart Al Bey) new name is Noble Mark An drew Ahart Bey; Asah saleem Ahart (also known as Asah Saleem Ahart Al Bey) new name is Noble Asah Saleem Ahart Bey; Jamelah Johari Arnold (also as Jame lah Johari Arnold Ahart, also known as Jamelah Johari Ahart Al Bey) new name is Noble Jamelah Johari Arnold Ahart Bey; Dwight Cory Lewis new name is Noble Dwight Cory Lewis El The family of Ahart Bey address is C/O 36 Marcia Lane, New City New York 10956. The family of Lewis El address is C/O 722 East 181 Street Apartment 1, Bronx, New York 10457

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #13532 28 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the under signed to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 3480 Broadway, NYC 10031 for on-premises consumption; Lux Bar & Grill 142 Inc.

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #13535 13 for beer wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a cafe under the ABC Law at 19-21 Clinton St., NYC 10002 for on-premises consumption; Group Gem LLC

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

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

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

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

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Notice of Qualification of SIFI NETWORKS NEW YORK CITY LLC Appl for Auth. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/20/22. Princ. office of LLC: 103 Foulk Rd., Ste. 500, Wilmington, DE 19803. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of Form filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Development and operation of fiber optic network

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him useful. His conga music helps drive residents to take part in political rallies. Tiburón has found his place within the government and is now finally comfortable in Cuban society.

The film also introduces us to The Poet, a married man with a child who creates lyrics about the impoverished neighbor hoods in Santiago de Cuba and the stresses the people there are forced to live with. The Poet also has an opportunity to leave Cuba, but for him, being away from his family and, in partic ular, his young daughter, and missing out on the formative years of her life is just too much of a sacrifice. One former resi dent of Santiago de Cuba, Anto nio Hung Vidal, who now lives in Miami, Florida is seen re

turning to the island and doing what he can to aid the Conga de Los Hoyos band. Vidal left Cuba years ago but started making return trips because he missed the culture. He was once a member of the Conga de Los Hoyos band. When he returns for visits, the poverty on the island remains striking, but the connection to the culture drives him back. “If you hear a conga and don’t smile and feel a pain in your heart,” he says while reminiscing, “then you are not from Santiago.

“It’s so different here, the life style in this country. That’s the nostalgia I feel in my soul,” Vidal adds.

The conga traditions, the band rivalries, the annual carnival, and the atmosphere of Santi

ago de Cuba all help Sabourin O’Reilly to make what he says is a political statement about how Black life is lived in current-day Cuba—and how we accept our lives, in general.

“I would say this. I was so lucky to have Vidal as a char acter in that…because I am an immigrant, I have lived in America, for many years— many, many years,” Sabourin O’Reilly said.

“Hopefully, I am going to be Vi dal’s age, and I’m going to have to find a reason to be—to continue to live. …I have to look forward to something to do the next day.

Vidal found that in the congas, in carnival. And thank god that he found that—not everyone is lucky enough to find that in the later periods of their lives.”

in New York City.

Fellow John Ketcham at The Manhat tan Institute for Policy Research, a con servative think tank focused on domestic policy, offered an analysis. He said that Adams’ rhetoric hasn’t created a “crime panic,” but sharply rising crime has. Ket cham noted that transit homicides and crimes have increased since 2020, several of which involved people pushing some one onto the tracks or stabbing people unprovoked.

According to NYPD data, as of Nov. 16, that trend continues to tick upward with a 38% increase citywide in transit crime since 2021.

“Adams ran as a Democrat, but as mayor, he’s the chief executive—the top law en forcement official—for all New Yorkers. If voicing concern about a real deterioration in public safety is ‘leaning into Republi can narratives on crime’ as Rep. OcasioCortez and her allies claim, then their logical conclusion must be that Demo crats cannot take the statistics seriously,” said Ketcham in a statement. “That would not only reject voters’ genuine fears, but it

Westchester

Continued from page 12

other. We will feed the demand for more illegal sales that will directly affect West chester’s Black communities and create more interactions with Black residents with police.

The Westchester County government has received a plethora of letters and statements from various law enforce ment professionals, including a retired Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agent. But still, the health committee did not do their due diligence to have law en forcement agencies like the district attor ney’s office, the ATF, and the Westchester County Chiefs Association testify on any unintended consequences to public safety before it came out of committee.

By no means do we support smoking, but to push a political agenda of a men thol ban down the throat of the public when, according to the CDC, cigarette smoking is at an all-time low is a prime example of how government overreach es on the rights of a people to have a choice.

It’s also disingenuous for supporters to use the narrative of the effect of smoking on children when the county has already made it illegal for stores to sell cigarettes to anyone under 21. If the county is ad mitting that there is a problem with chil dren easily obtaining cigarettes, then they are willfully acknowledging that the black market and illegal sales are out of control in the county.

Article 13-F Section 1399-CC of the NYS

would amount to a dereliction of the may or’s duty.”

In Adams’ op-ed, Ketcham inferred that it reveals a Democrat fighting for his vision of what it means to be a Democrat against his “socialist detractors.” Because New York is usually a “one party town,” factions within the Democratic Party essentially represent the only meaningful political competition available for voters, he said.

“If the city’s electoral system were struc tured to allow more competitive parties in general elections, the progressive faction could instead form its own party, as social ists did a century ago with the American Labor Party,” said Ketcham. “Until then, the soul-searching will continue.”

Of course progressive groups like VO CAL-NY and the Justice Committee weighed in heavily on the opposite side of Adams’ views and the ongoing battle be tween Democrats and Republicans.

VOCAL-NY Political Director Kim Smith said that both conservative Democrats and Republicans have created violent crimes against communities. Smith said that state and local officials have failed over the years to deliver meaningful legislation for poor working families and in Black, brown and low income communities still most im pacted by an unjust judicial system.

Public Health Law prohibited the sale of tobacco and vapor products and smok ing paraphernalia to people under the age of 21. The county-proposed legis lation is more symbolism without sub stance. According to Westchester County Legislator James Nolan, by passing this Menthol Ban, Westchester County is will ing to throw away $36 million in Sales Tax Revenue on menthol-flavored cigarettes. The county collects an additional $5 mil lion on other flavored tobacco products.

If Westchester County is serious about Black people in Westchester’s health and wellness, they should put their money where their mouth is! Take the $40 mil lion in tax revenue and invest in health and wellness programs, making sure Black communities, especially our Black seniors, have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, investing in outreach for nic otine patches and gum, and educating on the dangers of smoking.

Let us not forget, a Westchester City, with a population of 80 thousand and 80% Black people, hasn’t had a fully func tioning hospital for over a decade. This should have been considered a public health emergency a long time ago! But our county legislators’ health committee is silent. Again, if passed, County Execu tive George Latimer must VETO this leg islation.

Thank you for your time in this matter.

Damon K. Jones is a New York state rep resentative of Blacks in Law Enforcement of America. He is a 32-year veteran at the Westchester County Department of Corrections.

“Instead of investing in living wage jobs and stable housing and other viable solu tions, politicians often create an illusion and distraction by forcing us to believe that more police is the answer to our safety. We demand more from them,” said Smith. “Stop hiding behind the police and using them and crime as scapegoats and cover for the lack of political will to invest in our communities.”

Justice Committee Executive Director Loyda Colon said that Adams’ approach to public safety too often seems like he’s taking a page out of a conservative, rightwing playbook. Colon said that is not what poor and working-class New Yorkers of color want and need.

“His reliance on failed, abusive polic ing tactics like Broken Windows policing and his revamp of plainclothes anti-crime units, and his policing of homeless and other poor New Yorkers, harken back to the Giuliani and Bloomberg eras and the height of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk abuses,” said Colon. “Over the past year we’ve seen the mayor use misinformation and fear-mon gering instead of using the power of his ad ministration to create the immediate and long-term solutions we know will drive down inequality and crime.”

Colon added that until Adams adopts

a public safety approach that’s rooted in equity, the only “stuff” he’s “getting done” is increasing the challenges faced by lowincome communities of color and helping the right sell a false narrative.

Adams’ office didn’t respond to a re quest for comment by press time. Howev er in a presser on Nov. 14, Adams remarked that the city has made “good changes” to public safety, criminal justice reforms, cost of childcare, and the NYCHA land trust that Democrats aren’t selling to blue-col lar, working-class people.

“We need to sell our product. I think that Democrats have a good product. We need to sell our product and do a better job in selling our product. I don’t think we did a good job in doing that,” said Adams when asked about his op-ed. “I believe we need to create a system that is going to make sure people get justice on both ends of the spectrum.”

Ariama C. Long is a Report for Ameri ca corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for The Am sterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-de ductible gift of any amount today by visit ing: https://bit.ly/amnews1

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Thibodeau shortens the Knicks’ rotation as they battle the West

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Knicks had a positive start on Tues day to their five-game, seven-day road trip, this after perhaps their worst performance of the season on Sunday at home.

Before facing the Denver Nuggets last night (Wednesday), the Knicks upended the Utah Jazz 118-111. They came into the game to face a Jazz squad that was a sur prising third in the Western Conference (10-6 following the loss to the Knicks) after trading All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert this past summer.

Conversely, the Knicks were 6-7 and run out of Madison Square Garden by the Okla homa City Thunder 145-135 to end their week. They played the Nuggets without Nikola Jokic to torment them, as the reign ing back-to-back MVP entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Tuesday.

The Knicks will be in San Francisco to challenge the defending champion Golden State Warriors tomorrow, then head to Phoenix to meet the Suns on Sunday and end the week-long trek with a rematch with the Thunder on Monday. They’ll have three days off before hosting the Portland Trail

blazers at MSG on Nov. 25.

The remaking of the Knicks roster by team president Leon Rose from a strong defensive team to one that has relied heavily on its offense this season is a dubi ous paradigm, particularly because head coach Tom Thibodeau’s reputation and success has been built on being one of the smartest defensive minds in the sport. Furthermore, the Knicks do not have pro ficient and by and large efficient scorers that play a high number of minutes with proven track records with the exception of Julius Randle, whose career average of 17.8 prior to taking on the Nuggets can best be characterized as merely solid.

Since first signing with the Knicks in 2019 for three-years and $63 million—Randle signed a four-year, $117 million extension in August of 2021—he has averaged 19.5, 24.1, 20.1 and this season 20.4 points per game on 46, 45.6, 41.1 and 45.9 shooting percent ages respectively. Yet the Knicks have made the playoffs just once over his time with the team, a No. 4 seed in the East and first round loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2020.

The Knicks aren’t going to move far up the Eastern Conference pecking order by being one of the league’s top scoring teams

as they lack the requisite offen sive talent. So it is necessary for them to be one of the best defen sive teams to compete for a play off spot. Last season, the NBA’s finalists, the Boston Celtics (No. 1) and Golden State Warriors (No. 2) were the two best defensive teams in the league. And the War riors held the Celtics to under 100 points in all four Finals wins.

“…Our defense was the prob lem,” said Thibodeau after fall ing to the Thunder. “We have to fix that. It’s hard to win if we don’t make a better effort to defend. … If we’re relying on trying to outscore people, that’s not going to work. Our margin for error is small.”

The Knicks went into last night’s game in Denver 24th in the 30-team league in oppo nents points allowed at 116.4. They were first in the 2020-21 season at 104.7 when they last made the playoffs. Offensively, the Knicks were 11th going into last night’s game at 114.9.

Will Cam Reddish make the most of his opportunities?

By JERALD L. HOOVER Special to the AmNews

When the Knicks acquired forward Cam Reddish last January along with forward Solomon Hill and a 2025 sec ond-round pick from the Atlanta Hawks for forward Kevin Knox and a 2022 first round pick, upon his arrival, Reddish ex pressed supreme optimism.

“I think I can be a legit star here,” said Reddish, who was the 10th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke. He was the third Duke player taken in 2019, joining Zion Williamson (No. 1 overall) and re uniting with Knicks swingman RJ Barrett (No. 3). All entered the draft after their freshman college season. Prior to enter ing Duke, some draft analysts projected Reddish as the top pick in 2019.

He unquestionably is uber-talented. At 6-foot-8, the Norristown, Pennsyl vania native has the length, athleticism and shooting ability to be an impact ful player on both ends of the floor. The warranted criticism of Reddish is that he has been inconsistent and injury prone. He played just 58 games in his

rookie season due to injury, 26 in the shortened 2020-21 71-game regular season, and 49 last season.

Reddish waited for five games after the trade before making his Knicks debut.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau elected to go with a nine-man rotation that in cluded then-rookie Quentin Grimes. Gradually Reddish carved a place in the rotation and made encouraging strides before injuring his right shoulder on March 7 versus the Sacramento Kings at tempting to block guard Davion Mitch ell’s layup attempt. Reddish’s injury ultimately sidelined him for the remain der of the season.

This season has been one in which all of Reddish’s skills and flaws have been on display. In the regular season opener on Oct. 19, he logged 28 minutes and scored 22 points in a gripping 115-112 overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Reddish didn’t reach double figures again until scoring 11 versus the Phila delphia 76ers on Nov. 4.

This past Sunday, in an alarming 145-135 Knicks loss at Madison Square Garden to the Oklahoma City Thunder,

dropping them to 6-7, Reddish scored a team- and season-high 26 points—his career high is 34 versus the Orlando Magic last December—and was one of the few Knicks who played respect able defense.

Heading into Tuesday night’s game versus the Utah Jazz that began a five-game, Western Conference road trip for the Knicks, Reddish had played in all 13 games with five starts. He was averaging 8.3 points in 21.6 minutes and had strong shoot ing percentages of 44.1 over all and 86.7 from the foul line. However, his 3-point shooting percentage was 33, below the league average of 35.

This is a pivotal year for Red dish. He is in the final year of his rookie deal. Reddish can show the Knicks and the rest of the league he’s on the cusp of being a dynamic, rotation player or a tantalizing wing with a lot of question marks behind his name.

Knicks forward Cam Reddish began his team’s fivegame road trip on Tuesday out West coming off of a season-high 26 points on Sunday in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder (Bill Moore photo)

Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley began his team’s five-game road trip with 13 points off of the bench in a 118-111 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday (Bill Moore photo)

Kevin Durant tries to carry the Nets in the absence of Irving

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

Amid the Nets’ strug gles of adjusting to new head coach Jacque Vaughn, a former assis tant under the fired Steve Nash, the ongoing sus pension of guard Kyrie Irving by the franchise’s CEO Joe Tsai, and the re acclimation of forward Ben Simmons to game play after missing all of last season, the Nets, a team many pundits picked to make it to the NBA Finals this season, were a dysfunction al program that was 6-9 and 12th in the Eastern Conference after being annihilated by the Sacra

mento Kings 153-121 on Tuesday night.

“They made shots,” said Durant of the beatdown by the Kings. Durant scored a team-high 27 points, all in vain. “That’s demoralizing when you see teams making shots. It’s not like we didn’t try. They were better than us.”

It was the Nets’ sixth game out of their last seven played on the road, and the third game of a four-game West Coast road trip that ends tonight in Portland versus the Trailblazers. It began with a 110-95 win over the Los Angeles Clip pers last Saturday. The Nets then were beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers 116103 on Sunday. The Lakers played with out LeBron James, who is recovering from thigh and abductor injuries. Lakers forward Anthony Davis picked up the slack with a season-high 37 points. With guard Seth Curry and Joe Harris back in the lineup from injuries, Kevin Durant continues to carry the offense. He had led the Nets in scoring in nine

straight games. The last player to lead the Nets in scoring was Irving with 35 on Oct. 29 in a 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers at the Barclays Center. Durant is eighth overall in the NBA in scoring at 30.3 points per game. He is also posting 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. When he was suspended on Nov. 3, Irving was averaging 26.9 points, 5.1 as sists and 5.1 rebounds in eight games played. No other Net is averaging at least 12 points per game. Center Nic Claxton is at 11.5. Irving’s numbers and presence, as he often is the target of double teams and forces defenses to rotate out of position, have been a huge void that Vaughn and his staff have not been able to fill.

The Nets return home on Sunday to host the Memphis Grizzlies, then are back on the road for three games to face the Philadelphia 76ers (Tuesday), Toronto Raptors (Wednesday) and In diana Pacers (Friday).

Columbia falls to Vanderbilt in home opener

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Columbia University women’s basket ball began the game against Vanderbilt University on fire, but by the end of the second quarter Vanderbilt had caught up. The Commodores brought energy in the second half, and by the fourth quar ter there wasn’t much the Lions could do. Vanderbilt prevailed 74–63.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat this one. I thought we played terrible today,” said Columbia head coach Megan Griffith. “We had a great first five minutes of the game, but they completely lost their composure

defensively and kind of fell apart.”

Senior guard/forward Kaitlyn Davis had 24 points and senior forward Hannah Pratt had 15 points, but senior guard Jaida Patrick and junior guard Abbey Hsu both had a disastrous shooting day. The team was weak from the free throw line. Griffith noted that the level play declined when Davis went out of the game and picked up when she returned, but one person shouldn’t change the way a team plays.

“Thank you, Vanderbilt, for waking us up,” said Griffith. “This team is think ing like they are the team they were in March [when Columbia advanced to the Elite Eight of the WNIT], but we’re not

that team yet. We have to work to get back to that level. We’re making mis takes that are uncharacteristic of a team that plays in March. … This was a reality check for our team big time.”

It was an uplifting game for Vanderbilt. Head coach Shea Ralph was pleased with the way her team battled back. She said the players were energized by this trip to New York City, a first for several of them. On Friday, they ate at a nice restaurant. On Saturday, they visited the 9/11 Me morial and saw a Broadway show. On Sunday, they took care of business.

“Incredibly proud of my team for fighting back and playing the style of

basketball in terms of the things we can control—our energy and our effort,” said Ralph. “That second half was more like what I think our team can be as we move forward.”

Ralph praised Griffith as a coach and noted that there are several teams the Commodores could have played in NYC, but she specifically wanted Co lumbia. “I love the fact that the kids that are going to school at Vanderbilt and the kids that are going to Columbia are trying to be great in every arena,” Ralph said. “You talk about wanting the best of both worlds, and you can get that at universities like ours.”

Columbia Women’s Basketball (Columbia University Athletics / Mike McLaughlin photo)

Nets forward Kevin Durant has tried to carry his team in the absence of guard Kyrie Irving, who continues to serve a team-imposed suspension (Bill Moore photo)

Priscilla Frederick Loomis draws inspiration from HOF induction

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Beyond her own accomplish ments as an All American high jumper, Priscilla Frederick Loomis ushered in a new era for St. John’s University’s track and field program. Several years prior to her becoming a member of the Red Storm, St. John’s had dropped men’s track and field, which impacted its women’s team. Following Loomis’ trips to the NCAA Championships and national honors, the track and field program rebounded and reached new heights.

“I was always the underdog and I worked incredibly hard,” said Loomis, who last month was inducted into the St. John’s University Athletics Hall of Fame. At the ceremony, she was introduced by former track and field head coach Jim Hurt, who retired last year after 33 years

as head coach. “We have been through so much, and he gave me this opportunity.

“When I was a student-athlete, I wanted Coach Hurt to know he could count on me, and I would get the wins that would ultimate ly lead the program to great suc cess,” she added. “Now, I can be on the other side of it and think how I can support the next gen eration of powerful females.”

Since retiring from track and field last year, Loomis, a 2016 Olympian and two-time Pan Am Games medalist represent ing Antigua, has been work ing on her future. She officially launched her career as a moti vational speaker and media per sonality and built the curriculum that she presents. Loomis also continues to work on her Priscil la E. Frederick Foundation.

“I started my own company from square one,” Loomis said. “I can honestly say I wake up

and I love what I do. I speak on the Olympic mindset and bring that to everyday life. I also touch on women’s empowerment, leadership development, quit ting toxic relationships and en vironments and being a badass warrior every single day.

“I work with different schools, education systems and compa nies, and now I am branching out to bigger speaking engage ments all throughout the coun try with the hope that I can expand globally next year,” she continued. “I’m educating myself to meet the audience where they’re at. It’s not just me talking about my life. I’m actu ally speaking light into others.”

Loomis hopes to build a stron ger sense of community among athletes representing Antigua at international competitions. Social media is a tool. As with ev erything, her message is to share kindness, love and confidence.

Women’s sports slowly gaining in popularity

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

A study released last week by Na tional Research Group Sports, “Level ing the Playing Field,” notes that the popularity of wom en’s sports has grown in recent years. The report indicates that in the U.S., three-in-10 sports fans say they’re watch ing more women’s sports now than they were five years ago, and 25% say their viewership of women’s competitions has increased in the past year.

Unquestionably, there have been gains, but women’s sports still lag way behind men’s sports. According to the report, 85% of all sports fans feel it is important for women’s sports to continue to grow in popularity, but 79% of sports fans do not actively follow women’s sports.

Three key takeaways of the report are (1) people are paying more attention to wom en’s sports and as a result the broadcast rights market has seen growth. (2) A huge dis crepancy in how fans approach men’s and women’s sports per

sist with people seeing men’s events as more exciting and competitive. No sur prise, fans are willing to spend more money watching men’s sports and buying merchandise. (3) When given

increased airtime, women’s events can find an expanded audience.

At present, U.S. broadcast networks spend just 0.2% of media rights budgets on women’s sports leagues. There are signs of

improvement. In 2023, ABC will air the Di vision I women’s basketball championship game for the first time. What remains to be seen is how ABC/Disney and ESPN will view the NCAA Division I Women’s Basket ball Tournament when the current media rights expire. At present, the Tournament is bundled with other events, so the hope is that future contracts will be specific to the Tournament and therefore NCAA revenue allocation will use a for mula like men’s basketball.

Despite becoming a head coach in the WNBA and leading the Las Vegas Aces to a WNBA Cham pionship, people still ask Becky Hammon if her goal is to be a head coach in the NBA. It’s as if her returning to the league where she played for 16 years was at best a stepping stone and at worst a huge step backwards from being an assistant NBA coach.

“Leveling the Playing Field” pointed to three major hurdles limiting the growth of women’s sports: inertia, investment and inaccessibility. I would point to gender bias, which contin ues at every level of society. Here’s to breaking free and let ting women’s sports soar.

Priscilla Frederick Loomis with her college coach, Jim Hurt, at the St. John’s Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony (Red Storm Athletics/Vincent Dusovic photo) A

Sports

The Giants add another to move up in the division

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Coming off of their bye-week, facing an opponent with one of the worst records in the NFL, the Giants could have fallen victim to not being laser-focused on the task at hand. They allayed those concerns by taking a 10-0 halftime lead over the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium, then outscoring the now 1-7-1 Texans 17-13 in the second half to take a 24-16 victory and improve to 7-2 on the season. The Giants have won five of their last six games.

Combined with the Dallas Cowboys’ 31-28 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers to drop them 6-3, the 7-2 Giants rose to second place in the NFC East going into their Week 11 matchup at home versus the 3-6 Detroit Lions, who defeated the Chicago Bears 31-30 on Sunday. The Giants were powered by the massive and healthy legs of running back Saquon Barkley, who had rushed for 152 yards on a career-high 35 carries. It has been a year of redemption thus far for Barkley. He entered this season, his fifth

in the NFL, at a crossroads having endured multiple debilitating injuries over the pre vious two seasons that shelved him for 18 of the Giants 33 games. Many close follow ers of the league were questioning whether Barkley could once again be the explosive player he was in the 2018 season, when he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after gaining 1,307 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns, in addition to catching 91 passes for 721 yards and four TDs.

He has answered with a resounding yes. The 25-year-old Barkley leads the NFL in rushing yards with 931 on 198 attempts with six touch downs. Coupled with the evolution of fourthyear quarterback Daniel Jones as a more prudent decision maker and sturdier protec tor of the ball—he has just two interceptions and no fumbles lost this season—the Giants’ offense has been efficient in the absence of an abundance of dynamic playmakers.

Jones, who turned 25 last May, registered a 153.3 passer rating against the Lions, like Bar kley setting a career high in that statistic. He was 13-17 on pass attempts for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps most important

ly Jones ended the day with no turn overs. In his first three seasons as a pro, the Duke product totaled 29 in terceptions and 11 fumbles.

“…You never know what to expect. Each week is a new opportunity, a new challenge that’s presented, and at the end of the day you’ve got to go with a 1-0 mindset, and we were able to do that,” said Barkley on Sunday of his 35 carries and Giants win.

Playing on the final year of his contract, reports surfaced earli er this week that Barkley and the Giants would not have further dis cussions on a potential new deal until after this season. Barkely contends he will not allow it affect his approach on the field.

“Obviously, we weren’t able to come to an agreement during the byeweek,” said Barkley. “My mindset is just focus on the rest of the season. Next week going against Detroit and knowing when that opportunity comes up again, focus on it then.”

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Jets and Patriots will for ever be connected by their AFC roots and two legendary coaches in Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. Belichick was a long time assistant for Parcells first with the Giants then the Jets.

In one of the most bizarre and unexpected occurrenc es in NFL history, he famous ly spurned the Jets on Jan. 4, 2000, to succeed Parcells as the franchise’s next head coach shortly before a sched uled press conference was set to begin to formally make the announcement. Belichick met with the press for a little under an hour then exited the Jets facility.

Twenty-three days later, on Jan. 27, 2000, he was hired as the Patriots head coach and since then has led them to ten Super Bowls and won seven. One more anecdote,

Jets linebacker Mo Lewis’ vi cious hit on Patriots quarter back Drew Bledsoe in the second game of the 2001 season began the remarkable story of his then backup Tom Brady, who went on to arguably become the best quarterback of all-time.

From the time Belichick, who was the Patriots assistant head coach and defensive backs coach in 1996, took over that team’s reins nearly 23 years ago, the Jets have made six playoff appearances and have not reached the Super Bowl. Their last trip to the postseason was 2010.

They can end the long drought this season and defeating the Pa triots in Foxborough, Massa chusetts at Gillette Stadium this Sunday can be a significant step toward that goal. The 6-3 Jets are tied with the Buffalo Bills for second place in the AFC East behind the 7-3 division leading Miami Dolphins. The Patriots are well in the hunt at 5-4 and can pull even with the Jets with a win.

“The advantage of youth is

that they’re not connected to all the history, what the organiza tion has gone through,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh to re porters on Monday. “They don’t know any better, they don’t have the scarring or the idea of what’s supposed to happen. They know they’re talented enough that if they don’t make mistakes, we’re going to be tough to beat. It’s what they know. It’s what we know.”

The Jets lost to the Patriots on Oct. 30 in Week 8 at MetLife Sta dium by 22-17. So another defeat to New England could have sig nificant implications for both teams in the playoff race. The Jets have won five of their last six games and are coming off their bye-week. In their pre vious game on Nov. 6 at home, they overtook the Bills 20-17 after trail ing 14-10 at halftime in a gripping and confi dence boosting win.

In the Jets’ loss to the Patriots, second-year

quarterback Zach Wilson passed for 355 yards and two touchdowns but had three damaging intercep tions. In another shared moment of Jets-Patriots history, the New England victory gave Belichick his 325th career win, moving him into second place on the NFL’s all-time list for head coaches.

“[People are] holding him hos tage for four, five plays against New England, externally,” said Saleh of Wilson’s critical turn overs. “Internally we have a lot of faith in Zach to do it in an efficient manner…It’s hard to play quarter back in this league. It’s our job to make sure he’s not asked to do that constantly, but if asked we’re confident he can do it.”

Giants running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 152 yards on a career-high 35 carries in his team’s 2416 win over the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium last Sunday (Bill Moore photo)