New York Amsterdam News May 23-29, 2024

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Council Member Salaam intros bill to put social workers in precincts

(See story on page 3)

Afro Puerto Ricans rally for their own CROWN Act

(See story on page 4)

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CONGOLESE BISHOPS DECRY ‘TRAIL OF MURDERS’ IN CITY OF GOMA

(GIN) - A despairing picture of the Democratic Republic of Congo was recently captured by a group of local bishops who condemned how “the dignity of the Congolese people is being undermined.”

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa, told the Fides news service that the “situation in and around [the capital city of] Goma is worsening day by day.” According to the Cardinal, a rebel military group, the March 23 Movement, or M23, has taken up arms against North Kivu and has captured several towns.

“The M23 continues to conquer territories while the Congolese army is in complete chaos,” the Cardinal said. “What we fear most is general insecurity, especially in Goma and throughout the east of the country.”

An assessment by the bishops followed a week-long meeting in Butembo-Beni and appeared in the news service Agenzia Fides.

The bishops urged leaders of the Congo to stop running the country as if it were their private domain. The international commu-

International News

nity must “stop choking Africa” and understand that the Democratic Republic of Congo is not for sale and cannot be lawlessly exploited, they said.

The bishops further denounced “the insecurity which has become endemic, with its trail of murders, massacres, and kidnappings” as well as the “continued siege of the city of Goma by the M23, which is backed by Rwanda.”

The deadly situation has led to some parishes having to partially or totally close, and young people have been left abandoned. This has led to a “breach in trust between the civil popula-

tion and the military, […] and the civil population and the state authorities,” the bishops said.

According to Human Rights Watch, there are more than 130 active armed groups attacking civilians in eastern Congo’s North and South Kivu provinces. Many of their commanders have been implicated in war crimes, including ethnic massacres, rape, forced recruitment of children, and pillage.

“What amazes people here is the guilty silence of the international community, which is more concerned about what is happening in...Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, as if the life of a Congolese does not count,” the bishops’ statement continues.

According to the Civil Society Coordination Office, the goal of M23 is “to suffocate the towns of Goma by cutting off all food supplies from South Kivu. For this reason, boats on Lake Kivu are also bombed.”

The Civil Society Coordination therefore calls on the UN Security Council to appoint the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against the civilian population in the region and to impose an embargo

Baudilio: An African djeli born in Colombia’s Guapi

By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA

Special to the AmNews

Translated by KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Slowly, with steady steps, Baudilio Revelo Hurtado walked up the staircase to the graduate school of Cali, Colombia’s University del Valle, where Dr. Dario Henao Restrepo is the director. He was greeted with tenderness and affection by students in the course I was teaching about the African diaspora and Afro-epistemology.

His presence and thoughts were like a lullaby, and each phrase and prayer was full of wisdom. It reminded me of the role the Mandinga djeli play in the current Republic of Mali.

Baudilio is a criminologist and criminal lawyer by profession, but essentially, he is a leader in orality (the quality of being spoken or verbally communicated), of justice, and above all a defender of the ancestral language, to which he has dedicated a large part of his life, searching under the leaves, in the currents of the rivers, in the cries of the birds... for the African ancestral language.

In the Bambara and Mandinga languages, men and women of the committed word are called djeli. The French, when they colonized Africa, changed this name to griot. When I stayed in Bamako, Mali’s capital, in 2014, I visited the town of Djéné and other regions of this great country; I participated in births and funerals; witnessed musical encounters that used instruments like the balafon, the ngoni, and the kora; and saw that at the end of each oral testimony, djeli men and women told stories with ethical examples.

Baudilio listened as I spoke about the first human rights charter of humanity, known as the Kurukan Fuga or Mande Charter, written and implemented by the leader of the Mandinga territory, Sundiata Keita. Baudilio asked if this charter came before the French charter of the Rights of Man. Yes: The Mande Charter was an inter-ethnic peace agreement that declared respect for women, for water, and for prisoners of war. Keita wrote it in 1235 and it was declared a world heritage by UNESCO in 2009.

Baudilio, as a lawyer, said, “It is that Africa has given so much to humanity...yet the West pretends to erase its contributions in the field of law and wisdom and what you call Afro-epistemology.”

In his book “Ritos de orillas. Espiritualidad de las comunidades negras del Pacífico colombiano” (“Coastal Rites: The spirituality of the Black Communities of the Colombian

Pacific”; prologue by researcher and Africanist Jaime Arocha Rodríguez), Baudilio wrote that “in the Chigualo, we come across several literary figures, the collective songs, riddles, couplets, stories, legends, cachos or jokes, sayings that resisted with dignity, and stood strong to prevent liturgical orality from disappearing or being erased by the forced displacement experienced when the bird of fear appears armed with machine guns.”

Despite the violence that Colombia has always experienced, orality did not disappear. Like a great djeli, it goes in search along the rivers, in the mountains, guided by the songs of the birds that leave traces with their plumage to guide the way.

Through his many years of life and experience, scholarly travels, legal battles, undying fight for ethical renewal, and revolutionary spirit, Baudilio has provided an example to follow.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (GIN photo)

Baudilio Revelo Hurtado in an interview with Jesús Chucho Garcia (Jesús Chucho Garcia photo)

Bowman and Latimer approach home stretch with debate

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

The race for the congressional seat in the 16th district between incumbent U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Westchester County Executive George Latimer is reaching the home stretch.

The candidates held their first televised debate last week, both fiercely defending their positions and racking up the tension in the race to 11. Political insiders consider the outcome of June’s primary a bellwether of the general election for the presidency in November because of the looming influence of the Israel-Palestine war in this race.

“In the week since (the debate), it’s almost as if my willingness to call his campaign out on their bigotry has given a greenlight to him, his supporters, and his Republican mega-donors to go from dog whistles to outright anti-Black racism,” Bowman said

in a statement. “This race, just like elections across the country this year, is about the threats our community and our values face from Donald Trump and his mega-donors.”

Bowman is the first Black person to represent the 16th congressional district, but even as an incumbent, he’s been seen as the underdog in the fight. He comes from a working-class background and was a middle school principal in the Bronx for 10 years, building a platform on uplifting communities of color in the district that have been overlooked.

Co-Op City in the Bronx, as well as New Rochelle, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, and parts of Westchester County, were considered strongholds of Black and Brown support for Bowman during his initial 2020 run. The neighborhood was removed from the district in the controversial 2022 redistricting process, but returned this year, according to New York Working Families Party (WFP)

See DEBATE on page 27

Department for the Aging calls on older New Yorkers and caregivers to provide feedback in online survey

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

The NYC Department for the Aging wants to hear from older New Yorkers—ages 60 and “better,” along with their caretakers— through the agency’s service needs assessment, a 20-minute survey assessing the current needs of elderly residents. They can find it at: https://agingnyc.az1.qualtrics. com/jfe/form/SV_3WSqa83TntBDG86

“With more older New Yorkers aging, every community will also see an increase in caregivers, like myself, looking after their loved ones,” Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, said in a statement. “This survey will help

us better understand the needs of caregivers so we can alleviate their stress and help them overcome the challenges they face. By focusing on their needs, we can better support New Yorkers as they age-in-place.”

While the questionnaire is entirely voluntary, NYC Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez told the Amsterdam News that she wants New Yorkers to approach it as an opportunity rather than a burden. In short, the survey is the department’s first step towards determining which seniors have “access to appropriate and effective services.”

“Data sets up good policy…the notion [is] that we are not going to design or make assumptions about preferences and needs is very important to us,” said Cortés-Vázquez.

“You need the older person’s voice in this situation.”

She points to the city’s more diverse aging population, with a 22% growth of older Black New Yorkers from 2010 to 2021. Older Hispanic and Asian populations grew by even larger percentages in the city in the same timespan. But many Department for the Aging services were designed before such demographic changes. CortésVázquez believes the survey will update the agency’s understanding to better reflect the city’s burgeoning nonwhite population ages 60 and over.

With growing diversity comes what the Commissioner calls a “new polyglot.” The survey is offered in 11 different languages including Spanish and Haitian Creole.

Roughly half of seniors do not speak English at home.

In the past, community feedback helped the Department of Aging surmise policy and services like the universal design concepts, which expanded housing design beyond ADA to accommodate a wide array of New Yorkers including older residents with accessibility and comfort. Recently, the agency, partnering with the Department of Transportation, enlisted older New Yorkers to audit traffic safety after seniors made up almost half of the city’s pedestrian fatalities. Directly hearing from those residents allowed the city to identify which crosswalks, traffic lights and sidewalks needed to be addressed to keep them

See DEPT OF AGING on page 31

Councilmembers Salaam and Bottcher propose placing around-the-clock social workers in every NYPD precinct

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

Councilmembers Yusef Salaam and Erik Bottcher introduced a bill that would mandate social workers at all 77 police precincts last Thursday, May 16 in an announcement held at Harlem’s Masjid Malcolm Shabazz.

“For far too long, our police precincts have shouldered the burden of addressing social and emotional needs beyond their scope of expertise,” Salaam said in his remarks. “Everyday officers encounter individuals grappling with issues like poverty, substance abuse, mental health crisis, and domestic violence. These are issues that

demand a delicate touch, a nuanced understanding, and resources beyond what traditional law enforcement can provide.

“Our bill calls for trained social workers to be stationed in every police precinct across our city,” he added.

These social workers would be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And they would report directly and independently to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, not police. The licensed specialists would be tasked with handling noncarceral business that regularly shuffles through police precincts.

If the bill passes, the city would need roughly 200 social workers to fully staff the initiative, but its introduction coincides

with a current shortage in the field.

“It is true that we are facing a shortage of social workers and we’re having trouble filling the spots that are available right now in the social work field,” said Bottcher. “But that should not stop us from pursuing these critical policies…the answer is to redouble our efforts to increase the number of social workers. There’s no reason why in a city of 8.5 million people, we shouldn’t have licensed social workers for every open position.”

The bill’s authors suggested state legislation repealing licensing exams could be the answer to not only more social workers, but more culturally competent ones. Just 49% of Black and 63% of Hispanic social workers passed the Association of Social Work

Boards exam on their first try compared to 86% of white social workers. Meanwhile, social workers overwhelmingly operate in communities of color statewide. Unlike programs like the NYPD’s B-Heard or proposed state legislation like Daniel’s Law, the city council bill does not specifically replace cops with social workers on certain calls. Rather, the civilian responders remain present and available to tackle public safety concerns that don’t necessitate police.

Joining Salaam and Bottcher on stage last Thursday was civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel and Terrance Coffie, a professor of social work at NYU.

See PROPOSAL on page 31

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., listens to fellow speakers before President Joe Biden speaks on the debt limit during an event at SUNY Westchester Community College, May 10, 2023, in Valhalla, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Biden beckons Black Americans

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

President Biden continued his tour to bolster his sagging poll numbers with African Americans during a Detroit visit at the local NAACP branch’s annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner this past Sunday.

As with his earlier speeches at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and as commencement speaker at Morehouse College, Biden’s message was just as explicitly clear in Detroit: “The nation...needs all of you.”

And so does the president if he is to carry a state that was so decisive to his victory in 2020.

“Because of your vote,” he said, “it’s the only reason I’m standing here as president of the United States. You’re the reason Donald Trump is the defeated former president and you’re the reason Donald Trump is going to be a loser again.”

There was no mention of his primary opponent in his address at Morehouse, which he kept focused on the graduates and the school’s history and tradition as a pioneering HBCU. “I got more Morehouse men in the White House telling me what to do than I know what to do,” he quipped to laughter. “You all think I’m kidding, don’t you? You know I’m not. And it’s the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Inevitably, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the school’s most celebrated alumni, was evoked. “Dr. King’s legacy had a profound impact on me and my generation, whether you’re Black or white. I left the fancy law firm I had just joined and decided to become a public defender and then a county councilman, working to change our state’s politics to embrace the cause of civil rights,” Biden said.

In keeping with part of his mission at Morehouse he noted that “in addition to the original $7 billion investment in HBCUs, I’m investing $16 billion more, more in our history because you’re vital to our nation.

Most HBCUs don’t have the endowments. The jobs of the future require sophisticated laboratories, [and] sophisticated opportunities on campus.”

While he spoke at the commencement, which was covered by several national outlets, some graduates were adorned with items indicating their silent protest, some turned their backs, and one held a Palestinian flag. A Congolese flag was also held on stage behind Biden as he spoke.

To some degree, the president acknowledged the protests, declaring that the war in Gaza was a humanitarian crisis. “What’s happening in Gaza and Israel is heartbreaking,” he began.

“Hamas’ vicious attack on Israel, killing innocent lives and holding people hostage. I was there nine days after seeing pictures of tying a mother and a daughter with a rope, pouring kerosene on them, burning them, and watching as they died. Innocent Palestinians caught in the middle of all this: men, women, and children killed or displaced in desperate need of water, food, and medicine. It’s a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

He said that’s why he called for an immediate ceasefire and to bring the hostages home. “And I’ve been working on a deal as we speak, working around the clock to lead an international effort to get more aid to Gaza [and] rebuild Gaza.”

When he arrived in Detroit, he was greeted by a louder chorus of resentment with some chanting “Say it loud, say it clear, Biden we don’t want you here.” And “Biden, Biden you’re a liar, we demand a ceasefire.”

Unlike his remarks at Morehouse, Biden delivered a full-throated assault on Trump, calling him by name. “Trump isn’t running to lead America. He’s running for revenge,” Biden said.

Biden will meet and greet President William Ruto of the Republic of Kenya this week. It will be interesting to see what Biden has to say about Kenyan officers slated to be deployed to Haiti to quell the turmoil there.

Afro Puerto Ricans rally for their own CROWN Act

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The Puerto Rican capital witnessed a large gathering of Afro Puerto Ricans and anti-racist activists on Tuesday, May 14. Even with threats of the day’s heat index reaching as high as 108 degrees Fahrenheit, demonstrators showed up in San Juan for an Afro Hair Pride rally designed to prove that people with afro-textured roots love their hair attributes and the inheritance it portrays.

For three hours, 30 different groups gathered with supporters to occupy the grounds in front of legislative offices and pressure politicians to pass Senate Bill 1282 (PS 1282). The bill, which was already approved in the Senate on April 18, now just needs to be evaluated and passed by the House of Representatives before making its way to the governor for his signature.

But this session of Puerto Rico’s Legislative Assembly ends as soon as this June.

“So we are a little bit against the clock,” Sacha Antonetty-Lebron, founder of the Afro Puerto Rican magazine Revista Étnica, told the AmNews. “And if we do not see this bill in the House, the effort of having won in the Senate would remain, but, unfortunately, we would have to start the whole process all over again next year.”

The Afro Hair Pride rally was organized by Revista Étnica, the Cimarrona Resistance Collective, and the community organization Colectivo Ilé—three groups that are part of Puerto Rico’s anti-racist movement network.

The network has been promoting anti-racist education and ways to help change public policies since 2020, following the global anti-racism uprisings after the murder of George Floyd. One of the programs they created was called AfroJuventudes, which allowed young people to talk about the issues affecting them. Many spoke about the racial discrimination they suffer and their lack of job opportunities—often tied to a prominently Black physical appearance. “We worked with 50 young Black and Afro-descendent women throughout the archipelago of Puerto Rico,” Antonetty-Lebron said. “And one of the issues we were working on was hair. We also talked about the opportunity to do activist work, we gave anti-racist education, and showed that we can generate public policies that could bring about change throughout the country.”

A day to celebrate kinky hair

The Afro Hair Pride rally was used as a day to celebrate kinky hair and to show off varied hairstyles alongside music, art, grooming and styling stations, book exhibitions, and educational materials. The event was modeled after Brazil’s Marcha do Orgulho Crespo (Afro Hair Pride March) which first took place in São Paulo in 2015 but has gained fame for its celebrations in southern Brazil’s Paraná state.

Speakers at the Puerto Rico rally included Alanis M. Ruiz Guevara of the Cimarrona Resistance Collective. Ruiz Guevara had been serving as an intern in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives when she heard about the work of the U.S.-based CROWN Coalition. PS 1282, the “Law

Against Discrimination Based on Hair Styles,” is Puerto Rico’s version of the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act which, in some 23 U.S. states and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, prohibits denial of employment, admission to educational institutions, or other opportunities to people because of their naturally kinky hair texture.

This year’s version of the bill is a follow-up to the original 2021 legislation which stalled in the House of Representatives. Co-authored by Senators Ana Irma Rivera Lassén and Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl of the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana (Citizen Victory Movement), the text of the PS 1282 bill points out that the discrimination against people who wear their hair in natural Black hairstyles is so emotionally and psychologically potent that it forces Afro Puerto Ricans to “change their identity or their physical appearance in order to access different spaces in education, employment or even housing.”

The bill references an article from Revista Étnica, which looked at how anti-Black racism affects children in Puerto Rican schools. In the archipelago’s public and private schools, there are explicit rules against hair styles that feature braids or that use so-called “ethnic-cuts.” “Racist slurs or lack of racial affirmation in the school or family environment are events that shape and define childhood identity development,” the article, written by Edmy Ayala, argues: “And it may even follow them into adulthood. Language has been repeatedly identified as a tool that perpetuates individual and institutional racism.”

See CROWN ACT on page 36

Kenya to deploy troops in Haiti this week

By ASHLEIGH FIELDS

AmNews Contributing Writer

Kenya will send military personnel to Port-au-Prince, Haiti this week with hopes of stabilizing the island country’s widespread turmoil since the capital fell last year.

“We Haitians have to decide who is going to be the head of the country and what model of government we want,” G9 gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier told reporters. “We are also going to figure out how to get Haiti out of the misery it’s in now.”

Since 2023, the United Nations Integration Office in Haiti (BINUH) reported over 8,400 direct victims of gang violence, up 122% from 2022.

Chérizier, a former police officer, has been dubbed as one of the na-

tion’s most notorious and influential denizens. Gangs like his have overtaken the country’s main airport, abducted hostages and released over 4,000 inmates from the two largest prisons, wreaking havoc on an already unstable environment.

Port-au-Prince accounted for 83% of killings and injuries on the island since the chaos began, while violence also spread to other areas, specifically to Artibonite.

“As long as the gangs continue to have access to very sophisticated firearms, they will have the capability to subject the Haitian population to terror,” Ghada Waly, Eexecutive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said earlier this year.

She mentioned finding 11 informal

airstrips across the nation potentially being used to import illegal weapons and drugs to local gangs like 5 Segond and 400 Mawozo.

“Every passing day that this longawaited support has not yet arrived is one day too many,” said Jean Victor Geneus, Haiti’s minister for foreign affairs.

Kenyan delegates have been selected to work alongside the Haitian National Police Force funded by $300 million USD under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.

“The MSS is time-bound and subject to periodic review, per the U.N. Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2699,” a State Department spokesperson said. “The mission is authorized for an initial period of

See HAITI on page 36

City Safe Partners promotes community, security

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Soyini Chan Shue, founder/owner of the security firm City Safe Partners, used the skills and knowledge she gained working with the New York Police Department (NYPD) to start her own business.

Chan Shue retired from the NYPD in 2015 after serving as an officer for 22 years. She gained a world of experience: working in community policing, answering radio calls while out on patrol, serving in the traffic control division, and rising to the rank of sergeant-special assignment while investigating vice/drugs and narcotics with the Organized Crime Control Bureau.

When she heard about a small security firm that was for sale, Chan Shue thought that with the public safety and security experience she already had, it was her chance to become an entrepreneur. “But I kind of underestimated entrepreneurship, to be honest,” she said with a laugh in thinking back about that today. “It looks so glamorous from the outside, but when I got into it, I said, ‘Oh, man, this is a little bit more complicated and demanding than I initially thought.’”

Chan Shue purchased the 12-person Overwatch Services security firm and quickly rebranded it as City Safe Partners Security. She wanted City Safe Partners to give off a certain kind of feel — less of a vigilante aura and more of a sense of safety.

“Cops are people, and some people are just jaded when they have a bad experience,” Chan Shue told the AmNews. “They start to think all people are bad; some people have preconceived notions. I see the good in people and I see the worst in people, and that’s the beauty of policing.”

When she worked with the NYPD, Chan Shue enjoyed the aspect of policing that brought her in touch with people. She liked meeting people every day, visiting schools and store owners, and getting to know a neighborhood. “Sometimes you see people doing amazing deeds to help people out when they’re going through difficult situations,” she recalled. “You see people who will help the police: I’ve been helped several times, and that really taught me a lot about people and how to treat people, whether they committed a crime or not. You know, you treat people with respect.

“When you live in the same city that you work in [as police], you’re going to run into somebody that you’ve locked up before, so you try to make that experience as respectful as possible, because you’re not really the judge and the jury,” she added. “You’re just enforcing the law and keeping people safe.”

As the new owner of City Safe Partners, Chan Shue found herself being a boss. Instead of receiving a steady NYPD paycheck, she was responsible for payroll, company tax compliance, and nurturing and keeping clients. After hiring professionals to help her,

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

Black

New Yorker

she enrolled in various free classes offered at local women and small business development programs throughout the city. That’s where she learned how to be an entrepreneur. And, since she had spent decades living and working in Harlem, she was able to cultivate more clients for City Safe Partners.

A community-based background

At age 20, Chan Shue made two monumental changes in her life: She moved out of her family’s South Bronx home and to Harlem, and she accepted an offer to join the NYPD.

After high school, she had wanted to become a nurse, but while she was attending Bronx Community College, her father had a stroke, causing her to pause her studies so she could help look after him. Once he recovered, she picked up odd jobs (like braiding hair at Harlem’s Billy Jeans Hair Salon) while looking for a career she could both like and use to pay the bills.

Then the NYPD called. She had taken the Police Officer Exam at age 18 after her mother read in The Chief about an upcoming test. Chan Shue had an aunt who was an NYPD sergeant and knew that the NYPD offered retirement benefits after 20 years. Her parents said, “You love to help people; maybe this is a great job for you.”

Chan Shue’s scores came back high, and the department called her right away. When they found out she was 18, they told her she’d have to wait until age 20 before she could start. By age 20, she was living on her own and realized that becoming a nurse meant taking more biology courses and paying more money, and decided to join the NYPD.

“I said, let me join the NYPD, let me give this a shot. And, actually, once I joined, I loved it. There was no looking back.

“My father had said, ‘If you want to make a change, you got to be part of it to make the change.’ I was glad that he gave me that advice because I think that…people who understand the issues within our community… make better police officers. I think that we’re

Pros of Congestion Pricing and Expanded Fair Fares Outweigh Cons

Congestion pricing is set to go into effect next month in Manhattan’s central business district. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fund upkeep of New York City’s public transportation, clean our air and even reimagine traffic and pedestrian flows citywide.

Just after midnight on June 30th, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) plans to switch on the nation’s first congestion pricing zone, which is expected to raise $1 billion annually for MTA capital improvements and encourage commuters to find a different way into central Manhattan, one of the world’s busiest commercial districts.

This sea change, expected to increase subway ridership, is also a great time for the New York City Council and Mayor Eric Adams to expand Fair Fares, the program that provides 50 percent discounts on Metro Cards for lowincome households. Let’s make the discounts available to households with annual incomes of up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL), which is about $62,000 for a family of four. Currently, the program’s income eligibility threshold is 120 percent of FPL, or $37,440 for a family of four.

Expanding Fair Fares would add to congestion pricing’s implementation in a way that emphasizes equity and fairness, particularly for lower-income individuals struggling to pay transit fares. The MTA offers congestion zone discounts for drivers making less than $50,000 a year, and an array of exemptions for emergency vehicles, commuter buses and drivers with disabilities.

Congestion pricing represents a huge opportunity for New York’s political, business and nonprofit leaders to hold hearings and take actions that transform the citywide coexistence of pedestrians, private cars, trucks and MTA buses. For instance, how about making outer-borough intersections more pedestrian-friendly, Manhattan sidewalks cleaner and reining in the explosion of package delivery trucks blocking the streets everywhere?

The Manhattan congestion pricing zone, which will charge a base rate of $15 a day for motor vehicle access to Manhattan below 60th Street, makes businesses and well-heeled commuters who drive into lower Manhattan pay the higher tolls. It will give the MTA badly needed revenue to improve train and bus services for students, workers, the poor and low-income people who depend on the system.

The proposal is not a sure thing. Although the MTA expects the plan to go forward, there are ongoing legal challenges from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, as well as a consortium of public-

sector unions and city residents. U.S. District Court Judge Leo Gordon, who is presiding over New Jersey’s congestion pricing lawsuit, has said he will rule on the case in early June, just days before the MTA hopes to turn on the tolling system. The lawsuits –– they should fail –– falsely argue congestion pricing is unfair to drivers because public transit isn’t robust enough to serve their needs.

Ample evidence overseas suggests otherwise. New York City is following in the footsteps of London in 2003, Singapore in 1997 and Stockholm in 2006, which have all shown that congestion pricing is effective. In those cities, it encouraged carpooling, use of public transportation and traveling at off-peak times. It also resulted in shorter travel times, improved air quality and less traffic, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation study.

Small businesses are sure to benefit from less traffic and an increase in the number of pedestrians riding buses and subways. It will make their locations more attractive by driving foot traffic to pre-pandemic levels, which in turn increases sales and employment.

Another concern of opponents –– that congestion pricing would unfairly impact the poor and low-wage essential workers ––is misguided. A study by my organization, the Community Service Society of New York, found the impact on poor and low-income people is not as severe as naysayers suggest. The study showed 57 percent of outer-borough residents depend on MTA commuter bus and rail service, and would directly benefit from system repairs and upgrades.

Moreover, the CSS study found only four percent of outer-borough workers (about 128,000 people) would pay congestion fees as part of their daily commute, and only two percent of those workers living in poverty (about 5,000 people) would be asked to pay congestion fees as part of their daily commute. This is also a target audience for expanded Fair Fares. It would help their transition to public transportation.

There are, indeed, legitimate concerns about gridlock in Harlem and the Bronx as some drivers inevitably maneuver outside the congestion zone. But this is nothing the New York Police Department traffic division cannot handle.

It’s not a stretch to believe New Yorkers want congestion pricing. If the MTA delivers better service, NYPD protects the Bronx and Uptown and it includes steps to improve traffic in the boroughs, city dwellers will overwhelmingly support Manhattan tolls that improve mass transit and reduce traffic choking New York City streets.

Soyini Chan Shue

Why are Democrats losing Black and Latino voters?

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

Voters of color have overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates in presidential years despite a small throughline of cultural conservatism, mostly among male Black and Brown voters. But, according to pollsters, in the four years since the 2020 presidential election, Democrats have lost a little ground with their most loyal demographic.

In New York City, the loss of former Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez in the Bronx—the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the seat—to Republican newcomer and now Councilmember Kristy Marmorato in 2023’s citywide council district elections was a bit shocking to local politicos. This was the first time in 40 years a Republican was elected to the City Council from the Bronx.

Velázquez was an incumbent and considered to have “every structural advantage” she needed to win. For context, City Council District 13 is made up of mostly Hispanic (44 percent) and White non-Hispanic (31 percent) residential workingand middle-class homeowners in the East Bronx, according to the Center for Urban Research at the City University of New York (CUNY). The district was also about 61 percent Democrat and 14 percent Republican.

Most believe her loss was because she backed the Bruckner Boulevard rezoning, which proposed creating four new buildings with 349 units among seven properties in the district. A portion of the units would be for seniors, veterans, and lowerthan-market-rate housing.

“I have to be honest, I struggled with it,” Velázquez said in an NY1 interview. She believed it was the right decision to make even though it probably cost her the election. “I was complacent, in a world where we need to come forward and talk about what pressing matters we could have…I certainly didn’t have the opportunity to fully discuss the rezoning, what led to my decision, and ultimately owning to the fact that at this point in time, not just New York City, New York State, and my district, we need to talk about housing and housing for everyone.”

District 13 was just one City Council district in the Bronx in a hyperlocal election that implemented ranked choice voting (RCV). According to experts the AmNews reached out to, the small portion of voters of color who don’t identify as Democrat or vote for Democrats may give some insight into the national polling trends in political affiliations among racial groups and what issues are flipping people’s loyalties going into the 2024 presidential election.

A 2023 Gallup survey indicated that at least 66 percent of non-Hispanic Black adults and 47 percent of Hispanic adults identify as Democrat or Democratic-leaning, while 19 percent of non-Hispanic Black

adults and 35 percent of Hispanics identify as Republican. For comparison, in 2020, 77 percent of Black adults favored the Democrats and 11 percent the Republicans. Democrats’ hold among Hispanic adults and adults aged 18–29 has especially “slid,” according to the data.

It’s critical to note that national polling researchers have found it difficult to reach voters of color to survey. Black American opinions have been notoriously underrepresented and polling rarely captures the cultural and lingual variation within the Latino and Hispanic communities, leading to a higher margin of error for these groups.

Moss hopes that as more Black and Hispanic voters break with their generational tradition of voting Democrat, they consider being Republican, but ultimately thinks the divisiveness and extreme loyalty in political parties that’s prevalent in discussing today’s politics would drive more people in the state to be independent or leave their ballots blank in November. “I’m not sure either Trump or [President Joe] Biden has handled or said the right things that are going to attract a larger segment of Hispanic or Black vote,” said Moss, about the impact of the Israel-Palestine war.

possibly the biggest determinant. Black Protestants and Hispanic Catholics have been considered “solidly Democratic” for decades, according to the Pew Research Center, but a small chunk of both identifies as Republican or leans Republican, probably because of issues like LGBTQ rights, abortion, homelessness, and crime.

Being Black and Republican

“I’ll be honest, are there tons of African American Republicans throughout the state? No, there’s not, but look, in the area (where) I grew up here in upstate New York, if you’re a good person and do a good job, people vote for the person,” said Chemung County Executive Chris Moss, 57, a Black Republican who was elected to office in 2018 in Elmira, N.Y. He spent about 30 years in law enforcement before getting elected.

Being one of only a few Black Republicans can lead to feeling isolated, he said.

Moss was one of the upstate county executives who signed an emergency order against Mayor Eric Adams’s relocation plan to offset the city’s burden to shelter asylum seekers and migrants. He theorized more largely that “kitchen table” issues like gas prices, affordable housing, public safety, and inflation, along with immigration and border security, might be influencing some people to lean away from the Democrat side.

Moss doesn’t view the Republican party as being synonymous with anti-immigration or Trump. He has not attended any Black Voices for Trump rallies. He noted that most Republican leaders and a silent majority are afraid of what would happen to them if they don’t support Trump and toe the party line. He said he intended to vote for Nikki Haley if she were still in the race, but certainly won’t pick what he called a “weak” Biden.

“I think he panders—look at these school loans. I know lots of people who have been paying off their school loans, including my wife. Not anymore but for many, many years,” said Moss about Biden. “To come in and have those loans taken care of by the federal government— I don’t think that’s fair.”

In addition to race and ethnicity, factors affecting party affiliation nowadays include age, education, geographic region, gender, global politics, and size of one’s community. However, the intersection of religion with race and social justice issues is quite

“If you aggregate and look at countries of origin, particularly for Latinos, if coming from a country with authoritarian rulers or socialism or communism, they are more aligned with Republican parties and candidates,” explained Dr. Nadia E. Brown, a professor of government and chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and affiliate in the African American Studies program at Georgetown University. “[For] Evangelical, Catholic Latinos, questions on abortion rights and access are a driving factor.”

Brown noted that for Afro Latinos who have less “proximity to whiteness” in terms of skin color, despite their religion, cultural traditions, or language, the perception of being Black American is more pronounced.

“Because of the ‘one-drop rule,’ whether you are a Black Latino or Black Caribbean person, you’re treated all the same in the United States. Those differences get flattened, but proximity to whiteness can change politics for Latinos who were receiving benefits in their home country,” said Brown.

There’s also a gender gap in the voting behavior of Black men and women. Black women, for the most part, remain a major and loyal voting bloc for Democrats. Black men are mostly Democratic, but there’s a resonance for some with more conservative and Republican-leaning values because of their standing in a patriarchal society that’s hindered by structural racism, said Brown.

About 19 percent of Black men approved of Trump in 2020, Gallup reported.

“Republicans are seen as strong men— you’re pro-military—compared to Democrats, who are more feminized, dealing with issues like health care or women and children’s issues,” said Brown. “Trump is unabashedly flexing masculinity. It’s toxic as hell, but he’s making a group of people… feel powerful because they are men. It speaks to men who feel they have been left behind. For Black men, that left-behind is the feeling that ‘because of racism, I don’t have the same access to patriarchy that I should have.’”

Factors affecting party affiliation

Hispanics are considered the largest growing population in the U.S., although who is defined by the U.S. Census as such has been hotly debated for decades. Their question on the census form has been revised more than once and still might not include all the racial and ethnic distinctions.

“There’s way more variation—Puerto Ricans being actual American citizens versus Cubans versus Mexicans versus first-, second-, third-generation,” said Dr.

A member of the audience applauds as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at Black Conservative Federation’s Annual BCF Honors Gala at Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Tasha Philpot, a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. “Each of those groups is very different in terms of their outlook toward politics, especially if they’re phenotypically white versus phenotypically Black.”

Philpot joked that she gave up trying to predict elections back in 2016 based on polling, but can say for sure that Black and Brown voters have not always agreed in terms of political ideology. Despite these differences, the voting bloc largely tends to prioritize race and racialized issues such as civil rights, said Philpot.

“Blacks are the most religious group in today’s society—Black women especially— so a lot of conservative views tend to stem from their alliance with Judeo-Christian principles,” Philpot said. “The other thing is (that in) moving from slavery into Jim Crow, there’s still an adherence to respectability politics, which requires…mirroring, as much as possible, mainstream society in terms of being chaste, [and focusing] on family values and traditional gender roles. But one of the reasons that doesn’t transfer into voting patterns is because there’s more imminent issues that they think about when it comes to casting a ballot.”

Last year’s statistics “represent a new low” for Democrats, coupled with the rise of ultra-conservative Republican groups attempting to reach more Black and Brown voters, whether through campaign promises or bizarrely fake AI-fueled images of Trump posing with Black people.

Historically, Gallup reported that the Democratic candidate for president over the last five presidential elections since 2000 has averaged 91 percent of the Black vote, with 8 percent on average going to the Republican candidate.

In the 2000 presidential election, where George W. Bush ran against Al Gore in a contested decision that ultimately ended up in the Supreme Court, only 9 percent of Blacks and 35 percent of Hispanics voted Republican.

Brown said that was a comparatively small number but was still considered a “sizable shift” in people of color voting Republican since the 1950s, which led political scientists to believe that trend would continue even though 50 percent of Black voters thought Bush “stole the election” and that their votes weren’t counted fairly.

In the 2016 and 2020 elections, commentators and reports discussed the possibility that Trump would do well among Black voters. His campaign created a “Black Voices for Trump” organization, but there were few indications in polling data that he had been successful, Gallup reported at the time. Still, it’s hardly the first time the Republican party has tried to make inroads with this demographic of voters.

“Diversity in practice and diversity on paper,” Brown said. “I think when they’re talking about diversity in the party, they’re thinking about a whole range—it’s gender, age, income. They don’t have an idea in mind. That’s because the party is centered on rugged individualism: Everyone is an

individual who should be able to excel or fail based on their own making, so there’s no need to think about diversity…Republicans say, ‘Yeah, we’d have a woman candidate if she’s the best person for the job.’”

Trump made the same promise to do more outreach to Black and Latino voters in this year’s presidential election. He boasted about holding a major campaign event with Black hip hop artists and athletes, as well as making appearances in Chicago, Atlanta, and Detroit to speak with Black leadership. However, there’s been a clear lack of invest-

ment in getting these plans off the ground and the Republican Party’s minority outreach offices across the country have been shuttered, reported the Associated Press.

How younger Black and Brown voters might swing in NYC elections

This year brings several concurrent elections in New York City. Two special elections in February and the April presidential primary have already passed. The June state and federal primaries and the November general election are still ahead.

Brown said that young Black voters are much more engaged but are dissatisfied with their choices of Trump and Biden for the second time. “I think there’s going to be an outcry,” she said. “These young people are trying to show their dissatisfaction with politics as usual.”

Philpot admitted she’s “utterly baffled by the polling at this point” but definitely agrees that Millennials, Gen Zers, and younger generations of voters are upset with the current state of American politics because of the Palestine-Israel war. Philpot doesn’t think they’d readily vote for Biden or Trump.

“It’s hard to escape the news images of students being violently met [by] administrations, whether that be college or state, when they’re protesting,” said Philpot, “And I think those that are not physically protesting see what’s happening. That, coupled with the push to abolish [diversity, equity, and inclusion] on a lot of campuses are just conflating their frustration with the powers that be.”

The borough of Brooklyn (Kings County), although largely Democratic, has a few districts that are wholly Republican. Brooklyn Democratic County Chair and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said they recognize and respect “incredibly diverse perspectives” within the county. The party aims to provide platforms for open discussions, promote voter education, and support candidates who resonate with the values and priorities of their diverse electorate, she said.

“While we are laser-focused on electing more Democrats in our borough, state, and on the federal level, the Brooklyn Democratic Party knows it is crucial to approach this topic with nuance and respect for individual choices,” said Bichotte in a statement. “There’s a wide range of factors why some Black and Latino individuals may choose to vote for Republicans, such as personal beliefs, cultural values, and the appeal of specific Republican candidates or policies. It’s crucial to note that political affiliations and voting patterns vary among individuals within any racial or ethnic group.”

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Bichotte said she is continually committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity while actively engaging with Black and Latino voters to strengthen the party and ensure that all voices are heard and represented.

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

This story was produced as part of the 2024 Elections Reporting Mentorship, organized by the Center for Community Media and funded by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

Donald Trump supporter Luisa Aranda gestures as she is interviewed before Presidentelect Donald Trump spoke at California Republican Party 2016 Convention in Burlingame, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Black Republicans to hold Giuliani accountable James, Gary New York Amsterdam News (1962-); Nov 13, 1993; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Amsterdam News pg. 4

Go with the Flo

ANTHONY

CNN recently obtained the security footage of Sean “Diddy” Combs attacking his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel hallway in Los Angeles on May 17. Combs issued an apology on Instagram almost immediately, which Ventura’s legal team denounced. Meanwhile, sources say the reason Combs did not mention Ventura’s name during his apology was due to legal restraints.

CNN reporter Elizabeth Wagmeister, who broke the video, tweeted out on May 20, “Diddy and Cassie’s Nov. 2023 settlement prohibits both from speaking about each other, multiple sources have told me. He’s not allowed to say Cassie’s name, according to a source familiar with the settlement.”

In the wake of all this, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is contemplating taking back the key to the city he gave Combs on September 15, 2023, in Times Square. On May 20, Adams told 1010 WINS, “We never have taken a key back from anyone, but the team is doing an analysis of what the next steps are”…

The 9th Annual Black Music Honors took place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Ga., on May 18. Entertainers who attended included Ceelo Green, MC Lyte, After 7, Shanice, and David & Tamela Mann. The ceremony was co-hosted by Le Toya Luckett with DeRay Davis. The evening honored Johnny Gill, Patrice Rushen, Bootsy Collins, and Hezekiah Walker, with a surprise salute to MC Lyte. The special will premiere on the Stellar Network on May 25 and air on Bounce TV Wednesday, June 19 (Juneteenth) at 9 p.m. EST…

Filmmaker, executive producer, writer, and director Tyler Perry is turning up the heat in season 4 of “All the Queen’s Men” on BET+ by adding a new character and storyline that features actress Heart Hayes. “All the Queen’s Men” will continue to revolve around Marlyn “Madam” DeVille, played beautifully by Eva Marcille. Marlyn owns Eden, a nightclub that features male exotic dancers. Hayes portrays Renee, who explores her sexuality with one of the main characters. Heart will appear in 14 of the 16 episodes of season 4...

We hear that …The “Abbott Elementary” crew, including Tyler James Williams, Chris Perfetti, Quinta Brunson, and producer Eric Kuhn, attended the opening night on May 15 of “Invasive Species” at the Vineyard Dimson Theatre (W. 15th Street) in the Big Apple. The play is a dark comedy about a young actress who immigrates to the United States and ends up hospitalized in a psych ward in New Haven, Conn., according to the play’s website. “Invasive Species” is written by Maia Novi…

New York Urban League gala celebrates local activists, urges voting

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The theme for this year’s New York Urban League (NYUL) gala is “Fight Today, Change Tomorrow: Voting & Civic Engagement,” which NYUL President Arva Rice said is in line with the work of each of this year’s four honorees.

This year’s gala, which takes place on June 6 at Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan, will honor 1199SEIU President George Gresham; Aurora James, founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge; and Renee McClure, director of DNY Customer Account Management, National Grid with Frederick Douglass medallions. Camille Joseph-Goldman, group vice president, government affairs, Charter Communications, will receive the 2024 Ann Kheel Award.

The gala’s celebrity co-chairs are the actress Meagan Good, television and film producer Tonya Lewis Lee, and legendary fashion model and activist, Bethann Hardison.

“The event is designed to honor individuals who in the spirit of Frederick Douglass know that there is no progress without struggle,” said NYUL President Arva Rice. The gala’s theme and

the night’s honorees reflect the Urban League’s national campaign which is focused on “defending democracy, demanding diversity, and defeating poverty,” Rice adds.

George Gresham’s work providing help and support for people in the labor movement ties in with Aurora James’s push to have more Black designers represented in major department stores.

Renee McClure’s position as a director at National Grid put her in the position to be a strong advocate for bringing more African Americans into the emerging world of opportunities in the energy field, and Camille Joseph Goldman’s reception of the Ann Keele Award acknowledges her activist efforts throughout the city. Each honoree is doing what the national Urban League promotes.

“Unfortunately, at this point in time, we have to defend democracy in a way that I never would have thought of with the rollback in voter rights, voter suppression, voter ID laws that have been introduced in the large majority of states,” Rice said.

“The very, very core of what the Urban Leagues are about, which is to defend democracy, has become once again front and center. That’s one of the reasons why we have selected this theme about fight-

ing today and changing tomorrow.

“The second reason why we’ve selected it is because we need to demand diversity,” Rice added. “The fact that just less than [a few years] years ago, after George Floyd, people had a profound awakening and understanding of the AfricanAmerican struggle in this country, and now we have completely gone full circle and are having to demand diversity: DEI programs are being dismantled around the country. People have even started to use DEI pejoratively, as in ‘didn’t earn it,’ which is just deplorable, and we saw the takedown of the president of Harvard University. Demanding diversity is a key component of the work that the Urban League must do now and do in the future.

“And the last reason is because it’s what we do all the time, which is we’re working to defeat poverty. That’s the reason why we have our education programs, why we have our employment programs. Why we have investment in small businesses is that we’re trying to defeat poverty, because we know the crippling impact that it has on children, families, education, [and] employment. Those are our three prongs for defending democracy, demanding diversity, and defeating poverty.”

NYUL President Arva Rice poses with Urban League Pres. Marc Morial, Mayor Eric Adams, and Ward Corbett of Catalyst Partners at a past gala. (New York Urban League photo)

Education Through Music: ‘Making Music, Changing Lives’

Education Through Music (ETM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing music education to underserved students in New York City, held its 2024 fundraising gala on Thursday evening at 583 Park Avenue. The event, “Making Music, Changing Lives,” brought together supporters, advocates, and community leaders in celebration of the transformative power of music in education.

The Education Through Music Gala 2024 was an inspiring evening of entertainment, philanthropy, and advocacy, highlighting the importance of music education in transforming lives. The event brought together supporters who contribute directly to ETM’s mission of ensuring that every child has access to a quality music education.

Emceed by Hip-Hop icon and music journalist Sway Calloway, the gala opened with captivating choir performances of “New York, New York” and “Seasons of Love” by students from PS 103 in the Bronx. The students were joined by honorees Emmy award-winning talk show host Adrienne Eliza Bailon-Houghton and Grammyaward winning artist Israel Houghton for a special rendition of “Stand By Me.” The Houghtons were the first of two honorees that evening to receive recognition for their support of music education.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition and I’m even more committed to see(ing) this organization grow in strength and numbers. And once again, I salute all of the world-class instructors here tonight

and these amazing students and future superstars,” said Israel Houghton in their acceptance speech.

John Vazquez, global head of workplace and real estate at Paramount Global, received the second recognition for his leadership in the community and dedication to music education through public schools.

“Education Through Music is not just an amazing program with incredible administrators and teachers, but in my opinion, ETM is part of the core curriculum that should be taught in every school and to every student,” said Vazquez at the event.

The evening ended with four performances from ETM’s high-school rock band, the ETM High Notes. After the band

concluded the official program, guests continued the celebration.

Founded in 1991, ETM has been a champion of music education, providing more than 8 million hours of instruction and affecting the lives of nearly 20,000 students weekly in New York City. The gala served as a platform to showcase ETM’s continued commitment to providing high-quality and comprehensive music education to students in under-resourced schools.

“When we make music, we open every child’s world of possibility and change lives. It’s about tuning them into the key of life,” said Dr. Janice Weinman, CEO of Education Through Music, in her remarks. For more info about Education Through Music, visit www.etmonline.org.

ETM’s high-school rock band, The ETM High Notes (Juan Carlos Ariano for Addy Media photos)

Students performing

(L-R): Chris Atlas, Sway Calloway, Adrienne Eliza Bailon-Houghton, and Israel Houghton

Radio personality and music journalist Sway Calloway emceed evening’s event.

Union Matters

DoorDash reforms hiring practices for New Yorkers with previous convictions after AG James-led discrimination settlement

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

The Office of the New York State Attorney General (OAG)’s investigation of DoorDash’s hiring practices delivered a settlement costing the food-ordering juggernaut $75,000 and mandating reforms towards how the company reviews New York-based applications of prospective couriers with criminal histories. AG Letitia James announced the agreement last Wednesday, May 15.

The OAG alleges the company rejected 2,898 applicants without proper assessment as “a result of their criminal history background check adjudications” in 2022. DoorDash will reevaluate those resumes three months after the company implements a new training program on complying to the state’s employment laws regarding previous convictions. The 57 individuals who appealed their rejection will receive priority on their application reviews, and the $75,000 settlement money will be split between the qualified applicants who received a rejection.

“The law is very clear on the rights that all New Yorkers, including those with criminal histories, have when it comes to pursuing job opportunities,” said Attorney General Letitia James in her statement. “DoorDash ignored New York laws, discriminated against hardworking people, and denied thousands of New Yorkers the opportunity to provide for their families without fair consideration for their individual histories.”

The investigation against DoorDash stemmed from community advocates informing the OAG that the company “may have a policy or practice of routinely rejecting” prospective couriers. As a result, the Office looked into the company’s local hiring practices regarding those with criminal histories and determined the company allegedly rejected such applications without considering “the nature and gravity of the conviction and its bearing, if any, on specific responsibilities of the role sought.”

New York City’s Fair Chance Act prevents most private employers from obtaining applicant criminal history during the hiring process until after conditionally offering the position. Additionally, employers need to provide a written evaluation to renege on an offered candidate with a criminal history, along with a copy of the background check. The applicants are also granted an opportunity to respond to the rejection. The OAG’s investigation alleged that DoorDash failed to provide those notices sufficiently and most follow-ups “in-

stead provided applicants with boilerplate language.”

On the state level, hiring discrimination due to a previous conviction is illegal under human rights law. Employers can only reject an applicant due to criminal history if the conviction is relevant to their job performance or workplace safety. Pardoned offenses, arrests ending without a conviction and adjournments in contemplation of dismissals cannot be factored in hiring at all.

Roughly 2.1 million adult New Yorkers “have a criminal conviction of some kind” according to the Brennan Center for Justice, with the state’s workforce sitting at 9.7 million people comparatively. Around 30% of those New Yorkers with a conviction record are Black, who make up just about 15% of the Empire State’s population.

DoorDash couriers are classified as inde-

pendent contractors, which are protected by the laws. The settlement will not prevent the company from background checks pertaining to food delivery like motor vehicle record and sex offender registry status.

As the investigation ended in settlement, DoorDash did not admit liability or fault in the matter. The San Francisco-based company is the largest food delivery service in the country, with more than 2 million couriers last year, according to court documents. The position typically boasts a low barrier-to-entry, often only requiring a scooter, bike or car to start. Couriers are “often eligible to begin generating income within a day of signing up,” according to a company SEC filing.

“At DoorDash, we are committed to having a robust, fair and transparent background check process that balances safety and equity,” said a DoorDash spokesper-

son over email. “While we believe that our processes complied with New York law, we are pleased to have resolved this matter, and look forward to continuing to offer a flexible way for thousands of New Yorkers to earn.”

Beyond the payout, DoorDash will update the OAG on compliance with the settlement agreement over the next three years. Adjudicators—those who review applications—will be mandated to assess the context of an applicant’s conviction or open case before determining a rejection.

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

The Office of the New York State Attorney General alleges the company rejected 2,898 applicants without proper assessment as “a result of their criminal history background check adjudications” in 2022. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski photo)

Dwight’s flight at last!

The enduring disrespect of Black women in America

On the Detroit riverfront, there's a statue of people frozen in time: they are in flight from slavery, waiting to cross the river to Canada. The monument, entitled “Gateway to Freedom: International Memorial to the Underground Railroad” and created by sculptor Ed Dwight, was dedicated in 2001, and is one of his nationwide landmarks.

On Sunday, Dwight, 90, traveled into space as a passenger on Jeff Bezos' "Blue Origin" mission, and completed a journey he was denied 63 years ago as a prospective first African American astronaut. Stepping from the capsule, after less than 10 minutes in flight, Dwight threw his arms into the air and exclaimed, "I'm ecstatic!"

Like the creation of the monuments on which he has worked tirelessly over the years, Dwight was a candidate in the NASA space program but was rejected, he believed, because of a racist commander. He resigned from the Air Force in 1966 and became an entrepreneur before taking classes in sculpture.

As of late 2019, he has created 129 memorial sculptures and more than 18,000 gallery pieces, which include paintings and sculptures, several of which have made it into space.

Dwight's genius, perseverance, and his determination not to let racism stifle his dreams is but a recent example of a Black American striving for success and excellence.

His statues on the waterfront in Detroit will never make it across the river, but Dwight, despite time and obstacles, has achieved a quest that began years ago as a child playing with toy airplanes in Kansas City, Kansas. Someday there may be a statue of Dwight, perhaps at NASA, as a reminder of his accomplishments and what could have been achieved if he had been permitted to stay in the program.

By KIMBERLY BRYANT

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Damaso Reyes: Executive & Investigative Editor

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Cyril

On May 22, 1962, speaking to a crowd in Los Angeles, Malcolm X declared that the most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. 62 years later, his words still ring true as we witness the continued disregard for Black women, particularly those in positions of leadership. The recent incident involving Representative Jasmine Crockett being insulted on the floor of the House of Representatives by Marjorie Taylor Greene is just one example of the pervasive abuse faced by Black women in both the public and private sectors. This incident is not isolated; it reflects a broader pattern of disdain and disrespect directed at Black women, particularly those in positions of power and influence. In our cultural landscape, no figure is more scrutinized or misunderstood than a Black woman who is unafraid to speak her mind. The pushback against this boldness, however, often comes at a high societal cost and extends beyond the halls of Congress—permeating our online spaces and everyday interactions. Highprofile figures like actress and social activist Amanda Seales have often faced relentless

criticism and sometimes virulent attacks simply for expressing their opinions. Seales’s appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, where she discussed her exclusion from Black Hollywood and negative media commentary, sparked a significant online debate and crude critique under a thin veil of “likability.” Her candid recounting of the slights she has endured attracted skepticism from some quarters and highlighted the intense scrutiny and polarization that outspoken Black women often endure. This phenomenon extends far beyond celebrity. For instance, my critique of a recent documentary on Black Twitter, which featured Seales, was met with extreme pushback from one of the men profiled in the series, whereas male viewers with similar feedback faced no such opposition. In another instance on the X platform, popular media personality DJ Vlad threatened to report Black Princeton professor Morgan Jerkins to her employer for a ‘quote tweet’ on one of his posts, later retracting his threats amidst public backlash. A more chilling example is the racist verbal vitriol directed towards UK MP Diane Abbott by Frank Hester, the CEO of TPP and a large Tory donor, who said, “you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like…you just want to hate all

Black women because she’s there. And I don’t hate Black women at all, but I think she should be shot.” While each example is unique, they share a common denominator: no matter how Black women ‘show up’ and present our views, we are often seen as problematic, eliciting unwarranted assaults on our character, our humanity, and even our lives. The racism perpetuated by white supremacy fuels these microaggressions. They have become so commonplace and normalized that they are often overlooked. With Representative Crockett, the personal attacks from Greene that sparked the heated debate on the House floor were dismissed with a mere reprimand, allowing Greene’s comments to remain on record. When Representatives Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez exposed the hypocrisy in the proceedings, their colleagues responded with ambivalence to the double standard. It is this slow erosion of dignity, where the cumulative effect of countless small affronts takes a devastating toll on Black women. This aggression is rooted in anti-Blackness and misogynoir, reinforced by stereotypes such as the ‘angry Black woman’ and the ‘sapphire caricature.’ Dr. Shauna Knox describes the severe social consequences of these

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“The recent incident involving Representative Jasmine Crockett being insulted on the floor of the House of Representatives by Marjorie Taylor Greene is just one example of the pervasive abuse faced by Black women in both the public and private sectors.” (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin photo)

Former NASA astronaut Ed Dwight blasted off from West Texas with five other passengers on Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

NPR whistleblower highlights everything wrong with journalism today

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

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS

As a career broadcaster and journalist, I’ve always believed that honesty wins a reader’s or viewer’s trust. Honesty may require confessing errors or reporting inconvenient truths. I am an unapologetic conservative, but I will never allow my political leanings to compromise my journalism. Edward R. Murrow is my model.

As polarizing Trumpian politics arose, journalism took a hit on both sides. Opposition to Trump found expression in highlighting the allegations of Trump’s collusion with Russia, but burying the conclusion that evidence disproved the allegations. Support for Trump found expression in giving prime time to hallucinatory claims of electoral fraud while ignoring 61 court decisions proving the contrary and the volumes of discovery that poured forth in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation suit against Fox News that resulted in a staggering settlement. The media is now suspect across the board— megaphones for liberal or conservative bias.

A lengthy article in the Free Press penned by Uri Berliner, a senior business editor at the taxpayerfunded news outlet NPR, highlights the evil. Berliner, who was suspended after 25 years at NPR after the article appeared, resigned in a letter to NPR’s CEO, explaining, “I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years. I don’t support calls to defund NPR. I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cited in my Free Press essay.”

Berliner’s article elaborates on NPR’s unusual reliance on Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), Trump’s greatest foe at the time of the Russian collusion investigation, as a major source for their reporting on the issue. Berliner counted around 25 Schiff interviews, and lamented, “But when the Mueller report found no credible evidence of col -

lusion, NPR’s coverage was notably sparse. Russiagate quietly faded from our programming.”

The Hunter Biden laptop matter revealed a similar NPR bias. It contained credible evidence of Biden family influence-peddling that was dismissed as Russian disinformation by relying on Biden intelligence poodles. NPR fumbled. It did no independent verification. Berliner stated that “During a meeting with colleagues, I listened as one of NPR’s best and most fair-minded journalists said it was good we weren’t following the laptop story because it could help Trump.”

And finally, the COVID19 lab leak theory—the supposed right-wing conspiracy theory that COVID19 may have leaked from a lab in Wuhan (China) and might not have had natural origins was similarly dismissed by NPR’s science team.

According to Berliner, their reasoning was related to “the Bush administration’s unfounded argument that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, apparent -

Celebrating Black Birders Week

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

ly meaning we won’t get fooled again.”

Journalistic malpractice is epidemic, whether about Russiagate, concocted claims of electoral fraud, Hunter Biden’s laptop, or COVID-19. Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil about anything disturbing to a journalist’s liberal or conservative dogmas.

Newsrooms today have been weaponized to advance a partisan political agenda through propaganda. Whatever happened to Sergeant Joe Friday in “Dragnet”: “Just the facts, Maam?”

Journalists were once a proud few who fought back against tyranny and the lies that governments told. Now, they have become party political agents ready to be summoned into service at a moment’s notice.

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

It’s that time of year: Black Birders Week will soon be upon us and I’m happier than a hummingbird sipping nectar. Those of you who read my column regularly know I find joy in birding wherever I am. I am one of the millions of people who discovered the bliss of birding during lockdown in 2020 and I have never looked back. I have introduced my friends to the wonders of hearing the various songs and calls of birds, whether people are stuck in their offices in crowded cities, on the beach in the Caribbean, or taking a hike in the woods.

This year, from May 26 through June 1, folks can celebrate Black Birders Week, which was created in 2020 by the BlackAFinSTEM Collective to “celebrate and highlight Black birders, scientists, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts who deserve to enjoy their time in nature without fear of harassment.” Some of you may remember the harrowing event of a white woman accusing a Black man, Christian Cooper, who was innocently bird-watching in Central Park. She called the police, said she was threatened by him, and he caused her dog to yelp as she created a false sense of danger. That racist incident was just one of the many Black people have had to digest and process in the past few years.

community and be in the bounty of nature.

According to the BlackAFInStem website, “The event week and The BlackAFinSTEM Collective itself was created by a small group of friends and acquaintances to normalize the historically overlooked presence of Black birders, scientists, and nature enthusiasts in the field (literally and figuratively) to make the natural sciences more inclusive, diverse, and welcoming to people of all walks of life. The Collective also aims to inspire new audiences to engage in nature and share the stories of Black conservationists from across the globe. The BlackAFInSTEM Collective seeks to support, uplift, and amplify Black Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics professionals in natural resources and the environment through professional development, career connection, and community engagement.”

This mission is key. Helping Black people find community, commune with nature, and learn about our natural environment is a gift that keeps giving.

This year’s theme for Black Birders Week is “Wings of Justice: Soaring for Change,” emphasizing environmental justice and community healing. The itinerary includes everything from sunset hikes to meditation to “birds and brews” events. The activities are for those who love birding, whether new or old to birding, to come together in

I am so thankful I discovered the joys of birding and I hope others will find the beauty and peace in it as well. To find out more online, go to www.blackafinstem. com or www.nycaudubon. org, or follow #BBW2024 on social media.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio; and a 2023–24 Moynihan Public Scholars Fellow at CCNY.

Caribbean Update

Kenyan troops head to Haiti this week; gangs warn they will take them on

BY BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

The strife-torn Caribbean Community nation of Haiti will likely be the focus of global attention in the coming weeks, as the first contingent of peacekeeping troops from Kenya is scheduled to arrive on the island as early as this week, even as heavily armed gang leaders say they are ready to declare war on the contingents.

The international community has been ramping up efforts to get a multinational peacekeeping force on the ground to tackle armed gangs controlling the capital, preventing international flights from landing, and causing food shortages as stores and warehouses are shuttered. The gangs are responsible for killing and maiming hundreds of people in the last three years, having been on a rampage ever since the early July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. His death and the chaos that followed meant that general elections were delayed and the constitutional term of nearly every elected leader has expired.

Several Caricom nations including Jamaica, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize and Suriname among others have pledged to join the force that will also likely have boots on the ground support from Chile, Bangladesh, Paraguay, Burundi, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, and Mauritius among other nations.

To tie up administrative and operational ‘loose ends,’ Kenyan President William

“Meanwhile, local Haitian publications are reporting that gang leaders, including the infamous Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier of the G9 gang coalition, has already publicly pledged to fight peacekeeping force members once they set foot on the ground in Haiti, saying they are preparing for a long and protracted fight with ‘the invaders.’”

Ruto travels to the U.S. this week for a mini-summit meeting with President Joe Biden. The American president has pledged to press Washington to increase its financial support to Kenya for the mission beyond a $200 million pledge to Kenya and a $300 million package to the wider effort. The visit comes just days after Washington delivered a first batch of 10 armored vehicles to be used by troops and police officers supporting local policemen battling the gangs. The vehicles are part of a $60 million package of military aid pledged by Biden.

The incoming international force, expected to number at least 2000, should

begin arriving just as Haiti’s interim or transitional presidential council prepares to select a new prime minister to replace Ariel Henry, who resigned last month after the council was initiated. The council is working alongside the remnants of Henry’s administration but the cabinet will dissolve once a new PM is named. The deadline for nominations was last week Friday. At least 80 people have applied for the position, officials said this week. Caricom nations say they will not only support the mission but have done their part in brokering the interim administration that will take the country to fresh general elec -

tions in about two years.

“This is a Haitian-led process. Caricom has done all that it can to bring the process to this point,” Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell told reporters.

“It’s not really for us to determine who’s going to lead and who’s going to do what. It’s just, we have to see how the process unfolds. It appears to me that it has the broadest acceptance at this point of the elites in Haiti and that the international community accepts that this is the right direction going forward,” he said of the work of the interim council.

Surinamese President Chan Santokhi said that his police officers must first be properly trained. “We are not going to just send our people. We will support our Caricom sister state. We will provide support through, among other things, a police mission that will be led by Kenya. One day you may also need Haiti or another friendly nation,” he recently told the Star News publication.

Meanwhile, local Haitian publications are reporting that gang leaders, including the infamous Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier of the G9 gang coalition, has already publicly pledged to fight peacekeeping force members once they set foot on the ground in Haiti, saying they are preparing for a long and protracted fight with “the invaders.” The G9 alliance, combined with another major group, G-PEP, recently held a street march to demonstrate the extent of their power and influence.

A Biden political play? ‘Obama Care’ now granted to Dreamers

In 2012, when then-President Barack Obama needed to gain the support of immigrant voters again, after two years of round-ups and deportations had alienated many, he provided the political lifeline of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and made them Dreamers.

Under DACA, people who came to the U.S. as children and met other requirements received renewable grants of relief from deportation and work authorization. Currently, nearly 600,000 people are DACA recipients.

Today, 12 years later, Obama’s then-veep and current U.S. President Joe Biden needs a political lifeline badly, especially with immigrant voters, who once again are disillusioned at the Democratic administration’s

policies on immigration. The polls are fluctuating, but Biden is now narrowly leading Trump, at 45 percent to 44.9 percent. While many DACA recipients remain in legal limbo, the Biden administration is making a political play of its own: It’s now using Obama’s signature historic program, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obama Care, in a way it hopes will energize immigrant support for another term. On May 3, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updated its regulations to extend eligibility for benefits under the ACA to Dreamers. This includes access to government-subsidized health insurance.

Previously, the ACA required individuals enrolling in a qualified health plan through an exchange to be either U.S. citizens or nationals, or “lawfully present” in the United States. DACA recipients were excluded from this definition of lawfully present. However, HHS has now revised this exclusion, allowing DACA recipients to qualify for insurance affordability programs such as pre-

mium tax credits, advance payments of the premium tax credit, cost-sharing reductions, and enrollment in the Basic Health Program (BHP).

Under this final rule, DACA recipients will gain eligibility for enrollment in a qualified health plan through an exchange and in BHP for states that opt to operate a BHP. Due to this rule change, DACA recipients and other newly eligible individuals will be entitled to a special enrollment period for selecting a health plan through the Marketplace. This period will span 60 days starting from the rule’s effective date of November 1, 2024.

Coinciding with the 2025 Open Enrollment Period, this timing facilitates a seamless enrollment process for newly eligible individuals. Applicants who apply for coverage in November 2024 may have their Marketplace coverage commence as early as December 1, 2024, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria.

The Biden play seems to be working so far.

Voto Latino called it a “HUGE VICTORY.” Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, said the administration’s move to lift the ACA restrictions for DACA recipients is an “important step for health equity and immigrant justice.”

Indira Islas of TheDream.US called the announcement “a good thing for us and for America,” while TheDream.US President and CEO Gaby Pacheco called it a “meaningful step forward.”

However, all noted that there is much more work to be done because DACA recipients remain in limbo.

“We continue to urge Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth who call this country home, so they can enjoy the same peace and stability that we all need to thrive,” Matos said.

Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focusing on Black immigrant issues.

WE ACT and Marcus Meets Malcolm host forum with 70th Assembly candidates

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

Last Friday, WE ACT for Environmental Justice (WE ACT) and the Marcus Meets Malcolm nonprofit hosted a packed 70th State Assembly District candidates’ forum featuring Craig Schley, Shana Harmongoff, Joshua Clennon, Maria Ordoñez, and Jordan J. G. Wright.

The forum was held outdoors on West 120th Street, which was partially closed off for the event, with a great showing of community members. Marcus Meets Malcolm also partnered with Indivisible Harlem, the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association, and the NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch.

The candidates took questions from youth moderators and the audience about education, senior citizens, mental health, crime and public safety, housing, economic development, small Black-owned businesses, battling climate change, and environmental justice legislation, such as the New York HEAT Act.

Here’s a recap of the candidates’ stances on environmental issues and the race at large.

Craig Schley

“The 70th Assembly District belongs to the people,” said Schley, an attorney with a commitment to public service and defending small businesses who is originally from Philadelphia. “It doesn’t belong to any family. It doesn’t belong to any group of folks. It cannot be bequeathed nor can it be inherited.”

After the petitioning season closed in April, Schley initially qualified for the ballot, but his petitions were challenged by Wright’s camp, according to the elections board ledger, and he was subsequently kicked off the ballot. However, the New York County Supreme Court decided to “unanimously reverse” his invalidated petitions this month, which Schley enthusiastically posted about in a social media post. He dreams of building a federally funded entertainment hub in Harlem.

Schley would:

-Negotiate across party lines if necessary to garner support for the NY HEAT Act.

-Invest in more nursing staff for senior care during a heat wave.

Shana Harmongoff

“I am passionate about service,” said Harmongoff, a Harlem native who is passionate about elevating senior issues and promoting mental health. “Do you want to vote for someone who just does the talking, or do you want to vote for someone who delivers? I am a deliverer. Harlem, I am asking

for your vote on June 25th.”

Harmongoff has juris master and juris doctorate law degrees, and has worked in the state senate directing community affairs for former Senator and Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin, who was forced to resign due to an indictment in a bribery scheme in 2022.

Harmongoff:

-Is determined to mobilize community support, work with organizations, and bring in colleagues in government to create awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of the NY HEAT Act.

-Would expand cooling stations and extend hours of operation for high-risk areas in the district.

-Review and reduce low-income resident electricity bills, especially for seniors.

Joshua Clennon

“I plan to leverage my diverse set of experiences in the New York State Assembly to finally deliver the transformative change that we as a community have been starving for,” said Clennon, a native Harlemite who lost his father to an act of gun violence and has served on the community board and worked in the affordable housing arena for several years.

Clennon is the second-youngest candidate in the race. He has taken some anti-establishment stances and has clashed with the Wright and Ordonez campaigns, both of which challenged his petitions and got him temporarily kicked off the ballot.

Clennon:

-Finds the NY HEAT Act to be important legislation, and wants to build

public awareness and support to sway “career politicians” to vote on and pass the bill.

-Would invest proactively in climate resiliency, cooling centers in the community, and expanding green spaces to absorb emissions and carbon.

-Would make NYCHA and public housing a center for clean energy by using solar panels and creating green jobs, green rooftops, and gardens.

Maria Ordoñez

“For too long, our elected officials have been failing us,” said Ordoñez, an avid tenants rights organizer and the only Progressive in the race. “This is why I’m running: because we need change now.”

Ordoñez grew up in Harlem, but believes in moving away from the “old guard” of Democrats who have held power in the district for decades.

Ordoñez :

-Wants to organize community groups around the climate crisis to push support for the NY HEAT Act.

-Would create more green spaces and rooftops.

-Develop heat resilience plans for low-income communities, especially NYCHA residents.

Jordan J G Wright

“You go further together than we do separately,” Wright said, who served on the community board and was a successful campaign manager and is currently chief of staff for City Councilmember Yusef Salaam. “I look forward to working with Councilmember Salaam while he’s on the city level and I’m on the state level to bring about a

real transformative movement in the district.”

Wright is the youngest candidate in the race at 29 and comes from a family legacy of public service. His grandfather was State Supreme Court Judge Bruce Wright and his father is Manhattan Democratic Party Boss Keith Wright.

Wright has come under fire for his family connections and endorsements from the old guard of Harlem, such as Assemblymember Inez Dickens, who’s slated to retire. However, Wright has a strong community backing, turning in a record number of designating petitions on the first day of filing. He’s also well-funded. In March, he had $54,634 in campaign contri`butions. A solid chunk of his donations came from small individual donors in the district, along with some big donors, like real estate and affordable housing mogul Craig Livingston, according to New York State Public Campaign Finance disclosure reports.

Wright:

-Would rally private sector and nonprofit sector stakeholders around the NY HEAT Act.

-Is committed to making cooling stations accessible within walking distance of highly vulnerable areas in the district, and that buildings are green-energy efficient.

-Wants to plant more trees.

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

70th State Assembly candidates (right to left): Craig Schley, Shana Harmongoff, Joshua Clennon, Maria Ordoñez, and Jordan J. G. Wright (Ariama C. Long photo)

Health

Dawnette Lewis, MD, MPH on maternal health, birth complications for Black patients, and solutions

By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA

Special to the AmNews

The Amsterdam News recently talked with Dr. Dawnette Lewis, MD, MPH, director of the Northwell Health Center for Maternal Health and director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at North Shore University Hospital, about maternal health issues, birth complications for Black patients, and potential future solutions. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

AmNews: Could you talk about the Maternal Outcomes Navigation Program?

DL: It’s a program that started during the pandemic, when patients were being discharged early from the hospital, and it started at three of our hospitals that had the highest COVID rates It was designed to follow these patients to make sure that they were doing well. We didn’t know what the results were going to be with this program.

What we saw was that over 30 days after discharge, we were able to decrease the 30-day readmission due to severe maternal morbidity by about 50% in the overall population. For our Black birthing patients, we were able to decrease the 30-day readmission rate due to severe maternal morbidity by 60%.

AmNews: Who is particularly at risk for birth complications?

DL: Our program initially focused on patients who are at highest risk—those who have comorbid conditions or pre-existing medical conditions: chronic hypertension, preeclampsia, Type-1 diabetes, renal disease, any autoimmune conditions, any cardiac abnormalities, or any cardiac complications that emerged during pregnancy. I know from the statistics that Black women are three times more likely to die than white

women when giving birth.

AmNews: Why are Black women three times more likely to die than white women giving birth?

DL: I think there’s not only one reason why—I think it’s multiple reasons. Certainly, we know that the population having babies is getting older, [and] the older you are, the more likely you are to have a pre-existing medical condition, and that can contribute to maternal morbidity, maternal mortality. Where Black birthing patients are concerned, we know that the data shows that even if you’re a highly educated Black patient or healthy patient, your outcomes are worse than a white woman who has less than a high school education, so I don’t think it’s simply that patients have preexisting medical conditions.

I think it’s also the way Black women are treated when they’re entered in the healthcare system. I also think that the support that

you have in labor and delivery is important. I think your nurses in labor and delivery are important. There are multiple factors that contribute to poor outcomes.

AmNews: What can be done to help this situation?

DL: As simple as it seems, a lot of it is education. Any time a woman enters health care for whatever reason, whether they’re seeing their family physician or their primary care physician, I think it’s an opportunity to talk to patients about their plans—whether they’re planning a pregnancy soon or maybe in the next two or three years—to just talk about how patients can prepare to have a healthier pregnancy. I think if patients have existing medical conditions, like chronic hypertension, it’s important to optimize their blood pressure control before becoming pregnant.

It’s also important for patients to be on medications that aren’t

contraindicated in pregnancy because some medications can cause anomalies in the baby. What often happens is someone who has chronic hypertension, [which are among medications that are contraindicated for someone who is pregnant], then [the medications should be] stopped. Then the patient has to wait until they present to an obstetrician or midwife or maternal fetal medicine specialists before they can get restarted on their medications to control blood pressure.

Those are opportunities where patients can be educated before delivery. We certainly continue to educate our patient population and our staff, our nurses, our physicians, about implicit bias training in the disparate outcomes for our Black birthing patients.

AmNews: What should new mothers be looking out for?

DL: Oftentimes, being a new

mom—or even if you’re a secondtime mom, it can be overwhelming. We encourage patients, anytime they’re having any feelings of being overwhelmed or feeling that they can’t manage what they’re doing, to reach out for support and not feel like it’s a weakness.

AmNews: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?

DL: One of the things that is really inspiring and heartening is that when I started in obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine, no other specialty was interested in taking care of a pregnant patient, and now we’re seeing other medical disciplines who are very involved in publishing and talking about pregnancy complications. It’s exciting for me to know that there are other medical disciplines outside of OB/GYN that are paying attention to the maternal health crisis and who are willing to help.

Dr. Dawnette Lewis (Photo courtesy of Northwell Health Center )

Arts & Entertainment

Arts & Entertainment

May 2024 Dance Calendar

DanceAfrica celebrates the African Rainforest

By ZITA ALLEN Special to the AmNews

“Past, Present, Future Dance Film Festival,” premieres films by Ayodele Casel, Raja Feather Kelly, and Katy Pyle. The annual initiative features newly commissioned films in which dance artists partner with filmmakers to explore the past, present, and future of their work.

Cause of Death” by Japanese prima ballerina

For more information, visit https://japansociety.org/performing-arts/.

16-Jun.

For more information, visit https://www. eventbrite.com/e/boogie-down-dance-compilation-tickets-883638936847?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Marcopoulos and Kara Walker and constructed by Matt Jackson Studio, the evening unfolds in three parts,” according to the release.

ALSO

THIS MONTH:

The uniquely dynamic communal dance event that is DanceAfrica brings its annual celebration of African diasporic culture to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) from May 24–27, with a program built around a theme that both celebrates the present and reaffirms the group’s commitment to the future of the global community.

For more information, visit https://www. allarts.org/2024/03/past-present-future-announcement/.

May 10 & 12: The World Music Institute and Asia Society New York present “Dancing the Gods 2024: Festival of Indian Dance” at the Asia Society, with performances by Kasi Aysola & Archana Raja and Rama Vaidyanathan, curated by Rajika Puri.

For more information, visit https://asevents.eventive.org/schedule/65d4fae436e55f 006eb9a964.

The Women of the Calabash musical ensemble is known for its mastery of such percussion instruments as the Shekere, djembe, and mbira, as well as the calabash, and the creation of complex multilayered polyphonic rhythms that make anyone within earshot want to get up and dance.

May 2–June 8: Kyle Abraham, choreographer, performer, and artistic director of A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham, curates the Danspace Project’s 16th Platform, “Platform 2024: A Delicate Ritual.” The series of performances reflects Abraham’s interest in each performers’ rituals, desires, and artistic exchanges. Featured will be new work by Nicholas Ryan Gant + Shamel Pitts (May 2–4), intergenerational evenings of performance with David Roussève + taisha paggett (May 23–25), and Vinson Fraley + Bebe Miller (June 6–8).

“Every year, we embrace the diversity of the African continent,” said Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam. “Since 1977, when Baba Chuck Davis founded DanceAfrica, the event has featured a coming together of the communities of the African diaspora.”

Since Salaam has headed the annual cultural phenomenon, it has featured dance companies from Senegal, Guinea, South Africa, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. “We’ve also honored the African American dance companies that joined Baba Chuck Davis when he launched Dance Africa here at BAM in 1977,” Salaam added, highlighting the celebration’s commitment to programs that are both entertaining and engaged with major local and global issues.

For more information, visit https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/

May 5: The 11th CrossCurrent Dance Festival, in collaboration with Flushing Town Hall, will present the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Lenora Lee Dance, and New Asia Chamber Music Society.

“This year, the title of our program is ‘Cameroon: The Origin of Communities/ A Calabash of Culture.’”

For more information, visit https:// www.flushingtownhall.org/event-detail. php?id=608.

May 10–11: The Japan Society closes their contemporary dance program, “Beyond Ballet, Beyond Hip-Hop,” with the North American premiere of “Dying Swan & Its

Salaam said DanceAfrica is excited to welcome Sirens: Protectors of the Rainforest, a community-based Brooklyn dance ensemble, led by Cameroon-born Mafor Mambo Tse, as well as the percussion ensemble

Also on this year’s program are the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers and the talented young artists of tomorrow who comprise the Billie’s Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble.

May 10–12: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to NJPAC with Amy Hall Garner’s “CENTURY”; Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish’s “Me, Myself and You”; and Alonzo King’s “Following the Subtle Current Upstream.” In celebration of Max Roach’s centennial, the company will also perform “Survivors,” a 1986 work set to Roach’s drumming and Abbey Lincoln’s vocals. Each performance ends with Ailey’s signature masterpiece, “Revelations.”

For more information, visit https://www. njpac.org/event/alvin-ailey-american-dancetheater-2/.

As DanceAfrica devotees know, the annual festival, established by Baba Chuck Davis back in the 1970s, also features a total immersion in African culture that includes dance classes and more, affording the whole family a fun-filled exploration of the fundamentals of African dance. This year, classes will focus on Cameroonian dance. There will also be film screenings, an art installation, the DanceAfrica bazaar, and much more.

May 10–25: “S A T U R N: A Revelation,” conceived by j. bouey, is “an immersive dance performance installation, direct action for community support, and multi-camera live broadcast…[that] introduces the Inter-Dimensional Time-Traveling Disco Space Opera Dance Band,” the Living Ancestors, according to the release. George Del Barrio is the designer. For more information, visit https://www. jackny.org/s-a-t-u-r-n-a-revelation.

With the ultimate goal of highlighting the interconnectedness of dance, music, and the ancient foundations of human culture, DanceAfrica 2024 is focused on the exploration of Cameroonian cultural practices and the Rainforest. “Protecting the Rainforest is important to protecting our global environment,” Salaam said. “The Rainforest is the breath of life for the planet.”

Tse, head of Sirens: Protectors of the Rain-

May 11: The Boogie Down Dance Compilation returns to BAAD!, with eight NYC choreographers taking the stage with original

forest, a performance group that started in 2008, couldn’t agree more. “We use our African dance and music as a siren call, an alarm, to alert people to what’s happening in what we call the Congo Forest. It is endangered. And when I say the Congo Forest, I’m not talking about the country [of] Congo. I’m talking about the Rainforest that starts from Nigeria through Equatorial Guinea and goes all the way down to Angola...Protecting it is something that’s been part of our dance company’s work since the beginning. That’s why we call ourselves Sirens: Protectors of the Rainforest. Our main goal is to sound an alarm—a siren call for the environment.”

May 11–12: The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will launch its 36th anniversary season at Hostos Center for Arts and Culture, celebrating the 2024 Asian American Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. Highlights include “Betwixt and Between” by Jacek Luminski and Peiju ChienPott, “Reincarnation” by Aloe Ao Liu, and “Carousel Divertimento for 7 dancers” by Chen. For more information, visit https://mpv. tickets.com/schedule/?agency=HCAV_PL_ MPV&orgid=56451#/?view=list&includePack ages=true.

May 16–17: Under artistic director Dante Puleio and in collaboration with the City College Center for the Arts, the Limón Dance Company and Limón2 come together at Aaron Davis Hall for “Experience the Legacy: Limón Dance Company,”—three works by Limón: “Missa Brevis,” “The Exiles,” and “There is a Time. ”

For more information, visit https://www. eventbrite.com/e/limon-dance-companytickets-859124242737?aff=oddtdtcreator.

The rainforest is not just important to her people who, said Tse, traveled throughout Africa before settling in Cameroon many, many years ago at what she calls “the mouth of the forest.” It is equally important to all life on the planet because the rainforest is “the lungs of the earth.” Today, its well-being is even more important. “Protecting it has been our main goal from the beginning, but now countries are pilfering and killing the trees, animals, and people. They are also endangered. That’s why we call ourselves what we call ourselves.”

May 16–18: Sidra Bell Dance New York and saxophonist, composer, and arranger Immanuel Wilkins Quartet will offer the world premiere “COMMUNION” at Gibney. “This elegiac experience is a series of impressions, human huddles, and hybrid forms of movement set against a wild mixture of textures, design, and sound,” according to the release.

For more information, visit https://gibneydance.org/event/gibney-presents-sidra-belldance-new-york/2024-05-16/

Tse also described the ethnic diversity of Cameroon, which she said is known as “Africa in Miniature” because “everything you find on the African continent, you find in Cameroon.” That creates a diversity in the dances and dancers that allows them to perform any style.

For more information, visit https://www. harlemstage.org/emoves-dance-series.

May 18: As part of the BAAD! “Boogie Down Dance Series,” Alethea Pace presents “between wave and water,” a site-specific multimedia performance walk rooted in reclaiming the history of an African Burial Ground in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx.

For more information, visit https://www. eventbrite.com/e/between-wave-and-water-tickets-884234879327?aff=oddtdtcreator.

May 18: “Harlem Mouse/Country Mouse,” a retelling of Aesop’s fable “City Mouse and Country Mouse,” brings Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) together with students from the school, under the direction of DTH artistic director Robert Garland, and Tai Jimenez, director of the DTH School.

As Tes explained, traditionally there are two main ethnic groups in Cameroon. “I am an Ewondo woman, and we are one of a few ethnic groups that have played a large part in shaping the national Cameroonian culture,” she said. Nonetheless, she wants DanceAfrica audiences to experience as much of the variety of Cameroon as possible and to come away with, in addition to a foot-stomping, hand-clapping enjoyment of the drumming and the dance, a glimpse of Cameroonian culture. “I want people to enjoy the music and the dance as we perform works like the one whose name translates to ‘My Feet are the Drum,’ which draws from ancestral spirits, because we can’t do a performance without honoring the forest, and this is our way of allowing people to see the gods of the forest.”

For more information, visit https://www. dancetheatreofharlem.org/harlemmouse/.

May 21: For the “OPEN AiR” series at CPR, Malcolm-x Betts will present an hour-long solo about Black queer love entitled “what happens when things become undone?”

Salaam said the message articulated by Tse will be underscored by the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers as they do a dance Salaam choreographed entitled “Rain Forest: Streams and Reflections.” It will feature the usual physicality that audiences have come to expect.

For more information, go to www.cprnyc. org/events/open-air-malcolm-x-betts.

May 22: Sara Michelson will curate an evening with Oren Barnoy, Dominica Greene, Seta Morton, and Stevfni.XYZ for CPR’s “OPEN STUDIO” series, which offers artists a place to experiment with new work and work in development in an informal setting.

For more information, visit www.cprnyc. org/events/open-studios-curated-by-sarahmichelson.

Salaam said the stage design will capture the ambiance of ecological phenomena that he and a small team of BAM staffers encountered in the fall of 2023 during a trip to Cameroon, allowing the audience to experience something closely resembling the awe he felt in that visit and encountered what he calls “a life-changing experience.” For more info, visit www.bam.org/ danceafrica

May

2: The 19th La MaMa Moves!

Women of the Calabash, which was founded by ancestor Madeline Yayodele Nelson and is now headed by Caren Calder.

Dance workshop with Sirens: Protectors of the Rainforest (Gregory Horan @babylon. by.bus photo)

DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers from DanceAfrica 2023 (Nir Arieli photo)

Trends

‘Ice Cold’: Hip hop jewelry on display at American Museum of Natural History

By RENEE MINUS WHITE AmNews Fashion & Beauty Editor

Continuing the celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary, “Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip Hop Jewelry, recently opened at the American Natural History Museum (AMNHM), in the Meister Gallery within the Museum’s Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. This special exhibition pays tribute to hip hop’s mega-stars, their global phenomenon, and the cultural influences contributed by icons including Slick Rick, A$AP Rocky, Nicki Minaj, Jay Z, Notorious B.I.G., Missy Elliot, Bad Bunny, Erykah Badu, and many others.

Donned by hip hop’s mega-stars, the jewelry is bold, brazen, heavy, and huge. These eye-catching gold and diamond accessories caused a stir and made statements of individuality and empowerment in the hip hop community. Throughout the exhibit, viewers gazed in awe at the glittery ice gold pieces of hip hop’s royalty that have influenced history, fashion, beauty, style, and culture.

“Throughout the Museum, you’ll see objects that open a window onto our shared past or our current world, whether that’s nature, science, or culture. In ‘Ice Cold,’ the objects are magnificent jewelry pieces

and the window opens into one of the most powerful social and cultural forces of the past 50 years of hip hop,” said Sean M. Decatur, President of the American Museum of Natural History. “We’re pleased to showcase these iconic pieces and the cultural phenomenon of Hip Hop, thereby reminding our visitors that culture is not just long ago or far away, but a part of all of our lives that we can reflect on and celebrate.”

When entering the exhibit, you immediately notice the stunning introductory case filled with emblematic jewelry from some of hip hop’s most legendary artists, including a glittering crown, eye-patch, and 5-foot-long chain from Slick Rick, who was in the house for the opening party. Rick, a senior advisor for the exhibition, pioneered the royal motif in hip hop. Other pieces in this case consist of an Adidas necklace from Jam Master Jay of Run D.M.C., made in honor of the hit 1986 song “My Adidas,” which led to an historic endorsement deal between the group and the athletic company; Nas’ diamond-encrusted “QB” pendant, which pays homage to the Queensbridge Houses in Queens where he grew up; and a multi-colored, fully-articulated LEGO minifigure pendant commissioned by A$AP Rocky.

“Cold” chronicles the evolution of hip hop jewelry over the past five decades.

"Bringing the “Ice Cold” exhibit to the American Museum of Natural History is a testament to the cultural significance of this art form and culture,” said guest curator Vikki Tobak. “It's time to celebrate the artists, jewelers, craftsmen, and everyday people who contributed to the storied history of hip hop jewelry. This exhibit not only pays homage to hip hop's roots with pieces from Biz Markie and Jam Master Jay, for example, but also highlights its enduring impact on style and society with pieces from contemporary artists like Tyler, the Creator, A$AP Rocky, and FERG.”

Hip hop icon and “Ice Cold” senior advisor Ricky “Slick Rick” Waters added that “‘Ice Cold’ will truly spark a sense of excitement and curiosity into our world of jewelry and baubles as an extended form of hip hop culture, which has inspired the global stage as an extension of our art.

“This collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History is a harmonious blend of creativity and cultural significance. I’m very honored to be a part of creating a unique and immersive experience for the museum's visitors in such a renowned space in the mecca of New York City.”

The AMNHM presents a number of Ice Gold objects from the 1980s. At the time, rappers worked with local jewelers to

create their one-of-a-kind accessories, like rapper and beat-boxer Biz Markie’s brushed gold nameplate made by K & I Jewelers in Brooklyn’s Albee Square Mall, a crownshaped “Drama King” pendant crafted in Harlem for DJ Kay Slay, and a large plastic clock worn by Public Enemy rapper and hype man Flavor Flav. The ‘clock’ pendant, one of his many signature time pendants, became his calling card.

In the 1990s, artists demanded larger pieces that were designed by jewelers like Tito Caciedo of Manny’s New York and Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co. The Notorious B.I.G.’s legendary gold “Jesus piece,” and Ghostface Killah’s massive, 5-pound eagle armband are also on display. Numerous label chains are included in the exhibit, including a diamond-studded Roc-A-Fella medallion that was created in honor of the record label co-founded by Jay-Z, as well as a necklace owned by Eve that represents Ruff Riders, the label that launched her career.

The “Ice Cold" exhibit is included with general, “pay what you wish” admission for residents of the New York tri-state area. Visitors were excited to view the exhibit. “I love it!” said one. “This is amazing,” remarked another spectator. “I must come back with my kids.”

For more info, visit www.amnh.org.

“Ice Cold: Hip Hop Jewelry,” now on view at the American Natural History Museum. (Renee Minus White/A Time To Style photos)

Slick Rick (Photograph by Janette Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery)

Erykah Badu (Photograph by Tony Krash)

Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry

Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry opens at the American Museum of Natural History on May 9, in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, part of the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. (Alvaro Keding/© AMNH photos)

Nas, Queensbridge Necklace

Featuring white and rose gold, this custom diamond-encrusted Queensbridge pendant was commissioned from Pristine Jewelers by Nas in 2018 to commemorate Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York, where he grew up.

Roxanne Shanté, Juice Crew Ring

Roxanne Shanté, a member of the influential hiphop collective Juice Crew as a teen in the 1980s, is the only female rapper to have been given a Juice Crew ring, which boasts a diamond-encrusted “R”.

Jam Master Jay, Adidas Pendant

Following Run-DMC’s 1986 song “My Adidas,” Adidas struck a first-ofits-kind endorsement deal with the group, giving each member one of these 14-karat gold sneaker-shaped pendants.

Slick Rick, Crown and Eye Patch

Designed by Slick Rick, who embraces grandeur and royalty in his style, this costume jewelry piece is by Tanya Jones of Lucki Crowns. Presented with the crown is a custom-made eyepatch designed for Slick Rick by Jacob & Co in 2012, with refinements by Avianne & Co in 2023, featuring platinum and diamonds.

The Notorious B.I.G./ Biggie Smalls, Jesus Piece Necklace Artist’s Proof

The Notorious B.I.G. commissioned this Jesus pendant in the mid-1990s from Tito Caicedo of Manny’s New York, and Tito made three copies for Biggie, all cast from the same mold as this gold artist’s proof.

Nipsey Hussle, All Money In A$I Necklace

Designed by Mike Do of Seoul Jewelry in 2023, the letters on this goldand-diamond pendant represent All Money In, the record label that the late rapper, activist, and entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle founded in 2010.

Women in Hip Hop and R&B Necklace

Designed by Johnny Nelson, this custom 14-karat gold necklace features some of the greatest female MCs of all time; Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, Beyoncé, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, and Erykah Badu.

Ghostface Killah, Eagle Bracelet

This massive 14-karat gold piece was designed for Ghostface Killah by Jason Arasheben in the 1990s and remains one of hip-hop’s best-known jewelry pieces.

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS By SUPREME GODDESS KYA

Did you receive the message to your answer? The time is ripe for whatever you choose to do. Only you can hold yourself back. Now isn’t the time for any excuses. The decisions you make are crucial and hold value on your next move. Sometimes you have to quantum jump and know that the universe has got your back along with your ancestors within your bloodline. From May 25 around 11:36 a.m. until May 27 around 4:45 p.m., higher elevation comes with experience and the inner knowing to trust the process. Allow your soul and spirit to guide you to where you need to be. The preparation is in process, ready to be delivered at its appointed time and space.

Grand opportunities are walking up to your doorstep and finding help is on the way to assist with what you need when you ask for it. Changes, decision making, and being the go-to person to assist in solving problems and in giving folks solutions to their issues are all featured. The opportunities that come your way will be new, and networking with people from your past and with colleagues will assist in bringing in new business. From May 27 around 4:45 p.m. until May 29 around 8:24 p.m., advancement, rewards, recognition, and taking a chance on what you believe in are all worth the risk to navigate into different arenas.

Life be lifing and people be peopling. You must steer your own boat to get through this mission you are on. The water and the air learn how to connect to exist without crossing over each others’ boundaries to remain balanced. It assists with less friction, distraction, and headon collisions. Beginning on May 29 around 8:33 p.m., travel deep into your soul and ask the deepest questions: then you will see the message through signs, symbols, pictures, songs, and animals for clearer inner standing. Nurture yourself, the environment, and the company you keep. Your peace of mind is vital.

Are you feeling the heat of responsibility piling up like a mountain? God will only give you what you can carry and handle, even if you have to learn it. As you build your foundation, ensure that it is secure. Take a small break to gather your thoughts in order to be in tune with your heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit. May threw a monkey wrench in your plans to get you to operate differently and embrace change. Clear your path for your peace of mind. From May 23 around 4:24 a.m. until May 25 around 11:27 a.m., the energy is tense and you feel something is on the verge of ending with a brand new beginning.

Before making a decision, review, revise, and tweak anything before you send or make it public. Check your voicemail, texts, and messages, and respond to them or delete them if necessary. This is a favorable week to pitch, sell, or launch a project or service on your terms, operating in your best interests. Who cares what folks say? They are not you and only you can do and be you. From May 25 around 11:36 a.m. until May 27 around 4:45 p.m., hidden messages, signs, and symbols are everywhere to keep you motivated on the task ahead. Take a deep dive into something you want to learn or do to manifest later throughout the year. All it takes is your cooperation, support, time, effort, and the will to make it happen.

Check in on your health this week as it is speaking to you to take a pause. This week, you are thrown for a loop. It’s best to remain focused and see what information is coming forth to you. This is a lagging kind of week, playing out in slow motion. Focus more on your intuition, senses, smells, touch, and what your ancestors are speaking to you. From May 27 around 4:45 p.m. until May 29 around: 8:24 p.m., follow up on the follow-up to stay steady in building your foundation. Emotions are running high; it’s best to remain calm to be informed spiritually of what is going on when your body is in a calm state. It’s a cycle to change diet, rearrange the home, modify your appearance, and lay off the sweets.

Rebirth of A New Nation: It’s the season to have a reason to Step Yo Game Up. It’s prime time now from what you initiated last October. The buildup is ready to present itself to you after submitting your order, applying the footwork, guesswork and going through the process to reach a fulfillment in the work you are doing. It’s been seven months since last October as of May and June makes it the eighth month. Numerically 2024 is an 8 year: June is eight months since the previous October. It’s time for readiness to apply and utilize what you know at a higher level. The Sagittarius full moon at 2 degrees on May 23 is quite the way to end May with the moon, Venus, and Jupiter in conjunction opening up doors to progress forward on your mission. “Never chase what you want. Elevate your game until what you want chases you.” -Unknown

What’s it like to do you and be as free as you can, living comfortably? An unexpected surprise pops up this week within your home and relationships to remind you of prior obligations from the past and present that have effects on the future. Ask for help if needed, and be clear with your intentions; this is required of you to play your role. Your role comes with a bit of pushback, and that’s only to test your skills, mind, and passion to get through the toughness. Beginning on May 29 around 8:33 p.m., rewards, compensations, recognition, transformation, or a rebirth are featured. Aim high, as no job is too big or small to perform. Just do it.

You are recognized in public and in private by your colleagues, friends, and family—they see your worth. It took a lot to get where you are now so keep going as far as you can. It gets lonely at the top for a minute, then somebody comes along. Humanitarian rewards, benefits, and recognition are due. From May 23 around 4:24 a.m. until May 25 around 11:27 a.m., this cycle week is a slow transformation process and all sorts are surrounding you. There is something you need to face, be it a decision, a lover, a business venture, a situation that is pulling on your soul and mind to make the change.

When that awkward, mood-swinging, slow rush of feeling hits you like a fast rainstorm, and before the information presents itself to you, remain calm and take a deep sigh. It’s a funky energy to experience that can throw you off-course, and you can do or say things out of pocket. Focus on your humanitarian efforts and the things you do to be of service to your community, friends, family, etc. From May 25 around 11:36 a.m. until May 27 around 4:45 p.m., some form of termination can help you either rebuild or rebrand your foundation on a higher platform. You know what you know; utilize the information and resources as your toolbox to begin creating a new life for yourself.

Make it or drop it, no faking it to you make it. It’s a cycle week to change the course of your direction into avenues you thought weren’t complementary to your craft. In actuality you open folks’ eyes to see things differently. In life, if a secret that is revealed assists in furthering peoples’ mindsets to help them elevate in life, then it’s no longer a secret that bothers you. From May 27 around 4:45 p.m. until May 29 around 8:24 p.m., it’s a phase to recap the last seven years of what you’ve been doing and ask yourself if you are ready to rise to a higher occasion, like climbing the mountain until you reach the top. You went to that top because it’s something meaningful and the process meant more. As you continue to climb, throw any contradictions out of the way. It’s all or nothing at this point. Give whatever you do your best shot.

“What’s in it for you?” becomes a question after you learn what you learn. The theme this month is not going back to what’s comfortable— be it in your patterns, habits, people, places, it’s time for change. Once you know what you are up against you know how to adjust yourself and move on. Beginning on May 29 around 8:33 p.m, it’s a bittersweet moment. No wonder they call it “lemonade.” Remember: your rebirth is activated within you. Once you make the switch to the route you choose, nothing can stop you. A new experience awaits you: Ready, Set, Go.

Who knew? All of what’s been told to you has been going on in some folks’ lives who are involved in particular arenas. You inner-stand partnerships and bridge the gap together to assist in achieving the mission. What kind of influence or impact does what you have been told, and have witnessed with your own eyes, have on a global level? From May 23 around 4:24 a.m. until May 25 around 11:27 a.m., take note of what

and people are showing up as the spiritual realm of the universe operates differently to help you in the

realm. It can get tricky when you don’t know any better. You are the teacher. You know when it’s a “yes” or “no” based on your gut feelings.

Country Music Hall of Fame revives historic box set

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the Amnews

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, in partnership with Warner Music Nashville, is set to release an expanded edition of the iconic box set “From Where I Stand: The Black Experience in Country Music.” Originally introduced in 1998, this updated collection delves into the rich history of Black Americans’ contributions to country music, spanning a century of musical evolution. Inspired by the pioneering efforts of Black country recording artist Cleve Francis and American Baptist College executive Nelson Wilson, the original set aimed to shed light on a neglected aspect of music history. Francis remarked to the Washington Post upon its initial release, “It’s a part of our history that’s been hidden from us.” Now, more than 25 years later, the museum and Warner Music Nashville have joined forces once again to expand, redesign, and update the box set, ensuring that this vital chapter of music history receives the recognition it deserves.

The new collection features 82 tracks across three discs, with a fourth disc titled “Reclaiming the Heritage” that spotlights a fresh wave of Black artists in country and Americana who have emerged up to 2020. Adding depth to the collection are new essays by recording artists Rhiannon Gid-

dens and Rissi Palmer that complement the original contributions by distinguished music scholars and journalists. In addition to the physical release, the museum is launching “From Where I Stand:

The Online Experience” on its website starting May 31, 2024, providing free access to all the music, incisive essays, archival photographs and video, and historical track notes. This educational resource will also offer supplemental materials from the museum’s archive and resources tailored for educators. Notably, the online experience will feature music that couldn’t be licensed for the physical box set release, including collaborations like Beyoncé and the Chicks’ “Daddy Lessons” and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.”

“The most beautiful thing to me about

the Black country renaissance is that its stars, who are finally starting to get the recognition they deserve, are truly using coun-

try music the way that, to me, it was born to be used,” expresses Giddens in her essay.

“Their music reflects and highlights a cultural viewpoint that has been traditionally suppressed, shows the best of the American narrative, and, in the end, tells the important stories of now, for the generations of tomorrow.”

The CD set is packaged in a hard-bound booklet adorned with traditional quilt designs from the Gee’s Bend community of Alabama, alongside cover type by visual artist and designer David Jon Walker, matching each era of music with a corresponding quilt. To celebrate the release, a special concert event, “From Where I Stand: The Concert Celebration,” presented by Amazon and Riverview Foundation, will take place on June 18 in the museum’s CMA Theater. Co-produced by Rissi Palmer and Shannon Sanders, the event will feature performances by Blanco Brown, Cowboy Troy, Tony Jackson, and other artists represented in the box set.

With its comprehensive exploration of the Black experience in country music, this box set serves as both a tribute to the past and a celebration of the genre’s diverse future. Preorders are now available on the museum’s website, inviting music enthusiasts to embark on a journey through a century of musical heritage. For more info, visit www.countrymusichalloffame.org/fwis.

U.S. shoegaze pioneers The Veldt embark on east coast tour

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the Amnews

In a nostalgic yet forward-thinking move, U.S. shoegaze luminaries The Veldt have announced their highly anticipated east coast tour alongside Ringo Deathstarr, in support of their latest album, “Illuminated 1989.” Released via Portland’s Little Cloud Records and North Carolina’s 5BC Records, the album sees the band revisiting their roots with a fresh perspective.

Formed in the vibrant musical landscape of North Carolina in the 1980s, The Veldt quickly made a name for themselves with their heady and sensual blend of shoegaze and progressive soul. Led by the Chavis brothers, Daniel on vocals and guitar, and Danny on guitar, alongside bassist and programmer Hayato Nakao, the band has consistently pushed boundaries and captivated audiences with their dreamy soundscapes and infectious grooves. “Illuminated 1989” holds a special significance for the band, as it represents their original full-length record produced by Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie. Originally intended as their debut album, the recording was shelved by Capitol Records, leading to the release of their first album titled “Marigolds.” Now, with Guthrie’s remastering for vinyl, fans can finally experience this seminal work as it was

meant to be heard.

Accompanying the album release, The Veldt have shared a live video for the yetunreleased song “Joi,” offering a tantalizing

glimpse into their evolving sound. Additionally, the album focus track, “Willow Tree,” showcases the band’s signature blend of ethereal melodies and hypnotic

rhythms, further cementing their status as shoegaze icons. The band’s recent full live session at Seattle’s KEXP serves as a testament to their enduring appeal and musical prowess, highlighting their evolution since their early days performing in churches and southern juke-joints. With roots deeply embedded in the legendary North Carolina music scene, The Veldt’s journey has taken them across the U.S. and Europe, sharing stages with iconic acts such as Throwing Muses, Pixies, Cocteau Twins, and Jesus & Mary Chain.

Throughout their career, The Veldt’s influence has resonated far beyond the confines of shoegaze, inspiring future generations of alternative artists including TV On the Radio. Their eclectic musical background, ranging from gospel to Motown to Pink Floyd, has infused their music with a unique depth and soulfulness that sets them apart in the genre. As they embark on their tour, The Veldt continue to push boundaries and defy expectations, reaffirming their status as pioneers of the shoegaze movement. With “Illuminated 1989” serving as a testament to their enduring creativity and passion, fans can expect an unforgettable live experience that celebrates both their rich history and their boundless future. For more info, visit www.instagram. com/_theveldt/.

The Veldt (Photo by Brady Harvey @bradharv / KEXP)

Attorney Rosezena Pierce helps music artists protect their brands

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

As music artists build their careers, developing their brands is an integral part of successful marketing. Attorney Rosezena Pierce, known for her experience in the complexities of intellectual property, has emerged as a trusted advisor for music celebrities seeking to protect their creative assets.

As head of the R.J. Pierce Law Group, P.C., Pierce works to secure and defend the intellectual property right rights of her clients. While music artists may have the spotlight, Pierce’s firm works with clients in many industries, earning her the moniker “The Biz Lawyer.” The firm’s practice area involves federal law, so Pierce and her colleagues represent entrepreneurs and entertainers across the world.

Pierce recently spoke on the “Securing the Bag” panel at Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit. Moderated by Pinky Cole, founder and CEO of the Slutty Vegan, the panel discussed finance and entrepreneurship for women trying to start businesses or excel in their careers. While Pierce keeps her clients’ cases confidential, she does comment on cases that are public, providing legal insights into what intellectual property is, how it’s challenged, and how to protect it.

“We have something called Trademark Tea,” said Pierce. “When Kim Kardashian is in the news related to a trademark or LeBron James is being sued for a trademark or we

have Ceaser [Emanuel] from Black Ink, who is fighting thinking he owns his trademark.

“As business owners, we need to make sure that we own what we are building,” she added. “A lot of times, people jump out and begin to build brands and businesses, but not owning them and not understanding how full ownership comes into play. It comes into play via trademark law.”

Incorporating a business is not sufficient, noted Pierce. To own a name exclusively in-

volves trademark law.

As an attorney, Pierce works to educate people about the importance of ownership. When entertainers are negotiating contracts, they must understand what they are agreeing to. Some people may prefer not to be owners, which is fine as long as they understand the terms of the agreement. Pierce said she wanted to be a lawyer from the age of five, but her path was not traditional. When she started college, she

was already a mother, and by the time she finished law school, she had three children. As an undergraduate, she needed to find schools that accommodated the very real obligations in her life, and she found that fit at smaller institutions.

“I knew by the time I was in undergrad that I wanted to be something as it related to business law,” Pierce said. “I actually majored in paralegal studies, so I was exposed to intellectual property. It was taught by a trademark attorney, who said, ‘You should go to law school and I will write you a letter of recommendation.’ I said, ‘That’s the plan.’”

Pierce is clear that while a music artist’s job is to focus on creating, they cannot overlook the input of skilled legal counsel. While the stereotype of lawyers may be that they’re expensive and unreachable, she said that is not necessarily the case. In fact, she has battled stereotypes herself. After struggling to fit in early in her legal career, she now likes to stand out. In doing so, she relishes sharing insights about intellectual property so that people understand what’s at stake.

“There are so many attorneys out here, particularly Black attorneys, that want to help, that want to make sure we see our creatives retain their rights and retain their ownership to what they are creating,” Pierce said. “That’s the reason why I started my law practice, and now we represent over 5,000 small-business owners and other entertainers to help them to secure what they’re actually building.”

Brotherhood Sister Sol raises nearly $2 million at annual gala, honors Billy Porter and Ai-jen Poo

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER AmNews Digital Editor

The Harlem-based youth development and social justice organization Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis) honored actor and singer Billy Porter and National Domestic Workers Alliance president Ai-jen Poo at its 2024 Voices gala on Thursday night, where the organization raised $1.9 million.

Returning for its 19th year, Voices is the organization’s annual benefit to celebrate its youth members and enrich programming. This year’s event took place at New York City’s Ziegfeld Ballroom, with actor and comedian Hasan Minhaj serving as host for the evening. Several BroSis students and alumni shared stories about their experience in the organization during the program.

Porter and Poo were recognized for their commitments to social justice work, Porter with the June Jordan Clarion Call Award and Poo with the Bayard Rustin Award for Social Justice.

“BroSis is a beacon for how a com-

munity can come together to work with marginalized youth,” said Porter. “Their commitment to providing support and amplifying voices aligns with my own mission of changing society for those who often go

unheard. Together, we can create a more inclusive and compassionate world, where every individual can thrive and be celebrated for who they are.”

Award-winning actor, singer, and activ-

ist Porter was recognized for his achievements and fearless support in advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights. Poo, activist, National Domestic Workers Alliance president, and co-founder of Supermajority, was honored for her efforts in championing the rights of domestic workers and fairness for women in the workplace.

“The Brotherhood Sister Sol is an organization I have admired for my lifetime as an organizer,” said Poo. “It is the honor of a lifetime to be [recognized] by them. They offer a singular model of youth power building and a powerful antidote to the converting epidemics of poverty, mental health crisis, and racism plaguing too many of our communities. BroSis feeds the minds and spirits of young people—and changes lives and communities.”

Khary Lazarre-White, BroSis co-founder and executive director, told the AmNews it was appropriate to honor Porter and Poo not only for their contributions to civil rights, but also for breaking barriers in their

Rosezena Pierce, The Biz Lawyer

(Photos courtesy of Rosezena Pierce)

Billy Porter (fourth from right) and Ai-jen Poo (third from left) with Brotherhood Sister Sol students. (Cyril Josh Barker photo)

Hip hop enjoyed universally in Harlem with ‘Syncing Ink’

BY LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

I dare you to go to see “Syncing Ink,” playing at Apollo Stages Victoria Theater in Harlem, and not have a good time! As you walk into the theater space, hip hop is playing courtesy of DJ and composer “The One-Two” Kyleel “Proda” Rolle. The audience demonstrated the universality of hip hop as it was filled with people of all age ranges and races; all had come to experience this production, which addresses hip hop music with love and respect.

This play is the creation of Nsangou Njikam, and it tells a story of the West African Yoruba culture and hip hop, and how spoken word has always been a way for our people to have a voice; a voice that was lost and needed to be regained. In this play, Njikam stars as Gordon, a descendant of an Orisha and the person destined to save hip hop by winning an epic rap battle and becoming Master of Ceremony (MC). Gordon goes on a journey of self-discovery to find his rhyme and voice. Njikam is funny, captivating, and vulnerable as Gordon.

Gordon is guided on that journey by the Orishas who help him find his gifts. Actress Kara Young plays Sweet Tea, a rapper who comes with words of confidence and female power, and who goes directly for the throat of her opponent in rap battles. Young never ceases to amaze with the versatility, energy, and pure skills she displays

when performing any role. She embodies her character with great passion, humor, and prowess. The other members of this very capable company include Elisha Lawson, who plays Ice Cold, who tries to help Gordon to train for his rap battle. Lawson is absolutely wonderful as the comic relief and his raps easily flow. Nuri Hazzard as Jamal, Gordon's opponent for the MC spot, is on fire. His rap battle skills are well known and his arrogance accompanies his skills. McKenzie Frye is sensual and shows a great deal of flair as Mona Lisa. Adesola Osakalumi is funny, engaging, and entertaining as Baba.

I love how—except for Njikam and Young—-the other cast members easily flow through multiple roles. This production had the rhymes flowing and the freestyling going. This cast spit truths that had everyone enthralled. It was amazing to watch this very skilled cast freestyle using audience members. Freestyling will be different at every performance unless the audience has returned: That actually was the case at the performance I attended, where freestyling cast members did so pointing out people who were returning audience members. This theater space in the round has the audience sur-

rounding the cast, who perform on a large round rug in the middle of the stage. This production encourages audience participation and, believe me, there was a lot of that when I attended. People were having a marvelous time reacting to the rap battles and acknowledging the performers’ ability to spit.

If you love hip hop, this show is definitely for you. If you are on the fence about hip hop, you should go and see “Syncing Ink.” You will find yourself laughing, smiling, bopping your head to the beat, slapping your knees, and tapping your feet. This play will have you hearing the jokes, the ranks, the rap, and the power of the spoken word, and uplift your spirit in a way that leaves you soaring!

“Syncing Ink” has amazing direction by Awoye Timpo. Osakalumi, in addition to delivering an engaging acting performance, is also the choreographer, along with hip hop dancer Buddha Stretch. Scene design by Jason Ardizzone-West, costume design by Ty Hunter, and sound design by G. Clausen supported the vibe in the room. Chief Ayanda Clarke served as the spiritual advisor and cultural director. Again, I dare you to go to “Syncing Ink” and not have a good time. It will make you think—plus, you get a chance to speak out loud the beloved words of many people’s hip hop favorite “Rapper’s Delight.”

For ticket information visit www. syncingink.com and www.apollotheater.org.

Billie Holiday Theatre reopens with Lynn Nottage’s ‘Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine’

BY LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

Lynn Nottage always creates work that teaches us, as Black people, lessons that hit hard but have to be learned. With her production of “Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine,” she teaches that we should never forget where we came from when we are successful: Don’t be that Black person who has financial success, treats people like garbage, and gloats in your own sense of importance, because it can all be taken away from you in a moment.

I love the fact that the Billie Holiday Theatre used this work as its first full production re-opener after being closed for renovations since 2019. This theater is a treasure in Brooklyn, and is much appreciated. Nottage’s play presents us with Undine, and we quickly get to know how shallow she is and then watch as her world turns upside down. When Undine reaches rockbottom, all of her “friends” abandon her immediately. As the creditors come to take all she has, even her “best friend” watches, does nothing, and feels Undine should understand. Undine finds herself needing to

go back to her family, of whom she has said unbelievable things, and she gets into situations with family members that are very much off the beaten track for her. The play follows as she pays the consequences for her actions and theirs.

She realizes that she has angered the Or-

ishas and will have a heavy price to pay. What happens to her should be a lesson to all: Never turn your back on your history, your family, your neighborhood, or your African name. Don’t strive to be something you’re not. And never be ashamed of the people who knew you before all the educa-

tion, fame, money, and notoriety.

The cast delivers Nottage’s work in a 100minute torrent of emotions. Felicia Curry is captivating as Undine. She takes the audience through an emotional rollercoaster that is needed for her character to realize what truly is important in life.

The rest of the ensemble cast perform at least two roles each—as ensemble members and a particular character. Mariyea is dynamic as Stephie, Undine’s much-abused assistant. Kimberlee Walker is gripping as Mother. Tito Livas brings the heat as Undine’s sexy, unscrupulous husband Herve/Guy. Evander Duck Jr. is intriguing as Father. Sharon Hope is enthralling as Grandma. Roland Lane is riveting as Flow, Undine’s brother. Alex Gibson does well as her Accountant.

The production has intriguing direction by Martavius Parrish, set design by Rodrigo Escalante, costume design by Christopher Vergara, lighting design by Amara McNeil, sound design by German Martinez, and hair and wig design by Nikiya Mathis.

This production runs through May 19, so make plans to go on this journey with Undine soon. For ticket information, visit thebillieholiday.org

A scene from “Syncing Ink” (l-r) Kara Young and Nsangou Njikam (Rebecca J. Mickelson photo)

Scene from “Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine” (l-r): Sharon Hope, Roland Lane, Kimberlee Walker, Evander Duck Jr., and Felicia Curry (Hollis King photo)

David Sanborn, genre-bending saxophonist, dies at 78

David Sanborn, the alto saxophonist who defied categories by bending genres like pop, blues, and jazz into his own unique bright sound that established him as a first-call musician working with such artists Michael Franks, Bob James, Bill Evans, Carly Simon, and Stevie Wonder, died on May 12, in Tarrytown, N.Y. He was 78.

His social media account said, “Sanborn died on Sunday afternoon due to complications from an extended battle with prostate cancer but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently. He already had concerts scheduled into 2025.”

Sanborn’s popular fiery sound earned him six Grammy Awards, eight gold albums, and one platinum album. Although he was most associated with smooth jazz, for which he expressed a reluctance, Sanborn studied avant garde music as a youth with master saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Julius Hemphill. In 1993, he revisited this genre with an appearance on Tim Berne’s “Diminutive Mysteries,” dedicated to Hemphill. Sanborn’s large ensemble album “Another Hand” (Elektra Musician, 1991) featured musicians from the avant garde genre.

“I guess if push comes to shove, I would describe myself as coming out of the blues-R&B side of the spectrum,” Sanborn said in a 2008 interview with NPR. “But…if you play the saxophone, you certainly can’t escape the influence of jazz.”

In 2021, as the coronavirus pandemic halted all live music performances throughout the country, Sanborn hosted a series of master classes on Zoom and also began a virtual program titled “Sanborn Sessions” from his home in Westchester, N.Y. That featured live performances and interviews with the likes of Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Sting, and Michael McDonald.

Sanborn, not a fan of record labels, once said in a 2017 inter-

view with DownBeat jazz magazine, “I’m not so interested in what is or isn’t jazz. The guardians of the gate can be quite combative, but what are they protecting? Jazz has always absorbed and transformed what’s around it. Real musicians don’t have any time to spend think -

ing about limited categories.”

David William Sanborn was born on July 30, 1945, in Tampa, Fla., where his father was stationed in the Air Force. He grew up in Kirkwood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. At the age of 3, he contracted polio and was in an iron lung for a year. As stated in

born “was the most influential saxophonist (of) pop, R&B, and crossover players of the past 20 years.”

After music studies at Northwestern University, Sanborn transferred to the University of Iowa, where he played and studied with saxophonist JR Monterose. After moving to California, he joined the Butterfield Blues Band and recorded on four of their albums, from 1967–71, as a horn section member and soloist. He appeared as a member of the band at the Woodstock Music Festival (1969).

He then began touring with Stevie Wonder and recorded on the track “Tuesday Heartbreak” on Wonder’s ”Talking Book” album.

Sanborn was in his late 20s when he joined David Bowie for the Diamond Dogs Tour; he’s featured on the ”David Live” double-album and joined him in the studio for the recording of Bowie’s explorations of soul and funk music on the ”Young Americans” album.

In the mid-1970s, Sanborn became part of the jazz fusion scene when he joined the Brecker Brothers band. It was with the Brothers that he recorded his first solo album, “Taking Off,” which is now regarded as a jazz/funk classic. This was followed in 1979 by his album “Hideaway,” which featured two instrumentals written with singer Michael McDonald. The single “Seduction” from that album was featured in “American Gigolo.” Just a few years later, Sanborn won his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for the song “All I Need Is You” on the 1981 Album “Voyeur” (Warner Bros.).

Sanborn is survived by his wife, Alice Soyer Sanborn, a pianist, vocalist, and composer; son Jonathan; two granddaughters; and sisters Sallie and Barb Sanborn.

his official biography, he began taking saxophone lessons at 11 on the advice of a doctor, who thought it would help him build respiratory strength. By the time he was 14, he was playing with such blues greats as Albert King and Little Milton. Jazz writer Scott Yanow said San -

“Rest well, Mr. Sanborn. I’ll miss our endless saxophone chats on the phone. Thank you so much for your wisdom, support and encouragement,” said saxophonist and composer Jaleel Shaw. “We are all thankful for the joy you spread throughout the world with your music, and I am so glad that I got to know you. A true hero.”

Saxophone player David Sanborn performs during his concert at Stravinski hall at “Colours of Music night” during the 34th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, on July 10, 2000. Sanborn died Sunday, May 12, 2024, at 78 (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, file photo)

on the sale of arms to Rwanda and Uganda, which are accused of supporting the M23. Elsewhere on the continent, violence has been escalating in Sudan’s El Fasher in Darfur between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, severely impacting civilians.

U.N. Human Rights chief Volker Turk expressed horror at the escalating violence.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights, told a news briefing in Geneva: “We warned both commanders that fighting in El Fasher, where more than 1.8 million residents and internally displaced people are at imminent risk of famine, would have a catastrophic impact on civilians and it would deepen intercommunal conflict with disastrous humanitarian consequences.”

PRO-PALESTINE ENCAMPMENTS IN AFRICA JOIN GLOBAL STUDENT MOVEMENT

(GIN) - South African students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) are setting up encampments in solidarity with the people of Palestine, joining a global movement led by students around the world with support from academic and other staff.

They’re calling for their institution to be transparent about their links to Israel and to divest and cut ties with Israel or Israeli-

linked institutions.

The UCT4Palestine encampment has grown to around 10 tents on the upper campus; UCT students form part of the wider coalition.

UCT law student and UCT4Palestine member Roomaan Leach said the action was to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe. It refers to the mass displacement and eviction of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

“We are aiming to educate, mourn, conscientize, rage, all at once,” Leach said.

#Africa4Palestine is a human rights organization lending solidarity and support to Palestine people living under Israeli occupation.

The organization was formerly known as BDS South Africa, established in 2009. However, in 2020, BDS rebranded and broadened its mandate to become #Africa4Palestine.

The team has seven board members, including professor Farid Esack, a South African Muslim liberation theologian in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Johannesburg, and Duduzile MahlanguMasango, who worked for the South African Council of Churches at its Justice and Reconciliation Desk and was the project coordinator of an HIV/AIDS initiative of the Lutheran Church working on the acceptance of HIV positive people.

Mahlangu-Masangohe is currently the South African coordinator of the Israel-Palestine program at the World Council of Churches.

This week, dozens of students at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg set up

camps in solidarity with Palestinians on the main campus library lawn.

Students waving Palestinian flags and carrying placards called for a cease-fire and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories as they marched to the university senate, where officials were holding a meeting.

Imaan Mathee told a reporter: “We were inspired by the mobilization of U.S. universities, but I would say that our encampment is more peaceful because we recognize that our stance reflects the stance taken by our government.”

Mathee vowed that the encampment would continue until student demands are met.

POPULAR MEN’S CHORUS TO BOOST CHURCH FINANCES IN ZIMBABWE

(GIN) - Decolonizing institutions, particularly the church on the African continent, is a compelling and urgent task.

That’s the novel subject of a paper by Benjamin Tyavkase Gudaku, who has a masters degree in Religious studies from Benue State University in Makurdi, Nigeria.

It’s also the topic of current conversation on the African continent regarding decolonizing the church, a goal only achievable by financial sustainability.

Among planned short-term projects are poultry farming and a piggery. Long-term ventures include forming strategic partnerships with major corporations, mining, and establishing a private school.

One church in Zimbabwe has already taken the bull by the horns. Renowned globally for winning souls to Christ through spiritually up-

lifting music characterized by their trademark drums and rattles, members of Mubvuwi we United Methodist Church plan to venture into various income-generating projects to fund their programs and boost church finances.

In fact, they’re the reigning men’s organization music champion in the Zimbabwe East Conference.

A portion of the money raised by Mubvuwi we United Methodist Church will go to the church in Zimbabwe’s common pool to ensure all pastors receive the same salary from the episcopal area treasury.

Meanwhile, in its latest effort to devise a credible national currency, Zimbabwe has replaced its dollar with the ZiG, short for Zimbabwe Gold. It’s the latest attempt to stabilize an economy that has lurched from crisis to crisis for the past 25 years.

It is the country’s sixth attempt at establishing its own currency since 2008, when inflation crossed 500,000,000,000%, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates.

Not only did that render it worthless—it turned the unit into a global punchline.

Zimbabweans have 21 days to exchange old, inflation-hit notes for the new currency.

However, the U.S. dollar, which accounts for 85% of all transactions, will remain legal tender and most people are likely to continue to prefer this.

The announcement of the new currency comes as the country is grappling with the effects of a serious drought, which has destroyed half of the country’s crop of the staple food, maize.

IN THE Christopher Fairfield Edley Jr., educator and presidential adviser

By HERB BOYD Special at the AmNews

Christopher Edley Jr. was as passionate about teaching as he was about being on the ramparts for civil rights. Many of us remember him as a professor at Harvard where he co-founded the Harvard Civil Rights Project with Gary Orfield in 1996. In 2016, he served as president of the Opportunity Institute, which he co-founded with Ann O’Leary.

Born on January 13, 1953, in Boston, Edley Jr. followed the illustrious path paved by his father, who was the distinguished leader of the United Negro College Fund and helped the organization raise more than $550 million during his 18 years at the helm. Edley’s father died in 2003 at the age of 75. Edley Jr., began his career at Swarthmore College and continued it at Harvard Law School, where he later taught. He was in the class at Harvard a year before the late Charles Ogletree.

For more than four decades, beginning with his association with former President Jimmy Carter, Edley Jr. was vitally involved in five presidential campaigns as an economic policy adviser and budget official. He was chair of the ObamaBiden transition team. In 2011, he was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as cochair of the National Commission on Equity and Excellence in Education, the veritable bailiwick of his expertise and scholarship.

Along with leading the various institutes he co-founded and administrative duties he was responsible for, including as dean of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law from 2004 to 2013, Edley Jr. was often summoned as a lecturer, which took him away from his productive writing career.

“Not All Black and White: Affirmative Action and American Values” (1998) and “Administrative Law: Rethinking Judicial Control of Bureaucracy” (1990) are two of his published books.

In the former publication, Edley recounted a session he had at the Central Intelligence Agency. “Some months ago,” he began, “I was invited to participate in a discussion

with a group of minority employees of the Central Intelligence Agency meeting at a covert military facility. I spent about an hour lecturing and then pressed them to present and defend their own views on affirmative action. I paused to make, lightheartedly, a serious point. ‘You know, you folks aren’t very good at this. I wouldn’t want any of you representing my side of this issue in a cocktail party conversation.’

“Even people intensely concerned about affirmative action, I said— whether for or against—rarely work hard to understand the arguments on both sides and to figure out how to persuade others,” Edley continued. “Instead, we usually talk about this

difficult subject only with like-minded people and avoid the subject with others. I likened it to being at church and spending all your energy in choir practice when what is needed is practice at evangelical missionary work. I’m not very religious, but I know that choir performances alone do not make converts or create ecumenical understanding.”

This balanced approach to an issue typified Edley’s strategy for dealing with controversial issues. A comment on the book’s cover said it all: “In this cogent, persuasive book for general readers and serious voters, Christopher Edley makes his eloquent, powerful case: affirmative action laws, he believes, are essential

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

More about him appears in his two books and in a variety of articles, including his obituary.

DISCUSSION

Wish we could have found out more about his early years and his relationship with his accomplished father.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Having worked with several presidents over five decades, from Carter to Obama, the case is made for Edley Jr.’s brilliance.

to the cause of social justice in this country; he understands their flaws and drawbacks, for both of which he suggests precise and sensible remedies. Engaging the reader in assessing the evidence, in understanding the moral importance of thinking clearly about race, he shows us what is at stake—in the positions we urge our elected officials to take, and in the arguments we use to persuade one another about fairness, justice, and progress.”

Edley was married to Maria Echaveste, former deputy chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton. He died from complications of surgery in Stanford, California, on May 10, 2024, at the age of 71.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

May 17, 1954: The Supreme Court struck down “separate but equal” segregation, deeming it unconstitutional.

May 19, 1925: The esteemed human rights advocate Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He was killed in 1965.

May 22, 1863: the War Department issued General Order 143, creating the U.S. Colored Troops. More than 179,000 Black men fought for the Union Army.

University of California, Berkeley Law School dean Christopher Edley Jr. speaks at a news conference in Oakland, Calif., Friday, May 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Co-Director Jasmine Gripper. She thinks the race will be determined by a good turnout of his base at the polls again.

“We are talking to voters one day at a time. That’s how we plan to win this race and make sure voters know the importance of it,” said Gripper, about building a diverse coalition of Arab and Jewish voters from the district.

Bowman’s endorsements include U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Nydia Velazquez, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, and labor groups like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU 1199), District Council 37 (DC37), United Auto Workers (UAW), and New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). He also had backing from the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, Make the Road Action, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, League of Conservation Voters, Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), Human Rights Campaign, and Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club.

So far, Bowman has prided himself on a people-powered campaign and has raised $2,673,515 in contributions, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Bowman was especially concerned about Latimer’s views that high Black voter turnout as “skewing the results” of his ini-

tial election in 2020. Latimer has also stated that gun violence is not a problem in Westchester County, denying the experiences of communities of color in southern Westchester towns.

“When he compared Cuomo to Emmett Till a few years ago, I thought it was a mistake and tried to take a diplomatic approach,” said Bowman. “Multiple instances now prove he knows exactly what he is doing, and I will call it out for what it is.”

Bowman also said in the debate that he believes in working toward a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel; the elected militant group Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (HAMAS) needs to be eradicated; and unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer has called for. Locally, he wants to continue investing in mental health and resources to combat public safety recidivism, abortion rights, and pushing cultural education as a key to fighting hate.

A Westchester native, Latimer is a proIsraeli Democrat who has worked as a county executive since 2018. He has held office in Rye as a City Councilperson, in Westchester County as a legislator, and in the State Senate and Assembly. He presented himself as representing the majority of the district, including Republican and Jewish voters. He said he’s “working hard” to get to know the Bronx portion of the district.

Latimer believes that Bowman is lying

about pulling the fire alarm accidentally to interrupt a congressional vote. Bowman said it was a mistake, and proceeded to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge and agreed to pay a small fine. “Look at the video; don’t look at his act on the stage,” said Latimer.

Latimer has raised $3,676,320 in contributions thanks in large part to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israeli super-PAC bankrolled by Trump mega-donors who recruited Latimer to run. AIPAC’s United Democracy Project is slated to spend $2.2 million on campaign ads that don’t mention Israel or Gaza. The lobbying group has similarly donated to U.S. Reps Ritchie Torres and Hakeem Jeffries, as well as other high-profile Democrats in past elections.

“We proudly support George Latimer who is a strong pro-Israel progressive who is opposed by a detractor of the relationship between America and the Jewish state,” said AIPAC in a statement. “We believe that (it) is entirely consistent with progressive values to stand with Israel. In fact, AIPAC is the top fundraiser for Congressional Black Caucus members, Hispanic caucus members, and Progressive Caucus members.”

Pressed in their first debate about his high-profile GOP backers and AIPAC funding, a huge talking point in the race, Latimer said that actions of the individual should matter more than donations.

“When you talk about people’s campaign

donations and try to make a correlation, you have to talk about all the campaign donations. My opponent has taken money from various PACs that have also supported Republican candidates,” Latimer said.

“Isn’t he in as much jeopardy of doing their bidding as he accuses me of doing?”

In addition to AIPAC, Latimer has been endorsed by the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, Dream for America, Italian American Democrats, and Stonewall Democrats; labor groups like Transit Workers Union Local 100 and the New York State Professional Firefighters District 5; and elected officials such as Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblymember Chris Burdick.

In the debate, Latimer also said he would advocate for a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, opposes a ceasefire until hostages are released, and wants to see more border security when it comes to immigration policies. Locally, he believes in more police presence to engender safety, creating a pathway for migrants and asylum seekers to get jobs, and combating hate speech.

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

FAIR

Education

70 years ago, school integration was a dream many believed could actually happen. It hasn’t

By ANNIE MA AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON — Seventy years ago this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled separating children in schools by race was unconstitutional. On paper, that decision — the fabled Brown v. Board of Education, taught in most every American classroom — still stands.

But for decades, American schools have been re-segregating. The country is more diverse than it ever has been, with students more exposed to classmates from different backgrounds. Still, around 4 out of 10 Black and Hispanic students attend schools where almost every one of their classmates is another student of color.

The intense segregation by race is linked to socioeconomic conditions: Schools where students of color compose more than 90% of the student body are five times more likely to be located in low-income areas. That in turn has resounding academic consequences: Students who attend high-poverty schools, regardless of their family’s finances, have worse educational outcomes.

Efforts to slow or reverse the increasing separation of American schools have stalled. Court cases slowly have chipped away at the dream outlined in the case of Brown v. Board, leaving fewer and fewer tools in the hands of districts to integrate schools by the early 2000s.

The arc of the moral universe, in this case, does not seem to be bending toward justice.

“School integration exists as little more than an idea in America right now, a little more than a memory,” said Derek Black, a law professor at the University of Southern California. “It’s actually an idea that a pretty good majority of Americans think is a good idea. But that’s all.”

More than just diverse schools

The dream of Brown was never as simple as diversity. It was about equality, and the opportunity that came with it.

From the beginning, funding and integration have been inseparable.

“Whiter schools and districts have more resources, and that is wrong,” said Ary Amerikaner, a former Obama administration official and the founder of Brown’s Promise. “But it is a reality. And that undermines opportunity for students of color, and it undermines our future democracy.”

We remember Brown v. Board as the end of segregated schools in the United States. But stating values does not, alone, change reality. Though the case was decided in 1954,

it was followed by more than a decade of delay and avoidance before school districts began to meaningfully allow Black students to enter white schools.

It took further court rulings, monitoring and enforcement to bring a short-lived era of integration to hundreds of school districts. For the students who took part in those desegregation programs, their life trajectory changed — the more years spent in integrated schools, the better Black children fared on measures like educational attainment, graduation rates, health, and earning potential, with no adverse effects on white children.

For a brief period, it seemed the country recognized the deeper remedies required. “All things being equal, with no history of discrimination, it might well be desirable to assign pupils to schools nearest their homes,” Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote in Swann v. Mecklenburg, a 1971 decision that upheld the use of busing to integrate schools in North Carolina. “But all things are not equal in a system that has been deliberately constructed and maintained to enforce racial segregation.”

But not long after, another series of court decisions would unwind those outcomes.

Fifty years ago, in Milliken v. Bradley, the court struck down a plan for integrating Detroit public schools across school dis-

trict lines. The ruling undermined desegregation efforts in the north and Midwest, where small districts allowed white families to escape integration.

Other decisions followed. In Freeman v. Pitts, the court ruled resegregation from private choice and demographic shifts could not be monitored by the court. More than 200 districts were released from court-monitored desegregation plans. By 2007, when the court ruled in Parents Involved v. Seattle Public Schools, even voluntary integration plans could no longer consider assigning students on the basis of race.

“If you have the tools taken away from you ... by the Supreme Court, then you really don’t have a whole lot of tools,” said Stephan Blanford, a former Seattle Public Schools board member.

How to move forward in a system that resists?

Amerikaner and Saba Bireda founded Brown’s Promise on the idea of bridging the divide between funding and integration, leveraging state courts to obtain the tools the Supreme Court has taken away from districts.

Their strategy has some precedence. In Connecticut, a 1989 lawsuit in state court resulted in the creation of an inter-district transfer program, which allows students in

Hartford to transfer into suburban schools and magnet programs, breaking up concentrations of poverty and racially isolated schools.

“This country had to be moved to integration,” Bireda said. “And unfortunately, 70 years later, we feel like we still need litigation. We need the push of the courts.”

More recent lawsuits have taken place in New Jersey and in Minnesota. In 2015, Alex Cruz-Guzman became a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging segregation in Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools. Cruz-Guzman immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a teenager. As a parent, he noticed his children’s schools consisted almost entirely of other Latino students. When he tried to place them in more integrated schools, the family faced long waitlists.

The case wound its way through court for nearly a decade, almost reaching a settlement in the legislature before that bill failed to pass.

Cruz-Guzman recalls people asking why he would join a case that likely would not resolve in time to benefit his own children, who struggled with learning English for a time in predominantly Latino schools. To him, the arc of the case is about the kids whose lives could change in the future.

“It’s not only my kids. My grandkids will benefit from it,” he says. “People for generations will benefit.”

How far those legal cases can reach remains to be seen. Actual solutions are imperfect. But integration is something this country has tried before, and while it lasted, by many measures, it worked.

Anniversaries are moments to stop and contemplate. Seventy years after Brown, the work towards achieving its vision remains unfinished. Where there are no perfect, easy answers, what other choice is there besides trying imperfect pathways that bring about an increasingly diverse country somewhere closer to the promise of Brown?

“What’s the alternative?” Bireda said. “We are headed towards a country that is going to be majority people of color. ... We can be a strong multiracial democracy, but we cannot be that if we continue to allow most children in the United States not to go to school with children who are from different backgrounds.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Faced with a human barricade of Jackson, Miss., police, demonstrators run from the scene, May 31, 1963. On paper, Brown v. Board of Education still stands. In reality, school integration is all but gone, the victim of a gradual series of court cases that slowly eroded it, leaving little behind. (AP Photo/Jim Bourdier)

Continued from page 5

also mindful of how we police, especially if you grow up very conscious and my parents were very conscious, very pro-Black. We had to treat people with respect, no matter what. Those were just some basic core values I was brought up with. I think that really helped me throughout my police career.”

Today, Chan Shue’s Harlem-based national security firm has a total of 963 employees—and is still growing.

City Safe Partners Security is licensed to operate in New York, New Jersey, Georgia, and Texas. Chan Shue said the firm hires people from the urban communities where it’s based every day. “Especially with the large contracts that we receive: We are doing free online training for people who don’t have the certifications that we require for the sites we’re hiring for. We’re also sponsoring people for the Fire Guard Training. We also are working with New York City Workforce 1 to provide additional training to people that the [ Workforce1 Career Centers] send over to us so that we can get them licensed and they can start working right away. We have a really quick

turnaround process for hiring.”

With her home-grown business, Chan Shue feels she’s satisfying her childhood need to help people. City Safe Partners (230 West 135th Street, Harlem; http://citysafepartners. com/) provides cybersecurity, private investigations, and armed and unarmed security at airports, residences, businesses, and city and state agencies. The firm trains and employs locals who can become 32BJ union-aligned security guards and possibly use their experience to enter the world of law enforcement.

“I used to be a security guard, so I’m going to say it’s a great job, especially for students or people who are entering into the workforce,” said Chan Shue. “There’s always work in this industry: It’s one of the fastestgrowing industries and is expected to grow by 30 percent over the next 20 years, so it will always be in demand; you can always find work. The more certifications you have, the higher pay that you will get.

“I think we have a really good entry point for someone who wants to start a law enforcement career, because with City Safe Partners, they will come to understand the discipline of working around the clock, doing investigative work, and reporting incidents.”

Disrespect

Continued from page 12

stereotypes: “Any Black woman deemed to be an Angry Black Woman will quickly find herself shunned for this fatal flaw, castigated for the way it impacts the entitled contentment of her environment and the people in it, incessantly denied the support she deserves to mitigate the issues she is contending with, and left enduringly alone, because she is intolerable and understood to be exiled to an isolation of her own making.”

We can understand this normalization of dehumanization by examining the psychology of cognitive biases and societal structures that perpetuate this marginalization. When Black women are seen as less than human, it justifies our mistreatment and exclusion. Cognitive biases, such as the outgroup homogeneity effect, lead those in a more dominant class to perceive members of marginalized groups as more similar to each other and different from the in-group. Societal structures that privilege certain identities over others reinforce these biases, even within progressive circles. This psychological un-

derpinning explains why harmful stereotypes about Black women persist and why society routinely ignores our protests about these experiences.

It is imperative that we, as a society, commit to dismantling these harmful perceptions and stereotypes of outspoken Black women. Even within our own communities, the insidious nature of this internalized racism is clear. It is only when the verbal assaults on Black women in the public sphere become too egregious to ignore that we are forced to confront the harsh reality that society often expects Black women to be seen and not heard, especially if they stand unapologetically in their power.

Alice Walker’s poignant words resonate deeply here: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” However, a more sinister dynamic is at play here—the societal effort to strip power from Black women by convincing the world they are unworthy of being heard.

I am not advocating for a society that shields Black women’s views from critique, especially when those opinions are reductive and lack substantive facts and evidence. Constructive pushback

Join the MSK Ralph Lauren Center, The International Myeloma Foundation, and the Abyssinian Baptist Church for a

is essential to expand ideas. However, it is crucial to distinguish between opposition intended to foster debate and that which seeks to dehumanize and marginalize, as is often the case with Black women. The incidents of disrespect experienced by Black women, the recent attacks on Black women in leadership, and the strategic dismantling of DEI initiatives all spring from the same source: fear. Our society is terrified of a world that is increasingly Black and increasingly female. The powers that be are not ready to share power with Black women. Supporting Black women in reclaiming their rightful power means recognizing their worth and defending their right to speak their truth without fear of retribution or undue malice. This is not merely a matter of justice; it is about respecting and protecting our collective humanity. We must create environments where Black women can express themselves freely and safely, ensuring their voices are not only heard, but also valued and respected.

Kimberly Bryant is the founder and CEO of Black Innovation Lab by Ascend Ventures and the founder of Black Girls CODE

Community Health Education Panel & Dinner

At this event, you can:

• Learn how multiple myeloma impacts the Black community.

To honor Black Family Cancer Awareness Week (June 13-19). This free educational dinner in Harlem will provide information about the disease multiple myeloma – the most common blood cancer in African Americans.

• Hear how food can improve health.

• Ask experts your questions.

Event details: Thursday, June 20, 2024 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

To register for this event or to learn more about it, point your smartphone camera at the QR code and tap the link. Email communityaffairs@mskcc.org for more information.

Religion & Spirituality

Afro Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press

HAVANA — The 1959 Castro-led revolution installed an atheist, Communist government that sought to replace the Catholic Church as the guiding force in the lives of Cubans.

But 65 years later, religion seems omnipresent in Cuba, in dazzling diversity.

The bells toll on Catholic churches and the call to prayer summons Muslims in Havana. Buddhists chant mantras as they gather at a jazz musician’s home. Jews savor rice, beans and other Cuban staples for Sabbath dinner. Santeria devotees dance and slap drums in a museum filled with statues, paying homage to their Afro Cuban deities.

It’s also visible in the growing ranks of evangelicals who worship across the island, in the faith of LGBTQ+ Christians who sing at an inclusive church in the seaport of Matanzas, or in the pilgrims who travel to the remote shrine of Cuba’s patron saint in the shadow of the Sierra Maestra mountains.

Critics say Cuba still falls short on religious tolerance. The U.S. State Department has designated Cuba a “Country of Particular Concern” for having engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom.

Cuba’s constitution includes provisions for religious freedom and bans religious-based discrimination. But a recent State Department report says provisions in Cuba’s penal and administrative codes “contravene these protections.” The report says the Cuban Communist Party requires religious groups to be officially registered, “and membership in or association with an unregistered group is a crime.”

The report says the Office of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Justice continue to withhold registration to some groups, including the Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Some academics and religious leaders say more strides toward full religious freedom are needed, such as easing the process to build houses of worship, allowing access to stateowned media to spread faith-based messages, and reestablishing private religious schools. But there’s been significant progress; some call it a time of Cuban religious revival.

“I don’t know whether the religious revival has occurred in Cuba as a result of the (evan-

gelical) Protestants involvement in the island, or as a result of the frustrations of the Cubans, or the result of a tolerance that the Cuban government seems to show toward religion,” said Jaime Suchlicki, former director of the University of Miami Institute for Cuban and CubanAmerican Studies.

“Maybe a combination of all these factors have really revived religion in the island.”

More than 60% of Cuba’s 11 million people are baptized Catholic, according to the church. Experts estimate that as many, or more, also follow Afro Cuban traditions such as Santeria that intermingle with Catholicism.

“Cubans are believers, but sometimes they believe in everything,” said Monsignor Ramon Suarez, chancellor of Havana’s Catholic archdiocese.

Cuba’s religious landscape is too diverse to fit easy categorizations, said Maximiliano Trujillo, a Havana University philosophy professor.

“There’s a very unique religiosity,” he said. “In Cuba, it’s not uncommon that someone goes to meet a babalao (Santeria high priest) in the morning and can visit a Pentecostal temple in the afternoon, and at night goes to Mass – and doesn’t see any type of conflict in its spirituality.”

Today, diverse beliefs can be found mixed together on altars in homes, with the Virgin Mary

sharing space with a ceramic Buddha and a warrior spirit from the Afro Cuban faith.

But when Suarez did his military service as a young seminarian, he kept his Bible hidden, fearing it would get confiscated.

“You couldn’t say anything about religion,” said Suarez.

The Catholic Church took an anti-communist stance shortly before Fidel Castro declared Cuba to be socialist in 1961. The government later accused prominent Catholics of trying to topple Castro. Public religious events were banned after processions transformed into political protests, sometimes turning violent.

Hundreds of foreign priests were expelled.

Private schools, including more than 100 Catholic schools, that had operated across Cuba were nationalized.

Many Cuban priests were sent to militaryrun labor camps in the mid-1960s. The government became officially atheist; religion was not allowed and believers of all faiths were banned from Communist Party membership.

Church-state relations began to warm three decades later when Castro met with evangelical leaders and representatives from the local Jewish community. In 1992, the government dropped its constitutional references to atheism. The first papal visit to the island, Pope John Paul II in 1998, marked a turning point that led to government acceptance of some outdoor religious events and the celebration of Christmas outside churches for the first time in several decades.

Arguably the most popular religion in Cuba is Santeria, which fuses Catholicism with Afro Caribbean traditions.

Santería was born as a form of quiet resis-

tance among Cuba’s Black communities. It dates back centuries to when Spanish colonists brought hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans to Cuba, many from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria.

The Spanish tried to force Catholicism on the enslaved, but the Africans who made that transatlantic voyage brought their own religions, camouflaging them by attaching symbols of their orishas – Yoruba deities – to Catholic saints.

Santeria long remained on the political margins due to its scattered, nonhierarchical nature and centuries of taboo and racism. In recent years, it has grown in prominence.

Beyond Catholicism and Santeria, Cuba has numerous smaller but vibrant faiths.

Among them:

JUDAISM

At Cuba’s largest synagogue, ancient Jewish traditions and Cubanness often blend. At times, Sabbath dinners at Beth Shalom include Cuban black beans and rice.

Jews are believed to have arrived in Cuba with Christopher Columbus in 1492, but the Cuban community officially began in the early 20th century, said Hella Ezkenazi, vice president of Cuba’s Hebrew Community. After WWII, more European Jews arrived.

The community grew to an estimated 15,000 at its peak in the 1950s, but most emigrated to the U.S. after the 1959 revolution when many of their businesses where confiscated. Today, there are about 1,000 Jews living in Cuba.

ISLAM

The only mosque in Havana opened in 2015 and the Muslim community has grown to about 2,500 people nationwide, said Ahmed Aguero, one of the mosque’s leaders.

“We’re pioneers in spreading the religion here,” he said. “Sometimes they have a bad impression of Muslims, they fear that we’re bad or even terrorists, until they meet us and they learn about the real practice of our religion.”

BUDDHISTS

Twin brothers Yasnel and Yasmel Quintana were raised in an Afro Cuban family that follows Santeria, but they never practiced that faith. Ten years ago, they joined the local branch of Soka Gakkai, a global Japanese Buddhist organization.

On a recent Sunday, they went to the home of Cuban jazz musician Cesar Lopez and his wife, Japan-born Seiko Ishii, where group members often meet to meditate.

“Buddhism became our first and only religion, where we felt identified and grew spiritually,” said Yasmel.

Soka Gakkai is present in more than 190 countries, according to the group. In Cuba, it grew from a few people in 2015 to about 500 today.

People light candles in honor of Cuba’s patron saint, the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, at her shrine in El Cobre, Cuba. The Vatican-recognized Virgin, venerated by Catholics and followers of Afro Cuban Santeria traditions, is at the heart of Cuban identity. (AP Photo/ Ramon Espinosa)

Dept of Aging

Continued from page 3

safe on the streets.

A groundswell of support follows the Department for the Aging as the agency faced a $20 million budget last year and there are concerns that an even bigger funding slash might be on the horizon.

“The last couple of weeks, we’ve had lots of advocates talking about the city’s commitment to age-inclusivity and how that should be realized,” Cortés-Vázquez said. “One of the ways they’ve been talking about it is through the budget and if we’re talking about the needs and wants and preferences of older adults, then we need to be prepared to have those services. That’s why this is so tied into some of the advocacy.”

The survey will remain open until September. While participation is anonymous, those interested can enter their informa-

tion for a $50 gift card drawing in October.

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

Proposal

Continued from page 3

“This could be a win-win, not just for the alleged victims, [but also] it could be a win for the police,” said Siegel.

“We have more individuals [nearby on] 125th Street [through] what we refer to as the ecosystem from incarceration [to coming] right back here to New York and [dropping] right back on our streets to begin the whole cycle again,” Coffie said.

“At what junction do we begin to invest in intervention? We have a responsibility not only to those members of our community, but also our broader community in the name of public safety.”

The bill comes at the request of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who was one of the three then-City Council members, alongside current Speaker Adrienne Adams and ex-Education Committee Chair Mark Treyger, to introduce a similar bill in 2017.

The current bill is distinguished by an emphasis on victim services and the deployment of non-clinical specialists who focus on broader, systemic issues, according to Bottcher. Salaam sees this iteration as an investment that should have been made back in 2017, long before he entered the political sphere. But there’s no time like the present.

“I’m a newcomer to the political space and when I think about what’s changed

since then, I’m thinking [how] we didn’t pay for it then so we’re paying for it now,” Salaam said. “And if we paid for it then, we don’t have to pay for it now with interest.”

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

Monsignor Mullaney Apartments

930 53rd Street Brooklyn, NY, 11219

41 First Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11231

Beginning January 27, 2024 our 15-unit building 4301 8th Ave in Brooklyn will be re-opening the waitlist for to the elderly (head of household or spouse is 62 or older) or those with a mobility impairment or developmental disabilities. Income restrictions apply and are based on Section 8 guidelines.

Beginning on May 13, 2024 our 87-unit building 930 53rd Street Brooklyn, NY, 11219 will be re-opening its waiting list to the elderly (head of household or spouse is 62 or older). Income restrictions apply and are based on Section 8 guidelines.

Beginning on March 6, 2024 our 100-unit building at 41 First Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11231 will be re-opening its waiting list to the elderly or head of household or spouse is 62 or older or those with a mobility impairment.

Qualifications and eligibility for the affordable apartments, which include units for the mobility impaired, will be based on Section 8 guidelines.

Qualifications and eligibility for the affordable apartments, which include units for the mobility impaired, will be based on Section 8 guidelines.

Qualifications and eligibility for the affordable apartments, which include units for the mobility impaired, will be based on Section 8 guidelines. Interested persons may obtain an application:

Interested persons may obtain an application:

BY MAIL

POP Management – Msgr Mullaney

POP Management – Mary Star of the Sea

191 Joralemon St 8th Floor, Brooklyn NY, 11201

191 Joralemon St 8th

https://www.ccbq.org/service/ senior-housing info.popm@ccbq.org OR Interested persons may obtain an application:

*Writtenapplicationrequestsmustbe receivedby2/7/24

Completed applications must be sent by regular mail to the PO Box listed on the application and be postmarked by 2/13/2024. If you have a disability and need assistance with the application process or any other type of reasonable accommodation, please contact Sheena Williams at (718) 722-6155.

Completed applications must be sent by regular mail to the PO Box listed on the application and be postmarked by 5/24/2024. If you have a disability and need assistance with the application process or any other type of reasonable accommodation, please contact Sheena Williams at (718) 722-6155.

Completed applications must be sent by regular mail to the Post Office Box listed on the application. Applications must be postmarked by 3/20/2024. If you have a disability and need assistance with the application process or any other type of reasonable accommodation, please contact Yhasara Humphrey (718) 722-6081.

The survey can be accessed by this QR code.

Councilmembers Salaam (center left) and Bottcher (right) introduce bill for social workers in precincts. (Tandy Lau photo)

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In Case of

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

LINKER NOTES, LLC, Plaintiff, Against MARC SCOTT KALLMAN, ET AL

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 01/25/2024, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, at the New York County Supreme Courthouse, in Room 130 at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on 6/26/2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 52 East End Avenue Ph 2, Manhattan, NY, 10028 And Described As Follows:

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in The Condominium Unit (Hereinafter Referred To As The "Unit") Know As Unit No. PH-2 In The Building (Herinafter Referred To As The "Building") Known As 52 East End Avenue Condominium And By The Street Number 52 East End Avenue, Borough Of Manhattan, County Of New York, City And State Of New York.

Block 1578 Lot 1083

The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $618,916.49 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 850273/2019

Mark L. McKew, Esq., Referee. Richland & Falkowski, PLLC, 28-07 Jackson Avenue, 5th Floor, LONG ISLAND CITY, NY 11101

Dated: 3/4/2024 File Number: KALLMAN CA

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: COUNTY OF NEW YORK. JY TANGEROUS L.P., Pltf v. SIXTH STREET COMMUNITY CENTER, INC, et al., Defts. Index No. 850041/2021pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 16, 2023 and entered on October 12, 2023, 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 June 26, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., prem. k/a 638 East Sixth Street, New York, New York 10009, Block 387, Lot 128 (the “Property”). Approx. amt of judgment is $ 1,483,225.50, plus costs, attorneys’ fees and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Paul Sklar, 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 HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST Rahul Kotwal, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered February 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 June 12, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 45 Park Avenue, Unit 1203 and Parking Unit 7, New York, NY 10016. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City, and State of New York, BLOCK: 892, LOT: 1359 and 1408. Approximate amount of judgment $1,633,685.57 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850122/2019. 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. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee Frenkel Lambert Weiss Weisman & Gordon, LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01-091241-F00 79783

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

OCTAVIA CONDOMINIUM, BY ITS BOARD OF MANAGERS, Plaintiff -against- AASH TWO CORP., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated February 2, 2024 and entered on February 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 on June 26, 2024 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. 6B in the premises known as Octavia and by the Street Number 216-218 East 47th Street, Borough of Manhattan, together with an undivided 1.69% interest in the common elements. Block: 01320 Lot: 1310

Said premises known as 216 EAST 47TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10017

Approximate amount of lien $89,663.03 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 154684/2023.

SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee

Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 444 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, U.S. Bank Trust National Association, not in its Individual Capacity but Solely as Trustee of Homeward Opportunities Fund Trust 2020-BPL1, Plaintiff, vs. 203 W. 139th St. Realty Corp., ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on November 28, 2022 and an Order to Substitute Publication duly entered on January 12, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, Courtroom 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on June 12, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 203 West 139th Street, New York, NY 10030. 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 2025 and Lot 28. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,009,861.89 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850046/2022. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Paul Sklar, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff Firm File No.: 213217-1

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE MUSEUM TOWER CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff -againstGARBIS DOGRAMACIYAN, JULYA DOGRAMACIYAN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated December 19, 2023 and entered on January 23, 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 June 5, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of New York, County of New York, City and State of New York, The Condominium Unit known as Unit No. 21-F in the Condominium known as "Museum Tower Condominium" together with a .029507% undivided interest in the common elements. Block 1269 Lot 1097 Said premises known as 15 WEST 53RD STREET, APT 21F, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $93,604.01 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 151581/2023. ROBERTA E. ASHKIN, ESQ., Referee Belkin Burden Goldman, LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 60 East 42nd Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10165

STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NEW YORK

NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., Plaintiff, v. MD ZIA M. HADER A/K/A MD ZIA MOIN HAIDER, LAILA FARZANA, ET AL, Defendants.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT

In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of New York County on June 28, 2023, I, Roberta Ashkin, Esq., the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on June 05, 2024 at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, at 2:15PM the premises described as follows:

353 East 104th Street, Apartment 7B New York, NY 10029 SBL No.: 1-1676-1429

ALL THAT TRACT OR PARCEL OF LAND situate in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York.

Subject to easements, covenants, and restriction of record. The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 850193/2019 in the amount of $597,556.46 plus interest and costs. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System's COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale.

Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff 500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604 Tel.: 855-227-5072

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

EMIGRANT BANK, Plaintiff -against- MARCO CASELLA, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on February 28, 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 June 12, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known as "The 75 Wall Street Condominium" in the Condominium Building known as Unit 38M. Together with an undivided 0.20188% interest in the General Common Elements and .34107% interest in the Residential Common Elements. Block: 31 Lot: 1333 Said premises known as 75 WALL STREET, UNIT# 38M, NEW YORK, NY 10005 Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850121/2022. SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee Terenzi & Confusione P.C. Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 401 Franklin Avenue, Suite 304, Garden City, NY 11530

KREISMANN ADR SERVICES, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/09/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 2500 Westchester Ave, STE 117, Purchase, NY 10577. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of MACCABEE VENTURES FUND II GP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/22/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/23/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY122072543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form.filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of LUMI STUDIOS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/25/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of VERY BEST FEATURE, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/21/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: A show that will be based off a theatrical production.

NOTICE OF FRANCHISE AND CONCESSION REVIEW COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING ON AGENCY ANNUAL CONCESSION PLANS

Notice of a Franchise and Concession Review Committee (FCRC) Public Hearing on Agency Annual Concession Plans for Fiscal Year 2025 pursuant to Section 1-10 of the Concession Rules of the City of New York (Concession Rules), to be held on Monday, June 10, 2024, at 2 Lafayette St, Room 1412, New York, NY 10007, commencing at 2:30 P.M.

At this hearing, the FCRC will further solicit comments about the provisions of the Concession Rules from the vendor community, civic groups and the public at large. The FCRC shall consider the issues raised at the Public Hearing in accordance with the procedures set forth in the New York City Charter under the City Administrative Procedure Act.

The following agencies submitted an Annual Concession Plan for Fiscal Year 2025: the Department of Parks and Recreation; the Department of Citywide Administration Services; the Department of Environmental Protection; the Department of Corrections; the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; the Department of Transportation; the New York City Fire Department; the Department of Housing Preservation and Development; NYC Tourism + Conventions on behalf of the Department of Small Business Services; the New York City Economic Development Corporation on behalf of the Department of Small Business Services; the New York City Administration for Children's Services; the New York City Department of Records and Information Services; and the New York City Police Department.

The portfolio of Agency Annual Concession Plans covers significant and non-significant concessions expiring, continuing and anticipated for solicitation or initiation in Fiscal Year 2025. Furthermore, the portfolio covers, inter alia:

•Department of Parks and Recreation: mobile food units, food service facilities, golf courses, driving ranges, marinas, tennis professionals, athletic facilities, Christmas trees, parking lots, markets, fairs, restaurants, concerts, newsstands, stables, gas stations, amusement venues, ice skating rinks, carousels, ferry services, bike rentals, sailboat rentals, souvenirs and gifts, beach equipment, and event programming.

• Department of Citywide Administrative Services: maritime/non-maritime occupancy permits, merchandise and marketing, vending machines and restaurants.

•Department of Environmental Protection: gas purification.

•Department of Corrections: commissary services and vending machines.

•Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: drug discount card program.

•Department of Transportation: vending machines, pedestrian plazas, food courts, café, markets. New York City Fire Department: fire museum.

•Department of Housing Preservation and Development: café.

•NYC Tourism + Conventions on behalf of the Department of Small Business Services: marketing, advertising, intellectual property and trademark merchandising.

•New York City Economic Development Corporation on behalf of the •Department of Small Business Service: events/installations, parking lots, maritime and non-maritime occupancy permits.

•New York City Administration for Children's Services: vending machines.

•New York City Department of Records and Information Services: licensing representation.

•New York City Police Department: vending machines and cafeteria.

Written testimony may be submitted in advance of the hearing electronically to fcrc@mocs.nyc.gov All written testimony can be submitted up until the close of the public hearing, and will be distributed to the FCRC after the hearing.

Interested parties may obtain a copy of the Agency Annual Concession Plans by contacting MOCS' FCRC Team via email at fcrc@mocs.nyc. gov. Upon request, a PDF version of the Agency Annual Concession Plans is available free of cost.

A record of the hearing will be posted on the FCRC website at: https:// www.nyc.gov/site/mocs/opportunities/franchises-concessions.page

For further information on accessibility or to make a request for accommodations, such as sign language interpretation services, please contact the Mayor's Office of Contract Services (MOCS) via e-mail at DisabilityAffairs@mocs.nyc.gov or via phone at (212) 298-0800. Any person requiring reasonable accommodation for the public hearing should contact MOCS at least five (5) business days in advance of the hearing to ensure availability.

Notice of Formation of ESSENCE SELTZER, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/26/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 6 Greene St., Ste. 600, NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Harolds Cargo LLC Arts.

MTA REAL ESTATE Request For Proposals

RFP No. MR052124: Lease of Metro-North Railroad’s Spring Valley Station Building, Spring Valley, New York.

RFP No. MT042024: Licensing opportunity for parking, landscaping, and general maintenance on Metro-North property along Commerce Street in Spring Valley, Rockland County, New York 10977.

For information on the above RFPs, please go to: https://new.mta.info/agency/ real-estate/

PB Aesthetics LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/08/2023. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 327 West 35th Street, NY, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of SPRING US ESTATES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/28/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Ashley Beale Nutrition, PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/14/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 33 Park View Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

VD Legacy, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/8/24. Office location: BX County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 1266 Olmstead Ave. Apt. 3E, Bronx, NY 10462. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of STANDBY DEPOSITS LLC

Notice of Qualification of BREAKTHRU BEVERAGE GROUP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/28/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/08/15. Princ. office of LLC: 60 E. 42nd St., 49th Fl., NY, NY 10165. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE19808-1674. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 820 N. French St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of ELSINORE ADVISORS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/04/23, becoming effective on 06/05/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 446 W. 23rd St., Apt. 3, NY, NY 10011. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Angus Birchall at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Pure Holding LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/08/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 7 Sutton Square, NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of LLC

Name: 329 E 17 Street LLC Articles of Organization filed by the Department of State of New York on: 04/03/2024. Office location: County of New York. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: c/o The Sabet Group, 38 West 31 Street, Suite 3, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any and all lawful activities.

ARDA Consulting LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/26/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 72 Morningside Ave, New York, NY, 10027. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Jenko Consulting LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/22/2024. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 217 E 33rd St, Apt 6FE, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

McDonough Engineering Practice, PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/27/2023. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 3528 80th Street, Jackson Heights, New York, 11372. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of LP PRESERVATION MANAGER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/03/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 116 E. 27th St., 11th Fl., NY, NY 10016. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Real estate investment/development.

Notice of Qualification of SOLAR DG NY SUNNYSIDE 1, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/16/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/01/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SOLAR DG NY SUNNYSIDE 2, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/16/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/01/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of LUXURY PRODUCTS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/28/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 10 Hudson Yards, NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

The Residual Effect LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/13/2024. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 416 E. 134th Street, Bronx, NY 10454. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/28/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/11/23. Princ. office of LLC: 575 5th Ave., NY, NY 10017. NYS fictitious name: STANDBY SERVICING LLC. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: To provide services related to security deposits to renters and owners and operators of property.

Notice of Formation of LLC

Name: 216 E 6 Street LLC Articles of Organization filed by the Department of State of New York on: 04/03/2024 Office location: County of New York. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: c/o The Sabet Group, 38 West 31 Street, Suite 3, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any and all lawful activities.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, as Trustee on behalf of HSI Asset Securitization Corporation Trust 2006-HE2, Plaintiff AGAINST STATE4RS LLC; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered January 18, 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 10007 on June 5, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 262 Mott Street, Apt. 4RS, New York, NY 10012. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 508 Lot 1167. Approximate amount of judgment $521,552.09 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850216/2022. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the First Judicial District. Mark McKew, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: March 19, 2024 80022

Notice of Qualification of COFFEE AND TV LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/05/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/22/24. Princ. office of LLC: 1285 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

JOSEPH NATHANSON, Plaintiff -against- THE NORA GROUP, LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated February 5, 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 June 26, 2024 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 2059 and Lot 43. Said premises known as 453 WEST 144TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10030

Approximate amount of lien $204,394.08 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850205/2020. PAUL R. SKLAR, ESQ., Referee

The Law Office of Jason Chang, Esq. Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 252 West 37th Street, Suite 600, New York, NY 10018

Sophie Amelkin Music LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on April 14, 2024. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 110-20 71st Avenue, Apt 204, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Purpose: Any lawful act.

APM LUXURY LIMO LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/4/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 205 W 115 St Suite 4A, NY, NY 10026. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Uptown Clay LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/22/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 14 Bogardus Pl. #5W, NY, NY 10040. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Pars Abode, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/11/2023. Office: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 29 Burt Ct, Valley Stream NY 11581. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Jamie Samantha Glass LCSW PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/03/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S, #941255, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

TAMARES CORNER OF MAIN LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/20/19. 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 Braunstein Turkish LLP, 7600 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 402, Woodbury, NY 11797. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of LINDEN DIGS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/04/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Application of Authority of Limited Liability Company Zen Org LLC (“LLC”). LLC Application for Authority filed with the Secretary of State of New York (“SSNY”) on February 13, 2024. N.Y. Department of State Office location: One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, Albany NY 12231. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against LLC served upon it is c/o the LLC: Zen Org LLC, 401 Ryland Street, Suite 200-A, Reno, NV 89502. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION OF AUTHORITY IN NEW YORK BY A FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY.

Name: JANS Investment Company LLC. The fictitious name which the LLC will use in the State of New York is AntNick Company LLC. Application of Authority filed with sec. of state of NY (SOS) on 4/24/24. Office location: New York County. SOS is designated as agent of LLC for service of process. SOS shall mail copy of process to 105 Fifth Ave, 5D, NY, NY 10003. Purpose: All lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of EH DOMINION HOLDING COMPANY, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/29/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 55 Water St., NY, NY 10038. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Attn: Jeffrey Chansler at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Harvest NP in Psychiatry, PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/19/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 7014 13th Ave., Ste. 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of MH Equestrian, LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with NY Dept. of State on 8/15/23. Office location: New York County. NY Sec. of State designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to The LLC, c/o Monica L Halem, MD, FAAD, 988 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10075. DE addr. of LLC c/o Vanguard Corporate Services Ltd, 3500 S Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St, Dover, DE 19901 on 8/9/23. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Rake Eats LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/05/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 154 Attorney Street, Unit 702, New York, NY, 10002. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of THIRD PRIME CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/02/24. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/29/16. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

111 CHAMBERS STREET LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/01/24. 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, 111 Chambers Street, Apartment 3, New York, NY 10007. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of 499 GRAND ST, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/10/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/23/24. NYS fictitious name: GB 499 GRAND ST, LLC. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Every Impossible Choice LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/12/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: P.O. Box 1043, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful act.

DATA ANALYTICS APPLICATION DEVELOPER IT Co.

seeks Data Analytics Application Developer to analyze, develop & implement data collection systems & other strategies that optimize statistical efficiency & quality. Process, clean & verify the integrity of data used for analysis. Operate on all phases of software development life cycle, including requirements analysis, estimation, design, build, testing, & deployment through interactions with client users. Utilize PySpark, Snowflake, AWS, VBA, VLOOKUP, Python Hive, Spark, SQL and other big data technologies to prepare data and create and maintain tables and secure databases that are used by multiple users. Salary Range: 115,918120,000. Send resumes to: jobs@bdiplus.com, or to HRD, BDIPlus, Inc., 175 Greenwich Street, Floor 38, Studio 38. T05-C, New York, NY 10007.

Production Coordinator. NYC. Develop, direct, oversee & coordinate all aspects of pre-production, production & logistics for fashion manufacturing business; analyze customer needs & create cost charts; manage factory communications for timely deliveries; monitor logistic performance & schedules; generate sales analysis reports for strategic decision-making & operational efficiency. Req'd: Bachelor’s Fashion Design, Merchandising or related; Knowledge of fashion merchandising, product development, production process, strategic planning, costing & pricing, spreadsheet modeling, strategic marketing communications, logistics mgmt, supply chain mgmt, demand forecasting, data analysis, consumer behavior. M-F, 9-5. Salary: $79,893.00 per year. Send resume to Job#4, Excalibur Garments, Inc., 1270 Broadway, Ste 610, NY, NY 10001

Continued from page 22

work with inspiring young people. He said this year’s fundraiser was the largest BroSis has had, with more than 600 attendees.

“Brotherhood Sister Sol serves about 750 young people in Harlem and we [affect] millions of young people on the issues we organize around,” Lazarre-White said.

“The percentage of high school graduation rate in BroSis is 99 percent. We’re so excited. The students go to so many wonderful schools and have so many great opportunities. We stay and support them through college to ensure that they graduate.”

For more than 25 years, BroSis has been at the forefront of social justice, educating, training, and organizing to challenge inequality and champion opportunity for all, with a focus on Black and Latinx youth. By training educators across the nation and around the world, and organizing a community of change agents, BroSis builds on its legacy of youth-led activism to realize a more just and equitable future.

In 2022, BroSis moved into its current home: a brand-new, 20,000-square-foot community center designed entirely for community and educational use.

The organization is gearing up for its Summer Leadership Program, which includes the International Study Program for 9th through 12th graders, where students explore the city through fun and educa-

tional activities, and helps them gain skills for entering the workforce. BroSis also provides a Summer Day Camp where 7th and 8th graders participate in daily activities focused on team-building, life skills, and leadership development.

Billy Porter (Jamel Martin of JMartinVisuals photo)

Brotherhood Sister Sol board members (Cyril Josh Barker photo)

Marquee (Cyril Josh Barker photo)

Inside gala (Jamel Martin of JMartinVisuals photo)

Díaz and Lindor reflect the Mets’ collective slide

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Mets pitcher Edwin Díaz and shortstop Francisco Lindor have had some stellar seasons during their respective Major League Baseball careers—but this season isn’t one of them, and their grapples with playing well below their selfexpectations and career standards have manifested in the Mets faltering.

The team had lost seven of their previous nine games and were 21-27 before facing the Cleveland Guardians on the road in yesterday afternoon’s getaway game. The Mets had plunged to their lowest mark below .500 this season in dropping the first two games of the series, 3-1 on Monday and 7-6 on Tuesday. They were in fourth place in the National League East.

Diaz has been unable to pitch to the form that made him one of baseball’s top closers in past seasons.

“I won’t lie—my confidence, I feel, is down right now,” he lamented after taking the mound with the Mets up 9-5 versus the Miami Marlins on the road last Saturday and giving up four runs in the ninth inning. The Mets eventually lost 10-9 in 10 innings.

“I’m making pitches, I’m throwing strikes,” Díaz contended. “I’m trying to do my best to help the team win [but] right now, I’m not in that capacity.”

After a 2022 campaign in which he was arguably the sport’s best at his job, posting 32 saves in 61 appearances with a record of 3-1, a 1.31 ERA, and 0.839 WHIP in 62 innings pitched, Díaz was out all of last season after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee in March 2023.

He sustained the injury while jumping in celebration after his Puerto Rico squad defeated the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

Ironically, the injury occurred at LoanDepot Park in Miami, where Díaz was rocked last Saturday for his third blown save in his last four appearances before being removed from the closer’s spot by manager Carlos Mendoza the next day.

“Right now, he’s going through it—he’s going through a rough stretch. Our job is to get him back on track. He’ll do whatever it takes to help this team win a baseball game,” said Mendoza after Sunday’s 7-3 win over the Marlins to close up the three-game series.

As for Lindor, the four-time All-Star was batting an alarming .198 and an OPS of just .620, which ranked 150th going into the series finale yesterday. His power numbers (7 homers and 23 RBI) were midlining. The Mets need Lindor to be effective in hitting out of the leadoff spot to generate offense for a team that has not produced runs consistently.

The Mets will be at home to host the San Francisco Giants for three games tomorrow through Sunday, and then face the Los Angeles Dodgers for three Monday through Wednesday.

The Yankees were 33-17 and in first place in the American League East when they took on the Seatlle Mariners in the Bronx last night. They’ll end the four-game series with the Mariners this afternoon and travel to San Diego to play the Padres in a three-game series this weekend before three versus the Los Angeles Angels next Tuesday through Thursday.

Two MLBbros are among the top in advanced stats

By RONALD AGERS, MLBbro Special to the AmNews

By breaking down how players can influence the game from the batter’s box by advanced stats, the game of baseball becomes a lot more complex. One of the more important analytical advanced stats watched closely is “On-base Plus Slugging” (OPS). Two of the top three positions in all of baseball over the last 162 games through May 18 are held by MLBbros:

Shohei Ohtani, 1.101; Mookie Betts, 1.024; Aaron Judge, 1.008; Marcell Ozuna, .965; Matt Olson, .960; Freddie Freeman, .953; Kyle Tucker, .945; Juan Soto, .940; Ronald Acuña Jr., .936.

Behind Shohei Ohtani, his teammate Mookie Betts and reigning MLBbro MVP Aaron Judge hold the second and third positions, respectively. Let’s break down the stat thoroughly. OPS combines on-base percentage (OBP) and slugging percentage to get one number that unites the two.

Via MLB.com:

OBP refers to how frequently a batter

reaches base per plate appearance. Times on base include hits, walks and hit-bypitches, but do not include errors, times reached on a fielder’s choice or a dropped third strike. (Separately, sacrifice bunts are removed from the equation entirely, because it is rarely a hitter’s decision to sacrifice himself, but rather a manager’s choice as part of an in-game strategy.)

A hitter’s goal is to avoid making an out, and on-base percentage shows which hitters have accomplished that task the best.

While both MLBbros are dealing with other challenges, Betts (adjustments at the shortstop position) and Judge (early season slump), both have an uncanny knack for staying at the top of the scouting report by finding themselves on base more often than not.

Heading into the Los Angeles Dodgers matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, Betts has been a professional hitter in every sense of the word. Through 49 games in 4.6 plate appearances per game, Betts was averaging 1.3 hits with 2.2 total bases.

In 194 at-bats, Betts had 33 walks (an

average of 0.7 BBs per game) and only 21 strikeouts (an average of 0.4 strikeouts per game). The 31-year-old shortstop was second in all of MLB in hits with 65, behind his teammate Ohtani’s 67.

For New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge, what a difference a month makes. After suffering through the worst batting slump of his career, Aaron Judge is back, with a recent AL Player of the Week honor to prove it.

After a hitless performance on May 2 that dropped his batting average to .197, the 32-year-old Judge has been red hot. In a 16-game stretch from May 3 through May 19 (13 Yankees wins), his stats are making opponents and fans all rise.

Judge batted .436 with seven homers, 10 doubles and 15 walks. His advanced stats were even more impressive. Since May 3 and prior to the Yankees 6-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, Judge’s on-base percentage was .563 with a slugging percentage of 1.000. The threeweek stretch raised his season OPS from .725 to .988.

Mets pitcher Edwin Díaz has been replaced as team’s closer after several rough outings (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts ranks at or near the top of several Major League Baseball batting statistics (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

SPORTS

New York Liberty win first four games in decisive fashion

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Fans might have been a little concerned when the New York Liberty had a dismal showing against the Chicago Sky in a preseason game, but since the start of regular season action on May 14, the team has been playing strong, cohesive basketball. The season opened with an 85–80 win over the Washington Mystics. That was followed by a 102–66 win over the Indiana Fever in which the Liberty held Caitlin Clark to just nine points.

Saturday afternoon was the Liberty’s home opener, which brought another victory. In a quick turnaround rematch, the Liberty prevailed over the Fever 91–80 before a sellout crowd of 17,735 (over $2 million in ticket revenue). Clark did have 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds, but it was no match for the Liberty, which had five scorers in double figures. The Liberty starting five from last season—Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot—have all returned and are playing smart team basketball that can be expected of a veteran team.

“[Betnijah] hangs her hat on playing defense, guarding the best player every single night,” said Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello. “She takes it on herself. She’s going to compete, she’s tough as nails and she works her butt off. To still be effective on offense too…that was a pretty fast game out there tonight. Even though Caitlin got some looks, I still think we made it hard for her.”

After years of shuffling of the Liberty roster from season to season, Brondello is pleased to have last year’s starting five back together. Also, every player on the roster got minutes in the game versus the Fever, including rookie Marquesha Davis. Other newbies to the team are Ivana Dojkic, Kennedy Burke and Leonie Fiebich.

“We were close last year, but we’re even closer this year,” said Stewart. “Just really appreciating that and enjoying it. Last year, things got a little bit crazy for everyone coming here that was new. Now, we’re settled and we know what we’re trying to do on and off the court.”

On Monday night, the Liberty prevailed 74–63 against the Seattle Storm. The team has a chance to show the Chicago Sky what Liberty basketball really looks like when they take on the team at Barclays Center tonight.

Oleksandr Usyk tops Tyson Fury for undisputed heavyweight title

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

On paper, it was one of the most compelling heavyweight world title fights over the past two decades. In the ring, it was an instant classic that in the aftermath has created high demand for an immediate rematch.

Aided by a dominant ninth round that saw Tyson Fury receive a standing eight count and barely make it to the tenth round, Oleksandr Usyk overcame the sixinch height and 39-pound weight differential to retain his WBO, IBF, and WBA heavyweight championships, and capture Tyson Fury’s lineal and WBC heavyweight championships with a 115-112, 113-114, 114-113 split decision in their bout last Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

In victory, Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis won a unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield in 1999.

An emotional Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) revealed some of his personality and emotion that wasn’t pronounced leading up to the match and cried remembering his father, who died in 2012. When asked about a potential rematch, he alluded to the work he has done preparing for the clash, missing the birth of his daughter and the birthdays of his three other children.

“All (the) time training, training, training,” said the 37-year-old Ukrainian, who at 6-3 weighed in at 223.5 pounds. “My focus was

only this fight. Now I’m happy. I want to (go) back home. Go to my church, pray. I wanna say, Jesus, thank you. Because for me and my country, it’s (a) big opportunity. Thank you. I (am) grateful for (those) who pray for me because many people.”

Fury, who stands 6-9 and tipped the scale at 262 pounds, acknowledged that he and his opponent left nothing in the ring.

“We put on a good fight for the fans,” said the 35-year-old native of Manchester, England, who fell to 34-1-1 (24 KOs). “I thank Oleksandr for the good fight. It was a close fight. You know I thought I did enough, but you know, I’m not a judge. I can’t judge a fight while I’m boxing it. If they would’ve said to me in the last round or whatever, you’re down, go out and try and finish him, I would’ve done that. But we believed everyone in the corner believed we were up. You know, all I had to do was just keep boxing and doing what I was doing and, you know, I thought I was getting it.”

The standing eight count proved to be the margin of victory, as it would have been a majority draw without the 10-8 round. All scorecards were credible as having the fight even, or either undefeated champion winning by a margin of 115-113 is more than credible. The only occurrences that will seemingly prevent a potential rematch for their next fights would be either fighter retiring, or Fury taking what is believed to be a more lucrative date against Anthony Joshua, who Usyk has defeated twice. Re-

ports are that Usyk-Fury II has been proposed for October.

Next Saturday, former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (43-31, 42 KOs) will try to get back in the win column against Zhilei Zhang in Saudia Arabia after a lackluster performance in a loss to Joseph Parker in December against (26-2-1, 21 KOs).

Also next Saturday, the UFC will return to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for the second time in 13 months with UFC 302 featuring a main event between UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and top-five

contender Dustin Poirier.

The New York Liberty’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton obstructs the Indiana Fever’s guard Caitlin Clark at the Barclays Center on Saturday in a 91-80 Liberty win. (Brandon Todd/New York Liberty)

Oleksandr Usyk lands a crushing left cross to the face of Tyson Fury in their heavyweight fight in Saudi Arabia last Saturday, winning the bout and becoming the undisputed division champion. (Courtesy Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program holds 52nd annual gala

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Last week, tennis legends, celebrities, fans and players came together to celebrate the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (HJTEP) at its 52nd annual gala. Young players from the program, including graduating seniors, were also on hand, even showing off their skills on the small court placed at the center of the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan.

“This program has done so much for me. It’s helped me grow, not only as an athlete but also as a person. It’s taught me how to discipline myself by figuring out how to manage my time while playing competitive tennis and attending school. This is a second family for me,” said senior Eliasar Gonzalez, who has participated in HJTEP since the fifth grade. In the fall, Gonzalez will begin at the University of Dayton, and plans to try out to be a walk-on with the tennis team.

Long-time HJTEP coach Brian Spigner echoed the sentiment about the family atmosphere. “It’s a beautiful network,” he said. “I can give back to the community.” Coach Love Moore praised the individualized attention that participants receive, on and off the court. “I’m so honored to be a part of it,” Moore said.

While showing their on-court moves, HJTEP participants wore t-shirts that bore the organization’s acronym and the words honesty, journey, tenacity, excellence, perseverance. Lana Waterman, 16, has been with HJTEP for almost 10 years.

“It really is a community,” she said. Lana and twin sister Lena both hope to attend Howard University and play on the tennis

BikeFest Field Day comes to the South Bronx

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

Cloudy skies could not dim the sunny outlook as over 250 students, 50-plus future student-athlete cyclists, and cycling race enthusiasts came together for USA Cycling’s first annual Annual Bike Fest Field Day, which was held and coordinated by PS 18 in the South Bronx.

“A whole host of organizations have come together as a result of Principal Anjelica Jordan’s vision at PS 18 to provide access to cycling to her students and to provide the safe spaces to ride,” said Maurelhena Walles, founder and CEO of Equity Design, which is a subcontractor to the New York State Department of Health Creating Healthy Schools Initiative. “We work with schools in and around the Bronx, Brownsville, and East Harlem, communities that have the lowest physical activity engagement. We work with principals around increasing their capacity. It’s a five-year initiative on how to sustain it.”

For the May 15 Bike Fest Field Day, partnerships with USA Cycling as well as organizations like Free Bikes for Kids, Bronx Health REACH, and Up2Us, PS 18 shut down the streets surrounding the school to give students access to cycling. Part of it involved teaching kids how to ride safely, in-

cluding wearing a helmet.

“For us, representation matters, so being able to interact with BIPOC cyclists who are also racers is great for kids,” said Walles. “It’s also an opportunity for them to interact with Bike NYC that provides bike education. Some of the stations are more so around inclusive play and activities for the students.”

Equity Design is a non-profit founded in 2019 to impact health and wellness in underserved communities. After positions with PowerPlay NYC, Fit 4 Life NYC, and Kids in the Game, Walles examined where she saw communities not fully engaging in physical activities that would lead to increased thriving. Frustrated to see public schools scaling back physical education, she was determined to help schools make physical activity part of school culture.

Health and fitness are important to Walles, who competes as a master athlete in track. “I am thankful to be competitive,” she said. “I love the challenge of being able to compete at a high level and manage Equity Design. I feel I thrive being able to do both simultaneously.”

Making bicycle riding part of every child’s childhood is important to Walles. Overcoming the fear of riding a bicycle and building community through cycling is also important.

team. “I love going to practice four days a week,” said Lena. “When I think about winning tournaments in tennis, it makes me want to do better in school and get an A on a test.”

In addition to raising money, HJTEP also gave out awards that recognized impact on the organization. Hall of Fame tennis player Stan Smith received the Shining Star Award.

Upon accepting, Smith shared information from the late Arthur Ashe Jr. about the importance of education. The James R. Kelly III Chairman’s Award honored vocal HJTEP supporter Michelle Blake-Wilson. The HJTEP Corporate Award was presented to Johnson & Johnson MedTech, which has supported the organization for more than a decade.

Youth from PS 18 in the Bronx took part in USA Cycling’s inaugural Bike Fest Field Day. (Courtesy of Equity Design)

Katrina Adams (center, pictured in white dress), executive director of HJTEP with staff at the organization’s 52nd annual gala

Twin sisters and longtime HJTEP participants Lana and Lena Waterman (Lois Elfman photos)

The Knicks bow out of the playoffs but build a championship foundation

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Knicks couldn’t conjure one more resolute effort. One more indomitable victory. Misfortune finally took them down, adversity delivering a final knockout blow.

Battling a plethora of injuries, the depleted Knicks lost Game 7 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals matchup on Sunday at Madison Square Garden to the Indiana Pacers 130-109, exhausting every joule of energy in their collective bodies in the 4-3 series defeat.

It was a bitter close to a season that had palpable promise when they engineered the best record in the NBA in January, going 14-2, including an eight game winning streak, after acquiring forwards OG

Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa in a trade with the Toronto Raptors on December 30.

But a string of injuries that began with a left ankle surgery for center Mitchell Robinson in the second week of December, which kept him sidelined for 50 games, followed by a seasonending dislocated right shoulder suffered by All-NBA forward Julius Randle on January 27, began a chain of bad injury luck.

However, as the pulls, strains, bruises and fractures mounted, those who sought more controversial and metaphysical reasons attributed blame to Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s high allocation of minutes to his players and the team being cursed by an unseen force. More pragmatic minds concluded the Knicks were simply unlucky.

“As a coach, you always measure what does the group have and are we getting everything out of the group?” The only thing you can ask for is everyone puts forth their best effort and we got that all year from these guys,” said Thibodeau.

“What goes along with that is peace of mind knowing that you did your best. That’s all you could ask for. A lot of teams would’ve folded. We took the hit

with Mitch [Robinson], then you add in Julius [Randle] and OG, your starting frontline, and then Bogey [Bojan Bogdanovic] goes out. It was hit after hit, but these guys never folded. They kept fighting, so that’s all you could ask for.”

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who fractured his left hand in the third quarter swiping down at the ball as Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton attempted a layup, tersely responded “No” when asked if the season was a success, but echoed Thibodeau’s summary.

“I would say that I love the fact of how hard we fought night in and night out. I just love this group of guys that we have,” Brunson said.

“And just like I said before, our mindset as a group is we;re strong and, some nights when we may not have had what people thought was a team capable of winning, our mindset pushes us over that hump and so, definitely proud of what we were able to do this year and proud of how we fought night in and night out. And, obviously, the outcome is not what we wanted, but the way we fought was awesome.”

The Knicks, who haven’t made the NBA Finals since 1999, have built a championship foundation. They will go back to the lab and continue to shape a roster that is constructed as well as any team in the East.

As this writer was exiting Sunday’s postgame press conference, I spotted Knicks Executive Vice President William Wesley walking in a long, cavernous corridor.

“Wes,” I called out. He turned around. “Great job, brother,” I said. We shook hands. “Thank you,” he responded. “We’ll be back better,” he said with conviction. It’s a good bet they will. Season over!

A trio of Knicks try to stop Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton as their head coach Tom Thibodeau watches his team fall 130-109 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson photo)