New York Amsterdam News Issue June 20, 2024

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Arts & Entertainment Page 17

» Food Page 22

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Caribbean Update Page 14

Classified Page 32

Editorial/Opinion Pages 12,13

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NIGERIAN LEADERS WARNED OF ‘IMMINENT REVOLT’ AS PRICES SOAR FOR MEDICINE, FUEL, AND FOOD

(GIN)—In the country’s worst economic crisis in decades, an imminent revolt could be inevitable in Nigeria should government officials continue to increase prices while holding down wages.

The federal government insists on capping wages at $42 a month while organized labor advocates are demanding nearly four times that amount.

“More than 60 years after independence, we are still running an apartheid society,” Father George Ehusani of Lokoja Parish in Abuja said in a June 9 homily. “This time, it’s not racial apartheid, it’s economic apartheid.

“We are running an apartheid society of people of conspicuous consumption, flying around in private jets at government expense; people who are riding four, five, six, seven SUVs with pilot vehicles chasing the poor out of the road; and the same people are debating and discussing what the poor should earn.”

Nigeria today is facing skyrocketing inflation, a national currency in free-fall, and millions of people struggling to buy food. Only two years ago, it was Africa’s biggest economy, but it is projected to drop to fourth place this year.

The pain is widespread, according to various media reports. Unions strike to protest salaries of around $20 a month. People die in stampedes, desperate for free sacks of rice. Hospitals are overrun with women racked by spasms from calcium deficiencies.

The crisis is largely believed to be rooted in two major changes implemented by President Bola Tinubu, who was elected 15 months ago: the partial removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the currency. Together, these have caused major price increases.

In previous years, the Emergency Room at Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital in Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city, would receive one or two cases of hypocalcemia caused by malnutrition, said Salisu Garba, a health worker as he hurried from bed to bed, ward to ward.

Now, with many unable to afford food, the hospital sees multiple cases every day.

More than 87 million people in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, live below the poverty line—the world’s second-largest poor population after India, a country seven times the size of Nigeria. Punishing inflation means poverty rates are expected to rise still further this year and next, according to the World Bank.

Last week, unions shut down hospitals, courts, schools, airports, and even the country’s Parliament, striking in an attempt to force the government to increase the monthly salary of $20 it pays its lowest workers.

Over 92% of working-age Nigerians are in the informal sector, where there are no official wages and no unions to fight for them.

The two major unions—the Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labor Congress— called off the strike for a week, to the frustration and disappointment of many union members.

While union leaders sang “Solidarity Forever,” union members interviewed on the street wanted a return to the negotiating table.

The long struggle for Afro Argentinian identity: A conversation with Lucía Molina Sandez

By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA

Special to the AmNews

Translated by KAREN

JUANITA CARRILLO

Amsterdam News Staff

Many years ago, I met Lucía Dominga Molina Sandez at an academic conference organized by Professor Sheila Walker, when she was the director of the Center for Afro American Studies at the University of Texas in 1996. That meeting led to the publication of “African roots/American cultures: Africa in the creation of the Americas.” This book includes a piece entitled “Afro Argentineans: ‘forgotten’ and ‘disappeared’––yet still present,” written by Lucía Dominga Molina and the late Mario Luis López.

Colonial history has always tried to describe the African presence and its diaspora in the Americas as invisible. The white creole bourgeoisie, particularly in South America, has tried to hide the African presence, and this is most evident in the Southern Cone. We should not forget that during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Argentina played a crucial role as a distribution port for thousands of Africans who had been kidnapped and transported for enslavement. As in all countries, there was resistance to enslavement in Argentina, as well as active participation in the nation’s 19th-century struggles for independence. With this in mind, Dominga Molina and her husband Mario Luis López Casciari founded the Casa de la Cultura Indo-AfroAmericana on March 21, 1988; their founding day coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The Casa de la Cultura Indo-Afro-Americana, based in Santa Fe, Argentina, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization whose basic objectives are, according to, Dominga Molina “the recovery, defense, development, dissemination, and valorization of our cultural roots, with emphasis on the cultural roots of the Indigenous people and those of the Africans transplanted to America by enslavement. The promotion of the recovery of the historical memory of our people, and the awareness and visibilization of those roots. To fight against racism and all types of discrimination. To work locally, nationally, regionally, and internationally with like-minded organizations and to establish a level of coordination and dissemination of our issues. Promote the development of the Indigenous and Afro American communities. And to promote, encourage, defend, and dis-

seminate the theme of Human Rights.”

An unending struggle for cultural reaffirmation

Casa de la Cultura’s rationale, Dominga Molina said, is based on the fact that “we have four grandmothers common to all of us—regardless of our genealogical past, all the millions of Argentines have four common ancestors and our roots are in them.

“The Aboriginal grandmother, of whom little is known, is the oldest. She has been living in America for more than 20,000 years and is still here. Without knowing her, we will never be able to grasp our own identity, which unites us all.

“Then comes the Black grandmother, who made substantial contributions to our colonial, neocolonial, and republican history; we

(GIN photo)

This photo, from the year 2009, shows Lucía Dominga Molina Sandez and Mario Luis López Casciari, founders of the Casa de la Cultura Indo-Afro-Americana. (Casa de la Cultura IndoAfro-Americana photo)

250+ people come forward alleging ‘rampant’ sexual abuse at city’s youth jails through widespread lawsuits

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

Nijere Stewart lights up when describing the literal and figurative heights he reached as a young Mocko Jumbie—a traditional stiltwalker. He recounts joining the UniverSoul Circus at an early age with unfettered enthusiasm.

For Clyde Wiggins, music was his passion growing up in Brownsville. The studio was his haven.

But then they both ran into the city jail system as teens, where they say such youth and spirit were stolen.

The Brooklynites are two of more than 250 people suing the city and its relevant agencies over alleged sexual abuse while detained at a ju-

venile detention center. On Thursday, June 13, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Councilmember Alexa Avíles, and law firm Levy Konigsberg announced the lawsuit at a press conference, alongside Stewart and Wiggins.

“Today, I’m here not as a victim but as a survivor, advocate, [and] a community leader, shedding a bright light on injustice: the sexual, physical, and emotional abuse I and hundreds of Black and Brown brothers endured at the hands of the City of New York,” said Stewart during the presser.

While the claims piled in as early as this April, more than 100 new lawsuits were filed recently, including those of Stewart and Wiggins last week on June 11.

“We have exposed a systematic institutional scandal of sexual abuse at the city’s juvenile detention facilities,” said Jerome Block, a partner at Levy Konigsberg. “These are serious cases. Many of our clients were raped. Many of our clients were forced to perform oral sex or other sexual acts. Our clients were threatened, manipulated— they were children.

“The perpetrators of the abuse in these cases are the very adult staff members at these juvenile facilities that were entrusted with keeping our clients safe. Most of our clients were under 16 years old when they were sexually abused.”

It is not known how many accused staff members still work

Get the vote out early, NYC!

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

Early voting for local elections kicked off this Juneteenth weekend with quite a few competitive state assembly races and one major congressional showdown on the ballot this year.

With three days completed, 16,105 is the unofficial tally of New Yorkers who cast their ballots so far, according to the Board of Elections (BOE) via Twitter. The boroughs with the most votes cast so far is Queens (4,887), followed by Manhattan (4,440) and Brooklyn (4,381).

Congressional races to watch that have prominent Black and Brown candidates include incumbent Congressmember Jamaal Bowman versus Westchester County Executive George Latimer in District 16 and incumbent Congressmember Alexandria OcasioCortez (AOC) versus candidate Marty Dolan in District 14. State assembly races to watch include incumbent Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman versus candidate Eon Tyrell Huntley in District 56; incumbent Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs versus candidates Tamika Mapp, Xavier Santiago, and William Smith in

Speaker Adams, City Council pass ‘Advice and Consent’ bill

By ARIAMA C. LONG

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and the majority of the City Council’s vote to pass the “advice and consent” bill this month is being read in some circles as a legislative dig at Mayor Eric Adams.

“Advice and consent is a safeguard of good government, ensuring the city’s agency leaders are qualified and their priority is the public interest,” Adams said in a statement. “When you cut through the noise, the truth is that advice and consent is a common feature of representative democracy in cities and states across this country, including New York, and New

York City is an outlier.”

The bill, Introduction 908-A, requires the City Council to be a part of the appointment process for city agency commissioners and hold a subsequent approval by voters in a citywide election.

The commissioners of the following agencies are covered by the bill: Aging, Buildings, Children’s Services, Citywide Administrative Services, Consumer and Worker Protection, Cultural Affairs, Design and Construction, Environmental Protection, Finance, Health and Mental Hygiene, Homeless Services, Housing Preservation and Development; Information Technology and Telecommunications, Parks and Recreation, Sanitation, Small Business Services,

Social Services, Transportation,Youth and Community Development, and City Planning.

The vote was held to pass the bill at a City Council stated meeting on June 6. During the meeting, Adams briefly addressed the controversy surrounding the legislation.

“There’s been a lot of public conversation about this legislation, and I want to be clear that advice and consent is not a new concept,” Adams said. “Contrary to what some have claimed, this legislation does not usurp the mayor’s power to appoint commissioners and top city officials. And at no point would the council be able to choose its own nominees to lead agencies.”

District 68; candidates Shana Harmongoff, Craig Schley, Maria Ordoñez, and Jordan J. G. Wright in District 70; incumbent Assemblymember Al Taylor versus candidate Julien Segura in District 71; and newly elected via special election Assemblymember Landon Dais versus challenger Leonardo Jose Coello in District 77. This stretch before the primary on June 25 is prime time for lastminute endorsements and candidate efforts to reach voters. Bowman has been campaigning heavily in Co-op City and New Rochelle in the Bronx in the

Survivor Nijere Stewart calls for accountability. (Tandy Lau photo)

Assembly 70 candidate Jordan Wright with his digital ad. (Contributed photo from Wright’s campaign)

Speaker Adrienne Adams holds Pre-Stated Press Conference, June 6, 2024. (Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit photo)

See ABUSE on page 35

See EARLY VOTING on page 25

Another Trump mission in mendacity

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Desperate to improve his status with Black voters, Trump dropped into the 180 Church in Detroit on Saturday, a day after his 78th birthday, with the hope of convincing the congregation—and perhaps 180 is representative of the size of the congregation— that he’s the candidate they should choose in November. According to several reports, it was another mission in mendacity with him claiming to be the best president Black folks have had since Abraham Lincoln.

The church, on Detroit’s west side, offers no denomination on its website, other than “The Church is God’s solution to complex problems of Urban America.” To Trump’s way of thinking, it was a perfect place to hold a roundtable over the weekend and to dispense his manna, dripping with interposition and nullification, to recall Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous dictum. As usual, Trump inflated the numbers, never noting that half those in attendance were white, nor suspending his claim that Biden’s victory four years ago was a stolen election.

His session at the church was the first of two events in the city, and the second one in downtown Detroit was more reflective of his white following and overflowing with MAGA-dorned worshipers. Even so, there was no difference in the lies he fulminated: He launched into his rhetoric of misinformation about Black people losing their jobs to an “invasion” of immigrants. He repeatedly bashed the Biden administration and its “left-wing ideology.”

Curiously, Trump’s new voter coalition includes Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit’s former mayor, free from prison after serving time for fraud and racketeering convictions, giving them a common experience. Sharing the rostrum with Trump was Lorenzo Sewell, the church’s pastor, and Byron Donalds, a Trump vice-president hopeful. The Rev. Wendell Anthony, leader of the NAACP’s chapter, said that Trump “did not articulate any policy. He articulated the fact that he wanted to come and get some Black votes.”

In response to Trump’s visit, the Biden campaign released a statement from Rev. James Perkins of Detroit, blasting Trump for having “the nerve to waltz into our city and act like he wants to understand the struggles Black Detroiters face, but the reality is he doesn’t care. Every time Trump opens his mouth to talk to Black folks, he demonizes us, insults us, and makes empty promises he’ll never keep.”

One reality that is clear to Trump: Biden won Detroit by nearly 95 % in 2020, and no number of lies can dispel this fact.

Mandated credit card designation for gun shop purchases passes state legislature amid national battle

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Efforts to require credit card networks to create a unique merchant category code (MCC) for firearm retailers continue to grow after legislation mandating such designations passed both the New York State Senate and Assembly this month.

Financial institutions like credit card companies use MCCs to classify transactions ranging from wig shops to cruise lines and everything in between, but gun shops are typically classified under “sporting goods” or “other,” according to State Senate bill author Zellnor Myrie.

The legislation’s proponents point to at least eight mass shootings between 2007 and 2018 financed by credit cards. They believe financial institutions are uniquely equipped to identify suspicious purchases fueling the gun violence crisis and see mandating a unique MCC as an accountability measure.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the NGO governing MCC standardization, approved a code for gun retailers back in 2022, but implementation was subsequently sandbagged by national conservative pushback. Credit card companies followed suit and halted the MCC rollout last year. If Myrie’s bill indeed becomes law, that would change in New York State.

“We must use every tool at our disposal to fight the gun violence epidemic in our communities,” Myrie said in a statement.

“Yet for too long, those who facilitate and

profit from gun violence have escaped scrutiny. This bill would give law enforcement another tool to pinpoint suspicious purchasing patterns and prevent a tragedy before it occurs.”

The bill stems from a gun violence prevention legislative package passed in June, which is Gun Violence Awareness Month. It was returned to the State Senate for concurrence on June 7 after passing the Assembly. Once amendments are addressed, the bill will be delivered to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who can sign it into law.

On a national level, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Senate colleagues have asked the U.S. Department of Treasury “to create a uniform, clear federal guidance on directing payment card networks and financial institutions to implement the new Merchant Category Code (MCC) for firearm and ammunition retailers.”

“Credit cards have also facilitated fraudulent gun purchases, as MCC codes are a

key tool for identifying suspicious credit card purchases,” Gillibrand said by email. “Card networks and financial institutions can use an MCC code, in combination with other data points, to evaluate patterns of transactions associated with criminal activity and report high-risk activity to bank regulators or law enforcement.”

Gillibrand is also calling for a Financial Crimes Enforcement Network advisory about purchasing patterns that financial institutions should identify when monitoring suspicious transactions at firearm retailers.

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

With a Trump win, Republican judges will rule the courts—and our lives

By KEITH BOYKIN Word in Black

“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.

If you’re thinking of not voting in the November presidential election, let me give you one important reason why you should vote — the courts.

Let’s say you’re a progressive who wants Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and reparations for Black people. Trump opposes all these things, but Biden is too much of an incrementalist for you. So you decide not to vote. What’s the worst that could happen, right? See WIB on page 27

Visa credit cards on Aug. 11, 2019, in New Orleans. Payment processor Visa Inc. said late Sept. 10, 2022, that it plans to start categorizing sales separately at gun shops (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

(L-R) Former Supreme Court justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer join Chief Justice John Roberts and current associate justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson for U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on February 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. The speech marks Biden’s first address to the new Republican-controlled House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The lowdown on ‘The Lay Out,’ Brooklyn’s celebratory kickback

By CIANA KING Special to the AmNews

Living up to its manifesto, this past Sunday, The Lay Out hosted its fifth annual Juneteenth celebration at Fort Greene Park—filled with intergenerational displays of Black joy including dominoes, cards, double dutch, and musical performances. CEO and founder, Emily Anadu, 45, was among one of them, as she excitedly abandoned her shoes to join the fun and jump rope.

Lining the perimeter of the park, the event featured their flagship BuyBLK. ByBLK. marketplace with over 40 Black businesses ranging from soap shops and snack vendors to clothing brands and book retailers. The event also included an assembly line of volunteers with nonprofit One Love Community Fridge handing out cooler bags and fresh produce.

With its inception rooted in the mindset of “peace as a form of resistance,” The Lay Out exists at the intersection of what Anadu calls the “Joy Ecosystem” of social impact, Black expression, and cooperative economics.

Though Anadu described her journey to the Lay Out as a “meandering” one, she said it was always one to community — whether it was being one of a few Black students during undergrad at Dartmouth or working in the video game industry.

“I’ve always been focused on creating safety for people and creating comfort, even if I’m not necessarily from the community I’m trying to create comfort for,” she said.

Raised between Nigeria and Houston for the early parts of her life, Anadu is not afraid to admit her role in gentrification. But after living in Fort Greene for nearly two decades, she says that she has always loved the neighborhood for what it was.

“I didn’t come here thinking it has good bones that need to be—that could be— used,” she said.

Instead, Anadu has found comfort in the neighborhood. After months of isolation during the pandemic, she found herself at the park often. However, she soon grew to feel “othered” as a Black woman in the park, hyper aware of how the neighborhood had changed.

Following the murder of George Floyd, Anadu missed her community, her “people.”

So, on June 4, 2020, she spoke the idea out loud for The Lay Out. Three days later, with the support of her four friends, Anadu hosted the collective’s first ever event at the park, and the rest was history.

For Anadu, the Lay Out is an unapologetic assertion of Black joy.

“There’s a climate that is trying to make us feel like we should just shut up or that our pain, we need to get over things,” Anadu shared. “But fundamentally, we are

Black

New Yorker

a people that have persisted despite everything, and we have always done that with joy, with laughter. There’s just nothing like the magic of us coming together.”

Anadu explained that it is important, now more than ever, to center Blackness in the face of efforts to “erase the pain and the struggle of Black people in this country.” She asserts that there is a distinction between wallowing in and acknowledging a long legacy of slavery.

“To act like it didn’t happen lets people ignore that we are not as far along economically,” she said. “At a sociological level, at a biological level we exist in conditions that make it hard.”

And it is her investment in the economic empowerment of her people that drives Anadu’s work. While she foresees growth within The Lay Out’s near future, her focus is on cultivating the community, not an audience.

“Part of us getting to true joy is being able to sustain ourselves, and a lot of that is giving people the opportunity to get their art, to get their craft, to get their food, to get whatever out in the world,” she said.

“Economic empowerment as a basis for everything is one of the things I really see growing from it. But also just [having] a good time.”

THE URBAN AGENDA

By Jennifer Jones Austin, Esq

Those Who Created

the

System

“Created It to Persist,” But Our City the Power to Push Back

“Those who created the System created it to persist.” Without question, these words which are a paraphrase of a spoken advisory given to me in the spring of 2021 as I began serving as Chair of New York City’s Racial Justice Commission, are sage counsel and stern warning for anyone committed to justice work. Said to me as the work of our commission was getting underway by former counsel for South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission following the dismantling of Apartheid in South Africa, these words served as an ever-present reminder throughout our deliberations that the work of overcoming systemic racism and inequity must be enduring and relentless if the fruits of our labor are to prevail.

Sadly, it didn’t take long for counsel’s caution to be realized. In the days, weeks and months following the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, promises to advance and uphold racial equity in every pillar of our society were made by just about every sector and every segment of the population. It is estimated that nearly $50 billion in programming, grantmaking and loans was collectively committed by America’s 50 largest public companies and their foundations alone. Yet here we are just four years later with the visual of the horrific and brutal killing of George Floyd still fresh in our minds and the “System” persists. It has been reported that since 2020 only $4.5 billion has been contributed by these big businesses to nonprofit, community-based efforts aimed at advancing equity.

They aren’t the only institutions that have come up short. In fact, other institutions— the judicial and legislative branches of government chief among them—have moved further from the goalpost of fair and equal access and opportunity, taking a sledgehammer to the levers of equity that were stood up across the United States better than a half century ago.

The Supreme Court’s decisions ending affirmative action in higher education and providing pathways leading to the further erosion of voter protections for African Americans; lawsuits seeking to block grantmaking investments earmarked for Black, female-led businesses that often struggle to access capital, and to enjoin reparations for Black Americans harmed by institutional racism in housing segregation making their way through the courts; laws passed in 27 states since the 2020 election restricting voting rights; legislation in several states making it illegal to teach Black history; and mounting attacks on DEI in corporate America and higher education with both

schools and companies ending decades’ long commitments to ensuring people harmed by racism have seats in both the classroom and at the table all provide evidence beyond any standard of guilt or liability that those who created the System created it to persist.

Fortunately, here in New York City in 2022 the electorate demonstrated foresight and wisdom in taking actions that have the greatest chance of withstanding direct and veil threats that would undermine the pursuit of equity at the municipal level of government. By voting in 2022 for racial justice measures put forth by the NYC Racial Justice Commission to change the City Charter to mandate the dismantling of structural racism in government functioning, New Yorkers called for a reset and made equity foundational law.

A substantial majority voted to include in the Charter a preamble that acknowledges the “grave injustices and atrocities” first experienced by indigenous people and enslaved persons and subsequently by marginalized people and communities, and that commits the City to remedying these harms and reconstructing government to promote justice and equity for all. In so doing New Yorkers made the pursuit of fairness and opportunity for all the law.

By declaring New York City a multi-racial democracy where all residents should have the opportunity to live fully and with dignity and requiring that the City be held accountable in perpetuity for governing to that end, with their votes New Yorkers evidenced their sincere commitment to this vision.

Lastly, by voting overwhelmingly to mandate that the City calculate what it truly costs for individuals and families to live here and adequately meet their daily needs, plan for their futures and save for rainy days, they signaled that no New Yorker, particularly those who disproportionately have lower incomes and less assets due to structural racism, should have to struggle all their lives because of structural economic deprivation that inhibits their ability to build wealth and achieve economic security.

By changing the Charter, New Yorkers changed the structure that has long upheld the systems that enable racism to persist. Now, our city government is perennially tasked with implementing the people’s mandate, and we, the people, must ensure they do. New York City can be a beacon in the darkness of these times, but only if we live up to and fulfill the promises contained in the Charter revisions.

Emily Anadu (Photo courtesy of Emily Anadu)

Dr. Hazel N. Dukes: A Harlem Legacy

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

On the fourth floor of an apartment building near Harlem Hospital, at the end of a long, grayish corridor, is the home of former National President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Dr. Hazel Nell Dukes, 92. Her attendant opened the door recently and welcomed two members of the Amsterdam News for a sit-down.

A civil rights activist and prominent voice in politics, Dukes has created a legacy that personifies the essence of Juneteenth: a lifelong fight for Black American freedoms. The AmNews had the opportunity to speak to her about her childhood, her life, her accomplishments, and her take on the current state of the nation.

Dukes has enjoyed close friendships with the late President Lyndon B. Johnson, Bill and Hillary Clinton, President Joe Biden, and former President Barack Obama.

We entered at the sound of Dukes’s voice in the distance. Her home furnishings were awash with pastels and cool, curved shapes, reminiscent of the ’70s, while tables were accented with flowers and Black art pieces. Dukes was working at a square table in the back of the apartment that was covered in papers and mail.

Well, more like fretting.

A cellphone in one hand, a landline phone receiver in the other, she was animatedly speaking to two people about former President Donald Trump being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Moments before we arrived, Trump became the first U.S. president to be a convicted felon. The ruling was replaying constantly in the background on her mounted TV. After she got off both lines, Dukes paused, looking disappointed, angry, and happy all at once.

“For this country, I’m saddened,” Dukes said about Trump. “I don’t know how this man, from his apprenticeship (TV program); from him and his dad denying Blacks to stay in their properties in Brooklyn; the things that he said about African American people, how he ever became the president of this great nation. No one is above the law.”

We waited for her to take in the moment. She waited for us to set up.

Dukes went back to the beginning of her childhood in Montgomery, Ala., in 1932. “I was the little princess, if you will, of the family,” she said. “Really a ‘daddy’s girl’ to the T. He thought that I could not do any wrong and I just loved that. My grandparents were gracious. I remember I had a godmother who was a seamstress and she would make me dresses, and I would change dresses on a Sunday. Oh, yeah, with…white socks with lace around them and dresses that had eyelet material on them. I was always perfectly dressed; hair

and everything was perfect.”

She lived a good life, she said, as the only child of Edward and Alice Dukes. Her father was a Pullman porter. After the Civil War, thousands of formerly enslaved people were hired to serve white passengers on luxury overnight trains by white Chicago business mogul George M. Pullman at a time when no one would pay Black men for employment.

Despite deplorable working conditions and overt racism, being a Black pullman was a coveted position, compared to sharecropping, that helped shape the Black middle class in the 1860s. Edward Dukes went on to be active in the first all-Black railroad union, organized by civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph, in the deeply segregated South.

“My dad had to serve the whites,” Dukes said. “Me and my mom had to sit in the colored section and we had our fried chicken and our pound cake. But my Daddy was serving the whites, you know, with their napkins and all the food, whatever they wanted to order.”

As a child growing up in what would become one of the most active cities in the Civil Rights Movement, Dukes was always

surrounded by history. She and her family lived in the Graetz neighborhood of Montgomery, which would eventually be known as the former home of civil rights icon Rosa Parks. Parks had moved to Montgomery and had gotten married the year Dukes was born. The couple joined the Montgomery NAACP chapter. Parks would go on to inspire the Montgomery Bus Boycott of the 1950s.

“I could stand on my front porch and look at Ms. Parks’s front porch,” Dukes recalled. “Sweet, kind, low-key woman who went to work every day. She and her husband had no children.”

Dukes said that those early years in the South were a “quiet kind of radical” environment that relied on furtively organizing Black labor efforts instead of the loud protests of future decades. Although she was young, she took after her father in questioning the status quo of racial segregation. She didn’t quite understand why things were the way they were, she said, but never equated the feeling to others taking issue with her skin color.

“I knew something was wrong,” said Dukes. “In my books, there were pages torn out of them and the word nigger [written]

in them. When I would want to talk about it, my Mom would say ‘just learn.’” Her parents’ families were both involved in education. Dukes had thought she’d be a teacher, even enrolling at Alabama State Teachers College in 1949 for a year, but when her family moved to New York in 1955, she ended up attending Nassau Community College on Long Island. There, she got involved with tenant and community organizing through the Economic Opportunity Commission (EOC) of Nassau County in the town of Roslyn in North Hempstead. The town had very few Black residents— mostly those who had migrated from North and South Carolina. She set out to educate impoverished Black children in the neighboring towns, get them into pre-K, and speak about health screenings. In the 1960s, Dukes was appointed by Johnson to his Head Start early childhood education program—one of the oldest and largest programs of its kind. Around this time, she was attending classes at Adelphi University. She said a Jewish professor inspired her to pursue a career as an attorney. In 1966, she became the first Black person to take a position in the Nassau See DR. HAZEL N. DUKES on page 15

Dr. Hazel N. Dukes in her Harlem apartment in May 2024 (Ariama C. Long photo)

Go With The Flo

ANTHONY

Tongues are wagging that the reunion of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys singing “Empire State of Mind” at the June 16 Tony Awards was actually pre-taped and carefully edited to make it seem like the rap mogul was inside of the telecast. According to New York Magazine and the New York Times, Keys actually walked out of the auditorium at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City and joined Hova as he performed on a marble staircase outside the auditorium. Out of 13 Tony nominations, Keys’s musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” which is loosely based on her life, won two awards. This was Jay-Z’s second performance in several days. He appeared at Gillette Stadium in New England June 12 to open up Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction........

“Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist,” based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast, follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but ultimately transformed Atlanta into a Black Mecca. When a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guestlist of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history. The stellar cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard and Lori Harvey as the fabulous Lola Falana........ Angelo Ellerbee, the multimedia marketing maverick whose career helped launch, laid the groundwork for, and legitimized the legacies of such luminaries as James Mtume, Melba Moore and the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson has written another masterpiece. “Before I Let You Go: Life Lessons From An Industry Guru.” The fourth book from Ellerbee, which includes a foreword by his longtime client and friend, the legendary Dionne Warwick, isn’t about entertainment industry gossip or how to quickly secure the bag but instead about forging excellence in whatever field you find your passion. He wants to share these lessons with you before he lets go of the mantle and passes it on to the next generation. A portion of the proceeds from sales for “Before I Let You Go” will benefit the Newark, NJ-based WOW Community Center, a non-profit organization that provides outreach and support to LGBTQIA youth and young adults in the Greater NJ area......

We Hear former “Real Housewives of New York” cast member Ramona Singer hosted a star-studded event at celeb med spa Beauté Aesthetics, with Dorinda Medley and owner Amir Rostamirad in attendance. It was a great night of food, cocktails and beauty, health and body shaping tips that were enjoyed by all attendees.....

The Joy of Juneteenth: a Day of Reflection and Renewal

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

Juneteenth, the celebration of the emancipation of enslaved Africans and their descendants on June 19, 1865, in Texas, was almost a lost date in American history. Today, it is a festive nationwide holiday rooted in elevating the ideas of Black American freedom. While the rest of the nation catches up, the historic Masjid Malcolm Shabazz on West 116th Street in Harlem has been celebrating Juneteenth for more than 30 years. Founded in 1956 by the Honor-

able Elijah Muhammad and civil rights icon Malcolm X, the Masjid’s Juneteenth Committee has strived to keep history alive with an annual honorary breakfast, community parade, and all-day street festival with local vendors.

This year’s breakfast, held in the basement level of the masjid, kicked off with a solemn Arabic prayer. After a round of short speeches, the Grand Marshals of the Juneteenth parade and honored guests enjoyed hearty helpings of fried whiting, grits, eggs, coffee, and donuts.

“We are glad again that we can gather in such great spirit for this celebration of dignity— celebration of recognition that

we were always free,” said Imam Izak-El Pasha, who heads the mosque portion of the organization. “No matter what was done to us, the efforts to enslave a human soul are a waste of time because God created that soul to be free and no man can capture it from ignorance and stupidity and fear.”

Because of the racial reckoning that was the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, Juneteenth became a statewide holiday in New York under former Governor Andrew Cuomo. A year later, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National

Juneteenth street festival held outside Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market on West 116th Street

Group at Masjid Malcolm Shabazz’s 31st Juneteenth Anniversary honorary breakfast in Harlem on June 15, 2024 (Ariama C. Long photos)

Grand Marshal Photographer Bill Moore (left) and his wife at Juneteenth honorary breakfast at Masjid Malcolm Shabazz in Harlem

Grand Marshal Photographer Bill Moore receives state proclamations for lifetime of service as Harlem community photographer with New York Amsterdam News on June 15

ASNEAA conducts Juneteenth celebration at Green-Wood Cemetery

by KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The nonprofit group ASNEAA (Africa throughout the global community, South America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia) honored the ancestors with an early Juneteenth celebration at GreenWood Cemetery on June 15.

For this, its third yearly remembrance of history-making Black New Yorkers, ASNEAA offered a day of activities including family drawing and legacy bracelet-making activities, opportunities to participate in Black history quizzes and pick up free books about Black people, and a trolley tour through Brooklyn’s historic, 478-acre Green-Wood Cemetery.

The trolley tour made scheduled stops at the gravesites of impactful Black New Yorkers. Peter and Rosanna Disery Van Dyke, successful mid-19th century caterers, have a prominent 12-foot obelisk to mark their family graves. Not far from the Van Dykes is a new headstone to mark the resting place of the mathematician and linguist Charles Reason, the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Education Among Colored Children. Reason was the first Black college professor in the U.S.

The United States Colored Troops 35th infantry quartermaster John Munroe is buried in the cemetery’s “Freedom Lots” section. The educator and suffragist Sarah Smith Tompkins Garnet and her sister Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward, New York state’s first Black female medical doctor, are both interred at Green-Wood; as are civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson; her husband, James Weldon Johnson, the first Black president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (who wrote the lyrics to the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”); and the 1980s neoexpressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

The Juneteenth trolley ride was needed for those who wanted to see all of these

gravesites because they are spread across the rolling hills of Green-Wood Cemetery. Records for the cemetery, founded in 1838, did not always note the race of those interred, so often African Americans, Asians, whites, and Latinos are buried within steps of each other. There are some sections where you can find groups of Black people buried in one area, but this is usually associated with their being part of a Black-oriented school or institution.

That’s one reason ASNEAA holds this Juneteenth event at Green-Wood, explained Shari Jones, the organization’s founder. Though it’s not often spoken about, it’s important for everyone to understand that most of the historic sites in New York City—like Green-Wood Cemetery, Fort Greene Park’s Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument, and sections of Central Park––have connections to the city’s Black history.

“[W]e do this work of educating folks on the history that’s been erased,” Jones told

the AmNews. “We do this event to honor our ancestors and that’s why we’re having it at the cemetery, which may seem a little

weird, but the goal is to normalize this. Paying your respects to our ancestors but then also honoring their humanity.”

Continued from page 8

Independence Day Act, which officially made Juneteenth a federal holiday. Finally, in 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams designated Juneteenth as a paid city holiday. This year’s Grand Marshals are local Harlem heroes such as Amsterdam News photographer Bill Moore, Senator Cordell Cleare, Councilmember Yusef Salaam, Judge J. Machelle Sweeting, director of civic engagement for Central Park Conservancy Shatic Mitchell, Meet Me at the Crosswords Founder Diane Anderson, Restaurateur Charles Gabriel, Dr. Lena L. Green, and Make My Cake Founder Joanne Baylor. Many reflected on what Juneteenth means to them.

“This is very exciting to me,” said Cleare. “I’ve marched with this parade since its

inception 31 years ago. And today it’s different, as it has been for the past three years, because now it’s a holiday. The [Juneteenth] Committee not only fought to have this parade; they advocated to make this a holiday. This is a double victory. All the years we’ve been educating. Now everybody knows, everybody’s celebrating, and we couldn’t be more proud to have that happen in the village of Harlem.”

Salaam’s remarks focused more on the vision he has for the future of Harlem’s community. “We’ve been waylaid in the melee, and so here we are, stumbling forward, trying to repair ourselves. We deal with the oversaturation, overburden, and divestment that has been plaguing our community not just yesterday, but in some cases, decades,” said Salaam. “There is no one coming for us. There is no savior, therefore we have to save ourselves.”

The parade began shortly after breakfast. The day was hot and bright in Harlem, beckoning joy and cheer. Giant floats and raucous bands, decked out in Juneteenth colors and banners, left from W. 116th Street and Malcolm X Blvd., traveled to Frederick Douglass Blvd. and across W. 125th Street, and then back down Malcolm X Blvd. to culminate where the street festival was. Bringing up the rear of the parade were cure violence interrupters from Harlem’s Street Corner Resources and a fleet of Ruff Ryder motorcycles and bicycle riders.

“It’s just an honor. I’m very, very appreciative of everybody who made this possible,” said Moore, who’s been working as a photographer and documenting Harlem for the last 45 years.

At the festival, dozens of Black, Caribbean, and African vendors sold their wares in the middle of W. 116th Street. Children and

youth mentors held hula hoop, basketball, and double-dutch competitions towards the back. Local poets, singers, and rappers graced the mainstage with colorful and moving performances.

“It’s a reminder and a reflection that while there are many freedoms that African Americans can now enjoy, it’s important that we remain steadfast in our commitment to uplift the new generation, empower their rights, and also inform them about their history,” said Sweeting. “That’s what this celebration is all about.”

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

Shari Jones of ASNEAA at the Green-Wood Cemetery Juneteenth celebration. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

Civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson and her husband, James Weldon Johnson, the first Black president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (who wrote the lyrics to the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,”), are buried at at Green-Wood Cemetery

Union Matters

Legal Aid workers rally in front of their offices for a new contract

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Staff from the Legal Aid Society rallied in front of Brooklyn’s 111 Livingston Street on Wednesday, June 12, during what they called their “nonwork time” in a coordinated effort to picket in front of each of the city’s Legal Aid Society offices––at 260 East 161 Street in the Bronx; 120-46 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens, Queens; Manhattan’s 49 Thomas Street; and Staten Island’s 60 Bay Street––and show that they are still fighting for a new labor contract.

Workers included clerical, paralegal, and social work staff. Members of 1199SEIU said they have continued doing their jobs even though their last labor contract ex-

pired on June 30, 2022.

In a press release, the union said negotiations with management have only led to a proposal of a “1% raise for fiscal year 2025 for all members with some step increases and a wage reopener.”

The current labor contract is two years old, but Legal Aid management pointed out to the AmNews that 1199SEIU members have been able to get salary increases during this time period. “We have and will continue to advocate for additional resources so we can pay our staff the wages they deserve for their invaluable work,” The Legal Aid Society said in a statement. “We remain in bargaining and will continue to discuss these topics together around the bargaining table.”

The workers picketing in front of

Brooklyn’s Legal Aid Society claim the contract that management is pushing is not what the majority of 1199SEIU members want. The current salary system proposal would leave them thousands of dollars behind what other legal service providers earn.

1199SEIU members showed up to picket. They demonstrated and chanted “The workers––united––will never be defeated!” and “I’ll tell you what democracy looks like: This is what democracy looks like!” while circling the front entrance to 111 Livingston Street.

“We’re not on strike,” one of the staff members explained. “We first have to determine if we’re on a strike or not, and we didn’t get there yet.”

One speaker at the rally said,

“While we fight tirelessly for our clients every day, management is showing us they are not on our side…At the end of the day, we know that they cannot run Legal Aid without us.”

Veronica Leventhal, a social worker with the Legal Aid Society, said one of the items 1199SEIU members want is the opportunity to continue telecommuting for some part of their jobs. Staffers had been providing some legal services to clients remotely for the last three years. Now, office management wants all workers back in the office five days a week. Leventhal said staffers are asking for the ability to work remotely at least two days a week. “We just want a little bit of flexibility, and they’re only offering us maybe one day.

“Management has come to the table, and they’ve been negotiating with us in good faith, but they’ve been very firm with both us and the lawyer’s union that they will not support telecommuting for the most part. They’ll give us maybe one day a week––if management decides that our job is eligible for that one day. But speaking for myself as a social worker, I am in court almost five days a week: I do not have time to come to this office. When I’m not in court, I need to write...I think that’s the point of a hybrid schedule: It’s whatever works for you so that you can get your job done; that’s what we’re asking. And if people are not doing their job, that can be addressed on an individual basis.”

Clerical, paralegal, and social work staff from the Legal Aid Society, members of 1199SEIU, rallied for a new contract in front of their offices in Brooklyn (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

Photo by

Cherylynn Tsushima

Opinion

A pardon is one thing, expungement is another

Maryland Governor Wes Moore ordered more than 175,000 pardons for people convicted of marijuana possession this week, declaring it “the largest such action in our nation’s history,” at a subsequent press conference. As a result, thousands of Marylanders, the bulk of whom are Black and Hispanic, will have barriers removed to housing, employment, and educational opportunities.

Even so, there is much to be done before those currently incarcerated can be released and have the conviction expunged from their background check.

As the governor noted, “Legalization does not turn back the clock on decades of harm that was caused by this war on drugs. It doesn’t erase the fact that Black Marylanders were three times more likely to be arrested for cannabis than white Marylanders before legalization. It doesn’t erase the fact that having a conviction on your record means a harder time with everything—everything, from housing to employment to education.”

A year ago, Maryland, along with 23 other states and the District of Columbia, legalized recreational cannabis. It’s to be seen how many other states follow Moore’s decision, an action put in effect on the federal level by President Biden two years ago.

What remains in question about the legalization of marijuana is how it’s viewed from a state and a federal level, as well as the amount in one’s possession, and if the conviction stems solely from a marijuana charge.

Moore’s pardons are sure to stimulate additional action from other states, but they should be advised that pardons absolve people from criminal offenses and they don’t have to initiate any action for the pardon to be issued. However, a pardon does not mean a record is wiped clean: A person has to take this matter up with the court to remove these convictions from public view. Moreover, much more restorative policing is necessary, including prioritizing commercial marijuana licenses for those formerly incarcerated. Wes, you’ve picked up the ball from the president. Let’s hope others emulate your commitment and put the issue back on the agenda.

“Ella The Ungovernable” brings a forgotten injustice to light

By DAVID MCDONALD

In 2024, we in the United States are closer to a loss of democracy than any time in our 250 year history.

It’s such a nightmarish idea, it’s borderline unthinkable, and it’s barely been touched upon by most mainstream media outlets, like movie studios, for example.

During Trump’s first administration, the parade of rom-coms and sitcoms continued unabated. As a writer who grew up with protest art in the ‘60s and ‘70s, it was hard for me not to think: “What the f*** is going on here? Are we just fiddling while Rome burns?”

As it so happens, I was living in Hudson, New York, at the time, working as a newspaper editor and unofficial “stringer” for newspapers like the New York Times, collecting local story ideas for NYC-based writers to potentially research for feature stories.

One of the ideas that crossed my desk one day was such an utterly incongruous story that I thought it must be fictional: It was the story of 15 year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s incarceration and eventual escape from The NY Training School For Girls in 1933.

How could that possibly have happened without the general public knowing about it?

Well, it had to do with the mores of the times. Remember the concept of “shame?” Well, it was a big deal a hundred years ago, and it was particularly inflicted upon women who didn’t behave in a particular way, so Ella was always ashamed of talking about her early incarceration, even until the moment she died in 1996. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks after her death that a reporter Nina Bernstein uncovered the hidden story of Ella’s incarceration for The New York Times’ “ Ward Of The State: The Gap In Ella Fitzgerald’s Life.”

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Then, somehow, the story must have died, or slipped from public consciousness. But it was never quite fullyforgotten in Hudson, the original site of Ella’s incarceration. There, a team of historians called The Public Prison Memory Project had spent the previous two decades

researching general prison life in the town, where prisons had always been a major cottage industry. And while they may not have come up with any huge new revelations about Ella’s incarceration, they were able to unearth quite a bit of new documentation

Now, the more I learned about this story, the more I became convinced of its absolute power as a double-headed metaphor: First, of course, as perhaps the most powerful metaphor of African American incarceration that I had ever, ever, heard. And secondly, as a story of Black prisoners in a predominantly white town whose business was prisons, as a metaphor for the disgusting cultural divide that has been pushed and provoked in recent years by Trump and everything he represents. In fact, this is, in essence, a story about consciousness, or lack of it. Or where we are as a country, where the social compact has been replaced by “I don’t give a f*** about you.”

And that social compact, the foundation of our democracy, has been abandoned by MAGA and all of its ilk.

So, the telling of this story, and the telling of it now, urgently, became more than a priority to me, it almost became a question of life or death. Could I get this story out before the next potential nightmare of an election, and more importantly, would anyone listen? To my

absolute surprise, people seem to know exactly what the play signifies, and the public has supported it whole-heartedly. Now, we’re about to have our New York City debut, three weeks (June 20 to July 7) at The Lower East Side’s Theater for the New City, the absolutely perfect venue for a play like this. In keeping with Theater for the New City’s progressive philosophy, the top ticket price is $18 bucks, and $16 for students and seniors. And we have a cast and crew of over 20 people, many of whom are people of color.

It is our hope that people come and see this play, love it, and start bringing it to schools and community theaters around the country. Because “Ella the Ungovernable” is not just a piece of theater, it is theater meets activism meets theater. Its entire purpose is to raise consciousness by raising community consciousness. Its motto is: “Don’t ever, ever, give up.”

Because, if the unthinkable ever happens, and Trump is elected again, it is going to become incumbent upon all of us to become “ungovernable,” just like the title of the play.

David McDonald is the playwright of ”Ella The Ungovernable” EllaTheUngovernable.com luminescentmedia@gmail.com

Damaso Reyes: Executive & Investigative Editor

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Aaron Foley: News Editor

Ella Fitzgerald (Pixabay/FotoshopTofs photo)

For Caitlin Clark, adversity leads to triumph

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

In 1947, legendary baseball star and hall of famer, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier, becoming the first Black athlete to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. Before that, he and his fellow Black athletes were relegated to the Negro Leagues, at the time, a lesser known league but that had superstars and an overall grueling competition that rivaled, if not exceeded the MLB at the time. When Robinson joined the MLB, he faced all kinds of racist acts, from verbal abuse and threats, like when Phillies manager Ben Chapman and his players infamously taunted Robinson with racial epithets during a game. He also dealt with physical intimidation and discrimination where pitchers would purposely throw at his head, spike him with their cleats, or where hotels and restaurants would refuse to accommodate him. Robinson said, at the time, “I felt tortured and tormented. I had to stay out there and stand there and take all that abuse.”

In 2001, at the Indian Wells Open, legendary tennis star, Serena Williams, and her sister Venus, were accused of match-fixing. This sentiment was exacerbated when Venus, who was meant to play against Serena in the semi-finals, withdrew from the match due to a leg injury just moments before it was meant to begin, automatically propelling Serena to the finals. At the finals, where Serena faced off against Kim Clijsters, there was noticeably loud boos from the crowd. Serena won, but the boos continued and while she, her father and Venus were walking to their seats. One man said to them “I wish

it was ’75; we’d skin you alive.” At the 2007 Sony Ericsson Championship, a heckler shouted to Serena, “That’s the way to do it! Hot the net like any Negro would!” Not only that, but fans and journalists alike routinely made racially-driven remarks about her physique and attitude.

This year, as college and WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark was playing in a game between the Fever and Chicago Sky, she was body-checked by Sky star player Chennedy Carter in a flagrant display of unsportsmanlike conduct. Carter has been lambasted by WNBA fans and passive onlookers of the sport. There was even a moment when a person in Washington confronted Carter outside of her team’s hotel in D.C. Longtime fans of the game have noted that this type of dirty play is common among WNBA players, yet, with fresh new faces watching the sport as a direct result of Caitlin Clark, it has led many onlookers to question the racial dynamics of the situation, and how it may have motivated the push.

Professional basketball is generally dominated by Black athletes. In fact, despite the fact that Blacks make up approximately 13% of the population, nearly 64% of WNBA players are Black. This statistic is similar in the NBA, with more than 70% of players being Black.

Is it possible that Caitlin Clark, a white athlete, joining the WNBA, a league with historically low ratings and an average attendance of around 6,000 fans per game (compared to the NBA’s 18,000), and who has significantly elevated the sport to unprecedented levels, might face criticism from Black athletes? Can we also say

that fans and passive observers who witnessed Carter’s shove of Clark, a common occurrence in competitive sports, may be exhibiting more severe reactions towards her due to her being a Black woman?

The level of people and personalities coming to Clark’s defense for a simple shove is disproportionately high, so high that even U.S. Congressman Jim Banks sent a letter to the WNBA encouraging them to curb “excessive” physical play. I think we can say with absolute certainty that the level of backlash seen regarding the event would not have happened if Clark were a Black athlete. We can say that with certainty because, as previously mentioned, this level of play is common in the WNBA and has been common for years.

But, at the same time, could it not also be true that Black athletes in the WNBA are displeased at the fact that a white athlete has stolen their glory and, within a short time, propelled the league into a position that was once unattainable even with the efforts they put in for decades?

Just as Jackie Robinson, Serena and Venus Williams, and other top Black athletes who faced adversity throughout their careers, I have no doubt that this situation has fueled Caitlin Clark to perform at her best and set her on a path to greatness.

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

The Charles Barkley Principle

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

ple when people ask for my time, my contacts, or my money. Before spending time on sending out emails on their behalf to my network or logging into my bank account to give someone money, I ask for a short email to remind me of the request. Like Barkley, I have been amazed at the number of people who ask for large sums of money or time or favors, but cannot be bothered to spend a few minutes on presenting their request.

Like Barkley, once I receive the email, I usually gladly fulfill the request. However, it is amazing that roughly 75% of the requests go unfulfilled because people can’t be bothered to send me a quick memo. The lesson I took from Charles Barkley was about setting boundaries and making sure people value my time and resources. I have saved so much time by not fulfilling requests for people who then disappear into the ether.

Protecting your time and resources is a valuable lesson to learn at any age. I hope the words and strategy of Charles Barkley help you set boundaries with both those you love and those you barely know.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel stretched to the limit. My schedule is packed and I sometimes feel like I am juggling so many items in my life that there is very little room for error or deviations from the plan. I am constantly being asked to help others professionally; something I take seriously. In these instances, I remember the wise words of Charles Barkley—yes, that “Sir Charles”—to help me navigate my busy schedule. Many years ago, I heard Barkley tell a story about how he was able to maintain his wealth after so long. Ever since he became a famous basketball player, he has had people asking him for money for various endeavors, often such as buying or starting some sort of small business. He often said yes to these requests, but with one caveat: The person asking for the money had to send him a one-page request detailing how they planned to use the thousands of dollars he was about to give them with no strings attached. Once he got that short memo, he would gladly give them the money. Sounds like a very easy way for someone to get the money they wanted. What Barkley was shocked to find was the number of people who couldn’t even be bothered to write a one-page memo asking for those dollars. I now find myself subscribing to the Barkley Princi-

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

Caribbean Update

Caribbean-Africa ties on the rise

BY BERT WILKINSON

Special to the AmNews

Past generations of Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders, academics, and Pan Africanists have dreamed of closer trade, travel, and other ties with Africa for decades, and a slew of positive events in the past three years appear to signal that the current crop of heads of governments is determined to spur developmental activity toward realizing that dream.

This was manifested by the attendance of a number of Caricom presidents and prime ministers when African Export-Import (Afreximbank) hosted its annual general meeting last week in the Bahamas, twinning the opportunity with what is only the third AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum to be held so far.

Since the first leaders’ Caricom-Africa summit was held back in September of 2021, relations have taken off, with several countries and companies approaching the Afreximbank for commercial loans to fund development projects. These include regional headquarter nation Guyana, which

has accessed $500 million in the past year to finance a slew of infrastructural projects linked to its spectacular economic growth since U.S. supermajor ExonMobil found massive reserves of oil and gas offshore back in 2015.

Barbadian businessman Mark Maloney quickly followed suit, walking away with a $100 million loan to build a Hyatt Hotel in the eastern Caribbean tourism paradise. He has also been able to secure a $10 million loan to import a large quantity of cement to keep pace with a construction boom on the island.

“It’s great to see the huge influence that Afreximbank is having in the region,” Maloney said. “You know, the region doesn’t lack opportunities. It lacks capital, and it is challenging, when you are doing projects, to be able to raise money in the local banking industry. Afreximbank has shown its commitment to the region and planting its seed in Barbados, where it is based. It also signifies that Barbados is really the place to be.” He heaped praise on the bank and the vision of regional leaders to push for closer ties with Africa.

Several leaders and high officials who spoke at the forums in the Bahamas pointed to the fact that African businesses are following the signal from leaders and the bank to seek out investment opportunities in the 15nation bloc, from Guyana and Suriname on the South American coast in the south to Jamaica and the Bahamas in the north to Belize in Central America.

“Three years ago, sophisticated investors from Africa were not seen in the Caribbean region,” said Guyanese President and outgoing bloc chairperson Irfaan Ali. “Fast-forward to today, we have seen…, since Afreximbank came on board, more than 50 African delegations looking at business opportunities in this region. It’s this little spark that could ignite massive transformation and realization of the opportunity and potential that exists within our region.”

Ali noted that several billionaires, technology companies, and other interests have indicated they are interested in doing business in the Caribbean.

Overall, the bank has set aside $1.5 billion for Caricom states to access as they please.

As businesses begin to focus on opportu-

nities in Africa and the fact their projects can be financed by Afreximbank, regional leaders and tourism officials are also focusing on achieving a long-held ambition to have direct or non-stop flights from the continent to the Caribbean.

Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley said recently that talks with Air Peace of Nigeria for such operations are at an advanced stage, noting the region’s determination to cut out London and New York as transit hubs for travelers from Africa.

“I think we are much closer to seeing that happen now,” Mottley said. “There are charters that are being discussed, and my own officials met with Air Peace up to the day before yesterday, and with our tourism people, to be able to see how we can have that linkage move, because once we start to create that link, the rest is history. Suffice it to say that the discussions are going on well, the regulatory authorities have to do what they have to do now, because none of us are regulatory authorities. Once that’s done, we’ll get the reports and then at the governmental levels, it is for us to determine how we promote and get the market going.”

Immigrants propel Team USA to ICC T20 World Cup Super 8

FELICIA

IMMIGRATION KORNER

If you’re looking for proof of how immigrants contribute to making America great, look no further than the latest ICC Cricket World Cup results. For the first time in the tournament’s history, the U.S. cricket team has advanced to the Super 8 Round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, now underway in the Caribbean and the U.S.

This historic achievement is thanks to the immigrant team members and those with immigrant heritage who make up Team USA. Most players hail from India, Pakistan, and the Caribbean, with two from South Africa and one from New Zealand. They have single-handedly given America a new sport to be proud of globally and cricket is finally getting its due in America, thanks to immigrants.

Team USA’s journey to the Super 8 round included victories over Canada and Pakistan, and a narrow defeat to India, who topped Group A and also advanced to the next stage. Team USA faced South Africa in Antigua on Wednesday, June 19, as part of the Super 8 round hosted across the Caribbean.

Here’s a look at the immigrant and immigrant heritage players who have helped America make history as part of Team USA:

Monank Patel, 31: Born in India, he is the captain of the United States national cricket team, playing as a right-handed top-order batsman and wicketkeeper since 2018.

Aaron Jones: The current vice-captain of the U.S. Cricket Team, is of Bajan parentage. He is a right-handed top-order batsman and occasional leg spinner.

Steven Ryan Taylor: Born in Florida to Jamaican parents, he is a left-handed toporder batsman and right-arm off-spin bowler.

Gajanand Singh: Born in Guyana, his cricket journey began with the West Indies under-19 team, and he has played firstclass and List A cricket for Guyana.

Kyle Phillip, 27: Born in Trinidad and Tobago, he made his List A debut for the United States in the 2018–19 Regional Super50 tournament.

Corey James Anderson, 33: Born in New Zealand, he played as an all-rounder for New Zealand and various IPL teams.

Andries Gous, 30: Born in South Africa, he plays as a wicket-keeper for the United States national cricket team.

Saurabh Naresh Netravalkar, 32: Born in Mumbai, India, he is a left-arm medi-

um-fast bowler and represented the India under-19 team.

Muhammad Ahsan Ali Khan, 33: Born in Pakistan, he has played for the United States since 2016 as a right-arm fast bowler.

Harmeet Singh Baddhan, 31: Born in India, he qualified for the U.S. team by residency and made his Twenty20 International debut in 2024.

Jasdeep “Jessy” Singh, 31: Born to Indian parents in Queens, NY, he is a right-arm medium-pace bowler.

Shayan Jahangir, 29: Born in Pakistan, he is a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper for Team USA.

Nosthush Pradeep Kenjige, 33: Born in Alabama to Indian parents, he is a left-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox bowler.

Shadley van Schalkwyk, 35: Born in South Africa, he is a left-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler.

Usman Rafiq, 35: Born in Pakistan, he made his List A debut for the United States in the 2017–18 Regional Super50 tournament.

Nisarg Patel, 36, was born in India and is a left-arm orthodox spin bowler for the United States national cricket team.

Milind Kumar was born in India and is a right-hand batsman and an occasional offbreak bowler for the United States national cricket team. Previously, he played for

Delhi and Sikkim in Indian domestic cricket.

Yasir Saeed Mohammad, 21, was born in Edison, New Jersey to a Pakistani immigrant family. He is a bowler for the United States national cricket team and also plays for the Manhattan Yorkers in Minor League Cricket.

Sushant Jayachandra Modani, 35, was born in India and was named in the United States squad in 2021.

Juanoy Drysdale, 28, was born in Jamaica and is an emerging fast bowler for the USA. Drysdale made his international debut in 2021 and has quickly made a mark with his pace and ability to generate bounce. Known for his aggressive bowling style and knack for taking early wickets, he has become a promising talent in the American cricket scene. Drysdale’s athleticism and potential make him a player to watch for the future, as he continues to develop and contribute to the USA’s cricketing aspirations. These players have not only helped Team USA make history but also showcased the incredible contributions of immigrants to American sports.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news on the Black immigrant communities of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Dr. Hazel N. Dukes

County Attorney’s Office. Her job was to work with the attorneys and assign their cases. It gave her an exciting chance to debate with lawyers, dive into housing and foster care issues from a legal standpoint, and explore politics, she said. She was a staunch Democrat in a wholly Republican county, but things were changing.

Dukes eventually received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Adelphi University in 1978 and completed post-graduate work at Queens College.

“It’s still very segregated in certain parts of Long Island,” said Dukes. Despite that, Roslyn named a street after Dukes in 2023 for her work as a fierce advocate against housing discrimination.

By 1989, Dukes headed the national NAACP organization with the help of Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, who was elected executive director of the NAACP at the time. She remained in that office until 1992 and is the only woman still alive to have held that title.

A very outspoken person, Dukes made incredible allies and infamous enemies throughout her lifetime. She sparred publicly with former Mayors Ed Koch and Rudy Guiliani.

“I had fights with them,” said Dukes. “We had a NAACP convention. Giuliani was so bad that I said he could not even bring

greetings. His behavior toward the Black community was so bad that he could not speak at an NAACP convention.”

During her time as national president of the NAACP, Dukes said that fostering relationships with other women leaders and mentoring Black youth was probably her greatest accomplishment.

In 1990, Dukes also became the president of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation (NYCOTB), but her reign wasn’t completely without stain. In 1997, at the age of 65, Dukes pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny, which caused a shockwave of scandal throughout New York City. She was accused of stealing $13,000 from longtime friend and disabled employee Velma McLaughlin in 1993. McLaughlin had reportedly given Dukes permission to cash her NYCOTB paychecks and pay her bills after her cancer diagnosis. Dukes took a plea bargain to pay the money back, although she did maintain her innocence.

“It wasn’t a failure,” said Dukes about the trial. “This young woman I had helped so much—she got cancer, she had one son, no other family member. I had signed papers for her at Sloan Kettering, never taking a penny.”

Despite the negative media attention about the case, Dukes said she had the support of the late AmNews publisher William Tatum, former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton, former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania C. Delores Tucker, and the community at

large. McLaughlin died recently, right after the COVID-19 pandemic. Dukes said she felt sorry for her and the entire situation.

Duke’s list of accomplishments since the 1990s is vast.

Among them, Dukes was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the City University of New York Law School at Queens College in 1990, an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Medgar Evers College in 2009, and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2012. She has also received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, YWCA City of New York John La Farge Memorial Award for Interracial Justice, Guy R. Brewer Humanitarian Award, Network Journal’s 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business Award in 2007, a city proclamation at the New York City Council’s 3rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Awards ceremony, the First Annual Ruth Clark Trailblazer Award, National Action Network Legacy Award, City & State 50 Over 50 Lifetime Achievement Award, and John E. Zuccotti Public Service Award by the Real Estate Board of New York.

Dukes received the key to the city from former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2020, was a Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce 125th Anniversary Gala honoree in 2023, and made history by becoming the first civilian person in the United States to administer the oath of office to a governor— Kathy Hochul, New York State’s first female

governor. She was especially proud of that. She dreams of being remembered for helping others and educating the youth, and believes the secret to a long life is being kind and healthy. “I feel that my legacy for my community has left a mark and is very well respected,” Dukes said.

Currently, Dukes is president of the NAACP’s New York State chapter and an active member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Northern Manhattan Alumnae Chapter. She was married once and is divorced with one son, who lives in New Jersey.

For decades, Dukes has worked behind the scenes in New York and national politics, but has never wanted to run for office.

“I wanted to be outside and make government work,” Dukes said. “If you’re inside, yes, you’re sitting at the table, but you have to negotiate with other people. As president of the NAACP, I have my voice. I don’t have to decide whether it’s the right thing to do or is somebody gonna re-elect me. (I want) to be outside to make government and people work for the people that elect them. That’s why I never wanted to be (an elected official).”

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.

In cities across the U.S., Black and Latino neighborhoods have less access to pharmacies

Lachandretta “LaLa” Williams reaches for pill bottle at MAC Pharmacy in Cleveland. Major retail pharmacies have closed hundreds of stores over past few years and independents can’t always afford to stay open. (AP Photos/Sue Ogrocki)

By KENYA HUNTER

AP Health Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—Parts of the north side of Montgomery are defined by what it has lost: restaurants, grocery stores, and a convenient pharmacy. The latter closed five years ago.

People who still live in the historically Black neighborhood of Newtown, like Sharon Harris, are frustrated. She goes to a different location of the same pharmacy chain, which is four miles from her home.

“You have to come back sometimes, and then they wait so long to fill the prescription,” she said.

In cities across the U.S., major retail pharmacies have closed hundreds of stores over the past few years and independents can’t always afford to stay open. That can leave residents of color without easy access to a business that provides not only prescriptions but also fundamental public health services like vaccinations, over-the-counter medicines, and even food.

Such closures create “a situation where there’s not just (a lack of) investment in terms of pharmacy development and expansion, but there’s no incentive to stay in those neighborhoods,” said Dima Qato, a professor of clinical

pharmacy at the University of Southern California who has studied pharmacy access.

An Associated Press analysis of licensing data from 44 states, along with data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs and the American Community Survey, show that residents of neighborhoods that are majority Black and Hispanic have fewer pharmacies per capita than people who live in mostly white neighborhoods.

Pharmacies often do more than fill prescriptions—pharmacists play a role in managing chronic diseases like diabetes and heart-related issues, which Black and Hispanic people are more likely to be diagnosed with.

MAC Pharmacy is a good example of that role. It’s the only one serving about 20,000 people in a majority Black ZIP code in Cleveland. George Tadross, part-owner and pharmacy manager, said he is adamant about making things as easy as possible for his mostly older customers—sometimes by organizing their medications by day for them.

“You have to have a pharmacist to talk to,” he said. “My philosophy in the pharmacy business is you know your doctor, he knows everything about you. You need to know your pharmacist as well (because) the pharmacist is the only one that sees the whole medical

treatment plan you have.”

When pharmacists or pharmacy technicians reflect their customer base, by speaking the same language or understanding the community, it can be easier to build a strong rapport and trust, said Jasmine Gonzalvo, who teaches at Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy and has researched the needs of Spanish-speaking patients at pharmacies.

She noted that if people don’t feel comfortable asking questions about a medication, then it might mean they don’t take it or don’t take it correctly.

“You don’t get a refill, simply because there were barriers in the way of your communicating and feeling safe in that relationship with your pharmacist,” Gonzalvo said.

That’s why Bert’s Pharmacy in Elizabeth, N.J., has “Spanish- and English-speaking staff all the time,” said owner and pharmacist Prakash Patel. His business is in a ZIP code where nearly 70% of the residents are Hispanic.

“We want to make sure, too, they understood everything,” Patel said. “We have Spanish-language labels for them; we print all the instructions in Spanish for them.”

In Montgomery, where Harris lives, the city is working on a development plan for the north side. A retail analysis in the plan

shows a small pharmacy could generate $1.5 million in sales a year.

“There’s an opportunity there because you have what I call a captive market,” said Bob Gibbs, director of the Gibbs Planning Group, which did the analysis. “People that live in a lot of these neighborhoods have limited access to transportation…and they’re very loyal to local businesses that will treat them with respect.

“They will go out of their way just to go there. And they just don’t like having to drive…two miles to go to a drugstore. That’s unfair.” Harris, though, doesn’t have much hope a new pharmacy will open near her.

“I don’t see it,” she said. “As long as they have [that big chain pharmacy], they think it’s okay…Everybody is waiting for them to do something on this side [of town].”

Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjady in Philadelphia and videojournalist Shelby Lum in New York contributed to this report.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

George Tadross, part-owner and pharmacy manager at MAC Pharmacy, only one serving about 20,000 people in a majority Black ZIP code in Cleveland.

Arts & Entertainment

The 77th Annual Tony Awards red carpet was amazing!

By LINDA ARMSTRONG

Special to the AmNews

This year the Tony Awards were held at Lincoln Center and Sunday, June 16 and the red carpet was full of some of the best talent Broadway has to offer.

Nora Davis Day, Guy Davis and Hasna Mohammad were on the red carpet, excited that “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through The Cotton Patch” was nominated for six Tony Awards. Guy Davis shared, “We feel like winners start to finish. From 62 years ago to now, we feel like winners, communicators. We feel like the play came, did what it was supposed to do, and we got to keep doing it, keep the struggle on.”

Nora Day Davis, added, “All dressed up and some place to go. We really are proud, pleased, but also there’s a deep sense of satisfaction with all the excitement that the Tonys brings. There’s a very quiet pride we have here with our family, our parents, our children right here with us, [and] our grandparents right here with us. It’s a big moment.”

Hasna Mohammad said, “We are quite humbled and honored to have dad’s work done on Broadway. We think that the time has come for people to recognize his genius, his artistry and also to embrace art as activism, because that’s what ‘Purlie Victorious’ is, it’s a statement about civil rights, human rights and it uses all the important documents of this country with humor to support love, grace and all of the positive things that are needed still now. So, we’re really grateful.”

The siblings shared that the play was produced with its original script kept intact and they also credited Leslie Odom Jr. and Kenny Leon for knowing the value of the original words. Kenny Leon, Tony nominee for director of a play for “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through The Cotton Patch,” was thrilled to share that he was pleased with everything about this production. “I’m a proud member of the Broadway community, I’m a member of the Tony administration committee. I think we’re better with diversity this year. We’re better with special plays like ‘Jaja,’ but we still got a ways to go, so I’m hoping we can keep pushing. But I am grateful for the nominations….As it is with all great writers, great writing stands the test of time

and so often our work doesn’t get the opportunity to stand the test of time…I always love it when our culture gets an opportunity to show our whole self, we’re not a monolithic people, so ‘Purlie’ is great, ‘Jaja’ is great, ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is great and we have a lot more diversity to bring to the Broadway stage and we just got to keep knocking these doors down.”

Heather Alicia Simms played Missy in “Purlie Victorious” and was glad to be on the red carpet. Simms shared, “It was amazing to be a part of the play, to revive something that people hadn’t seen in 62 years…This was a play that was buried and needed to be revived. This is a play that was necessary…It was definitely for our time. I was glad that we were able to do it and to do it for ‘Great Performances’

on PBS, so that people who weren’t able to come to New York can still see this performance.”

Maechi Aharanwa played Ndidi in “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” a show which made history, by shining a light never before seen on Broadway on women who do African hair braiding. “I know their skills because I go to them to get my hair done, but I didn’t know how much of a skill it is. Going through hair braiding bootcamp was one of the most thrilling things I’ve ever gone through and it makes me tip my braider now even more than I did before. After one hour in bootcamp my hands were hurting. I gained great respect for the level of skill these women possess—they are craftswomen. I fashion myself to be a craftsperson in my acting and Af-

rican hair braiding is a craft as well.” Remarking on the audience’s reaction to the play, she shared, “I felt the energy of people leaning in, wanting to understand more. I felt the energy of people’s eyes being open to something they had never seen or thought about before.”

Whitney White, Tony nominee for director of a play for “Jaja’s,” a production directed with love and respect, shared on the red carpet how she mustered her energy to do this work, “I focused on Jocelyn [Bioh’s] text, we laid out these characters and she was creating women from all over the continent of Africa with different socioeconomic issues and families and lives and the piece was very much a tapestry to me of the Black female immigrant experience and I just tried to be as true to that as possible and let it be loud. I wanted the show to speak loudly and I wanted it to be undeniable, those were my guiding principles.”

Camille A. Brown was nominated for choreography for “Hell’s Kitchen.” Her choreography for the musical is amazing, heartfelt, expressive, and represents the words of the songs to a T. When creating her choreography she shared that she not only examines her reactions to different feelings, but she listens to other people’s reactions as well, so her choreography is representing a collaboration between herself and the performers she is working with. The buzz on the Tony red carpet was electric and something that I always look forward to!

Whitney White, Tony nominee, director of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.”

Maechi Aharanwa, actress from “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” on the red carpet.

Kenny Leon, Tony nominee, director of “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through The Cotton Patch.”

CJay Philip and husband Winston Philip, Excellence In Theatre Education Award winner.

Nora Davis Day, Guy Davis and Hasna Mohammad, adult children of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis on red carpet. (Linda Armstrong photos)

Heather Alicia Simms, actress from “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through The Cotton Patch.”

Stars shine brightly at Apollo’s Spring Gala

By DAVID GOODSON Special to the AmNews

Whether it’s hip, cool, groovy, def or lit, throughout the years, chances are it was originated or was stamped official in Harlem USA; it’s like that and that’s the way it is. That’s the word I heard from griots and elders, and personally eyewitnessed from my infancy. I wonder, however, if that was the case say 91 years ago and beyond before that building at 253 West 125th Street became the cultural institution and international phenomenon that we know today as a purveyor of truth: If you were what you thought you were, you’d either find out your proximity to greatness or a least to success—or whether a change in career paths was in order.

On Tuesday June 11, philanthropists, leaders in business, and entertainers convened to celebrate The Apollo’s 90th anniversary at their largest annual fundraising Spring Benefit 2024, which raised over $3 million for the historic organization. The Apollo recently completed its first-ever expansion with the Apollo Stages at The Victoria and the fundraiser should go a long way to assist in the financing of their ambitious plans.

Michelle Ebanks, president and CEO of the Apollo, reflected on the historic and transformative year for the organization: “On this momentous anniversary, we honor the visionary trailblazers who paved the way for The Apollo’s storied history. From opening our doors in 1934,

and navigating the ever-changing cultural tides, to the transformative leadership of Percy Sutton and the incomparable Jonelle Procope, who ushered in the debut of the Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater and the upcoming renovation of our main stage, we’re not just preserving history, we’re creating new spaces for artistic expression and community connection.”

Hosted by comedian and actress, Kym Whitley, the organization went hard in the paint with the honorees for this landmark year. Firstly, multi-platinum, superstar Usher was blessed with the Icon Award. The plaudits continue to fall into place for Usher after beginning the year by performing the Halftime show at the 2024 Super Bowl where he gave a subtle nod to fellow Apollo legends Marvin, Michael and Stevie as he now joins them in the pantheon of music immortality. Before taking the stage to accept his trophy from Michelle Ebanks and Kamilah Forbes, the Apollo’s executive producer, Usher was shown reverence with a dance tribute choreographed by renowned creative director and choreographer Luam Klefegzy. Expressing his gratitude, Usher said, “Dance is so important and to the dance team, you guys were amazing. Normally I’m just working, working, working and I’m so happy that I understand now that it’s about celebrating these moments. Tonight, to be able to look up there and see those young people celebrate me and understand just how hard that is to do and the fact that [they] did

it with such love and passion, I appreciate them, and I appreciate you [the audience].” Words indeed have power and one of those who took those words to heart was Rob Bynes, a performer in the tribute. After exiting the stage, he reflected on the magnitude of what had transpired.

“For me, Usher is a part of a very small group of performers who have made their mark with their voice as well as their moves. He’s known for being smooth, classy, and crisp. As a professional dancer, I watch him and know that what he’s doing requires years and years of training and a natural gift. I couldn’t imagine needing to sing at the same time, so I have tremendous respect and admiration for him.” Bynes continued, “When we first found out that he would be in attendance, it felt like a mix of good and bad anxiety. On one hand, we have the pressure of not wanting to mess up or look bad in front of the man we’re honoring. But there’s [also] the amazing opportunity to make him smile and do his work justice. We were performing his original choreography while taking turns being him as the lead, so getting his praise for our performance was all we needed. We felt great leaving the stage seeing him standing up, smiling, and clapping. Mentioning us in his acceptance speech was just the icing on the cake.”

The second honored guest—one of the few that could arguably say that he’s a little more accomplished than Usher—was the creative genius, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, who was bestowed with the inau-

gural Legacy Award, as well as inducted in the Apollo Walk Of Fame the previous day. While giving the trademark stoic, cool persona, Babyface was hard pressed to hold back his emotions. “I’ve received a lot of awards over the years, and this is one of the most important. Yesterday was an amazing day at the Walk of Fame. I think what made me most proud was when two of my sons, Dylan and Brandon, both came up to me and said, ‘Dad I am so proud to be your son.’ To know I did something not just for the world but to make my kids proud, that’s what we’re here for.”

While in life those moments are what you’re here for, at the Apollo THAT night, music was what we were there for, and Adam Blackstone struck up the band and assembled a lineup of vocalists to interpret the songwriting and production prowess of Babyface. The seven song medley consisted of artist on the cusp Gabby Simone, Leon Thomas, Saint Harrison and Avery Wilson who gave splendid renditions of “You Mean the World to Me,” “Change the World," “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” and “Can We Talk” before yielding to the original hitmakers Karyn White for “Superwoman,” Johnny Gill with “My, My, My” and the show-stopping performance of the man himself with his signature song “Whip Appeal.” More magic, more memories!!!! What we doing next year? Can’t tell, but we can tell you that in the coming weeks, OG Smokey Robinson is back on that Apollo Stage. We here for it.

(L-R) Michelle Ebanks, Usher, and Kamilah Forbes (David Goodson photos)

Babyface rubs the Apollo’s Tree of Hope

Charles Phillips, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Michelle Ebanks

Michelle Ebanks

Usher with wife Jennifer Goicoechea

Big Daddy Kane on the Apollo's red carpet

(L-R) Kersten Stevens, Kofi B, and Wé Ani

Johnny Gill

Black stars bring home honors at 68th Drama Desk Awards

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, located at 556 LaGuardia Place, was the place to be June 10 during the 68th Annual Drama Desk Awards. Drama Desk recognizes outstanding productions both on and off-Broadway, and recognizes special people in the industry. This year, press agent extraordinaire for over five decades, Tony-winning producer, and marvelous person, Lady Irene Gandy was honored for her decades of dedication to the theater.

A humble, beautiful Gandy shared, “I’m so excited that I got this special award from the Drama Desk. It’s a great feeling, it’s a nice feeling…My daughter Mira presented me with the award.”

Speaking about her mother, Mira beamed with pride. “She’s been around a long time, she’s done so much and I felt like this is a career achievement, getting this award from the Drama Desk. She’s a trailblazer, but she’s always taking someone along with her. Her accolades—she’s done 100 Broadway shows, 50 years in the business, first Black female, Sardi’s caricature—but I also want people to know that she chose to be a mom with all this extraordinary life. I just thank her for being a mom. Somehow, she never missed anything important in my life. My mom is 80 years old and to me this is a golden memory that we have now in my presenting the award to her.”

Black playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins won for best revival of a play for his production of “Appropriate.” This dramatic work tells the story of a white family whose dark history, and the racist atrocities their patriarch perpetrated, are difficult for them to come to grips with.

Maleah Joi Moon won outstanding lead performance in a musical for “Hell’s Kitchen.” Her performance as Ali is phenomenal. Kecia Lewis won outstanding featured performance in a musical for her role as Miss Liza Jane in “Hell’s Kitchen.” Her performance touches the soul and will make you cry. The role, the archetype of the wise Black woman who connects the generations to the ancestors, lights up the stage. Discussing what she wanted the role to embody, Lewis said, “The primary thing of Miss Liza Jane for me is her desire to pour into young people, her desire to teach, to give them history they are not aware of, or don’t really care [about]. Miss Liza Jane represents that woman who is going to give you that education and you’re going to listen and even if you don’t hear it in the moment, it’s going to stay with you because of the anointing on her life, the presence of God and spirit on her life, causes you to hear it in a different kind of way. I think that is what people are responding to in

guiding her. “The primary way is spiritual, because I’ve been in this business for 40 years, the only way I’m still here and I’m still smiling and not bitter and angry, because it would be easy to be that as a Black woman in this industry, is because of God, is because of spirit. So the primary thing that I mentor her around is her spiritual relationship. She is not the be-all, end-all. She is not the only talented, beautiful young lady out there. But her relationship with God will cause her to stand out. People will see her in a different kind of way and that’s what causing the longevity. Lots of people are talented, but a lot of people don’t have that connection. She already does and it’s growing and I’m grateful to be a part of that growth.” Speaking of the Drama Desk Award, Lewis said, “it’s recognition that what I’m doing is standing out and it’s hitting a lot of people and that’s very special.”

Paul Tazewell won for costume design of a musical for “SUFFS.” “It’s very thrilling to win the award. You think I’m in great company and when they pull you out and you get the award it’s really beautiful.” When asked about his thought process he remarked, “I think it was really important to be as specific as possible, the whole cast is female and a few play male roles, I wanted to make each character as clear as possible. That’s the kind of work that I like to do. I’m blending historic results and the story. I marry that with research whether it’s art or photographs and then I go to my heart and what speaks to me. Usually, I can count on if I relate to something in a certain way, there will be people that relate to it in a similar fashion…I love what I do.”

Nikiya Mathis won the Drama Desk award for outstanding wig and hair for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” A joyous Mathis remarked, “It was amazing to be asked to do it, I was excited and then when I was having to

the show. And it is very close to who I am as a person. I’m thrilled that Maleah just won the Drama Desk and the Theatre World Award. All of us [have] that Miss Liza Jane in our lives.” If you hear Lewis sing you know that she possesses a glorious vocal instrument. She shared, “Singing for me is just an expression of what God has given me in terms of connecting and telling stories to people in a heightened way and allowing God’s spirit to move through me, to sing through me. To meet people wherever they are, to touch them where they need to be touched. I just look at myself as somebody who has to stay open and I just do what God wants me to do and connect with people and I’m grateful for that.” Reflecting on being in the business for over 40 years and Maleah just starting out, Lewis spoke of how she is

Kara Young won outstanding featured actress in a play for “Purlie Victorious.” She played the role of Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, a role originated by her idol, Ruby Dee. An emotional Young shared, “It feels incredibly important to be honored in this moment. Honoring the legacy of both Ruby and Ossie, it’s just like carrying their legacy and keeping it alive and activated. I feel like he wrote a masterpiece that is about bringing people together, about bringing us together and I feel really honored that they honored the play.” Young performed the character with a great deal of humor. She said, “I was honoring the page and looking at the nuance of what is happening in the world today and what happened back then …. This play is relevant because the political environment is trying to rip us apart and we have to stay together.”

it, it was like, ‘Nikiya how are you going to do it when there are actors that don’t leave the stage, but they come in with different looks?’ There was a moment where I didn’t know if I was going to be able to pull it off. But there was one weekend when I brainstormed and I did it. I was stunned at the magic we were able to pull off, but it was a group effort, and it was all Black women, Jocelyn [Bioh], the playwright, Whitney [White] our director and they made space for me to do my work.” Along with winning the Drama Desk that night, Mathis shared that she will be receiving a special Tony Award for her wig and hair design for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” “It is great to be recognized for Black women’s hair, which has been stigmatized for such a long time in Hollywood and on Broadway.”

Paul Tazewell holds his Drama Desk Award for costume design for “SUFFS.”

Kecia Lewis wins for featured performance in a musical for “Hell’s Kitchen.”

Lady Irene Gandy and her daughter Mira after Irene received a special award for her over five decades as a press agent extraordinaire.

Camille A. Brown nominated for outstanding choreography for “Hell’s Kitchen.” (Linda Armstrong photos)

Black excellence shines at 77th Annual Tony Awards

BY LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

The 77th Annual Tony Awards, held on Sunday, June 16, shone a beautiful light on Black excellence on Broadway. Everyone went crazy as Maleah Joi Moon won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a leading role in a musical for “Hell’s Kitchen,” in which she plays Ali, the Alicia Keys role in the Alicia Keys musical. This young lady is having a great season— she has also won the Theatre World Award for her stage performance debut and the Drama Desk Award for her dynamic performance in this role. She was in tears as she thanked God, the American Theatre Wing, her village, the company of “Hell’s Kitchen,” and Keyes. She dedicated her award to her parents: “I hope you just get to celebrate—you sacrificed so much!”

If you have not gone to see “Hell’s Kitchen,” make plans to go. Moon deserved every accolade she has received. Her performance is stupendous.

Her co-star Kecia Lewis walked away with a Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a featured role in a musical for her role as Miss Liza Jane in “Hell’s Kitchen.” Lewis, a 40year veteran of the theater, was emotional as she said, “I thank you, God, my first, my last, my everything… Being in this business 40 years, I wanted to give up many times.”

Lewis thanked the creative team, her manager, her vocal coach, her aunt who believed in her, her parents, and her son. “Being here 40 years means a lot of work, a lot of tears. It was making sure that I did what I had to do to endure.” She recalled how she walked into the Imperial Theater at 18 years old and now, 40 years later, she declared, “This moment is the one I dreamed of for 40 years, so I say to everyone who can hear my voice: Don’t give up!”

It was a wonderful night for Black women, as Kara Young won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch,” in which she played Lutiebelle GussieMae Jenkins, a role that her idol, the great, late Ruby Dee, played on Broadway 62 years ago. Young had been nominated for Tony Awards two previous times, for “Clyde’s” and “Cost Of Living,” but the third time was the charm with “Purlie Victorious.” “This is a historically timeless piece,” she said. “It is important for Ossie and Ruby to be acknowledged and for their names to be known. To keep their legacy alive is incredibly important to me.

For everybody to know this play is incredibly important to me. This play is literally saying we can’t forget our history, we can move forward together. Purlie is fighting for the freedom of all mankind, and for me to be a part of that feels like everything that I’ve ever wished for in storytelling came to fruition.”

Dede Ayite, a marvelous costume designer, won a Tony for Best Costume Design of a Play for “Appropriate,” and “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” Saying that she grew up inspired by people like Paul Tazewell, Ayite added that this award means to “just keep at it…This award is not just about me—it’s about the community that believed in me. We have done it together.”

Referring to her work on “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” Ayite talked about what it meant to create costumes that were authentic to the women represented in the play. “It’s very important to me to just find their heart. People look at those women and think they are caricatures—they are so loud and bold, but they have such depth to them, and so as a costume designer with ‘Jaja’s,’ it was important to me to find their humanity and showcase that—their tenderness and complexity,” Ayite said.

Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins won the Tony for Best Revival of a play for “Appropriate.” The play tells the story of a white family who discover their very racist and dark past when the patriarch dies, and his children and grandchildren return to the family home.

“It’s impossible to ask everyone to walk away with the same thing,” Jacobs-Jenkins said. “I just want people to walk away and want to talk to someone else about this experience. I’ve talked to people who brought their families back to the

show—their kids, their moms— and that’s what really gets me to feel happy. I think theater should be something that helps you grow.”

This year’s Tony Awards presented African Americans with phenomenal honors. George C. Wolfe received a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the theater. Wolfe has been behind numerous productions, including “Topdog/Underdog,” “Bring in DA Noise/Bring in DA Funk,” “Angels in America,” and “The Colored Museum.” Wolfe

is a playwright and director and so much more. He’s been in the business for decades and has an amazing amount of energy. His plays are always powerful and deep.

When Wolfe received the Tony, he spoke about how his parents told him he was special and to always be himself. In terms of how he became the person he is in the business, Wolfe said, “The exhilaration is the hard work, the not knowing, going into a room with a group of people who you are excited by and thrilled by, and they will question you and you will question them. That’s the joy. It’s the journey of the discovery and the people that you meet and the relationships that evolve and the work.”

Cjay Philip won the Excellence in Theatre Education Award. She is the founder and creative director of Dance & Bmore Theatre Programs in Baltimore, Md. She works with young people, helping them understand that theater is made from all different types of access. In her programs, sixth graders are learning about the technical aspects of the business as well as the creative aspect. “You don’t have to be Beyoncé to have a place in the arts,” Philip explained.

Nikiya Mathis won a special Tony Award for Wig and Hair for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” which marked the first time someone in Wig and

Hair has received a special Tony. “This is beyond my wildest dreams, and I’m grateful to God and the Black women of the theater community,” Mathis said. She received this award by working on a show that had a creative team of Black women, giving her encouragement and support. “For Jocelyn to say ‘we see you,’ it really was Black women supporting each other and us listening to each other. When I got the job, I was afraid—it was a lot of trial and error, figuring out how I was going to make those microbraids appear…Now that I got to see people seeing and respecting the work, it means so much to me.”

Billy Porter received the Isabelle Stevenson Award. “It speaks to believing in the work and putting one foot in front of the other and knowing that to be chosen as an artist is to have responsibility greater than ourselves,” he said. “There is LGBTQ+ as well as Black. I’m a Black man first. I’m grateful to be in a place where I can make a difference.”

Colleen Jennings-Roggensack received Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre.

The 77th Annual Tony Awards were hosted by Ariana DeBose and a marvelous opportunity to see the fantastic productions that Broadway has to offer. Go see Broadway productions!

Juneteenth celebrated at Mile High City’s longestrunning street fest

Denver’s Juneteenth Music Festival took place Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16 in the historic Five Points neighborhood, offering parade goers an array of DJs, block parties, food trucks, and live performances, including the main act, Bow Wow. This year marks 71 years of Denver’s longest running street festival, celebrating the day when the last of the nation’s enslaved people learned of their emancipation. —Kelly Torres

1. Billy Porter 2. Kara Young 3. Kecia Lewis 4. Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins (Linda Armstrong photos)

(Kelly Torres photos)

Pork chops with rice and beans: A Latin-Caribbean household favorite AmNews FOOD

By KELLY TORRES

Special

to the AmNews

I’ve been watching all of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade festivities that went on in NYC and Chicago from my side of the screen, so of course I felt left out and decided to celebrate here in Denver by making myself a meal of chuletas fritas con arroz blanco y habichuelas rojas, or fried pork chops with white rice and red kidney beans.

This main dish is as down-home as you can get, and is commonly served in most Latin Caribbean households. It is a finger-licking combination of fried pork chops with fluffy white rice and saucy red kidney beans. The pork chops are usually seasoned with a marinade that contains a variety of spices that differ from home to home. For

this recipe, I strayed away from the common ingredients, like garlic, sazon, and sofrito; instead, I used recaito, adobo, and a little salt and pepper. Recaito is a puree made of aromatics like onion and garlic, but specifically includes an herb known as recao or culantro—not to be confused with cilantro, though you can substitute the two if necessary. If you’re of Puerto Rican, Dominican, or Cuban descent, you might notice the absence of sofrito and sazon in this version of habichuelas rojas. That was intentional. Recaito lends an immense herbal flavor that is so unique to many islands of the Caribbean. Marinating the chops overnight in the wonderful pungency of recaito compliments these saucy beans, so the sofrito and the sazon were kept out this time so as to not compete with the powerful flavors. Even with traditional recipes, one can get creative.

Pork Chops with Rice and Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients for the arroz blanco:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

2 cups of jasmine rice, rinsed and strained

3 ¼ cup water salt to taste

Instructions for the arroz blanco:

On medium-high heat, heat up the olive oil. Add the rice and the butter. Toast the rice for 2-3 minutes. Add the water and the salt to taste. Turn the heat up to high. When the rice and water reach the same level, stir thoroughly and cover. Turn the heat to low. Set your timer for 12 minutes. Let it cook on low for the full 12 minutes without lifting the lid, not even to peek at what’s going on. When the timer goes off, turn the heat off and set your timer for 10 minutes. Let sit with the heat off and without lifting the lid. When the timer goes off, lift the lid, allowing any accumulated steamy water to drip back onto the rice. Fluff the rice with a fork. Your arroz blanco is ready to eat!

Ingredients for the habichuelas rojas:

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ onion, diced small

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced on a bias

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

pinch red chili flakes

2 tbsp store bought recaito

15.5 oz can of red kidney beans, strained

1 ½ cup chicken stock

Instructions for the habichuelas rojas:

On medium heat, heat up the olive oil. Add the onions and the carrots, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and red chili flakes. Saute for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the recaito, stir thoroughly. Add the red kidney beans and mash a few times, leaving a few beans whole. Add the chicken stock and stir thoroughly. When the stock comes to a boil, turn the heat to low. Let cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your habichuelas rojas are ready to eat!

Ingredients for the chuletas fritas:

2 tbsp olive oil

4 thi, bone-in pork chops

Adobo, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pinch of red chili flakes

¼ cup recaito, store-bought

Instructions for the chuletas fritas:

In a large bowl, massage the pork chops with the adobo, salt & pepper, red chili flakes, and recaito. Cover the bowl and let it marinate for 30 minutes on the countertop or overnight in the fridge. If kept overnight, take out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking to cut the chill. In a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil on medium-high heat. Sear the pork chops on both sides until fully cooked and golden brown or until a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest piece of a pork chop reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit, approximately 10-12 minutes. Your chuletas fritas are ready to eat!

Note: Whenever possible, serve sliced avocado with any Caribbean meal!

Chuletas fritas con arroz blanco y habichuelas rojas (Pork Chops with Rice & Beans) (Kelly Torres photo)

‘World According To Micki Grant’ is a must-see from NFT

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

The late Micki Grant was a talented actress, book writer, and music and lyrics creator for decades. She gave us such beloved productions as, “Your Arms Too Short To Box With God,” “Working,” and “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” to name a few. An absolutely gorgeous tribute by Woodie King’s New Federal Theatre in honor of this lady’s great life and contributions to the Broadway and off-Broadway theater community, “The World According to Micki Grant” has a concept, adaptation and direction by Nora Cole, an actress who performed in Grant’s musicals and was a lifelong friend. The production is a love letter to Micki Grant and it is a demonstration of her love for her Black community and her desire for us to get our shot in this industry. The production is created utilizing the writings and music of Grant.

From the time you step into the NFT’s new theater space, located at 2162 Broadway and 76th Street, you hear Grant’s lovely voice singing songs that she composed. Four actors, three women and one man, then take on multiple characters, including Grant herself at three different phases in her career with the names that she used at each point. This very capable ensemble of actors includes Matelyn Alicia, April Armstrong, Patrice Bell, and Brian Davis. They sing and dance their hearts out as they tell Grant’s story of her

childhood, youth, and adulthood. You see the influences in her life through her family members and through what was happening in the world. You hear about her triumphs throughout her career, seeing playbills from both her Broadway successes and her flops.

What this musical is filled with is her love for humanity and her hope that we can change things for the better, if that is indeed what we want. She was someone who boldly sang about the power of Black women and all the pressures put on Black women.

One of the most beautiful aspects to this lovely musical is all the photos of Grant from her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood as a veteran of the theater. This is a lady who created work opportunities for so many Black actors and other creatives when the work wasn’t there.

The production also acknowledges the special roles and relationships Grant had with people like playwright and actress Vinnette Carroll, and how that directly played into her life and success. This musical is a story of the true-life power and beauty of a woman who left an indelible mark on society. She is someone to be treasured always.

Please make it your business to go and see this musical. You will be glad you experienced it. Micki Grant was a pioneer of her time, and she left a legacy that needs to be shared with every generation. For ticket information visit www.NewFederalTheatre.com.

EXPLORE THE LINEUP

A scene from “The World According to Micki Grant” at the WP Theatre (l-r) April Armstrong, Matelyn Alicia, Patrice Bell, and Brian Davis (Gerry Goodstein photo)

Thoughts On Angela Bofill, NAMA, Roz Live, Smoke

Upon hearing of singer/songwriter Angela Bofill’s passing on June 13, I was taken back but, ironically, she never left my side. I was playing one of her albums just the other day. She possessed a magnetic voice that just pulled you into her world of song. She was a storyteller who captured listeners’ every emotion when it came to matters of the heart. The native of Brooklyn didn’t have a sweet angelic voice. No, hers was intoxicating with a cool Brooklyn edge. She oddly was more of a crooner, who could belt out notes that knocked your socks off, and the way she laid out that story of life was mesmerizing. Forget about all her timeless hits for a moment and just consider her lesser tunes like “Tonight I Give In,” “Song for a Rainy Day,” “Something About You,” and the beautiful, insightful and soul-spirited ballad “Children of the World United,” which should be in the same category as Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Help Somebody,” or Marvin Gaye’s “Save the Children,” in-

spirational songs that cause you to stop, listen, and think. That was the power of

Bofill was difficult to categorize; though she was deemed an R&B singer, she was also an adapted sporty jazz singer. Her many hits lit up the airways from jazz stations like WRVR and 101.9 to the R&B stations of KISS-FM and WBLS. I have vivid recollections of her having me completely captivated during her performances at NYC’s Beacon Theater, and then again at Radio City Music Hall. Most memorable was her performance at Leviticus International nightclub (West 33rd Street): Because of her contractual stipulations, the performance could not be advertised and was word of mouth only. On the night of her performance, the club was so packed, you could hear the heartbeat of the person next to you. It was that night at Leviticus where Bofill’s standards like “I’m on Your Side,”

“This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” and “What I Wouldn’t Do (For The Love of You)” emotionally wrapped every audience member into a cradle of love. The combination of Bofill’s riveting voice and that bold tenor saxophone on “I Try” is outrageous. Her voice is like a hot kiss you never forget. She is an “Angel of the Night,” and is already missed.

The historical New Amsterdam Music Association (NAMA) at 107 West 130th

Street, celebrates Black Music Month with an exciting lineup of live music, including Monday Night Jams at 7pm-11pm. The evenings feature rotating bands and the way things swing in Harlem, the music will vary from jazz and R&B to soul and funk.

On Wednesdays, it’s the Masters & Young Lions Jazz Jam with Late Night Jazz, 9pm1am. On June 26, NAMA will celebrate its 102nd anniversary of its Brownstone ownership with a fundraiser. Some of the proceeds will be marked for more community music programs. If you are not able to attend, please visit the website to make donations. Your contributions will play a major part in restoring and renovating this beloved brownstone that has played such a significant role in the development of jazz in Harlem.

With health always being in Harlem’s forefront, NAMA will present free monthly community health events. The theme for June 30 is Men’s Health and Brain Wellness with workshops 2pm-4pm, (with nutritional tips, aeroponic gardening, yoga and TaiChi), awards and vendors 5pm-9pm. Visit www.namaharlem.org for more info. Producer, playwright, and jazz activist Roz Nixon has taken up residency (Roz Live) every Thursday (7pm-11pm) at the newly opened Renaissance Hotel in the Victoria Room (233 West 125th Street), originally the Victoria movie theater, one of Harlem’s most revered movie houses. On June 20, she welcomes drummer Phil Young & The Blues. The drummer over the

years has become a Harlem jazz legend, but let’s not forget his days playing with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and George Benson. He’s not strictly a jazzman and effortlessly throws down on some mean blues and heavy funk.

On June 27, the songstress Lady Cantrese will hit the stage with her enticing voice that has enthralled audiences around the country. A celebrity in the village of Harlem, she has a penchant for bringing out those unfamiliar songs that she colors with her own bluesy take. She counts the soulful song interpreter Irene Reid as one of her main influences. For reservations call 646373-3690.

The legendary drummer Louis Hayes & the Cannonball Legacy Band will appear at Smoke Jazz Club (2751 Broadway) on June 19-23. The band will feature trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, alto saxophone Vincent Herring, pianist Rick Germanson and bassist Kenny Davis.

Hayes and Herring founded the Cannonball Legacy, in tribute to alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. Hayes was a member of his dynamite quintet from 1959 to 1965. The music will swing from straight ahead jazz to the hardbop soul of Cannonball. NEA Jazz Master Hayes has a distinguished history of playing with the stewards of this music, having been mentored by the great Philly Joe Jones and working with Yusef Lateef, Curtis Fuller and the Horace Silver Quintet. For times and reservations visit smokejazz.com. or call 212-864-6662.

Angela Bofill circa 1990. (Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch/IPX photo)

Early Voting

weeks leading up to the primary, with a focus on telling voters about the support his opponent, Latimer, is getting from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and MAGA mega donor money.

“The voices of the people are what decide this election—not the wallets of MAGA Republicans and corporate interest PACs,” said Bowman in a statement. “New Yorkers know that this June, only we the people decide.”

Zinerman and Huntley are due for a forum faceoff hosted by Strategy for Black Lives on June 21, to be held at the Magnolia Tree Center in Brooklyn from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Zinerman is endorsed by Citizens Union, the New York League of Conservation Voters, and the Brooklyn Democratic Party, among others.

In Harlem’s 70th Assembly District race, Harmongoff was endorsed by former assembly candidate Joshua Clennon and District Leader Corey Ortega last week, while Wright scored endorsements from the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), Citizens Union, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and

City Comptroller Brad Lander this past week. Both candidates were seen hitting the early voting poll sites, showing off their digital ads, and taking selfies with voters all weekend.

Early voting started on Saturday, June 15, and runs through Sunday, June 23. Polls will be open for inperson voting next week on Election Day: Tuesday, June 25.

Voters may also cast a vote by absentee ballot, as long as it is postmarked no later than June 25, and also can drop off completed absentee ballots at any early voting or Election Day poll site.

An assigned early voting location is different from a regular Election Day poll site. To find early voting and Election Day polling places, go to findmypollsite.vote.nyc/.

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

Assembly 70 candidate Shana Harmongoff posing with voters during early voting weekend. (Contributed photo from Harmongoff’s campaign) To

Early Voting: June 15 - 23 Election Day: Tuesday, June 25

THE

William H. Ferris, a progenitor of Afrocentric thought

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Last week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the eminent Rev. Herbert Daughtry had a book signing of his latest publication “The Passing of Giants,” and also recalled many legends, including three more notables who joined the ancestors: the Rev. James Lawson, Dr. Nathan Hare, and Dr. Wilson J. Moses. There’s a good chance that all three may be profiled in Rev. Daughtry’s next volume, though Dr. Moses may be missed since to date there has been no widely circulated published obituary. If not for a notice from Dr. Errol Henderson, who for many years taught with Professor Moses at Penn State, we may not have known of his passing. That brings to mind many of the rather obscure personalities Dr. Moses discussed in one of his books, “Afrotopia: the Roots of African American Popular History” (1998). William Henry Ferris is among the numerous social and political activists and leaders Moses gives considerable attention to, with a particular interest on his ideological underpinnings.

Ferris’s political seeds were planted in New Haven, CT, where he was born on July 20, 1874 to David Henry Ferris, who fought for the Union in the Civil War, and Sarah Anne Jefferson Ferris. Upon finishing high school, he attended Yale University and fell under the influence and guidance of Professor William G. Sumner, a social darwinist who extended no good graces to the lower, marginalized members of society.

Ferris graduated in 1895 and began working as a freelance writer before entering the Harvard Divinity School in 1899. A year later, he received a master of arts degree in journalism and began teaching at two Florida schools,Tallahassee State College and Florida Baptist College. From 1903 to 1905, he taught at Henderson Normal School and Kittrell College in North Carolina. While still in North Carolina, he was the pastor of the Congressional Church in Wilmington and by 1910 he was an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. He later began missionary

work in Salem, Massachusetts. Ferris was highly critical of Booker T. Washington’s accommodationist ideas and expressed his opposition in articles published in the Boston Guardian newspaper, under the editorial direction of William Monroe Trotter. Such an outlook aligned

him with W.E.B. Du Bois and the Niagara Movement as well as with the American Negro Academy. As a member of the so-called “Talented Tenth,” helmed by Du Bois, Ferris was not a dyed-in-the wool proponent of such thinking, which often put him at odds with other African

American thinkers and activists, especially Du Bois and Monroe Trotter.

Professor Moses captured some of Ferris’s ambiguity, noting that he was “typical of twentieth century Black nationalists in his commitment to the mythologies of progress and change, and his enthusiasm for confusing the two ideas.” His most acclaimed book “The African Abroad, or His Evolution in Western Civilization” did little to distill or mollify the disturbance among his colleagues. In fact, if anything, it only muddled his standing, particularly with his introduction of the term “Negro Saxon,” as a substitute for Negro. What clearly became unacceptable for the Black intelligentsia around Du Bois was welcomed by the Garveyites, and soon he was a member of the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) and an editor at the Negro World, where his adoration for the great leader bordered on the excessive. In Tony Martin’s book “Literary Garveyism,” Ferris is quoted extensively, most poignantly on Black arts and the middle class. “One of the stumbling blocks in the pathway to Negro progress,” Ferris wrote in the Negro World, “is the Negro’s false conception of art. Art to him, be it music, poetry, drama, sculpture, painting [or] literature... is a thing that appeals exclusively to cultural-minded, the bourgeoisie, to the lords and ladies who try, and fail miserably, to develop a genuine Bohemianism....” He concluded that great art did not have to lose touch with the masses.

Ferris elaborated on these concepts and conclusions in “The African Abroad,” which Moses opined “was a most impressive blending of Afrocentric and cosmopolitan ideas.” Moses also offered an encomium for Ferris, citing that he died on August 23, 1941, penniless and obscure in his room on 10 W. 123rd Street in Harlem. “His obituary in ‘The Journal of Negro History’ described him as ‘a man whose career is difficult to estimate...His body was saved from Potter’s Field through the action of the treasurer of Yale, a member of Ferris’s class of 1895.’” Ferris was a complex man of intriguing thoughts and actions.

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

Dr. Wilson J. Moses offers a lengthy discourse on the life and legacy of Ferris, and his account is dutifully supplemented by Martin’s insights.

DISCUSSION

Of course, we wish there was more information about Ferris’s early years and his relationship with his family.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

During his eventful lifetime, especially the period between the dawn of the 20th century and 1930s, very few incidents of historical importance escaped his attention or participation.

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

June 17, 1871: The renowned author and civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson was born in Jacksonville, Fla. He died in 1938.

June 17, 1980: Tennis great Venus Williams was born in Lynwood, Calif.

June 19, 1948: Actress Phylicia Rashad was born in Houston, Texas.

William Henry Ferris

Elections have consequences.

Well, if Trump is elected, he could appoint up to three new right-wing Supreme Court justices and hundreds of lower court federal judges. Why is that important? Because federal judges have lifetime tenure. Many join the bench when they’re in their 40s or 50s and stay in position for decades until they die or retire.

That means that when the next president comes along in 2028, it will be virtually impossible to implement a progressive agenda. Any policies you support will be struck down by Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justices and federal judges for the next two to three decades.

We’re seeing it already. In just four years in office, Trump appointed one-third of the U.S. Supreme Court and 242 federal judges. That’s why so many of Joe Biden’s policies have been struck down.

Trying to go to college? The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 last year that colleges and universities can no longer use race in admissions to create a more diverse student body. All six justices who killed affirmative action were appointed by Republican presidents. The three Democratic-appointed justices dissented.

Struggling to pay your student loans? The Supreme Court killed student loan debt relief that would have helped 40 mil-

lion Americans. Once again, all six justices were Republican appointees.

Need to have an abortion? The Supreme Court ruled two years ago that women no longer have reproductive rights to control their own bodies. All six justices who overturned Roe v. Wade were Republican appointees.

Did you fall behind on your rent during the pandemic? The Supreme Court ended the nationwide eviction moratorium that protected millions of American renters from being kicked out of their apartments. Once again, a 6-3 Republican decision.

Want to vote for a Black member of Congress? The Supreme Court ruled that Republicans can use a racially gerrymandered voting map that disenfranchised Black voters in South Carolina. But all six Republican-appointed justices allowed the map.

And it’s not just the Supreme Court.

Looking to launch a Black business? A federal judge in Texas ruled that the Minority Business Development Agency, a 55-year-old agency, is now illegal because it discriminates against white people. Once again, the judge was appointed by Donald Trump.

Need startup money for a new firm? A federal appeals court in Georgia ruled that a venture capital fund for Black women called the Fearless Fund can no longer focus on helping Black women. Both judges who voted against Black women in the 2-1

decision were appointed by Donald Trump.

Need help on the farm? A federal judge in Florida stopped President Biden’s debt relief program that helped Black farmers because it was unfair to white farmers. The judge was appointed by Republican President George Bush, exposing the influence of conservative jurists appointed years ago.

Then, just a few days ago, a Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas wouldn’t even allow emergency disaster assistance for Black farmers because it was unfair to white men.

Biden appointed more Black judges than the last four Republican presidents combined

Republican-appointed judges in the state courts are just as dangerous for Black people.

Want to wear your natural hair? A Texas judge ruled that a school district could force high school student Darryl George to cut his locs, despite the state’s CROWN Act that prohibits hairstyle discrimination. The judge ran as a Republican.

Want to protest racism? A Missouri judge just expunged the records of the infamous St. Louis couple who previously pleaded guilty to assaulting Black Lives Matter protesters with guns. The judge was appointed by Missouri’s Republican governor.

Elections have consequences. President Biden appointed the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court and

appointed more Black judges in his first 1,000 days than any president in history. In fact, he appointed more Black judges than the last four Republican presidents combined. Trump, on the other hand, was the first president since Richard Nixon 50 years ago to appoint no Black judges to the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Give him another four years, and it’s all over for us.

While we’re busy scrolling through social media every day, hundreds of decisions are happening in courtrooms all around the country that affect our lives. By not voting, you’re not helping Black people or promoting the progressive cause. You’re consigning your children to live under a legal regime governed by anti-Black Republican judges for years to come.

“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.

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

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. msk.org/RLC

Education

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer

At what age should kids be on social media? Should they be on it at all? If they aren’t, will they be social pariahs? Should parents monitor their conversations? Do parental controls work?

Navigating social media as a parent—not to mention a child—is not easy. Using social media platforms is still the default for most American teenagers, with the Pew Research Center reporting that 58% of teens are daily users of TikTok, including 17% who describe their TikTok use as almost constant. About half of teens use Snapchat and Instagram daily, with near-constant use at 14% and 8% for each, respectively.

The laws currently being proposed include blanket bans for the under-13 set when it comes to social media. The problem? There’s no easy way to verify a person’s age when they sign up for apps and online services—and the apps popular with teens today were created for adults first. Parents—and even some teens themselves— are increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Lawmakers have taken notice and held multiple congressional hearings about child online safety. Even with apparent bipartisan unity, though, making laws and regulating companies takes time. So far, no

regulation has passed. What are parents—and teens—supposed to do in the meantime?

Here are some insights about staying safe, communicating, and setting limits on social media for kids, as well as their parents.

Is 13 the magic age for social media?

There’s already, technically, a rule that prohibits kids under 13 from using platforms that advertise to them without parental consent: the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which went into effect in 2000, before today’s teenagers were even born.

The goal was to protect kids’ online privacy by requiring websites and online services to disclose clear privacy policies and get parents’ consent before gathering personal information about their kids, among other things. To comply, social media companies have generally banned kids under 13 from signing up for their services.

Times have changed by now, and online privacy is no longer the only concern when it comes to kids being online. There’s bullying, harassment, the risk of developing eating disorders or suicidal thoughts, or worse.

For years, parents, educators, and tech experts have pushed to wait to give children phones— and access to social media—until they are older, such as the “Wait Until 8th” pledge that has par-

ents sign a pledge not to give their kids a smartphone until the eighth grade, or about age 13 or 14. Some wait even until later, such as age 16 or 17. However, neither social media companies nor the government have done anything concrete to increase the age limit.

If the law won’t ban kids, should parents?

“There is not necessarily a magical age, [but] 13 is probably not the best age for kids to get on social media,” said Christine Elgersma, a social media expert at the nonprofit Common Sense Media.

Companies have added some safeguards over the years, Elgersma noted, but these are piecemeal changes, not fundamental rethinks of the services.

“Developers need to start building apps with kids in mind,” she said.

Some tech executives, celebrities such as Jennifer Garner, and parents from all walks of life have resorted to banning their kids from social media altogether. While the decision is a personal one that depends on each child and parent, some experts say this could lead to isolating kids—those not using social media could be left out of activities and discussions with friends that take place on social media or chat services.

Another hurdle is that kids who have never been on social media may find themselves ill-equipped to navigate the platforms when they are suddenly allowed free rein the day they turn 18.

Talk, talk, talk

Parents should start talking to their kids about social media early—earlier than they might think. Elgersma suggested that parents go through their own social media feeds with their children before the kids are old enough to be online and have open discussions about what they see. How would your child handle it when a friend of a friend asks them to send a photo? Or if they see an article that makes them so angry they just want to share it right away?

For older kids, Elgersma said to approach them with curiosity and interest, “asking about what their friends are doing or just not asking direct questions like, ‘What are you doing on Instagram?’ but rather, ‘Hey, I heard this influencer is really popular.’ And even if your kid rolled their eyes, it could be a window.”

Don’t say things like “Turn that thing off!” when your kid has been scrolling for a long time, said Jean Rogers, director of the nonprofit Fairplay’s Screen Time Action Network.

“That’s not respectful,” Rogers said. “It doesn’t respect that they have a whole life and a whole world in that device.”

Instead, Rogers suggested asking kids questions about what they do on their phones, and seeing what your child is willing to share.

Kids are also likely to respond to parents and educators “pulling back the curtains” on social media and the sometimes-insidious tools companies use to keep people online and engaged,

Elgersma said. It could help to watch a documentary together, like “The Social Dilemma” that explores algorithms, dark patterns, and dopamine feedback cycles of social media, or reading up with them how Facebook and TikTok make money.

“Kids love to be in the know about these things, and it will give them a sense of power,” she said.

Setting limits

Rogers said most parents have success with taking away their kids’ phones overnight to limit their scrolling. Kids might try to sneak the phone back, but it’s a strategy that tends to work because kids need a break from the screen—and something to tell their friends.

“They need an excuse with their peers to not be on their phone at night,” Rogers said. “They can blame their parents.”

Parents may need their own limits on phone use. Rogers said it’s helpful to explain what you are doing when you do have a phone in hand around your child so they understand you are not aimlessly scrolling through sites like Instagram. Tell your child that you’re checking work email, looking up a recipe for dinner, or paying a bill so they understand you’re not on there just for fun. Then tell them when you plan to put the phone down.

What about parental controls?

Social media platforms that cater to children have added an ever-growing array of parental controls as they face increasing scrutiny over child safety. Meta unveiled parental supervision tools last year that let parents set time limits, see whom their kid follows or is followed by, and track how much time the minor spends on Instagram. It does not let parents see message content. As with similar tools on other platforms such as TikTok, though, the feature is optional, and both kids and parents have to agree to use it. To nudge kids toward agreeing to set up the controls, Instagram sends a notice to teens after they block someone, encouraging them to let their parents “supervise” their account. The idea is to grab kids’ attention when they might be more open to parental guidance.

By making the feature optional, Meta says it is trying to “balance teen safety and autonomy,” as well as prompt conversations between parents and their children.

Such features can be useful for families where parents are already involved in their children’s online life and activities—but experts say that’s not the reality for many people.

U.S. Surgeon General Murthy said last year that it’s unfair to expect parents to manage what their children do with rapidly evolving technology that “fundamentally changes how their kids think about themselves, how they build friendships, how they experience the world—and technology, by the way, that prior generations never had to manage.”

Putting all of that on the shoulders of parents, he said, “is just simply not fair.”

Afro Argentinian

do not know much about her, either, but her blood is present in all of us.

“Of the conquistador grandfather and grandmother, we know too much. And of the immigrant grandmother, even more: her history is the most recent, because we can speak to her at home or at the neighbor’s. (This is in accord with the ideas written about in the 1980s by Argentine anthropologist and sociologist Guillermo Magrassi).

“Throughout the existence of Casa de la Cultura, we have carried out an extensive and intense activity of cultural diffusion and research, and participated in conferences, roundtables, workshops, and book presentations, [and] lectures and debates in primary schools, high schools, and universities. We emphasize that we believe it is important to work and raise awareness among future teachers of history (who are often ignorant about this curricular subject).

“We have organized recitals, festivals, and choreographic and theatrical shows. We presented the play ‘Los Negros de Santa Fe’ with a script by Mario López in several local venues and in other provinces.”

López was in charge of setting up Casa de la Cultura’s library, documentation center, sound library, and photo library (in 2003, it

International

Continued from page 2

Many people think of Nigeria as an oil-rich country, but after years of underinvestment and mismanagement, its state refineries produce hardly any gasoline. Until recently, the government subsidized that petroleum to the tune of billions of dollars a year. Successive presidents pledged to remove the subsidy, which drains a hefty chunk of government revenue—and later backtracked, fearing mass unrest.

Tinubu, to the working people’s dismay, carried out the subsidy removal, calling it a “necessary action for my country not to go bankrupt.”

City Council

Continued from page 3

She added that the bill is not likely to slow down the appointment process since it has guardrails in place to ensure the council takes action within 30 days if there’s a commissioner vacancy.

However, a handful of council members, like Counilmember Kalman Yeger, noted that the speaker’s bill was hastily introduced and passed. He said that the bill is “for show” and can be knocked off the ballot by the mayor’s recently convened charter revision commission.

“This bill—we talk about being a deliberative body—was introduced 15 days ago; 15 days from introduction to passage. It’s not a secret why we’re seeing this now,” Yeger said. “There’s

was destroyed by the flood that devastated a third part of the population of the city of Santa Fe due to the government’s negligence).

In 2009, a project was presented to the Santa Fe City Council to demarcate the place where Africans and their descendants lived during the Jesuit period. The idea was to have the Paseo, in the city’s historic district, which was first named Paseo de la Cultura (in honor of the Europeans), changed and given a plaque naming it Paseo de las Tres Culturas, so it also honored the Indigenous and Afro Argentineans. This was the first national recognition of Argentina’s enslaved Africans. From that moment on, other groups from other Argentinean provinces have formed and joined the Red Federal de Afroargentinos del Tronco Colonial (Federal Network of Afro-Argentines of the Colonial Trunk).

Casa de la Cultura has been putting on the radio program “Indoafroamerica” since 2003 on Radio Nacional Santa Fe and the show “La Tercera Raíz” on FM Popular 98.7 in Barrio Santa Rosa de Lima. From 2014 to today, they have also been doing “Identidad” on FM 107.1.

They have taught Guarani and Portuguese language courses and work with aboriginal communities in the area to conduct workshops on human rights.

Casa de la Cultura works to promote Blacks in Argentina, fight racism, and advocate for a historical review of the position Blacks hold today in a supposedly white Argentinean society.

Now, many Nigerians are going bankrupt— or working multiple jobs to stay afloat.

Life under the previous government was very expensive, Garba said, but nothing like today.

“It’s very, very bad,” Garba said to a reporter.

The International Monetary Fund said last month the state has started subsidizing fuel and electricity again, although the government has not acknowledged this.

Meanwhile, on June 4, “there’s very little clarity—if any—on where the economy is headed, what the priorities are,” said Zainab Usman, a political economist and director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

For now, Nigeria’s resourcefulness is being stretched to the limit.

a lot of talk that it’s not about a personalities conflict between this side of the building and the other, but it clearly is and I think we’ve seen how that plays out in public.”

The mayor’s charter commission has held one sparsely attended public meeting so far. Most critics agree with Yeger that the mayor quickly formed the commission block Speaker Adam’s bill from being on the ballot in November.

The bill isn’t likely to make it to the ballot to be voted on by the general public, said Yeger.

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

How the 50-30-20 Rule Can Help You on Your Journey to Financial Success

Having a plan for your money is crucial to building a solid financial foundation. If you’re just getting started on your financial journey, the 50-30-20 rule can help you spend and save your money wisely.

By distributing your dollars into three main categories or buckets: needs, wants and savings, the idea is to limit fixed expenses (or needs) to 50% of your after-tax income and discretionary expenses (or wants) to 30%, leaving 20% for savings.

The 50-30-20 rule isn’t a requirement but can be a great starting point to help you take control of your finances, plan your spending and progress towards your financial goals.

50: What are your needs?

In this bucket, half of your funds go toward paying expenses you can’t avoid. We all need food, housing and healthcare, and other needs could include transportation, clothing and utilities. Regular debt payments, like monthly credit card minimums and loan payments, would also be considered a need because you have a deadline to pay them each month.

What makes something a “need” versus a “want” depends on your lifestyle. Transportation is typically considered a need, but the type of transportation you select might vary depending on where you live. Having a vehicle may be a legitimate need to get to work and earn money to pay bills, but consider whether you need a luxury car, or if something less expensive would work.

We also need food and clothing, but funds spent on these two categories can flow into the “wants” bucket depending on your choices, such as dining out versus cooking at home or wearing designer gear versus department store basics.

30: What do you want?

Everyone should be able to enjoy life’s simple pleasures, and maybe a few extravagant ones as well. Put aside 30% of your funds for these “wants,” which can include entertainment, cable/ streaming services, dining out, fitness memberships, travel, hobbies, personal care beyond the basics and a cell phone beyond the basic plan.

Overspending can be common in this category since it’s fun to spend money on things we enjoy. Take time to prioritize your most important wants and desires and cut back if you find your spending here going over 30%.

20: Save for the future

This category is all about what you want to do with the money in the future. Do you want to travel the world? Retire early? Help your children pay for college? Once your essential needs and more immediate wants are handled, you can put the rest of your funds — 20% — toward achieving your long-term goals.

If you want to pay off debt more quickly, beyond making your ongoing required payments, you can use money from this bucket to help speed up your plan as well.

Refilling your buckets

Once you’ve given this rule a try for a few months, you might notice your spending and savings habits fall well outside of the 50-30-20 guideline. That’s when it’s time to make some tradeoffs.

Be honest about whether the items you’re putting in the needs category are vital to your life or if you could classify some or all those expenses as a want. It’s OK to spend more on housing if having a more expensive place is important to you; it just means you spend less on a car to balance things out.

If your wants are way beyond 30%, consider scaling back and contributing more to saving for long-term goals. In the same vein, if you don’t have 20% leftover after spending on needs and wants, consider making some adjustments in your other buckets so you have enough for savings.

Tying it all together

The 50-30-20 rule can help you allocate your money to needs, wants and savings and offer insights into where you may need to cut back. Use it to help you on your journey to financial success.

Sponsored content by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., bellwether of nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement

By HERB BOYD

Special to the AmNews

An iconic stalwart and a progenitor of nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement, the Rev. James Lawson, Jr. who inherited a Methodist ministry from his father and grandfather, died on June 9 in Los Angeles, Calif., from cardiac arrest. He was 95.

Lawson’s deep immersion in nonviolence that he learned during his study in India was instrumental in giving Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the ballast he needed during the turbulent 1960s and the struggle for civil rights. His teaching—particularly his brilliance as a tactician—was indispensable for a cadre of activists such as John Lewis, James Bevel, and Diane Nash, to name but a few.

Lawson was born on September 22, 1928 in Uniontown, Penn., to Philane May Cover and James Morris Lawson Sr. He was the sixth of nine children and was raised in Massillon, Ohio. Given his lineage and roots in the Methodist church, a ministry license he acquired in 1947, while still in high school, was inevitable.

At Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, Lawson studied sociology. When he was drafted to serve in the U.S. military, he resisted and was convicted of evasion. He was sentenced to two years in prison, serving 13 months before returning to college to earn his degree. After becoming a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), he joined the CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), all of which prepared him for a missionary trip to India to study the ideas and practice of Mahatma Gandhi.

On his return to the States in 1956, Lawson enrolled in the Oberlin College Graduate School of Theology. It was there that he was formally introduced to King, who a year later urged him to move to the south, convincing him of his uniqueness and how vitally important an asset he would be to the evolving movement.

Lawson heeded the request and moved to Nashville, where he attended Vanderbilt University and began teaching the tactics of nonviolence in part through the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference and an affiliate of the Southern Christian Leadership

Conference (SCLC). Through these entities, he began launching workshops at selected churches in Nashville.

“In 1960, intensive role-playing and discussions among Lawson, John Lewis, C.T. Vivian, Diane Nash, Bernard Lafeyette, and others in the Nashville student movement helped to launch sit-ins at lunch counters, to spark mass marches, and to fill the jails in an attempt to desegregate downtown Nashville,” Michael Honey wrote in the introduction to Lawson’s book, “Revolutionary Nonviolence: Organizing for Freedom” (2022). One of the significant developments of this activism was the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

In February 1960, with sit-ins underway at the Woolworth’s stores in Greensboro, N. C., Lawson and several other activists were arrested, but their action proved pivotal in desegregating several lunch counters. Subsequently, these activities led to his being expelled from Vanderbilt as a result of misleading stories in the Nashville Banner newspaper. This action was supported by

Chancellor Harvie Branscomb, who later regretted that he did not delay the decision until it was reviewed by a committee at least for three months until Lawson’s graduation.

After the initial wave of sit-ins, Lawson strategized with students for a second advance of Freedom Rides from Alabama, in which he joined. When they arrived at the whites-only waiting room, they were arrested. They refused the bail payment offered by the NAACP, choosing to wait for trial. In September 1961, President Kennedy ordered that passengers be allowed to sit anywhere.

A year later, Lawson played a critical role in uniting King and Bevel, who agreed to set aside their differences and work together. One of the consolations was Bevel’s appointment as SCLC’s director of direct action and nonviolent education.

In 1962, Lawson was the pastor at Centenary Methodist Church in Memphis; six years later, when sanitation workers began striking for higher wages and union recognition, Lawson served as chair of the strike committee. It was he who extended the invitation for King to speak in Memphis where he delivered his famous “Mountaintop”” speech and was killed the following day. Lawson became pastor of Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles in 1974 and remained there until his retirement in 1999. Meanwhile, his commitment to civil rights never wavered, with

involvements in the labor movement, civil liberties, and gay and reproductive rights. His activities included radio and television programs that helped promote social and human rights issues.

When Vanderbilt University sponsored a three-day Freedom Ride commemorative program in 2007, Lawson participated. A year before this event, during a graduation ceremony, the university apologized for its treatment of him and he later returned to teach at the college. His papers were donated to Vanderbilt in 2013. For several years, he served as a visiting scholar at California State University Northridge (CSUN), where he taught a semester-long course about nonviolence.

Lawson was part of a team at the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict that conducted an eight-day seminar on civil resistance facilitated by Lawson in 2013 and 2014. One of his courses inspired UCLA students to publish “Nonviolence and Social Movements,” a book that focused on the principles of nonviolence and social change that he taught.

Awards and commendations flowed ceaselessly to Lawson for his tireless advocacy for civil and human rights, and some of this remarkable life was captured in the film “The Butler” and he was the subject of the film “Love and Solidarity: Rev. James Lawson and Nonviolence in the Search for Workers’ Rights,” by Michael Honey.

The Rev. James Lawson, apostle of nonviolent protest who schooled activists to withstand brutal reactions from white authorities as Civil Rights Movement gained traction, has died at age 95 (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Telehealth and the Black community—ensuring equity in remote healthcare access

By LEAH MALLORY

Special to the AmNews

The COVID-19 pandemic, which rocked the planet in unprecedented fashion, accelerated the journey into an increasingly digital age, forcing everyone to embrace new technologies and innovations to ensure safety in a world where face-to-face contact was limited.

Telehealth, already a growing trend, emerged as a solution for providing health care amid mandated isolation policies, offering people efficient and high-quality healthcare services in the safety and comfort of their homes.

Today, telehealth is seen as a solution for patients who no longer have to travel long distances or deal with potential wait times at crowded offices. Despite its promise of improving healthcare access, though, telehealth does come with limitations that can particularly affect the Black community.

“Technology can be a great equalizer, [but] it can also be a great discriminator,” said Dr. Neil Calman, a family physician and CEO of the Institute for Family Health, a health organization that delivers patientcentered primary healthcare to medically underserved communities in New York City. “It’s an equalizer when it gives people

access to things that might have been difficult for us to access before, but it can be a discriminator because not everybody has access to telehealth with that nice video screen and camera, and not everybody knows how to use it.”

With health centers established across the boroughs, homes to historically neglected populations (notably Black, Latinx, and impoverished people), Calman said ensuring adequate remote healthcare

access becomes essential for the survival of these communities.

“Having a cellphone these days is a life and death situation,” he said. “There are things you can’t even access [without one]...Where are you going to go? There are no payphones on the street anymore. If you need to call 911 and you don’t have access to a cellphone, you’re going to experience a different level of problem than somebody who does.”

Several studies support Calman’s obser-

vations, highlighting prevailing disparities in telehealth access.

A study from the JCO Oncology Practice medical journal uncovered racial disparities related to accessing video telehealth services for patients seeking cancer care. Of the nearly 21,000 total patient visits at the East Carolina University Health System, which serves 29 counties in eastern North Carolina, 43% were conducted with Black patients, while 57% were with white patients. While the total number of patients shows smaller racial differences, telehealth visits reveal a significant disparity, with 29% of telehealth visits conducted with Black patients and nearly 71% conducted with white patients out of a total of 3,031 visits. Black patients also were more likely to report inadequate internet access.

A study from the “Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association” examined the characteristics of NYC patients seeking COVID-related care through telehealth, emergency rooms, or office visits at the height of the pandemic and found that 60%of Black patients were more likely to use the emergency room than telehealth compared to nearly 47% of white patients.

Visit www.amsterdamnews.com for the full story.

(ReKlame Health photo)

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LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/24/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/07/24. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, 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. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. 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.

Notice of Formation of NORTHCREST GARDENS HOUSING GP, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/17/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

TOP CHOICE SERVICING, LLC. App. for Auth. filed with the SSNY on 05/14/24. Originally filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on 9/27/2023. 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, 1500 Broadway, 2022, New York, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of NORTHCREST GARDENS HOUSING, L.P. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/21/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2123. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SNF Global LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/23/2022. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 100 W 31 St Apt 20D, NY, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

Compass Rose Publishing LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/27/2024. 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: 7014 13TH AVENUE, SUITE 202, BROOKLYN, NY, 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of FAIRVIEW HOUSING I AND II, L.P. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/21/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2123. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of NORWALK NORTH HOUSING, L.P. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/21/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2123. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

STARLIGHT EVENTS GROUP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/24/2024. 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 210, Bklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of LP PRESERVATION HTC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/23/24. 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 122072543. Purpose: Real estate.

Notice of Formation of 251 WEST 91ST STREET 4A LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/23/24. 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of HAUTE HOME LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/29/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 17 E. 84th St., Apt. 9A, NY, NY 10028. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Sandi Harris Pleeter at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Velvet Riot Creative LLC Auth. filed w/ SSNY 5/20/24. Off. in NY Co. Cert. of Form filed w/ SSDE 4/4/24. Process served to SSNY - desig. as agt. of LLC & mailed to the LLC, 2912 Hostetler St, Raleigh, NC 27609. Add. maint’d. in DE: 3500 S Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901. Name & add. of auth. officer in DE where Cert. of Form filed: SSDE Div. of Corp, 401 Federal St, Ste. 4, DE 19901. Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of AlleyCorp Exavir 2022, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/23/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/07/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 220 5th Ave., 17th Fl., NY, NY 10001. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 2125TH9B LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/01/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 212 Fifth Ave., 9B, NY, NY 10010. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Rental.

GEBAYA LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/04/2024. 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: 420 EAST 111TH STREET, P.O. BOX 689, NEW YORK, NY 10029. Purpose: Any lawful act. Crowned Marketing Solutions LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/6/2024. 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: 88 Greenwich St #809, New York, NY 10006. Purpose: Any lawful act.

100 BARCLAY 16M LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/05/24. 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, 100 Barclay Street, 16M, New York, NY 10007. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Mega Mode LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/19/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 207 W 110th St, Unit 16, New York, NY 10026. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Supplemental Summons And Notice Of Object Of Action Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of New York Action to Foreclosure a Mortgage Index #: 850626/2023 Wilmington Savings Fund Society, Fsb, D/B/A Christiana Trust, Not Individually But As Trustee For Pretium Mortgage Acquisition Trust Plaintiff, Vs Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner Individually And As Heir To The Estate Of Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner, Joshua L Weiner As Heir To The Estate Of Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Alexis M Holton As Heir To The Estate Of Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner, Unknown Heirs Of Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Board Of Managers Of The Pickwick House Condominium, Board Of Managers Of Bethune Street Condo, David F. Eisner, Karen Lehmann Eisner, Theodore Haber, New York City Parking Violations Bureau, United States Of America On Behalf Of The Irs, People Of The State Of New York, New York Supreme Court, Lawyers Fund For Client Protection For The State Of New York, Christopher Aidun John Doe (Those Unknown Tenants, Occupants, Persons Or Corporations Or Their Heirs, Distributees, Executors, Administrators, Trustees, Guardians, Assignees, Creditors Or Successors Claiming An Interest In The Mortgaged Premises.) Defendant(S). Mortgaged Premises: 35 Bethune Street, Apt. 1b New York, Ny 10014 Aka 33/35 Bethune Street, Unit 1b, New York, Ny 10014 To The Above Named Defendant: You Are Hereby Summoned To Answer The Complaint In This Action, And To Serve A Copy Of Your Answer, Or, If The Complaint Is Not Served With This Supplemental Summons, To Serve A Notice Of Appearance, On The Plaintiff(S) Attorney(S) Within Twenty Days After The Service Of This Supplemental Summons, Exclusive Of The Day Of Service (Or Within 30 Days After The Service Is Complete If This Supplemental Summons Is Not Personally Delivered To You Within The State Of New York). In Case Of Your Failure To Appear Or Answer, Judgment Will Be Taken Against You By Default For The Relief Demanded In The Complaint. The Attorney For Plaintiff Has An Office For Business In The County Of Erie. Trial To Be Held In The County Of New York. The Basis Of The Venue Designated Above Is The Location Of The Mortgaged Premises. To Joshua L Weiner As Heir To The Estate Of Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner, Unknown Heirs Of Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner Defendants In This Action. The Foregoing Supplemental Summons Is Served Upon You By Publication, Pursuant To An Order Of Hon. Francis A Kahn Of The Supreme Court Of The State Of New York, Dated The Ninth Day Of May, 2024 And Filed With The Complaint In The Office Of The Clerk Of The County Of New York, In The City Of New York. The Object Of This Action Is To Foreclosure A Mortgage Upon The Premises Described Below, Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner (Who Died On March 20, 2020, A Resident Of The County Of New York, State Of New York) Dated The June 16, 1999, To Secure The Sum Of $551,000.00 And Recorded At Book 2904, Page 672 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County On June 30, 1999. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By An Assignment Executed May 25, 2001 And Recorded On August 31, 2001, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Book 3351, Page 463. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By A Gap Assignment Executed February 26, 2020 And Recorded On May 17, 2021, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2021000180314. Plaintiff Is Also Holder Of A Mortgage Dated June 18, 2001 Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner To Secure The Sum Of $206,760.59 And Recorded At Book 3351, Page 466 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County On August 31, 2001. Said Mortgage Was Consolidated With The Mortgage Referred To At Book 2904, Page 672 By A Consolidation, Extension And Modification Agreement Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner Dated June 18, 2001 And Recorded August 31, 2001 At Book 3351, Page 493 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County To Form A Single Lien In The Amount Of $750,000.00. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By A Gap Assignment Executed August 19, 2020 And Recorded On May 17, 2021, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2021000180315. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By An Assignment Executed July 13, 2003 And Recorded On July 10, 2003, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2003000223378. Plaintiff Is Also Holder Of A Mortgage Dated January 24, 2003 Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner To Secure The Sum Of $209,900.63 And Recorded At Crfn 2003000223379 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County On July 10, 2003. Said Mortgage Was Consolidated With The Mortgage Referred To At Book 3351, Page 493 By A Consolidation, Extension And Modification Agreement Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner Dated January 24, 2003 And Recorded July 10, 2003 At Crfn 2003000223380 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County To Form A Single Lien In The Amount Of $950,000.00. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By An Assignment Executed July 29, 2005 And Recorded On March 10, 2006, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2006000136531. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By A Gap Assignment Executed November 17, 2020 And Recorded On November 30, 2020, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2020000337168. Plaintiff Is Also Holder Of A Mortgage Dated August 4, 2005 Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner To Secure The Sum Of $572,990.62 And Recorded At Crfn 2006000136532 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County On March 10, 2006. Said Mortgage Was Consolidated With The Mortgage Referred To At Crfn: 2003000223380 By A Consolidation, Extension And Modification Agreement Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner Dated August 4, 2005 And Recorded March 10, 2006 At Crfn 2006000136533 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County To Form A Single Lien In The Amount Of $1,500,000.00. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By An Assignment Executed November 29, 2007 And Recorded On November 21, 2007, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2007000581072. Plaintiff Is Also Holder Of A Mortgage Dated September 5, 2007 Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner To Secure The Sum Of $160,834.90 And Recorded At Crfn 2007000575041 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County On November 19, 2007. Said Mortgage Was Consolidated With The Mortgage Referred To At Crfn: 2006000136533 By A Consolidation, Extension And Modification Agreement Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner Dated September 5, 2007 And Recorded November 19, 2007 At Crfn 2007000575042 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County To Form A Single Lien In The Amount Of $1,750,000.00. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By An Assignment Executed July 2, 2015 And Recorded On July 20, 2015, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2015000249598. Said Mortgage Was Subsequently Modified By A Loan Modification Agreement Executed By Peter N. Weiner Aka Peter Weiner And Susan N. Weiner Aka Susan Weiner On June 15, 2017 And Recorded August 17, 2017 In Crfn 2017000308213 In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By An Assignment Executed January 30, 2020 And Recorded On May 17, 2021, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2021000180317. The Consolidated Mortgage Was Subsequently Assigned By An Assignment Executed June 17, 2019 And Recorded On May 17, 2021, In The City Register Of The City Of New York, New York County At Crfn 2021000180318. The property in question is described as follows: 35 Bethune Street, Apt. 1B, New York, NY 10014 AKA 33/35 Bethune Street, Unit 1B, New York, NY 10014 NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this Foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

DATED: May 13, 2024 Gross Polowy LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 The law firm of Gross Polowy LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose. 80873

Notice of Qualification of BST KNOX LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/01/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/22/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., 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.

CORE SETON AVENUE PROPERTIES, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/12/24. 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, 3184 Westchester Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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.

Notice of Qualification of ARTEMIS MANAGEMENT MERGER SUB, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/14/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/07/24. 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, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of ARTEMIS OUTDOOR HOLDINGS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/14/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/07/24. 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, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 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., Dover, DE 19901. 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 ARTEMIS INVESTOR HOLDINGS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/14/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/07/24. 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, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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.

One Golden Eagle LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/23/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: U.S. Corp. Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Ave., Ste. 202, Bklyn, NY, 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Breakfast Bar Books LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/31/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: Cohen Schneider Law, P.C., 275 Madison Ave., Suite 1905, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of BMH Penn, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/16/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Pennsylvania (PA) on 06/21/18. Princ. office of LLC: Three Logan Sq., 1717 Arch Street, Ste. 5100, Philadelphia, PA 19103. 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. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of the Commonwealth of PA, 302 N. Office Bldg., 401 North St., Harrisburg, PA 17120. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of FORTHILL WALKER HOLDER, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/20/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/16/24. 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, 802 N. French St., 10th Fl., Wilmington, DE 19801. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

RIVIERA DEL CORALLO LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/12/24. 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, 1-50 50th Avenue, Apartment 2508, Long Island City, NY 11101. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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.

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.

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 Qualification of 980 MADISON AVENUE HOLDINGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/30/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/14/07. 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 Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial number 1367346, for liquor, wine, and beer has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, wine and beer at retail in a tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 620 E. 6th Street, S-1, New York, NY 10009, for on-premise consumption. Little Fish Reserve LLC d/b/a Rosella Bar Miller

Zyero LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/7/2024. 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: 228 Park Ave S PMB 416142, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Rake Eats

with

LLC Arts. of Org. filed

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.

SUMMONS

SUMMONS IN TAX LIEN FORECLOSURE –SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF NEW YORK– NYCTL 19982 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN FOR THE NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST, Plaintiffs, against Annabelle Baires de Garcia-Rossi as Heir and Distributee of the deceased Ernesto Juan Garcia-Rossi and unknown Heirs and Distributees of the deceased last owners of record Dr. Francis A. Garcia-Rossi, Ana Maria Dina Garcia-Rossi,, if living, et. al., Defendants. Index No. 160295/2022 . To the above-named Defendants –YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action within twenty days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within thirty days after service is completed if the summons is not personally delivered t o you within the State of New York. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. Plaintiffs designate New York County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the county in which the property a lien upon which is being foreclosed is situated. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to the Order of the Hon. Francis A, Kahn III, J.S.C., dated June 12, 2024. The object of this action is to foreclose a New York City Tax Lien covering the premises located at Block 1342 Lot 1013 on the Tax Map of New York County and is also known as 309 East 49th Street, Unit 3C, New York, New York. Dated: June 14, 2024. BRONSTER LLP, Attorney for Plaintiffs, NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN FOR THE NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST, By: Josef F. Abt, Esq., 156 West 56 th Street, Suite 703, New York, NY 10019 (347) 246-4776

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff -against- TREVOR C. MORAN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated April 22, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on July 10, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. The Unit known as Residential Unit No. 10A in the building known as The Heritage at Trump Place, 240 Riverside Boulevard, in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Together with an undivided 0.7911% interest in the common elements. Block: 1171 Tax Lot: 2111. Said premises known as 240 RIVERSIDE BOULEVARD, UNIT 10A, NEW YORK, NY 10069. Approximate amount of lien $5,673,292.89 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney. Index Number 850110/2019.

THOMAS KLEINBERGER, ESQ., Referee, David A. Gallo & Associates LLP, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 47 Hillside Avenue, 2nd Floor, Manhasset, NY 11030. File# 5025.1930

The West Prjct LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/14/2024. Office: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 110 Horatio St #111, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of PRIVACORE CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/02/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/05/24. Princ. office of LLC: 1411 Broadway, 17th Fl., Ste. B, NY, NY 10018. 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 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Investment advisor.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK-COUNTY OF ORANGE-

Index No. EF007582-2023-Date Purchased 11-03-2023-SUMMONS WITH NOTICE- Plaintiff designates Orange County as the place of trial - Basis of venue: Plaintiff's Residence-James Cade, Plaintiff-againstStephanie Mack aka Stephanie Mack-Cade, Defendant-ACTION FOR DIVORCE-To the above named Defendant YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to serve a notice of appearance on the plaintiff's attorney within thirty (30) days after the service of this summons is complete and in case of your failure to appear, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the notice set forth below. Dated: May 30, 2024, Melville, New York, by Roy F. Gerard, Esq., Plaintiff's Attorney, 68 South Service Road, Suite 100, Melville, New York 11747, (800)495-8028, NOTICE: The nature of this action is to dissolve the marriage between the parties on the grounds of cruel and inhuman treatment by the Defendant against the Plaintiff pursuant to DRL Section 170 (1). The relief sought is a judgment of absolute divorce in favor of the plaintiff dissolving the marriage between the parties in this action. NOTICE OF AUTOMATIC ORDERS: Pursuant to domestic relations law section 236 part b, section 2, the parties are bound by certain automatic orders which shall remain in full force and effect during the pendency of the action. NOTICE OF GUIDLELINE MAINTENANCE: Pursuant to Chapter 269, Laws of 2015. NOTICE OF ELECTRONIC FILING: Uniform Rule Section 202.5-b. For further details on any of the preceding you should contact the clerk of court, Supreme Court, 285 Main Street, Orange County Government Center, Goshen, New York 10924, Tel: (845) 4763500.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association, Plaintiff AGAINST Eric Braverman a/k/a Eric R. Braverman; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered February 22, 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 July 17, 2024 at 2:15PM, premises known as 200 Chambers Street Unit 26C, New York, NY 10007. 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 142 Lot 1183. Approximate amount of judgment $4,900,532.49 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850253/2019. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the First Judicial District. Matthew D. Hunter, III, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: February 26, 2024 79829

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 is hereby given that a license for OP 252 Wine, Beer, Cider and Liquor License, has been applied for by Botte Tribeca, LLC dba Botte Tribeca, to sell wine, beer, cider and liquor under the Alcoholic Beverage Control law at the premises located at 6 York Street, New York, New York 10013.

The Missouri Rowe Collective LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/07/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 228 Park Ave S PMB 321009, New York, NY, 100031502. Purpose: Any lawful act.

DRL 255 NOTICE: Please be advised that once a judgment of divorce is signed in this action, both you and your spouse may or may not continue to be eligible for coverage under each other's health insurance plan, depending on the terms of the plan.

Supreme Court-New York County - Hilton Resorts Corp., Pltf. V. JIM YOUNG LIM, if living, and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to Plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs-at-law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to Plaintiff, et al., Deft. - Index # 850560/2023. The foregoing supplemental summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Honorable FRANCIS KAHN, III, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, dated the 9th day of May 2024 and duly entered the 10th day of May 2024 in the office of the Clerk of the County of New York, State of New York. TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS:

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff's attorney, within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State) In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is for the foreclosure of an undivided 0.00493200000 tenant in common interest in 57TH STREET VACTION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street NY, NY. Mortgage bearing the date of November 12, 2021, executed by Jim Young Lim to Hilton Resorts Corporation, a Delaware Corporation, to secure the sum of $23,639.65, and interest and recorded in the Office of the Clerk of New York County on June 2, 2022, in CRFN 2022000221254. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the Mortgaged Premises as described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY-HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MICHAEL G. STRUNK, Deft. - Index # 850616/2023. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated May 10, 2024, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.00986400000% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $42,026.00 plus costs and interest as of December 19, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Sofia Balile, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

Notice of Formation of FIVE IRON GOLF KIRKLAND LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/26/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 883 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, The Board of Managers of the 184 Thompson Condominium, Plaintiff, vs. Tet Thye Chan, Defendant. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on October 5, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on July 24, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 184 Thompson Street, Unit LD, New York, NY 10012. 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 525 and Lot 1731 together with an undivided 0.9553 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $62,853.50 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850156/2022. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Allison Furman, Esq., Referee Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C., Attn: Courtney Lerias, Esq., One Battery Park Plaza, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10004, Tel: 212.825.0365, Attorneys for Plaintiff

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 SALE In pursuance and by virtue of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly granted and entered in an action entitled NYCTL 2021-A Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 2021-A Trust v. South Atlantic Trading Ltd., et al., bearing Index No. 157450/2022 on or about February 29, 2024, by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, I, the Referee, duly appointed in this action for such purpose, will expose for sale and sell at public auction to the highest bidder on July 24, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, Room 130, New York, New York 10007, the liened premises designated as Block 1419, Lot 1740, in the City of New York, County of New York and Borough of Manhattan, State of New York and known as 214/216 East 65 th Street (a/k/a 225/235 East 64 th Street a/k/a 220 East 65 th Street), Unit 18L, New York, New York 10065 , directed in and by said judgment to be sold. The sale will be conducted pursuant to the Court’s Auction Rules and any COVID Restrictions.

The approximate amount of the judgment is $118,585.40 plus interest and other charges, and the property is being sold subject to the terms and conditions stated in the judgment, any prior encumbrances and the terms of sale which shall be available at the time of sale.

Dated: June 20, 2024 New York, New York Matthew D. Hunter III, Esq. Referee 71-01 Austin Street Forest Hills, New York 11375 (718) 309-1660

David P. Stich, Esq. Attorney for Plaintiff 521 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor New York, New York 10175 (646) 554-4421

Notice of Qualification of COMBINED BUILDING SERVICES, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/07/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/24/86. Princ. office of LLC: 150 E. 42nd St., Fl. 7, NY, NY 10017. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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.

Notice of Qualification of Cameron Enterprises A Limited Partnership filed with the NY Secretary of State on January 30, 2024, Office Location New York County. LLC formed in Oklahoma (OK) on 2/18/1986. Secretary of State of New York is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. Secretary of State of New York shall mail process to 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005. Oklahoma address of LLC is 9000 Cameron Parkway, Oklahoma City, OK 73114. Certificate of Formation filed with OK Secretary of State, 421 NW 13th St., Ste 210/220, Oklahoma City, OK 73103, Purpose: any lawful activity.

FEATHERS MANAGEMENT, LLC, filed App. for Auth. with the SSNY on 1/25/2024. Office: New York County. LLC formed in DE on 6/10/2021. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Blair Feldman, 30 W 57th St, NY, NY 10019. Address required to be maintained in DE: 1105 N Market St. Ste 801, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert of Formation filed with DE Sect’y of State, 401 Federal St #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful act.

at the city’s juvenile detention centers, which include Brownsville’s Crossroads Juvenile Center, where both Stewart and Wiggins were held. The alleged abusers were not named in the suit, although their roles were identified—the perpetrator in Stewart’s case was a staff member and in Wiggins’s, a tutor.

Other facilities where sexual abuse against detained minors allegedly occurred include the Spofford and Horizon Juvenile Centers in the Bronx, as well as Rikers Island.

Administration of Children’s Services (ACS), which oversees the facilities now, will review all filed lawsuits and investigate all instances of misconduct, according to an agency spokesperson. Staff members found to engage in sexual abuse face “law enforcement referral, arrest, and prosecution” as well as inhouse displine, including termination.

The NYC Department of Corrections was also named in the suit. The agency relinquished custody over remaining youth detainees to ACS in 2018, when the Raise the Age Law went into effect. Underaged teens held on Rikers back then were moved to Horizon Juvenile Center.

Throughout the announcement, the speakers reiterated that they believed such conditions continue to exist. Block called it “an urgent problem of the present,” with the most recent allegation dated just two years ago.

“I’m glad that I’m actually spreading the word and trying to put an end to all of this,” said Wiggins. “To know that there’s still kids in there and there’s still staff around [who haven’t been held] accountable is crazy.”

Then there’s the matter of detaining minors. At the presser, Block said most clients were arrested and held on low-level charges, which led directly to their alleged abuse. Others, like Stewart, were never convicted of the crime they were held for.

Reynoso told the Amsterdam News that he believes the city has to move away from incarcerating young people

and instead “over-resource” them with programs and services, but he said such initiatives get cut first in the budget while police and jails maintain funding.

“The problem we have is that the city has moved to incarceration, policing, and enforcement to solve our problems,” said Reynoso. “The way we believe problems should be solved here in Borough Hall is by opportunities: opening up opportunities for young people, through education, through jobs, through extracurricular activities. This young man [Nijere Stewart] was a stilt-walker here in Central Brooklyn—we want to encourage that…we’re hoping that these stories can help us lead to more reforms and move us away from thinking that we need to jail any 13- or 14-year-old here in the City of New York.”

Wiggins says the only resources available to him in Brownsville after incarceration were “older people in the ’hood” who serve as makedo therapists. Yet Crossroads, the same facility that allegedly subjected him to sexual abuse, is just a few blocks away.

“They definitely stripped me of my childhood,” said Wiggins. “Coming home [at] 18 years old and then you’ve already been incarcerated, so I’m already three years behind [on] what’s going on…[then] having to walk past that building—it hurts and brings back trauma every time I pass it.”

The lawsuits are possible through a local law extending the statute of limitations to pursue civil action for gender-motivated violence from seven to nine years from when the act transpired. For incidents beyond that span, a

two-year “look back” window opened in 2023 and will close on March 1, 2025, for any sexual assault survivor to seek relief.

The legislation’s author, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, told the Amsterdam News over the phone that the local law stems from fallout of the sweeping sexual abuse charges against former Columbia University gynecologist Robert Hadden. By last October, more than 300 people filed lawsuits against the disgraced doctor.

“This law is important be-

cause we have to consider the deeply complex process of processing gender-motivated and sexual assault trauma,” said Rivera. “There is no timeline on processing trauma, so we want to ensure that any survivor who feels that they need more time [to] process their trauma and push through civil action [has that time]—if they choose, they deserve a fair pathway to justice.”

Today, both Wiggins and Stewart are fathers, and they’re balancing parenthood with reclaiming their own

childhoods. Wiggins said his son has inherited his musical passion, which has rekindled his own artistic ambitions. He currently performs under the name Canary Daboss. For Stewart, ushering in the next generation of Mocko Jumbies in his native Crown Heights not only serves as cultural preservation, but is a diversion from the same institutions that he hopes the lawsuit brings accountability to.

“I teach kids how to walk stilts in my community, try to lead them straight so they don’t fall victim to what I was in,” said Stewart. “They won’t be on the street, so police won’t pick them up for no reason. I just want to get more programs so I can get kids to walk on stilts.”

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 impact of mentorship celebrated at the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation gala

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Last week, the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation (WHGF) marked another successful year at its annual gala. Supporters, Olympians, and young gymnasts gathered at the New York Athletic Club, where they were treated to a performance by some of the WHGF athletes.

“What Wendy Hilliard has done for the young people of this community is incredible,” said Curtis L. Archer, president of the Harlem Community Development Corporation. “This program brings creativity and also confidence, and it’s so very important in a community like Harlem. For young Black and Brown people, it is paramount that they can go out into the world and compete.”

Eneida Rodriguez Watkins, whose daughter was one of the performers, noted that the event has provided a burst of enthusiasm.

“She loves the gymnastics and this actually brought a group of people she can be and associate with,” said Rodriguez Watkins. Somer Alston, manager of the gymnastics program at the Harlem Armory, enjoyed meeting sponsors and donors and speaking about the programming, which serves urban youth ages 3–17. In addition

to gymnastics, they learn about time management, responsibility, teamwork, leadership, and sustainable health habits. “I’m from Harlem, born and raised, so I love the fact that we give kids from Harlem an opportunity to expand their minds and learn something different,” Alston said.

Shatima Radcliff, the mother of a gymnast who has taken part in WHGF for four years, said, “I love to see new things that she learns and I love to see her face when

she learns it. She’s very dedicated to it. I love to see the hard work she puts into it, and she enjoys it.”

“I love sharing the love and joy for gymnastics—trying to fuel the new generation to go after their dreams,” said Nicholas Brown, head coach for artistic gymnastics and a former elite gymnast who moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. After meeting Hilliard, he returned to his roots.

The evening’s host, Al Roker, spoke about the positive impact of the organization and the valuable contributions of the evening’s honorees: Dimitrius Hutcherson, president of First Independent Bank; NBC Sports reporter Andrea Joyce; NBC News correspondent Harry Smith; and Reggie Van Lee, executive partner and managing director of AlixPartners, and senior advisor, Carlyle Group, who received the WHGF Champion Award.

Gervonta Davis notches spectacular knockout of Frank Martin

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

Boxing fans wondered if Gervonta Davis, who had been out of the ring for 14 months, for reasons including spending 44 days in jail stemming from a 2020 hit-and-run accident in which he was driving a vehicle with a revoked license, would have ring rust when he took on opponent Frank Martin on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in a lightweight matchup.

Davis, typically a slow starter, found himself down three rounds to none in the beginning of the fight against Martin. Then, the Baltimore native, who handed Ryan Garcia his first defeat in April 2023, heated up. The 29-yearold Davis (30-0, 28 KOs), commonly known as Tank, won rounds four through seven on all three scorecards and then finished Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) in the eighth round with a left uppercut followed by a left cross to defend his WBA lightweight world championship in front of 13,249 at the 100th championship fight at held at the MGM Grand.

“Yeah, there’s a little rust, but it’s OK. I’m back,” Davis said. “A couple rounds, I feel as though I ain’t warm up completely how I wanted to. I did warm up, but I got cold as the fights (were) going on before me. But it’s OK. No excuses.”

The win kept Davis in the discussion for the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

“Frank Martin was a great fighter. He put up a good four to five rounds,” said Davis. “I was finding my range. (Martin) had a decent jab and was moving a lot and I just had to break him down as the fight went on.”

The knockout happened halfway through

the eighth round.

“He came in and landed a big shot, and it was a shot I didn’t see,” Martin said. “Really, I just didn’t see the shot.”

Davis ran to his corner and began celebrating before the referee finished counting to 10.

“I knew he wasn’t getting back up because of the way he fell, and I knew he was

going to tire himself out, that was the whole gameplan,” Davis said.

“I felt like in the beginning I was in control, then I got a little too comfortable,” Martin said. “I got comfortable chilling on the ropes, trying to find that bigger shot. It wasn’t presenting itself. I stopped doing my movements.”

In the co-main event, David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) won the interim WBC light heavyweight championship with a 119-109, 117-111, 116-112 unanimous victory over former world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

On June 29, Brooklyn’s Teofimo Lopez (20-1, 13 KOs) will defend his WBO junior lightweight championship against Steve Claggett (38-7-2, 26 KOs) in Miami.

“I have always wanted to fight in South Florida, where I grew up and developed as a fighter,” Lopez said. “I never thought it would happen, but now, on June 29, I get the opportunity to do so not just as a world champion but as the lineal world champion of my division. This has been one of my goals since turning pro, and I’m motivated to showcase my talent there in front of my Honduran fans and the entire Latino community.”

On July 6 at the Prudential Center, Newark native and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) will face German Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) in a 12-round clash.

WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis (right) and challenger Frank Martin exchange blows in their title fight Saturday night in Las Vegas. (Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions photo)

Wendy Hillliard, founder of the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation, with  honoree Reggie Van Lee, executive partner and managing director of AlixPartners. (Lois Elfman photos)

Gymnasts of the Wendy Hilliard Foundation performed for the gala’s attendees.

The incomparable Willie Mays passes away at 93

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sport Editor

The venerated Willie Mays, iconically nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid,” widely viewed as the best baseball player in the long and storied history of the sport, has transitioned to rest in power with the ancestors.

Mays passed away at the age of 93 on Tuesday “peacefully and among loved ones,” as shared by his son Michael Mays through the San Francisco Giants, for which the elder Mays played most of his career.

Last week, in a press release by the Giants, Mays, who was born on May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Alabama, said he would not attend tonight’s Major League Baseball game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, just a 15 minute drive from Westfield.

Rickwood Field is the oldest ballpark in the country. It was built in 1910 and was the home to the Negro Leagues Black Barons, a team for which Mays manned the outfield as a high school teenager for 13 games in the 1948 season. Tonight’s game at Rickwood is a tribute to the Negro Leagues in observance of Juneteenth.

“Rickwood Field? I knew about it as a kid,” said Mays. ”It was always there. As common as a church or a school or a movie theater. I grew up with Rickwood around the corner… The majors? I didn’t dream about the impossible. I was taught to see your goal in your

mind and work toward it. I could work toward getting to Rickwood Field and the Birmingham Black Barons. I didn’t need to dream for that. For that, I needed to work hard. So, I did. Rickwood became my training ground. My start. My first job. When things changed in ‘47 with Jackie (Robinson) coming in? Well, then I started to dream big. You never forget your firsts. Rickwood Field is where I played my first home game. Rickwood Field is still here. So am I. How about that?”

The most apt word to characterize Mays as a player is breathtaking. At 5’10,” his combination of speed, power, skills, innate sense of angles, distance and trajectory of the ball, and flair for the dramatic were unparalleled. His statistics are mesmerizing: A 24-time All-Star. Two-time NL MVP. Twelve Gold Gloves. Four-time NL home run leader. Four-time NL stolen base king. The 1954 NL batting champion, the same season he won his only World Series.

Playing for the New York Giants in the Polo Grounds in Harlem prior to the franchise moving to Seals Stadium in San Francisco in 1958 before settling into windy and cavernous Candlestick Park in San Francisco beginning in the 1960 season, Mays, along with the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle and the then Brooklyn Dodgers’ Duke Snyder, formed the most famous trio of center fielders to compete in the same city, in the same era, in the annals of baseball.

Many Harlemites growing up and living in

America’s most prominent Black community in the 1960s recall seeing Mays playing stickball with youth or frequenting local establishments, as humble and unassuming as one of the nation’s most recognizable people could be.

If Sirius is the brightest star in the Earth’s night sky, Willie Mays is its human equivalent.

He was a central figure in defining the Black experience of overcoming the oppressive demonization of African descendants in the Jim Crow South and the rejection of systemic racism by embodying and reflecting Black excellence as he grew into manhood.

Major League Baseball pennant races are nearly non-existent

By RUDY ROBINSON

Special to the AmNews

Major League Baseball pennant races, with teams jockeying for first place and a spot in the postseason, are part of the excitement of baseball season after season. The daily changes of teams at the top of the standings keep fans interested in closely following the sport.

However, heading into yesterday’s (Wednesday) MLB schedule of games, three of the six division leaders were in front by at least eight games. The Yankees (50-24) held the smallest lead at 2.5 games over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. Half of the teams were more than nine games out of first place. Most have very little chance to win their respective divisions.

The wild card provides an opportunity for some of those teams to reach the postseason. The Mets, which had won eight of their previous nine games before facing the Texas Rangers on the road last night, were still two games below .500 at 35-37 and 13.5 games behind the first place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. But they were just one-half game out of a wild card spot.

One of the key decisions for the Mets owner Steve Cohen and general manager David

Stearns, as well as the leaders of other teams, is whether they will obtain players to make a run for the wild card or trade assets such as Mets All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso, who will be free-agent after the season ends, to build for future seasons mitigate potential free agent losses. The pressure is on the Mets

to get value for Alonso if he won’t re-sign with them. With influential agent Scott Boras representing the star, it’s expected he’ll be seeking the most money for his client, setting a number the Mets may be unwilling to meet.

Injuries always play a part in division races. The Phillies lost catcher J.T. Real-

muto to knee surgery on June 1. He’ll be out for a month. On Father’s Day Sunday, Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts, one of the NL’s top MVP candidates, suffered a broken hand after being hit by a pitch. His loss could impact the Dodgers (46-29) maintaining what was a comfortable nine game midweek advantage over the second place Arizona Diamondbacks (36-37) in the NL West.

The Yankees also lost first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Sunday. A broken arm will sideline him for four to six weeks. On the plus side, the Yankees were scheduled to have ace Gerrit Cole make his season debut last night after recovering from forearm inflammation. While pitching hasn’t been a problem for the team as they led MLB in ERA at 3.02 when they went up against the Orioles last night, getting the reigning Cy Young award winner back should make them even better.

Not having close division races across the league could cause fans to focus on other summer activities instead of spending time at stadiums watching games live, on TV or through streaming apps. Unless there are drastic changes, there will be few close races in September in the final weeks of the regular season to keep fans of many teams engaged.

Los Angeles Dodgers star infielder Mookie Betts suffered a broken hand on Sunday facing the Kansas City Royals after being hit by a pitch as manager Dave Roberts looks on.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Willie Mays, arguably the greatest baseball player of all-time, in an August 1966 photo with fellow Hall of Famer, San Francisco Giants teammate Juan Marichal. (AP photo)

High school seniors seek pathways to college through basketball

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

This past weekend, the National Association of Each One Teach One Inc, and its partners, Rucker Pro Legends Inc, You-B-U Internet Radio and the Urban Assembly Basketball League, held their 13th Annual Unsigned HS Senior Basketball Showcase at Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce (UASGC) in Harlem in front of coaches from several institutions of higher learning including Ulster County Community College, Hostos Community College, Lackawanna College and Lehman College.

The event was not only an opportunity for the high school seniors to continue their hoop dreams at the next level, but also a vehicle for them to achieve their academic goals and forge career pathways.

“It gives players an opportunity not only after PSL (post secondary learning) and before PSL, [but also] it gives our players an opportunity to be seen as well. We do this all here with limited funds, and limited exposure,” said Roony Vizcaino, principal of UASGC, who added that the showcase is presented with leadership and

community in mind.

“I’m not getting paid for it,” he said. “A lot of the referees here are volunteering their time, there’s cameramen volunteering their time. If I had to pay every single person, I couldn’t do it. So they’re seeing us be leaders, us as Black and Brown men being leaders, first and foremost.

“The second piece,” Vizcaino continued, “is it gives them a safe space to play, to have fun, to build camaraderie, and then definitely the third piece is post-secondary. It gives them the opportunity to either go to college, be seen by somebody and play sports.”

Harlem native and Lackawanna assistant coach Derrick Haynes also weighed in on the importance of the showcase.

“There are a lot of high school players that are overlooked or because of various reasons aren’t being recruited by many schools,” Haynes said. “There’s always diamonds in the rough.

“Once you watch them play and speak with them, learn about their athletic and academic aspirations, you may find they are a perfect fit for your basketball program and school.”

For Chelsea Hammond Ross, receiving Olympic medal is bittersweet

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Born and raised in New York in a Jamaican family, Chelsea Hammond Ross was surrounded by the history and culture of her roots and assumed she would represent Jamaica in competition. It wasn’t until she got to the University of South Carolina that she realized anything else was possible.

Hammond Ross built two families in track and field: her Jamaican teammates and her fellow Gamecocks. Now officially the bronze medalist in the 2008 Olympic women’s long jump, she will be surrounded by both when she is one of 10 athletes receiving reallocated Olympic medals at the 2024 Games in Paris.

“It’s the backstory that makes the 2008 Olympics so extremely special, hurtful, and a lot of other feelings mixed in,” said Hammond Ross. “I changed coaches,

I moved to Atlanta to train with Dwight Phillips. We then ended up going to Texas together to train with Tom Tellez.”

People were telling Hammond Ross to give up competitive athletics and move on, but she was determined to prove everybody wrong. “I knew deep down inside that I was capable of great things although no one else saw it,” she said. “Dwight saw it. Tom Tellez saw it.”

After some outstanding results in 2007, a hyperextended knee injury took her out of action. Hammond had only been training on the track for six months prior to the Olympics. In the qualifying round, she placed 12th, advancing “by the skin of my teeth,” she recalled. Prior to the medal round, an athlete was disqualified for doping, thus bumping up the athlete who was in 13th place.

“The person who wasn’t supposed to be there, knocked me out

of a bronze medal,” she said. What makes it most frustrating is that every long jumper who placed ahead of Hammond Ross has had a doping infraction before or after those Olympics.

“To me, no one clean beat me that day,” she said. “It’s a moment in time that was stolen that I can never get back…but I’m able to share this moment with my husband and my children. My kids are going to get to experience Mommy getting acknowledged for something I worked so hard for.”

Hammond Ross’ husband, Sanchez Ross, a former track athlete from Trinidad, and their two children will accompany her to Paris. The family lives in Atlanta and runs an event planning business.

“I’m very appreciative of the IOC allowing us to get our medals at the Olympics,” she said. “We’ll be in the same city as all the great athletes competing and following their dreams.”

Chelsea Hammond Ross will bring her family with her to Paris this summer to receive reallocated Olympic medal. (Photo courtesy of Chelsea Hammond Ross)

High school student athletes seeking an opportunity to play college basketball took part in the 13th Annual Unsigned HS Senior Basketball Showcase at Urban Assembly School for Global Commerce (UASGC) in Harlem this past weekend. (Bill Moore photo)

Sports

Invincible Boston Celtics dominate the NBA postseason

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Boston Celtics began the 2024 NBA season as the favorites to win the title. They resoundingly fulfilled expectations by engineering one of the most commanding postseason showings in the history of the league.

They will not be viewed in the same vein as some of the sport’s most imposing teams dating back to the Celtics squads of the 1960s. However, measured against their contemporaries and this season’s peers, the current iteration of the Celtics is damn good.

They ended the regular season 64-18, seven games better than the 57-25 Oklahoma City Thunder, which had the second best mark. In four playoff series, the Celtics were 16-3 and didn’t lose more than one game in each. They outplayed their opponents the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks in succession in virtually every facet of basketball, a veritable declaration of “anything you can do, we can do better!”

The Eastern Conference champions, in vanquishing the Western Conference’s Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the finals, finishing them off

on Monday night by 106-88 in an absolute statement of superiority, captured the franchise’s 18th title in a decisive performance, placing them one championship ahead of the Lakers 17 for the most since the NBA’s inaugural 1946-47 season.

“It was a full team effort,” said Celtics guard-forward Jaylen Brown, after being awarded the Bill Russell Finals MVP, named after the late, great center, who won 11 titles as the anchor of the Celtics.

“I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum—he was with me the whole way so we share this together.”

The 6-6 Brown is the heart of the current Celtics unit. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5 assists versus the Mavericks.

Yet, it is his internal fortitude, will, relentless intensity, dogged defense, and physicality that frame who he is more than numbers.

Tatum, a three-time All-NBA First Team selection was the best player on the court in the close out game, posting a stat line of 31 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. Jrue Holiday, a 2021 champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, playing in his first season with Boston, proved to be the coalescing component to a team that lost in the finals to the Golden State

Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, celebrates winning the championship with his Boston Celtics teammates. (AP Photo/ Charles Krupa)

Warriors in 2022 and made it to the East finals four of the past five campaigns, at last breaking through on Monday under 35-year-old, second year head coach Joe Mazzulla, the youngest head coach to win a title since Russell did it in 1969 at 34 as a player-coach.

“You get very few chances in life to be great,” Mazzulla said. “When you have few chances in life, you just got to take the bull by the horns and you got to just own it.”

Dallas’ offensively dynamic backcourt tandem of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving weren’t able to solve Boston’s swarming defense, which constantly bodied them, contested perimeter shots, challenged attempts at the rim, and ultimately wore them down. Without much scoring help from their teammates, Doncic and Irving were essentially neutralized. The Game 5 defeat was Irving’s 13 in 14 meetings against his former team since departing in free-agency in July 2019.

“We finally ran into a team where they beat us fair and square,” he said afterwards. “And we weren’t able to respond to a lot of their runs and we weren’t able to execute at a high level.”

It was an experience the entire NBA succumbed to facing the Celtics.

The Liberty’s hot stretch puts them near the top of the WNBA standings

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

The Connecticut Sun and the New York Liberty remain atop the WNBA standings. The Sun were a league best 12-1 before hosting the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday while the Liberty were 12-2 heading into Tuesday’s match up with the Phoenix Mercury on the road. The Minnesota Lynx (11-3) and Seattle Storm (9-5), who have each won four WNBA championships in franchise history, were in third and fourth place respectively.

The Las Vegas Aces, the two-time defending league champions, are off to a rough start. They were tied with the Atlanta Dream, both 6-6, when Tuesday’s slate of games tipped off. The Mercury, 7-7, held the fifth spot in the 12-team WNBA standings. In the first meeting this season between the 2023 finalists, the Liberty prevailed over the Aces 90–82 on Saturday in Las Vegas with LeBron James among the NBA superstars sitting courtside for the nationally televised marquee matchup.

The Liberty were led by veteran Jonquel Jones, who is in her second season with New York after playing six seasons for the

Sun, the team that drafted her with the sixth overall pick in 2016 out of George Washington University. The 2021 league MVP posted a career high 34 points versus the Aces. Point guard Sabrina Ionescu registered 15 points and 12 assists, reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton contributed 12 points and seven rebounds.

“We allowed our guards to kind of do their thing and we were ready to space and ready to shoot when the ball came to us,” said Jones. “I understand there are different levels I can attack the game from (Jones scored four 3-pointers) and approach the game from, so that was on my mind, not overthinking, just going out and having fun.”

The win extended the Liberty’s winning streak to eight games. “Having a more experienced group now in this second year, we weren’t frantic when [the Aces] went on their run,” said Ionescu. “Winning three out of four quarters is huge. No matter what run they go on, we continue to stay locked in.”

The Liberty are back at Barclays Center tonight and Saturday with two games

against the Los Angeles Sparks. Saturday will be the Liberty’s annual Pride game. New York will take center stage next Tuesday when the UBS Arena on Long Island hosts the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup Championship as the defending champion Liberty take on the Minnesota Lynx.

USA Basketball officially announced the Olympic team last week. They will be guided by the Lynx head coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve. The Liberty will have two players on the squad in Stewart and Ionescu, making her Olympics debut. Joining them are returning Olympians Diana Taurasi (going for a historic sixth gold medal), Brittney Griner, Napheesa Collier, A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd, as well as first timers Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas, in addition to the gold medalists in 3x3, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. Gray remains a question mark as she has not yet played this due to injury.

That leads to the inevitable speculation of who will take the 12th spot if Gray withdraws. The logical choice based on merit is Arike Ogunbowale, but she removed herself from the pool, so Caitlin Clark fans may see their favorite player in Paris.

Forward Jonquel Jones continues to have a strong season for the New York Liberty, scoring a career high 34 points in a 90-82 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday (Brandon Todd/New York Liberty photo)