New York Amsterdam Issue # 47 Nov. 24 - Nov. 20. 2022 Issue

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The

(GIN)—With mere minutes to spare, delegates to the U.N. climate conference (also called COP27) reached a compromise to create a fund for disadvantaged countries coping with climate disasters wors ened by pollution, mainly from wealthy nations.

The meeting of more than 200 countries, ending after two weeks of talks, put a finishing touch to one of the most contentious issues dogging the U.N. group that saw years of discussion but no agree ment on how to phase out fossil fuels or meet the urgent needs of African countries and other re gions of the Global South.

The compromise was a new “loss

and damage” fund, a win for poorer nations that have long called for cash—sometimes viewed as repa rations—for the costs of destructive storms, heat waves and droughts fueled by global warming.

The United States and other wealthy countries have long rejected the loss-and-damage concept, fear ing they could be held legally liable for the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change.

Although the Americans have now agreed to add to a fund, money must be appropriated by Congress. Last year, the Biden ad ministration sought $2.5 billion in climate finance but secured just $1 billion, and that was when Dem ocrats controlled both chambers. With Republicans in power, who largely oppose climate aid, the prospects for approving an entire ly new pot of money appear dim.

Collins Nzovu, Zambia’s min ister of green economy and environment, called the latest de velopment “a very positive result for 1.3 billion Africans.”

But many African climate activ ists were dismayed by the small

steps taken by the global delegates and also by the African delegations who, they said, used the conference to embrace the new scramble for oil and gas on the continent.

“For any meaningful outcome to be achieved in Egypt,” wrote Tal Harris of Greenpeace, “dele gates must listen to the people of Africa—not the fossil fuel sector— and collectively commit to a phaseout of all fossil fuels.”

Other outspoken critics of fossil fuel development included Kenyan climate activist Barbra Kangwana of Safe Lamu. The group squashed government efforts to build a coal plant at Lamu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the name of boost ing the national electricity supply.

“The community raised its voice, lobbied, signed petitions, went to court and eventually the people won,” she said.

Patience Nabukalu, an activist from Uganda, has been organiz ing against an East African crude oil pipeline (EACOP), calling it “a clear example of colonial exploitation in Africa and across the global south.”

“EACOP is not going to devel

op our country: peoples’ land was taken, leaving many homeless and poor and critical ecosystems and biodiversity at risk of oil spills such as Lake Victoria, rivers, national parks, animals and birds, as well as aquatic life. We remain hopeful and vigilant as banks and insurers have withdrawn their support. We will continue to resist until everyone in volved abandons it completely.”

“The fossil fuel industry has de graded our people, our lands, our oceans and our air,” charged Mbong Akiy with Greenpeace Africa. “Enough is enough. No matter how many deals they sign, no matter how many bribes they pay or how fancy the suits they wear: we shall wait for them in our communities, we will wait for them on the frontlines.

“We will not stop until we see a complete transition to clean, re newable energy that is guaran teed to take millions of Africans out of energy poverty. … In South Africa, we have won against big oil, we sent Shell packing, and we will send them all packing again.”

Foundation raises almost half mill for Jamaica child health center

The Issa Trust Foundation has raised $417,000, including a $200,000 donation from international charity Direct Relief at the foundation’s For the Children benefit gala at the Sony Hall in Manhattan.

Funds raised from the event will enable the Issa Trust Foun dation to start construction of its own children’s health center in the Ocho Rios area, to provide “top-notch pediatric health care to Jamaica’s children on an ongo

ing basis,” said Paul Issa, chair of the Issa Trust Foundation. The clinic will provide healthcare services for children and adoles cents in St. Ann and surrounding parishes, and will be named the Mary Issa Health Center in honor of Mary Issa, the deceased family matriarch who was passionate ly committed to health care for children during her lifetime. The facility will provide expertise in areas such as cardiology, nephrol

ogy, gastroenterology, oncology and mental health support. Vision screening will be offered along with free glasses if needed.

Since 2005, the foundation has conducted annual pediatric medi cal initiatives across the island and treated thousands of children. In 2020, the foundation responded to the urgent medical crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, obtaining USD $238,000 (JMD $32 million) in equipment and supplies for Ja

maica. The donation included two GE Ventilators (valued at JMD $3 million), a new portable X-ray ma chine (valued at JMD $2 million), and a 40-foot container of sup plies and equipment (valued at JMD $27 million).

“We are so grateful for every one’s overwhelming support and generosity. As shared on Sat urday night, Jamaica has one of

CLIMATE CONFAB REACHES DEAL TO AID DISADVANTAGED COUNTRIES

Paul Issa, chairman of the Issa Trust Foundation, and Juliet Holness, MP and wife of Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, share lens time (Travis Keyes photos)

For the Children benefit gala at the Sony Hall in Manhattan.

(GIN photo)

Candidates already running for City Council seats in Harlem

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

City council races are not until next year, but there’s already a buzz of can didates running to replace Council member Kristin Richardson Jordan in Harlem’s District 9. Most notably this past week Dr. Yusef Salaam, author and member of the exalted Exoner ated Five, and established Assem blymember Alfred Taylor decided to throw their hats in the ring.

“It occurred to me that the ones that are closer to the problem should also be the ones at the table, helping to make the decisions to push the governance of the people forward,” said Salaam about why he’s running. “I think that many people want change and they want more and better than what they’ve gotten. And I represent that.”

A Harlem native, Salaam was 15 years old when he and his young

friends were wrongfully tried and convicted in the Central Park Jogger rape case of a white woman in 1989.

Salaam, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise became collectively known as the Central Park Five. They spent between 7 to 13 years behind bars until their sentences were over turned in 2002, after which they were dubbed the Exonerated Five. Salaam received about $7,125,000 out of a $41 million New York City payout to the Five for their time spent in prison.

Salaam has since become an author, activist, father of 10, and is now turning his intentions to poli tics in his hometown. He believes in criminal justice activism because of his experiences. He had previous ly intended to run in the District 30 State Senate race in 2021 but decided against it. Salaam has been living in Atlanta with his current wife and chil dren since 2016. The family is making

arrangements to relocate to Harlem.

“I think we have enough million aires in office already. That is part of the problem,” said Richardson Jordan in a stated response to Sa laam’s announcement.

Kyle Ishmael is the executive direc tor for the Manhattan County Dem ocratic Committee. Ishmael runs the consulting firm Back Chamber that is representing Salaam in his campaign for city council. Ishmael’s firm has represented candidates such as Mo nique Chandler-Waterman and Jela nie DeShong in previous races. He said they’re not going to “strongarm” anyone in the race.

“We will be strongly making the case that what Harlem needs is uni fication. It’s our intent to go through out every corner of the district and make the case that we have good leadership in the assembly with As semblywoman Dickens rising in

See CITY COUNCIL on page 27

Brooklyn BP Reynoso launches Black and brown maternal health campaign

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

Brooklyn Borough President (BP) Antonio Reynoso launched a $250,000 multilingual maternal health campaign on Nov. 16 to raise awareness in Black and brown com munities facing high maternal mor tality rates.

Reynoso, whose second child was born recently at Woodhull Hospital, pledged to reduce maternal health dis parities in Brooklyn and make the bor

ough “the safest place to have a baby.”

“We will continue to remind people that Black and brown communi ties in Brooklyn are facing crisis-level risks of complications during preg nancy, childbirth and the year after,” said Reynoso at the press conference. “The Black maternal health crisis is one of the gross inequities that exists in our time.”

Reynoso started a Maternal Health Task Force in April 2022 and then al located his entire $45 million for next year’s fiscal capital budget toward state-of-the-art birthing centers in

Brooklyn’s safety net hospitals in July. Kings County Hospital received about $15 million to renovate their newborn intensive care unit, Coney Island Hospital received $18.5M to renovate their labor and delivery rooms, and Woodhull Hospital got $11 million to build a birthing center.

Reynoso also partnered with the Met Council to launch the “Born in Brooklyn” initiative, which gives re source boxes to new parents. The boxes have free baby supplies and postpartum resources.

See BROOKLYN BP on page 31

White poll worker calls Dem district leader ‘n-word’ over polling placement

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

Democratic Liaison for 57th As sembly District Renee Collymore is ensnared in a battle with longtime poll worker Linda Sunderland. The situation over polling site preferenc es came to an explosive head in Octo ber right before the general election.

Sunderland sent threatening and in sulting emails as well as messages to Collymore, telling her that she was a “nigger old maid” and to “drop dead.”

Collymore is a lifelong Brooklyn resi dent, often boasting about her family’s ties to the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill community. Collymore most recently ran for election to City Council in Dis trict 35 in Brooklyn, but lost the 2021 June primary to Regina Kinsey.

Collymore is also no stranger to dust-ups with other communi ty members and Twitter wars when she’s trying to get a point across. She admits that for some she is not the most popular or most liked, but she expects a degree of respect. She ada mantly feels that Sunderland crossed

a line and is calling on an investiga tion into her poll working number, her firing, and a commitment from higher-ups to never assign Sunder land again.

Sunderland said that the spat really began when Collymore was made dis trict leader and therefore had the au thority to assign poll worker positions this year. The two weren’t familiar with one another despite Sunderland’s de cades of being a poll worker.

Sunderland told Collymore that she was previously a coordinator in

Metro Briefs

Bronx BP joins Hot 97 and elected officials to distribute Thanksgiving turkeys

Bronx Borough President Gibson joined election officials on Monday to distribute 600 turkeys and holiday side dishes at Concourse Village Elementary School. The giveaway is part of FreshDirect’s “Give-Ember” 2022 Holiday Food Donation Extravaganza Initiative.

Gibson also joined Hot 97, Eat Clean Bro, MADD Equities, WBLS and other elected leaders for a turkey distribution at Tracey Towers to combat high rates of hunger in the Bronx last Thursday.

As part of the partnership, more than 150 turkeys will be distributed to tenants preparing for the holiday season. Hot 97’s morning show host from “Ebro in the Morning with Laura Stylez and Rosenberg” hosted this year’s festivities.

According to a United Hospital Fund and Boston Consulting Group December 2021 report, one in four Bronx residents faces food insecuri ty, which is 1.7 times greater than the state average.

FeedingNYC delivers its 100,000th Thanksgiving dinner to New Yorkers in need, including hundreds of families seeking asylum

FeedingNYC delivered more than 8,500 Thanksgiving dinners to homeless shelters throughout New York City this year, reaching a new milestone of 100,000+ meals delivered to families in need since its in ception in 2001.

As New York City continues to manage an influx of migrants from the southern border, hundreds of families seeking asylum will be among those receiving Thanksgiving dinners from FeedingNYC and celebrat ing their first Thanksgiving in the United States.

The dinners were packed by hundreds of FeedingNYC volunteers Nov. 22 during an all-hands-on-deck event at Chelsea Piers, then hand-deliv ered to shelters in all five boroughs later that day.

One in five children in New York City faces hunger today, and 70% of the city’s shelter population is made up of families with children. On a typical night, more than 20,000 children sleep in a New York City home less shelter, which means there are more homeless children than there are seats in the Barclays Center.

The Doe Fund’s Men in Blue gives out Thanksgiving meals

On Wednesday participants of the Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing & Able reentry program distributed hundreds of free, healthy, locally sourced Thanksgiving salads to residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

The event was sponsored by Good Food Works, a social enterprise of the Doe Fund that uses innovative vending technologies and missiondriven hiring to increase access to affordable healthy food and quali ty jobs in communities throughout New York City. Good Food Works is made possible with support from Google.

The event also marked the beginning of the Doe Fund’s Firesoul cam paign, which will inspire individuals throughout the holiday season to address homelessness with practical tools and resources, including con necting volunteers to Mayor Eric Adams’ administration’s Street Home lessness Advocacy Project and by downloading Ready, Willing & Able cards to give to individuals experiencing street homelessness.

The Campaign Against Hunger distributes Thanksgiving food in Brooklyn

The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH) along with elected officials, the Brooklyn Nets, Emblem Health, and partners hosted a Thanksgiv ing food distribution event, giving away turkeys, fresh produce, grocer ies and more last Thursday.

Rising food costs and 40-year high inflation have caused many New Yorkers to turn to emergency providers like TCAH for support. Although Thanksgiving is a time of celebration over food with family, thousands of New Yorkers are unable to afford a turkey and put food on their tables.

TCAH’s annual Thanksgiving distribution event in Brooklyn brings to gether TCAH’s staff, Board, donors, elected officials, and partner and com munity organizations in service while spreading goodwill and holiday cheer.

TCAH has been in operation for 24 years empowering New Yorkers to lead healthier, more productive, and self- sufficient lives. Their COVID19 community impact reflects serving over 2.1 million individuals and providing more than 35 million nutritious meals.

Good news and bad news for Biden

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

As usual for President Biden, there’s good news and bad news. In reverse order, the bad news is that some folks are upset about his decision last week advising a judge to declare immunity for Crown Prince Moham med of Saudi Arabia from a lawsuit over his role in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. In effect, Biden is now in place where Trump was when he downplayed the accusations against the Crown Prince.

Among those urging Biden to hold the Saudi leader “accountable” for the murder, is Sen. Ron Wyden (DOre). “The state department’s decision to intervene in the case undermined the ability to hold the Crown Prince accountable for his crime,” Wyden tweeted on Monday. “I call on @POTUS Biden to honor his com mitment to hold MBS accountable and to reexamine our relationship with the Saudis.”

Biden’s decision counters the lawsuit filed by Khashoggi’s fiancée Hatice Cengiz declaring that the Crown Prince was legally immune from the complaint. Backing Biden’s position, the State Department said the Prince could not be sued in federal court because he is the sitting head of a foreign national government.

“In making this immunity determination, the Depart ment of State takes no view on the merits of the pres

ent suit and reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi,” the depart ment wrote in the court filing. Earlier in the year Wyden charged that Biden “cannot value Saudi oil more highly” than Khashoggi’s life.

The good news for Biden is that as the GOP prepares to take charge of the House and intensify its investiga tion of Hunter Biden, an independent analysis of the laptop he left at a computer repair shop “shows no ev idence of tampering or fabrication,” said the reviewers commissioned by CBS News.

According to Brian Della Rocca, an attorney for the shop owner, who provided CBS with an “exact copy” of the laptop in their possession three years ago, it was “clean” since it predates the versions circulated by GOP operatives in their attack on Biden during the presiden tial run in 2020. They concluded there was no evidence that the data had been in any way modified and tam pered with. What this amounts to is a dead end in the attempts to show that Hunter Biden’s various dealings and endeavors were of benefit to his father’s campaign.

It is doubtful that this will stop the Republicans in their pursuit to stain and discredit the Biden ad ministration, and once sequestered in control of the House there is no telling how far they will go. And an other Jan. 6 may be on the table if Trump loses his bid for the White House.

E-procurement opportunities can help small businesses grow

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Each year, New York City and State sign contracts with small businesses to help in delivering many of their most critical goods and services.

At a minimum, these contracts will bill out at up to $100,000, and this past October, the state boosted the threshold for Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) non-competitive procurement contracts to go from $500,000 to $1 million.

“Every dollar city government spends with minori ty- and women-owned businesses is an investment in a more equitable future,” Maria Torres-Springer, deputy mayor for Economic and Workforce Development, said in response to the state doubling the size of discretion ary contract awards. “The city fiercely advocated for this huge step for our M/WBE community because we know that by lifting the discretionary threshold for city contracting, we are lifting up a generation of M/WBEs with greater opportunities to participate in our city’s economic recovery.”

In Fiscal Year 2022, M/WBEs were awarded $6.5 bil lion in contracts from New York City agencies and au thorities. With more funding available, one company is offering to help local businesses get those new contracts by offering a new e-procurement infrastructure.

Mark Eigenbauer, president of e-procurement at mdf commerce, explained that his company’s source-to-pay solutions can help M/WBEs in New York gain access to government contracts.

“We provide the full source-to-pay solutions to state and local governments, and we help them streamline their procurement processes in a fair, transparent way so that all suppliers that are registered can be notified of those opportunities,” said Eigenbauer.

Small businesses don’t always have the capacity to source and bid for various contracts, particularly when

it involves a lot of paperwork. E-procurement is just an other way of setting up a business’s administrative sys tems so that everything can be handled digitally.

On the mdf commerce website (www.mdfcom merce.com), businesses can create an account and then tailor their profile so that they receive alerts about solicitations from state, federal and military agencies that have partnered with mdf commerce. Currently, New York does not offer its agency solic itations on the site, but a customer service rep for mdf advised that you can still see New York procure ment bids as they become available—you would just have to apply for them outside of the mdf web site. Agencies that have partnered with mdf allow companies to directly bid on the contract solicita tions via the mdf website.

Signing up for the notification features and for the ability to bid on the mdf commerce site is free, but there are extra costs for tiered plans on the site which grant a business access to more bid opportunities.

New York City has its own website for M/WBEs to find out about its solicitations. The City Record Online (CROL) publishes the same notices that appear in the City Record newspaper and businesses can bid for con tracts on the city’s on e-procurement website, Procure ment and Sourcing Solutions Portal (PASSPort). But it does take a while for business owners to learn how to work through the city’s websites.

“We really help reduce the participation barriers,” Ei genbauer states, “because these agencies as they create different solicitations whether they be ‘formal’ or ‘infor mal’ they can reach out directly to the full supplier com munity. And our supplier community…in New York alone we have over 10,000 active suppliers and more than 20% of them are minority and women-owned businesses. So, it puts them on an equal playing field where they get notified of the same opportunities that all of the larger suppliers get.”

AG expands disclosure of law enforcement disciplinary records

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

New Jersey Attorney General Mat thew J. Platkin issued a policy that in creases annual public disclosure of serious misconduct by New Jersey law enforcement officers.

The action builds upon a 2020 at torney general directive that requires agencies to report each year synopses of any “major discipline” issued—ter mination, demotion, or suspension of more than five days. The policy adds the following categories of discipline to the annual release, regardless of the discipline imposed.

Under the directive, by Jan. 31 of each year, law enforcement agen cies will report to the attorney gen eral and publish on their public website, a brief synopsis of miscon duct falling within the enumerated categories and the name of the offi cer involved. The directive requires that the synopsis provide sufficient detail to enable a reader who is not familiar with the case to fully un derstand the factual scenario that resulted in the disciplinary action.

“Transparency is fundamental to ensuring confidence in the work of law enforcement,” said Platkin. “These disclosures of police internal affairs information are an unprece dented step in promoting that trans parency, and a continuation of our efforts with respect to greater ac countability and professionalism. The relationships between law enforce

ment and community members will be better served by making this infor mation publicly available.”

Reflecting these same transparen cy interests, a recent New Jersey Su preme Court decision, Rivera v. Union County Prosecutor’s Office, requires that a range of internal affairs reports may be publicly accessible under the common law right of access upon request. The directive lays out a framework to improve the efficien cy of agency responses to requests for internal affairs records under the common law right of access—avoid ing the need for litigation on all sides.

Specifically, upon request by a member of the public or the press, if an incident falls within one of the enumerated categories discussed above, agencies will disclose a sum mary and conclusions report that sets forth a summary of the allega tions, a summary of the factual find ings, and the final discipline that was imposed.

“The attorney general’s directive issued today reflects careful and bal anced policymaking, and the end result serves a variety of important interests, including improving trans parency and avoiding burdens on law enforcement agencies receiv ing public records requests,” said Thomas J. Eicher, executive director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. “Public support for law enforcement is essential and an effective, transparent internal affairs process is vital to that support.”

Newark wins NJ’s Outstanding Master Plan Award

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

The New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Associa tion (APA-NJ) has recognized the Newark360 Master Plan with a 2022 Planning Excellence Award.

Newark360 provides key rec ommendations to better connect Newarkers to their neighborhoods and job centers, create more af fordable housing, strengthen New ark’s historical and cultural fabric, and address environmental injus tices. These actions are comple mented by recommendations for updating the underlying land use and zoning codes that will pro vide the legal framework for imple menting the proposed actions.

“Newark360 expresses the ideas, vision, dreams, and aspirations of

Newarkers. I am proud that APA-NJ recognized the power of profes sional planners, collaborating with nearly two years of community en gagement, in the most wide-ranging and inclusive outreach that Newark has ever undertaken. We are grateful to people from every neighborhood and walk of life who participated, because Newark360 could not exist without the voices and priorities of Newarkers,” Mayor Ras Baraka said.

Community engagement includ ed more than 10,000 touchpoints— from a highly interactive website where people could give their ideas and review documents, Facebook Live discussions, two in-person com munity workshops in every ward, focus groups, statistically valid sur veys, and the Newark Story Bus that roamed the city recording the think ing of Newark’s youth.

Good Enough for Jazz: Coltrane Curtis breaks barriers in marketing world

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

A New Chapter in the Campaign for Safe, Affordable and Stable Housing

Nearly 40 years ago, two trailblazing Community Service Society (CSS) researchers published a groundbreaking study that showed how public shelters were failing to meet the needs of the city’s homeless.

Inspired by their research, the study’s coauthor Ellen Baxter founded Broadway Housing Communities in 1983. BHC would go on to pioneer a model known as permanent supportive housing, a concept combining low-income housing with supportive services such as medical and mental healthcare, job training and placement, benefits and substance abuse counseling, and help with independent living skills.

Black New Yorker

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

Yes, Coltrane Curtis is his real name. And the founder of Team Epiphany is indeed christened after the great John Coltrane.

“I’ve named my two kids Ellington and Count and collectively, not a single one of us play an instrument,” said Curtis. “We’re looking at names just for aspirational pur poses and goal purposes, but I always be lieve in fulfilling a prophecy. And I think the first thing it really starts with is your name sake.”

But naming kids after jazz legends isn’t the only long-standing family tradition. Marketing also runs in Curtis’ blood. His story starts in 1980s Bed-Stuy as the son of John Curtis, who ran one of the first Blackowned, multicultural ad agencies in the country. Under his dad’s wing, Curtis found himself developing a comprehensive mar keting toolkit while working in the family business at as early as age 7.

He left the nest—or more accurately, Brooklyn brownstone—to attend More house College in Atlanta, growing his net work at the hallowed liberal arts HBCU. In 2004, he opened the doors of Team Epipha ny. Today, he runs the “influencer” market ing agency with his wife Lisa, who he credits as the lifeblood of the business. Thanks to their sole proprietorship, Curtis is able to focus exclusively on taking care of his staff of 97 with concerns ranging from their 401Ks to “how soft the toilet paper is.”

“My dad always told me, when you market—and you take something off of the shelf—you want to put something back up

of equal or greater value,” said Curtis. “It’s almost like fishing. The difference now is that we live in a very take, take, take mar keting world, and it’s not reciprocal. That’s the difference between Team Epiphany and everything else. You can look at all the other tactical things we get right. But the reality is, our intent is right.”

He says the agency gives the same 110% to mom-and-pop retailers as it does to its blue chip clients like Jordan Brand and AirBnb. Curtis adds that his work opens the door to diversity in marketing—he says 70% of Team Epiphany staff are people of color. And 70% of staff are also women.

Those who watched MTV back in the day might remember Curtis as an on-screen talent, interviewing celebrities about fash ion during red carpet events. But he’s not a big TV guy outside of documentaries and sports. Curtis is certainly no Don Draper, despite the slick outfits.

“I haven’t watched [AMC’s “Mad Men”], but I do know the environment of what ad vertising looks like and it was basically a dramatized version of it,” he said. “And does that exist? I would say yes. Is it toxic? Proba bly. But I would probably tell you a roomful of white men, it’s probably toxic no matter what industry you’re working in.

“Is our agency any reflection of that? I would say the toxicity, no. The passion? Yes.”

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

With support from CSS, BHC opened its first project in 1986 called The Heights, located on West 178th Street and serving 55 formerly homeless single adults. Today, BHC continues to operate supportive housing and mixed-use community projects serving thousands in West Harlem and Washington Heights.

Two years after The Heights opened, CSS launched the Ownership Transfer Program (OTP) to assist tenant organizations purchase their buildings when they became at risk of foreclosure due to landlord neglect and abandonment. Both projects were consistent with longtime efforts by CSS and its community-based partners to promote the maintenance and expansion of New York’s social housing stock. Not unlike movements to preserve public housing, reinvent the Mitchell-Lama cooperatives program, build support for Community Land Trusts and similar housing models that enable tenants to exercise control over their housing, The Heights and OTP exemplified a basic principle: all New Yorkers regardless of economic status deserved stable and affordable housing.

In the face of today’s growing housing affordability crisis rooted in the real estate industry’s near monopoly over ownership and control of housing, there is an urgent need for a housing system (and policies) that emphasize housing’s value as a public good rather than as a vehicle for private profit. Of equal importance is laying the foundation to scale these efforts to the great need.

How can we achieve this? Two words: Social Housing.

Over the years, New York City and State governments have created social housing projects and conversions. However, the problem has been a lack of resources supporting these efforts. And on the rare occasion that we do them, the scale is modest, typically targeting small landlords instead of some of the bigger real estate players.

The sad truth is we spend a tremendous amount of taxpayer dollars on sustaining the inequitable

status quo in housing, which has produced deep racial inequality, persistent homelessness and widespread uncertainty in the housing market. Perhaps one of the best illustrations of this is 421a, a tax break for real estate developers that has produced copious amounts of luxury housing but very little affordable housing despite costing the city $1.8 billion in uncollected tax revenue. To the great relief of housing justice advocates, Albany lawmakers wisely let the program expire in June.

A new CSS report released this month, Pathways to Social Housing in New York: 20 Policies to Shift from Private Profit to Public Good, offers a unique set of policy proposals and interventions to promote housing stability by shielding tenants and the housing system from the economic impacts of speculative investments, building tenant power and expanding opportunities to reorient public spending toward social ownership and permanent affordability. The report presents a roadmap for strengthening and expanding New York’s social housing system. It identifies four broad aims and offers specifics about how we can reach them: democratic control of housing; financial resources for housing justice; tenants’ rights and protections; and code enforcement and tools for safe conditions.

Of course, to be successful in putting New York on a path to social housing transformation, our policymakers must be prepared to buck historical trends of austerity and predation, while demonstrating the political will to embrace an alternative vision of how housing should be owned and operated. At a Nov. 14 virtual panel discussion on the future of social housing in New York, city and state elected officials voiced strong support for recommendations put forward in the Pathways report. Many of them are aligned with the framing of the report having championed bills themselves supporting social housing concepts. Even so, their response was an encouraging sign that the policies and ideas proposed in the report have broad application and relevance for localities across New York State.

Pathways challenges us to fundamentally rethink how we approach, regulate, distribute and relate to housing in New York, while taking aim at unaffordability, displacement, discrimination, evictions, homelessness, and substandard living conditions. This is a fight that can be traced back to the foundations of racial capitalism, back to 20th century exclusionary lending, zoning, redlining and development practices that perpetuated segregation and urban disinvestment.

To be sure, creating a social housing program will not be easy. It will require committed groups of tenants and immense political power. But if the initial reaction to the Pathways report is any indication, we have several elected officials who are ready to lead and support this movement.

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

(Coltrane Curtis photo)

Bragg-ing Rights: 188 convictions linked to discredited ex-cops vacated thanks to Manhattan D.A.’s Office

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

One man’s conviction is another man’s vindication. The Manhattan District At torney’s Office successfully moved to dis miss the misdemeanors of nearly 200 New Yorkers tied to eight criminally convict ed former NYPD officers, announced D.A. Alvin Bragg last week.

In total, the D.A.’s Office tossed out 188 convictions stemming from arrests be tween 2001 and 2016. Around half of those led to fines and roughly 20 led to incarcer ation. But Bragg told the Amsterdam News undoing the convictions doesn’t undo the harm.

“There were certainly some folks who were impacted in any direct and immedi ate sense, but I would venture to guess that they were all impacted, more broadly, in terms of employment prospects, housing and other things that can arise from having a conviction,” he said.

The disgraced police officers are no longer with the NYPD according to Police Commis sioner Keechant Sewell, reports CNN. Their convictions stem from misconduct such as lying in court, taking bribes and conducting unlawful searches. One former cop, Richard

Hall, was sentenced to five years of proba tion in 2019 for releasing a young woman from custody in exchange for sexual favors.

Another ex-officer, Nicholas Mina, received 15-and-a-half years in prison back in 2012 for stealing guns from his precinct house to pay off a drug addiction.

But the work isn’t finished. The vacated convictions are a fraction of the more than 1,100 cases linked to 22 convicted ex-cops that Bragg’s Post-Conviction Justice Unit are combing through. However, the D.A.’s Office says it didn’t want to wait to vacate the convictions of the current cohort in hopes those New Yorkers could move on sooner.

“Going forward, we urge D.A. Bragg and all of the other New York City district attor neys to conduct these reviews on an ongo ing basis and with full transparency,” said Elizabeth Farber, director of the Legal Aid Society’s Wrongful Conviction Unit. “The mandate to do justice must include evalu ating criminal conduct by law enforcement with the same lens that is used with every other New Yorker. To do otherwise erodes the public’s trust in law enforcement and the criminal legal system.”

A September report by the National Reg istry of Wrongful Convictions found group exonerations, where minor convictions are

overturned or vacated en masse due to law enforcement misconduct, overwhelming ly involve Black defendants, especially in drug-related crimes. Most of those con victions would otherwise not be reinves tigated independently the way murders or sexual assaults are.

For Bragg, that breach of trust extends all the way to his neck of the woods—or more aptly, concrete jungle. Former Police Sgt. William Eiseman and subordinate of ficer Michael Carsey—two other discredit ed cops—were convicted of perjury among other crimes while working in the 30th pre cinct in the D.A.’s native Harlem.

“It hits home when it’s close [to] some body you know [like] my cousin, my broth er, my co-worker,” said Bragg. “But I think defining the neighborhood in terms of cycles of incarceration, and the impact on our system—historically, Harlem [has] been disproportionately affected.”

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

Bed-Stuy’s ‘JusticeFor441Willoughby’ group demands reform post-demolition

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

Bed-Stuy residents near 441 Willoughby Ave., where the 120-year-old Dangler Man sion used to be, are still mourning the loss of the historic building they fought so hard to try and get landmarked. They’ve pivoted their fight with a list of demands centered around reforming the city’s bureaucratic landmarking and permit processes.

The Jacob Dangler Mansion was a 120-year-old French-Gothic building at the corner of Willoughby and Nostrand Av enues. It was owned by the Free Masons of New York United Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star, a Black nonprofit organi zation, since 1967. The masonic organiza tion reportedly had a $2.3 million lien on the property, and they ultimately decided to sell to real estate developer Tomer Erlich of Brooklyn 360 Realty.

The JusticeFor441Willoughby group is composed of community members and neighbors who leaped into action to save the mansion. Michael “Unofficial Mayor of the Block” Williams, Willoughby Nostrand Block Association Vice President Lauren Cawdrey, Becca Abellera, Jules Bartkowski and Joanne Joyner Wells, among others, are all residents in the area.

“You look at a building that’s been there all my life and now you walk to the corner

and it’s no longer there,” said Williams, a longtime Bed-Stuy resident. “Every day I walk to that corner, I’m totally upset ‘cause the memories—my parents, my brothers and sisters and I all attended that building.”

Wells added that she as well as her par ents had their wedding receptions at the mansion. She said they are not against housing but would like that the new build ing at least match and honor the historic significance of the Bed-Stuy neighborhood.

Along with elected officials Councilmem ber Chi Ossé and Assemblymember Ste fani Zinerman, the group attempted to get the building landmarked. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) failed to make a decision before the Department of Buildings’ (DOB) stop work order ended, which allowed for a technical window to open up. Erlich quickly filed for a demoli tion permit and began knocking down the building almost immediately with illegal equipment. Throughout the process, Erlich had over $100,000 in fines, 13 citations, 89 complaints, and visits from cops and the fire department.

“There is no doubt that New York City, and this neighborhood in particular, face an acute housing crisis…We need to build more housing,” said Ossé in a statement.

“The opaque tactics the developer, Tomer Erlich, used in this case mirror those used across the city, and prove that most are not good-faith partners in addressing this need.”

Several witnesses and electeds said that Erlich did not follow proper proce dures and “recklessly” took the mansion down in haste, causing a wave of dust and debris all over community members pres ent. Most of the JusticeFor441Willoughby crew believe this was done antagonistical ly towards them since demolition plans in dicated Erlich had intended to take it down in phases not all at once.

Now the community group has compiled a list of demands and reforms to combat the distinct lack of transparency on the part of the LPC, the DOB, the Mayor’s Office and Erlich. The list includes calls for a major overhaul of the LPC in order to ensure ad equate accountability, breaking up the DOB into more manageable departments, a community land trust at 441 Willough by Ave., and landmarking of brownstones on Willoughby Avenue between Nostrand Avenue and Marcy Avenue.

“It’s bigger than Willoughby Avenue,” said Wells. “When you look at a borough like this and you know that Black and brown people are getting edged out, pushed out, shoved out of a community via a lot of methods like deed theft and violations. The rules need to be for everyone. The same permit process I have to deal with should be the same one Tomer Erlich has to deal with.”

Additionally, JusticeFor441Willoughby has appealed to State Attorney General Le titia James to prohibit the sale of the man

sion’s lot to Erlich and to investigate his other real estate dealings. “He has made himself a millionaire by maintaining this tempo of destroying, dismantling, offen sively replacing,” said Bartkowski, another resident, “and then quickly relinquishing to vultures the land ownership and the his toric buildings of Bed-Stuy, while flouting rules that are poorly enforced and easily corruptible.”

Erlich’s building proposal is a 44-unit 7-story high rise building with 30% af fordable housing. The Amsterdam News reached out to Erlich about the tensions between him and community members.

“The demo is done. It’s done by rights and courts. Nothing was done wrong. We got the permits from the DOB and we demol ished the building,” said Erlich. “It’s private property and that’s it.”

He said that he had “nothing to say” di rectly to community members.

The LPC, DOB and Mayor’s Office did not respond to a request for comment by post time.

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

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg made a Post-Conviction Justice Unit announcement earlier this year. (Manhattan D.A.’s Office photo)

Go With The Flo

FLO ANTHONY

Organizers of the Omni-American Future Project, a visionary initiative committed to fighting racism and anti-Semitism and strengthening unity through music and the power of culture, will host its second annual awards ceremony: Straight Ahead: An Om ni-American Future, Fighting Bigotry Together. Convening a host of notables, musicians, commu nity leaders and thinkers for an unforgettable eve ning, the ceremony will be held for the first time at the historic Minton’s Playhouse/Cecil’s in Harlem on Monday, Nov. 28. “While some have put the focus on diverseness, we at the Omni-American Future Project are building upon the legacy of cooperation between and among Black Americans and Jewish Americans in jazz and the Civil Rights movement,” said event co-host Greg Thomas.

“Different World” alum Sinbad’s family posted a photo of him on Nov. 21 on social media, re-learning to walk in physical therapy, with a donation page for fans who would like to help with his medical costs, reports People. Two years ago, the 66-year-old en tertainer suffered an ischemic stroke. Insurance does not reportedly cover the complete costs for his therapy, so the family set up the donation to help with medical expenses “to help provide for Sinbad’s care and help him continue to fight the battle.”

Blair Underwood announced that he is engaged to Josie Hart, who has been his friend for 41 years, on the red carpet of the 50th International Emmys 2022, which took place Nov. 21 in New York City. Underwood posted on Twitter that his personal highlight of the night was posing with Hart. Said Underwood, “None of us would ever know where God will guide our paths. She’s had my back since before I ever became an actor. When a 41-year friendship slaps you in the back of the head and blossoms into romance, you stand up, pay atten tion and step forward in gratitude.” In May 2021, the actor announced his divorce from his wife of 27 years, Desiree DaCosta.

It was a “Glow of Love” within the Aloft HotelHarlem on Nov. 17, as Roz Live and Friends cel ebrated the multi-faceted life of the late lyricist/ producer Wayne Garfield. Guests dined on deli cious food from Jacob Restaurant, as well as from Chef James Rosebud. The band played Garfield’s legendary tunes under the musical direction of Daryl Johnson. Notable attendees included Debbie Burrell from the original Broadway cast of “Dream Girls” and Black Spectrum Theatre founder Carl Clay. With his music, the evening showcased the wondrous story of Garfield’s achievements from his early days as a member of the Voices of East Harlem to the many hit tunes he wrote that were covered by artists including Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin and Janet Jackson. City Council member Kristin Richardson Jordan of the 9th Dis trict co-sponsored the tribute, which was topped off with champagne for everyone provided by award-winning musician Roy Ayers.

Bed-Stuy Gateway BID opens their ‘Winter Wonderland’

In celebration of Small Business Sat urday, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID will once again bring its signature Winter Wonderland affair to Brooklyn’s cen tral neighborhood. Presented by Wells Fargo, the festive outdoor holi day shopping experience allows local merchants to increase foot traffic while offering crafters, creatives and small business owners a viable plat form to showcase and sell their goods and services. The pop-up holiday mar ketplace kicks-off Small Business Sat urday, Nov. 26, and runs Thursdays (4 – 8 p.m.), Fridays (4 – 8 p.m.) & Satur days (2 – 8 p.m.) through Dec. 23. Sea sonal activities include the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, bike giveaway, pic ture with Santa and Mrs. Claus; fash ion showcase featuring latest creations from international designer Moshood; scenic trolley that will travel through out the shopping corridor, live music and much more.

In addition to a festive fresh-air mar ketplace, complete with environmen tally safe greenhouses, a dedicated trolley will travel throughout the shop ping corridor providing plenty of op portunities for visitors to shop locally. For additional information, visit www. ww-bk.com

“Small businesses are every neigh borhood’s beating heart, and with Winter Wonderland, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID celebrates Bed-Stuy’s prolific creativity and entrepreneur ial flair,” said Deborah Marton, execu tive director, Van Alen Institute. “We’re thrilled to help bring that vision to life and grateful for Wells Fargo’s contin ued support of this exciting communi ty gathering.”

Supporting partners include Con Edison, TD Bank, Van Alen Institute, Urban Design Forum, Buro Happold, Dash Marshall, Moody Nolan, Fried Frank, Gretel, Block by Block, New York City Department of Transportation and Restoration Plaza.

This year Bed Stuy Gateway BID will share its platform with local commu nity stakeholders. Programming will include Community Thursdays, dedi cated to nonprofit organizations, and Caroling in the Plaza on Fridays fea turing yule-tide sing-alongs with local houses of worship. Additional familyfriendly activities include pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music and much more.

“We are truly excited to join Neigh borhoods Now and its team of experts in bringing to the Bedford-Stuyvesant community an evergreen tradition that will last a lifetime,” said Dale Charles executive director, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID. “This couldn’t be possible without the guidance and generous support of Wells Fargo.”

“Winter Wonderland is back and better than ever,” said Daniel McPhee, executive director of the Urban Design Forum. “Under the brilliant leader ship of Dale Charles and with the sup port of Moody Nolan, Dash Marshall, Gretel, Buro Happold and Fried Frank, Bed-Stuy’s small businesses are going to have the greatest holiday home across the five boroughs. We’re grateful to partner with the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID, Wells Fargo and Van Alen Institute to make this market possible for our third year running.”

“The recovery of New York’s small business sector is more important than ever given the current economic envi ronment and considering what entre preneurs and small business owners have been through since 2020,” said Catherine Domenech, vice president, New York Community Relations at Wells Fargo. “That’s why this holiday season, Wells Fargo is thrilled to con tinue our support of the Bed-Stuy Gate way BID, the Van Alen Institute, and the Urban Design Forum and their ef forts to provide opportunities for local entrepreneurs and small business es. Brooklyn is powered by small busi nesses, and we’re committed to helping them succeed financially.”

Seasonal activities will include an annual Tree Lighting Ceremony taking place at 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1 in Marcy Plaza’s Open Street. On Satur day, Dec. 3, Bike New York will be on campus to lead a kids’ learn-to-ride program from 2 - 4 and a free kids’ bike giveaway for up to 30 young people. Citi Bike will be on hand to demon strate how to unlock and access the Ci ti-Bike. Additional supporters include NYC Small Business Services, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Jabari Brisport, Assembly woman Stefani Zinerman, Assembly woman Phara Souffrant Forrest, City Councilman Chi Ossé and Brooklyn District Attorney Gonzalez.

Saturday, Nov. 26 – Official RibbonCutting Ceremony

Event: In celebration of Small Busi ness Saturday, join Bed-Stuy Gateway BID for the launch of its Winter Won derland holiday marketplace Present ed by Wells Fargo. To kick-off small business Saturday and to encourage shop small & shop local––the festive curated outdoor affair will host a spe cial ribbon-cutting ceremony that will feature live music, a festive pop-up holiday marketplace, crafts, delightful food, entertainment, and much more. Immediately following the ribbon-cut ting ceremony patrons will be treat ed to a live fashion show featuring the latest creations from Brooklyn’s own Moshood, along with a DJ and trolley

excursion throughout the shopping corridor.

Time: 2 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE

Location: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough St.

Thursday, Dec. 1 – Winter Wonder land – Tree Lite/Community Nite

Event: Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo kicks of its holiday countdown with a festive Tree & Plaza Lighting ceremo ny. In addition to showcasing a spec tacular display of holiday lights in the Marcy Plaza area, The BID will launch its weekly Community Night. Every Thursday, thru Dec. 23, The BID will join a local community partner in spreading holiday joy. The evening will include local community stakeholders coming together for a festive holiday celebration that will include familyfriendly activities, live entertainment, food, drinks, and much more along with a trolley excursion throughout the shopping corridor.

Time: 4 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public

Location: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough St.

Friday, Dec. 2 – Winter Wonderland –Caroling in the Plaza

Event: Join Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo as it continues to spread Christ mas joy with Caroling in the Plaza. Every Friday until Dec. 23, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID invites you to join them as they team up with local houses of worship to make a joyful noise in cele bration of the holiday season.

Time: 4 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the

(Keith L. Forest photo)

NUL hosts Equal Opportunity Dinner in NYC

The National Urban League (NUL) hosted its annual Equal Opportunity Dinner on Nov. 16, 2022, at New York Marriott Marquis. The event serves as a fundraiser that celebrates leaders in industry, media

and the arts. Pictured here is NUL President Marc Morial and his wife, CBS News correspondent and host Michelle Miller, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams.

Nightlife

NJPAC’s Night of Jazz, Hip Hop and Spoken Word

Benedict College Band plays in Harlem

Harlem honored the HBCU Benedict College Marching Band of Distinction in the plaza at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Building. The 250plus marching Tigers Band will represent the HBCUs in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Hosts and attendees of the event included Ken neth Woods, Sylvia B. Woods, Cedelle E. Gates, the

President Alumni Association and elected officials, the Hon. Cordell Cleare, the Hon. Al Taylor, the Hon. Inez Dickens and the Hon. Robert Rodriguez. Mayor Eric Adams presented a proclamation to Benedict College President Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, who thanked the city and the Harlem community for their support.

Lovers of rhythmic vocabu lary were in euphoria this past weekend as some of the great est writers in our history show cased their time-honored classic material. First, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center Prudential Hall Betty Wold Johnson stage hosted Repre sent! A Night of Jazz, Hip Hop and Spoken Word to a capacityfilled house. Helmed by music director and band leader (of A Christian McBride Situation), Christian McBride delivered above and beyond the expect ed excellence despite being thrown a few curves in the pro jected lineup, giving additional credence to his statement, “The thing that bonds hip hop and jazz is the ability to improvise.” Advertised prominently on the bill were the illustrious mics men guaranteed to bring the noise and move the crowd. Unfortunately, unforeseen oc currences prevented the illus trious Chuck D and the GOD emcee Rakim from making the scheduled performance. In their stead McBride was aptly able to fill the void with an act just as impactful with Yasiin Bey, or the Mighty Mos Def if you need a point of reference. Bey joined the already stel lar lineup that featured politi cians, stayed artist (you can be both) with Councilman Dupré L Kelly, one-third of the hip hop group ‘Lords of the under ground’ and Newark Mayor Ras J Baraka, musicians Ravi Col trane and Javon Jackson, Jessi ca Care Moore, Nikki Giovanni, The Last Poets, Speech of Ar rested Development and Black Thought of the Roots. Assem bled talent alone does not make a night special—the work still needs to be done. From my point of view my personal highlight reel leads off with the great Nikki Giovanni. For years I was stuck on the version of “Ego Trip” as performed by the Kimberly Reese character on the television show “A Different World,” until I heard the live source material. “Niggers Are Scared of Revolution” is still a relevant powerhouse of a wakeup call that The Last Poets can hold up to society and Speech’s

“Tennessee” showed that he and Arrested Development were criminally underrated de spite Grammy trophies. Going in, these hotspot moments could be anticipated; the sur prise moment though was the show-stealing duet “Simple” of Apropos and Jessica Care Moore. TRUTH!

Speaking of TRUTH, setting the weekend off lovely was Val erie Simpson and friends at Sony Hall. Simply stated she’s a treasure. Hailing from the Boogie Down, it can be argued that her writing catalog may have just as much impact and influence as the musical genre that now is most associat ed with the borough. Packed inside the intimate space, the audience was taken through a prism of anthems that helped shaped the careers of all-time great talents such as Diana Ross (“Reach Out and Touch,” “The Boss”), Marvin Gaye (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Your Precious Love,” “You’re All I Need to Get By”), Chaka Khan/ Whitney Houston (“I’m Every Woman,”) and even her own group Ashford & Simpson, that made an empathic statement on the charts and served as an exclamation point on the night with “Solid.”

To put things in perspec tive, a prestigious industry award is named in honor of her songwriting prowess: Soul Train Music Ashford & Simp son Songwriter’s Award. Wanna know who bagged that this year? Make sure to tune in to peep the feel-good show of the year, the Soul Train Awards 2022 presented by BET. Hosted by award-winning comedian and actor Deon Cole, the Soul Train Awards 2022 premieres Satur day, 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 Correspondent Stage, and Novi Brown (“Tyler Perry’s Sistas”) in the Walmart Lounge.

Happy Turkey Day all. Over and out. Holla next week. Til then, enjoy the nightlife.

Written by David Goodson

(Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul photo)

The Hon. Al Taylor, Kenneth Woods, the Hon. Robert Rodriguez, the Hon. Cordell Cleare, Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, the Hon. Inez Dickens, Winston Majette, Sylvia B. Woods and Dr. Bob Lee (Bill Moore photos)

Union Matters

Roving for peace

Recently I was awarded the World Peace Prize and named: “Roving Am bassador for Peace.” This prestigious award was bestowed upon me—the first Teamster to be honored by this organization dedicated to social and labor justice—by Father Sean Mc Manus, president and founder of the Washington-based Irish Nation al Caucus. In his remarks, McManus said that I was “the perfect exemplar and role model for the World Peace Prize.” WOW! It was an extraordinary moment that made me think, how ex actly do you “rove for peace”? That’s not so easy.

The awards ceremony was filled with noble talk on weighty issues. Mc Manus spoke about their two main objectives: to assert the basic prin ciple that peace is the fruit of justice and that working for peace means, in fact, working for social justice. And to firmly place the American Labor Movement in the category of those who work for peace—all the time, every day, year-after-year since the late 1800s. That’s a big goal. McManus went on to quote from several biblical scholars and members of the clergy who support the notion that working for justice is required for those with faith in God or those people simply of good will. He mentioned that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. loved to quote the Prophet Amos, who said: “Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an ever-flow ing stream.” McManus said that even “people of no faith and no religion— but of good will—can agree in prin ciple with these words. All people of good will, all fair-minded people, recognize that, without justice, civi lized society cannot stand; fair treat ment cannot stand; fair employment cannot stand; and a just and living wage cannot stand. That is how cen tral and basic social justice is. It unites people of faith who want to do God’s work on Earth—and it unites people of no faith who want to do the fair and decent thing.”

Upon receiving a plaque and medal at the awards ceremony, I addressed the audience, telling them, “To re ceive an award inspired by the work of some of America’s greatest lead ers in social and labor justice—like

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and AFLCIO President Richard Trumka—is humbling. They believed that labor justice and social justice are forev er intertwined. You can’t have one without the other. But equality, re spect and compassion should not only be workplace goals, but also ev eryday goals of humanity. Dr. King perhaps expressed it best when he said: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ Dr. King also said: ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.’ How well that fits the mis sion of the World Peace Foundation, which is to NOT remain silent in the face of threats to justice and peace. And it is the mission of labor unions, like Teamsters Local 237 NOT to be silent either.”

So now that I am entrusted with a mighty title and lofty assignment, questions remain, how does one “rove for peace”? Is it something you actively look for like a missing puzzle piece? And where do you search? Or is peace something you can create like a painting? Is it something you can achieve alone, or does it require collaboration? And perhaps the big gest question: once you’ve found it, what’s the next step? Beatle John Lennon had a suggestion when he famously wrote the song verse “Give peace a chance.” The irony here, of course, is that this is now etched in stone in Central Park, where he was assassinated. Clearly, roving for peace is complicated. Perhaps the job needs to be broken-down into parts: a sort of micro/macro distinc tion of personal peace and world peace. Peace of mind can be derived from the satisfaction found in of fering kindness and compassion to others…feeling good about yourself because you helped someone, espe cially someone in need. World peace is trickier and requires a bigger op eration, yet starts by voting and helping to elect people who are ad mirable and worthy of our trust— people who seek public office not for personal gain but instead, as Father McManus said, are “people of princi ples who just want to do the decent thing.” Macro peace thereby can only be achieved by those who will lead us with an unwavering commit ment for justice and fairness.

Clearly, the job of a “Roving Ambas sador for Peace” is to identify people of good will, inspired by Spike Lee’s advice to “do the right thing” and en courage them to get involved.

CUNY to see Union Week actions as December starts

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Union Week is scheduled to start Dec. 5 for the Professional Staff Congress (PSC/CUNY), the union representing more than 30,000 fac ulty and staff at CUNY (City University of New York). The week will kick off labor organizing actions on campuses across the city and see calls to push for higher staff wages and a stron ger CUNY budget request.

PSC/CUNY’s current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire at the end of Feb ruary 2023 and members are gearing up for new negotiations. On social media, the union is asking supporters to post messages with the hashtags #NewDeal4CUNY and #APeoplesCU NY.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature passed a $220 billion state budget this year that included a $1.2 billion increase in fund ing for CUNY for fiscal year 2023. The state budget includes funds for a projected increase in the workforce, which is projected to jump from 13,476 in FY 2022 to 14,016 in FY 2023, and $326 million has been set aside for CUNY capital projects.

Work on capital projects could not come soon enough for faculty and students at Bronx Community College (BCC), where the campus was mostly shut down last week as the fall’s cold weather set in. BCC has old boilers and is not prepared for the fall or winter. Because the administration can’t keep campus build ings warm, “all classes (except for lab courses …) [were] moved to an online format effec tive Wednesday, November 16, 2022, through Wednesday, November 23, 2022,” the school announced on its website.

Yasmin Edwards, a BCC biology professor and PSC/CUNY member, told the AmNews the school is expected to supply heaters to the lab courses so that lab work—which is required to be in-person—can continue despite plummet ing temperatures. “We actually began getting reports about the lack of heat as early as Oc tober 3rd,” Dr. Edwards explained: “The chal lenge is that…this is not new for BCC.

“We always have that lead, the switch from cooling in the summer to heating in the winter. It’s not new. The challenge that I’ve had, within my 10 years at BCC, is we’ve consistently seen that they wait until the 11th hour to begin the process of making the switch. The school—the campus is old and beautiful—but you know, all beautiful old buildings, they require more work. And for quite a long time, sadly, the City University has not invested in capital re pairs. So, our heating system is about over 20 years past its life span. It’s held up well but it’s now, I think, officially moved into the realm of the ancient.”

BCC’s failing infrastructure investment is of

course having an effect on its students, who are 61.9% Latino and 31.8% Black. One professor noted in an email to the administration that students have complained about having dif ficulties completing their work in cold class rooms: “On Monday, 10.17.2022, I held office hours in…classrooms/Lab. I accommodat ed students between the hours of 12:30 p.m.5:30 p.m. and the room was noticeably cold. At the end of the session, I could hardly feel my toes. The following day, Tuesday, 10.18.2022, approximately 75% of the students mentioned that the room was unbearably cold while they were being evaluated.”

At one point, in what seemed an absurd at tempt to show there was some effort being made to deal with the cold classrooms, the ad ministration advised faculty members to re member to close classroom windows at night to help mitigate the cold. This would, they said, “limit the impact of the colder overnight tem peratures on the building by closing windows, doors and attending to drafts.” The school, they said, is continuing to work on getting the power plant’s three massive boilers to start up.

BCC is expecting to have the heat on by next week. The administration says it plans to change out its boiler equipment before the 2023 fall season.

Gregory Floyd

President, Teamsters Local 237 and Vice President at-Large on the General Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

BCC Science Bldg. temperature reading shows the classrooms are cold (Contributed photo)

Icebreakers: The need to know as temperatures drop

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

Since “heat season” started this October, 41,826 complaints have been made to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development as of Nov. 17. That’s almost 5,000 more reports year-to-date compared to 2021.

Until the end of next May, landlords are required to keep indoor temperatures above 68 degrees between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. if outdoor weather dips under 55 degrees; during the night, inside temperatures need to be north of 62 degrees. The HPD recom mends reaching out to landlords for heat ing issues first before filing a complaint to 311.

In addition to New York City’s right-toshelter laws, Code Blue drop-in centers are available if temperatures drop below 32 degrees between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. And anyone can enter a city shelter for the night without typical intake procedures.

Propane and kerosene space heaters are banned in New York City, but electric ones can be used away from flammable items.

Given the costs of energy bills, the state offers a Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) benefit program for households with toddlers, seniors or someone experi encing a disability.

While a chilly Thanksgiving break is met with clear skies in the city, winter storms arrived last week in other parts of the state. The State Attorney General’s Office issued a warning against price gougers looking to

make a quick buck off the frigid weather.

“Taking advantage of consumers during emergencies will not be tolerated,” said State Attorney General Letitia James. “As New Yorkers prepare for the heavy winter storm, this is a reminder that retailers cannot hike prices to profit off emergen cies. I urge New Yorkers to remain vigilant as the storm passes and encourage anyone who believes they are a victim of price gouging to contact my office immediately.”

The Office recommends folks to speak to at least three competing, reputable con tracts when searching for storm-related services, along with getting everything in writing, negotiating a pay schedule and getting references.

Report a heating violation online at https://portal.311.nyc.gov/

Price gouging complaints can be report ed to the AG’s Office online or by calling 800-771-7755.

Author’s Note: This story was initially written and published on Nov. 19 to pre pare Amsterdam News readers for the up coming cold. It has been updated for print publishing on Nov. 23 for the Thanksgiving edition.

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

Ariama C. Long @wordslivehere & Tandy Lau @TandyLau1995 our @Report4America corps members.

Ariama C. Long @wordslivehere is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics in New York City for the Amsterdam News.

Tandy Lau @TandyLau1995 is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News.

Snowstorm Stella hits Manhattan on Tuesday, March 14, 2017. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office photo)

Feast on memories

Our editorial last year as the Thanksgiving holiday was circled on the calendar was entitled “White Men with Guns,” referencing Kyle Rittenhouse, the well-armed vigilante and wouldbe soldier in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the McMichaels, father and son, in New Brunswick, Georgia, then awaiting the life sentences they received for gunning down the unarmed Black jogger, Ahmaud Arbery. It would be an understatement to say that white men still have guns, and we don’t need to look any farther than today’s headlines to see the absolute senseless carnage across the nation, and as the tragedy at the University of Virginia denotes, a lot of Black men got guns, too.

And it was good to hear Mayor Adams address this issue, while placing some of the egregious attacks within a religious, wayof-life and race context. One paragraph continues to resonate when he cited a few past incidents: “From the massacre of Black shoppers in Buffalo to the killings at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs over the weekend, and we see…communities across the nation being targeted for their race, their beliefs, and their way of life.

“This hate cannot be allowed to take hold and build and gain further ground. America must defeat the rising threat of domestic terrorism. It is real. It is here. And we must have a formidable approach to it, and we must reject the hate and division that drives it.”

This thoughtful message was prompted by the recent uptick in anti-Semitism, and the mayor placed the current menace in a very long and historical context recounting how U.S. troops liberated the death camps at Auschwitz, thereby exposing the Holocaust. And while he didn’t mention it, many of those soldiers were African Americans.

The mayor was surrounded by his staff and several civic leaders, and they embellished his comments, giving them additional gravitas as we now settle down with our families for a feast. And it should be a feast of reflections too, recalling those loved ones we won’t share another Thanksgiving with. Even so, we can feast on their memories and the extent to which they were in our lives, and many are so special that without them we wouldn’t be here.

Westchester County’s proposed flavored tobacco ban won’t criminalize the Black community—it will help save it

By DR. HAZEL DUKES and JEWEL WILLIAMS JOHNSON

As debates around Westchester County’s proposed bill to end the sale of flavored tobacco products continue, it has been deeply troubling to see misinformation and alternative facts used to stoke fear and anger amongst the Black community about this vital public health legislation.

Opponents have argued that this bill will lead to further criminalization of our children and members of our communi ty. They have cited the tragic killing of Eric Garner as an example of why the Board of Legislators should vote against the pro posed flavored tobacco ban, knowing that folks like us have fought against injustices like these for years. These arguments are false and are the result of tobacco com panies exploiting the real concerns about discriminatory targeting of communities of color by police to preserve their own ability to keep doing just that.

We know all too well the unabating fear of having an encounter with law enforce ment go wrong. And as the sponsor of this bill and a leading advocate for its passage, we wouldn’t ever support an initiative that would have the potential to cause that.

The proposed bill poses absolutely no risk of criminalizing our children or in

ducing Stop-and-Frisk enforcement ac tivity against our community. Its language makes clear that only the sale of flavored tobacco products will be outlawed—not their purchase, possession or use. Police will not be permitted to stop or arrest anyone for smoking or possessing some thing like menthol cigarettes—not even business owners who break the law by sell ing them. All enforcement of this bill is left in the hands of the Westchester County De partment of Health, who will simply issue the business a health violation.

In hundreds of cities across the coun try that have already passed laws simi lar to this one, police have never broken down the door of a Black person’s home or stopped them on the street to arrest them for smoking a menthol-flavored cigarette. With no threat being posed to any Westchester residents who use fla vored tobacco products, this bill’s posi tive impact cannot be overstated.

If we don’t act now, tobacco compa nies will stop at nothing to continue targeting Black America—particularly Black youth—with menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. Due to their predatory practices over the last six decades, tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the Black community.

As a result of this racially targeted marketing, 85% of Black smokers now prefer menthol cigarettes, and smoking-related illnesses are the number one cause of death in the Black community, killing more people than AIDS, car crashes, alcohol, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. We are supporting this health measure because it will not criminalize the Black community, it will help save it.

We must not fall victim to the falsehoods of Big Tobacco because they will always choose profits over the health and safety of our community. If we pass this bill, we will take a critical step forward in protect ing the Black community and the health of our children by getting these deadly products off our shelves.

Dr. Hazel Dukes is an American social justice activist who has worked to advance equality and human rights for 70 years. She is the current president of the New York State Conference of the NAACP and previ ously served as its national president.

Jewel Williams Johnson currently serves as chair of the Westchester County Board of Legislators’ Committee on Health and rep resents District 8. She is also the immedi ate past president of the Westchester Black Women's Political Caucus, Inc.

Flavored tobacco ban will save Black kids’ lives

Dear Editor,

Later this month, the Westchester County Board of Legislators will consider a bill that would end the sale of flavored tobacco products. Despite the urgent public health needs for this critical reform, some in our community are concerned that a bill like this could lead to the further criminalization of Black children and families in our county. It’s time to set the record straight.

law enforcement go terribly wrong. Here in New York, we saw practices like Stopand-Frisk be abused by law enforcement for years, and we have fought against injustices like the death of Eric Garner.

But it’s important to note that this proposed bill poses absolutely no risk of criminalizing our children or inducing Stop-and-Frisk enforcement activity against our community.

targeted Black Americans, especially Black youth, with menthol-flavored cigarettes. This is because Big Tobacco knows the truth: menthol cigarettes are easier to get addicted to and harder to quit. And they’ve chosen Black America—and, in particular, Black youth—as their main target.

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Nayaba Arinde: Editor

Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor

Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor

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

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

By ending the sale of flavored tobacco, the bill seeks to reverse at their root cause generations of racially unjust practices by tobacco companies— practices that have long had real and deadly consequences for Black Americans.

Like so many other Black mothers and fathers, I know all too well the fear in our community of having an encounter with

The bill language makes crystal clear that only the sale of flavored tobacco products will be outlawed—not their purchase, possession or use. This will not allow police to stop or arrest anyone for smoking or possession of something like menthol cigarettes—not even business owners who break the law in selling them.

The bill leaves all enforcement of this bill in the hands of the Westchester County Department of Health, who will simply issue the business a violation.

With no threat being posed to any Westchester residents who use flavored tobacco products, this bill’s positive impact cannot be overstated.

Since the 1950s, Big Tobacco has

Today, 85% of Black smokers prefer menthol cigarettes, and smoking-related illnesses are the number one cause of death in the Black community, killing more people than AIDS, car crashes, alcohol, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined.

I’m supporting this bill because it will do nothing to put our children in further danger, and everything to help save them from the deadly consequences of smoking. With an estimated 280,000 kids now alive in New York who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking unless we act, every day we wait to end the sale of these products risks losing more lives.

Sincerely,

Frank Williams Jr. is a local parent in Westchester County.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

There is good in this divided country

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.

What are you thankful for?

CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS

Politics is a polarizing sport that pits one side against the other, and there is a lot of mudslinging going on that is tragically amplified by the mainstream media. The current state of the United States is accom panied by a series of negative feel ings, including anger, distrust and resentment, yet as the Thanksgiving holiday season draws closer, I can’t help but think of the positive ele ments of our country. Is there any thing good left? Are we not looking hard enough for it?

The Democratic and Republican parties have both competed to the best of their abilities, debating ideas, policies and the current state of the United States. Each side did its best, and although neither the left nor the right will accept the other, I’m call ing on all Americans to set aside our political and ideological differenc es and search for the positive quali ties that exist in each other. This is a step toward bringing our nation to gether and putting an end to the trib alism that has kept us apart in ways that this country has not seen in over a century.

Taking the initiative to seek the kind in folks, no matter their ideo logical views, can serve as a remind er that humanity can be found even in those who are different from us. It enables all of us to take a moment to reflect and acknowledge that the other person is not an adversary or an enemy, but rather a fellow citi zen of the United States. It’s possi ble that we won’t agree on a lot of things; in fact, it’s possible that we won’t agree on anything at all, yet there is one thing on which we must never disagree: the idea of Ameri ca. The principles of independence, liberty and individualism that have helped to establish the United States as a great example of oppor tunity and hope for people in other parts of the world.

Politicians, celebrities and the wealthy incur much criticism for their remarks and acts. Undoubt edly, some of it is justified, but the

hatred that arises from their adver saries is unjustified. Even among those we perceive to be evil, we must search for the positive. No one is so depraved that every step they take on Earth is laden with greed and corruption. When the hus band of Nancy Pelosi was vicious ly assaulted, we should have prayed for him and for her, not propagat ed falsehoods and acted as if the crime was justifiable. When Donald Trump and Joe Biden contracted COVID, we should have prayed for their recovery rather than longed for their demise. And when a pol itician sends us a message of op timism wishing us health and happiness, we should embrace it and carry it forward.

Freedom, that which is safeguard ed and guaranteed by the Constitu tion, is the greatest gift that anyone could ever hope to receive, and we have all inherited it. We must do all in our power to preserve the pro tections that enable us to public ly disagree with each other to such an extreme degree and to public ly question one another. These experiences instill in us the signifi cance of seeing beyond ourselves to people who are distinct from us and recognizing that despite our differ ences, we are all Americans who want the best for our own lives, the lives of our families and the com munities in which we live. During heated political elections, accom plishing that goal can feel like an uphill battle at times. When both Democrats and Republicans view each other as adversaries and when we’re persuaded to believe that we’re so far apart from one another that we can’t share this country to gether, that is when we need to real ize that we have a problem.

We have to learn to take things more slowly and cultivate an in terest in discovering the good in one another. The fact that every one of us values our own families so highly is indicative of a set of ad mirable attributes that we are all

able to acknowledge as being in herently good. Could it also be the case that, despite the fact that we are all so unique, we each have the best of intentions? Could we join in that idea and even come togeth er to fight to preserve the individu al liberties of each person? The vast majority of us simply want to safe guard our way of being, which is, at its core, what each and every one of us wants and desires; therefore, it is possible for us to do so. It’s pos sible that we’re all looking for the same thing, including a high qual ity of life, success, independence and happiness, as well as the op portunity to age in serenity within communities that are at peace with one another. Both Democrats and Republicans, in my opinion, would provide an unequivocal affirmative response to those desires. I’m ready to bet on that.

Take some time as Thanksgiving approaches to not just have a casual conversation with a family member, neighbor or friend who may have a different point of view, but rather to take the time to learn about their inner desires because that is a moment of truth that reveals the good that is in each of us. Take a step back and watch how a person inter acts with other people, both in how they speak to them and how they treat them. In any event, you should take a step back and give yourself the opportunity to separate the po litical from what very well may be a large number of good people who, at their core, may desire the same things that you do. The difference may come down to the vehicle you seek to choose to arrive at that final destination, and that should no longer be something that divides us.

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

It’s that time of year when millions of people are getting ready to gather with loved ones for the holidays. They will be planning parties and buying presents as the Christmas season gears up, and hopefully trading recipes and making deli cious meals for all to share.

This time of year always makes me reflective. With the passage of Thanks giving (aka Native Amer ican reflection) and the anticipation of Christ mas, when I gather with my parents and extend ed family, I am always re flective as to the many blessings in my life. I am always curious this time of year when speaking to friends and students as to what exactly they are thankful for.

I know this year, I am especially grateful for my health. As we know, COVID-19 is still here, still very real, and still caus ing thousands of deaths each month. We also know so many people are still struggling with the ef fects of long-term COVID. I have been lucky enough to get older, and each morning when I awaken with new sounds and pops from bones creaking, I am definitely thankful for the gift of getting older.

Every year at Thanksgiv ing we go around the table and state what we are thankful for. I am always filled with a sense of grat itude as I think of my family and friends who have gathered to be with me for the holidays and the delicious food that stays flowing. We usually acknowledge that we are all thankful for the abili ty to travel and come to

gether to play cards, eat amazing food, laugh, and so much more.

So, what are you thank ful for this year? No matter how big or small, there are so many things to be thankful for. Whenever I am overwhelmed and fail to easily see the mil lions of items around me that I should be thankful for, I simply dust off my gratitude journal. I usual ly try to write in my grat itude journal for a month straight. I list 15 items each morning that I am grateful for, everything ranging from the sound of the birds singing to the ability to breathe in clean air. I like to begin my morning listing what I am grateful for so it serves as a grounding force as I go through my day.

Some of my friends like to write in their gratitude journal in the evenings before they go to bed. For them, a gratitude journal is a great way to close out the day and reflect on all of the beauty and bless ings that surround them. Whether you like to write in the morning or eve ning, it is a great exercise to help put things in per spective

This holiday season, remember all the bless ings surrounding you and spread that love and energy to others.

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

Jamaica targets gang leaders in U.S. to stem crime wave

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

Determined to curb the bloodletting in some parish es in Jamaica, Prime Minis ter Andrew Holness has not only imposed temporary state of emergency powers in seven local parishes but he has asked the U.S. to help him curb the export of high powered and other weapons to the island, blaming it for runaway gangland violence.

Holness told a forum at the weekend that the govern ment is also changing tactics to enlist American enforce ment authorities to help them identify and monitor Jamaican gangster bosses living in the U.S. who are still exerting influence back

home, ordering killings, su pervising extortion rings and sending guns to the island to receiving gangs. He called this a worrying trend that has to go.

“We are going to ensure that they can no longer stay in another country and direct crime here. There are several loopholes in our system which we will be closing. We have been en gaging with our U.S. coun terparts in discussions on further measures that could be taken to stem the flow of illegal guns into Jamaica,” said a frustrated PM.

The latest cabinet position comes as authorities are bat tling to keep violent crime down in some key parish es including the capital and

the northern and western lifeline tourism districts.

For the year so far, 1,360 people have been killed. Enforcement officials and the governing Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) fear that the 2021 figure of 1,463 could be easily surpassed if curbs are not imposed on gangs and are not imposed immediately.

The plan, the PM told a governing party confer ence, is for local authorities to demand greater person al identification of people shipping parcels, commer cial barrels and other cargo to Jamaica from the U.S. and for the feds to keep a closer eye on those identified as Ja maican area dons living in U.S. cities.

“I have put to our U.S. friends the need to require greater identification for persons sending packages to Jamaica from the U.S. We will also be opening discussions with our U.S. friends to have special operations to target Jamaican dons overseas who are using their resourc es and influence to solic it and direct murders here in Jamaica. Instead of send ing back computers and as sisting with school fees, they are sending guns and bullets to encourage you to kill your brothers and sisters. They mean us no good. They must be arrested and locked away for good. We will put a stop to this,” he said. Worried that there will be a violent crime surge in

the lead-up to the Christ mas holidays, Holness said more enforcement offi cers and troops will be on the ground in the parish es under emergency rule even as he appealed to the main opposition Peo ple’s National Party (PNP) to support the emergency measures in parliament.

Jamaica’s crime woes are the topic for discussion even as officials in fellow Carib bean Community nations, Trinidad, Barbados and The Bahamas are complaining about uncomfortable spikes in violent crimes, mostly in volving the use of high pow ered weapons and handguns they believed are being smuggled in from North and South America.

For Trinidad, the twinisland federation with Tobago appears to be on course for a record number of murders this year with nearly 530 so far. This puts the nation on course to match the 2008 figure of 550. Police are already saying that the 2019 figure of 539 kill ings will be easily sur passed. Like Trinidad, officers are blaming gang violence and rivalries and the smuggling of guns from nearby Venezuela. In one murderous weekend recently, police docked 14 killings.

In The Bahamas, police have recorded 103 murders for the year so far or about a 6% increase over least year.

U.S. immigration weekly recap

FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION

KORNER

While all eyes were on the midterm elections, the Joe Biden administration and a federal judge have been making major immigration news of their own.

Title 42

Firstly, on Nov. 15, 2022, Judge Emmet G. Sulli van issued a decision va cating and ending Title 42, more than two and a half years after the purported public health policy went into effect. Judge Sullivan found that Title 42 was ar bitrary and lacked reason ing because the Centers for Disease Control and Pre vention had not proper ly justified the policy, nor had it supported the ex treme measure of suspend

ing immigration laws with sufficient evidence that the policy was necessary.

Sullivan ruled in Washing ton that enforcement must end immediately for fami lies and single adults, call ing the ban “arbitrary and capricious.” The adminis tration has not applied it to children traveling alone.

Within hours, the Jus tice Department asked the judge to let the order take effect on Dec. 21, giving it five weeks to prepare. Judge Sullivan granted the Biden administration the delay to end far-reaching asylum restrictions, writing in up per-case letters that he was doing so “WITH GREAT RE LUCTANCE.”

The Homeland Security Department said Wednes day that it would use the next five weeks to “prepare for an orderly transition to new policies at the border.”

“We continue to work

with countries throughout the Western Hemisphere to take enforcement actions against the smuggling net works that entice migrants to take the dangerous and often deadly journey to our land borders and to address the root causes of irregular migration that are challenging our hemi sphere as a whole,” the de partment said.

Aaron Reichlin-Mel nick, director of policy for the American Immigra tion Council, welcomed the move, noting that “Title 42 was the greatest restriction on asylum since Congress passed the Refugee Act in 1980.”

“It was a failed border management policy that caused chaos along the border, immeasurable harm to innocent people seek ing our protection, and di minished our standing on the world stage,” said

Reichlin-Melnick. “Judge Sullivan’s decision is an im portant step toward ending the unjustified use of this policy, correctly recogniz ing that the CDC has never properly justified a whole sale suspension of normal immigration laws at the border. It is a long over due step toward rebuilding a humanitarian protection system at the border that is safe, humane, and orderly. But critics say the order could see a new escala tion in people coming over the Southern border with as many as 18,000 people crossing per day to apply for asylum in the U.S.

TPS

A day later, Nov. 16, the Department of Home land Security announced it would extend through June 30, 2024, the employment authorization documen tation for TPS (Temporary

Protected Status) beneficia ries from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicara gua, and Sudan. The deci sion came just weeks before the current expiration date of Dec. 31, 2022.

TPS beneficiaries eligi ble for automatic EAD ex tensions to June 30, 2024, under the new announce ment may complete or update their I-9 employ ment eligibility records by providing an employer with a copy of the Federal Regis ter notice, an eligible expir ing or expired TPS EAD, and any other required I-9 doc uments.

Haiti benefits from a sub sequent, separate TPS des ignation were announced in August 2021. The new Haiti designation extends through Feb. 3, 2023, and all those eligible are encour aged to register, includ ing those with Haitian TPS under the prior designation.

Sudan benefits from a subsequent, separate TPS designation were an nounced in April 2022. The new Sudan designation ex tends through Oct. 19, 2023, and all those eligible are en couraged to register, includ ing those with Sudan TPS under the prior designation.

OTHER NEWS

Meanwhile, international students are reportedly re turning to the United States after a significant drop during the pandemic, ac cording to the Open Doors 2022 Report on Internation al Educational Exchange. This comes as the Biden ad ministration also says it has reduced wait times world wide for nonimmigrant visa interviews.

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

New York quietly quits monkeypox

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

The local monkeypox state of emergency ends not with a bang but with a whimper. Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s statewide order expired after an extension in Septem ber. The city’s state of emergency, which was announced on Aug. 1, is also quietly over, reports The New York Times

“You're not talking about monkeypox any more because we weathered us through this,” said Mayor Eric Adams at a Nov. 10 forum.

Monkeypox, now referred as MPV by the city due to previous misleading and stig matizing connotations, is subsiding here in the Big Apple. An upwards of just three daily cases were tallied since November started, although the month also ushered in new reporting standards for vaccination rates and the city warns it may yield less ac curate data. When the state of emergency was declared, around a quarter of nation wide cases reported were in NYC.

The city also finds Black and brown New Yorkers were the most affected by MPV. As of Nov. 17, Hispanic infection rates led the way

with 1,303; 1,023 cases were reported among Black New Yorkers. And across racial and ethnic lines, non-straight men were the most dramatically impacted. Despite racial dispar ities in infection rates, the city reports Black New Yorkers trail significantly behind in vac cination rates compared to their white and Hispanic counterparts. So far, only 13,179 have gotten their first dose. Just 6,025 have gotten their second. And first dose vaccina tion numbers in Manhattan at around 43,000 have significantly outpaced the outer bor oughs, with Brooklyn at a distant second with around just 27,000 first doses administered.

On Nov. 14, NYC Health + Hospitals moved on from mass, mobile vaccination sites to several brick-and-mortar locations, includ ing five of the public benefit corporation’s PRIDE Health Centers. The previous program was launched around the start of Adams’ emergency order and is responsible for more than 2,500 first doses and 750 second doses.

“The City responded to MPV by providing the vaccine in our trusted NYC Health + Hos pitals’ clinics, along with mobile units that grounded our approach in equity by bringing the vaccine to all New Yorkers without excep tion,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice

President Ted Long. “Our mobile MPV vaccina tion effort, guided by the dedicated leadership and trusted experience of our LGBTQIA+ com munity advocates and partners, pushed the en velope of where people can effectively receive the sexual health resources they need, remov ing barriers to ensure that those most at risk could receive the full protection of the vaccine.” New Yorkers can find MPV vaccines around

the city at https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/

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

Medicare plans change every year and so can your health. Now’s the time to compare your current Medicare plan to other options and choose the right plan for your health and your budget.

Use Medicare.gov to easily compare options for Medicare health and prescription drug plans. Do a side-by-side comparison of:

· Plan Coverage

Medicare Savings Programs, run by your state, can help lower your healthcare costs.

If you’re single with an income of $20,000 or less, or if you’re married with an income of $25,000 or less, you may be eligible to save with Medicare Savings Programs. Call your state Medicaid office at:

Connecticut: 1-855-626-6632

New Jersey: 1-800-792-9745

New York: 1-800-541-2831

Pennsylvania: 1-800-692-7462

Dr. Mary Bassett holds a health update (Darren McGee—Office of Governor Kathy Hochul photo)

Factcheck: False: COVID-19 is not that deadly

The early days of COVID-19 brought fear of the unknown. An other factor, misinformation, has continued to invade the COVID19 conversation discourse. One persistent piece of misinforma tion is that COVID-19 is not truly a deadly disease. Not only is this idea false, it is, in fact, deadly.

According to The National In stitutes of Health, “COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States be tween March 2020 and October 2021, according to an analysis of national death certificate data by researchers at the Nation al Cancer Institute.” Further, “[d]uring the 20-month period studied, COVID-19 account ed for 1 in 8 deaths (or 697,000 deaths) in the United States. Heart disease was the number one cause of death, followed by cancer, with these two causes of death accounting for a total of 2.15 million deaths. Accidents and stroke were the fourth and fifth leading causes of death. In every age group 15 years and older, COVID-19 was one of the top five causes of death during this period.”

As previously reported by the AmNews , “as of October 24, 2022, 1.8 New Yorkers/100,000 hospi talized with COVID were vacci nated as opposed to 12/100,000 New Yorkers who were unvac cinated.” Influenza, a disease often inappropriately compared to COVID-19 by those who are

mis-informed, saw deaths of 52,000 people in the United States during the 2017-2018 flu season, which was the deadliest in the past decade.

The toll that COVID-19 had on Black and brown communities has become increasingly clear as the pandemic has raged on. COVID19 was also the third leading cause of death for Black Americans by late summer of 2020, and contin

ues to have a grip on Black and brown communities. The impact of COVID-19 has put a very clear spot light on social and racial inequities that persist in this country. Accord ing to the authors of the article “As sessment of Structural Barriers and Racial Group Disparities of COVID19 Mortality With Spatial Analysis,” “In the U.S., the COVID-19 pan demic has disproportionately af fected racial and ethnic minority

groups. Nationally, COVID-19 has been associated with higher infec tion and mortality rates in Ameri can Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic or Latinx commu nities across state and regional levels. This pattern is consistent with racial and ethnic minority groups bearing a disproportion ate burden of health inequalities, which are associated with morbid ity and mortality, in the U.S. today.”

Dr. Sara Al-Dahir, a clinical as sociate professor in the Division of Clinical & Administrative Sci ences and clinical assistant pro fessor at Xavier University of Louisiana, shared her perspec tive on COVID-19, stating, “We still have pockets of younger Af rican Americans who are still quite disengaged from the public health conversation because they see it as a continuation or a por tion of the conversations that center around equity in general, social justice issues as well, and so for those groups of individuals they are still at risk for what might be an ongoing pandemic because they are vaccine [-hesitant] and they still don’t necessarily identify themselves as at risk but they still bear a lot of those risks, but they have the benefit of being young.”

Regarding where we are headed with COVID-19, Al-Dahir told the AmNews that “we still have people that are vaccine [-hesitant] and not fully aware of their risks or they feel that the risk has peaked and gone away and then finally when I think of we nationally, when we look at the rollout of the bivalent vaccine…it’s very slow. It’s much slower than the initial vaccine rollout. It’s much slower than what we saw in August with the Delta surge, so nationally, if we don’t have higher uptake of the bivalent vaccine…we glob ally are not out of the woods. There’s people that are in dif ferent

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is BACK

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

In my mind, there is just something about the start of the holiday season that is directly connected with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Last week ushered it in for me and my family as it always has for over 20 years. There is something about walking into Radio City and hearing the lovely organ music, and seeing the look of joy on all the faces of the children and their families as they prepare to experience the magic, en chantment and beauty of this mu sical celebrating Christmas and the reason for the season.

I have so many memories of being at this show with my family. I am a great observer of traditions, and this show is a definite tradition that is close to my heart. My daughters al ready know that there are scenes that fill my eyes with tears due to the connections to our past and the beauty of what I am seeing on the stage. One of the first scenes that brings tears to my eyes and a warm smile is The Nutcracker. Of course, the scene that touches my heart the most, and not only brings tears to

my eyes but has me reach out and hold the hands of my daughters, is the Nativity scene. The singing is glo rious, the spirit in the room is over whelming and you feel blessed!

Now, of course, there is so much to love at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular! The Rockettes are abso lutely extraordinary as they perform their gorgeous synchronized dance moves to numbers like 12 Days of Christmas, the Ragdoll scene, Christ mas in New York. This year they added in a new number, “Dance of the Frost Fairies,” to show these lovely

ladies in beautiful costumes with del icate wings on their backs. Frost Fair ies are associated with the first snow of the season and they make sure that every snowflake, like every person, is different. There is such a thrill, grace and delight in watching these ladies, who also have a couple of us— Black—dancers not only in the show, but in the front of the lines. I loved it! As times have changed, the Rockettes have changed as well in a way that is substantial for the dreams of young Black girls who want to be Rockettes on the stage of Radio City Music Hall.

To make sure that Black dancers have a place at the table, the dance com pany created Rockettes Conservato ry, which is an invite-only, no-cost training that offers intensive study in the Rockettes precision style; by es tablishing strong partnerships with diverse dance organizations, includ ing Dance Theatre of Harlem, Harlem School of the Arts, the Ailey School and the International Association of Blacks in Dance; and expanding the height range of the Rockettes. There is something so important about not just seeing this New York

tradition, which people have been enjoying since 1933, but also seeing how it has been able to maintain its popularity, its message about the importance of family, love, giving and the story of Christ’s birth. For 90 straight minutes you are able to watch the Rockettes, put on your 3D glasses and experience coming to New York’s Radio City Music Hall along with Santa Claus. There are so many amazing dancers and singers connected with this musi cal. The performers on that stage come and bring a great deal of joy, talent and positive energy. You walk into the Radio City Christ mas Spectacular ready to be daz zled, and you walk out completely satisfied! Go and take your family to see the fantastic, colorful cos tumes, the perfectly timed dance moves, the taping, the ballet, the ice-skating, the magic of Christ mas and experience a New York tradition you will want to make your family’s tradition as it is mine. Radio City is located on 6th Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. You only have through Jan. 2 to see it and be moved. For tickets go to www.Rockettes.com.

The Radio City Rockettes in the 12 Days of Christmas scene in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Courtesy photos)

The Ragdoll scene in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Oscar predictions: The race has begun

By MARGRIRA Special to the Amnews

The race for the 2023 Oscars has begun and this year the competition seems un usually fierce. Oscar’s nominations will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, with the ceremony being held on March 12, 2023. Under the best director category, there have only been six African Americans nominat ed for best director in the 94-year history.

Those directors are John Singleton (“Boyz n the Hood”), Lee Daniels (“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”), Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”), Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”), Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) and Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”)—none have ever won. Under the Best Actress cat egory, the lack of diversity and inclusion is on record with Halle Berry winning for the film “Monster’s Ball.” There are zero Latinas and Asians, so there is still work to be done.

In the award prediction circles the ques tion looms, will Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”) be added to the conversation for Best Direc tor? Similarly, will the academy voters ap preciate the fresh take on storytelling by the Daniels for their wildly entertaining film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” or the popcorn-pleasing action adventure delivered by director Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”)?

Here are our early predictions for the 2023 Oscars.

Best Picture

“Everything, Everywhere All at Once”— directed by Daniels under A24. Released March 25, 2022, and is now streaming on Showtime.

“The Banshees of Inisherin”—directed by Martin McDonagh under Searchlight Pictures.

Limited release Oct. 21, 2022.

“TÁR”—directed by Todd Field under Focus Features. Limited release Oct. 7, 2022.

“The Whale”—directed by Darren Aronofsky under A24. Schedule to open Dec. 9, 2022.

“The Woman King”—directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood under Sony Pictures. Released Sept. 16 and will appear on Net flix Jan. 14, 2023.

“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”—directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu under Netflix. Limited theatrical release date, Nov. 4, 2022, with streaming date set for Dec. 16, 2022.

Best Director

“The Fabelmans”—directed by Steven Spielberg. A semi-autobiography based on Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in post-war Arizona, from age seven to eighteen.

“Tár”— directed by Todd Field. Set in the

international world of classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár, widely consid ered one of the greatest living composer/ conductors and the first-ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra.

“Emancipation”—directed by Antoine Fuqua. A runaway slave travels through the dangerous swamps of Louisiana on a tor tuous journey to escape plantation owners who nearly killed him.

“The Banshees of Inisherin”—directed by Martin McDonagh. Two lifelong friends find themselves at a crossroads when one suddenly ends their relationship, with con sequences for both of them.

“The Woman King”—directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. A historical epic in spired by true events that took place in the Kingdom of Dahomey, a powerful state in Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Long Shots (but still in the conversation)

“RRR”—directed by S.S. Rajamouli

“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”—directed by Oscar winner Alejan dro G. Iñárritu

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”—di

Best Actor

Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”)— A reclu sive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his es tranged teenage daughter.

Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of In isherin”)—Two lifelong friends find them selves at a crossroads when one suddenly ends their relationship, with consequences for both of them.

Austin Butler (“Elvis”)—Biopic of Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a disturbing relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Diego Calva (“Babylon”)—A story of gran diose ambition and outrageous excess, tracing the rise and fall of multiple charac ters during an era of unbridled decadence in early Hollywood.

Best Actress

Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)—A Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, travers

ing timelines where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes con necting with the lives she could have led.

Cate Blanchett (“TÁR”) —The film tracks the fictional unraveling of one of the world’s great orchestra conductors.

Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”)—The story of Emmett Louis Till and the legacy of his mother who pursued justice for her brutal ly murdered (lynched) son.

Viola Davis (“The Woman King”)—Davis leads a group of all female-warriors.

Jennifer Lawrence (“Causeway”)—A U.S. soldier suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to life back home.

Best Supporting Actor

Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of In isherin”)

Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)

Eddie Redmayne (“The Good Nurse”)

Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”)

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley (“Women Talking”)

Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakan da Forever”)

Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Charmaine Bingwa (“Emancipation”)

Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of In isherin”)

Best Original Screenplay

“The Banshees of Inisherin” written by Martin McDonagh (Searchlight Pictures)

“TÁR” written by Todd Field (Focus Fea tures)

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” writ ten by Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (A24)

“The Fabelmans” written by Tony Kush ner, Steven Spielberg (Universal Pictures)

“Triangle of Sadness” written by Ruben Östlund (A24)

Best Adapted Screenplay

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” written by Rian Johnson, based on charac ters written by Johnson. (Netflix)

“She Said” written by Rebecca Lenkie wicz, based on the book by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, and the New York Times in vestigation by Kantor, Twohey and Rebecca Corbett. (Universal Pictures)

“The Whale” written by Samuel D. Hunter, based on the play by Hunter. (A24)

“Living” screenplay Kazuo Ishiguro, based on “Ikiru” by Akira Kurosawa, Shino bu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni. (Sony Pic tures Classics)

“Women Talking” written by Sarah Polley, based on the novel by Miriam Toews.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” writ ten by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, based on the comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. (Marvel Studios)

rected by Ryan Coogler

(Image by Gia Knight from Pixabay)

International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Fest a success in El Barrio

By MARGRIRA Special to the AmNews

At one point, in the history of New York City and especially in Harlem, the Puerto Rican population was significant because of the migration that began in the 19th cen tury when they were persuaded to leave their island, Puerto Rico, for better-pay ing jobs in the U.S. The majority settled in East Harlem, El Barrio, and today those same streets are mostly inhabited by Puerto Ricans, with a sizable number of Domini can, Cuban and Mexican immigrants.

Enter the International Puerto Rican Her itage Film Festival. Now in its 12th year, it’s clear on its mission to create platforms that allow a diverse pool of influencers in film making to reach a broader audience. They develop programs that allow local and in ternational filmmakers, from emerging art ists to film industry veterans, to reach out to audiences throughout New York City and beyond.

This year, IPRHFF honored Rosie Perez with a lifetime achievement award and the screening included 75 independent films, shorts, web series and music videos from across the world.

In accepting her 2022 Lifetime Achieve ment Award at El Museo De Barrio, the award-winning actress offered this in her warm and often very funny acceptance speech: “I’m not going to lie. It’s tough. It’s hard. Especially for us. But don’t give up. Don’t give them that satisfaction. Know who you are…know the business inside and out…also, don’t be afraid to expand certain narratives that need to be told. Certain nar ratives are not just specific to our commu nity but narratives that are very specific just to the human spirit and human condition. Because that’s what storytelling is all about. It’s about human beings.”

One of the short films that stood headand-shoulders above the rest was “Daugh ter of the Sea” written and directed by Alexis C. Garcia. The film stars Puerto Rican Amer ican superstar, Princess Nokia, as a young woman who receives a spiritual calling from Yemaya and is filmed on-location in Puerto Rico. It won Best Live Action Short.

Here are the winners for IPRHFF, which doubled last year’s attendance this year.

Best Animation: “The Walls”

Best Student Film: “Tip Your Pizza Guy”

Best Music Video: “Round and Round”

Best Live Action Short: “Daughter of the Sea”

Honorable Mention: “May I Take It Your Plate?”

Honorable Mention: “The Fix”

Best Documentary Short: “Puntadas Invisibles”

Honorable Mention: “Villas Pesqueras”

Honorable Mention: “Simple Locura: Henry Cole”

Best Web-series: “Slimies”

Honorable Mention: “Dad-raphy”

Best Documentary: “The Biggest Dream”

Honorable Mention: “Silent Beauty”

Honorable Mention: “Stewards of the Land”

Best Narrative Feature: “Mixtape”

Honorable Mention: “Planet b234 Estrella

Borinqueña: Memorias de Mi Familia”

Best Experimental Film: “AVA”

Best Director: Luis Enrique Rodríguez, “Todo Por Amor”

Best Actress: Juliana Rivera, “Todo Por Amor”

Best Actor: Martín Solá, “May I Take It Your Plate?”

Audience Choice Award: “For Those to Come” (“Por Los Que Vienen”)

For more information, visit iprhff.org.

Award-winning actress and IPRHFF’s Lifetime Achievement Recipient Rosie Perez with artist Richard Rodriguez (Alwida Santana photo)

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By GODDESS KYA

November 24, 2022 — November 30, 2022

Rebirth of a New Nation: November is the month of the behind-the-scenes work coming out into the light with all the distractions and worldwide news blasting every second. What matters the most is your peace of mind, family, duty, obligations, and protections for you and your family. A cycle to build, connect with your brother, sister, neighbors, and community, like in the good old-fashioned days your moms and pops told stories about. What is your story you can share to uplift others who can relate to your journey? Each one of you has a special mission, gifts, talents, expertise, and skills to provide and make a living on this earth to bring harmony and balance, bringing out the love in you and out of each other. You feel the presence of your ancestors, natural forces, and animals sending you messages and walking toward you, be it to comfort you or connect with you. Live in the moment and cherish it just as you do family and friends. “When there is love there is life.” Mahatma Gandhi

The deeper you dive into the root of an issue in search of answers, it’s best to start with you and how it started. A probing cycle to seek beyond the physical realm and plummet into the spiritual realm through meditation, spiritual guid ance, sound healing, instruments, water exercises, etc. to into your higher self. Information will be revealed to you in many ways. Partnerships, community outreach, and your due diligence with your plans are coming to completion to see results. On the backend of your daily aspects let it go to rediscover your greatest teacher, and asset which is you. Nov. 24-25, you’re thinking of a master plan and moving in a new direc tion mentally, spiritually, emotionally, financially, & physically.

You may experience a meeting of the minds where conversation with a great friend or person is enlightening and uplifting, ushering in new ideas and con cepts. Expect dramatic shifts with rapid decisions to make as opportunities are presented to you. Partnership is the theme; the one you have with yourself is more important. It’s a cycle to change your image as you head in a new direc tion. Something with communication is key and vital within the development of your plans or projects. Nov. 27-28, being at the right place at the right time is a universal alignment.

Makeup to break up, also cutting your ties with people, places, habits, and being honest with yourself. What’s the commitment to yourself and the proj ects you are building? A slow awkward weekly cycle with unexpected interfer ence as you get your point across. Romance, finance, careers, and personal and business relationships are eyeballing you at once. Strategize to handle your af fairs without a clash of the titans and instigators. Nov. 29-30, work and move in silence, no need for a grand introduction to prove who you are, don’t play your self short. You have work to do.

Money talks and bulls— walks to those who want to slander your name. On the brighter side your ancestors are reaching out to you to make power moves and investments as needed. Slow and steady wins the race as details and infor mation is revealed that change the course or direction of your life. The decision is solely up to you. As a friendly reminder, prior obligations are occurring, be it people or bills, and it’s time to straighten things out to clear your path moving forward. Clean the slate as the universe is on your side, plus Jupiter travels in Aries in 2023 after receiving a sneak peek from May 10-Oct. 28, 2022. Nov. 23-24, new begin nings are on the horizon just as the sunrise and sunset.

You are on a move, on a mission, also traveling far and a short distance. It’s part of your mission with the vision that was given. Certain conversations and news received put you on notice. You have a specific message to relate on a worldwide scale from the ancestors, board of advisors, and higher-ups. Re wards, recognition, sacred information, special meetings, and discussions with those in power are pronounced this week. An undertone is mirror mirror on the wall, the partnership you are building with yourself and others is prominent to set things in motion as you enter the new year. Nov. 25-26 is the grand plan; gather the resourc es and inventory because this is a whole mood.

Although money may seem funny it’s finally flowing in all directions you invested as you reap the benefits. Understanding how you make people feel leaves an imprint on their minds or heart, it’s best to remain true. Behind the scenes, a new cycle is beginning as old things fade out. Trim the fat to reduce cost, take inventory, old and new news, people are coming out of the woodwork as a result of the transformation so ride it out. This is a renewal, a rebirth of re constructing your image and plans. Nov. 27-28, this is a private and spiritual invite transformation with a special agenda, with selected people being informed.

November propels you to stand on your own two feet and be grounded while taking the good and indifferent. It’s a part of growth for your development to evolve into a mature you. You are on the go lately and assisting others as they return the favor to assist you. Massage your shoulders, back, and neck, and also stretch those areas to release tension. Catch up with a friend to bounce off ideas or have a gen eral conversation. The connection has a hidden message to understand your cir cumstances at the home and professionally. Nov. 29-30, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Those who are willing to journey a sacred path and release people, places, things, habits, and patterns are rewarded for the great deed. You experience a feeling of renewal as you understand part of your obligations and contri butions in this world. It’s been an interesting journey this year as the trans formation came through travel, spiritual encounter, sudden awakening, conversation, and probing for information to know thyself. Focus on your health, as your stomach may not agree with what you eat. Community out reach, public appearances, and coaching are in your forecast. Nov. 23-24 sees new terms, con ditions, and alliances as you focus on a new accord.

The foundation you built is expanding and it’s a beautiful fresh breath of air to see your plan manifest. Faith is a major key and believing in yourself. That was all you needed to start your journey. As you continue to make progress, find new ways to discover more facts about life and to engage in sharing, teaching others; the more well-rounded you become the more you can maneuver in this world. The behind-the-scenes work is being completed for any investments or grants, and paperwork for li censing is being processed. Nov. 25-26, bosses need self-care to rejuvenate for vitality.

The clock is ticking, and change is knocking on your door along with a new opportunity to move in a new direction. Spiritually and mentally, you’ve got to be ready as emotionally you have been drained, putting in the work and being obedient to your agenda. It’s time to see your flower blossom. Make sure you nourish them and yourself for the final stage to bear fruit. Things look easy as you review the outcome, yet the pro cess and experiences are what matter the most. That itself is the lesson in disguise to make an impact. Nov. 27-28, the divine creator has a message for you, be it through dreams, conversation, signs, or symbols to ensure you are on the right track.

Finance, romance, career, home and obligations have a date with you. Time management is important to avoid an overload. Delegate and handle your affairs accordingly to priority—ask for help. A weekly cycle to ask and apply the footwork that goes with receiving your blessing. Brush up on skills and check in with your family members; friends also trim the fat to reduce cost. Money will be coming in and out as bills are paid; keep your money in a recycle pattern. Grand opportunities are available, so knock on the door to choose a new direction in employment and relationships, or it’s your investment that brings the opportunity. Nov. 29-30, the stars are aligned.

Happy Solar return, can you say this big light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine daily from sunrise and sunset. You have a big heart and a bank wealth of knowl edge to share with folks across the globe. Let’s all stand to pray and meditate as you start your day for the protection to carry out your daily mission, duty, and responsibility to the divine creator. Kick off this season with a master plan in motion and move with force from mid-November until mid-December. Ignite the hearts and minds of the people to get into action. Bring fire to the pot of water on the stove that hasn’t boiled yet. Nov. 23-24, it’s a wake-up and shake-up call to action like the call to pray facing in an eastern direction in big momma and pops home.

Vinateria

‘The Piano Lesson’ is theatrical perfection!

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“The Piano Lesson” on Broad way at the Ethel Barrymore The atre on W. 47th Street is a living, breathing testament to the prolif ic, brilliant writing of the late great August Wilson. Wilson’s gift to stunningly put the legacy of Afri can Americans in this country on stage and present it through the detailed background of one fam ily’s story through the generations is something to experience and cherish. This play is a PERFECT THEATRICAL MASTERPIECE!

Wilson always had a way of intro ducing us to characters through engaging discourse that gives you bits and pieces of what a person is about. Then he lets each character have their moment in which they reveal who they are and the issues they are experiencing. There is a great deal of humor, moments of bringing up the past, and espe cially in “The Piano Lesson,” mo ments of recognizing the presence of spirits.

“The Piano Lesson” tells the story of Boy Willie who has come to Pittsburgh to try to get and sell his late father’s piano, which has been in the family for genera tions. The piano has the personal history of this family on it, going as way back as their grandparents who were enslaved. The piano is something that belongs to him and his sister Berniece. He looks at it as a means to a new begin ning for his life, but Berniece sees it for the importance it played in the lives and deaths of their family members. The rich history of this piano is beautifully and grippingly shared by characters throughout the play from Berniece to Doaker, the uncle who Berniece and her daughter Maretha live with, and Wining Boy, his brother. Regard less of the sharing of the story with Boy Willie’s friend Lymon, who has come to help him retrieve and sell the piano, Boy Willie is deter mined to go through with it. This production is the quintessen tial example of August Wilson’s work being presented with a great deal of flair, humor, respect and distinction.

The cast is absolutely mes merizing to watch! John David Washington brings a fire, relent lessness and a demand for re spect to his character that makes you see the multi-layers that Boy Willie has. Danielle Brooks as

Berniece is stupendous! She is the keeper of the pain, the love, the flame and the legacy that is held in every piece of wood and carving in this family heirloom. Samuel L. Jackson as Doaker has such a naturally smooth presence on stage. He is the wise elder in the family that keeps the peace, but also has a firm hand on what happens in his home. Michael Potts as Wining Boy is very funny. His character provides that musi cal element that fits so very well with this play. There is a shallow ness and a depth to Wining Boy. Berniece has an up-and-com ing preacher who is interested in her named Avery; that role was played by the understudy Charles Browning at the performance I at tended, and he was tremendous. When he began to talk of God, he could have led a revival! He was absolutely wonderful, while also demonstrating that he was a man with needs. Nadia Daniel was de lightful as Maretha, a role she shares with Jurnee Swan. April Matthis is quite funny as Grace, a girl Boy Willie brings home to romance, but then ends up with Lymon.

“The Piano Lesson” is what EX CEPTIONAL theater looks like! I felt like I was given a gift! In fact, the gift started even before the cur tain went up, as I looked around the audience and saw it filled with African Americans of all genera

tions. All there to support and see these actors who have found spe cial places in our hearts—Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks and Michael Potts. This play is also an unbelievable Broadway debut for actors we will be talking about in the future. Washington makes a flawless, powerful Broadway debut! His Boy Willie is intense and unforgettable! Ray Fisher as Lymon is also someone making his Broadway debut and is des tined to become a household name. He is funny, endearing, and has a stage presence that reaches over the footlights and eases into your heart!

All the technical elements helped to transport us to Pitts

burgh in 1936 through a de tailed,

set

sound

along with hair and wigs

Cookie Jordan. There was also a scene in the play that brought the house down and included chore ography by Otis Sallid, but I won’t say anymore.

If there is one play you see this season, make it “The Piano Lesson”! Allow some of August Wilson’s brilliance and mesmeriz ing words to serenade your heart and nourish your soul. This play comes together with such joy, splendor, respect and care and that is due to the sterling direction

For some, it is a moment of re flection and affirmation and for others, it is a moment of realiza tion of what we have been through to get to where we are today and Wilson’s love and respect for that!

Go see “The Piano Lesson” and make sure you take someone from the younger generation to keep the love, appreciation, and pride in Wilson’s work in the family! For tickets and more info, visit www. pianolessonplay.com.

two-level

designed by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by To ni-Leslie James, lighting by Japhy Weideman and

by Scott Lehrer,

by

of Latanya Richardson Jackson. Jackson took Wilson’s words and these actors and handles every moment with great care. There is a feeling of the Black family expe rience that comes from that stage that pulls you in, body and mind.

John David Washington (Julieta Cervantes photos)

Samuel L. Jackson and Ray Fisher in “The Piano Lesson”

Danielle Brooks in August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson”

Make holiday memories with sweet eats

Whether your festivities include imme diate family or bringing together relatives from around the country, the holidays are about making memories with loved ones. From the first days of the season to the last, many families spend their precious time together with favorite activities and the

Apple Custard

Sponge Trifle

Servings: 8-10

6 Envy apples

2 tablespoons golden caster sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, water

1 tablespoon corn flour

1 large plain sponge cake

2 cups vanilla bean custard

1/2 cup caramel or butterscotch sauce, plus additional for garnish, divided 1/2 cup cream fresh apple slices fresh strawberry slices

Peel, core and dice apples; place in large saucepan. Add caster sugar, cin namon and 1/2 cup water. Simmer apples 5-8 minutes until tender.

Combine corn flour and remain ing water. Stir corn flour mixture into apples until apples are syrupy.

Cut sponge cake into 2-centimeter diced pieces. Arrange 1/3 of sponge pieces in base of serving bowl. Add half of cinnamon apple pieces, in cluding syrupy juices. Add 1 cup cus tard and drizzle with 1/4 cup caramel sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredi ents, finishing with sponge cake; chill.

Whip cream and spoon dollops over sponge cake to cover top. Garnish with apple slices, strawberry slices and caramel sauce.

best foods the holidays have to offer. This year, you can change things up and start new traditions with a fresh ingredient like Envy apples, which provide an easy way to update classics due to their sweet taste and availabili ty. The sweet, sophisticated flavor; uplifting, fresh aroma; delightfully satisfying crunch;

Apple Wreath

Balsamic

Salad:

To make balsamic dressing: In small serving bowl, whisk honey, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, balsamic vine gar and olive oil.

Place dressing bowl in center of large board or platter. Ar range arugula around dress ing bowl in wreath shape.

Place apple slices on top of arugula. Sprinkle on goat cheese, pomegranate arils and pecans.

beautiful appearance; and naturally white flesh that doesn’t brown as quickly as other apples all lend themselves to shareable recipes like this Apple Wreath Salad or Roasted Apple Macaro ni and Cheese, both perfect for holiday parties. Because cherished memories are made with sweet ingredients, you can turn cozy

Brown Butter Apple Pie

Streusel Topping: 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 4 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Filling: 4 tablespoons butter 2 pounds Envy apples,

Preheat oven to 375 F.

To make streu sel topping: Mix flour, chopped pecans and light brown sugar. Stir in butter using fingertips until incorporated with small lumps of butter visible. Refrigerate.

To make filling: In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter until amber, stirring often. Set aside to cool. In large bowl, stir sliced apples, brown sugar, cinna mon, nutmeg, salt, va nilla and flour using spatula. Pour brown butter over apples and

cut into 1/4-inch slices 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinna mon 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 tablespoons flour 1 deep dish frozen pie shell

mix, scraping skillet with rubber spatula to incorporate brown butter bits.

Place frozen pie shell on baking sheet. Add 2 cups apple mix ture into shell, gently pressing apple slices for even base. Add re maining apple slices and gently press. Sprin kle streusel topping evenly over apples.

Bake 30 minutes then reduce oven tempera ture to 350 F and bake 35-45 minutes until topping is golden and apples feel tender when pierced with fork.

movie nights into festive and memorable events year after year by pairing Hallmark Channel’s popular “Countdown to Christ mas” holiday movies with delicious des serts like Apple Custard Sponge Trifle and Brown Butter Apple Pie. Find more memo ry-making recipes at EnvyApple.com

Roasted Apple Macaroni and Cheese

Salted water

1 pound macaroni noodles 4 tablespoons butter 1 Envy apple, peeled and diced 4 tablespoons flour 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups milk 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add noodles and cook until just tender. Drain and set aside.

In large pot over high heat, melt butter then saute diced apple until car amelized and tender. Sprin kle in flour and stir. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Whisk in heavy cream and milk; bring to boil, whisking frequently so milk doesn't burn.

Once boiling, turn heat to low and whisk in cheddar cheese, Romano cheese, gruyere cheese, salt and Worcestershire. Continue whisking until cheese is melted thoroughly.

1 cup Romano cheese, grated 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon Worcestershire

Topping: 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Carefully pour mix ture into large blender and blend on high until smooth.

Pour cheese sauce over noodles and stir.

Pour macaroni and cheese into 9-by-13-inch pan and spread evenly.

Heat oven to broil.

To make topping: In medium bowl, melt butter and stir in panko breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs over macaroni and cheese; broil until golden brown.

The newly renovated James Earl Jones Theatre (©2022 T. Whitney Cox photo)

Apple Custard

Sponge Trifle

Apple Wreath Salad

Brown Butter Apple Pie

Roasted Apple Macaroni and Cheese

‘Where the Mountain Meets the Sea’ is momentous theater

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

There is something very ground ing and important about the rela tionship between a father and a son, especially in the Black, Hai tian and Caribbean communities. That is a relationship that is fos tered at a young age, that teach es the son what it means to grow up as a Black man. It teaches the son responsibility, how to care for themselves and others. It teach es a son their worth in this world on a certain level. It is a bond that enriches their lives and gives them something to hold onto and build from. But what happens when that relationship is instead blocked? What happens when a father decides that he and his son have such different approaches to what being a male can entail and what it cannot that they grow dis tant and isolated? There is some thing about sitting in the audience at “Where the Mountain Meets the Sea” that brings one to a stunning realization that nothing should be allowed to stand in the way of this paramount relationship. The rel evant and timely play by Jeff Au gustin shares the story of a Haitian immigrant who came to Miami, Jean, and had dreams of building a life in America. He was a good man, a hard worker and some one who had fond memories of

his home country and was guard ed when it came to adapting to the lifestyles of the United States. Jean was an intelligent man who had to take menial work but still pushed on in his new home. Then you have his son Jonah, a student who has a lifestyle that his father cannot abide by, and this finds them never getting to build that necessary father/son bond.

Augustin’s deeply felt, brilliant ly written work takes the audience on a journey into the memories, histories and the holes that existed

in this father and son’s relationship and the son’s desperate journey to try and fill in those holes as he tries to find out who his parents were by taking a road trip they took years before. This play is filled with sig nificant moments in these charac ters’ lives that lead to them being the men they are today. Jonah’s pain over his isolated childhood and his father’s approach toward raising him are quite disturbing to watch, but they are sadly something that is very real in our communities.

I believe that Augustin’s play can

serve as a catalyst to get families to address the issue of Black fathers’ blockage in accepting their Black sons who don’t fit into the box of manhood that they were raised in their countries to believe in. It is so damaging to any person to not feel they are worthy of your love and your acceptance. But it is also something that a father can’t be blamed for because it is how they were raised. At least this play could start a conversation.

With the difficult topic of this play, the playwright’s message is

made more digestible to the au dience by allowing the characters’ pain to be expressed in live folk performances of Mountain music beautifully delivered by the Beng sons—Abigail and Shaun, who share the stage with the actors. The audience gets an appreciation for the beauty of the Creole lan guage and its translation as there are times when things are spoken and sung in that language. You can hear the love a person holds and their memories of the beauty of their homeland that they never got to see again. The engaging, smooth direction of Joshua Kahan Brody allows the audience to connect with these characters, their love for their native home, but also the estranged relationship that now leaves a son searching for answers, love and acceptance, not just from others, but from himself.

This play runs 80 minutes without an intermission. Billy Eugene Jones is absolutely heartwarming, deter mined and torn as Jean. Chris Myers gives a stunningly poignant perfor mance that succeeds in showing compassion, understanding and an epiphany for his character and for all those young Black men out there who need to feel that they are worthy of all the good things in life. Please go and see this play and feel the grandeur of its message. It is playing at 131 W. 55th Street be tween 7th and 6th Avenues.

Sojourner Truth drama returns to NYC stage

The

weekend. Directed by Rhonda “Passion” Hansome, the new 60-minute play illuminates Black abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sojourner Truth’s unrelenting fight to rescue her son after he is abducted and taken

down South. Produced by Domani Productions, the play explores tangled race relations, the ongoing toll of in justice and one woman’s courageous vision of a better future. For more info, visit www.dustofegypt.com

seven-member cast of playwright Karin Abarba nel’s “Dust of Egypt” returned to the Teatro Latea stage on the Lower East Side for their final two performanc es in the New York Theater Festival WinterFest 2022 last

(L-R) Chris Myers and Billy Eugene Jones in a scene from “Where the Mountain Meets the Sea” (Matt Murphy photo)

Scenes from “Dust of Egypt” (Joshua Popo / @jp_portraits.intl photos)

Stage adaption of ‘My Broken Language’ moves the heart & engages the mind

By RICHARD RODRIGUEZ Special to the AmNews

Quiara Alegría Hudes’ memoir “My Broken Language” arrived in my mailbox as a mystery. I had not ordered the book but some how it found its way to me. I don’t believe in coincidences. As a Puerto Rican, the eldest son of hard-working immigrants, what struck me, from just reading the first page, was how clearly her story connected with my own. She understood me even though we have never met. Usually, I am a fast reader, devouring words. But not with Hudes—with her, I took my time. I found her collec tion of sentences, paragraphs and chapters impactful and marveled at how they pierced my heart and occupied my brain.

Her words transported me through time, inserting me into her own memories. Hudes wrote of her grandmother’s household: “Bodies were the mother tongue at Abuela’s, with Spanish second and English third. Dancing and assslapping, palmfuls of rice, pony tail-pulling, and wound-dressing, banging a pot to the clave beat.”

Now to the play adaptation of Hudes’ 300-page memoir “My Broken Language,” which she directed. This is a love letter of sorts. Dedicated to her female relatives, the “Perez women” a.k.a. the “Philly Ricans,” who inspired her to become a play wright (librettist and screen writer of “In the Heights” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Water by the Spoonful”).

In the play we are introduced to that extended Philly Rican family, where she answers to her nickname, Qui Qui, picking key moments like learning the per fect way to cook Abuela’s rice, and how to honor the religion of their ancestors, often whispered about at gatherings with a mix ture of reverence and fear.

Inside the Signature theater, I was seated directly above the sacred space reserved for the worship of the orichás, and since I don’t believe in coincidences, I knew that the aisle seat was des tined for me, understanding what was unsaid and feeling the other energies infused into Arnulfo Mal donado’s alluring blue-tile set.

Qui Qui’s mother, Virginia,

dances through choreographer Eboni Williams’ movement serv ing as the theatrical link embody ing the Orisha of lightning in her religious practice, which is a step ping stone to her daughter’s “pos session” as a writer.

The importance of Virgin ia’s religious beliefs is painted throughout the memoir and is an important part of her family’s his tory, again connecting the dots to my own, and that of many other Puerto Ricans.

Hudes, best known for her stage work, has returned to her roots after a self-imposed four-year exile. The five performers in many ways represent her voice and the family at different times, slid ing into each character at differ ent ages, switching comfortably among characters and tongues as

the author finds her own voice.

As the director, Hudes lifted sev eral sections of her book and in fused them with dance and live music played by pianist Ariacne Trujillo Duran. The play consists of performers Yadira Correa, Yani Marin, Samora la Perdida and Marilyn Torres and includes her longtime collaborators Zabryna Guevara and Daphne Rubin-Ve ga, who both brought a gravitas to the emotional weight of the piece.

There are six scenes spanning from the age of 10 to 26. The one that made my spleen quiver hap pened when, at 18, Qui Qui while dyeing her cousin Nuchi’s hair blonde discovers she can’t read, even though she graduated from high school. “They just pass you.

I just stood in the back.”

One of the saddest facts about

being Puerto Rican in this coun try is how many of our people meet tragic ends at early ages. Our mir rors, ‘thrones,’ and photo albums are packed with mourning flyers displaying a picture of the deceased from a happier time. The birthdate and death date printed under it— “gone too soon”—uttered in Span ish as another soul is removed from a future, snatched and snapped in two. Here too, I am connect ed to the grief that is shown by the sheer amount of the flyers that have amassed over the years like a collec tion of mournful Pokemon cards.

And yet, like the Puerto Rican community, Hudes located that joy erupting from unexpected places and she let it loose in the 90-minute whirlwind that is “My Broken Language”—painting her struggles to understand her place

as she navigates two worlds, two cultures, two languages, in bright, colorful and bold strokes across the stage.

I felt the strength, love, and loss among the Perez family because it mirrored my own. And I feel the call to action and the spark of my own ambition coming back to life and a need to create my own work to be included in that library of us where our stories are missing. And like Qui Qui’s 14-year-old sister watching the play she’s written about her, I res onate with her response: “It hurt, but I feel seen.”

“My Broken Language” is inter changeable with the author and the life of being a Puerto Rican trying to figure it out in Ameri ca, and it’s true, this play hurts in places, but at least, I am seen.

(Courtesy photo)

AUDELCO AWARDS CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY, GROOVITUDE

The 50th annual Vivian Robinson Audelco Recognition Awards “The Viv” for Excellence in Black Theatre will take place Nov. 28 at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Cham bers St., from 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Some of the many award pre sentations will include the Pio neer Awards to Peggy Alston, Ben Horney, filmmaker and educator Jamaal Joseph, and LaZette Mc Cants. McCants became a volun teer for AUDELCO in 1983 after meeting Flora Polk, who was the or ganization’s volunteer coordinator.

Over the past 40 years, McCants has worn a variety of AUDELCO hats, including a member of the Board of Directors and Nominating Commit tee, event planner/coordinator, and volunteer coordinator in promoting and building audiences for African American performing artists.

“My enthusiasm and apprecia tion of visual and performing arts are expressed as I spread the word and encourage individuals to look at the bigger picture of art and what it means for our culture. Art crosses all boundaries: racial, religious, gender and economics.” In 2010, McCants formed an informal group, Volun teer Divas & Divos Plus—Volunteers for Arts & Culture and Communi ty to keep building momentum of the revived spirit of volunteerism.

The Board of Directors Award will be presented to longtime entertain ment editor and New York Beacon journalist Don Thomas, who stated, “I am so appreciative for this award. My thanks to Jacqueline Jeffries. I am so happy to see the vision of Vivian Robinson is still going strong.” The award will also be presented to New

York State Assemblywoman Inez Dickens (70th District), President of Walk Tall Girl Productions Marcia Pendleton and renowned radio host Jeanne Parnell. “Well, it’s about time,” laughed the popular radio personality. “No, seriously, Vivian Robinson, who was on my radio show many times, had a wonderful idea [in] starting this entire event re flecting the importance of Black the ater [and] acknowledging those off and on the stage.”

On this 50th anniversary all prais es and love go to Vivian Robinson, who founded AUDELCO in 1973 out of her great love for Black the ater. She formed the nonprofit or ganization, which is an acronym for Audience Development Commit tee, while she was still working at the Amsterdam News in the market ing department. More importantly,

her soul purpose was to generate more recognition, understanding and awareness in the Black com munities, to promote better public relations and to develop a strong au dience for nonprofit Black theater and dance companies, as A. Peter Bailey noted in an article he wrote on Robinson in the early 1980s. One of the co-founders was Rob inson’s best friend, Mary B. Davis. They were like Thelonious Monk and Charlie Rouse; they made great music together that has withstood the test of time. Together those two persevering women probably saw more Black plays than anyone in history. During those times the nonprofit Black theater circuit in cluded the National Black Theater, Negro Ensemble Company, Roger Furman Theater, Voza Rivers New Heritage Theater Group, Billie Holi

day Theater, Black Spectrum, Cross roads Theater in New Jersey, Woodie King Jr. New Federal Theater at the Henry Street Settlement and others. Robinson played a major role in bringing these theaters together to form a family.

The AUDELCO Recognition Awards were created because Rob inson felt the great actors and ac tresses who were performing in all those wonderful (her favorite word) nonprofit Black plays should be awarded just like the actors on Broadway.

For tickets and information, con tact: Jacqueline Jeffries at 949-2918266, jlorraine3@yahoo.com or the AUDELCO message center: 212368-6906 info@audelco.org.

Hey Rim Jeon, born in Seoul, Korea, has a most prestigious rep utation as a jazz educator, recog nized as the first Korean professor at the Berklee College of Music. Since 2010, she has been active as an as sistant professor in the Piano De partment of the Berklee College of Music. Since 2018, she has utilized her expertise as an associate profes sor in the Piano Department of the Berklee College of Music.

As an educator, she has the tech niques down and the theory def initely in place, but can she play?

Her latest album “Groovitude” contains nine tracks that will perk jazzhead ears; she offers inventive reconstructed versions of traveled standards, memorable originals, the Korean folk song “Spring in Hometown” and the Korean pop song “100 Years of Promise.” She takes Louis Armstrong’s popular hit “It’s a Wonderful World” and turns it into a cornbread blues number that swings in every di rection. For her interpretation of “100 Years of Promise,” she plays whispering cascades of dancing

melodies. Jeon’s rendition of the Beatles’ 1965 hit “Michelle” re mains a heartfelt ballad under her touch with bellowing basslines by bassist John Lockwood. Her origi nal tune “Daughter’s Dance” is one of the few up-tempo tracks, totally straight-ahead smooth but swing ing piano riffs with warm bouncy tones with Lockwood and drum mer Teri Lyne Carrington stretch ing out. The pianist is supported by three-time Grammy Award winner and fellow Berklee College col league drummer Carrington and Lockwood on bass (Tracks 1-6) and drummer Yoron Israel and bassist Greg Holt (Tracks 7-8).

Jeon tickles the keys similarly to her piano hero Oscar Peterson, whose album “We Get Requests” (RCA, 1964) permanently changed her musical direction from classical to jazz at the age of 17; she also has traces of Ahmad Jamal. “Because I had a classical background, when I listened to him and was told that he improvised, that certainly caught my attention. I was mesmerized by his playing and the idea that one could make up music rather than just playing what was written down.

“I am making my personal expe rience a universal one. Each song in this album has a special meaning to me, and I hope it will touch your heart. I recorded this album while my father was battling with cancer,” said Jeon. “He wanted to listen to nice and soothing music while he was fighting for his life, but after two and a half years of pandemic, I can’t think of any better time to re lease this album. My father wasn’t able to listen to it, but I am happy to share it with you in the spirit of love and hope.”

Vivian Robinson (Photo courtesy of AUDELCO)

Kittie Knox of cycling fame and fashion CLASSROOM IN THE

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

In pursuit of research on Harlem in the 1890s, I was surprised to discover how pop ular bicycling was then, which really should not have been such a stunning revelation. Anyway, I discovered a group called the Harlem Wheelmen and that they had annual races whose starting point was in Marcus Garvey Park, then called by its original name, Mt. Morris Park. Then I learned that Harlem was by no means unique in bicycle racing. In fact, one major event occurred in Boston, and there was even by 1893 an organization called the League of American Wheelmen. This league, like most leagues of this day, was for whites only. But that barrier was not high or wide enough to prevent Kittie Knox from gaining admission, something she was able to do because she was bi-racial. Exam ining a picture of her, it’s hard to believe she could fool anybody about her race—her complexion was clearly of a darker hue. And bear in mind there were very few women of any color in the League. It wasn’t long before her speed and her appealing apparel put her in the spotlight, and Knox was on her way to celebrity and championships.

Knox was born on Oct. 7, 1874, in Cam bridgeport, Mass. Her mother was white and her father was a Black tailor, and it was pos sibly from him that she later became a tal ented seamstress, often making her own eye-catching garments. After the death of her father when she was 7, the family moved to the West End of Boston to a section of town where poor Blacks lived cheek-to-jowl with immigrants. Very little is known about her educational development, if any at all. When she came of age, she found work as a seamstress, while her brother, Ernest, la bored as a steamfitter.

When she wasn’t busy with her needles and thread, Knox began showing an interest in cy cling. Soon, she had earned enough money to buy her first bicycle. People often stared in wonder at the young Black girl speeding through town, where only the quickest eyes could behold her fabulous riding attire. Her enthusiasm for biking expanded when she became a member of the Riverside Cycle Club. It was often specu lated about whether she truly was a card-carry ing member of the club since women were not allowed to participate in the sport.

Not only was she an active participant in the sport, but she was also soon riding off with the top prizes and it was hard not to notice her outfits as she embraced the tro phies. A greater pleasure arrived when she was allowed to be a member of the League of American Wheelmen (L.A.W.) in 1893, a first-ever for an African American. It was widely debated whether Knox was an actual member because of the color bar that re

stricted African Americans from becom ing members. Obviously, she caused a lot of controversy, both in terms of race, ability, and certainly her fashionable, stylish ward robe. Two years later, in 1895, she won her first major race in Waltham, Mass.

Apparently because of her standout perfor mances, her gender and color—to say noth ing of how she dressed—stories about her in the press tended to focus on what she wore, though the other racers received no com ment about their style and presentation. Ac cording to one account, she was described as a “comely colored maiden,” a “murky god dess of Beanville,” or more stereotypically “a beautiful and buxom Black bloomerette.” How all of this affected her is not known, and since she had received so much of it an immunity to them may have staved off the brunt of the negative characterizations.

Whatever the case, Knox continued to com

pete and to take home the prizes for her tri umphs with no apparent change in how she dressed and comported herself. Of course, there were times when her race impeded her entry, and one incident in Asbury Park is often recounted by writers. She was sin gled out and denied service at restaurants and hotels in New Jersey.

A more in-depth account of her achieve ments can be found in the National Museum of African American History and Culture Li brary. She is also featured in several cycling journals at the Smithsonian. In lieu of more material about her, we offer two photos that give some idea of her complexion and the way she often dressed—note the knicker bockers. According to Wikipedia, she died in 1900 from kidney disease and was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in a public lot.

A headstone was erected for her by family members on September 29, 2013.

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

One source often cited is the book “Boston’s Cy cling Craze, 1880-1900” by Lorenz J. Finison, and it details some of Kittie’s experiences during this time. See also, “Break ing the Cycle: The Kittie Knox Story” by Grace Miller in Smithsonian magazine, May 26, 2020.

DISCUSSION

Not much is known of her early years before cycling fame.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

She died at 26, thus the great promise of her life was curtailed.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

Nov. 20, 1976: Olym pic gymnast Dominique Dawes was born in Silver Spring, Md.

Nov. 21, 1904: Jazz great and saxophonist Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Mo. He died in 1969.

Nov. 21, 1971: Defen sive end for New York Giants Michael Strahan was born in Houston.

Kittie Knox

leadership and Assemblyman Taylor rising in ranks, and Senator Cleare,” said Ishmael. “It’s my position that Harlem should be injecting additional leadership into what we have as op posed to just shuffling people around in differ ent seats. That’s the case I’ve been making.”

In a dramatic flair, complete with hot choc olate and pound cake for constituents, Taylor then announced his candidacy for District 9 this Tuesday. Taylor has been the longtime bow-tie wearing pastor of Infinity Mennonite Church on West 146th Street, an assembly member for the last five years, and has never shied away from publicly speaking on his ex periences in the criminal justice system. He

Poll Worker

the district for eight years, but she switched from being a Democrat to a Republican and then back again. The switch prevented her from being a coordinator. Collymore said that she has a certain select amount of jobs to assign and approve poll workers for. Due to a miscom munication, the Board of Elections had filled a coveted slot that Sunderland wanted and took a training for.

“It’s my job to be accommodating for poll workers which is a lovely thing to do; however it

said the district needs a representative with a proven record of working with colleagues to deliver on housing, health services, education al excellence, public safety and criminal justice reform to residents.

Taylor was born in North Carolina and raised in Harlem. His grandmother was a superinten dent. He said he was around age 16 when he started getting arrested and using drugs. He left the city and dropped out of high school at 18, eventually joining the military. Taylor was first elected in a special election back in 2017. He said he doesn’t see city council as a step down in terms of office at all.

“I’m running because Harlem, especially East Harlem, needs an effective voice in City Hall. One that hears,” said Taylor. “I’m going to learn the needs of this community. I don’t want to come in with an agenda and have all the answers. Don’t

started going rocky when she asked me for early voting days,” said Collymore. “Then she started complaining to me about it as if I did something to her. I said no, she just really wanted to work. But guess what? Everyone wants to work. This is a great opportunity to get financial assistance.”

Sunderland said that because she was “the only white person that went to the meetings” that she was being discriminated against by Collymore and couldn’t get placed at the East New York polling site for early voting. Working early voting days equals higher pay.

“By no stretch of the imagination is she the only white woman and there are middle class white folks that are in need just like everybody

vote for nobody like that if they’re not willing to sit and listen and learn your concerns.”

Taylor added that he admires Salaam “100%” for his perseverance in the face of struggle, and in his conversations with him has agreed to run the “highest level of campaigns” as equals. “The voters will make a decision which one of us they want, and they will have the opportunity to kick tires and check us out,” said Taylor.

Taylor has already formed an alliance of sup port with Sen. Cordelle Cleare and Assembly member Eddie Gibbs, whom he hopes will help him score points with voters in East Harlem. Cleare said she definitely supports Taylor as a candidate who can save Harlem and move the community forward. She said that she doesn’t see a “clash or war“ happening among Harlem electeds, it’s just people running for office.

The Amsterdam News reached back out to

else. There’s also pockets in our communi ties that are financially stressed, NYCHA poll workers, and we have a lot of senior citizens who are people of color who need the money,” said Collymore.

The Kings County Dems confirmed that Sunderland never made any official claims or complaints against Collymore for abusing her power before resorting to harassment and vile language.

Sunderland brazenly questioned why there weren’t more white people working at the poll sites (in a historically Black district) and as sumed Collymore kept her from a job on pur pose. She acknowledged sending the hostile

Richardson Jordan. She had no com ment at this time in regards to Taylor’s announcement.

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 taxdeductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://bit.ly/amnews1

email out of frustration and that it was a “little stupid” on her part. She denies anything she said was racist or harsh, and said she didn’t re alize she had used the n-word in her email.

“There are white people that are niggers as well. There are white niggers and Black nig gers. It’s not a racist word. It’s a word like slang for a lowlife person,” said Sunderland as to her reasoning. “I’m a college grad. I went to gradu ate school for a year. I’ve been a teacher in my profession and I don’t want to be told by some Black woman—or white woman—that I’m not going to be given an early election job because she has to take care of her community.”

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The EXONERATED 5’s Dr. Yusef Salaam (campaign photo)

Education

Dr. Calvin Mackie new inaugural participant in Micron Nonprofit Leaders of Color Fellowship

The Center for Public and Nonprofit Lead ership (CPNL) at Georgetown University named Dr. Calvin Mackie, founder of STEM Global Action (SGA) and STEM NOLA, as an inaugural participant in the Micron Non profit Leaders of Color Fellowship.

In making the announcement honoring the work of the Micron Fellows, Robert Sim mons, head of Social Impact and STEM Pro grams at the Micron Foundation, said that there has been a failure to provide equitable access to funding for leaders of color.

“It isn’t conjecture,” Simmons said. “Re search by Echoing Green and Bridgespan tell the story. But more importantly, the voices of leaders of color tell the story. Their voices speak to the challenges but also embrace the beauty of their successes. It is time to move beyond DEI framing in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector…and make decisive steps towards justice. This is just one step in that effort, but I believe there is still more work to do.”

Georgetown University and the Micron Foundation awarded Dr. Mackie and seven other nonprofit leaders the fellowship, a pro gram that will build the personal leadership of the participants, increase the capacity of their organizations, and strengthen their networks. Each winner receives a full tuition scholarship to attend the Spring 2023 Non profit Management Executive Certificate Program at Georgetown University, month ly meetings with an assigned mentor, par ticipation in a peer learning cohort, and the opportunity to apply for up to $25,000 in general operating support from the Micron Foundation.

“I am honored to be chosen for this honor,” said Dr. Mackie. “We are creating something incredible at STEM Global Action. We are going into communities in New Orleans and across the country and working with K-12 students on STEM activities that get them interested in biology, medicine, engineering, math, and so many other STEM fields. More importantly, this is happening in their com munities, in low-income, under-resourced areas where the experts said that it can’t be done. Our goal is No More Lost Einsteins! We are taking STEM learning to the people who need it most.”

Just last weekend, Dr. Mackie hosted a STEM Saturday in New Orleans where the SGA affiliate STEM NOLA “Powered by En tergy,” in partnership with Ochsner Health System, helped children learn about their heart and circulatory system, including how their pulse, blood flow, valves and chambers all work together to pump blood throughout their bodies.

The more than 150 children attending the event dissected sheep hearts, were exposed to technology with model hearts being print ed on a 3-D printer, experienced the inside of the heart and circulatory system through virtual reality, and left with their own me chanical heart that they built. Healthcare professionals from Ochsner worked with stu dents along with more than 75 medical stu dents from Tulane University and LSU, as well as undergraduates from local colleges.

Over the last month alone, SGA has part nered with George Washington Universi ty for a STEM Saturday event in Alexandria, Va., with Department of Defense STEM, City of Gulfport and STEM Gulf Coast for an event in Gulfport, Miss. and with 21stCentED and Bridgeport Public Schools for an event in Bridgeport, Conn. At each of these big trade show-like events, up to 60 stations allow kids and their parents to engage in activities like operating a robot, building cars that run and drones that fly, watching a live sheep heart dissection, riding a hovercraft, and much more. Students learn and have fun. SGA trucks the stations to each location.

Like Simmons, Mackie has noted a need for more robust funding for nonprofits of color by the government and philanthropy.

“The experts gather around and talk about the disparities and the problems, but then they continue to provide the overwhelming amount of the funding to organizations that don’t know our communities and don’t know how to motivate and teach Black and brown children, especially in STEM fields,” Mackie said.

“We know how to do it and we are doing it week after week after week. And we have a model that can be scaled to communities coast to coast.”

Mackie, a former tenured engineering pro fessor at Tulane University, holds a bachelor of science in mathematics from Morehouse College, as well as a bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Geor gia Tech.

Congolese Queen Diambi visits Queens College

Presenting a command performance, Queens College President Frank H. Wu welcomed Her Majesty Queen Diambi Kabatusuila Tshiyoyo Muata of the Dem ocratic Republic of Congo to campus on Thursday, Nov. 17. A CUNY alumna— she holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Staten Island—Queen Diambi stopped by the lab of Queens College bi ologist Sebastian Alvarado, who studies Burton’s mouthbrooder (Astatotilapia burtoni), a fish endemic to Lake Tang anyika, which borders Congo. As if on

cue, one of the fish gave birth in a small, hand-held tank as the queen looked on. During the visit, Wu presented the queen with a “Certificate of Esteemed Recognition,” marking her visit and for having initiated enhanced collabora tion with the college. The queen’s visit culminated in a reception attended by faculty, staff, and students in her honor at the Tanenbaum Room in Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library. Click here to watch a video of the queen’s visit with remarks from both her and President Wu.

How student loan forgiveness could boost Black homeownership rates

By JILL JARACZ Stacker

Six in 10 millennials who don’t own a home say it’s because of student loan debt, according to a 2021 survey from the National Association of Realtors. College costs skyrocketed in the last two decades. Average tuition between 2010-11 and 2020-21 school years rose nearly 31% at public universities and more than 41% at private universities, according to the Education Data Ini tiative. Students now pay an average of $35,551 a year.

This debt has worsened the racial homeownership gap, which has wid ened over decades of discriminatory lending practices, racist housing pol icies, and barriers to wealth for Black Americans and other people of color. These trends led higher numbers of stu dents from marginalized communities to assume additional financial risk for a

college degree.

For many, loans make college possible. More than 45 million people in 2020 had student loan debt, averaging $37,693 per person, per Education Data Initia tive. These costs have made it difficult for many to afford a down payment on a home. The homeownership rate falls by nearly 2 percentage points for every additional $1,000 in student loan debt a borrower holds, according to the Feder al Reserve.

Stacker examined data from the Fed eral Reserve and the Department of Ed ucation to see how federal student loan forgiveness could boost U.S. homeown ership rates, particularly among Black Americans.

Because Black Americans have his torically been unable to build wealth as easily as their non-Black counter parts, they’re relying more on loans to

L. to r., Queens College biology professor Sebastian Alvarado, President Frank H. Wu, and Her Majesty Queen Diambi Kabatusuila Tshiyoyo Muata look on as Burton’s mouthbrooder gives birth. (Andy Poon photo, Queens College)

the highest rates of adolescent pregnan cies in the English-speaking Caribbean,” said Diane Pollard, president of the Issa Trust Foundation.

“One out of every four students had considered suicide. Jamaica lags behind international standards with respect to its capacity to deliver mental health servic es to its population. All of these factors should be of a major concern to every one, and I hope more partners will step up [and] join forces with us to help our future generation,” she said.

New York radio broadcaster Conroy Al lison of Winner’s Circle radio, 93.5 FM is being hailed for the critical role he has played in rallying support from the Ja maican diaspora community. Allison bro

International

Continued from page

“Fossil fuel production, if adopted, will stop Africa from leapfrogging towards a renewable and clean energy future,” said Dean Bhekumuzi Bhebhe of Powershift Africa. “We pledge to continue pushing for The Africa We Want beyond COP27.”

WOMEN CALL OUT THEIR UNDER-REPRESENTATION

AT U.N. CLIMATE CONFAB

(GIN)—More than 20 years since the first U.N. climate conference was held, less than five women have been climate conference presidents out of 110 heads of state and government.

Women are now calling for greater repre sentation at the next conference to be held next year in the United Arab Emirates.

Last year the percentage of women sent from participating countries was around 37, while over 70% of total speaking time by del egates was taken up by men, according to the United Nations Foundation.

To highlight their demands, a photo of global leaders attending this year’s con ference in Sharm el Shaikh, Egypt, was displayed at the conference hall, and cap tioned: “Notice Anyone Missing?”

While progress seems to have been made by countries sending female representatives as part of the delegation, Elise Buckle, co-found er of She Changes Climate, said it is disappoint

kered an important deal to have the gala’s PSA air at the top of the hour on the Ca ribbean centric WVIP, 93.5 FM radio sta tion for four weeks.

“Many thanks to the management of WVIP, 93.5 F.M. for supporting this Issa Trust Foundation fundraising gala with valuable air time which is so necessary to get the word out to our Jamaican/Carib bean community,” Allison said.

Wife of the Prime Minister Andrew Holnes and Member of Parliament for St. Andrew East Rural Juliet Holness was patron of the fundraising event which fea tured performances from iconic reggae band Third World, DJ Norrie and singer/ actor Leon & the People’s band.

Sponsors include Mayberry Investments, Wisynco, Stacy B Travel, Dream Vacations, Fraser, Fontaine & Kong, Richmond Es tates and the Jamaica Tourist Board.

ing to have less than 10 women of the about 110 heads of state who attended the conference.

“When we talk about representation it is about more than numbers; it is meaning ful representation and inclusion,” said Nada Elbohi, an Egyptian feminist and youth advo cate, in a press release. “It is bringing the prior ities of African women and girls to the table.”

“There is no climate justice without human rights,” said Mara Dolan with the Women’s Environment and Development Organization. “It’s a common misconcep tion that women’s groups only care about getting the word ‘women’ on the agenda. … We come to this conference looking for a full recognition and realization of human rights. And gender justice is one piece of that.”

In 2021, more than 200 environmental and land defenders were murdered, according to Global Witness, a nonprofit that exposes the role of industries like mining and logging and how they commit human rights abuses.

At an event prior to the conference, par ticipating climate activists included Nada Elbohi, Salimata Ba, Sylvia Diamond Dorbor, Zainab Yunusa, Pricsilla Achakpa and Ger trude Kenyangi. Ms Yunusa observed: “Eighty percent of climate refugees are women. Dis placement affects everyone, but with women and girls in Africa it affects us the most.”

“Let us make sure women, in their diver sity, have an equal say in decisions around climate policy,” said U.N. Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. “They must be at the heart of climate action.”

MEETING OF PRESIDENTS BIDEN AND MUSEVENI AT U.S.-AFRICA SUMMIT DRAWS PROTESTS

(GIN)—President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni on the sidelines of the U.S.-Afri ca leaders’ Summit this coming Dec. 13-15 in Washington, D.C.

The meeting will take place at the White House with the two leaders expected to discuss, among other things, the security situation in Africa.

President Biden outlined his agenda for the upcoming confab. “The U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit will build on our shared values to better foster new econom ic engagement; reinforce the U.S.-Africa commitment to democracy and human rights; mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and of future pandemics; work collabor atively to strengthen regional and global health; promote food security; advance peace and security; respond to the cli mate crisis, and amplify diaspora ties.”

But the meeting has generated some con troversy with several letters from the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chair Robert Menendez petitioning Biden to withdraw Museveni’s invite.

Menendez’s letter followed another peti tion from opposition forces in Uganda led by the National Unity Platform accusing Museveni of gross violation of human rights.

In his petition, the senator stated that Museveni has twice changed the constitu tion to suit his needs, impeded democrat ic processes, turned a blind eye to rampant corruption, and subjected civil society and political leaders to illegal detention, vio lence, and torture with impunity.

Criticism of the meeting was also leveled by the authors of a recent article in Foreign Policy, an American news magazine. The article was titled “Biden’s Africa Summit Has Democracy on the Agenda, But Not the Invite List,” and contained the charge that “at least three heads of state accused of war crimes or crimes against humanity, the foreign minister of an autocratic country whose security services stalked senior U.S.

congressional staffer this year, and top of ficials from a military junta that took power last year have made the invite list.”

The Summit is the first opportunity for this administration to showcase how it views the future of U.S.-Africa relations on its home turf and reflects efforts to reset U.S.-Africa rela tions after the Trump era. But the article’s au thors question extending invites to autocrats and leaders with checkered rights records.

Uganda’s ambassador to Washington, Mull Sebujja Katende, commented on the recent petitions and explained Uganda’s current hiring of a top Washington lobbying firm to reset U.S. relations and challenge the nar rative from rights groups and supporters of rival candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known by his stage name Bobi Wine. Wine’s movement claims it was violently suppressed to ensure Museveni a sixth term in office.

“Certainly we are not in the best of shape with regard to the way we are understood here in Washington,” Katende said. “And it is in our interest to tell those authorities the truth of what’s happening in Uganda.”

“The problem we are dealing with is there are so many interest groups that are trying to misguide [the U.S. government],” he said. “They want to nullify the elections because they want to provide alternate leadership. That is not how things should work.”

Last year the U.S. imposed sanctions on the head of the Chieftaincy of Military Intel ligence, Maj. Gen. Abel Kandiho, over alleged human rights violations including torture, beatings and sexual abuse.

“Treasury will continue to defend against authoritarianism, promoting accountabili ty for violent repression of people seeking to exercise their human rights and fundamen tal freedoms,” Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, said at the time. Kandiho has since been re lieved of his post by President Museveni.

Meanwhile, the U.S Congress and Biden administration have been re assessing the U.S. relationship with Uganda, an important counter-terror ism ally in East Africa and major bene ficiary of health and security assistance.

PLANNED

(R) Third World’s Cat Coore performing at the gala at Sony Hall (Travis Keyes photo)

Women’s protest at climate confab (GIN)

Religion & Spirituality

Lyft drivers spread the Gospel with ride-hailing ministries

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)—One is an or dained pastor in Brooklyn, the other a single mother and chil dren’s book author in New Jersey. Both drive for Lyft. Both share the word of God as roving preachers.

Pastor Kenneth Drayton and Tomika Reid try to inspire passen gers through spiritual guidance on the road as part of what they see as mobile Christian ministries.

“You don’t always have to go to a church or sanctuary to experience the restoration and the power of God,” said Drayton, 61, a minis ter who also preaches at Mantels of Promise Ministries in Brooklyn.

He began to drive for Uber in 2015 after retiring from a career in the insurance industry. Listening to passengers who shared their stories on the road, he understood that his car could become an ex tension of the church.

“The car is such an ideal place to do this because it’s personal,” said Drayton, who now drives for Lyft. “I can share my faith and it’s so important because that’s what I live for.”

On a recent day, he began by praying in his impeccably clean 2017 Toyota Camry, and reciting Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shep herd; I shall not want…”). On a break from driving in Manhattan, he reflected on how he reaches out to passengers.

He always plays classical music on his car stereo (his favorite is Mozart) to encourage a calm, pleasant mood. He begins with a greeting and a kind word. His priority, he says, is to introduce passengers to Christ, but he’s re spectful if they’re not receptive. They’re often Christian, but he has also spoken to atheists, Bud dhists, Hindus, Jews and Mus lims. Instead of trying to preach,

he says he focuses his message on the love of God and tends to avoid doctrine.

“That’s been the conflict, the repellent for healing and trans formation,” said Drayton. “It’s discussion and debates that have caused holy wars.”

Reid also stays away from doc trine and focuses more on sharing her personal story, hoping it can help others deal with their chal lenges. Like Drayton, she feels that the church goes beyond the brick and mortar.

“This is something that God put me in a position to do,” she said. “And I love it because I just love inspiring people and encouraging them to never give up.”

Losses have marked her life, in cluding the death of her mother, sister and the fathers of her two daughters. She often retells her story to passengers.

“I wanted to give up, but be cause of my faith in God, I’m still here standing,” said the 40-yearold single mother. “And I just want to use my story to encourage others never to give up, no matter what you go through.”

In 2017, she began driving for Lyft to support her daughters, who are now 14 and 20. In the backseat pocket of her 2019 Nissan Altima, she keeps the five books that she has written, including one for children on how to cope with the loss of a loved one.

Passengers often buy her books or tip her generously and she proudly keeps a five-out-of-fivestar rating. She usually plays George Michael on weekdays and gospel music on Sundays when she’s working and can’t make it to church.

“When I hear people say, ‘You made my day,’ I know I can make an impact on people’s life,” Reid said. “It brings joy to me. It’s like I’ve turned my pain into a purpose

to inspire others.”

Evangelism experts say ridehailing can be conducive to talk ing about faith. Lyft’s guidelines do not expressly prohibit evan gelism nor conversations about religion, but they do promote in clusion and forbid discrimination, including on race, gender, and re ligious grounds.

“It doesn’t come as a great sur prise to me because thinking about Christianity, there’s a long tradition of using technology to spread the word of God,” said Robert Geraci, professor of reli gious studies at Manhattan Col lege.

He cited examples, including how—shortly after space flight became possible—there were people talking about how to use satellites to spread the Gospel and how preachers have used TV for decades.

“Uber, Lyft becomes a mode of religious communication and not just a transportation strategy,” he said. “It’s also a religious strategy.”

People in customer-facing pro fessions, such as driving for ridehailing apps, often strike up conversations about life and its challenges, said Ed Stetzer, exec utive director of the Wheaton Col lege Billy Graham Center.

“In a world where interpersonal interaction is less common—our bank tellers are now all ATMs— faith sharing is less common. So people are finding creative ways,” said Stetzer, who is also dean of the school of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership.

“That’s what Christians have done for centuries, long before ride-share apps.”

Associated Press religion cover age receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Con versation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

(Luis Andres Henao photo)

The online resource guide, bus, train sta tion and digital ads campaign feature darkskinned pregnant women and are made in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole to be in clusive of affected immigrant communities in Brooklyn. Several of the digital ads feature Reina Rikards, a local and new mother, as the voice of the campaign. “I am a proud mom of two girls who are 7 years old and 3 weeks old. I was fortunate to have two healthy and easy pregnancies partly with the help of my doula, who empowered me and advocated for the care that I deserved,” said Rikards. “These ser vices shouldn’t be secret.”

Black pregnant people in Brooklyn are 9.4 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than their white counterparts, with Haitian women facing the highest risks, said the BP’s office. A third of pregnancy-relat ed deaths in New York City are among residents of Brooklyn, with the highest rates reported in neighborhoods such as Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, Bushwick, Canarsie, Crown Heights, East Flat bush, East New York, Flatbush and Williams burg, said the BP’s office.

Reynoso said that the ads are multicultur al and inclusive to reach women where they are and in the languages they speak, especial ly when maternal health is most acute among Creole-speaking Haitian women.

Cheryl Hall, executive director of the Carib bean Women’s Health Association, said that

she specifically recruited more than 100 Hai tian Creole-speaking doulas to help with alltoo-common accessibility issues and language barriers “because they [doctors] don’t under stand their culture. One woman came in and the translation for services was wrong. The translator was speaking about her other child, not the one she was currently pregnant and car rying,” said Hall.

Helena Grant, co-chair of the BP’s Mater nal Health Taskforce and Director of Midwife ry Services at Woodhull Hospital, said that the maternal task force has been diligently unpack ing the problem and working together to forti fy the citizens of Brooklyn. She considers Black and brown maternal mortality a symptom of

blymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn de nounced Sunderland’s choice of language.

the “patriarchal model of medicine” and the structured racism that exists.

“There should be no pregnant person that doesn’t have what I call the three S’s: a birth that is safe, a birth that is satisfying and a birth that is sacred,” said Grant at the presser.

Dr. Wendy Wilcox, chief women’s health offi cer for NYC Health + Hospitals, also sits on the BP’s maternal health task force. “It took a lot of courage for the borough president to put to gether a task force that looks like the women who are having the most difficulties during the birth process,” said Wilcox.

Present to lend their political support for the BP’s maternal health campaign and taskforce was Senator Jabari Brisport and Assembly

members Monique Chandler Waterman and Brian Cunnigham.

Chandler-Waterman is a mother of four. She said she remembers the stigma of possible death when she was pregnant. “I was a 19-yearold that got pregnant and because I present ed young and am a Black woman and I come from the neighborhood I come from, I wasn’t listened to,” she said. “I told my husband, ‘don’t complain.’ I got to be here and I could die by accident here, too. I remember the feeling of being in those hospital beds. It’s so emotional.”

Cunningham, who has his own maternal health task force in the assembly, said that his wife had been diagnosed with endometrio sis and fibroids about three years ago as they began the journey to parenting.

“It gives me great pride to know that our borough president and so many of our part ners and elected officials are doing this work every single day to make sure we’re creating conditions for safety, not only in our hospitals but in our communities,” said Cunningham.

“Whether we’re talking about access to food, gun safety—all these things are the conditions that go into a healthy environment so when a woman decides she wants to have a child that she can do so safely.”

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 stories like this one; please consid er making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://bit.ly/amnews1

Collymore reached out to the BOE to report Sunderland. In an email from Commission er Rodney Pepe-Souvenir on Oct. 6 that Col lymore provided, Pepe-Souvenir expressed her “apologies” on behalf of the BOE. “Please know that the BOE by no means condones this type of behavior. We are working to inves tigate and appropriately handle the matter,” wrote Pepe-Souvenir.

Additionally when the Amsterdam News reached out to the Brooklyn County Dems, Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair and Assem

“That is utterly offensive, disgraceful, racist and sexist, all in one,” said Bichotte Hermelyn. “There’s another political party where that kind of language and attitude might find a home but not in the Democratic Party, and certainly not in Brooklyn.”

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 stories like this one; please consid er making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https://bit.ly/amnews1

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso held a press conference on maternal health (Ariama C. Long photo)

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NOTICE OF SALE

In pursuance and by virtue of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly granted an d 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 th is action for such purpose, will expose for sale and sell at pu blic auction to the highest bidder on December 14, 2022 at 2:15 p.m., on the po rtico 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 judgmen t, any prior encumbrances and the terms of sale which shall be availab le 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 16-220 3 (917) 326-5523

David P. Stich, Esq.

Attorney for Plaintiff 52 1 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor New York, New York 10 175 (646) 554-4421

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

Attorney fo r Plaintiff(s) Schiller, Kna pp, Lefkowitz & Hertzel, LLP, 15 Cornell Road, Latham, NY 12110.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered May 9, 2022 , I will se ll 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, 2 022 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 Yo rk. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $2,196,777.57 plus interest and costs. Premises will be so ld subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 8500 02/2021.

The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 1st Judicial District's Covid-19 Po licies and fo reclosure auction rules. The Referee sh all enforce any rules in place regarding facial co verings and so cial distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check ma de payable to the referee.

Robe rta Ashkin, Esq., Referee 20-05155

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 pu blic auction at the New York County Courthouse, at the portico of the Courth ouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, on December 14, 2022 at 2:15 p.m., prem k/a 30 7/307-A Sixth Aven ue , New York, NY (Block: 589; Lot 40) and 309 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY (Block: 589; Lot: 39) (the “Prope rties”). Approx amt of judgment is $13,686,392, plus costs, attorneys' fees and in terest Sold subject to terms and condition s of filed judgment and te rms of sale Bruce Le de rman, 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 Decemb er 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 Yo rk, 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 42 8 & 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 upo n whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Anbau Enterprises, 11 E. 26th St., NY, NY 10010. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of Form filed with Secy. of State, DE Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of Qu alification of AEL FINANCIAL SERVICES, LLC

Appl for Auth filed with Se cy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/22. Office lo cation: NY Coun ty 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 de signated 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. Sa lisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27601-2903 Purpose: The bu siness purpose is to act as a registered broker-dealer, and conduct certain approved securities transactions

JAHAN TRAVEL DESIGNS LLC Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 09/13/22. Office lo cation: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Po st Of fice address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of an y process against the LL C served upon her is C/O Ma ri anna Leivada, 45-02 Ditmars Blvd, Qu eens, NY 11105.

Principal business address: 19 W 69th St, NY, NY 100 23. Purpose: any lawful activity

KIMBERLY ANN YEE, LLC

Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 09/21/22. Office location: NY County. SSNY designat ed as agent upon whom process may be served against it & shall mail to: 87 Baxter Street, Apt. 6, NY, NY 10013. 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 LL C 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. Purpo se: Any lawful purpose.

57 PARK OPS LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/13/22. Office: New York

Coun ty SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY sha ll ma il copy of process to the LLC, c/o Gary Spindler, 250 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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 de signated as agent of LLC for service of process. SOS shall mail copy of process to 1107 Broad way, 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 ignat ed as agent up on whom process may be served against it & shall mail a copy to: 14 25 Amsterdam Ave, 5B, NY, NY 100 27. Purpose: Re lationship podcast & coaching in an y lawful activity www.heavenslovepuzzle.com

Notice of Formatio n of MARCUM PHILIPPINES LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/22. Office lo cation: NY Coun ty Prin c. 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., Alban y, NY 12207-2543 Purpose: Gener al corporate use.

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

Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C., One Battery Park Plaza, 18th Floor, New York, New York 1 0004, Attorneys for Plaintiff

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., Wilmin gton, DE 19808. Cert. of Form filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

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; Jame lah Johari Arnold (also as Ja me lah Johari Arnold Ahart, also known as Jame lah 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 ad dress is C/O 36 Marcia Lane, New City New York 10956. The fa mily of Lewis El address is C/O 722 East 181 Street Apartment 1, Bronx, New York 10457

Melq73 Se venty Five LLC, Arts of Org filed with SSNY on 11/11/22. Off Loc: New York County, SSNY de signat ed as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: The LLC, 52 Mulberry St, New York NY 10013. Purpose: to engage in an y lawful act.

Notice is hereby give n that a license, serial #13541 39 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by th e under signed to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 1590 Le xington Ave., NYC 1002 9 for on-premises consumption; Mongkol Eatery LLC

Notice is hereby give n that a license, serial #13541 26 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by th e under signed to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a bar under the ABC Law at 4736 Broadway, New York, NY 10040 for on-premises consumption; Fito Restaurant Inc.

Notice is hereby give n that a license, serial #13542 67 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by th e under signed to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 641 Hudson St., NYC, 10014 for on-premises consumption; Bangkok Supper Club LLC

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

Notice of formation of Anny77 LLC Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 10/26/20 22 Office Lo cation: New York Coun ty SSNY desig nated as agent upon whom process may be served against it & shall mail a copy to: 22 5 W. 86th St., Hall 1, Ste. 717, New York, NY 10024. Purpose: To en gage in any lawful activity

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

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

Notice of Formation of RO BARDS FAMILY IN VESTORS LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/07/22. Office location: NY County SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served SSNY shall mail process to Thomas F. Roba rds, 173 Riverside Dr., Apt. 8D, NY, NY 10024 Purpo se: Any lawful activity

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. Prin c. office of LLC: 103 Foulk Rd., Ste. 500, Wilmington, DE 19803. SSNY de signated 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

Notice of Formation of STYLE SHUTTER, LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/22. Office lo cation: NY Coun ty SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Hanna Rose Hunt, 60 W. 20th St., Apt. 3E, NY, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful activity

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

Notice of Qualification of UMAMI ADVISORS, LLC Ap pl for Auth. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/26/22. Office lo cation: NY Coun ty LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/21/22. Princ. office of LL C: 3013 Libby Ter., Richmond, VA 23223. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Al bany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of Form filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

VENERATION ADVANTAGE, LLC Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 09/19/22. Office lo cation: NY County. SSNY de signated as agent upon whom process may be served against it & shall mail to: Nitanya Nedd, 10 8 Edge combe Ave., NY, NY 100 30 Purpose: any lawful activity

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

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public

Location: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets –Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and Mac Donough St.

Saturday, Dec. 3 – Winter Wonderland –Citi Bike giveaway

Event: Just in time for the holiday season, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID in partnership with Bike New York, Recycle-a-Bike, and Citi Bike join forces for an ultimate alter native transportation holiday celebration. The evening will include free kids’ bike les sons from Bike New York; bike and scooter demonstrations from Citi Bike and Recy cle-a-Bicycle will be on hand for a free bike giveaway. The evening will include live music from a local DJ and a trolley excur sion throughout the shopping corridor.

Time: 2 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public Location: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets –Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and Mac Donough St

Thursday, Dec. 8 – Winter wonderland –Community Nite

Event: Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo Community Night featuring local commu nity stakeholders coming together for a fes tive holiday celebration. The evening will include family-friendly activities, live en tertainment, festive food, and much more.

Time: 4 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public Location: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets –Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and Mac Donough St

Friday, Dec. 9 – Winter Wonderland/Car oling in the Plaza Event: Join Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter

Homeownership

Continued from page 28

obtain big-ticket items like higher edu cation and homeownership. Higher stu dent loan payments and interest rates hinder their ability to buy a home and can trap them in a cycle of inequality. In August 2022, the Biden administration announced it would forgive $10,000 in student loan debt, affecting about 43 mil lion borrowers.

Americans hold more than $1.7 trillion in student loan debt

Student loan debt has nearly tripled since 2006.

Although total debt continues to in crease, the growth rate decelerated con siderably. In 2013, the year-over-year change was 12.1%; last year, it was 0.31%.

The federal government paused feder al student loan payments during the pan

Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo as it continues to spread Christmas joy with Caroling in the Plaza. Every Friday until Dec. 23, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID invites you to join them as they team up with local houses of worship to make a joyful noise in celebration of the holiday season.

Time: 4 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public Location: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets –Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and Mac Donough St

Saturday, Dec. 10 – Winter Wonderland

Event:Bed-Stuy Gateway BID once again brings its signature Winter Wonderland affair to Brooklyn’s central neighborhood. Presented by Wells Fargo, the festive out door holiday shopping experience provides local merchants within the BID’s corri dor an opportunity to increase foot traf fic, while offering crafters, creatives and small business owners a viable platform to showcase and sell their goods and servic es. The day will include a trolley excursion throughout the shopping corridor and live music from a local DJ.

Time: 2 – 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public

Venue: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough St

Friday, Dec. 16 – Winter Wonderland –Caroling in the Plaza

Event: Join Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo as it continues to spread Christmas joy with Caroling in the Plaza. Every Friday until De cember 23, Bed-Stuy Gateway BID invites you to join them as they team up with local houses of worship to make a joyful noise in celebration of the holiday season.

Time: 2 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE open to the public Venue: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough St

Event: Join Bed-Stuy Gateway BID and WNYC Radio as they team up to bring pro gramming to Marcy Ave Winter Wonder land Open Street. New York City’s leading talk radio station will set up one big table providing space for people to share their stories and air it as part of its “Our City, Our Stories” programming.

Time: 3 - 6 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public Venue: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough St

St.

Thursday, Dec. 22 – Winter Wonderland – Community Night

Event: Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo Community Night featuring local commu nity stakeholders coming together for a fes tive holiday celebration. The evening will include family-friendly activities, live en tertainment, festive food and much more

Time: 4 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public Venue: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough St

Friday, Dec. 23 – Winter Wonderland –Caroling in the Plaza

Event: Join Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo as it continues to spread Christmas joy with Caroling in the Plaza. The festive outdoor holiday experience comes to an end with a special holiday performance featuring Em manuel Baptist Church.

Time: 4 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public

Venue: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough St

Thursday, Dec. 15 –

Winter Wonderland – Community Day

Event: Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo Community Night featuring local commu nity stakeholders coming together for a fes tive holiday celebration. The evening will include family-friendly activities, live en tertainment, festive food and much more Time: 4 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public

Venue: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough St

demic, which set interest rates at 0% and allowed borrowers to skip loan payments without the risk of late fees or default. This policy helped 4.7 million people lower their balances, but it’s due to expire at the end of 2022.

Black and Hispanic students are more likely to have student loan debt

A Brookings Institute analysis found that Black Americans face a cycle of inequali ty when paying for higher education. The report found that Black American house holds cannot build wealth at the same rate as non-Black households. This finding also means Black students borrow more money for college and have higher loan payments upon graduation, which re duces their opportunities to build wealth during their prime earning years.

Hispanic Americans also experience a wealth gap, which fuels the need to take out more in student loans, according to UnidosUS. Many Hispanic Americans

Saturday, Dec. 17 -Winter Wonderland –Sheepskin Fashion Show Event: Tis the season to be stylish! Join Bed-Stuy Gateway BID Winter Wonderland presented by Wells Fargo as it teams up with Restoration for its annual sheepskin fashion show. Come check out the latest designer sheepskin coats and get a sneak peek of Brooklyn’s own fashion icon Mos hood’s stylish winter creations. The evening will include live music from a local DJ and a trolley excursion throughout the shopping corridor.

Time: 2 - 8 p.m.

Admission: FREE & open to the public Venue: Marcy Plaza/Open Streets – Marcy Ave between Fulton St. and MacDonough

are also first-generation college students, which can make it difficult for them to navigate the financial aid system.

Black Americans have lower homeown ership rates

The Black homeownership rate (43.4%) lags considerably behind white Americans (72.1%) and has declined by nearly 1 per centage point since 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors. In fact, that gap is wider today than when the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968.

Black households also lag in earnings, making only 61 cents for every dollar that comparable white households earn, ac cording to an analysis by the Econom ic Policy Institute of the latest Census Bureau data. With lower earnings on av erage, Black Americans are denied mort gages at double the national average, according to a 2022 LendingTree study.

Black Americans will often seek higher education to help increase their earning

potential. Still, it’s hard to take on more debt when student loan debt payments make up a significant portion of a month ly budget. Due to student loan debt, nearly half of Black Americans said they would likely delay homeownership.

What student loan forgiveness could mean for Black Americans

Black Americans face disparities in wealth building, and student loans have exacerbated that issue. More than half of Black American households with student loan debt have no or negative net worth, about twice as much as those with no stu dent debt, according to a Brookings Insti tute analysis.

Student loan forgiveness would not eliminate the racial wealth gap but could significantly reduce it. Loan forgiveness may also present more opportunities for Black Americans to afford homes and build intergenerational wealth consis tent with the American Dream.

(Keith L. Forest photo)

Irving’s return and Simmons’ improved play bolster the Nets

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

Kyrie Irving is back for the 8-10 Brook lyn Nets. Ben Simmons is becoming a contributor. Joe Harris and Seth Curry have also returned. Kevin Durant is smil ing again. The Brooklyn Nets may not be a completely whole and unified team just yet, but they are making strides.

Irving was in the Nets’ lineup on Sunday at the Barclays Center, a 127115 win for his team after missing eight games serving a team-imposed suspen sion which began Nov. 3 for posting a documentary film to one of his social media accounts that contained anti-Se metic content.

“It felt good. Felt good,” said Irving, who was required to complete a series of six mandated steps, including issuing a formal apology, before having his sus pension lifted.

“Just missed my teammates, missed the coaching staff. Just getting prepared with them in the morning…and just car rying it over into the game.”

Irving smartly avoided answering non-basketball related questions, one specifically regarding the 200-plus members of the Israel United In Christ that gathered outside the Barclays Center to show support for Irving. On its website, the IUIC describes itself as a “non-violent bible based movement.”

Dressed in purple and gold shirts and jackets, the group resembled but has no affiliation with the fraternal organi zation Omega Psi Phi, whose colors are also purple and gold.

“I think that’s a conversation for an other day,” responded Irving when asked about IUIC’s presence on Sunday. “I’m just here to focus on the game.” Irving scored 14 points with five rebounds in 26 minutes. Irving was back on the court with the Nets on Tuesday versus the Phil adelphia 76ers on the road but this time the focus was on Ben Simmons. The for ward played his first game in Philadel phia against his former team since being traded to the Nets last February in a deal that sent James Harden to the Sixers.

Simmons had a steady game and

wasn’t rattled by the Philadel phia crowd, leading the Nets in assists (7) and rebounds (11 and scoring 11 points), but it came in a loss. Irving paced the Nets with 23 points. The 76ers, play ing without starters Joel Embiid, Harden and Tyrese Maxey, who were all out with injuries, de feated the Nets 115-106.

“I thought it was going to be louder,” said Simmons, who is gradually looking like the player who was a three-time NBA AllStar (2019, 2020 and 2021) with the Sixers. He scored a seasonhigh 22 points on Sunday versus the Grizzlies.

The Nets were in Toronto last night (Wednesday) to face the Raptors and will be in Indiana to morrow to play the Pacers. They will have three straight games at home hosting the Portland Trail blazers on Sunday, the Orlando Magic on Monday and the Wash ington Wizards on Wednesday.

Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball earns its first trip to the NCAA Tournament

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

The women’s volleyball team at Fairleigh Dickinson Univer sity entered this season with an upbeat attitude. With new head coach David Nguyen at the helm and nine new players, there was a sense of excitement. While Nguyen, who was hired in Jan uary, hoped to lead the team on an upward trajectory, he had no idea things would reach historic heights in one season. This past weekend, FDU won its first-ever

Northeast Conference Champi onship and with it the program’s first trip to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

“My goal was to implement a culture that is welcoming, es sentially a strong culture that the players are more involved in,” said Nguyen. “We would host our culture meeting once a week. It would be like 30 minutes. Sometimes we’d talk about culture, sometimes we were just playing a card game together or something like that. That has really helped us.”

The returning players and the newcomers came together and bought into Nguyen’s vision for the program. He saw the level of play ramping up before conference play started. The mid-September match against Lehigh, which FDU won 3–2, was a clear indication of the team’s potential.

“A couple of our starters had to take a seat,” Nguyen said. “They weren’t feeling well. Lehigh was a good team, and we came in with a bunch of our freshmen and we took it to them. It was

intense. We had a lot of players contribute that game. At that point things started to click for us. The team started believing that we have depth. Maybe we don’t have better talent than the best team in our conference, but we know we have the depth and we rally together.”

Team bonding continued, both with the coaching staff and inde pendently, building chemistry and confidence. In the confer ence tournament, FDU defeated the top two seeds—St. Francis University (Pa.) and Sacred Heart

University—en route to victory.

“We have players with a lot of experience and a couple of freshmen who don’t know they shouldn’t be beating the top seed,” Nguyen said. “They just went out there and they played. They all won a lot when they were younger [at club vol leyball or in high school]. They know what it feels like to have a championship. We just wanted it for each other.”

The Knights will learn their first-round tournament oppo nent on Sunday.

Fairleigh Dickinson wins the NEC Championship (Knights Athletics photos)

Fairleigh Dickinson wins the NEC Championship

After serving a suspension totaling eight games, Kyrie Irving returned to the Nets’ lineup this past Sunday in a 127-115 win over the Memphis Grizzlies (Bill Moore photo)

The Knicks are back at home after a successful 3-2 road trip

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Knicks can view their recent five-game road trip as a success. They went 3-2 after ending the seven-day slate versus Western Conference opponents with a 129-119 victory over the Oklaho ma City Thunder on Monday. The Knicks lost to the Thunder 145135 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 13, their final game at home before beginning the trip.

They opened the block of games out West with back-to-back wins against the Utah Jazz (118-111) and Denver Nuggets (106-103) on Nov. 15 and 16 respectively, then losses to the Golden State War riors (111-101) last Friday and Phoenix Suns (116-95) on Sunday.

The Knicks are back at the Garden tomorrow to host the Portland Trailblazers followed by a matchup with the Mem phis Grizzlies at home on Sunday night. The Knicks will face the Detroit Pistons on the road on Tuesday before a quick 24-hour

turnaround and a Wednesday night date at MSG with the Mil waukee Bucks.

Point guard Jalen Bruson con tinued his superlative season with a 34-point, nine assists perfor mance against the Thunder, shoot ing 14-20 and doing all of his work with a lethal mid-range barrage and crafty shot making at the rim. All six of Brunson’s misses were on 3-point attempts, as he went 1-6 from behind the arc. On the season, Brunson is averaging 20.8 points on 49.6% field goal shooting and 88.6% from the foul line.

Additionally, the 26-year-old from Villanova is posting 6.7 as sists per game. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett had 25 points each against the Thunder as the Knicks improved their record to 9-9 and were ninth in the Eastern Con ference standings when the NBA schedule tipped-off last night (Wednesday).

“I thought they played well off of each other and made a number of good plays to get everyone going and create quality shots for each

other,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau after the Thun der win. “When you have that type of balanced attack, I think it’s hard to key in on one partic ular guy.”

The victory against the Thun der was an exhaling game for Barrett. The fourth-year pro has had struggles with his efficien cy this season. The Knicks’ front office, led by team president Leon Rose and head coach Tom Thibodeau, are hoping to see Barrett elevate his overall output on both ends of the court.

Although Barrett averaged 20 points per game last season, he shot just .408 overall from the field, 34.2% on 3-point shots, and 71.4% from the foul line. In 18 games this season the 23-year-old Barrett is at 40.3% on 16 attempts per game and 27.3% on 3-point ers, taking an average of 5.5 but making just 1.5 per game. His foul shooting has improved to 76.7%. Before going 10-16 versus the Suns, Barrett was a combined 9-30 against the Warriors and Suns.

Knicks veterans Rose and Fournier may be solid pieces for other teams

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier are still good players that can be solid con tributors for championship and playoff contenders. By the NBA trade dead line on Feb. 9, both may be with a team other than the Knicks.

The 34-year-old Rose and the 30-yearold Fournier have a combined 25 years in the NBA. Rose is a former NBA MVP and just two seasons ago was the Knicks’ best player in their postseason matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. Last season, Fournier set the Knicks’ fran chise record for most 3-pointers made in a season, making 241 and shooting 38.9%. Both are now struggling to get minutes in the Knicks’ rotation, with Fournier out of the mix.

He hasn’t played since getting 20 min utes of floor time versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 13, shooting 0-5 and 0-3 on 3-point attempts. Fourni er, who has alternated between shoot ing guard and small forward playing for the Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and the Knicks, began

the season starting seven games and playing in 13. But he has been replaced in the first five by Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett. Reddish, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley eat up all of the minutes he previously was afforded.

Rose’s playing time has not been con sistent. He averaged 26.8 in 35 games with the Knicks in 2020-21 after being acquired from the Detroit Pistons and 24.5 last season in 26 games before an ankle injury in December caused him to miss the remainder. This season, Rose is at 14.2 appearing in 17 of the Knicks’ 18 games. He still has the quickness, strength and shooting ability to be im pactful as backup point guard as well as playing off the ball.

With the Knicks this season, he has seen new acquisition Jalen Brunson and Quickley garner most of the time at the point. “I’m in the unknown, trying to stay focused, give my all every day, talk ing to the guys, being vocal like I said earlier on in the year,” Rose said after a Knicks practice two weeks ago.

“Trying to communicate to them what I see on the floor, but yeah, this is new, foreign, for me.”

Evan Fournier

Derrick Rose

Knicks veteran guards Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier have seen limited minutes this season as the team has turned to younger players (Bill Moore photos)

Knicks guard RJ Barrett broke out of a slump by scoring 25 points on Monday in his team’s 129-119 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to end a five-game road trip (Bill Moore photo)

Fisk University gymnastics team prepares for its debut

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Over the past few years, collegiate gymnastics has gained in exposure and popularity. Several of the sport’s widely viewed viral videos have featured African American gymnasts who have used their floor routines to make cultural and social justice expressions. When the collegiate gymnastics season kicks off in January, there will be a new school on the scene as Fisk University debuts, the first HBCU to have a gymnastics program.

“It’s something that was long over due,” said head coach Corrinne Tarver.

Although most of Fisk’s sports current ly compete in NAIA, the gymnastics program will be in NCAA competition. “Every place we are going will be Division I. We are going to compete against some D II schools as well at multi-team meets.”

Tarver, who is also Fisk’s athletic di rector, said collegiate gymnasts have found their voice. “You can find your voice through choreography. Maybe that’s why it has gone viral because there is something behind the choreog raphy, not just movement. There’s per sonality, there’s a story. It makes things more relatable to people,” she said.

Some members of the Fisk team signed

on because they wanted an HBCU expe rience along with competing, including a few sophomore transfers. Tarver said some of the girls on the team come from families where several members have at tended HBCUs. All the student-athletes wanted to be part of history. She said the energy thus far has been good.

“It’s a fun team to be around,” Tarver said. “But it’s hard because most of our team is young, so they don’t necessarily know how all of this works. It’s a learn ing experience for them, and we’re still trying to get them to understand that you have to get out of the mental ity of club gymnastics. It’s a different

ballgame for NCAA. You can’t train the same way you did in club because your body will break down before you get halfway through the season. It’s com pletely different. That’s the one draw back to not having upperclassmen be able to help them navigate that.”

The team’s assistant coaches, India Anderson and Kourtney Chinnery, both wanted to be part of history. It’s an op portunity to be part of building a pro gram. “We’re creating a blueprint for those to come behind us,” said Tarver. “We’re trying to get the routines and get them confident so they can do what they need to do.”

Alexa Gasparotto earns her first trip to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

It’s been a year of training, focus and de velopment, and on Nov. 10 Alexa Gasparot to delivered a polished, confident program to finish second at the Midwestern Section al Singles and U.S. Pairs Final. With that, Gasparotto earned her first-ever trip to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

“It was super, super exciting,” said Gasp arotto, 19. The 2023 U.S. Championships will take place in San Jose, Calif. in Janu ary. Only the top two finishers in the senior ladies division were guaranteed spots at the U.S. Championships. Other skaters must wait until the other sectional competitions are completed and the remaining entrants will qualify based on scores. Gasparotto wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

“My short program was not the best, so going into the long I had to mentally pre pare myself more than normal, reassuring myself that I can do everything in the pro gram,” said Gasparotto. “Going into the long and after the long, I was really excited more than nervous. I felt I did really well turning all of my nervous, anxious energy into excitement, which really helped.”

Gasparotto won’t compete again until the U.S. Championships, but she looks for ward to honing her performance skills at several Christmas shows over the coming weeks. Skating for 15 years, she is satisfied that all her hard work, particularly coming back from injury, is coming to fruition.

“Throughout the years, I’ve been kind of unsure. I had to relearn how to love the sport as I got older,” she said. “Now, making Nationals, I feel like I finally did it. I have this under my belt. Everything that I’ve been working for is paying off. Also, I feel the excitement from inspiring younger skaters. That meant a lot to me.”

Gasparotto will be joined in San Jose by Starr Andrews, 21, who did not have to com pete at a sectional competition because she went to two Grand Prix events. This will be the first time in 23 years that two Black women have competed in the senior ladies event.

“Me making Nationals, that was kind of an underdog moment,” said Gasparot to. “Going into sectionals, people were unsure of how I was going to do. Now, going into Nationals everybody is going to be watching us. I feel like we are going to be the ‘it factor’ for this year. Eyes on us, which was the goal for this year.”

Alexa Gasparotto

Veteran coach Corrinne Tarver is overseeing the first HBCU gymnastics team

New Yorker Kaylei McDonald is on the Fisk team (Fisk Athletics photos)

Alexa Gasparotto celebrates securing a spot at the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships (Rohene Ward photos)

Sports

Beset by injuries, the Giants encounter the formidable Cowboys

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

After the Giants’ worst 60 minutes of play this season, losing to the De troit Lions at MetLife Stadium this past Sunday by 31-18, they only had three days to regroup before a cru cial NFC East matchup with the Dallas Cowboys (4:30 p.m.) today in one of three NFL Thanksgiving Day games. The opener pairs the Buffa lo Bills at the Lions (12:30 p.m.) and the nightcap is the New England Pa triots in Minnesota to face the Min nesota Vikings (8:20 p.m.).

The Giants lost at home to the Cowboys 23-16 on Sept. 26 in Week 3, so a defeat in Dallas today would put them at disad vantage in a division tie-breaker scenario. The Giants and Cow boys are locked together at 7-3, lurking behind the 9-1 Philadel phia Eagles, leaders of the NFC East. Head-to-head games are the first division tie-breaker and best win-loss-tie percentage in games played within the division. The Giants head into today’s game

having just one division game on their record (0-1) while the Cowboys are 2-1. That is about to dramatical ly change because including this afternoon’s contest, the Giants’ next four games will be against the Cowboys, hosting the Wash ington Commanders and Phila delphia Eagles on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 respectively and at Washington on Dec. 18. They end the regular season Jan. 8 at Philadelphia.

The Giants will try to defeat a Cowboys group coming off of a 40-3 smashing of the Minneso ta Vikings on the road on Sunday. Before then, the Vikings were 8-1 and 4-0 at home. The Giants will have to overcome a spate of in juries to players at key positions.

Center Jon Feliciano, secondstring right tackle Tyre Phillips and rookie guard Josh Ezeudu, a thirdround pick from North Carolina, all had to leave the game against the Lions with neck injuries.

With first string rookie right tackle Evan Neal in civilian clothes since Week 7 with a knee injury, Matt Peart, who is third

on the depth chart, was called on to finish the game. The most severe setback was rookie wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson tearing the ACL in his right knee on the first play of the fourth quarter which will put him out for the rest of this season. The injury came on his most profi cient day as a pro, as Robinson was targeted 13 times and had nine catches for 100 yards.

“We’re not about excuses, never will be,” said Giants head Coach Brian Daboll to the media on Monday. “We have people on our roster that are going to be ready to play. And that’s our job as a coaching staff is to get these guys ready to play. Again, you’re always going to hit adversity, whether it’s in a game, whether it’s in a season.”

The Giants wide receivers group already was one of the team’s most unproductive units, and Robin son’s absence will place a greater burden on running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones to carry the offense. Addi

tionally, tight-end Daniel Bell inger will not suit up today for the fourth straight game as he con tinues to recover from a fractured left eye-socket. Another incident of misfortune was the Giants’ best cornerback, Adoree’ Jackson, suf fering a sprained MCL in his right

knee on a punt return; he is ex pected to be out four-to-six weeks. The circumstances are unfavor able for a Giants squad that will look to even their season record versus a Cowboys collective that is one of the NFL’s most talented teams on both sides of the ball.

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

Jets second-year quarterback Zach Wilson has become an obstacle to the team making the playoffs. The Jets have a Super Bowl cal iber defense, enough talent at the skill po sitions and are managing an offensive line that has been weakened by injuries but stable enough to give them a chance to win.

But it is Wilson, who holds the most important position in football, who has shown a lack of understanding of how to play quarterback at the NFL level and shown poor leadership that is hurting the team. The Jets had a crushing loss to the New England Patriots on the road this past Sunday that in large part can be placed on the arm, brain and emo tion of the 23-year-old who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of BYI with the expectation he would be the Jets’ long-term franchise QB. Up to this point, he’s looked like a third-string backup and acted like a spoiled child. With 26 seconds remaining in the game on Sunday and the score tied 3-3, the Jets

punted from their own 32-yard line. The Patriots’ rookie punt returner Marcus Jones fielded the kick by the Jets’ punter Braden Mann at the 16-yard line and re turned 84 yards for a shocking touch down. The Patriots converted the extra and closed the game with a 10-3 win.

“It’s crazy,” said Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. “That’s something that hap pens in a video game or something.” It was the 14th consecutive loss by the Jets to the Patriots dating back to 2016. It also dropped them to 6-4 and last place in the AFC East. The Patriots, who are 6-4, have the tie-breaker over the Jets after beating them twice this season.

“It’s a crappy way to lose,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh. “They made a play and we didn’t.”

Wilson showed immaturity and a lack of self-awareness with his one-word answer when asked after the game if his poor play let the Jets’ defense down. “No,” was his reply, even though he went just 9-22 for 77 yards in the 20th start of his pro career. Patriots second-year QB Mac Jones was 23-27 for 246 yards.

“It’s tough, especially when the de fense did all we could do, and only al lowed a field goal,” said Gardner.

“We were thinking there was going to be overtime. We were getting ready for it. The defense, we were ready to put ev erything on our shoulders. Unfortunate ly, we didn’t get there.”

Jets rookie receiver Garrett Wilson was more direct and emotional in explaining the Jets’ loss: “We got our ass beat on offense.”

Saleh had not made a decision as to who will be the Jets’ starting QB this Sunday when they play the Chicago Bears at MetLife Stadium. But if it isn’t Joe Flacco or Mike White, who have been behind Wilson on the team’s depth chart, Saleh will poten tially have a divide in the locker room.

Jets rookie wide receiver Garret Wilson and many of his teammates were frustrated with the offense’s performance in a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday (Bill Moore photo)

Giants right tackle Matt Peart (No. 74), who is listed third on the team’s depth chart, has been called into action due to the offensive line’s multiple injured players (Giants.com photo)