New York Amsterdam News Issue #51 Dec.22-28, 2022

Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, NYS Democratic Committee Chair Keith Wright, and Sen. Cordell Cleare (Bill Moore photo)

oversight hearing on migrant crisis as more expected to arrive

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(Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit) (Bill Moore photo)

Agenda by David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York

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International News

own norms and principles of governance and democracy. These are aspirational for sure, but aspirations forged in the recovery from conflict, state failure, and despair.”

MILITARY SPENDING IN AFRICA A NONISSUE AT U.S.-AFRICA LEADERS’ SUMMIT

(GIN)—Africa had center stage at a U.S.-based summit this month for what leaders hope will be more than a brief moment and whose achievements will be more than talk.

The U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit opened on Dec. 13 with a full plate of critical topics, from the environment to public health, democratic governance and security. Some 50 leaders who accepted the invitation from the Biden administration flew in with a long wish list of projects, from trade deals to the fulfillment of pledges such as Biden’s promise to advance U.S.Africa climate cooperation.

A $55 billion grant Biden promised to African countries could cover an expansion of educational scholarships for the continent’s youth, one-third of whom face chronic unemployment. An Obama-era scholarship program could be updated and configured to match or exceed Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s pledge in 2018 to provide “50,000 scholarships and 50,000 training opportunities” for young Africans.

However, undergirding all the social development programs put forth by the Biden administration was the cost of the devastation in Africa linked to military and counterinsurgency programs while foreign powers tolerated official corruption, political leaders overstayed their constitutional term limits and human rights were violated.

Speaking on the news program “DemocracyNow,” Emira Woods, executive director of the Green Leadership Trust, stressed this point. “We’ve got to understand the links of militarism to the fossil fuel crisis, to the climate crisis,” Woods said. “We’ve got to begin to create other opportunities, where fossil fuel companies are taxed and we look at opportunities to actually cap the flow of these harmful fossil fuels into our global economy.

“And we’ve got to look at all of

these opportunities to change global governance, so that particularly Black, Brown and Indigenous people have the opportunity for self-determination. This is the cry across the planet: self-determination of peoples.”

While assurances were made at the summit that Africans would not have to choose between the U.S., Russia and China, a bill titled “Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa” that would oblige Washington to punish African governments that abet Russian “malign” activities recently passed in the House of Representatives by a bipartisan 415–9 vote.

The bill broadly defines such malign activities as those that “undermine United States objectives and interests.” It would “hold accountable the Russian Federation and African governments and their officials who are complicit in aiding such malign influence and activities.”

South Africa’s International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor issued a rebuke: “When we speak about freedom, it’s freedom for everybody. You can’t say ‘because Africa is doing this, you will then be punished by the United States.’”

Samar al-Bulushi, assistant professor at UC Irvine and a contributing editor to Africa is a Country, observed: “U.S. preoccupation with questions of security and terrorism redirected donor funding away from issues of pressing concern to people on the continent (social welfare, education, development, jobs, etc.) … We must scrutinize the rhetorical championing of ‘democracy’ and ‘civil society,’ lest it serve as a cover for new forms of repression,” she said. Similarly, Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation, commented: “If the Biden administration is looking for a framework for partnering with Africa that steers a course between militarization and moralizing, it need look no further than Africa’s

America’s obsession with military solutions “rarely work as they fail to address the real drivers of militancy which are grinding poverty, environmental degradation and endemic corruption,” noted Michael Horton, fellow for Arabian Affairs at The Jamestown Foundation. “The United States would achieve far more by working to find, understand, and enable local solutions to these core problems.”

RAMAPHOSA TO LEAD ANC FOR SECOND TERM BUT FACES STIFF HEADWINDS

(GIN)—African National Conference (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa sailed over an impeachment inquiry this past week but faced a seriously divided party at the recent National Convention of the ANC, nearly upending his victory race for ANC party leader and ultimately president for a second term.

Unhappiness and frustration has been growing among the ANC cadres, who say the party is increasingly out of touch with the needs of ordinary South Africans, still mired in poverty, unemployment and inequality—a triple threat, as Ramaphosa himself has acknowledged.

It didn’t help that an elite group of public officials was revealed to be enriching itself mightily through corruption. Details of the misdeeds were spelled out in a report named after its chairperson, Justice Raymond Zondo. The report goes into forensic detail about the way state resources were plundered.

Wealthy business owners, the inquiry revealed, used their millions to influence political and economic decisions in a process known as “state capture.”

When the stain of corruption finally reached the top of the ANC—

Ramaphosa himself—angry ANC leaders peeled off, threatening to give their votes to a former health minister, Zweli Mkhize, and taking with them several large provinces, including KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape Gauteng, Limpopo and North West.

“We need to vote for a comrade who can deliver us from the poor state of [electric company] Eskom. This deliberation will deliver a strong NEC [National Executive Committee] that is going to win in 2024,” KwaZulu-Natal Chair Siboniso Duma was heard to tell his delegates.

At the last minute, Ramaphosa swung the vote of the national convention to his side, winning 2,276 votes to Mkhize’s 1,897.

But the uproar at the convention will not quickly be forgotten.

As he stepped up to deliver an opening address at the convention on Friday, Ramaphosa was shouted down by delegates from political rival and former president Jacob Zuma’s home province, KwaZuluNatal. Chaos prevailed into the early hours. Delegates interrupted officials by singing campaign choruses celebrating or deriding Ramaphosa. His spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, called it an all-out war.

Also dogging the party is the appearance of a patriarchal society and a patriarchal organization, ANC deputy president Mmamoloko Kuyai observed. The party’s leadership is too male, too old and too enmeshed with corruption, critics say. Worse, the party does not have a proper plan to incorporate new leadership.

“The disappointment in Ramaphosa is profound,” said William Gumede, head of the Democracy Works think tank. “But South Africa’s expectations have dropped so low that Ramaphosa is still seen as better than other alternatives. I’m struck by how this is the view from the boardrooms of major corporations to people in rural villages.”

(GIN photo)

Supporters of President Cyril Ramaphosa (GIN photo)

Speaker Adams, oversight hearing on migrant crisis as more expected to arrive

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

The migrant crisis has run the city ragged over the last several months. With a new wave of asylum seekers expected to arrive when Title 42 ends, Speaker Adrienne Adams and the City Council convened a historic two-day hearing on Tuesday and Wednesday to review access to important services like food, education and housing.

To date, New York City has received more than 30,000 immigrants bussed up from the border with about 25,000 in shelters or Humanitarian Emergency Respite Center (HERC) living conditions. There’s a portion of asylum seekers that have decided to resettle outside the city or reconnect with family and friends, said city authorities in the hearing. Most of the migrants are from Central America, South America, West Africa and South Africa. The incom-

ing influx of an even bigger wave of asylum seekers requires improving coordination and support services between every city agency.

The Row NYC and Stewart Hotels have housed more than 4,000 families with children with hundreds of adult families at the Wolcott Hotel, and mostly adult men briefly at the now dismantled Randall’s Island site. On the family sites especially, there’s bilingual education department enrollment staff, medical staff for physicals and vaccinations, access to clothing and cultural food, social and mental health services, and resettlement assistants, testified city authorities.

“Over the past several months, New York City has worked to pool its resources and accommodate the arrival of tens of thousands of new migrants. As a sanctuary city, we welcome our recent arrivals with open arms and will continue to utilize every tool at our disposal to ensure they can build safe, produc-

tive, and dignified lives,” said Adams at the hearing.

“The Council will continue to advocate that greater resources be provided to our city for this national and international humanitarian crisis, while prioritizing improved services and support for all New Yorkers, including newly arrived migrants,” said Adams.

City authorities testified that they are considering more HERC centers because of the end of title 42, including rebuilding the Randall’s Island intake center. From the Department of Social Services Gary Jenkins spoke about what a sheer struggle it is to provide temporary housing without any warning. He said a coordinated effort from southern states would be immensely helpful but that just isn’t happening.

“This is a 24-hour operation. There’s no down time. We are constantly working throughout the day and the night,” said Jenkins at the

See MIGRANT CRISIS on page 27

2022 in Review: Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg reflects on first year on the job

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

Gun violence prevention, shoddy landlords and a financial investigation into an ex-president to name a few things—Alvin Bragg’s plate is always full during his freshman year as Manhattan district attorney. But this past Thursday morning, he’s only focused on his egg white veggie omelet and a side of an unhealthy breakfast food he insists be scratched from the record. Over the meal, Bragg recounts 2022’s biggest hits as New York County’s first ever

Black chief prosecutor.

“Allen Weisselberg plea, Trump Organization convictions, Stephen Bannon indictment, Steven Lopez vacatur, creation of the Housing Unit, creation of the Pathways [to Public Safety] Division,” he said.

“And the people that we’ve already begun to connect with services. Our Own Every Dollar [Gang] prosecution in conjunction with the feds [and the gun violence prevention] initiative, those are some of the things that stand out.”

He also tallies his mental health initiative, announced just a day earlier. The $9 million investment goes

towards housing, treatment and care. Councilmember Shaun Abreu, who Bragg shouts out as a staunch ally throughout his first year, called the funding critical for making communities safer through measures “that actual work.”

“This program targets the determinants of crime and provides key wrap-around services before individuals become justice-involved and after low-level court arraignment,” said Abreu from his statement. “By making sure our neighbors have housing assistance, substance abuse treatment,

See D.A. REVIEW on page 29

Help Needed: NYC comptroller report finds key vacancies in city agencies

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

Eight percent of New York City government jobs are currently vacant, found the Office of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander earlier this month. Before the pandemic, the rate hovered around 2%.

“We need a municipal government that works for the people of this city, achieved by ensuring agencies are adequately staffed and supported so they can successfully provide essential services for New Yorkers,” said

City Council leaders Adrienne Adams and Justin Brannan in a statement. “A city often more focused on wasteful contracts than fixing its core workforce shortage will not get us there. Understaffing and underspending on the most critical services for New Yorkers at key agencies that can confront the crises facing our city is not efficiency.”

Throughout the year, concerns of vacancies in the NYPD and Department of Corrections (DOC) sparked public safety concerns and pressure from respective department unions. But Lander points out uni-

form agencies actually boast some of the lowest rates of understaffing throughout city government. Nine percent of the DOC positions are vacant while just 5% of police department jobs are unmanned. Still, there are other major concerns facing the city due to agency understaffing. The Department of Buildings faces the highest rate of vacancies for any major agency, with only 1,529 of 1,978 positions filled. That’s over 22% of the ranks vacant. And with fewer inspectors means higher risks of building

See VACANCIES on page 35

Metro Briefs

Mayor Eric Adams, the Rev. Al Sharpton, others gather for joint Kwanzaa, Hanukkah celebration

To take an active stand against the increasing instances of racism and anti-Semitism in our country, Mayor Eric Adams, the Rev. Al Sharpton, founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners and the Chairman of Carnegie Hall Robert F. Smith, founder and CEO of the World Values Network Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, and Elisha Wiesel came together to host 15 Days of Light, celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in a unifying holiday ceremony last Sunday at Carnegie Hall.

At the event, speakers called for Americans to join them in a coast-tocoast display of unity to dispel the darkness of racism and anti-Semitism for the 15 nights of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

They encouraged individuals across the country to post photos of their own African American and Jewish friends, neighbors and colleagues coming together to #lightthecandles on their social media.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams unveils worst landlord watchlist

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams unveiled the 2022 Worst Landlord Watchlist today, naming the 100 most egregiously negligent landlords in the city as determined by conditions at their buildings. This year’s list found that housing violations at the worst owner’s properties are at the highest levels in the history of the list, with conditions continuing to deteriorate even as the median rent in the city has massively increased in recent years.

Across the 2022 list, there were a staggering 69,018 violations, nearly a 30% increase from the previous year. At the same time, New York City has risen to become the most expensive city in the world.

The number one worst landlord for 2022 is Johnathan Santana, who averaged 2,980 open violations across 15 buildings on the watchlist—the most violations of any landlord in the history of the list, and more than double the average number from last year’s worst offender. The list was unveiled this morning outside two of Santana’s Washington Heights properties averaging over 300 violations each, where tenants spoke about heat and hot water outages, rodent infestation issues and collapsing infrastructure. Without a superintendent to maintain the property, tenants are forced to pay for and perform repairs.

Chancellor announces expansion of cafeteria enhancement experience for schools

City schools Chancellor David Banks announced the expansion of the Cafeteria Enhancement Experience (CEE), as part of the city’s reimagining of the student dining experience and city’s ongoing commitment to health and nutrition. With an additional $50 million in capital funding in Fiscal Year 2023, the CEE initiative will transform more than 80 cafeterias into warm and welcoming spaces for students to enjoy nutritious meals. The announcement also included a doubling down of the city’s commitment to expanding access to halal options to schools across New York City, fulfilling a key commitment of Mayor Adams. If any school communities are interested in an extended halal menu, their school principal will work with the entire school community and the Islamic Leadership Council of New York to add the service to the respective site.

Middle and high schools that receive a cafeteria enhancement are identified by a range of factors, including enrollment and participation at that site, with an emphasis on schools in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and older school buildings.

NYC Health + Hospitals offering COVID-19 bivalent shot for children 6 months and older

NYC Health + Hospitals is now offering updated COVID-19 bivalent vaccines for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that children as young as 6 months receive the updated vaccine that helps protect against the newer variants of the virus.

The Pfizer-BioNTech primary series for babies and toddlers is three

Referral of criminal charges against Trump from the Jan. 6 committee

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

The House Jan. 6 committee concluded its more than a year and a half long investigation Monday on a high note, urging the DOJ to bring criminal charges against Trump for his role in the insurrection at the Capitol Building. Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the nine bipartisan panel, summed up the hearings, stating that he believed “nearly two years later, this is still a time of reflection and reckoning. If we are to survive as a nation of laws and democracy, this can never happen again.”

Republican Liz Cheney, the committee’s vice chairwoman, concurred and placed Trump in a singularly ignominious position as the only president to ever violate an orderly transition of power. He is also the only former president to be indicted and faced with criminal charges.

At the heart of the panel’s 154page summary, they found that

Trump had engaged in a “multipart conspiracy” to overturn the election. The findings add another stain on Trump, to go along with a couple impeachment attempts. Since the panel has no power to convict and bring Trump before the bar of justice, the charges are merely symbolic, and now the nation waits to see how Attorney General Merrick Garland will respond to the referral.

Trump’s response, as expected, was gruff and shrugged off the charges. “These folks don’t get it that when they come after me, people who love freedom rally around me,” he wrote in a statement posted on his Truth Social account. “It strengthens me. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”

He claimed to have deployed 20,000 troops to prevent the violence and then went on television to disband them. “The people understand that the Democratic Bureau of Investigation, the DBI, are out to keep me from running for president

because they know I’ll win and that this whole business of prosecuting me is just like impeachment was—a partisan attempt to sideline me and the Republican Party,” he concluded.

If recent polls have any validation, his claim that he is being prevented from seeking the Oval Office will be academic since the polls have him trailing Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.

Trump won’t have to worry much longer about the Jan. 6 panel, which will soon dissolve as the Republicans take charge of the House. Despite the length of the investigation the public gave it more than a passing nod, particularly when many of the Republicans were subpoenaed and testified. New Yorkers will be interested to see what happens with Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, who could be debarred for his role in the uprising. Curiously, the panel did not approve bringing charges of seditious conspiracy that the DOJ used to convict members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.

Political prisoner-of-war Mutulu Shakur comes home

By MAL’AKIY 17 ALLAH Special to the AmNews

Family and friends of ailing Black Liberation Army activist Dr. Mutulu Shakur were elated upon reports that he had been released from the “belly of the beast” on Friday, Dec. 16. After being denied parole nine times and diagnosed with terminal bone marrow cancer, he was granted compassionate release last month after doctors said he only had six months to live.

“Mutulu is deeply grateful for the broad expression of trust and support, and thanks everyone who has helped him over the years,” said a statement on mutulushakur.com. “We ask that he have the space and time to be with his family and to continue receiving medical treatment. The continued incarceration of this terminally ill senior citizen serves no useful purpose as Mr. Shakur represents absolutely no threat to public safety.”

His supporters also released a statement: “Today, the morning of December 16th, 2022, Dr. Mutulu Shakur was released from prison on parole! The de-

cision to grant parole is based on federal law guidelines for ‘old law’ prisoners, finding that Dr. Shakur poses no threat to the community, taking into consideration his exemplary conduct in prison, his medical condition and how much time he has served. Mutulu is now with his family. This victory was secured by the steadfast support of his legal team, family and community comprised of all of you.”

Dequi Kioni-Sadiki, U.S. held Political Prisoners’ organizer, added: “Welcome home. We want to give him time to enjoy his relative freedom. We want to continue raising funds because he came home with decades of malnutrition, medical neglect, abuse and torture which has left him with cancer and survivor of COVID. So he needs funds. He’s a healer in need of healing.”

She reminded people not to forget “the rest of our political prisoners.”

Shakur’s recent statement reads: “This country is not the same country it was at the time of my conviction, and I have lived long enough to understand the changes the country and I have undergone. I will

always care about freedom and equality for Black Americans, marginalized people and the lower classes in this country and abroad. The struggle was never about me, but for the will of the people.

“I cannot undo the violence and tragedy that took place more than 30 years ago. But for several decades while incarcerated I have dedicated myself to being a healer, spreading a message of reconciliation and justice, and playing a positive role in the lives of those I come into contact with, in and out of prison.”

Shakur was convicted for allegedly participating in a 1981 Brinks armored truck heist that fetched $1.6 million and resulted in the deaths of two Nyack cops and a security guard. He was also convicted for assisting Assata Shakur’s 1979 exodus from a New Jersey prison. He was sentenced to 60 years, becoming eligible for parole in 2016, with a 2024 mandatory release date.

For more information about Mutulu Shakur’s medical needs, go to: Mutulushakur. com/support

NewJersey News

Booker leads colleagues in urging DHS,

ICE

and CBP to review inhumane treatment of Black migrants

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

New Jersey U.S. Sen. Cory Booker urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to conduct a review of incidents of mistreatment of Black migrants within the U.S. immigration system, especially incidents related to the shackling of people who are pregnant and postpartum.

“Black migrants suffer from disparate treatment, discrimination, and racism at every phase of the immigration system—including when they are being deported to their country of origin, most times without being given the chance to seek asylum,” wrote Senator Booker in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson and Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller. “A September 2022 Amnesty International Report found that Haitians removed under Title 42 were detained in ways that “amount to ill-treatment and in some cases torture, either to coerce them to give up their claims or to deter other asylum seekers.”

One psychologist estimated that two-thirds of families removed to Haiti were shackled or chained at some point during the removal process. Multiple Haitian migrants interviewed for the report said they were shackled either while they were pregnant or

‘Concealed

breastfeeding. One woman who was nine months pregnant was shackled by CBP agents and carried onto a plane to be removed. The treatment described in these reports is disturbing, horrific and un-American.

Booker also pointed out these inhumane treatments of migrants by CBP and ICE personnel are contrary to the agencies’ guidelines.

“It also appears to conflict with CBP and ICE’s own guidelines on shackling and the use of chains during deportation. CBP’s standards require that restraints during detention are used “in a manner that is safe, secure, humane, and professional.” Booker added, “Additionally, restraints cannot be used ‘in a punitive manner or in a manner that causes detainees undue pain.’”

According to ICE’s National Detainee Handbook, officers may only use force “after all reasonable efforts to otherwise resolve a situation have failed” and “physical force or restraining devices will not be used as punishment. International law is clear that countries may not shackle or handcuff pregnant people or people immediately after childbirth. …We continue to believe that a holistic review of the disparate treatment of Black migrants throughout our immigration system is both necessary and urgent,” continued Senator Booker.

Booker and his colleagues also requested DHS, ICE, and CBP clarify their existing practices regarding shackling of migrants, and particularly pregnant migrants, in detention.

Carry’ gun safety bill

approved by NJ Senate, sent to governor

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff

The New Jersey Senate approved a bill that would set common-sense gun safety standards for carrying concealed firearms in New Jersey. The bill, S-3214/A-4769, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari and Sen. Linda Greenstein, was approved with a vote of 21-16 and sent to the governor.

“New Jersey continues to be a leader on gun safety with laws that help keep our communities safe,” said Scutari. “This bill will help prevent gun violence with commonsense standards to require training, promote gun safety and prevent firearms from being carried into sensitive locations. Finally, this new law will help provide a tool for law-en-

forcement in our fight against illegal gun trafficking.”

The legislation would build on the effective gun laws already in place. It would prevent guns from ending up in the hands of the wrong people by requiring more comprehensive background checks, setting training standards, prohibiting permit holders from carrying handguns in sensitive public areas, and requiring insurance coverage to protect and compensate victims, among other measures.

The bill has received support from the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association, the State Troopers Fraternal Association of New Jersey, the Association of Former New Jersey State Troopers and the New Jersey State Troopers Non-Commissioned Officers Association.

Former NFL quarterback Bruce Eugene finds end zone through coaching NYC youngsters

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

Long before HBCU football stars left for Colorado University, Bruce Eugene was something out of an urban legend. The exGrambling State quarterback stood just six feet tall in shoes, but weighed over 260 pounds, boasting a laser-accurate arm and a penchant for employing it. In 2005, Eugene broke the single-season record for passing touchdowns in Division I (both FBS and FCS) college football, before Hawaii’s Colt Brennan surpassed him a year later, albeit with more games but stronger competition.

Reporters called him the “Round Mound of Touchdown,” a nod to Charles Barkley. His coach called him “Fat Back.” But he was as bright as he was big. After putting up video game numbers and setting all-time records, Eugene worked out for the NFL draft and registered a 41 on the Wonderlic, one of the highest scores all-time by any NFL prospect on the aptitude test often criticized for racial biases leading to disparately lower average scores by Black quarterbacks. Unfortunately, Twitter and Instagram weren’t around back in 2005.

“Oh, if I had social media back then—it was crazy—I wouldn’t be here right now today,” said Eugene. “What I was doing and the numbers I was putting up, nobody was doing what I was doing back then.”

But thankfully for aspiring gridiron stars across the five boroughs, he never went viral. Eugene bounced around the professional football world, starting with his hometown New Orleans Saints and finding his way to Canada on the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and Germany on NFL Europe’s Berlin Thunder. It wasn’t the Jets or Giants that brought him to the “Big Apple,” but rather a woman—his daughter’s mother. But Eugene always knew coaching was in the cards for him and soon started working in New York City’s Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), while also doubling as a substitute teacher for the DOE.

By 2015, he was the league’s first Black head coach to win a championship, leading Williamsburg’s Grand Street High School to a 28-26 victory over Eramus Hall under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium. But his meteoric rise came to a screeching halt thanks to an enrollment scandal and internal politics— after winning the big game, Eugene soon found himself out of a job.

He says the issue stems from bitter conflict with the school’s principal. On paper, Eugene was let go for enrolling a Long Island-based player under his Brooklyn home address so he could play for Grand Street without paying a non-city resident fee. He listed the at-risk youngster as his nephew, hoping to whisk him away from his gang-heavy surroundings. It wasn’t too far from the truth. After all, for Black coaches like Eugene, play calling is just

Black New Yorker

the first of many responsibilities.

“Are you wearing the many hats that we wear?” he said. “Black coaches, we have to be uncle, we have to be brother, we have to be daddy. We have to be whatever we need to be to reach them. The white coach, are you doing the same thing? Are you stepping into that role to try to reach them like we do? I don’t think many of them are doing that.

“Are you making sure [they] eat? Can they call you 24/7, 365? All that plays a part in our kids’ development. Football is a tool that we use. It gets to a point but you still need coaching—people that you can trust to help them matriculate through this thing called life.”

After leaving Grand Street, Eugene plied his coaching craft around the greater Tri-State area as an offensive coordinator. After all, the “Round Mound of Touchdown” was never an easy man to bring down. Recently, he resurfaced in New York City at Canarsie as an assistant coach. But the drama of 2015 continues to follow him and Eugene is now banned from the sidelines and forced to call plays from the stands. So why does he insist on coaching New York City youngsters despite all the obstacles?

Eugene admits he’s strongly considered walking away many times. But he remains paying it forward, long past the end zone.

“I’ve helped so many kids in the city, not just kids that go to school and play something— I’ve helped the number of kids that other schools get to college,” said Eugene. “Because [of] my HBCU roots, I’ve helped a lot of kids get to the HBCUs. Because somebody helped me when I was coming up, my father wasn’t around.

“All of my coaches took a role in my life and helped me become the man I am today. So for me, that’s how I’m dealing with my kids.”

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

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

Painful Budget Cuts Should Spare Services for New Yorkers Who Need Them Most

Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Council are in a classic battle of political wills over the best way to cut the budget and close a projected multibillion-dollar funding gap, without hurting poor and low-income families.

While budget battles are an annual rite in big city government, the fight in New York is different this time. The City Council comes to the table with an outer borough mandate at the same time New York faces a stubborn downturn in employment, tourism and tax revenue.

The same coalition that brought Eric Adams to power – voters from the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, outside the traditional city power centers – also elected a City Council for the first time that looks like our racially and ethnically diverse boroughs.

Under Speaker Adrienne Adams, expect the City Council to be a bulwark against budget cuts that unfairly fall on the backs of New Yorkers most battered by inflation and dependent on city services. Indeed, earlier this year the City Council called on the mayor to reverse $215 million in school cuts to reflect lower enrollment. Look for a similar response to across-the-board budget cuts that likely will be on the table as the Adams administration confronts a projected $3 billion budget shortfall next year, particularly any cuts in building and health inspections.

Another reason to resist arbitrary, across the board budget cuts is the disproportionate impact they have on poor communities while typically sparing police and fire departments. The Council should also resist reductions in low-income housing, which would be counterproductive in the face of the city’s housing affordability crisis.

Pink slips define the front line of the battle between the City Council and Adams’ administration. The budget’s bottom line largely plays out in the number of job vacancies the mayor keeps on the books but has no plans to fill, and how many openings are eliminated outright. Service delivery, equity and fairness often turn on how many city workers are dispatched to the neighborhoods where the majority of New Yorkers live.

A recent report by the State Comptroller illustrates how head count matters. Before the Covid pandemic, the city’s work force peaked at 300,400 full-time employees. That number has since dropped 6.4 percent to 281,333 through August 2022. That recent decline is larger than the 4.7 percent loss of

workers between fiscal years 2008 and 2012 following the Great Recession.

The municipal work force is already depleted, and the loss of the last two years isn’t equally distributed across city government. Of the city’s 37 largest agencies, each employing more than 250 workers, 11 agencies saw a decline that was twice the citywide average of 6.4 percent, and even higher in some cases, the comptroller’s report said.

The tension over how best to slice the economic pie does not mean condemning or demonizing the mayor. Quite the contrary – the City Council’s role is democracy at work, and for the first time, voters from New York City’s outer boroughs played an oversized role in electing both the executive and legislative branches.

That new accountability to voters of color promises to expose a fundamental truism of New York City governance: Politics often forces elected leaders to choose between doing the right thing and doing the expedient thing for the right reasons. The demands of the office can co-opt core beliefs to damaging effect.

During the Koch and Giuliani administrations, when budget cuts disproportionately fell on the poor and minority neighborhoods, the service cuts generated a muted objection from the City Council. In the end, the voters were forgotten as politics and partisan loyalties overruled moral principle.

The cycle reached a breaking point when Bill de Blasio ran for mayor on the promise of addressing soaring income inequality, an increasingly unaffordable cost of living and the largest homeless population since the Great Depression. De Blasio’s landslide election with support from Black and Latinx majorities, in many ways, represented a backlash against the failures of the “permanent government” of real estate developers and Wall Street titans.

De Blasio’s broken promises played a part in the elections of the current City Council and Eric Adams, whose appointees include a historic number of women and people of color. Voters seemed to be calling for City Hall to move beyond past symbolic gestures and to get to work on improving the quality of life in the boroughs that were previously taken for granted.

Adams, who came to office as arguably the most powerful New York City chief executive in years, now has an ascendant equal partner in the City Council. Together, they are well equipped to address the ongoing housing, jobs and public safety crisis.

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.

‘Gate of the Exonerated’ reflections on racial injustice

By MAL’AKIY 17 ALLAH Special to the AmNews

This past Monday afternoon, a re-naming ceremony was conducted at an entrance gate on Central Park’s 110th Street between Fifth Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard, commemorating a racial injustice committed over three decades ago. “Gate of the Exonerated,” inscribed on a stone wall, was unveiled on the 20th anniversary of when the convictions of five Harlemites were overturned in the infamous 1989 “Central Park Five/Jogger” case. Since being legally cleared they’ve been known as “The Exonerated Five.” The city settled a lawsuit in 2014 for the wrongful assault and rape convictions in the 1989 case. Several hundred withstood the cold while converging at Central Park’s Dana Discovery Center that morning for the ceremony. Three of the five wrongfully convicted— Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Yusuf Salaam—spoke, while Korey Wise and Antron McCray didn’t attend. They spoke

about injustices and “breaking generational curses.”

“This is a moment. This is legacy time,” expressed Yusef, who was

The Rev. Al Sharpton noted that, “There's more people here today than at any of the court dates [during the trial]…Let us not act like this is something that is not also continuing to happen today,” he said. “Because the ‘Exonerated Five’ is symbolic that [there are] many that still need to be exonerated.”

Another event followed at Harlem’s Schomburg Center that evening.

only 16 when the case started. “We’re here because we persevered, because what was written for us was hidden from the enemies that looked at the color of our skin and not the content of our character. They didn’t know who they had. The system is alive and sick, and we are to ensure that the future is alive and well.”

It was Santana’s first time in Central Park since 1989. He stated, “We know now that the system is flawed and it needs to be fixed.”

He added, “Now that my daughter is an adult, it’s time for us to go to Central Park, see the Gate of the Exonerated, and once again be a part of the park community.”

Richardson recalled the media labeling them as “a wolfpack,” “urban terrorists” and “wildin’” and convicting the Black and His-

panic teens before they had their say in a court of law.

“There were ads that said four of us should be horsewhipped, while the elder, Korey Wise, should be hung from a tree,” he stated. “That’s slave talk right there. It needs to be known what we went through. We went to hell and back. We have these scars that nobody sees. This is an important time right here—the Gate of the Exonerated, this is for everybody that’s been wronged by cops.”

Salaam said, “This is about giving recognition to something that should have never happened. The gate is just one example of healing, and how our path to healing is continuous.”

Mayor Eric Adams presented them with Keys to the City before saying, “To these soldiers here, you

Cannabis is all about location, location, location

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

The first legal retail licenses for the state’s booming cannabis industry are being distributed this month to nonprofits and “justice involved” persons. It seems the main concern among shop owners is where to place their business in the city to best serve the community.

Erica Ford, the anti-violence activist and founder of Life Camp, is among the eight nonprofits to receive a first wave dispensary license from the state. Rodney “Bucks” Charlemagne is a chief marketing officer and co-founder of Kush & Kemet, one of Life Camp’s partnerships for the dispensary.

“There are families with shattered hearts and broken souls because their family members were taken away from them, both by an inequitable justice system and by the hands of others. And we can’t forget those people, along with the children who grew up without parents and in foster care because of this broken system,” said Ford in a statement. “With the resources from the cannabis economy, we can invest and build real equity within our communities that have been destroyed.”

Ford said that she is happily a voice

for equity and reinvestment into the nonprofit and her community, which is in alignment with the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) mission to prioritize and right wrongs made against primarily Black and brown neighborhoods in the city.

Charlemagne, 35, is what the state refers to as a “legacy” or justice involved person who was arrested for using and dealing marijuana when he was in his early 20s. He is excited about the way the state incorporated economic and social justice into the cannabis industry launch.

“It’s a transitional phase for me. I’m very excited about the opportunity,” said Charlemagne. “And having the chance to make the money and have it go back into our initiative LIFE Camp, where we don’t have to depend on no one else to do the things we want to do for our community.”

Kush & Kemet will be supplied with state cultivated farms upstate, he said.

Ford hasn’t officially announced the location for the LIFE Camp dispensary just yet, but it will likely be in Manhattan or Queens in high traffic areas, said Charlemagne. He also said that they have worked with a realtor who has been scouting appropriate locations for dispensaries for the past two years.

Location for a dispensary is pretty

critical. For instance, registered medical-marijuana businesses can’t be near or on the same street as a school, church, synagogue or other place of worship. And as illicit shops have opened, there have been numerous instances of pushback from community residents and surrounding businesses.

The West 125th Street Business Improvement District (BID) in Harlem is currently circulating a petition, opposing the state’s approval of the first legal cannabis dispensary to be located across from the famed Apollo Theater.

OCM Director of Communications Freeman Klopott confirmed that a tenant/owner for the West 125th location hasn’t been chosen yet. The selection process will go through the New York State Dormitory Authority, which holds the lease and funds the site. Once a tenant is selected, the lease is turned over to that person and they will receive funds from the New York Social Equity Cannabis Investment Fund.

President and CEO of the BID Barbara Askins, who wrote the petition, said that Harlem’s business leaders were given “no notice” about the dispensary opening. She claims that a dispensary in this location could increase loitering, drug activity, litter, theft of goods and gang rivalries, based on experiences with another

smoke shop. Askins said she and the BID aren’t against marijuana dispensaries in Harlem or shop owners at all.

“The Office of Cannabis Management deeply appreciates feedback from community members and looks forward to continuing discussions with local stakeholders,” said OCM’s Aaron Ghitelman in response to an inquiry. “Once open, these legal, regulated businesses will begin operations and make meaningful impacts in their communities.”

The Apollo Theater did not provide a response by post time.

Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams has his hands full trying to wrangle in the illicit weed market that’s run wild in the last few years since the law to legalize weed was passed.

There’s been more bipartisan crackdown and enforcement against unlicensed shops selling cannabis, edibles, vapes and illegal cigarettes. This has resulted in the seizure of more than $4 million worth of illegal products and 566 civil and criminal summonses. There have only been two felony arrests and one arrest on an outstanding warrant so far.

“Thanks to this joint interagency task force pilot, the city and the state collaborated to crack down on bad actors who are putting New Yorkers’—particularly young people’s —health and safety at risk, and

personify the Black male experience. The ‘Exonerated Five’ is the American Black boy, man, story. They stood firm, they stood tall. This naming is sending a strong message. History has an opportunity to rewrite the lines,” he said. Adams continued, “We knew what had happened to them was wrong and we refuse to remain silent. I think all of our young men and boys, the Board of Education, Chancellor Banks, we should be having school trips to talk about this story because as time moves forward, we believe that there were not real struggles to get us where we are right now and we lose the historical moments that took place. That’s why this is so significant.”

He added that the gate is a “lasting reminder of the grave miscarriage of justice that took place.”

An unveiling ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 19. Several current and former elected officials attended, including current leader of the New York County Democrats Keith Wright, Sen. Cordell Cleare and Bill Perkins.

who sought to cut the line and undermine the legal market,” said Adams in a statement. “It’s high time that unlicensed stores stopped selling illegal products and comply with the law.”

Charlemagne added that “black market” shops don’t necessarily have a security plan or regulated products. A legalized industry will go a long way to safely distributing cannabis for consumption, he said.

“The establishment of a legalized cannabis industry in NewYork City has created opportunities, which I would like to see materialize in my district. The unlicensed cannabis dispensaries undermine the legal opportunities that exist,” said Assemblymember Nikki Lucas in a statement. “While we definitely need to crack down on illegal dispensaries, I believe the community needs to be educated on how they can operate legal dispensaries. We do not want to go backwards to the days when members of our community were disproportionately criminalized for marijuana charges.”

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

(Bill Moore photo)

Go With The Flo

FLO ANTHONY

International superstar Janet Jackson breezed into the Big Apple on Dec. 16 to surprise Sherri Shepherd in her first television appearance since she announced her upcoming tour, Together Again. During the week leading up to Jackson’s appearance on the show, Sherri’s executive producer and best friend Jawn Murray teased the talk show host that she was going to receive a big surprise. When Janet walked on the stage as Sherri cried, the iconic entertainer presented her with a concert T-shirt, telling the overwhelmed host, “I’m kicking off my Together Again [33-city] tour and I wanted to invite you to the first show. If you want to come.”

The youngest producer on Broadway, Jordan E. Cooper, announced that the history-making and critically acclaimed Broadway production of “Ain’t No Mo,’” presented by Lee Daniels, will extend through Friday at the Belasco Theatre on West 44th Street in New York City. When Cooper launched the #SaveAintNoMo campaign the previous week after it posted closing notices to prolong the show’s life, audiences sold out. Celebrities who stepped up to the plate to show a symbol of solidarity by buying out performances included Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade, Queen Latifah, Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhymes, and Sara Ramirez. The Rev. Al Sharpton, Swizz Beatz, D-Nice and Debbie Allen also made significant contributions.

Tired of being misjudged and constantly feeling as if he has

to prove himself in the Black community, biracial comedian and actor Pierre Edwards speaks his truth in a witty standup micro-special on race called “Half/Truths.” The thought-provoking film was released recently with the soft launch of Comedy Hype’s new streaming platform, HypePlsTV.com. “Half/ Truths” provides the audience with a glimpse of a very real and raw Pierre as he jokes about challenges he experienced when he was 11 years old and his German mother and African American father shipped him away from the comforts of his nonracial life in Germany, to live with his Black family in race-obsessed Washington, D.C. Aside from his comedic credentials that include HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo and others, Pierre also portrayed the boyfriend of Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry, in “B.A.P.s.,” along with other roles in various movies.

Disney+ recently announced the second season of the Emmy Award-winning Original series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” which will premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.

From Disney Branded Television, the series is the critically acclaimed revival of Disney’s groundbreaking “The Proud Family.” A season two cast featurette, spotlighting guest stars Gabrielle Union, Chance the Rapper, Leslie Odom Jr., Holly Robinson Peete, Normani and more, is now available. The series recently won Outstanding Casting for an Animated Program at the inaugural Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.

Edo Organization of New York celebrate their Winter Party

Nigerians in America representing the Edo Organization of New York celebrated their Winter Party at the swanky Astoria Manor on Dec.

17. President Efe Okuns blessed the event which focused on culture, family, dancing and traditional Edo food.

Harlem toy drive for NYCHA kids

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

No matter how big or small, a toy can bring joy to a child’s face in perilous times. Such is the motivation behind the annual toy drive in Harlem’s New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments all this week as Christmas season rounds the bend.

Johanna Pittman has lived at her apartment building in East Harlem since May 2019. Her eight kids came barreling down the stairs to get presents. Their ages range from a bundled up baby girl to a tall 14-year-old boy. They eagerly ripped into the gifts they received from team members in the hallway lobby, each one a prewrapped surprise. Gifts included a music speaker, a scooter, games and books.

“I love this program. We went last year and they loved it and I said we were doing it again this year. I was excited about it, they look forward to everything because they always get amazing or surprising stuff,” said Pittman as she smiled at the children. “It feels as though it’s one big community and they care about the people in the building.”

So far 700 toys have been given out to about 3,000 families and kids in 40 buildings across 16 housing developments in Harlem, Washington Heights and Upper Manhattan. The NYCHA tenants at these developments usually are in affordable housing, paying about 30% of their income toward rent.

The toy drive is organized by the PACT Renaissance Collaborative (PRC) team, a group that repairs NYCHA developments in Manhattan, and the Community League of the Heights (CLOTH). The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) provides the wrapped gifts that get dis-

tributed to children as well as invests in public housing along with other core entities.

“NYCHA’s housing plays a critical role in the stability of the communities where it’s located and in the livelihood of tens of thousands of our most vulnerable New Yorkers. The pandemic has only amplified its importance and the need to preserve this key resource of deeply affordable housing,” said President & CEO of CPC Rafael E. Cestero in a statement. “We’re proud to invest in New York City at this pivotal moment, and to partner with NYCHA and the other members of PRC on an initiative that will improve the quality of life of the nearly 3,000 people who call these developments home.”

Bianca Lopez, a resident coordinator with CLOTH and social services associate with PRC, said that she enjoys giving back and being a part of the solution.

“I love this time of year. We deal with a lot of underprivileged, under represented tenants. A lot of tenants say they are not able to afford gifts this year and this is the only gift that their kid will get,” said Lopez. “So that feeling is what we do it for, to bring some type of holiday cheer to everyone.”

Lopez works closely with the residents, estimating that she has gotten to know at least a thousand people personally while the PRC team undertakes renovations to each person’s apartment. Renovations and repairs include new kitchens, bathroom flooring and fixtures, windows and apartment doors, common areas; upgrades to long complained about elevators, heating and building doors; and lastly, landscaping and roofs across each development.

Even though the PRC team is contractually obligated to renovate the NYCHA apartments, there are instances where distrust, fear, disbelief

or mental health issues slows down the process. Lopez and others from CLOTH assist with people who have a difficult time during construction and try to build connections with families. Some families also have the option of staying in hospitality suites or in their apartments with the construction teams working in phases to fix everything up and not fully displace them.

Vice President at Monadnock Development Amy Stokes, who leads the on-the-ground PRC team, confirmed that renovations for the total 1,716 units are about 85% complete. The apartment renovations should be completed by February 2023 with repairs on the interior of the buildings, like elevators and door locks, scheduled to be completed by fall of 2023.

Stokes said that the team has given out turkeys around Thanksgiving and gift cards before and really wanted to make the toy drive an annual tradition, especially since the buildings have an abundance of children.

“The whole point of PRC and us doing this project is to get outside, improve living situations of all the residents through good property management, through fully rehabbed buildings,” said Stokes. “People should be excited about living in their buildings, not worrying about when is my work order is going to be done.”

Stokes said while chronic underfunding is still a problem, what matters is restoring pride for people in their homes and showing appreciation for residents during the holidays.

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

(Nayaba Arinde photos)

Exonerated Five honored with Central Park Gate. See story page 6

Nightlife

Christmas in song, the most wonderful time of the year

A few weeks have passed and here we are again putting the kitchen utensils to use in a major way. The BIG dawg holiday is amongst us, Thanksgiving times two, it’s Christmas. Here we look to make or continue traditions and the soundtrack is at least 49% of the past or future memories. Unlike the other holidays, this is the one with the most difficult playlist to crack. Of course, we’re caught up in the moment of the Mariah Carey’s run of “All I Want For Christmas,” which is immensely popular, BUT will it really be missed if it weren’t played around the dinner and spade tables?

A few of my personal favorites that get some burn include “Christmas Fantasy” by Anita Baker, “Favorite Time of Year” by India. Aire & Joe Sample featuring Tori Kelly, “Be Mine for Christmas” by Kem featuring Ledisi, “Thank You for a Good Year” by Alexander O’Neal, and Luther Vandross’ “Every Year, Every Christmas.” They get significant likes every year, but that LOVE that the staple songs get is not quite there yet. That upper echelon for my peoples looks like Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” The O’Jays’ “I Can Hardly Wait ‘Til Christmas,” “Please Come Home For Christmas” by Charles Brown, “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, surprisingly “Let It Snow” by Boyz II Men, and the hands down leader of the pack, “Silent Night” by The Temptations.

While tunes are cemented that doesn’t mean attempts won’t be made by artists to make their mark. This season we find Teddy & Tina Campbell sharing their new project “Christmas at Our House.” “Our House” is an energetic and festive song that will immediately transport you to the Campbells’ home for Christmas day. While keeping the true reason for the season, “Remember Jesus” features a host of angelic voices (Brian Courtney Wilson, CECE Winans, Marvin Winans and Natalie Grant) that reminds each of us what this time is truly about. With family and love at the center of each song, “Love

Oh Love,” “Ask Away” and “Together for Christmas” round out a full length set vying for contention of favorites for holidays to come.

Also of note is The SRG/ILS Group in partnership with Make Noise Recordings presentation of Vivian Green’s holiday EP, “Spread The Love,” inspired by the BET Networks film, “Holiday Hideaway,” currently streaming on BET properties.

“Holiday Hideaway” was written, directed and produced by the combined efforts of African American women Sharon Brathwaite, Cole Patterson, Lamese Williams and Maieka Saint-Albin, and all songs were written and co-produced by Vivian Green and scored by renowned songwriter-producer, Kwame. The film stars Camilla Winbush (“The Bernie Mac Show”), Vivica A. Fox (“Independence Day,” “Kill Bill”), Ella Joyce (“Roc”) and Reggie C. Hayes (“Girlfriends”). The film centers around Carly Stewart (Winbush). She is the queen of holiday celebrations, but her mistletoe misstep sends her running to a Holiday Hideaway that teaches her the importance of family, forgiveness and fighting for love.

“Spread the Love” is the lead single from the 5-song EP, by the same title. The song was written by Vivian Green and produced by Kwame. “While I didn’t grow up celebrating Christmas, I’ve always loved the euphoric melodies and freedoms in the song structure of holiday music. I am a songwriter and that means I essentially should be able to write about anything. When writing ‘Spread the Love’ I was intentional about including the three cultural holidays of the season because it hasn’t been done enough. There’s something beautiful about acknowledging different cultures in one space. I truly enjoyed assisting in helping to energize someone else’s story in the film ‘Holiday Hideaway’ and as a bonus, I’m excited to release this EP,” mentions Green.

Time’s flying. Got gifts to wrap. Holla next week. Til then, enjoy the nightlife!

Written by David Goodson

Rev. Herbert Daughtry at microphone next to Attorney Roger Wareham, and State Senator Cordell Cleare (Bill Moore photos)

Union Matters

Georgia and the future of our democracy

GEORGE GRESHAM

Senator Raphael Warnock’s re-election in Georgia this November was a massive and cathartic victory that demonstrated what working people can accomplish when we coalesce around a common goal. The race also showed how deeply hostile and condescending the Republican Party is when it comes to the values, needs and aspirations of Black people in our country. With control of the Senate at stake, I was so proud to witness dozens of members of my union, 1199SEIU, head down south and spend weeks away from their families to knock on doors and speak to voters about the important issues in this election. The grassroots infrastructure that local activists and pioneering leaders such as Stacey Abrams have built in Georgia was remarkable to witness, and I know will yield positive results for years to come.

The pride I have for what Georgians accomplished is nearly matched by the disgust I feel for how the Republican Party regarded Black voters when deciding to run Herschel Walker as their candidate. It’s an incredible insult that the GOP thought it appropriate to elevate someone so obviously unfit and unqualified to hold public office in a shameless attempt to appeal to the Black community. Did they really think that we would vote for Walker simply because of the color of his skin? The fact that 90% of Black voters cast their ballots for Sen. Warnock in the general election shows how we are far more politically astute than the Republican leadership takes us to be, when they shamelessly used racial tokenism to try to split our vote.

As someone who grew up under segregation and still carries with me the memories and scars of Jim Crow, the fact that Warnock—inheritor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church and a lifelong racial justice activist—has been reelected senator is incredibly significant. It speaks to the progress we have made over the decades and the hopeful future yet to come.

But of course, at the same time, we must also recognize that a large majority of white, Christian voters in Georgia tried to oust Warnock—choosing instead a plainly awful candidate whose

lack of qualifications and hypocrisy on issues like abortion seemed not to matter as long as he would toe the GOP line. The election results show just how deeply entrenched political divides have become, often along racial lines.

We are living at a time when the advancement of racial equality is facing immense headwinds. Stacked courts, extreme gerrymandering and partisan voter suppression laws are diluting our vote and our power at the ballot box. As newer and younger voters increasingly identify with and vote for progressive causes and candidates, the Republicans are in a race against time to strip away peoples’ rights and lock in permanent authoritarian rule. It becomes clearer every voting cycle how free and fair elections are an existential threat to the backward, broadly unpopular worldview of the far-right, so they are doing everything in their power to undermine them.

Warnock’s victory, alongside other key races across the country that broke favorably for Democrats, helped secure our democracy. But we must now immediately prepare for two years of total GOP obstructionism in the House of Representatives, where they will hold a tiny majority of seats. Once-fringe figures like Representatives Paul Gosar and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had previously lost their committee seats for their outrageous and racist behavior, will have newfound power. As of this writing, Republican leaders are indicating a desire to cause a government shutdown over the spending bill, which would cause great distress to millions of Americans as we enter the new year.

There is no time to rest. What we do between elections is just as important as, if not more than, what we do during election season. Now is the time to build a multiracial, cross-generational coalition of working class people who are fully engaged in struggles for civil, labor and human rights.

We will not let the right-wing outmaneuver the majority of American who believe in a diverse, inclusive and just society. Senator Warnock’s victory shows once again that when we articulate a vision of hope, unity and love for each other, we can overcome the hate and division that seeks to turn our country backward.

George Gresham is president of 1199SEIU, the nation’s largest healthcare union, representing 450,000 members in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida and the District of Columbia.

Uber drivers stage 24-hour strike

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Management at the rideshare app company Uber filed a last-minute petition to block a scheduled 11% pay raise for its New York City drivers—and the drivers have taken offense.

On Nov. 15, the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) approved a pay raise for ride-hail app and taxi drivers that was supposed to go into effect Monday, Dec. 19, but Uber’s last-minute petition, which was granted by Judge Arthur Engoron, blocked that raise. The TLC sent out a tweet stating that “on 11/15/22, TLC voted to raise FHV [for-hire vehicle] driver pay rates. Uber has sued the city to strike down the rules, & a judge has stopped the rates from taking effect until the lawsuit is resolved.

“TLC is appealing and aggressively fighting to move forward with the rule.”

Uber and Lyft drivers say they quickly organized Zoom meetings to arrange protests for Monday morning. Drivers took themselves off the app for the day and instead blocked traffic along downtown Brooklyn’s Tillary Street during the morning rush hour and caravanned across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan; members of the Independent Drivers Guild held a speak-out outside the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse on Foley Square; and those with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) held a press conference in front of Uber’s Manhattan headquarters— they had called on their membership to go on a 24-hour strike against Uber, beginning at 12:01 a.m. and ending at 11:59 p.m. that day.

“We are here to stop Uber. Without us drivers, there’s no Uber,” said driver Ibrahim Zoure as part of those gathered in the cold in front of Uber’s headquarters at 3 World Trade Center—many of whom carried placards that read “Uber the Grinch stole our raise!” “We’re here to let them know that we need respect and they should give it to us—and we will take our respect. Because we have families, and we should be able to spend time with our families.”

NY State Sen. Jessica Ramos says she rep-

resents neighborhoods in Queens where the largest number of New York City’s for-hire vehicle drivers live. “I’m here to stand with my neighbors as we fight against one of the baddest employers in the state of New York,” she said at the NYTWA press conference. “Uber continues to put the burden of the job entirely on the drivers while they reap the profits, enjoy bonuses and are going to be able to give their families a nice holiday.

“Meanwhile, the men standing behind me on strike today who are fathers, sons, grandfathers yearning to offer their children a nice Christmas, a nice holiday, won’t be able to do so because of Uber’s greed—because of them suing against this raise that is so well deserved by these drivers.”

NYC Council Member Shekar Krishnan, who also represents northwestern Queens, called Uber’s actions offensive: “It’s not the first time that Uber has done [this], they’ve done it…in California, too…It is time that this company recognize that the billions that it makes in profits, that it needs to treat the workers better, that it needs to abide by city decisions and pay the workers more. Respect our drivers, protect their rights—that is the message that we send loud and clear.”

The company, formally named Uber Technologies Inc., claims in its petition not to be against paying its riders fair compensation but argues that the TLC’s reasons for determining the pay raise were based on a specific set of months when inflation was high. “[T]he Commission has proposed dramatic, unprecedented and unsupported hikes, purportedly for inflation, to the minimum per mile and per minute rates paid to Drivers, which are set to take effect on December 19, 2022,” Uber claimed in its petition. “The Commission achieved these hikes using an index that the Commission has never used before and, after the December 19, 2022 rate hikes, will not use again, and by arbitrarily selecting the months of data from the index to compare.

The company believes that using those metrics would lead to Uber being forced to spend between $21 and $23 million per month to pay its drivers.”

Drivers and NY State Sen. Jessica Ramos protest at Uber’s 3 World Trade Ctr HQ

Uber headquarters at 3 World Trade Center (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

REP. COLIN ALLRED

REP. KAREN BASS

REP. JOYCE BEATTY

REP. LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER

REP. JAMAAL BOWMAN

REP. ANTHONY G. BROWN

REP. ANDRÉ CARSON

REP. SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK

REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER, II

REP. DANNY K. DAVIS

REP. DWIGHT EVANS

REP. AL GREEN

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES

REP. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

REP. MONDAIRE JONES

REP. ROBIN L. KELLY

REP. BRENDA L. LAWRENCE

REP. BARBARA LEE

REP. LUCY MCBATH

REP. GREGORY W. MEEKS

REP. GWEN S. MOORE

REP. JOE NEGUSE

REP. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

REP. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.

REP. STACEY E. PLASKETT

REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY

REP. BOBBY L. RUSH

REP. TERRI A. SEWELL

REP. MARILYN STRICKLAND

REP. RITCHIE TORRES

REP. LAUREN UNDERWOOD

REP. MARC VEASEY

REP. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN

REP. FREDERICA S. WILSON

The right Judge for the right time

By ELINOR TATUM Publisher and Editor in Chief

This Friday is the deadline for Governor Hochul to name a new chief judge of the State of New York and Court of Appeals. She will select this judge from a list of seven names recommended to her by the Commission for Judicial Nomination. This decision that she is about to make will have reverberating effects on the citizenry of NY for generations to come, and that is why we implore the governor to understand that the wrong decision is not a legacy she wants to hold.

The next chief judge must adhere to the law, have respect for the legislature that represents the people, and recognize that the respect for the law is a line between our values and anarchy.

What the last chief judge did was antithetical to those principles and destroyed a sense of justice. Retired Chief Judge DiFiore left the court on August 31, 2022. Even after her departure there was influence exercised that blocked fellow colleagues from becoming candidates to replace her. Coincidentally these colleagues were all judges of color who had opposed her decisions. During

her tenure, she led a four-member block of Court of Appeals judges that voted together 96 of 98 times. Those decisions have proven to be anti-tenant, anti-union, anticriminal defendants, pro-big business and pro-landlord.

The final decision of this block gave control of the drawing of Congressional and State Senate district lines to a Republican surrogate, acting Supreme Court judge in Steuben County, New York. That decision invalidated the maps drawn by the Democratically controlled state legislature. However, it was the other part of the decision that had the greatest effect. It decided that the state legislature could not have an opportunity to submit new maps with acceptable lines. Instead, the judge in Steuben County, a 10-hour bus ride from New York City, was now given full control by the DiFiore Court. Under the new lines, Republicans flipped six Democratic congressional seats and now control the U.S House of Representatives.

Hakeem Jeffries could have been speaker of the House today.

The courts must have a new chief judge that will NOT continue down the path of the ex chief judge. Several candidates have decisions of record which no doubt would continue the conservative path

forged by DiFiore. Governor Hochul must reject those candidates.

There are only two real choices that Governor Hochul has: Abbey Gluck or Edwina Richardson Mendelson if she honestly wants to have a Cardozo court once again.

There are already Cardozos on the court. But this selection must be able to restore the confidence in the courts. The selection must be able to facilitate greater access to the courts. The selection must be able to restore morale within the courts. The selection must have familiar knowledge of the court system all over the state. While there is one law, the courts across the state face different realities. The right selection must have the ability to thread the similarities while respecting the differences. The selection must have the proven ability to address the issues that most disproportionately affect the majority of people in this state in accessing court services.

If we had our druthers the choice would be Edwina Richardson Mendelson for she is the kind of judge we need right now to bring the court back to where it needs to be to bring this state forward. We implore the governor to do what is best for all New Yorkers and appoint the right judge at the right time.

Override is a good word for Trump

EDITORIAL

Any kind of victory over Trump is a cause for celebration, even if the victory is merely symbolic, moral or even a pyrrhic one, providing the losses are not too devastating.

Our headline, and probably the newspapers and newscasts of the world, reports that the Jan. 6 House committee has voted to bring criminal charges against the former president.

Expected, too, is Trump’s dismissing the findings in the same way he railed against the release of Brittney Griner.

Now we, along with the rest of the nation, wait to see what happens next. And next belongs to the DOJ and Attorney General Merrick Garland because the House’s panel is not empowered to prosecute and possibly convict Trump.

While we agree with the panel and the outcome, why did it take so long to arrive at a result that most Americans saw as unquestionable? Well, that’s the way our government operates and we may not be as exuberant about the steps

Calls being made for Gov. Hochul to sign the Grieving Families Act

By SENATOR CORDELL CLEARE

The unimaginable pain felt by a family who buries a loved one lost to negligence or police violence is far too common in our community, but that is only the start of the pain felt by many of these families. They will quickly

find out that a New York law enacted before the Civil War says that the lives of Black people are worth less than the lives of white people.

You read that right: New York has a law on the books, passed at a time when there were millions of enslaved people in this coun-

try, that says white lives are more valuable than Black lives. How is that possible? Because New York’s wrongful death law, passed in 1847, values the lives of those killed only in terms of how much money they make. As a result, because a significant percentage of Black Americans are underpaid while they are alive, their lives are worth less after they are killed.

The current law is immoral.

family members are not locked out of the courts.

taken by the DOJ. But we withhold that judgment and hope this affair moves along expeditiously.

It is our understanding that the DOJ is doing its own investigation of the insurrection, and will not base any conclusion on the referrals made by the House panel. Evidence and not the panel’s recommendations will, according to most legal experts, be a deciding factor if an indictment will be rendered.

Perhaps the most we can expect out of all of this— and it’s not that long ago that Trump escaped two impeachments—is another stain on Trump’s legacy, one that is already soiled beyond redemption.

In the long run, maybe the most we can hope for is that the dictionary will add another meaning for the word trump, and one far less kindly than in game of cards or one that refers to being helpful or admirable. Override is one synonym for trump in the thesaurus, and that sounds just about right for a man who refuses to accept reality.

R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Nayaba Arinde: Editor

Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor

Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor

Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Chairman

That is why 203 of my colleagues and I, from both parties and from every corner of the state, voted to reform the wrongful death law earlier this year. The legislation we passed, known as the Grieving Families Act, which awaits action by Governor Kathy Hochul, will allow the courts to consider grief—not just paychecks. In addition, it will ensure that non-traditional

You are probably thinking, “Surely, nobody could possibly oppose legislation to correct such an obvious injustice.” Unfortunately, you would be wrong. The usual insurance companies and special interests are complaining about costs increasing. However, we know what that really means. They are upset that they might have to pay out the same amount of money for the life of a Black child as they do for the life of a white child.

But it’s not just the insurers. A group known as the NYS Conference of Mayors (NYCOM), which represents cities and villages in Albany, also wants the governor to water down or even veto the bill. Why would local governments want to stop reforms

of the wrongful death laws? Because police officers work for cities and villages, and they clearly think that making it more expensive for cops to kill unarmed Black people is a bad idea.

The opposition of insurers and local officials is as divorced from reality as it is immoral.

If municipalities want to limit their liabilities, the obvious solution is to kill fewer innocent people rather than to shortchange the survivors of their victims.

Moreover, the solution for Governor Hochul is just as obvious—sign the Grieving Families Act as it was passed by the legislature. With one stroke of her pen, she can, as the scripture says, let justice roll down like waters and righteousness in an ever-flowing stream.

Elinor

of the Board, CEO and Publisher Emeritus

Africa must heal itself—and not rely on America

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

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS

There may be better ways to disrespect African leaders than President Biden’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit earlier this month, but if there are, they do not readily come to mind.

Summit diplomacy is a term characteristically used to describe faceto-face negotiations between heads of state; for example, the 1961 summit talks between Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and President John F. Kennedy in Berlin. Addressing 50 heads of state collectively—and not for the purpose of negotiations—is not summit diplomacy, even if Biden insists otherwise to stroke their egos.

The Africa Leaders Summit compares unfavorably with Biden’s rolling out the red carpet to host French President Emmanuel Macron on Nov. 30, like the difference between flying first class and coach. Biden placed certain topics at the Africa summit off limits, i.e., China and Russia. Its venue of Washington seemed out of place. It would be expected that an Africa summit would be held in Africa, as a European summit would be held in Europe. But the insulting anomaly is no novelty. The United States Africa Command is headquartered in Germany, as startling as would be locating NATO headquarters in Niger, rather than Belgium.

Less than one week before the African summit, Biden negotiated a prisoner swap of Viktor Bout, a Russian convicted of serial international arms trafficking, for Brittney Griner. Among other things, Bout sold weapons to compound violent upheavals in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Algeria and Sudan. Yet Biden did not ask any of these countries’ leaders for their views about releasing a villain who helped to cause them so much death and misery.

The Africa summit concluded with no joint statement, no modern “Marshall Plan,” no true negotiations between equals. Is there any better evidence that Africa is the stepchild of Biden’s foreign policy?

Africa must heal itself. You know something is profoundly wrong when a Black Washington Post journalist,

Keith Richburg, writes in his book, “Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa,” after witnessing chronic strife, grisly torture and murder on the continent, “I am quietly celebrating the passage of my ancestor who made it out [enslaved]. … Had my ancestor not made it out of there… maybe I would have been one of those bodies, arms and legs bound together, washing over the waterfall in Tanzania. Or maybe my son would have been set ablaze by soldiers. Or I would be limping now from the torture I received in some rancid police cell.”

African nations should consider four fundamental reforms to end or ameliorate the evils that Richburg chronicled.

They should reexamine boundaries inherited from European white supremacists with no African input or consent. They were informed by the General Act of the Berlin Conference on West Africa, summoned by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, to set the ground rules for the colonial vivisection of the continent. The boundaries characteristically mix combustible, heterogenous tribal, ethnic, religious, cultural and language groups under one sovereign umbrella. Constant conflict is inevitable as the rival political factions jockey to capture control of the government, to loot the public treasury and control the security forces.

African nations should consider splitting into smaller sovereign units with greater homogeneity and commonalities that facilitate peace, unity and trust. Czechoslovakia peacefully divided between the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic in 1992 to diminish internecine conflict.

But setting boundaries, without making more changes, is insufficient. South Sudan separated from Sudan in a 2011 referendum, and Eritrea voted to separate from Ethiopia in 1993. But all four countries continue to suffer internal strife and malgovernance, as do other African nations whose boundaries are not problematic. A common constitutional defect is the concentration of limitless power in the executive branch and the relegation of the

legislature and judiciary to being echo chambers of the heads of state. There is no separation of powers— the cornerstone of liberty and the rule of law by checking ambition with ambition. Politics in Africa attracts many sociopaths, who must be pitted against each other like Roman gladiators and lions, to save countries from tyranny.

African nations should consider abolishing their armed forces as Costa Rica did in 1949. Article 12 of the Costa Rican Constitution provides a template: “The Army as a permanent institution is abolished. There shall be the necessary police forces for surveillance and the preservation of the public order. Military forces may only be organized under a continental agreement or for the national defense; in either case, they shall always be subordinate to the civil power: they may not deliberate or make statements or representations individually or collectively.”

Military coups in Africa are chronic. Burkina Faso witnessed two coups in 2022 alone. These must end for African nations to attain the stability and peace that’s necessary for legitimate trade, business and the rule of law.

Finally, African nations must downsize their governments to give the private sector breathing room to innovate and prosper and to diminish the economic incentive for electoral fraud. Governments in most, if not all, African nations dominate the economy with legally protected, bloated, stagnant and corrupt monopolies. Private entrepreneurs are squeezed out or crushed by government lawlessness, including arbitrary licensing or taxation. African nations should take heed of Adam Smith’s timeless wisdom in “The Theory of Moral Sentiments”: “Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice: all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things.”

Africa’s deliverance from poverty, conflict, corruption and instability must come from within. The United States is not the continent’s savior.

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

Happy Holidays

CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.

Happy holidays, dear reader. As we come to the close of another year, it is my honor to have a column in the historic Amsterdam News. It is my sincere hope that this year has treated you well, and you learned about yourself, others and more. I also hope that as the holiday season approaches, you will find time to rest, reconnect with yourself and loved ones, and spend a bit of time reflecting on all of the joys this year has brought.

I don’t know about you, but this holiday season snuck up on me. I have yet to purchase a single Christmas gift, which is not like me at all. It’s not that I lack the holiday spirit, it’s just that the fall sped by and before I knew it, Thanksgiving was over and midDecember was upon us. As a dear friend posted, “Christmas is in one week and everyone’s gifts are still in my thoughts and prayers.” This year I am really looking forward to spending quality time with friends and family and am resisting the urge to purchase gifts just because it’s something I have done in the past.

This year I have also decided to celebrate Kwanzaa. I was recently on my colleague Panama Jackson’s podcast “Dear Culture” on thegrio.com. He, our colleague Michael Harriot, and I had a discussion about what Kwanzaa means to us in this particular moment. I did not grow up celebrating Kwanzaa. My parents definitely instilled in my sister and me a deep love and respect for Black people and the African diaspora, but we never celebrated Kwanzaa.

The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahi-

li phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits.” This year I am dedicated to observing the seven principles of Kwanzaa: Umoja (Unity) to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race; Kujichagulia (SelfDetermination); Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility); Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics); Nia (Purpose); Kuumba (Creativity); and Imani (Faith). Kwanzaa begins December 26 and lasts until January 1. The celebration is not a substitute for Christmas. Kwanzaa is a seven-day non-religious holiday observed (primarily) in the U.S. and is meant to honor African Americans’ ancestral roots. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by California State University at Long Beach professor Maulana Karenga, a Black nationalist and professor of Pan-African studies.

As I light my Kwanzaa candles this year I will reflect on all of the accomplishments of my people, goals I would like to set for the upcoming year, and a reflection of the struggles and triumphs of Black people throughout the diaspora.

I do hope you have a rest-filled holiday season and spend time asking yourself what would make you happy in the upcoming new year. So, happy holidays to you and yours, near and far.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream, and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio.

Black Jewish creatives focus on celebrating their narratives and building community

By TAMERRA GRIFFIN

Raven Schwam-Curtis danced along to music pumping from the speakers at a shuk one night along with about 40 other Jews also on their birthright trip to Israel. Raven, who uses they/them pronouns, said that they were feeling good about their recent decision to learn more about their Jewish heritage by going on the trip. Schwam-Curtis, who was 21 at the time, was the only Black person in their group—their mother is Black, their father Ashkenazi—and just one of two people of color; everybody else on the trip, they said, was considered white.

At one point, the song changed to the unedited version of “Gold Digger” by Kanye West, a detail Schwam-Curtis noted with profound irony, given the rap mogul’s relentless anti-Semitic tirades over the past several months. When a young woman next to them used the n-word while singing along to the song, they were so taken aback that they figured they must have misheard. But then the woman said it again.

Schwam-Curtis told the woman that she couldn’t use that word. They remember the woman shrugging them off with a half-hearted “my bad” and she continued as though nothing had happened. Schwam-Curtis left in tears.

“It shattered a glass ceiling for me,” they said of the incident. They wondered whether they would always have to combat anti-Blackness among Jews who benefitted from white privilege. “And that’s very painful when these are people you’re supposed to be in community with,” they added.

Three years later, Schwam-Curtis shares the spectrum of their experiences as a Black Jewish person with their 97,000 social media followers across Instagram and TikTok with the handle @ravenreveals, in addition to pursuing a graduate degree in African American Studies at Northwestern University. They are one of several Black Jewish creators asserting their identities and centering their stories with pride, calling their audiences in to relate and learn in the process.

Black Jews are situated at the nexus of two communities that have suffered the generational trauma of state-sanctioned violence and discrimination. That systemic oppression can make it difficult for individuals from each of those

groups (Jews who are not Black, and Black folks who are not Jewish) to understand how the issues they face are interconnected, a concept known as intersectionality.

Black feminist scholar and civil

ibility can obscure the nuances of Black Jewish identity, but SchwamCurtis, director and animation producer Ezra Edmond, and documentarian and comedy writer Rebecca Pierce are using their plat-

upon different groups of people to learn how to accept him, too.

Once he finished making the short film, he was nervous about how it would be received, and whether his family would watch it

When she was 9 years old, she shared at a Freedom Seder (a tradition that began during the first Passover after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968) that she had been called a racial slur at school. Although her relationship to her Jewish identity was primarily cultural at the time, Pierce said the comfort she felt in talking about her experience as a Black girl drew her even closer to Judaism.

rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in 1989 in part to push back against the erasure of people who face multiple forms of oppression simultaneously that, taken together, form an entirely new set of obstacles.

In an interview, Tema Smith, the director of Jewish outreach and partnerships at the Anti-Defamation League, offered a second definition she said is linked to Crenshaw’s.

“If you start unraveling the thread ball of hate, you might have these disparate threads of anti-Semitism, transphobia, homophobia, anti-Black racism, anti-indigenous racism, Islamophobia—choose your ‘ism’ or phobia, but at the end you’re going to end up with one unifying idea that brings it all together,” said Smith, who is also Black and Jewish. “I think both of those meanings are still very accurate to [describe] how experiences of hate and oppression occur.”

That intersectionality also introduces an exhausting dichotomy many Black Jews have to contend with. The anti-Semitic rhetoric propagated by Kyrie Irving, Kanye West and Dave Chappelle has at once rendered Black Jews invisible and hypervisible. Their existence challenges those ahistorical and misguided arguments, but whenever those moments arise, they are thrust into the spotlight, asked to speak on behalf of both communities they belong to and sort out their complexities in real time.

The pendulous nature of their vis-

forms to bring depth to urgent conversations around anti-Blackness and anti-Semitism that volatile news cycles often flatten.

As a Black and Jewish filmmaker, Edmond’s eye is naturally attuned to artistic representation.

The 33-year-old native of San Fernando Valley in Southern California is a longtime fan of the TV show “Black-ish,” but a bittersweet reality hit him when he learned that the actors Tracee Ellis Ross (who plays Rainbow Johnson), Daveed Diggs (Johan Johnson) and Rashida Jones (Santamonica Johnson)—who play siblings on the show—are all Jewish in real life.

“‘Black-ish’ is a blended Black family show. Tracee’s character’s family is a mixed family, and Anthony Anderson’s [character Dru Johnson] is not. His is from a generational household, and hers is from a commune,” Edmond said. “But she could have just played a Black Jewish character, and her siblings could have, too.”

Edmond still loves the show, but he knew that in order to see the kind of story he could relate to on screen, he would have to create it himself. On the cusp of the pandemic in 2020, he made a short animated film titled “Blewish.” At just under four minutes, the story follows a young Black boy learning what it means to embrace his Blackness and Jewishness against the backdrop of different environments— his classroom, a family friend’s house, the public library—that call

and express concern that he had always harbored the feelings expressed by the main character. But he was determined to tell his story, so much so that he didn’t hesitate to fund the project himself—a decision that probably wouldn’t have needed to happen had he released the film after the summer of 2020, he quipped.

“Blewish” has played in various film festivals, schools and synagogues around the country, and while Edmond knows Black nonJewish people have enjoyed it, he said it has yet to be accepted into a Black film festival.

But the short film also granted Edmond something he had never before experienced outside of his immediate family: The opportunity to meet and build community with other Black Jewish people who watched the film.

“I want people to get more comfortable sharing those details about themselves instead of sitting in silence and assuming sameness,” he said.

Rebecca Pierce recognizes how fortunate she was to have been encouraged at a young age by her parents to speak up about issues that affected her as a young Black Jewish girl growing up in Palo Alto, Calif. Her mother, who is Black, and her father, who is white and Jewish, are both attorneys, and exposed Pierce to both the Christian church and the synagogue. “Race, politics and religion were always discussed,” said Pierce, now 32.

When she started college at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Pierce began to notice how eager her fellow classmates were to place her into neat categories based on who she was and what she believed. She became involved in Israeli-Palestinian politics on campus, and said that once it became known among her Jewish community that she expressed solidarity with Palestinians—Operation Cast Lead took place during her freshman year—her entire identity came under scrutiny.

“I approach solidarity with Palestinians from both a Jewish and a Black experience and a Black lens, and that’s very different from other Jewish students who are white,” Pierce said. “If you have experience with racial discrimination and you see it happen to someone else, you’re not going to pretend that’s not what you see.”

Even after graduating, Pierce continued meeting with college students engaged in Israeli and Palestinian discourse, which eventually led to producing documentaries about issues affecting Black people, Jews and other marginalized groups. In addition to creating short films about Ethiopian Jewish activists protesting in Israel and police brutality in San Francisco, where she currently lives, Pierce is wrapping up a feature-length documentary about African asylum seekers in Israel.

But Pierce directs her gift for storytelling toward other genres, too. She’s also a comedy writer, and views humor as a bridge between the two cultures she belongs to.

“A lot of relief comes in comedy,” she said. “I think it comes from both [groups] having these very deep experiences of oppression and trauma.” Pierce added that Black people have historically steered popular culture, and referenced collaborations between Black and Jewish artists during the vaudeville era in the U.S. as evidence of the

A still image from Ezra Edmond’s short animated film “Blewish” which explores the Black Jewish double identity

Amid a surge in hate crimes, targeted communities seek intersectional strength

By TAMERRA GRIFFIN

Though she had practiced Judaism since she was young and belongs to a thriving Jewish community on social media, Ayeola Omolara Kaplan didn’t find a physical space where she could meet others like herself—people who also lived at the intersection of being Jewish, queer, and Black—until about four months ago. The 24-year-old artist recently started attending a reconstructionist congregation in her hometown of Atlanta, but felt a confounding mixture of welcoming and dread when she approached the entrance.

“Every time there’s an event, there’s a police car parked outside with its lights flashing and a cop standing guard every Saturday night so we could go into services,” she said. “At first it was very jarring, and there also was a little bit of anxiety because I was going to this Jewish space as not only as a Jewish person, an openly queer person and as a Black woman.” Seeing law enforcement stationed outside her

place of worship made her concerned about being profiled by the very officers tasked with keeping the people inside safe.

The spike in hate crimes against Black Americans, increased violence against LGBT people, and rise in anti-Semitic verbal and physical attacks on Jewish people have combined to create an environment that require people like Kaplan to practice hypervigilance about their safety. But what some communities define as safe might come into direct conflict with others, possibly even causing them more harm. Individual activists, as well as those at the grassroots and national organizational levels, are all developing ways to practice inclusive safety in order to withstand what they consider the ultimate threat: the white supremecist nationalist movement steadily gaining momentum beyond the far-right.

Kaplan is an abolitionist, and has drawn immense inspiration from Black artists such as Black Panther Party Minister of Culture Emery Douglas and African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists co-

founder Barbara Jones-Hogu for using their craft to advance political movements. Before she joined her current congregation, its leaders had commissioned her to paint a mural in response to a conversation centered on reparations for Black people, and the role the Jewish community could play in advancing the cause.

Educating marginalized groups on how to practice solidarity is a vital strategy to withstand the threat of white supremacist ideology, according to Jalaya LilesDunn, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice program.

“This country was built on a racial bribe,” said Liles-Dunn, who led the development of various training guides aimed at antibias and anti-Black racism. “You divide and tell one group that they’re worth more. This group is less. We’ve seen it from Black folk and poor white folk. Now we’re seeing it with anti-Blackness and anti-Semitism, and we’re hurting each other.”

Only once education is evenly distributed, Liles-Dunn warns,

will the project of division be dismantled, and communities can work toward feeling safe around each other.

“Until we learn our shared history, that bribe will breathe life,” she said. “Whether you blame one person or another, they all become part of a system.”

For Graie Hagans, who co-founded the Black Jewish Liberation Collective in 2015, part of constructing new models of safety has to do with practicing self-protection while recognizing the humanity in others working toward change. The collective, which champions Black-Jewish empowerment and community uplift, hosts events like their signature Kwanzakkah and Juneteenth as safe spaces for Black Jews and anyone else interested in honoring both cultures on those holidays.

“What we found was that mostly non-Jewish Black folks show up with a lot of desire to learn and connect in all the ways,” he said. “Some of it has to do with how we treat our curiosity.”

Kaplan recognizes she’s still in

the early days of participating in her new Jewish community and doesn’t have an immediate solution to the challenge of ensuring the protection of a group that has faced systemic oppression without involving the police at her congregation. But she does know that part of the work involves showing up, if only to show others that the congregation can be safe for others who look like her and might see her enter.

“It’s important for me to continue going out and being out and proudly Jewish and queer and Black,” she said. “The Jewish temple that I go to now was constructed because they knew that as Jewish people, they needed a place to be themselves. They took that risk so I could take this risk. And me taking this risk helps other people in the future take that risk.”

This article was made possible by a grant from Shine A Light, a national initiative dedicated to raising awareness of modern-day anti-Semitism and encouraging societal change through a shared sense of communal allyship.

Celebrating

two communities working well together creatively.

“There’s a big joy in this comedy work of getting to bring my Black and Jewish perspectives to the room and deal with the discomfort of being ‘other,’” she said.

Schwam-Curtis worried that they didn’t know enough about Judaism but would be perceived as claiming authority on it by becoming a content creator. But over time, Schwam-Curtis realized that their transparency encouraged others to learn, too.

“There’s a lot of stuff that I don’t know, there’s a lot of stuff that I might get wrong, but I think that’s

okay,” they said. “It’s okay for me to be in the process of learning, in the process of becoming, and letting me show you what that looks like.”

Tema Smith of the Anti-Defamation League believes these voices are critical to helping people understand that there are layers to the discrimination and violence threatening them and their communities—and embrace the mul-

tiple fronts on which the battle for justice can be fought.

“At this moment in time, the threats that face us all in this country are too large to say, ‘Well you need to fix your house before we can come together,’” she said. “We need to be in coalition and conversation and build trust. Relatedly, we also need to listen to the people who span communities, who can

talk about issues of their own on both sides and issues that unite our communities right now.”

This article was made possible by a grant from Shine A Light, a national initiative dedicated to raising awareness of modern-day anti-Semitism and encouraging societal change through a shared sense of communal allyship.

Police tape surrounds the parking lot behind the AME Emanuel Church in Charleston, S.C. on June 19, 2015, as FBI forensic experts work at the crime scene of the racist fatal shooting of nine members of the Black congregation. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Hoboken police officers stand watch outside the United Synagogue of Hoboken, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, in Hoboken, N.J. The FBI says it has received credible information about a threat to synagogues in New Jersey. (AP Photo/Ryan Kryska)

Caribbean Update

Dutch say sorry, activists still unhappy

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

Under pressure for years to apologize for its genocidal role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the Dutch cabinet on Monday mustered enough courage to formally say it is sorry that the nation had built its wealth on free African labor. However, even as it did so, nearly half of the local population still remains opposed to any national remorse.

Representing the Netherlands, with its colonial-era reputation as being among the most brutal of the European slave traders, Prime Minister Mark Rutte delivered a brief speech from the national archive on Monday, saying the time had basically come for the nation to atone for the sins of slavery. It is unclear, however, whether the Dutch move will now increase

pressure on the United Kingdom and others to do likewise in keeping with demands from rights groups and governments.

Rutte had visited the former Dutch Caribbean Community country of Suriname in September to proverbially “sniff the air” about a possible apology. He did so just weeks after a multiparty delegation of Dutch lawmakers had also done so weeks earlier and after they had strongly recommended an apology from the Hague. Monday’s apology was also directed to Dutch Caribbean territories such as St. Maarten, Curacao and others that the lawmaker delegation had visited. It is also among the first such actions by a European nation.

“Today I apologize,” Rutte said, noting that the country must own up to its past.

“The healing process must

now begin and we will write the program for this together. Until 1814, more than 600,000 enslaved African women, men and children were shipped to the American continent under appalling conditions by Dutch slave traders. Most to Suriname, but also to Curaçao, Sint Eustatius and other places. They were taken from their families, dehumanized, transported and treated like cattle. Often under the government authority of the West India Company.”

From all appearances, Rutte had little choice but to apologize because several Dutch cities and institutions have already done so in recent months. These include Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and the Hague, in addition to corporate entities such as the Dutch Central Bank and ABN Amro.

A recent survey by broad-

caster NOS indicated that nearly 50% of the population had said that no apology should have been given. Some parties in the local parliament have also outrightly opposed such a move.

In Suriname, meanwhile, several Afro and other rights groups say they are unhappy that the Netherlands did not consult them enough on this issue. Many prefer that the apology be made mid-next year, when the 150th anniversary of abolition will be observed. They think this would be a better and more meaningful date.

Recalling the horrors of the trade, Rutte noted the gruesome “treatments and punishments. We read of flogging and torture to death, of people having their limbs cut off, of branding in the face. The fate of one person is more terrible than the other; injustice and more injustice on every page. And

as Anton de Kom described it for Suriname, it also happened elsewhere, under the same Dutch government authority. We read it, we know it and yet the horrible fate of enslaved people is hard to comprehend.”

The Dutch move will most likely now bolster the case of Caricom governments, which are putting together a historical and detailed document about the trade as they fight to make Europe pay reparations. They have already hired a British law firm that has had financial success on behalf of genocide victims and have also asked Europe for a summit to civilly discuss the issue.

In initial reactions from Suriname, Armand Zunder, the local reparations commission chief, said he is disappointed that no real mention was made of reparations because the Dutch cannot escape from this.

“If you acknowledge something, then you also have to bear responsibility for it. Human lives cannot be expressed in money, but reparations must be made,” he said, demanding a fund in the billions. “That needs to be talked about. The Netherlands calls slavery a crime against humanity and it must bear responsibility for it. Also, nothing was said in the speech about the Indigenous people, who are the first inhabitants of Suriname. They have been enslaved,” he argued.

Dutch involvement in the trade dates back to a period near the end of the 1500s and ran for more than 250 years. The apology follows a 2018 apology from Denmark to Ghana, where the trade ran for nearly 200 years: one from King Philippe of Belgium to the Congo, and one from the pope for the role of the church.

Another Christmas and another lump of coal for immigrants

FELICIA PERSAUD

IMMIGRATION KORNER

It’s almost Christmas, and for those immigrants who were hoping for the long overdue gift of immigration reform in their stocking this holy holiday, they were again sorely disappointed. As usual!

All they will get this Christmas from the Democratically controlled U.S. Senate and House, as well as the Biden administration, is a huge lump of coal. Yes, a big black rock, worth nothing but heartache, headache and stress.

They are being punished again this year, not because they were bad, but because the U.S. Congress is the Grinch, despite who controls it. To them, immigrants, especially the brown and Black ones, are always

very, very bad. So they deserve nothing but worthless coal. In fact, they really wish that coal will make these immigrants vanish, but much to their dismay, they do not.

This year, the coal came early—a pre-Christmas “gift” in fact. According to CBS News, “Negotiations in the Senate to forge a bipartisan compromise on U.S. immigration and border policy failed to gain enough traction to pass before the end of this session of Congress.”

According to CBS, quoting three other lawmakers and aides familiar with the deal, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a Democrat turned sudden independent, and GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina’s potential deal that would have included the legalization of a subset of the millions of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S., as well

as certain measures aimed at reducing illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border, has failed to get the necessary 60 votes in the evenly divided Senate.

So much for the Christmas miracle many Dreamers dreamt about. How many times have we been here before? Let me answer my own question. Since the 1990s there has been no immigration reform in the United States. This even though immigration has surpassed crisis proportions and there is an urgent need to provide real solutions.

Instead, what we have gotten from both sides is political football—more dramatic than any World Cup match ever will be; bigoted and xenophobic speeches; or false promises and crazy so-called solutions like shipping immigrants to other cities by bus and planes and erecting a con-

tainer wall.

Is this madness or what?

Given the fact that Republican lawmakers will take control of the House in January and have vowed not to grant “amnesty” to any group of unauthorized immigrants, it seems like this was a last shot. The last shot Democrats had to fulfill a promise they have made since Barack Obama won the White House. And again, it all went to hell.

So, what now? Instead of lawmakers doing what they are paid to do—making laws to solve problems—we have passed the football to the courts.

A federal appeals court has declined to delay the cancellation of pandemicera border restrictions that are set to end on Dec. 21, dismissing a request by Republican state officials who had warned that the termination of the Trump policy,

known as Title 42, will fuel a greater increase in migrant arrivals along the U.S. southern border.

Unless the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruling is superseded by a Supreme Court order, the appeals court’s decision will pave the way for the termination of the Title 42 expulsion policy.

This is sure to create an even greater influx of immigrants that could stress the already strained systems of states like New York City, where many will likely be transported.

Additionally, a federal judge in Texas who has previously found DACA to be illegal, is set to rule on the program’s legality once again next year. That puts Dreamers in a state of worry and limbo this holiday as their future is now dependent on the whims of the court.

In all of this, the nation’s appointed immigration czar and Veep, Kamala Harris, remains woefully silent. Where in the world is Kamala anyway? According to the Daily Post of Nigeria, Harris has announced plans to work with Congress to fund an additional government investment of more than $100 million in the Young African Leaders Initiative.

But what about the immigrants you were appointed to help Kamala? “Who cares? Let them take coal!” Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

PS: Be sure not to send me any coal for Christmas. I much prefer CHANEL N°5. This immigrant has been very, very good all year long.

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

Arts & Entertainment

Best Black albums of 2022

JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

The future is upon us in a sense that a cycle of music has been offered to the world by a plethora of gifted Black musicians. This year was a genrediverse season along with a broad, refreshing age range of artists, all of which have produced impressive catalogs. From jazz, to Black metal to hip hop and avant-pop, 2022 did not disappoint.

These selections are a morsel of the wealth of great music released by Black artists this year. Nonetheless, these albums made waves, converted listeners to otherwise dismissed, underrepresented sub-genres, or were uniquely composed and well produced.

Cécile McLorin Salvant, “Ghost Song” (Nonesuch/ Warner)

Cécile McLorin Salvant’s ethereal third album, “Ghost Song,” became a sonic favorite nominated for a Grammy (2023) for Best Jazz Vocal. But the nomination had nothing to do with the impact “Ghost Song” had on listeners. Her otherworldly, singular and poignant interpretation of standards along with original music that fused baroque, jazz and tones from the Renaissance gave the album a sound and feel that has never been heard. Salvant has the profound potential to be a jazz great like Carter, Lincoln and Vaughan.

Mavis Staples and Levon Helm, “Carry Me Home” (ANTI-)

The gospel music icon, Mavis Staples, now 82, enjoyed a long, storied friendship with musician Levon Helm since the 1970s. One of the pinnacles of their collaborative bond took place at Helm’s Woodstock dwelling in 2004 as a part of Helm’s curated music series, the Midnight Ramble concerts. The

recordings that were captured during that performance have emerged nearly 20 years later, after Helm’s death in 2012.

For this reason, among others, this album is special. It is a historical time marker that encapsulates a moment in time that can’t be duplicated or resembled in any way. The recordings are crisp and Staples’ and Helm’s performance is classic and fluid. There’s great chemistry throughout and it exists as a touching ode to longtime friends.

SZA, “SOS” (Top Dawg/ RCA)

SZA’s anticipated second studio album is one of the last releases of the year, closing out this somewhat strange, emotionally charged year with “SOS,” a somewhat morbid, dark humored, sonically creative music effort. SZA is different and fearless when it

comes to blending Frank Ocean-esque soundscapes, but it should be noted that SZA wrote and composed every song on the album along with a number of innovative producers including Lizzo and Björk. So, it’s great to hear an album led by a woman whose voice is distinct and unvarnished, and untainted from the pressures to water pop and R&B down, making it digestible. This album is for sullen, gritty souls who need to release their complex emotions through music. SZA is needed during this touch-and-go, less than honest and sincere post modern era.

FKA Twigs, “Caprisongs” (Atlantic Records)

British singer-songwriter FKA Twigs continues her sonic exploration with her mixtape, “Caprisongs.” This new collection is more refined

regarding the tightness and cohesiveness of the song’s beat structure. This album is less ambient and experimental and leans more towards a mainstream form, but does not completely remove Twigs’ signature layered vocals and tapering synthesized melodies and rhythms. The percussion is more syncopated and her songwriting also embodies more standard, hookdriven songs. The album is nice to listen to and is stimulating and inspiring.

Drake, “Honestly, Nevermind” (OVO, Republic Records)

Pop-music titan Drake emerges this year with a graceful, seamless collation of songs that can be considered his well-formed, thoughtful album. The album feels complete from start to finish as it flows me-

lodically and swirls within the refreshing boundaries of distinctive dance music sub-genres of Baltimore and Jersey club, consequently giving homage and a global nod to Black music cultures that have gone mostly unnoticed and under-explored outside of their regions. The music is evenly tempered, and subtly sophisticated as producers Black Coffee and Gordo bring a calm to soundscapes that could easily become overbearing and repetitive. The lyrical basis is that of romantic grief, longing, and the calling in of togetherness and affection from distant paramores.

Beyoncé, “Renaissance” (Parkwood Records)

2022 brought a delightful surprise to Beyoncé’s beyhive and American pop music lovers. “Renaissance,” the first solo full length body of work from Beyoncé since 2016, is a lively and energetic dance album with a track list that flows well and holds a streamlined lyrical style that bolsters self esteem, celebration and pop-style likeness that is satisfying and ambitious. This album is the first of a three album series that will unfold through the coming years.

Wizkid, “More Love, Less Ego” (Starboy/RCA)

The follow up to Nigerian Afro-pop artist’s acclaimed 2020 album “Made In Lagos, More Love,” “Less Ego” is a well-produced, intricate pop album. It does not stray too far from the foundational sound and style of Lagos, but denotes a forward motion that drives the sound—lightly nuanced African inspired synthesized beats and vocals leading the more above rhythmic ornamentations. Wizkid’s voice is an instrument in itself and doesn’t need much to create an R&B influenced song. This doesn’t diminish the creativity and impressiveness of the music, the

album just leans more on Wizkid’s understanding and positive manipulation of rhythm.

Kendrick

Lamar, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” (pgLang)

It’s been five years since lyricist Kendrick Lamar received the Pulitzer Prize for his entrancing, cutting album “DAMN.” The artist’s latest work, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” is an astounding, and much of the time, ultrasensory musical experience that doubles as a hyper-realist confessional album. This record is not for the emotionally porous, meaning a listener whose empathy bleeds into any art or content they encounter may want to emotionally ground and prepare before listening. The album is deep, deep in a sense that it will touch wounds and experiences within you as you journey with Kendrick through the process of clearing deadwood, old vines and overgrown weeds that have been choking all of the living foliage within its reach. The album is a work of enlightenment, possibly genius, but the music is arduous as much as it is selfactualized.

Zeal & Ardor, “Zeal & Ardor” (MVKA)

The third studio album from Black metal band Zeal & Ardor is a dredging, inspired album that explores musical concepts influenced by classical music, particularly 19th century European composer Richard Wagner, and more obvious bands such as Deftones and Ministry, but this Black-led Swiss band came into prominence by exploring the Black slave trade and generational racism. This album, though less political, dwells in the murky, bleakness of aggression and philosophy. This album could become their seminal work, as it is bold, carefully mapped and intelligent.

‘A Strange Loop’ holds amazing talkback with Trevor Noah

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

Recently “A Strange Loop,” the Tony Award winning musical playing at the Lyceum Theatre on West 45th Street, held a Black theater night that included a talkback. After watching this very original musical about a fat, Black gay man writing a musical about a fat, Black, gay man writing a musical, the audience was treated to a fantastic talkback hosted by Trevor Noah from “The Daily Show.” Noah, a huge fan of the musical, shared that this makes his fourth time seeing the show. “Every single time I come I feel like I’m focusing on something different, I’m learning something different and there’s a different part of the play that always gets revealed to me,”

Noah said. Noah stated that the show is radical, layered and complicated and asked its creator of book, music and lyrics, Michael R. Jackson, if he thought people would get it. Jackson responded, “Yes…Watching the show I realized that the show is what it is and it is continually showing itself to the audience and I found myself moved again by the fact that this is a piece that by just being itself it is kind of radical,” Jackson explained.

Noah said that describing it, one could say this is a play about Black and white, this is a play about religion and how it controls people’s lives and then it becomes about acceptance…the most confining system would be our minds. He asked Jackson, “When you watch this play does it free you—this is you expressing yourself?” Jack-

son replied, “Yes, it feels artistically validating because I spent so many years trying to craft this experience of this person, of this essence, of this thought process trying to understand itself and then how people come to that and be a part of it and to see that that is still working, it means a lot.”

Choreographer Raja Feather Kelly was asked by Noah, “As a choreographer, when you create the moods, what are you trying to get us to feel?” Kelly replied, “I’m trying to make you see that they are people, I think something that’s most fascinating to me and similar to Michael, is that the choreography is built on their behavior. It’s not built in a way where everyone has to do the exact same thing at the same time. Everyone is meant to express themselves in a container and that has

an ability to grow and shift like the image that Michael gave us. If that’s achieved then you all can see yourselves in different parts of them and their behavior and that evolves … What’s unique about this musical is that the choreography moves the story forward.”

Noah, speaking to James Jackson Jr.—Thought 2, Daily SelfLoathing, Usher’s mother—shared that every character he delivers seems very intentional. “I think you have to just tell the truth as much as possible without the idea of making fun of someone, and I think people seem to relate to that,” Jackson said.

John Andrew Morrison plays Thought 4 and Usher’s mother. Noah mentioned his favorite moment with that character, which is the yearly birthday call. Noah said, “The yearly call is one of my favorite moments—we see that his mother loves him, but she is a source of pain.” Morrison stunned the crowd when he explained, “She’s in her own strange loop.” He remarked, “She loved her son more than anyone…My mom used to say to me, if I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t fuss on you—because his mother cares she loves him enough to hurt his feelings, but she doesn’t think that it’s damaging, as much as it gives guidance. But it’s absolute love,” Morrison said. “You play the honesty of the thing. I honor my mom and a lot of women that I grew up with.”

To Jason Veasey, Thought 5 and Usher’s father, Noah remarked, “You play an idea of oppression contained in the gay community and the male community, we

see that in two different scenes. We see you through Usher’s dad, he feels he’s the victim, take us through that.” Veasey responded, “I look at the dad as someone who is asking his son questions. He is trying to figure out who this alien is who happens to be his child and then when his child tells him that those questions are harming him he has no other tools in his box, he’s at a loss. That’s when he can’t handle it anymore. He lets that lack of tools push him to a point where he has to go,” Veasey added. Noah talked about how the show poses questions about homosexuality and asks is that the way that a Black man, a Black son should be?

John Michel Reese, understudy for Thoughts 4, 5, 6, played Thought 6 that evening. Noah said that he loved Reese’s interpretation of the character. “It’s a crazy role to do. I think of it as chaotic. He’s here and he’s all over the place. I ultimately try to go and have fun.”

To John-Michael Lyles, Thought 3, Agent and Usher’s brother, Noah remarked, “What I love with you is every character fits. What is your process in thinking why these characters can be funny and real at the same time?” “I feel like I’m the antagonist and don’t play the role with a truth,” Lyles said.

Rona Siddiqui, musical director, received congratulations from Noah on the show’s Grammy nomination for best musical theater album. Noah asked, “From one tempo to the next, what are you trying to do in tandem with the performers?” “Why do a musical to begin

A Strange Loop creatives and actors took the stage for a wonderful talkback with Trevor Noah. (L-R) Rona Siddiqui, John-Michael Lyles; Jon-Michael Reese, Jason Veasey, John-Andrew Morrison; Trevor Noah; Michael R. Jackson--book, music and lyrics, Raja Feather Kelly, James Jackson Jr. (Linda Armstrong photos)

It’s L Morgan Lee’s turn to respond: (l-r) Trevor Noah, Michael R. Jackson, Raja Feather Kelly, James Jackson Jr., L Morgan Lee and Jaquel Spivey.

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’—even bigger and better!

By MARGRIRA Special to the AmNews

James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” is a visual masterpiece—there are many words that could be used to describe this breathtaking new film. I will use the word: perfect. It’s been 13 years since the first “Avatar” and in the new film, a look back into Pandora’s world is bigger and better.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” is just unbelievable. Not only is it eye candy, it touches the heart. The soul of the movie is set on At’wa Attu, a lush, tropical island reef. This is where Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), the leader of the Na’vi insurrection, started. At first, he was a disabled U.S. Marine. Later, he becomes a halfbreed through his Avatar identity and relocates to live out a life with his now-wife, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and their four children. The family has sought refuge from the corrupt military, the “Sky People,” who are desperately trying to colonize Pandora.

On the island, Jake and his family have formed a strategic al-

liance with the Metkayina, an underwater clan who have a light teal skin hue and Maori-like tattoos.

Culturally, the teenagers of both tribes create meaning by performing adolescent ritual rites in an effort to bond.

To witness life in the Pandora ocean is a vision. The fish and other animals are wonderfully strange. For example, whales have faces like hammerhead sharks, and all are imperfectly formed and exe-

cuted by state-of-the-art 3D.

It’s no secret that “Avatar: The Way of Water” was expensive (reported to cost $350 million), so to break even it will have to become a serious money maker.

And it just might hit that mark when all the global box office receipts are finally counted. It’s a thrilling ride. Exhilarating. Cameron knows how to tell a story and here, he’s co-written the screenplay and delivers an equal amount of thrills

and heart-tugging moments.

Here’s the story. The evil, greedy and ruthless Sky People, led (again) by the lecherous Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang), have stepped into the world, becoming Avatars themselves. Quaritch is anger personified, a Na’vi redneck. Their goal is to hunt Jake down, but he escapes with his family and hides out with the Metkayina. A determined Quaritch and his squad track him down by ship.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” is

action with lean dialogue. The crisscrossing of the worlds doesn’t really need a lot of languages. The danger is understood. Colonization and all the evil it brings don’t need long monologues for us to understand the impact.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” is the result of the mastery of director Cameron, a four-decade veteran who knows what he’s doing and does it better than most. It’s good vs. evil with the screenplay by Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver; they keep it simple but deliver those important specifics of the world in which it takes place and never miss the tenderness which makes this film specular. In the observation of the Indigenous inhabitants, we have an understanding of what’s at stake.

The fight sequences are thrilling. It’s one of the things that makes you endure the three-hour movie length. Plus, we believe in the relationship between Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Jake and Neytiri’s second son, and the special bond that’s formed with one of the whales.

There’s no reason not to see the movie, and every reason to go.

New York Lottery

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in “Avatar: The Way of Water” (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved)

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By GODDESS KYA

December 22, 2022 — December 28, 2022

REBIRTH OF A NEW NATION: Out of the dark, there’s a light that glows. Something has been brewing up for a while since 2018. The unforeseen abrupt change is occurring. Be mindful of the food you eat and the people you allow into your environment. The details have been given and are now being revealed right in your face. Health issues are on the rise mainly for elders, children; within social groups, workplaces and other functions. Use the natural mineral resources from the earth such as oils, herbs, plants, crystals, foods, clothing, etc., to protect yourself. Most importantly, it’s your beliefs and the thoughts on your mind that attract your reality. Toward the end of December, it’s time to release those unusual behaviors and circumstances that you are comfortable with that don’t align with what you know is right to do. The first step begins in your mind to navigate living a purposeful life. Stomach viruses can be on the rise, as well as unusual headaches, cravings and mood swings as the transformations take place. Let it go—it’s time to elevate. Self-destruction is needed to reconstruct and reprogram yourself to be more efficient, like a computer rebooting itself or going through a new upgrade. “Time to time, we have to upgrade ourselves to live a better life.”—Author unknown

Happy Solar Return around Earth, Cappy! You’re dedicated, staying firm to your agenda when everything is coming at you from every angle, applying pressure only to push you through. This phase is part of your growth for advancement. Position yourself to get things done and get what you need. Rewards and opportunities are dancing at your feet due to your remaining steadfast while setting priorities and boundaries. This cycle week has a favor attached to it that will benefit you, as will meeting new alliances. Be open to change. Dec. 23–24: Make the next six months worth your while, rising like a phoenix from the ashes.

A tug here and there, to get you uncomfortable to keep you in safe mode, is knocking at your door to move forward on a new accord. It’s time to put some more skin in the game on a new level with results. There is a lot going on in the background, be it a project almost complete, changes in your fixed ways and that burning desire to address an issue at heart. Old and new business news is resurfacing; remain solid through it all and take accountability for the role you played. Dec. 25–26: Time can be shaky, yet your faith is what keeps you sane.

The glow-up isn’t all that glittery, gold and sparkling when you don’t have the right support or folks in your corner. Have a pep talk with yourself. Deep inside, you’ve been contemplating something or need a quick decision. This decision will change the direction of your course based on your belief. Spread the word and do what’s in your best interest at heart. Don’t fall for the okie-doke. Dec. 27–28: Pick up the phone, check the voicemail, reply to the text, review and revise any changes that don’t fit the bill or are not in alignment with what was agreed upon.

Your health is important this week. This is a lead-up to numerous things due to you being here, there, traveling and not taking time for rest or for your health. Symptoms such as inflammation, soreness, your ears, nose, throat or a few chest pains are popping up like the “check engine light” on your vehicle. Schedule a doctor’s appointment; include a spa day to just relax in peace. The clues you’ve been seeing aren’t clues anymore; it’s right in your face like the front door. Dec. 29–30: What is meant for you is meant for you; there are no accidents in the universe. Everything has a purpose.

You got this—be brave enough to take the lead no matter what, who, where, when stand in your way. Your sign is the bull; not too many folks can pass by the bull. Decide on the direction you want to build within your community and other committees. The add-on to the blueprint is necessary at this point in the game. Your guardian angels are backing you up and delivering you the 411 to carry on the mission. Be a help to someone in some way or vice versa. Two minds can be better than one, but sometimes you have to work alone to get things done that are tedious. Dec. 23–24: Live in the moment and take your chances with an opportunity that comes your way or where you are providing the opportunity.

There is a lot of backwardness and backtracking your steps to ensure what you are planning is coming together. Some things may backfire on you, especially if the person or thing on the receiving end isn’t responding. This causes a change in your plans and direction. Don’t sit around and wait for it to happen—you make it happen. It’s a reason, the same reason why you are planning what you are planning. Dec. 25–26: Things are up in the air until you or something forces you to make a decision to bust a move. Be careful of how you treat people and the things you do to people.

Living the dream life until something shakes your world up or something hits you where you are thinking about your future. Sudden changes come up, be it remodeling your home, relocating, fixing the furnace, painting your home, changing your appearance or weeding out old stuff. What investment have you made for self and the ones you invest your time in? Go ahead and think about it. It’s time to build on what you already know and have. Dec. 27–28: Why go low when you can swing higher and knock the ball out the park?

Change, travel, transformation, solitude is written all over your face and schedule. It’s time for you to go in a new direction, especially if you notice the revolving door cycles, scenarios, singing the same tune. Be still and you will see for yourself without playing a role for more understanding. Pressure is applied more on the mental and physical levels to advance yourself, leaving nothing up in the air. You need to nip things in the bud and stand firm. Dec. 29–30: What’s it going to be? Remember: “If it’s to be, then it’s up to me.”

The things you engage in this week will only mirror back what you do, and it may make you feel some type of way. Be wise with your choice of words and how you deliver them to certain audiences, crowds, friends, family members, associates, etc. This is a wait-and-see week as information is revealed in the slowest ways possible where you begin to question yourself. Review any contracts, offers, publishing, and seek counsel as needed. Women will play a significant role this week with information you need. You may need to convey a message to someone as well. Dec. 23–24: Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find.

Figure out what it is that you want to do, then put it into motion. No need to wait, just bust a move. What is your faith, as destiny plays a role behind the scenes? First and foremost, be honest with your intentions because things can backfire on you. Connect and partner up with your peers, especially your elders, to plan an event, meeting, discussion, tea party, etc., to shed light on certain issues. Dec. 25–26: Be the first to do what most people wouldn’t do.

Going old-school only to bring you up to speed with the new 411 on how things are done. Attending an event, planning an event or a roundtable discussion is in your forecast, as is mainly following your heart to surrender to what no longer serves a purpose. Submit to your higher calling and you find meaning in your life this cycle. In the background, hidden messages and signs were there all along, like a picture on the wall you just now notice. Dec. 27–28: Understanding your root and the foundation you stand on gives you insight into the now.

Do what needs to be done for your best interest. You are the help this week, as sudden change is occurring at an awkward time. Go with the flow as certain messages need to be related as you are out on the go running errands. Ensure you speak the exact word in your heart and do what you say you are going to do. Enough is enough and you put up a great fight to resist, and now it’s your choice. It’s been weighing you down or elevating you. Dec. 29–30: Listen in silence as information is revealed to you in more ways than you know.

Vinateria

Five staycation and getaway picks for the holidays

By TRACY E. HOPKINS Special to the AmNews

The holiday season is hectic. So after you’ve made your shopping list and checked it twice (you know exactly who has been naughty or nice), spend time either virtually or in-person with family and friends, treat yourself and wind down your holiday season with a self-care staycation or festive getaway to one of these five urban chic hotels.

Eaton DC (Washington, D.C.)

Pack a weekend bag and head to the nation’s capital for a creative and sensorial stay at Eaton DC. More than a hotel, Eaton DC is a whole vibe. This lively and inclusive cultural hub features sustainable décor, art installations, wellness workshops and treatments, common spaces that are open to the public as well as to guests, and a swinging rooftop bar and lounge with live music performances. Upon arrival, guests can select a stone from the gemstone library and each room comes with a record player and a curated vinyl selection. To see and be seen, sip artisanal cocktails and head nod to DJ sets at the hip bar, Allegory, tucked behind the lobby library.

The speakeasy features a striking mural that reimagines young Ruby Bridges—the brave 6-yearold who desegregated a New Orleans school in 1960—as a storybook heroine.

What’s nearby: Through Dec. 30, take the kids or go for an illuminated date night at ZooLights, a free event where the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is transformed into a winter wonderland by LED lights and glowing animal lanterns.

Ulysses (Baltimore)

When was the last time you visited Charm City? Well, you’re overdue for a visit, hon. Named after the protagonist of a Greek epic poem about travel and adventure, this quirky boutique hotel is located in downtown Baltimore’s trendy Mount Vernon neighborhood, an area characterized by cobblestoned streets, tony row homes, quaint shops, eclectic eateries, the landmark Washington Monument and the nearby Wal-

ters Art Museum. Ulysses boasts strong drinks and soft beds, and retro design touches such as canopy beds with intricate quilts, dark-tiled bathrooms, eye-catching wallpaper and decorative rotary dial phones to add to the offbeat charm. During your stay, enjoy creative cocktails and contemporary fare at the lobby Ash Bar.

What’s nearby: Shop for last minute holiday gifts at the Christmas Village in Baltimore, located at the Inner Harbor. The indoor and outdoor market runs through Christmas Eve and is modeled after the traditional Christmas markets in Germany.

The Opus, Westchester (White Plains, N.Y.)

For a quick and easy getaway just 35 minutes from midtown, hop in your car or on the Metro North and check in at the Opus, Westchester in White Plains. The city chic hotel features well-appointed rooms and suites, a vibrant lobby bar, an indoor rooftop pool and the new Red Horse restaurant by David Burke. The main attraction, however, is the luxe 10,000 square feet spa with 11 treatment rooms, a eucalyptus steam room, sauna and detoxifying salt room.

What’s nearby: Make a stop in Harlem for the Apollo Theater’s Kwanzaa: A Regeneration Celebration, a family-friendly community event on Dec. 30 that celebrates the principles of Kwanzaa through music, African dance and spoken word.

Kimpton Hotel Eventi (New York)

Located at the intersection of Manhattan’s NoMad and Chelsea neighborhoods, Kimpton Hotel Eventi is a modern skyrise with floor-to-ceiling windows and stunning views. The hotel features recently renovated guest rooms, an artfully designed lobby gathering space, a curated art collection and three enduring restaurants— Skirt Steak, L’Amico and The Vine—that are favored by locals and visitors alike.

What’s nearby: Catch Alvin Ailey at City Center through Dec. 24 or the Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall through Jan. 2.

The Notary Hotel (Philadelphia)

In the heart of Center City, the Notary Hotel resides in a refashioned historic building that once served as the City Hall Annex. The hotel is steps from where the Founding Fathers once convened and is a short walk from Philly’s popular attractions and landmarks, including Reading Terminal Market and the Liberty Bell. Dining options in the area are plentiful and the hotel restaurant Sabrosa + Sorbo is a cool spot for Spanish tapas and sangria.

What’s nearby: Through Feb. 26, enjoy the seasonal sites and ice skating at Dilworth Park, a public park at City Hall. Until Feb. 1, the Notary offers a holiday bundle that includes skate rentals, inroom hot cocoa, and one complimentary holiday drink per person in the Sabroso+Sorbo bar.

Eaton DC

Octavia E. Butler’s ‘Kindred’ comes to life on Hulu

By MARGRIRA Special to the AmNews

One of the most complicated novels written was penned by Octavia E. Butler and that novel is “Kindred.” Although wrapped in science-fiction, sort of, it’s believable. Part of the story takes place in the antebellum South and involves the miserable lives of enslaved Africans and the twisted world of white slaveholders. Here, a slave bounces between timelines; one in contemporary times and the other, in the aforementioned South.

The fantasy works because the reality works because both are fantastical. It’s been 43 years since the book was published and the mini-series (eight-episode season) was made for FX and is available on Hulu.

Here’s the story. Dana James (Mallori Johnson) dreams of becoming a writer for television. The year is 2016 and the location is Los Angeles. Then without warning, she is sucked into the year 1815. The location is a Maryland plantation and she’s only summoned when Rufus Weylin (David Al -

‘A Strange Loop’

with, it’s to heighten everything, so when you start to sing every single note you have to represent and then how to amplify that to get it to be the exact comedic moment or touching moment and then how do we crescendo this, it’s all in the details,” Siddiqui explained.

Speaking to L Morgan Lee, Thought 1, Noah remarked, “You keep us hopeful as an audience.

Take me through the hows and whys and what you’re trying to do.”

“I think that Thought 1 being the only woman in the story has a lot on her shoulders, as Black women do. I think that she is always trying to get Usher to think outside of the box that he has put himself into.

She wants Usher to live, to feel free and in those ways that’s certainly L Morgan…I want you to live your life and know why you’re doing

exander Kaplan), the young son of a plantation owner, is in mortal danger.

Time for Dana is compressed, especially when she’s living in the past. This naturally highlights the suspenseful nature of the story.

“Kindred” was developed by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (“Octoroon”). In the novel, Dana is married to a white man, Kevin Franklin (Micah Stock), but in the limited series, they are just beginning to date. Adding a modern touch are the steadfast relatives

it…She likes for Usher to take a leap,” Lee explained.

In talking to lead actor Jaquel Spivey, who plays Usher, Noah said, “It feels like an understatement to say you play Usher, you are Usher…you are this human being we travel with through every disappointment, through every hurt and also every little moment of mischief and joy as well. When you think of Usher, what do you think of?” Spivey answered, “I want them to see a real person. I feel like we’re telling a real story about somebody

who tend to stay in your business (Eisa Davis and Charles Parnell). We all have them. And there are also the two neighbors (Brooke Bloom and Louis Cancelmi) who represent white privilege and growing paranoia. The realities of slavery are shown here with the constant threat of violence hanging like an ax over the head of one accused. You can feel the oppressiveness, especially on the Weylin plantation. The mistress (Gayle Rankin) is usually hysterical. The master (Ryan Kwanten) is verbally cruel but rarely dem -

who exists that you probably don’t care about, but they have worth and you should think they have worth, but since you don’t we’re going to show you why he does and we’re also going to show you why he doesn’t think he does and it’s because of you…We’re people, we’re trying our best and we are all trying to figure out our life’s journey.”

“As you performed Usher what have you learned?” Noah asked.

Spivey answered, “What I’ve learned is that his imperfections are what make him gorgeous to

onstrates physical violence. Perhaps this will manifest in future episodes/seasons. The first season ends with one of the novel’s more impactful acts of violence, no spoiler alerts here. Most of the cast are up-andcomers and solid performers. One of the most interesting and lively characters is played by Eisa Davis (Dana’s aunt), a woman with a heart of gold.

“Kindred” touches on the themes explored in the novel, but what I like is that you believe these two worlds exist and that Dana is in need of our help, too.

me…For me, how I play Usher, I want the audience to wonder at the end of the show, what happens next. I don’t want you to think he’s made up his mind… Does he do better, does he strive for better? You’re watching him find the hope within himself.” Noah shared, “This show is a ride, it leaves you thinking; there are many parts where you want to cry and you do cry. I hope you know what an amazing job you all do here.”

The musical will only play through Jan. 15, 2023, so make plans to see it!

In “Kindred,” Mallori Johnson stars as a woman time-skipping between modern-day Los Angeles and an antebellum plantation. (Tina Rowden/FX photo)

AmNews Trends

Last-minute stocking stuffers: Buttah Skincare Collection at Macy’s

By RENE MINUS WHITE Fashion & Beauty Editor

Actor, model and recording artist Dorion Renaud, founder of Buttah Skin, recently introduced his genderless skincare collection at a Meet & Greet at Macy’s 34th Street store. The event was quite a success, with a beautiful, handsome and welldressed crowd anxious to test Buttah’s products and talk to Renaud. There were one-on-one beauty consultations with Dorian, tasty refreshments and samples for all. These products make excellent last-minute holiday stocking stuffers.

Inspired by his own skincare struggles as an actor and model, Renaud founded the company in 2018. His dedicated fanbase grew quickly. “I wanted Black men to feel comfortable in their skin,” he said. “Women have been utilizing helpful skincare products for years. Now, here are some products that men can use.”

Buttah’s skin line is created with organic and cruelty-free ingredients like shea butter, chamomile and lavender. Prices range from $17 and up.

As one of the early Black-owned lines to feature skincare products for men as well as women, Renaud has been featured in most major magazines and by celebrities, including Beyoncé, Amber Riley, Nina Parker, Keri Hilson and 2Chainz.

The Buttah Collection includes a vitamin C Serum with added vitamins D and E. It’s

the company’s top seller. There’s a Buttah Tea-tree Cleanser and Mask in his line. The collection also features an oil-free moisturizer with hyaluronic acid for oily skin.

The AmNews talked to Renaud just before the Macy’s event.

He offered several skincare tips with a smile, and recalled his discovery of shea butter, incorporating it in his products, and how he used to visit Carol’s Daughter shop in Harlem at a young age, which inspired him to create a line for men.

AmNews: When did you first become aware of your skin?

Renaud: When I suffered with a skin abrasion, hyperpigmentation, ingrown hairs early in college, I wanted to use something other than Vaseline, which our mothers always used when we were all kids. I had a small bout with acne, and realized the importance of taking care of my skin. Buttah enriches the body and soul.

AmNews: What’s your skincare message to men?

Renaud: Cleanse your skin daily with Buttah’s Gentle Cleanser. Then moisturize your skin daily as well. Men can use scrubs and have facials. Drink water! Eat your vegetables! It helps to prevent wrinkles and fine lines. Today, visibility in-person and on the Internet is more important than ever. More men are taking better care of their skin, and their nails.

AmNews: How did you come up with the

name Buttah?

Renaud: One night, I recalled the phrase, “Your skin is as smooth as butter.” I added the “h” to the word, Buttah, so that we would know that this was a collection for us with an African influence.

AmNews: What’s coming up for you?

Renaud: Look for an upcoming HBO special “The Beauty of Blackness,” which will be airing soon.

Buttah Skin is currently sold at Macy’s

The Buttah Skin Collection, founded by Dorion Renaud (Photo courtesy of Buttah Skin)

(Photo courtesy of Buttah Skin)

During these brisk holidays, scurrying shoppers may need some live jazz to break the hustle-bustle from grabbing all those bargain items and making sure the children get the right gifts.

The Jazz Gallery, that cozy little oasis with the most comfortable bar lounge in the city, presents musicians whose music reflects the emotional intensity of life without boundaries. December 22-23, such a band will grace the stage, a place they are very familiar with as The Jazz Gallery AllStars. These young musicians, bandleaders and composers, who have deep connections with the Jazz Gallery, grew up right before us from music school to finding their way through the jazz maze to defining their own sound and style.

The ensemble includes alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw (a longtime member of the Roy Haynes Quartet, his last three recordings “Optimism,” “Soundtrack of Things to Come” and “Echoes,” all on his independent label Changu, demonstrate he will be a great jazz voice in the years ahead), guitarist Charles Altura (a regular with Terence Blanchard, was awarded The Jazz Gallery Residency Commission), pianist Fabian Almazan (received a jazz gallery commission and is a two-time Grammy nominee and current member of the Terence Blanchard Quintet), vibraphonist Joel Ross (in 2017 became one of the youngest artists to receive Residency Commission from The Jazz Gallery, he continues to expand the vocabulary of legendary vibraphonists Lionel Hampton and Bobby Hutchinson), bassist Matt Brewer (was a recent Jazz Gallery residency, and played with Greg Osby, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Ambrose Akinmusire), drummer Morgan Guerin (multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer and engineer; his collaborators include Teri Lyne Carrington and Kassa Overall with whom he played bass, saxophone and drums; he was the songwriter and co-composer of Esperanza Spalding’s 2019 Grammy-winning album “12 Little Spells”; his album “Saga III” is avail -

able), and vocalist Sachal Vasandani (who has collaborated with such musicians as Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, John Clayton, Stefon Harris and Gerald Clayton).

The Jazz Gallery introduced the All-Stars at the JVC Jazz Festival in 2010 for its 15th anniversary which also included founding member trumpeter and composer Roy Hargrove. Today the All-Stars have become an institution representing the mission and musical soul of the TJG.

For tickets visit the website jazzgallery.org. Tickets for the livestream are available on Dec. 23 only. Two sets each night at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The pianist and composer Monty Alexander delivers a full dose of Jamaican rhythms, some rasta man with nuances of jazz and blues roots. December 20-24, at Birdland (315 West 44th Street) audiences will have an opportunity to observe Alexander’s twisting melodic combinations. His playing style gives him the ability to play with such vocalists as Ernestine Anderson and Mary Stallings while kicking it up with jazz innovators Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Golson and Jimmy Griffin. Over the years Alexander has become

known for his vibrant trios, he remains true to his trio performance with his accompanists bassist Luke Sellick and drummer Jason Brown in an “Island Holiday.” Two shows each night at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. December 24 the livestream is also available. For tickets visit the website birdlandjazz.com or call 212381-3080.

December 21-24, the pianist Christian Sands returns to Dizzy’s jazz club (10 Columbus Circle at 60th Street). For his four-night engagement Sanders will perform invigorating originals and eggnog warm holiday favorites. Rounding the quartet will be guitarist Marvin Sewell, bassist Yasushi Kakaruma and drummer Ryan Sands with special guests.

The pianist represents this young generation of jazz pianists who are making a big splash in the piano pool. His sweeping cascades and imaginative lyricism can be heard in his every note. The NEA Jazz Master Dr. Billy Taylor, who was his mentor, introduced Sands while he was still a teenager. Since that time he has established himself as a jazz power—bandleader and composer. He is a captivating musician who while forging through new

terrains manages to swing even on ballads while not omitting a bit of the blues. This well-dressed musician employs all 88 keys similar to Erroll Garner as he furthers the tradition with his own notes.

Two sets each night at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. except on Dec. 24 one show at 7 p.m. only. For reservations visit the website jalc.org or 212-258-9595.

Dizzy’s late-night sets are Thursday-Saturday starting at 11:15 p.m.; admission is $15 at the door.

The artist, poet, lecturer and jazz enthusiast George Nelson Preston’s exhibit has been extended through Dec. 23 at the Ryan Lee Gallery (515 West 26th St., 3rd floor). Preston’s paintings flow like the Miles Davis tune “Sippin’ at Bells” (“Out of Nowhere” album), a cooking tune that features Charlie Parker; his strokes groove with deliberate intensity forming one thought or concept in motion.

“The origin of my painting style comes out of second-generation school of New York. There is a jazz structure but my work is more of an improvisational free jazz form,” explained Preston. He says sometimes there is silence when he is painting and other times, he may listen to music by saxophonist Ornette Coleman. Preston’s ex-

hibit is worth catching; the fact that it was extended says loads for its significance and representation of Black art.

Visit the website at: https://ryanleegallery.com/exhibitions/ george-nelson-preston-afro-atlantica-the-aqueous-continent/

Stay in the holiday spirit by seeing the comedy production “T’Was the Night Before Kwanzaa,” only two days left Dec. 28 (11 a.m.) and Dec. 29 (7 p.m.), the Black Spectrum Theater in Jamaica Queens (177th Street and Baisley Boulevard.).

The comedy, written by Carl Clay, finds Santa’s annual sleigh delivery being diverted from its usual stops to visit Africa so he can understand the conceptual tradition of Kwanzaa. The play, directed by AUDELCO award winner Rome Neal, features Tico Wells (The Five Heartbeats) in the starring role with music by Derek Galloway and sets by Harlan Penn. For tickets visit the website blackspectrum.net or call 718-723-1800.

HAPPY HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING MY COLUMN AND THE AMSTERDAM NEWS , THE DRUM OF NEW YORK AND THE WORLD…

Christian Sands (Hreinn Gudlaugsson (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christian-sands.jpg), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/4.0/legalcode)

CLASSROOM IN THE

Charlotte Monroe Hershaw, a teacher and member of the Niagara Movement

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

The Black Past and the National African American Museum in D.C. possess original documents of the Movement.

DISCUSSION

Immediately obvious here are the missing vital statistics on Mrs. Hershaw; we have contacted several historians and archives for more information but nothing to date.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

We guess, given her appearance at the 1906 conference and looking in her twenties or thirties that Charlotte was born in the 1880s.

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

There are several interesting ways to trace the background and history of Charlotte Monroe Hershaw. In the first place we are talking about a woman we encountered last week in our profile of Gertrude Morgan, the wife of Clement Morgan. All of them, including Charlotte’s husband, Lafayette, were pivotal in the founding and administration of the Niagara Movement. While we found a trove of information about her husband, there was only a scant of details about her and the contribution she made to this early civil rights movement.

From the alumni records at Atlanta University, we know Charlotte was a teacher at the school in 1880, and this notice occurred eight years before she married Lafayette, who is also listed in the bulletin. We learned too from a membership card that she had a prominent role in the

Niagara organization since her signature appears just above W.E.B. Du Bois’s, the leader and chief founder of the group. It’s not clear exactly why her name is on the card but she must have had some role in the membership committee.

The photo included here has her positioned standing at the far right, a passel of some sort in her hand. This picture was taken at the Niagara conference in 1906. Again, from the materials in her hand, unlike the others, she was a coordinator or significantly involved in governing the proceedings. When she wasn’t actively involved in the movement, she assisted her husband in his professions. He was a journalist, lawyer and a clerk and law examiner for the General Land Office of the United States Department of the Interior.

He had the latter responsibility while Charlotte was teaching, and both were key intellectual figures among the African Amer -

icans in Atlanta and in the nation’s capital for at least a decade or so. Charlotte was dutifully by his side as he led such organizations as the Bethel Literary and Historical Society and the Pen and Pencil Club. They were an indispensable couple in the Niagara Movement as they were in the D.C. branch of the NAACP and later as educators, particularly at the Robert H. Terrell Law School, where Lafayette served as the school’s president.

They had three daughters, Rosa Cecile (who married Howard alum and Harlem doctor James T.W. Granady), Alice May and Fay M. Charlotte, who died Oct. 26, 1930.

It should be noted that Lafayette Hershaw was one of the original 29 members of the Movement and with his wife in tandem—and signing on as the state secretary—she was about as close as a woman got to the seminal inner circle. He died Sept. 2, 1945, in the Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

Dec. 19. 1944: Actor and producer Tim Reid was born in Norfolk, Va.

Dec. 19, 1924: Actress Cicely Tyson was born in New York City. She died in 2021.

Dec. 21, 1911: Baseball immortal Josh Gibson was born in Buena Vista, Ga. He died in 1947.

Laura Joiner’s membership card for the Niagara Movement signed by Charlotte Hershaw and W.E.B. DuBois (William A. Joiner Papers, Box 148-1, Folder 6, Moorland Spingarn Research Center, Howard University)

Charlotte M. Hershaw is standing at the far right

Health Resumption of Free COVID-19 Tests Program

for a limited round of ordering this winter. Starting today, all U.S. households can order a total of four at-home COVID-19 tests that will be mailed directly to them for free…Orders for this round of testing will begin to ship starting the week of December 19th and continue in the weeks ahead.” Households can order up to four tests. Shipments will start the week of Dec. 19, 2022.

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

On Dec. 15, 2022, the Biden administration announced the COVID19 Winter Preparedness Plan. One of the specific provisions of the plan is to provide free COVID tests to U.S. households which can be ordered at COVIDTests.gov. Free tests will be mailed to households through the Postal Service. The original free COVID tests program, which facilitated the distribution of over 600 million tests, was suspended on Sept. 2, 2022.

According to the White House Fact Sheet entitled “Biden Administration Announces COVID-19 Winter Preparedness Plan,” “The Administration is announcing that COVIDTests.gov is open

With respect to the Free COVID Tests Program, Dr. Cameron Webb, JD, MD, a senior policy advisor for COVID-19 equity on the White House COVID-19 Response Team, stated that “COVID doesn’t get the same news that it used to get every day but there’s a lot of activity both at the federal level in states and local public health departments. People are still working and this is still a public health emergency that we’re operating under and so I think what you see with the winter COVID-19 preparedness plan is kind of us putting together all the different pieces that are newer to help complement what’s already happening in communities all over the country.” Webb continued, stating, “Testing is critical. That’s why we’re making it so that every household can get four additional tests. It’s not like it was last year where there were literally no tests anywhere to be found and so the only way you can get tested is by COVIDtest.gov. This is just a complement to all the different ways you can get tests right now so that’s one part. So detection is key.”

Dr. Michlle Morse, MD, MPH, chief medical officer and deputy commissioner of the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, discussed the free COVID tests availability in NYC specifically, stating, “You can get free at-home tests at New York City museums at the zoos, at the libraries and at many other locations across the city, and a lot of these places also offer free disposable masks for folks as well so if you go to nyc.gov/ covidtest you’ll be able to find more information about where to pick up those free tests and free masks.”

(Image by Alexandra Koch from Pixabay)

Migrant

hearing.

Jenkins and Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, who chairs the Committee on General Welfare, agreed that every councilmember should be offering spaces in their district for potential housing and HERCs. Ayala mentioned that there needs to be more incentive to fill the city’s approximately 38,000 vacant rent stabilized apartments and pay small landlords.

”We’re fighting to house families because we have a moral and legal right, but quite frankly this is not home. Living in a hotel is not home,” said Ayala. “We have to do better.”

Many made a plea to the state and federal government to shoulder some of the financial burden, hasten work permits for asylum seekers, and more quickly move people out of the shelter system into housing. Several groups also passionately spoke about the suicides and deaths that have occurred in these facilities and the need to get people into stable homes.

Adams put forth her housing agenda just prior to the hearings. The City Council will pass legislation to establish a citywide Fair Housing Framework that aims to fairly distribute the burden of building affordable housing in each commu-

nity district and neighborhood.

It would help address historic disparities in housing production and investment that have often exempted affluent neighborhoods from affordable housing development in New York and cities as the housing situation grows dire, said the City Council. A situation that has only worsened during the heights of the migrant crisis.

The plan also calls for citywide production of “extremely low-income” housing set at 30% to 50% of a household’s income, more supportive housing for people struggling with homelessness or mental health challenges, and for the city to address the problem of vacant affordable housing units.

In 2022, the City Council has already approved substantial affordable housing capital projects, including the Bruckner Rezoning in the Bronx, Innovation QNS and Hallets North in Queens, and the Innovative Urban Village in East New York, an 11-acre site with 13 buildings along Flatlands Avenue that would have nearly 2,000 units.

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

Eric L. Adams Mayor Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD Commissioner Health

Eric L. Adams Mayor Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD Commissioner Health

The New York City Council held hearings on asylum-seeking migrants (Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit)

Education

PROMISE NYC: Childcare assistance for undocumented

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

Mayor Eric Adams launched a new childcare assistance program for undocumented families that don’t qualify for federally subsidized childcare by January 2023. The city expects to support at least 600 children over the next six months.

“Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, no matter where they came from, and as a city of immigrants, we know that the American dream starts here in New York City,” said Adams in a statement.“Navigating obstacles in a new city and a new country are tough, and coupling those issues with a lack of childcare can prevent parents and families from achieving the dream they so desperately set out to achieve.”

Adams said Promise NYC will alleviate stress for undocumented parents supporting children.

At the historic two-day oversight hearings convened by the City Council to review the current handling of the migrant crisis on Dec. 19 and 20, city officials and community groups testified on how to best serve “New York’s newest neighbors.” The timing of the Promise NYC childcare program will certainly help newly arrived asylum seekers find stable housing and employment, but it’s been a long awaited change for many.

“Before this announcement, children who were undocumented did not have access to childcare, meaning they were shut out of some of the city’s childhood education programs,” said Policy Director for Advocates for Children of New York Randi Levine. “It predates this influx of asylum seekers.”

Undocumented children and others were ineligible for existing programs due to restrictive federal immigration rules, namely the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, said Levine.

A Brookings report stated that the 1996 law was meant to “assist needy families, fight welfare dependency by promoting work and marriage, reduce nonmarital births, and encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.” This was seen as Republican efforts to combat the growing rate of “children are growing up in poor, single parent families” in the ’90s.

At the time, there was an increase

families

of non-marital and teen births, and many thought the law would encourage families to get off welfare to become employees and marry to create traditional two-parent homes, said Brookings. Eligibility for these federally funded benefits was also limited to U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents and others with “qualified” immigration status.

“While some state and federal child care programs are out of reach for many immigrant families with undocumented children, New York City will not leave any child behind. The historic launch of Promise NYC allows our city to continue to advance the promise of a better future for all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status,” said Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro. “As the city works to support recently arrived asylum seekers, Promise NYC will have a positive impact on their ability to seek meaningful opportunities so they can improve their lives in their new homes.”

Councilmember Shahana Hanif, chair of the immigration committee, added that the city committed a historic $10 million to fund childcare for undocumented New Yorkers. “Promise NYC is a historic investment in our immigrant communities with transformative potential,” said Hanif. “Providing free childcare to workingclass immigrant families in our city is truly building social infrastructure rooted in care and compassion.”

The department for child services is contracting with four community based organizations to serve immigrant communities and families: Center for Family Life in Brooklyn, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation in the Bronx and Manhattan, La Colmena in Staten Island, and the Chinese American Planning Council in Queens.

When contacted for comment, the organizations said they hadn’t had too much contact with families just yet and none were available to speak about their experiences with childcare.

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

The under- and overrepresentation of Black & brown students in special education programs

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

Research indicates that inequity for students of color, students from low-income backgrounds and students with disabilities has led to disparities in special education enrollment.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities has studied the overrepresentation of Black students in special education programs that relates to identification, placement and discipline.

They concluded that Black children in special education are often subjected to harsher discipline than others, labeled as emotionally disturbed, experience teacher’s bias, and if disabled, are more likely to be restrained and excluded from general education classrooms.

NYC Coalition for Educational Justice Director Natasha Capers added that older Black and brown students could be misclassified, due to behavior or environmental factors, into special education because it’s assumed “something has to be wrong with them.” Capers posited that contributes to why there are such high numbers of these kids represented in these programs.

The center reported that Black students have been overrepresented in special education in the U.S. since the Office of Civil Rights first started to sample school districts in 1968.

Looking at the New York City DOE special

education numbers from 2021, the amount of Black and brown students across the city seems to follow that trend.

Mayor Eric Adams, the Department of Education (DOE) and Chancellor David Banks recently announced an expansion of early childhood education special-education seats across the five boroughs. Adams and Banks have similarly spoken about dyslexia, reading and learning disabilities as well these programs being underfunded. “I know from personal experience what it’s like not to have had the support I needed to learn and thrive as a child. For far too long, our young students living with disabilities have struggled in a system that hasn’t been fully able to meet them where they are,” said Adams in a statement.

Early childhood special education seats were usually limited and teachers were paid less than their general education teachers, said the Mayor’s Office. By early next year, the mayor will add a total of 800 new seats under a $130 million investment over two years.

“Our goal is for all of our students to have the opportunity to learn in the most enriching and inclusive environment possible, demonstrated by our recent early childhood special education expansion,” said Director of Media Relations at the DOE Nicole Brownstein. “Our work is to

Representation matters: Public school reading lists lack in racial diversity

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

Aneth Naranjo, 23, is originally from Ecuador. She migrated to the city when she was 7 years old. Once she was settled in Brooklyn, she ended up attending primarily white schools near Manhattan Beach. She said it was next to impossible to find books about her culture in the classroom or school library for a long time, so she didn’t think about her indigenous heritage growing up. Most of her teachers made her feel like she wasn’t a part of the classroom.

“It was really a shock of different cultures. I think that not knowing the language and not knowing how things worked and the lack of adequate resources meant I would often feel isolated in school settings,” said Naranjo.

Research shows that major publishing companies that produce content and books on English Language Arts curricula in public schools across the country lack racial diversity, and that the vast majority of authors were white with a handful of Native American, Latino and Black authors.

The NYU Metropolitan Center Research

on Equity and the Transformation of Schools (Metro Center) analyzed the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw Hill and Savvas Learning Company (formerly known as Pearson) publishing companies. Each has their own prepared standardized curriculum: McGraw Hill’s “Wonders,” Savvas’ “myView” and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s “Into Reading.” Using a culturally responsive scorecard, which Naranjo participated in, NYU in partnership with NYC Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ) and a team of public school parents, students and educators analyzed three of the nation’s most widely used elementary school ELA curriculum.

Flor Khan, a lead researcher on the team, said that the push to study reading list diversity preceded the “boogeyman” that is Critical Race Theory (CRT), an examination of civilrights and racial justice activists in classes that many have used as an excuse to whitewash curriculum. A backlash against CRT has seemingly given way to a rise in banned books from Black and LGBTQIA+ authors, even ones that mention the Holocaust, in some states in 2022.

CEJ’s first report, “Diversity City, White

and mental illness support, we’re able to prevent incarceration and make our communities safer.”

Back in summer, Bragg handed $20,000 to 10 gun violence prevention groups to employ atrisk youngsters, paying them to handle tasks like beautifying “shooting hotspots.” He recently visited an East Harlem mural the youngsters were putting together through the initiative.

“They were still working on it [when I last saw] it, I don’t know if it’s been complete,” said Bragg, laughing. “There was a little bit more to be done. I’ve enjoyed that a lot. Connecting with people, listening and learning.

“In particular, where I was yesterday, [there were] Black and brown young men—I want to be their district attorney, not just someone who’s downtown, far away in court. But someone who is engaged in the community because ultimately, it’s about our community’s well being, public safety and public health.”

His new units are also a long-term investment. In March, Bragg announced his Pathways to Public Safety Division to focus on reducing recidivism and offering alternatives to incarceration. In October, he established the Office’s first Housing & Tenant Protection Unit to prosecute erroneous landlords and developers, an issue he’s seen often addressed in civil court but not in criminal proceedings. And his new Wrongful Conviction Unit made national headlines, exonerating Steven Lopez, a co-de-

fendant in the Central Park jogger case this past summer.

The farsighted ground game makes sense. Bragg is technically serving a four-year term. But the seat is almost never just a quadrennial stint— since the end of World War II, just three other elected Manhattan district attorneys precede him.

Yet the typical job security Bragg’s forerunners enjoyed wasn’t always extended to the Harlem-native throughout 2022. He faced regular attacks from right-wing opponents for what they considered a “soft-on-crime” approach as public safety concerns balloon throughout the city. Most notably, Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin promised to fire Bragg as his first move as governor if elected. (He wasn’t.) New York State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay penned a legislative column proposing a constitutional amendment to facilitate a recall against Bragg in June. And the opposition expands outside of the city—and state—of New York, especially with the added scrutiny of the Office’s investigations into former Republican Pres. Donald Trump and his past associates like Weisselberg and Bannon. Bragg says he can only drown out the noise, although he acknowledges the reach his Office possesses.

“Look, I’m a Manhattan kid, I’ve been here

my whole life,” he said. “We know the dimensions of being here, that just living here could be [seen] nationally. I remember going off to college and my roommate was from some other part of the country—I’d already heard some of the songs that were released. I was like ‘you haven’t heard this? We had this in New York six months ago.’ Whether it’s fashion, whether it’s music, whether it’s legal cases being brought, we’re leaders.

“We serve Manhattan, that’s what we serve. Manhattan includes our population [which]— pre-COVID during the day—swells with tourists and commuters. So those are all people who [are] concerned about their safety as well.

We’ve got that kind of local reach that’s broader than Manhattan. And nationally, people are watching us, but that’s part of being here.”

So what should New Yorkers expect of Bragg’s second year?

“We’re going to continue to build on the foundation we built this year, so the great partnerships with federal and state on gun violence—that’s going to remain at the top of the list,” he said. “Expanded resources we directed to hate crimes in that unit, we’re going to continue to prioritize that…so guns and hate crimes. Then what we’ve done with the building work of [the] Pathways [to Public Safety Division]. We’ve staffed up, it’s been a lot of time putting people in position to have our work chart reflect our priorities.

“In terms of new things that we haven’t fully [realized], we launched the Housing Unit, to see that start to really take off in the new year. And then our labor worker protection work is something else we want to focus on.”

But before he figures all that out, he needs to pay for breakfast. And the waiter just handed him a QR code instead of a traditional receipt. Resigned, Bragg hands the server his physical credit card. After all, he can’t look into the future for everything.

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

Eric Adams Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD Mayor Commissioner

(Bill Moore photo)

Religion & Spirituality

Saniyah Lawrence funeralised in Harlem

By NAYABA ARINDE Amsterdam News Editor

Every inch of the aisles and wall space at Harlem’s Unity Funeral Chapel was taken and draped in sadness and tears during the December 20, 2022 service for slain teenager Saniyah Lawrence.

Laying in a white casket with a princess tiara, was the 16-year-old who was allegedly killed by her 18-year-old boyfriend Zyaire Crumbley two weeks ago. Delivering a powerful eulogy and calling for “brand new mercies,” Pastor Larry L. Davies echoed the sentiment that in a world where Black people have faced the most heinous assaults historically, the violence within the community must stop.

Bringing flowers and emotional hugs, friends, community members and students from PS 185, IS 54 and the Frederick Douglass Academy, embraced Saniyah’s parents Sherise Jackson and Justin Lawrence, grandparents and family members.

A beautiful, yet painful funeral was assisted by Stephanie McGraw, founder and CEO of We All Really Matter - W.A.R.M.

“We need the city to give us resources to help families when they go through this type of trauma,” said McGraw. “These funerals are not the end, they are the begin-

ning of them trying to cope with their loss.”

Helping the devastated family too, Iesha Sekou and her Street Corner Resources team came out to continue offering full support.

Following the funeral procession Saniyah was laid to rest in Hoboken Cemetery.

“When are we going to stop burying our young people like this?” asked Sekou. “We have to reach the youths who are in crisis.”

Charlene Mitchell, a freedom fighter of unimpeachable integrity, passes at 92

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Charlene (Alexander) Mitchell was a serious unwavering champion of the oppressed and marginalized, never flinching in her advocacy for civil and human rights. Many remember her fearless commitment to free Angela Davis and as a member of the U.S Communist Party. Her intrepid fight for justice will now be taken up by those who admired her will and determination. Mitchell died on Dec. 14, at the Amsterdam Nursing Home in New York City, reportedly of natural causes. She was 92.

Still, for Angela Davis there was much more to Mitchell and her political resolve, and in a statement from Davis we gather some notion of her unimpeachable integrity and grit. “Having known Charlene Mitchell through political victories and defeats, through personal tragedies and triumphs, I can say with confidence that she is the person to whom I am most grateful for showing me a life path.

“What I have most appreciated over these years is her amazing ability to discover ethical connections between the political and the personal, the global and

the local,” Davis continued. “I don’t think I have ever known someone as consistent in her values, as collective in her outlook on life, as firm in her trajectory as a freedom fighter.”

Born Charlene Alexander on June 8, 1930, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the second child of eight, her parents were Charles Alexander and Naomi Taylor. Much like her working class activist parents, Charlene by her early teens was a member of anti-racist campaigns. She was 16 and living in Chica-

go when she joined the Communist Party, USA. During an appearance on “American Masters,” a television program, she recounted how she met her idol Paul Robeson. Her organizing skills were quickly recognized by the Party and she was given leadership responsibilities, even as she raised her son, Steven, who was born in 1951, a year after her marriage to Bill Mitchell.

One of her most prominent positions was at the helm of the CPUSA branch in Los Angeles, widely known as the Che-Lumumba club, after the renowned revolutionaries, where she helped orchestrate a number of community activities in the areas of housing, police abuse and civil rights.

In 1968, she became the first Black woman to run for president of the U.S. on the CP ticket, and at that time stated that she hoped anti-communist sentiments on voting laws “won’t prevent the American public from having a chance to engage with Communist Party USA policies.” In the campaign to free Angela Davis, Charlene was indefatigable, speaking at rallies and forums across the nation. She was equally vocal about other victims of racist and political repression, particularly in the fight to free Joan Little, who in 1975 was eventually acquitted

on the charge of murdering a North Carolina prison guard who tried to rape her. When the Wilmington Ten were wrongly convicted, Charlene was an indispensable leader in their fight for freedom.

The early ’90s found Charlene just as energetic in causes as ever and elected leader of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. Her fight for justice was extensive and highly regarded internationally, especially in the anti-apartheid struggle. From this participation she later forged a relationship with Nelson Mandela.

Her reputation on the rampart was soon recognized by New York City’s Social Service Employees Union, Local 371, the progressive welfare workers’ DC 37 of AFSCME, where she was hired as special assistant to Charles Ensley, the union’s president. In 1998, she was among a coterie of activists who endorsed the founding of the Black Radical Congress.

Though somewhat impaired by a stroke in 2007 that partially paralyzed and impeded her speech, she found ways to lend her spirit to the fight for freedom, justice and the total liberation of the oppressed. She is survived by her son, Steven Mitchell, and her brothers, Deacon Alexander and Mike Wolfson.

Charlene Mitchell was nominated by the Communist Party USA as its presidential candidate on July 4, 1968. She was the first Black woman to be nominated for the presidency by any political party.

(People’s World Archives)

(Bill Moore photos)

strike the balance between getting services to students who need them while ensuring that no one ends up in a classroom that does not support them in the way that they need.”

Brownstein said that the DOE acknowledges that there are inequities in the special education process they are actively working to address. The DOE is focusing on professional development on anti-racism and implicit bias training, adopting culturally responsive assessment practices, ensuring that psychologists have access to standardized tools that have been normed over a diverse group, and implementing new tools that allow clinicians to analyze data in an unbiased way.

Special education in the city is broken down into parts: early intervention constitutes infants and toddlers ages 0-3-yearsold, early preschool is ages 3-5-years-old, and then “school aged” is K-12.

Randi Levine, policy director for Advocates for Children of New York, said that based on the data, Black students disproportionately rank in high numbers in “school aged” special education classes compared to other races while simultaneously missing out on critical access to early intervention and pre-

ELA

Continued from page 28

Curriculum,” was published in 2020 and looked specifically at New York City public school reading lists and curriculum. The report showed that there was a “massive overrepresentation” of white authors and characters in pre-K and K through 3-grade programs. Of the 1,205 books CEJ analyzed, 1,003 books were by white authors with white students representing 15% of the city’s student population at the time. Their numbers indicated that it was possible for about 200,000 Latinx, 130,000 Black, and 80,000 Asian children in the city’s public elementary schools to “graduate 5th grade almost never having read a book by an author of their cultural background.”

Khan and the team looked at content, authorship, book covers, language, curricula, narratives and reinforced stereotypes. The community research team at NYU found that the books and curriculum analyzed more recently were “culturally destructive” with “superficial visual representations to signify diversity, especially skin tone and bodily presentation, without including meaningful cultural context, practices or traditions.” They found that the language used often “demeaned and dehumanized” Black, Indigenous and characters of color, LGBTQIA+ students, and students with disabilities, while encouraging empathy and connection with white characters.

Khan noted books, such as “I Like Myself ” by a white author with a white illustrator drawing and narrating a young Black girl’s

school special education when needed.

“In preschool there’s a different situation relative to overall enrollment, children of color are underrepresented among preschoolers receiving special education services while white children are overrepresented,” said Levine.

Levine said there certainly is a “worry” that Black and brown children that aren’t in early special education will need more intensive services later on in school, but there isn’t an official casualty as to why the inverse happens in preschool.

In a report conducted by Advocates for Children, researchers found that in the

story about identity and self-esteem, can be skewed. On one page, the girl with “cartoonish” hair and features interacts with a police officer that’s trying to scare her. Khan said that these “deficit” depictions don’t always uplift or empower cultural identities.

“A lot of these publishing houses are not going to go deep and hire BIPOC people to write stories,” said Khan. “They’re just going to go with representation as a band aid approach and be like the cover has a Black student on it and we can say we did our job.”

Naranjo struggled with feelings of “invisibility” and “survival” in her school experience as an immigrant, a feeling she said was transformed when she joined a Spanish club her freshman year of high school. “She was my first Latinx teacher. She was also my first Ecuadorian teacher,” said Naranjo. “Sometimes I wouldn’t really speak in her class, but just walking into her class I would feel a sense of safety and comfort that I wouldn’t feel in the rest of the school building. Just having that representation and knowing that someone understands where I’m coming from.”

Her Spanish teacher as well as several others in the club were from Ecuador, and she took pride in teaching about the country’s history of liberation. By the time of Naranjo’s junior year, she was more involved in social and educational justice causes, becoming a young activist.

“You don’t stop and think about how important it is if you’re someone who had your history always accessible to you,” said Naranjo. “Not being able to see yourself,

2019-20 school year, 1,222 students were waiting for a preschool special education seat in a classroom, the shortage of seats being especially acute in the Bronx and southern Queens.

“I’m super happy that these seats are expanding. People have been saying that the lack of preschool special education seats were a problem since the announcement that there was going to be universal pre-K,” said Capers.

Levine said that going into the COVID pandemic in 2020, school closures and online learning were very hard on special education students and those with Individ-

see and learn about your history really impacts your own development. And I think people are developing as they go to school and learning beliefs, social behaviors and norms to take out into the world.”

Naranjo said that undocumented families and children being bussed up from the border during this migrant crisis in New York City are probably more vulnerable in schools than she was. She remembers her immigrant peers being referred to as “unmotivated” or “lazy” in school. Khan concurred, saying that representation in books and materials increases engagement and graduation rates because kids can then relate to lessons.

Natasha Capers of CEJ said that these children’s stories often otherize cultures that aren’t American or eurocentric. Capers feels like nationally curriculum companies are trying to “homogenize” education since the largest funders are from conservatives in Texas. Interestingly enough, said Capers, a school district within a city and state can exercise some control over what’s available in classrooms but teachers can ultimately do their own thing or develop their own curriculum at times.

“We believe that reading stories by a culturally and ethnically diverse set of authors is critical in helping all of us understand the struggles, triumphs and everyday lived experiences of our neighbors,” said Nicole Brownstein of the NYC Department of Education (DOE). “We have already begun to train our educators in how to integrate culturally responsive books and materials into their classrooms while diversifying school libraries and ensuring that students have

ualized Education Program (IEPs). She appreciates the commitment to the “legal and moral obligation” the city has taken on in expanding the early education seats, and notes how important it is to identify young children in need of special education services as early as possible.

“Early childhood special education is foundational to equitable, high quality public education in our city, and I’m encouraged to see it expanded with more seats and more providers,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in a statement. “Children with disabilities deserve all the same opportunities to thrive in New York City schools, and this announcement is an essential step forwards for accessibility, inclusion, and educational equity. Quality early childhood education has an outsized impact on young people throughout their lives, and I’m glad to see the City Council and Adams administration heeding the calls of parents, providers, and advocates by funding these invaluable programs and services.”

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

books that reflect their identities.”

The DOE said that educators are empowered to select materials that best represent the diverse voices in their classrooms.

Schools are not limited to purchasing books through major suppliers and have access to “Hidden Voices” curricular resources, which promotes LGBTQ and Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures this school year, said the DOE.

The DOE also said they have announced resources for Black Studies, Latinx, Middle Eastern and North African, and resources for people impacted by the Americans with Disabilities Act will be developed in the coming years.

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

Pexels photo (Photo credit: Pexels free download)

New York City Mayor Eric Adams tours a school program dedicated to the success of students with learning disabilities in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office photo)

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NOTICE OF SALE

07 November, 2 022

LOST TITLE APPL ICATION NO.: 2417 73 0

OFFICE OF TITLES

NOTICE PURSUANT TO SECTION 82 OF THE REGISTRATION OF TITLES ACT (RTA)

WHEREAS the ap plicant(s) in the above stated app lication ha s/have declare d that the following duplicate Certificate of Title has been lost, I HEREBY GIVE NOTICE that I intend to cancel the said Certificate of Title and issu e a new one in duplicate fourteen days after the last publication of this advertisement

Volume: 1076 Folio: 440

Place: Part of Three Hills Parish: St. Mary Re gistered proprietor(s): Sydney Hinds

The following transactions lodged with this application will be registered pursuant to Section 81 of the RTA:

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SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR FIDELITY GUARANTY LIFE MORTGAGE TRUST 2018-1, Plaintiff, vs 286 WADSWORTH LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on June 24, 202 2, I, the under signed Referee will sell at public auction at the portico of the New York County Co urthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on January 18, 2023 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 286 Wa dsworth Avenue, New York, NY 10040. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of New York, County of New York, City and State of Ne w York, Block 2170 and Lo t 22. Appr oximate amount of judgment is $963,443.54 plus intere st and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850005 /2021. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale

Matthew D. Hunter III, Esq., Re feree

Greenspo on Marder, 590 Madison Avenue, Suite 1800, New York, NY 1002 2, Attorneys for Plaintiff

NYS BOARD OF REGENTS VACANCY

L. Dunbar

Deputy Registrar of Titles

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK

U.S. Bank NA, successor trustee to Bank of America, NA, successor in in terest to LaSalle Bank NA, as trustee, on behalf of the holders of WaMu Mortgage Pa ss-Through Certificates, Series 2005-AR17, Plaintiff

AGAINST

Sonia Leventha l a/k/a Sonia M. Leventha l; et al., Defendan t(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered July 14, 2022 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public au ction at the Portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Ce ntre St, New Yo rk, NY 10007 on January 25, 2023 at 2:15PM, premises known as 123 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the bu ildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Bo rough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 1520 Lot 10. Approximate amoun t of judgment $4,042,489.81 plus interest and costs. Premises will be so ld subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850235/2018. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVI D-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the First Judicial District

Ro be rta Ashkin, Esq., Re feree

LOGS Leg al Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro , DiCaro & Barak, LLC

Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff

175 Mile Crossing Boulevard

JAHAN TRAVEL DESIGNS

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

Principal business addr ess: 19 W 69th St, NY, NY 100 23.

Purpose: any lawful activity

No tice of Formation of 212 E 47TH 8A AF LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/29/22. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 420 E. 23rd St., NY, NY 10010. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Asaf Frig at the princ. office of the LLC Purpo se: Real estate holding.

Boar

NYS Assembly Room 513 , Ca pitol Albany, NY 12248 boardofregents@nyassembly.gov and

NYS Senate Room 433 , Ca pitol Albany, NY 12248 boardofregents@nysenate.gov

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf v. BRENDA JEAN AMBRIZE, GORDON W. STATHAM, Deft. - Index #850033/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sa le dated January 28, 2022, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Co urthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Th ursday, January 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an undivided 0.00493200000% tenant in common in terest in the timeshare kn own as 57th Street Vacation Suites loca ted at 102 West 57th Street, in the Coun ty of NY, State of NY. Approximate amount of judg ment is $49,366.11 plus costs and in terest as of Au gust 4, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which in cludes annual maintena nce fees and charges Paul Sklar, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 34 1 Conklin Street, Farmingd ale, NY

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf v. CHRISTIE LEE GARDNER, Deft - Inde x #8 50039/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated April 19, 202 2, I will sell at public auction Outsid e the Portico of the NY County Courth ouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, Januar y 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an undivided 0.00493200000% ten ant in common in terest in the timeshare known as 57th Str eet Vacation Suites lo cated at 102 West 57th Street, in the County of NY, State of NY. Approximate amoun t of judgment is $21,880.44 plus costs and in terest as of January 28, 2022. So ld subject to terms and cond itions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which include s annual maintenance fees and ch arges Paul Sklar, Esq., Refe ree. Cruser, Mitche ll, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Co nklin Stree t, Farmingdale, NY

Amont Partners LLC filed w/ SSNY 11/8/22. Off. in NY Co SSNY desig as agt of LLC wh om process may be served & sh all mail process to Zhaoyu Li, 1740 Broadwa y, 15th Fl, NY, NY 10019. Any lawful purpose.

Plugout, LLC filed w/ SSNY 11/12/03. Off. in NY Co SSNY desig as agt of LLC wh om process may be served & sh all mail process to c/o John Aksoy, 506 La Guardia Pl, Ste. 4, NY, NY 10012. Any lawful purpose.

No tice of Formation of 426432 EAST 91ST STREET, LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/06/22. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Eli Zabar, 403 E. 91 st St., NY, NY 10128. Purpo se: Any lawful activity

No tice of Formation of 429433 EAST 91ST STREET, LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/06/22. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Eli Zabar, 403 E. 91 st St., NY, NY 10128. Purpo se: Any lawful activity

831 THIRD LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/02/02. Office: Ne w York Co un 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 Lar strand Corporation, ATTN: Lega l Department, 500 Park Avenue, 11th Floor , New York, NY 10022. Purp ose: Any lawful purpose.

CORDETT CREATIONS

LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/12/22 . Office location: NY County. SSNY de signated as agent upon wh om process against LLC & shall mail a copy to: P.O. Box 2891, New York, NY 10163

Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice of Qualification of DERBY COPE LAND FUND II, LLC Appl for Auth file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/29/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/24/22. Prin c. office of LLC: 41 Madison Ave., 40th Fl., NY, NY 10010. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon wh om 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. Ce rt of Form filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Do ver, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

No tice of Formation of 421 EAST 91ST STREET, LL C Arts of Org. file d with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/06/22. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Eli Z abar, 403 E. 91st St., NY, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful activity

event of a cancellation before schedule completion, rate charged will be based upon the rate for the

HSBC BANK USA, V.

T

THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

ET AL NOTICE OF SALE

KA REN KENNEY A/K/A KAREN KENN Y,

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Forec losure dated July 5, 2022, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York, wherein HSBC BA NK USA is the Plaintiff and KA REN KENNEY A/K/A KA REN KENNY, ET AL are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE, at the PORTICO OF THE CIVIL SU PREME COURTHOUSE, LOCATED AT 60 CENTRE STR EET, NEW YORK , NY 10007, on January 4, 2023 at 2:15PM, premises known as 144 WEST 123 RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10 027: Block 1907, Lot 53:

ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PA RCEL OF LAND SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHA TTAN, COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF N.Y.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 810040/2 012. Elaine Shay, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaint iff. All forecl osure sales will be conducted in accord ance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO C HANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES

No tice of Qualification of DERBY COPELAND MANAGEMENT GROUP, LLC Appl for Auth. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/29/22. Office lo cation: NY Co un ty LLC formed in De laware (DE) on 03/25/22. Princ. office of LLC: 41 Madison Ave., 40th Fl., NY, NY 10010. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Ce rt of Form filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Do ver, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

KIMBERLY ANN YEE, LLC Arts of Org. filed with SSNY on 09/21/22. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated 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

LAURA PURDY, M.D., PLLC, a Prof LLC Arts of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/01/2022. Office loca tion: Ne w York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served SSNY shall mail process to: The PLLC, 1806 Williamson Court, Ste 135, Brentwood, TN 37027.

Purpose: To Practice The Profession Of Medicine.

Melq73 Se venty Five LLC, Arts of Org filed with SSNY on 11/11/22. Off Loc: New York County, SSNY de signated as agent of LLC upon wh om 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.

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collapses. Lander also mentions a 36% vacancy rate at Cyber Command thanks to better pay and work-from-home options in the tech world. The shortage leads to higher risks of breaches like the Law Department hack in July 2021.

“Then there are things like how far down we are on early childhood education coaching, on some family service workers at the Department of Social Services whose job it is to support families and get them access to a wide range of resources,” said Lander. “And last year, everyone [was] rightly focused on the affordable housing crisis and the need to be building more housing for New Yorkers. But we’ve got big vacancies at the Department of Housing Preservation Development, the Department of Buildings and the Department of City Planning.

“And if you’re a developer trying to put up a new multifamily building, you might have to go through all three of those agencies. And if your wait times are longer, then that housing people need is just more and more delayed.”

But what’s the root of the problem? The report finds hiring freezes under the de Blasio administration a cause, with a “3-for-1” rule enforcing just one hiring for every three vacancies, although it was later shaved down to two unfilled positions. And like Cyber Command, other agencies face steep hiring competition against the private sector, especially in high-

paying fields like tech, law and finance. And the report identifies delayed hirings for budget savings under the Adams administration as another key cause for the understaffings.

The Office also mentions state and local governments are traditionally major employers of people of color—more vacancies mean higher rates of burnout for remaining workers. But the unfilled positions also mean more employment opportunities for Black New Yorkers. This past February, The City reported Black unemployment in the Big Apple was north of 15%. Lander hopes a marriage of these two problems can create a working solution. He adds government jobs often serve as a pathway to upward mobility for Black New Yorkers throughout the city’s history.

“Public jobs with the city have been a critical path to the middle class for Black families, especially [for] women of color for generations— but also on the side of what services that aren’t being provided,” said Lander.

“That isn’t to say it’s been equal…it’s no surprise that both women and people of color and therefore, Black women especially, have historically been underpaid,” he adds. “But still it has been a whole wide range of positions—an essential set of opportunities. So, not filling those spots means people aren’t getting those opportunities.”

To promote further hirings, Lander recommends the city reevaluate hiring requirements for some positions. For example, he says DOC—which largely employs Black corrections officers—can better weather staffing shortages

and reported sick leave abuse by lowering education requirements. But Lander doesn’t mean the city should just hire anyone—he adds the process should be more “creative” and seek out those with the proper temperament and demonstrated responsibility for the position.

Looking for a job? Consider sending in a resume to the city of New York.

“This is a great time for people to apply, there are all those vacancies so go to nyc.gov/ jobs to see what interests you,” said Lander. “Obviously, people have a really different potential [interests]. The right person who wants to be a 3k teacher [to] help teach 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds how to get on a great path of school is pretty different from the person who we need in Cyber Command [and] is obviously pretty different from a building inspector. But we need almost everything.

“If you’ve got some basic tech skills, we could use them. If you’ve just got some good people skills, we really need it. And not that much more important than picking up the garbage…we need the best and the brightest to come work for the city of New York. And I would love [for] everybody to give it a thought.”

Apply

at: NYC.gov/jobs

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

Continued from page 3

doses. According to the updated CDC guidance, the first two shots should be the original, monovalent vaccine given three to eight weeks apart. The third dose is given at least eight weeks after the second and, now, should be the updated, bivalent vaccine.

The city’s municipal health care system will offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children under the age of 5, and as young as 6 months, in its pediatric practices at all 11 hospitals. New Yorkers can use the City’s Vax Finder or call 877-NYC-4NYC (877-6924692) to schedule an appointment.

New Jersey

Continued from page 4

In a statement, the National Rifle Association (NRA) said they plan to continue fighting to overturn gun safety laws. Members were asked to call their state senators.

“This brazen act of defiance is almost certain to initiate more litigation, as these lawmakers remain undeterred when it comes to advancing their own political agendas, even if that means ignoring the rule of law and their sworn oaths to defend the Constitution,” the NRA said.

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

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

Ariama C. Long @wordslivehere is a Report for America corps member and writes about culture and politics

Argentina edges France in historic World Cup final

(FIFA.com

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

It was highly improbable that the play on the pitch in Sunday’s 2022 FIFA World Cup final between 2018 champion France and Argentina could equal the pre-match hype ascribed to the global event.

In hindsight, the expansive buildup was understated. Argentina, led by one of soccer’s all-time greats, 35-year-old Lionel Messi, and France, powered by arguably the preeminent player on the planet today, Kylian Mbappe, authored one of the epic finals in sports history. Argentina defeated France at Lusail Stadium in Qatar 4-2 in a penalty shootout after

the sides ended extra time tied at 3-3.

The victory gave the South American country its third World Cup title and first since 1986.

They denied France, the 2018 champion, the accolade of being the first team to win backto-back trophies since Brazil in 1958 and 1960.

Argentina raced out to a 2-0 advantage before Mbappe scored two goals to draw France even. He finished with three while Messi was spectacular in his own right, putting two in the net in what was a dramatic battle between superstars who represent the present and future.

The symmetry and irony of Messi and Mbappe, currently teammates for two seasons on Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, the top French collective, was perhaps un-

matched in modern sports given the historic implications of the match. Their intersection is comparable to a hypothetical NBA Finals Game 7 in which Micheal Jordan and LeBron James would meet in their primes, or Tom Brady and Joe Montana colliding on opposing teams in the Super Bowl.

With the win, a case can be made for Messi being the best soccer player ever as the only line that needed to be inserted onto his sparkling resume coming into the tournament was World Cup champion. It is now in boldface lettering along with the honor of being awarded the Golden Ball, presented to the World Cup’s outstanding player. Sunday was Messi’s record 26th World Cup

appearance in five tournaments.

Mbappe could have justifiably been the recipient of the Golden Ball. Instead he earned the Golden Boot, bestowed upon the World Cup’s top goal scorer. The phenom had eight and is already tied with the legendary Pele of Brazil for sixth on the all-time list.

The excitement and interests in the World Cup was reflected in the ratings generated by Fox, which broadcast the tournament. The final was the most widely viewed men’s World Cup telecast in the network’s history, drawing an audience of 16.8 million and surpassing the previous mark of 15.5 million that watched the USA take on England on Nov. 25 in this year’s group stage.

Knight Commission advocates for transformational reforms to college sports

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

At its winter meeting, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics called on university presidents leading the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to pay urgent attention to “transformational reforms” it instructed a special committee to design more than a year ago. A presentation by LEAD1, the association of athletic directors at Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, laid out some of the plans to transform Division I athletics that would give FBS greater autonomy.

“If you think the problem of runaway spending on FBS coaches, athletic facilities and buyouts are bad now, just wait until the CFP [College Football Playoff, the postseason event that determines the national champion] pays out four times as much to FBS institutions as is does today, with no strings attached,” said Knight Commission Co-Chair Len Elmore. Knight Commission Co-Chair Arne Duncan, former U.S. secretary of education, says the NCAA’s transformation committee has worked backwards by focusing on smaller issues, such as transfer rules. He said the initiatives presented by LEAD1 do not address the broken governance and financial frameworks of Division I sports. Duncan called for FBS reform and closer examination of the role of the CFP.

Since the CFP began in 2015, enormous amounts of money have gone to contract

buyouts for fired coaches. The Knight Commission proposed solutions that would lead to more effective and comprehensive use for some of that money. Division I needs a more sophisticated and nuanced financial framework. Knight Commission CEO Amy Perko cited the discriminatory annual revenue distribution of the men’s and women’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournaments.

“The NCAA currently awards 28% of its annual revenue distribution…based solely on men’s basketball teams’ wins and participation in the Division I Tournament,” said Perko. “By contrast, the NCAA awards zero dollars for the success of women’s basketball teams or any other women’s sport and their championships.”

The Knight Commission recommended a new framework (C.A.R.E. Model) for NCAA shared revenue and called on the NCAA to implement a gender equity principle. “That guideline would require any NCAA athletics performance-based revenue distribution to provide equal rewards for the performance of women’s and men’s teams,” said Perko.

While FBS football and NCAA Division I men’s basketball are the primary revenue generators in college sports, if intercollegiate athletics competition is going to continue to survive and thrive, there must be more effective means of revenue distribution. Women’s sports and educational excellence need to be of greater value or growth will be stymied.

Knight Commission Co-Chair Arne Duncan (Courtesy of Arne Duncan)

Knight Commission CEO Amy Perko (Knight Commission photo)

photo)

Anchored by defense, the Knicks find winning commonplace

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Defense, rebounding, ball movement and player movement. These are fundamental winning basketball principles Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has emphasized, repeated and made an imperative for his team to succeed. Time will tell if the Knicks sustain playing with the cohesion and sense of purpose they have displayed in besting eight straight opponents and raising their record to 18-13 before hosting the Tornto Raptors at Madison Square Garden last night (Wednesday), but the eye test as much as the raw numbers reveal an improved squad. Yes, some of the teams the Knicks have defeated, such as their 132-94 dismantling of the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night at MSG, have been depleted. The Warriors were without Steph Curry (shoulder injury) and Andrew Wiggins (oblique). Still, a key indicator of a team that will ultimately make

it to the postseason is consistently beating inferior teams, regardless of the circumstances, including injuries, that are the cause of weaknesses.

“I think with anything, when you see something working you want to repeat it as much as possible,” said Knicks forward Julius Randle. The forward had 15 points and 12 rebounds in a game in which the Knicks had multiple impactful contributions. Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points off of the bench, point-guard Jalen Brunson had 21, starting twoguard Quentin Grimes dropped 19 and RJ Barrett 18.

Heading into last night, the Knicks owned the longest active winning streak in the NBA.

“No one has talked about the streak at all,” said Brunson. “Obviously, we tell each other to keep it rolling. But we’re just trying to be the best team we can be and just focus on one day at a time.”

Brunson’s words may read like a cliche, but the Knicks have demonstrated that philosophy. There will naturally be stretch -

es of more losses than victories, and adversity in the weeks and months ahead. That is why stacking wins right now is essential and will pay dividends in the Knicks’ goal of being a playoff team. It will require a continued collective effort as the Knicks, who have Randle and Brunson operating at an AllStar level, still lack a transcendent superstar.

“We have a lot of players on this team who are capable of having monster games,” noted Brunson. “It’s not surprising when someone like ‘Quick’ [Immanuel Quickley] plays that way or ‘Q’ [Quentin Grimes] having that type of game or even ‘Deuce’ [McBride] getting double figures. When they do it, it’s definitely a plus.”

The Knicks will next face the Chicago Bulls at the Garden tomorrow and the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day, then go to Texas to play the Dallas Mavericks next Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs next Thursday and the Houston Rockets New Year’s Eve.

The Nets roll 7 and 11 to rise in the East

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaugn has his team rolling, and riding No. 7 and No. 11, All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Nets took a six-game winning streak into last night’s (Wednesday) matchup at the Barclays Center with the Golden State Warriors and had won 10 of their previous 11. The Nets had risen to fourth overall in the East at 19-11.

Durant entered the game fifth in the NBA in scoring at 30.4 points per game and Irving was 15th posting 26.1. Brooklyn’s wins have come in a variety of ways, but last Friday’s victory against the Raptors in Toronto was dramatic and unifying.

Irving’s ability to freeze defenders and get them off balance led to his game-winning shot at the buzzer. His dazzling handle gave him enough separation from Raptors point guard Fred Van Vleet to elevate and

knock down a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to give the Nets a 119-116 walk-off. Irving scored 15 of his team-high 32 points in the fourth quarter. It was the seven-time All-Star’s first game-winning buzzer beater as a pro.

“It was a good matchup versus Fred,” said Irving of his battle with Van Vleet, who led all scorers with 39. “I just got the better of him that one time.” Irving expressed that the ending was unexpected. “Who would’ve thought I’d come to Toronto and hit my first gamewinning buzzer beater of my NBA career.”

Durant added that he had little doubt about the outcome. “I had confidence as soon as he rose up for the shot that it was going in,” he said. “I’m sure everybody back in Brooklyn, and everybody on the bench felt the same way.”

Vaughn said Irving has found a good mental space which benefited him on the final play.

“He definitely has an inner peace and poise that you have to have in that situation to not

panic,”observed the former 12year player who previously was the head coach of the Orlando Magic from 2012-2015.

Two nights later, it was Durant at the forefront of the Nets’ 124-121 hard fought road win over the Detroit Pistons. He dropped 43 and was greatly helped by Irving’s 38 in the come-from-behind-victory in which Brooklyn trailed by 17 at halftime. Durant put his team back in the game, outscoring the Pistons by himself in the third. His 26 points were one more than the 25 by the Pistons collectively.

“I got a few free throws, and then I got some really good looks off of screens,” said Durant. “I wanted to stay locked in on defense, because that usually gets me going on offense.”

After the Warriors, the Nets will play the Milwaukee Bucks at the Barclays Center and then go on a three-game road trip taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday, the Atlanta Hawks next Wednesday and the Charlotte Hornets on New Year’s Eve.

Knicks guard Miles “Deuce” McBride has been instrumental in the team’s improved defense as they held five of their eight previous opponents to under 100 points prior to hosting the Toronto Raptors last night (Bill Moore photo)

Nets guard Kyrie Irving and forward Kevin Durant had led the team to six straight wins when they hosted the Golden State Warriors last night (Wednesday) at the Barclays Center (Bill Moore photos)

Kyrie Irving

Kevin Durant

‘The Unseen,’ an exploration of Black figure skaters, debuts

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Toward the end of World War II, when Joseph Vanterpool was finishing up his military service in Europe, he saw an ice show. He was so taken with figure skating that when he returned to the U.S., he bought himself a pair of skates and taught himself how to ice skate. At the time, there was no opportunity for African American skaters to receive proper coaching, so Vanterpool and others gathered at New York’s public rinks. In 1946, they even created a show called Harlem on Ice.

Last weekend, a multi-media presentation titled “The Unseen” debuted at ONX Studios. Created by LaJuné McMillian, a descendant of Vanterpool, in collaboration with Ice Theatre of New York, the presentation included taped interviews with Vanterpool’s son, Akbar-Rashaad Vanterpool, and skater Theron James. Utilizing a synthetic ice surface, James then performed, telling the history of Black skaters and his own skating journey.

“Harlem on Ice was a blessing, although it probably didn’t reach the potential that it could have due to segregation,” said Akbar-Rashaad Vanterpool, who appreciated James’ split jump, a trademark move of his father’s. “It still provided a platform for my dad and so many others that were longing to get their names out there and have the exposure.”

Little is known about this piece of

skating history. McMillian, a multidisciplinary artist and educator, created

“The Unseen” to explore how to honor and channel the stories of the ancestors as an embodied experience.

“This is the first iteration of the piece,” said McMillian. “I’m excited to continue building on it. The next few years, I’m really going to focus on the research for

the past—trying to find different footage and pictures—anything I can find on Harlem on Ice and also all types of Black figure skaters from that time period. I’m also going to focus on meeting new skaters, so we can grow this into a large fullfledged performance.”

James, who has toured the world as a principal skater with companies such as

Disney on Ice and Holiday on Ice, said being a part of this project was incredibly special. “We were able to craft this vision,” he said. “I was so excited to be able to finally tell my story because I respect the ones that came before us, but there are so many that go unrecognized. It’s something I’ve always wanted to bring to the forefront.”

Bland and Sperry aim for strong skating performances

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Like many students at the University of Michigan, Kristina Bland and Matthew Sperry are exhaling after finishing their exams for the fall semester. Unlike other college students, they’re not heading off on vacation. Bland, 18, and Sperry, 20, are an ice dance team and will compete at the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships that will take place in San Jose, California, in January.

“We’re focusing on polishing our programs and doing nitty gritty work, focusing on the details,” said Sperry. “Making sure the synchronicity is on point.”

Bland and Sperry currently compete in the junior ice dance division. This is their second trip to the U.S. Championships as a team; they finished eighth at the 2022 Nationals. This fall, they gained valuable experience when

they competed at an ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Poland.

“It was very nice to have a taste of what we could do internationally,” said Bland. “It encouraged us to keep pushing ourselves… to keep getting Grand Prix competitions because it was so much fun. Watching the other teams, we could see how good everyone was, it inspired us to tweak little things in our programs and try to make ourselves even better.”

Bland, who grew up in Michigan, began in synchronized skating (large group). There was a boy on the team, and the coach encouraged them to become an ice dance team. They teamed up and competed for several years.

“I fell in love with ice dance from there, ended up quitting synchro and putting all of my energy and focus into ice dance,” she said.

There have been very few Black ice dancers. The upcoming U.S. Championships mark 30 years since Tiffani Tucker

and Franklyn Singley became the first Black skaters to medal in ice dance. The only other podium finish at Nationals since then was Nathan Truesdell in 2008 novice dance. Bland and her former partner won the intermediate ice dance title at a separate national event in 2020.

“At this Nationals, I’m just hoping to put out two clean programs; that’s all we can hope for, skating our best,” said Bland. “I’ve tried this year to not stress as much about ‘We have to place. We have to be perfect.’ I want to focus on doing our personal best and putting out two good programs.

“Our rhythm dance is very different,” she added. “I haven’t this year seen anyone with our music or the way we structured the program. … In our free dance we have a lot of cool and different moves…that are really fun to do and are satisfying to see them play out well.”

Kristina Bland and Matthew Sperry are in their second season together (Courtesy of Kristina Bland)

Creator of “The Unseen,” LaJuné McMillian, with skater Theron James (Lois Elfman photo)

Self-taught skater Joseph Vanterpool showed off his moves at Rockefeller Center in the 1940s (Courtesy of LaJuné McMillian)

The resourceful Giants elevate their playoff hopes

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Giants are getting closer to ending their long playoff absence. It’s been five seasons and nine out of the last 10 years that they haven’t experienced postseason football. Change is near after the Giants’ signature and critical 20-12 road win on Sunday night over their NFC East division rival Washington Commanders.

It was highlighted by the sensational performance by rookie defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, who strip-sacked Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke at 13:10 of the second quarter with the ball on Washington’s 10-yard line, and completed the play by gathering the ball and running it into the end zone for the Giants’ first nonoffensive touchdown of the season.

“I thought he gave, obviously, a lot of juice,” said Giants head coach Brian Daboll of Thibodeaux. “That play that he made down there when they were backed up kind of changed the tide a little bit in the early part of the game. He is a very talented player and he played like it.”

The fifth overall pick in last April’s NFL Draft said the power of internal belief compelled the outcome of his actions.

“I didn’t do anything different. Honestly, it’s manifestation,” maintained Thibodeaux. “I had a talk with my mom before the game. She said it was on her heart to tell me that you can do anything that you put your mind to. For me, I had to say it and believe it, and I was able to do it.”

The Giants’ gripping victory, which they didn’t seal until cornerback Darnay Holmes broke up a pass from Heinicke to wide receiver Terry McLaurin in the end zone as time expired, put them ahead of the Commanders in the wildcard hunt. Despite the

Commanders asserting that pass interference should have been called against Holmes, the Giants left FedEx Field 8-5-1. They now enter a Week 16 matchup on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) with the 11-3 Vikings in Minnesota while the 7-6-1 Commanders will face the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers Saturday at 4:05 p.m. The Vikings are currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC and the 49ers the No. 3 seed. However, the consensus is the 49ers are a greater threat to make it to the Super Bowl than Minnesota. They are both chasing the 13-1 Philadelphia Eagles, the NFC’s top seed,

who have a highly anticipated meeting with the No. 4 seed 10-4 Dallas Cowboys in Texas Saturday at 4:25 p.m.

The battle for home field advantage, seeding and one of the seven playoff spots is fluid. The Giants have firmly placed themselves in contention by being above all else resourceful. They have endured injuries to some of their best players, including safety Xavier McKinney, who was the defensive unit’s play caller until suffering an injury riding an ATV during the team’s bye-week in early November.

McKinney subsequently required surgery to repair fingers on his left hand. The 23-year-old product from the University of Alabama has expressed optimism he will return before the end of the season. The Giants best cornerback, Adoree’ Jackson, has been out since spraining his MCL on a punt return versus the Detroit Lions on Nov. 20 in Week 11.

The Giants were reeling after attaining a 7-2 record. They went 1-3-1 over the next five games, the tie (20-20) coming versus the Commanders on Dec. 4. Yet the Giants have endured and are playing games in December that have potential playoff ramifications for them for the first time since the 2016 season.

The Jets await the Jaguars with playoff hopes fading

By VINCENT DAVIS Special to the AmNews

The 7-7 Jets have reached must-win status. They have three games remaining, beginning tonight in Week 16 of the NFL schedule against the 6-8 Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium. Both teams are fighting for a spot in the playoffs but are in distinctly different circumstances.

The Jets are in last place in the AFC East. They have no chance of winning the division. They are not catching the 11-3 Buffalo Bills. The Jaguars, despite having a lesser record than the Jets, are just one game behind the 7-7 Tennessee Titans, who lead the AFC South division. The Jaguars and Titans face each other in Jacksonville on Jan. 8 in their last regular season game which could decide the division champion.

The Jets can only be a wildcard team. They are tied with the 7-7 Patriots for the No. 8 seed in the AFC and the Patriots currently hold the tie-breaker. Only seven teams from each conference make the postseason, so the Jets’ 20-17 loss to the Lions at home this past Sunday was painful and of major consequence. The 7-7 Lions are fighting for a wildcard berth in the NFC and came into New Jersey having won five of their previous six games. They are winners of six of their last seven after beating the Jets.

Quarterback Zach Wilson was back in the starting role due to Mike White—who replaced the benched Wilson after a 10-3 Week 11 loss to the Patriots—being out with a rib injury suffered against the Bills in Week 14. The 2021 No. 2 overall draft pick was mediocre and didn’t provide the Jets with the lift that could have changed fans and his teammates’ view of whether he can succeed at the position.

Wilson passing for 315 yards and two touchdowns looks good on paper. But he was just 18-35 and also had one interception which tells the entire story. The defense, which has been one of the best in the league for most of this season, collapsed, allowing

the Lions to score a late go-ahead touchdown when quarterback Jared Goff tossed a 51yard TD to tight end Brock Wright on fourthand-1 with 1:49 left in the game.

The Jets still could have sent the game into overtime but kicker Greg Zuerlein’s 58-yard field goal attempt went wide left as time expired.

“We had our opportunities all game, and we missed it,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

The Jaguars are in town now on a short work week for both them and the Jets after their 40-34 overtime defeat of the Dallas Cowboys and a 36-22 win over the Tennessee Titans the week before. Their quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, was chosen No. 1 ahead of Wilson. Unlike Wilson, Lawrence is emerging as a franchise quarterback after a difficult rookie season last year.

Giants rookie defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux scored a touchdown on Sunday versus the Washington Commanders on a second quarter strip-sack and fumble helping his team earn a 20-12 win (Giants.com photo)

With quarterback Mike White recovering from a rib injury, Zach Wilson was back in a starting role as the Jets lost 20-17 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The 7-7 Jets host the Jacksonville Jaguars tonight at MetLife Stadium (Bill Moore photos)

Mike White Zach Wilson