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Uncertainty plaguing life in crisis-ridden Venezuela also wreaking havoc on relationships
By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela—Victoria Estevez finally met someone who saw past her shyness. They spent two months learning about each other’s likes and dislikes, texting about their families and friends, and walking around their hometowns on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast. On a trip to the capital in December, they held each other for the first time.
“I-like-you”s followed, and by February, they were calling it a relationship.
And then came heartbreak.
“Remember I had told you that I have a brother in the Dominican Republic? Well, I am going to leave the country, too,” Estevez, 20, recalled reading in an early March WhatsApp message from her new boyfriend.
He was the second guy in a row to blindside her with imminent plans to emigrate.
Nothing, not even love, has been spared the uncertainty that plagues everyday life in crisis-ridden Venezuela, which has seen several million people leave in the last decade or so.
As a presidential election looms this month, along with questions about Venezuela’s future, many more are considering emigrating, wreaking havoc on the country’s economy, its politics, and its dating scene.
Young people are debating online and among themselves whether it’s worth it to start a relationship—or to end one. Others are wondering when it is too soon or too late to ask the crucial question: Will you leave the country?
In a country rife with instability, dating is not spared. The last 11 years under President Nicolás Maduro have transformed Venezuela and Venezuelans.
In the 2000s, a windfall of hundreds of billions of oil dollars allowed then-President Hugo Chávez’s government to launch numerous initiatives, including providing ample public housing, free health clinics,
and education programs.
But a global drop in oil prices, government mismanagement, and widespread corruption pushed the country into the political, social, and economic crisis that has marked the entirety of his successor’s presidency: Decent paying jobs are rare. Water, electricity, and other public services are unreliable. Food prices have skyrocketed.
The country that once welcomed Europeans fleeing war and Colombians escaping a bloody internal conflict has now seen more than 7.7 million people flee its shores. The government now faces its toughest test in decades in a July 28 election.
Accountant Pedro Requena has seen many a friend leave, but the news hit differently when the woman he had spent three “incredible” months dating in 2021 told him she was moving to Turkey with her mom. Requena, 26, was swooning over her, but he was committed to finishing his university degree and did not consider migrating.
With no guarantee of when they could visit each other, they still decided to give longdistance a try. They woke up early or went to bed late so they could have video calls despite their seven-hour time difference. They watched movies and TV shows simultaneously. They texted and texted and texted.
“Venezuelans adapt to anything,” he said. “The crisis changes you.”
Indeed, Venezuelans adapted their diets when food shortages were widespread and again when groceries became available but unaffordable. They sold cars and switched to motorcycles or stopped driving when lines at gas stations stretched for kilometers (miles). They stocked up on candles when power outages became the norm. They used the U.S. dollar when the Venezuelan bolivar became worthless.
But that unpredictability is disastrous for forming lasting bonds.
“The political instability actually introduces the instability into the relationship or into dating in general,” said Dr. Amir Levine, a psychiatrist and research professor at Columbia University.
A disillusioned generation
For many of the young people fleeing Venezuela now, migration was not their first choice. First, they protested, standing on the front lines of massive anti-government demonstrations in 2017, when they were students.
The movement was met with repression and sometimes deadly force—and nothing changed: Maduro is still president; well-paying jobs are nonexistent; and a car, a house, and other symbols of adulthood did not materialize for this generation. Now, instead of planning demonstrations, they plan one-way trips abroad.
Half of Kelybel Sivira’s law school graduating class—including people involved in the protests—have left the country.
The 29-year-old commercial lawyer reconnected online with a former classmate in May 2021, after he had already emigrated to the U.S. with his family. Their friendly conversations turned romantic, and they began to consider a relationship toward the end of 2022. They have not seen each other in person for years. He is seriously considering returning to Venezuela in August regardless of the election outcome. She does not want that.
“I’m afraid that he will return to the country and say, ‘Venezuela, I still hate you. This is not what I want,’” Sivira said. “I don’t want to feel guilty.”
Requena is also in a kind of limbo. Although he and his long-distance girlfriend decided to see other people, he still longs for the person he said was his perfect match.
“We keep in touch. The affection is always present,” he said. “It ended, but the future is uncertain, and even more so with this country.”
A couple sit on a park bench in Caracas, Venezuela. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Viral sensation Afrika Owes visits Rikers jail where she
was held as teen
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
Afrika Owes vowed never to return to Rikers Island as a detainee, even confidently wagering against her rearrest with a skeptical corrections officer while held as a teen in 2011. More than a decade later, the Harlemite remains good on her promise. She visited the jail complex last Friday, July 26, not to collect her winnings but to share her experiences to those at the Rose M. Singer Center (Rosie’s), the women’s facility on Rikers.
Owes went viral on TikTok this
past April after she posted her reaction to passing the bar exam on her first try as a “formerly incarcerated single mom.” The clip currently sits at more than 800,000 likes and 3.4 million views, and even earned a congrats from Google’s social media account.
“I’m not happy to be here, but I’m happy to be able to share my stories [and] to come back in this capacity,” Owes told the Amsterdam News. “It’s very full circle. I just spent a lot of emotions but I’m happy that I can talk to the girls. And I can’t believe they still have Corcraft toothpaste.”
Such toothpaste served as glue for a scrapbook she kept while on
Rikers Island, which she brought to her visit. Owes recounted her six months in jail, detained on a high profile arrest at age 17 roughly half a decade before New York State passed Raise the Age laws.
Back then, Google wasn’t gassing her up on TikTok. Instead, her case was blasted all over the internet thanks to the New York media machine’s infatuation over a star student’s fall from grace. Owes was a self-admitted “anomaly on Rikers,” arriving with a private school education and still studying for her SATs while behind bars.
Yet she says in reality, she was just like her adolescent peers on
Adams touts unemployment decreases among Black, Brown residents
By AARON FOLEY AmNews News Editor
Unemployment rates in New York City are dropping, according to the Eric Adams administration, with new numbers released by the mayor’s office pointing to significant decreases among Black and Brown residents.
Between January 1, 2022, and July 1, 2024, Adams’s office says Black unemployment rate in the five boroughs decreased from 10.7% to 7.3%, while the Latinx unemployment rate decreased from 9.1% to 6.5% in the same timespan.
“The data is clear: New York City isn’t just coming back, we’re back,” Adams said in a statement to AmNews. “We have more jobs and more small businesses than ever before in our city’s history, and Black and Latinx unemployment are both around 30% lower than when we came into office. That’s tens of thousands of more hardworking New Yorkers able to provide for themselves and their families.”
In its release, the administration touted some notable job-creating projects in all five boroughs, including the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx; Willets Point in Queens; Brooklyn Army Terminal and Brooklyn Marine Terminal; SPARC Kips Bay in Manhattan; and the North Shore Action Plan in Staten Island. Cumulatively, “these projects will create tens of thousands of permanent and construction jobs, generate more than $100 billion in long-term economic impact, and cultivate good-paying, 21st -century job opportunities,” the office said. The administration also launched Jobs NYC, an effort to create economic opportunities and deliver workforce development services across the
Community wants to see promises fulfilled in new Navy Yard Clubhouse
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
People living in Downtown Brooklyn’s Farragut Houses have been burned before. They say they’re not so eager to trust any supposed good news coming from outside their housing complex.
And recent reports that Taj Gibson, the 6-foot-9, 15-year NBA veteran, wants to play a part in the reconstruction of the neighboring Navy Yard Boys & Girls Clubhouse, where so many generations of their kids have for decades attended afterschool programs, don’t move them.
“They want to put up more housing, but parents really just need a place for their children.”
“We’ve got so many new buildings down here already!”
“Why?!? We got so many new buildings around here; why would we need another one?”
“It’s going to be so expensive in there forever. Forever!”
“We can’t get in it; it’s just going to be sold to white people.”
“We never knew anything was going on with the Boys & Girls club until all this happened.”
The Navy Yard Boys & Girls Clubhouse, located at 240 Nassau Street, was purchased for $15 million by Alloy Development, a real estate development firm, in November 2023. The Clubhouse had serviced families who live directly across the street––at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Farragut Houses––and other kids in the Downtown Brooklyn, Navy Yard, Fort Greene, and DUMBO neighborhoods, for
decades before it was abruptly shuttered in June of 2023. It was one of six Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Foundation clubhouses to offer daily enrichment programming for 6- through 18-year-olds across the city. The Clubhouse was forced to file for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 because it faced hundreds of child sexual abuse lawsuits filed under the New York State Child Victims Act (CVA) against a former Foundation volunteer. Claims were that the volunteer abused children beginning in the year 1948 and that he continued doing so up until 1984. The Foundation filed for Chapter 11 restructuring in June of 2022 to save itself and said it found it could get the
Mayor Eric Adams. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)
Afrika Owes speaks to women detained on Rosie’s last Friday. (NYC Department of Corrections photo)
Screen Shot from GFB Development’s Instagram page shows NBA player Taj Gibson with his childhood friends/new business partners Tameek Floyd and Malik Brown. (GFB Development photo)
See AFRIKA OWES on page 43
The prosecutor v. the felon
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
The Trump team is facing a prosecutor prepared to shatter the glass ceiling and her opponent’s alleged invincibility. It’s being reported that Trump will dredge up Harris’s socalled “radical” leftist background. With Biden no longer his contender, Trump is sure to charge that his vice president is merely a mouthpiece for Biden’s policies, particularly as they pertain to gun control, and the president’s plans on the southern border and immigration. Of course, Trump the denier also lost to Biden, and so he can’t claim that he’s undefeated.
Already Trump has released a video entitled “Meet San Francisco Radical Kamala” in caps, highlighting the so-called leftist policies she promoted during that run for the presidency. But Matt Bennett, the executive vice president for public affairs at Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank, said Vice President Harris’s tacking to the center was different during the primaries compared to what you might espouse “as you sprint to the finish of a general election.”
None of this will mean anything to Trump as he tries to make his case that Harris is a surrogate for Biden, especially on immigration, calling her the “border czar.”
Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who rose to Secretary of Transportation, quickly stepped up to defend Harris.
“Let’s be clear about this because there has been a lot of mischaracterization,” he said. “She was not in charge of the border. Homeland Security is in charge of the border. She did do something important, though. She was assigned to conduct diplomacy with Central American countries, knowing that that’s part of the bigger picture of what’s affecting the border. And you know what? Those Central American countries are among the few countries to see their numbers go down in terms of the source of immigrants who are seen at the border.”
Harris will also take some heat on the situation in the Middle East and the war between Israel and Hamas that each day brings another portent of spreading. It will be interesting to see how Harris deals with the lies and misinformation Trump and his team will throw at her, and how she as a former prosecutor will counter the onslaught. One thing is for certain, she has demonstrated on more than one occasion her
Down to the border: VP Harris and immigration
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
As panicked House Republicans rush to attack Vice President Kamala Harris for her supposed role in handling the U.S.-Mexico border crisis in recent years, voters are left asking what her actual record is on immigration.
The influx of migrants and asylum seekers from Latin America, Central America, Africa, and the Caribbean at the Southern border were a hot button well before the Biden administration.
In 2021, President Joe Biden tasked Harris, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas with addressing Latin and Central American nations and working to improve immigration relations. Harris’s job was to help with diplomatic efforts, and implement a long-term strategy that looked at the root causes of migration from those countries, reported the Associated Press (AP).The White House maintains that Harris was not a “czar.”
“Republicans continue to block getting resources to the border patrol agents. They continue to block actually dealing with an immigration system,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a July 26 briefing. “So, yes, we are going to debunk the false characterization of the Vice President. She was not a border czar.”
Federal immigration policies were pushed further into the spotlight in New York City when Republican border states started ushering migrants to sanctuary cities in Democratic states as a political dig in 2022. The ensuing deluge of migrants and asylum seekers left the city scrambling to respond with stretched resources. To date, the city has seen about 207,000 newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers, according to city numbers.
Mayor Eric Adams, and later Gov. Kathy Hochul, has been increasingly vocal for two years about criticizing Biden for his handling of the migrant influx and immigration policies, especially when it came to expediting work authorizations. Little of that blame fell directly on Harris, though.
Recently, Adams has shifted gears to fully support Harris for president. “The mission is electing VP Harris. That’s what I’m focused on,” said Adams in a press briefing on July 30. Earlier this year, Biden and Harris strongly supported the bipartisan national security deal that House Republicans refused to pass. By June, Biden announced executive orders to slow the stream of migrants and asylum seekers coming into the country. “Why are Republicans so sensitive to them not owning up to them getting in the way of a border deal? Why? Why won’t they own up to that?” Jean-Pierre said in the briefing. “It was a bipartisan deal, just right there available to them and they voted twice against it.” New York City and many other cities grappling with the influx of migrants were in support of Biden’s actions to limit access to asylum at the U.S. southern border once the seven-day average of people crossing between ports of entry exceeds 2,500. Although some local pro-immigration groups were opposed, again, their criticism fell to Biden and
Puerto Ricans get a CROWN Act
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
The governor of Puerto Rico signed Senate Bill 1282 (PS 1282), the Law Against Discrimination Over Hairstyles, into law on July 24, bringing new legislation that would ban public and private sector businesses from discriminating against Afro Puerto Ricans when they wear protective hairstyles like braids, cornrows, twists, or locs, or when they sport their hair in a naturally curly crowned afro.
The bill was passed in the Senate in April and by the House in June. After waiting for the governor’s signature for almost an entire month, members of the “Mi Cabello Es Mi Corona/My Hair is My Crown” coalition requested an official meeting with Gov. Pedro Pierluisi to find out what was going on.
More than 30 artists, stylists, organizations, and individuals had worked to push the law this far: it had been introduced to the Puerto Rican Senate by Senators Ana Irma Rivera Lassén and Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl of the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana (Citizen Victory Movement).
The Mi Cabello Es Mi Corona coalition held months of educational events across the archipelago, informing people about ways they can grow and maintain African textured hair. During a Jan. 23 public hearing in front of the Senate’s Human Rights and Labor Affairs Committee, Afro Puerto Ricans had testified in the Capitol building about the discrimination they’ve faced: jobs that were taken away, access to schools and private establishments denied, and time and expenses wasted on chemical straightening treatments that only damage a person’s hair.
See BORDER on page 42
Members of Revista Étnica took part in leading an educational workshop for Afro Puerto Rican children on the third of July, National CROWN Act Day. The event exposed children to ways they can dress up and celebrate their afro textured hair.
(Revista Étnica photo)
Oversight agencies launch investigations after Charizma Jones’s death following DOC custody release
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
A pair of jail oversight agencies—the New York State Commission of Correction (SCOC) and the New York City Board of Corrections (BOC)—recently launched investigations into the New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) handling of Charizma Jones, a 23-year-old who died July 14 in a hospital after sustaining a medical emergency while held on Rikers Island earlier this summer.
The Legal Aid Society, which represented Jones, called for a probe—with the permission of her family—in a letter to the BOC on July 22, pointing to corrections officers allegedly denying the Bronx woman access to medical care based on Correctional Health Services (CHS) records.
According to the letter, the DOC placed Jones under restrictive “Red ID” status for allegedly assaulting a staff member in April. Weeks later, she was admitted twice to the infirmary for rashes and fever, but the letter states that corrections officers allegedly blocked medical staff from taking her vital signs for “safety reasons,” including allegedly denying five attempts on May 5. Such diagnostics would help identify why Jones was seriously ill, which remains unknown to her lawyers and family today.
A day later, on May 6, Jones was brought to the hospital, but was only officially released from DOC custody on July 10, four
THE URBAN AGENDA
By David R. Jones, Esq
Conservative Blueprint Aims To Turn The Clock Back
Many of the conservative hardline policies being tossed around in the presidential campaign are frightening, and represent no less than the gravest threat in generations to Black and Latinx people, the poor, immigrants, children and seniors. These malicious ideas cannot be ignored as idle chatter.
New York City faces a unique danger because so many of the proposals would assault the fragile social and economic balance that makes our city the vibrant unofficial capital of the world. These ideas are wrong in their diagnosis of America’s problems and dangerous in their proposed solutions.
The most talked-about buffet of bad ideas is Project 2025, a sprawling, 920-page Republican policy playbook authored by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Every page offers detailed proposals on how to repeal gains by the poor and people of color in every arena, from education and infrastructure to health care and LGBTQ issues.
new restrictions on Medicaid would cause immeasurable harm. Currently, 4.1 million New York City residents are enrolled in Medicaid, state figures show. Project 2025 calls for spending caps, time limits, and lifetime benefit limits, which would almost certainly prevent New Yorkers from getting the health care they need.
Separately, there are 361,000 residents in New York City Housing Authority and Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) developments, which are managed by private developers. Project 2025 calls for “maximum term limits” on people receiving federal housing benefits, potentially throwing families into homelessness amid a local housing affordability crisis. It also proposes denying U.S. citizens federal housing subsidies if they live with anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
days before her death.
“We have serious concerns that DOC’s actions denying Ms. Jones access to medical care contributed to her tragic death,” wrote supervising attorney Veronica Vela. “DOC’s use of a security status to deny urgent, or indeed any needed medical attention, is unacceptable. The BOC must conduct a swift investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms. Jones’ death to ensure transparency and accountability for DOC’s actions.”
A DOC spokesperson told the AmNews that the matter is under investigation.
Civil rights lawyer MK Kaishian, who represents Jones’s family, said much remains unknown, but is concerned by what CHS records do reveal.
“We don’t know for sure whether or not the Department of Correction refusing medical staff access to Charizma’s cell was the only cause of her death, or was a significant cause of her death,” Kaishian said over the phone. “Certainly, we are investigating, and we’ll get to the bottom of what exactly happened, but regardless of what the outcome of that investigation is, that’s a horrific human rights abuse.”
Kaishian also pointed to recent comments made by Mayor Eric Adams, denying that solitary confinement is being used in city jails after his emergency executive order suspended a local law designed to stop solitary confinement in city jails that
See CHARIZMA JONES on page 43
Make no mistake, the whole point is to change American life in a way that erodes 1960s-era policies that have nourished economic opportunities for Black and Latinx Americans, as well as to kill diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that have flowered since the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
Its main proposals would destabilize New York City by demolishing the foundations of the national immigration system, including the detention and deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants. And that is just the start.
It targets the poor by imposing strict limits on Medicaid and federal housing assistance; dismantles the Department of Education; guts public transit maintenance grants, thereby increasing commuter bus and rail costs; revises the tax code so millions of low-income and middle-class families would face higher taxes; and outlaws public worker labor unions.
Imagine the chaos of federal immigration agents – or even the U.S. military – rounding up people in the five boroughs and holding them in internment camps, let’s say, on Roosevelt Island. Unthinkable, but not beyond possibility if you believe what’s under discussion in the presidential campaign.
It is hard to determine precisely how many undocumented people live in the United States, though statistical and demographic methods and the Pew Research Center estimate that about 10.5 million undocumented immigrants live in the country. Of that, around 500,000 are believed to live in the five boroughs, according to the NYC Comptroller.
Aside from the crackdown on immigration,
Calls to abolish the U.S. Department of Education, one of the pillars of our way of life, would do away with Title 1 funding that supports academic programs for low-income students. That means no Head Start and student nutrition programs, and an untold number of teaching positions would face the budget ax.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus and train system cannot function without federal money. That is even more true since the halt of congestion pricing. Project 2025 proposes eliminating the MTA’s most important grant source, the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program. Just this summer, the new Gateway rail tunnels under the Hudson River between Penn Station and New Jersey received $6.9 billion in CIG grants.
Arguably the most nefarious Project 2025 proposal calls for revising the nation’s tax brackets, which are designed to help lowerincome Americans pay a smaller share of their wages in federal taxes compared with middleor high-income workers.
Project 2025 argues that the current tax system is too complicated and expensive. To remedy those problems, it proposes just two regressive tax rates: a 15 percent flat tax for people earning up to about $168,000, and a 30 percent income tax for people earning above that, according to analysis of the proposal. Net result: higher out-of-pocket tax bills for the working poor and low-income families, and lower taxes for the wealthy.
This is a lot to process. The fire hose of depressing ideas is overwhelming, and should be downright terrifying. It is nothing less than an assault on our beloved city and our neighbors.
We all owe it to ourselves, our families and our fellow New Yorkers to learn as much as we can about Project 2025 and to vote in November.
David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), the leading voice on behalf of low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years, and a member of the MTA Board. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer. The Urban Agenda is available on CSS’s website: www.cssny.org.
Charizma Jones’ graduation photo. (Photo courtesy of Charizma Jones’ family)
Fugitive Heart: The persistent legacy of James Baldwin’s last years in France
By JIMMIE BRIGGS Special to the AmNews
In a multi-decade career that began during the post-World War II era and lasted through the late ’80s, James Baldwin cast an incisive, gimlet-eyed view on everything and everyone whom he encountered, from his birthplace of Harlem to the roiling American South and the rooted white supremacy upon which the U.S. was founded and to which it still desperately clings.
The relationship between the U.S. (and the global community) and James Baldwin and his singular body of work, which includes more than 20 novels, collected essays, plays, and poetry was like his own relationship with those same entities—complicated, but enduring.
August 2 marks the centennial of James Baldwin’s birth, and in the 35 years since his death in Saint Paul de Vence, France— where he made his home during the last third of his life—Baldwin’s shadow still falls over any meaningful conversation about injustice. That point was made in a December 2018 cover spread in the New York Times Magazine with the heading The Academy, which identified 30 Black (male only) writers spanning several generations as “producing literature that is essential to how we understand our country and its place in the world right now.” Baldwin’s words are sprinkled throughout.
“Nobody wants a writer, till they’re dead,” he bluntly noted in a 1979 interview segment with ABC News journalist Sylvia Chase; the interview went unaired for 40 years. Indeed, when he died of esophageal cancer at home in France with his brother David, former lover Lucien Happsberger, and assistant Bernard Hassell at his bedside, Baldwin was more than just geographically distant from the locus of American intellectual life. Throughout most of the ’50s and ’60s coming off the explosive success of revelatory works including “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” “Notes of a Native Son,” and “The Amen Corner,” he’d been a darling of letters and theater.
Nevertheless, it was during his final chapter living in the south of France that he produced some of the most resonant, prophetic work on race, sexuality, and manhood, as well as the possibilities of dismantling the corrosive whiteness that has suffocated people of color since this country’s founding. Through his speeches, appearances in film and television, lectures on college campuses, as well as the brave directions he took his writing in defiance of critics, he laid the foundation for contemporary movements including Black Lives Matter and the anti-war protests of Israel’s siege of Gaza following the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Last April, over a frenetic, too-short weekend sojourn, I flew to Nice in the south of France to wander around St. Paul de Vence, then took an overnight bus to Paris. Upon arriving in Nice, I made my way by taxi to Cafe de la Place, a storied cafe near a winding, cobblestone entrance into the walled village of Vence, overlooking a Provençale valley dotted with residential dwellings. I collapsed into a wooden chair, dropping my heavy duffel bag on the ground beside my table. The sun hung high and hot. Edgy and nervous, I sat watching the growing stream of tourists making their way from taxis, Vespas, and bicycles. I only had a day there, so I began taking notes on my surroundings and reflecting.
Searching for ghosts
James Baldwin has been infused in all but every facet of my life for nearly 40 years since I first read “The Evidence of Things Not Seen” as a high school sophomore in a suffocatingly white, Midwestern suburb. I still believe the slender 1985 study of racial terror both within and beyond the Black community is his most enduring work of reportage, focusing on the so-called “Atlanta child murders” committed by Wayne Williams in the early ‘80s. It wasn’t lost on me when I first heard his name that we share the same initials and variations of a first name. Today on my desk sits no fewer than a dozen written works by and about him, as well as a never-lit candle rendering of Baldwin with flames radiating from behind his head. My youngest daughter’s middle name is his first. Like he had generations before, I, too, have explored and wrestled with proximity to whiteness and traditional masculinity as a Black manchild surviving within a social order dominated by American white supremacy.
Throughout the 1960s, James’ celebratory status was amplified by 1961’s “The
Fire Next Time,” and only more so through “Nobody Knows My Name” and “Going to Meet the Man,” as well as plays such as “Blues for Mister Charlie.” He filed dispatches from the South—and North—for publications ranging from Harper’s magazine, the New Yorker, The Nation and Ebony, as an up-close witness to the Civil Rights Movement and unrest following the deaths of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., both of whom he befriended.
Following their assassinations as well as that of Medgar Evers, the NAACP’s field secretary in Mississippi, in 1963, Baldwin was essentially adrift—creatively and personally. Grappling with health issues and fatigue at the turn of the ’60s, his relationship to the emerging Black Power movement and mainline Civil Rights establishment was not as proximate as is his idolization today within the Movement for Black Lives and other social justice efforts.
“The irony, however, was that no matter how much Baldwin sacrificed gifts to gain acceptance from the Black Power movement, his gestures went unrequited: while Baldwin may have been seen as a ‘bad nigger’ by liberal whites, back in the ‘hood he was just another twisted white boy in blackface,” recalled Hilton Als for the New Yorker in “The Enemy Within: The making and unmaking of James Baldwin,” in February 1998. “…many of the civil-rights leaders didn’t want to be associated with Baldwin, because he was so openly gay.” That possible sense of rejection and mourning for the social transition which the movement as well as America itself was undergoing stemming from the law-and-order backlash to urban unrest, the deteriorating war in Vietnam and Baldwin’s diminishing cultural relevance were among the compelling motivations which drove him to France and the centuries-old St. Paul de Vence.
The public intellectual, unbound and abroad
The two-story cottage in which he chose to live and eventually die was rented to him by a caustic, xenophobic Frenchwoman named Jeanne Faure. Not surprisingly, his wit and charm won her over in time. Over the years, he hosted an incessant stream of guests ranging from far-flung friends, exlovers, éminence grise from French society, as well as celebrities like Miles Davis, Josephine Baker, Maya Angelou, and Bobby Short at his “Welcome Table,” in the backyard. At local establishments in Vence such as Café de la Place or Colombe d’Or, he rubbed elbows with local denizens as well as national icons such as Simone Signoret and Yves Montand. In the years following his death, as well as that of Madame Faure, the house and the larger property on which it sat were razed for the development of highend condominiums. In the St. Paul de Vence years he completed nearly 10 works of fiction and nonfiction, including his only children’s book, 1976’s “Little Man, Little Man,” and his output in the written and spoken word vacillated between anguished, reflective, and fiery, despite critics’ near dismissal of his literary oeuvre. Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, with Provence and his home base, Baldwin traveled between the U.S. and Europe craving interaction with the youth as well as his peers.
In 1970, he and anthropologist Margaret Mead sat together for hours- and dayslong exchanges on race and identity, which became an academic touchstone titled “A Rap on Race.” Fifteen months later, Ellis Haizlip, producer of the seminal public television program “Soul!” invited Baldwin to sit down for a no-holds-barred conversation in London for the show with emerging poet and activist Nikki Giovanni. Viscerally, the dialogue, which has become highly viewed over the past several years on YouTube feels like an elder not quite ready to pass the baton to a younger lioness. Baldwin was 46 years old. Giovanni was 28. Dragging heavily on a cigarette, he leans in at one point and says to her, “It’s not the world that was my oppressor, because what the world does to you, if you live long enough and effectively enough, you begin to do to yourself. You become a collaborator, an accomplice to your own murderers, because you believe the same things they do. They think it’s important to be white, and you think it’s important to be white; they think it’s a shame to be black, and you think it’s a shame to be black. And you have no corroboration around you of any other sense of life.”
Those sentiments bubbled to the surface nearly a decade later when he visited the University of California, Berkeley in a halfhour long lecture entitled “On Language, See BALDWIN on page 35
James Baldwin (Allan warren photo) (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
With short notice, more than 3,000 Black gay men gather for Kamala
A strong and vocal turnout by Black women in Harlem for Kamala Harris
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
New York State Sen. Cordell Cleare asked the crowd assembled at the Harriet Tubman Memorial in Harlem on Sunday afternoon, how many received the call “Harlem Black women for Kamala Harris?” Nearly every hand went in the air, several of them waving signs with “Harris for President.” “Those signs were not free,” Cleare said. “We had to pay for them, and we need more of them if Kamala is going to win this race.”
“When we fight, we win,” Cleare said, beginning a sustained chant. She repeated what she had written earlier in her call, that “Black women have a real stake in the election because we have been underrepresented and underserved on every level.”
a convicted felon who is running...who can’t even vote according to current laws in America,” Salaam said before a rousing response.
By AARON FOLEY AmNews News Editor
In lockstep with several affinity and identity groups that quickly organized following Vice President Kamala Harris’s ascendance to the top of the election ticket, Black queer men across the country made their voices heard.
Less than 48 hours after Black women organized a virtual call and a week before an in-person scheduled appearance by Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on the gay enclave of Fire Island, thousands of Black gay, queer, bi and trans people gathered virtually for a July 25 informational session—with a surprise appearance from Emhoff himself, who touted Harris’s longstanding stance as an LGBTQ ally.
“She has always been beside you, with you, and had your back,” said Emhoff, who noted during the call that he was at a gym working out with friends—a gay couple—when he learned that President Joe Biden would not be seeking the Democratic nomination for president. “And she will always have your back, just like she’s had everyone else’s back.”
In the week-plus since Biden redirected supporters to Harris, the vice president has earned enough delegates to be confirmed as the Democrats’ nominee, though an official confirmation is pending. Much has been made of Harris’s multiracial background and the potential of being the first woman to hold the Oval Office, but her resonance among other key voting blocs—queer, Gen Z, white women—has also come to the forefront.
The call for Black gay men was organized by Alphonso David, a noted civil rights attorney and executive; Emil Wilbekin, founder of the digital platform Native Son; and Rashad Robinson, a civil rights leader. Because all three are affiliated with various 501(c)(3) organizations, each individual represented themselves on the call.
Several Black queer male luminaries spoke on the urgency of “supporting our sister,” and
related their own civil rights struggles to hers throughout the call.
“We know what it looks like to fight, and we know what it looks like to be the underdog and to win against the obstacles,” Robinson said.
Speakers spent much of the time debunking an oft-repeated stat about Harris’s record regarding incarcerating Black men on marijuana charges, noting that during her time as a prosecutor, she prosecuted about 1,200 marijuana charges but only 45 of those cases resulted in a jail sentence, and not all who were convicted served time. Speakers also noted what civil rights could roll back—particularly relating to same-sex marriage and other hard-won protections for queer Americans—if Republicans take back not only the White House, but also be put in power to stack judicial courts.
“(Republicans have) made it clear that you and I, and those of us on this call, are not welcome in their version of America,” said Keith Boykin, a Word in Black/AmNews contributor who was one of many featured speakers.
“It is a bittersweet truth that a Black woman will get us back on one accord and get this country back on the right track,” echoed Miss Lawrence, an actor and reality TV personality who came to prominence on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
In sum, about 3,300 Black gay men were on the call, Wilbekin told AmNews. Other personalities in attendance included actors Jeremy Pope and Dyllon Burnside; “Noah’s Arc” creator and “P-Valley” producer Patrik-Ian Polk; and civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson.
Moving forward, Wilbekin said Black gay organizers will be targeting youth-driven get out the vote campaigns, rallying more voters across the Black LGBTQ spectrum, and identifying where they can support in swing states.
“Black gay men in this country move the culture,” broadcast journalist Don Lemon told attendees at the top of the call. “Everyone wants to be like us.”
A benediction was offered by the Rev. Sandra Baker of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church. “We thank you God because you brought us to this moment,” she began. “We believe this is our winning season.” And she gave a shout-out to the annual Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba Day celebration that was taking place at the State Office Building. Assemblymember-Elect Jordan Wright offered his support for the women and Harris, and he was followed by Councilmember Yusef Salaam, who reminded the crowd that Trump was a convicted felon, and “we are being inspired like we’ve never been before.”
Salaam can speak with authority about Trump’s attempts to have the Exonerated Five convicted and executed. The inspiration came from the fact that “we have
After President Biden ended his bid and endorsed Vice President Harris to take his place at the top of the Democratic ticket, it set off a tsunami of volunteers, money, and endorsements. Cleare quickly decided it was time for Black women in Harlem to join the wave of enthusiasm for Harris and five other women called for Sunday’s event. “Women are the driving force behind progress in this country,” said Assemblymember Inez Dickens. “We have the power and the opportunity to shape the future, to back the House, and elect a president who truly represents the diverse fabric of our nation. Kamala Harris is that leader. She has the vision, experience, and compassion to lead us forward.”
Dickens was not at the rally, but hundreds of her loyal followers were, including Jackie Rowe-Adams and Iesha Sekou of Harlem Street Corner Resources. Several Black men joined the procession that left the Tubman Memorial and reassembled inside the Dwyer Cultural Center and developed a full mechanism for participation in the New York Democratic campaign, said Valerie Jo Bradley, a Harlem preservationist. Black women, as the world knows, have been the backbone of the Democratic Party, something set in motion by the pioneering spirit of Rep. Shirley Chisholm. Sen. Cleare echoed that sentiment. “I am confident that it will be Black women who will get Kamala Harris elected president.”
Clockwise from top left: Civil rights attorney Alphonso David, Native Son founder Emil Wilbekin, civil rights leader Rashad Robinson, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. (Screenshot courtesy of David/Wilbekin/Robinson)
(Bill Moore photo)
Columbia University holds health fair
More than 300 New Yorkers took part in a recent health fair at Columbia University (125th Street and Broadway).
Attendees took part in fun and games as well as health education and screening activities for the entire family.
Harlem Hospital (Bill Moore photos)
Dr. Olajide Williams, founder of In Touch Program; Dr. Janhavi Maillaiah, program director; Dr. Robert Fullilove
Participants at health fair (left to right): Pauline Watson, community health worker/cohort leader, Dr. James Noble, neurologist; Dr. Robert Fullilove; Dr. Janhavi Mallaiah, program director; Mary Redd; and Julia Price, community health worker.
Union Matters
A union for Amazon warehouse workers elects a new leader in wake of Teamsters affiliation
By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer
Workers at Amazon’s only unionized warehouse in the U.S. elected new union leaders, according to a vote count completed Tuesday, marking the first major change for the labor group since it established an alliance with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
A slate of candidates headed up by a former Amazon worker named Connor Spence received the most votes cast by employees from the warehouse located in Staten Island. Although turnout was very low, Spence received enough support to lead the Amazon Labor Union as it aims to secure a contract with a company that has resisted those efforts for years.
Spence, a prominent organizer with the union, more recently led a dissident group that sued the union last year to force a new leadership election amid internal strife. He was fired by Amazon last year for violating a company policy that forbids workers from accessing company buildings or outdoor work areas when they’re off the clock, a policy critics say is designed to hinder organizing.
Only 5% of the 5,312 workers employed in the warehouse voted by mail-in ballot, said Arthur Schwartz, an attorney who represents the dissident group. Spence received 137 out of 247 votes cast, Schwartz said, defeating a current ALU officer named Claudia Ashterman and Michelle Valentin, another prominent organizer.
“After more than two years of fighting to reform our union to make it more democratic, transparent, and militant, we are relieved to finally be able to turn our attention toward bringing Amazon to the table and winning an incredible contract,” Spence said in a statement.
Workers at the same warehouse voted overwhelmingly last month to affiliate with the Teamsters union, which agreed to provide the Amazon Labor Union, or ALU, with funding and other types of support until it negotiates a contract with Amazon and begins collecting member dues.
The affiliation agreement, a copy of which was reviewed by the Associated Press, says the ALU will be chartered as an “autonomous” local Teamsters union with the right to organize Amazon warehouse workers across New York City. The union branch, known as ALU-International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1, also is expected to help with organizing Amazon warehouse workers elsewhere and to participate in strategy sessions.
“The question is whether the outcome of the election, plus the Teamster affiliation, can
create that kind of momentum needed among the rank-and-file,” said Ruth Milkman, a sociologist of labor and labor movements at the City University of New York. “But even if it does, Amazon is going to fight it tooth-and-nail.”
Spence will take over the leadership role from Chris Smalls, a former Amazon worker. He spearheaded the first successful U.S. union organizing effort in the retail giant’s history in 2022, when workers at the Staten Island warehouse voted in favor of ALU representation.
However, organizers inside the union began questioning Smalls’ strategy after the group suffered two subsequent election losses in New York and withdrew a petition for a union vote in California. Some left quietly, while others joined the dissident group headed up by Spence.
Smalls did not seek reelection. Instead, he backed a slate of candidates headed up by Ashterman.
Since mail-in ballots were sent to workers in early July, candidates vying for leadership spots had engaged in a fierce campaign during shift breaks and in public areas near the warehouse, formally known
as the JFK8 Fulfillment Center. Morning and evening campaigning also took place in front of a bus stop near the facility.
On a recent evening, Spence and some members of the dissident group erected a small tent by the bus stop and handed out heat safety literature and cold bottles of water to workers starting or ending their 10hour shifts. Other candidates set up a table where they played music or spoke with warehouse workers waiting to go home.
Some workers stood there 45 minutes or longer while watching for a shuttle bus to come, a pain point known to candidates who campaigned on acquiring or fundraising for additional shuttles.
Spence said in an interview earlier this month that joint strategy sessions with the Teamsters would happen once Local 1 has new leaders. But the powerful labor union already began offering support by footing the bill for the Amazon warehouse election and providing legal aid when needed.
Spence said the Teamsters offered him legal support two weeks ago when Amazon called local police to an ALU rally held near
the warehouse. During the rally, which some Teamsters organizers attended, officers arrested Spence and six other participants, saying they had blocked a driveway.
Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis said the company had also asked non-employees to leave its property. But organizers say the demonstration was held on a patch of grass they believed to be public property and where they’ve previously held other rallies.
Since the union’s affiliation with the Teamsters, Amazon has made small changes around the warehouse, according to workers. The company, which employs methods to fend off labor unions, has installed gates around the building’s parking lot and posted security guards to monitor everyone coming in and out of the lot.
Company spokesperson Paradis says Amazon took those extra steps for safety reasons and to deter trespassing incidents that have occurred in the past few weeks.
Amazon continues to face worker unrest elsewhere, including in Kentucky, where employees at a large company Air Hub held a one-day strike last week in coordination with the Teamsters union. More than 100 contracted Amazon drivers in Chicago’s northern suburbs have been on strike since late June, demanding higher pay and better health care plans, according to the Teamsters. But Amazon also has scored a few wins in the past few weeks.
In mid-July, warehouse workers in Britain narrowly rejected a union bid at a facility in Coventry, a city about 100 miles northwest of London. If successful, it would have been the first union to ever form at an Amazon warehouse in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, last week, a Washington state judge ruled in favor of the company in a high-profile worker safety case. Regulators had alleged in the case that Amazon put employees at unnecessary risk of injuries. In Staten Island, the ALU dissident group has been trying to get warehouse workers out of their comfort zones and energized around issues such as heat safety and Juneteenth, for which Amazon doesn’t offer paid time off, Spence said.
He hopes the organizing work eventually will lead to a strike, which he thinks is the only thing that will get Amazon to the negotiating table. But, he also knows one unionized warehouse doesn’t have enough leverage.
“To get them to the table, it has to be a national organizing campaign,” Spence said. “We have to identify strategic choke points, organize those warehouses, and go on strike simultaneously.”
Schwartz, the attorney, said the local union’s new leaders will be sworn in on Wednesday.
The ALU Democratic Reform Caucus has been elected to help Amazon workers secure a contract. (@reform_alu photo)
Home sweet yours
We stand with the Black women of Harlem
If the spate of reports is true, Trump and his allies are planning to dig up Kamala Harris’s left-leaning tendencies, and her positions on various liberal issues and use them against her. For the hundreds of Black women who rallied on Sunday in Harlem for her, to do so would not be a bad thing, particularly her stance on women’s reproductive rights, banning of assault weapons, calling for term limits, and ethics guidelines for Supreme Court Justices— a proposal announced by President Biden on Monday during a recent visit to Texas.
The Black women of Harlem firmly backed Harris for president and expressed no qualms about her progressive agenda, one that stands in direct contrast to many of Trump’s reactionary, anti-democratic plans. Trump, as expected, will try to dig up every negative thing he can find, no matter its veracity, to tar Harris, citing her as unpatriotic and a supporter of liberal ideas. The Harris team should not run from this but instead use it as part of their forward-looking outlook as they paint Trump as a troglodyte and creature imbued with racist and misogynistic attitudes and behavior. In other words, the Harris team can flip every charge leveled at their candidate as just the opposite of theirs. As Councilmember Yusef Salaam said at Sunday's meeting, she has a strong prosecutorial background, and Trump is a “felon who according to current American laws cannot vote.”
Harris should not take one step back from her progressive credentials, not move an iota from her commitment to upholding the virtues of democracy. She should make it plain that she is better prepared to take this country into the promises and high-sounding rhetoric we have heard again and again from a bevy of elected officials.
Finally, Harris should proudly own the liberal notions that Trump will be attacking her on for the next 100 days, remember all the lies that Trump the denier has fostered on the American public, and push forward whether he chooses to debate or not. And there is a good chance he will refuse the challenge, take a powder, and place the blame on Biden for leaving the race. Anything but facing reality, facing a well-informed prosecutor who knows the Trump type and all of its failings.
Yes, as the Black women of Harlem noted, “Democracy is on the ballot” and Trump is on the run. But he can’t hide!
Remembering and ruminating on Harlem Week
By CHARLES RANGEL
Lots of people think that Harlem Week is actually Lloyd Williams Week, and they may have that impression because he has worked so tirelessly to make it successful over the last 50 years. He is more satisfied with the results than making people know the role he has played. People have no idea how important his reputation plays in attracting supporters, sponsors, and talent; how difficult it is to maintain that high standard—and to do that for half a century is remarkable, given how things change from generation to generation.
Look, Chinatown has changed, Little Italy has changed, the Bowery has changed. And as difficult as it is for me to accept at my age and retirement, I can imagine how my predecessors felt when Adam Clayton Powell said, “It’s a new day!” Things are changing, and so is our ability to try to hold onto what we have and never lose what we have. Never lose the culture, do expand the political power, and make adjustments when we have to. To be against something without any idea of how to replace it can be counterproductive. You can hate the new and curse the change, but unless you have a plan to adjust or replace it, you are cursing the darkness. Change is something that Lloyd and his team have done so smoothly that you hardly notice it.
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief
It never entered my mind back in 1974 that Harlem Week (HW) would be a national and historic occasion, and at the same time, provide so many economic opportunities for a countless number of people. HW is just one of the extraordinary accomplishments of Lloyd Williams. I remember when Percy Sutton and I thought about such an event as little more than a block party. I have learned so much from the people who have been a part of the celebration—their talents and entrepreneurship have been indispensable to the community’s development. The Chamber has done a great job with superb staff and leadership. I don’t think anything like
Harlem Week has been done anywhere in the country.
I have been around the country and I’ve gone to a lot of fairs that have been white-type festivals, but I can’t remember Black folks coming out even for a shorter period, showing their talent, their wares, their foods, their culture, their songs, their clothes, and the constant variety of opportunities in terms of the involvement of businesses, the networking on how to deliver their services to the people. I don’t want to overstate it, but Lloyd has done a fantastic job, and one of the things
that impresses me is how he can do this without politics. He has a board of directors, that’s true, but to navigate this without a lot of criticism is incredible. Over all these years, Harlem Week has endured without an embarrassing moment or incident. You almost expect something terrible given the size of the crowds each year, but they continue to come and the week continues to expand.
Congressmember Charles Rangel represented Harlem for more than 40 years.
NABJ is politicizing its Black journalists by platforming Trump at the ‘Journalism Over Disinformation’ convention in Chicago
By DIARA J. TOWNES
The last four years of my career as a disinformation researcher and journalist—working diligently to help newsrooms, community organizations and the public avoid targeted disinformation campaigns and media manipulation—have been consistently undermined by media and political powers.
Monday marked a significant turning point in this challenge.
Shortly after 9 p.m. ET on Monday, an email and a post on X threw the Black media world into a tumult.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced that Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump “will participate in a conversation” at their annual convention in Chicago.
Rachel Scott, the senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, alongside Harris Faulkner, anchor of The Faulkner Focus and co-host of “Outnumbered” on FOX News, and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor, will moderate the discussion.
The reaction was immediate and heated. Some journalists criticized NABJ leadership for giving Trump a platform to spread misinformation. Others praised the decision, echoing NABJ’s statement that presented this as an opportunity for journalists to address concerns from the Black community about the economy, housing, health care, and education.
On Tuesday, April Ryan, White House Correspondent for The Grio, revealed NABJ’s questionable decision to reject Vice President Kamala Harris’s virtual attendance. Karen Attiah, one of the co-chairs for the Chicago event, resigned, citing lack of consultation for this interview, among her reasons. The confusion and anger were compounded by abrasive responses from NABJ leadership to members’ criticisms.
As a researcher, I believe this indicates a misunderstanding of the politicized narrative power at play. The failure to recognize how this benefits a candidate with a history of demeaning Black journalists and Black interests is incomprehensible.
This is especially so as the situation unfolds against the backdrop of Vice President Harris closing the gap with Trump in the polls and her considerable fundraising amongst culturally diverse supporters. As Erin Overbey, archive editor for the New Yorker, noted
on X, it’s clear who stands to benefit the most from this event, and it’s not the Black journalists or the communities they serve.
In our highly politicized information environment, was the potential damage to the credibility of attending journalists considered?
Two weeks ago, Republican National Convention attendees demanded mass deportations, repeating false claims about undocumented people. Doesn’t NABJ realize that Black immigrants in our community are also implicated in these widespread disinformation narratives? Can local journalists report back to their audiences what Trump said without amplifying disinfo?
Project 2025 calls for the end of the Department of Education and career government jobs, among other alarming items. This policy reform playbook has dangerous implications for the Black community. Doesn’t NABJ understand that many government jobs are held by Black individuals, and dismantling the Department of Education would eliminate the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces civil rights protections in public schools? Can NABJ members expect substantive responses from a candidate who can now downplay his role in this authoritarian agenda?
If Trump claims, “I’ve done more for Black people than any other president since Abraham Lincoln,” we should demand specifics: “How? In what way? What data do you have to support this? What testimony have you heard?”
What can this conversation achieve that hasn’t already been attempted by previous reporters in one-on-one interviews or press gaggles?
NABJ has failed to uphold its own goals for this convention, which is themed “Winds of Change: Journalism over Disinformation.” Narrative power and control should not be dismissed or relinquished. Allowing a presidential candidate to amplify “alternative facts” to a community without authentic access or paths to accountability is an affront to journalism. By platforming Trump, the NABJ has allowed the politicization of the Black public in what should be a safe space. The former president has shown no genuine interest in understanding the Black lived experience, leaving the door open for NABJ members to be regarded as tools for political gain in a future campaign event.
As I posted on LinkedIn, “It’s one thing to hold a press conference for a former president or candidate; it’s another to give a pathological liar with authoritarian ambitions a platform without real journalistic substance. This isn’t about democracy or journalism: it’s about political points and headlines, and it’s disappointing.”
Disinformation is not just a tech issue. It’s political, social, economic, and scientific. It disproportionately affects the vulnerable and marginalized, driving wedges of distrust and false perceptions between communities that should unite toward an equitable future. A healthy press is essential to uplift reality and for democracy to succeed.
But trust is waning as power consolidates among the self-interested, the power-hungry, and the amoral. It’s on the Fourth Estate to speak truth to power, but we also have a responsibility to minimize harm. This “interview” does neither.
Diara J. Townes is an engagement journalist, a disinformation researcher, and an adjunct at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.
I think it’s fair to say that it’s the season of Kamala Harris. As the vice president moves into the role of Democratic presidential nominee in the next few weeks, we are in for a historic election season. We must also be prepared for historic levels of racism and sexism directed at candidate Harris and other women of color who dare to reject the status quo, seek elected office, or lead in their various occupational spaces.
We have already heard some of the racist attacks from the former president and his new running mate. I think it is fair to say that the 45th president is having severe buyer’s remorse when looking at that running mate. JD Vance hasn’t expanded the base, he’s been a dud on the campaign trail, he’s chosen to sidestep the racist attacks about his Indian American wife, and he’s had to defend his reprehensible attacks on “childless cat ladies” and his attempts to take away the vote from people who are child-free.
Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has had one of the best presidential roll-outs we’ve seen in modern history. The excitement has been palpable. Part of her portfolio as vice president has been to articulate the Democratic policy position, strongly supporting and advocating for reproductive justice and a woman’s right to choose. The idea that women can make decisions over their own lives is resonating with women, and men, across the country.
Harris has galvanized the donor class as well.
While many donors were
less than enthusiastic about another BidenTrump rematch, they are now excited about the prospect for a candidate who can talk about education, the environment, international affairs, and the future in a way we have not previously seen this election season.
One large obstacle Harris must overcome, though, is getting people to believe this country would ever elect a woman of color at the top of the ticket. To date, this country has never elected a Black woman as a governor—the top executive position of a state. Only two Black women have been elected as U.S. senators in the history of the nation and Kamala Harris was the second (in 2016, from California; Carol Moseley Braun was the first, elected in 1992 from Illinois). And being selected as vice president is not the same as voters going to the polls to pull the lever for “Harris for President.”
It remains to be seen whether Democrats will be able to connect with voters about their vision for the country (not just scare tactic scenarios about a second term of Trump). They must help voters see why Harris is the best candidate for the job and ready to serve. It will then be our job to organize, donate, volunteer, and vote to make sure she wins on November 5.
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.
CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.
Diara J. Townes
Caribbean Update
Caribbean leaders meet in storm-ravaged Grenada
By BERT WILKINSON
Special to the AmNews
Caribbean leaders recently began two full days of meetings in tourism paradise, Grenada, whose two sister isles, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, were recently leveled by Hurricane Beryl. The meetings were convened amid cries that increasingly powerful Atlantic storms and climate change factors are forcing governments to redirect revenues toward rebuilding rather than developing economies.
Every speaker at Sunday’s opening ceremony referred to the plight of the region as a recurring victim of climate change, with host Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell expressing fears that storms and climate change factors are becoming more than an existential threat to the 15-nation bloc.
“If someone chooses to bomb your country, it’s existential but easy to stop. You negotiate, you call a truce. Explain to the citizens of Carriacou and Petite Martinique how we will stop these Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes from hitting them. That is why Caricom must, shall, and will continue to advocate for climate justice. The stark reality that we may not have a country to pass on to future generations,” he said to applause from colleagues and invitees.
“Every speaker at Sunday’s opening ceremony referred to the plight of the region as a recurring victim of climate change, with host Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell expressing fears that storms and climate change factors are becoming more than an existential threat to the 15-nation bloc.”
Regional member states have rallied to assist Grenada and its two sister isles to rebuild and recover from Beryl, with some sending cash donations, others sending soldiers to help rebuild schools and restore fallen power lines and personnel to help with security. The island was last badly hit by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, which had destroyed about 80% of the housing stock on mainland Grenada. The summit was initially scheduled to be held from July 4 but had to be pushed back because Beryl had made landfall with devastating effects. Beryl had also touched on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica.
Mitchell, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, and Secretary General Carla Barnett all talked about the effects of climatic change on the region, with the host noting that Caricom cannot flinch from its efforts “to advocate for climate justice.” He said that he had initially believed that the bloc was a functioning talk shop but is now well aware that this is not the case given the level of cooperation among member states and the intense level of assistance states are prepared to render to each other in the time of crises. President Ali, who at this summit turned over the chairmanship to Mitchell, asked “Where are the voices of the private sector and all those who profess immense love for
the region, in helping the leadership of the region to call upon the international community to support the redevelopment and to support the rebuilding of the economies that suffered even from this latest hurricane?
“We have to now fight to ensure we build systems that work for us are not systems that are imposed upon us. We have to build systems that work for our region. We have to trust in ourselves. We have to have faith in each other and we have to have hope about the future. We can define ourselves or continue to allow ourselves to be defined.”
Other key issues on the agenda include a review of the situation in Haiti. Regional leaders had played a key role in helping the bloc’s most populous member state to form an interim government to replace the previously collapsed one. The island is represented by Edgard LeBlanc Fils.
Progress in the operations of the single trading market and the free movement of people in Caricom are also on the agenda. At the opening ceremony, Curacao was admitted as the sixth associate member alongside the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, and Anguilla. The Dominican Republic has also made a bid to become a full member, but it is unclear if its bid will be examined by the full conference this time.
Why I don't have confidence in Kamala
As an independent voter and an immigrant from the Caribbean, the birthplace of Kamala Harris’s father, I should be thrilled at the possibility of the U.S. having its first president with Caribbean roots. However, Harris herself hardly acknowledges her Caribbean heritage, with her White House bio simply stating she is the “first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected to” the position of vice president.
In 2021, I led a Caribbean collective that celebrated her ascent as the first Caribbean American vice president of the U.S., simply because she and the mainstream media were not recognizing this fact. Harris barely responded, and then only after I threatened to publicly accuse her of ignoring us and her roots. In a speech, she made a single, brief mention of her Caribbean heritage without spec -
ifying Jamaica or her father. Many in the Caribbean community felt slighted, especially since she consistently highlights her South Asian roots.
Despite this, I want to feel ecstatic that finally, there could be someone to end the xenophobic rhetoric from the right once and for all. I want to feel enthusiasm as a woman, a person of color, and an immigrant. I want to be thrilled at Harris potentially being the Shirley Chisholm of our time. After all, she raised a record-breaking $81 million within 24 hours of announcing her candidacy and secured enough support from delegates at the Democratic National Convention on July 22nd to clinch the Democratic nomination.
But sadly, I do not feel enthused, mainly because I do not believe that Harris can beat Donald Trump this November. I think, deep down, President Joe Biden felt similarly, reading the current U.S. political landscape—that Harris cannot defeat Trump, despite the strong Black voter base.
Biden tried to hold on as long as he could, despite his frailty, insisting he
alone could beat Trump. He reportedly kept asking how Harris was polling against Trump and his MAGA followers because many feel, deep down, that she cannot win. Beyond Harris’s lack of experience, her failures as immigration czar, and her inability to win a primary election in the past and connect with voters, there is a deeper issue that many on the left are refusing to face.
It is the same issue that caused so much animosity toward Barack Obama, the first Black president of the U.S. It is the reason for the rise of the Tea Party and Trump’s MAGA supporters. America is still inherently a racist and sexist place, and in 2024, it is more so than ever. Hillary Clinton failed to beat Trump in 2016 because, at the end of the day, the country remains a patriarchal society, especially in rural America. Today, this is even more pronounced, with Trump fueling the flames of sexism and racism in critical Electoral College states.
Democrats have lost ground in these states while Republicans have gained due to their supporters being more
adept at participating in the Census. After Biden stepped aside, polls showed Trump and Harris in a tight race, separated by a single percentage point among likely voters. The polls were wrong in 2016, as Hillary Clinton found out. Many older White Democratic voters might not vote for Harris and are unlikely to disclose this to pollsters. Even if Harris manages to win the popular vote, buoyed by the Black vote, the immigrant vote, the youth vote, and the female vote, she might not secure the Electoral College vote, which is crucial to defeating Trump. Trump’s largely white base has already begun launching racist and sexist attacks on Harris, calling her derogatory names. They are determined to prevent America from electing another Black president and «poisoning the blood» of their country, which is what I fear most in this election.
Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news about the Black immigrant communities of the Caribbean and Latin America.
CM Sanchez’s HIV/STI testing expansion bill passes Health
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
In fierce partnership with advocates, Councilmember Pierina Sanchez passed a bill this month that expanded HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing services with a concentration in Black, Brown, and low-income communities with limited access.
“The main message: There are horrific inequities in the city of New York and nationally along lines of race, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual identity—and those are not related to any behaviors,” said Sanchez, who sponsored the bill. These persisting sexual health inequities stem from a lack of access to education, testing, prevention, treatment, and care as opposed to the stigma that LGBTQ members practice “risky” sexual behaviors, she added.
There are currently two rapid HIV and STI testing sites, or “quickie labs,” with same-day turnaround results in the city—one in Fort Greene and the other in Chelsea. The bill, Int. 435, will require the city to double the number of sites over the next three years in at least four boroughs. The bill also includes measures to track the progress establishing the clinics and create an outreach campaign.
The impetus behind the bill has been in the works for years.
In 2015, the Caribbean Equality Project (CEP) launched Knowing Matters, an awareness campaign that has been locally promoting sexual health and wellness, public education, performing arts, and HIV/AIDS prevention in the caribbean LGBTQ+ community. “Many of the organization’s clients are asylum seekers and low-income and undocumented queer and trans Afro and Indo-Caribbean people of color,” said CEP Executive Director Mohamed Q. Amin at a press conference on July 18.
CEP Policy Advocate and Board Member Kadeem Robinson (they/ them) and Amin spoke at the conference about the numerous challenges queer Caribbeans face. They often encounter barriers to culturally sensitive mental health resources, housing, and jobs; experience stigma, family rejection and abandonment; and face persecution in their home countries and death
threats, all of which are rooted in deep “postcolonial” trauma.
“When we think about that, we’re brought to the question of what access looks like,” said Robinson.
Robinson, who was working in the Public Advocate Jumaane Williams office at the time, conducted an extensive outreach campaign over four years to learn what queer New Yorkers in the city wanted to advocate for. Most people surveyed spoke about being too afraid to go get tested and the lack of access to testing. The survey became the basis of their legislative push to expand testing.
“Today, we are telling all New Yorkers, including immigrants and newly arrived migrants, that their health and access to care matters,” said Amin. “Together, we are sending a powerful message that your neighborhood, immigration status, socio-economic background, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex should not be barriers to health servic-
es in NYC. Knowing your STI and HIV status matters, and it starts with getting tested.”
New York City is one of the historic epicenters of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) outbreak, beginning in the 1980s and 90s. The virus in no way has been eradicated and continues to disproportionately impact LGBTQ people of color today.
According to city data from 2022, Black or Hispanic/Latinx New Yorkers made up 84% of new HIV diagnoses among women, 83% of new HIV diagnoses among men, and the rate of syphilis cases was 2.4 times higher among Black men than white men.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, racial inequities in sexually transmitted infection rates have skyrocketed, most harshly impacting New Yorkers at the intersection of Black, Latino, low-income and LGBTQ+ communities,” said Sanchez at the
press conference on July 18.
In 2022, the Bronx had the highest number of HIV/AIDS deaths in the city, especially among Black Non-Hispanic residents. “The Bronx in particular suffers from the highest rate of HIV infection and deaths across New York State’s 62 counties, the highest rate of chlamydia infections, and the second-highest rates of gonorrhea in the five boroughs,” said Sanchez.
“You would think that translates to services to meet this challenge.”
Rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia have gone up citywide as well, but overall “infection rates for both STIs disproportionately affected people living in high-poverty neighborhoods.” These individuals experienced case rates approximately two times higher than people living in low-poverty neighborhoods, reported the city in a press release.
Despite concerns about infection rates, the city budget was slated earlier this year to cut about $5.3 mil-
lion in funding to HIV/STI health programs and HIV/AIDS workforce development programs. Enraged, the city council’s LGBTQIA+ caucus sent a letter to Mayor Eric Adams slamming the cuts as “unnecessary” and “dangerous” to the health and well-being of New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS and the city’s queer community as a whole.
Sanchez said that the “multimillion dollar” bill was “hard negotiated.”
“Just as we saw with COVID-19, communities that have experienced disinvestment in healthcare education and access are the same ones that are disparately impacted by STIs,” said Williams, who cosponsored the bill, in a statement. “Increased awareness and treatment availability facilitate and enrich the wellness of our city, and this moment of progress would not have been possible without the passion of advocates, the commitment of Council Member Sanchez, or the leadership of Speaker Adams.”
Caribbean Equality Project Policy Advocate Kadeem Robinson speaks about the HIV/STI expansion bill at City Hall on July 18. (Ariama C. Long photo)
Kamala Harris for President
Word In Black’s owners and publishers tell why Harris has the leadership experience we need for a free, prosperous, and more just future.
By Word In Black Owners
As the next presidential election rapidly approaches, our nation is, without question, at a crossroads. To the left is continued racial, economic, and social progress; to the right is regression, division, and the ongoing resurrection of overt, violent white supremacy.
Therefore, the result of November’s vote will not only define the trajectory of America in general but determine the fate of Black America in particular, with far-reaching consequences that could last for generations.
With such historically high stakes on the table — and an election in which the Black vote could be a decisive factor — we at Word In Black wholeheartedly, and without question endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the next president of the United States. It is our first-ever political endorsement, and we make it without reservation.
At this pivotal moment in American history, Harris represents the change we want to see now. She is a transformational figure, poised to make history not only as the first woman to serve the nation as commander in chief but as the first Black woman, first HBCU graduate, and first member of a Black Greek letter organization to hold the most powerful job on earth.
Our endorsement, however, begins with President Joe Biden, who is among the most effective champions for Black America in history and who chose her as his running mate. The Biden-Harris administration created 2.6 million jobs for Black workers, cut child poverty in half, grew Black household wealth, and slashed insulin and asthma inhaler prices. They forgave $168.5 billion in student loan debt, pushed to close the Black-white digital divide, made meaningful investments in policies to fight climate change, and appointed a record number of Black judges to the federal bench.
The president also demonstrated unparalleled leadership, selflessness, and patriotism by withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race and endorsing Harris to replace him on the Democratic Party ticket. She will almost assuredly continue his agenda, but with the added perspective of her lived experience in Black spaces.
For us at Word in Black, the choice of Kamala Harris for president is as obvious as it is historic.
Harris has impressive credentials: former San Francisco district attorney, former state attorney general, former U.S. senator, current vice president. Her personal story — child of immigrant activist parents, Howard University graduate, member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first Black woman to hold statewide elected office in California — is compelling. She is a fearless champion of civil rights and has advocated for criminal legal system reform, access to healthcare, and investment in underserved communities.
Furthermore, Harris’s intelligence, tenacity, charisma, and joy on the campaign trail sets her apart from her Republican opponents. Her elevation as the Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee has electrified the campaign, generating excitement not seen since Barack Obama’s historic 2008 run to become America’s first Black president.
Consider: within the first 24 hours of Harris’ candidacy, her campaign took in a stunning $81 million — the largest single-day fundraising effort in American politi-
cal history. The total included some $3 million in small-dollar, grassroots donations from an impromptu fundraising drive led solely by Black men and women.
It is clear evidence that Harris’ presence in the nation’s highest office will be an unprecedented step toward greater representation and inclusion of diverse voices at the highest levels of government.
Join us in supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in her extraordinary presidential campaign.
For nearly 200 years, we in the Black press have stood for freedom, justice, equality, and democracy. We have spoken truth to power, especially when others in the mainstream, white-owned media have avoided it, or have actively spread falsehoods about our leaders and our communities.
Hear us, then, when we say Harris represents the best hope of defeating two existential threats to Black America: the return of the former president, a bigoted, twice-impeached convicted felon and purported rapist who is attempting to divide America; and Project 2025 — a radical, far-right political, economic and social agenda he will almost certainly implement if he wins the White House.
For us at Word in Black, the choice for president is as obvious as it is historic. The Republican nominee represents an America that will return to its ugly, violent, racist past, a time when we were treated like second-class citizens and our communities were under constant threat. Harris represents a new generation of leadership, a future built on optimism, inclusion, and continued progress toward a more perfect union.
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Black Americans have an opportunity to determine which version of the nation we want for ourselves and our children. We, the owners and publishers of Word In Black, encourage our readers and supporters to join us in supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in her extraordinary presidential campaign.
Together, we can make a difference and ensure that our voices are heard in shaping the future of our country.
Credit: The White House
A lifeline through work: Ready, Willing, and Able graduation
By LEAH MALLORY Special to the AmNews
Can a job save a life?
For nearly 100 men graduating from the Ready, Willing, and Able (RWA) program this year, the answer is a resounding yes.
“I’ll be two and a half years sober in a couple of weeks. RWA was a huge help for me,” said graduate Chrisopher Lopez.
A one-year residential program that provides men who are unhoused or incarcerated with housing and a range of other services, RWA offers career development, educational classes, and sobriety support. The program stresses the importance and potential of work to break harmful cycles, offering participants the chance to gain new skills and certifications.
Lopez said he obtained his welding license through RWA.
“They put me through a whole program where we took a test, got certified. This has now become my career path,” he said.
To graduate from the program, participants must secure permanent housing and full-time employment. At the 2024 graduation ceremony, the atmosphere was filled with smiles and cheers as the gradu-
ates celebrated their communal triumph. Known as the “men in blue” because of their uniforms, the graduates were visibly excited and proud of their accomplishments.
The ceremony featured encouraging words from several speakers, including NYC Council Member and Central Park Five exoneree, Dr. Yusef Salaam.
“What’s beautiful about this program is that we’re talking about people taking control over their lives, giving themselves a second chance, knowing that they are not counted out, and that’s the best part about it,” Salaam said. “Being able to rise from the ashes like a phoenix.”
Alex Albury, another graduate, echoed this sentiment, expressing gratitude for the RWA staff while emphasizing the personal resolve needed to succeed.
“I feel great, especially when people recognize the hard work a person put in to change his life. It’s a great place,” he said. “But you got to make your mind up—it all depends on you.”
The RWA program has a proven track record of helping men rebuild their lives, heal families, and strengthen communities. It stands as a beacon of hope, demonstrating that with a second chance, these men are indeed ready, willing, and able.
Grads cheering after receiving diplomas at 2024 Graduation Ceremony for Ready Willing & Able Program by the Doe Fund. (Leah Mallory photo)
Arts & Entertainment
Mario Van Peebles talks upcoming homage to his father Melvin at Lincoln Center Aug. 9-10
By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews
On August 9–10, 2024, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts will resonate with a unique blend of music, film, and homage as Mario Van Peebles brings “MVP: A Multimedia Stage Play Inspired by the Music of Melvin Van Peebles” to life. This special event, part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City series, marks a poignant celebration of what would have been Melvin Van Peebles’s 92nd birthday.
Conceived by Mario Van Peebles, actor and director in his own right, “MVP” is a Lincoln Center commission that promises to be a deeply personal and evocative experience. Through a combination of film clips, live performance, and music from the Burnt Sugar Arkestra Chamber, the production offers an intimate glimpse into the life and legacy of the iconic filmmaker. Mario’s heartfelt tribute is not just a commemoration of his father’s impact on cinema and culture, but a testament to the enduring influence of the Van Peebles family across three generations.
Mario spoke to the AmNews via Zoom about his father’s legacy and the impact it’s had on his life thus far and beyond.
AmNews: Did your vision for the tribute begin simplistically and expand while you developed the event, or was it already a bit of a grand [thing] the moment you decided to embark on the curation?
Mario Van Peebles: It depends on which Mario you’re talking to, because when I am creative, I am multiple Marios, like my dad had multiple Melvins. I have Mario who is a creative revolutionary; the pragmatist; the Mario that thinks everything is fabulous; and one that hates everything, so once I acknowledge of all them, I can go: “Well, this guy wants this, the other wants that,” and they all collectively duke it out, and I help each one decide when to come forward.
When Lincoln Center approached me about doing the tribute to my dad, I thought about my dad’s spirit. My dad
[was] such an eclectic cat, and was always redefining himself. He had such an appreciation for art in the everyday, art all around us, and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to do a curated multimedia jam session and play with his films, his plays and music, and his poetry and his vibe and spoken words.” Then I would come in a position so you know the context from which the art came, what it was designed to do, what his frame of mind was. You get a whole immersive experience, not just into his art, but the personality, and the teachings, all in the Melvin way.
AmNews: What did your dad teach you about curation? Did you glean anything regarding how he
prepared and developed his work?
MVP: My dad, while working with Earth, Wind, and Fire, did something I promised I would never do: He would hum and sing to them [the music] he wanted, and [now] I find myself doing the music like he did when I was working with his band! What I am proud is…the event we are doing at Lincoln Center is an emotional experience because in all of the art and discovery of who Melvin is, besides that he was dealing with racism, sexism, classism, and all of that, we look at who the man was and how he lived and loved, and who the father was, and what that dynamic was like for me as a son over the years. You’re seeing a theater production, which I have never really
seen before, but it didn’t stop me from writing it [laughs].
AmNews: How do you manage your grieving?
MVP: I think I’ve had a pretty exceptional life, individually and as a son. I know he didn’t need more “oldness.” Melvin was a fun, feisty, active, theorist, revolutionary cat. I miss him because I miss our deep conversations. He is one of the smartest cats I got the pleasure to know. I got to know him over time because I didn’t always like him. When I was younger, I called him a paternal fascist— of course, not to his face! But I thought about it.
When I was young, he came to me and said, “Most dads teach you how to play basketball. I am going to teach you how to own
the team”—teaching me to monetize that which I loved. He shared some wonderful life lessons for me and people of color. I miss his wisdom. I miss his laughter, I miss his honesty. I had the privilege of getting him home from the hospital. I knew he wanted to be home at the end. He didn’t want to pass in the hospital. I got him home, he looked so relieved, and I stayed in the bed next to him. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was right there with him, and around 2:30 in the morning, I put my hand on his chest and he wasn’t breathing anymore, but I got to be there. I feel like I got to close that chapter and be there for him. He made life look graceful and death look easy.
Melvin and Mario Van Peebles (Image courtesy of the artist)
Barclays Center’s student art show features 85 Basquiat-inspired pieces
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
New York City public school students had the opportunity to show off their “artivism” (art + activism) in an exhibit hosted in the entrance to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on July 27 and 28.
Here are a few of the students’ pieces.
Barclays hosted the fourth annual Basquiat Project student art show, which featured 85 works of art made by local students. Financed by the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation’s Social Justice Fund, the Basquiat Project has students take part in a year-long curriculum that teaches them about the life and art of the Brooklynborn 1980s painter, Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“Black Lives Matter” by Janiya Price, Grade 4
“Charles Migration” by Anasaria Barrios, Grade 8
“She is Seen” by Stephanie Mondesir, Grade 7
“Warming Warning” by Anna Huang, Grade 8
“Water is Life” by Emilia Myers, Grade 5
“Power” by Levi Ferreira, Grade 6
“Disparities” by Ashley King, Grade 11
(Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)
August 2024 Dance Calendar
By CHARMAINE PATRICIA WARREN Special to the AmNews
The Joyce Theater’s Ballet Festival, “UNITE,” directed and co-produced by Calvin Royal III, principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, closes their spring/summer season from Aug. 13-18. In one week and in two programs, artists from nine companies, across five continents and spanning four generations, will merge classical and contemporary works. Alongside classical works by George Balanchine’s Apollo, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, excerpts from Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s “Romeo & Juliet” and “Manon,” contemporary works from Lauren Lovette, James Whiteside, Duncan Lyle, Aleisha Walker, Zhongjing Fang, Adji Cissoko, Adriana Pierce, My’kal Stromile and Royal will also take the stage. Additionally, works by Jae Man Joo, Alonzo King, and Christopher Rudd round out the program. Joining Royal, there will be performances by Isabella Boylston, Tristan Brosnan, Adji Cissoko, Tyson Ali Clark, Kyra Coco, Kenny Corrigan, Luigi Crispino, Herman Cornejo, Shuaib Elhassan, Chyrstyn Fentroy, and Youth America Grand Prix 2024 Award winner Crystal Huang, to name a few. Finally, the programs will feature live musical accompaniment by Youba Cissokho on the kora, Kobi Malkin on violin, Jacek Mysinski on piano, and vocals by Rozzi. For more information visit https://www.joyce.org/
performances/118/unite/ballet-festival
STILL RUNNING:
Through Aug.3: Five of NYC’s dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—return for the fourth annual BAAND Together Dance Festival, as part of Lincoln Center’s third annual Summer for the City. This year, the performance moves indoors to the David H. Koch Theater. For more information visit https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/summer-for-thecity/baand-together-dance-festival-696
Through Aug. 11: Choreographed by Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” the reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical based on T. S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” runs at Perelman Performing Arts Center. “The Jellicle Ball” is inspired by New York’s over 50 year old Ballroom culture that has spread worldwide. For more information visit www.pacnyc.org. Through Aug. 24: Flamenco Latino “2024 Más Allá Series” runs at various venues. This year, the series centers on the notion that “we’ve been here nefore,” and features guest artists Omar Edwards (tap) and Paige Stewart (hiphop), who each compliment Flamenco Latino’s creative mission and style. The “Más Allá Series” continues to produce innovative flamenco with salsa, jazz,
blues and hip-hop flavors. For more info, visit https://www.flamencolatino.com/.
Through Sept. 29: At Arts on Site, choreographer Jessica Chen brings back “AAPI HEROES,” where audiences follow a young explorer, Kai, on a captivating journey across time to meet iconic Asian figures. For more information visit www. ticketleap.com.
ALSO THIS MONTH:
Aug. 4: As part of Lincoln Center’s “Summer for the City” series at the Hearst Plaza, the Brooklyn-based collective Urban Bush Women continues their 40th anniversary celebration with work “Haint Blu | Episodic Chapters,” and “takes us to the magical place where spirits share their legacies, journey onward, and leave the thick residue of their knowing behind.”
Audience members will travel throughout the Lincoln Center campus, notes the release. This event is free and general admission, first-come, first-served. For more information visit https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/summer-for-thecity/haint-blu-episodic-chapters-361
Aug. 7: At Summerstage in Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield, Ballet Hispánico will share the joy and celebration of Latinidad culture in offerings of performances and a meet-and-greet bringing the community together. The program will include repertory, “Pas de O’Farrill” and “Club Havana” by Pedro Ruiz, and “Sombrerísimo” and “House of Mad’moiselle”
by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. For more information visit https://cityparksfoundation.org/events/ballet-hispanico/ Aug. 11-17: Battery Dance celebrates the 43rd Anniversary of its free summer (rain date on Aug. 18), at Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City. The in-person and livestreamed performances will feature A’nó:wara Dance Theatre, Battery Dance, Focus Dance Company, Sun Kim Dance Theatre, Carolyn Dorfman Dance, Lucas Crew, Rutkay Özpinar, Capoeira Luanda NYC, FANIKE! African Dance Troupe, Nai-Ni Chen Dance, and many more. For more information, visit batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/. Aug. 15-17: As a recipient of The Shed’s Open Call initiative, a large-scale commissioning program for early-career, NYC-based artists, Kayla Hamilton will offer the world premiere of “How to Bend Down/How to Pick it Up.” This “…immersive, community specific, multidisciplinary dance performance explores lineages of Black disabled imagination and alternative world building. The work utilizes an elaborate multimedia design, multiple audio descriptions, ASL, a multi vantage-point performance space, and a performance structure that can reconfigure every night based on the performers’ changing needs,” according to the release. The performances are free. For more information visit https://www.theshed.org/program/402open-call-kayla-hamilton
Calvin Royal III and Damian Woetzel rehearsing “Apollo” (Erin Baiano photo)
Dancer Calvin Royal III (Mark Mann photo)
HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS
By SUPREME GODDESS KYA
August is a “slowly yet surely” month, full of insight to guide you on the right path. Listen closely and pay attention to what’s guiding your heart as things will fall right into your lap. The word “commit" is strong in all departments of your life. Consistency is key to making anything last and come into fruition. Keep your faith alive and allow your faith to guide you. Your ancestors’ presence is with you this month, especially in the second week. It’s a revelatory cycle week where your dreams hold key information to forthcoming events. Follow your passion and vision this week and see where they take you in accomplishing your mission.
It’s a quick action week to publicly announce a service or products, or to participate in community events and make a name for yourself. You have something big you want to do. Do it and see what feedback you receive, in order to improve and go twice as hard as before. What do you have to lose at the end of the day? You have you, and that creative brain of yours. You just need to execute the mission. August is the germination stage where the seeds of the fruit of your labor need nourishment and time to process. Act as if what you need you already have, and watch your environment grow with the needed resources.
July was an eventful month of the Alpha and Omega. August is a harvesting month to jot down all your ideas and write a sound plan and a call to action. Neptune is at 29 degrees and is asking you to get clear on steps one, two, three, and four to proceed. You don’t need permission because your faith is stronger. The story can be revised or rewritten due to missing facts. Before Neptune previews into Aries for a new adventurous agenda, you need to close books on things and finish up your current work before dismissal. August is a new cycle for engagement and a fresh discovery.
Who said the road would be easy? You plant the seeds you want to grow and nourish them to see what they become. Whether the seed plantings were intentional or a careless act, you still need to take full accountability. As you invest in things that bring you resources, apply the same effort and steps to invest in yourself in areas of family and business, not just your personal life. An ending and a new beginning are on the way, be it a new addition to the family, financial gains, or something sold to move forward in life. Give things away that you no longer use to charitable or social causes.
You have a plethora of teachers, mentors, and advisors equipping you with ancient knowledge that is only told through word of mouth, exactly the way the wise ones did it back in the day, when you had to learn and apply it to teach others. August is ensuring your foundation is built; ask yourself what your foundation is built from. What drives you to do what you do everyday? That same fuel is your passion to double up this round. Just know even when you are on top and when you hit the ground, you can still manage because you are equipped with the tools, skills, and resources to build from scratch on your own.
It’s time to tidy up on things. Jupiter’s transit in Gemini has loose lips that sink ships, and everyone is talking and meeting up. This is not a time to be a showboat. How many ships or boats that you will hear about will sink during this Jupiter transit? Jupiter in Gemini is the community or team effort, be it via invite-only events, small press conferences, releases about community development, contacts, contracts, proposals, budgets being approved and signed, and outreach. Set the tone for the next six months of your life and make something happen every month.
As you prepare yourself to leave one cycle, the old energy grabs your attention to lure you back in. When you are ready, it’s easier for you to move forward in life without any hesitation. You know what’s best for you and gradually, you can do it. It’s about being in alignment mentally, spiritually, physically, soulfully, and financially to attract what you need to receive. What you attract will pour into you and you, in turn, pour into others. Change is a part of life, especially when it’s time to give something up that’s not healthy for your spiritual evolution.
August is a month to reap the benefits of what you did in April. Something you are doing will be public this week, or you are doing things in the public eye, either in-person or within the social platform. A celebration for your time, effort, money, investment, sweat, highs, and lows experience are on the agenda, as is the revolving cycle of old and new before the new voyage takes place. The more you grow, the bigger the responsibility; just keep track of inventory, input, and output. Clear out your space to organize and make room for more investment or production within your services.
Question: Did someone turn up the music? Do you feel things are heating up? Do you hear what the reporter is reporting? Is it right or wrong information? Is there really a right or wrong answer or way to do things? This week may seem more like an illusion when you detach yourself from everything and allow everything to pass you by. Then you ask yourself, is this life of mine real? What is life about? One way to find out is tapping into your spiritual self first by mediating, listening to drums, music, or something that can put you in a relaxed state of mind for you to see yourself. Only then will you realize how real life is.
August is a month to stand your ground and stay in your circle. It’s up to you to rise to the occasion and know that there’s a door that opens leading you into a new direction. South node in Libra is at 9 degrees, indicating that some form of revolutionary change, both within yourself and on the global scale, needs balance. What’s on your agenda? When creating a master plan to rebuild your image, brand, or character, there is always room to make improvement. It all starts with you.
August is a preview of what's to come in September from the dedicated work you’ve applied. Watch the story playing out as all the pieces of the puzzle begin to form into a picture. This is the internal work for the physical work that has been taking place since late September last year. Rewards are due for the investment made. Although you had to apply some skin in the game with elbow grease during the tough times, the position you place yourself in is more valuable. When credit is due, it’s due. No one can stop your vision or mission leading up to your purpose. Walking by faith is essential as you walk into the unknown this month.
What makes a leader is the person’s faith, attitude, confidence, vision, determination, grit, commitment, and the fortitude to carry out one mission. August sets the tone for a new start and new ways of operating with a solid foundation, building from step one until the foundation is complete. Last year you planted the seeds, and this year, germination is taking place. Next year you will receive a taste of the blooming cycle ahead. Whatever this new feeling is for you, keep the fuel and be the light and the dark to weather the experience, gathering tools and resources to teach others along the way.
Miami’s ’24 Swim and Resort looks
By RENEE MINUS WHITE Fashion & Beauty Editor
At the ’24 Swim and Resort Week, held recently at the Perez Art Museum in Miami, Fla., the fashion emphasis was on creativity, sustainability, and diversity. Presented by Flying Solo, well over 40 emerging swimwear brands made a sensational splash on the runway. The swim styles were amazing and sexy; the audience went wild.
This year’s Miami Swim and Resort Week show was a testament to the talent and innovation of emerging designers and a celebration of sustainable fashion, vibrant colors, and the beautiful di -
versity of models.
Sustainability was a key theme, and many brands showcased eco-friendly designs. It was inspirational to see how many designers are paying attention to the planet. The commitment to sustainability aligns with Flying Solo’s values of supporting ethical fashion.
Soft, pretty pastel tones stood out, with hues ranging from pale pinks to gentle blues and mint greens. These colors brought a fresh, light feeling, perfectly suited for the summer season. Bold and vibrant colors were lively and exciting, too.
Behind the scenes, the show’s creative director Alina Kotsiuba collaborated with
different designers and ensured that each collection was presented perfectly. Another highlight of the show was the diversity of the models. Flying Solo believes fashion should be inclusive and represent all kinds of beauty. The runway featured models of different sizes, ethnicities, and backgrounds, reflecting the true diversity of U.S. society. This inclusivity added a rich, authentic dimension to the show, making it more relatable and inspiring for everyone.
A trend report from Launchmetrics Spotlight indicated that the world’s fashion catwalks are showing five new concepts. This new season’s swimwear looks are romantic and designed especially for elegant social
gatherings. Colors are subdued, and not as bright as last season, although the tones are absolutely beautiful.
After-swim beachwear and boardwalk styles exuded more glamor and glitter. Details included softer chiffon cover-ups; straps and strings; hats attached to hems, shirt tails, or waists. Unexpected cutouts popped up, along with a variety of coverup fabrics. Designers used more denim, khaki, natural colors, and prints. Moss green emerged often.
Recycling and upcycling of seaside clothes will continue. Swim fashion creations are much more magical, and the looks were all cross-generational.
Designs from Miami’s ’24 Swim and Resort collection (Photos courtesy of Flying Solo PR)
Here’s to Harlem Week turning 50—‘Celebrate the Journey’
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Harlem Week has been a staple event in the community for decades. It’s a heartwarming and raucous occasion that Harlem natives look forward to and newbies in the neighborhood have come to appreciate. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the celebration.
“Harlem was heaven,” recalled former Harlem resident Theda Pinkney, 103. Born in Philadelphia, Pinkney moved to Harlem in 1925 “on the block with Sammy Davis Jr.” Fresh from the Harlem Renaissance, Pinkney fondly remembers the buzzing parades, Freemason clubs, dancing, political figures, and Apollo Theater shows that built the foundational spirit of the community—a time before Harlem Week was even conceived.
Now a week-long event, it was initially just Harlem Day, a one-time event organized by the late Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton in 1974. Sutton chaired what was the Uptown Chamber of Commerce, known today as the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce (GHCC). The event was also produced by Blackfrica Promotions, an organization that included Lloyd Williams, the current president and CEO of GHCC.
“The theme for Harlem Week’s 50th anniversary is ‘Celebrate the Journey,’” Williams said. “It’s an invitation to our annual participants and first-time visitors to salute a half-century of Harlem Week and its many contributions to Harlem, and the ‘Harlems of the world.”
Harlem’s greatest minds and talents from the 1920s and ’30s, like poet Maya Angelou, writer James Baldwin, actor Sidney Poitier, singer/actor/activist Harry Belafonte, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, Amsterdam News publisher Bill Tatum, and U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, contributed to the vision for the celebration. This year’s anniversary will honor Sutton, as well as pay tribute to the original founders and celebrity supporters who were present 50 years ago.
“It never entered my mind back in 1974 that Harlem Week would be a national and historic occasion, and at the same time, provide so many economic opportunities for a countless number of people,” said Rangel, 94, in a recent interview with AmNews.
“And Harlem Week is just one of the extraordinary accomplishments of Lloyd Williams. I remember when Percy Sutton and I thought about such an event as little more than a block party. I have learned so much from the people who have been a part of the celebration—their talents and entrepreneurship have been indispensable to
the community’s development. The Chamber has done a great job with superb staff and leadership. I don’t think anything like Harlem Week has been done anywhere in the country.”
The intention behind the original event was to uphold Harlem’s thriving businesses and religious, educational, arts, and cultural institutions during a time of economic hardships. It was considered by actor and producer Ossie Davis as the beginning of Harlem’s “second Renaissance.” It was first held on West 138th Street and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard with a concert on the plaza of the state office building featuring musical artists like Tito Puente and Chuck Jackson.
The spirit of the first Harlem Week celebrations has carried through to the present day with a focus on moving Black art, music, and culture forward. The week honors seniors and Black figures both past and present. The event also highlights issues of racial injustice, education, technology, the impact of climate change on communities of color, legislative policies, banking and finance, and improving health outcomes in Black and Brown communities.
Harlem Week has been a beloved time for Assemblymember-elect Jordan J. G. Wright, 29, a Harlem native who grew up in Riverdale on 135th Street, and not just because his birthday is also in August. His father, Keith Wright, was the assemblymember for the district he was just elected to serve.
“I remember my mother was the special events coordinator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, so she had a booth. I would always be there helping people — I’d do work myself. My dad would come around and I’d walk around with him,” said Wright, recalling his earliest memories of the event.
“It was really, really always a well-known part of the summer for me. Right around my birthday. An integral part of my upbringing, Harlem Week.”
Wright has enjoyed the children’s village, the tennis tournament, and seeing concerts with popular performers over the last 20 years, as well as spending time with electeds who came to visit the Frederick E. Samuel Community Democratic Club on West 135th Street during the week-long celebration.
“Harlem Week is when the whole city comes to Harlem, and they indulge in everything that we have.,” said Wright about this year’s anniversary. “From the vendors to our restaurants, it’s just a great opportunity for the neighborhood.”
From August 3–18, this year’s celebration will feature more than 100 family-friendly events, culminating along 135th Street
with four stages of live entertainment, international food vendors, and exhibitors at the “Summer in the City” and “Harlem Day” events, said Williams. On the last day, GHCC will recognize Tony Award-winning Broadway star Kara Young, from Broadway’s “Purlie Victorious”; Tony Awardnominated “Purlie” director Kenny Leon; and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who captured a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway play “Seven Guitars.”
“I’m excited about Harlem’s evolution, and how far the neighborhood has come since the economically depressed 1970s when we started Harlem Week with the
first Harlem Day,” said Williams. “I’m proud to say that for 50 years, Harlem Week has continually uplifted the spirits of uptown residents; supported the growth of small businesses, [and] residential and commercial construction; and encouraged the expansion of higher education institutions and medical facilities. Importantly, Harlem Week has been responsible for many improvements in infrastructure, transportation, and other areas that have directly benefited Harlemites and neighborhood visitors.”
For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.harlemweek.com.
An economic development project
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Reproduced
Harlem Week:
New York Amsterdam News (1962-); Aug 11, 1984; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Amsterdam News pg. 26
Harlem Week co-founder Marvin Kelly displays the art of leather
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
First name Marvin, middle name Sinclair: M. SIN is the nom de plume that the artist Marvin Kelly uses when he is presenting his art.
Kelly has constructed leather-crafted, wearable art objects for the last 50+ years. His MarvinSin.com website displays the pocketbooks, earrings, bracelets, and cellphone pouches he etches with African-inspired carvings and drawings.
Crafting wearable art became one of Kelly’s central sources of income back when he was in college at Columbia University. He usually made drawings and paintings, but one day, he saw his roommate working with Tandy carving leather, and the prospect of sketching his designs on this special type of canvas lured him in.
“One of the reasons that I shifted from painting into what we call wearable art or craft was because many of the painters who I admired and respected were kind of waiting on a line, on a long line––waiting to be
noticed or acknowledged or appreciated––and the line wasn’t moving,” Kelly reflected. “To be an artist, a Black artist, rendering imagery reflective of our culture? Back then, there was no room for it, no space for it. Even the Black curators turned their noses up at it, so, there was no room, and I thought, what’s the use of getting on the end of a line that’s not moving? Let me start my own lane.”
Kelly continued making art throughout his college years, even when he was approved for a work-study assignment at NYCHA’s Grant Houses. There he met Lloyd Williams, the future CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, who at that time was director of an afterschool teen recreation program. Together, the two came up with a cultural project program of entertainment, African fashions, and projects for the kids. Their success led them to create an event planning company called Blackfrica Promotions, which was designed to connect community members to their African culture.
“I guess the difference in our perspec-
tive was that it was like, ‘Come as you are: African.’ With most other organizations, you had to kind of go through a ritual transformation: You had to change your name, your attire, your something, to represent your African spirit. Our model was to say, ‘You’re an African any way that you exist.’ We were using that to invite people to experience a culture that, in many cases, they felt excluded from, because again, you had to jump through and over these hurdles or through these hoops to be connected to it.”
Blackfrica Promotions and Kelly and Williams’s active participation with Percy Sutton and Charles Rangel’s local political club led to their being invited to helm the Harlem Chamber of Commerce ,which had an almost 90% white membership at the time. They weren’t sure about the best way to reach out to Harlem’s local Black organizations and bring them into the Chamber of Commerce until they came up with the idea to create a “Harlem Day”––a platform that would showcase some of the work and projects of organizations that were active in the Harlem community.
“The image of the Harlem community was very negative,” Kelly recalled. “There was still a lot of drugs, some no-go zones in the Harlem community, places you really didn’t even want to be at after dark. There was that image issue. The combination of putting a brighter light, [a] positive face, on the Harlem community and allowing some of the organizations that were doing great work to showcase what they were doing became a collaboration of meeting with all these folks and talking about the idea and getting their input. That was the genesis.”
Sutton’s political pull allowed them to get all the city agencies––from the transit police to sanitation––to cooperate with the planning for Harlem Day. Buses were re-routed and the police cordoned off the street. But on the morning of August 28, 1974, Harlem Day began in pouring rain.
“We had a cut-off time of maybe about 8 a.m. or something where we had to give a go or no-go to the agencies, about whether this was going to happen or not. At around
7:30 or so, it tapered off a little bit and I remember that some of the members from the National Black Theater and our group, Blackfrica—we walked out into the rain, and…it stopped raining, and it was on. The rest, as they say, is history. But…it was inches away from never happening.” Kelly no longer lives in New York City. Although born and raised in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Kelly said the pace of life in New York didn’t work for him. As Blackfrica Promotions took off, he began regularly planning two to three events a week, “and before you could resolve one, there were two more on the plate, and then you did those and there were more. There was never a time to reflect, analyze, grow from the event: It was just a rapid succession of things, things, always things, and you were still functioning at that same pace. It was just too fast for my spirit, and I could never see the fruits of my labor; I was giving and giving and giving, and there was nothing feeding me back. After a while, it just wore me down.” Kelly still returns every year to take part in Harlem Week. Since 1979, he has had a designated table at the event where folks can purchase his culturally inspired, wearable art.
Marvin Kelly with some of his leather-etched art pieces (Photos courtesy of Marvin Kelly)
New Yorker
A selection of Harlem Week 2024 events to enjoy
By NADINE MATTHEWS Special to the AmNews
Harlem Week began 50 years ago as a one-day event called Harlem Day. The goals were building a sense of community and bolstering the local economy. It was so successful that subsequent events were held over more days. Now, as Harlem Week ushers in its golden anniversary, it is a highly anticipated annual summer event (lasting a bit longer than a week) celebrating the best of Harlem’s people, history, and culture through a variety of events and discussions. Here are some of the events happening during this year’s Harlem Week, starting on August 7.
August 7
6 p.m., Climate Change Conference
Climate change, which can already be felt by all New Yorkers in warmer average temperatures compared to years ago, is poised to have a disproportionate impact on the Black community. In recognition of this fact, the Columbia Climate School and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce are putting on their Climate Change Conference for the third year, to discuss the threat it poses and solutions to neutralize some of its effects. (Adam Clayton Powell Office Building)
August 8
4 p.m., Uptown Night Market
Made for food lovers and food adventurers, this annual event is a celebration of global cuisines from a plethora of food vendors, punctuated by cultural and family activities. (701 W. 133rd Street, https://www. maschospitalitygroup.com/uptownnightmarket)
7 p.m., Indoor/Outdoor Film Festival
With screenings through August 18, this film series features films made in and around Harlem. Harlem Historic Tours will introduce some of the films and provide info about their history and connection to Harlem. Featured film will be “Black Nativity,” starring Angela Bassett, Mary J. Blige, and Jennifer Hudson. (Location TBD)
August 9
10 a.m., Senior Citizens Day
The day’s events include health demonstrations, health testing, performances, exhibits, the Demystifying Technology panel, the Senior Hat Fashion Show, and more. (Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Office Building)
August 10
7 a.m., Summer Streets
A day of non-stop fun where attendees come together for biking, walking, running, jumping, meditating, skipping, skating, dancing, and live music! (109th Street and Park Avenue–125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.)
5 a.m. start, Harlem 5K Run and Walk and Children’s Run
For some New Yorkers, this marathon is second only to the New York City Marathon. Sponsored by New York Road Runners and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, it has attracted runners and walkers from all over the world. (W. 135th Street)
7 p.m., Great Jazz on Great Hill
Jazzmobile and the Central Park Conservancy Present “Great Jazz On The Great Hill” featuring performances from internationally acclaimed artists. Attendees are encouraged to sing along and kick up their heels. (Central Park Great Hill, 103rd–107th Streets)
August 11
12 noon–7 p.m., Great Day in Harlem
The International Village opens, with vendors and exhibitors of arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing, unique accessories, international foods, and more. Entertainment from the stage is presented in four segments: Artz, Rootz, & Rhythm, featuring local, community, and emerging performers of varying genres; the Gospel Caravan, with local, national, and international performers; AFRIBEMBE, presented by the Caribbean Cultural Center, a celebration of the diaspora, tracing the journey from Africa through the Caribbean and to Harlem; and Concert Under the Stars, featuring national and international performers backed by the Harlem Music Festival All-Star Band, led by
“Music Director to the Stars” Ray Chew. (Ulysses S. Grant National Memorial, Riverside Drive)
August 12
10 a.m.–3 p.m., Children’s Conference and Hackathon
The Children’s Conference presents panel discussions by and for young adults, exploring issues of importance to them. The Hackathon is a contest for middle and high school students to come up with technological solutions to some of the issues from the panels, with presentation of prizes to winners. (Location TBD)
August 13
12 noon–3 p.m., Economic Development Day
Small-business owners, representatives from corporations, and political representatives come together for discussions about community development, economic development & diversity, and Technology & Cyber-security. (Location TBD)
3–5 p.m., Arts and Culture/Broadway Summit
Black talent has always played a pivotal role behind and in front of the scene in arts and culture, enriching culture and economy significantly. This summit features conversations with actors, producers, directors, and those behind the scenes in the theater industry. (Location TBD)
August 14
7:30–8 p.m., Harlem on My Mind
This series of conversations runs through August 15 and features a range of topics germane to Harlem history, culture, and community by “Harlem-inspired” thought leaders. (Location TBD)
10 a.m.–4 p.m., Jobs and Careers Fair
More than 40 companies representing banking & finance, city services, climate, construction, education, health, hospitality, restaurants, technology, transportation, and more will be ready to meet and greet prospective employees. Career development workshops will be featured. RSVP at: https://bit.ly/ghcc2024jobsandcareerfair. (CCNY, 160 Convent Avenue)
August 15
9 a.m.–3 p.m., Black Health Matters Summer Health Summit and Expo Health professionals and patient advocates will share stories of perseverance and resilience, and offer strategies to leverage science and technology to benefit your health. Free health screenings, prizes. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. (Alhambra Ballroom)
6–9:45 p.m., Banking and Finance for Small Business and Entrepreneurs Industry experts will offer advice and tips for maximizing profit. (Chase Community Bank, 55 W. 125th Street)
For more info, visit https://harlemweek.com/.
(Bill Moore photo)
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’—a hilarious and unlikely team-up pokes fun at Hollywood
The insanely funny Deadpool franchise continues with the newest installment, released this week. This time, he brings a friend in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
The potty-mouthed anti-hero opens the film by dissing the company that distributes the movie, Disney, calling them “stupid,” which gives you an idea of how hard he’s going to poke into the fabric of Hollywood.
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), a.k.a. Wade Wilson, has appeared in Marvel Comics but has lived a bit afar from the insanely wealthy Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Way-back-Wednes day (six years ago), when he was rocking it in “Deadpool 2,” the fastflying, foul-mouthed “superhero” was squeezed into the MCU, nestled with the X-Men, which was part of the Hol lywood machine change in management when Disney snatched up 20th Century Fox in 2019.
Deadpool explains the his tory of messy-messy Hollywood cor porations at the top of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” so, as an audience, we can be on the same page to understand the jabs tucked into the film. Using history and well-crafted snark, we are told this film will make an effort not to destroy the memory of X-Man Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), a.k.a. Logan, who was laid to rest in 2017.
The hilarious first two Dead pool movies set out to make fun of old-fashioned superhero movies, where the
lead character always broke the fourth wall, keeping the audience up to speed (in real time) with the crazy things happening around him. It worked then. It works now. Deadpool is still
Now that Deadpool has space to play in the lucrative MCU, it’s given the creative team more room to bring the crazy. And that “crazy” includes unexpected mash-ups, plotlines, and cameos. Deadpool still yearns to join the Avengers, giving the creative team a big, lush, and fertile ground to stay true to the type of humor that’s made the franchise lucrative.
Directed by Shawn Levy, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is the comedic gem that
keeps on giving. Now to the trauma of this crossover with Wolverine—a character who’s been an object of teasing since the first “Deadpool.”
Deadpool and Wolverine share some important origin points. Where Deadpool laughs at his terrible (terrible) situation, Wolverine stews in anger. Now both are officially middle-aged. It’s almost like the brass behind the movie was saying “iT’s now or never,” since Reynolds is 47 and Jackman is 55.
The stakes have always been high, but since the seismic shift in moviegoers around the world (hello, streaming), the pressure to succeed is now absurdly high. This need for corporate synergy is about milking every bit of money a project can, and it will. MCU properties generate big revenue. Forget the crazy plots and tangled web. It’s about money, money, money.
And with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” that means pushing it to the limit, which is Deadpool’s specialty.
There are no real spoilers in this film. It’s a laugh from the moment you walk in and keeps you laughing until the credits roll.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” has its crazy twists and insane turns, staying firmly on the villain trope. How can you have heroes without villains? Answer: You can’t.
It’s as rude as you remember. Irreverent. Disgusting. Weird. Uncomfortable, but at times, sweet. What keeps you glued for the ride is the chemistry between Reynolds and Jackman. They are just fun to watch.
At this point, we have accepted that the MCU just churns out the same stuff, from the same stuff factory. Nothing is new or exciting or unexpected. But Reynolds and Deadpool live in the unexpected—a disruptor that just keeps getting better and better.
The joke in “Deadpool & Wolverine” hides a lot of truth, though, offering an unusual look into the entertainment corporate mergers and the fight about intellectual property, which is cutthroat business. It’s an insightful look at how Hollywood will always (always) rise and repeat material over and over again, thereby starving creative people to their death.
Kudos to the very rich Reynolds. “Deadpool & Wolverine” is smart (like Reynolds) and bold. We return to where we started, with the genius Deadpool telling us that “Disney’s so stupid”—the very corporation that made the movie and reaps the rewards from the movie. Proving that Hollywood will never change.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is directed by Shawn Levy; written by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, and Shawn Levy. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh
and Jon
Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen,
Favreau.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/ Logan in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ DEADPOOL
(L-R): Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, and Randall Reeder as Buck 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios’ DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE.
Go Africa Carnival celebrates sixth year of celebration in Harlem
By ENOCH NAKLEN
On July 20, rhythmic beats from African instruments reverberated across Central Park’s northern portion, while a tantalizing aroma of spices from a myriad of African cuisines filled the air around West 116th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, making for a sensory experience for hundreds of eager participants. The nucleus: Go Africa Carnival, now in its sixth year of vibrant cultural festivity in Harlem.
The event’s annual goal is connecting patrons and passersby with dozens of owners of pop-up shops and local businesses. From symbolic iron patches and Black-owned animated stickers to African crystal beads and herbal tonics, the carnival showcased a variety of creative companies looking for a much-needed outlet. Additionally, emerging musical artists rotated between three different stages, attracting diverse crowds of impressed listeners soaking in the collective joy in the vicinity.
Arye Harmony was one of the many artists given this opportunity. Talking to an audience on one of the most significant stages she’s been on in her early career, she took the opportunity to debut some of her newest songs.
“The Go Africa Harlem Festival opened other festivals and event doors for me. Also, like others, it pulls me in the creativity and culture of what it represents,” Harmony told the AmNews
Repeat vendors who have attended the Go Africa Carnival for years now report an uptick in sales after every event. Face, the owner of the clothing brand Vesta Klozet, looks forward to the event every year, as it is the best time to promote his “custom upcycled one-of-a-kind pieces that highlight independent creativity.”
“Participating in the Go Africa Carnival has given us valuable visibility among
our target audience, significantly boosting brand awareness and business,” Face said.
Dr. Dennie Beach, president of the Go Africa Network Inc., spearheaded this event and was particularly interested in establishing a symbiotic relationship between all sellers and his nonprofit organization. In exchange for a fixed rate, vendors could rent tents, tables, chairs, and more, including stage time and shoutouts periodically throughout the event.
“We want to make sure that we work with the merchants and vendors so they can make money and have licenses from the event so they can go to any street festival,” Beach said.
The 2024 Go Africa Carnival also pointed to its resurgence in activity after a year’s hiatus due to unforeseen circumstances. The idea for such a celebration originated in 2014 when 15 accomplished college graduates rooted in African lineage sought to uplift African culture around New York City.
Although the first iteration of the event was relatively small, only taking up half of a street, the team of all African men strung together three more annual events, renaming it the Go Africa Carnival by 2018. The
Go With The Flo
Will Smith, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Jawn Murray are on the move.
Word on the curb is Will Smith has signed with a new record label. The Oscar-winning actor debuted his new single “You Can Make It” with Fridayy and Sunday Service during last month’s BET Awards. Will’s new label, SLANG, is led by music executive Rene McLean, a partner and founding adviser at Influence Media Partners. Before releasing “You Can Make It,” Will hadn’t put out any new music since “Get Lit” in 2017. According to People, the Fresh Prince’s last album, “Lost and Found,” was released in 2005…
Martha’s Vineyard was the setting for two fundraisers for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign on July 29. The Vice President was not in attendance for either of the events. Instead, her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, did double duty and stood in for his wife. The first soiree of the day was hosted by former “Late Night” host David Letterman at a friend’s home. Letterman has a house in Edgartown. The tickets went for $1,000 and $5,000, with the $1,000 price tag selling out. The second event was hosted by producer/director Reginald Hudlin and his wife Chrisette Suter Hudlin, who is a very close friend of Madame Harris…
event grew in size and popularity, making Go Africa an increasingly anticipated event in Harlem during the summer. However, after COVID-19 put an indefinite pause on all outdoor life around the city, Go Africa, like all other outdoor festivals, was forced to stunt its progress while the world recovered. By 2022, the Go Africa Carnival could return for another rendition before taking a year’s break. This year, however, brought forth the most anticipated event in Go Africa’s early career.
Dr. Samuel Jones, the chief medical officer at Go Africa Health, estimates that over 10,000 people from around the United States came to check out the carnival, which is desirable for tourists and locals alike. He emphasizes the importance of being inclusive in how the festival is advertised in conjunction with being an Afrocentric activity, as it’s the culmination of all interested consumers.
“We have people coming down from D.C., Philadelphia, and Houston wanting to participate in the event. Our beginnings were all about the African diaspora, but it has taken on an identity as an event for everyone,” Jones said.
“SHERRI” may be on its summer break, but the show’s executive producer Jawn Murray is on the move. Murray is featured on the cover of his alma mater Norfolk State University’s magazine, Behold, and recently won his second Telly Award for “SHERRI.” Murray also recently showcased his culinary skills on an episode of Cleo TV’s “Just Eats with Chef JJ.” Murray also hosted the induction ceremony for the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame and sat in with Rosanna Scotto on Fox-TV’s “Good Day NY”… We hear:
…On July 25, the Southampton AfricanAmerican Museum Gala was chaired by Jean Shafiroff, Martin Shafiroff, Aisha Christian, and Michael Steifman. The event, which took place at the Southampton Inn in Southampton, New York, honored the museum’s cofounder Brenda Simmons…
Sightings:
…Duchess of Sussex Meaghan Markle was at the G9 Ventures Summit at the home of investor Amy Griffin on July 26 in the Hamptons…
Special to the AmNews
(Enoch Naklen photos)
Anita Harrington, Brenda Simmons, Jean Shafiroff and Aisha Christian at the Southampton African-American Museum Gala. (Photo by Ambassador Images)
Baldwin centennial, Auyo, Village Vanguard
On August 2, “A Century of Baldwin: The Legacy Lives!” will commemorate the centennial birthday of the brutally honest writer and civil/human rights activist James Baldwin at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall (1941 Broadway) at 7:30 p.m., on the day of his actual birthday. The evening will feature luminaries in art, literature, and culture in celebration of Baldwin’s lasting impact and will include a special performance by Grammy Award-winning artist, songwriter, and activist Rhymefest, as well as acknowledgments and tributes from the Baldwin family.
Baldwin, a native son born at Harlem Hospital on August 2, 1924, carried on the intellectual and political legacy of the Harlem Renaissance. His fiery words, razor-sharp and hotter than a southern barn fire (that appeared in his essays, novels, plays, and poems), were a continued catalyst for the social, political, and economic inequities of America.
It is important to mention that Baldwin’s early inspiration as a student at Harlem’s Frederick Douglass Junior High School was supported by Herman W. Porter, faculty advisor to the school newspaper and Harvard graduate. His other influence at the school was Harlem Renaissance poet Countee Cullen. In 1938, he attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, where he was further influenced by his teachers Richard Avedon, Emile Capouya, and Sol Stein. (In this 21st century, the question to ask is what happened to such outstanding public school faculty members?)
“A Century of Baldwin: The Legacy Lives!” is co-produced by choreographer George Faison and the James Baldwin Centennial Committee (JBCC), an arm of the Estate composed of Baldwin’s nieces and nephews, created to facilitate special initiatives in conjunction with the centenary.
The New York Public Library will celebrate the Baldwin centenary with special exhibitions and free programs for all ages. Visit “Celebrating 100 Years of James Baldwin” for more information or www.jamesbaldwin100.org.
For Alice Tully Hall tickets, call 212-8755456 or visit guestexperience@lincolncenter.org.
Black people have been contributing to European classical music as musicians and composers since the 1700s, from the Chevalier de Saint-Georges and Florence Price to William Grant Still. In 2021, New York’s Metropolitan Opera opened its doors for the first Black-composed opera in its 138year history, which has been followed by
Gary Bartz at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz CA July 7, 2017. (Photo by Brian McMillen / brianmcmillen@hotmail.com / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gary_Bartz_KJC.jpg)
more such operas (two composed by Terence Blanchard and one by Anthony Davis).
Africa’s love of classical music and commitment to performance will be highlighted on August 3 at Carnegie Hall (881-7th Avenue) for the North American debut of the Africa United Youth Orchestra (AUYO), organized by South Africa’s national orchestra, the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra. The AUYO is an ensemble comprising orchestral musicians from several African countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Led by American conductor William Eddins, the first half of the concert highlights works by South African composers Michael Mosoeu Moerane, Mzilikazi Khumalo, and Bongani Ndodana-Breen. This project is spearheaded by Bongani Tembe, artistic director and chief executive of the Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra (Mzansi Philharmonic).
“Two years ago, Carnegie Hall wanted to form a youth orchestra from each continent, so for me, Clive Gillison, executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall, was the catalyst for this orchestra,” said Tembe during a Whatsapp conversation. “We asked musicians around the world, advertising to high schools and colleges. The interest was quite surprising, with over 200 young people applying. We were able to finally get that number down to a working ensemble of 65 and had our first in-person rehearsal in Pretoria just a few weeks ago.”
Tembe said he sent the students their orchestral parts to study and practice with their teachers. AUYO ages range from 19–28. Most attend college, but a few are professional musicians. “Seeing these young people from all over Africa collaborating brought so much joy and tears to my eyes,” said Tembe. “There are at least eight to nine different languages being spoken among these students. This orchestra high-
lights the young peoples’ skills and offers them experience and opportunities at the highest level. It is a cultural exchange that brings young people together through the music. They are our future.”
The Africa United Youth Orchestra is part of Carnegie Hall’s World Orchestra Week (WOW) August 1–7, which features nightly concerts by International Youth Orchestras from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the USA.
The Week of WOW! Festival Performances can be heard via Carnegie Hall Live, on WQXR 105.9 and WQXR.org.
For tickets and a complete schedule, visit the website carnegiehall.org.
NEA Jazz Master saxophonist and composer Gary Bartz makes his way to the Blue Note jazz club (131 West 3rd Street) from August 8–11. Their website didn’t share his band members, but it’s the legendary Bartz, so fans know he is going to be outrageous— his music over the last six decades says it all. Listen to him on Jackie McLean’s “Ode to Super” (Steeple Chase 1973) or anything with his own Ntu Troop, where he adds dashes of jazz soul and funk, with help from his soprano sax.
Bartz played with the likes of Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln before embarking on a stint with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He later got the call from Miles Davis to perform with his band at the Isle of Wight Festival that led to the 1971 album “Live-Evil” (Columbia Records).
He has released more than 45 solo albums and appears on more than 200. Recently, he recorded with the young visionary team of Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge for their label Jazz Is Dead. Shows each night at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. For tickets, visit bluenotejazz.com.
At the Blue Note from August 12–14, David Murray, Questlove, and Ray Angry come together as Plumb. No leader here! Just a trio of creative geniuses pushing that jazz envelope to the edge of infinity. In 2024, drummer, DJ, and eclectic producer Questlove (bandleader of the Roots, in-house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) of such musicians as D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Fiona Apple, joined with keyboardist Angry and tenor saxophonist Murray, who is just as proficient on his bass clarinet, to record the album “Plumb” (J.M.I. Recordings)
“The musicianship is very high and everything goes on quite quickly,” said Murray. “We recorded 16 reels that day—just lots of improvisation. Ray is like a sponge and goes everywhere and Questlove is very poetic.” Murray, a founding member of the World Saxophone Quartet, known for his furious flurries of hard bop and avant garde improv, along with his beautiful rhythmic ballads, said he is looking forward to an exciting engagement.
Navy Clubhouse
Continued from page 3
most money to pay claims against it by selling its Navy Yard Clubhouse.
Once Alloy purchased the property, they heard about the anger and distrust so many neighboring NYCHA families felt towards anyone taking over the building. Alloy re-opened the Clubhouse and brought the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Foundation back to manage it for the next few years. Alloy also began making efforts to meet with Farragut and nearby Ingersoll Houses tenants: it has held meetings with community representatives and contacted local Council Member Crystal Hudson, it even held an open house on June 1 to introduce itself to the community.
Now, Alloy is also bringing on Taj Gibson and his recently formed community-driven development firm GFB Development (GFB) to serve as co-developers of the Clubhouse. Gibson, who earlier this month signed a 1-year, $3.3 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets, is known to be serious about giving back to the community he came from. Raised in Ingersoll Houses, Gibson recalls playing basketball with his friends at the Navy Yard Clubhouse. Back in 2020, the millionaire athlete used his non-profit Taj Gibson Foundation to partner with Scotch Painter’s Tape and Project Backboard for the refurbishing
of deteriorating blacktops at the Ingersoll Houses’ playground. Now he has created GFB as a vehicle so that he and his childhood friends, Tameek Floyd and Malik Brown, can have an impact on development projects like the transformation of the Navy Yard Clubhouse.
“GFB and Alloy have committed to providing a permanent community space, continuing the longstanding tradition of neighborhood programming on site,” a press release about the new partnership announced. “That space will be run by a to-be-determined operator based on local resident feedback and include tailored programming for neighborhood children, seniors, and families.”
Plans are for Alloy and GFB to begin holding a series of meetings with tenants from the nearby NYCHA communities of Farragut, Ingersoll, and Walt Whitman. The developers say they want to listen to what locals think about rezoning the site, upgrading the community center, and building more affordable housing.
Farragut residents who spoke to the AmNews outside of the building at 202 Sands Street already had a lot to say about the prospects for the redeveloped Clubhouse and any added affordable housing units. Five women and one man—a few of whom gave their names as Tracy, James, and Priscilla––spoke adamantly against the encroachment of luxury housing developments near their long-term, low-income apartment homes.
“This development is so that white people can come in here and take over. Or so the Chinese can come in here.”
“When they said affordable, it starts at $70,000 a year, so it’s not affordable. What’s affordable? Affordable is not $100G’s because we don’t have that, Mr. Taj. Affordable is not even 20G’s because we’re on welfare Mr. Taj.”
“All the affordable buildings out here, we can’t go in there. We can’t even afford them. And when they do allow you in, you got a low income––a different entrance than regular paying motherf--ers. All them buildings they’re doing downtown and they let low income in there? Low income coming through the back. Oh no, you don’t know? That’s a whole other world.”
“We don’t need no new apartments down here. We need community-based programs out here that’s what we need; we need something for the youth.”
“They ain’t had sh-- in there for the kids to do back in the day: y’all don’t have no swimming pools, y’all don’t have no activities in that building for the kids. Y’all just want them to come after school and they don’t even get homework help. It’s like they’re in daycare.”
“We don’t want them here. We don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t want them here. No. And they’re here. You’re not bringing up programs here for us. How many apartments are going to be for Section 8 and people with regular incomes?”
“There’s a lot of things we need down
here that they’re not investing in. But then they’re building all these high-rise buildings and it’s hard for us to get in those. You can’t even live down here no more. People want to relocate down south, which, that’s probably their plan to make it hard for us to live here because this is like a prime area, and they didn’t start building these coops and condos for nothing.”
Unemployment
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five boroughs that are experiencing high unemployment and Run This Town, a million-dollar advertising campaign highlighting thousands of available city government jobs. The administration said it is also on track to deliver over 14,000 apprenticeship opportunities by the end of 2024.
Last month, Mayor Adams also announced the city’s first-ever community hiring effort, which the administration said will leverage more than $1.2 billion in city contracts to create more jobs. Community hiring, Adams said, allows the city to use its purchasing power, set hiring goals across city procurement contracts, and build on the success of existing project labor agreements and agency-specific hiring programs.
“We’re not stopping there, though—we won’t stop creating opportunities for all New Yorkers to thrive,” Adams said.
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CLASSROOM IN THE
Eddie ‘Midnight Express’ Tolan, the fastest person on the planet in 1932
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
Just in case you didn’t know, the Olympics got underway on Friday, and once again, thoughts of Eddie Tolan arrived. Okay, you knew Paris was alive with festivities, but I betcha didn’t know who the first non-white American to win two Gold Medals in the Olympics in 1932 was. Tolan, nicknamed the “Midnight Express,” was virtually undefeated as a sprinter in the early 1930s, setting all kinds of records in major events.
Born Thomas Edward Toland on September 29, 1908, in Denver, Colorado, he was one of four children. His father Thomas Tolan moved the family to Salt Lake City, Utah when Eddie was young and then five years later, in 1924, to Detroit. By then, he was 15 and looked forward to the promising opportunities his father often talked about. Eddie’s fame as a sprinter began at Cass Technical High School, where he set records in the 100 and 220-yard dashes. He was 16, with times of 9.8 in the 100 and 21.5 in the 220, and a member of the school’s team that won the National Interscholastic Indoor meet in Chicago in 1925. That began a series of victories, and he was equally fast on the football gridiron, even at 130 pounds. He often said that his greatest thrill came from scoring six touchdowns rather than double wins in the Olympics.
The acclaim he achieved in track and football in high school was not to be continued at the University of Michigan. There was much controversy on why he wasn’t allowed to be on the football team, but it’s hard to ignore the racism that permeated so much of American society then. Even so, whether it was racism or an injury, Eddie starred on the track turf, topping all competitors in the Big Ten. In 1929, as a sophomore, he ran 9.6 in the 100-yard dash, tying the world record. Chewing gum to relieve the tension, Eddie, his glasses taped to his head, gained international attention and was dubbed the “Midnight Express,” for his
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There was a profusion of obituaries, as might be expected of a great Olympian, and even recent ones in Hour Detroit magazine by George Bulanda in 2015.
DISCUSSION
It should be noted that Jesse Owens, who once lived in Detroit, always sought out Eddie whenever he visited the city.
PLACE IN CONTEXT
Eddie’s legacy is best traced through the Olympian pages, especially during the 1930s.
speed and color, we assume.
After graduating from Michigan, he enrolled at West Virginia State College to acquire a degree in teaching and coaching. But the track shoes were never unlaced very long, and by 1932 he was at Stanford University where he competed with the world-class sprinter Ralph Metcalfe. They would become the first African American sprinters to compete in the Olympics. In one of the closest races in the Olympics, Eddie edged out Metcalfe in the 100meter race, winning because his entire torso was across the finish line.
On the following day, the 200meter race was not close. Eddie beat Metcalfe in a record time of 21.2 seconds. This gave him not only a double gold medal in the Olympics but also the honor of “the fastest human.” Metcalfe would sadly experience setbacks four years later in Berlin, where he followed the great Jesse Owens across the finish line. Neither of his conquerors on the tender path, however,
could match Metcalfe’s distinguished career in the world of politics.
Eddie was celebrated each step of the way upon his return to Detroit, and his coup de grace occurred when Mayor Frank Murphy appointed a special reception committee to meet him at the Michigan Central train station where September 6, 1932 was proclaimed “Eddie Tolan Day” by Michigan Gov. Wilber M. Brucker throughout the state. More honors were heaped on him, even in 1936, when he was honored with a banquet during the first celebration of Champions Day in Detroit.
Unfortunately, the good times couldn’t last forever. It took several years for him to secure a decent-paying job that would be better than the one his brother had collecting waste paper from the grass in city parks. In 1933, he found employment as a filing clerk that did not pay him enough to take care of himself and his mother and father. Even the brief stint performing
with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson provided only temporary financial support, though it was rewarding spending time with Robinson who almost matched Eddie’s sprints running backward.
And if things weren’t bad enough, Eddie was driving when his car struck and seriously injured an elderly woman. However, he was able to get a little better job working as a clerk in Detroit’s register of deeds office. Things improved by 1956 after being employed as a teacher at Irving Elementary School, a position he would hold for several years. He never married and was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1982. He is also a member of the Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor and was a proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Eddie died of heart failure in 1967. He had been undergoing weekly dialysis treatments. He was 58 and is interred at United Memorial Gardens in Plymouth, Michigan.
THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY
July 29, 1909: Acclaimed author, Chester Himes, was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. He died in 1984.
July 30, 1964: Actress Vivica Fox was born in South Bend, Indiana.
July 31, 1959: Guitarist Stanley Jordan was born in Chicago.
Eddie Tolan (Photo courtesy of Flikr)
Spring mass arrests of pro-Palestinian student protesters evoke bail reform questions
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
Back in May, the Legal Aid Society (LAS) asked the Department of Investigation to look into the NYPD “unlawfully” holding and processing pro-Palestinian protesters during the highly-publized mass arrests at Columbia University and City College of New York on April 30.
The letter alleged at least 46 demonstrators were “unlawfully detained and processed” rather than issued desk appearance tickets (DATs) based on the legal defense organization’s review of the charges.
Bail reform legislation amending the New York Criminal Procedure Law in 2020 requires police to issue appearance tickets for many low-level criminal charges instead of traditionally arresting and detaining the alleged offender. The reforms curb pre-arraignment lockups and generally reduce interaction between New Yorkers and law enforcement. Police usually release those issued with an appearance ticket shortly after an arrest.
Jennvine Wong, supervising attorney of LAS’ Cop Accountability Project, says unique to protests arrests are mass processing cen-
facilities are justified due to efficiency, but can involve shuttling people past numerous precincts, including those who should not be held for pre-arraignment detention. In the case of the April 30 protests, demonstrators were taken from north of 110th Street all the way down to outside the Brooklyn Bridge.
“We’ve seen from 2020 [and] from recently, [protesters] get summonses and desk appearance tickets, and they get told to return to court,” she said. “So there is a real question here about whether or not they should be taken to a mass processing center at all, or whether they could be taken nearby off site and then given the summons and DATs at some other location and then released immediately.”
Columbia doctorate student Allie Wong (no relation to Jennvine Wong), one of the first protesters arrested and brought into One Police Plaza, recalled the chaos. Police separated demonstrators by gender, packing the men in a bullpen while initially placing women in individual cells.
“But they started packing them with other folks, once more arrests happened, and so for women, we were [in] a single file line being led into the women’s quarters,” she said. “It’s the women’s quarters in the sense that that’s where women are put, but it’s not wom-
Wong did not receive medical care in custody despite sustaining an injury during the arrest. When protesters witnessed alleged police misconduct during the booking process, Wong says they chanted the allegedly offending officer’s badge number and name, along with choruses of “we’re going to sue you.”
But concerns over appropriate DAT issuance are not unique to this past spring’s protests nor to protests in general. LAS’ current pending litigation against the NYPD alleges
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mandating desk appearance tickets instead. And proper DAT issuance plays a generally large role in the day-to-day carceral system.
“They are acute with protesters, but I just want to emphasize that it’s not just limited to protesters,” said Jennvine Wong. “This happens in the criminal legal system every day. And that’s a problem.”
To be clear, there remains some police discretion when deciding between issuing a DAT or conducting a custody arrest. But they center largely around gender-based violence, bail jumping, and charges leading to a suspended or revoked license. And Black and Brown New Yorkers face disproportionately higher rates of custody arrests for offenses typically reserved for DAT issuance, as reported by the AmNews in March.
The NYPD did not respond to requests for comment by press time. In May, the OIG confirmed receiving LAS’ letter, but did not comment further on whether an investigation will happen.
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
Columbia University student encampment this past spring. (Tandy Lau photo)
NYC Council passes dress code bills to protect LGBTQ+ and students of color
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
The New York City Council voted to pass two bills last week that would streamline universal dress code policies in city schools in an effort to stave off discriminatory practices, as a response to students’ and advocates’ concern that some existing policies can unfairly target LGBTQ+ youth and students of color.
Speaker Adrienne Adams in a statement said inequities in the city’s dress code policies were brought to the council’s attention by youth advocates as part of the council’s Young Women’s Initiative 2.0. The initiative was first launched in 2015 by former Speaker Mark Viverito. “By requiring greater transparency and calling for inclusivity in the dress code, our legislation can help advance anti-discrimination protections that support all students,” said Adams in a statement.
Resolution 292 calls for the Department of Education (DOE) to create more inclusive dress code policies for diverse cultures, gender expressions, and body diversity.
“The next step will be to engage in meaningful dialogue with our youth and the [DOE] to fine-tune the specifics of the dress code policy,” said Councilmember Althea Stevens, who sponsored the resolution. “It is vital for young people to shape the changes they want to see in their schools. I am committed to ensuring our city takes strides toward inclusivity, allowing the space for students to express themselves through their clothing.”
Bill 118-A, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, also requires the DOE to post dress code policies on its website, and aggregate data about each school’s violations and penalties by race and gender.
“Uneven dress code policies in New York City public schools have led to disproportionate discipline and consequences for students [who are] simply expressing themselves,” Ayala said in a statement. “Students and families should have the opportunity to easily access any school’s dress code policy in a central location on the Department of Education’s website and determine if their individual school’s policies are truly non-discriminatory and aligned with DOE guidelines. My hope is that this transparency will bring us toward consistent, inclusive, and fair policies across our school system that do not unjustly target our students.”
Some school leaders in the city are responding positively to the legislation because it aligns with their current rules.
“With the largest school system in the United States, having every school with their own dress code leads to unfairness
across each school zone. This also leads to stronger safety measures in our schools to limit bullying, thefts, and other behaviors that may be tied to seeing what one student has on compared to another who may not have the access to wear whatever,” said Jermaine Wes, principal of Uncommon Bedstuy East Middle School and president of Brooklyn Young Dems. His school already implements a uniform policy, but he said he believes the legislation is a step forward for equity, social, and cultural fairness across all city schools.
“My current school is uniform-based— parents find it convenient for their scholars and it allows for parents to easily purchase items aligned to the dress code, ultimately leading to saving money. I believe a universal dress code leads to effective, focused learning,” he continued.
According to Janella T. Hinds, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) vice president for academic high schools, said the legislation seems to focus more on the need for “open communication” about dress codes with families and students than the enforcement of new policies.
Hinds teaches social studies at the High School for Public Service: Heroes of Tomorrow in Brooklyn, where school uniforms are
mandatory. Sometimes students do genuinely push back against uniforms, she said, because they don’t like things that limit their self expression.
“The way we deal with it is to have conversations about the reality that in some professions, uniforms are mandatory and uniforms do serve a purpose,” Hinds said. “Even with the diversity of options we have available, students sometimes push back. They want to show who they are and express themselves, and being put into a box can be frustrating.”
Hinds is concerned about discrimination toward queer and disabled students, and students of color when it comes to clothing and expression. However, it’s the existing race and gender disparities of dress code violations and subsequent harsh punishments that she is really worried about, especially since there’s a systemic issue with overtly policing, sexualizing, and criminalizing young Black girls in many schools nationwide.
“We want to make sure there is even enforcement,” said Hinds. “We want to make sure this doesn’t become another vehicle for particular groups of students to be treated unfairly [or] for confrontation between teachers and students.”
At present, city schools have individual freedom to enforce their own dress code policies. There are, however, DOE dress code guidelines: Students have the right to determine their own attire, except where the clothing is “dangerous,” “interferes with the teaching and learning process,” or “violates the anti-discrimination policy.” The guidelines state that dress codes can’t prohibit students from wearing natural hairstyles, typically affiliated with Black and Brown students; can’t prohibit religious head coverings or du rags; and can’t require gender-specific attire or ban “distracting” clothing usually associated with girls.
“Per NYC Public Schools’ Dress Code Guidelines, dress codes are decided at the individual school level and require that schools examine their reasoning and justification for their respective policies, and schools must consider evolving generational, cultural, social, and identity norms,” said DOE Press Secretary Nathaniel Steyer in a statement. “Also, dress codes must be gender-neutral and cannot prohibit certain types of clothing that are stereotypically associated with one gender, and they must be implemented equally and in a non-discriminatory manner.”
City Councilmember welcomes students on first day of school, 2023. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit)
Race, and the Black Writer.” Many contemporary thought leaders, observers, and present-day activists consider it his most cogent “Black lives matter” speech.
“The intentions of this melancholy country, as concerns Black people, and anyone who doubts me can ask any Indian, have always been genocidal,” he explained to the crowd of mostly Black students. “When you try to slaughter a people and leave them with nothing to lose, you create somebody with nothing to lose. ‘If I ain’t got nothing to lose, what you gonna do to me?’”
Somehow between publishing his now highly respected book of film criticism, “The Devil Finds Work,” and the second-to-last of his novels, “If Beale Street Could Talk” (adapted for the screen in 2018 by director Barry Jenkins), he maintained a rigorous teaching schedule, working with students on the campuses of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Hampshire College; and Bowling Green State University. At the same time, he seemed to be looking back on his life, his travels, and the Civil Rights Movement, all of which he helped memorialize and define as well as the reverse. The short film “James Baldwin: From Another Place,” produced and directed by Sedat Pakay in 1970, explored his time living in Turkey, while for “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” he journeyed back down South to find surviving veterans of the rights struggle and eulogize its as-yet-unrealized mission.
Uncharted waters
Even in the years leading up to and following his mid-80s cancer diagnosis, Baldwin was compelled to chart new territory. Two critical writings published in Playboy magazine remain especially relevant with the rise of the MAGA movement and its embrace of a fossilized masculinity, then, separately, racism and violence that was both internal and external to the Black community. In 1985’s “Freaks and the American Ideal of Manhood” he dissembled cultural representations of manhood and masculinity against the sexual norms of the ’80s in the era of AIDS. At the time of his death in December 1987, he left behind two sadly unfinished works, including a novel, “No Papers for Muhammad,” which delves into the expatriate experience with racism, as well as “The Welcome Table,” a play in which he sought to directly address the specter of HIV/AIDS for gay people and the community at large.
“When he died, [Baldwin] wasn’t especially popular or sought after,” says Tara Phillips,” the American-born head of La Maison Baldwin, a legacy organization based in France.
“People all over are excited about him now, and his centennial,”she said, having just spoken to someone in Turkey about Baldwin. Phillips undertook the Herculean task of organizing a multi-day celebration of James Baldwin’s life in Paris, which will follow this summer’s Olympic Games.
We can expect to see an abundance of
riches to wrestle with James Baldwin the man, and his public legacy beginning with his birth date on August 2. Raoul Peck’s Academy Award-nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro” seeded and watered this hoped-for renaissance. Throughout September in Paris, La Maison Baldwin will mount a centennial festival, while in his beloved Harlem the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture will host a program of panel discussions, lectures, and screenings commencing July 31. Grammy-winning singer-bassist Meshell Ndegeocello is set to release her second album on the Blue Note label, “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin,” in his honor, while devoted fans hold conflicted feelings about Billy Porter’s upcoming Baldwin biopic.
A month-long group show entitled “God Made My Face” opened at the Chelsea-David Zwirner Gallery in early 2019. The work of more than a dozen artists, including photographers Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus, painter Beauford Delaney, as well works by younger creatives such as Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon, and Ja’Tovia Gary were shown. Curated by writer and critic Hilton Als, “God Made My Face” was a so-called “collective portrait of literary icon James Baldwin in whose written works the public was taking a renewed interest or discovering in that period.”
One of the pieces shown, “James Baldwin with a bust of himself sculpted by Larry Wolhander” was a photograph taken by Jane Evelyn Atwood in Paris in 1975. Wolhander’s bust is facing one direction with Baldwin standing in front of it, but looking toward the camera, as if he were more interested in being the one watching others, rather than himself. He noted in his later years that he was neither a member of a tribe, nor one community, but rather the constant observer. The generation of which he was a part and those that follow have ultimately been fed spiritually and intellectually because of that. Regardless of how the critics or public felt about the man and his creations in his lifetime, James Baldwin isn’t going anywhere.
How to take action and help protect older adults from scams
Sponsored content by JPMorgan Chase
Anyone can be a victim of scams. They happen when scammers go after individuals of all ages, using tactics like phone calls, emails and messages to reel in unsuspecting victims to get to their money and personal information. Older adults are often key targets and it is important to stay alert to common scams and financial abuse signs that can help protect older loved ones from becoming a victim.
Know the signs of a scam Scammers have grown very convincing. They often can impersonate companies or organizations and make you believe the urgency or need behind their attempts. If you encounter the following signs, you’re likely dealing with a scammer.
1) Urgent demands to take action, send money and personal information requests. An imposter may demand quick action, claim that you will lose money, and push for access to your personal account information, passwords or confirmation codes. Remember: neither banks nor the government will threaten you or demand money to protect your accounts. If you receive a call from your bank that you are unsure about, hang up and call the number on the back of your credit or debit card.
2) New relationships that take an interest in their money. Financial abuse often happens from persons known to the victim, like a caretaker or a new acquaintance. Be wary of any new friends approaching you with investment “opportunities” or who take an interest in your financial information.
3) Unexpected contact from “loved ones.” Scammers can use artificial intelligence (AI) to replicate familiar voices, posing as friends or family. They’ll call you on the phone sounding like a loved one in danger and demanding that you send money. Hang up and contact your loved one directly to confirm it’s really them.
4) Unusual financial activity. Scammers could be accessing your account if you see withdrawals or changes to your accounts, such as new authorized users or missed bill payments. Also, be sure to keep your checkbook safe and keep an eye on check activity. Automate all the payments you can and discuss who are trusted contacts to
support money decisions if you ever need help.
5) Changes in ownership and responsibility. If you notice changes to wills, power of attorneys or any other financial plans, it could be a sign of financial abuse.
Take action to avoid scams
You and your loved ones don’t have to be victims. These steps can help reduce the chance of falling for a scam:
• Ignore and block calls and messages from numbers you don’t recognize and don’t trust caller ID alone. When in doubt, hang up and contact the company, bank or loved one directly to ask if there is a problem.
• Throw away unsolicited mail and be careful with suspicious emails or messages on social media. Don’t answer questions about personal finances.
• Keep your personal information, account details and passwords safe so you don’t give scammers access to your money and identity.
• Be cautious when using checks. Digital payment methods or your bank’s online bill payment feature can help you get money to your intended recipient while eliminating paper checks that can be stolen and altered.
• Enable online alerts to be aware of large purchases. You can act quickly if you see fraudulent charges.
• Shred bank statements, receipts, unused checks and credit cards before throwing them away.
If you’re an older adult, have conversations with trusted family members about how they can support your money needs as you age, which can help protect you from being exposed to fraud and financial exploitation. For those with older loved ones, start the conversation now and use digital tools to help alert you to possible scams. Remember that financial scams can happen to anyone. If you feel you’ve been scammed, contact your bank to verify recent transactions to ensure there is no unusual activity on your account. Don’t feel embarrassed if you become a victim, share your experience with friends and family and ask for help.
You can learn more about ways to detect financial abuse and to protect loved ones at chase.com/financialabuse.
For informational/educational purposes only: Views and strategies described may not be appropriate for everyone and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any individual. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but JPMorgan Chase & Co. or its affiliates and/or subsidiaries do not warrant its completeness or accuracy.
Despite controversy, Trump addresses Black journalists in Chicago
By DAMASO REYES
Amsterdam News Staff
CHICAGO—Despite facing a deluge of backlash, an annual convention of Black journalists proceeded with a fireside chat with former President Donald Trump, who seized the opportunity to speak in front of hundreds of members of the press—whom he has both derided and praised before, during, and after his tenure in the Oval Office—as he campaigns for a second term.
Less than a month after an attempted assassination, Trump was hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) at its 2024 national conference at a Chicago hotel, where convention attendees and media from around the country packed a ballroom for a 30minute panel moderated by three Black journalists. Convention-goers started lining up as early as 9 a.m. for the noon panel, which was delayed by more than half an hour, to secure their spot.
Trump’s appearance was announced less than two days before Black journalists across the country descended on Chicago for the conference, which normally features a job fair, workshops, and networking for attendees. A back-and-forth over social media enraged several members of the organization, who said they were “blindsided” by the announcement of Trump’s talk, and questioned whether likely Democratic nominee Kamala Harris was offered the same opportunity.
The ballroom was filled to capacity when the former president took the stage where Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News; Harris Faulkner, anchor of “The Faulkner Focus” and co-host of “Outnumbered” on Fox News; and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor, attempted to question him.
“Why should Black voters trust you?” Scott asked, confronting Trump with a litany of attacks the former president has lobbed at the press—particularly the Black press and Black journalists.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been [asked] a question in such a horrible way,” he responded with anger. “I think it’s a very rude introduction. I don’t know why you would ask that.”
Trump went on to repeatedly direct ire toward Scott and her employer while taking softened questions from Faulkner, who had been criticized on social media in the hours leading up to the panel, based on more cordial interviews and social interactions with the former president.
When asked about Republi-
can Congressmembers who have claimed that Vice President Harris was a “DEI candidate,” Trump responded oddly, claiming falsely that she had previously only identified as Indian. “I didn’t know she was Black...all of a sudden she made a turn, and she went Black.”
Nearly all of Trump’s responses were met with derision, shock, and skepticism by the journalists in the audience, most of whom were members of NABJ.
When asked why officers like those who killed Sonya Massey, an Illinois woman shot in her home by police after calling authorities for help, should receive immunity, he said, “If I felt...that someone was being unfairly prosecuted...if someone made
an innocent mistake...I would want to help that person.”
Time and time again, Trump evaded when asked direct questions, sometimes filibustering the journalists on stage. Nearly no new information or insights were elicited from him, ultimately giving credence to the criticisms of some NABJ members that giving Trump the stage would not be an opportunity to hold him accountable. When not repeating himself or outright lying, including repeatedly telling the crowd that Harris failed the bar exam when she indeed passed it, the 78-year-old candidate frequently complained about not being able to hear his questioners and the quality of the microphones and loudspeakers.
Attiah immediately after the event. Attiah resigned as a convention co-chair when the event was announced. “He steamrolls over this format every time; the lies are impossible to keep up with in real time,” she added.
“I’m deeply angry right now,” Attiah said as she left the room.
“It was exactly what I expected,” said Jelani Cobb, dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
How the Trump appearance happened
The NABJ conference is held annually. In election years, the leading candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties are invited to panel discussions before attendees.
Trump declined invitations in both 2016 and 2020.
“Every four years, NABJ invites the candidates and he’s a candidate,” said NABJ lifetime member and St. Louis American contributing editor Fred Sweets in the ballroom before the event began. “My first question [to Trump] would be, ‘Will you apologize for taking out that full-page ad calling for the execution of [the Central Park Five]?’” Addressing the controversy, Sweets said, “We’re journalists and this is news; we’d be held to account if we didn’t cover it. I hope the other candidates show up, too.”
Former NABJ President Bob Butler agreed, adding, “This is an opportunity to ask him about his past attacks on us and to hold him accountable.”
Cobb opposed Trump’s invitation, saying, “I don’t think it was appropriate to invite him because of those attacks on the press and his propensity for misinformation.”
Harris’ team for an in-person panel before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July.
“However, we were advised by her campaign at the time that her schedule could not accommodate this request. The last update we were provided (earlier this week) was that Harris would not be available in person or virtually during our Convention. We are in talks about virtual options in the future and are still working to reach an agreement.
“I consulted with a group of our Founders and past NABJ Presidents Tuesday on-site in Chicago, and as a group, we affirmed that the invitation to Former President Trump was in line with NABJ’s usual practices since 1976.”
NABJ updated its statement just before the event, stating that “NABJ is currently in conversation with the Harris for President campaign team to schedule a Q&A session between Vice President Harris and NABJ, either in person or virtually, at some point in September 2024.”
Jasmine Harris, Black media director for the Kamala Harris campaign, issued a press statement saying ,“Ahead of Donald Trump’s conversation at NABJ today—let’s remember exactly who this man is. Not only does Donald Trump have a history of demeaning NABJ members and honorees who remain pillars of the Black press, he also has a history of attacking the media and working against the vital role the press play in our democracy.
“We know Donald Trump is going to lie about his record and the real harm he’s caused Black communities at NABJ—and he must be called out.”
When asked if January 6 insurrectionists were patriots and whether he would pardon them, he answered, “If they are innocent, I would pardon them,” despite being corrected that they had been convicted.
Some members of the audience shouted at Trump as he told lie after lie about what happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. The event ended abruptly, to the dismay of the audience.
“This shit was disgusting,” said Washington Post columnist Karen
Cobb also expressed doubt that the journalists who would question Trump would be able to hold him to account. “We haven’t seen it previously, so I’m not optimistic that it will happen today,” he said.
Journalist Roland Martin was even more impassioned. “He shouldn’t be here. This man has been the most vicious politician attacking the media in my lifetime. He hasn’t apologized for those attacks and he should not be here.”
Martin hoped that the questioners would “hold him accountable for the lies that are going to spew out of his mouth.”
NABJ President Ken Lemon addressed the controversy in an email and public statement to members: “NABJ has been in talks with both the Democratic and Republican parties since January. NABJ was in contact with Vice President Kamala
Before the event, Trump went on his own social media platform, Truth Social, to try to make hay from the fact that the vice president was not planning on addressing the conference due to scheduling conflicts:
“Crazy Kamala disrespectfully refused to attend the National Association of Black Journalists Conference.”
Disinformation researcher and journalist Diara J. Townes, in an op-ed for the AmNews, asked, “What can this conversation achieve that hasn’t already been attempted by previous reporters in one-on-one interviews or press gaggles? NABJ has failed to uphold its own goals for this convention, which is themed ‘Winds of Change: Journalism over Disinformation.’ Narrative power and control should not be dismissed or relinquished. Allowing a presidential candidate to amplify ‘alternative facts’ to a community without authentic access or paths to accountability is an affront to journalism.”
(Damaso Reyes photos)
Abyssinian, we have a problem
On June 23rd, less than 90 minutes after the conclusion of the on -line and in-person voting for a new pastor, the Abyssinian Baptist Church Pulpit Search Committee announced that the Rev. Kevin R. Johnson would become the 21 st pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church. A few days later, the following voting results were posted on the church website:
The Problem
Rev. Johnson receive d 55% of the vote from the 1,208 members who voted, but Article VII, Section 1 of the Abyssinian By-Laws1 (see below) require that for the election of a pastor, a majority of votes from all members in good standing must be received. In this case he would hav e needed 1,328 votes [(2,655/2) plus 1] to be elected pastor. He received 672 (25%) of the votes of the members in good standing:
The Solution
Article VII, Section 7 of the Abyssinian By-Laws2 is clear that when a presented candidate does not receive sufficient votes for election, a Pulpit Search Committee, approved by the members (which the previous one was not), should be organized and move to select a new candidate:
Brooklyn native Khari Edwards mounts second borough president campaign
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
New York City’s 2025 local elections are shaping up to be fiercely competitive, with candidates already vying for donations. Such is the case for Khari Edwards, a former Brooklyn borough president (BP) candidate, who is hoping to win his second attempt at getting elected.
Edwards’s first political aspirations were launched in 2021. He ran in a crowded rankchoice voting race with more than 12 other candidates looking to replace then-Brooklyn BP and current Mayor Eric Adams. He subsequently lost to former Councilmember and Brooklyn BP Antonio Reynoso in the primary. Reynoso went on to win the general election in November 2021 with 72% of the votes.
“Looking at the borough presidency and why I ran in the first place, it’s really because our community, everywhere from Coney Island to Bushwick—they need someone who’s really going to listen to folks, pay attention to them, and kind of do the things that are needed,” said Edwards. “Current leadership, I don’t feel, really goes throughout the borough.”
Born and raised in Crown Heights, Edwards was the first vice president of color for external affairs at Brookdale Hospital in Brownsville from 2013 to 2020. After losing the election in 2021, Edwards shifted gears entirely career-wise: He found success as head of corporate and social rResponsibility at AYR Wellness Inc, a multi-state cannabis dispensary company.
“I do so much social justice and restorative justice work around cannabis,” said Edwards about his current job still being relevant to public service. “And when you come home and people are still calling you about emergency room waits, someone’s friend got shot and we’re doing another burial.”
Edwards understands that the city has struggled to establish a legal cannabis market, which has led to an underbelly of illegal smoke shops and public safety issues. He wants to improve the platform and the benefits of licensed dispensaries, especially for Black and Brown justice-impacted communities.
Edwards said he intends to highlight other issues during his campaign, such as the impact of climate change on homeowners and rezoning, creating “true affordable housing” metrics, addressing increasing property taxes and displacement rates in Black and Brown communities, analyzing housing production, potentially abolishing the tax lien sale, forging relationships with the borough’s diverse ethnic and religious communities, and highlighting Brooklyn arts and music fests.
“The key to being borough president—a Howard Goldman, Marty Markowitz, Eric Adams—[is that] you go across the borough, you’re not a district,” said Edwards. “You can’t take care of just one district; how many other folks are suffering?”
Edwards filed his first fundraising disclosure for 2025 with the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) on July 12. He has raised $68,150 in contributions from 306 individual donors and hopes to keep up the momentum into 2025, according to his campaign.
CENTRO awarded $6.4 million in Mellon Foundation funding
Contributed Press Release
Programming at the Hunter College Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) recently received $6.468 million from the Mellon Foundation’s Presidential Initiatives to support CENTRO’s “Rooted + Relational” research initiative, which will feature scholarly and cultural programming about Puerto Rico and its diaspora over the next five years.
The inaugural theme for “Rooted + Relational,” which takes place from through 2025, is “Archives, Memory, & the Present Past of Puerto Rico.” Subsequent themes include “Boricuas in Relation” (2025–26); “Black Cuerpas: Race, Body Politics & Culture” (2026–27); “LGBTQ Activism, Pleasure, & Worldmaking” (2027–28); and “Land, Ecologies, & Environmental Futures” (2028–29).
“The Rooted + Relational Initiative comes out of years of scholarly research, commu-
nity building, and a pressing need to reframe critical discourses in the field of Puerto Rican studies,” said CENTRO Director Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez in a statement. “This generous funding provides an essential foundation to this work over the next five years. We are thrilled that Mellon President Elizabeth Alexander sees the importance of Puerto Rican Studies and that the Foundation has committed to bolstering the
legacy and mission of CENTRO by seeing the value of what this initiative can do for this field and our community.”
The CENTRO library, reading room, and archives are open by appointment from Monday–Friday at the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work in East Harlem. To arrange a time to visit, contact centro.library@hunter.cuny.edu or 212-396-7882.
Archives at Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at Hunter College. (CENTRO Media photo)
Photo of Khari Edwards. (Photo contributed by Raven Strategies)
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LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/03/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 40 Bruckner Blvd, Apt 1213, New York, NY 10454. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
DK LEGAL LLP. Notice of Registration filed with the SSNY on 06/13/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLP, 502 Park Avenue, 9D, New York, NY 10022, which is also the location of the partnership. Purpose: For the practice of the profession of Law.
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Rebel Soul Music Fair LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/23/2024. 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 304952, New York, NY 100031502. Purpose: Any lawful act.
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NOTICE OF FORMATION of NYC Catalyst Fund, LLC (the “LLC”) filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (“SSNY”) on 05/20/2024. Office location: New York County. The principal business address of the LLC is: One Liberty Plaza, New York, New York 10006. SSNY has been designated as the agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail service of process to c/o New York City Economic Development Corporation, One Liberty Plaza, New York, New York 10006, Attention: General Counsel. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
LEGAL NOTICE
Formation of THE CLAYTON FARM LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/26/2024. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to 300 W. 53rd St., Apt. #5B, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
LEGAL NOTICE
Formation of ARCHIE STUDIOS LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/26/2024. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to 300 W. 53rd St., Apt. #5B, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Angel Charlie & Co LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/17/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 11 Broadway, Suite 615, New York, NY 10004. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Formation of 107 PARRISH POND LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/18/24. 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 Qualification of LAFAYETTE AND PATTERSON LENDER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/25/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/01/22. Princ. office of LLC: 520 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10022. 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, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Real estate investments.
Notice of Formation of BE CLEVER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/21/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1180 Sixth Ave., 8th Fl., NY, NY 10036. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of 471 WASHINGTON STREET LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/12/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Brian Richard Lenker, Esq., Brach Eichler L.L.C., 101 Eisenhower Pkwy., Roseland, NJ 07068. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of FlexLegal Services, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/28/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/17/24. Princ. office of LLC: 600 Madison Ave., 8th, NY, NY 10022. 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, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of ALM FIRST EXECUTIVE BENEFITS
LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/10/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Texas (TX) on 11/14/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the TX addr. of LLC: 3800 Maple Ave., Ste. 600, Dallas, TX 75219. Cert. of Form. filed with Jane Nelson, Secy. of State, 1100 Congress Capitol Bldg., Rm. 1E 8, Austin, TX 78701. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
ANA SOLUTIONS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/05/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 203 East 72nd St, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Qualification of ATLAS VI DEKALB LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/10/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/17/24. Princ. office of LLC: 40 W. 57th St., 29th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
2MFINITY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/20/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 86-42 131st St, Richmond Hill, NY 11418. Purpose: Any lawful act.
External Affairs LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/05/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 329 East 6th St, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
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FreshCleanNYC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/04/2024. 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: 20 Pine Street Unit #1004, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of formation of NYCR Sub-CDE 25, LLC Articles of Organization filed with the SSNY on July 9, 2024. N.Y. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to NYCR Sub-CDE 25, LLC, 99 Hudson Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10013. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of formation of NYCR Sub-CDE 24, LLC Articles of Organization filed with the SSNY on July 9, 2024. N.Y. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to NYCR Sub-CDE 24, LLC, 99 Hudson Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10013. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of formation of NYCR Sub-CDE 26, LLC Articles of Organization filed with the SSNY on July 9, 2024. N.Y. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to NYCR Sub-CDE 26, LLC, 99 Hudson Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10013. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of formation of NYCR Sub-CDE 27, LLC Articles of Organization filed with the SSNY on July 9, 2024. N.Y. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to NYCR Sub-CDE 27, LLC, 99 Hudson Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10013. Purpose: Any lawful act.
LONG ISLAND FOREIGN AUTO SALES, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/16/24. 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, 645 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
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NYC FOREIGN AUTO SALES, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/16/24. 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, 645 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of formation of NYCR Sub-CDE 30, LLC Articles of Organization filed with the SSNY on July 9, 2024. N.Y. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to NYCR Sub-CDE 30, LLC, 99 Hudson Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10013. Purpose: Any lawful act.
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THE NEW YORK INJURY LAW FIRM PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/23/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the PLLC, 48 Wall Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: For the practice of the profession of Law.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF WELLS FARGO COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE SECURITIES, INC., MULTIFAMILY MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2020-SB80, Pltf. vs. 300 WEST 114 TH OWNER, LLC, et al, Defts. Index #850012/2023. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered January 17, 2024, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on August 28, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a Parcel I, 2107 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, a/k/a 2107 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10026 a/k/a Block 1847, Lot 59; Parcel II, 2109 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, a/k/a 300 West 114 th Street, New York, NY 10026 a/k/a Block 1847, Lot 60. Approximate amount of judgment is $4,102,281.91 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. GEORGIA PAPAZIS, Referee. BALLARD SPAHR LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 1675 Broadway, 19 th Floor, New York, NY 10019. #101360
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NEW YORK STATE 2025 Annual Action Plan
To participate in certain federal community development and housing programs, the State of New York must prepare a 5-year Consolidated Plan and an annual Action Plan and provide opportunities for citizens to participate in its development. As part of this process, the State will conduct public hearings to obtain the views of citizens, public agencies, local governments, and other interested parties on the housing and non-housing community development needs of the State before a draft Annual Action Plan for the year 2025 is prepared.
The Consolidated Plan and the Annual Action Plan focus principally on five federal programs: the New York State Community Development Block Grant Program; the HOME Investment Partnerships Program; the Housing Trust Fund; the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program; and the Emergency Solutions Grants Program.
The Annual Action Plan will describe the State’s planned use of federal Fiscal Year 2025 funds to address the needs identified by its five-year Consolidated Plan and further the Consolidated Plan’s objectives and will also describe the State’s methods for distributing these funds.
The State of New York seeks to obtain the views of citizens and interested parties on the development of the 2025 Action Plan. As part of this process, the State will conduct a series of virtual public hearings on August 14, 2024 at 1:00 pm and August 15, 2024 at 11:00 am to give a brief overview of the program objectives and timeline for Plan development. Interested parties may participate via computer, telephone, or in person. Information on how to participate in the virtual public hearing may be found at https://hcr.ny.gov/pressroom , or by requesting a direct link through HCRConPln@hcr.ny.gov . For any person that wishes to present testimony in person, the following HCR locations will be connected to the virtual hearing via WebEx; 641 Lexington Avenue in New York City; 38-40 State Street in Albany; 620 Erie Boulevard West in Syracuse; and 535 Washington Street in Buffalo.
Reservations are required for individuals wishing to attend hearings in person. Interested individuals must RSVP by calling (518) 4863452 or sending an e-mail to HCRConPln@hcr.ny.gov no later than 5:00 pm Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Attendees must present a valid driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID upon entry to any of the facilities.
Each site is accessible to individuals with mobility impairments. Every effort will be made to accommodate persons with other special needs. To do so, it will be necessary to receive any requests no later than Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Individuals seeking additional information regarding the hearings may call (518) 486-3452.
All speakers are urged to provide a written copy of their community needs testimony. Individuals who are unable to attend in real time may view the recorded presentation on our website: https://hcr.ny.gov/pressroom and submit comments to NYS HCR, Attention: Rachel Yerdon, 3840 State Street, Albany, NY 12207, or e-mail them to HCRConPln@hcr. ny.gov . All comments must be received no later than August 30, 2024.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. UKOHA OLUGU IGWE and GOSPEL OLUGU IGWE, 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, heirsat-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, Defts. - Index # 850036/2018. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 26, 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, August 29, 2024, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 16,000/28,402,100 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $91,615.59 plus costs and interest as of February 27, 2024. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
INDEX NO. 850116/2020
COUNTY OF NEW YORK
DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE FOR INDYMAC INDX MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2006-AR39, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2006-AR39
Plaintiff, vs.
DOUGLAS DAVIS, if living, and if she/he 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 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; WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCES-
SOR INDENTURE TRUSTEE TO CITIBANK, N.A., AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE OF SACO I TRUST 2006-12, MORTGAGE-BACKED NOTES, SERIES 2006-12; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU ; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU,
"JOHN DOE #1" through "JOHN DOE #12," the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint,
Plaintiff designates NEW YORK as the place of trial situs of the real property SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS
Mortgaged Premises: 259W 131ST STREET , NEW YORK, NY 10027
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff ’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you.
NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT
THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $1,430,000.00 and interest, recorded on September 01, 2006 , in Instrument Number 2006000497991 , of the Public Records of NEW YORK County, New York. , covering premises known as 259W 131ST STREET , NEW YORK, NY 10027.
The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. NEW YORK County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county.
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 the mortgage company will not stop the 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 15 th , 2024
ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff
Corey Robson, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590 516-280-7675
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF WELLS FARGO COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE SECURITIES, INC., MULTIFAMILY MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES, 2020-SB80, Pltf. vs. 372 WEST 127 TH OWNER, LLC, et al, Defts. Index #850013/2023. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered January 16, 2024, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on August 28, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 372 West 127 th Street, New York, NY 10027 a/k/a Block 1953, Lot 59. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,487,171.64 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. PAUL SKLAR, Referee. BALLARD SPAHR LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 1675 Broadway, 19 th Floor, New York, NY 10019. #101359
METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY REAL ESTATE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
RFP No. EZ073024: Opportunity to license concession spaces at MNR’s Cortlandt Station Building, Cortlandt, New York.
RFP No. TG073024: Opportunity to license concession space and storage at MNR’s Croton-Harmon Station Building, Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
RFP No. TG073024A: Opportunity to license a concession space at MNR’s Harrison Station Building, Harrison, New York.
RFP No. TG073024B: Opportunity to license a concession space at MNR’s Larchmont Station Building, Larchmont, New York.
For more info on the above RFPS, visit https://new.mta.info/agency/real-estate/
Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #RM-24-10515701 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a vessel under the ABC Law at 2430 FDR Dr., Slip 8, NYC 10010 for on-premises consumption; Fantasy Barco LLC
Notice is hereby given that a license, NYS Application ID: NA-0340-24-101939 for On-Premises Liquor has been applied for by Area Latina Bar & Grill Corp to sell On-Premises Liquor, Wine, Beer, and Cider at retail in a Full Service Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 2117 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10029 for on-premises consumption.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. HILTON RESORTS CORPORATION, Plaintiff -against- UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DISTRIBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF RECA DANIELLE BARWIN, if living and if they be dead, etc..., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated November 28, 2023 and entered on March 26, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on August 28, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenantin-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.8100% common interest percentage. This a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442513 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1305.
Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, UNIT HU4, NEW YORK, NY 10019
Approximate amount of lien $45,365.82 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850059/2022. GEORGIA PAPAZIS, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
DLG# 38752
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK INDEX NO. 850248/2022
COUNTY OF NEW YORK
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO WACHOVIA BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE, FOR J.P. MORGAN MORTGAGE TRUST 2005-A1, Plaintiff, vs.
FRANK STEO, if living, and if she/he 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 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; BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE HAMPTON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM, if living, and if she/he 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 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; JPMORGAN CHASE BANK; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE-DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY; 115 ESSEX STREET LLC; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; CASPER R. CALLENTRUST, if living, and if she/he 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 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; PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; "JOHN DOE" (REFUSED NAME) AS JOHN DOE #1; "JOHN DOE" (REFUSED NAME) AS JOHN DOE #2, "JOHN DOE #3" through "JOHN DOE #12," the last ten names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants.
Plaintiff designates NEW YORK as the place of trial situs of the real property
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS
Mortgaged Premises:
404 EAST 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10021
Block: 1473, Lot: 1188
To the above named Defendants
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff ’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you.
NOTICE
OF
NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT
THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $532,000.00 and interest, recorded on February 03, 2004 , in CRFN 2004000065608, of the Public Records of NEW YORK County, New York. , covering premises known as 404 EAST 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10021.
The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. NEW YORK County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county. 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 the mortgage company will not stop the 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.
Attorney for Plaintiff Matthew Rothstein, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590 516-280-7675
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE AUCTION SALE
Pursuant to a judgment dated January 24, 2023, the property located at and commonly known as 768 5th Avenue, Unit 1126, New York, NY 10019 (Block 01274, Lot 1304) (the “Property”) currently held by Kondo Enterprises, Inc., and the rights together with the Property and related collateral described in the judgment and the mortgage being foreclosed thereby, will be sold to the highest qualified bidder at a public auction to be held at 2:15 PM, EST, on August 7, 2024 in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY.
The Property will be sold subject to the terms of the above-referenced judgment (New York County Supreme Court, Index No. 850050/2022), in addition to the terms of sale, by Jerry Merola, Esq., the Referee. The approximate amount of the sums due pursuant to the judgment, as of September 22, 2022, excluding costs and expenses of the sale, reimbursable costs and expenses incurred by plaintiffs in the foreclosure action, additional accrued interest, and protective advances made to preserve the Property through the date of sale, is $411,359.28. For all questions and inquiries, contact James N. Faller, Esq., james. faller@reedsmith.com , +1 (212) 521-5400, Reed Smith, LLP, attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 599 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. NYCTL 2021-A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN FOR THE NYCTL 2021-A TRUST, Plaintiffs -against- KAYLAND REALTY LTD., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on March 15, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on August 14, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and state of New York, known and designated as Block 1372 and Lot 53 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map. Said premises known as 5 RIVERVIEW TERRACE, NEW YORK, NY 10022
Approximate amount of lien $27,224.10 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 160409/2022.
RONALD ZEZIMA, ESQ., Referee Phillips Lytle LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs 28 East Main Street, Suite 1400, Rochester, NY 14614
the administration as a whole.
“President Biden’s reckless executive action is a political stunt that turns our back on our humanitarian obligations and is a stain on our nation. The President continues to bend like a reed in the wind regarding our nation’s commitment to refuge and safety,” said Murad Awawdeh, New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) president and CEO, in a previous statement.
“This executive action will harm many
families and individuals, and do nothing to advance what this country needs most—an orderly and reformed immigration system that works for all communities to secure lives with dignity, opportunity, and shared welcome. Viable and smart solutions aren’t hard to find but the political will to act with courage is. It’s not too late for the Biden administration and Congress to provide real proposals that invest in safe and legal immigration pathways, address the root causes compelling people to seek refuge, and work in coordination with regional governments and civil society to strengthen humanitarian protection systems.”
Continued from page 4
All because kinky hair was not deemed socially acceptable.
The legislation was sitting on the governor’s table, but there were rumors that Pierluisi was being pressured not to sign it––private sector businesses didn’t want this law passed. They pointed out that the island already has constitutional protections against racial discrimination. But coalition members spoke with Pierluisi about what passage of PS 1282 could mean to the Black community.
“One of the things that we mentioned in the meeting,” reports Sacha Antonetty-Lebron, founder of the Afro Puerto Rican magazine Revista Étnica, “was that this bill has not only importance for the Black people and Afrodescendant people of Puerto Rico, but also to people in the Americas, and that we have been receiving a lot of international coverage and people were watching what was going to happen with Puerto Rico in terms of this because this is a common experience of Black people throughout the world.”
As Puerto Rico has become a prominent vacation destination, it’s brought more Black travelers to the archipelago. The coalition mentioned that without the bill’s passage there remained the risk that Afro Puerto Ricans or Black people visiting Puerto Rico could face from some arbitrary discrimination that would damage the reputation of the island’s growing tourist industry. Pierluisi signed the bill on July 23, but the announcement that he had done so did not come out until the 25th of July. AntonettyLebron thinks that this was also strategic: Pierluisi had been reminded that July 25 is International Afro-Descendant Women’s Day and having PS 1282 become law would be ideal on that special day.
“This law is very important because right now they have to review a few of the laws that are in our public sector. They have to revise the municipalities’ code. They have to revise the Department of Education. And they have two more laws that are from the Department of Labor that they now have to revise to include this protection of rights,” notes Antonetty-Lebron.
Mi Cabello Es Mi Corona coalition members like the anti-racist and Afro feminist
groups Colectivo Ile and Colectiva Feminista en Construcción are now ready to move onto the second phase of their campaign. They say they’re prepared to help private sector businesses––places like private schools, small and medium-sized companies, and local stores––who might need guidance as they try to update their code of conduct and non-discrimination standards.
“It’s not that we just want to ensure that they enforce the law, but also we want to educate people about why the law is important,” Antonetty-Lebron said. “We are so happy, it’s like this is not just for, you know, for the next generation, for our children who are here, that are present, our youth. But we know that this has been very important, like a reparation thing for our ancestors. The opportunity to create a public policy that will give us so many reparations for the past and also the future, it’s like, it’s incredible. The feeling is incredible.”
Continued from page 4
ability to parry and thrust when it comes to dealing with an opponent as vulnerable as Trump. How Trump will deal with her relentless prosecutorial gambit, her ability to turn a debate into a courtroom drama is a major question that the nation is waiting to see.
So many issues remain on the agenda for both candidates, and we are still not certain if they will debate, and who their ul-
timate running mates will be. Rumors have it that Trump is not that happy with J.D. Vance, somewhat concerned about his comments about “childless cat ladies,” though it seems improbable that he will be replaced. But as always with Trump, the predictable is unpredictable. Meanwhile, the nation sits on pins and needles wondering who Harris will choose. Many pundits are suggesting she will probably lean toward a leader from one of the pivotal battleground states. But Mayor Pete in his defense of the presumptive Democratic nominee has made his call clear without stating his interest. Stay tuned.
Border Wall at River Bank. (Photo by Mark Stebnicki via Pexel)
Members of Revista Étnica took part in leading an educational workshop for Afro Puerto Rican children on the third of July, National CROWN Act Day. The event exposed children to ways they can dress up and celebrate their afro textured hair.
(Revista Étnica photo)
Owes
Rosie’s, shuttled back and forth between the courts and jails without agency. Local newspapers disparaged her as a preppy “gun moll,” slang for the female hanger-on of a male gangster. A teenage Owes spent a good deal of time arguing in the comments sections.
She ultimately won, not in a war of words but through further academic success. Wrapped in her plea deal were conditions to complete university, which Owes candidly shared in her speech. If she didn’t graduate high school and attend college, she would go back to jail. But her arrest led to repeated rejections during application season.
Finally, Hobart and William Smith Colleges admitted her and Owes kicked off her freshman year with a 4.0 GPA. She became a Fulbright scholar and ultimately graduated from Fordham Law. While Owes now pursues a dazzling career in corporate law and did not stay on Rikers long enough to become a “jailhouse lawyer,” she said navigating the carceral system informs her understanding of the legal world.
“It helped a lot with empathy [and] with working with clients, but also my knowledge,” she said. “I don’t think I was here long enough to be a jailhouse lawyer, but that’s only one half of [being] a lawyer—the technical, profes -
sional learning aspect. The other half is people, knowing the system and knowing that just because you found something on paper this is not what it’s like in [real life].”
Owes, like many women on Rosie’s, faced charges due to a man she dated in her youth. During her talk, she pointed out how when men are incarcerated, women visit them, send money and generally hold down the fort. But when women are incarcerated, rarely do men in their lives reciprocate. Samantha Jenkins, 18, says Owes’s visit particularly resonated with her as she dreams of one day becoming a writer.
“Her speech was very empowering to me, because I can relate to being in here because of a male as well,” Jenkins said.
“And it shows me she got somewhere in life and it’s not over. My life isn’t over. I’m 18 years old, and my life isn’t over. And every day I feel like my life is over. I feel like this is it because I’m facing some serious charges. But she just proved to me that it’s not. And there’s still hope out there.”
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 .
Charizma Jones
was enacted this year.
“When Ms. Jones was placed in what’s called ‘Red ID’ status, that becomes a justification for removing certain privileges because of infractions or other issues that she’s had inside of the jail [that are] based only on the allegations of DOC staff,” Kaishian said. “What they also use Red ID [for] is to place people in isolation.”
Both the SCOC and BOC confirmed the investigations to the AmNews. The BOC did not provide a direct quote.
“SCOC does not comment on cases that are under investigation,” a SCOC spokesperson said by email. “However, New York State requires that county jails and local lockups provide detained individuals with adequate medical care.”
While every custody medical death in state jails is reviewed by the SCOC, Medical Review Board investigations like the one launched for Jones’s case are reserved for cases involving tangible questions about a correctional facility’s compliance with minimum safety and health standards. HIPAA regulations extend after death, so Jones’s exact conditions are likely to be redacted (edited) when the report gets published.
However, SCOC investigations require longer turnaround time. Investigations of custody deaths on Rikers Island include five under the Adams administra-
tion as of press time: Tarz Youngblood, Herman Diaz, Albert Drye, Kevin Bryan, and DeShaun Carter.
BOC investigations focus on the scope of city jails and usually look at the circumstances of what led to deaths, rather than individual staff failures or criminality. However, Kaishian believes systemic change is needed.
“Even if this is a situation where criminal charges are brought or where an individual is determined to have acted in a manner that was particularly egregious, this is still a systemic issue,” Kaishian said. “Our firm represents many families of people who have been killed at Rikers Island; some of those cases have resulted in temporary suspension, or even individuals leaving the Department of Correction, and yet we still have families coming to us with the tragic deaths of their loved ones and asking for accountability.
“At a certain point, we have to really ask whether or not the city is willing to implement any changes that would actually even closely resemble accountability. So far, the answer has been no. And accountability looks like closing Rikers.”
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.
415 Bleecker St, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Beginning January 27, 2024 our 15-unit building 4301 8th Ave in Brooklyn will be re-opening the waitlist for to the elderly (head of household or spouse is 62 or older) or those with a mobility impairment or developmental disabilities. Income restrictions apply and are based on Section 8 guidelines.
Qualifications and eligibility for the affordable apartments, which include units for the mobility impaired, will be based on Section 8 guidelines. Interested persons may obtain an application:
Beginning July 29, 2024 our 150-unit building at 415 Bleecker Street in Brooklyn will be re-opening its waiting list to the elderly or head of household or spouse is 62 or older or those with a mobility impairment. Qualifications and eligibility for the affordable apartments, which include units for the mobility impaired, will be based on Section 8 guidelines. Interested persons may obtain an application by writing to:
Interested persons may obtain an application:
BY MAIL
Completed applications must be sent by regular mail to the PO Box listed on the application and be postmarked by 2/13/2024. If you have a disability and need assistance with the application process or any other type of reasonable accommodation, please contact Sheena Williams at (718) 722-6155.
Completed applications must be sent by regular mail to the PO Box listed on the application and be postmarked by 8/13/2024. If you have a disability and need assistance with the application process or any other type of reasonable accommodation, please contact Yhasara Humphrey (718) 722-6081.
4301 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Putting behind last season’s struggles, Jets and Giants open training camp
By JAIME C. HARRIS
AmNews Sports Editor
Last season was one of trials and tribulations for the Jets and Giants. Neither squad made the playoffs nor were genuine contenders. The Jets were 7-10, third in the AFC looking up at the division-winning Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, both which were 11-6. The Giants went 6-11, a distant third in the NFC East behind the 12-5 Dallas Cowboys and 11-6 Philadelphia Eagles.
The slate is clean and the Jets have expectations of not only making the playoffs, but being in the mix for the Super Bowl, contingent on future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers staying on the field and minimizing the drama that perpetually encircles him, much of it self-produced. The excitement of Rodgers’s first season with the Jets after he came to the franchise via a trade with the Green Bay Packers in April of 2023 was abruptly muted when he ruptured his left Achilles tendon on the Jets’ fourth offensive snap in the regular season opener last September 11.
His primary backup, Zach Wilson, who was the Jets’ would-be long term franchise QB when they drafted him No. 2 overall in 2021, was illequipped to capably take over the offense and consequently the Jets plummeted. Wilson was traded to the Broncos this past April.
Now head coach Robert Saleh, in his fourth season in the position, is at an inflection point as the expectations are rightfully
high for the team to make it to the postseason and end the NFL’s longest active drought. The Jets’ last playoff game was on January 23, 2011, when they lost 24-19 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game at Heinz Field, over 13 years ago. From an objective qualitative analysis, the Giants have more deficiencies at critically important positions than the Jets. They addressed one of them by drafting dynamic wide receiver Malik Nabers from LSU with the No. 6 pick in the first round of the
NFL Draft in April. But Nabers’s potential impact will be tightly tied to Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who tore the ACL in his right knee on November 5 in Week 9 on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders. Jones was out for the Giants’ final eight games in which they were 4-4. At the time of Jones’s ACL injury, the Giants were already laboring at 2-7 and he had already been sidelined for Weeks 6-8 with a neck injury.
This could be Jones’s last season with the Giants. He was drafted with the sixth pick in
2019 by the Giants previous general manager Dave Gettleman. The job security of current GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll isn’t tied to Jones having a season where he elevates his teammates and by extension the collective fortunes of the Giants. Daboll did the most with Jones in 2022 when the QB had his best season as a pro: the Giants went 9-7-1 and then defeated the Minnesota Vikings on the road 31-24 in a NFC wild card game. Now Jones is in year six, and his career has reached a crossroads.
Rising New York native Xavier Edwards hits for the rare cycle for the Marlins
By KEVIN MOORE MLBbro.com
Special to the AmNews
July 28, 2024 will be a day that Miami Marlins infielder Xavier Edwards will remember for the rest of his life.
On Sunday, he did something only one other Marlins player has done and that was hit for the cycle, the rare feat of hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game.
Edwards, born and raised in Mineola (Long Island), New York, joined former Marlins player Luis Arráez, as the only two to achieve the milestone. Not only did Edwards hit for the cycle, but he also hit his first career home run as well.
What a day the 24 year old had at the plate against the Milwaukee Brewers.
“It means a lot,” Edwards said. “I don’t think it’s really set in yet, but it’s pretty cool that I got my first homer to start the game, and then I got to cap it off with a single. I would have been pretty upset with myself if I didn’t hit a single. I usually spray a lot of singles, so I would’ve been pretty upset about not getting a single, so I’m really glad I did.”
It came down to the last out of the game for Edwards to get the cycle. On a 1-2 count from
then that he started to gain some attention and display his talents on the big stage. Entering Tuesday’s game versus the Tampa Bay Rays, in 25 games played this season, Edwards was batting .379 with 33 hits, one home run, nine RBI and an OPS of .956 in 87 at-bats.
His teammate Josh Bell was proud of Edwards’s performance.
“I couldn’t be happier for him, especially establishing himself as an everyday big leaguer, getting a chance and wanting to make the most of it,” Bell said. “I feel like he’s officially established with that.”
On Monday, one day after Edwards’s rare accomplishment, the Marlins placed Bell on waivers. Should his $16.5 million contract go through waivers unclaimed, he will remain in Miami. Tuesday was the MLB trade deadline so there were multiple scenarios that could have involved Bell at the time this story was going to press.
The 31-year-old Texas native has spent parts of the last two seasons with the Marlins. At the start of this week, Bell was slashing .239/.305/.394 with 14 home runs, 49 runs batted in, and a .699 OPS in nearly 400 plate appearances. Additionally, the veteran first baseman has a negative WAR through 104 games this season.
Brewers closer Devin Williams, Edwards hit a liner to the shortstop and utilized his speed to beat the throw for an infield single. Edwards led off the game, launching a
solo shot to right field. The infielder made his MLB debut last season with the Marlins, and he appeared in 30 games, finishing with a .295 batting average. It was
On Sunday, New York native Xavier Edwards became only the second Miami Marlins player ever to hit for the cycle, going 4-4 in a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. (MLBbro.com photo)
Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson, the 2022 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, gets his work in at training camp and has a restful moment as his team sets the foundation for the upcoming NFL season. (NYJets.com photos)
U.S. women’s basketball team begins its quest for eighth-straight gold
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
As it pursues its eighth consecutive gold medal, the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team wanted to make its presence known right from game one. On Monday, the USA Basketball senior national team defeated Japan 102–76. Japan had put up a fierce fight in the gold medal game at the 2020/21 Olympics, but despite some impressive play early in the first half, this time the U.S. dominated.
A’ja Wilson was the top scorer with 24 points, followed closely by the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart with 22. Fellow Liberty player and Olympic rookie Sabrina Ionescu had an impressive debut with 11 points. Kelsey Plum and Brittney Griner also scored 11 points each.
“A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart both have such versatility,” said Callan Stores, associate head coach of women’s basketball at Manhattan College. “A’ja has really worked on her mid-range game. She’s not just around the basket anymore. She’s expanded her three-point shooting. Same for Breanna. They can stretch the floor and shoot the three. They can play inside, they can turn around and face up. They can score
from all three levels, anywhere on the court.
“It’s a hard matchup for any team,” she added. “They can play different positions and handle the ball. I love when Breanna Stewart brings the ball up full court in transition. I’ve seen A’ja do that as well. They’re chameleons. They can do it all and wherever you need. It’s kind of hard to stop them. Obviously, they rebound the ball extremely well. They have good IQ. They pass the ball. They’re just tough. You can tell they love basketball and they want to win.”
Making it that much more important to leave no doubts right from the jump was the fact that other highly ranked teams were upset. Spain defeated China, France defeated Canada and Nigeria spoiled the Olympic comeback of Lauren Jackson by downing Australia 75–62 for Nigeria’s first Olympic win in 20 years. The head coach for Nigeria is Rena Wakama, who was previously an assistant coach at Manhattan College and Stony Brook University. In a non-upset, Germany beat Belgium with two Liberty players contributing in a big way. Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich each had 16 points.
The U.S. is in action again today, taking on Belgium at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Sunday will be a clash of four Liberty players as the U.S. faces Germany (11:15 a.m. EDT).
Claressa Shields makes history by winning WBC women’s heavyweight title
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
Claressa Shields made history again on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit when she moved up two weight classes to challenge and defeat Canadian Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse to win the WBC women’s heavyweight championship and the vacant WBO light heavyweight championship after a second-round technical knockout.
The 29-year-old Shields, a native of Flint, Michigan, and two-time Olympic gold medalist (2012 and 2016) in the middleweight division, who is currently the reigning undisputed women’s middleweight world champion, won the 15th and 16th titles of her career in beating 29-year-old Lepage-Joanisse. In the victory, she became only the second boxer in the last century to win both a middleweight and heavyweight championships, joining Roy Jones Jr., who accomplished the feat when he defeated John Ruiz in 2003 to win the WBA heavyweight championship.
“I saw her corner stand up after the knockdown,” said Shields (15-0, 3 KOs). “The fight was over, but I guess the referee wanted me to throw one more right hand to put her down. I put her down three times.”
Shields gave a quick recap of the short fight, which lasted less than six minutes.
Fighting near her hometown was motivation for arguably the best women’s boxer of all-time and she directly addressed the crowd after her win.
“I’m not going to lie, Detroit, you all showed up,” she exclaimed. “I can’t thank you enough for coming out and spending your hard-earned money.”
Belal Muhammad upset Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 304 with scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 48-47 to win the UFC welterweight championship by unanimous decision on Saturday at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England to become the first Palestinian champion in UFC history.
Terence Crawford, who joined Shields in becoming the second person to become undisputed in two divisions in the fourbelt era, will once again dare to be great when he moves up to junior middleweight to challenge Israil Madrimov for his WBA junior middleweight championship and the vacant WBO interim junior middleweight title. Crawford last fought in July 2023, when he defeated Errol Spence Jr.
“Maybe I can stay at heavyweight if I’m going to be this strong in the ring.”
Her next move is yet to be determined.
“You have so many world champions at
“I only hit her with two punches in the first round, and I remember a hook hit her, and I said, ‘Know what, I knew I was strong in camp, but I’m super strong tonight,’” she said.
heavyweight, but I’m the cash cow,” she said. “Wherever I campaign, I can find a fight. I’m going to talk to my team and decide if we want to go down and defend my middleweight titles or stay at heavyweight and chase more world titles.”
Also on the card, Andy Ruiz battles Jarrell Miller and Jared Anderson takes on Martin Bakole both of which are 10 round heavyweight heavyweight fights, Isaac Cruz defends his WBA junior welterweight championship against Jose Valenzuela, and David Morrell challenges Radivoje Kalajdzic for the vacant WBA light heavyweight championship.
The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson was dominant in scoring 24 points and adding 13 rebounds in Team USA’s 102-76 win over Japan on Monday in their 2024 Olympics debut. (USA Basketball photo)
Claressa Shields drops Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in the second round on Saturday night in Detroit to capture the WBC Women’s heavyweight and vacant WBO light heavyweight championships. (Adam J. Dewey/Salita Promotions photo)
After reviving her track meet, St. John’s Aliann Pompey attends Paris Olympics
By LOIS ELFMAN
Special
to the AmNews
Aliann Pompey, director of track & field and cross country for St. John’s University, is attending the Olympic Games in Paris as an executive board member for the World Olympians Association. Although she will be on the lookout for potential Red Storm athletes, she hopes it will be the least stressful Olympics she’s ever attended.
After competing in four Olympics (2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012), Pompey attended the 2016 and 2020/21 Games as a member of the Guyanese delegation. With her time as president of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission now concluded, she is looking forward to watching track & field as a fan.
Pompey went to Paris with a sense of satisfaction. In June, she was able to revive her Aliann Pompey AP Invitational track meet in Guyana— the first one since the pandemic.
“One of the biggest things for me is I didn’t really get an opportunity to compete in Guyana while I was an active athlete at a very high
level,” said Pompey, who moved to the U.S. as a teenager. During her competitive years, there was not a proper track in Guyana, and running on grass was risky.
“I wanted the world to come to Guyana and for Guyanese athletes to be cheered on by the home crowd while they take on these high-level athletes,” Pompey said. “It’s grown
from there. This year, we were able to do a lot more.”
The meet was included on the Continental Bronze Tour, which guaranteed prize money. There was great support and the sense was that the meet had been missed. With a promise of consistent funding from the government, the meet’s future seems secured.
Now, Pompey looks forward to watching the action in Paris. “Once we got through U.S., Jamaica, and Canadian Olympic trials, some athletes really came through in the last weeks,” she said. “All the events are going to be good.”
This will be the final Olympics for Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, an eight-time medalist. “I
hope she gets to go out with a bang,” said Pompey. “It’s going to be an interesting and really good race.” Pompey said to definitely look out for American sprinters Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100 meters and Gabby Thomas in the 200 meters. “No matter what, Sha’Carri is going to bring the energy and the excitement,” said Pompey.
NYC Footy’s Cup of Dreams brings competitive soccer to American Dream
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
On Saturday, NYC Footy, the nation’s largest amateur soccer league, and one of its branches, NJ Footy, hosted the Cup of Dreams, a five-onfive co-ed indoor soccer tournament at American Dream, the dining, entertainment, and retail venue in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Teams were required to have at least one woman (most had more), competed in three different skill divisions, and played five 20-minute games. The squads that moved on faced off to decide the winners of each division.
The Amsterdam News spoke exclusively to participants Sean McFarlane and Ashley Toussaint about what attracted them to NYC Footy.
“Originally, a friend asked me to play on the team,” said Toussaint, who grew up in Georgia but now resides in the New York City area.
“Once I got on the field and played in the league, I just really enjoyed the atmosphere of just being able to play soccer, which is something I really love to do.
“But also they had a social aspect to it,” she continued, “so they definitely emphasized hanging out and doing like meetup groups and that was really cool because there are other leagues in the city where you can play soccer, but you just show up to your game and then you go home. But here it’s kind of
like you show up to the game and then you bond as well with other people and it’s a fun way to meet people throughout the city. Especially since when I moved to New York, I didn’t know anybody, but it
was a great way to have that social aspect to it as well.”
Sean McFarlane, a retired professional soccer player who was born in Jamaica and emigrated to the United States at the age of 12,
shared how he became involved with NYC Footy.
“I was introduced (to NYC Footy) by a few friends,” said McFarlane, who initially served as a referee for games. “Then I started getting more engaged in the community with NYC Footy, started playing games and my good friend invited me to a few tournaments and it’s been a blast ever since.”
McFarlane shares a similar view of NYC Footy as Toussaint in its value of growing their professional and social network.
“It’s a little bit of a more relaxed, competitive environment where they’re more focused on building a community of soccer players than per se just to go for competition and win.”
But being the best is also part of the players’ makeup and McFarlane’s Thunderpussies won the tournament in the P2 division, the highest skill level that competed on Saturday. After the tournament, NYC Footy members gathered for food and drink at Yard House at American Dream in a show of camaraderie.
For more information on upcoming NYC Footy events and how to register, visit NYCFooty.com.
Aliann Pompey (l) with athletes and officials at the AP Invitational in Guyana. (Photo courtesy of Aliann Pompey)
Competitor Ashley Toussaint and NYC Footy CEO and co-founder Tarek Pertew battle for possession of the ball at the Cup of Dreams soccer tournament at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
(Derrel Johnson photo)
Sports
Queens native Lauren Scruggs wins Olympic silver in historic fencing final
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
It was a historic first for U.S. women’s Olympic foil fencing— two Americans facing off in a gold medal match.
In the end, experience won, as Lee Kiefer defeated Queens native Lauren Scruggs 15-6 to capture her second consecutive gold in the event. Scruggs was an unexpected finalist and became the first Black woman to win an individual fencing medal for Team USA. Brooklyn native Erinn Smart (2008 Beijing) and Maplewood, New Jersey-born Ibtihaj Muhammad (2016 Rio), both Black women and alumnae of New York City’s famed Peter Westbrook Foundation fencing program, previously earned team medals.
“I’m definitely more happy than disappointed,” said the 21-yearold Scruggs, who will be senior at Harvard in the upcoming school year and is also a Peter Westbrook Foundation-trained athlete. “I generally would say I think it was
shocking for me to be here in the first place. So, I don’t even think I’ve had time to process.”
Scruggs, who was inspired to engage in the sport by her older brother, Nolen Scruggs, who fenced for Columbia University, said she still has lofty goals. “I just want to see how good I can be with fencing. Obviously, I’ve made it pretty far with this event, but hopefully, we can shoot for the stars.”
Kiefer, 30, is already a history maker as the first American fencer male or female to win Olympic gold in foil. Now, she joins Mariel Zagunis (women’s saber gold in ‘04 and ’08) as the only American fencers with two individual Olympic gold medals.
“No matter how much I tried to prepare, there’s still so much pressure I put on myself to just fence well and stay present,” said Kiefer. “Each day was a rollercoaster, but here we are at the top.”
The pursuit of more medals continues for Kiefer and Scruggs today with the women’s foil team event.
Much has been made about there being an equal number of male and female competitors at the Paris Olympics. Indeed it is a reflection of gender equality progress, but the question of how equitable resources are must still be examined. There are 205 delegations participating in Paris. In many cases, female athletes are still struggling for funding, lack media attention and perhaps even have to settle for inferior training facilities.
The U.S. delegation has 594 athletes from 46 states. Among them are high profile female athletes such as WNBA star A’ja Wilson, swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Simone Biles. Fencers largely compete in anonymity, only stepping into the spotlight when they win Olympic medals.
Despite the relatively minimal attention her sport receives, Scruggs noted she is thankful for the exposure afforded her and fencing in general in Paris.
“I’m just super grateful to be able to fence in front of such a big crowd and in such a beautiful space,” she said.
Noah Lyles takes center stage chasing triple-gold in the sprints
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
Noah Lyles has taken the mantle from Usain Bolt as the most electric and magnetic male sprinter in the world. Yet, proclaiming him as the best of this current generation has to be proven by deeds and not just words. It begins this Saturday with the preliminary rounds of the men’s 100-meters and the finals taking place on Sunday.
Bolt, from Jamaica, is the greatest men’s sprinter of all time. An eight-time Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in the 100 meters (9.58), 200 meters (19.19), and 4 x100 meters relay (45.28), he won gold medals in four straight Olympics from 2008 to 2016.
Lyles took home gold after winning the 100 m and 200 m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, last August. During the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics last weekend, he went viral on social media when
United States sprinter Noah Lyles, pictured running the 200-meters at World Championships last August, is seeking to win both 100- and 200-meters at Paris Olympics.
he was recorded asserting, “Everyone knows that the title goes to the Olympic champion and world champion, which I am one of. And soon to be another one of.”
Some inferred that Lyles was claiming to be the historical best.
On Sunday, the 27-year-old from Gainesville, Fla., clarified his comments on his YouTube account:
“I won the men’s 100 m at the
2023 World Championships, and Sha’Carri [Richardson] won the women’s. We do not intend to disrespect or discredit past records or times set in the new season.”
If Lyles does earn the crown in both events in Paris, he’ll be just the 10th man at the Olympics to do so, joining, among others, African-American legends Eddie Tolan (1932), Jesse Owens (1936),
Carl Lewis (1984), and Bolt, who achieved the remarkable distinction three times (2008, 2012, 2016).
NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who is endeavoring to win a record fourth men’s Olympic gold as a member of the USA men’s basketball team, indirectly compartmentalized Lyles’s argument at last year’s track and field World Championships that the winner of the NBA title is only the
nominal global champion because they don’t compete for the honor against squads representing multiple overseas leagues.
“World champion of what?” Lyles caustically asked the assembled media in Hungry 12 months ago. “The United States?”
Earlier this week, in an interview with ESPN’s Andscape writer Marc J. Spears, Durant encapsulated the divergent experiences of athletes competing for NBA teams and their country at the Olympics. “You don’t compare them. It’s two different things,” he said. “It’s two different mountains you got to climb… so obviously, in our world, the NBA championship is more respected, but in some parts of the world, the Olympic level is more respected.” Lyles will increase his standing in the pantheon of all-time great athletes with victories in the 100 m and 200 m, and capping it with a third gold in the men’s 4x 100. There’s much work ahead. Lyles should be up for the challenge.
(Erik van Leeuwen (bron: Wikipedia) Zenfolio - Erki Pictures)
Queens native Lauren Scruggs won the silver medal in foil fencing in her first Olympics, as she was defeated by her teammate Lee Kiefer, who captured the gold. (#BizziTeam photo)
