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DELAYED & DENIED HOW SOCIAL SECURITY LEAVES GUN VIOLENCE

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International News

Garifunas: architects of an Afro-Indigenous population

By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA Special to the AmNews

Translated By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

My first visit to Honduras was in 1998, to the city of San Pedro Sula, for a meeting of continent-wide Afrodescendant leaders planned by the AfroAmerica XXI organization, with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

That is where my first contact with the Garifuna culture began. Touring through the San Pedro Sula market, I got a cazabe (a kind of bread made with yucca flour, similar to the breads that exist in Venezuela and other Indigenous communities throughout Colombia). During the meeting, we discussed issues of poverty and discrimination, as well as eviction from their lands that the Garifuna were suffering along the Atlantic coast.

A few years later, in 2011, I had the opportunity to travel to the island of St. Vincent, an island governed by English colonialism due to a peace treaty enacted between France and England in 1763. Under the geopolitical control of the English, the trade in enslaved Africans and slavery deepened on Saint Vincent as it had already done in other Caribbean islands such as Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados. Carib Indians, originally from the region of the mouth of Venezuela’s Orinoco River, had already settled on the islands of Saint Vincent. With the arrival of Africans who had been enslaved by the French, a genetic and cultural mixture ensued. Their Afro-Indigenous offspring were called Garinagus or Black Caribs.

The Garinagus or Garifuna pretty much controlled this island, and their leader Joseph Satuye emerged there. The English, once they

Cows obstruct Nigeria’s

took

the

Later, the Garifuna were expelled by the English and sent to Roatan Island in Central America, off the coast of Honduras. With time and through a culture of resistance, the Garifuna culture emerged, structured with a linguistic and cultural system unique in the world. Today, the Afro-Indigenous have a specific name in the Caribbean. Their Garifuna culture originates in Saint Vincent; continues to Roatan Island; moves to Central America; and is seen in Nicaragua, Belize, and Guatemala.

Culture and spirituality

The Garifuna music and dance culture starts with the toque and the punta dance, followed by the Habinahan Wanaragua Jankunu Festival ( John Canoe Festival). In New York, I had the opportunity to meet and learn from many

Garifunas who migrated to that city to start to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The Garifuna diaspora counts its largest population as living between New Orleans and New York. The food known as machuca is part of a thick fish soup combined with coconut, spices, and vegetables such as yucca, plantains, and others. After eating machuca, the Garifuna drink a beverage known as gifiti, which is made from traditional herbs and alcohol. The Garifuna spirituality is known as dugu, where they remember their ancestors and their point of origin: Saint Vincent Island.

Reparations

The Garifuna people have resisted for more than 300 years in a prolonged struggle to conserve their cultural system, although the governments of the Garifuna diaspora have not understood the demands of this people and have caused many to migrate to other countries such as the United States due to evictions from their lands on the Caribbean coast. The Garifuna have been evicted from their lands so developers can build tourist projects — which the Garifuna cannot enter. The Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña /Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) has been denouncing this situation of dispossession for years –– just last year, the organization won recognition from the Fund for Global Human Rights for their work.

Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of Saint Vincent, is one of the few leaders who accepts the Garifuna culture as a cultural, spiritual, and political system. In his speeches, he always claims Joseph Satuye as one of his great galvanizers in claiming his Afro-Indigenous heritage, as he insisted on doing in his speech at the first International Conference on Reparations that we organized in Caracas, Venezuela, in May 2018.

capital as climate change and development leave herders with nowhere to go

By TAIWO ADEBAYO Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria—At an intersection seven miles from Nigeria’s presidential villa, frustrated drivers honk as a herd of cattle feeds on the grass of the median strip and slowly marches across the road, their hooves clattering against the asphalt. For the teenage herder guiding them, Ismail Abubakar, it is just another day, and for most drivers stuck in the traffic, it’s a familiar scene in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja. Abubakar and his cattle’s presence in the city center is not out of choice but of necessity. His family are originally from Katsina State in northern Nigeria, where a changing climate turned grazing lands into barren desert. He moved to Idu many years ago when it was a rural, bushy, and less developed part of Abuja—

but it now hosts housing estates, a vast railway complex, and various industries.

“Our settlement at Idu was destroyed and the bush we used for grazing our cattle cut down to pave the way for new houses,” Abubakar said in English. The change forced his family to settle on a hill in the city’s periphery and roam the main streets for pasture.

Fulani herders like Abubakar are traditionally nomadic and dominate West Africa’s cattle industry. They normally rely on wild countryside as free pasture to graze their cattle, but the pressures of modernization, the need for land for housing, crop farming, and human-caused climate change are challenging their way of life. To keep cattle off Abuja’s major roads and out of gardens, some suggest that herders need to start acquiring private land and operating like other businesses. To do that, though, they would need

control of

island, initiated a savage fight against the Garifuna and assassinated Satuye in 1795.

AfroAmerica XXI poster from 2006. (AfroAmerica XXI)

Grass feeding of cows by a local herdsman in Abuja Nigeria. (Audu king photo)

24 Hours of Peace block party marks Newark’s strides in violence prevention

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

It’s all in a day’s work in Newark, as New Jersey’s largest city celebrated another 24 Hours of Peace from Aug. 23 to Aug. 24. First started in 2012, the annual hip-hop culture block party promotes anti-violence leading up to every Labor Day weekend. R&B legend Mýa headlined an all-female lineup for this year’s women empowerment theme.

The event traces its roots to Mayor Ras Baraka’s time as a Newark council member in the city’s South Ward. Boogie Down Productions rapper Hakim Green – of Channel Live fame – approached his brother and current Chief of Staff Amiri Baraka Jr. to hold a day-long concert promoting peace. The childhood friends knew typical antiviolence efforts rarely drew the audiences they wanted to reach and often found themselves preaching to the choir. So they co-founded 24 Hours of Peace, hoping star power from prominent figures in Black music could help get their message across.

Initially, 24 Hours of Peace traveled on a small Wenger wagon and was powered by a car battery. Baraka deemed the block party an official citywide event after taking mayoral office in 2015. Since then, a who’s who has graced the event, from Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah headlining the event last year to hip-hop matriarch and hometown heroine Queen Latifah hosting the whole thing in 2022.

This year’s event took place in the city’s West Ward on South 10th Street and Cen-

tral Avenue, a block Amiri Baraka Jr. identified specifically in need for anti-violence efforts.

“The whole objective is to get the crowd there to make sure the kids that are actu-

ally involved with this kind of behavior [are] there to hear the message that we give them about changing their habits and behaviors,” Amiri Baraka Jr. told AmNews in a phone interview. “And understanding that violence is not helping us. It’s causing us problems. We definitely hid the messages in between a lot of the artists. And I think it’s been effective.”

Women are leading the Democratic Party, and it’s about time

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Vice President Kamala Harris’s nomination for president of the U.S. at this year’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago gave women leaders from all over the country the opportunity to highlight an array of issues, from reproductive rights to fundraising for fellow electeds.

The historic feat of having a Black and South Asian woman lead the DNC ticket has already galvanized women leaders, organizers, and younger voters.

Many linked this break of the glass ceiling back to Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to be elected to Congress and make a serious campaign for the presidency, and to Fannie Lou Hamer, who was vice chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) and famously rattled the DNC in 1964 with her testimony about the violence she faced in trying to register to vote as a Black citizen.

“Shirley Chisholm was because Fannie Lou Hamer was. We are — all of us are — because of Shirley Chisholm — who she was,” said Congressmember Barbara Lee

(California), who was Chisholm’s protegé. She spoke at the Women’s Caucus meeting at the DNC on August 22. “Chisholm was a catalyst for change. She was unbought and unbossed, and she said this: ‘Next time a woman of whatever color or a dark-skinned person of whatever sex aspires to be president, the way should be a little smoother because I helped pave it.’”

Harris, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and others homed in on the state of reproductive justice in the nation.

“This is what is happening in our country, because of Donald Trump,” Harris said in her speech at the DNC on August 23. “And understand: He is not done. As a part of his agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress. And get this: He plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions. Simply put, they are out of their minds. And one must ask: Why exactly is it that they don’t trust women?”

Harris vowed that if Congress passes a bill See DEMOCRATIC WOMEN on page 38

See NEWARK on page 43

24 Hours of Peace stage. (Tandy Lau photo)

New York State Attorney General Letitia James at Democratic National Convention (DNC) 2024 women’s luncheon (Ariama C. Long photo)

Before the presidential debate, there are questions

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Days before the scheduled presidential debate, if it occurs on September 10, the candidates continue to argue about format, location, and how it will be conducted. These are just a few signs of how important the debate looms. We needn’t be reminded of how consequential the previous ones were for President Biden. His performance was so troubling that it led to his stepping out of the race and turning it over to Vice President Harris.

Whether microphones should be muted except when the candidate whose turn it is to speak is currently the most pressing issue. Quibbling over such matters is customary from candidates as each seeks an advantage during the debate. Trump once again has raised the possibility that he might not show up if ABC is the venue. On his Truth Social network, he posted Sunday, “Why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network?” and urged his followers to “stay tuned.”

In the final debate between Trump and Biden, the mics were muted and there is little evidence that it either helped or hindered the candidates, although Trump used the open mic to talk over Sen. Hillary Clinton several times during their encounter in 2016.

The nation is poised to see how Harris will deal with Trump, in what has been forecast as a showdown between the “prosecutor and the felon.”

According to reports, the Harris team has requested that the debate have live microphones all the time. “Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own,” said Brian Fallon, one of Harris’s campaign spokespeople. He said Harris “is ready to deal with Trump’s constant lies and interruptions in real time. Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button.”

Jason Miller, Trump’s spokesperson, said Trump had “accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate. He alleged that Harris’s representative sought “a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements.”

Even before the first round of the debate, questions abound and must be answered.

Harlem takes center stage at the DNC

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

In an already historic Democratic National Convention (DNC), Harlem leadership took center stage before Vice President Kamala Harris’s final remarks on Thursday night.

“All Donald Trump has been consistent about is getting richer and sowing division to make that happen,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of Harlem’s National Action Network (NAN), on the stage. “In November, we will show him when Blacks do their jobs.”

Councilmember Yusef Salaam and members of the Exonerated Five Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Kevin Richardson gave impassioned speeches about freedom and endorsed Harris. They spoke about being personally vilified as adolescents by former President Donald Trump.

“He spent $85,000 on a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for our execution,” said Wise, to which the crowd responded with

boos and chants of “Lock him up.”

“Donald Trump has never changed,” Salaam said on stage, “and he never will.”

Despite being delayed due to the weather in New York City, Salaam and Harlem’s favorite political powerhouse family — Manhattan Party Boss Keith Wright and his son, Assemblymemberelect Jordan J.G. Wright —hit the ground running at this week’s convention.

Wright said he was incredibly moved to be in the arena during speeches by former President Barack Obama, whom many have dubbed colloquially their “forever president,” and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

“It really meant a lot to me to be in the room,” said Wright, who currently serves as Salaam’s chief of staff. “There was a lot of great energy from Democrats across the country. The roll call was beautiful.”

On Thursday night, day four of the DNC, Sharpton brought out Salaam and the Exonerated as the arena erupted in cheers.

Black promise: VP Harris delivers powerful acceptance

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz officially accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president and vice president as the election process moved forward into the November election.

Harris began her speech by thanking President Joe Biden; her husband, Doug; her sister, Maya; and her mother.

“I promise to be a president for all Americans,” Harris said.

Harris and Walz’s opponents in this November’s general election will be Republican presidential nominees former President Donald Trump and J. D. Vance. Democrats said throughout the convention that this will be a “fight” to the finish.

Harris said that Trump is an “unserious man” with serious consequences for the White House.

“Kamala’s entire life has been about fighting for each of us to have that freedom, and like so many Americans, Kamala knows what it’s like to be underestimated and be counted out,” said Maya Harris, a lawyer and policy advocate who is the vice presi-

dent’s sister. “She knows what it’s like to be the underdog and yet still beat the odds. And now she has created so much electricity, so much optimism, so much joy throughout the nation, and it is why we need her leadership in this historic moment.”

Day four of the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) wrapped up with spectacular speeches from guests like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Massachusetts U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, U.S. Rep Lucia McBath, the Rev. Al Sharpton and members of the Exonerated Five, actresses Eva Longoria and Kerry Washington, and comedian D. L. Hughley, along with electrifying performances from The Chicks and Pink.

Numerous advocates spoke about legislating against gun violence and trafficking, protecting abortion access, building affordable housing and the middle classes, supporting veterans, and promoting criminal justice. Gun violence survivors and families of victims like Abbey Clements of Connecticut, a second-grade teacher who survived the Sandy Hook shooting; Kim

Rubio of Texas, whose daughter was killed in the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas; Melody McFadden of South Carolina, who lost her mother and sister in fatal shootings; and Edgar Vilchez of Illinois, a Chicago student and gun safety activist, also gave their testimonies.

Harris oversees the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and in June 2022, helped pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – a feder-

al gun safety bill.

Walz has also signed major gun safety legislation into law, including universal background checks and a red flag law that allows law enforcement to intervene when someone is at high risk of injuring themselves or others with a firearm.

“America, we are not going back,” Harris said.

Harris also stated that she supports a ceasefire in Gaza but will defend “Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Vice President Kamala Harris accepting nomination for president on Thurs., Aug 22, on final night of DNC (Ariama C. Long photo)

Harlem Councilmember Yusef Salaam, Manhattan Party Boss Keith Wright, and Assemblymember-elect Jordan J.G. Wright with members of Exonerated 5 Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Kevin Richardson backstage at Democratic National Convention (DNC) (Ariama C. Long photo)

Lobbying for change: Katrell Lewis

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Katrell Lewis, principal in the Public Strategies subsidiary of the Cozen O’Connor law firm, is a highly regarded public policy strategist and lobbyist who advocates on behalf of the firm’s clients in Albany and New York. The law firm was established in 1970 and broadly represents global corporations; its Public Strategies subsidiary works to build local and national government relations, provide policy analysis, advocate for legislation, and secure funding for programs in multiple areas.

“A lobbyist is essentially someone who is working with an organization to get the resources that they need for their constituency. Sometimes that’s corporate, sometimes that’s nonprofit, and sometimes that’s trade organizations,” said Lewis. “It is someone that’s your eyes, your ears, and your feet on the ground to every level of government you need to talk to to get the resources you need.”

Lewis’s biggest clients have included the Apollo Theater in Harlem, Harlem YMCA, and Brooklyn United Marching Band. He was a government relations fellow with the William J. Clinton Foundation (Clinton Global Initiative). Most recently, Lewis served as vice president of government and community partnerships at Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County. He joined Cozen in 2023.

A Brooklyn native, Lewis grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in the 1990s, the youngest of three raised by a single working mother. He attended public schools in Bed-Stuy throughout his adolescent years and always had an interest in politics. He was most directly inspired by former President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

End Apartheid in Admissions to NYC’s Elite High Schools

Another year, another nightmare: just 12 percent of admissions to New York City’s specialized high schools this year went to Black and Latinx students. That’s a slight uptick from recent years, but still shameful.

There is no overstating how much rides on this. We have lost focus on the end result. New York City children of color currently represent 65 percent of the school system, but make up just 10 percent of the enrollment in elite high schools, the primary springboard into top colleges. The racial selection blockade promotes an institutionalized apartheid-like system.

of the city’s public schools in the 1980s and ‘90s. These programs, such as separate gifted and talented classrooms, were eliminated or redesigned by former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Lastly, we must renew the push to scrap the SHSAT in favor of a multifactor admission strategy. Just two years ago, former Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter was shouted down when she called on the state to kill the SHSAT. I strongly support an admissions process that takes into account performance on state-mandated tests, class rank, academic records, extracurricular activities and perhaps even socio-economic factors.

(DNC) in 2004. Obama, at the time, was a state senator from Illinois and keynote speaker at the convention.

“He talked about [being] a young kid with a funny name and that really connected with me,” Lewis said. “At that time, I would’ve been 13, going into high school with a funny name. He talked about a Black kid who talks ‘white.’ Everything he was saying I connected with and since then, I was interested in politics and I knew I wanted to be in politics. I just didn’t know what that meant.”

Lewis earned his M.P.A. at the City University of New York (CUNY) Baruch College Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, and his B.A. in political science at the CUNY College of Staten Island. He said that attending school in a borough that was predominantly white and Republican was a real departure from his upbringing. While in college, he was vice chair of the CUNY CIS Association, a nonprofit affiliated with the school.

“I’d say generally that in most of the rooms I’m in, I am the only Black man, but that also allows me to talk about issues that are affecting Black communities from my client side, my team, and then the State Legislature as well,” Lewis said about his experience.

During his tenure at Habitat for Humanity, Lewis helped to create hundreds of affordable homeownership units and affordable LGBTQ senior housing, advanced bipartisan state legislation to reform the state’s affordable homeownership program, and advocated for the addition of $400 million in affordable homeownership funding for the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal. In recognition of his leadership, Crain’s New York Business honored Lewis with their annual 40 under 40 recognition in 2022.

Once and for all, we need a major, coherent response to this unforgivable inequity. This calls for overturning the apple cart, to move past the inertia and cynicism. Time to take on the primary culprit in this mess, the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), which is the primary standard for admission to the city’s nine specialized schools.

First, Mayor Eric Adams should use his executive authority to set new admission standards at the five specialized schools that voluntarily adopted the SHSAT test decades ago. In fact, the mayor could argue their admission policy is still controlled by the city and jettison the SHSAT from the five schools all together. Certainly, this will ignite a fight with Albany, but the mayor would win kudos from his political base for taking this on.

In 1971, the state legislature passed legislation that limited the New York City Board of Education’s ability to alter admission policies at the Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Technical High School and Stuyvesant High School. The law, which imposed the SHSAT, was denounced by opponents as seeking an exclusionary racial quota at the schools. Beginning in 2002, the Bloomberg administration adopted a SHSAT test-in at the remaining specialized high schools in a failed attempt to integrate them.

NOTE: The SHSAT is not used to determine admission to LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Admission is based on auditions and academic records.

The mayor floated the idea two years ago of building new specialized high schools in each New York City borough with different screening criteria. Nothing came of it, but adding specialized schools alone will not transform the racial demographics. The problem is getting students of color equitably admitted to the schools.

Secondly, the NYC schools should restore gifted-and-talented accelerated learning programs for high-performing middle school students, which fueled the success

Admission to specialized high schools matters because Black college and university enrollment has been dropping steadily. It was down 24 percent between 2010 and 2022, or more than 717,000 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. What is really disturbing is trends in popular two-year junior college programs. Enrollment by Black and Latinx men tumbled between 2019 and 2023, according to the national clearinghouse, with Black male enrollment dropping an eye-popping 23.5 percent and that of Hispanic men falling 19.7 percent.

Specialized high school admissions revolve around the SHSAT because only the top scorers on the grueling, high-stakes test get an invitation. Along with the test, students rank their schools by preference. Their test score, school preferences and seats available at each school determine if they are offered admission.

A lucrative test prep industry has grown up around the SHSAT, which is a scandal in plain sight. Students from well-heeled families pay tuition of $1,000 or more for the test training. For all intents and purposes, they are allowed to game the system with pricey test prep, while other worthy students from modest households cannot afford the classes.

Clearly, the SHSAT is the rate limiting factor in Black and Latinx admissions. As recently as 1975, some of the specialized high schools were as high as 50 percent Black and Latinx, an oasis for smart kids from troubled neighborhoods. It is no coincidence that enrollment of children of color has fallen precipitously as predicted four decades ago by opponents of the SHSAT.

Either you believe that Black and Latinx students are intellectually inferior to White and Asian students, or you think there is something wrong with how we are choosing kids for these schools: one of the two has to be true.

The SHSAT needs to go.

Katrell Lewis (Contributed photo)

Neighborhood Navigators pave in-roads in Harlem

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

A moral compass guides the Neighborhood Navigators’ expedition across Harlem. Lenny Ortiz and Alex Brass spend the workday between Lenox and Lexington from 116th to 125th Street, building relationships with New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health disorders with the ultimate goal of connecting them with housing and social services.

“It’s really about meeting people where they’re at [and] working at their pace,” Brass said. “I try not to be pushy at all. At the same time, I want to encourage them, help give them hope. A lot of these people have dealt with very extreme trauma throughout their life, so just being there to listen to them if they want to share, because a lot of people don’t have anyone to talk to. So just being that listening seems to really go a long way for them.”

Neighborhood Navigators stems from the Manhattan District Attorney’s $6 million investment towards nonprofit the Bridge to establish outreach programs in four focus neighborhoods staffed by “peers” with similar life experiences. The initiative will run for roughly three years and officially kicked off this past February. Ortiz and Brass started in June and make up the Harlem team.

So far, their engagement led to placement of five people into safe haven, “low-barrier” transitional housing services tailored to those “resistant” to staying in the city’s general shelter system. But others have been connected to services, provided with safeuse kits and helped with obtaining Medicaid cards — as well as given compassion and companionship. In sum, the Navigators have interacted with more than 100 people. Each case requires a personal touch. Some individuals are open to seeking housing and treatment. Others take extended efforts. And there are some people who can’t be reached. But generally, breakthroughs require multiple interactions.

Last Friday, Ortiz and Brass encountered a man sleeping on the sidewalk outside the Bridge’s office on the southeast corner of 125th and Lenox. The individual woke up after the Navigators checked on him and recognized him as a previous client. After a round of fist bumps, Ortiz took him to a bodega to grab a beverage. Thanks to their previous engagement, the Navigators knew that he uses crack, and handed the man the appropriate safe use kit.

As the Navigators made their way across 125th Street, they scanned for others in distress. They came across a man struggling to stand outside of the Metro North. He wasn’t a previous client. The Navigators approached him and realized there wasn’t much they could do. But contact was made.

Moving eastward, Brass looked out for a specific client who said he was ready for detox. The Navigators have met with him more than ten times. They initially struggled to find the

client and didn’t have a phone to reach him. But they eventually bumped into him. He told Brass he wasn’t able to make it to detox, but expressed a strong desire to recover. He’s tired. Brass was optimistic, Ortiz skeptical.

In fact, Brass generally serves as the duo’s idealist. The streetwise Ortiz is the realist. While both enlisted with the Bridge as Neighborhood Navigators due to their personal experience with drug use, they boast complementary backgrounds.

Ortiz hails from the catchment area as a son of Spanish Harlem. He’s a former Army veteran, who insists on standing on the right due to hearing loss sustained from military service.

“I did a lot of damage, and I hurt a lot of people, and I always want to help people,” Ortiz said. “Now that I’m in a position to really give assistance, [I’m] giving back to the community where I did the most damage. When people see me in the area that knew me when I was in active addiction, they say, ‘well, if he could do it, maybe I could do so.’ Since they already know me, the connection’s already there so I can engage with them much better.”

Brass on the other hand comes from a selfadmittedly “privileged” Upper West Side upbringing, where he once approached addiction and homelessness with stigma callous indifference. Two years after college, he sustained an addiction. Narcan ultimately saved his life after an overdose.

“This was last August, and after that, I started getting increasingly involved in advocacy, where I became increasingly sensitive to the suffering that was going on to the

point where it was almost too much for me,” Brass said. “I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. Thankfully, I came across this opportunity which has created such a large amount of purpose and meaning for me.”

A third Navigator will join them to round out the team, according to the program’s director Rocio Santos.

Navigating a neighborhood also means constant change. Some clients don’t have a method of contact and others end up losing their phones while living on the street. A recent shooting in East Harlem meant a greater police presence in the area, scattering clients the Navigators have meticulously built relationships with. Ortiz says they also need to gain the trust of local drug dealers to ensure they don’t suspect competition while other harm reduction organizations like OnPoint NYC, the country’s first safe injection site, also operate in the area, opening the door to collaboration.

To be clear, similar outreach is conducted through the NYC Department of Homeless Services, and also staff those with lived experiences (although it’s not mandated).

While $6 million is a pretty penny, the funding—which comes from forfeiture money seized in white-collar crime convictions by the Manhattan District Attorney — is a drop in the bucket compared to the $171 million in additional funding by the city towards street outreach and “low-barrier” shelter programs this current fiscal year.

But D.A. Alvin Bragg cannot fathom a world where there are enough mental health resources and says the Neighborhood Naviga-

tors are unique since they tie into his Court Navigators program, which similarly engage with in-need individuals at arraignment parts to holistically tackle the problem.

“This is work that we’ll see the benefit of over time,” said Bragg over the phone. “And it’s got to complement other work in the hub we’re based at…it’s part of a public safety toolkit.”

He adds that numbers don’t tell the full story for the Navigators’ work. But neither can they fully depict the extent of convictions. On the baseline, unique interactions with unique individuals and connection to services will gauge the program’s success.

But what of the Navigators’ own mental health? They say not taking the work is a challenge, especially since the two often go beyond work hours accompanying clients to housing court or visiting them at the hospital.

The two talk about staying physically active. Brass even mentions they discussed rockclimbing together, although Ortiz isn’t as fond of the suggestion. But that might not be the point. As they help others with mental health on the clock, they’ve kept each other grounded through their own blossoming friendship.

“We’re a great team,” said Ortiz. “I enjoy working with the brother.”

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

Harlem’s Neighborhood Navigators Lenny Ortiz (left) and Alex Brass (right) on the 116th Street. (Tandy Lau photo)

Deadline approaching for developers filing 421-a tax exemption

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is putting the word out about an upcoming filing deadline for developers taking part in the 421-a (16) program.

The 421-a program is a partial tax exemption for developers that are building multifamily residential properties on vacant lots. Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) and small firms taking part in the program may not be aware that there is a deadline to submit a letter of intent to qualify for the tax reduction.

The 421-a (16) program, which passed in 2017, was a compromise deal between construction companies and the real estate industry. It allowed developers to build if they met certain affordability requirements and would be able to complete their developments before June 15, 2026.

Developers that put in a letter to file for an extension will have until June 15, 2031, to complete their projects, but they must get their letters in by September 12 of this year to be eligible for the extension.

“It is very important that projects that want to use the extension file a letter of intent with HPD by September 12,” explained Tricia Dietz, the assistant commissioner of housing incentives at HPD during a video call with reporters. “The letter of intent is necessary to be eligible

deadline will still be able to use any of the previous options …

“One of the reasons that we want to provide more awareness of this deadline is because we have received a number of letters of intent, but we are not seeing as many as would be expected in, specifically, smaller buildings and buildings with minority businesses and women-owned businesses, firms, and developers. And we’ve also had concerns about the number of smaller family-owned developers that may not be aware of this deadline. It is very important: This is a one-time opportunity to file this extension. Projects that do not file by the September 12 deadline will not be eligible.”

for that extension. The letter of intent is a form that is on HPD’s website that has information requesting the building address, the BIN number, contact information, and the expected option. It is a non-binding form and projects that still complete by the original completion

HPD’s website notes that the Letter of Intent “must be submitted by an authorized signatory of the owner, and is to be submitted online. Successful submission … will result in a confirmation of receipt email, a copy of which shall be required for any 421-a(16) application with a completion date between June 16, 2026 and June 15, 2031.”

Questions regarding submission of the form can be emailed to 421-a16_extension@ hpd.nyc.gov, or by calling 212-863-6603.

Scenes from a construction site (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

Chronic illegal dumping and vacant lots raise health concerns in the Rockaways

By ROXANNE L. SCOTT Special to the AmNews

To prepare for last month’s Fun in the Sun event in the Edgemere neighborhood, Jackie Rogers, Elizabeth Opurum, and other volunteers removed 185 pounds of trash from a parklet on Beach 43rd Street. They wanted to make sure the area was cleaned for the upcoming annual event, which would welcome residents to enjoy free kayaking on the waters of a basin that leads to Jamaica Bay.

Weeks later, they made a routine visit to the parklet to make sure it was being maintained, but when they and other volunteers arrived, they found the lot was filled with boxes of waste, plastic scraps, and wooden frames.

In the best case scenario, this would have been a disappointing one-time occurrence. For Rogers and her neighbors, though, the sight of piles of trash in Edgemere is all too common.

of-life issues in their neighborhood.

“Where are all those staunch advocates and politicians that say ‘We’re for environmental justice’?” asked Rogers. “This wouldn’t be allowed in a different ZIP code.”

“Why is it that we always have to ask for basic maintenance?” echoed Opurum. “We’re not asking for anything that is far outside of what these agencies are supposed to do.”

The Department of Sanitation did not answer why the service request was closed before the trash was picked up but confirmed that the debris, which included sanitary wipes, was removed nine days later on August 15.

It’s illegal to dump trash or debris on both public and private property in New York City. Drivers of vehicles used for dumping can be fined up to $18,000 and last year, the Department of Sanitation used surveillance cameras to crack down on dumpers. If residents see dumping in the process, they’re urged to call 911. Otherwise, New Yorkers should report dumping to 311. But residents are frustrated with that refrain, particularly when maintenance requests are closed before being resolved.

considered an important amenity, Rogers said the community doesn’t have equitable access to its waterfronts. “We’re rich in land use; however, we don’t have anything for the community for recreation.” She highlighted days like last month’s kayaking event on Jamaica Bay as significant.

Jamaica Bay contains about one-third of New York City’s more than 500-mile coastline. The bay is nearly the size of Manhattan and hosts wildlife such as bald eagles, ospreys, whales, and dolphins.

and that the tall, overgrown grass in some of the lots makes it difficult to know what’s lurking on a property. On the persistent dumping (and other quality-of-life issues), Moise said, “I think it stems from a long history of neglect with this small community.”

Residents put in a 311 request on the morning of August 6 to have the trash removed. Nearly 24 hours later, the ticket was closed but the waste still remained. Illegal dumping is not only an eyesore but also a public health concern, and in the case of the coastal neighborhood of Edgemere, an issue of access to the neighborhood’s waterways. Residents also say vacant lots send a message that it’s okay to dump in the neighborhood. Community members are tired of picking up the tab with their time and energy when it comes to such quality-

The filth from dumping runs the risk of polluting soil, as well as affecting air quality. According to 2020 data from the city’s environment and health portal, the Rockaways rank worse than the borough and citywide rates when it comes to asthma emergency department visits. Not only can dumping affect water and air quality, the refuse can also attract vermin such as rats, cockroaches, and mosquitoes that carry vector-borne diseases such as West Nile virus.

While the coastal neighborhood is bounded by the ocean and the bay, which would be

“The bay is healthier now than it has been in 100 years,” said Terri Carta, executive director of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Park Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental stewardship. She said Jamaica Bay has a long history of dumping. Being hidden on a dead-end street makes it an easy target for dumpers. She also believes that a lack of enforcement makes it easy for dumping to keep happening. “If someone was afraid that they would get caught, they would not have done it,” she said. Recent incidents like this, she said, unfortunately mean that although the bay is relatively healthy, there’s still work to be done.

Dumping is an equity issue and has been a persistent problem, plaguing Black and Brown and low-income neighborhoods in places such as Southeast Queens, East New York, and the Bronx.

Sonia Moise, who is president of the Edgemere Community Civic Association and has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 50 years, said she’s seen discarded refrigerators and furniture in vacant lots

Steffon Ramkissoon and his family moved to Edgemere four years ago. Behind his home sits four vacant lots, three of which are owned by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Across the street from his house, nearly half of the block is lined with vacant lots owned by private companies or the city. Neighbors say some of the lots have so much overgrown weeds that sidewalks are impassable. Although there’s a number to call about the city-owned land, Ramkissoon said he gets the runaround.

“Nobody knows anything about these lots,” he said.

An abandoned boat currently sits in one of the lots. Residents say small snakes have also made a home in the lots and make their way to the street. Ramkissoon remembers when someone dumped the carcass of a small animal in a bag, which stunk up half of his block.

The overgrown vegetation has attracted mosquitoes and now poses a threat to the couple’s six-month-old daughter, who has mosquito bite marks on her cheek, forehead, arm, and leg.

“We decided to stay away from outside,” said Navita Ramkissoon about avoiding her backyard. The couple said they still get swarmed, however, when watering the lawn or getting into their vehicle.

The city’s department of health has urged New Yorkers to be vigilant about standing water, but the Ramkissoons say they don’t

Debris from a recent illegal dumping incident at a parklet on Beach 43rd Street in Edgemere (Photos courtesy of The Garden By The Bay)

A basin that drains into Jamaica Bay by the Beach 43rd parklet in Edgemere (Roxanne Scott photos)

Union Matters

What to know about Labor Day and its history

By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — From barbecues and getaways, to shopping the sales, many people across the U.S. mark Labor Day — the federal holiday celebrating the American worker — by finding ways to relax.

This year is the 130th anniversary of the holiday, which is celebrated on the first Monday of September. While actions by unions in recent years to advocate for workers are a reminder of the holiday’s activist roots, the three-day weekend it creates has become a touchstone in the lives of Americans marking the unofficial end of summer.

Here’s what to know about Labor Day:

How did Labor Day become a federal holiday?

Its origins date back to the late 19th century, when activists first sought to establish a day to pay tribute to workers.

The first Labor Day celebration in the U.S. took place in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, when some 10,000 workers marched in a parade organized by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor.

Workers were seeing their quality of life decline as they transitioned from artisan to factory jobs, even as the quality of life of factory owners was “just skyrocketing,” said Todd Vachon, an assistant professor in the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations.

In the years that followed, a handful of cities and states began to adopt laws recognizing Labor Day. President Grover Cleveland signed a congressional act in 1894 making it a federal holiday.

That was the same year that workers for the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike after the railcar-maker cut wages without reducing rent in the company-owned town where workers lived near Chicago, Vachon said. Over 12 workers were killed after Cleveland sent federal troops to crush the strike, he said.

Cleveland’s move to establish Labor Day as a federal holiday is seen by some historians as a way for him “to make peace” with the working class after

that, Vachon said.

What do Americans do over Labor Day weekend?

For the three-day weekend created by Labor Day, travelers pack airports and highways for endof-summer escapes, and backyard chefs prepare cookouts for family and friends.

Barbecuing has been a part of Labor Day celebrations from the start, said Robert F. Moss, food writer, culinary historian and author of “Barbecue: The History of an American Institution.”

He said it was already such an entrenched tradition in the U.S. that when the labor movements

developed in the late 19th century, it was a natural way to celebrate as large groups gathered. In the 20th century, the holiday’s barbecues moved more toward gatherings of friends and family in backyards.

“It still has a lot of that same communal sense, gathering around the grill, eating together,” he said.

Vachon said that whether the origins of the labor movement are on one’s mind while celebrating depends on whether they live somewhere with a large union presence.

In Chicago, a parade and festival are held over Labor Day

sector employees were granted the right to join unions.

Later into the 20th century, states also began passing legislation to allow unionization in the public sector. But even today, not all states allow collective bargaining for public workers.

In recent years, Vachon said, there’s been a resurgence in labor organizing, activism, interest and support.

“A lot of the millennial and Gen Z folks are coming into the labor market in a period that’s not a lot different from that period in the 1880s where there was a lot of labor unrest,” Vachon said. “Jobs just don’t pay enough for people to achieve the American dream.”

What’s the connection between fashion and Labor Day?

The adage that one shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day is a “rule” that’s broken with very fashionable results, but where did it originate?

Fashion experts say it likely goes back to the Gilded Age — the same period in the late 1800s that spawned Labor Day.

The cool, white frocks worn by wealthy New Yorkers during their summers in places such as Newport, Rhode Island, would be packed away on their end-ofsummer return to the city with its dirt-packed streets.

Christy Crutsinger, a professor in merchandising and digital retailing at University of North Texas, heard the adage from generations of women in her family.

weekend in what is now the Pullman neighborhood, home of the holiday’s roots. Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said the parade and festival they host brings in union members and their families from all over the area.

How has the labor movement evolved over the decades?

When Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, unions in the U.S. were largely contested and courts would often rule strikes illegal, leading to violent disputes, Vachon said. It wasn’t until the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 that private

“The fashion world’s not working that way anymore,” she said. “People think it, say it, but don’t abide by it.”

With back-to-school shopping and a switch by many business people from a more relaxed summer dress code, fashion is on the mind of many around Labor Day, said Daniel James Cole, adjunct assistant professor in fashion history at the Fashion Institute of Technology and co-author of “The History of Modern Fashion.”

The holiday, he said, “is kind of this hinge” between summertime dress and fun to going “back to more serious pursuits.” Associated Press journalist Wyatte Grantham-Philips contributed to this report.

Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) workers protesting against congestion pricing tolls in mid-Manhattan in 2023. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)

‘This is a bond for life’: from sisterhood to the presidential race

By TRINITY WEBSTER-BASS Howard University News Service

CHICAGO — Kamala Harris has had many roles and titles over the course of her political career: attorney general, senator, vice president, and now Democratic presidential nominee.

The women who were initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) at Howard University in the spring of 1986 know Kamala Harris as their “line sister.”

“Greetings, most gracious ladies of the upper, uppermost house of Alpha Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Howard University, Washington, DC, 20059,” they all chanted in unison.

More than 30 of Harris’s sorority sisters traveled across the country to meet in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention this past week, where Harris formally accepted the party’s nomination as its presidential hopeful. “We have gathered here today because we are so excited about our line sister, Kamala Harris — Vice President Harris,” said Monique Poydras, an organizer of the event, about why she and her sorority sisters were there to support Harris. “We’re here to celebrate her and also to support her in her nomination for president of the United States, and we’re looking at an individual who’s not only qualified; she’s qualified, overqualified for the role. And we

couldn’t be more proud and humbled about our beginnings at Howard University.”

Valerie Pippen-Coutee has known Harris for over 40 years, and even before they were sorority sisters, they were best friends. “We got closer and closer together almost every day, and what we ended up doing was [in] the summer of ’85, we decided to go to summer school,” she recalled. “We worked during the day and went to summer school at night, and that really was difficult, but we were together every night.”

Pippen-Coutee told the story of how she convinced Harris to become an AKA, the first Black sorority founded at Howard University. “I remember I had pledged already, and I remember saying to her, ‘Hey, you should go out for the sorority. You should really do it.’ She was like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what I want to do.’ I was like, ‘Look, you really need to do it.’ And she said, ‘I’m gonna do it.’ And so she did, and the rest is history.”

For many of Harris’s fellow AKA members, getting people to the polls and Harris into the Oval Office are personal matters. From California to Washington, D.C., her sorority sisters have been there every step of the way.

Pippen-Coutee, like many of her sorority sisters, had plenty of stories to tell. They spoke of fond memories as they moved through life together.

“She might not remember this, but there was one time I visited her in Oakland, and we went shopping, and I was working, and I believe she

had just begun working in the District Attorney’s office. She kept saying, ‘Pippen — she calls me Pippen — ‘Pippen, I need a blue suit. I need a blue suit.’ I bought her that blue suit.’”

Line sister Inez Brown said they have been with Harris throughout her wearing many different suits.

“We have celebrated her along the way,” Brown said. “When she was serving in Los Angeles, when she became the attorney general, some of us were present at her swearing-in ceremony and celebration. When she became a U.S. senator, we also celebrated with her in that moment. We were in the room when she took her oath and when she was running for vice president.

“We galvanized and we did what we could do to influence and encourage people to register to vote and to support [her] financially, because we know money speaks, and that is an important part of every election.”

What her fellow sorority sisters love most about Harris is her character, and for PippenCoutee, her laugh. “I just want people to know how much of a genuine person Kamala is, how loving and caring and funny, like we both love to laugh and that’s one thing we always had in common,” she said. “I just remember how she and I would just look at each other, just start cracking up.”

Brown, who also helped to organize the Chicago event, wants people to know that at the end of the day, Harris is a person, too.

“I think a unique lens for us is [being] her line sisters, as we get to paint the human side of Kamala,” Brown said. “People have only sort of known her in her public service, so they often wonder, ‘Is she really this? Is she really that?’”

Despite campaigning and running the country, Harris still found a moment to have Brown’s back.

“I had brain surgery, and I talk about it because it is something real, and I realize it empowers me to support someone else who might be taking that journey,” Brown said. “I had just had surgery. Kamala called the hospital, and she was in the thick of her candidacy, but she made the time to reach out to me.”

Poydras knows that what bonds them is their shared experiences as Black women. Their sisterhood connects them all. “The founding of our illustrious sorority came at a time when we didn’t have anywhere,” Poydras explained. “We only had each other, so we had to create our own organization so that we could be a part of something special. This is not, ‘Oh … you’re part of an organization in college,’ and then it ends. This is a bond for life, a commitment for life, and that’s what our sisterhood stands for.”

In case you’re wondering, Harris did indeed work at the McDonald’s on Georgia Avenue across from campus.

“Yes, it is true. She had to make money,” Brown said. “We all needed a job, ” Brown and Poydras exclaimed at the same time.

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Opinion

Don’t forget the Latinos!

Last week, the Harris presidential campaign announced the launching of a WhatsApp channel targeting Latino voters, hoping to minimize the glut of misinformation so pervasive on the platform.

That’s a good move because very little attention has been given to Latino voters, who represent a decisive factor in the turnout; the Harris team needs only to recall the 2020 election, where Latinos delivered a 20% margin for Biden (59% for Biden and 39% for Trump) in swing states. Those numbers are sure to be altered since Biden is no longer a candidate, nor is Robert F Kennedy, Jr.

According to Harris campaign officials, the channel is the first of its kind, particularly set to be unveiled with a bilingual selfie-style video, featuring Julie Chavez-Rodriguez, the Harris campaign manager. It will inform viewers of the latest news and developments by the team as well as behind-the-scenes activity by the campaign.

The channel will be run by Latino staff members in the campaign, with daily voice memos, videos, and notes featuring surrogates and supporters. It will also serve as a tool to combat misinformation and disinformation, officials said.

More than half of the U.S. Hispanic population is estimated to use WhatsApp regularly, the campaign noted. It allows users to send text messages and make phone calls free over the internet, and has long beaten out other social media sites, including Instagram and Facebook, in popularity across Latin America.

All of this arrives in perfect timing with a report that the League of United Latin-American Citizens (LULAC) is asking the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to open an investigation into a series of raids conducted on Latino voting activists and political operatives as part of an alleged voter fraud inquiry by Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general.

On Monday, at a news conference outside the attorney general’s office in San Antonio, LULAC announced they were filing a civil rights complaint with the DOJ. State Senator Roland Gutierrez said he was requesting a state senate investigation into the raids.

“You don’t go after our grandmothers,” said Domingo Garcia, a LULAC leader.

This fresh initiative should shore up votes for Harris/Walz in the battleground states.

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Kamala Harris, for the Black people

By KEITH BOYKIN Word in Black

LONDON — Certain Black people on the internet keep raising two questions about Kamala Harris. What is her Black agenda? And why didn’t she do it during the last four years?

First, if you want to know Kamala Harris’s Black agenda, look at what she’s already done. As vice president, Kamala Harris helped to pass the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, provided a record $16 billion in funding to HBCUs, $2.8 billion for Pell grants and need-based assistance, $2 billion to Black farmers, $2 billion to clean up pollution in communities of color, doubled the number of Black businesses in America, and brought us the lowest Black unemployment rate and the lowest Black poverty rate in history.

The Biden-Harris administration also expanded the child tax credit, which cut the Black child poverty rate in half, capped the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors—which is especially important for Black people who are disproportionately affected by diabetes—signed up 5 million more people for Obamacare, canceled $168.5 billion in student loan debt for 4.8 million people, pardoned thousands of marijuana charges, and on top of all that, even signed a law creating the first new Black-related federal holiday in forty years — Juneteenth.

Now, the second question.

Why hasn’t Kamala Harris done whatever thing you think she should have done in the last four years? The answer. She’s not the president. She’s the vice president, and that person’s job is to help the president. But even if she were president, people need to have realistic expectations about what a president can and cannot do.

The president leads one of our three co-equal branches of government. For those who missed “Schoolhouse Rock,” the three branches are legislative, executive, and judicial. Congress, the legislature, makes the laws. The president, the executive, enforces the laws. And the judiciary, through the Supreme Court and lower courts, interprets the laws.

In the UK, the executive and legislature are combined in Parliament. The prime minister comes from the legislature and has the power to enact their own agenda. It makes it easier to get things done, but we don’t have that system in the U.S. Currently, we have a divided Congress, with a Republican House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate. The House is gerrymandered, giving members no incentive to work with a president from the other party. And the Senate is constitutionally unrepresentative of the country.

Jill Stein, Cornel West — or any imaginary candidate you think might be more radical or more “pro-Black” than Kamala Harris — were elected president, there’s very little that any president can do in our system of government that won’t be blocked by Republicans in Congress or overruled by the Republican-appointed judges on the federal courts.

That’s why we can’t just vote once every four years in a presidential election and complain when things don’t work out. We have to vote in every election, every year: in primaries, runoffs, and general elections, up and down the ballot, for city council, mayor, judge, school board member, county commissioner, state representative, governor, senator, vice president, and president.

But the choice is clear. If you want a president who has spent his life attacking Black people, from the Central Park Five and Barack Obama to Colin Kaepernick, Trump is your guy. If you want a president who won’t be able to accomplish everything we want but will move us in the right direction and has a record to prove it, Kamala Harris is the one. And if you want a king or queen to be your leader, move to London.

The team should give some attention to the AsianAmerican vote as well, since the turnout there has been increasingly vital.

In effect, all American votes count, and it’s good to see some significant moves by the Harris/Walz team to corral citizens who are often marginalized and neglected.

At the same time, they appointed more Black judges than any administration in history, and gave us the first Black woman on the Supreme Court and the first Black vice president. And those federal judges have lifetime tenure, so they’ll be on the bench for decades to come.

Trump was president for four years and he didn’t do any of those things. In fact, he was the first president since Richard Nixon 50 years ago to appoint no Black judges to the U.S. Courts of Appeals. And the judges he did appoint are the very ones striking down the laws and policies that help Black people.

That’s why the 1.6 million people in the mostly white and rural Dakotas get four U.S. senators, while the nearly 40 million people in the racially diverse state of California get only two U.S. senators. That means the people of South Dakota have 50 times more power than the people in California in the Senate. The legislature is rigged against us.

And, unfortunately, so are the courts. Because of the antiquated electoral college system for picking presidents, we have an unrepresentative Supreme Court with six of the nine justices appointed by Republican presidents, despite the fact that Democrats have won the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections.

So, even if Bernie Sanders,

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

Keith Boykin is a New York Times–bestselling author, TV and film producer, and former CNN political commentator. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith served in the White House, cofounded the National Black Justice Coalition, cohosted the BET talk show My Two Cents, and taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York. He’s a Lambda Literary Award-winning author and editor of seven books. He lives in Los Angeles.

Latinos for Obama picnic (Matt Lemmon photo via Wikimedia)

Mask bans make NY less safe

By JESSICA LYNN

When I was going to visit my 93-yearold grandfather earlier this summer, I donned my N95 mask in the grocery store and on public transit in the days leading up to the trip. During cold season last year, when I started noticing more sniffles and coughs among my law school classmates, I decided it would be better to mask up than catch COVID at the height of final exams. While I don’t wear them as much as I did at the height of the pandemic, masks remain a tool that I use to keep my high-risk loved ones safe from COVID and protect myself during spikes of the virus.

But now, recent legislation in New York threatens to make these precautions illegal.

Earlier this month, the Nassau County legislature approved a bill banning people from wearing masks or face coverings in public. Violations could result in a $1,000 fine, up to a year in jail, or both. In May, a state legislator introduced a similar bill that would ban face coverings specifically at public gatherings, like protests. Governor Kathy Hochul has also expressed support for a mask ban on New York City’s subway. Supporters of these bans claim they are necessary to protect public safety and point fingers at pro-Palestinian activists who cover their faces at protests—but these bans aren’t about public safety at all. They’re about suppressing speech.

The vast majority of pro-Palestinian protests have been peaceful and tolerant. One independent nonprofit found that 97% of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that took place at U.S. universities in April and May caused no serious damage. Yet, this didn’t stop law enforcement or the public from coming down hard on college activists. The same nonprofit documented that in at least 70 of the 553 campus demonstrations, officers dispersed protesters with physical force, such as by deploying chemical agents or using batons. Online, pro-Israel groups have doxxed campus activists, attempting to damage their future career prospects. Protesters cover their faces not because they are doing anything wrong, but because they face state violence and online harassment for simply expressing their views. The Supreme Court has long held that the First Amendment protects anonymous speech, which allows people to express themselves freely without risking retaliation. Mask bans strip activists of this right and attempt to bully them into silence.

Meanwhile, these bans are being implemented as COVID is surging in New York and across the nation. As of July, COVID cases in New York City were

up about 150% compared to May. In Nassau County, they were up more than 220% over the same time period.

Masking remains one of the most accessible and effective ways that people can prevent contracting of the virus.

The proposed state ban would prevent even people with disabilities from masking to protect health at protests. The bill contains a narrow carveout that would allow people to use masks to protect health during a declared health emergency, but the COVID emergency declaration has lapsed. Thus, this legislation essentially asks people with disabilities to choose between their right to assembly and their personal safety.

The Nassau bill includes broader health exceptions, but they still don’t go far enough to protect New Yorkers.

For example, the Nassau ban’s exception only applies to people who are masking to protect their own health and safety. Under such a policy, my masked trips to the grocery store to protect my elderly grandfather could be interpreted as illegal. People with disabilities who mask to protect themselves still wouldn’t be completely safe—they’re likely to face more invasive questions and harassment about their health status. Further, police can ask them to remove their masks if they’re suspected of a crime or even of having the mere intent to commit a crime.

As with all overly broad policies, these bans are likely to be disproportionately enforced against historically over-policed groups, namely low-income Black and Brown communities. The exceptions to the bans are vague and leave

Back to school we go!

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

it up to law enforcement to decide who is wearing a mask for an acceptable reason. In absence of further guidance, police officers’ own biases about who is a “criminal” are likely to influence who they stop, question, or charge for violating the policy.

Despite explicit exceptions for religious face coverings, law enforcement will also doubtlessly become more likely to question and harass Muslim women who wear garments that cover their faces, like burkas or niqabs. Thus, these bans will perpetuate trends of over-policing and expose already vulnerable groups to potential police violence.

If mask bans were really about safety, their supporters wouldn’t put protesters at risk of doxxing, people with disabilities at risk of contracting COVID, or people of color at risk of police abuse. Instead, these bans are about control. They sacrifice our health to improve state surveillance. They give our governments power over what we wear, how we protest, and the ways we can protect ourselves.

New Yorkers deserve the right to decide these issues for themselves. Legislators must oppose these regressive mask bans and stand up for their constituents’ autonomy.

Jessica Lynn is a legal intern at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) and rising 2L at Berkeley Law. She is a co-leader of the Digital Rights Project, a program through which law students conduct factual research to support the ACLU of Northern California in its digital civil liberties work.

Can it be that summer has ended so quickly? It feels like just yesterday I was closing out the school year and preparing for the hot months ahead. Now, I am planning syllabi, cleaning up my office, and trying to organize my schedule in what will likely be a very busy election season. I know many families are in the midst of buying back-to-school clothing and supplies, and figuring out school schedules and activities. My dear friends who are teachers are preparing their classrooms for the year ahead. All while the sunny days get shorter and shorter, and summer starts to feel like a distant memory.

One of my favorite things to do at the beginning of the school year is to donate to Donors Choose, an amazing organization where you can help teachers with materials for their classrooms. In an ideal society, teachers would not have to rely on the kindness of strangers to provide supplies for their students. However, we know that far too many schools across the country with a majority population of children of color are under-resourced and over-populated. It is not a coincidence that as the public school system sees increases in Black and Latino students, there is a large-scale disinvestment in the system. Knowing this, I choose to assist Black teachers and schools with large Black and under-represented populations to ensure our children have classrooms that excite and inspire them.

The Donors Choose website is so easy to navigate. I usually

choose a teacher with my last name, from my ZIP code, or some other fun way to connect. Choosing a random teacher in a small town who happens to share my last name has been a great way to see what teachers outside of New York City are doing with their students. Some teachers need pencils and markers, while others request rugs or other items to help make their classrooms more sensory-pleasant environments. I have helped teachers purchase everything from yoga mats to math workbooks.

I am constantly writing in this column about investing in the future we would like to see. Giving to Donors Choose is just one small way we can make a difference in our own communities or across the country. Being an educator is sometimes a thankless job, but we know the vast majority of teachers are dedicated to their students in ways we can hardly comprehend. I hope that this school season, you will consider making a donation to www.donorschoose.org to help an educator build the classroom they know will help their students the most effectively. This form of political tithing helps us invest in our communities and create positive rippling effects we’ll never know about. Summer has almost set so let’s get to work, on ourselves and in our various communities.

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

Woman wearing homemade facial mask when sheltering in place in Brooklyn, NY (Adjoajo photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Caribbean Update

Barbados has an aging problem, fears about not enough contributors to tax base

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

Most people might assume that authorities in Barbados would be more concerned about driving up tourist numbers from the U.S. and Europe, keeping crime down, and ensuring there are enough airlift and cruise ports to service the island’s lifeline sector, but there is another bugbear besetting the cabinet: the nation’s swiftly aging population.

The island of nearly 300,000 people is now contending with fears that there might not be enough locals in the next decade to sustain the country economically.

The latest figures authorities presented to a recent workshop shows that by 2030, one in six Barbadians would be 60 or older. The current status quo shows that one in five Bajans is over 65 and one in four is over 60.

“Our country is in a crisis with respect to an aging and declining population. Our country needs now to make decisions that may be difficult for some but necessary for all. That decision will lead to us committing to maintaining our values and our way of life as we know it. This country has seen a

declining population, an aging population, a declining level of production as a result, and declining taxation,” Prime Minister Mia Mottley told parliament recently as statistics from a World Health Organization (WHO) study and a recent census emerged. She expressed deep fears that there might well not be enough in the workforce in a decade or so to contribute to income tax and other statutory deductions that are key to state revenues. “We believe that this thing can be managed properly. Barbados has a strong caring infrastructure, and it does not come cheap. If we are going to maintain that because we believe in equity and we believe that the most vulnerable must be taken care of, then it means we have to manage carefully how we grow the economy—but equally making sure that the systems that are necessary to make sure that everybody can benefit and improve the quality of life.”

Barbados and The Bahamas have among the highest living standards in the 15nation Caribbean Community.

As an indication of how seriously the situation is being viewed, Barbados might well

be the only member of the 15-nation Caribbean Community with a minister especially responsible for the affairs of the elderly. Minister Kirk Humphrey in the recent presentation argues that the nation will have to come up with some creative ways of beating this oncoming crisis or face the consequences. “At the rate at which we are aging, Barbadians will become a super-aged society where over 21% is over 65 years old within the next decade. This must not be a cause for concern, surely, but it must be a call to action.”

The cabinet has toyed with the idea of importing younger workers from neighboring Caricom states, but such is usually a hot political potato in a country known for its insularity. PM Mottley said that any move in this direction would have to be carefully managed to ensure it works smoothly. “We have had the opportunity of knowing how Caricom people have been able to add value to this country, and in areas of construction and agriculture, there was a time where if you did not have those persons living here helping to control the price of work laborers in agri-

culture and construction, the level of inflation and cost of living would have gone through the roof at a much earlier point. That is why, in many countries, the absence of available labor has led to cost of living increases,” she said.

Meanwhile, local lawmakers are continuing to study the WHO statistics as well as the results from the last census even as The Bahamas has been expressing similar fears about a looming labor shortage that could affect national productivity. Nearby Antigua’s U.S. Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders, meanwhile, says his country has long beaten this problem by importing labor from neighbors.

“In Antigua and Barbuda, immigrants make up as much as 30% of the population, directly contributing to the country’s ability to maintain its health and education services and pension payments. Meeting these obligations is particularly challenging for Antigua and Barbuda because it has no personal income tax, but the situation would have been much worse without the immigrant working population,” he argued in a recent column.

Kamala Harris’ immigration plan and legacy

Vice President Kamala Harris, a trailblazer as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrant parents, has become the first Black woman of Caribbean and South Asian descent to be nominated for president by a major political party. With the Democratic National Convention of 2024 now behind her, the critical task before Harris is clear: Can she garner enough support to defeat Donald Trump on November 5?

Immigration once again looms large in this presidential race, with the issue continuing to serve as a flashpoint in American politics. For decades, immigrants have been the scapegoat of politicians in elections. As a child of immigrants, Harris is uniquely positioned to tackle this debate, yet her role as a leader on immigration policy has not been inspiring.

Where does Harris, who was once given the tough assignment by President Biden in March 2021 to lead the administration’s diplomatic efforts to reduce problems at the border, stand now as a presidential hopeful?

Since launching her presidential campaign, Harris has cast herself as a former prosecutor who took on undocumented

gang members; a former border state attorney general in California who prosecuted human traffickers; and a would-be president eager to sign into the law the toughest border restrictions in a generation.

Harris recently told a roaring crowd at a campaign event in Glendale, Ariz., that she’d put her record against Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump’s “every day of the week.”

“Donald Trump does not want to fix this problem,” she said. “He talks a big game about border security, but he does not walk the walk.”

Harris has also said that she would continue the Biden administration’s hardline approach to the border if she wins the presidency. She supported the bipartisan border security bill Biden backed this year, which included measures that would have effectively shut down the border if illegal crossings surpassed 5,000 a day. She has pledged to sign the bill as president.

Harris’s campaign leaned into the border messaging with a recent television ad that highlighted her support for the “toughest border control bill in decades” and her history of prosecuting drug smugglers.

“As president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking,” the narrator said in the ad. “Fixing the border is tough.

So is Kamala Harris.”

Harris has also said she backs comprehensive immigration reform with “an earned pathway to citizenship,” but she has not spelled out the details.

What did she actually do as vice president on immigration and the border?

“I’ve asked her, the VP, today, because she’s the most qualified person to do it, to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that…are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border,” President Biden said during a White House meeting about immigration on March 24, 2021.

From the start of that assignment, media coverage and the White House’s communication about the role were muddled. Headlines described Harris as the “point person on immigration” and “placed in charge of migration crisis,” while senior officials later said Harris would “oversee a whole-of-government approach” to dealing with migration.

The White House’s communications team spent much of that early time trying to clarify the assignment, but as migrant border crossings continued to rise, much of the press and the public’s attention became focused on why Harris and the administration were not more focused on addressing short-term problems.

Harris’s own missteps added to the mess. She was widely criticized in the press for being defensive during her first international trips to Mexico and Guatemala in June 2021, and by immigrant rights activists for a speech in which she urged “folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. Do not come.”

She also evaded questions about why neither she nor Biden had been to the southern border when she was talking about the border abroad, leading to criticism by Republicans.

Then came a widely derided interview with Lester Holt of NBC News during that trip, in which she appeared to mock Holt’s question about why she hadn’t visited the southern border if she was working to try to stem the flow of migration north.

“At some point, you know, we are going to the border,” Harris told Holt. “We’ve been to the border, so this whole thing about the border — we’ve been to the border. We’ve been to the border.”

When Holt pointed out that she hadn’t, she seemed to discount the question, replying that she hadn’t “been to Europe … I don’t ... understand the point that you’re making. I’m not discounting the importance of the border.”

Harris has said she worked with three

Senior center reopens in Harlem

The ARC Central Harlem Senior Center recently held a grand reopening celebration and cookout at 120 West 140th Street. Electeds who came to wish them well included State Senator Cordell Cleare, the Hon. Al Taylor, and Congressmember Adriano Espaillat, among others.

(Bill Moore photos)

Delayed & denied: How Social Security leaves gun violence survivors behind

By SHANNON CHAFFERS Report for America Corps Member

For more than 25 years, Clark James made his living as a truck driver. The 45-year old father of three, whom we’ve assigned a pseudonym because his Social Security case is ongoing, earned $46,000 in his last year of work. But that all changed last summer. One evening, James was hanging out with friends in North Carolina when gunfire suddenly broke out. One of the bullets tore through his stomach and exited out of his back, where he had undergone spinal surgery a few years before.

Since his injury, James has been unable to sit down for long periods of time without pain.

“After getting shot where I got shot at, and with the bullet exiting where it exited at, my body, my back, is never going to feel the same,” he said.

Unable to return to work, James decided to apply for Social Security disability benefits, but his initial application was recently denied because the Social Security Administration (SSA) said they had determined he would be able to adjust to other work. The decision left him frustrated and confused.

“They put you through so much [during] the process, and then you’re waiting all this time to receive a no,” he said. “It’s just been a real burden on me, because I’m here, waiting for assistance, hoping I can get assistance, and it’s been six, seven, eight months now waiting around…I don’t get it, and [now] I’m back to square one, don’t know what to do.”

James is currently appealing the decision, but for now, he and his family are relying on his wife’s income of about $40,000 per year. James’ experience aligns with that of many Social Security disability applicants injured by gun violence.

“It’s a lengthy process. Sometimes it takes months and months for some people. You really have to have support to be able to go through the process…And sometimes you have to do the application more than once,” said Tiffany Lamela, co-executive director of Life Camp, a violence prevention organization based in Queens.

Our first article in this series highlighted the difficulties people face in returning to work or accessing temporary financial assistance programs after a firearm injury. For gun violence survivors who have severe physical or mental disabilities, or have exhausted temporary benefits, the process for securing long-term financial assistance can be even more demanding. And even those who are awarded benefits can still struggle financially.

Social Security disability explained

Permanently disabled workers in the United States can apply to two federal programs administered by the SSA.

The first is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), an insurance program that provides benefits to disabled workers who have paid into the system as an employee. Typically, a person must have worked for five of the last 10 years to qualify. The program also prohibits people from receiving benefits who have been injured in the commission of a felony.

Carolyn Dixon, who works with victims of gun violence through Life Camp, explained that many of the gun violence survivors they have assisted do not qualify for SSDI because

they have not been traditionally employed.

“The only thing that these survivors who are not working or have no work history [can do] is apply for SSI,” she said.

SSI, or Supplemental Security Income, is a needs-based program designed for disabled people who have very low income and few assets. People typically receive higher monthly payments from SSDI than SSI. Some, like James, are eligible and can apply for both.

What the two programs have in common is their strict disability requirement, which is among the most stringent of any Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country. To qualify, the SSA must deem the applicant unable to do any type of full-time work for at least one year.

“It’s all or nothing,” said Na Yin, a professor at Baruch College and co-director of the New York Retirement and Disability Research Center. “You get accepted if the work limitation you have is deemed as very, very, very, severe and results in permanent [disability] or death, or [SSA determines] you have no disability at all, so your application is rejected. In contrast, Sweden and many other Nordic and other OECD countries—their disability system recognizes partial disability.”

“There’s always the assumption that there is some sort of sit-down work that can be done that could accommodate the limitations that a person has,” said Ashley Sappenfield, a Social Security disability attorney in North Carolina who has represented gun violence survivors.

“A person that got paralyzed…is always going to have a higher success rate because their injury would probably eliminate sedentary work. Otherwise, it’s much more difficult.”

The statistics bear this out. In 2022, only 38% of applicants were approved in the initial application stage. A 2023 Washington Post investigation also found that judges who review decisions in a later round have faced pressure from the SSA to issue more denials.

“It does almost seem like [Social Security] is trying to find reasons to deny people, or pay less money, based on these statistics of how so many people get denied,” said Shivam Patel, a Social Security disability attorney in New York City who has also represented survivors of gun violence. He said this approach can result in people being left without support that they truly need.

“People often feel kind of wronged or betrayed,” he said of the grueling process. “‘If this is my money, [they ask], why does Social Security make it so difficult to get that when I need it especially?’”

The

challenges of applying for

benefits

The first hurdle in the Social Security process is gathering the necessary paperwork, including proof of identity, employment documents, and medical records.

“Paperwork is hard for anybody, but if you just went through this physical trauma… even just physically filling out paperwork can be hard for people if you don’t have somebody else to do it,” said Chris Hilderbrant, executive director of the Rochester Spinal Association, an organization that supports people with spinal cord injuries.

While the SSDI application can be completed online, the SSI application is paper-only. This places a further burden on applicants, many of whom face steep financial challenges.

“A lot [of applicants] are unhoused, or in unstable housing situations,” said Laura Beth Waller, a Social Security disability attorney and chief strategy officer at the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR). “[They] may not have reliable access to a telephone or [the] internet, and may not have ready access to the amount of paperwork that you need to file an SSI application. Gathering all of those things—some of your stuff may be at a family member’s house, but you’re staying at a

Social Security field office in Harlem. Shivam Patel, a disability attorney in New York City, said some of his clients have had negative experiences at Social Security field offices. (ShannonChaffersphoto)

friend’s house or in a shelter—can be really onerous and burdensome.”

Even after collecting all the needed documents, there are still barriers: “Having to haul all that stuff into a field office, make an appointment at a field office…it just places a really high level of burden on a person who is mentally or physically disabled,” Waller added.

Patel also said some of his clients have had negative experiences at SSA field offices.

“I come across a lot of people who tried to file for the disability benefits on their own, or they went down to a Social Security [office] to get answers to things, and people often treated them very rudely. They might not actually help them out, [or] tell them, ‘You need to fill out these forms,’ or ‘This is what you need to do,’” he said.

Another difficulty with the Social Security process is long wait times. The national average wait time for the initial application is currently around seven and a half months. Those denied in the first round—a majority of applicants—must enter an appeals process that can involve multiple additional reviews, adding months or even years to the process. On average, it takes applicants almost two years to receive a final decision.

“They need to speed this process up,” James said. “You can’t have people waiting like this. Livelihoods are on the line, bills are coming like clockwork.”

The wait times are especially difficult because applicants must also remain under the “substantial gainful activity” threshold that the SSA uses to help determine whether an applicant is disabled. In 2024, applicants who are working and earning more than $1,550 per month do not qualify for benefits.

“Let’s say you are a person that’s the sole provider for your family and you’ve had this injury. You’re going to run into some unique challenges on what to do. That’s often why people return to work—because they don’t have any other option,” Sappenfield said.

This financial pressure can also push people back into the dangerous activities that led to their injury.

“We had a couple guys who, when they went into the hospital, they had been involved in selling drugs…and they [wanted] to get out of that. But when they’re discharged, they have no income. So how are you going to pay for anything? Food, rent, [et cetera]. It really sets people up to return to a lifestyle they might not want to be part of,” Hilderbrant said.

The SSA has set a goal of cutting down these wait times under their recently appointed Commissioner Martin O’Malley.

“As an agency, we are taking steps to reduce our average initial disability processing time for customers,” spokesperson Ann Clifton wrote in a statement.

These efforts have included simplifying aspects of the disability evaluation process, and requesting greater appropriations from Congress to allow for faster processing times.

Since 2010, administrative funding for SSA has declined, with the customer service budget decreasing by 19% and staff by 11%,

SOCIAL SECURITY continued on page 18

"People often feel kind of wronged or betrayed. If this is my money [they ask], why does Social Security make it so difficult to get that when I need it especially?"

—Shivam Patel, a Social Security disability attorney

Social Security

Continued from page 17

while the number of disability recipients has risen by 25%.

Waller agreed that the SSA requires more funding so they can hire more staff.

“The appropriations just haven’t kept pace with what Social Security needs to fund technology and staffing,” she said.

The NOSSCR is also advocating for a more significant action: eliminating “Reconsideration,” the second stage in the application appeals process, which had a wait time of about seven months in 2023. Waller said she is optimistic about O’Malley’s overall approach.

“He has only been commissioner since December, and [he has] already made some pretty big steps toward modernizing communications and access for representatives to claims and files, and really important [steps] that help speed up the process,” she said.

Further hurdles

The standard of medical proof required to obtain benefits presents another challenge for applicants, since some can struggle to find or afford adequate medical treatment.

“I find that many people come to me and they’re like, ‘My doctor won’t accept my insurance,’” Patel said.

While the SSA has a law that says the agency is supposed to take financial challenges into account when considering medical evidence, this has not always been Sappenfield’s experience.

“Often, there’s a lot of scrutiny on there not being medical records,” she said.

Patel and Sappenfield have also found that gun violence survivors often try to return to work after their injuries. This means that some apply years after their injury.

“People will contact me with a gunshot wound that they had sustained many years ago, and then they worked, they didn’t. And they’re still in a lot of pain, but they haven’t really brought this up to doctors…That hurts [their application] as well, because anyone’s medical records—that’s the main evidence that Social Security will be considering,” Patel said.

In addition, returning to work itself draws scrutiny from the SSA.

“If you have someone that returns to work, maybe for a number of years, and then physically isn’t able to continue, or maybe mentally, it’s a lot harder to connect the two things, because from Social Security’s perspective, they think, ‘Well, you’ve returned to work. What is worse now than it was when you initially returned?’” Sappenfield said.

Finally, both Patel and Sappenfield said a majority of the survivors they represented were under the age of 35. This lines up with national trends: Three out of five victims of nonfatal shootings are under 30. But younger applicants are less likely to be approved. Social Security says they use age as a factor in their disability assessment because they assume that younger people will face less difficulty learning new skills and adjusting to new types of work.

“The younger you are, the higher the scrutiny is [about whether] you’ll be unable to return to the workforce,” Sappenfield said.

In the end, those who are denied benefits face a difficult choice.

“Either they’ll try to return to work and push through it, or they might just not be able to work. Unfortunately, they’ll kind of dig themselves into a deeper financial hole, where they have to take out loans from family members or friends, or some other means, or often move in with relatives. Often it leads to homelessness as well,” Patel said.

A threadbare safety net

The two main benefits awarded to successful Social Security disability applicants are monthly cash payments and enrollment in government health insurance. In most states, SSI applicants automatically qualify for Medicaid, while SSDI recipients must wait two years before becoming eligible for Medicare. While the gun violence survivors interviewed noted the importance of health care coverage, many said the cash benefits provided were too low.

The U.S. provides among the lowest disability benefits among OECD countries: The average monthly payment for an individual on SSDI is $1,537 per month, just above the poverty line for a single person (the actual amount each person gets is determined by their work history). An analysis by Atticus found that this average benefit fails to cover the cost of living in any state.

SSI benefits, which are determined by a person’s income and household status, are even lower. The average payment for an individual is $697 per month, below the federal poverty level. Most states, including New York, also provide an additional supplement to SSI recipients, which averaged just $202.76 per month in 2023.

“Often, when you’re applying for Social Security disability, you look at it as a beacon of hope. And then when you get approved, a lot of people do see it as, ‘Well, now I’m approved, but I still have a mortgage, or a car payment, or something. This is not going to be enough.’ And unfortunately, Social Security is not like an income replacement. It’s more like a safety net,” Patel said.

Ralph Norman was 17 years old when he was shot in the neck while hanging out in a car with his friends in his hometown of Yonkers, New York. Paralyzed from the neck down, he spent five years in a nursing home before returning to the apartment he grew up in. About three years ago, he joined the Rochester Spinal Association, where he now helps lead a national support group for gun violence survivors with spinal cord injuries.

Norman qualified for SSDI through his mother’s Social Security earnings, in what is known as Disabled Adult Child benefits, but he has struggled with the low payments. He currently receives $976 a month, which he supplements with food stamps and his income from working at Rochester Spinal Association.

“That little check is like nothing. You pay your rent, you buy food, you pay cable and cellphone, that check is gone,” he said.

Recipients of SSI can also have their benefits reduced if they are living with someone or getting assistance for some of their expenses.

“If someone is helping you pay for your rent, or your utilities, or your food, then Social Security will deduct that amount from your monthly payment because they’re saying your needs are being provided for,” Sappenfield said.

The agency recently adopted rules to remove food assistance and some forms of rental assistance as a factor in payment determination. They also expanded the definition of a public assistance household, a change they say will allow more people to qualify for SSI and increase some SSI recipients’ payment amounts.

These changes will become effective in September, but the maximum amount an individual on SSI can receive remains modest: $943 per month.

After adjusting to their disability, Norman said, some survivors seek to find work to earn more money, but income limits for Social Security beneficiaries discourages them from doing so.

Those on SSDI cannot make more than $1,550 per month, while those on SSI see their benefits reduced once they begin earning more than $65 per month. While SSA stressed that it varies based on individual circumstances, lawyers say that the effective income limit for an individual to remain on SSI is around $943 per month.

“It’s a risk because if it doesn’t work out, like if the job is not a good match, or if you get sick, and in the meantime you’ve been kicked off the benefits, now you have nothing,” Hilderbrant said.

SSI recipients also face a $2,000 asset limit, an amount that hasn’t increased since 1989 (it would be $10,000 with inflation today). This policy often discourages people from saving, keeping many recipients trapped in poverty. Recognizing this issue, a group of lawmakers in Congress has proposed legislation that would raise the asset limit to $10,000 for an individual and $20,000 for a married couple, but the bill is currently stalled.

SSA does operate work incentive programs, like a nine-month trial work period, which allows SSDI recipients to work and earn above the income limit for nine months before their benefits become reduced. People on SSI and SSDI can also participate in the Ticket to Work program, which provides vocational training and employment services as they seek to return to work. Recipients can also apply for expedited reinstatement if they become unable to work within five years of coming off benefits, although Sappenfield has represented people whose applications for expedited reinstatement have been denied.

Yin, the professor who studies disability policy, said the effectiveness of work incentive programs has been limited because people on disability have struggled to find and maintain employment after being out of the workforce for a long time.

“The longer you [are] out of the labor force, the more challenging it is to go back in, es-

pecially [for] young people—you need that attachment, you need that skill [and] experience,” she said.

That’s something Norman is grappling with.

“[Being injured at] 17 years old, I had a summer job, I worked a little, had a little experience, but it’s not enough. [If I say], ‘Oh, I want to work again,’ and it’s, five, 10 years later, [employers] are like, ‘Where’s your work history?’ A lot of places don’t want to hire you,” he said.

Partial disability: A better way?

Yin argued that there’s a more efficient way to allow people with disabilities to return to work: providing partial disability benefits. In countries like Sweden which have already implemented a partial disability program, people can apply for benefits at different levels with varying levels of disability, assessed as 25%, 50 percent, 75%, or 100% disabled. Those on partial disability benefits can work while applying for benefits and while receiving them.

There is actually a system in the United States that uses this approach: The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ disability benefits system assesses disability in increments of 10%.

Yin said an approach like Sweden’s recognizes that disability is a continuum, rather than a binary status. The partial disability system offers advantages for the government as well as individuals.

“The government should still win, because people can work and contribute to the system by paying taxes. And for individuals, if that’s what they want, [they] can live with dignity. Because people want to work, however, they [still] need some subsidy from the government. They can get a partial disability check, plus their earnings,” she explained. Yin also said such an approach can reduce some of the social stigma that people on disability benefits face.

“All the systems have pros and cons, but in terms of how to retain people’s ability, not only focusing on their disability, I think [this is] something more forward-looking, more respectful for people’s willingness to work, and keeping people’s attachment to the labor force, and their dignity in making a living,” she said.

Kareem Nelson, a disabled survivor of gun violence featured in the first article of this series, recently came off of SSI because he began earning over the income limit. He agreed that a change is needed to provide better support for people with disabilities who want to work. When asked about one policy he would like to see implemented to help survivors of gun violence with disabilities, he said: “Allow us to work, and allow us to keep our [disability benefits].”

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

KEEPIN’ THE CITY CONNECTED BY SOLVING THE UNEXPECTED.

If elected, what if Trump shuts down the Department of Education?

By QUINTESSA WILLIAMS Word in Black

During a recent interview with Elon Musk, former President Donald Trump reiterated his plans to shut down the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and shift educational responsibilities entirely to the states if he’s elected. While Trump acknowledged that this move might create disparities, he argued that it could also force states to improve their educational systems.

This office investigates complaints and ensures that schools do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age.

For Black students, who often face systemic racism and discrimination in educational settings, the OCR is a critical resource. Without national enforcement of civil rights, the protection of Black and other marginalized students would weaken, leaving them more vulnerable to discrimination.

For decades, the 157-year-old cabinetlevel department that sets national policies and standards for public schools has been targeted by conservative Republicans, from former President Ronald Reagan to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who have argued that education should be managed at the state and local levels without federal intervention.

But for Black K–12 students, who make up 15% of the nation’s K–12 public school enrollment and disproportionately attend underfunded schools, the Department of Education is a crucial resource. Not only does it provide support and resources that might not be available at the state level, it helps ensure educational equity for students in marginalized groups.

For example, in April 2022, the DOE released an equity action plan as a part of the White House’s efforts to level the playing field for schools and students in underserved communities. Key to the plan: ensuring the equitable distribution of the American Rescue Plan’s $130 billion funding for K–12 students.

The equity action plan was made possible through data collection by the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which helps the department monitor and address inequalities. The OCR has since beefed up its efforts to gather information from all public schools each year to better identify and target disparities affecting students’ academic and social development

DOE’s impact on Black K-12 students

The DOE is actively working to address educational disparities through specific policies and initiatives, including plans to tackle the disproportionately high levels of school discipline for Black students, reverse funding inequities for majority-minority schools, and provide support to schools lacking access to teachers and school counselors.

The DOE is also helping schools develop policies that ensure equity and access for all students, including affirmative action, special education, and school discipline.

What would a world without the Department of Education look like?

One of the DOE’s most critical roles is enforcing civil rights laws through the OCR.

The DOE also manages Title I funding, which is designed to support schools with high numbers of low-income students. Many Black students attend Title I schools, which rely heavily on this federal funding to provide essential services such as tutoring, after-school programs, and specialized support staff. The elimination of the DOE could jeopardize this funding, potentially leading to larger class sizes, reduced educational resources, and diminished opportunities for Black students to succeed.

The DOE’s data collection program is also essential for understanding and addressing educational disparities, particularly for Black students. If the department were eliminated, there would probably be a significant gap in the availability of reliable data, making it more challenging to identify and address the specific needs of Black students.

Where do we go from here?

While Trump seeks to reduce federal influence over education, Vice President Kamala Harris has called for significant funding increases in Title I funds and Head Start programs that help close the Blackwhite education gap.

Moreover, organizations like the Brookings Institution have warned that proposals like Project 2025, which includes dismantling the DOE, could harm civil rights protections and significantly reduce support for Title I schools, leading to deterioration in educational equity nationwide. The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit education policy center, also said that eliminating federal oversight of public education would make it harder for underfunded schools, which disproportionately serve Black students, to provide quality education.

Trump’s proposal to eliminate the DOE raises serious concerns about the future of education for Black K–12 students. The department plays a crucial role in enforcing civil rights, providing funding, and collecting data to ensure educational equity. Its elimination could hamper civil rights enforcement for Black a nd other marginalized students, reduce data collection on inequalities, cut off funding for Title I schools, and hinder efforts to close achievement gaps.

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Arts & Entertainment Harlem Book Fair celebrates 26th anniversary

By NADINE MATTHEWS Special to the AmNews

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the Harlem Book Fair (HBF), once the largest Black book festival in the country. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, which brought us some of the most notable Black writers in America’s literary canon. Taking place at the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building on September 7 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional panels at the Renaissance New York Harlem Hotel, this year’s iteration will symbolize a rebirth of Harlem’s literary culture. Sponsors and supporters include Councilman Yusef Salaam, NYU Press, Harper Collins, Victoria

Harlem Book Fair will collaborate with the Caribbean Cultural Center Diaspora Institute (CCDI) and its WE LIT! author series. In a nod to the theme, HBF will feature Haitian authors such as Edwidge Danticat, and attendees will get a tour of CCDI’s new Haitian exhibit, Lakay Se Lakay, which means “Home is Home.” Of course, Haiti, whose revolution ended in 1804, was seen as the most successful rebellion by the enslaved. It was also the first Black Republic, and second independent country in the Western Hemisphere. There will also be a number of panels throughout the day and a designated children’s corner with author readings, activities, and face painting for children. Like many services, products, organiza-

be any,” Harlem Book Fair creator Max Rodriguez told Amsterdam News.

To address that discrepancy, Rodriguez first founded the Quarterly Black Book Review (QBR). When Rodriguez, the Brooklyn born and raised son of a welder and a housekeeper, moved his operations to Harlem, he noticed another glaring gap. “I said, so where’s the festival that celebrates our stories, that celebrates our writers, that celebrates the Hall of Renaissance, and the writers of the Hall of Renaissance?” He founded the Harlem Book Fair in July 1998.

Part of the function of the Harlem Book Fair, says Rodriguez, is to partner with traditional publishers and bring an audience to them. “It’s very important that we serve our stories through our authors, to ensure that there’s an audience for those authors to tell those stories to.”

Rodriguez also sees the Harlem

added, “I feel like Harlem and the community deserves to have this type of event given its history. The Harlem Renaissance, when you think about that time period, that in itself, was revolutionary. You have Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, so why not continue that legacy of bringing literature and culture to the Harlem community?” One of her favorite all-time classic books is “The Alchemist,” because it teaches people to “lean into their life’s work.” One of her top contemporary books is the Michelle Obama memoir, “Becoming.” “It gave me a blueprint for my own life, work and being, and being able to say yes to the universe,” she said.

Rodriguez confesses his literary choices include a love of “off-the-beaten track books.” One of them is celebrated novelist Percival Everett’s hard-to-categorize novel “Cutting Lisa.” (His

(L-R) Yona Deshommes, president and CEO of Riverchild Media and co-producer of 2024 Harlem Book Fair; Max Rodriguez, founder of Harlem Book Fair. (Photos courtesy of Will Vaultz Photography and Max Rodriguez’s personal collection)

AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA explores ‘Afrofuturism through the Afropunk lens’

By BRENIKA BANKS Special to the AmNews

AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA

BKLYN’s electrifying twoday event provided enthralling entertainment, music, food, fashion, and much more. Afropunk was held at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park on Friday, Aug. 23, and Saturday, Aug. 24. Celebrating 19 years, its legacy of expressing Black individuality, as well as providing a haven for Black excellence, was evident.

Attendees flaunted their best festival attire while embodying the freedom and theme for this year. Queen of Neo-Soul Erykah Badu headlined both evenings.

Afropunk started in 2005 and celebrates Black culture and diversity through art, food, fashion, music, and community. The meaning of the BLKTOPIA (pronounced Black-Topia) theme this year was to create a place in “the world where Black lives across the global diaspora embody freedom and are thriving; a

place and movement where oppression and living in survival is in the past.”

Owned by Essence and in partnership with BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, Black Alternatives’ vibrant celebration and unity promoted the idea that “another world is possible” for the African diaspora.

AFROPUNK’s Sango Amoda vocalized the importance of this theme.

“It’s really time for us as a diaspora to move past this kind of separatism, individualized culture, and recognize that as the white world sees us as one, we need to become one,” said Amoda. According to the creative director, the concept of Black-Topia was first launched at Essence Fest last year. “We wanted to explore Afrofuturism through the Afropunk lens,” said Amoda. “What that means is for us is radically rethinking how our Blackness shows up in the future—it was important for us to galvanize our outcast and outsider Black folks.”

Amoda said Afropunk always represents the “other”

or alternative Black experience. He noted that Essence is a “very particular Black experience” and unlocks the authentic, positive creative side of Black people that mainstream media isn’t promoting. This year’s theme also focused on I.D.E.A.S.—an

acronym for innovation, discovery, empowerment, artistry, and social change. The importance of Black people having the space at Afropunk to speak positivity to one another, as opposed to how mainstream society treats them, is essential.

During day one of the festival, Erykah Badu used the intro of her song, “My People,” as an opportunity to pay homage to Black men and women who started and contributed to the Punk movement. “It ain’t the same exact Punk movement,

but it’s in our genes, it’s in our bones,” said the singer. “If you got your own way and your own messages, your own path, your own art, your own words, your own style, then [explicit], you’re punk.” “Erykah might not be from Brooklyn, but she definite-

Queen of Neo-Soul Erykah Badu performing on day one of Afropunk 2024. (Brenika Banks photos)

Festival attendee wearing creative outfit on day one of Afropunk 2024.

Veggie patty with coco bread from Tosh’s Patties, one of the vendors at Afropunk 2024.

ly is Brooklyn,” said Amoda. He referred to her as “an icon living” and said she has graced the Afropunk stage several times. “The stars aligned— we wanted to do something really special where tonight’s set and tomorrow’s set are completely different

and completely in two different creative directions,” said Amoda. “That’s primarily where we got Erykah from.”

Badu inspires new singers and songwriters like LARA’. Originally from Killeen, Texas, LARA’ was excited about her album and Af-

ropunk debut happening simultaneously. She credited Badu for well-written sonnets and is motivated to be as great. “I’m here just taking notes from everything and everyone.” She hopes Black people will be inspired to find their proper lane and purpose while creating revolution.

LARA’ encouraged Black people’s pursuit of “creating more spaces to think and plan out life.” Her new album, “Luvology,” uses the singer’s partner as her muse while “making vulnerable music.” She described being on stage as fun. “The energy was dope —I try to bring my real personality on stage.” Her comfort was evident in her voice and authentic connection with the crowd.

Post-performance, many people approached LARA’ to take pictures and complimented her music and singing. “I like that I resonate well with people,” she said. She said she truly believes the best way for an artist to thrive is through freedom, which resonated strongly with the festi-

Mariah Carey mourns mother and sister

val’s 2024 theme, and believes Black people deserve spaces like AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA. “I feel like that’s what we’re striving for,” said LARA’. “That’s a part of why I make music —I feel like that’s why we put all this energy into creating spaces where we can be free.”

The space at Prospect Park was “a better location,” according to frequent Afropunk attendee Yvonne Ankrah. She said last year’s location—a venue in Greenpoint—didn’t provide enough grassy spaces for people to sit down and enjoy the festival.

“Now that we’re here in the Lena Horne area in Prospect Park, it’s definitely an improvement to what I felt lacked at the last Afropunk,” said Ankrah. She said the festival did well this year with its theme of unapologetic Blackness and that regardless of the theme is in any year, Black people will always “bring the flavor.”

Afropunk will return for its 20th year celebration next summer. For more information, visit www.afropunk.com.

Prayers and condolences go out to Mariah Carey, whose mother Patricia Carey and sister Alison Carey died over the weekend of August 24, 2024, on the same day. Although no details have been given for the cause of Patricia’s death, the Sun reported that Alison spent the last three weeks of her life in hospice care. Her friend Dave Baker told the publication that Alison, with whom Mariah had a complicated past, “had a problem with [her] internal organs.” The multiGrammy Award-winning songstress gave People magazine an exclusive statement: “My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life the same day.” Mariah said she felt blessed to be able to spend the last week with her mom before she passed. A couple of years ago, radio host Jeanne Parnell interviewed Patricia Carey, Helen Shelton, and yours truly at the same time on her radio show. It was a great honor to be in Patricia’s presence on the air …

Fashion designer Karina Tatarski will present her new couture line, CaryNY, on September 7 at Unieke Mode NYFW, a participant in New York Fashion Week. The event will take place in lower Manhattan. Aside from viewing new and unique collections such as CaryNY, guests will enjoy music and dance performances in addition to the designers’ showcase of their collections …

Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC), known as the House of Swing, kicks off its 37th season and celebrates the 20th anniversary of Frederick P. Rose Hall, home to Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO), with Hot Jazz & Swing, the Ertegun Jazz Concert, September 19–21 at 7:30 p.m. ET in Rose Theater. The event features the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and guest vocalists Kurt Elling and Shenel Johns, co-music directed by Marsalis and Loren Schoenberg, Grammy Award-winning composer, saxophonist, and senior scholar of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, who reunites with Marsalis and the JLCO for their first collaboration since 2002 … Sean “Diddy” Combs has filed a motion to get Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones’s lawsuit against him thrown out of court. According to court documents, the disgraced rap mogul is asking the courts to dismiss the record producer’s case against him for alleged sexual assault, harassment, and other accusations. In the paperwork filed August 26 in federal court in the Southern District of New York, Combs claimed the lawsuit is only to attract attention from the media and obtain a settlement from him. Back in February of this year, Jones, who is seeking $30 million, accused Combs of not compensating him for his work in the studio, along with additional allegations …

Singer LARA’ on stage performing songs from her new album, “Luvology”.

Group of friends posing for pictures on day two of Afropunk 2024.

Singer and performer Durand Bernarr on day two of Afropunk 2024. (Brenika Banks photos)

Harlem Week celebrates 50 years

Harlem Week celebrated 50 years this month with a children’s festival, talent and fashion show, games, face painting, and more.

AmNews Jazz columnist Ron Scott, DonThomas, and Bill Rogers (Bill Moore photos)

Josh Frasie (left) with U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat

New Black fiction from Danzy Senna and Gayl Jones

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

Fiction can be considered the foundation of Black storytelling, deriving from oral tales and fables passed down from our African roots to our modern culture. Our stories are still doused in complexity, vibrance, creativity, and the related crux of the Black human condition where the struggles of race, misogynoir, and othering continue to occur in everyday life. The new books from Danzy Senna and Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award nominee Gayl Jones, “Colored Television” and “The Unicorn Woman” are intriguing takes on the situational lives of two Black protagonists that evolve into journeys of growth and valuable experience.

“Colored Television” by Danzy Senna

In Danzy Senna’s latest novel, “Colored Television,” the author weaves a darkly comedic narrative that critiques the intersections of racial identity, ambition, and the entertainment industry’s fickle nature. After the success of her bestselling “Caucasia,” Senna delivers a story that is as incisive as it is entertaining, capturing the complexity of contemporary life with a mix of humor and sharp social commentary. The protagonist, Jane, is a writer teetering on the brink of literary success and personal upheaval. After years of living in transient, unstable conditions, Jane and her family finally land a dream house-sitting job in the upscale hills of Los Angeles. However, as is often the case in Senna’s world, things don’t unfold as neatly as one might hope. Senna’s portrayal of Hollywood is both incisive and satirical. A producer’s excitement about Jane’s work quickly turns into a source of both hope and disillusionment as the project’s trajectory shifts in ways Jane could not have anticipated. The dark comedy emerges from the absurdity of the situation, illustrating the often exploit-

ative and unpredictable nature of the entertainment business.

“Colored Television” delves deeply into the concept of racial identity and its commodification in the entertainment industry. The novel critiques how racial narratives are packaged and marketed, exploring the complexities of identity in a society obsessed with categorization and representation. Jane’s struggles highlight the broader racial-identity-industrial complex, making a compelling commentary on how personal and professional identities are often intertwined and manipulated for public consumption.

The Unicorn Woman by Gayl Jones In “The Unicorn Woman,” Gayl Jones presents a powerful portrait of post-war Black American life, blending history, my-

New middle-grade fiction in ‘Charmed Life,’ ‘Kingdom of Dust’

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

Black culture’s youth deserves as many wonderful, intricate stories as adults. Engaging Black youth’s imagination and voracious hunger to express themselves can be directly influenced by the stories and content they read. Authors such as Marti Dumas and Lisa Stringfellow are experts at creating stories and narratives that connect with middle grade (ages 8–12) in intelligent and colorfully written ways. “Charmed Life” (Wildseed Witch Book 2) and “Kingdom of Dust” will prove to be wonderful additions to any child’s literary collection.

“Charmed Life (Wildseed Witch Book 2)” by Marti Dumas

Marti Dumas’s “Charmed Life,” the second installment in the Wildseed Witch series, is a delightful continuation of Hasani’s magical journey. Picking up after the events of the first book, this sequel blends middle school drama with enchanting twists and turns, offering a compelling mix of personal growth, magical mishaps, and the ever-present challenge of navigating adolescence.

Hasani is eager to return to Riverbend Middle School, where she’s well-acquainted with the rules and is poised to excel See MIDDLE on page 44

Buddy Ray Guy, an army veteran, finds that his return to civilian life is marked not by triumph, but by the harsh realities of Jim Crow America. Known affectionately as “Budweiser” to his army friends, a nod to his wise-cracking demeanor, Buddy’s outward bravado masks a complex inner life. Beneath his humorous exterior lies a profound intellectual curiosity and a deep-seated quest for meaning, love, and spiritual fulfillment. Buddy’s journey takes him from his hometown of Lexington, Ky., to his secondary residence in Memphis, Tenn. As he moves through these southern landscapes, he is haunted by memories of his wartime experiences in France and the love affairs he left behind. These reflections intermingle with his encounters with a cast of vivid, often symbolic characters — each contributing to a multifaceted exploration of his inner world and societal position.

thology, and deep personal introspection. Set against the backdrop of the early 1950s, Jones crafts a narrative that delves into the lives of Black veterans navigating a society that offers them neither the glory nor the opportunities they were promised.

“The Unicorn Woman” is an exploration of racial and existential themes. Jones examines the struggles of Black (and Indigenous) people in a post-war America where the promise of progress often falls short. The novel captures the frustration and disappointment that accompany the return to a society still steeped in segregation and prejudice. At the same time, it offers a hopeful look at the spiritual and intellectual quests of those who seek meaning in an unjust world.

FlameCon 2024 was on fire

BY JASMINE ARMSTRONG

Special to the AmNews

FlameCon 2024, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this month at the Sheraton Times Square, was phenomenal! When entering this LGBTQ+ comic convention, you were immediately hit with the queer-central focus of it all, and it was beautiful. As a Black queer woman myself, it was so much fun walking into a con that was made for us by us.

There was an exhibit hall with all kinds of queer merchandise including t-shirts, key chains, posters, pins, bags, books, and honestly everything you could think of. Artists sold anime and cartoon art, as well as posters from shows, movies, and games like “Steven Universe” “One Piece,” “Genshin Impact,” “SheRa and the Princess of Power,” “The Owl House,” “Heaven Official’s Blessing,” “Honkai Impact,” “Scream,” “Haikyu!!,” “Supernatural,” “Naruto,” “Sailor Moon,” “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” and many more.

Among all the vendors present, I was drawn to Apparelleelexi, a booth where Lexi sold her handmade anime bags. Some designs included the soot sprite from “Spir-

ited Away,” and a Calcifer from “Howl’s Moving Castle,” which are both from Studio Ghibli. Lexi told the AmNews that she started her business around the pandemic in 2021. “I wanted an All Might bag. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I made it myself. I also pivoted to designing pins for my bags. I wanted to make it accessible for

everyone and make it as fun as possible.” Lexi’s goal is to turn this into a full apparel business. Some other vendors sold LGBTQ+ mangas and novels, like Yen Press with their girl love books and boy love books including “She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat,” “The Red Thread,” “Cuckoos Three,” and “This Monster

Wants To Eat Me.” After checking out the exhibit hall, it was on to panels. One of the panels I got to witness was the “The Art And Biz of Queer Voiceover,” moderated by Princess Weekes with panelists including JP Karliak, Noel Palmer, AaimzTako, and Tom Cat, who discussed their experiences being queer and trans in the voice

acting community; the character types they like to voice act; and how they discovered themselves during their voice acting. The panelists talked about the importance of having a backup plan when pursuing a voice acting career. People were also encouraged to advocate for themselves when given certain scripts. When asked how they connected with their characters, Palmer was quick to respond, “There is always a part of the character that is a part of you.” The entire room said in unison, “Everyone’s voice is valid.” It was a powerful moment. Cosplays were abundant from different fandoms including Marvel, DC Comics, “Hazbin Hotel,” “Steven Universe,” “Sailor Moon,” “Power Rangers,” “Pokemon,” “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” “Yu-Gi-Oh!” “My Hero Academia,” “The Owl House,” “Heaven’s Official Blessing,” and even Chuck E Cheese. Walking around, I stumbled upon Doctor Strange, Batman, Luffy, Steven Universe, Peridot, Neptune, Izuku, Luz, and many others.

This was my first time going to FlameCon and what an experience it was, I will definitely be back next year. Hope to see you there! For more info, visit www.flamecon.org.

“The Art And Biz of Queer Voiceover” panel moderated by Princess Weekes with panelists JP Karliak, Noel Palmer, AaimzTako, and Tom Cat. (Najee Wright photos)

Flame Con attendees.

Apparelleelexi’s booth at Flamecon.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Playwright Phillip Howze talks ‘Six Characters’

BY LINDA ARMSTRONG

Special to the AmNews

“Six Characters” just completed a successful run at Lincoln Center’s Claire Tow Theater. A new work by Phillip Howze, the work featured a phenomenal cast of actors that included CG, Will Cobbs, Seven F. B. Duncombe, Claudia Logan, Julian Robertson, and Seret Scott. “Six Characters” is a gripping play that delved deeply into the racism, devaluing, and disrespect Black people face in society every day. It told many stories of Black struggle through the characters’ different relationships, and made the audience ponder our plight as well as our resilience.

Howze took the time to speak to the AmNews about this stunning, affecting new work.

AmNews : What inspired you to write this play?

Phillip Howze: Oh, so many things. Inspiration for me can come from anywhere. I’m like a forager with a wide net. A bunch of curious stuff gets gathered or tangled up and I discover it by writing through. Inspiration and understanding isn’t a given, you know, you have to work for it. Writing and reading and watching plays isn’t meant to be easy work. It’s tough stuff, but also joyful. It took me several years to write “Six Characters” and despite how demanding it’s been, I’ve also enjoyed the excavations. Inspiration sometimes feels like being in the trenches. It’s not for nothing that the characters of this play all enter from the edges and dusty corners of the stage. It’s how they arrived into my creative process, uninvited. I rarely know who or what will take center stage. Typically, though, my artworks center folks who have been decentered. I’m inspired to celebrate people and communities who are historically underrepresented.

AmNews: “Six Characters” starts off as a zany comedy, but then turns into something very deep. Why take this approach to the subject matter?

PH: Thank you for that! I agree the play is deeply funny and more. It invites a lot of feelings, including wild fun and private moments of quiet intimacy. It feels unwieldy and expansive and contradictory. We might just call that the human condition. As a Black artist, I’ve always taken this approach to my craft. I love that gifted actors and curious audiences have appreci-

ated the depth of this play. Unfortunately, some miseducated folks choose to see us as monolithic. Such audiences love putting Black people inside of boxes and checkboxes. But this play literally explodes their boxes wide open. In this play we misbehave and bewilder. Audiences expecting a neat and tidy Black play have left confounded or even inflamed. But I’m okay inflaming certain people if it means we get to celebrate our expansiveness onstage. In this play, we get to see our whole selves honored onstage, including our complicated interior lives.

AmNews: What did you want the audience to get from this play?

PH: I hope they get their life. Because this is a stunning play. That’s just what it is. I believe in the virtue of acceptance as opposed to the harm of intolerance. With this play we’re honored to share it with whoever is willing to accept it on its own terms. Embrace it for what it is and it may gift you something unique.

AmNews : Why is it important that as Black people we put this truth of the disrespect and racism that we face out in public view?

PH: In America, Black artists

leadership and thirsty to fix the problems that other people created. They hunger for some kind of recognition. It’s so human and utterly heartbreaking. But the outstanding actor Julian Robertson has taken the character to a whole new level, imbuing him with such humanity. Julian’s craft of humor, sincerity and authoritarianism speaks so powerfully to the fun contradictions that pervade this play.

AmNews: Why does his character idolize Mussolini, the dictator?

we’re truly participating. When we’re in the trenches together at intermission or post-show we get to have some juicy conversations. This play demands conversation. There’s nothing singular to be gotten from it. It is multiplicities. Choose your own adventure. AmNews: What is the meaning of the relationship between the cleaning lady and The Director?

and artists of color have historically been the ones to speak truth to power. I don’t know why, but I do know how. We’ve done this beautifully through our paintbrushes, or through poetry, or our dancing. Among my favorite quotes of Beyonce’s is “I twirl on my haters!” And don’t we? We tell our truths with a twirl. Or as the great Ntozake Shange wrote, sometimes “we gotta dance to keep from cryin.’” My play “Six Characters” speaks to some quite awful truths of the world around us, yes, and it does so with brazen splendor and a smile.

AmNews: Why did you also choose to have the character, The Director, who is upset with a system of theater that he also accepts?

PH: I didn’t choose it, it just appeared to me one bright day and I wrote into it. I asked myself the same question as the characters in the play ask each other: Why have you chosen to participate in these systems? That’s a bold inquiry for anybody Black! I’m doubtless we have all come face-to-face with a character like Character 1 (aka, The Director). Or maybe some of us even are that character? I’m fascinated by how Character 1 is self-anointed into

PH: Character 1 doesn’t claim to idolize Mussolini, but they know their history. The characters in this play are very smart and curious, including Character 1. As I was writing the play, I do a lot of historical excavation which unearths all these tiny gems. Like, I’m doubtless most people are aware that Mussolini wrote a play. It wasn’t a very good play I’m guessing which is probably why we don’t know it. He was also a journalist who wrote, among other things, theater criticism. Imagine that! All to say he was a person who knew how to use certain words to seduce and attract other people into doing awful things on his behalf. There are many people alive today who use the rhetorical tactics of dead dictators to seduce others into doing their bidding. It spans the gamut from the people in power right down to regular folks. Different audience members see different reflections gazing back at them in the Mussolini moment.

AmNews: What do you want the audience to get out of this Black man recreating Mussolini’s speech, in Italian, and doing it with such a tyrannical energy that he scares the other five Black actors on the stage away?

PH: First and foremost, I want the audience to enjoy the incredible technical craft of these six actors. All six are top-notch and they set fire to that stage every single night. As it relates to Julian Robertson’s impeccable Italian speech— which, by the way, he learned in only two weeks! — I want them to listen and to feel whatever it is they feel. Like I said, it’s going to be different for everyone and I love that. For some folks that moment is horrifying. For others, it’s exhilarating.

I guess you get what you get. As an audience, when we all see different pathways into what something might mean, that’s when

PH: The second half of the play is a trio of duets. You’re referencing the final duet which is between Character 3 (aka, The Maid) and the Director which has been quite moving for many in the audience given the generosity and intimacy of these moments. But it’s also due to the stellar performance of the legendary Seret Scott who has not performed in over 35 years! Can we talk about that please? A dash of history: Ms. Seret Scott, who plays Character 3, is renowned for many things including starring in the films of Kathleen Collins, as well as for originating the role of Lady in Blue in the original 1976 company of Ntozake Shange’s “for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf” at The Public Theater. The rarity and generational resonances that are alive onstage in this production are humbling. In rehearsal, Seret said to us that Character 3’s words feel like speaking an ancient language. Character 3 says “You don’t have to misshape your mouth into a pretense. You know there are other things you can do with your mouth?” These timeless inquiries are invitations both to the younger Director and to the entire audience. We get to sit with these. In this sitting and quietness, the invitation to ask ourselves these timeless questions holds a bewilderment of meanings beyond merely something singular.

Howze is a graduate of Yale School of Drama, currently writing new play commissions for the American Repertory Theater, Playwrights Horizons and Lincoln Center Theater. He is a trustee at BRIC Arts-Media in Brooklyn and is the Associate Senior Lecturer in Theater, Dance & Media at Harvard University. His previous plays have included “Frontieres Sans Frontieres” and “Self Portraits.” He is definitely a fresh, dynamic writer.

Please visit www.amsterdamnews.com for the full interview.

Playwright Phillip Howze (Beowulf Sheehan photo)

Russell Malone, versatile guitarist, dies at 60

Russell Malone, whose guitar versatility and exquisite touch led him to play in a variety of contexts with such musicians as Diana Krall, Peabo Bryson, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Barron, and Shirley Horn, died on August 23, in Tokyo. He was 60.

Jason Franklin, Malone’s agent and manager, confirmed his passing to WRTI. The cause of death was a massive heart attack.

Malone had been performing at the Blue Note Tokyo as a member since 2002 of bassist Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio which also featured pianist Donald Vega. Carter released a brief statement which included a photograph of an empty chair.

“Donald Vega and I are completing this tour as a duo,” he wrote. “In respect and honor of the memory of Mr. Malone… this is the chair he sat in to play and represents his continued presence on the bandstand with us.” Franklin said that Malone had been planning to begin a tour of his own in September.

Malone was a part of the generation of jazz musicians who garnered attention in the early 1990s, alongside pianist Benny Green, bassist Christian McBride, and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. In 1998, he shared a Grammy Award for his work on Hargrove’s Latin jazz album “Habana.”

The guitarist recorded 14 albums as a leader over his three-decade career and two more as a co-leader with pianist Benny Green, with whom he often collaborated. The two musicians recorded three albums together before forming a duo and releasing “Jazz at the Bistro” (2003) and “Bluebird with Benny Green” (2004) both on the Telarc label.

Malone sat in with organist Jimmy Smith that served as an internship/tutorial experience for the young musician that equipped him to accompany the organ great on a two-year tour. After Smith, he joined Harry Connick Jr.’s Orchestra, a position he held from 1990-94, appearing on three of Connick’s recordings. He was then invited to join the Diana Krall Trio which solidified his reputation in the jazz world. He played on several of her platinum-certified albums, including “Live in Paris,” which also won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. However, Malone left Krall in the late ‘90s, noting he didn’t want to be categorized as a musician. His comet continued to soar as he found success with his own bands and collaborations until his untimely transition.

Russell Lamar Malone was born Nov. 8, 1963, in Albany, Ga. His father, Robert Barnes, died in the Vietnam War when Rus-

sell was 2 years old. His mother, C. Veronice Malone, later married Jimmy Jones, with whom she raised Russell.

Malone noted he first became interested in guitar at church, “I was taken by the sound of the guitar along with the tambourines and wash boards that tapped into a lot of emotions,” he said during a WBGO radio station interview. He started playing music at four, after his mother gave him a four-string plastic guitar. He noted during that same interview, “I had good ears and picked up what I heard. I used to sit next to the turntable and listen to ‘Smokin’ at the Half Note’ with Wes Montgomery and Wynton Kelly (Verve Records). I picked up a lot from that record.” Watching George Benson play with Benny Goodman on television inspired him even more to play jazz. Although, as a member of the church band, he loved gospel and blues, saying he was influenced by the Dixie Hummingbirds and Sam Cooke.

In 2005, Malone recorded two live albums (MaxJazz Records) at Manhattan’s now defunct Jazz Standard, “Live at Jazz Standard, Volume One” (2006) and “Live at Jazz Standard, Volume Two” (2007). The two vol-

umes featured the touring Russell Malone Quartet, with pianist Martin Bejerano, bassist Tassili Bond, and drummer Johnathan Blake. His 2010 recording “Triple Play” (also on Maxjazz) featured bassist David Wong and drummer Montez Coleman. Primarily a self-taught musician, Malone’s versatility and fluency separated him from fellow guitarists of the era. Like his great predecessors Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he too had his own distinct sound. He had an effortless flow that immediately captured listeners like his beautiful ballad “Flowers for Emmett Till,” a heart-grabbing track from his self-titled 1992 debut. The guitarist infused R&B, gospel, blues, and straight jazz into his southern roots and gospel upbringing. On that same album he recorded the gospel anthem “Precious Lord,” and it was the last track on that album for a reason— gospel music praying in the blues with a country twang. And on his “Heartstrings” album, he offers the gospel standard “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (Verve 2001). “I Can’t Believe You’re in Love With Me,” is a rousing saloon hard-swinging track, another jewel from his 1992 self-titled album.

This album and particularly the track “I Can’t Believe You’re in Love with Me” represents Malone. He was such an incredible human being and so modest. He might look down now at all our heartfelt emotions about his passing and would honestly say, “Man I didn’t know you loved me like that.” His music was grand and we can listen to it every day. His jokes were also one of a kind. He would see me after a show and say, “Hey Ron have you heard this one?” and we would crack up. I used to tease him about being from that small town of Albany, saying he was too hip for that place. He would respond, “But remember, if it wasn’t for Albany I would have never found jazz and gospel music.”

The composer and guitarist joined the jazz faculty at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., as an adjunct professor in 2021, when the guitarist Gene Bertoncini retired. Though he had never taught before, he proved a natural in the classroom. Malone is survived by his wife, Mariko; his children, Darius and Marla; his mother; his brothers Tony Barnes, Ricardo Jones and Stanley Jones; and his sisters, Tametrice Jones and Felicia Campbell.

Russell Malone in 2019 (んなこたない, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons photo)

money and government incentives.

“It’s disheartening,” said Baba Ngelzarma, president of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, a Fulani pastoralists’ advocacy group. “Nigeria is presented as an unorganized people. The herders take the cattle wherever they can find green grasses and water at least for the cows to survive, not minding whether it is the city or somebody’s land.”

He added that part of the problem is the government’s failure to harness the potential of the livestock industry by offering incentives such as subsidies and infrastructure like water sources and veterinary services at designated grazing reserves.

For its part, the government has said it will address the issue, previously promising fencedoff reserves for cattle herders. In July, President Bola Tinubu announced a new livestock development ministry, which Ngelzarma said would help revive abandoned grazing reserves. No minister has been appointed yet.

Fewer places to go

Nigeria is home to more than 20 million cows, mostly owned by Fulani herders, but even though it has the fourth-largest cattle population in Africa and its dairy market is valued at $1.5 billion, almost 90% of local demand is met through imports, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration. It’s a sign of the industry’s inefficiency,

Ngelzarma said: Cows stressed from constant moving and poor diets can’t produce milk.

For Abuja, the city’s environment bears the consequence, and so do businesses when traffic grinds to a halt because cows are crossing busy roads. In other parts of Nigeria, herders are often involved in violence with farmers over access to land, especially in central and southern Nigeria where the two industries overlap with religious and ethnic divisions.

Four designated grazing reserves in rural areas surround Abuja, but they lack the needed infrastructure and have been encroached on by other farmers and illegal settlers, according to both Ngelzarma and Festus Adebayo, executive secretary of the Housing Development Advocacy Network.

With those reserves not functioning, herders set up settlements anywhere and stay for as long as they can before legitimate owners claim space or the government builds on it.

Mohammed Abbas, 67, has repeatedly had to move locations over the years. Most of his current settlement in the city’s Life Camp neighborhood has been taken over by a newly constructed petrol station, and he is aware that the remaining land will soon be claimed by another owner.

As a smallholder pastoralist, he said he could not afford to buy land in Abuja for a permanent settlement and ranching. To afford one, “I [would] have to sell all my cows and that means nothing will be left to put on the land,” he said in Hausa.

Other pastoralists would rather resist.

“We are not going anywhere again,” said

Hassan Mohammed, whose family now occupies a strip on the edge of a new estate near the Idu train station. Once a vast bush, the area has been swallowed by infrastructure and housing projects. Mohammed now also drives a lorry on the side because of the shrinking resources needed to keep cattle.

Despite repeated orders from the owners to vacate, Mohammed said his family would stay put, using the dwindling strip as their home base while taking their cattle elsewhere each day for pasture. The landowners have repeatedly urged the government to resettle Mohammed’s family, but the government has yet to take action.

“Many don’t have anywhere to call home, so they just find somewhere to sleep at night with the cattle,” said Mohammed in Hausa. “But for us, we are not leaving [unless] there is a new place within Abuja.”

Making room for development and cows

Folawiyo Daniel, an Abuja-based real estate developer who has endured difficulties with pastoralists that affect his project development, said the issue is a failure of urban planning.

“Real estate development is not the problem,” he said; the government should revive grazing reserves in the city for pastoralists.

Adebayo agreed, saying “It is time” for Abuja’s minister Nyesom Wike to take action and prove that “the problem of open grazing in the city of Abuja is solvable.”

Herders have to be moved to a place designated for their work or restricted to defined private property, he said.

The official responsible for animal husbandry in the agriculture ministry said they could not comment on a major policy issue without authorization, while the spokesperson for the ministry in charge of Abuja declined a request for an interview.

In March, after the Belgian ambassador to Nigeria raised concerns to Wike about cattle roaming Abuja’s streets, he replied that efforts were in progress to stop the indiscriminate grazing, although he did not disclose specific details.

Herders say they are not opposed to a restricted form of herding or operating like a normal business that buys their own feedstock instead of using free pasture and water wherever they find them.

The problem, according to Ngelzarma, is that the government has neglected the sector and does not provide incentives as it does for other businesses, such as irrigation systems for crop farmers and airports for private airline operators paid for by the government.

“The government should revive the gazetted grazing reserves fitted with the infrastructure for water and fodder production, training, and veterinary services and generate jobs and revenues,” Ngelzarma said. “Then, you can say Stop roaming about for free pasture.’”

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

CLASSROOM IN THE

Jean Baptiste Point du Sable

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Last week, Chicago hosted the Democratic National Convention, and what a fantabulous four days it was. Many commentators found it irresistible not to mention the 1968 convention, remembered mainly for the resulting tumult in the streets. For us this morning we journey back to the beginning of the Windy City and the adventures of the intrepid trader and explorer, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. From his settlement at the mouth of the Chicago River, he is regarded as the first permanent non-Native to establish a home and business in the region in the 1780s.

Born circa 1745 in Saint Domingue, now Haiti, Point du Sable was of African descent, though little else is known about his early years. He roamed and worked as a trader in the area during a time when there was much turmoil in the region between European rivals and the U.S. Several accounts note that he possessed some education and in 1788 married a Potawatomi Native American woman named Kitihawa, later anglicized to Catherine. They had two children before he was apprehended by the British during the Revolutionary War, suspected of being an American patriot and sympathizer. He had worked earlier for the British government on the estate of the lieutenant governor.

Upon being arrested by the British, a number of his friends spoke up for him, according to an officer’s report, insisting he was a man of good character. Around 1780, he was transported to the Pinery on the Saint Clair River north of Detroit. There is much speculation about his release and whether it was conditional based on his assignment to manage the Pinery. He and his family lived in a cabin at the mouth of the Pine River in what is now the city of St. Clair.

A decade or so later, Point du Sable was living in Chicago, having relocated from the Detroit area. According to Perrish Grignon, who visited Chicago in about 1794, du Sable was described as a large man of considerable wealth acquired from his trading. His granddaughter, Eulalie Pelletier, was born at his Chicago River settlement in 1796. In 1800, Point du Sable sold his farm

U.S. Stamp from 1987

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

Whether fact or fiction, there is a plethora of information about Point du Sable, though there appears to be a consensus of support for Milo Milton Quaife’s publications.

DISCUSSION

More about Point du Sable’s stay in Detroit needs to be amplified.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

From the early 1740s to the 1800s, Point du Sable was a tireless trader and pioneer in the Chicago and Detroit region.

to John Kinzie’s frontman, Jean La Lime, for 6,000 livres, nearly $8,000 today. The bill of sale was discovered in 1918 in a Detroit archive, detailing all of the property Point du Sable owned, as well as many personal effects, including his house, two barns, a horse-drawn mill, a poultry house, a bakehouse, a dairy, and a smokehouse. His log cabin contained a collection of fine furniture and paintings. After selling his Chicago property, he moved to St. Charles, west of St. Louis, which was still part of Spanish Louisiana. He was commissioned by the colonial governor to operate a ferry across the Missouri River. It is reported that he lived for a time with his son in St. Charles and later with his granddaughter’s

family, possibly subsisting on charitable assistance. He died on August 28, 1818, and was buried in an unmarked grave in the St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery, which was moved twice in the 19th century. It has been asserted that his remains were moved during these relocations, though on October 12, 1968, the Illinois Sesquicentennial Commission erected a granite marker at the site believed to be Point du Sable’s grave in the third St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery. In 2002, an archeological investigation of the grave site was launched by the African Scientific Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. After extensive research at the site, using highly sophisticated equipment, there was no indi-

cation of Point du Sable’s remains. They concluded that he may not have been reinterred from one of the two previous cemeteries. Meanwhile, there is an ongoing debate and discussion about who Point du Sable was, what he did, and where exactly his remains reside. Many of the claims about him suffer from the lack of credible documentation. What is undisputed is the extent to which his legacy is secured in the names of several historic sites, such as the DuSable Bridge. There is also the DuSable High School and the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, founded by Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, as well as the DuSable Harbor directly across the Chicago River from DuSable Park.

Central American countries to improve living conditions and lower odds that migrants would leave El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras for reasons, including poverty, gang violence and corruption. She focused mainly on private and public investment in Central America. Her efforts included dispatching coronavirus vaccines there, creating anti-smuggling task forces, and investing $4 billion in U.S. aid to the region. However, she faced challenges because Central America was driven by gangs and corrupt leaders after years of failed U.S. intervention. Aides say Harris’s most powerful influence was in the private sector, helping to create jobs so people would stay home.

In May 2021, she issued a “call to action” to tackle the root causes of migration from northern Central America. She met with a dozen CEOs at the White House to encourage investment in the region to create jobs and improve supply chains by moving overseas operations closer to the United States. They began with $750 million in investments, loans, housing, and other resources.

Since then, more than 50 companies have gotten involved, and total investment has surpassed $5.2 billion and created more than 70,000 jobs in the region, according to Jonathan Fantini-Porter, CEO of the Partnership for Central America, the nonprofit that oversees implementation of the effort.

Columbia Sportswear, Nespresso, auto-parts manufacturer Yazaki North America Inc., and others have created thousands of manufacturing and farming jobs in the region.

Migration from the three Central Ameri-

can countries during the Biden administration has fallen 35%, from about 683,890 to 447,270 in 2023 — lower than it was in 2019 under Trump. But analysts say it is difficult to tie the reduction in numbers to Harris’s efforts, and there have been increases in migration from other countries.

Perhaps the most glaring example of the challenges the Biden administration has faced occurred in December 2023, when nearly 250,000 migrants were apprehended, an all-time high. The numbers went down dramatically this year, however, largely due to increased enforcement in Mexico, where military patrols and highway checkpoints are intercepting would-be crossers at the U.S. government’s request.

Another challenge for Harris is that northern Central Americans are no longer the biggest group arriving at the border. They accounted for 71% of all border crossers in 2019, but so far this year are 23%, since the number of people from China, Venezuela, and other

nontraditional nations has increased.

Her role in shaping immigration policy has come with both successes and setbacks. While some of her initiatives have contributed to a reduction in migration from Central America, others highlight the complex and evolving nature of the border crisis. Nonetheless, she remains part of an administration that has implemented measures aimed at addressing these challenges.

Whether Harris can now leverage that work and her new plan on immigration to win over voters concerned about this issue remains to be seen. What is certain is that she will continue to be hammered on it by the right as the issue remains front and center in this election.

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

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Got cold symptoms? Here’s when kids should take a sick day from school

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY AP Education Writer

PHOENIX—As schools reopen for another year, they are focused on improving student attendance. But back-to-school is hitting just as COVID-19 cases are increasing, raising the question: When is a child too sick for school?

School absences surged during the pandemic and have yet to recover. Nearly 1 in 4 students remains chronically absent, defined as missing 10% or more of the academic year, according to the latest data analyzed by The Associated Press.

One reason for continued high absences: After years of COVID19 quarantines, parents are more cautious about sending children to school when they might be contagious with an illness.

When a child misses school, even for an excused absence like a sick day, it’s harder for them to stay on track academically. So schools and health experts are trying to change the culture around sick days.

Here’s what they want parents to know.

COVID guidelines have changed

During the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged people who tested positive for COVID-19 to isolate at home for a set number of days and to quarantine after exposure to the coronavirus. In some settings, people with any mild illness were urged to remain home until symptoms were clear.

Those standards, and the caution behind them, remained for years after schools reopened to in-person instruction. That meant children often missed large portions of school after contracting or being exposed to COVID-19 or other illnesses.

This spring, COVID-19 guidance officially changed. Now, the CDC suggests people treat COVID-19 like other respiratory illnesses, such as the flu and RSV.

Fever-free for 24 hours

If a child has a fever, they should stay home, no matter the illness. A child can return to school when their fever has been gone for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. Other symptoms should be improving.

What about other symptoms?

If a child doesn’t have a fever, it’s OK to send them to class with some signs of illness, including a runny nose, headache or cough, according to schools and the American Academy of Pediatrics. If those symptoms aren’t improving or are severe, such as a hacking cough, call your child’s doctor.

The guidance around vomiting and diarrhea varies across school districts. Generally, students should remain home until symptoms stop, according to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. Older children may be able to manage mild diarrhea at school.

“Unless your student has a fever or threw up in the last 24 hours, you are coming to school. That’s what we want,” said Abigail Arii, director of student support services in Oakland, California.

Guidance from the Los Angeles Unified School District says students can attend school with mild symptoms such as a runny nose or cold, but should stay home if they have vomiting, diarrhea, severe pain or a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) or higher.

School districts across the U.S. have similar guidance, including in Texas, Illinois and New York.

When to wear a mask

The CDC says people should take additional precautions for five days after returning to school or other normal activities.

Masks and social distancing are no longer mandated but are encouraged to prevent disease spread. Experts also recommend plenty of handwashing and taking steps for cleaner air, such as opening a window or running an air purifier.

School districts say parents should keep up-to-date on all

health examinations and immunizations for students so they don’t miss additional days of school.

AP Education Writer Jocelyn

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

Gecker in San Francisco contributed.

(Josue Ladoo Pelegrin photo)

Here’s where to go for better healthcare

By ANISSA DURHAM Word in Black

This is part three of “Dismantling Dismissal,” Word in Black’s patient advocacy series, exploring the ways Black Americans navigate the healthcare system and what equity leaders are doing to make healthcare more accessible. Read the series.

In a complicated healthcare system, where do you go for equitable healthcare?

Why this matters: Too many Black women have experienced dismissal of their pain and report negative healthcare experiences. In one survey, 55% of Black women said they had to speak up to get proper care and felt like they were treated with less respect than other patients.

When Black women feel dismissed in healthcare settings, it can lead to worsening healthcare outcomes, looking for different providers, or no longer seeking care altogether, according to a KFF health survey. Currently, only 6% of physicians, 4% of psychologists, and 2% of psychiatrists are Black — but their impact matters.

What the data says: Black women who saw a healthcare provider who shared their racial and ethnic background reported more positive interactions. Even Black women who saw a provider of the same race and ethnicity less than half of the time reported feeling understood and involved in their care.

What healthcare organizations can do: “I really despise the onus and the burden on patients to have to advocate for themselves in a system that has never really engendered their trust,” said Uché Blackstock, founder of Advancing Health Equity, which engages with healthcare organizations across the country to dismantle racism and eradicate racial health inequities. The organization provides training, consultations, and assessments to organizations to identify practices and policies that can be reformed with equitable approaches.

While it’s important to shift the burden away from patients, Blackstock said patients can prepare questions to ask their healthcare providers, such as:

• What do you think is going on with me?

• What is your plan for me?

• What are symptoms that I should go to the ER for?

• When should I follow up?

When you need therapy: Looking for the right therapist can take time, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Therapy for Black Girls and Therapy for Black Men are two organizations that have built directories of hundreds of Black and culturally competent providers in various cities and states across the country. The easy-to-use directory allows folks to select gender, specialty, insurance, and type of therapy preferences. When you are a birthing person: Given the high rates of maternal mortality among Black women, finding and

accessing proper care can literally mean life or death. The Irth app, founded by Kimberly Seals Allers, allows birthing people to find prenatal, birthing, postpartum, and pediatric reviews of care from other Black and Brown women. Often touted as a Yelp-like platform, it lets birthing people search for doctors and hospital reviews in their community.

When you need access to sexual wellness and reproductive healthcare: Kimbritive is a sex-positive company where Black women can reclaim their sexual wellness and reproductive health. Part of their approach is initiating conversations about healthcare with different leaders in this area, to allow Black women to dive deeper and learn more about pleasure, self-love, and connection. The organization offers guides and workshops through its membership.

When an organization needs help to advance equitable care: Violet, a health equity platform, is building infrastructure for culturally competent care, making it easier for patients to find inclusive providers. The company offers data-driven interventions and partners with digital health platforms and hospital systems. Where to find culturally competent care: Health in Her Hue, an organization founded by Ashlee Wisdom, is working to bridge the gap for Black women who are looking for Black and Brown providers. The platform connects patients with care providers, articles about specific health conditions, and a community forum.

Wisdom started the organization after her own experience of working in an academic medical center that she described as a “really toxic racist environment.” As a grad student at the time, she was learning about the poor health outcomes Black women face, such as heart disease, maternal mortality, and diabetes.

“I was learning that it wasn’t because there wasn’t anything necessarily wrong with Black women. It’s the social and structural factors that we have to live in, in America,” she said. “I got really angry, and felt like I needed to channel that anger, rage, and energy into something constructive.”

In response, Wisdom built a solution.

It’s not just about connecting Black women with Black doctors; all Black pa-

tients should be able to walk into a healthcare setting and receive care that every human and patient deserves, she said.

“It’s unfortunate that too often, we only feel safe being seen by providers that look like us, when all doctors take an oath to provide care to all of their patients.” She still makes a point to tell Black women that there are non-Black doctors who are compassionate and provide culturally responsive care.

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“Black women deserve to feel seen,” Wisdom said. “We deserve to have our full context taken into account and [be] cared about by our healthcare providers. We also deserve to be heard. We deserve empathy and understanding from our healthcare providers.” FIRE FIGHTER EXAM Salary: $59,417 - $116,056 FIRE FIGHTER

U.S. colleges revise rules on free speech in hopes of containing anti-war demonstrations

By NICK PERRY, JAKE OFFENHARTZ, and JOCELYN GECKER Associated Press

NEW YORK—As students return to colleges across the United States, administrators are bracing for a resurgence in activism against the war in Gaza, and some schools are adopting rules to limit the kind of protests that swept campuses last spring.

While the summer break provided a respite in student demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war, it also gave both student protesters and higher education officials a chance to regroup and strategize for the fall semester.

The stakes remain high. At Columbia University, President Minouche Shafik resigned Wednesday after coming under heavy scrutiny for her handling of demonstrations at the campus in New York City, where the wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments began last spring.

Some of the new rules imposed by universities include banning encampments, limiting the duration of demonstrations, allowing protests only in designated spaces, and restricting campus access to those with university identification. Critics say some of the measures will curtail free speech.

The American Association of University Professors issued a statement Wednesday condemning “overly restrictive policies” that could discourage free expression. Many of the new policies require protesters to register well in advance and strictly limit the locations where gatherings can be held, as well as set new limits on the use of amplified sound and signage.

“Our colleges and universities should encourage, not suppress, open and vigorous dialogue and debate even on the most deeply held beliefs,” said the statement, adding that many policies were imposed without faculty input.

The University of Pennsylvania has outlined new “temporary guidelines” for student protests that include bans on encampments, overnight demonstrations, and the use of bullhorns and speakers until after 5 p.m. on class days. Penn also requires that posters and banners be removed within two weeks of going up. The university said it remains committed to freedom of speech and lawful assembly.

At Indiana University, protests after 11 p.m. are forbidden under a new “expressive activities policy” that took effect August 1. The policy says “camping” and erecting any type of shelter are prohibited on campus, and signs cannot be displayed on university property without prior approval.

The University of South Florida now requires approval for tents, canopies, banners, signs and amplifiers. The school’s “speech,

expression and assembly” rules stipulate that no “activity,” including protests or demonstrations, is allowed after 5 p.m. on weekdays or during weekends and not at all during the last two weeks of a semester.

A draft document obtained over the summer by the student newspaper at Harvard University showed the college was considering prohibitions on overnight camping, chalk messages and unapproved signs.

“I think right now we are seeing a resurgence of repression on campuses that we haven’t seen since the late 1960s,” said Risa Lieberwitz, a Cornell University professor of labor and employment law who serves as general counsel for the AAUP.

Universities say they encourage free speech as long as it doesn’t interfere with learning, and they insist they are simply updating existing rules for demonstrations to protect campus safety.

Tensions have run high on college campuses since October 7, when Hamas militants assaulted a gathering in southern Israel and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages.

Many student protesters in the U.S. vow to continue their activism, which has been fueled by Gaza’s rising death toll, which surpassed 40,000 on Thursday, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

About 50 Columbia students still face discipline over last spring’s demonstrations after a mediation process that began earlier in the summer stalled, according to Mahmoud Khalil, a lead negotiator working on behalf of Columbia student protesters. He blamed the impasse on Columbia administrators.

“The university loves to appear that they’re in dialogue with the students., but these are all fake steps meant to (re)assure the donor community and their political class,” said Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

The Ivy League school in upper Manhattan was roiled earlier this year by student demonstrations, culminating in scenes of police officers with zip ties and riot shields storming a building occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Similar protests swept college campuses nationwide, with many leading to violent clashes with police and more than 3,000 arrests. Many of the students who were arrested during police crackdowns have had their charges dismissed, but some are still waiting to learn what prosecutors will decide. Many have faced fallout in their academic careers, including suspensions, withheld diplomas and other forms of discipline.

Shafik was among the university leaders who were called for questioning before Congress. She was heavily criticized by Republicans who accused her of not doing enough to combat concerns about antisemitism on the Columbia campus.

She announced her resignation in an emailed letter to the university community just weeks before the start of classes on September 3. On Monday, the university began restricting campus access to people with Columbia IDs and registered guests, saying it wanted to curb “potential disruptions” as the new semester draws near.

“This period has taken a considerable

toll on my family, as it has for others in the community,” Shafik wrote in her letter. “Over the summer, I have been able to reflect and have decided that my moving on at this point would best enable Columbia to traverse the challenges ahead.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters first set up tent encampments on Columbia’s campus during Shafik’s congressional testimony in mid-April, when she denounced antisemitism but faced criticism for how she responded to faculty and students accused of bias.

The school sent in police to clear the tents the following day, only for the students to return and inspire a wave of similar protests at campuses across the country as students called for schools to cut financial ties with Israel and companies supporting the war.

The campus was mostly quiet this summer, but a conservative news outlet in June published images of what it said were text messages exchanged by administrators while attending a May 31 panel discussion titled “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present, and Future.”

The officials were removed from their posts, with Shafik saying in a July 8 letter to the school community that the messages were unprofessional and “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.”

Other prominent Ivy League leaders have stepped down in recent months, in large part due to their responses to the volatile protests on campus.

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned in December after less than two years on the job. She faced pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say, under repeated questioning, that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.

In January, Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned amid plagiarism accusations and similar criticism over her testimony before Congress.

Perry reported from Meredith, N. H. Gecker reported from San Francisco.

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

(Protesters camped out this spring at Columbia University’s campus (AP photo)

Black kids have a political voice, too

By AZIAH SIID Word in Black

From the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s to the Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd’s death, Black students have been marching in the streets and demanding justice. Some are more hesitant than others about engaging in political discussions or activism, while others jump in as soon as they get the chance.

Now, with a presidential election on the horizon that could see Vice President Kamala Harris become the first woman of color in the Oval Office, educators and experts see an historic teachable moment unfolding outside the classroom. They are exploring ways to get students engaged with what’s happening around them and how their voices can influence history.

“Black people — especially young Black people — can make a huge difference in swaying election outcomes,” said Diane Robinson, educator and founder of Yard Girl Productions, which makes films about education and social change. One need look no further, she said, than the last presidential and midterm elections: “In 2020 and 2022, Black people and young people were key to the outcomes of those elections.”

This year, “young people are 40% of the (U.S) electorate — they can determine the outcome of the election by either staying home or how they vote,” Robinson said. “Their voices and vote, especially, definitely matter.”

K–12 students and voting

According to Jonathan Collins, professor of science and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, K–12 students and political activism go hand in hand. Schools have helped educate young people about politics for generations, and not just

in civics classes.

During the civil rights era, for example, Black children were on the front lines of the movement, even if they weren’t old enough to vote. Ruby Bridges was just six years old when she became the first student to integrate an all-white school in the South; in the Children’s Crusade in Birmingham, Ala., about 1,000 grade-school students marched every day for a week, demanding equality.

More recently, after Floyd, Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbury, and other unarmed Black people were shot and killed in questionable circumstances, Black K–12 students joined Black Lives Matter activists in protest marches from New York to California. There have also been youth-led movements demonstrating against everything from school shootings to climate change.

With data showing that one in four Black people age 23 or younger is registered to vote, several nonprofit voter-registration organizations have popped up in recent years, looking to harness that political power. Organizations like the Civics Center and the Youth Voter Movement help students organize in-school voter registration drives and provide information about voting laws in all 50 states.

More specifically, initiatives like Black Voters Matter and other activist networks work to mobilize young Black voters to gather and use their voice.

Threat to Black voices

Despite the long tradition of student activism and voting, the right of young people to protest is under threat. They point to Project 2025, a far-right blueprint for the next Republican president, that would remake the federal government — including shutting down the Department of Education.

See BLACK KIDS page 38

10 23 24

França s Pour déposer votre demande en igne rendez-vous sur le s te nyc gov/housingconnect Pour recevo r une traduct on en français de cet av s a nsi qu un doss er de demande papier, envoyez une enveloppe ibe lée à votre nom et votre adresse à l adresse su vante : BETHANY SENIOR TERRACES, PO BOX

(Chali Pittman / WORT News photo)

Religion & Spirituality

How women of color with Christian and progressive values are keeping the faith—outside churches

By TERRY TANG Associated Press

Brandi Brown has yet to find a Black church near her Southern California home that feels right for her. So when she wants to talk about God, she relies on someone over a thousand miles (1,600 kilometers) away.

Like her, Ellen Lo Hoffman, who lives just outside Seattle and is Chinese American, is a progressive Christian. They have known each other through a Christian fellowship for six years. But for the past three years, Hoffman has supported Brown, a former minister, through monthly virtual chats.

“How Black women and how women of color experience God is different than how other people experience God,” said Brown, who is Black. “If I imagine myself, like, sitting on a bench trying to talk to God, Ellen is there too — to sit on the bench with me and point out observations and allow me to interpret things that I’m experiencing.”

For some Christian progressives, the lack of acknowledgement by their churches or ministries of the 2020 racial reckoning was the final push to go elsewhere. Some women of color have been disappointed and upset by evangelical Christian churches—both predominantly white and multiracial—whose leaders failed to openly decry racism or homophobia. Traditional pastors and other leaders often see congregants’ concerns through a patriarchal lens, leaving many feeling dismissed or overlooked. Still, others said they felt alienated by evangelical supporters of former President Donald Trump, with whom they disagree on politics.

Many are now finding solace and reaffirming their faith on their own terms through what they call “spiritual directors,” who are not necessarily priests, pastors, counselors or therapists, but can help others explore thoughts about God or broader concepts around a higher power.

man said. “And then the people who were reaching out looking for a spiritual director was all women of color looking for spaces to process.”

have helped roughly 70 women, including queer women, over the past three years.

The demand hasn’t waned. Recently, Hoffman had to close a 60-person waitlist.

Hoffman came away vowing to be a better ally.

So when the murder of George Floyd and anti-Asian hate crimes soon dominated national conversation, Hoffman wanted to do more than march in protests and facilitate bystander training. She said she noticed that a lot of people of color needed “care in the midst of racial trauma.” So with her husband, she created Soul Reparations, a nonprofit providing free spiritual support to women.

“With the people that I was already meeting with, the impact of the racial trauma in 2020 was constantly coming up,” Hoff-

With nearly 24 years of ministry leadership experience, Hoffman has been a selfemployed spiritual director for the past seven years. The 2014 death of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson was a pivotal moment for her. She gathered staff members of color, as the associate regional director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, in a discussion.

The sessions are intimate one-on-one chats in person or over Zoom. It’s the client who drives the conversation. Often, there’s no Bible talk or preaching from Hoffman. The discussions can be more philosophical.

“Simply allowing them to tell their story, giving them space to share their pain — is really healing for them and it restores a sense of identity,” Hoffman said. Churches, religious leaders and officials don’t get to “have the last word” on how women choose to express their Christianity. She has since recruited seven other women of color to serve as directors. In total, they

That number doesn’t surprise Jessica Chen, of Los Angeles, who virtually meets with Hoffman monthly.

“I do see this kind of movement of women of color who’ve left kind of the traditional church environment to create these spaces for other women of color,” Chen said. “So, sort of reimagining what community can look like for women of color, I think that’s very much needed.”

Only in the last few years did Chen consider she might be limiting herself by only hearing male pastors who have a specific

Ellen Lo Hoffman, the co-founder of Soul Reparations, a nonprofit providing free spiritual support to women, walks down the stairs at her home in Bothell, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

See FAITH page 37

perspective that’s been “universalized,” she said. While her last church was diverse and multigenerational, she felt like she wasn’t growing as a person.

“I want to hear from Black women, Asian women, Indigenous folks ... queer folks. What has your faith experience been and how can I learn from your experiences as well?” Chen said. “And I think that makes our understanding and relationship with God or spirituality a lot richer.”

In 2020, Rebekah James Lovett, of Chicago, tried to broach the subject of social justice with her evangelical pastor. She stayed up till 4 a.m. crafting a written plea to him. The pastor met with her but she came away feeling like he was simply placating her.

Raised in Christianity by Indian immigrant parents, she said she came to a realization, “I can’t ever go back” to white, male-dominated churches that don’t consider other viewpoints.

She felt liberated—but also a bit rudderless. Then she heard Hoffman speak on a podcast, “Reclaiming My Theology.”

“The idea of going to a woman who also is pastorally trained was interesting to me,” Lovett said. “Christianity as we’ve been sold it is built on this sense of certainty that somebody has the answer and you just have to look to the Bible and it’s all right there. Whereas for Ellen, there’s this invitation to wonder. That was never there before.”

After adding her name to the waitlist, Lovett became a regular client of Hoffman’s in fall 2021.

Hoffman’s rates for spiritual direction

range from $85-$100 per session—or, in some cases, are free. Her paying clients, or “directees,” don’t seem to mind. They liken it to a regular check-up or therapy session.

“I do feel like it is a wellness practice as well as a spiritual practice. It’s something that keeps me centered,” Brown said. “I’m not trying to reach a goal. My only desire is to deepen my personal relationship with God.”

Many have left churches across the U.S. over the past few decades. Around 30% of Americans identify as “the nones” or people with no organized religion affiliation, according to a 2023 AP-NORC poll. They include atheists, agnostics and people who are “nothing in particular.”

The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, who last year became the first woman and woman of color elected general minister and president of the socially liberal United Church of Christ, agrees churches are often patriarchal. They “continue to be exclusive and bring narratives of hatred, diminishing the human spirit and decrying people’s humanity,” she said. While UCC congregations have become more racially and ethnically diverse, Thompson wants to see that diversity reflected at the top as well.

“We continue to include the voices of all in the leadership—as best we can—paying attention to those whose presence and voices have been historically underrepresented in the life of the UCC,” Thompson said in an email.

Spiritual direction has actually reinvigorated Brown to not give up on looking for a church.

“I’m excited about joining a church that talks about justice, that cares about LGBTQ+ people,” Brown said. “I want to be a part of a community.”

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Democratic women

Continued from page 3

to restore reproductive freedom and she is elected president, she would proudly sign it into law.

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would enshrine gender equality and therefore reproductive freedoms in the U.S. Constitution and be the 28th amendment, stalled last year over technicalities, despite tremendous movement in recent years to get it ratified. In New York, the ERA to the state’s constitution safeguards people based on “race, color, creed, or religion” and adds protections against discrimination based on “gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care.”

Earlier this year, the state constitutional amendment briefly fell into limbo because of a Republican-led legal effort to keep the measure off the ballot. State Senator Lea Webb, the first Black Democrat and woman of color to represent her district in Ithaca and Binghamton, took the first steps to codify the ERA, reproductive rights, and maternal health care back in 2019.

“I think that the mention that folks who have been historically marginalized are being recognized through equitable policy — for some folks, it will evoke that something is being taken away from them in some respects, which it is not,” Webb said. “People’s perspectives and views, whether it be through political ideology or religion, also play a role. However, at the end of the day, when you look at the Harris campaign for president and all the women running for office at any level, women — who are most impacted by these issues — are step-

Black kids

Continued from page 35

If that were to happen, full control of the nation’s education policies would revert to the states, and students would lose the Office of Civil Rights, a key department responsible for investigating complaints of discrimination. Without the education department, Black students probably would lose the right to equitable resources, culturally relevant learning, and other essential support, making it highly likely that Black students would be opposed to Project 2025.

One way Collins recommends students who oppose the plan and want to make it known is to create or ensure they have a safe space to come together and share their thoughts. Another, he said, is to start having important conversations among peers and others about changes they’d like to see in their schools, around their neighborhoods, and in the districts.

“There will be a response to what they identify as an important problem, espe-

ping into their power and our communities are better for it.”

Webb confirmed that the ERA will appear on the back of the ballot this November for New Yorkers to vote on.

Many present-day issues didn’t necessarily center around women and gender politics, but had women leaders at the DNC fired up.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, the first female governor of New York, spoke multiple times to her own delegation about boosting the local Democratic party in battleground congressional districts — a running theme among many speakers from New York State, despite it being considered a “blue” state.

“We started last year, giving money and resources, helping our local committees win races that we had no chance to ever win. Town boards, DA [district attorney] races, county legislatures,” said Hochul at the delegate breakfast. “We did it because we started to work together. I wanted to build that infrastructure, that platform — to build that foundation to lean into 2024.”

Hochul called for efforts to make sure

House Minority Leader and Congressmember Hakeem Jeffries becomes Speaker of the House, and that other prominent electeds from New York, like U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, get re-elected. The idea is to push for a Democratic majority in Congress so Harris has an easier time getting her agenda through while in office, should she be elected.

Meanwhile, many organizers highlighted existing federal programs that have had monumental success in their communities.

cially Black kids,” he said. “We don’t even see the idea that we have agency in these kinds of processes.”

His own high school experience illustrates the point. “I went to an all-black high school,” he said. Back then, “the idea that we could go to a school board and actually push back against some of the rules and policies that were forced upon us — we didn’t think that was possible.”

Yet Robinson said students using their voices to oppose something real going on in their lives is the foundation for initiating change, forcing policymakers to pay attention and connect it to their right to vote.

“Based on what I have learned by spending time with young Black people and asking them what inspires them to get involved in our political system, I think it is always best to start with the issues young people care about,” Robinson said. Fighting disinterest

Too often, young Black people are disillusioned with politics; studies show they don’t believe one vote makes a difference in their lives. According to a Harvard Youth Poll, fewer Black voters under age 30 plan

Cynthia Wallace, executive director of the New Rural Project in North Carolina, an organizer who focuses on building civic engagement among people of color in rural areas, appreciates some of the work Harris has already done as vice president and hopes to see those issues brought to the forefront again, particularly the BidenHarris affordable connectivity program that expanded broadband access and climate initiatives.

“That provided broadband access for North Carolina. Changed the lives of lots of folks. Broadband means health care, ability to apply for jobs,” said Wallace. “Unfortunately, Congress wouldn’t extend it. A lot of folks lost that vital access. When you live in a rural place where transportation is an issue and you have access to the [digital] world, it can change people’s econom-

to vote in the upcoming presidential election than did at this point in the 2020 election cycle.

But an increasing number of Black elected officials — including Harris, who could become the first president to have graduated from an HBCU and the first who is a member of a Black sorority — could drive up voter participation among Black youths. For the first time since 2016, they will have someone on the presidential ballot who looks like them.

“Representation matters, and this is where the authenticity of the representation matters,” Collin said. “The job of the representative is to … be that conduit between communities, so if we get representatives who are comfortable in these community spaces — well, then you have someone who’s there and who comes from where you come from to have a certain kind of political conversation. ”

Robinson, who followed the lives of a diverse group of students and activists in 2020 in the film “The Young Vote,” agrees. Besides representation, she said, it’s about equipping young people with the tools and

ic lives.”

Wallace’s colleague from North Carolina, Dr. Aimy S. L. Steele, CEO of the New North Carolina Project, added that she was especially excited about the Biden-Harris Infrastructure bill and its built-in funding for efficient energy programs for communities of color.

“What we heard on the doors when we knocked — almost 48,000 in 2022 — was that people cared about the fact that their energy bills were higher than their mortgage and their rent,” said Steele. “Now we’re able to install HVAC [heating, ventilation, and air conditioning] systems in people’s homes at no cost, as well as make other weatherization updates to their homes. And all of that was a part of the bipartisan infrastructure law funding that was given to the state of North Carolina.”

skills they need to take action.

“Specifically, a young African American woman that I followed in ‘The Young Vote’ was encouraged by her teacher to reach out to a local elected leader about an issue that was really important to her,” Robinson said. “This started her journey as a student activist and got her to make the connections between what she cared about and the political system.”

There are various ways for young Black people to get involved in a movement or a campaign. Some use their social media presence; others stand on street corners, handing out flyers or speaking into bullhorns. Still others prefer taking trips to Capitol Hill to watch committee meetings or contact their members of Congress.

“The young woman that we followed in ‘The Young Vote’ was initially skeptical about the power of voting, but she realized that it was a powerful way to use her voice,” Robinson said. “I also learned from her that voting alone does not make you a ‘beautiful citizen.’ It is staying engaged in your community in an ongoing way.”

New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins at Collective Power Brunch at 2024 DNC (Ariama C. Long photo)

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NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF MANAGERS, Plaintiff -againstDAVID SCHILLER AS EXECUTORS OF THE ESTATE OF MARVIN SCHILLER, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Amended Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated on February 22, 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 September 11, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-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 0.0381% in 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 1302. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $28,189.58 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850199/2022. DORON LEIBY, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 35579

Notice of Formation of CARTOON PHYSICS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/30/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 207 W. 25th St. - 6th Fl., NY, NY 10001. 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 OMNI NOSTRAND PARTNERS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/02/24. 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 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstOBJECT N. LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 1, 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 September 11, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-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 0.0381% in 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 # 2003000442512 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 1302.

Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $23,248.49 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850186/2023.

SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP

PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

DLG# 39358

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MICHAEL IACOVELLO and CARMELLA M. IACOVELLO, Defts. - Index # 850041/2019. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 10, 2021, 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, September 26, 2024, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 7,000/28,402,100 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase I HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $56,809.33 plus costs and interest as of January 23, 2020. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstZEFERINO T. TRINIDAD AS FIRST SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE OF THE TRINIDAD FAMILY TRUST DATED MARCH 21, 1998, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated on February 21, 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 September 11, 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 tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .019728% 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 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.

Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $17,485.64 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850147/2023.

ALLISON FURMAN, ESQ., Referee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39106

Notice of Formation of MRA IVC MANAGER I, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/30/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Metropolitan Realty Associates LLC, 555 Madison Ave. - 6th Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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 COUNTY OF NEW YORK Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association, Plaintiff AGAINST Joseph Ceccarelli; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered April 29, 2021, and Amended September 23, 2022, and Amended April 18, 2024. I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, in Room 130, located at 60 Centre St, New York, NY 10007 on September 18, 2024, at 2:15PM, premises known as 200 East 32nd Street, New York City, NY 10016. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of NY, Block 912 Lot 1165. Approximate amount of judgment $1,676,660.05 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850018/2017. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the 1st Judicial District. Arthur Greig, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: April 26, 2024 80510

NOTICE OF SALE

Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, Index No. 850084/2022

Six Gramercy LLC, Plaintiff, v. Westside Units 17th Street LLC, et. al., Defendants.

TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered May 14, 2024, the undersigned referee will sell at public auction on October 2, 2024, at 2:15pm in Room 130 at the Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, NY, NY, the property located at 7 East 17th Street, Unit 3N, New York, NY 10003 (Block 846, Lot 1304).

The approximate amount of Plaintiff’s lien is $1,881,618.28 plus interest and costs. The premises will be sold in one parcel and subject to provisions of the judgment and terms of sale.

Paul Sklar, Esq., Referee

Law Offices of Tae H. Whang, LLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 201, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, Tel. (201) 461-0300, 415 White Oak Road, Palisades, NY 10964 (By Appointment Only).

Sport Temp LLC filed w/ SSNY 2/17/21 Off. in NY Co. Process served to SSNY - desig. as agt. of LLC & mailed to Yehuda Brown, 1472 E. 8th St, Brooklyn, NY 11230. The reg. agt. is Yehuda Brown at same address. Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, not in its Individual Capacity, but Solely as Owner Trustee of CSMC 2019-RPL11 Trust , Plaintiff, vs . UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF Hyunjeong Han, If Living, and If THEY Be Dead, Any and All Persons Unknown to Plaintiff , ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on May 17, 2023 and a Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on April 9, 2024 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on September 18, 2024 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 70 Little West Street, Unit 22G, New York, NY 10004 a/k/a 70 Battery Place, Unit 22G, New York, NY 10280. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 16 and Lot 1878 together with an undivided 0.36855 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $665,379.10 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850044/2021. Cash will not be accepted. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Thomas R. Kleinberger, Esq., Referee

Knuckles & Manfro, LLP, 120 White Plains Road, Suite 215, Tarrytown, New York 10591, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice of Qualification of LS RETAIL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/02/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Georgia (GA) on 07/22/09. Princ. office of LLC and GA addr. of LLC: 11175 Cicero Dr., Ste. 650, Alpharetta, GA 30022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 214 State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company. Name: FATHI ELGADDARI, DMD, PLLC. Articles of Organization filing date with the Secretary of State (SSNY) was 06/21/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as the agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to 35 EAST 85 STREET, 1N, NY, 10028, USA. The purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

Supplemental Summons and Notice of Object of Action Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of New York ACTION TO FORECLOSE A MORTGAGE Index #: 850192/2022 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Plaintiff, vs Lixin Wang If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Board Of Managers Of The Park Avenue Condominium, United States Of America Acting Through The IRS, People Of The State Of New York John Doe (Those unknown tenants, occupants, persons or corporations or their heirs, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, assignees, creditors or successors claiming an interest in the mortgaged premises.) Defendant(s). Mortgaged Premises: 120 East 87th Street New York, NY 10128 To the Above named Defendant: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of New York. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. TO Lixin Wang Defendant In this Action. The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. Francis A Kahn of the Supreme Court Of The State Of New York, dated the Twenty-Ninth day of July, 2024 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York, in the City of New York. The object of this action is to foreclosure a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by Lixin Wang dated the May 26, 2016, to secure the sum of $750,000.00 and recorded at CRFN 2016000203383 in the City Register of the City of New York, New York County on June 16, 2016. The property in question is described as follows: 120 East 87th Street, NEW YORK, NY 10128 HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT, YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or the Foreclosure Relief Hotline 1-800-269-0990 or visit the department's website at WWW.DFS. NY.GOV. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS, YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO STAY IN YOUR HOME DURING THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME UNLESS AND UNTIL YOUR PROPERTY IS SOLD AT AUCTION PURSUANT TO A JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AND SALE. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN YOUR HOME, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY AND PAY PROPERTY TAXES IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE AND LOCAL LAW. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to "save" your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner's distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this Foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: August 1, 2024 Gross Polowy LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 The law firm of Gross Polowy LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose. 81995

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstGARY C. MORSE, VASSO G. MORSE, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated on March 1, 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 September 25, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises 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 undivided 0.0381% interest in common Elements. 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 1302.

Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $22,122.59 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850285/2023.

GEORGIA PAPAZIS, ESQ., Referee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP

PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

DLG# 39078

Notice of Qualification of GREYSTONE MONTICELLO FUNDING SH-74 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/23/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/17/24. Princ. office of LLC: 600 Third Ave., 21st Fl., NY, NY 10016. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Engaging in and exercising all powers permitted to a limited liability company formed under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act.

Notice of Qualification of 20 EXCHANGE PLACE OWNER, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/22/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/12/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Stephen Benjamin, 729 7th Ave., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10019. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., No. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -against- CHLOE A. CALLOW, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated on March 6, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on September 25, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-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 0.0381% in 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 # 2003000442512 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 1302.

Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $12,452.09 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850190/2023.

ROBERTA ASHKIN, ESQ., Referee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39359

Notice of Qualification of JFH BRAND HOLDINGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/15/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/19/24. Princ. office of LLC: 350 Fifth Ave., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10118. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of TH MSR HOLDINGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Arizona (AZ) on 06/30/24. Princ. office of LLC: 1601 Utica Ave. South, Ste. 900, St. Louis Park, MN 55416. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Cert. of Form. filed with Executive Director, 1300 W. Washington, 1st Fl., Phoenix, AZ 58007-2929. Purpose: Owning and managing mortgage servicing rights.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstLYNN CAMPBELL, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 6, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on September 25, 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 tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.00986400000% 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 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $12,386.86 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850233/2023.

ROBERTA E. ASHKIN, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39324

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstSHARAD BHAGU PATEL, NISHA SHARAD PATEL, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 1, 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 September 25, 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 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .019728% 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 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $23,707.35 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850179/2023. SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

DLG# 39301

KETTELY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/25/24. 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, 470 W 165th Street, Apartment 24, New York, NY 10032. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0267-24130536 for beer & wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a Deli under the ABC Law at 231 E. 116 th St., NYC 10029 for on-premises consumption; Los Dos Amigos 116 Corp.

JENPONYC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/20/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 1460 BROADWAY, 11F, C/O ANNE CHANG, New York, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Blue Diamond Trading Company L.L.C. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/31/2024 Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #742246, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE ATALANTA CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff -against- PATRICK LEUNG, LUZIA DOS PRAZERES, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale nd dated February 28, 2024 and entered on April 17, 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 September 18, 2024 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, the condominium unit known as Unit No. 7B in the building known as "The Atalanta Condominium" together with an undivided 1.9549% in the Common Elements. Block: 190 Lot: 1440

Said premises known as 25 N. MOORE STREET, APT 7B, NEW YORK, NY 10013

Approximate amount of lien $58,834.98 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 160015/2023. MARK MCKEW, ESQ., Referee Belkin Burden Goldman, LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 60 East 42nd Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10165

Notice of Qualification of GRAMERCY E 22ND OWNER

LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/02/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/17/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps. - John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Autobahn Collision And Repairs LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on May 25, 2024. Office location: Richmond County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1388 Richmond Rd, Staten Island, NY 10310 Purpose: Any lawful act.

RT HORATIO PROPERTY LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/29/24. 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, 167 Madison Avenue, Suite 205, #328, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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.

HEYDAYDREAMS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/21/24. 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: 242 W. 104th St. Suite 3ER, New York, NY 10025. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

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.

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.

Notice of formation of NYCR Sub-CDE 28, 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 28, LLC, 99 Hudson Street, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10013. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of formation of NYCR Sub-CDE 29, 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 29, 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.

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.

H' CHILDREN GROUP FAMILY DAYCARE, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/17/2024. Office location: BRONX County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 3205 GRAND CONCOURSE APT 2B, BRONX, NY 10468 Purpose: Any lawful act.

Commons Software LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/12/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 10 Hanover Square Apt 6S, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Dog Person Coffee LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/07/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC.: 7014 13TH AVENUE SUITE 202, BROOKLYN NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.

CheKells Enterprise LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/7/2024. Office location: Kings County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 928 E 86th St, Brooklyn NY 11236 Purpose: Any lawful act.

CONSERVATIVERAP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/15/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: LEGALCORP SOLUTIONS, 11 BROADWAY SUITE 615, NEW YORK, NY 10004. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Dostar Marketing LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/09/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 330 East 38th Street Apt. 38L, New York, NY, 10016. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Fillet Edge LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/06/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 435 W 31st St., Apt 8G, New York, NY, 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.

BRUNSONCLINE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/29/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: United States Corporation Agents Inc., 7014 13th Ave, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY, 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.

CEZI LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/07/2023 Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 557 Grand Concourse Suite 6005, Bronx, NY 10451 Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOAH 2004 REALTY, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/16/04. Latest date to dissolve: 12/31/2099. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Antonino Settepani, 602 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Townsend & Bastien, LLP Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on July 19, 2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1350 Ave Of The Americas, Flr 2, #1068, New York, New York, 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of INVESTCORP US PRIVATE CREDIT FEEDER, LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/13/24. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/08/22. Princ. office of LP: 280 Park Ave., 39th Fl., NY, NY 10017. NYS fictitious name: INVESTCORP US PRIVATE CREDIT FEEDER, L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of COMVEST GROUP HOLDINGS LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/17/24. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/01/02. Princ. office of LP: 360 S. Rosemary Ave., Ste. 1700, W. Palm Beach, FL 33401. NYS fictitious name: COMVEST GROUP HOLDINGS L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. #101, Dover, DE 19904. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of SUBIN, LLP Cert. of Reg. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/10/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLP: 515 Madison Ave., #8076, NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLP at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Law.

Notice of Qualification of CASCADE GROWTH LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/05/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/07/24. Princ. office of LLC: 330 Third Ave., Apt. 21E, NY, NY 10010. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Independent financial sponsor.

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- EDDIE Z. CHEN a/k/a EDDIE CHEN; CHEN@HOME LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on April 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 October 2, 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 440 Lot 1301 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map.

Said premises known as 427 EAST 12TH STREET, #1A, NEW YORK, NY 10009

Approximate amount of lien $598,893.24 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 158480/2022. PAUL R. SKLAR, ESQ., Referee

Phillips Lytle LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs

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

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He adds that some artists invited may even perpetuate violence and harm through their lyrics and persona, particularly those appealing to younger audiences. But all performers are mandated to open and close their set promoting peace. Meanwhile, wellness programming like yoga is rolled out for older attendees.

New York City was represented by A.T. Mitchell-Mann, the founder of Man Up! and the Big Apple’s gun violence prevention czar.

“The community of Newark came out and proved their point that we as people who have grown up in a community stricken by violence can create an environment [with] peace,” said Mitchell. “Not just for 24 hours, but for an entire summer.”

While police are present at 24 Hours of Peace (and often dancing along), the event’s safety is often entrusted to those closest to the violence. Newark Deputy Mayor of Public Safety LaKeesha Eure points to efforts made by gang members to push for peace, even if it’s just for a day.

“They’re doing problem solving, right in the audience, their presence is important to those people [who] may be a part of gun violence, and they get to say, ‘no, I need you to not be here today’ or ‘put your guns down’ or ‘that’s not what happened here today,’” she said.

24 Hours of Peace is now just one of many anti-violence efforts under Newark’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR), an agency born from diverting 5% of the law enforcement budget towards peace efforts following the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement.

Yet, violence continues to plummet despite reduced police funding. Last year, Newark reached record homicide lows unseen since the early ‘60s. All the while, detectives closed 81% of cases, according to NJ Spotlight. Gun violence and assaults also dropped.

Eure says the city is on track for another safer year and credits 24 Hours of Peace for reserving a day in the calendar when residents in “hot spot” neighborhoods are neither victims or perpetrators of violence.

“We ultimately know that public safety is not just law enforcement,” Eure said. “We just have to shift our mindset. So the City of Newark is shifting the culture from trauma to trust, right? We’re shifting the culture to be able to give opportunities where they never existed. So we ultimately use the budget to be able to send children to college, versus arresting these kids.”

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.

Dumping

have any in their yard. The baby’s mosquito bites occurred during the city’s peak season for West Nile virus. Health officials announced last week that human cases of the disease have been detected. According to the health department, viruspositive mosquitoes have been detected in Edgemere and Far Rockaway within the past two weeks.

Rogers, the Edgemere resident who encountered the trash in the parklet, said it’s disconcerting that the burden of asking for basic services falls on her and her neigh-

bors, which can eventually lead to apathy and thwart efforts for residents to become environmental stewards.

“We have people of color that come out and maintain open public space, and yet and still, we don’t get the support that we need,” she said. “Where’s the right to make our lives safe? Where’s our quality of life?”

This story was made possible by a grant from the Journalism and Women Symposium health fellowship, supported by the Commonwealth Fund.

as the captain of the Mathletes. Her summer at a prestigious witch school was less than stellar, leaving her longing for the comfort of normalcy. However, her return to Riverbend is far from uneventful. Not only does she face the challenge of revealing her witch identity to her best friend, but she also has to navigate the complexities of integrating her coven into her school life. The ease of her anticipated eighth-grade year is soon disrupted by the reappearance of LaToya, a former friend and fellow witch. LaToya’s return ignites a series of complications, as she seems intent on creating discord among Hasani’s friends and making Hasani appear to be the villain. The situation escalates when strange occurrences, including a termite infestation, begin plaguing the school. Hasani, convinced that LaToya is behind the chaos, is determined to uncover the truth.

“Charmed Life” delves into themes of friendship, identity, and personal growth. Hasani’s interactions with LaToya and her efforts to navigate the complexities of her dual life as a witch and a middle school student highlight the challenges of maintaining authentic relationships while

grappling with one’s evolving identity. Dumas’s portrayal of Hasani’s internal and external conflicts provides a relatable depiction of the struggles faced by young readers as they navigate the turbulent waters of adolescence. The blend of magical adventure and real-world issues offers a nuanced exploration of personal development and the value of empathy and understanding.

“Kingdom of Dust” by Lisa Stringfellow

Acclaimed for her debut novel A Comb of Wishes, Lisa Stringfellow returns with “Kingdom of Dust,” a captivating West African-inspired fantasy that promises to transport readers to a world where magic, destiny, and justice intertwine. With a richly imagined setting and a heroine on a quest for both personal and national redemption, Stringfellow’s latest work explores themes of heritage, resilience, and the enduring power of belief.

In “Kingdom of Dust,” the land of Kun is depicted as a once-thriving kingdom now reduced to a barren desert. This dramatic transformation is rooted in the mysterious disappearance of the griots, revered storytellers, and magic-wielders who, along with their departure, took with them the goddess Oala’s

blessings of rain and prosperity. The lush, vibrant land that Kun once was has been replaced by a parched wasteland under the rule of a merciless king. Amara, the novel’s protagonist, has only known Kun in its current desolate state. Raised by her foster mother, Zirachi, Amara’s life has been one of scarcity and struggle, far removed from the stories of abundance she has heard about in legends. Despite Zirachi’s reassurances that Kun is not cursed, Amara’s curiosity about her own origins — and their potential connection to the kingdom’s plight — drives her to question the truth of her world.

“Kingdom of Dust” delves into themes of identity, destiny, and the quest for justice. Stringfellow’s portrayal of Kun’s transformation from a land of plenty to a desolate wasteland serves as a powerful metaphor for the impact of loss and the hope of restoration. Amara’s determination to bring back the magic and justice reflects a broader theme of redemption, both for herself and for her kingdom. Her quest highlights the importance of confronting the past and taking responsibility for shaping the future while the novel also explores how personal history and hidden truths are intertwined with the larger narrative of a people’s struggle for survival and dignity.

6129-1118

(Roxanne Scott photo)

Marcus Stroman is on a roll as the Yankees eye the

AL East title

By KEVIN MOORE MLBbro Special to the AmNews

In his first season with the New York Yankees, Marcus Stroman has been a valuable contributing piece to the team’s rotation.

After struggling during the middle of the summer, Stroman has bounced back and put together dominating performances in his recent outings. In his last three starts, Stroman has a 2.25 ERA after posting a whopping 6.32 ERA in his previous 10 starts. He is scheduled to be on the mound on Saturday at home versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

This past Sunday, Stroman pitched five innings and allowed three runs in securing the Yankees a 10-3 win over the Colorado Rookies in the Bronx. He also got a front row seat to witness Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton accomplish a feat that had not been done by Yankees hitters since Sept. 17, 2020. The trio went back-to-back-to-back.

Soto smoked the ball for 418 feet to right-center field, Judge bro bombed one 377 feet and Stanton followed up

with the most majestic shot—a 425-foot to center field.

After the game, Stroman, who remains one of the go-to voices on the team in both tough and triumphant moments, said, “I mean, it’s hard to put into words, to be honest. It’s truly special. I think we take it for granted what these guys are doing each and every day. What Cap is doing is truly incredible. You know, it’s historic, and it might never be done again. It’s just very fun to witness, amazing to be around, and I try not to get lost in taking it for granted, like I feel we all do.

“It just seems like hitting a home run every day is very normal for him [Aaron Judge]. And obviously, what Soto’s been doing before him is scary, scary. So, Stanton obviously going back-to-back-to-back, that’s incredibly fun. Like I said, having those guys swinging it gives the pitchers and the whole team more confidence.”

With the Yankees clinging to the top spot in the American League East Division at 78-54, two games ahead of the 76-56 Baltimore Orioles when the Yankees played the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, Stroman will look to continue to

Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman is in line to reach a career high in wins.

(MLBbro photo)

help them maintain their lead with one month left in the regular season.

The two-time All-Star has a 9-6 record with a 3.88 ERA and 97 strikeouts. His nine wins are third best on the team and he has the opportunity to set a new career-high in wins before the season is over.

His current career-high in wins is 13, which he set back in 2017 with the Toronto Blue Jays. During the last four seasons,

Stroman has ended the season with an ERA under four.

With the Yankees being one of the top teams in the AL, there’s a strong chance that Stroman gets another opportunity to appear in the postseason. He’s only appeared in the playoffs two times in his career, coming in 2015 and 2016, both with Toronto. In five postseason starts, he is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA.

Lindor’s plate prowess keeps Mets close to NL wild card spot

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor seems to be channeling the unseen recycled energy of Yoenis Cespesdes. He has been carrying the Mets’ offense since the All-Star break, with 10 homers and 26 RBI at the start of this week, and 27 home runs and 78 RBI overall when MLB’s Tuesday slate of games began. It was in 2015 when the former Mets outfielder was otherworldly after the team acquired him in a deal with the Detroit Tigers, minutes before the July 31 trade deadline passed.

Cespedes electrified the Mets fan base and charged the franchise as it won its first NL East title in nine years and first pennant since 2000. It was Cespedes’s MVP-like performance over the 57 regular season games he played for the Mets that season—17 homers and superlative if not spectacular defense—that fans fondly remember.

While the possibility of the Mets catching the NL East pace-setting Philadelphia Phillies for the division title this year are remote, it’s possible that they could pass the Atlanta Braves, which as of yesterday were sitting second in the NL East and in the third wild card spot. The Mets were

68-63 and third in the NL East when they began a three-game road series against the sizzling Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks were 75-56, had won six in a row, and led the wild card hunt. The Phillies were 77-54 and nine games above New York. The Braves were 71-60 and three games ahead of the Mets in the wild card chase. Lindor has been trying to change that.

On Saturday, in a 7-1 road victory over the San Diego Padres (another team the Mets are pursuing as the Padres were clutching the No. 2 wild card position on Tuesday), Lindor hit two homers, one from each side of the plate, including a fourth-inning grand slam.

“It feels pretty cool to hit home runs from each side, for sure,” said Lindor.

“It’s one of those where as you run the bases, it’s like, ‘Wow, my swing is good. I’m aligning pretty good.’”

Lindor has been one of baseball’s most consistent hitters since Mets manager Carlos Mendoza moved him to the leadoff spot on May 18.

After the Padres, the Mets will meet the White Sox in Chicago for three games tomorrow through Sunday and then play the Boston Red Sox at Citi Field for three games from Monday through Wednesday.

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor’s increased production at the plate has been central to the team remaining in wildcard race. (AP Photo)

Ben Shelton looks to improve on last year’s U.S. Open performance

(Margot Jordan photo)

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

Ben Shelton was an accomplished tennis player before he turned professional. The 21 year old won a singles title in the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships and was named Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Player of the Year as well, all while being coached by his father, former tennis player and tennis coach Bryan Shelton.

Shelton had his best performance in a grand slam tournament at the 2023 U.S. Open, defeating fellow Black American Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals, before losing to the eventual champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets in his first-ever grand slam semifinals match. Now, Shelton hopes to improve upon last year’s success and become the first American male to win a grand slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open.

Shelton, who is the secondhighest ranked American in the world at No. 13, won his first match Monday, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 over

Austrian and 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem.

“I thought it was a good start, good performance from me today,” Shelton said after the win. “There wasn’t really a category that I was unhappy with. I thought I served extremely well today. Did a good job dictating play with my forehand, the best I hit my forehand for a while. I was 24 for 28 at the net. Can’t complain with how starts go at a Grand Slam.”

Shelton said he was not nervous and did not have butterflies during the match.

“I think after last year, the stage doesn’t get much bigger than that,” he said, referring to the match versus Djokovic. “I feel used to it now. I just felt comfortable. Used to it. Felt like I had been there before. Yeah, definitely excited. I think any chance that you get to play on Arthur Ashe is a moment that you remember forever. Yeah, I added one to the books today, and yeah, just happy with how things went out there. Yeah, I enjoyed it.”

Shelton, who is also ranked

#13 at this year’s U.S. Open, was asked what stood out about last year’s success.

“I think that you learn a lot from these experiences, how best to recover from a tough fiveset match, how to get yourself to sleep after playing the night session here,” he said. “How each court plays is different, whether you’re playing out on Grandstand or Court 10 or on Arthur Ashe. I think there’s a lot of things to think about, depending on the situation you’re in. If you’re someone who is unseeded and maybe you’re playing most of your matches on an outside court, you have a big run, and then suddenly you play one of the big guys on (Arthur Ashe), you’ve never been in there before. So I think that having a little bit better idea of just how the tournaments work, the possible situations that you could be in, rain delays and different things that can happen throughout the week, and not freaking out when they happen.”

Shelton played Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain Wednesday after this edition went to press.

The Liberty hold onto the WNBA standings lead on a West Coast trip

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

The New York Liberty’s 84–70 victory over the Phoenix Mercury marked the return to action of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who had missed the previous nine games due to injury. She contributed nine points, three assists and three steals in her 100th game in a Liberty uniform.

“It’s great to have B back,” said Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello. “She’s one of the best two-way players in the league. She adds so much to our team and you saw it [in the fourth quarter]. … The more minutes she played, the more in rhythm she got, but we know she’ll get even more rhythm the more games that we play.”

Breanna Stewart continues to have an MVP-worthy season, contributing 21 points, six rebounds and six assists. She spoke about embracing hard wins.

New York Liberty forward

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored nine points in her return to the lineup in her team’s 84-70 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday. (Brandon Todd/New York Liberty)

“We were a little bit frustrated with the way we played, especially in the second quarter, and coming out the start of the second half knowing that we have the opportunity to change it, doing that and locking in and staying together,” she said after the win over the Mercury.

“It’s not an easy place to play here. Obviously, they have a ton of talent on the floor. But no matter what, whether we did things right or wrong, we had each others’ backs and covered up a lot of our mistakes.”

Brondello said the team is highly motivated to remain atop the WNBA standings so they have homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

“We want to stay there because we’ve done all that hard work,” she said. “We defended much better in the second half.”

The win was an important start to a three-game West Coast road trip. Last Saturday, the Liberty suffered a 72–64 homecourt loss to the Connecticut Sun, ending New York’s eight-game winning streak. It was the first loss of the season to the Sun.

As the WNBA playoffs come into view—this season running later due to the Olympic break—two other teams, the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx, have secured their spots. The defending champion Las Vegas Aces and four-time champion Seattle Storm look likely to be the next locked in. The remaining three spots are up for grabs as every team has flashes of brilliance and moments of struggle.

The Liberty take on the Storm tomorrow in Seattle. The team then returns home and plays the Storm next Thursday at Barclays Center.

American Ben Shelton won his first match at this year’s U.S. Open on Monday, defeating 2020 men’s champion, Austrian Dominic Thiem, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Stephen Curry portrays a fictionalized version of himself in ‘Mr. Throwback’

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

Basketball superstar Stephen Curry spent the early part of August playing for an Olympic gold medal with Team USA. After scoring some key points, he broke out his signature “Night, Night” celebration. In the comedy mockumentary “Mr. Throwback,” now streaming on Peacock, Curry credits the move to his fictional middle school teammate, Danny Grossman, played by Adam Pally.

The story is that Grossman was a sixth grade basketball phenom until it was revealed that he was actually 14 years old, bringing an end to his playing days. In the six-episode series, Pally portrays a downon-his-luck memorabilia dealer who turns to his former teammate, Curry, in a desperate moment.

Erick Peyton, an executive producer on “Mr. Throwback,” works with Curry at Unanimous Media.

Ego Nwodim, Adam Pally and Stephen Curry in a scene from “Mr. Throwback,” a new series currently streaming on Peacock. (David Moir/ Peacock photo)

“The company is about inspiring through media; our different silos are family, faith and sports,” said Peyton. “With ‘Mr. Throwback,’ we look at that as about family.”

The story of “Mr. Throwback” and the structure of the show came

from Pally, David Caspe, Matthew Libman and Daniel Libman with Curry as the inspiration. “We loved the vibe of these guys,” said Peyton, who, along with Tiffany Williams (COO of Thirty Ink) were the basis for actress Ego Nwodim’s character.

“You’ll see how comfortable Stephen is and you’ll see the connectivity between all of the characters.”

The series includes a considerable amount of improvisation, which Curry did extremely well. “There were lines within the show that gave

him the base. By him really capturing those lines, it allowed him to jump in that pool with Adam and Ego to improv,” said Peyton.

Today Curry is a sports superstar, but 25 years ago he was a middle schooler hooping with other kids. “The writers did a really good job of creating something that feels like it could actually happen,” Peyton said. “It’s not grounded in truth, but…it reflects the work Stephen and I did on making sure that all the scenes that were about his life had some kind of truth to it.”

Previously, Peyton and Curry were executive producers on the Oscar-winning documentary “The Queen of Basketball,” about the late Lusia Harris, who scored the first-ever basket in women’s Olympic basketball.

“Even though it’s about basketball, it’s really about finding human stories,” said Peyton. “The goal is to build upon that and tell more stories.”

Basketball Hall of Famer, Seimone Augustus, returns to LSU to coach

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

The surroundings are familiar, but the assignment is new. Fourtime WNBA Champion, threetime Olympic gold medalist Seimone Augustus has joined the coaching staff at her alma mater, Louisiana State University (LSU). Official practices don’t get underway for a few weeks, so the Louisiana native is learning her role with the team while also enjoying being close to her family.

“I’m getting acclimated to being back home and obviously being around the girls and getting to know them a little better as well as the coaching staff,” said Augustus, the first woman in LSU history to have her jersey retired. “The Tiger pride is still there—how we go about our work, how we go about our busi -

Catarina Guimaraes

Continued from page 48

delayed,” she said. “…I have a slower ability to recover and slow and fast twitch. My motor control struggles a lot, but those sort of (are the) main things. I have a lot of fatigue. It takes three to five times the amount

ness is something I hope I can instill in them and merge it with what Coach [Kim] Mulkey has going on here.”

The number one pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft, Augustus was part of building the Minnesota Lynx into a dominant team (champions in 2011, ’13, ’15 and ’17). Former Lynx teammates

Maya Moore and Taj McWilliams

Franklin joined Augustus as inductees into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF) last spring.

“I was there when [other teams] didn’t even warm up for us,” recalled Augustus. “Then you get to a point where we’re the team that everybody is looking to beat. … Those were probably the best years of my basketball journey.”

In October, she will be officially enshrined in the Naismith Me -

of energy for someone with cerebral palsy to complete like regular tasks (as it does) someone without cerebral palsy.”

When Guimaraes was a toddler, her parents, who are of Portuguese descent, noticed she was walking abnormally.

“I couldn’t go upstairs, I couldn’t go down the stairs,” she explained. “I couldn’t

morial Basketball Hall of Fame (HOF). “It’s very hard to acknowledge everybody, but when you’re one of those people being acknowledged for exceptional talent, you take some sense of pride in it and you try to represent as best you can,” said Augustus, who visited the HOF as a high schooler. “What really matters is the impact you made during your time. You have a sense of accomplishment.

“Basketball has a weird way of bringing the best out of you and putting you in places and in situations that kind of elevate you as a person and as an athlete,” she added. “To be able to be a part of this enshrinement is crazy to even think of when you think about the players and the people that are a part of the Naismith Hall of Fame. It’s pretty humbling.”

really walk for long periods of time.”

When she was four years old, Guimaraes and her parents went on a trip to Portugal to visit family members. While there, she was examined by a doctor and diagnosed with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that causes muscle stiffness in the legs and in some

Augustus addresses

cases the arms, but usually less severely in the latter. Spastic diplegia can appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affects muscle control and coordination.

On her Facebook page, Guimaraes has a post that reads,”I have suffered from Cerebral Palsy all my life, but it never stopped me doing the things I

love.” Her High Point biography notes part of her motivation for achievement.

I feel like I’m doing it for all the girls who didn’t see themselves making it this far. I’m showing them that they do have a place and they can do it, they just have to find the right people to help them because no one can do it alone.”

Seimone

the attendees in delivering her induction speech at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.this past April. (Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame photo)

Remarkable athletes converge on Paris, France, for 17th Summer Paralympics

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

According to the World Health Organization, 16% of the world’s 8.2 billion people — virtually 1.3 billion in total — experience a significant disability.

Yesterday in Paris, France, in a testament to the strength of the human spirit, well over 4,000 athletes with various disabilities from more than 150 countries gathered in fellowship at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Paralympics before they began competing today in their individual disciplines.

02/15/24

ball, judo, 5-a-side adaptive football (men only) for athletes with visual impairments, track and field, and wheelchair basketball.

The Paralympics was born out of the Stoke Mandeville Games, which were organized by Dr. Ludwig Guttman and carried out the day of the 1948 London Olympics opening ceremony. The first Paralympics event was held in 1960 in Rome, Italy. It involved 16 wheelchairbound injured service members competing in archery. The first Winter Paralympics was held in Sweden in 1976.

02/22/24

The Paralympics will close on September 8, and by then will have seen medals awarded in 549 events in 22 sports, among them swimming, sitting volley-

New York City was the host of the 1984 Summer Paralympics — the last time the Games did not take place in the same city as the Summer Olympics. Since the 1988 Seoul (South Korea)

New Jersey native Catarina Guimaraes is a track and field athlete representing the United States at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. (TeamUSA.com photo)

Summer Games and the 1992 Albertville (France) Winter Games, the Paralympics are now held in the same city as the Olympics roughly two weeks after the latter’s conclusion. The United States has competed in every summer and winter Paralympics and leads in the all-time medal count with 2,283; 808 of them gold.

Tatyana McFadden, a fivetime NYC Marathon women’s wheelchair winner and eighttime Paralympics gold medalist; sprinter Brittni Mason, a three-time Paralympics medalist; and Chuck Aoki, who has won three Paralympic medals as a key player for the men’s wheelchair rugby team, are headliners for the USA’s 225-member contingent this year.

Catarina Guimaraes strives for Paralympics greatness in Paris

By DERREL JOHNSON

Special to the AmNews

Catarina Guimaraes was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal brain development, affecting a person’s ability to control their muscles, including the ability to move and maintain balance.

But Guimaraes did not let that stop her athletic dreams. The 20-year-old New Jersey native was a high school star athlete at Cranford High School, roughly 25 miles from Manhattan, where she competed on both the varsity soccer and track teams. Now Guimaraes, who is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, aims to leave her mark on the Paris

The Paralympic Games, which began yesterday with the opening ceremony, is airing on the USA Network, and streaming on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms. The track and field events start

New Jersey native Catarina Guimaraes is a track and field athlete representing the United States at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. (TeamUSA.com photo)

tomorrow. Guimaraes will be looking to capture medals in the 100-meters, 400-meters and long jump. She is in the T38 category in the Paralympics, which is for ambulant athletes with cerebral palsy that have the mildest form of the impairment. As a sophomore in the 2022-23 season for High Point University in North Carolina, Guimaraes was the first-ever cerebral palsy athlete to compete at the Division I level. Representing the United States at the 2023 Pan American Games last November in Santiago, Chile, she won a silver medal in the women’s long jump and a bronze medal in the women’s 100-meters.

The broadness of her talent and determination as an athlete is inspiring as Guimaraes, a member of the first-ever U.S. CP soccer team, was the MVP of the 2022 Women’s World Cup held in Salou,

Spain, leading her squad to the title. Guimaraes is not only an accomplished athlete. Her other impressive endeavors include being the author of the “Death Garden” fictional book series.

She has broken through barriers to become a model for other battling disabilities. Yet, Guimaraes has admitted there have been many difficult days. In a YouTube video for High Point, she described her physical challenges coping with CP.

“Things don’t always really like go through right, or they’re really

See CATARINA GUIMARAES on page 47