New York Amsterdam News Issue Jan 9-15, 2025 by AmsterdamNews

BROOKLYN IN CHARGE

USPS 382-600/ISSN#00287121

2340 Frederick Douglass Boulevard

New York, New York 10027

(212) 932-7400 / FAX (212) 222-3842

City officials race to get National Guard out of migrant shelters

By GWYNNE HOGAN THE CITY

New York City officials are racing to scale back the use of National Guard members in migrant shelter operations before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, THE CITY has learned.

The incoming president has promised to unleash the largest deportation campaign in the nation’s history. His proposed “border czar,” Tom Homan, has threatened New York and other so-called sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement: “Don’t test us.”

An administration source who was not authorized to speak to reporters said the city is working to remove all Guard members presently in shelters by early next year.

Advocates fear Trump could federalize the Guard, and use members now working at city-sponsored shelters to round up migrants living there.

“The National Guard could be used by the federal government to try and target our clients who are new arrivals,” said Kathryn Kliff, a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society who added that city officials had mentioned preparations to remove Guard members from shelters at a recent meeting she participated in.

“We’re just very glad that the city is not going to be having the National Guard in shelters anymore,” Kliff said. “Hopefully, that helps protect people.”

the National Guard step in to fill a critical need when it couldn’t find enough staff for all the shelters that they were opening, it’s way past time to focus on delivering that kind of help that the new arrivals need to move out.”

William Fowler, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, said the city had always intended to phase out the use of the Guard before state funding for migrant-related operations runs out in April. As of the start of November, the National Guard was no longer running operations at any migrant shelter, Fowler noted.

Around 300 state Guard members are still stationed in 51 shelters, while another 500 are working at the Roosevelt Hotel reception center and four additional application centers, where migrants get assistance filing immigration paperwork, said Durr.

Asked Tuesday what level of cooperation his administration would offer to federal authorities seeking to deport people in New York City en masse, Adams said, “I would like to speak with our border czar and find out what his plans are, where our common grounds are. We can work together [to] reach what the American people have been saying to us: Secure our borders, address the people who are committing violent acts in our country and make sure that we have our citizens — are going to be safe.”

‘We are scrambling’

MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS INFORMATION

Gov. Kathy Hochul first sent National Guard members to work in city migrant shelters in October 2022 amid the first surge in new arrivals. Costing the state $451 million over the past three fiscal years, they help with shelter operations but do not play a role in security, according to Eric Durr, a spokesperson for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, which oversees the National Guard.

Dave Giffen, executive director for the Coalition for the Homeless, said he welcomed phasing out the Guard.

“While I know the city appreciates having

The move to scale back the use of the Guard in migrant operations is one of a number of maneuvers playing out behind the scenes as the city braces for a second Trump administration, with around 60,000 recent arrivals from the southern border living in emergency city shelters. Those include a tent facility for families on federal land at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, which city officials are considering shutting down.

“We are scrambling to think through every scenario we can and try to figure out what measures the city can put in place to protect against this,” said Giffen, who is in regular contact with administration officials

attempting to prepare for the incoming Trump presidency. “This is a potential violation of everything the city stands for.”

After two years of growth, the city’s migrant shelters are starting to scale back, coinciding with city data that shows a decline in the number of new arrivals for four straight months as tighter border controls took hold. Those that have shut down in recent weeks include one in a warehouse at JFK Airport, and more closures in the pipeline, including the Randall’s Island shelter, which is slated to close in February.

Adams, who once said the influx of migrants would “destroy New York City,” has offered mixed messages about how his administration will deal with the incoming president. He has said he opposes mass deportation, but has also indicated his support for a City Council bill that would repeal New York City’s sanctuary city law, which prohibits cooperation between city agencies and the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, with limited exceptions.

Adams recently told the Wall Street Journal that he wants the NYPD to work with ICE to “remove migrant criminals from our city, from our country.”

With or without the National Guard staffing facilities where migrants live and frequent, Joseph Nunn, a counsel in the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, warned that Trump will have broad authority to either redeploy New York’s State National Guard or use the U.S. military to assist with immigration enforcement.

“Depending on the authority that the president decides to use, there’s essentially nothing [Hochul] can do,” Nunn said, who described the president’s powers as “extraordinarily broad.”

There’s a long history of both Democratic and Republican presidents federalizing National Guard units that otherwise report to state governors, to assist Customs and Border Patrol on the U.S.-Mexico border. While using the military to assist with immigration enforcement farther from the border would be unusual, it would probably be legally defensible, Nunn said.

The president can federalize state National Guards if “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States,” while a provision of the Insurrection Act allows the president to deploy the military domestically to “enforce the laws” of the United States when there are “unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellions.”

Nunn said Trump’s attorneys could argue sanctuary cities present an “obstruction,” adding that the Supreme Court has previously ruled only the president gets to decide when that threshold has been met, and even the court system doesn’t get a veto.

“Nobody really gets to question the president’s decision on that point,” Nunn said.

Families wait outside Roosevelt Hotel, Dec. 3, 2024. (Alex Krales/THE CITY photo)

Board of Correction expands on how Charizma Jones was denied medical care on Rikers before death

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

Charizma Jones’s family expected her to return home from Rikers Island by the holiday season, says their lawyer MK Kaishian. Instead, a Board of Correction (BOC) report released on Dec. 30 expanded on how the 23-year-old was denied medical care before her July 14, 2024 death as previously reported by the Amsterdam News.

“Nothing in this report came as a surprise,” said Kaishian over the phone. “It did solidify the specific discrete instances where she was denied care where…medical staff were prevented from entering the cell where she was being held. There’s a couple of more incidents that were identified in this report than weren’t in the records originally available to us. So while the fact of the denial of care is not new, a couple additional incidents were included in the report that we did not previously have knowledge of.”

Jones fell ill last spring, developing conditions like a skin rash, a swollen throat and high fever.

Yet on May 5, correctional staff blocked health care workers from accessing her cell five times for treatment as previously reported. A day later, she was moved from jail to an outside hospital. She would be moved between medical facilities for tests and treatment until her passing roughly two months later.

Official cause of death remains pending from the Office of the Medical Examiner but preliminary records pointed to “multiorgan failure.”

“The health and safety of every person in our care is always our foremost concern,” said a DOC spokesperson in an email response. “This specific incident remains under investigation and we will refrain from commenting on these reports until the investigations are closed.”

Fellow detainees housed with Jones attempted to provide her with care (notably by rubbing ice to cool her off) and offered the BOC investigators a firsthand account on what occurred.

“People in custody reported to Board staff that they became frustrated with the lack of response by clinical staff, so they became dis-

ruptive and refused to comply with staff orders to reenter the housing area, prompting the control post correction officer to activate a level

‘A’ alarm,” the report read.

To be clear, BOC investigations focus on operational failures rather than individual misconduct. Other agencies including the New York State Commission of Correction and the State Attorney General’s Office are also looking into Jones’ death.

Kaishian says more answers are needed for why Jones lost her opportunity to reduce her city jail sentence under “loss of good time” following several infractions. Further probes may reveal the veracity of the disciplinary claims.

The findings also reiterated how Jones was prevented from leaving her cell under the “medlock” designation on May 6, despite medical staff getting turned away the previous day. Kaishian sees it as rebranding solitary confinement, which the city maintains is no longer practiced.

“We know that the Department of Correction uses solitary confinement by referring to it by other terms,” said Kaishian. “But as we

Biden and First Lady commiserate with victims’ families in New Orleans

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

all know, solitary confinement by any other name is still solitary. So when the Department of Correction keeps incarcerated people in isolated cells, the fact that they call these cells ‘medlock’ when those individuals are not receiving medical treatment, doesn’t make it some sort of acceptable policy.”

The report coincides with a federal judge recently holding the city in contempt after failing to implement mandated reforms stemming from the class action lawsuit Nunez v. City of New York which alleged excessive force in city jails. Discussions to federally appoint a third-party receiver to oversee DOC-run facilities will resume this month. Another lawsuit, Agnew v. Department of Correction, found city jails failed to provide people in custody adequate medical care in 2021.

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

With only two weeks left in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden continues to take care of pressing matters, including traveling to New Orleans to commiserate with the families who lost loved ones in the terrorist attack on New Year’s Day. He conducted this visit on Monday as Vice President Harris lowered the gavel, certifying Trump’s victory in the presidential election.

Accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden, the president said, during a prayer service, “I know events like this are hard. The shock and pain is still very raw. My wife Jill and I are here to stand with you, to grieve with you, to let you know you are not alone.”

He called the attack that killed 14 and injured 35 “a horrific act of terrorism,” and commended the first responders and law enforcement officers “who risked their lives to stop the terror.” He offered words of solace to the victims’ families as well.

“The day will come when the memory of your loved ones … will bring a smile to your lips before a tear to your eye,” Biden added. “It will take time, but I promise you it will come. My prayer is that that day comes sooner rather than later, but it will come, and when it does, you may find purpose in your pain, to live the life worthy of the one you lost.”

His words stood in stark contrast to claims made earlier by Trump, who blamed Biden for the atrocity, which was allegedly carried out by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an Army vet, and Houston Realtor. He was killed by police after he left the vehicle and opened fire. Trump charged that the attack was unacceptable, inexcusable, and emblematic of a failing nation whose president ranks as the worst in history.

Trump claimed in social media posts that inadequate border protections were responsible for the massacre on Bourbon Street. He said this allowed criminals to freely enter the country and to do harm. “When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” he wrote on New Year’s Day after the incident.

As we have come to learn, Trump’s accusations are rarely factual or accurate, and that Jabbar was an American citizen nullifies all of his claims, although that will probably only make him double down on his comments.

There was no response from the Biden administration to Trump’s misinformation, only noting that additional federal resources will be earmarked for New Orleans for the upcoming Super Bowl and Mardi Gras festivities.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden stop at site of deadly New Year’s truck attack, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Charizma Jones (Photo courtesy of Charizma Jones’s family)

Deadly beating of Robert Brooks magnifies state prison conditions

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

Organizer Rev. Kevin McCall sees the deadly beating of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility as the “George Floyd” for incarcerated New Yorkers. Bodyworn camera recordings showed corrections officers punching and kicking the handcuffed 42-yearold Black man in a prison medical examination room just hours before he was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead on Dec. 10.

Roughly two weeks later, State Attorney General Letitia James released the footage publicly (WARNING: link leads to content some may find distressing). Footage from eight different officers was published online.

Condemnation of the actions of the prison guards soon followed from various directions ranging from advocates like McCall and Kevin “Renny” Smith, executive director of Families and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted; sports media personalities like Stephen A. Smith, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and the NY Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) — the state agency running the Oneida County prison. 14 staff members were implicated, but none are charged as of press time.

“Racism and correction officer brutality didn’t get worse in New York state and beyond – what it got is recorded,” said Smith. “When I was in prison, myself and numerous others complained about correction officers’ brutality, and it was ignored. Unfortunately for Robert Brooks, he lost his life. But it was recorded. Now society [and] the public gets to see this.

“Now I really don’t know what holding them accountable looks like. Some people say they need to be fired. Some people say they need to be arrested. None of that [happened] and [by Jan. 10] it will be a month. When it comes to law enforcement officers taking the lives of a Black person, the justice system moves slow with us.”

Racial disparities in Marcy

Just as widespread police brutality against Black Americans existed long before the Floyd killing

galvanized the 2020 protests, useof-force at Marcy has a long and well-documented history. The Correctional Association of New York (CANY), which independently monitors New York prisons as assigned by state law, noted racial disparities and a “retaliatory environment” after representatives visited the medium-security prison in Oct. 2022.

The oversight organization also surveyed people in custody about abuse and access, with 80% saying they experienced or witnessed abuse.

“We unfortunately hear about cases where people have been assaulted or faced physical abuse, verbal abuse and sexual assault and abuse [happens] in state prisons far too often,” said Sumeet Sharma, a CANY director. “It’s something that we especially noted at Marcy. [When we asked]

people if they’ve seen or experienced assault or abuse, there was a particularly large degree of people who answered ‘yes’ at Marcy.”

67% of respondents saw or experienced racialized abuse at the prison. Black people held at Marcy said they were denied access to the mess hall due to their braids or cornrows, and “short time limits to eat were sometimes imposed through threats and use of force.” Incarcerated individuals also reported staff repeated racial slurs, unequally treated Black and Brown people and made “threatening comments” when different racial groups mingled.

41% of the prison population identified as Black at the time of CANY’s visit. Like most DOCCS facilities, Marcy lies in a remote town far from New York City. The surrounding Oneida County is overwhelmingly white and boasts

a tiny Black population. Sharma says while the findings undoubtedly stem from racial differences between corrections officers and incarcerated individuals, similar incidents occurred in prisons like Sing Sing and Green Haven, which are closer to NYC and boast a more diverse staff than other facilities across the state.

In fact, racial disparities were observed in disciplinary measures across the state’s prisons in a State of New York Offices of the Inspector General report published on Nov. 22. The findings noted 114 of the most prolific DOCCS disciplinarians issued misbehavior reports exclusively to Black and Brown incarcerated individuals. In general, the probe found Black people in New York state prisons were 38% more likely to receive a misbehavior report compared to white people.

New York State responds to Brooks’s death

Hochul announced an order to kick off firing procedures for the 14 implicated staff members on Dec. 27. Three days later, she visited the prison and announced several immediate reforms including installing a superintendent for Marcy, bolstering the DOCCS whistleblower hotline and further funding CANY. A previous $400 million initiative towards fixing and expanding body-worn camera surveillance in state prisons was also “expedited.”

So far, 13 of the implicated staff members have been suspended. One resigned. To be clear, DOCCS and the governor cannot directly terminate the corrections officers and must go through an independent arbitration process due to a bargaining agreement with their See BROOKS on page 29

Gov. Kathy Hochul visits Marcy Correctional Facility following Robert Brooks’s death. (Courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office)

I.A.M.E Programming Founder

Darnell ‘Mr. H’ Hospedales

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Darnell “Mr. H” Hospedales, 44, is a media and community associate with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. He’s spent a lifetime working as a local rapper, hip -hop journalist, photographer, entrepreneur, and now mentor to students of all ages.

“A lot of people call me Mr. H,” said Hospedales, chuckling about his nickname. “It’s half Trinidadian, half Venezuelan. It’s cool and goes back to an ancient tribe. I love it — I do not have a slave name, but I am addressed here as Mr. H for the simple fact that I don’t like people chopping up my name.”

Born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Hospedales grew up in a small area of the neighborhood referred to as the “’90s.” Basically, it’s a collection of streets bracketed by Remsen Avenue, E. New York Avenue, Linden Boulevard, and E. 98th Street. He came of age at a time when rap and hip-hop were fledgling music genres birthed by Black and Brown people, and intricately immersed in the cultural grit that makes New York City both beloved and feared.

Hospedales got into the music industry very young, in the early 1990s, as a “crate boy” — someone who helped carry the crates of records from venue to venue for DJs.

Black New Yorker

PUBLIC MEETINGS & NOTICES

NYC Health + Hospitals

(nychealthandhospitals.org)

The Board of Directors of the New York City Health + Hospitals invites you to its Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Public Meetings, in accordance with §7384(10) of the HHC Enabling Act.

Independent record labels from his community, and artists like Helter Skelter and a young Jay-Z, served as an inspiration to him.

Like many, he wanted to be a rapper but considered himself shy. He pivoted to writing poetry as an outlet instead and started performing and hosting open mics at the Inkwell Jazz and Comedy Café, a local café owned by a family friend. “My love of words led me to doing hip-hop,” he said.

Hospedales dubbed himself with the rap name MC Loone Don aka Mr. Get Ryte. His first foray into self-publishing his works was hosting his own show, Get Ryte TV, on Brooklyn’s Community Access Television (BCAT), now known as Brooklyn Free Speech TV. On his show, Hospedales interviewed other up-and-coming rap and hiphop artists. Over the next decade or so, this opened the door for him to network with bigger labels, attend red carpet events, go on tour, write for publications, do film and photography, and even be considered for a Grammy nomination at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011. He did this all while continuing to hustle and work other part-time jobs, he said.

In the early 2010s, Hospedales opted to

take the entrepreneurial route and created his multi-media company, FOLK.US Entertainment LLC. After a year, his business experienced some economic instability and Hospedales wanted a solid job so he could support his family.

He started working for the city parks department in maintenance in 2016. Because of his skillset, it wasn’t long before he moved into the park’s media education department. He currently teaches young people, adults, and the elderly about computers and technology, podcasting, photography, film, and recording and producing music.

Hospedales created I.A.M.E (I Am Myself Everyday) Programming shortly after as a mutli-media platform to showcase his students’ content, as part of doing his best to foster and encourage raw talent in the community that helped make him who he is.

“I am more than what the system says I am,” said Hospedales. “They think they have to sound, look, or act like other people in order to make it, not realizing that the authenticity of people is what sells. It’s when you create a path for yourself — those are the people with longevity.”

Following a report on the activities of the health System, we invite the public to make oral and/or written presentations.

Speaker will be allotted five minutes to present. We ask speakers to register in advanced online via QR code/site below or by calling: Ms. Colicia Hercules, Secretary to the Corporation, NYC Health + Hospitals 212 788-3359

https://innovations.nychhc. org/annualpublicmeetings

Language Interpretation Services and American Sign Language (ASL) will be available upon request.

On-site registration will be available at each location on the day of the meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. and ending at 6:30 p.m.

Speakers who register in advance will be given priority on the speaking schedule.

These events are accessible for people with disabilities.

Parks and Recreation Community Associate Darnell “Mr. H” Hospedales (Ariama C. Long photo)

Brooklyn in the House: U.S. Rep. Clarke to head Congressional Black Caucus

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Brooklyn U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke was elected to chair the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for the 119th Congress and was sworn in on Friday, Jan. 3.

The swearing-in ceremony kicked off early in the morning at the Anthem, a music venue and auditorium at the southwest waterfront of Washington, D.C. The event was attended by family, friends, racial justice advocates, and Black elected officials from all over the nation.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries thanked previous CBC Chair U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford for his tenure and enthusiastically welcomed his colleague from his hometown as the new chair.

“We’re grateful for your calm, cool, and courageous leadership during challenging times,” he said of Horsford, “and we know that Black America is in a better position today because of Steven’s leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus. Let me also congratulate Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Her Excellency, my sister from Brooklyn — Yvette is an incredible leader who will serve as a catalyst for change and lead us forward unbought and unbossed.”

Clarke will serve for a two-year term and is the 10th woman to serve in the position. She previously served as first vice chair of the CBC, focusing on laws targeting disparities that harm underserved communities.

“It’s such an honor and a privilege to have 62 members in CBC strong, and 61 of those members elect me by acclamation,” said Clarke.

At the swearing-in ceremony, several speakers recounted the deep history of the CBC. During the late 1960s, Michigan Congressmember Charles Diggs created the Democracy Select Committee (DSC) in an effort to bring Black Congress members together. Diggs noticed that he and others often felt isolated, and wanted to create an informal space to discuss issues they shared. Initially, they had irregular meetings with no independent staff or budget.

This changed as the Civil Rights Movement continued into the early 1970s. The CBC was officially established in 1971 by 13 founding members, including New York Congressmembers Charles B. Rangel and Shirley A. Chisholm, to ensure that Black Americans and other marginalized communities in the U.S. were empowered and supported by the federal government.

Former President Richard Nixon refused to meet with the group, prompting the CBC to boycott the 1971 State of the Union Address. Their battle gained national press coverage. By 1973, the CBC were among the first members of Congress to call for Nixon’s impeachment.

Combatting apartheid in South Africa was also a major concern for the founding members of the CBC at that time. California Congressmember Ronald Dellums introduced the CBC’s first anti-apartheid bill in 1972, earning the group the nickname the “Conscience of the Congress.” The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (CAAA) eventually passed in 1986.

“We stand here today on the shoulders of giants. We owe a tremendous debt to all the founding members of the CBC; and to everyone whose blood and sweat and tears made the growth of this organization possible,” said New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who facilitated the swearing in and took the members’ oath. “This historic event helps ensure that the CBC continues to excel and provide the leadership that our nation so desperately needs, especially now.”

For the 118th Congress, the CBC had 60 members in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The current CBC has a record 62 members. This includes historic firsts of two Black women U.S. senators — Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware — and two Black House officials from Alabama — U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures. Many members also spoke about maintaining the CBC’s goals in the face of newly elected Republican President Donald Trump and his congressional allies. Clarke said she wants to be laser-focused with the executive committee on negating any legislation and policies coming from the “extremist ideologies of Project 2025” over the next four years.

“It’s important to remember that the ugly reactionary forces and the racist white supremacist forces we face are nothing new,” Clarke said in her speech. “A hundred fifty years ago, there were others who tried to turn back the hands of time and undo the victories that had cost so many American lives, so many Black American lives. They espoused racist policies and enacted laws and taxes to force discrimination and inequality on our people.”

In her remarks, Clarke issued a call to action: “Our adversaries today have embraced similar measures: restricting voting rights, denying equal opportunity, selectively rewriting American history, banning Black history books, defunding the Department of Education,” she said. “You can all look this up — it’s in their odious manifesto called Project 2025. Well, 2025 is here, and we mean business. We don’t have time to play around. We don’t have time to shuck and jive. We have to be singularly focused on the liberation and the elevation of Black people.”

For her district back in Brooklyn, Clarke said she’s focused on assisting Black immigrants and assuaging concerns about Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

Previous CBC Chair U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford (left), U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (center), Maryland Governor Westley Moore (right).

Group photo of Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members at swearing-in on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in DC. (Contributed photos by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation)

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke and other Black women members of the CBC at the swearing-in ceremony.

CAPITAL PROJECTS PUBLIC HEARING

Public Hearing

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on behalf of MTA New York City Transit and its subsidiaries; MTA Long Island Rail Road; MTA Metro-North Railroad; MTA Construction & Development; and MTA Bus Company (collectively referred to as the “MTA”), will hold a public hearing to solicit comments on MTA’s federal grant proposals for Federal Fiscal Year 2025. This hearing will be conducted in a hybrid format, allowing participation both in-person and virtually via Zoom’s online platform and conference call feature, and will include a livestream on the MTA 2025 Capital Projects hearing website.

The MTA receives federal funds pursuant to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation under Sections 5307, 5309, 5310, 5337, 5339 and 5340 of Title 49, United States Code (49 U.S.C. 5300 et seq.), as well as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Surface Transportation Act and other federal appropriations). The Governor of the State of New York, local officials, and publicly owned operators of mass transportation services have designated the MTA to be the recipient of these grants.

The requested funds are for categories of capital projects listed below and more fully described in the MTA Program of Projects. The MTA’s Program of Projects is available for review at https://new.mta.info/transparency/public-hearings or by calling the contact number provided below. The MTA solicits and encourages the comments of private transportation providers. Capital improvements under this Program generally take place within the MTA network or on State or city-owned property. Property acquisitions or relocations will be carried out in accordance with relevant laws and regulatory requirements. The projects included in this hearing are part of the approved 2015-2019, 2020-2024 and 2025-2029 Capital Programs.

The capital projects have been, or expected to be, endorsed by the Metropolitan Planning Organizations for the New York metropolitan region and are in compliance with the State Implementation Plan (SIP) as required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The projects are not anticipated to have any significant adverse environmental impact. If the FTA prepares a formal environmental impact statement on any of the proposed projects, the MTA will issue a public notice to make the statement available. All legal requirements related to senior citizens and individual with disabilities will be met.

It is anticipated that any difference between the projects’ cost and the federal grant amount will be covered through funds that are made available by any one or more of the following sources: State, local, affiliated agency funds (such as MTA Bridges and Tunnels or MTA); credits for non-federal project shares generated from toll revenues in accordance with federal statute (23 U.S.C. 120 (i)); or s ales of property or program income.

In Federal Fiscal Year 2024, MTA received $914.9 million of Section 5307 funds, $1.201 billion of Section 5337 State of Good Repair funds, and $29.8 million of Section 5339 of Bus and Bus Facilities funds. Apportionments from Federal Fiscal Year 2025 are not yet available. Federal funds must generally be matched by a local share contribution for capital assistance of 20 percent for most funding categories.

PROJECT CATEGORIES / ESTIMATED FEDERAL REQUEST (Dollars in Millions)

DATE AND TIME OF THE PUBLIC HEARING

2025 CAPITAL PROJECTS PUBLIC HEARING

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 · Hearing begins at 6:00 P.M. ·Hybrid Public Hearing will include both in person and virtual platforms.

Public Hearing Format

This will be a hybrid hearing with in-person participation as well as via Zoom’s online platform and conference call feature, with a livestream available on the MTA 2025 Capital Projects hearing website https://new.mta.info/2025-capital-projects-hearing

Those interested in speaking must pre-register to speak at the public hearing. Each registered speaker will have two (2) minutes to speak.

Location of the Public Hearing

This public hearing will be held in-person at MTA Headquarters, 2 Broadway, 20th Floor – William J. Ronan Board Room, New York, NY 10004.

Registering for the Public Hearing

To register to speak at the hybrid public hearing, please sign up to comment either in-person, online at https://new.mta.info/2025-capital-projects-hearing or call the Public Hearing Hotline at (646) 252-6777. Registration for the public hearing will open on January 3, 2025. All comments will be transcribed and included as part of the permanent record of this hearing.

Joining the Public Hearing

If you are registered to speak, you may join the Zoom webinar either online, in-person or by telephone following these instructions:

• Join Zoom Webinar Online:

To access the Zoom webinar online, visit the website: https://new.mta.info/2025-capital-projects-hearing You can also go to zoom.us/join and enter the Webinar (Webinar ID: 812 0352 3827)

• Join by PC/Tablet/Smartphone: Use the following link: https://mta.zoom.us/j/81203523827 - (Webinar ID: 812 0352 3827)

• Join Zoom Webinar by Telephone:

To access the Zoom webinar by telephone, please call 1-877-853-5247 (toll-free). hen enter Webinar ID:, Webinar ID: 812 0352 3827, followed by the pound (#) sign.

• View Only Online:

Members of the public who wish only to view the hearings may access the event live at https://new.mta.info/2025-capital-projects-hearing

To Submit Comments

All written comments must be submitted by 6:00 p.m. on February 4, 2025. Comments received after that date and time will not be considered.

To View a Copy of the Complete MTA Program Projects

A complete list of projects eligible for funding under this proposal is available onsite and on the MTA Website at https:// new.mta.info/2025-capital-projects-hearing

Information on public viewing locations and on the projects eligible for funding can be found on the MTA website or by contacting the MTA at the address below. The MTA will also make the final program of projects available on its website https://new.mta.info/transparency/grant-management for Section 5307 funded projects when the FTA awards the Federal Fiscal Year 2025 grants.

Additional Ways to Comment or Request Information

For more information, to pre-register to speak, or to submit comments, use the following methods:

• Online: Email comments or register to speak on the MTA website https://new.mta.info/2025-capital-projects-hearing

• By Phone: Call the Public Hearing Hotline at (646) 252-6777. Telephone agents are available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

• In Person: Submit comments or register during the public hearing.

Guidelines for Verbal and Written Testimony

• Verbal presentations will be limited to two (2) minutes.

• Written statements may be submitted as a supplement oral testimony concerning the proposed projects.

Mailing Address for Written Comments:

• To submit comments, for additional information, or to request copies of the application and final program of projects to be submitted to the FTA, letters should be addressed to:

MTA Capital Program Funding / Grants Management, RE: 2025 Capital Projects Public Hearing, 2 Broadway, D16.94, New York, NY 10004.

All letters must be postmarked by February 4, 2025.

Comments received after that date will not be included in the transcript.

Accessibility and Language Assistance Services

At the public hearing, CART Captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) services will be available.

• For Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Use your preferred relay service or the free 711 relay service to connect to the Public Hearing Hotline at (646) 252-6777.

• For Individuals Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision: Request accommodations on or before February 1, 2025, either: o Online: https://new.mta.info/2025-capital-projects-hearing, or o By Telephone: Call the Public Hearing Hotline at (646) 252-6777.

• For Those Without Internet Access: Dial into the hearing by calling the Zoom webinar at 1-877-853-5247 (toll-free) then enter- Webinar ID: 812 0352 3827, followed by the pound (#) sign.

• For Language Assistance or Other Accommodations: Submit a request at least three business days before the hearing date in one of the following ways: o Online: https://new.mta.info/2025-capital-projects-hearing o By Phone: Call the Public

Hotline at (646) 252-6777, or By Mail: Send a letter to: MTA Capital Program

Trace, ARDN team up to promote African diaspora and gender equality

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

“Imagine the power of a single voice echoing throughout the diaspora and the world, igniting change and inspiring action,” said Richard Gant, the Art, Culture, and Sports chair of the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN).

Gant was speaking at a virtual press conference on Dec. 17, 2024, announcing a new partnership between ARDN and the multimedia platform Trace. The two organizations have joined forces to promote global stories about people of African descent.

“Picture a domestic abuse survivor in Cape Town, sharing her story with other survivors in Brixton, UK, fostering healing and solidarity,” Gant said. “Envision children in Lagos exchanging visual art classes with peers in New York, sparking creativity and cultural exchange. Consider musicians from Dakar collaborating with artists in Sao Paulo to produce rhythms that unite and inspire. Visualize African e-sports players connecting with students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States, competing and learning across digital landscapes, building bridges and future alliances.

“This is the transformative power of connectivity: making the world smaller and our bonds stronger.”

ARDN and Trace have teamed up to work on presenting stories about people of African descent and advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are aimed at ending poverty and reducing inequality.

ARDN CEO and President Djibril Diallo deemed the collaboration a major step forward for both organizations, each of which was created to empower and celebrate Africa and its diaspora.

“At ARDN,we have a mandate to advance the sustainable development goals of the United Nations through initiatives to promote equality, education, and opportunity,” Diallo said. “Today, we take the commitment to step forward by leveraging Trace’s remarkable media reach, and the remarkable cultural influence of Trace.”

Olivier Laouchez, CEO of Trace, said around 350 million people of African descent access his company’s various platforms monthly in 190 countries. Trace “[creates]

Trace’s new media

services so that young people, women, and creators can be more successful in their life,” Laouchez said. “We do everything we do by respecting very strong values, … authenticity, and passion. And we are very proud to be a contributor to at least 10 of the 17 United Nations SDGs.”

ARDN intends to leverage this

new partnership to enhance the visibility of its signature Red Card campaign, which urges people to commit to preventing violence against women and girls. Trace will promote the initiative through its radio, television, and social media channels.

The multi-media organization also plans to use its newest dig-

ital platform, Trace+, to deliver free education and offer new skills to young women.

“We have more than 25 TV channels and 100 radio [channels] where we celebrate the vibrancy of Afro culture,” said Trace+ Managing Director Prescillia Avenel-Delpha. “We also have 300-plus Trace Academy

courses where we deliver free education to equip youth and women with the skills to strive in their world. And with over a million hours of content annually, including videos-on-demand, Trace+ becomes a bridge to build confidence, skills, and connections across generations and borders.”

Olivier Laouchez, CEO of Trace, and Djibril Diallo, CEO of ARDN, recently announced their partnership to advance initiatives benefiting African diaspora and promoting gender equality. (Contributed photos)

channel, Trace+, will deliver free education and offer new skills to young women.

By KAYLYN KENDALL DINES Special to the AmNews

During the holiday season, self-care and baby-care gift bags were presented to new and expectant mothers by the Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA). This citywide undergraduate chapter assembled 200 gift bags with assistance from several partnering organizations.

This service event was the brainchild of Kynnedy Smith, the president of the Lambda Chapter of AKA, which proudly serves the Harlem community. Smith, an Oprah Winfrey Leadership Scholar (OWL) and senior at Columbia University in New York, has a double major in computer science and cognitive science with a specialization in artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction.

While acknowledging her upbringing, Smith said, her focus on outreach is fueled by gratitude to the “scholar communities” that helped shape and strengthen her commitment to service.

“From age 11, when I founded a charitable organization to advocate for arts education for underserved students in my hometown [Cleveland, Ohio] to today, at 22, I continue to lead and volunteer with organizations that support underrepresented families both locally and internationally,” said Smith. “Whenever I encounter a challenge in my community, I see it as an opportunity to act, to find creative solutions, and to bring others together. Service is not just something I do. It’s who I am. I am committed to ‘leaving the ladder down,’ ensuring that others have the support and resources they need to climb higher and achieve more, just as those before me did for me.”

Through a partnership between the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation and Herrendorf Family Foundation, Smith participated in the Herrendorf Family Foundation’s Global Leadership Conference for personal and professional development.

With her sorority sisters, Smith believes, “Collaborating with Harlem Hospital to support mothers is just the beginning of what we envision. We are committed

to building a stronger, more inclusive connection between our chapter and the community we serve.”

According to Satrina Boyce, advisor of the undergraduate chapter, “The

Ladies of Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated would like to thank everyone who attended the ‘Moms Offering More’ gift bag packing event. The objective

of this activity was to provide necessary resources to new and expecting mothers in Harlem Hospital’s Labor and Delivery unit both to improve the support they have while entering motherhood and to allow them the space to focus on their mental wellbeing.” Boyce said support came from the Moms Offering More organization, undergraduate chapters of Divine Nine organizations, and the Black Student Organization at New York University. Boyce added, Smith was able to coordinate the event thanks to a grant from the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation.

As a result, the pink drawstring bags were packed to help new mothers care for their babies and themselves. New mothers received several items including face masks, essential oils, ear plugs, tea bags, lactation tea, and handheld massagers, as well as diapers and baby wipes.

As a special touch, each gift bag included a handwritten note. The messages were written by mothers who are members of the Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Boyce, who is a member of this graduate chapter, said her sorority sisters shared their motherhood experiences along with a few tips and gentle reminders such as:

• Grant yourself grace.

• Embrace the love and the wonder of motherhood and practice patience with yourself.

• Don’t try to do it alone. Ask for help.

• Take lots of pictures. Babies grow and change daily.

According to their website, the Tau Omega Chapter is the oldest graduate chapter of AKA in the New York metropolitan area. In 2025, members will celebrate the chapter’s 100th anniversary.

On Jan. 15, 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. was established on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. as the first Greek-letter organization founded by African American college-educated women. In 2025, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated celebrate 117 years of international service to mankind.

Happy Founders’ Day from the New York Amsterdam News!

The Season of Giving: Members of the Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. pose and display the self-care and baby-care bags. (Contributed photos)

Lambda Chapter Member Kynnedy Smith and Harlem Hospital Volunteer Coordinator Stephanie Harrwood

Union Matters

NYC to pay $29.9 million for justice in Fire Protection Inspector case

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Toward the end of 2024, a federal judge granted preliminary approval for settlement of a $29.9 million class action lawsuit brought against the city by New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire protection inspectors (FPIs).

The FPIs and their union, the Uniformed EMTs Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Local 2507, had alleged in a case first filed in 2020 that the city created different pay scales for its FPIs –– 70% of whom are people of color –– and its majority white NYC building inspectors (BIs).

At some points, the pay differences amounted to as much as $9,000 annually.

Local 2507 and five individual FPIs — Darryl Chalmers, Darren Connors, Glenn Mendez, James Nova, and Fatima Rosemond — filed suit against the city. Their case represented some 597 FDNY employees.

Chalmers, a now-retired FPI who is one of the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit, worked for the Fire Department for 32 years. When Chalmers was a union representative, he realized union members were leaving the FDNY to take jobs with the Department of Buildings (DOB). Postings for DOB inspector jobs showed that salaries there were higher. Yet, FPIs were as qualified as BIs –– and often appeared to have more responsibilities. “I was taken aback,” Chalmers told the Amsterdam News. “Like, why are you paying them more? But then I found out that a lot of the building inspectors were white: there were people of color there, but not as many as there were whites. And because I saw that, I said, ‘Well, that’s probably the reason why they’re paying them more.’”

New York City should have known that the jobs had similar requirements and should be paid the same, the lawsuit claimed. Federal Judge Analisa Torres noted in her opinion about the case that “FPIs and BIs share the same principal duty of conducting field inspections to ensure conformance with the City’s codes and standards. BIs and FPIs are both tasked with enforcing the City’s building codes, though FPIs additionally enforce the City’s fire codes. In the course of field inspections, FPIs and BIs must review the same plans and specifications stored on a shared intranet. FPIs inspect almost all the same building types as BIs, though FPIs only inspect one- and two-family housing as part of joint task forces. Like BIs, FPIs conduct inspections while buildings are under construction or repair, or in response to reported violations –– though FPIs also conduct annual inspections. At the close of inspection, FPIs and BIs are both empowered to issue certificates that, although differently titled, share

the same function of allowing occupancy or use of the inspected premises. Finally, FPIs and BIs work on an ‘equal and collaborative footing’ as part of joint task forces.” Torres also said that “Plaintiffs do note the positions are not ‘identical.’ For instance, FPIs, unlike the majority of BIs, are peace

officers, permitting FPIs to issue criminal summonses and court appearance tickets. The two positions have different requirements with respect to working hours, and separate unions. And FPIs experience more physical risks in their work, such as being required to enter buildings where fires were

recently extinguished. Plaintiffs contend that such distinctions should militate in favor of FPIs receiving salaries equivalent to, or higher than BIs.”

Oren Barzilay, president of Local 2507, responded to settlement of the lawsuit by stating: “Our members have been fighting the inequality and mistreatment they receive in the FDNY for decades. This settlement for fire inspectors is a step in the right direction of correcting that inequity. We are happy to see some of our members recover damages for what they have lost, but we won’t stop with our efforts to correct pay inequity until the city fixes the underlying discriminatory pay practices that caused this issue for all our members.

“The City chronically violates our members’ rights based on color and gender. This same pay practice is currently ongoing in our EMS ranks. Our members, who risk their lives every day to care for New Yorkers, deserve better than this and should be compensated and treated with the same value as the City’s other first responders.”

In a statement, NYC’s Corporation Counsel told the AmNews, “The City is pleased with the court’s preliminary approval of this settlement. Fire Protection Inspectors play a critical role in keeping residents and businesses safe, and while no admission of wrongdoing is made through this settlement, the City stands firmly against all forms of discrimination, including unintentional bias, as alleged here.”

One important part of the settlement in the Fire Protection Inspector case is the creation of a labor-management committee. The committee will be tasked with addressing the FDNY’s longstanding mistreatment of FPIs and ideally looking for ways to reduce or eliminate such treatment in the future.

“There’s no specification about the number of labor representatives on the committee,” said Michael Lieder, a partner at Mehri & Skalet, the law firm representing the FPI plaintiffs. “In terms of management, there’s required to be at least one representative from [the] FDNY and one from [the Office of Labor Relations]. And depending on the topics to be discussed, there would be other agency representatives who would appear if necessary … the first year, there must be at least four meetings, one quarterly, and thereafter, it’s required that there be at least six meetings over the next two years. And the term of the settlement agreement would end after three years. But our hope is that this will become an institutionalized body that both the union and the FPIs on the one side and management on the other recognize as a good thing, so that it will continue and hopefully avoid some of the issues that have arisen over the years.”

Darryl Chalmers, a now-retired FPI, worked for Fire Department for 32 years. He was one of lead plaintiffs in the fire protection inspectors’ lawsuit. (Contributed photo)

We’re here for you at the M S K Ralph Lauren Center, 1919 Madison Avenue at 124th in Harlem. G o to M S K .org /CancerCare or call 88 8 -559- 8782 to reach a cancer exper t today.

r Memorial S loan Kettering Cancer Center specializes in over 400 types of cancer, including the most impor tant one: yours .

Opinion

A “reckoning” of Jimmy Carter

As many presidential historians agree, it takes years after a president leaves office to properly assess their legacy. That evaluation of Jimmy Carter is no different as the nation mourns his passing on Dec. 29, 2024, in his hometown of Plains, Ga. He was 100.

Most important for Black Americans is his stance on civil rights during his one term, from 1977 to 1981, as the 39th president. It is often noted that his position on civil rights evolved: He actively opposed racial segregation, although as a young person coming of age in Archery, Ga., near Plains, with a segregationist father, he attended segregated schools. Even so, in his book of poetry, “Always a Reckoning and Other Poems,” he recounted his experience growing up with Rachel Clark, who was Black — their fishing dates, and their continuing relationship over the years, visiting her where she lived in public housing, “still a queen,” he wrote.

Given his political ambitions in the South, Carter had to play his hand carefully if he wanted to succeed, and ironically, it was at the urging and then support of Vernon Jordan and Andrew Young that he began his gubernatorial path and onward to the White House. Seeking the highest office in the land was not an easy undertaking, particularly when he had to contend with Teddy Kennedy. The most troubling contention came from Black political leaders in his home state: Julian Bond and John Lewis.

In his book “Walking with the Wind,” Lewis summarized some of the difficulties. Among them, he said, was that “I had no intention of working with Kennedy’s campaign — or for Carters. It bothered me, though, that it was not the fate of the ACTION agency nor of my service there that seemed to concern the President. It was simply his fear that I might get in the way of his bid for reelection.” Lewis noted that Bond was not fond of Carter: “He had no love, absolutely none, for the man.”

Nor did Lewis himself possess any great feelings for Carter. “I was extremely dismayed that he had let me down during my time with ACTION, and by letting me down, he had let down many

Bringing Black voices to the stage: Why representation matters in classical theater

By CARL COFIELD

Theater has always been a mirror reflecting society’s triumphs and tribulations. Yet, for centuries, that mirror has often failed to capture the richness and diversity of all its audiences. The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) stands as a beacon in the movement to change that narrative, drawing inspiration from Harlem’s cultural legacy and the enduring significance of the Harlem Renaissance. As the organization celebrates its 25th anniversary during the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance, it reminds us of the urgent need to amplify Black voices in classical theater.

Black characters and stories have long existed in the classical canon, but they are too often overlooked, obscured by a Western-centric lens. By unearthing these narratives, CTH ensures that audiences experience the full spectrum of human stories and the complexities of the Black experience.

Traditional Western theater has historically prioritized white, European narratives, leaving little room for diverse perspectives. This exclusion has created cultural gaps, depriving Black audiences of seeing their stories reflected in classical works. The lack of representation also narrows the perspectives of other audiences, fostering a theater landscape that falls short of its potential to inspire empathy and understanding.

riching the classical canon with a fresh perspective.

Other Black characters already in the canon, such as Shakespeare’s Othello, bring nuance to exploring race, jealousy, and identity. Meanwhile, characters like Brutus Jones and Beneatha Younger delve into power dynamics, self-discovery, and the search for independence. Works like Joe Turner’s “Come and Gone” reflect the enduring struggles of identity and freedom post-slavery.

rethink ingrained biases and embrace a broader human experience.

the next generation sees their stories as vital, beautiful, and worthy of being told.

CTH is taking bold strides to address this imbalance by spotlighting Black characters who deserve a place on the classical stage. Take, for instance, Memnon, the Ethiopian king who fought at Troy. In July 2025, CTH will present the New York premiere of “Memnon,” a production written by Will Power and helmed by me. This narrative revival brings to life a story steeped in heroism and African history, en-

From Hester to Sethe to the African, these characters collectively dismantle stereotypes, showcasing Black individuals as complex and multidimensional — heroes, dreamers, leaders, and survivors. Bringing Black voices to the stage enriches the narrative landscape and builds bridges of understanding. Diverse stories allow audiences to engage with Black history and culture in ways that transcend textbooks and stereotypes. By seeing Black characters take center stage, audiences are challenged to

Today, the themes explored by these characters resonate powerfully with modern issues, from racial justice to identity and resilience. Their stories inspire future generations of Black artists, proving that their history and heritage deserve recognition on the world’s stage. Representation matters not only for Black audiences but for everyone — it validates that art thrives when it reflects the breadth of human experiences.

Theater companies have a responsibility to do more than diversify their casts; they must be intentional about the stories they choose to tell.

This includes revisiting the classical canon through an inclusive lens and commissioning works that elevate overlooked narratives.

CTH leads this charge through its innovative arts education initiative, Project Classics, which introduces Harlem youth to classical theater. Programs like this ensure

As CTH looks toward the future, its ambitions extend beyond the stage. The organization’s goal of establishing a permanent home in Harlem underscores its commitment to being a cultural pillar for the community. Black voices in the performing arts can flourish for generations in such a space.

Supporting CTH and other theaters celebrating diversity, audiences, artists, and institutions contributes to a richer, more inclusive cultural landscape. The stage is set. Now is the time to step into the spotlight and champion the stories that make us all more empathetic and connected.

Carl Cofield is associate artistic director of CTH and directed several plays for the organization before joining as a staff member in 2018. He holds an MFA from Columbia

ty. He is on faculty at

and Columbia University.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Carl Cofield

Trump’s Panama canal comments threaten Black labor’s legacy

By JANVIEVE WILLIAMS COMRIE and AMILCAR PRIESTLEY

Donald Trump’s recent remarks about reclaiming control of the Panama Canal disregard international law and undermine the legacy of the Black Caribbean workers who built it. His statements come at a critical moment as Panama is led by President José Raúl Mulino, whose right-wing administration has already displayed an alignment with neoliberal and foreign business interests, raising serious concerns about how the nation will respond to Trump’s threats.

The Panama Canal, constructed through the backbreaking and often deadly labor of mostly Black workers, primarily from the Caribbean — not the U.S., as Trump falsely stated, is a global symbol of resilience and sacrifice. For decades, their contributions were overlooked, even as the Torrijos-Carter Treaties of 1977 eventually secured Panama’s sovereignty over the canal in 1999. Trump’s comments not only challenge an internationally recognized and duly ratified treaty, but also reduce the canal to a commodity that supposedly can be claimed at will. This dismissive attitude, while unsurprising, erases the memory of those workers, especially the thousands of Black workers whose labor and lost lives underpin the canal’s very existence, further perpetuating their historical marginalization.

A legacy of violence against Black communities

This moment also coincides with the recent 35th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Panama, on December 20, 1989, where thousands of Panamanians, disproportionately Black, lost their lives in what was presented as a mission to oust General Manuel Antonio Noriega from power. The anniversary serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing legacy of violence and disregard for Black lives in Panama — a thread that runs from the canal’s construction through the invasion and into present-day struggles for sovereignty. Trump’s remarks are dismissive of Panama’s autonomy and echo the same imperialist mindset that has repeatedly subjected this small nation and its Black communities to exploitation and bloodshed. For many, this is not just a rhetorical threat but part of a continuum of attacks that Panama has had to resist for generations.

Land sovereignty and neoliberal contradictions

Mulino’s right-wing administration complicates this moment. His recent

assertion that “Panama’s border is in the Darién,” made in response to the immigration crisis, positions him as a nationalist defender of territorial sovereignty. However, his actions reveal a troubling contradiction. For instance, his administration has shown willingness to cater to foreign corporate interests, as seen in the push to reopen the Cobre Panamá mine despite a ruling by Panama’s Supreme Court declaring the mine’s underlying contract unconstitutional.This raises critical questions about how Mulino will respond to Trump’s imperialist overtures.

The intersection of canal and land sovereignty

Mulino’s nationalist posturing about the Darién Gap highlights additional potential for political inconsistencies to arise. While his administration espouses sovereignty in its immigration and border rhetoric, its current economic policies suggest a willingness to compromise Panama’s autonomy. Trump’s threats force Panama to confront a dual challenge: defending its land sovereignty in the Darién and its water sovereignty in the canal.

How will the Mulino administration balance its campaign rhetoric, which promised to stop the migrant flow from the South — a promise requiring U.S. financial support, with Trump’s newly imposed pressure campaign, which could sacrifice Panama’s long- sought autonomy?

Further complicating the calculus is the public appeal by the Canadian-/Chinese-controlled Cobre mine for Trump to intervene and force a reopening, particularly considering that the Mulino government also supports a reopening and most recently disparaged local activists and critics of the mine as narcoterrorists.

A call for a unified response

Trump’s comments demand a clear and united response from Panama to protect its sovereignty, the legacy of the Black laborers who built the canal, and the work completed by Panama in the last 20 years to expand the canal’s capacity. Although the Mulino administration has responded with technical explanations, saying the “(t)ariffs are not set on a whim,” he must also meet this moment when Trump is beating the drum of big stick diplomacy.

In responding to Trump, Mulino said that when it “comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.” It was a strong salvo to galvanize the country and a call for firm diplomacy. Nevertheless,

Mulino’s alignment with right-wing and corporate interests raise concerns about whether his conduct will meet his words and if he will rise to the occasion.

Critical socio-economic, political, and environmental improvements are yet to be accomplished in Panama, but the canal has always been a clarion call that unites. The fight to defend the canal is not just a geopolitical issue, but a fight for the dignity, memory, and sovereignty of all Panamanians, particularly the Black communities throughout the diaspora whose contributions made the canal possible.

As Trump prepares to take office, the Mulino administration’s response will determine whether Panama’s sovereignty is upheld, sold out to the highest bidder or stolen at the barrel of a gun.

Janvieve Williams Comrie is a human rights strategist, trainer, and organizer with a deep commitment to assist in building powerful social movements for racial justice and human rights. She is the founder of AfroResistance, an Americas-based organization that focuses on racial and gender justice.

Amilcar Maceo Priestley is an attorney, director of the AfroLatin@® Project (http://afrolatinoproject.org/), and co-director of the Afro-Latino Festival of New York and the Liberación Film Festival (www.afrolatinofestnyc). The project aims to facilitate the digital curation of Afrolatino experiences and histories, and to encourage the use of digital tools for the socioeconomic and political development of Afrolatino communities. It has curated the longest-running conference on Afrolatinos in the U.S.: the AfrolatinTalks.

Fighting Anticipatory Anxiety

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

I don’t know about you, but I am fighting some serious latent anxiety these days. I am not accustomed to this feeling and I am giving myself grace to process and move through these feelings. As January 20th looms in the distance, I am trying not to think too far ahead about the incompetence that will soon return to Washington. I am going to try not to get too far ahead of my skis with worry about the incoming president’s promises of brutality to so many communities across the nation.

When the 45th president campaigned last year, he made some outlandish campaign promises ranging from jailing and/or executing those who do or sell drugs, deporting families who have been in the country for years (and in some cases generations), ending trade agreements with our allies, ignoring decades-long environmental protections for protected (and in some cases sacred) land, defunding organizations that provide support for marginalized communities, and so many other Draconian policies that his loyal sycophants have been waiting to employ.

The former president laid out all of the ways he wished to roll back civil rights and civil liberties and Americans by and large said, “Sign me up!”

So here we are: the former president will be returning to the White House and will continue to enrich himself and his friends with lucrative contracts and the like. Many of his loyal followers seem to ignore the fact that although number 45 has evaded consequences and prosecution time and time again, those in his orbit

never seem to have the same stroke of luck.

A significant number of former administrators who worked with 45 during his first term explicitly talked about his inability to think critically, deeply, or compassionately while in office. And again, with that behavior on full display, Americans by and large said they would rather have a rambling hatefilled white man over a supremely qualified, intelligent, cogent, and thoughtful Black woman. America continues to show herself time and time again. As we know, history doesn’t always repeat itself but it surely rhymes. We are in for an intense four years, but as always, we must find our people. We must support the organizations doing the work to provide services. We must donate to candidates who care deeply about democracy. We must not allow ourselves to get consumed by the hate-filled rhetoric and the attempts at labelling our neighbors as competitors. We must not succumb to their narrative of scarce resources that must be hoarded from others. We must resist the temptation to tap into the worst aspects of ourselves.

And I must remember that all is in divine order and that we have overcome much worse as a people and a nation.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of book “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream” and is co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.

(Stan Shebs photo via Wikimedia)

Caribbean Update

Trinidad under state of emergency as violent crime spirals

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

It has bedeviled every administration in Trinidad for the past 30 years: violent crime. Rocked by Sunday night’s gangland slaying of five people in the capital, a frustrated cabinet decided to declare a state of emergency (SOE) to give police and the military additional powers to deal with the situation, with the 2024 murder rate is on course to set new records at 623 murders up to the start of the work week, with more than 60 murders in December alone.

Locals woke up on Monday to an announcement from ceremonial President Christine Kangaloo saying that a state of emergency had been declared in the federation of Trinidad and Tobago in the aftermath of the five slayings on Sunday night. Those murders took the total to 623 with two days left in the year. The 2024 figure easily surpassed the 577 people killed in the southernmost Caribbean island in 2023.

A frustrated administration said it was time to act. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley asked Kangaloo to do the honors and declare an emergency situation.

Kangalo noted that she declared a state of public emergency as president and commander

in chief, based on Rowley’s advice and being satisfied that the circumstances outlined in Section 8(2)(c) of the Constitution exist. “I am satisfied that a public emergency has risen as a result of the occurrence of action that has been taken, or is immediately threatened, by any person, of such a nature and on so extensive a scale, as to be likely to endanger the public safety; and a state of public emergency exists in TT,” she said in the proclamation.

Unlike in previous SOEs in 1990 after a bloody attempted coup and in 2011 as crime rates soared, there will be no curfew or restrictions on public meetings, marches, or gatherings this time around. Both acting Attorney General Stuart Young and Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds suggested that this SOE is specifically aimed at giving police and the military additional constitutional powers to deal with heavily armed criminals engaged in inter-gang warfare, extortion of businesses, arson attacks on properties, home invasions, kidnappings for ransoms, and other violent acts.

Young told reporters that the cabinet had taken a deliberate decision not to impose a curfew because “[we] do not want to limit economic activity. We have to trust those with responsibility for national se-

curity. It is giving additional powers where constitutional rights have been suspended for those of particular offenders. The initial period will last for three months with an option for three more with approval from Parliament.

“We’re going to have a 48-hour holding period where people can be held under these regulations. Thereafter, either a mag-

istrate or a senior police officer can make an order of detention for another seven days whilst evidence is being gathered with respect to people being held under the SOE regulations.” He noted that people in illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and explosives will be specifically targeted by police and soldiers.

“People who are found in the

company of anyone with these items will also be detained,” Young added. “Over the last month or so and, in fact, building up to this, the government has been concerned about the use of highpowered illegal firearms.”

Young said that intelligence fed to the security council has indicated that there could be a series of retaliatory events involving gangs and other criminal elements. “We are seeing brazen behavior by these criminal elements in the use of illegal firearms, which necessitated the calling of this public state of emergency, [and] very clearly a continued level of planning and execution by the criminal element utilizing these illegal firearms,” he said. “In a nutshell, what the country is facing is a decision based on information about criminal activity — specifically, the use of high-powered and high-caliber weapons.”

Hinds said the SEO is “for the greater public good,” while Young noted that bail applications for those arrested by police or soldiers will be denied and so will habeas corpus efforts.

The SOE comes as preparations for general elections are being stepped up and opposition parties badger the government about its alleged incompetent handling of the situation.

Trump’s flip-flop on H-1B Visas is stark contrast to his past

Donald Trumpeto’s evolving stance on immigration policy, particularly the highly debated H-1B visa program, showcases yet another puzzling pivot for the incoming former president. Once a staunch critic of the program, Trump now claims he has always supported attracting the “most competent people” to the U.S. — a position that sharply contrasts with his previous rhetoric.

The H-1B visa, established in 1990, is a sought-after pathway for U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign professionals with

specialized knowledge in fields such as technology, healthcare, and engineering. While the visa does not grant permanent residency, its benefits include bridging the gap in highly skilled labor, particularly in sectors where American workers may not fill the demand.

A starkly different tune

Trump’s recent remarks suggest an about-face about H-1B visas.

“We need competent people. We need smart people coming into our country,” he said in December, attempting to position himself as an advocate for skilled immigration. Back in 2016, however, Trump had labeled the program “very bad” and “unfair” to American workers, even admitting to using it for his own businesses while criti-

cizing its existence.

As president, Trump doubled down on restricting the program. His 2020 “Buy American and Hire American” executive order sought to prioritize highly skilled or highly paid applicants, ostensibly to protect U.S. workers. Yet his actions often betrayed these ideals. For example, his own Trump Media & Technology Group filed an H-1B application in 2022, exposing inconsistencies in his narrative.

Aligning with new allies

In the lead-up to 2024, Trump’s alignment with prominent figures like South African immigrant Elon Musk and Indian American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy seems to have softened his stance. Both

individuals have ties to immigrant success stories that benefited from programs like H-1B.

Musk himself entered the U.S. on an H-1B visa before rising to prominence, and Ramaswamy has often highlighted the importance of skilled immigration in America’s economic competitiveness.

This newfound alignment has sparked backlash, particularly from Trumpeto’s MAGA base, and conservative voices like Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), who recently lambasted the program for alleged abuses. Schmitt claimed that H-1B visas often result in U.S. workers training their lower-paid foreign replacements, reigniting long-standing concerns about the program’s impact on American jobs.

A political balancing act

Trump’s fluctuating position on H-1B visas raises questions about whether his latest pivot is driven by strategic alliances or a genuine shift in ideology. For now, his base may find it difficult to reconcile this pro-immigration rhetoric with his historically protectionist stance. As Trump courts influential allies in the tech and business sectors, his MAGA faithful might soon face a political paradox.

The former president’s narrative is evolving, but the question remains: for how long?

Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news about Black immigrant communities from the Caribbean and Latin America.

Her Excellency Christine Kangaloo ORTT, 7th president of Trinidad and Tobago. (Aleem Khan/commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hon_ Christine_Kangaloo.jpg)

By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA

Special to the AmNews

Translated by KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO

Amsterdam News Staff

The Caribbean, a.k.a the Antilles, has been colonized for centuries by old European powers. Despite their anti-colonial struggles, most Caribbean nations have remained colonized since the arrival of the conquistador Christopher Columbus in 1492. This is the case for the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, and Bonaire, which still suffer from the colonial presence of the Netherlands (Holland).

We spoke with Andrew Seraus, one of the leading anti-colonialist/Pan-Africanist active members of ARAAC (Articulacion Regional Afrodescendientes de America Latina y el Caribe/Regional Afrodescendant Coordination for Latin America and the Caribbean). The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

AmNews: Under Dutch colonialism, what were the Caribbean Antilles?

Andrew Seraus: In 2010, the five islands — I say five because Aruba now has a separate status — were Curaçao, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius. We conducted referendums and national

International News

Curaçao and the Dutch Antilles: The struggle for independence

Curaçao’s Andrew Seraus is an active member of ARAAC (Articulacion Regional Afrodescendientes de America Latina y el Caribe). (Courtesy photo)

elections, which resulted in Curaçao and St. Maarten maintaining their autonomy within the Kingdom of the Netherlands until independence. At the same time, the other three territories opted to become municipalities of the Netherlands.

AmNews: What are the historical origins of Curaçao’s population?

AS : The population of Curaçao is mostly descended from West Africa and, in some cases, from Congo and Angola. It is not possible to determine which countries due to the extent of the forced colonization process, but all self-identify as Curaçaoan. In 2018, 75.4% said they were of Afro-Curaçao/mixed descent; 9%

were of Afro-Curaçao descent.

In other words, 85% trace their origin and ancestral roots to Africa.

AmNews: How have you made people realize they need to stand up for their independence?

AS: The spirited anti-colonial struggle took on diverse forms fueled by its own consciousness, compelling even those integrated into the Dutch system to justify their participation. That is why these struggles first of all require a very strong will and an evaluative and self-critical consciousness, because despite appearances, the socio-economic processes that serve as a sustainable heritage are not naturalized, i.e. they cannot be passed on from one generation to another and they certainly still need to be improved.

The anti-colonial struggle has taken various forms based on its evolving consciousness, and even those assimilated into the Dutch system have had to fight to validate their position, underscoring the need for a strong will and critical self-reflection, as the socioeconomic processes that shape a lasting legacy are not inherently sustainable and require ongoing improvement.

AmNews: Have you presented your independence proposals to the United Nations Decolonization Committee?

AS: Yes, the proposals have been

sent to the decolonization committee, but what has limited us in the past is the overseas status, such as Martinique or Guadeloupe. As long as there are no structural changes within this agreement, the U.N. will do nothing. This year, Curaçao has signed with CARICOM to become an observer-member and has indeed held interesting meetings with social leaders to prepare a decolonization process to facilitate the processes of self-governance and independence.

AmNews: What is Curaçao’s anticolonialist agenda?

AS: At the governmental level, it is necessary to respect international law, and the Special Committee on Decolonization and the United Nations Charter oblige the administering powers to recognize that the interests of the inhabitants of the dependent territories are paramount, which will allow them to advance and promote social, economic, political and educational progress in the territories, helping to develop appropriate forms of self-government.

The alternative is to follow the example of other islands that achieved their independence, beginning with Haiti in the early 19th century, then the other Caribbean islands, at the cost of human lives, blockades, and other crimes.

France’s military is being ousted from more African countries. Here’s

By MONIKA PRONCZUK and SYLVIE CORBET

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — It’s been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa.: Its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades: As Paris was devising a new military strategy that would sharply reduce its permanent troop presence in Africa, two of its closest allies struck a double blow.

The government of Chad, considered France’s most stable and loyal partner in Africa, announced on its Independence Day that it was ending defense cooperation to redefine its sovereignty, and in an interview published hours later by

“Le Monde,” Senegal’s new president said it was “obvious” that French soldiers soon wouldn’t be on Senegalese soil.

“Just because the French have been here since the slavery period doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do otherwise,” said Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

The announcements came as France was making efforts to revive its waning influence on the continent. Foreign minister JeanNoël Barrot was completing a visit to Chad and Ethiopia, and for the first time, President Emmanuel Macron had recognized the killing of as many as 400 West African soldiers by the French Army in 1944.

French authorities stayed silent for almost 24 hours after Chad’s

See FRENCH MILITARY on page 25

why

Children gather around a French Sagay tank positioned overlooking the bridge crossing the river Niger at the entrance of Gao, Northern Mali. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Jan 15 @ 8PM

“End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “Motownphilly,” “On Bended Knee” … nobody does R&B like Boyz II Men boyz II men

Sat, Mar 1 @ 8PM

“Raucously funny” (Esquire) comedian Aida Rodriguez will have you “laughing, crying and begging for more” (Decider).

Fri, Feb 14 @ 8PM

Prudential Center | 25 Lafayette St., Newark

Mark your calendars for A Night of Love, the ultimate R&B experience featuring Fantasia, Trey Songz and Tamar Braxton a night of love

Funny as Bleep Tour

Fri, Mar 7 @ 8PM

Come meet the hilarious comedian and TikTok sensation who first made his mark as a finalist and fan favorite on America’s Got Talent. lawson

Fri, Feb 14 @ 8PM

Anything can happen when the iconic actor-comedian Chris Tucker (Rush Hour, Friday) unleashes his unstoppable energy.

Gone in a Phrase of Air Sat, Mar 8 @ 7:30PM

Jazz violinist Regina Carter’s Gone in a Phrase of Air is a journey through Black communities lost to urban renewal. carter

Arts & Entertainment

Dr. John Francis walks into history with Oscar-shortlisted doc ‘Planetwalker’

By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews

Before diving into this article about “Planetwalker” Dr. John Francis, it is worth noting that a link for watching this compelling documentary is below. Understanding the significance of Dr. John Francis’s life is essential to appreciating the magnitude of his contributions to every living being on Earth.

Francis’s life reads like an ode to resilience, kindness, and environmental stewardship. This is a man who truly walked the walk — embarking on a journey deemed “impossible” by many. His story is now celebrated in the Oscarshortlisted short documentary “Planetwalker,” with Academy Award nominations set to be an-

nounced on Jan. 17, 2025.

Co-directed by Dominic and Nadia Gill, the film chronicles the life of a man who abandoned motorized transport, walked across the United States, and lived in silence for 17 years — all to deepen his understanding of the environment and his role in it.

“Planetwalker,” co-released by Los Angeles Times Short Docs and Bloomberg Green Docs, traces Francis’s evolution from a young environmentalist into a global ambassador for change. The story begins in 1971, when a devastating oil tanker collision in San Francisco Bay deeply affected the young African American activist. Moved by the environmental and societal implications, Francis made two life-altering commitments: He gave up all motorized transporta-

tion and took a vow of silence that would last nearly two decades.

“The environmental crisis is not just about pollution and climate change; it’s a crisis of the mind and spirit,” Francis says in the film, reflecting on the personal philosophy that guided his journey.

For 17 years, Francis walked from coast to coast, his banjo often the only sound accompanying him. Along the way, he closely observed nature, studied the environment, and earned advanced degrees, including a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. By 1991, he reached the East Coast and began drafting oil pollution prevention regulations for the U.S. Coast Guard, a fitting culmination for a journey that began with witnessing an oil spill. Francis’s contributions did not

stop there; he was later named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, enhancing his ability to spread his message of unity and environmental justice worldwide.

“Planetwalker” brings Francis’s story to life with animation by Remy Ndow and an original score by Greg Johnson. The film has resonated deeply with audiences, earning accolades such as the Artistic Vision Award at the Big Sky Film Festival, Audience Choice Awards at the Mountainfilm and Blackstar Film Festival, and the Special Jury Award at Jackson Wild.

With its Oscar nomination prospects, “Planetwalker” has become a cornerstone of this year’s documentary short film lineup.

“We feel really fortunate to have found John’s story,” said the co-directors. “His message of kindness

and unity is needed now more than ever.”

The story of Francis feels particularly urgent in today’s world, where climate change, inequality, and political polarization are converging crises. His journey — one of silent reflection, action, and steadfast commitment — serves as a reminder that profound change often begins with individual acts of courage and kindness.

“Planetwalker” is available for streaming through Los Angeles Times Short Docs and Bloomberg Green Docs. As audiences worldwide tune in to witness the incredible journey of the “Planetwalker,” the film stands as both a tribute to Francis’s singular life and an urgent call to action for all of us. Watch “Planetwalker here: www. youtube.com.

“Planetwalker” brings Dr. Francis’s story to life with stunning animation by Remy Ndow. (Image courtesy of Planetwalker)

Dr. John Francis. (Image via www. planetwalkerfilm.com)

BIPOC triumphs, “Emilia Pérez” wins big, and Cynthia Erivo snub shocks at Golden Globes

By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews

The first major awards show of the season is over, and it was filled with surprises and historic wins, with BIPOC talent soaking up much of the limelight. Case in point: “Emilia Pérez,” a genredefying operetta, emerged as a standout, securing four Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Non-English Language Picture. The film, which follows the story of a Mexican cartel leader (played by Karla Sofía Gascón) who undergoes gender-affirming surgery, made history as the most-nominated musical in Golden Globes history.

Gascón’s powerful performance captivated audiences, while Zoe Saldaña’s supporting role earned her a well-deserved Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. The film’s poignant original song, “El Mal,” took home the award for Best Original Song, cementing “Emilia Pérez” as a cultural and critical milestone.

Fernanda Torres added to the night’s emotional highs with her win for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for the Brazilian political drama “I’m Still Here.” Her portrayal of a woman navigating loss and self-discovery struck a chord with voters and audiences alike, instantly propelling her into Oscar discussions.

In television, “Shogun,” the epic series steeped in Japanese history, swept all four categories in which it was nominated.

Tadanobu Asano’s riveting performance earned him Best Supporting Actor, underscoring the series’ impact.

The Golden Globes, often seen as a precursor to the Oscars, are not directly tied to the Academy’s voting body. With 334 international voters, the Globes have undergone significant changes since their reimagining two years ago after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s overhaul. Still, the awards are critical in building momentum for Oscar campaigns, where perception can make all the difference.

This year’s ceremony was not without controversy. Demi Moore’s unexpected win for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for “The Sub-

stance” overshadowed Cynthia Erivo’s heavily favored performance in “Wicked.” Similarly, the indie film “Anora,” which had garnered significant critical acclaim, left empty-handed despite winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes. However, it remains a potential contender for Oscar nominations.

The road to the Oscars is being paved by the strong buzz surrounding “Emilia Pérez,” which was a front-runner even before its debut on Netflix, where it is now streaming. With its groundbreaking narrative celebrating themes of transformation and identity, the film has resonated deeply with audiences and voters, solidifying its status as a landmark achievement in representation and a serious Oscar contender.

With the 97th Academy Awards fast approaching on Mar. 2, 2025, the Golden Globes have set the stage for the final stretch of awards season. The Oscar shortlists were announced on Dec. 17, 2024, and the full nominations are set to be revealed on Jan. 17, 2025.

The Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood will once again host the event, airing live on Mar. 2 at 7 p.m. EST on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. For the full list of winners, visit goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees. Winners and nominees included the following.

Best Motion Picture, Drama

“The Brutalist” Nominees: “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Nickel Boys,” “September 5”

Best Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy

“Emilia Pérez”

Nominees: “Anora,” “Challengers,” “Emilia Pérez,” “A Real Pain,” “The Substance,” “Wicked”

Best Motion Picture, Animated

“Flow”

Nominees: “Flow,” “Inside Out 2,” “Memoir of a Snail,” ”Moana 2,” “The Wild Robot,” “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement

“Wicked”

Nominees: “Alien: Romulus,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Gladiator II,” “Inside Out 2,” “Twisters,” “Wicked,” “The Wild Robot”

Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language

“Emilia Pérez”

Nominees: “All We Imagine as Light,” “Emilia Pérez,” “The Girl with the Needle,” “I’m Still Here,” “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” “Vermiglio”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”

Nominees: Pamela Anderson, “The Last Showgirl”; Angelina Jolie, “Maria”; Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”; Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door”; Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”; Kate Winslet, “Lee”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” Nominees: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”; Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”; Daniel Craig, “Queer”; Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”; Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”; Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy

Demi Moore, “The Substance”

Nominees: Amy Adams, “Nightbitch”; Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”; Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”; Mikey Madison, “Anora”; Demi Moore, “The Substance”; Zendaya — “Challengers”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy

Sebastian Stan, “A Different Man”

Nominees: Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”; Hugh Grant, “Heretic”; Gabriel LaBelle, “Saturday Night”; Jesse Plemons, “Kinds of Kindness”; Glen Powell, “Hit Man”; Sebastian Stan, “A Different Man”

Cynthia Erivo snub shocked at Golden Globes. (Photos courtesy of Golden Globes)

Zoe Saldaña’s supporting role earned her a well-deserved Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

January 2025 Dance Calendar

By CHARMAINE PATRICIA WARREN Special to the AmNews

January is filled with showcases of dance all over New York. Topping the list are two works by 7NMS and Marjani Forté-Saunders: “Prophet: The Order of the Lyricist,” “an archival, research, & multi-genre story-

telling project on the life-journey of a Lyricist” and “float” a work in progress where “the research — creative, scientific, and technological — for this new work is ongo ing,” according to the release. The singular showing will happen at noon at Danspace Project on January 10. To RSVP for one or two tickets, visit danspaceproject.org.

Jan. 7-13: For Pioneers Go East Collective’s third edition of the OutFRONT! Festival, Centering LGBTQ+ and feminist voices, featured will be performances by Miranda Brown + Noa Rui-Piin Weiss, Blaze Ferrer, Kyle Marshall Choreography, Stuart B Meyers, Angie Pittman, jill sigman/think dance, and Nattie Trogdon + Hollis Bartlett. The festival will also include six dance and experimental short films as part of the Out FRONT! Film Series on January 11. The 2025 festival is presented by Pioneers Go East Collec tive in partnership with BAM and Judson Church. For more information visit https://pioneersgoeast.org/upcoming.

Jan. 8-12: At The Joyce, Ragamala Dance Company will present “Children of Dharma,” which takes inspiration from Keerthik Sasidharan’s “The Dharma Forest,” a re-envisioning of “The Mahabharata,” and is the latest work by Bharatanatyam choreographers Aparna, Ranee, and Ashwini Ramaswamy. For more information visit https://www.joyce.org.

Jan. 9-13: The fortieth season of Works & Process at the Guggenheim opens with the “Underground Uptown Dance Festival,” a series of one-night-only events offering an experience of New York City’s club, street, and social dance traditions, all rooted in the circle and the cipher and blended with concert dance. For more in formation visit https://www.worksandprocess.org/

Jan. 10-11: At Danspace Project, Stacy Matthew Spence’s new work “I am, here; Here with us; Where we find ourselves,” created in collaboration with dance artists Tim Bendernagel, Joanna Kotze, Hsiao-jou Tang, singer/musician Charlotte Jacobs, percussionist Raf Vertessen, and costumer Athena Kokoronis. For more in formation visit danspaceproject.org.

Jan. 10-11: At Japan Society, as part of the “Contemporary Dance Festival: Japan + East Asia” / North American Premiere / Featuring Co. Ruri Mito (Japan), I-Ling Liu (Taiwan), and C.Sense (South Korea). For more information visit japansociety.org

Jan. 11-13: Malcolm-x Betts + Nile Harris in “Temporary Boyfriend” which draws from past performances in each other’s works at The Chocolate Factory Copresented with Ping Chong and Company and Under The Radar. For more information visit chocolatefactorytheater.org

Jan. 13 – Mar. 12: The Apollo will present” Lineage Legacy and Liberation: An Examination of Urban Bush Women’s Art-Making and Community Organizing Praxis,” a visual exhibition in the Laura and Frank Baker Gallery with pop-up performances on select dates. For more information visit apollotheater.org.

Jan. 14-19: Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE returns to The Joyce with a restaging of “Serving Nia” (2001) and the 25th anniversary performance of “Grace” (1999). For more information visit joyce.org.

Jan. 21-26: At The Joyce, the Havana-based Malpaso Dance Company returns for its home season. The company remains committed to nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography and for its Joyce program they will offer premieres by local artists. For more information visit joyce.org.

Jan. 24-26: H.T. Chen & Dancers will present a program entitled “Rise of the Phoenix,” with works by founder/choreographer H.T. Chen that celebrates the storied history of Chinatown. They will also celebrate the 2025 Lunar New Year and ring in the Year of the Snake at LaMaMa’s Ellen Stewart at LaMama. For more information visit lamama.org.

Jan. 25-26: Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College will celebrate The 2025 Lunar New Year of the Snake with Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. For more information visit kupferbergcenter.org.

Jan. 28-Feb. 2: Compagnie Hervé KOUBI returns to The Joyce with “What The Day Owes To The Night,” a work blending capoeira, martial arts, and contemporary dance. For more information visit joyce.org.

Scene from “Prophet: The Order of the Lyricist” (Contributed photo)

Zendaya and Tom Holland are engaged; Floyd Mayweather rents a $100K per month

Manhattan pad; Simone Biles is SI’s Sportsperson of the Year

FLO

ANTHONY

GO WITH THE FLO

His nickname is “Money” and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has no problem spending it. The former world boxing champion has rented an apartment in New York City for $100,000 per month. The abode reportedly boasts a rooftop swimming pool in a 30-story building that was built in 2016 by Renzo Piano, an Italian architect. Meanwhile, MichaelBensonn (@bestboxingnews) posted on X, “Floyd Mayweather has met with Riyadh Season and is planning a return to professional boxing in 2025. Floyd Mayweather will likely fight for a Welterweight world title on his return, sharing the card with Wladimir Klitschko who will fight against Lawrence Okolie. The event is being targeted for March 2025.” Paying $100,000 a month for rent will make anyone return to work!

Tongues are wagging that Simone Biles has been named Sports Illustrated’s 2024 Sportsperson of the year and hinted at why the most decorated gymnast in history might skip the 2028 Olympics. At 27, Biles continues to reign as a legend in gymnastics and beyond, recently becoming the first Olympian to win this title in over a decade. The last Olympian was LeBron James in 2012.....

Former Miss America Vanessa Williams will miss a few performances in the London stage production of “The Devil Wears Prada,” following the death of her beloved mother, Helen Louise Williams. The actress is currently portraying Miranda Priestly in the West End musical adaptation of the movie. The play made an announcement on Jan. 2, saying that Vanessa would be absent until Jan. 16. Mrs. Williams, who was a wonderful woman who taught

Free, online documentary film screening of ‘The Palestine Exception’

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

This Saturday, January 11, from noon to 2:30 p.m. the Connecticut-based Palestine Museum US will sponsor a free virtual screening of the documentary film “The Palestine Exception.”

Simone Biles at the 2024 U.S. Championships (Ocoudis photo / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Simone_Biles_National_ Team_2024.jpg)

music on the college level, died Dec. 28 at the London Clinic due to complications from “acute liver failure.” She had flown to London to see Vanessa in the play and celebrate her 85th birthday. I crossed paths with the lovely Mrs. Williams several times, including doing the electric slide with her last spring at a luncheon in Queens. Our condolences go out to Vanessa, her brother Chris Williams, and her children on the death of their mother and grandmother..... Zendaya and actor Tom Holland got engaged over the holidays, according to multiple reports. The “Euphoria” star walked the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 5 wearing a 5.02 carat diamond ring. According to TMZ, the “Spiderman” costars got engaged sometime between Christmas and New Year’s. Holland reportedly popped the question when the coosome twosome were at one of Zendaya’s family homes in the United States. A family member told People that “everyone close to them knew an engagement was happening” and Tom had been planning to propose for “a while.” ......

The film explores last year’s college protests against Israel’s war on Gaza, with academics asserting that political and major media attempts to label these protests as antisemitic reflect a modern form of McCarthyism. On its website, creators of “The Palestine Exception” argue that “As students across the country organize protests against Israel’s war on Gaza, decades-long taboos in academia around criticism of Israel –– the ‘Palestine exception’ –– are shattered. This film features professors and students as they join calls for a ceasefire and divestment from companies that do business with Israel and face waves of crackdown from administrators, the media, the police, and politicians.”

This screening is part of the museum’s regular Saturday programming of films and discussions, Palestine Museum US’s founder Faisal Saleh told the Amsterdam News. “Our mission is to tell the Palestinian story to a global audience through the art[s]. We see film as a form of art. And we obviously want to make sure people understand the Palestinian narrative at a time when a lot of other forces would try to shut down the Palestinian narrative.”

Those who register for the screening can view the film from anywhere in the world. It’s part of the Palestine Museum US’s effort to feature art that tells the story of the Palestinian people –– a story that has not changed for 75 years, Saleh points out. The museum often shows Palestinian films that are 30 or 40 years old, yet they feature protagonists dealing with the same issues Palestinians deal with today.

Saleh says “The Palestine Exception” is important because it looks at the current political atmosphere on college campuses and in the major media. “If another country was doing this –– like in the Ukraine, for instance –– everyone would be against it. But there is an exception here where anytime anybody tries to support the Palestinian cause, regardless of how truthful and just it is, they get dumped on and they get

attacked viciously.”

Those who want to watch the film will need to register so that there is a record of who is attending because, Saleh explained, there have been times when people have signed up for the museum’s film showings and acted inappropri-

ately during the online discussion period, often becoming offensive to others in attendance. Registering for the event, “Allows us to know who’s watching our films,” Saleh said. “And this way, we can also invite them to watch other films in the future.”

Interior of Palestine Museum US (Images courtesy of Palestine Museum US)

Poster for virtual screening of “The Palestine Exception”

‘Scrawlspace’

visually reimagines texts from artists via the Black experience

By BRENIKA BANKS

Special to the AmNews

Exhibitions are boldly educating the public on important writings and the transfer of knowledge.

“Scrawlspace,” a recent exhibition curated by Lucia Olubunmi Momoh and Emily Alesandrini, was formerly on view at The 8th Floor, an independent exhibition and event space. The exhibit spotlighted a group of artists visually reimagining and exploring language, texts and writings epitomizing the Black experience. Pieces in the show displayed obscured texts and images created from alphabets, as well as graphics and other writing visuals, contributing to the concept of the evolution of words beyond their present meaning.

The exhibit’s title originated from the phrase “crawl space,” inspired by the life of Harriet Jacobs, the African-American abolitionist and writer who hid in a crawl space in her grandmother’s attic for seven years to escape enslavement. Jacobs spent her time writing, reading, sewing and protecting her children from a distance in that space before strategically escaping in 1842. Momoh said Fred Moten, a Black poet and theorist, described that the scene of writing for Black people is “cramped yet capacious.”

“And that’s the curatorial theme in many ways of the show – it’s

‘cramped’ for a contemporary art exhibition, yet capacious,” Momoh said.

“Scrawlspace” featured Black artists who delved into the historically charged relationship with illiteracy; this has been an issue for African Americans since the United States government prohibited Black people from reading and writing centuries prior. Momoh, a Black Ph.D Yale graduate who studied African American studies and the history of art, explained the creativity of words beyond words as well as censorship. “Thinking through the burning of books, the destruction of texts – the different ways that Black people have used words and have used either writing or oral traditions.” Momoh vocalized this African protection to neutralize oppressors attempts to suppress our education.

The show’s attendees witnessed drawings interlaced with words and coded graffiti. Sonya Clark and Shinique Smith’s artwork reflected Momoh’s perspective as well as the two artists transforming words beyond writing. Clark and Smith’s works related well to each other and were smartly placed on the same wall. “They speak so well to this wall because music and writing and alternate forms of creation are really essential to both Shinique Smith and Sonya Clark’s work,” said Momoh. “Shinique Smith is speaking

through graffiti and calligraphy, alternate forms of art and communication in writing.” According to Momoh, Smith shared her ability to identify one of her older graffiti tags which is very coded at an art talk for the exhibition. Smith purposely created graffiti for only those in her community to understand. Momoh and Alesandrini, both scholarly in tune with lesserknown conceptual artists, are an effective duo. They purposefully chose artists who perfectly matched their vision for the show. “I think it’s really important for Lucia and I to spotlight these artists who are oftentimes evoking the body without necessarily directly representing them,” said Alesandrini. The art historian spoke about Shinique Smith’s

“Firedog” piece which depicts book censorship. “We see it as a reference to a long history of book burning – a means of censorship, of silencing authors and writers with valuable information,” said Alesandrini. “Also, thinking about fire as a potential source for regeneration and growth.”

The usage of Black hair textures as art certainly showcases growth in a society that inflicted pressures of only accepting hair mirroring European standards. Shinique Smith created her own alphabet using letters inspired by the natural coils from Black hair. Alesandrini interpreted Smith’s work as a way which exposes, “colonizing and overly ambiguous nature of the Roman alphabet.”

Sonya Clark’s “SCHIAVO hair drawing” featured the Italian word

“ciao” spelled with Black hair. “Ciao” refers to the word “schiavo” which means “slave” in Italian. Alesandrini vocalized Clark challenging viewers to be aware of language and to “think about the consequences of this unseen, often unknown, lingual inheritance and question what are the consequences for this inheritance.”

Momoh vocalized how essential it is to be a Black curator. “It’s important centering Black voices right now and to be centering them in a way that doesn’t foreground the body,” said Momoh. She believes Black people’s bodies are often used as art by Europeans, historically only valued in museums as an exhibit. Now, Black curators have opportunities to intentionally create exhibitions highlighting and properly crediting Black artists. “Black art is so much more than figurative work and Black experiences are so much more than our bodies,” said Momoh.

Momoh anticipates “Scrawlspace” continuing, expanding and relaunching using the same or similar artists. “This is not a final version – and our word is not the last word on this,” said Momoh. She hopes more artists will pay attention to language, texts and images. She advises people not to be intimidated by Black conceptual artists because of truths and hidden information embedded in their works.

“Scrawlspace” exhibition in Manhattan. (Brenika Banks photos)

Curator Lucia Olubunmi Momoh speaking about a piece in “Scrawlspace.”

Sonya Clark’s “SCHIAVO hair drawing” featured the Italian word “ciao” spelt with Black hair.

‘Cult Of Love’ serves up family dysfunction on a silver platter

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“Cult of Love,” playing at the Second Stage/ Hayes Theater (W. 44th Street), is serving up family dysfunction on a silver platter.

As the Dahl family gathers for the Christmas holiday at a Connecticut farmhouse, this inventive play by Leslye Headland tells the story of a white family that sings together, plays instruments together, but also is in denial together: denial over the patriarch’s dementia, the daughter Diana’s mental illness, and the family’s homophobia, when the elder daughter comes home for the holidays with her wife.

This play will have you laughing, shocked, and at times bewildered. Other times, you will feel the indignity of the homophobia that is so blatantly shown by the matriarch and siblings in this household. This family is full of judgment and its members viciously voice their disapproval of certain lifestyle choices. The hypocrisy is thick in the air. Denial is thick in the air.

This is a play that is humorous, wild, and shocking until it is no longer funny, but turns desperate and sad. How far will a family go to deny that drug addiction, mental illness, and dementia are happening among its members? How long can you act like everything is okay, when you know

that everything is not okay and, in fact, that things are so bad that couples are facing breaking up?

There are so many complicated family relationships on stage that you find yourself keeping score, but you also see that this family that tries to present a façade of perfection is anything but. The patriarch Bill has dementia. His wife Ginny looks at his condition in a very matter-of-fact sort of way. Ginny is a homophobe and disrespects her daughter Evie’s wife Pippa.

Ginny and Bill’s son Mark and his wife Rachel are there for the Christmas holiday, but are struggling with their relationship. Their youngest son Johnny is a recovering addict who has come for the holiday with Loren, a fellow addict he is sponsoring. Their fourth child, Diana, is there with her husband James and they are full of judgment about everyone in the house, but especially Evie as a lesbian and Johnny as a former addict. Diana is constantly passing judgment on her siblings and tries to come off as holier-than-thou, but she is the most disturbed of all the children. Her affliction has been happening since her teen years and it is something that the entire family is aware of and tries to control.

You will never see a show on Broadway that features a dysfunctional family at this level of dysfunction. Watching this play

may remind you of some of your relatives, but ideally it doesn’t. Or it may make you grateful for the family you have, if they are open minded and accepting of who you are. This play demonstrates that mental illness, unchecked, will not only affect the person with the condition, but all the family members that they come in contact with.

The cast of this production is riveting to watch. David Rasche is quite memorable and sympathetic as Bill. Mare Winningham delivers a powerful performance as Ginny, a mother who is oblivious to the serious issues happening in her family. She is in denial to the point of being pathological.

Rebecca Henderson is poignant as Evie, the successful, lesbian daughter who is made to feel like a sinner and outcast by her family. She delivers the character with strong conviction despite her mother and sister’s obvious disapproval and disrespect of her lifestyle.

Roberta Colindrez is marvelous as Evie’s wife Pippa. She holds her own with the family and supports her wife against the cruel words they spew. She delivers the role with a quiet but intense passion.

Christopher Sears is funny, direct, and truthful as Johnny, the addict in the family, who was driven to addiction by his family.

Barbie Ferreira is amusing as Loren, a former addict who came with Johnny to have a sense

of “normalcy” for the holiday. Her outspoken character fits right in with the “crazy” environment that she has walked into.

Zachary Quinto is touching and sympathetic as Mark, as his character struggles to figure out why he is a failure in life. Molly Bernard delivers a sublime performance as Rachel, Mark’s wife who deeply loves him but realizes that he can’t succeed in life until he gets away from his family. Shailene Woodley delivers a powerhouse and disturbing performance as Diana, the youngest adult daughter — a woman who judges and verbally assaults everyone she feels is not living life the way God wants them to.

Christopher Lowell is dynamic in the role of James, Diana’s loyal, supportive husband, supporting any and everything she says and does, no matter what.

The playwright handles very serious issues with a load of humor. Trip Cullman provides spot-on direction. Presented by Second Stage Theater, the production features a detailed set by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Sophia Choi, lighting design by Heather Gilbert, sound design by Darron L. West, and music supervision by Jacinth Greywoode.

By the end of this play, you will be emotionally drained, marvelously entertained, and maybe a bit enlightened.

For ticket information, visit 2st.com.

Scene from “Cult Of Love” playing at Hayes Theater with (l–r) Christopher Sears, Barbie Ferreira, Roberta Colindrez, Mare Winningham, Zachary Quinto, David Rasche, Shailene Woodley, and Rebecca Henderson. (Joan Marcus photo)

Ayana Jackson’s star shines in B’way’s ‘MJ: The Musical’

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“MJ: The Musical” is tearing the house down at the Neil Simon Theatre at 250 W. 52nd Street. The amazing musical gives audiences a look into the life of Michael Jackson, his music, and the demons — both outer and inner ones — that he faced growing up. It tells the story of the pop icon with humanity, humor, and compassion. Ayana George Jackson is one actor that has been with the show since it opened and continues to shine on the stage. Making an incredible Broadway debut, she plays the character of Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s mother. Watching this musical your heart goes out to her character and it is beautiful to see the tender, close relationship that Katherine had with her very talented son.

This musical has had many cast changes over the years, but Jackson has always maintained her role as Katherine along with other scenes in the musical. Wanting to place a well-deserved spotlight on this talented lady who plays this role with such compassion, empathy, care and kindness, the AmNews recently had the opportunity to speak with her. A Q&A follows, please enjoy.

AmNews: How would you define the character of Katherine?

AJ: The character of Katherine is a woman of tremendous strength, yet she’s soft. She is a beautiful mix of resilience and tenderness. A woman of faith who has a deep love for God, her husband and her children. Katherine’s heart is pure and I think she always wants to believe the best about a person. However, she is tough when she needs to be.

AmNews: What was her special way of looking at Joseph and her boys, especially Michael?

AJ: She respected Joseph as a father and although she didn’t always agree with his parenting methods, she believed it came from a place of love. Katherine showed Joseph grace, continuously forgiving him for his indiscretions. Her primary focus was taking care of her family and keeping them together. Katherine was the one who discovered and nurtured her boys’ talent early on. Her relationship with Michael was special because she saw that he was extraordinarily gifted. She wanted to protect him.

AmNews: You’ve been with the show from the beginning, what has the journey been like?

AJ: Whew! The journey has been just that … a JOURNEY. I’m blessed to say that this was my first Broadway show, so I walked into it very “green,” not knowing what to expect. The workshop/rehearsal process was hard work but beautiful! Being surrounded by so much greatness was almost overwhelming.

I literally had a meltdown in one of the rehearsals when I let impostor syndrome get the best of me and make me believe I didn’t belong in the room. But I realized that was a lie I told myself due to the magnitude of the opportunity. It was just so BIG to me. I’m proud to say that negative voice became more and more faint as I understood the impact my performance in the show had on our audience. Honestly, it had an impact on ME. I am a huge Michael Jackson fan, so being a part of his legacy in this way is nothing short of amazing. I’m honored to have been a part of telling his story.

AmNews: The role of Michael as a boy is consistently being recast as they age out. How do you approach working with each Little Michael?

AJ: I’m just myself. I love to laugh and have fun and that is how I’ve bonded with each of them. With every Little Michael & Little Marlon, we have a ritual before we go on stage — either a special handshake or a song we sing together that more than likely ends with us all screaming at the top of our lungs lol. They have each become my babies. I feel responsible for them and I take pride in seeing their amazing talent on stage.

AmNews: How moving is it to you to do the “I’ll Be There” number with Little and then Big Michael?

AJ: There have been times when it’s brought me to tears. I try not to let that happen too often, because ya girl cannot sing and cry. I allow myself to go “there” during this number … “there” can be thoughts of Michael as a young boy and as a young man, dealing with internal struggles as well as public scrutiny; “there” can be thoughts

of my husband or my daughter, or even my relationship with God. “Just call my name … and I’ll be there.” Yeah. It gets me sometimes.

AmNews: How is it being on stage, singing and dancing in so many scenes?

AJ: Let’s just say at the end of a show, I am always amazed at what my 50+ year old body just did! I don’t dance as much as our incredible ensemble, but I do wear kneepads and throw a leg or two. As far as singing, this show has caused me to take my vocal health more seriously. Some of those notes are big and high. Singing them repeatedly night after night can take a toll if I’m not on top of my vocal care. I’ve incorporated a regimen that helps me with my breathing and vocal placement, which is so necessary for this type of singing.

the awards, the glitz & glamor, Michael Jackson was a human being. I think somewhere along the way, his humanity was no longer considered. This show gives you a little more insight into Michael, the person.

AmNews: Where are you from?/What is your professional educational background?

AJ: I am a native New Yorker, born and raised in the Boogie Down Bronx! I went to LaGuardia HS of Music & Art and Performing Arts, but believe it or not, when I graduated singing was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to be a broadcast journalist! I spent many years as an administrative assistant at various companies and did background singing as a side hustle. That led me to eventually touring with various world-renowned gospel and R&B artists all over the world. After being laid off from my last corporate job in 2011, I decided to pursue my dreams more intentionally. Broadway was definitely one of them, so the fact that I’m here still leaves me in awe.

AmNews: How do you make your performances fresh each time, especially since you’ve been with the musical the entire time?

AJ: I keep the audience in mind. They deserve a fresh experience. I literally pray that they leave with something they didn’t know they needed. While performing, I might do something a little different from the night before — that keeps it fresh. Sharing the stage with my amazing cast mates who I adore. We’re all on stage after experiencing a new day, with different events and circumstances and we come together, our talents intertwined, to use our God-given gifts and tell the story of this extraordinary man named Michael. I don’t take that lightly.

AmNews: Why should people come to see this musical?

AmNews: You have so many emotional songs. Where does that glorious voice come from?

AJ: The Lord! This is a gift I didn’t ask for, nor did I earn. God gets all the glory! I can be very honest to say pain cultivated my voice as well — things I’ve been through . … I sing from my heart and at times I did so while it was breaking. I’m happy to say I’m in a very different place now and it feels wonderful.

AmNews: What is the message the audience should come away with about Michael Jackson?

AJ: The audience should come away knowing that beyond the music, the fame, the money,

AJ: People should come to see this musical to “disappear” — to get so lost in the music and the movement that they forget all about their personal struggles or the times we are living in. They should also come to remember … We all know where we were when certain MJ songs came on the radio, or when the “Thriller” video premiered. People should come to remember the tremendous gift Michael Jackson was not only to music, but to the world. Michael was the equalizer. You can see it in the audience every night. Men, women and children, dancing, clapping and singing his lyrics. Forgetting and remembering. For more info and for tickets, visit mjthemusical.com.

Ayana Jackson plays Katherine Jackson in “MJ: The Musical” at the Neil Simon Theatre. (Photos courtesy of O&M)

Jazz Boxx, Jazz Congress, Unity Jazz, Winter Jazzfest

The Jazz Congress will be an all-day affair on Jan. 8–9 (9:30 a.m.–7 p.m.), giving all those in the jazz community and newcomers an opportunity to network in a warm, friendly environment with artists, journalists, managers, and other jazz professionals while attending a series of informative workshops and panels. All events at Jazz at Lincoln Center (60th Street and Broadway).

The prison industrial complex doesn’t seem like an appropriate discussion for a jazz panel, but it’s apropos under the title “Jazz and Criminal Justice: The Transformative Power of Music for Justice-Impacted Lives.” The conversation focuses on programs across the country that are using music as a tool for hope and engagement in incarcerated communities. This panel is curated by Alina Bloomgarden, Music on the Inside, Inc.; moderator, Kenyatta Emmanuel; panelists Leland Baker, Newport Festivals Foundation; Barbara Bethea, Creative Arts Therapy Program at Rikers Island; Mikell Green Grand, MOTI; and Alfred Roberts, Musical Connections, Carnegie Hall.

The first day concluded with a musical tribute celebrating Russell Malone, the guitarist who died at 60 on Aug. 23, 2024. Performers will include many of the musicians he worked with during his career, such as Ron Carter, Christian McBride, Diana Krall, Kenny Barron, the Monty Alexander Trio, Donald Vega, Rick Germanson, Ekep Nkwelle, and T.K. Blue.

Two of the many events on Jan. 9 will include morning panels like “Navigating Male-Dominated Spaces” (the Appel Room). It is no secret that men have dominated the jazz space since its inception. The obstacles of moving through these spaces both on the bandstand and behind the scenes will be discussed by musicians Akua Dixon, Terri Lyne Carrington, Endea Owens, and Helen Sung; moderated by Karen Kennedy.

Later in the afternoon, a panel of colleagues and family members will discuss the unheralded career of Roy Haynes with “Life of a Legend.” The NEA Jazz Master died on Nov. 12, 2024, just months before his 100th birthday. Panelists will include Graham Haynes, Marcus Gilmore, Craig Holiday Haynes, Dave Holland, and John Patitucci; moderated by Terri Lyne Carrington.

Haynes had received an abundance of awards, including two from the French government — the first in 1996, acknowledging him as a knight with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2009 as Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts

et des Lettres. These honors gave him the title of Sir Roy Haynes. It seems that Lester Young was aware of Haynes’s royalty in the 1940s when he nicknamed him “the royal of Haynes.” It was a recent conversation with the drummer’s daughter Leslie K. Haynes who made me aware of her father’s title of “Sir.”

For a complete two-day Jazz Congress schedule, visit Jazzcongress.org.

After its successful debut in 2024, the Unity Jazz Festival returns to Jazz at Lincoln Center Jan. 10–11, bringing together artists and enthusiastic music lovers.

A roster of diverse, intergenerational acts will convene in the Ertegun Atrium to swing in a new year of hipness: Agnes Varis and the Karl Leichtman Studio, Dizzy’s Club, and the Appel Room. The music jumps off at 6 p.m. each evening and swings into the midnight hour.

Highlights of the festival include Tatiana Eva-Marie, playing music derived from the Django Reinhardt tradition, with

French jazz and Gypsy influences; Pedrito Martinez and Alfredo Rodriguez; the Sun Ra Celebration with Sullivan Fortner & His Galactic Friends; an All-Star Tribute to Sir Roy Haynes with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dave Holland, Graham Haynes, Marcus Gilmore, Terri Lyne Carrington, John Patitucci, Dave Kikoski, Jaleel Shaw, and Kenny Barron, and more.

For tickets and a complete schedule, visit jazz.org/unity. For livestreaming information ,visit jazzlive.com.

Music that ignites shiny, glittering stars into fiery comets that defy the jazz police will orbit on Jan. 9–15 at the 21st annual Winter Jazzfest at multiple venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn, from Performance Space, City Winery, and LPR to Roulette, Public Records, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Brooklyn Bowl. The fest will feature more than 600 artists. The jazz festival that started out as a one-day New York event is now global.

This year, the mission is as vital as ever:

“focusing on artists with meaningful messages regarding racial and gender justice, climate action, migration, incarceration, and other pressing issues that affect so many of us,” noted founder and producer Brice Rosenbloom in a press release.

Jan. 9 is the kick-off with surrealist blues poet Aja Monet, Fay Victor’s Herbie Nicols Sung jazz quintet, and singer and harpist Sophye Soliveau at Le Poisson Rouge. There is also a 60th-anniversary celebration of John Coltrane’s earth-moving “A Love Supreme” on Jan. 12 at Roulette (409 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn), presenting Impressions: Improvisatory interpretations featuring Ravi Coltrane and his quartet with David Virelles, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and Dezron Douglas, followed by a round-robin set of guest improvisers, including Angelica Sanchez, James Brandon Lewis, Joel Ross, Melissa Aldana, and Nasheet Waits.

On Jan. 13 at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street; two shows — 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.), there will be a salute to Strata-East Records, one of the most influential jazz labels in the world, co-founded by trumpeter Charles Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell. Known for producing albums by Max Roach, Gil Scott-Heron, and Pharoah Sanders, among others. Featured will be original Strata-East artists Tolliver, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart, and Billy Harper, alongside Christian McBride, Endea Owens, Keyon Harrold, and Camille Thurman.

On Jan. 10, two creative forces come together: trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith and pianist and composer Vjay Iyer, for an evening of improvised genius, subtle emotion, spiritual intensity, and mystery: a duo of individuality with combined ides that — as Smith says — “merge as a single wave, or a single voice.”

Among its many events, the festival favorites are the Two-Day Marathons, Jan. 10-11 in the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Some of those performances will include pianist/organist Matthew Whitaker, the Baylor Project, Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca & Joe Claussell, pianist Orrin Evans’s Big Band with Lisa Fischer (Luther Vandross, Rolling Stones), and Trio Imagination with Reggie Workman, drummer Andrew Cyrille, and pianist Virelles. Virelles had the pleasure of playing with the two legends when they were Trio 3 with saxophonist Oliver Lake. “Playing with Reggie and Andrew is a big challenge, but I try to connect with them as a piano, being mindful that my piano occupies a lot of space, so I have to balance my sound design,” said the pianist.

The Winter Jazzfest celebrates good music despite its so-called genres of avantgarde, post-bop, jazz-funk, fusion, composed music, global beats, and beyond. For complete listing and tickets, visit winterjazzfest.com.

Graham Haynes (Ron Scott Associates photo)

French military

announcement, finally saying they were in “close dialogue” on the future of the partnership.

“Chad’s decision marks the final nail in the coffin of France’s post-colonial military dominance in the entire Sahel region,” said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, referring to the arid region south of the Sahara.

The decisions by Senegal and Chad “are part of the wider structural transformation in the region’s engagement with France, in which Paris political and military influence continues to diminish,” Durmaz added.

The moves follow the ousting of French forces in recent years by military-led governments in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, where local sentiments turned sour after years of French forces fighting alongside local ones in the face of stubborn Islamic extremist insurgencies.

What is France’s new strategy in Africa?

Last month. Jean-Marie Bockel, Macron’s personal envoy to Africa, presented his report on the evolution of the French military presence in Africa. It was part of the “renewal of our partnership with African countries” that Macron announced in a 2017 speech in Burkina Faso in the early days of his presidency.

The details of Bockel’s report have not been made public, but three French top

HIRING

officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said France aimed for a sharp reduction of its military in all its bases in Africa except the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti — where Macron is expected to travel in the coming days.

The officials said it doesn’t mean France would necessarily reduce military cooperation, but instead would respond to needs expressed by countries. This could mean providing more specific training in airspace surveillance, or drones and other aircraft. France also could deploy troops on a temporary basis.

The officials declined to confirm numbers of troop reductions but called it significant.

Earlier this year, the French army also set up a command for Africa, similar to the U.S. AFRICOM. Newly appointed commander Pascal Ianni specializes in influence and information warfare — a need highlighted by Russia’s growing presence in Africa.

“You can carry on your military cooperation like many countries do, but the idea of having permanent military bases, which then can be used as political ammunition against you and spun up in kind of a disinformation war, is maybe not the best way of going about things,” said Will Brown, a senior policy fellow at the European Center for Foreign Relations.

Meanwhile, France is trying to boost its economic presence in Africa’s anglophone countries, such as Nigeria, analysts said. Nigeria and South Africa already are its two biggest trading partners on the continent.

At the time of Chad’s announcement,

LABOR RELATIONS SPECIALIST

Nassau County Area of Long Island, New York State

CSEA, one of New York State’s largest public employee unions, is seeking resumes for a Labor Relations Specialist for our Commack office to serve the Nassau County area of Long Island, New York State. The position requires extensive knowledge of labor relations, ability to negotiate/administer collective bargaining agreements, resolve employer/employee conflicts, represent members in employment matters, prepare cases for arbitration. Responsibilities include working with union activists to engage members at their worksites and in their communities. A successful candidate should be self-directed, maintain schedule and workload, and be able to operate within a team. Operate independently & schedule workload.

Salary:

$73,409 plus a $3,000 location benefit differential on place of residence and excellent benefits including health, vision, and dental coverage; generous paid time off, defined pension and transportation stipend.

Qualifications:

High School/Equivalency with 3 years full time related experience OR BA in labor relations or a related field or acceptable combination of work experience and education. Drivers license/car for business use.

Macron was hosting talks with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

Where does France have troops in West Africa, and why?

Since the independence of French colonies in Africa, France has maintained a policy of economic, political, and military sway dubbed Françafrique, which included having thousands of permanent troops in the region. France still has 600 troops in Ivory Coast, 350 in Senegal, 350 in Gabon, and around 1,500 in Djibouti, and has had 1,000 troops in Chad.

France’s defense ministry said the role of French troops in Africa is to train local soldiers and reinforce their capacities to fight extremism, mainly in peacekeeping, intelligence, and logistics. But critics say keeping boots on the ground also has allowed Paris to retain influence and protect political regimes favorable to France.

“The countries of Francophone Africa want a change in the nature of this relationship,”” said Gilles Yabi, head of the West Africa Citizen Think Tank.

Why are West African countries expelling French troops?

Growing anti-French sentiment has led to street protests in several West and North African countries, while governments that gained power based on pledges of redefining relationships with the West say ties with France have not benefited the population. They want to explore options with Russia,

China, Turkey, and other powers.

Chad’s President Mahamat Deby “would not have made this decision if he did not have security guarantees from another actor,” Brown said. “We know he’s received serious support from the United Arab Emirates, who are very interested in what’s going on in neighboring Sudan and Darfur. We know that Turkey also made some outreach.” Chad borders four countries with Russian military presence. In January, Deby traveled to Moscow to reinforce relations with the “partner country.”

Military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso who expelled the French military have moved closer to Russia, which has mercenaries deployed across the Sahel who have been accused of abuses against civilians.

The security situation has worsened in those countries, with increasing numbers of extremist attacks and civilian deaths from both armed groups and government forces. Over the first six months of this year, 3,064 civilians were killed, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project — a 25% increase over the previous six months. It is impossible to say whether the departure of French forces led to the increased violence, but it did create a “huge security vacuum,” said analyst Shaantanu Shankar of the Economist Intelligence Unit, one that cannot be filled by Russia. Troops from the Russian private military company Wagner are being financed by the junta governments with fewer financial resources, he said.

TIVOLI BI LLC

*Based upon the number of persons in household. **Subject to change.

OCCUPANCY STANDARDS: TWO-BEDROOM: Two – Four persons

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

(FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION)

• Applicants must be financially responsible.

• Applicant must be at least 18 Years Old at the time of the lottery.

• Preference will be given to documented veterans selected in the lottery.

• Any applicant that does not have the proper family composition will automatically be disqualified.

• ONE REQUEST ONLY PER APPLICANT. Any applicant placing a duplicate request will not be entered into the lottery. An applicant can only submit a paper entry or an on-line entry. If applicants enter on-line and also mail in a letter or postcard, they have submitted a duplicate request and will not be eligible for the lottery.

• An applicant whose name is selected in a lottery cannot be included in the family composition of any other applicant who is selected in the same lottery for that particular housing company development. Failure to comply will result in the disqualification of both applicants.

Additional Information: The waiting list will be established through a limited lottery process. A maximum of 150 applicants will be drawn for the Two-Bedroom.

HOW TO APPLY: ONLINE You can now apply to a lottery online through Mitchell-Lama Connect. Applying is fast, easy and you will be able to check the status of your entry to see if you have been selected. To apply on line go to: https://a806-housingconnect.nyc.gov/nyclottery/lottery.html#ml-home BY MAIL Mail Post Card or Envelope by regular mail. Registered and Certified Mail will not be accepted. Clearly print your full first and last name, current address and last 4 digits of your social security number and the bedroom size lottery that you wish to apply for. If you do not include the last 4 digits of your social security number or fail to indicate the bedroom size lottery, you will not be entered into the lottery. Mail post card or envelope to:

To apply, please visit cseany.org/jobs, email to cseajobs@ cseainc.org or send resume to Director of Human Resources, PO Box 7125, Capitol Station, Albany, NY 12224. Please note LRS-LI/ nyan on all correspondence. Equal Opportunity Employer

CLASSROOM IN THE

Clarice Taylor, an actress capable of comedic and emotional prowess

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

As readers of this column know so well, the writer is a film buff and last week’s profile — remembering the life and legacy of Rudy Render — is indicative of that passion. Once again, I am provoked by a cameo appearance of an actress; this time, Clarice Taylor for her role in “Play Misty for Me” (1971), Clint Eastwood’s directorial film debut that brought jazz, drama, violence, tension, and terror together in an unforgettable motif.

Taylor has only two scenes in the film. In one, she is a comforting housekeeper for Eastwood’s character and the other, she’s a victim of a ghastly murder. The horror she expressed was so stark and riveting that it makes Janet Leigh’s death in “Psycho” almost bearable. In her other films, Taylor is much less horrified and bloody, and her comedic style left a lasting impression of her ability as an actor.

She was born Sept. 20, 1917 in Buckingham County, Va., but raised in Harlem. Like her father, Leon B. Tayor, Sr., she earned her early livelihood working for the post office. She began her acting career at the (American Negro Theater (ANT) in the early 1960s, as Sophie Slow in “On Strivers Row,” in 1942. She was one of the founding members of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), then located at St. Mark’s Place in New York’s East Village. There is a long list of credits with the NEC, Including as Weedy in “The Sty of the Blind Pig.” It was while performing with NEC that Taylor made her film debut — in “Change of Mind” in 1969. This was followed by her role as Minnie in Otto Preminger’s “Tell Me that You Love Me, Junie Moon.” Then she played Birdie in “Play Misty for Me,” and later appeared as Mrs. McKay in “Such Good Friends.” She also starred with Roscoe Lee Browne in “The High Five.”

Taylor’s real acclaim as a performer came via television, particularly as Anna Huxtable, mother of Bill Cosby’s character Dr. Cliff Huxtable. In 1986, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for that show. An earlier recurring role for her was on “The Doctors” in 1968 as Hope Stark. She was a nurse on “Sesame Street” over a 13-year period. Her cameo appearances on “Sanford and Son,” playing Grady’s (Whitmore Mayo) Cousin Emma

were always rewarding and hilarious moments.

In 1972, Taylor participated in a major tour of U.S. cities in “To Be Young Gifted and Black.” Two years later, she was featured in “Willie Dynamite.”

Along with her television and screen performances, Taylor resumed her stage career in 1973 in a film role she had pioneered off-Broadway, portraying Gladys

Brooks in “”Five on the Black Hand Side.” In successive order, she was Addaperle in “The Wiz” and Idella Landy in Ossie Davis’s “Purlie Victorious.” She truly hit her mark by practically inhabiting Moms Mabley in her one-woman show of the famous comedienne. This role earned her an Obie Award in 1987 for best performance by an actress. Taylor’s other films included “Nothing Lasts Forever” (1984),

“Sommersby” (1993), and Wayne Wang’s “Smoke” (1995), a small role and her last film appearance. Taylor died on May 30, 2011, in Englewood, N.J., although many of her fans and neighbors remember her living on Harlem’s Sugar Hill, next door to Butterfly McQueen. She was 93 when she succumbed to congestive heart failure. She is survived by her two adopted sons, William and James Thomas.

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

An assortment of playbills published by NEC present a chronology of Taylor’s appearances off-Broadway and elsewhere.

DISCUSSION

More about Taylor’s early years could not be found, although a search of Harlem’s history through various newspapers and magazines should reveal more information.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Taylor lived for nearly a century and her long tenure in the theater provides a fruitful record of achievement.

Stage and television actress Clarice Taylor after an interview in New York City in June 1987. (AP Photo/G. Paul Burnett)

Reckoning

Continued from page 12

"On the domestic front, Carter is best remembered for his tireless commitment to Habitat for Humanity, and photos of him with his beloved Rosalynn were widely circulated. He also appointed many African Americans to high government positions, including Young, Patricia Roberts, and others. He may not have ushered through any one remarkable piece of historic legislation, but he did see a number of lesser-known ones succeed."

good, decent Americans who needed his help and had believed him when he said during his ’76 campaign that he was going to give it.” Of course, Lewis didn’t hesitate to back Carter against Ronald Reagan.

On the domestic front, Carter is best remembered for his tireless commitment to Habitat for Humanity, and photos of him with his beloved Rosalynn were widely circulated. He also appointed many African Americans to high government positions, including Young, Patricia Roberts, and others. He may not have ushered through any one remarkable piece of historic legislation, but he did see a number of lesser-known ones succeed.

If Carter was warmly commended by some activists on the domestic front, less praise came for his international decisions, particularly the Camp David accords that many believe were insufficient without the presence of the Palestine Liberation Organization. His critics charged that he was more forthcoming out of the Oval Office than when he had the power.

Much more discourse is needed to sum up Carter’s domestic and foreign policies, although according to the American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA), he was devoted to peace, much of which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

As the generations come and go, we will get a better “reckoning” on Jimmy Carter and his presidency, before, during, and certainly after.

Affordable Housing for Rent

https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb 在线申请。如要获取本广告及书面申请表的简体中文版，请将您的回邮信封寄送至：

Doula Teresa Lasbrey Peters on empowering individuals going through the birthing process Health

By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA

Special

to the AmNews

Teresa Lasbrey Peters is a birth and postpartum doula and a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) through the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP)). She spoke with the Amsterdam News for a Q&A about being a doula, her work in postpartum support, and empowering individuals going through the birthing process to improve Black maternal health outcomes. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

AmNews: Could you tell our readers what it is like to be a doula?

Teresa Lasbrey Peters (TLP): A doula provides comfort measures during birth. We do not make decisions for you; we provide comfort, ease, and resources before, during, and after giving birth. Our presence during birth actually reduces people’s experience of pain, according to studies, so having a doula at your birth can have an important impact in a very good way. I provide as much or as little information as my clients would like during their birth journeys. I help them feel empowered about their decision-making. I actually give them a decision-making matrix where they feel empowered to make choices, especially when they’re going through the birthing process.

AmNews: Where do you work?

TLP: New York City and parts of the Lower Hudson Valley. I am part of the Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership and we work with the Citywide Doula Initiative to provide services to people who are income-eligible for Medicaid or have Medicaid. We provide [services] for people who normally wouldn’t be able to afford our services. I also work as a birth and postpartum doula for private clients and as a lactation counselor all over the city. A lot of doulas are serving Brooklyn already, so [we need to continue] to go to the places where we are not as present. My passion right now is extending access to lactation support and success. People don’t really understand how life-changing it is, but I’m very clear that breastfeeding saves lives — not just babies’ lives, but breastfeeding actually saves the lives of the people that are breastfeeding; it reduces your chances of breast cancer and other reproductive cancers. Have the babies in a wonderful, holistic, natural way and then please breastfeed with your body if you can, because it’ll save your life — not just the baby’s, your life.

AmNews: Could you talk about all the services you provide as a doula once the baby is born?

TLP: It’s extremely important to think about the postpartum experience because people really prepare for that big day. Getting ready to have this baby, you do a whole birth plan, you do all this stuff, and you have the baby — and then you’re left here. The postpartum aspect is the most intense and literally the forever aspect of birth, of parenting. What we do as dDoulas is help with lactation. Right after the birth, we help; during the golden hour, we help to latch and then when we come to your home after, we help you continue to feed because feeding is such a big deal — feeding yourself, feeding your baby, helping with light chores around the house, ensuring that [you are] creating healthy sleeping habits for yourself and the baby. Adults need to adjust to what is now normal, which is polyphasic sleep: sleeping in two- and three-hour [shifts] if you’re lucky, as opposed to sleeping a whole six to eight hours. We help with feeding, managing family, looking at providing resources [and information] around vaccinations. We support the partner because partners are also susceptible to postpartum depression and anxiety, and people don’t talk about that.

AmNews: What is one thing that we have not spoken about yet that you think is something people don’t know about doulas?

TLP: As a doula, I am a person who is there solely to support whoever shows up in that birthing room. I support my clients, I support their partners, I support their families. I support the nurses who show up in the room, I support the doctors. I am there literally to just be of service. That’s what I get my life from — I’m here to uphold people’s choices and remind them of their choices and then affirm their choices. If their choices change, we provide all types of support for anybody who is open to it and wants it. We provide space and we do whatever we need to do for the process and ensure that people are empowered and harm is mitigated. I’m grateful to be this little tiny part [at the] beginning of people’s lives as parents. We’re not here to judge people in the room. We’re here to hold space and make it work for everyone.

AmNews: Is there anything else you’d like to let our readers know about your work?

TLP: This is the work of my life. I think that everyone can give birth in a way that is beautiful for them, that leaves them feeling accomplished.

Doula Theresa Lasbrey Peters (Contributed photo)

union. Past findings by the Marshall Project and New York Times showed such hearings often concluded with abusive guards returning to work.

In his statement, DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III called Brooks’s death a killing.

“Watching the video evidence of Robert Brooks’s life being taken left me feeling deeply repulsed and nauseated,” said Martuscello. “There is no excuse and no rationalization for a vulgar, inhumane act that senselessly took a life. This type of behavior cannot be normalized, and I will not allow it to be within DOCCS. We will transparently and independently investigate this tragedy but also our entire department to identify places where we can improve and make changes.”

AG James steps away from investigation

James announced she would hand off investigations to local prosecutor William J. Fitzpatrick on Jan. 2 fearing a conflict of interest – several corrections officers accused of beating Brooks are represented by attorneys provided by her office as defendants in other matters.

The AG both investigates “matters where an officer of the law may have caused the death of a civilian” and provides legal representation to state agencies, including

to Department of Correction employees, through the Division of State Counsel.

“While we are confident in the firewalls set up between the Division of State Counsel and the Office of Special Investigation, even the possibility or mere appearance of a conflict could tie up a potential prosecution in lengthy legal challenges or get a potential prosecution outright dismissed,” said James in a video-recorded statement.

Smith expressed frustration over another week without anyone being arrested over Brooks’s death, calling it “justice delayed is justice denied.”

“When [Luigi Mangione] was accused of killing the insurance CEO, how did he become a suspect? They seen him on the video,” said Smith. “They put out a massive manhunt and they gathered evidence as they went along. But the video showed him taking that man’s life. Here it is. We have clear video that shows these correction staff brutalizing Robert Brooks…they should have been arrested. They should have not been home for Christmas or New Year’s.”

Black New Yorkers call for further change

For advocates, correcting corrections goes beyond the governor’s initial reforms. McCall organized a racial justice protest outside Hochul’s office last week, renewing pressure to fire and arrest the implicated officers. He says more than 50 organizations joined him in Manhattan, as well as in Albany, many boasting former incarcer-

ated members, including those once held at Marcy.

“This is their George Floyd,” said McCall. “And they’re not going to stop until some real change has transpired. I am using my voice and my platform to join forces with them and organize with them to express their frustration and do some real reform within correctional facilities.”

He plans for several more rallies including one during Hochul’s State of the State address.

Harlemite organizer Ruth McDaniels, a retired law enforcement officer whose son was formerly incarcerated, says there are even more impacted New Yorkers who cannot directly participate in such actions.

“We got mothers and fathers who work every day, who have children locked up, who can’t come out because they got to pay bills, they got to eat, they got to do other things,” said McDaniels, founder of Breaking the Chains of Your Mind. “They can’t even fight for what they need. Those people have a voice, and because they’re grinding [that does] not eliminate the fact that they have a real voice and they have real skin in the game. I fight because that could be my son on any given day.”

Beyond firing the staff responsible for Brooks’s death, advocates also called for the disclosure of correctional officer misconduct in compliance with Civil Rights Law § 50-a. Last April, the New York Civil Liberties Union sued the agency for withholding such records. They also want more

NEED HEALTH INSURANCE

formerly incarcerated people at the table for DOCCS Office of Special Investigations, which looks into abuse claims.

Derrick Hamilton, who works with Smith as co-founder of the Families and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted, points to current public safety concerns around the city as a societal symptom of prison abuse.

“You can’t have public safety without making sure that the people that you imprison are treated like human beings,” said Hamilton. “If you treat someone like a dog and tell them they’re unworthy and you beat them up and you abuse them, you create [a] mental health crisis. And [then] you send them out to society, people are coming home directly impacted by what you’ve done to them, and then you want them to be humane.

“How can you expect individuals who’ve been disenfranchised and abused and thrown in solitary confinement and beaten and downtrodden and didn’t come home with a place to live – going to the shelters and treated further like dogs – where you think they’re going? They’re going to the subway, they’re going to the streets…and they’re taking it out on people in the community.”

Education

Closure of Crown Heights Middle School postponed

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

The planned closure of a predominantly Black and Brown middle school in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was postponed last month by the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) due to an outcry from parents at a public hearing.

“Where are our children going to go?” asked Virginia Goodwin, a community member who had several children attending the school. “They keep saying ‘the community, the community.’ Okay, well, help the community. Don’t bring in a program and don’t invite the community to stay because that’s what they’re planning on doing.”

Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School (MS K394) is a small, non-zoned district school serving students in grades K–8, and offering 3K and preK in School District 17. The building also houses the Explore Empower Charter School, which serves grades K– 8 and a total of 515 students.

According to the city’s Department of Education (DOE) Deputy Press Secretary Chyann Tull, the middle school had “significant enrollment challenges” at the co-located K210 school building, which has the capacity to serve almost 960 total students. The enrollment for the community’s school district has been declining overall over the past five years, according to the DOE, leaving MS K394 with only 201 students at the end of 2024. The DOE also said the middle school was one of the lowest-performing schools in the district in English Language Arts (ELA) and math.

Since 2020’s pandemic interrupted learning nationwide, multiple institutions have noted an downturn in young students’ reading and math scores, based on findings from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term trend (LTT) assessments. The assessments found that across the board, reading scores were lower for both male and female 13-year-olds. In math, scores were lower for Black, Hispanic, and white 13-year-olds; students attending schools in all regions of the country; students both eligible and not eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP); and students at all reported levels of parental education.

In New York City, math scores rose among city public schools while reading scores continued to tick down, according to New York State test results from 2024. The city’s racial education gap, however, remained wide: About 70% of Asian American and 66% of white students were proficient on reading exams compared to only 39% of Black

and 36% of Latino students. In math exams, about 80% of Asian American and 72% of white students were proficient compared to 38% of Black and 40% of Latino students.

In short, there are many schools like MS K394 throughout the city’s public school system.

“[MS K]394 is not just a school for us — we’re a family in there,” said MS K394 Parent Teacher Association (PTA) President Aliza Ellison. Both of her children attended the school with Individualized Education Program (IEPs) or special education services. “We all need to be heard. And they saying that our scores are low, that our enrollment is low. Yes, it is, but we’re trying our best to get it back up. You all got to understand that the pandemic took a lot of stuff away from us.”

The intent was to replace the middle school with a Central Brooklyn Literacy Academy (CBLA), which aims to combat student illiteracy, dyslexia, and languagebased learning disabilities among Black and Brown students. The CBLA would be a sister school with the South Bronx Literacy Academy (SBLA), the first public school in the city specifically designed to support students with dyslexia, which was co-founded by Naomi Pena and six other parents. Mayor Eric Adams and former Schools Chancellor David Banks endorsed citywide dyslexia screenings and new read-

ing initiatives in an attempt to change reading trends for the city’s kids.

The CBLA is supposed to open with grades 2 and 3 beginning in the 2025–2026 school year and serve about 60 to 80 students. Then the school would gradually phase in grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 by the 2030–2031 school year. The co-located charter school in the K210 building will stay open. The proposal was put together by Superintendent Shenean Lindsay and the District 17 Community Education Council (CEC).

“Student and family needs are at the core of all decisions made at New York City Public Schools,” said Tull in a statement. “There has been ongoing engagement with the community at the district and citywide levels to ensure that their concerns are heard. While it’s still in the proposal phase, if approved by the PEP, this will allow for families to be better served at other schools with access to new programs and supports. This also creates the opportunity to bring a new school model to Brooklyn that better meets the needs of the community.”

The possibility of a closure means families will have to find other schools to send their kids to, and the school’s staff and teachers are likely to be relocated. Despite reassurances, though, teachers and staff still fear being fired outright if the closure goes through.

Parents of MS K394 students were in-

formed of the intended closure of their middle school at a meeting in October 2024. Several of them came together to express their “deep concern and outrage” over the proposed closure of the school. They insisted that they hadn’t been given alternative options for their kids’ schooling, and felt it was unfair that their kids wouldn’t benefit from the new reading programs at CBLA.

Leon and Leonica Gidron, who have three children at MS K394, maintain that the proposal makes no sense without bridging the gap between the current students, who are also struggling with reading proficiency, and the new students. “Why relocate kids for new kids to come in for a program that could help everybody?” said Gidron. “I feel like the message you’re giving them is that they’re replaceable.”

Melissa Arristia, a graduate of MSK394, as are her sisters, nieces, and nephews, currently sends her son to the 3K program. “Sending a 3-year-old to school is scary,” Arristia told the Amsterdam News tearfully. “Some of them are not fully potty-trained, some of them can’t talk properly, some of them are underdeveloped … You want a place where you can feel safe with your child. I’ve never had a question about sending my child here, and knowing he’s going to be safe, supported, and he’s going to be okay. That’s important. Those are the things that the numbers are not going to tell you.”

The PEP held a public hearing at Sunset Park High School on Dec. 18, 2024. MS K394 parents, education advocates, teachers, a United Federation of Teachers (UFT) liaison, and Principal Sojourner Welch-David passionately testified against the closure proposal while Lindsey and CEC members testified for it.

“I do understand how you feel and I do want to take a moment to acknowledge that,” said Lindsey in her testimony. “However, despite numerous supports to bolster the test scores, enrollment has been at less than 200 students and attendance … less than 200 students. The school is not making the necessary progress that it needs to.”

Because of the absolute division on the issue between parents and board members, PEP Chairperson Gregory Faulkner opted to table the vote on the closure proposal until 2025. “We’re listening very carefully to the comments that were made and feel that it did warrant an opportunity for further discussion, particularly when we start hearing something that might be harmful to children,” said Faulkner.

The next PEP meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at Clara Barton High School (901 Classon Avenue in Brooklyn).

Parents and students of Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School (MS K394) gather in front of building on Rochester Avenue that is currently under construction. (Ariama C. Long photo)

Report: Planet is getting warmer, faster

By WILLY BLACKMORE Word in Black

As dignitaries and negotiators gather in Azerbaijan for COP29, the annual United Nations climate change conference, once again held in an oil-rich nation, newly published data shows the world is warming faster than ever, with no sign of slowing down.

A report published by Climate Action Tracker estimates that the planet is currently on track for 2.7 degree Celsius of warming by the year 2100. That’s not only hotter than the goal set in the Paris Agreement, but also blows past the 2-degree threshold that many climate scientists believed to be a more achievable limit for warming.

That means the vulnerable — including Black American communities — will remain on the front lines of climate change and continue to bear the worst effects of a warming planet. It’s increasingly likely that more Black workers will die from heat-related illnesses and more Black neighborhoods will suffer from extreme weather, including flooding and deadly storms.

A new version of the Climate Action Tracker is released every year, and the organization’s estimate has not budged since 2021.

“Time is running out to meet the Paris Agreement goals,” Pierre Friedlingstein, a professor and researcher at Exeter’s Global

Systems Institute, said in a statement. His organization led a carbon budget study showing there is “no sign” that peak global CO2 emissions have been reached.

Disastrous future forecast

An annual global summit, COP29 is where diplomats come together to continue to hash out plans designed to help the world meet the goals for halting climate change set out in the Paris Agreement. That historic treaty, reached at COP21 in 2015, legally requires nations around the world to cut carbon emissions that would keep the

NYS BOARD OF REGENTS

increase in average global temperatures under 1.5 degrees Celsius.

As the world fails to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the possibility of meeting the 1.5-degree goal laid out in the Paris Agreement is beginning to slip away.

However, while 2024 is on track to be the hottest year ever, with global average temperatures creeping above 1.5 degrees over 12 months for the first time in recorded history, that does not mean the Paris Agreement target is shot.

When pledges and plans from world governments are accounted for, the outlook

appears slightly better, at a global average of 2.1 degrees Celsius. Still, it would portend a disastrous future for Black America and other frontline communities already experiencing climate change-related devastation at far lower levels of warming.

The new goal is to keep the increase in the average global temperature over pre-industrial levels at below that threshold for a matter of decades.

The single most important step to stave off the worst-case scenario — 2.7 degrees of warming by the end of the century — is to halt carbon emissions entirely, but the Global Carbon Budget report, typically published around the annual COP conference, said that in 2024, there was a slight increase of 0.8% in carbon emissions over last year.

Friedlingstein said there is little time to waste: World leaders in Azerbaijan “must bring about rapid and deep cuts to fossil fuel emissions to give us a chance of staying well below 2°C warming above pre-industrial levels.”

While the 1.5-degree goal is still technically alive, the carbon budget study shows how close we are to sailing past it entirely. At the current rate of emissions, there’s a 50-50 chance that temperature averages will be above 1.5 degrees Celsius on a consistent basis by 2030.

Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, effective April 1, 2025, for one representative from Kings County for a five- year term; one representative from Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, St. Lawrence, Warren, or Washington County for a five-year term; one representative from Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, or Wyoming County for a five-year term; one representative from Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, or Westchester County for a five- year term; one representative from Nassau or Suffolk County for a five- year term; and one at-large representative for a five-year term. Additionally, effective immediately, one at-large representative for the remaining four years of a five-year term, and one at-large representative for the remaining year of a five-year term. Positions are non-paid.

A public interview process is required. The applicant must be a resident of New York State and, where applicable, one of the above-listed counties. Resumes must be submitted by January 22, 2025. Applicant must submit a resume to both:

NYS Assembly Room 513, Capitol Albany, NY 12248

boardofregents@nyassembly.gov

NYS Senate Room 434, Capitol Albany, NY 12248

boardofregents@nysenate.gov

(Photo by Markus Spiske)

Religion & Spirituality

Medicine for a new year

There is a story in the Christian scriptures — John 5 – about Jesus healing a paralyzed man.

“Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many ill, blind, lame, and paralyzed people. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The ill man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up,

take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.”

Years ago, archeologists located the pool, excavated it, and found that it had four sides and was more than 300 feet long. The bubbling waters were thought to have healing powers, and sick people — the blind, the lame, the paralyzed — came to the pool, believing that whenever the waters were stirred up, the first person to enter the pool would be cured of whatever sickness they had.

The text doesn’t say how long he had been there, waiting to get into the healing, churning water, but it does say that he had been there “a long time” (John 5:6). Nobody helped him get in the water. Nobody gave him a hand.

It turns out the man did not have to get into the water to be well!

Jesus asked him if he wanted to be well. Jesus told him to pick up his bed and walk. He did not need to wait to get in the pool. He did not need the troubled waters. He did not need to wait for a sick system, one in which there was competition to get in the water. He needed an intervention. I’m going to call that a system intervention — clarifying question that required a truthful answer, and a prescription. In other words: What do you really want? Go do it!

We can’t get well in a sick system. How are you gonna get well in a system in which your disability — your inability to see, to walk, to hear, to stand, to be understood, your compromised immune system, your chronic asthma, your thyroid condition, your … You are seen by the system as sicknesses to be healed, to be cured, from which you must be saved to be perceived as “able.” Sadly, the church has too often taught us disability is caused by sin: It’s your fault or your mama’s fault, a condition to be fixed by Jesus and if Jesus does not fix it, and I mean right now, you are just

not righteous or good enough to belong to the system. That system is sick and will not make you well.

If the system still thinks God designed whiteness as superior; that being gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer, or questioning is a mental disorder or a condition from which you can be cured and should be cured, that system is sick and will not make you well.

Our system is not well. With an average of 20.1 maternal deaths/100k live births, the U.S. is the most dangerous developed country in which to give birth. For Black women, the most frequent victims of our crisis-level maternal mortality rates, the odds are even worse.

According to the most recent data, the maternal death rate for Black women is more than double that of white women: 44.0 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to 17.9. It was also more than three times the rate for Hispanic women at 12.6.

Being pregnant is risky — having a baby is difficult and dangerous work for all pregnant folk, but especially for Black folk. Check out the work Black Mamas Matter is doing. It should not be a death sentence in a nation with this much wealth. Health care should be, could be universal. Deciding to terminate a pregnancy is health care, and should be universal, it should be legal, it must be legal. The concerns of a particular sect of Christianity in a pluralistic nation should not cause pregnant people to be denied those rights.

My question is: Do we want to be well?

Our nation is not well. There are many contributing factors. Our nation is built on land on which, despite Laura Ingalls Wilder’s observation, there were people living here, people erased, massacred, removed, dispossessed, land stolen, tilled by stolen bodies. White supremacist ideologies, capitalism that believes poor children are acceptable collateral damage for the wealthy to become wealthier, White Christian nationalists believing they are the chosen ones … we have a world-view problem.

That stuff is in the water. Troubling the water is not going to make us well. We need to empty the stagnant polluted pools; we need to run the fresh rivers of vivid imagination, of wild equality; we need a tumult of fierce love, a cascade of justice; we need a new river — a new river running through a new city; a fierce, clear river disinfecting our dis-eased and poor imaginations about who is human and who deserves love and life. Do we want to be well?

I’m going to write about medicine for the new year. Rather than resolutions, I’m going to write about practices that I believe will heal us.

The first?

Truth. Speaking truthfully. Looking straight on at our culture, our society, our family systems, and being honest about what we see. Don’t squint and pretend. Don’t cover your eyes or look away. Let’s be honest, because the truth will set us free.

Why Trump’s HUD pick is a red flag for housing advocates

By JENNIFER PORTER GORE

Word in Black

Over the weekend, President-elect Trump announced his nomination of Scott Turner to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Turner, a former NFL player and Texas legislator, would be the first — and so far, only — Black appointee in Trump’s second cabinet. For housing advocates, his nomination and Trump’s anti-fair-housing agenda raise plenty of red flags.

Indeed, while most housing advocates know little about Turner, they’re amply aware of and concerned about what the second Trump Administration has signaled will be its housing policy.

Trump’s housing policies weren’t great

During Trump’s first term, HUD — under Dr. Ben Carson — focused on policies like the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, designed to repair aging public housing. Since much of the nation’s public housing is more than 50 years old, many of the buildings need billions of dollars in repairs and updates. Sounds great, right?

Not so fast — those policies often came with a catch: HUD also supported closing public housing properties deemed “too expensive to fix,” leaving families with Section 8 vouchers that didn’t always translate into homes. Having a voucher doesn’t guarantee find-

ing housing. Families may be unable to find a landlord who will accept the voucher — and, in some cases, the voucher can expire before the family finds a home.

“I suspect that a key initiative for this next administration will be to increase the number of public housing properties eligible for RAD, especially considering that Congress is now Republican-led and Congressional authorization is needed for this program,” Sue Popkin, a fellow with Urban Institute, told Word In Black about Trump’s plans.

“Over the next four years, I hope that HUD will ensure these agencies have the support and resources needed to allow their residents to thrive,” she said. “I hope that Turner does not follow in Carson’s path by proposing cuts that would displace older adults and people with disabilities [who have] very low incomes.”

Evictions, homelessness, and Project 2025

Peggy Bailey, executive vice president for policy and program development at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said the new administration’s agenda could make things even worse.

“The incoming Administration has laid out an agenda that makes clear they will try to make it harder for people who are struggling to afford rent, worsen discrimination, and undercut effective efforts to address homelessness, similar to what we saw in the first Trump Administration,” she said.

York City

New York.

Related: Homelessness surges, affecting black and latino communities

Bailey is especially concerned because Turner’s nomination comes against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s previous efforts — criticized by both Democrats and Republicans — to dismantle fair housing protections. Slashing programs like the Community Development Block Grant falls right in line with the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which would reverse gains in fair housing and fair lending, as well as shred the housing safety net.

An NFL and Trump 1.0 background

For nine years, Turner played NFL football for the formerly named Washington Redskins, the

San Diego Chargers, and the Denver Broncos. He later was elected to the Texas legislature and served as a state representative until 2017.

During Trump’s first term, Turner led the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, which he positioned as serving the nation’s “most distressed communities” in his Friday night announcement. He also serves as a chair at the Center for Education Opportunity at America First Policy Institute, a think tank aligned with Trump.

Ultimately, Bailey said, “Their plans will lead to more evictions and homelessness. We’ve seen this playbook before. Policymakers should reject these extreme proposals and prioritize making sure that everyone in this country can afford a home.”

New

Housing Authority gardens in Brooklyn,

(USDA Photo by Preston Keres)

CLASSIFIED ADS

RULES AND REGULATIONS

CANCELLATIONS must be made in writing by 12 Noon Monday.

The forwarding of an order is construed as an acceptance of all advertising rules and conditions under which advertising space is sold by the NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS. Publication is made and charged according to the terms of this card.

Rates and regulations subject to change without notice. No agreements as to position or regulations, other than those printed on this.

Til forbid orders charged for rate earned. Increases or decreases in space take the rate of a new advertisement.

The New York AMSTERDAM NEWS reserves the right to censor, reject, alter or revise all advertisements in accordance with its rules governing the acceptance of advertising and accepts no liability for its failure to insert an advertisement for any cause. Credit for errors in advertisements allowed only for first insertion.

CLASSIFIED

• Classified advertisements take the regular earned rate of their classification. Four line minimum on all ads except spirituals and horoscopes (14 lines).

CLASSIFIED DISPLAY

• Classified Display (boarder or picture) advertisements take the regular earned rate of their classification. Display (boarder or picture) advertisements one column wide must be 14 lines deep; two columns, 28 lines deep; 3 columns, 56 lines deep. Classified Display (boarder or picture) placed as close to classifications as rules and makeup permit.

CLASSIFICATIONS

All advertisement accepted for publication is classified according to the standard classifications. Misclassification is not permitted.

BASIS OF CHARGE

Charges are based on point size and characters per line. Upon reaching 15 lines the rate converts to column inch. Any deviation from solid composition such as indentation, use of white space, bold type, etc., will incur a premium.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. USALLIANCE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION BY MERGER WITH NEW YOTK METRO FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, Pltf. vs., UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF JAMES MCCASKILL A/K/A JAMES MC CASKILL, HIS NEXT OF KIN, DISTRIBUTEES, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, TRUSTEES, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CEDITORS, AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST, AND GENERALLY ALL PERSONS HAVING OR CLAIMING, UNDER, BY OR THROUGH SAID DEFENDANT WHO MAY BE DECEASED, BYPURCHASE, INHERITANCE, LIEN OR OTHERWISE, ANY RIGHT TITTLE OR INTEREST IN AND TO THE PREMISED DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT HEREIN, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES OF RESIDENCE ARE UNKNOWN TO THE PLAINTIFF AND CANNOT AFTER DILIGENT INAUIRY BE ASCERTAINED, et al Deft. Index #850257/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered August 12, 2024, I will sell at public auction on January 8, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 61 West 126 th Street, New York, NY a/k/a Block 1724, Lot 11. Approximate amount of judgment is $180,402.81 plus cost and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale and the right of the United States of America to redeem within 120 days from the date of sale as provided by law. CHRISTY M. DEMELFI, Referee., Attys. for Pltf., 165 Eileen Way, Ste. 101, Syosset, NY. #101714

NOTICE OF SALE

Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, Index No. 850623/2023

Newtek Small Business Finance, LLC, Plaintiff, v. DBMS Consulting, Inc., et. al., Defendants.

TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 27, 2024, the undersigned referee will sell at public auction on January 29, 2025 at 2:15pm in Room 130 at 60 Centre Street, NY, NY, the property located at 164 West 83 rd Street, Units CF1 and CF2, New York, NY 10024 (Block 1213, Lots 1303 and 1304).

The approximate amount of Plaintiff’s lien is $2,015,909 plus interest and costs. The premises will be sold in two parcels and subject to provisions of the judgment and terms of sale.

Matthew Hunter, Esq., Referee

Law Offices of Tae H. Whang, LLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 201, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, Tel. (201) 461-0300.

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE ALTAVISTA CONDOMINIUM, acting on behalf of the unit owners of THE ALTAVISTA CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff -against- JOHN ANDREW LUMPKIN, et al. Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 2, 2024 and entered on August 6, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY 10007, on Wednesday on January 22, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known as Unit No. 20 in the building designated as "The Altavista condominium" together with an undivided 3.6214% interest in the Common Elements. Section: 2 Block: 621 lot: 1120 Said premises known as 92 PERRY STREET, CONDOMINIUM UNIT 20, NEW YORK, NY

Approximate amount of lien $50,354.13, through April 11, 2024, plus interest fees & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 158019/2023.

ROBERTA E. ASHKIN, ESQ., Referee Seyfarth Shaw LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, 2 Cap Investments, LLC , Plaintiff, vs. Frog Investments, LLC, ET AL ., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on August 9, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on January 29, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 321 West 110th Street, No. 7A a/k/a 321 Cathedral Parkway, Unit No. 7A, New York, NY 10026. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1423 and Lot 1846. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,931,375.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale Index #850074/2022.

Allison M. Furman, Esq., Referee

Underweiser & Underweiser LLP, One Barker Avenue, Second Floor, White Plains, New York 10601, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiffs -against- CONOR J. CAMPBELL, KRISTIN C. WALKER, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on July 30, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on January 22, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 858 and Lot 1039 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map.

Said premises known as 31 EAST 28TH STREET, UNIT SU-16, NEW YORK, NY 10016

Approximate amount of lien $2,647.19 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 150481/2023.

MATTHEW D. HUNTER, III, ESQ., Referee Phillips Lytle LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs 28 East Main Street, Suite 1400, Rochester, NY 14614

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK Freedom Mortgage Corporation, Plaintiff AGAINST The Estate of Melanie Silvera a/k/a Melanie Grace Silvera, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered August 16, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on January 22, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 21 South End Avenue, Unit #435, New York, NY 10280. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block: 16, Lot: 6073. Approximate amount of judgment $570,477.89 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850553/2023. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NEW YORK County COVID-19 Protocols located on the Office of Court Administration (OCA) website (https:// ww2.nycourts.gov/Admin/oca. shtml) and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction. com or call (800) 280-2832. Tom Kleinberger, Esq, Referee Frenkel Lambert Weiss Weisman & Gordon, LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01-098657-F00 82254

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT: NEW YORK COUNTY. BMARK 2018-B1 BLEECKER STREET, LLC, Pltf. vs. 156 BLEECKER OWNER LLC, et al, Defts. Index #850257/2021. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale dated Aug. 27, 2024, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on February 5, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises k/a 156-160 Bleecker Street, Unit 1, New York, NY a/k/a Section 2, Block 525, Lot 1001. The Commercial Condominium Unit (the “Unit”) in the building known as the Atrium Condominium (the “Condominium”) and located and known by street number 156160 Bleecker Street, New York, New York, designated and described in the Declaration (hereinafter called the “Declaration”) made by 160 Bleecker Street Owners, Inc. under the Condominium Act of the State of New York (Article 9-B of the Real Property Law of the State of New York) (the “New York Condominium Act”), dated 3-14-84, and recorded 4-1484 in the Office of the Register, the City of New York, County of New York in Reel 784, Page 730 establishing a plan for condominium ownership of said Building and the lands upon which the same is erected (hereinafter sometimes collectively called the “Property”), and also designated as Tax Lot 1001 on the Floor Plans of the Building certified by Charles Lobell, R.A., on 3-14-84 filed with said Declaration in the Office of the City Register for New York County as Map No. 4239. Together with an undivided 15.57% interest in the Common Elements of the property as described in said Declaration, recorded in Reel 784, Page 730. Approximate amount of judgment is $41,863,779.16 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. THOMAS R. KLEINBERGER, Referee. BALLARD SPAHR LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 1675 Broadway, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10019. #101933

NOTICE OF SALE

WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF WELLS FARGO COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE TRUST 2016-C34, COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2016-C34, BY AND THROUGH ITS SPECIAL SERVICER, LNR PARTNERS, LLC, Plaintiff v. 153 ELIZABETH STREET, LLC, 153 ELIZABETH HOTEL LLC, 30 KENMARE MASTER, LLC, EDMOND LI, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE CITY OF NEW YORK, and PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Defendants, Index No. 850275/2021. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision & Order on Motion dated August 12, 2024, and duly entered in the above-entitled action and filed in the Office of the New York County Clerk on August 12, 2024 (the “Judgment”), I the undersigned Referee in said Judgment named, will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Room 130 of the Courthouse, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, the premises directed by said Judgment to be sold. The premises will be offered for sale, as one parcel, on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. The premises therein described are located at 153 Elizabeth Street, New York, New York 10023, also known as Block 479, Lot 29 on the Tax Map for the County of New York, together with the buildings, improvements, fixtures, machinery, equipment, personalty and other rights or interests of any kind or nature located thereon, and more particularly described in the Judgment.

The premises will be sold subject to the provisions of the filed Judgment, Index No. 850275/2021, and the Terms of Sale , all of which are available from plaintiff’s counsel upon request.

The approximate amount of the Judgment, for the property referred to therein, is $35,767,489.10, plus interest and costs, as provided in the Judgment. The successful bidder will be required to deposit 10% of the bid by certified or official bank check, unendorsed, made payable to the Referee.

Scott H. Siller , Esq., Referee ( 516) 644-6769

Herrick, Feinstein LLP, Attorneys for Plaintiff, Two Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016, (212) 592-1461, Attention: Scott T. Tross, Esq.

BilinguaLit Compass L.L.C. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/12/2024. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2234 Wilson Avenue, Bronx, New York 10469. Purpose: Any lawful act.

O&E Enrichment2 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/5/2024. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 335 Concord Avenue, Bronx, NY 10454. Purpose: Any lawful act. Madison & Hart LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/16/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #112800, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of Concentric Chemists LLC. Filed with SSNY on 1/29/24. Office: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 52 Morton St, 1, NY, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

LaTeca Hub LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/3/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 408 E 73 Street, Apt 3B, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT – NEW YORK COUNTY

BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE 610 PARK AVENUE CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff -against16EF APARTMENT, LLC and MARA ENTERPRISES, et al Defendant(s). INDEX NO. 151261/2023

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered herein and dated September 29, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at a public auction located in Room 116 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, New York on January 29, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. E.T., premises situate, all that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, Block: 1379, Lot: 1189. Said premises known as 610 Park Avenue, PH16E, New York, New York 10065.

The approximate amount of the judgment is $171,820.02 plus post-judgment interest & costs.

The premises will be sold subject to provisions of the filed Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion and Sale and Terms of Sale.

CHRISTY M. DEMELFI, ESQ., Referee

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP

Attn: Benjamin O. Gilbert bogilbert@sheppardmullin.com

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112

(212) 896-0682

Notice of Formation of RJMD HOLDINGS II LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/19/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 201 W. 79th St., NY, NY 10024. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: COUNTY OF NEW YORK. JYBGAD L.P. Pltf v. WEST 26 TH STREET REALTY LLC, et al., Defts. Index No. 850024/2023 pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 13, 2024 and entered on August 15, 2024, I will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, at the Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, room 130 on February 5, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., prem. k/a 33 West 26 th Street, New York, New York (Block 828, Lot 14). Approx. amt of judgment is $ 8,934,402.69, plus costs, attorneys’ fees and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Jacobowitz Newman Tversky LLP, Attys. for Plaintiff, 377 Pearsall Ave., Ste C, Cedarhurst, NY.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK CITIBANK, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST THOMAS N. PIEPER, CAROL ANN FOLEY, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered August 1, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on January 22, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 250 South End Avenue, Unit 4D, New York, NY 10280. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block: 16, Lot: 2222. Approximate amount of judgment $28,099.34 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850158/2023. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NEW YORK County COVID-19 Protocols located on the Office of Court Administration (OCA) website (https:// ww2.nycourts.gov/Admin/oca. shtml) and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee Frenkel Lambert Weiss Weisman & Gordon, LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01-095756-F00 82425

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: COUNTY OF NEW YORK. JYBGAD L.P. Pltf v. WEST 26 TH STREET REALTY LLC, et al., Defts. Index No. 850024/2023 pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 13, 2024 and entered on August 15, 2024, I will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, at the Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, room 130 on February 5, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., prem. k/a 35 West 26 th Street, New York, New York (Block 828, Lot 13). Approx. amt of judgment is $ 8,934,402.69, plus costs, attorneys’ fees and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Jacobowitz Newman Tversky LLP, Attys. for Plaintiff, 377 Pearsall Ave., Ste C, Cedarhurst, NY.

Notice of Formation of MACONDO 520 FIFTH, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/24/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 1860, Miami, FL 33131. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of BLUE & WHITE BROADWAY CLUB, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/03/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 545 Madison Ave., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE AMERICAN FELT CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff against GRIFFON REX LLC, Defendant. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion, dated August 15, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, New York 10007 on the 22nd day of January, 2025 at 2:15 PM premises lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known as the Commercial Unit in the condominium Known as "The American Felt Condominium". Together with an undivided 3.9% interest in the common elements. This Unit is also designated as Tax Lot 1001 in Block 558. Said premises known as 114 East 13th Street, the Commercial Unit, New York, New York 10003 Approximate amount of lien $50,418.07 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Index Number 150137/24.

SCOTT H. SILLER, ESQ., Referee. Axelrod, Fingerhut & Dennis Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 260 MADISON AVENUE, 15th Flr. New York, NY 10016-2404

Julie Christie LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/20/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 29 Cooper Street Apt 3D, New York NY 10034. Purpose: Any lawful act.

ROLLO DAIRY BAR LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/06/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 190 E 7th St Apt 113, NY, NY 10009. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Microassets LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/21/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 422 ST Nicholas Ave 4S, New York, NY, 10027 . Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of NFF NEW MARKETS FUND XLVIII, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/26/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 5 Hanover Sq., 9th Fl., NY, NY 10004. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Nonprofit Finance Fund at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 37 GROUP LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 11/15/2024. Office located in NEW YORK. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC to: 11 W 36TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10018, USA. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. JOE C. PLUNKETT III and BARBARA G. PLUNKETT, Defts. - Index # 850205/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 3, 2023, I will sell at public auction in Room 116 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0519144314871446% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $58,015.75 plus costs and interest as of August 11, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Matthew D. Hunter III, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

Notice of Formation of MOLLY LIPPERT LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/18/2024. Office Location: NEW YORK County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served against LLC to: THE LLC 1435 YORK AVE APT 7E, NEW YORK, NY, 10075, USA. Reg. Ag.: UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC. 7014 13TH AVENUE SUITE 202, BROOKLYN, NY, 11228, USA. Purpose: any lawful act

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT, NEW YORK COUNTY,

DCR MORTGAGE 10 SUB 2, LLC, Plaintiff, against

179 LUDLOW OWNERS LLC, SHARON SUTTON, et al., Defendants.

Pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 9, 2024, and entered on July 12, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee appointed in said Judgment, will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, Room 130, New York, New York, on January 29, 2025, at 2:15p.m., the premises known as and located at 179 Ludlow Street, Unit C, New York, New York 10002. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements situated, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan and County of New York, State of New York, Block 0412, Lot 1101. Premises will be sold subject to the terms of the filed Judgment, Index No. 850662/2023, and the Terms of Sale, all of which are available from Plaintiff’s counsel upon request.

The approximate amount of the Judgment is $2,310,814.68 plus interest and costs, as provided in the Judgment. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Ronald Zezima, Esq., Referee. Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. Attorneys for Plaintiff 733 Third Avenue, 15th Floor New York, NY 10017 (212) 867-6000

Attention: Richard Y. Im, Esq.

The Welliverse LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/29/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 280 Park Avenue South, 9H, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Savoir-Faire Projects LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/26/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 166 East 61st Street,10F, New York, NY 10065. Purpose: Any lawful act.

6 Hillside, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on Nov. 1, 2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 700 Columbus Avenue, Unit 20027, New York, NY 10025. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Sensible Pet Care Services LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/18/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 105 West 125th St Front 1 #1225, New York Purpose: Any lawful act.

PEPPAS AND PARTNERS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/29/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 90 Morton Street, Apt. D5, New York, NY, 10014. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , CAPITAL ONE, N.A., Plaintiff, vs. KENNETH D. LAUB, ET AL., Defendant (s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 11, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on January 29, 2025, at 2:15 PM, premises known as 163 EAST 64TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10065. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block: 1399, Lot: 25. Approximate amount of judgment is $10,653,559.26 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 159315/2017. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee's attorney, or the Referee.

DORON LEIBY, Esq., Referee Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. NYCTL 2021-A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiffs -against- D.K.S. LTD, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on July 16, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on February 5, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 1262 Lot 603 on the New York County Tax Assessment.

Said premises known as 62 WEST 47TH STREET #602, NEW YORK, NY 10036 Approximate amount of lien $291,253.74 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 158753/2022.

CLARK WHITSETT, ESQ., Referee

Phillips Lytle LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs

28 East Main Street, Suite 1400, Rochester, NY 14614

KEN & RITA REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/10/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Rita Warner, 15 West 81st Street, New York, NY 10024. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

CLYDEWARE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/11/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: LLC, LEGALCORP SOLUTIONS, LLC 11 BROADWAY SUITE 615, NEW YORK, NY 10004. Purpose: Any lawful act.

MICRO PRO ASSOCIATES LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/24/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Foster Garvey, P.C., 100 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Motivate Through Play OT PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/26/2024. Office Location: New York County. SSNY designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail process to: 767 Broadway #1451, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

7 CHILDCARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/13/24. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: LLC, LEGALCORP SOLUTIONS, LLC 11 BROADWAY SUTIE 615, NEW YORK, NY 10004 Purpose: Any lawful act.

NYC Division I women’s basketball teams dive into conference action

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

It’s been an exciting fall with the Division I women’s basketball teams in New York City taking on non-conference opponents. As most people in college hoops would say, now is when things get serious with teams battling conference opponents in the hopes of earning postseason berths.

Manhattan

Columbia University

Last season, the Columbia Lions earned their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, but the team no longer has prolific scorer

Abbey Hsu, who graduated. Coach Megan Griffith is looking for the upperclasswomen and newbies to shine. Sophomore guard

Riley Weiss is leading the offense at 17.1 points per game. Senior guard Kitty Henderson is averaging 15.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The team went 9–4 in non-conference games and defeated the University of Pennsylvania in its Ivy League opener.

The Bronx

Manhattan College

Manhattan College is 7–6 overall and 1–3 in MAAC play. Senior guard Nitzan Amar, who joined Manhattan last season as a transfer, is leading the offense at 10.7 points per game.

Fordham University

Things are looking good at Fordham

University, which is in its second season under head coach Bridgette Mitchell. The Rams are currently 8–6 overall and 2–1 in Atlantic 10 play. Graduate student guard Taylor Donaldson, in her second year at Fordham, is averaging a dominant 18.5 points per game.

Brooklyn Long Island University

LIU won its NEC opener vs. Le Moyne, but the Sharks are 4–11 overall. The leading scorer is Brooklyn native Sirviva Legions, who is averaging 12.7 points per game.

Queens

St. John’s University

St. John’s started the season red-hot with a six-game winning streak and went 10–1 in non-conference play. Senior guard Lashae Dwyer, who came in as a transfer, is averaging 15.4 points per game and leading the team in assists. Junior guard Skye Owen is averaging 9.1 points per game. Unfortunately, Big East play got off to a 0–3 start, so the Red Storm are looking to return to form.

Staten Island

Wagner College

Wagner won their NEC opener vs. Chicago State and are 1–1 in conference play. They currently stand 4–10 overall. Graduate student guard Taleah Washington has entered the rotation and is averaging a ferocious 16.3 points a game.

The Prudential Center host the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic

By JAIME C. HARRIS

AmNews Sports Editor

The New York Tri-State area has historically been a beacon of college basketball and that tradition will continue on January 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Some of the top women’s basketball teams will compete in the event.

UCLA will face Baylor and Texas will take on Maryland with the tip-off for the opening game at 3:00 p.m. The event will be broadcast nationally on FOX. As of AmNews press time, UCLA was the top-rated team in the country with Texas ranked No. 5, Maryland No. 8. Baylor was unranked but still formidable at 12-3.

The Coretta Scott King Classic (CSKC) is a venture created by FOX Sports, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and Playfly Sports, partnering with the King Center, founded by Coretta Scott King and today run by Dr. Bernice A. King, the daughter of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King. Following the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. assassination on April 4, 1968 in

Memphis, Tennessee, relentless efforts by ardent supporters culminated in then U.S. President Ronald Reagan signing bill H.R. 3706 on November 2, 1983, making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday. It was first observed January 20, 1986.

Coretta Scott King, a native of Heiberger, Alabama, attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. It was during her time as a student at the latter institution when she first met Martin Luther King Jr. in 1952 while he was pursuing a PhD in systematic theology at Boston University.

Coretta Scott King’s legacy is towering. She was an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement, survived the bombing of her home in Montgomery, Alabama, one month after the start of the seminal Montgomery Bus Boycott, was active in opposing the South African apartheid system and lent her voice to numerous political and social issues, domestically and abroad.

Coretta Scott King passed away on January 30, 2006 in Mexico where she was receiving holistic treatment for various illnesses including ovarian cancer.

Coretta Scott King and South Africa’s first president, Nelson Mandela, at a victory celebration for Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa in May 1994, after he won the country’s first integrated elections. (AP Photo/David Brauchli)

Perri Page of Columbia has been a key player in Lions’ success. (Photo courtesy of Columbia University Athletics)

Lashae Dwyer has been a dominant presence for St. John’s. (Photo courtesy of St. John’s Athletics)

Disastrous season for Jets ends with numerous unanswered questions

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

After another disastrous season for the New York Jets ended on Sunday with a 5–-12 record after a 32–20 win at home over the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium, what seems like an endless number of questions are left unanswered.

Four-time NFL MVP and future Football Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, who started all 17 games this season, predictably did not break any news after the game.

“Truthfully, I don’t know,” Rodgers said when asked what is ahead for him. ”I’m looking forward to those conversations with (the Jets’ leadership). It feels good to be able to do some of the things the last five or six weeks I know I was capable of doing even at 40, 41, but you know, either way, I won’t be upset or offended whatever they decide to do — if they want to move on, if I still want to play, and if not, I’ll let them know.”

The Jets have the seventh pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and one of the most pressing questions is whether they will use the pick to select a

quarterback or explore other options, such as free agency or the trade market, to acquire a long-term starter who can lead them to the playoffs. They hold the longest current streak (14 consecutive seasons) of not making the playoffs of all the major North American sports franchises.

It’s a near certainty that Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward, regarded as the top two quarterbacks in the draft, will be gone by the seventh pick, as well as 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. But before making the Jets begin

to dive into the draft evaluation and preparation, there are general manager and head coach vacancies to be filled.

Owner Robert “Woody” Johnson has enlisted the 33rd Team, a firm founded and operated by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and

former Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman. So far, the Jets have interviewed or will interview for their general manager position Thomas Dimitroff, the Atlanta Falcons GM from 2008–2020; Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy; Jon Robinson, the Tennessee Titans GM from 2016–2022; and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who was the Philadelphia Eagles’ director of pro personnel from 2010–2013.

The Jets have interviewed or will interview a slew of former head coaches to assume that spot for their franchise. Among them are Brian Flores, the Vikings’ current defensive coordinator; Rex Ryan, who previously guided the Jets and Buffalo Bills; Ron Rivera (Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders); Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans); Vance Joseph (Denver Broncos defensive coordinator); Matt Nagy (Chicago Bears); and Arthur Smith (Atlanta Falcons).

Flores, Joseph, and Smith (Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator) are all coordinators for teams that are in this season’s playoffs, which begin this weekend.

Despite a 3-14 record, the Giants’ will run it back with Schoen and Daboll

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

In three seasons as the Giants general manager and head coach respectively, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have been the stewards of a franchise that has a cumulative record of 18-31-1. The Giants finished third in the four-team NFC East in the 2022 season, third in 2023, and last this season. They did make the playoffs at 9-7-1 in 2022 and won a wildcard matchup on the road versus the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, they are 9-25 and have shown no progress. In fact, they have regressed. They do not have a quarterback that elicits hope he can be a force multiplier, pulling the team on a deep playoff run and to the ultimate goal — the Super Bowl. Without a prized player at the position, reaching the league’s summit is immensely improbable.

So instead of a reset, Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have determined that Schoen, the GM, and Daboll, the head coach, have a blueprint and the leadership skills to dramatically impel an upward trajectory of the team. It’s a risky, counterintuitive conclusion that could render the Giants one of

the NFL’s worst and most mismanaged teams in a league littered with poorly run organizations.

“Now that our season is over, we felt it necessary to make this statement,” Mara said to the media on Monday. “Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll will continue in their respective roles with the organization. As disappointing as the

results of the season have been, Steve (Tisch) and I remain confident in the process that Joe and Brian have implemented and their vision for our team. We look forward to the future and achieving the results we all desire.”

One can argue that their logic is faulty. While I am always sensitive to the numerous people, many

unknown to the general fan base, whose lives are uprooted when a coach or GM is fired, change is sometimes necessary and inevitable. The probability that Schoen and Daboll are no longer in their positions with the Giants 12 months from now is over 50%. Perhaps 70%. The 2025 season is filled with obstacles, first and fore-

most the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, which were 14-3 and 12-5 respectively this season and are playoff teams.

The Eagles may have the most talented roster in football and the Commanders, with sensational rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, are one of the most ascendant teams in the league. The Dallas Cowboys were decimated by injuries this season and underachieved but have a core that is capable of a 10-plus win season. Thus, the NFC East should be a beast next season. Overall, the conference projects to be flush with predators that will devour the weak. It may take the Giants two seasons to transform from sheep being sheep to wolves.

Will Schoen and Daboll survive another losing season or going a middling 9-8 but still missing the playoffs — which would be three times in four seasons at the helm? Giving them a fifth year no matter what the outcome next season ostensibly makes more sense than retaining them for Year 4 then firing them 12 months from now.

Neither scenario is prudent. Yet, this is the seeming black hole Giants fans live in with their team.

After Giants general manager Joe Schoen (left) and head coach Brian Daboll oversaw a team that has a combined record of 9-25 over the past two seasons, the franchise’s ownership has decided to bring the pair back for the 2025 campaign. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Brooklyn native and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is a candidate for the New York Jets’ head coach opening. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Starr Andrews heads to U.S. Championships after gold in Hungary

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

Figure skater Starr Andrews finished 2024 by earning the gold medal at the Santa Claus Cup in Budapest, Hungary. She greatly enjoyed the competition, noting that the rinks in the city were beautiful. “The city was so picturesque,” said Andrews.

Adding to the good atmosphere, other U.S. skaters with whom she trains also competed. Other skaters included, including her rinkmates Goku Endo, Beck Strommer, and Lindsay Wang. “It was like a little vacation with my friends, except we competed.”

Adept at social media, Andrews often posts photos of herself with her cats, although Loki died recently after experiencing heart problems. He was her travel buddy, accompanying her to several competitions and helping her navigate competition anxiety. “I have Stitch (named for a Disney character); he’s my second hairless baby,” she said, referring to her Sphynx cats.

The 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place in Wichita, Ks., from Jan. 20–26.

At 23, Andrews is a veteran competitor — this will be her eighth year in the senior division. “I’m looking forward to competing

Starr Andrews is aiming for strong performances in 2025. (Melanie Heaney/U.S. Figure Skating photo)

because I’ve had some good competitions this year and some not good competitions,” she said. “I have been doing things differently this season … I’ve been working on my Lutz jump as well as consistency, cardio, Pilates, working with a trainer. I’m looking forward to competing and showing what I’ve been doing because I’ve been putting the work in.”

Andrews is aware that the Olympic Winter Games are only a year away. The U.S. figure skating team won’t only be based on the 2026 U.S. Championships. Consistency in competition will play into the decision of the international selection committee. She sees the 2025 U.S. Championships as a time to firmly establish her intentions and goals — “to show I still have it in me,” she said. “I’m capable of putting out good programs.”

Another thing Andrews promised is to bring the glam. Her free skate is set to music from the TV show “Euphoria,” and her makeup reflects glittery looks from the show. She’s been working with Black Radiance Beauty.

“I love their makeup so much,” she said. “I don’t really wear foundation because I don’t like the way it feels when I skate and I sweat. They have a powder foundation and it’s not super-heavy. I really like it. They have a beautiful palette called Starstruck that’s all shimmer eye shadows.”

Sylvia Fowles savors her selection to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special

to the AmNews

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame will induct its 2025 class in June in Knoxville, Tenn., and Sylvia Fowles is still processing her inclusion. Her selection makes perfect sense to those who watched her 15year professional career, but she remains remarkably humble about her extensive accomplishments, which include two-time WNBA Champion with the Minnesota Lynx, eight-time WNBA All-Star, and four-time Olympic gold medalist.

“For so long, I was in work mode,” said Fowles, who retired after the 2022 WNBA season. “I knew this was my job and I treated it as such. I didn’t really think about the phenomenal things I was doing; I just knew I was doing a task and every year, you try to better yourself or better a skill or add something to your game, and that’s exactly what I did. I spent 15 years trying to perfect my craft.”

That lack of checking off boxes or reviewing her accolades means she sometimes doesn’t realize her impact on basketball.

“I just so happened to be talented and very determined to be one of the best,” said Fowles. “This [hall of fame] news gave me the time to sit back and reflect. I was just telling my mom I am the true definition of ‘I am who I am’ because of the people I’ve been blessed to be around.”

Fowles is thankful for her family, the athletic director at her middle school who hounded her to play basketball, her brothers who

showed her the fundamentals of the game, the coaches who helped her develop her skills, and her teammates.

After a calf injury during the WNBA’s bubble season in 2020, Fowles knew her playing days were winding down and she planned accordingly. She admitted that adjustment to post-retirement life wasn’t easy: She had to

herself outside of basketball.

“It took me back to the things that I enjoyed,” she said. Fowles had long expressed an interest in working in the mortuary business, and she has been doing that. She’s an avid crocheter, and friends are pushing her to start a website for her work. There are “aunty duties” for her siblings’ children. The

NBA also keeps her busy with traveling for various programs, such as Her Time to Play and Basketball Without

“I’m pretty excited about how the year ended,” said Fowles. “Since my retirement, this was the first time I actually spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the new year at home. That was a big milestone for me.”

redefine

Borders.

Sylvia Fowles (right), representing Team USA at 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in summer 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic), has been named to Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Sports

Knicks stay near the top of the standings with some warning signs

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson releases a jumper over the outstretched arm of San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama in a 117-114 Christmas Day Knicks win. (Jamir Dickens/Fenceboy Media)

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The mental resolve of the Knicks, which has been nearly impenetrable this season, could not mitigate physical fatigue in three straight losses heading into last night’s game at Madison Square Garden versus the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks were still sturdy in the standings with a record of 24-13, third best in the Eastern Conference and tied for fifth best in the NBA overall when the league’s slate games began yesterday evening.

After winning nine in a row, including a gripping 117-114 Christmas Day matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in which Knicks forward Mikal Bridges and Spurs center Victor Wembanyama gifted the Garden crowd a captivating performance, scoring 41 and 42 points respectively, the Oklahoma City Thunder (117-107), Chicago Bulls (139-126) and Orlando Magic (103-94) all seized on the Knicks’ tired fourth quarter legs.

The Knicks were unable to counter the liveliness of their opponents as head coach Tom Thibodeau has pushed his starters, showing a reluctance to go deep into his bench. With Karl-Anthony Towns (right knee tendinopathy) and Miles “Deuce”

McBride (right hamstring) out on Monday, the Magic, despite missing three starters — Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner — still had more juice than the Knicks. The game against the Magic was McBride’s fourth straight absence after injuring his hamstring during warmups before the Knicks’ 119-103 win at MSG versus the Utah Jazz on New Year’s Day.

Thibodeau acknowledged his team’s desire could not overcome their weariness.

“I don’t want to say there was a lack of effort because I think the guys were trying but we played with low energy, and we couldn’t get anything going,” he said following the defeat to the Magic.

“We have to get our energy back and that’s a big part of this league…Sometimes you have to dig down and find a way to win the game and we fell short in that area today. Tomorrow, we have a chance to look at some things and that’s where our focus has to be.”

Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who along with forward Mikal Bridges each scored a team-high 24 points, was reluctant to attribute the setback to their bodies being depleted.

“You can say that, but like I said it’s not an excuse why we lost tonight,” Brunson said.

“We just don’t say we were tired, that’s just not who we are.”

A sign of the Knicks being worn down lately is their three-point shooting. Poor perimeter shooting is often a manifestation of shaky legs. They were 4-22 on three-point attempts (18.2%), on Monday, 9-32 versus the Thunder (28.1%) and 8-30 (26.7%) against the Bulls. Even with this poor stretch, they were tied for third in the league in three-point percentage at 37.9% going into last night’s game.

Knicks forward Josh Hart asserted that shooting deficiencies should not divert the Knicks from sustaining their core principles.

“There’s going to be games where we shoot the lights out and there’s going to be games we can’t buy a shot. We got to make sure we are focused, and we give off the right energy.” he said. “We can’t have our own individual agendas, can’t do any of that we got to make sure we are locked in on this team, make sacrifices for this team and go out there and play.”

The Knicks will have a rematch with the Thunder at MSG tomorrow, face the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, meet the Detroit Pistons on Monday, and play the Philadelphia 76ers on the road next Wednesday.

Nets continue to make moves to position themselves for the future

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

The Nets are still open for business. Two weeks after trading point guard Dennis Schröder to the Golden State Warriors on December 15, the Brooklyn Nets dealt forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers for guard D’Angelo Russell; forward Maxwell Lewis; and second-round picks in 2027, 2030, and 2031. The 28-year-old Russell is back with the Nets after playing 129 games for them from 2017–2019, making the only All-Star Game of his career in 2019 before being traded in July of 2019 to the Warriors as part of the sign-and-trade agreement that made Kevin Durant a Net. The Nets are expected to make more moves before next month’s NBA trade deadline. They are stockpiling draft capital with their focus on constructing a roster that will be a future playoff contender with homegrown talent and veteran additions, similar to the plan the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets have followed to become championship caliber or rising to that level, as are the Rockets.

Heading into last night’s game versus the Detroit Pistons at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Nets had a record of 13-23 — 12th in the Eastern Conference, and were 3-10 in their previous 13 games. Since trading Schröder, head coach Jordi Fernandez’s crew was 3-8 before facing Detroit, including back-to-back home losses to the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers.

“This particular trade gives us what we need in the long term,” said Nets general manager Sean Marks regarding parting with Finney-Smith. “We’ve talked about building long-term sustainable success, and that’s what we want to get to and how we’re going to do that is going to be through future draft picks and draft assets that we get.”

Marks also noted the picks can be used in multiple ways. “The ones we get from the Lakers aren’t for several years, so this shows us that we’ve got plenty of flexibility in moving the draft picks, or we can hold onto them and see how these teams will go and where the picks may fall at the time of the draft.”

As the Nets rebuild, they have 31 draft picks over the next seven years: 15 in the first round and 16 second-rounders. Guard Cam Thomas and forward Cam Johnson,

the Nets’ two leading scorers, are attractive players to many teams and will be under consideration as the Nets continue to explore the market.

Thomas returned to the lineup on December 29 after missing 13 straight games with a left hamstring strain. He re-injured it last Thursday after playing just two games in a 113-110 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks and is sidelined again. He will be reevaluated after the team’s upcoming five-game Western Conference road trip, which begins tomorrow versus the Denver Nuggets and concludes on January 19 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Nets will also face the Utah Jazz on Sunday, the Portland Trailblazers next Tuesday, the L.A. Clippers next Wednesday, and the L.A. Lakers on January 17.

Nets traded forward Dorian Finney-Smith (pictured) to Los Angeles Lakers on December 29 in exchange for guard D’Angelo Russell. (Bill Moore photo)

New York Amsterdam News Issue Jan 9-15, 2025

BROOKLYN IN CHARGE

DIRECTORY

City officials race to get National Guard out of migrant shelters

Board of Correction expands on how Charizma Jones was denied medical care on Rikers before death

Biden and First Lady commiserate with victims’ families in New Orleans

Deadly beating of Robert Brooks magnifies state prison conditions

I.A.M.E Programming Founder

Darnell ‘Mr. H’ Hospedales

Black New Yorker

PUBLIC MEETINGS & NOTICES

Brooklyn in the House: U.S. Rep. Clarke to head Congressional Black Caucus

CAPITAL PROJECTS PUBLIC HEARING

Public Hearing

Trace, ARDN team up to promote African diaspora and gender equality

Union Matters

NYC to pay $29.9 million for justice in Fire Protection Inspector case

Opinion

A “reckoning” of Jimmy Carter

Bringing Black voices to the stage: Why representation matters in classical theater

Trump’s Panama canal comments threaten Black labor’s legacy

A legacy of violence against Black communities

Fighting Anticipatory Anxiety

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

Caribbean Update

Trinidad under state of emergency as violent crime spirals

Trump’s flip-flop on H-1B Visas is stark contrast to his past

International News

Curaçao and the Dutch Antilles: The struggle for independence

France’s military is being ousted from more African countries. Here’s

why

Arts & Entertainment

Dr. John Francis walks into history with Oscar-shortlisted doc ‘Planetwalker’

BIPOC triumphs, “Emilia Pérez” wins big, and Cynthia Erivo snub shocks at Golden Globes

January 2025 Dance Calendar

Zendaya and Tom Holland are engaged; Floyd Mayweather rents a $100K per month

Manhattan pad; Simone Biles is SI’s Sportsperson of the Year

FLO

ANTHONY

GO WITH THE FLO

Free, online documentary film screening of ‘The Palestine Exception’

visually reimagines texts from artists via the Black experience

Special to the AmNews

‘Cult Of Love’ serves up family dysfunction on a silver platter

Ayana Jackson’s star shines in B’way’s ‘MJ: The Musical’

Jazz Boxx, Jazz Congress, Unity Jazz, Winter Jazzfest

French military

What is France’s new strategy in Africa?

HIRING

LABOR RELATIONS SPECIALIST

TIVOLI BI LLC

CLASSROOM IN THE

Clarice Taylor, an actress capable of comedic and emotional prowess

ACTIVITIES

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Reckoning

Affordable Housing for Rent

Doula Teresa Lasbrey Peters on empowering individuals going through the birthing process Health

Special

NEED HEALTH INSURANCE

Education

Closure of Crown Heights Middle School postponed

Report: Planet is getting warmer, faster

Disastrous future forecast

NYS BOARD OF REGENTS

Religion & Spirituality

Medicine for a new year

Why Trump’s HUD pick is a red flag for housing advocates

CLASSIFIED ADS

RULES AND REGULATIONS

CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED DISPLAY

CLASSIFICATIONS

BASIS OF CHARGE

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE OF SALE

NYC Division I women’s basketball teams dive into conference action

The Prudential Center host the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic

Disastrous season for Jets ends with numerous unanswered questions