New York Amsterdam News Sept. 21-27, 2023

CARE,

NOT CUTS

CITY DIVIDED OVER MAYOR’S PLANNED 15% BUDGET CUTS

(See story on page 3)

END FOSSIL FUELS: Thousands join climate justice rally

(See story on page 6)

NYers reimagine mental health responses

(See story on page 6)

54th annual African American Day parade

(See story on pages 8-9)

(Tandy Lau photo)

(Ariama C. Long photo)

(Tandy Lau photo)

Councilmember Chi Osse speaks at progressive rally against budget cuts in City Hall Park on Tuesday, September 19. (Ariama C. Long photo)

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INDEX

Arts & Entertainment Page 17

» Astro Page 20

» Jazz Page 24

» Trends Page 21

Caribbean Update Page 14

Classified Page 32

Editorial/Opinion Pages 12,13

Education Page 28

Go with the Flo Page 8

Health ...............................................Page 16

In the Classroom Page 26

Community Page 9

Religion & Spirituality Page 30

Sports Page 40

Union Matters Page 10

Climate change, conflicts preoccupy U.N. General Assembly

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The 78th U.N. General Assembly brought world leaders to New York City from Sept. 18 to 26. The annual get-together had many leaders addressing issues such as migrant crises, climate change, and conflicts in Europe and Africa.

Secretary-General António Guterres pointed to the urgency of combating climate change and establishing more green energy sources. The recent flooding disaster in Libya is a prime example of how continued hesitancy in reacting to the climate emergency can horribly affect thousands. “Just nine days ago, many of the world’s challenges coalesced in an awful hellscape,” Guterres said in his address to the General Assembly.

“Thousands of people in Derna, Libya, lost their lives in epic, unprecedented flooding. They were victims many times over: victims of years of conflict, victims of climate chaos, victims of leaders––near and far––who failed to find a way to peace,” Guterres said. “The people of Derna lived and died in the epicenter of that indifference as the skies unleashed 100 times the monthly rainfall in 24 hours, as dams broke after years of war and neglect, as everything they knew was wiped off the map.”

Governmental disdain and neglect are making the world unsustainable, Colombian President Gustavo Petro complained to the Assembly. Immigrants who have fled their homes for political and ecological reasons are often beaten, chased by police dogs, and jailed when they arrive in other countries, he said. “Prisons have even been built at sea so that these women and men cannot tread the Earth of the white people, who still believe themselves to be the superior race,” Petro added. “[They] are nostalgic for this, and through their choices and elections, they revive the leader who [originally] said so and who killed millions as a result.” Petro called for the creation of two peace conferences: one to end the

Russia-Ukraine war and another to deal with the ongoing conflicts between the Israelis and Palestinians. These are not the only struggles currently taking place in the world, but bringing these two conflicts to an end would be emblematic. “What is the difference between Ukraine and Palestine, I ask. Is it not time to bring an end to both wars––and other wars, too––and make the most of the short time we have to build paths to save life on the planet?” Petro said.

President Joe Biden spoke out against the spate of government insurrections taking place in Africa. He said the U.S. remains in support of African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States’

(ECOWAS) efforts to counter recent coups in Niger and Gabon. The AU and ECOWAS will help support constitutional rule, Biden insisted, and “show how democracy can deliver in ways that matter to people’s lives.” Biden said the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment “addresses the enormous need and opportunity for infrastructure investment in low- and middleincome countries, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.” “Through strategic, targeted public investments, we can unlock enormous amounts of private-sector financing,” he promised. But the potential, and not reality, of financing may not be enough to sway

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY on page 29

Publisher Kassahun Checole, recipient of Eritrea's Freedom of Expression Award

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Kassahun Checole, publisher and founder of the renowned Africa World Press and the Red Sea Press, has been named the winner of PEN Eritrea’s Freedom of Expression Award 2023. According to a press release from PEN, Checole was selected from a long list of contestants, by an awards committee featuring Habtom Weldeyowhaness, Yonatan Tsighe, and poet Yirgalem Fisseha.

The award comes as the tireless publisher is working to complete several manuscripts, including “Passing of the Giants of the Human Spirit” by Rev. Herbert Daughtry. Since 1983, Checole has amassed over 3,500 titles by

thousands of authors in over 20 languages.

Raised in Eritrea, he has been a relentless advocate for the political liberation of the country and has been at the forefront of several organizations and institutions, as the release noted: “He was one of the organizers of the January 2000 African Languages and Literatures conference held in Asmara, rightly named ‘Against All Odds.’ He was also one of those who toiled for the political liberation of post-independence Eritrea—the G-13, a group of Eritrean academics and professionals—signatories of the ‘Berlin Manifesto,’ in which they stated their grave concerns about the overall deteriorating situations and demanded genuine reforms

in Eritrea. The Berlin Manifesto was a forerunner of the G-15, a group in Eritrea that opposed the policy of President Isaias Afwerki, his postponing of elections, and his failure to implement the constitution.”

In an email, Checole said, “I feel honored by this award. For the last 50 years, I have devoted a significant portion of my life’s work to advocacy for freedom from want, injustice, and the colonial and imperial order that is the root of it all in the context of African people’s conditions and lives.

“The award is from colleagues and friends, who speak the same language of resistance and continue to struggle for people's rights,” he added. “I am at home with such activists and appreciate their recognition of my small part in it.”

See

Kassahun Checole

President Tshisekedi with Elinor Tatum, publisher and editor-in-chief of AmNews (Bill Moore photos)

Félix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Care, not cuts: City divided over mayor’s planned 15% budget cuts

By ARIAMA C. LONG

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to slash the budget for every city agency by a total of 15%, citing the ongoing migrant crisis as a primary reason. The cuts and some comments he made have prompted progressives to angrily label Adams anti-immigrant while more vocal conservatives are chanting “Close the borders.”

City Council estimates are that the cuts could total up to $10 billion taken from child care, parks, hospitals, schools, fire stations, homeless services, city staff, and social services. On Tuesday, Sept. 19, the progressive caucus held a large gathering at City Hall to protest the “harmful and unnecessary” city budget cuts.

“This is a person that is making it so that

New York City is devoid of opportunity,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso about Adams. “There’s a lack of leadership in this city.”

Reynoso said that Adams is basically “giving up” in the face of a crisis, which he said is truly not the New York way.

Other electeds, including Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Councilmembers Shahana Hanif, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Lincoln Restler, Carmen De La Rosa, Tiffany Cabán, Chi Ossé, and Alexa Avilés, were in attendance to support grassroot activists on the frontlines of the asylum seeker crisis. They were joined by organizations like Make the Road, New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Legal Aid Society, CUNY Rising Alliance, Freedom Agenda, and Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM). Many present were descendants of immigrants, from households where people were undocu-

mented, or had personal connections to the immigrant community.

Melissa Johnson of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) said that the proposed cuts and 60-day shelter limit policy will “undoubtedly cause harm” to vulnerable migrant groups and Black communities. “What is happening is that as there is investment in policing and prisons, asylum seekers as they are coming in are losing out on public benefits that all vulnerable folks should have access to and are being put in vulnerable conditions by being kicked out of shelters, out on the streets, and put in the police-todeportation pipeline, and we say no,” said Johnson. “Migrant rights are human rights.”

Since last year, the city has opened more than 200 emergency shelters and seen more than 110,000 migrants arrive with about 60,000 people still here. The city estimated

New Columbia-affiliated daycare to replace longstanding Red Balloon preschool

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

The half-century-old Red Balloon preschool officially closed doors this month after yearlong community pushback over Columbia University ending its no-cost lease.

But the Ivy League institution will keep the location rent-free for an early childhood learning center after a year of renovations.

While it is unclear how much of Red Balloon’s identity will be retained by the new center, the university promises similarly affordable and culturally-competent childcare with comparable class sizes, operating times, staffing qualifications, and prices as the old preschool.

“Columbia recognizes that childcare and early education programs for young children are essential services for working par-

ents and that children benefit from programs that offer a socioeconomic mix of children and staff, celebrate diversity, and build children’s pride in their families and cultural heritage,” wrote interim Provost Dennis Mitchell in a recent letter to Red Balloon parents. “To achieve these objectives, Columbia expects that a highly qualified, diverse staff will be recruited and retained, and that parents will be welcome observers and contributors to their child’s program.”

The memo was sent last month and expanded on an initial May announcement to keep a childcare center at Red Balloon’s current 560 Riverside Dr. location. Since then, Mitchell says the university provided financial support for Red Balloon parents to find childcare as the space is renovated.

This news comes as a satisfying conclusion for Red Balloon Parent Board President Anna-

purna Potluri Schreiber, one of the university’s fiercest critics following the preschool’s planned shuttering.

“I feel very happy with the outcome that we were able to come to a place with Colombia where they were able to recognize the special place that Red Balloon has played in the community for a long time of being an affordable option for working parents,” she said.

She adds that such a center is especially crucial for mothers who are otherwise expected to sacrifice their careers to serve as homemakers. Following what Potluri Schreiber called a “long and adversarial relationship” with the university, she says Red Balloon parents finally received a seat at the table to be heard. They will be meeting again this Friday, Sept. 22, according to Potluri Schreiber.

‘No more smoke shops’ near schools, says ENY community

By ARIAMA C. LONG

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

For the second time, parents and electeds rallied against a smoke shop that opened up across the street from an elementary school in East New York, Brooklyn. The community is upset about the continued proliferation of smoke shops and their tendency to target minors with their unlicensed products.

Medical cannabis has been legal in New York since 2014, but the state has been struggling to regulate its recreational marijuana industry since legalizing adult use under the Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) in 2021. Thousands of unlicensed smoke shops have cropped up around the city, in some cases, near schools even though it’s against the law for young people under 21 to possess or use cannabis.

Keron Alleyne, deputy chief of staff for Councilmember Charles Barron, led both rallies outside the Pink Leaves Exotic Snaxx shop on Blake Avenue. The shop is directly across the street from IS 218 and opened during the summer months while the school was closed. Alleyne said he has no problem with adults using weed, but takes issue with shops like Pink Leaves specifically targeting children with bright-colored packaging and candy-like product flavors.

“They’re now posing as if they are good partners with the community,” said Alleyne.

“They said they were going to keep the smoke shop closed once school opened up, they’re not going to be 24/7, they’re not going to do that to the kids. That was a lie.”

Brooklyn Community District 5 Chair Alice Lowman and District Manager Melinda Perkins, as well as other community members, were equally perturbed by the shop being

so close to a school. Perkins said other illegal tobacco products and drugs are probably being sold in unlicensed smoke shops.

“Anybody who knows, knows marijuana has nothing to do with what’s being sold in these shops. You don’t know what’s in it. There’s no regulation,” said Perkins.

For months, authorities have been slowly cracking down on smoke shops with regular inspections and seizures, primarily through the New York City Sheriff’s Office, working in unison with other agencies.

In a recent inspection of a smoke shop in the Bronx on Sept. 13, Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez and the sheriff’s office seized cartons of untaxed cigarettes and vape products. During the inspection, the team made two arrests, issued summonses and violations, and assessed an estimated $223,700 in penalties.

Black College Expo Sept. 23 at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College

The 12th annual Black College Expo is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Medgar Evers College (1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225).

Sponsored by the National College Resources Foundation (NCRF), this event welcomes students of all ages. High school juniors, seniors, transfers, and adult students will be able to engage in one-on-one interactions with representatives from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), along with a diverse range of other colleges and universities.

Key highlights of the event include informative seminars, students being accepted on the spot, having college application fees waived, and receiving scholarships on site. High school juniors and seniors are encouraged to bring their transcripts and ACT/SAT test scores to maximize their chances of securing admission to some of the institutions. Some colleges will also be recruiting college transfer students to be accepted on the spot. Students are welcome to “Unlock Your Career Path” by exploring job and internship opportunities in connection with industry-leading companies looking to recruit talented students.

For more information about the 12th Annual Black College Expo and to register for the event, visit www.ncrfoundation.org or call 877-427-4100. Admission to this year’s Black College Expo is free thanks to N.Y. State Senator Kevin S. Parker and Medgar Evers College President, Dr. Patricia Ramsey.

Reentry Employment Resource Fair

The Bronx District Attorney’s Office will host a Reentry Employment Resource Fair in partnership with the New York City Housing Authority and Eastchester Gardens Community Center. They will have onsite interviews, résumé prep, and job readiness skills available for formerly incarcerated individuals.

The event will be on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at Eastchester Gardens (3016 Yates Avenue, the Bronx) from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For more info, contact CAU@bronxda.nyc. gov or call 718-590-2272.

U.N. International Day of Older Persons

The 33rd celebration of the United Nations International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP) will be held on Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and focus on “Fulfilling the promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations.”

“The event will put a spotlight on the specificity of older persons around the world, for the enjoyment of their rights and in addressing violations, and how the strengthening of solidarity through equity and reciprocity between generations offers sustainable solutions to deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

To take part in the UNIDOP at the United

See METRO NEWS on page 25

Biden bashes Russia and China at the UN

By HERB BOYD Special

to the AmNews

For nearly a half-hour in his address to the UN Assembly on Tuesday, President Biden put both Russia and China on notice that the U.S. was not going to tolerate their aggressive actions. Neither Vladimir Putin nor Xi Jinping were present to hear Biden’s bold pronouncements. Absent too were Emmanuel Macron of France and Rishi Sunak, England’s prime minister, thus making Biden the only member of the UN Security Council on board.

Biden once more pledged full support to Ukraine, and the television camera quickly captured President Zelensky’s blank expression. The president said that no nation is secure if “we allow Ukraine to be carved up.” His comment drew sustained applause.

Russia, Biden said, cannot be allowed “to brutalize Ukraine without consequence... We must stand up to this naked aggression today to deter would-be aggressors tomorrow.” The speech practically echoed the one he delivered last year.

Currently, the Biden administration is working on getting approval from Congress to provide $24 billion in additional funding for Ukraine, which they realize will be a tough request given the resistance of some conservative House members.

China was taken to task as well, although there was a tone of conciliation with an aim toward patching up things with China. “We seek to responsibly manage competition between our two countries so it does not tip into conflict,”

Biden said. The Biden administration has been actively engaged in challenging China’s spreading political and economic

influence in Africa and Southeast Asia. Although much of his speech was keyed to Russia and China, Biden also made some comments about other global issues, including the turmoil in Haiti. He asked his partners on the Security Council to immediately authorize Kenya’s multinational force to help curb the attacks by gangs in Haiti and restore peace. He thanked Kenyan President William Rugo for his “willingness to serve as lead nation of the UN security support mission....the people in Haiti cannot wait much longer.”

As expected, Trump dismissed Biden’s speech as one of “surrender.” He claimed that “despite all we give them, nobody showed up,” in a post on TruthSocial. “No respect for America any longer.”

On several occasions this year, Trump has promised to end the war and not commit to sending aid to Ukraine if reelected.

LG Delgado on the state’s Hate and Bias Prevention Unit

By ARIAMA C. LONG

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado has had a busy time in office alongside Governor Kathy Hochul. Amsterdam News caught up with him to discuss a passion project of his—a statewide Hate and Bias Prevention Unit.

The unit operates within the New York State Division of Human Rights (DHR) and focuses on public education and outreach efforts in local communities as well as quickly mobilizing to support areas and communities where an incident has occurred, said Hochul’s office.

Delgado chairs the unit and launched the program last year. The unit preceded the asylum seeker crisis, said Delgado, who has taken a personal interest in seeing the unit come to fruition.

“The idea behind it is that with all the pushback we’re experiencing across the state and the country, for that matter, when it comes to the normalization of hate and in-

tolerance, New York has to lead in this effort,” said Delgado.

The unit is responsible for organizing 10 regional councils across the state made up of community members and developing a rapid response team to hate crimes. The councils coordinate with established organizations on the ground, school districts, places of worship, charities, and foundations to promote inclusion and tolerance.

“We have to figure out how to empower these individuals, to connect them to resources, and not just check the box and identify the nonprofit that happens to have the most capital or the most personnel,” said Delgado. “I really think it’s important at the state level [that] we take steps to identify those true actors in our communities.”

New York State is unique in its enacting of a Human Rights Law, affording every citizen “an equal opportunity to enjoy a full and productive life.” Hochul allocated $96 million in state and federal funding to combating hate and violence across New York. A portion of $10 million went to safeguarding reproduc-

tive health care centers and abortion services providers at risk of attacks—and another $10 million went towards stopping domestic terrorism like the horrific white supremacist attack at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, said Hochul’s office.

Delgado said the councils have begun working in collaboration with local partners to inspire people to discuss their lives with one another and decrease the stigma around reporting a hate crime. “The next phase is going to be to work[ing] with the Governor to figure out how we can empower these councils,” he said. Individuals interested in finding out more information or filing a complaint with the DHR, visit dhr.ny.gov/complaint.

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

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, led by U.S. Reps. Adriano Espai llat and Al

exandria Ocasio-Co rtez (AOC), took a delegation on an assessment tour of

various facilities in New York City designated to support and house recentl y arrived asylum seekers. The delegatio nincludedCongressmembersNydiaVelazquez, Jerrold Nadler, and Jamaal Bowman, among others. They held a meeting with the press outside o

f the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan on September 15, but were quic kly overwhelmed by the horde of a nti-immigrant protesters screaming at them from behind police barriers. The c ounter-protesters held up signs read-

Initial access to affordable housing units for Newark residents

Newark residents will get “first dibs” on any affordable housing units created under the Newark Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance (IZO) for at least 90 days.

Mayor Baraka announced that under an amendment to the IZO passed on Aug. 2, long-term city residents who have lived in Newark for generation after generation will have the opportunity to maintain their community ties and the benefits of new affordable housing units.

“Our original Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance was a national model for producing affordable housing. This amendment expands Newark’s leadership in housing innovation,” said Baraka. “At a time when corporate LLCs are turning affordable homes in our city into high-cost rentals, this initiative is creating new affordable housing reserved for the people who live in Newark.”

All new units will be listed on the city’s searchable database, www.NewarkHousingSearch.com. To ask questions about this program, call 973-733-4882.

2024 Theatre Alliance Career Accelerator Program

From January 2024 to June 2024, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance Career Accelerator Program will support three New Jersey-based Career Accelerator Fellows who identify as emerging theater professionals of color. The Fellows will each spend eight weeks working part-time at the Alliance and 16 weeks working part-time at two member theaters (eight weeks at each). The Alliance will pay the Fellows $15/hour during all three placements, as well as a $500 travel stipend and a $500 living expense (childcare, healthcare, tuition, debt repayment, etc.) stipend. Applications can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CareerAcceleratorFellowFY24. Application deadline is Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. First round interviews take place Oct. 10-20, 2023. If interested or with questions about the program, contact Daria M. Sullivan at dsullivan @njtheatrealliance.org.

Black Asian American Solidarity Professional Development Event

ing “Americans First” and claimed th at “illegal alien” applications aren’t truly petitioning for asylum. They called AOC and Espaillat socialists and corrupt “un-Americans.” “Since sp ring 2022, New York City has welcomed aro und 110,000 migrants and has opened over 2 00 emergency shelter sites to support the se new arrivals.

What we are witnessing in New York Cit y is happening in communities aro und the nation, and we must addres s this crisis head on to ensure federal support of newly arrived families,” said Ocasio-Cortez and Espaillatin a joint statement. Espaillat sa id that they are collectively urging f

or additional federal resources, extension ofTemporary Protected Status (TPS ), and work authorizati ons to support migrant families. He said the congressional delegation went to the city to see the situation on the g round for themselves. “The purpose of my member trip is to show how New York City has risen to the occas ion to care for its newest arrivals, whil e making clear—we need more federalhelp,” said Espaillat. In a letter, E spaillat asked Congress to authorize $3 billion in emergency funding to assist cities across the nation that are also dealing with housi

See ANTI-IMMIGRATION on page 25

The inaugural Black Asian American Solidarity Professional Development Event is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Princeton University’s Carl Fields Center.

Some 100+ educators from more than 55 N.J. schools and representatives from the New Jersey Department of Education, New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), and American Federation of Teachers New Jersey (AFTNJ) are registered to attend the free inaugural event, which features small group sessions about Black history, AAPI history, and cross-cultural solidarity, including: Trauma psychologist and racial justice advocate Dr. Nathalie Edmond—racial identity, marginalized identities, and how to psychologically ground oneself for teaching emotionally charged material. Assemblymember and Princeton Professor Sadaf

Fourth-gen Harlemite Jazz Reed remains true to uptown

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

There’s no Harlem without jazz, so fourth-generation Harlemite Jazz Reed represents her community wherever she goes. She’s stepped up to the task so far. At just age 26, Reed recently directed communications and constituent services for Harlem’s City Council District 9 and currently balances managing development and communications at the nonprofit Figure Skating In Harlem Inc. with running her own organization MoHo Dance.

And stepping up is what Reed does best. When her NYU Stern education didn’t open the doors she needed, dance did. Like many recent graduates of color at the time, she boasted the degree but lacked the professional network to land a relevant job out of college. Reed paid the bills by teaching praise dance at the Salvation Army. One student happened to be future councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan.

“I ended up…being an event manager for her campaign,” said Reed. “We ended up win -

Black

ning and then I was able to hop onto her office as director of constituent services, and then transferred over to director of communications, until I just recently changed my job and now I’m here at Figure Skating In Harlem Inc., which is an amaz -

ing nonprofit. A lot of my work is just very community-based. I love helping my community. I love helping the next generation. “And that’s kind of where I want to continue going with my life— not only pursuing my own company, MoHo Dance, but just being

in a space where my 9-to-5 is also reflective of my values and what I want to put out in the world.”

At Richardson Jordan’s office, Reed wanted her work to reflect the community it serves— her own community—so she brought in local residents who knew Harlem the best. That included former colleague Robert Jackson, whom she initially met while working at the Salvation Army.

“Jazz Reed is an exceptional human being and a Christian that loves her community and young people,” said Jackson. While directing constituent services, Reed assisted NYCHA residents with requesting repairs, putting together Know Your Rights workshops, and organizing financial literacy courses. She tapped into her Harlem roots to connect residents with relevant resources, regularly asking herself what City Council resources the average local, divorced from politics, could use but wasn’t aware of.

Today, her work at Figure Skating In Harlem Inc. allows her to help local youngsters break the ice, both literally and figuratively, in a predominantly white sport. Reed

Making EV chargers more accessible so

said it’s essential for them to see instructors and coaches who look like them. And it doesn’t hurt if the communications person does, too.

Off the clock, Reed’s work with MoHo Dance centers around “mental wellness through movement and the creative arts” through a culturally sensitive lens. She’s worked on this project since she was 18 years old, long before she knew teaching dance would lead her to working with a City Council member.

“ I’m still doing it to this day, and it’s something that I want to do for the rest of my life,” said Reed. “It’s a big part of who I am and it shows my commitment to my community and to my people. No matter what my 9-to-5 [looks] like, I’m always going to be here in Harlem, repping for us and repping for what we need.”

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

can focus on the destination

Fourth-generation Harlemite Jazz Reed (Photo contributed by Jazz Reed)

END FOSSIL FUELS: Thousands gather in NYC for climate justice rally

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

An absolutely massive crowd of multicultural, multigenerational climate activists took over Manhattan on Sunday, Sept. 16.. They called for President Joe Biden to put an end to fossil fuels, oil and gas usage, and pipeline expansion ahead of the United Nations (U.N.) Climate Ambition Summit.

From wildfires in Canada and Hawaii, massive flooding in Europe, Brazil, and China, ever-present hurricanes and tropical storms, and overall hotter temperatures—it’s globally accepted that the effects of climate change have become more and more apparent since the 1800s, driven by “human activities” like burning coal, oil, and gas.

So when the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres promised action at a planned summit this September in New York City, groups from all over the country joined in for support. People traveled as far as Alaska to attend the march, said organizers.

Some marchers chose to express their activism in traditional Native American headgear while others created elaborate art and giant posters to wave as they clamored through the streets with colorful jubilee. The march was 1.3 miles long, beginning at 59th Street (Columbus Circle)

and ending at 51st Street and 1st Avenue—near U.N. Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.

The demonstration was organized by a huge coalition of organizations, including Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Popular Democracy, Climate Organizing Hub, Food & Water Watch, Fridays For Future

US, Earthworks, Greenfaith, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, and Oil and Gas Action Network. The coalition also included local groups such as New York Communities for Change, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and Make the Road.

A few of New York City’s elected of-

ficials, and even celebrities like presidential hopeful Dr. Cornel West, were spotted among the throng of people.

“Biden needs to declare a climate emergency, but also New York and the United States needs to step up our game in fighting against an existential threat,” said Senator Jabari

Brisport at the march with a drum in hand.

Brisport said that the state needs to “aggressively” build more renewable energy resources in the public sector in order to meet climate goals. He was proud of his work helping pass the New York State Build Public Renewables Act, which requires the state power authority to provide only renewable energy and power to customers.

Above all, there were scores of dedicated middle school, high school, and college students from all over New York state in attendance.

“Climate justice is something that impacts everybody, especially low-income communities, marginalized communities, African American communities,” said 17-year-old Justin, a student with Keepers of the Dream Westchester group. “When climate change strikes, they don’t have the money to just move to other places as the rich do. So it’s important to me as a human, as an African American, and a marginalized person.”

At the end of the day, without meaningful policies, funding, and political will not much will move the needle on climate change. But the city and state has made some progress.

Damien Andrade is the New York Public Interest Research Group

For Daniel Prude’s birthday, New Yorkers reimagine mental health responses without law enforcement

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Daniel Prude would turn 45 this week. Instead, his birthday serves as an annual reminder for reforming the response to mental health-related crises. This Saturday, “Daniel’s Day” events throughout the state will renew efforts to replace police with unarmed medical professionals on most mental illness-based emergency calls.

Back in March 2020, Rochester police gagged and restrained an unclothed Prude in frigid weather due to an emergency call made about a mental health episode. His head was covered with a “spit hood.” The Black Chicagoan, who was visiting his brother Joe and sister-in-law Valerie, died shortly after from asphyxiation.

Subsequent legislation was introduced a year by State Senator Samra Brouk and Assemblymem-

ber Harry Bronson aiming to readdress mental health crises as public health issues rather than public safety concerns. Such a move involves removing armed police offi-

cers from those emergency calls in favor of “consent-based care.” With Prude’s family’s permission, the bill was nicknamed “Daniel’s Law.” Licensed professionals would be

dispatched to deescalate mental health-related emergency calls and law enforcement would be limited to direct public safety risks. Such a law intends to minimize “non-con-

sensual” enforcement like transporting someone experiencing a mental health crisis—which risks escalating the situation.

A Daniel’s Law Coalition sprung from advocating for such reforms by activists like Stanley Martin, who now serves on the Rochester city council.

“This grassroots fight led by people who were directly impacted is now being discussed in the New York State Legislature,” said Martin. “It’s not a small feat, so we want to give people hope. Let them know that a righteous struggle is worth having. It’s been three years and a protracted struggle but we want people to know, we’re still here. We’re still fighting and we want people to get involved in that.”

Brouk and Bronson reintroduced “Daniel’s Law” at the start of this year. A 10-person Daniel’s Law task force was established in this year’s state budget and is chaired by NYS

President of the Sierra Club Ben Jealous preparing to march with young environmentalists. (Ariama C. Long photos)

Assemblywoman Monique Chandler-Waterman (front) speaks on local mental health reforms for last year’s Daniel’s Day event in Crown Heights as photos of New Yorkers killed by police during mental health responses are held (Tandy Lau photo)

Native American and Indigenous groups lead the climate march.

For nearly two decades, our Student Leaders® program has helped prepare community-minded high school students to become successful in the workforce by connecting them to skills development, service and leadership training. Through paid internships with local nonprofits like DREAM and Vanderbilt YMCA , they gain practical work and life experiences. It’s just one more way we’re working together with our communities to build a better future for all.

José Tavarez President, Bank of America New York City

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Go With the Flo

FLO ANTHONY

OK! Magazine is reporting that Jeezy filed for divorce from former “The Real” talk show host Jeannie Mai because “they had different views, and each felt like their needs weren’t being completely met.” An insider told the outlet the estranged couple weren’t on the same page when it came to “certain family values and expectations.” On the same day Jeezy filed for divorce, he posted on Instagram, “Too focused on who I’m becoming to focus on who’s not coming with me.” ......

It has been a busy summer for Sean “Diddy” Combs. On September 13, he received the Global Icon Award at the MTV Video Music Awards, which took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Two days later, the rap mogul released his first solo album in 17 years, “The Love Album: Off The Grid,” which features The Weeknd, 21 Savage, French Montana, and others. Later that day, New York City Mayor Eric Adams presented Combs with the key to the city. Said Adams, “The bad boy of entertainment is getting the key to the city from the bad boy of politics.”

On September 15, longtime friend Mary J. Blige joined Diddy to celebrate his new album at 47 Below in Brooklyn Chop House Times Square in Manhattan......

On her September 18 season 2 debut of her talk show, “Sherri,” host Sherri Shepherd told her viewers, “Something really big happened to me over the summer and I promised that I would reveal it today. I’ve been holding onto this secret....So guess what? I got my boobs done!”

Sherri, who looked fabulous, continued, “I had a breast reduction over the summer and season 2, everything is going to be bigger except these boobs!....I’m so happy that I did it. I was a 42DD...I feel better. I can sit up straight. I feel lighter.” The lovely talk show host also got over her fear of snakes on the first show of the season....

The Bison Repertory Theater presents “The Intruders,” a stage play about gentrification, September 20-24 at the Riverside Theatre in Harlem. The play is written by Hope Lynne Price and directed by Vera J. Katz, who was one of my professors at Howard University’s Chadwick Boseman School of Fine Arts. Katz, who is Jewish, arrived at Howard, an HBCU, in the late 1960s. Although her presence was not initially embraced, Katz taught theater for over thirty years. Now 87, Katz will soon release her new book “A Katz Walk.”

Breakfast of champions

Along with its board chairperson the Hon. Keith Wright, the African American Day Parade Breakfast Committee honored trailblazers and influencers

who have left a mark on our community both locally and globally, which included elected officials, musicians, fashion designers, and young scholars who re -

ceived scholarships. Awardees included KRS-One, Slick Rick, and DJ Red Alert. City Councilmember-elect Yusef Salaam was also in attendance.

Athena Moore with the Hon. Keith Wright and his son (Bill Moore photos)

Councilmember Yusef Salaam with scholships Awardees

Slick Rick and DJ Red Alert

The Hon. Keith Wright with Councilmember Yusef Salaam

Vanessa Gibson, Deneane Brown, KRS-One, DA Darcell Clark, Shatic Mychell

54th annual African American Day parade paints the town red, black, and green

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

70 degrees on 7th Avenue—a perfect day for the 54th annual African American Day Parade in Harlem this past Sunday, Sept. 17. This year’s official theme has been the event’s unofficial theme since its 1969 inception: “Celebrating African American Culture.”

Floats, marching bands, sweaty elected officials, and several souped-up Department of Sanitation (DSNY) garbage trucks made their way uptown on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard from 111th Street to 137th Street as smiling tots, proud residents, and folks trying to get onto the other side of the street looked on.

Mayor Eric Adams recalled a three-decade history with the parade dating all the way back to when he was a transit cop.

“I’ve been marching in this parade for almost 30 years, [first] as a police officer, [then as a] state senator, borough president, and now as the Mayor of the City of New York,” Adams said. “Harlem has always held it down. Keep doing it…[it’s been] a long journey. We’re going to keep marching together.”

“I enjoyed being out in [the] community to continue this tradition, which I have done for years, even before City Council,” added Harlem Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan. “This year, it was a particularly great

honor to march with the Freedom Fighters Contingent [since] just a few weeks ago, we celebrated the street naming of Black Panther Way.”

Even after all these years, the parade is still evolving. African American Day Parade chair Yusuf Hasan pointed to the newly-implemented “Get Involved” Saturday event outside the Harlem state office building, which provided children’s book readings and local health panels for the community. All in all, Hasan says the weekend was a resounding success.

“This year’s parade was very great,” he said. “And I think this year is a prelude for what we’re going to do for our 55th anniversary coming next year.”

He says 2024 will focus on politics and government, pointing to the inaugural grand marshals

Shirley Chisholm and Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

Sunday’s parade marks the first since the February passing of the event’s chair emeritus and founding member Abe Snyder, one of 13 organizers who started the African American Day Parade, Inc. in 1968 in hopes of celebrating Black culture, providing positive representation, and honoring their forebears. Since then, the parade has marched up Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (aka 7th Avenue) on the third Sunday of September.

State Senator Cordell Cleare remembered Snyder as more than just an organizer and retold stories about how he opposed harmful elements and negative portrayals of Black Americans from sullying the parade, even when such a stand was inconvenient.

“He was a mentor [and] leader

54th Annual African American Day Parade highlights

This past weekend, folks turned out to celebrate the 56th Annual African American Day Parade, produced under the leadership of Brother Yusuf Hasan and his committee. This year’s theme, “Celebrating African American Culture,” was beautifully borne out with an abundance of bands, floats, church

and youth groups, and other revelers, including a 200-plus-member group who traveled in from Baltimore, MD. Attendees and honorees included Mayor Eric Adams, AG Tish James, the Hon. Charles Rangel, the Hon. Inez Dickens, Hazel Dukes, parade chairperson Yusuf Hasan, and others.

in this community,” said Cleare. “It is leadership when you can stand [against things] that are not popular, do things that are hard to do. [He] told the liquor companies, ‘You won’t be in this parade, we won’t advertise cigarettes to our people, we are not going to advertise fast food and [other] things that are bad for us, we will not have music that degrades Black women and Black families.

“A lot of people don’t understand the spirit of the parade, but it’s a spirit of community and integrity and love for his people, and wanting to see us elevated and celebrate the very best of us, so we appreciate him for setting the tone and leaving that legacy.”

This year’s grand marshals were TV personality Bevy Smith, saxophonist Ashley Keiko, Schomburg Center director Joy Bivins, and Ruff Ryders Entertainment CEO

Joaquin Dean. Pre-parade performances outside the Harlem state office building featured the likes of “Lion King” musical actress Mariama Diop, musician Javier Gooden, and the Uptown Dance Academy.

The parade returned in person last year after the COVID-19 pandemic relegated festivities to online. At a press conference, Hasan pointed out two things that made him “feel really, really good” about the event.

“To see the children…in this community trying to stay out of trouble—their sisters and their cousins and nephews trying to teach them these wonderful dance steps—and they have nowhere to showcase [what] they’ve learned,” said Hasan. “This parade gives them that opportunity to build the biggest stage in New York City. It makes me happy.

“And also to see our seniors sitting under a tent watching all the fruit of their labor go [past]: the doctors, the lawyers, the judges, [and] the politicians, etc. ‘Those are my grandchildren, those are my children’—it gives me great pleasure to see that.”

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

New stamp honors John Lewis

The John A. Lewis Forever Stamp dedication ceremony recently took place at the African Burial Ground National Monument. Those attending included MC Jane

Tillman Irving; Alakande! Spread Joy!, an all women’s drumming ensemble; vocalist Jasmine Muhammad; NYC Mayor Eric Adams; and keynote speaker Rev. Al Sharpton.

The Rev Al Sharpton introduces the John A. Lewis Forever Stamp (Bill Moore photo)

The NYPD Guardians were just one of many Black fraternal organizations to march at the parade. (Bill Moore photos)

The Hon. Charles Rangel and the Hon. Inez Dickens (Bill Moore photos)

Members of the Eastern Star wave to attendees

Union Matters

UAW gives deadline for progress in talks and dismisses Trump plans to speak with auto workers

By DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writer

The leader of the United Auto Workers (UAW) said that a limited strike targeting plants in Missouri, Michigan, and Ohio may be expanded if “serious progress” toward a new contract agreement isn’t made by noon on September 22.

For the first time in its history, the UAW is striking at all three Detroit automakers, but the 13,000 workers on the picket lines for a fifth day Tuesday are hitting only three facilities—one each at GM, Ford, and Stellantis—in a novel strategy.

The union can stretch the funds it maintains for striking autoworkers if it limits picketing, but the targeted strikes can still ripple through integrated production systems.

In a video statement late Monday, UAW President Shawn Fain said more factories may be picketed if there is no significant progress in talks by the end of the week.

“We’re not messing around,” he said.

Stellantis resumed negotiations with the UAW this week and on Tuesday, the company’s North American Chief Operating Officer Mark Stewart said common ground is still being sought to end the standoff.

“I hope that we’re able to do that by Friday,” Stewart said on CNBC.

A spokesperson for General Motors said representatives of the company and the UAW also were continuing to negotiate.

Fain said on NPR that there is “a long way to go,” and if significant progress is not made, “then we will escalate action.”

The union’s strategy hinges on its ability to escalate the strike quickly, and the carmakers are warning of potential layoffs because the limited strike reduces the amount of material needed at plants that remain open.

GM said Monday that 2,000 UAW-represented workers at an assembly plant in Kansas City are “expected to be idled as soon as early this week” because of a

shortage of supplies from a GM plant near St. Louis, where workers walked off the job Friday.

Workers at the Kansas City plant build the Chevrolet Malibu and Cadillac XT4.

The strike could begin to affect suppliers and their employees, too. CIE Newcor told Michigan officials that it expects a onemonth closure of four plants in the state to start October 2 and idle nearly 300 workers.

In a sign of concern about the strike’s potential economic and political fallout, the Biden administration stepped up its response. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she is hoping for a quick resolution, while adding that is too soon to gauge the strike’s impact.

“It’s premature to be making forecasts about what it means for the economy. It would depend on how long the strike lasts and who would be affected by it,” she said on CNBC.

Strikes by Hollywood writers

and actors, and by workers at about 150 Starbucks locations, as well as walkouts that were narrowly averted at United Parcel Service and West Coast ports, have all been driven by a strong labor market and high demand for workers, as well as living costs that have risen rapidly.

President Joe Biden is sending two top administration officials to Detroit to meet with both sides. Biden has backed the UAW in brief public comments, saying that the automakers have not fairly shared their record profits with workers.

An administration official said Monday that acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and senior aide Gene Sperling will not serve as mediators. They won’t be at the bargaining table—but are going to Detroit “to help support the negotiations in any way the parties feel is constructive.” The official was not authorized to discuss private discussions and spoke anonymously.

Fain said the Biden administration won’t broker a deal.

“This is our battle. Our members are out there manning the picket lines,” he said Monday on MSNBC. “This battle is not about the president, it’s not about the former president”—a reference to reports that former President Donald Trump plans to skip a debate for Republican presidential candidates next week to meet with striking autoworkers in Detroit.

Fain came back to the issue early Tuesday, dismissing Trump’s planned visit with striking workers.

“Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers,” Fain said in a prepared statement. “We can’t keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don’t have any understanding [of] what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle

to get by, and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class.”

Ford workers on a picket line outside a plant in the Detroit suburb of Wayne this week were joined by members of other unions and the occasional politician.

Tevita Uhatafe, an aircraft maintenance worker from Arlington, Texas, showed his support and saw what it might look like if UAW members strike against a GM truck plant in his hometown.

“This is a fight that is most likely going to happen in our backyard,” Uhatafe said.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., said she walked the picket line because the strike “is showcasing a modern movement for worker justice and worker fairness.”

Associated Press writer Mike Householder in Wayne, Michigan, contributed to this report. Koenig reported from Dallas.

United Auto Workers members attend rally in Detroit. UAW is conducting a strike against Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

AJASS gets a street name where it began

A plethora of civic actions from community groups occurred over the last year or so, several with the expressed purpose of removing monuments and statues in memory of less-than-reputable individuals. On the other hand—and perhaps underpublicized—are the efforts by citizens to rename or co-name streets.

Emblematic of this latter action is the Elombe Brath Foundation’s unveiling and ceremony this Saturday, Sept. 23, in the south Bronx (corner of Kelly Street and Longwood Avenue) that will honor the legacy of the African Jazz Art Society and Studios (AJASS). For most residents of this community, the shorthand for this organization of political and cultural activists was “the Black is Beautiful Movement,” spearheaded by the late Elombe Brath and his brother Kwame Brathwaite.

According to Cinque Brath, Elombe’s son and Kwame's nephew, AJASS was founded in the summer of 1956 “by a group of forward-thinking jazz enthusiasts who were talented creative(s) (artists, designers, photographers, etc.) who initially set out to save jazz from interlopers and keep it as an African art form.” During a radio interview with Imhotep Gary Byrd, Cinque cited the importance of a number of notables in providing AJASS and subsequent formations with popularity, including percussionist Max Roach and vocalist Abbey Lincoln (Aminata Moseka).

A slice of the group’s prominence and pioneering efforts will be highlighted at the ceremony, which will take place from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the opening to Bill Rainey Park at the side of Longwood Preparatory Academy.

By the way, the park is named after a Black American veteran of World War ll who was an active member of the community and whose accomplishments included helping local students study abroad in the Caribbean. Rainey also served as vice president of a local community board. All of this makes AJASS a perfect fit for its location and the connection with him.

The more things change, the more they stay the same…or not

By H. JEAN WRIGHT II, Psy.D. and ANN L. COLLEY, LMFT, MBA, M.Div.

White supremacist philosophy embedded in institutional and systemic structures carried out through racist thought and human action, both historically and presently, create disparities in access to services and resources that support a thriving life for African American, Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC).

Since the “abolishment” of enslavement, Marcus Garvey, Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Angela Davis, John Lewis, Katie Cannon, and bell hooks, along with countless others, have fought for equitable access to resources and services, which the Constitution “guarantees” for all Americans. Yet here we are in 2023, still beating the drum for equitable access to a quality of life that African American and BIPOC Americans continue to be systematically denied.

Thus, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Even though a small percentage of BIPOC people have climbed the economic ladder, most people in these communities still struggle with the essentials of life.

Two categories that measure a person’s and/or community’s wellness are social and health determinants. The social determinants of health are the conditions under which people are born, grow, live, and age, with four factors that are measured as a basis for positive social determinants— education, income level, gender, and environment—and five health determinants: genetics, behaviors, social circumstances, environment, and access to equitable and responsive medical care.

cle, we will home in on the lack of access to equitable, culturally responsive, and effective mental health and wellness services and resources, particularly for those living at or below the poverty line.

As a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist with a focus on the injustice of the prison system, known as the “New Jim Crow,” and a licensed psychotherapist with a specialty in couples and families, we have a combined 50 years of experience. We have borne witness to the pervasive effects of systemic and institutional racism at the hands of humans with racist philosophies and embedded biases.

This has created a history of traumatized African American and BIPOC individuals, families, and communities, which has created an intergenerational transference of trauma and mistrust toward the healthcare system. It has produced maladaptive behaviors because of the disparities in access to healthcare resources, especially those that support mental health and emotional wellbeing.

This trauma has led to a distrust of the establishment and continues to be a huge barrier for marginalized communities, especially for African American people and BIPOC to receive and have access to effective and equitable services for their mental wellness. Specifically, we should note a few concerns:

• Only 1 in 3 Black adults who need mental health care receives it.

• Black adults with mental illness disproportionately receive treatment in emergency and hospital settings and are at a higher risk of incarceration.

communities. Only 2% of psychiatrists are Black and 4% of psychologists are Black. It should also be noted that women represent over 70% of therapists. Therapists by ethnicity:

• Asian, 10.6%, which potentially adds an additional barrier for BIPOC males seeking support

• Hispanic or Latino, 6.3%

• Black and/or African American, 4.1%

• Unknown, 2.2%

• American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%

As stated, historically, research has been minimal, mostly an afterthought, in African American and/or BIPOC communities. One glaring reason for a small number of marginalized members is the mistrust in those communities due to blatant racism and inappropriate experimentation on African American and Indigenous people.

This lack of inclusion in clinical trials and research studies exacerbates the troubling outcomes highlighted in this article. If those in BIPOC communities, especially Black and Latinx communities, are not included in research and clinical trials, we miss the opportunities to learn from them about their “real-world” experiences with healthcare systems and providers that have not sought their input about how to best serve BIPOC communities, and/or take the individual into consideration, as well as community needs of BIPOC, especially in underserved populations.

Member

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor

Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor

Siobhan "Sam" Bennett:

Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising

Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Chairman of the Board, CEO and Publisher Emeritus

A social determinant that has the most powerful negative impact is poverty. Poverty has been shown to have a direct correlation to the other health and social determinants. When you intersect class, gender, and race, African American women are the hardest hit when they live in poverty. Hence, the way forward to minimally reducing the impact must be more than just hastily throwing more dollars at creating yet another non-cross-functional, culturally unresponsive, tonedeaf “community” initiative.

Make no mistake: Funding for well-thought-out, legitimate initiatives is a necessary ingredient to change the landscape. However, if we are not providing practical services for those served, then we compound the problem.

For the remainder of this arti-

• There are many reasons Black Americans often do not seek mental health services, including facing prejudice and discrimination, cost and insurance, and structural barriers, like lack of transportation or lack of information about how to obtain services, implicated by racism.

• Black adults in the United States who seek mental healthcare or who are living with serious mental illness (SMI) disproportionately lack access to culturally responsive care.

• When treated, Black adults are more likely to receive poorer-quality care due to systemic racial disparities.

An additional barrier is the number of African American and BIPOC mental health professionals available and paucity of researchers doing clinical trials with African American and BIPOC individuals and

One organization to finally acknowledge and outline a memorandum for reparations is the American Psychological Association (APA). In 2021, the APA published an apology for the racist ideology that historically pathologized African Americans as inferior, aggressive, and unstable, which created barriers to African Americans seeking careers in mental health. The APA has now instituted programs to help address the inequities, such as mentorships, scholarships, and intentional recruitment through career fairs for African American and BIPOC individuals. The APA also dedicated its 2021 annual conference to equity.

In addition to the APA’s acknowledgment and action steps to correct past indiscretions against BIPOC people and communities, Janssen Neuroscience, a division of Johnson & Johnson, has stepped up to address the paucity of research and clinical trials geared toward African American and BIPOC persons, by developing a comprehensive plan as part of their Community Health Equity Alliance initiative.

A major driver of this alliance was the formation of a steering committee of See MENTAL HEALTH on page 29

Maryland’s new criminal enterprise

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

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS

In our criminal justice system, we frequently confront the question of how severely we should punish children for criminal acts. Whenever any person advocates for leniency, they often point out that children’s minds aren’t fully developed, preventing them from fully understanding the consequences of their actions. Yet, as we’ve seen in Maryland, this leniency comes at a grave cost to the innocent— resulting in innocent bystanders being victims of petty and violent crimes.

The leadership of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, under Secretary Vincent Schiraldi, is a case in point in the cost of youth crime running rampant. Under his watch, youth crime has surged, all culminating in a tragic mass shooting by teenagers, all of whom were wearing ankle monitors at the time of the shooting. This incident, in which 2 people died and 28 were injured, was the largest shooting in Baltimore’s history. The Secretary’s leadership has only further magnified Maryland’s challenges, lending further credence to the idea that some politicians might be inadvertently promoting a criminal culture that keeps the public in perpetual fear – a new criminal enterprise.

In Maryland and many other regions, juvenile crimes have been especially problematic, notably in underserved communities and those populated primarily by Black Americans. In many of these areas, children grow up without father figures, stable family structures or positive role models—often falling under the influence of gangs or peer pressure. This scenario breeds environments where large numbers of children resort to criminal activities, with their communities feeling a lack of legal intervention or protection. Such conditions create the perfect storm for the perplexing scenario where criminals can get away with their crimes even when they are caught.

It also creates an environment

where children become the perfect vessels for adults to use to commit crimes on their behalf. Gangs frequently recruit them, capitalizing on the realities that penalties for juvenile offenders are typically less harsh than those for adults – if there are any at all. These children are often in a double-bind: they do not fully grasp the consequences of their actions, and they are also unaware that they are being manipulated and utilized as tools in the hands of unscrupulous adults seeking to avoid accountability in the criminal justice system.

In addition, one of the most pressing matters in relation to this issue is not only within the confines of the criminal justice system, but also within their own neighborhoods, where these young kids face consequences at the hands of their own peers. In Baltimore, about a dozen juveniles have been victims of homicides in the past year, and there have been 70 non-fatal shootings involving juveniles. Young kids aren’t just shooting young kids for no reason. These are not random. They are targeted assassinations of children by children or adults who have been harmed in some way by these children.

Accountability isn’t merely about meting out punishment for its own sake. It serves as a deterrent, aiming to protect children both from perpetrating crimes and from falling victim to them. While a lenient approach might prevent young offenders from facing incarceration and aligns with the notion that immature minds shouldn’t face the same penalties as mature ones, it risks other significant downsides. Such an approach could result in these immature minds never maturing at all – being struck down in their youth – leading lives that lack purpose and productivity, or cycling in and out of prison, becoming more of a charge to society rather than a contributor to it.

Remember: behind every crime, there’s a victim. Why should someone who genuinely contributes to

society, strives to uphold community values, or merely goes about their daily life face the traumatic experience of falling prey to crime? It’s unjust for law-abiding citizens to live in fear, reluctant to step outside their homes, while perpetrators brazenly continue their wrongdoings—ever emboldened by lax criminal penalties to seek their next target. That isn’t the balance of fairness, and it certainly isn’t justice.

While it may not be appropriate to treat children exactly as adults in many situations, there needs to be a level of harshness in our response. The ultimate goal is evident: to rehabilitate these children, ensuring that once they’ve served their sentences, they aspire to lead productive and law-abiding lives. While I may not possess a definitive solution, it’s evident that our current policymakers are not enacting policy that brings us closer to this goal. It is without question that refusing to hold children accountable, or their crimes achieves the exact opposite of this goal. No person should ever have to become the victim of a crime. We live in the world’s most prosperous nation that has abundant opportunities; everyone should be able to seize their potential. By refusing to hold children accountable for their actions, we are undoubtedly denying them the chance to become law-abiding citizens and seize these opportunities too. Ordinary citizens, the very people who bear the brunt of these actions, deserve better. Children themselves deserve better too. However, whether our policymakers genuinely desire this for them remains an open question.

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

A tribute to Black women

My heart is still heavy as I remember award-winning NY1 journalist Ruschell Boone. As someone who is often in professional spaces where there are few Black women, it is always a pleasure to be in a work environment with other brilliant, kind-hearted, and generous-spirited Black women. During my visits to NY1, the laughter I’d share with Ruschell in the makeup room or next to her desk filled me with a sense of sisterhood, calm, and energy before I went on the air. Seeing Ruschell and Cheryl Wills, another amazing NY1 journalist (and author), made going into the studio feel even more welcoming…a place where I could be my authentic self and know I had at least two women who saw me and supported me.

It is so important to me to have strong Black female friendships with women who love me and give me honest advice and hard truths when I need them. Black women have the ability to give tough love and turn around and make you double over in laughter without skipping a beat. As we climb the various ladders of our respective jobs, it is imperative we maintain relationships with Black women inside (if possible) and outside of work to help stay us sane and to keep us smiling.

Losing a bright light like Ruschell will take time for me to process and to heal. Each year, more of my friends face medical challenges beyond their control, some benign and

some quite aggressive and malignant. As we move through the challenging waters of doctors’ visits and labs, tests, and hospital stays, we must lean on the foundation of our sisterhood and friendships. Black women are strong, but we are not invincible. We can create a way out of no way many times, but it is exhausting to do so and we sometimes need help. Oftentimes, it is hard for Black women to reach out for help because we are accustomed to carrying the weight (of the world). For the next few months, I am going to set an intention to reach out to the Black women in my life to make sure they know just how much they are loved and appreciated by me. I have entered the phase in life when dear friends are losing parents and even friends of their own. We must take time to savor small moments and be sure to stay focused on what really matters in life. I hope you will take time these next few months to reach out to Black women in your life to see if they need any help with lightening their load and finding time for laughter, a walk, a check-in, or whatever the moment calls for.

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

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

Caribbean Update

Jamaican opposition would block road to republicanism, wants British final court dumped

BY BERT WILKINSON, Special to the AmNews

A string of Caribbean countries, none more so than Jamaica, expressed serious intentions of dumping the British monarch as their head of state and switching to a republic after Barbados completed its own seamless process at a glittering ceremony televised worldwide back in late 2021.

Authorities in Jamaica hurriedly established a constitutional reform commission, charged with changing entrenched tenets in the constitution that normally would have prevented any government from making the change without a referendum and a two-thirds majority vote in the house.

But as the commission is moving to wrap up its work and hand its recommendations to authorities, the main opposition

People’s National Party (PNP) has made it clear that it would not support any switch to a republic unless the governing Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) agrees to also dump the British Privy Council as the country’s highest or apex court.

The PNP wants Jamaicans to have access to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) instead of the British system,

because that is much more accessible—attorneys can travel freely to Trinidad without visas to attend hearings. Keeping the British system would merely be a halfmeasure to full and complete republicanism, according to the PNP.

As it is, the PNP is talking with supreme confidence that it would block Jamaica’s switch to a republic because it is confident that it will win the 2025 general elections—so confident that it held its main party convention over the weekend, where all the talk about not supporting the government emerged. Party Leader Mark Golding said the outfit’s position is an entrenched one, not subject to change in any shape or form. The JLP would need PNP parliamentary support to make the switch.

“We need to decolonise Jamaica once and for all. We in the PNP have no interest in moving to a republic while retaining the King’s Privy Council in London as Jamaica’s final court. That does not make sense. Jamaicans need a final court where they don’t need a visa to go there, and where the costs are not way out of their reach. (The time has come) for a Jamaican head of state and the Caribbean Court of Justice as our final court. We will support both moving forward together. We have no interest in one without the other,” Gold-

ing told thousands at the convention. “I stand firm in leading our party in our mission of social and economic transformation to a better Jamaica for all our people. We need to break every chain that is holding the country back.”

There are 15 nations in the Caribbean Community bloc, of which 12 are former colonies. Suriname and Haiti are the exceptions, and Montserrat is still a dependency. Of this group, only Guyana, Trinidad, Dominica, and latterly Barbados are republics. Others—like Antigua, Belize, St. Vincent, and the Bahamas— have made noises about getting their own Black or brown head of state, but none has done much to effect any change in their constitutional status.

As debate rages on in Jamaica, the reform commission said it plans to recommend a hybrid presidency, with the officer-holder possessing both executive and ceremonial functions. Legal Affairs Minister Marlene Malahoo Forte told a recent town hall meeting that reformers are leaning in this direction because the laws are likely to be tweaked to make the presidency suited specifically for Jamaica and its local needs.

“At this stage, we’re leaning toward a hybrid presidency—not a ceremonial president; a president that will exercise a

set of powers, some ceremonial, some executive,” Forte said. “We are tailor-making something for the Jamaican people. When we say goodbye to the king and we are establishing the republic, a number of questions will have to be answered: What kind of president? How long will the president serve for? What should qualify you to become president?”

The commission has been making the rounds in various parishes and communities, selling the idea of constitutional reform and republicanism to ordinary Jamaicans. To make the switch, local laws will have to be amended and a referendum, planned for next year, will have to approve the changeover.

Guyana, with its executive presidency, is the only one among the former British colonies in the Caricom whose head of state has such executive powers. Haiti and Suriname, the last two nations to join the bloc, also have executive presidents.

Forte even said that the idea of giving the office holder a seven-year run is being seriously discussed because it would insulate them and ease the stress of the head of state being reelected or reappointed during the same five-year cycle of a government and prime minister. “We’re hearing the views of Jamaicans,” she said.

DACA recipients’ Dream remains unfulfilled 11 years on

On June 15, 2012, 11-plus years ago, President Barack Obama introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as an executive branch memorandum. The executive order allowed young migrants under 16 who came to the U.S. with their parents and had no legal working papers the chance to obtain a work permit, travel documents, and protection from deportation in two-year increments.

Since 20212, there has been a lot of talk about granting DACA recipients, known as Dreamers, a path to securing a green card and then citizenship. But each time, the talk has been nothing, but idle rhetoric and Dreamers continue to hang on by a thread, even though they are U.S. taxpayers and upstanding members of society.

Now Dreamers are under threat again as

Texas Judge Andrew Hanen, presiding over a case brought by lawmakers in his state, last week ruled that DACA violates federal administrative law. While the recent ruling does not immediately terminate the program and Hanen’s decision does not mandate immigration enforcement actions against DACA recipients or applicants, it has again raised concerns.

Advocates for the program view this ruling as a call to action for Congress to pass legislation. However, achieving legislative progress in the realm of immigration has proven challenging, given ongoing debates about work visas, asylum, and border security.

Senator Richard J. Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed disappointment with the ruling. He has signaled an intention to reignite discussions about immigration reform. Durbin even suggested revisiting the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill, last considered in 2013, as a potential basis for a compromise.

However, the path forward remains uncertain, because passing any DACA-related legislation would require significant bipartisan support, including backing from at least nine Republicans and the Republican-controlled House.

Senator Lindsey Graham echoed the need for legislative action, citing concerns about border security and undocumented immigration under the Biden administration. While he is willing to make an effort, Graham has acknowledged the challenges of passing such legislation.

Senator John Cornyn, who has supported bipartisan immigration proposals in the past, expressed doubts about the current political climate. He believes that the administration’s approach to border security has created obstacles to reaching a consensus on immigration legislation.

While the House Judiciary Committee has proposed some bipartisan initiatives, including a bill by Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar and Veronica Escobar, there is still much work to be done to bridge the political divide.

Hanen’s ruling emphasizes the necessity of congressional action regarding DACA and highlights the need for a legislative solution. As the legal battle unfolds, DACA recipients and a new generation of immigrants face uncertain futures, underscoring the urgency for lawmakers to address this critical issue.

The Biden administration has committed to continuing processing DACA renewals as the legal case progresses, with an expectation that the ruling will be appealed. While this legal battle continues, the fate of DACA and its beneficiaries remains uncertain.

Ultimately, the ruling sends a clear message that Congress must take action to provide permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and other undocumented residents in the United States versus those flooding cities, sucking up resources, and moving ahead of the proverbial line with asylum claims.

FELICIA PERSAUD

Health

Physician provides prescription for healing America’s pre-existing condition

By JOSEPH WILLIAMS

Black folks need facilitated spaces specifically designed for coming together to foster “racial healing on a broad scale.”

That’s the word from a physician and public health researcher.

Not long after starting work as a practicing physician, Paula Braveman, MD, MPH, reached an important diagnosis: Many of the Black patients she treated for things like hypertension or diabetes had something in common. She later confirmed the observation as a public health researcher in San Francisco. Being Black in America, she concluded, is hazardous to your health.

“Once you are sick, you definitely want medical care, but it is the conditions of your life that largely determine whether you get sick in the first place,” said Braveman, founding director of the Center for Health Equity and professor of family and community medicine at the University of California-San Francisco.

“Structural racism systematically exposes Black people to health-harming conditions and obstructs their progress to health-promoting conditions,” Braveman said. “These factors did not just suddenly emerge. They have always been there, from slavery on.”

There is, however, an interim prescription, Braveman said: Black people connecting to talk about their experiences in an atmosphere designed to heal, not hurt.

“I think that seeking opportunities for Black people to come together and discuss with each other their experiences of racism, and how they deal with it, could have healing effects, but only if sustained over time,” Braveman said. “Racial healing is absolutely part of the equation.”

Until recently, the notion that things as disparate as housing or education could influence a person’s health outcomes was a radical idea with little scientific support. But researchers like Braverman and others have found solid evidence that social determinants—the conditions and circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age—can shape their well-being.

Factors driving health inequity are “disparities in the conditions that people experience, including racism in its many forms,” such as economic insecurity, unsafe or insecure housing, and poor nutrition, to name a few, Braveman said.

“It’s important to understand that for Black people, racism, particularly structural and systemic racism, is actually the cause of almost all the other causes on

this list and longer lists.”

Those conditions, she said, confirmed what she’d seen when she was a young doctor.

“So many of my patients needed changes in the circumstances of their lives that could only be accomplished” through broad societal changes and public policy. “I see it all the time in my and others’ research findings.”

For example, a study Braveman did with colleagues found that “among Black women, those who often or very often worried about being treated unfairly because of their race were far more likely to give birth prematurely than Black women who were comparable in many other ways but who did not often worry about being treated unfairly because of their race.”

While it wasn’t until the last decade that social determinants of health became

a field of study, “a light is at last being shone on them, with an understanding that they are direct products of racism,” Braveman said. “They operate whether or not any particular individual is identified who intends to discriminate; they operate because they are built into structures and systems, e.g., policies, laws, entrenched practices.”

For solutions, Braveman believes there must be racial healing on a broad scale.

“At least in the beginning, a skilled facilitator is probably needed, so this is not a super-cheap intervention,” Braveman noted.

Braveman pointed to the California Department of Public Health’s Black Infant Health (BIH) Program, a series of classes specifically designed to address racial trauma among pregnant and parenting Black women. Along with providing long-

term planning and a support network of other Black birthing people, the BIH program addresses internalized racism “by including a discussion of a ‘Black icon’— a Black individual who has made significant contributions to society,” according to a program description.

While support for new parents and racial healing can help, reversing social determinants of health and creating health equity has to happen at a higher level, according to Braveman.

“The primary focus needs to be on changing the laws and policies (e.g. on voter suppression; on funding for schools; on environmental injustice) that are the fundamental instruments for racism’s effects,” she said.

(Illustration: Ribbet Stock/Liz Courquet-Lesaulnier)

María Magdalena Campos-Pons delivers performance to open Brooklyn Museum exhibit

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Special to the AmNews

The multimedia artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons took part in the opening weekend of events celebrating her new monographic exhibition, “María Magdalena Campos-Pons: Behold,” at the Brooklyn Museum’s Center for Feminist Art and Overlook.

The display, which showcases how Campos-Pons uses photography, paintings, and installations to examine issues of migration, African enslavement, and motherhood, will remain on view through Jan. 14, 2024.

During the exhibition’s opening weekend, Campos-Pons joined with other artists to present her performance piece “A Mother’s River of Tears” on Saturday, Sept. 16. The artist, who is also a professor of fine arts at Vanderbilt University, was central to the collaborative performance. Dressed in a bright-yellow dress and with her face covered in a Yoruba cleansing ritualistic white paint, Campos-Pons introduced the audience to the idea of rebirthing from pain.

New books on nourishing self and soul

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH

Special to the AmNews

It is important that our Black community spends a great portion of our energy in career, family, and health. But the truth is that the celebration of aging and inner work can take a backseat to our culture’s ambitions to get ahead in this challenging and oftentimes discriminatory landscape. Karen Walrond’s “Radiant Rebellion” and Patrick Saint-Jean’s “The Spirituality of Transformation, Joy and Justice” are books that serve our inner health and self esteem.

Radiant Rebellion: Reclaim Aging, Practice Joy, and Raise a Little Hell by Karen Walrond (Broadleaf Books)

In a world that often glorifies youth and superficiality, Karen Walrond’s “Radiant Rebellion: Reclaim Aging, Practice Joy, and Raise a Little Hell” is a heartfelt, empowering manifesto that encourages us to embrace the beauty and wisdom that come with age. In her uniquely captivating voice, Walrond invites readers on a transformative journey towards self-discovery, resilience, and unapologetic joy. One of the book’s most striking qualities is its emphasis on embracing imperfections and finding beauty in

our unique selves. Walrond encourages us to redefine our standards of beauty and wellness, challenging the relentless pursuit of unattainable ideals. Her radiant prose serves as a reminder that our

worth is not determined by our appearance but by the depth of our character and the joy we bring into the world. “Radiant Rebellion” is a brilliant and essential read that transcends age boundaries.

With eloquence and heart, Walrond encourages us to celebrate our own radiant rebellion against the status quo—proving that every stage of life can be a remarkable and beautiful journey.

The Spirituality of Transformation, Joy, and Justice: The Ignatian Way for Everyone by Patrick Saint-Jean (Broadleaf Books)

Patrick Saint-Jean’s “The Spirituality of Transformation, Joy, and Justice: The Ignatian Way for Everyone” emerges as a beacon of profound wisdom, offering readers a transformative path towards self-discovery, joy, and active engagement with justice. Through Saint-Jean’s eloquent prose and insights, this book becomes an invitation to embark on a spiritual journey that not only nourishes the soul but also empowers us to bring positive change to the world. Saint-Jean’s narrative unfolds in the rich tradition of Ignatian spirituality, inviting readers to explore the depths of their inner selves while embracing a greater sense of purpose and compassion for others. This book is a testament to the transformative power of spirituality, reminding us that true growth involves a deep connection to our inner selves and a commitment to social justice.

The artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons wore a yellow dress and painted her face white in remembrance of Yoruba traditions while performing her “A Mother’s River of Tears” piece at the Brooklyn Museum on Sept. 16 (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

Sept. 16 performance of Campos-Pons’ “A Mother’s River of Tears” at Brooklyn Museum

HBO’s ‘Donyale Luna’ chronicles complicated life of first Black supermodel

By NADINE MATTHEWS Special to the AmNews

Like the character Pecola Breedlove in Toni Morrison’s classic novel “The Bluest Eye,” Donyale Luna, the world’s first Black supermodel, believed proximity to whiteness would blunt the traumatic effects of her dysfunctional family life and protect her from rejection by the white community. Like Pecola, Luna remained a tragic character throughout her life. Further, her seeming quest to downplay her Blackness probably played a part in muddling her legacy.

Luna is the subject of the new HBO documentary “Donyale Luna: Supermodel.”

Directed by Nailah Jefferson, it is a compassionate yet unsparing portrait of a multiracial Black woman (a grandmother was Irish) of somewhat ambiguous features, making her way in the upper echelons of the unforgiving modeling industry in the 1960s. The 6-foot 2-inch tall Luna became the first Black woman to be on the cover of both Harper’s Bazaar (in illustration) and British Vogue, in 1965 and 1966 respectively.

As “Supermodel” illustrates, Luna veered from evasive to outright prevaricating when asked about her racial background. She told people she was Polynesian or Mexican. One of her peers in the documentary said he believed she was Indian, and apparently she did nothing to correct him. In one of the many archival clips from “Supermodel,” an interviewer inquires if her blue eyes were real. Luna, who was naturally blessed with large almond-shaped brown eyes, answered, “That’s a secret.”

One commentator, art history professor Dr. Richard J. Powell, revealed that, with the Civil Rights Movement in full swing, Luna had expressed a desire to be white, blonde, and blue-eyed.

In a 1968 New York Times profile of Luna, reporter Judy Stone reflected that other journalists found Luna “mysterious, secretive, contradictory, evasive, mercurial, and insistent upon her multiracial lineage—exotic chameleon strands of Mexican, American-Indian, Chinese, Irish, and last, but least escapable, Negro.”

The same article details Luna’s meeting with director Otto Preminger (“Carmen Jones”), where she arrived wearing a blonde wig and blue contacts.

Luna fashioned an otherworldly, ethereal, alt-Goddess persona for herself, originally created as a child to deal with the turmoil in her family; in later life, it also inclined toward distracting from her race.

“Donyale Luna: Supermodel” is broken up into chapters whose titles reflect Luna’s restlessness and her vain search for acceptance and inner peace. The first is set in Detroit, Luna’s hometown, where she was raised in a chaotic, although staunchly middle-class, household. Other chapters are set in New York,

London, Paris, and Rome.

New York is where Luna first achieved success in the pages of Harper’s Bazaar. The fashion magazine likened her to a “Masai warrior.” Still, it was an extraordinary feat that met inevitable racist backlash: white subscribers and advertisers pulled their business.

In New York, Luna also made her first foray into what was ultimately her biggest passion: avant garde film. She appeared in pop artist Andy Warhol’s film “Camp” and eventually in Preminger’s “Skidoo,” and in films by surrealist Salvador Dali and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini.

David McCabe, who discovered the teenage Luna on a Detroit street, is one of the documentary’s featured participants. Luna’s sisters, various friends, and peers from her modeling days also appear, including model Pat Cleveland. Beverly Johnson, the first Black woman to grace the cover of American Vogue in 1974, is also featured. In fact, Johnson appears in one of the most shocking and gut-wrenching scenes in the film. The scene reveals the kind of racism Luna was up against and uncovers some of the complexities of the personality of Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland.

At the heart of the film is Dream Cazzaniga, Luna’s daughter, who lost her mother when she was just 18 months old. It is clear that the soft-spoken Cazzaniga inherited her mother’s sensitive nature, and still feels the impact of the loss after all these years. She lovingly recites passages from Luna’s journals that chronicle her many professional and personal triumphs and challenges. Dream gently interrogates her father, Italian photographer Luigi Cazzaniga, about the circumstances of his relationship with Luna, made more difficult by his mother’s violent rejection of Luna.

Luna tragically died at age 33 and the circumstances around her death are still debated, although most now believe it was a heroin overdose. It is quite possible that age and maturity would have brought a greater acceptance of her identity, as well as of the realities of society. She remains, however, a complex figure who, regardless of her very human faults, broke down the doors that enabled other extraordinary women, such as Johnson, Naomi Campbell, and Tyra Banks, to step through.

Ultimately, Luna’s relationship with her racial identity (frankly, a conundrum those with unambiguous features aren’t confronted with) certainly could not have endeared her to the Black community, nor to those of any race who valued sincerity and authenticity. This, in all probability, is the reason she failed to receive her due for so long as the trailblazer she was.

Aware of the multitude of ways racism can ravage the soul, many of us extend empathy and grace to Morrison’s Pecola Breedlove. With “Donyale Luna: Supermodel,” we can start to do the same for the very real Donyale Luna.

Donyale Luna with her daughter Dream (Luigi Cazzaniga/HBO)

‘The Great Gatsby—The Immersive Show’ is interactive theater at its best

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

A marvelous, roaring great time was had by all who walked through the doors of the Gatsby Mansion in the Park Central Hotel New York (870 Seventh Avenue) as the space was transported back to the 1920s and we were all invited to a party thrown by rich tycoon Mr. Gatsby.

The audience truly got into the spirit of the evening and dressed from head to toe in 1920s attire. At the party, there was live music; we were taught how to do the Charleston; we were taken to secret rooms where the characters spoke directly to audience members about their characters’ stories and asked our opinions of their current situations.

The storyline for this completely immersive show was the brilliant brainchild of a village of people, including Holly Beasley-Garrigan, Amie Burns Walker, Hannah Davies, Phil Grainger, Michael Lambourne, Thomas Maller, and Oliver Tilney. It was beautifully adapted and directed by Alexander Wright.

It was so much fun as audience members were greeted by characters and suddenly directed to follow them. Suddenly we were running down dimly lit hallways

and guided down staircases to find other audience members engaged in activities with other members of the cast. We played games like charades and hunted down clues. It was so much pure fun, you didn’t want it to stop.

This show has an abundance of drama:

adultery, love, finding a long-lost love; men competing for a woman’s love; an abusive marriage; murder—all the elements that make for a very interesting evening, and it unfolds before your eyes.

The breaking of the fourth wall, with actors interacting with you while you re-

‘DIG’ has emotional depth

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“DIG,” presented by Primary Stages and playing at 59E59 Theaters, plants deep roots in your soul and allows your emotions to flourish and flower as you witness a story that touches your inner spirit. It has a very delicate, creative script by Theresa Rebeck, who is also the director.

Rebeck tells a story that grows on you, creeping into your heart inch by inch and, at times, touching your funny bone as well.

It is a story of guilt, abuse, lies, and public and family opinion regarding the horrific death of a young child. It is a story of a mother who will forever carry that guilt and continues to blame herself for the death of her son, just as she has allowed society to believe her guilty.

The way that Rebeck develops the story gives you interesting characters. While the message behind the story of forgiving and finding a way back to loving oneself is poignant, it also shows that it takes all types of people in this world, from those who are good and can see past a tragedy to those who are just gossips and waiting to take advantage of someone who is at the end of their rope.

The cast is absolutely perfect. Jeffrey Bean is Roger, the owner of the plant store dig. He is a man who knows a great deal about plants and is glad to share his knowledge. He is a true humanitarian and cares about what happens to those around him. Bean brings such a great deal of kindness, humanity, and tenderness to this role and is a pleasure to watch.

Triney Sandoval plays Lou, Roger’s friend

for many years and father of Megan, the mother whose son died—a very angry, unforgiving father. He judges his daughter as much as the people in the town judge her. Sandoval delivers the role with great conviction.

Andrea Syglowski plays Megan and she brings her A game. A mother who is struggling over the death of her little boy and the terrible way in which he died, she is a victim of an abusive marriage and is scorned by

spond back to them, was much more than I expected, but something that made this an unforgettable experience.

This show was the delightful work of a dynamic ensemble cast that included Joél Acosta, Rob Brinkmann, Jillian Anne Abaya, Shahzeb Hussain, Stephanie Rocío, Keivon Akbari, Claire Saunders, Mya Rosado-Tran, Nicholas Caycedo, Kiki Burns, Anika Braganza, Charlie Marcus, Jeremiah Ginn, and Stephanie Cha.

The spirit of the evening was frolic and drinking—they were serving liqueurs even before the production started and getting away with breaking the law because Prohibition was the law of the land.

The atmosphere was absolutely gorgeous, lush, and provocative. The show featured phenomenal period set design by Casey Jay Andrews, set decorations and props by Faye Armon-Troncoso, dynamite choreography by Beasley-Garrigan, lighting by Jeff Croiter; stage management by Kristin Dwyer; sound design by Peter Fitzgerald, composed by Tendai & Glen, and UK Sound design by Phil Grainger; art direction by Giles T. Horne; costume design by Shoko Kambara and Vanessa Leuck; and music direction by Claire McKenzie.

If this production happens again, which I hope it does, I want you to go!

everyone in her community. You feel her discomfort and defensiveness when others are around and you understand it.

Greg Keller plays Everett, a pot-smoking simpleton who has no work ethic and is quick to gossip and insult people blatantly to their faces. He is a user. Keller truly embodies the role and makes you dislike his character immensely.

Mary Bacon is Molly, one of the women in the community who judged Megan, but she finds it in her heart to move on. Bacon delivers a lovely performance and depicts Christian charity as something admirable.

David Mason is Adam, Megan’s husband, and his character is a brute. Mason was spot on, coming across as aggressive, threatening, and almost uncaring about the death of their son.

The setting for this play is marvelous and is the work of Christopher Swader and Justin Swader. Costume design is by Fabian Fidel Aguilar, lighting by Mary Ellen Stebbins, and original music and sound by Fitz Patton.

“DIG” is a play you need to dig your mind into; it will make your spirit soar as you realize that, through any tragedy, there can still always be hope.

For more info, visit www.59e59.org.

Greg Keller, Jeffrey Bean and Andrea Syglowski in a scene from “DIG” presented by Primary Stages (Justin Swader photos)

A scene from “The Great Gatsby--The Immersive Show” (Joan Marcus photo)

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS

By SUPREME GODDESS KYA

WWW.KYAFRENCH.COM | CONSULTATIONS 866-331-5088

SEPTERMBER 21, 2023—SEPTERMBER 27, 2023

Rebirth of A New Nation: The Mercury and Venus retrograde effects have things lingering and slurring like a drunk person until the soberness kicks in. Don’t mind the static in the air, it has its purpose to assist in clearing the air. There is a message coming through the airways as we are in the midst of this super full moon in Aries. Write down a plan of action, be about it, then speak it into existence and soon you will see feedback. Be sure to apply the footwork to receive what you ask for. “Whatever it is that you want and need in this life Speak Life into Existence No Excuses…. You can have it. Go for it. Make it happen, Speak it. Believe it. Own it. Claim it.” Unknown Author

A new voyage awaits you, be it in business, home, or personal affairs. It’s a cycle to take inventory of resources within the home, family, finances, health, business, and personal as if you are a tax preparer or accountant. Trim the fat as needed. Cancel any unnecessary expenses or relationships, and discard the old to make space for the new. Prioritize your agenda as this week puts emphasis on old and new affairs. Starting from September 22 around 4:20 p.m., do what’s in your best interest—it’s time to step your game up.

This cycle week feels like tug of war and damned if you do or damned if you don’t. Your emotions are running high, which is a great thing—utilize the energy to get something done. Clean the house, wash the walls, fold the clothes, close the books to things that don’t not hold a purpose in your life. It’s time to turn over a new leaf and get over what happened already. From September 26 around 8:18 p.m. until 8 p.m. on September 28, look toward what can happen when you change your perspective.

The up-in-the-air mist is concluding on a particular subject. Take notes of the news flash you received from folks. Set a time to soak your body in water and include your favorite oils, herbs, and light a candle for relaxation. This is a go-with-the-flow week, so ask and allow what you need to come to you. Check on your health and step out of the house for some fresh air. Take a walk through the park, ride your bike, or simply go for a ride and watch the sunrise or sunset. From September 24 around 7:29 p.m. until September 26 around 8 p.m. continue to make your mark on this world.

For this cycle week, mentally and emotionally be on your p’s and q’s. This is a grand-slam kind of week meeting with the bosses, CEOs, and founders of companies that love to network with you and vice versa. It’s a week to birth a new idea and gain new alliances with opportunities of advancements. The seeds you have been investing in are bearing fruit in the last week of October. From September 28 around 8:17 p.m. until September 29, continue to invest to multiply the quality and quantity of your product or services.

What is this new thing you want to do? Just go for it and be like the Nike motto and “Just do it”. The only person holding you back is you. This cycle week, golden opportunities are on display and all you need to do is show up. What kind of skills do you possess? Put yourself out there in the world a bit more. Call the folks you know who can connect you to another resource to aid you in your endeavors. From September 26 around 8:18 p.m. until 8 p.m. on September 28, sometimes all you have to do is ask and apply action—like sending an email attachment.

What’s the hold up in your step? Do you have enough pep in your step to go after what you need and want? Well, it’s all on you like Tupac in the song “All Eyez on Me.” The spiritual realm is bringing the vision into the physical realm—right into the sunlight. Get ready for lights, camera, action as the revelation of your dreams come true. From September 28 around 8:17 p.m. until September 29 at 5:58 a.m., cut your losses on whatever is pulling on you to walk towards something greater than you can imagine. The new Super Moon in Aries brings new changes in your affairs.

Uranus and Pluto retrograde have you looking at things in a different perspective, especially in the fields of economics and agriculture. There is an agenda you are pushing through that will grab the attention of more folks when Pluto and Uranus station direct. You know the direction in which you are headed, just know detours are set in place to travel a different route to gain knowledge. Do not disclose your personal agenda to folks or even some of your business moves; it best to keep it to yourself. From September 22 around 4:20 p.m., sit back and allow things to unfold.

Slow down a bit before you receive one heck of a speeding ticket. It doesn’t matter where you are headed. It’s about the purpose of the matter. This cycle week be purposeful by doing what you feel is a good deed. Spark a conversation with your sibling, offspring, mother, brother, aunt, husband, or wife and update each other on what’s been going on in each other’s lives. Extend a helping hand when you see fit. From September 24 around 7:29 p.m. until September 26 around 8 p.m. it’s a great week to do an event, run a special offer on your services, and be of service.

Say it ain’t so,” is what old folks used to say. Depending on how you ask a question, you will receive a true or false answer. Mixed signals with only half of the information are coming through like static on the radio. It just isn’t clear due to Mercury in Virgo stationing directly after three weeks of being in retrograde; energy is lagging until September 29. Relax, unwind, and listen to the messages that Spirit has for you at this time. Starting September 22 around 4:20 p.m., sketch out your next adventure or project. Do something for yourself.

Hey now Libra, thanks for ushering in the cool breeze early. Your presence can be felt before you walk into a room. That’s just how your aura works. Internally, there’s a big energy of your ancestors scoping things out before you step on the scene. In this moment of time, it’s time to build and step out into the world to allow folks to know you have something of value to offer. From September 24 around 7:29 p.m. until September 26 around 8 p.m., it will all make sense later plus you have the south node in Libra and north node in Aries for the next 13 months. You are on a new accord.

Let the games begin, and truth be told. Do not go looking; allow the energy to come to you. The details are already in plain sight. Go ahead and end what’s been pulling on your heartstrings, and release what you don’t need in your life. It’s time for a higher activation when you are ready to move on; even if you are not, it will take you by surprise. From September 26 around 8:18 p.m. until 8 p.m. on September 28, acknowledge what you feel coming towards you as you wish for it to come into existence—and now here it is signed, sealed, delivered it’s yours.

The choice is up to you when someone presents an opportunity to you and it’s something you dream of doing. Take a moment to think it thoroughly over before saying yes. Write down what you need from the job and include shelter, food, and all other expenses for your livelihood. Sometimes the offer we accept is lower pay than expected, and in return it prepares you for what you actually are equipped to do. From September 28 around 8:17 p.m. until September 29 follow your first thought.

Trends

Spring/Summer ’24: Fashions of the Dolls

By RENEE MINUS WHITE Fashion & Beauty Editor

In Earnest presented the Spring ’24 fashion collection of Byron Lars and Sheila Gray last Wednesday evening at Ginny’s Supper Club, located downstairs at the Red Rooster (310 Lenox Ave, Harlem, NY). Look out for this dynamite duo. Their show was packed and was a smashing surprise! The looks were pretty, glittery, timeless, and collectible.

Byron Lars designed the first collection of African American Barbie dolls that authentically represented the complexions, hair textures, and fierce style of African American women. Lars has garnered the affection of thousands of Barbie enthusiasts the world over, many of whom collected all of the 15 glamorous dolls he created for Mattel from 1995 to 2011.

In the Spring ’24 NYFW show at Ginny’s, there were several Barbie-styled looks including intricately-appliquéd outfits and handcrafted “hats-terpieces” by Lisa McFadden Millinery dotting the runway throughout the show.

You remember designer Byron Lars: He started his own label back in 1991 with a small sportswear collection that focused on what Lars refers to as “twisted American classics.” Transfixed with elevating pedestrian staples, Lars introduced a different version of his grandfather’s fishing jacket that took on “Dior New Look” proportions. Back in the ‘90s, he even referenced a “Duchess of Windsor meets Field and Stream” look.

Style interpretations are an integral part of Lars’s design concepts. He’s known for creating fashion icebreakers. “At the end of the day, it’s about my drapery twisty sarong riffs on a men’s button down shirt. Every woman knows and trusts a button down shirt. Even when she’s fashion-reluctant, she isn’t intimidated to wear a variation of one, especially when that variation evokes a real fashion moment,” explained Lars.

What does it feel like to be out here again?

It felt natural, he said. Everyone in the audience was overjoyed and anxious to see this collaborative collection. The talented models–-always in “I’m a doll” character— were incredible. The clothes were doll-like, fun and playful, with military and utilitarian accents. “We had no intention of doing a collection this season. Then, the idea was presented,” Lars said. “I thought about my association with Barbie fashions years ago. Maybe it was divine intervention.” Their spring ’24 theme was ‘Collectibles,’ explained Lars. The clothes are available at www.inearnestofficial.com.

Overall, Lars designs feature a body-en-

hancing fit, meticulous workmanship and an obsessive attention to detail. “I want it to be more about the clothes and less about hype,” says Lars. “There’s a tireless focus given to the inside of the garment, because that’s what touches the skin and gives the wearer a comfortable experience when dressing in his clothes. It’s the final mirror check that determines whether his client looks amazing in her choice. [Waiting to hear back an answer about where the end quote is etc./KFM]

While fashion designer Sheila Gray has been Lars’s partner since 2010, they formed a new partnership with the In Earnest brand. She’s the founder and CEO of Sheila Gray Collection™ (SGC), and the developer of “Styled by You,” a do-it-yourself kit created during the COVID shutdown. Gray is known for her eye-catching accessories and “Gray-Girl” tees, which are adorned with custom fashion figures and embellished with textured fabrics. Her t-shirts stood out during the show.

For the In Earnest™ brand (also known as Byron Lars Beauty Mark™), Sheila Gray takes the lead on design collaboration efforts. She graduated from Fashion Institute of Technology and caught the attention of acclaimed designer Tracy Reese with whom she worked and honed her skills.

Designers Byron Lars and Sheila Gray with model (Photos by Magen McNally courtesy of In Earnest™)

Spring ’24 NYFW designs by Byron Lars and Sheila Gray for In Earnest, at Red Rooster’s Ginny’s Supper Club

Fashion sustainability, camaraderie take front seat at Black NYFW

By BRENIKA BANKS Special to the AmNews

New York Fashion Week (NYFW) 2023

brought out creators, designers, stylists, fashion enthusiasts, and more to the city’s events on Thursday, Sept. 6. Black brands were mindful of fashion’s sustainable cost and shared supportive environment spaces during NYFW Fall 2023. Labels such as Vontélle and Áwet New York made their rounds at events for Fashinnovation and RAISEfashion near Chelsea Piers. Tracy Vontélle Green and Áwet Woldegebriel represented their Black brands in welcoming fashionsustainable spaces.

Fashion sustainability is essential to Vontélle and Áwet New York. During a panel discussion at Fashinnovation, Woldegebrie discussed his perception of designers in the fashion community. “I’m inspired, but also there’s an understanding from all of us that we all know that there is enough sun for us to shine,” he said.

Woldegebriel emphasized his brand’s daily work to maintain sustainability in all products. One major way of allowing

his customers to participate in environmentally friendly practices is by bringing in unwanted clothing from any brand to rehouse, avoiding wasted material. This helps create new clothes from recycled material. “It’s about community, it’s about bringing people together,” said Woldegebrie.

Green spoke about the importance of her brand reusing and recycling. “Reusing, repurposing, saying, ‘Let me go back in my closet’—something you can dig up and reuse again…and make it fresh,” she said.

Green believes Vontélle’s new frames look better when made from reused materials.

“It makes each piece look different.”

Woldegebriel recognized the world may not need another clothing brand, especially if it isn’t environmentally friendly. He is mindful that sustainability isn’t going to be 100% included in every brand, but he wants to play his role in recycling, and not wasting materials and resources.

“That’s where we are. We’re a new brand that is trying to implement single-minded ideas that also don’t [financially] hurt the business,” he said.

“Everyone wants to be sustainable; everyone realizes we have to do better for the planet,” said Green. She started Vontélle with her friend Nancey Harris after losing a pair of glasses and realizing the frame’s fit had not been ideal. After the duo attended Paris Fashion week pre-pandemic, Vontélle launched in 2020. “That was my ‘ah-ha’ moment.”

Green wanted to correct the problem of not seeing any Black owners making and manufacturing eyewear. “That’s the reason glasses don’t fit our faces, because there’s no one making glasses for faces like [ours],” she said.

Vontélle originally started designing for African American and Latino people, until Green met others who had issues with fitting regular glasses. “Now we just say we make glasses for diverse faces,” said Green. “We’re here to help you look fabulous.” She encourages customers to stay very aware of the brands they support so their purchases also support viable living. “I don’t think it’s a niche, this is it!”

Green concluded in her panel remarks that sustainability is laborious.

Another fashion stop for Green and Woldegebriel was RAISEfashion at the Standard Hotel. RAISEfashion is a nonprofit advisory network working toward advancing racial equity in the fashion industry—a matrix providing pro bono consulting to Blackowned brands and individuals. Items included casual to very dressy clothing, bags, shoes, and jewelry that were Black-owned. Expense is usually an issue for finding fashion spaces, especially during NYFW. “It’s a huge barrier for designers of color to find space during such a special moment and busy time of the year,” said Felita Harris. Harris, one of seven founders of RAISEfashion, helps with supporting 250 fashion designers as a part of this nonprofit. RAISEfashion was founded in 2020, shortly after the murder of George Floyd. The nonprofit’s multicultural identity allows for designers to have the necessities in business without mistreatment.

During the Thursday afternoon gathering, all designers were in great spirits and happy to speak with customers as well as each other. “The energy that we feel is ca-

(middle to right) Felita Harris and Áwet Woldegebriel at RAISEfashion at Standard Hotel International (Brenika Banks photos)

Áwet New York brand hosted by RAISEfashion at Standard Hotel International

Vontélle Eyewear at RAISEfashion at Standard Hotel International

Black NYFW

Continued from page 22

maraderie, community, and support,” said Harris. “We love to see it.”

Woldegebriel was thrilled knowing the time he spent with other designers at RAISEfashion did not involve any competition or negative feelings. “We know we’re creative and we know we’re going to be successful,” he said. “We are working to try to be better instead of trying to be better than each other.”

Woldegebriel appreciates the “incredible group of professionals” RAISEfashion represents who are challenging work and assuring the next generation of BIPOC brands is uplifted. “I’ve never been a part of a community that has been this invested in us in the way that they have been,” said Woldegebriel. Harris was grateful for meeting and forming a relationship with Amber Asher, the global CEO of the Standard Hotel International. After the two connected on a special panel, Asher offered Harris a space to provide opportunities for BIPOC designers

during NYFW. “[Amber] understood this is not only just a space but the place to activate New York Fashion Week and ensure that we're doing it with the community focus, and ensuring we’re bringing retailers, influencers, editors, models, fashion enthusiasts to come and see the work that was put in,” said Harris.

Harris’s goal, along with RAISEfashion, is to break barriers that prevent Black de-

signers from being seen and represented, and selling their products. She and the entire nonprofit encourage the designers to build close relationships with one another for beneficial purposes. The partnership between Harris and Asher works well because they are aligned in their missions.

For more information, visit www.raisefashionnow.org, www.vontelle.com, and www.awetnyc.com.

Visitors and vendors at Fashinnovation (Brenika Banks photos)

Audience at RAISEfashion at Standard Hotel International

Audience at Fashinnovation

Visitors at Fashinnovation

Fashion Approach Toward Sustainability panel with ( left to right) Tracy Vontélle Green, Louise Ulukaya, Áwet Woldegebriel, and Cassell Ferere at Fashinnovation

Weston Tribute, RivBea Orchestra, All-Day Coltrane

Pianist and composer Randy Weston was America’s jazz griot. The significance of jazz was, as Weston referred to it, “the music of our ancestors or African classical music.” He performed and spoke of jazz in its ancestral African essence as sprouting from African roots, a most important factor that Weston actively perpetuated throughout his life (as is referenced in Robin d.g. Kelley’s book “Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times.”

His intoxicating connection to the motherland can be felt on such innovating albums as “Uhuru Afrika” (Roulette, 1960) and “African Cookbook” (Comet Records, 1969). Some years later, his Pan Africanism and brilliant musicianship could be heard on his two-CD recording “The Spirits of Our Ancestors” (Verve, 1991), which featured arrangements by his long-time collaborator Melba Liston. The ensemble also included some African musicians, as well as guests Dizzy Gillespie, Pharoah Sanders, and music director/saxophonist T.K. Blue.

This double-set once again demonstrated Weston’s creative vision of uniting the roots of Africa with straight-ahead jazz to bebop and the blues. The brilliance of his percussive melodies and sweet harmonies reflects reasons why many of his compositions are jazz standards, such as “Little Niles,” “Hi-Fly,” “African Sunrise,” “Blue Moses,” “The Healers,” “C.W. Blues,” and “Berkshire Blues.”

Weston produced a series of influential albums (1954–2018) in a variety of configurations: solo, trio, large ensembles, and innovative collaborations with the Gnawa musicians of Morocco. His quintet African Rhythms (that he originally started in the late 1950s) was his longstanding group until his transition. The group’s sound was a reverberation of African roots immersed in Weston’s jazz dialogue: the roots of Latin America and Cuba.

On September 21–23, the crosscultural “music of the ancestors” by the native Brooklyn pianist will be reincarnated at Dizzy’s jazz club as African Rhythms alumni pay tribute to Randy Weston with two shows each night at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The long-standing core alumni in-

clude saxophonist and flautist T.K. Blue, pianist Sharp Radway, bassist Alex Blake, and percussionist Chief baba Neil Clarke. They will be joined on September 21 by Ganawan musicians Maalem Hassan Benlaafar on gimbre and vocals, Amino Belvamani on Karkabas and vocals, and Naofal Atig on Karkabas and vocals. Special guests will include tenor saxophonist Craig Handy, trombonist Frank Lacy (9/22), and violinist Regina Carter (9/23). Carter will be featured on excerpts from Weston’s acclaimed suite “Ancient Future” (2002, Mutable).

As a pianist, Radway was not a member of African Rhythms, but he is a long-time student and protegé of Weston “Every time this band comes together, I feel Randy’s presence,” said Radway. “I consider this a great honor.”

The relationship with African Rhythms and Dizzy’s dates back to 2009 when the group’s performance was later released as a live album entitled “The Storyteller” (Motema). The show featured Weston’s trusted working band (Benny Powell, Clarke, Blake, and Blue), plus the drummer Lewis Nash. The album served as a testament to the great artistry of trombonist Powell, who has transitioned.

“I am very thrilled that Dizzy’s has agreed to honor Randy,” said Blue. “The African Rhythms Alumni Quartet will play some of Randy’s most revered works. I am so honored to have been with Randy for 38 years, as a friend, bandmate, and his music director. He was an exceptional human being.”

For reservations, visit 2023jazz.org.

Prominent tenor saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers’s astute knowledge of music theory led him to become an influential musician, arranger, and composer in the jazz cosmos. He had a brief stint with Miles Davis—just long enough to appear on one recording, “Miles in Tokyo” (Sony/CBS 1964) before signing with Blue Note Records (1964) and recording four albums. His debut album “Fuchsia Swing Song” (featuring Jaki Byard, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams) became the blueprint song for all tenor saxophonists to master if they were really serious.

By the 1970s, Rivers’s adventurous playing on the jazz edge in and out led to him and his wife Bea founding Studio RivBea, a jazz loft in Lower Manhattan. “It was the major space where we had a platform to sit in with incredible big bands and small groups,” said trombon-

ist Craig Harris. “Sam nourished a whole generation of musicians.”

The New York loft scene was the epitome of avant garde jazz.

In the early 1990s, Rivers and Beatrice moved to Florida, in part to expand his orchestra compositions with a band in Orlando. This band became the longest-running incarnation of the RivBea Orchestra.

On September 22, the Harlem Jazz Series will celebrate the Centennial Year of Sam Rivers (9/25/1923–12/26/2011) at Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church (15 Mount Morris Park West at 122nd Street), at 7 p.m.

The New York All-Star RivBea Orchestra will feature saxophonists Steve Coleman, Lee Odom, Ravi Coltrane, Roman Filiu, and James Carter; trombonists Ray Anderson and Harris; euphonium player Joseph Daley; trumpeters Jonathan Finlayson, Eddie Allen, Ralph Alessi, and Nathan Eklund; tuba player Bob Stewart; bassist Doug Matthews; and drummer Tony Lewis.

“When Joe Daley called to say ‘we have to do something in honor of Sam,’ I was ready,” said Harris. “We called Steve Coleman and began calling musicians, and they were all in (seven of the musicians played with Rivers). We contacted the University of Pittsburgh, where Sam’s archives are located, and they gave us permission to use the music. His daughter Monica, living in Florida, gave us her blessing.”

The three organizers are also arranging Rivers’s music, which will include compositions from his last two albums, Celebration (PostTone, 2004) and Mosaic Select: Trilogy with the RivBea Orchestra (Mosaic, 2011; 3 CDs).

Rivers provided a musicians’ sanctuary—Studio RivBea was a place where musicians, particularly those on the edge, could play and get paid. “He charged an admission and at the end of the night, he gave the door admissions to the musicians,” said Harris. “Sam gave us gigs and a place to explore the music. The first Studio RivBea was originally located in Harlem on 112th Street, right at the (traffic) Triangle. Sam was an architect who set the path for us. He is the reason why I give concerts in Harlem on a weekly basis.”

For more information and tickets, visit harlemjazzboxx.com.

The iconic saxophonist and composer John Coltrane, who made spiritualism a focal point of the jazz pantheon, will be celebrated at the inaugural John Coltrane Jazz Festival

on September 24, at Marcus Garvey Park/Richard Rodgers Amphitheatre (124th Street & Fifth Avenue).

The all-day free festival, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., celebrating Coltrane’s birthday, will present a string of noted saxophonists with international reputations, including Bill Saxton, Alvin Flythe, Todd Herbert, Sweet Lee Odom, Patience Higgins, T.K. Blue, and John S. Mannan, who will join three rhythm sections to play the enthralling music of Coltrane from the Miles Davis/Monk era through the Impulse Record years. Tap dancer and hoofer Omar Edwards will bring his improvisational tapping sound to the celebrated Coltrane repertoire.

The festival will open with the legendary NEA Jazz Master bassist, composer, and educator Reggie Workman Group. Workman is the elder-statesman and one of jazz’s most prominent bassists, having recorded more than a dozen

albums with Coltrane, including such significant contributions as “Ballads,” “Inpressions,” “Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard,” “Ole,” and “African/Brass.”

The festival is hosted by State Senator Cordelle Cleare and produced in partnership with a host of nonprofit jazz and community organizations. There were many firsts in this year’s 36th U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. The jazz vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant performed “America the Beautiful” on Saturday night as the American flag was unfurled across the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Coco Gauff became the first female teenager to win the Open since Serena Williams in 1999 (she becomes the 10th teenager overall). She defeated Aryna Sabalenka, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

***In the September 7 column, Paul Griffin was omitted as a partner of Harlem Late Night Jazz.

Sam Rivers (Alan J. Nahigian photo)

Cuts

Continued from page 3

that the crisis will cost about $12 billion over three fiscal years, according to Adams’s team. To compensate, the mayor ordered a 5% reduction (three times) in city-funded spending through the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG).

“Since the large influx of asylum seekers to our city began last spring, we have warned New Yorkers that every city service could be impacted by this crisis if we did not get the support we needed,” said Adams in a statement. “Coupling the costs of a national crisis that has fallen onto New York City with COVID funding that is running out and reduced revenue growth, our city’s financial future may be at risk if we do not act.”

In a statement, Adams continued to ask for federal and state funding, as well as expedited work authorization and comprehensive immigration reform. While most of the speakers at the rally agreed with Adams that more aid is needed from higher levels of government and quicker routes to work permits are essential, the progressive caucus was adamant that the 15% in cuts “far exceeded” the estimated migrant expenses over the next few years.

“To long-time New Yorkers, particularly Black and brown, working class New York-

Columbia

Continued from page 3

A Request for Expressions of Interest was issued in July by the university for a nonprofit provider delineating the need to serve up to 45 youngsters between the ages of 2-5.

But there remain glaring question marks, most notably with Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) vouchers, one of the key sources of financial support for parents who couldn’t afford the Red Balloon tuition in the past. While the university says the provider must be open to accepting the vouchers, there’s no direct promise or mandate for applicants.

And the jury is still out on whether this new proposed center recaptures the magic of Red Balloon, which was founded in 1972. The center boasts a diverse, progressive curriculum thanks to a majority staff of color. The closure was announced last fall and led to multiple protests—some as recent as this past spring.

Anti-Immigration

Continued from page 4

In a letter, Espaillat asked Congress to authorize $3 billion in emergency funding to assist cities across the nation that are also dealing with housing asylum seekers and to

ers, who have been struggling for a very long time: The reason you are struggling is not because of the migrants,” said Williams at the rally. “It is because of failed policies of government.”

Williams added that city leaders have proposed budget cuts prior to the asylum seekers arrivals and to correlate this current round of cuts to them is “disingenuous at best.” He advocated for people to lead with more hope and positivity and revenue raising options instead of cuts.

Adams is not completely without supporters on the Democrat side, though.

Governor Kathy Hochul is considering first-time legislation for state-issued work permits for migrants and asylum seekers to circumvent the federal government. Senators James Sanders Jr. and Leroy Comrie, and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn held a rally on Tuesday, Sept. 12, defending the budget cuts as well as Adams’s warning that the city could be “destroyed” if it doesn’t get more assistance from Albany and the White House. They said that the crisis was being exploited to divide people.

Unsurprisingly, some far-right Republicans, who initiated the crisis by busing migrants to Democrat-led cities, are also praising Adams’s comments and using his words to hypercriticize President Joe Biden before the 2024 presidential election.

Potluri Schreiber, whose daughter will be moving on to public school, she’ll certainly miss the old place. But she’s optimistic about the news.

“An excellent preschool can do amazing things for your child socially, intellectually, emotionally,” said Potluri Schreiber. “It can be a really wonderful experience. And I think for 50 years Red Balloon provided an excellent experience. I’m excited to see the next incarnation.”

“[One thing that was] a really big victory: the space will once again be offered at nocost to a nonprofit,” she added. “As a longtime parent at Red Balloon, I certainly have a fondness for that name, and I know that that name has a lot of history in the community and has name recognition…but ultimately, I feel like the name is less important than the idea that we have a preschool built around the same principles.”

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics and public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep them writing stories like this one; please consider

Metro Briefs

Continued from page 3

Nations Headquarters, register at https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-internationalday-of-older-persons-celebration-registration-699117488227 or watch the day’s events at https://media.un.org/en/webtv. More information can be found at the NGO Committee on Aging, NY website: https://www. ngocoa-ny.org/.

––Compiled by Karen Juanita Carrillo

Meanwhile, a cascade of vitriolic and anti-immigrant counter-protesters in the city has become emboldened. One man crashed through the rally at City Hall, screaming “Close the borders” before being bodily escorted out.

“Hecklers like that are breeded through the rhetoric by our mayor and Republicans alike,” said Osse.

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

New Jersey

Continued from page 4

Jaffer—Asian American history. Denyse Leslie, Dr. Joy Barnes-Johnson, and Leonie Houndode of the Paul Robeson House of Princeton—developing interdisciplinary lessons about the life and legacy of Paul Robeson.

Local historian, retired Princeton high school guidance counselor, and sixth-generation Princetonian Shirley Satterfield of the Witherspoon Jackson Cultural and Historical Society—Black history in Princeton and the process of desegregation of the schools in Princeton, which she experienced firsthand.

The event is organized by the E Pluribus Unum Project in collaboration with the NJEA, Paul Robeson House of Princeton, Not In Our Town Princeton, and the Witherspoon Jackson Cultural and Historical Society. Tickets have been reserved for K–12 teachers, curriculum supervisors, and K–12 educators and administrators. Contact theepuproject@gmail.com with any questions. Further information is at http://facebook.com/theepuproject and https://www. instagram.com/theepuproject/.

––Compiled by Karen Juanita Carrillo

expedite work authorization to new migrants.

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

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Richard Davis, master bassist no matter the genre

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

In a column mainly dedicated to rescuing significant Black Americans from obscurity, a profile of musician Richard Davis may seem a contradiction, particularly when you consider his prominence among the jazz cognoscenti. He also made his mark in the classical realm and in the world of rock and roll, if what critic Greil Marcus wrote of his being “the greatest bass ever heard on a rock album” has validity.

Many listeners were first stunned by his proficiency on a recording date with the multi-reedist Eric Dolphy on his Blue Note album “Out to Lunch” in 1964, or his dates with the diva Sarah Vaughan.

Davis’s genius was undeniably true, no matter the session or concert, and there is no disagreement from Vladimir Simosko and Barry Tepperman, who contend that his duet with Dolphy on “Alone Together” is a masterpiece: “its structure has a unity and logic of classic proportions, and the interplay between the two men is breathtakingly intricate.” Whether in his chosen province of jazz or an occasional venture into rock, Davis was a phenomenal bassist.

He was born on April 15, 1930, in Chicago, and began his musical journey accompanied by his brothers, singing bass in the family trio. In high school, he studied the double bass and developed his musical vocabulary from the esteemed Walter Dyett, who taught many notable musicians. His ability was widely recognized and he was soon a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. He was the lead bassist when the group had its first performance at the city’s Orchestra Hall in 1947.

After high school, Davis continued his study of the bass privately with Rudolph Fassbender of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra while attending the Vandercook College of Music.

Then came a stint with various dance bands and ensembles, a phase that introduced him to pianist Don Shirley. In 1945, they

moved to New York City and for the next two years, they were a popular duo before Davis joined the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra. The next three years found him in the rhythm section behind Vaughan, touring and recording with her until 1960.

As Davis’s discography clearly illustrates, he was a first-call bassist in the early ’60s, working with such notable musicians as pianist Jaki Byard, saxophonist Booker Ervin, pianist Andrew Hill, drum -

several rock luminaries, including Laura Nyro and Van Morrison, where he was co-bandleader. He can be heard on Bruce Springsteen's album “Born to Run.” His classical ventures were varied with performances with conductors Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulet, Leopold Stokowski, and Gunther Schuller.

For nearly a quarter of a century, Davis resided in New York City. In 1977, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where he became a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There he taught bass, jazz history, and improvisation. Among his former students are William Parker and a number of classically oriented musicians. Davis left a considerable trove of recordings, including “Divine Gemini” (1978) and “Tenderness” (1985) with vibraphonist Walt Dickerson; and “Persia My Dear” (1987) and “Body and Soul” (1991) with Archie Shepp. A review by Thom Jurek notes that “This duet date from 1990 demonstrates the deep blues feeling and technical mastery Archie Shepp has on the tenor saxophone. Comprised of four standards—‘Things Ain’t What They Used to Be,’ ‘Body and Soul,’ ‘Pannonica,’ and ‘Round Midnight’—this set is one of Shepp’s most enjoyable ever. The reasons are myriad, but it is in large part due to the fluid, loping bass of Richard Davis…Davis’ sense of time and melody is nearly incredible on the title track and on ‘Round Midnight.’”

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

On Davis’s website, there is a fairly definitive résumé and discography.

DISCUSSION

We wish we could have found out more about his early years and personal life, but very little has been published.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

It was during the 1960s that Davis found his métier and made his musical statements and contributions.

CLASSROOM IN THE THIS WEEK IN BLACK

HISTORY

mer Elvin Jones, and vibraharpist Cal Tjader. This was a period when he recorded those memorable dates with Dolphy.

Along with frequent dates in the studio with other band leaders, Davis was a member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra from 1966 to 1972, where he was heard to great advantage. A list of the number of other leaders and recording dates reads like a veritable Hall of Fame roster.

In the ’70s, he recorded with

Davis’s website says that in 1993, he founded the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists, Inc., which annually brings in 17 masterful bass instructors/performers to teach young bassists ages 3–18. In 1998, he created the Retention Action Project (R.A.P.), focused on open dialogues about subjects that provide education about multicultural differences. R.A.P. collaborated with Vice Chancellor Paul W. Barrows (student affairs) and Seema Kapani, diversity education coordinator/trainer at the Equity and Diversity Resource Center.

Davis died on September 6, 2023, after two years in hospice care. He was 93.

Sept. 18, 1895: Booker T. Washington delivered his famous speech in Atlanta, often deemed “The Great Compromise.”

Sept 18, 1970: The great guitarist Jimi Hendrix died in London, England. He was 27.

Sept. 20, 1958: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed in the chest in Harlem. Doctors at Harlem Hospital saved his life.

Richard Davis performing in 1987 (Brianmcmillen, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Smoke

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The Bronx smoke shop was 0.2 miles from a school and was subsequently closed down, said the councilmember’s office.

“We must address the illegal cannabis retailers head-on,” said Velázquez, who chairs the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection. “What was discovered at this particular smoke shop I visited is only a fraction of what other retailers potentially have. I am dedicated to holding these businesses accountable for violating the law and ensuring my community is safe.”

Assemblymember Nikki Lucas said that unregulated cannabis products are a serious public health and safety issue for the community. She said she’s working diligently with other agencies and community members to identify locations so authorities can come in and shut them down.

“We want to make sure they’re providing the same level of attention and resources and energy to this community to shut these locations down,” Lucas said at the rally.

On Monday, Aug. 14, the City Council finally enacted legislation to hold commercial landlords responsible for renting storefronts to unlicensed smoke shops. The law bans landlords from “knowingly” leasing to unlicensed sellers and imposes fines of up to $10,000.

In addition to their concerns about health risks, council members are railing against the loss of tax revenues and community reinvestment funds that were supposed to be generated from the 13% tax on legal recreational marijuana sales. Illegal cannabis sales are expected to

total $5.4 billion, while licensed sales are projected to only be $2 billion, reported Crain’s New York Business.

“I think it’s important to go after the landlords because obviously, we need to go after the folks who really have the power and that’s the person that controls the lease,” said Councilmember-elect Chris Banks. “If we fine the landlords, [they will] do the due diligence necessary to make sure they investigate the type of businesses they’re contracting with other than just financials and making sure they can pay rent.”

Floyd Jarvis, founder of the Ganja War Veterans for Equity, said the MRTA act was intended to help legacy market operators previously jailed for weed-related crimes, justice-involved or affected family members, and social equity applicants to establish thriving businesses. Jarvis said unlicensed shop owners are “skirting the law.”

As of now, reported the New York Times, a judge has ordered a pause on giving out licenses to legacy actors and opening new licensed shops because of two lawsuits brought by a disabled veterans group and medical marijuana dispensaries.

Pink Leaves shop owner Kalshareef El and others were confrontational during the first rally, but didn’t make an appearance the second time around.

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

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With fewer school counselors, Black kids pay emotional price

By AZIAH SIID Education Reporter, Word In Black

Every day across the United States, students look forward to seeing one particular person when they walk into school. It’s not a classmate or a teacher, but rather, their school counselor—the one person they feel truly hears, protects, and values them during the time they spend on campus.

But when that counselor has potentially hundreds of students assigned to them, it’s tough to check in with each and every student about their individual emotional wellbeing and mental health.

With the challenge of post-pandemic learning loss, along with the mental health crisis among Black youth, students, and families, mental health staff like counselors, school psychologists, and nurses need all the help they can get.

That’s why in July, at the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) annual conference, both the progress made in decreasing the student-to-counselor ratio, as well as the work that still has to be done, were on the agenda. In addition, the conference also looked to explore why schools attended primarily by white students show the most improvement when it comes to these statistics.

Fewer students per counselor

Using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, researchers found that for the 2021–22 school year, the average student-to-counselor ratio was 408 students for every counselor—the lowest since ASCA began tracking ratios in 1986. During the 2020–21 school year, the ratio was 415:1.

Even with the decrease, the ratio is still way too high: The ASCA recommends 250 students to one counselor.

Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath spoke about this at the ASCA conference, saying school counselors need tools that allow them to “continue to invest in our students’ psychological welfare, which really helps to support the entire family academically.”

Race affects the ratio

The analysis found that only 14% of districts met the recommended ratio. Districts that were at least 75% white were more likely to meet the recommended ratio.

As shown in studies like Education Trust’s analysis of higher-need districts compared to lowest-need districts, discrepancies can be seen in funding to schools and students who need support the most.

Celeste Malone, immediate past president of the National Association of School Psychologists and associate professor of school psychology at Howard University,

said she chose to be at the historically Black university because it was important to both build the diversity of school-based mental health providers and have them focus on culturally responsive practices that directly tie into students’ lived experiences.

“We know there’s a lack of school-based mental health providers in general,”

Malone told Word In Black. “But, acutely, there’s a lack of school-based mental health

providers of color, and so we are very much mixed-matched with the school-age population that we serve.”

Malone says that although there is a shortage of the very much-needed school psychologists, those who are working with this specific population have a duty to approach the job in a wholesome manner.

“It’s going in with an open mind and practicing from a space of cultural humility,”

Malone said. “We recognize the limits of our own knowledge. We acknowledge that students, families, those who we serve are the experts on their own experience, and we should be trying to learn from them.”

The full reality of some low-income and minority students, like living in a food desert or attending a school without air conditioning, has to be taken into consideration when youth are facing a mental health crisis.

“Students can’t learn if they are not fully present in the classroom,” Malone said, noting challenges like depression, anxiety, and food insecurity. “We need to focus on building those relationships, making sure students feel safe and supported, because it frees their minds not to have to worry about some of those things.”

Creating solutions despite recruitment hardships

While recruitment and retention numbers are low among school-based mental health providers, Malone said there are other ways to address the disproportionate ratio besides hiring more psychologists.

“That’s an ongoing challenge. Demand for our services is increasing where our supply hasn’t grown to meet that demand,” Malone said. “Everything was exacerbated with COVID, then ongoing school violence and other traumas our students are experiencing.”

One solution is for current school counselors and psychologists to provide teachers with additional tools and resources to assist kids. Providing them with the information they need gives mental health providers more time “for the more acute and severe cases where we do need to provide that individual counseling or provide assessment services.” Malone said.

“Specific to school psychology, we think about indirect service delivery and how we consult with teachers,” Malone added.

“If we’re able to work with teachers, provide them with classroom management strategies, as well as other techniques to help them recognize students’ emotions, validate those emotions, and provide those basic supports…that mitigates a lot of challenges.

“As we build teacher capacity, that’s 30plus students we serve indirectly, and that frees us for the more acute and severe cases where we do need to provide that individual counseling or provide assessment services.”

It’s also important to make sure students are aware of healthy practices.

“Another idea is around building student capacity and thinking about mental health lessons, psycho-educational lessons, about mental health, and teaching them coping skills so that they’re also able to support each other,” Malone said.

(Pexels/photo by Polina Tankilevitch)

Mental health

Continued from page 12

diverse health equity experts in the fields of advocacy, SMI clinical care, population health, faith, healthcare professionals, and academia to inform strategy and priorities. The alliance prioritizes community-informed solutions that address SMI care at the state and local levels. Its aim is to improve the trusted delivery and pursuit of equitable mental healthcare for Black adults in the United States.

The alliance has established state coalitions that have launched tailored resources in areas of importance to Black communities, such as systems of navigation, peer support, and faith-based community engagement.

Coalitions have been established in California, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas, based on unmet needs at the state level affecting care for diverse patient communities, including:

• Prevalence of SMI

• Rates of access to care for Black adults living with SMI

• Social justice considerations that affect mental healthcare, delivery, and services

• Diverse mental health professional shortage areas

The examples of transformational leadership that the APA and Janssen Neuroscience have displayed are wonderful reminders that organizations/institutions are made up of people, and just as people/institutions can

create and maintain a status quo of racism, discrimination, and culturally insensitive responses to BIPOC persons and communities, the reverse is also true: People/institutions can be the change we want to see.

If we are to move the needle for diversity, equity, and inclusion in research, clinical trials, treatment, and access to resources in mental healthcare, we must take seriously the mantra that those for whom we hope to provide services must be active participants in developing models for mental wellness based on culturally informed, culturally sensitive, and culturally responsive researchers, clinicians, and service providers.

Thus, we recommend that more multidimensional and cross-functional community, corporate, and nonprofit collaborations be developed. Only then can we assertively move away from the status quo of racial discrimination in access to and delivery of mental healthcare services, supports, and resources.

It is our sincere hope that the information in this article resonates with readers and each will do their part in dismantling the systems that prohibit all Americans from access to equitable resources and mental health care and wellness, so a change actually does come!

H. Jean Wright II, Psy.D. is a clinical and forensic psychologist and population health administrator. Ann L. Colley, LMFT, MBA, M.Div is a psychotherapist and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging consultant.

U.N. General Assembly

Continued from page 2

African nations anymore. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pointed to the “broken promises of fair treatment and outright exploitation from abroad” that the continent remains subject to.

African nations have looked to the cooperative foundation behind the creation of the U.N. and had faith that one day, African nations would also be assisted in growing their economies. “Today and for several decades, Africa has been asking for the same level of political commitment and devotion of resource that is described in the Marshall Plan,” said Tinubu. “We realize that underlying conditions and causes of the economic challenges facing today’s Africa are significantly different from those of postwar Europe. We are not asking for identical programs and actions; what we seek is an equally firm commitment to partnership. We seek enhanced international cooperation with African nations to achieve the 2030 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.”

Even as Africa seeks assistance in reaching its development goals, the continent has several nations with the resources to sustain themselves. Félix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), explained at a press luncheon that his nation has reviewed and decided to renegotiate its mining contracts with foreign nations.

The DRC is the world’s largest producer

of cobalt, the metal used to make rechargeable batteries, which is vital for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. In December 2022, the country signed onto an agreement to work with Zambia and the United States to develop a production supply chain for EV batteries in “special economic zones” that will see increased investment.

Tshisekedi said the DRC plans to use the funds from its renegotiated contracts to reinforce new government programs, such as universal childhood education and better health care for the DRC’s citizens.

Brooklyn-based activist Roger Wareham pointed out that former colonialist nations, like France, have maintained control over several parts of Africa. Niger’s new military leaders formally expelled France’s ambassador to the nation in late August, but the former colonial power has said its ambassador won’t leave. France doesn’t view the coup leaders as a legitimate government.

Wareham’s December 12th Movement held a “France out of Africa” rally when French President Emmanuel Macron spoke at the U.N.. “France is a ruthless exploiter of African resources,” Wareham said. “The income that is derived from their former colonies goes straight to the French central bank and is then doled out from there by France to those countries, so those countries don’t have control over their own economies. If the African income was released from France, there would be no France. France is absolutely dependent on Africa for the maintenance of the lifestyle that it has.”

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Dated: September 19, 2023

DEMOCRACY PREP NEW YORK SCHOOL MEETING OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Pursuant to Section 104 Public Notice of the Open Meetings Law, this notice is to inform the public that the board of trustees of Democracy Prep New York School will hold a board meeting on September 28th, 2023 at 6:30 pm., local time, at 100 Park Avenue (cross streets are 40th and 41st), 11th floor, Boardroom.

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Religion & Spirituality

California lawmakers vote to become first state to ban caste-based discrimination

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—California lawmakers voted on Tuesday to outlaw discrimination based on caste, adding protections for people of South Asian descent who say they have been left out of traditional American safeguards for fairness in employment and housing.

The bill—the first of its kind in the U.S.— now heads to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who must decide whether to sign it into law. Newsom’s office said in an email that “the Governor will evaluate the bill on its merits when it reaches his desk.”

Caste is an ancient, complex system that regulates people’s social status based on their birth. It’s primarily associated with India and Hinduism, but caste-based divisions are also found in other faiths and countries.

State and federal laws already ban discrimination based on sex, race, and religion. California’’s civil rights law goes further by outlawing discrimination based on factors like medical conditions, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigration status, and ancestry.

The State Senate voted 31-5 to approve a bill that would redefine “ancestry” to include “lineal descent, heritage, parentage, caste, or any inherited social status.”

The bill was authored by state Sen. Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan Amer-

ican woman elected to the state legislature.

“The more our communities become more and more diverse, we need to go further and deeper to protect more people— even when certain issues are more invisible to the mainstream public,” Wahab said.

India has banned caste discrimination since 1948, the year after the country won independence from Great Britain. In recent years, South Asians have been pushing for caste protections in the U.S. Many major U.S. colleges and universities have added caste to their non-discrimination policies, including the University of California and California State University systems. In February, Seattle became the first U.S. city to ban discrimination based on caste. Now, California could become the first state to do so. The bill easily passed the legislature, with only a few dissenting votes, but provoked an intense response from the state’s South Asian community. A public hearing on the bill this summer lasted hours as hundreds of people lined up around the capitol to testify for and against the bill.

Opponents argued the bill is unfair because it only applies to people in a castebased system. A letter to state lawmakers from the Hindu American Foundation earlier this year stated concerns that South Asians could be “forced to answer intrusive questions about or be judged for who they are married to.”

Five Republicans voted against the bill

on Tuesday, saying it would prompt the government and others to inappropriately judge people of South Asian descent. State Sen. Shannon Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield, noted caste was a complex system with no universally agreed definition.

“This is not a bill that protects, but it’s a bill that profiles,” Grove said.

This was one of the first major bills to pass the legislature during the hectic final two weeks of the legislative session. Lawmakers had until September 14 to act on nearly 1,000 bills that had a number of public

Local clergy, police promote prayer and cooperation

Harlem’s 28th Precinct Clergy Council held a meet and greet, with clergy and police coming together to promote cooperation for the betterment of the community. Pastor Staci Ramos, vice president,

and Jake McGhee, president of the 28th Clergy Council, called the meeting to introduce the new Precinct Commanding Officer Captain Rodriguez and to ask for their prayers.

hearings and amendments since they were first introduced. Newsom will now have a month to decide whether to sign those bills into law.

In the state Assembly, lawmakers passed a bill aimed at overhauling the process for voters to overturn laws passed by the legislature.

California voters can veto laws passed by the legislature. If enough people sign a petition, it triggers a referendum where voters are asked whether they want to keep a certain law or block it.

Last year, the legislature passed a law to ban new gas and oil wells within 3,200 feet (975 meters) of schools, homes, and hospitals. The oil industry gathered enough signatures to challenge that law. The law was put on hold for voters to decide, and proponents launched a separate campaign to ask voters to keep it. Some critics accused the oil industry of using deceptive tactics to convince voters to sign the petition.

The bill lawmakers passed would require the top funders pushing a ballot referendum to overturn a law be listed on state voter information guides. It would also require statewide referendum measures to ask voters whether they want to “keep the law” or “overturn the law,” as opposed to asking them to select “yes” to keep the law or “no” to overturn it.

Associated Press reporter Sophie Austin contributed to this article.

California Democratic State Sen. Aisha Wahab helped lead fight in California legislature to pass bill that would make California first state to outlaw discrimination based on caste. Bill now goes to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas)

Clergy members support Capt. Rodriguez. (Bill Moore photos)

Jake McGhee with Pastor Staci Ramos.

Pastor Staci Ramos with members of the clergy

Climate Justice

Continued from page 6

(NYPIRG) Board of Directors Chair and a CUNY Brooklyn College student. Andrade mentioned local policies like NYC Local Law 97 for sustainable buildings, the state-level Climate Change Superfund Act, and the NY HEAT Act. He believes these policies will reduce climate emissions, save people money, create good, green jobs, and make sure that corporate climate polluters are “on the hook to foot the bill.”

“As college students, we will bear the worst effects of climate change throughout the rest of our lives. We have spoken with thousands of our classmates here in New York since the fall semester began, and the message is loud and clear: President Biden must declare a climate emergency and end the fossil fuel industry's chokehold on our futures,” said Andrade.

The New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA) re-

Daniel's Day

Continued from page

Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan.

But despite the namesake, “Daniel’s Day” and “Daniel’s Law” expands past just Prude, whose highly public death shortly preceded the reckoning of the 2020 George Floyd Protests and the outlying unrest that came with related police violence. Black New Yorkers like Saheed Vassell and Eudes Pierre are others remembered as police violence victims during a mental health response. Most remembered are nonwhite.

“I’m very upset that I didn’t know how much this was happening before Eudes,” said Pierre’s cousin Sheina Banatte. “And now, after Eudes, with all this advocacy and activism, it’s still happening. We just need to stop looking to police to handle everything.”

The NYPD fatally shot Pierre in Dec. 2021 which the department deemed “suicide by cop.” But his family—including Banatte— pushed back on the narrative. Her organization, Justice for Eudes Pierre, joined the Daniel’s Law Coalition this past summer.

Ruth Lowenkron, director of disability justice at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest believes Daniel’s Law a crucial first step for a functioning statewide mental health apparatus.

“It’s only a piece of the puzzle and

cently completed a new research report analyzing state climate justice policies for disadvantaged communities—as defined by the Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG) as low-income and communities of color that disproportionately share environmental burdens. Under the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) the state aims to drastically reduce carbon emissions by 2050, have at least 70% renewable energy by 2030, and a zero-emissions electricity sector by 2040. A large part of the CLCPA’s goal, designed by the Climate Action Council, also prioritizes investment funds for these vulnerable communities.

At the moment, the CLCPA is largely in the “complicated” planning and implementation stage while building on existing policies, said Alan Krupnick, senior fellow and director of Resources for the Future’s industries and fuels program.

Krupnick said that the CLCPA plans could be more “stringent” and

we need to be improving our mental health services, so that we can limit the number of crises so that we have a place to refer someone once the crisis is deescalated,” said Lowenkron. “That’s all a critical part of it. But we feel we have to focus on that moment of crisis…if people are literally dying because we’re not getting it right [responding] to that crisis, we have to act quickly.”

This is best seen locally through Rikers Island which many advocates consider the city’s largest mental health facility. Most recently, NYC Health + Hospitals reported around 1,200 city jail detainees were diagnosed with serious mental illness in May. To be clear, long standing research points to people with mental illness being more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violent crime.

While Daniel’s Law remains in the works up in Albany, New York City rolled out the B-HEARD pilot program in Harlem back in 2021, which deploys non-police professionals to respond to mental health calls. It’s since expanded to other boroughs, namely in precincts in Black and brown neighborhoods like East New York, Brownsville, and the South Bronx.

But Lowenkron remains critical of B-HEARD due to the lack of around-the-clock coverage and the limited areas where non-police responses are made. And the city reports just 53% of eligible calls in the second half of last year led to B-

better “targeted” to disadvantaged communities. NYC-EJA’s version of the state’s plans modeled impactful policies in residential, transportation, and energy sectors. The report suggested things like eliminating peaker plants statewide, subsidies for heat pumps, higher price on carbon, and a stricter phase out of fossil fuels. He said there’s been support and cooperation from the state in regards to their findings.

“At the state level there are a number of individuals and teams within the state agencies that really want to see the CLCPA implemented in the way that communities want to see it. They want to see the most vulnerable groups be the most protected, [and] emissions decrease; they do support that,” said NYC-EJA Research Analyst Victoria Sanders. “However, those individuals and teams don’t have all the power and all of the say in what ends up actually occurring.”

Sanders said they are “hopeful but cautious” in believing that the CLCPA will come to fruition as intended.

HEARD responses and that not all mental health-related calls were eligible. She says Daniel’s Law would lay out the criteria to what qualifies for a non-police response more directly.

Banatte on the other hand addressed the shortcomings but welcomed B-HEARD as an additional resource to mental health response.

Here in New York City, “Daniel’s Day” will be observed this Saturday, Sept. 23 in Crown Heights and hosted by Assemblywoman Monique Chandler-Waterman. The event takes place between 3-7 p.m. and can be found on Montgomery Street between Utica Avenue and East New York Avenue.

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News . Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep

her writing stories like this one; please consider making a taxdeductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/ amnews1.

writes about politics and public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep them writing sto-

ries like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1

Legal Notice

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

If you were arrested, or arrested and subjected to force, by NYPD officers during the “George Floyd protests” at one of the Settlement Dates and Locations, YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION.

You must file a claim by December 22, 2023 to be included in this Class Action settlement. Visit www.NYC2020ProtestSettlement.com for more information.

may ask you to provide documentation of your identity and/or substantive, objective evidence clearly demonstrating that you are eligible to be a class member.

What are my rights and options in this Settlement?

May 28, 2020 Lafayette to City Hall; May 28, 2020 Union Square; May 29, 2020 Barclays Center area; May 30, 2020 East Flatbush/the Barclays Center area; May 30, 2020 Harlem/ West Side Highway; May 30, 2020 Union Square to FDR Drive; May 30, 2020 City Hall to over the Brooklyn Bridge; May 31, 2020 Union Square; June 1, 2020 Barclays Center area; June 1, 2020 Midtown Manhattan; June 2, 2020 Foley Square to Central Park; June 2, 2020 Union Square and Astor Place; June 2, 2020 Near and on West Side Highway; June 2, 2020 Chelsea; June 3, 2020 Cadman Plaza; June 3, 2020 Upper East Side; June 4, 2020 McCarren Park; and June 4, 2020 Clinton Hill (“Settlement Dates and Locations”), you may be entitled to money as a Settlement Class Member.1

What does the Settlement provide?

• Under the terms of the Settlement, the City of New York has agreed to pay to each class member who timely files a valid claim form a payment of approximately $9,950.00 (Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Dollars) subject to certain limitations. These amounts will be paid from a Class Fund of $13,731,000.00 (Thirteen Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty- One Thousand Dollars).

• By filing a Claim Form and accepting payment of the Settlement, you give up your right to bring any claim arising from your arrest, the use of force, or any other claim based on the events that took place at the Settlement Dates and Locations.

How do I get money from the Settlement?

• To be eligible for any payment, you must submit a signed Claim Form online or by mail by December 22, 2023. Your claim will not be valid if this form is not signed by you.

• To get a Claim Form, visit www.NYC2020ProtestSettlement.com or contact the Claims Administrator, Rust Consulting, at the phone number or address below.

• In assessing the validity of your claim, Class Counsel or the Claims Administrator

1 For the exact parameters bordering each of the locations, visit www.NYC2020ProtestSettlement.com

Submit a Claim Form: By submitting a Claim Form, you give up your legal right to pursue further claims from the events described above. This is the only way to be paid from this Settlement. A Claim Form must be mailed and postmarked or filed online by: December 22, 2023

Opt Out of the Settlement: Get no payment from the Settlement. This option allows you to be part of a separate lawsuit against the Defendants about the claims in this case. An opt-out statement must be mailed and postmarked or filed online by: December 22, 2023

Object to the Settlement: Remain a Class Member but write to the Court about why you don’t agree with the Settlement. You must still submit a Claim Form by December 22, 2023. An objection must be filed by December 22, 2023 with the U.S. District Court, 500 Pearl Street, NY, NY 10007

Go to the Fairness Hearing: You or your own lawyer may appear and speak at the hearing at your own expense. You must still submit a Claim Form by December 22, 2023. Attend the hearing on February 22, 2024 at: U.S. District Court, 500 Pearl Street, Courtroom 24A, New York, NY

Do Nothing: Get no payment and give up all rights to sue the City or other Defendants after July 27, 2023 concerning the events described above. This is only a summary of the proposed Settlement.

For more information about the settlement, and to submit a Claim Form, visit www.NYC2020ProtestSettlement.com

You can also contact Rust Consulting at 1-833-915-1147 or write to: Sow v. City of New York Settlement PO Box 2599 Faribault, MN 55021-9599

Claims will be processed by the Claims Administrator, Rust Consulting. Do not contact the Court or Defendants.

(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 DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -against- ANGELA N. STEMLER AS HEIR OF THE ESTATE OF HILMA W. NOONAN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated April 4, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 4, 2023 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. Approximate amount of lien $21,676.41 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850079/2018.

MATTHEW D. HUNTER, ESQ., Referee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

HILTON RESORTS CORPORATION, Plaintiff -against- JANELLE L. PARRIS AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MYRA E. PARRIS, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated April 25, 2023 and entered on May 3, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 4, 2023 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 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 1.4182% 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 1303. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, UNIT HU2, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $36,539.61 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850054/2022.

MATTHEW D. HUNTER, ESQ., Referee

DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

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

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, AS SUCCESOR BY MERGER TO ORITANI

BANK, Plaintiff -against- WEBRO 2067 LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated April 19, 2023 and entered on April 26, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse located on the portico at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on October 4, 2023 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the westerly side of Broadway, 72 feet 3 and 3/4 inches north from the corner termed by the intersection of the north side of West 71st Street and the west side of Broadway; RUNNING THENCE west of Broadway at an angle of 67 degrees 56 minutes, 57 feet 2 inches; THENCE North at right angles to the last mentioned course, 5 feet 3 inches; THENCE West at right angle to the last mentioned course, 42 feet 9 inches; THENCE North at right angles to the last mentioned course, 34 feet 4 and 3/4 inches; THENCE East at an angle of 84 degrees 01 minutes 40 seconds to the last mentioned course 88 feet and 1/2 inch to the west side of Broadway; THENCE South along said west side of Broadway at an angle of 118 degrees 02 minutes 20 seconds to the last mentioned course 32 feet 11 inches to the point or place of BEGINNING. Block: 1163 Lot: 32. Said premises known as 2067 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $12,482,338.39 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 850181/2022.

JERRY MEROLA, ESQ., Referee

Zeichner Ellman & Krause LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

1211 Avenue of Americas, New York, NY 10036

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

COUNTY OF NEW YORK

HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Plaintiff, -againstArnold Quismorio Bengco a/k/a Arnold Bengco if living and if any be dead, any and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienor, heirs, devisees, distributees, or successors in interest of such of the above as may be dead, and their spouses, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residences are unknown to Plaintiff, Rachelle Bengco if living and if any be dead, any and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienor, heirs, devisees, distributees, or successors in interest of such of the above as may be dead, and their spouses, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residences are unknown to Plaintiff , Board of Managers of The 322 West 57th Street Condominium, United States of America-Internal Revenue Service, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, John Doe (Refused Name), John Doe (Refused Name), Defendants, Index No. 850260/2019

Filed May 4, 2023

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS

Plaintiff designates New York County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the Mortgage premises is situated.

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S):

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your Answer or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of Appearance on the attorneys for the plaintiff within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after service is complete if this 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.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT

THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $870,000.00 and interest, recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of NEW YORK on June 16, 2011, in CRFN 2011000213816, covering premises known as 322 West 57th Street, Unit 41K1, New York, NY 10019.

The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.

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: Bayshore, New York May 4, 2023

/s/By: Linda P. Manfredi, Esq. Frenkel, Lambert, Weiss, Weisman & Gordon, LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff

53 Gibson Street, Bay Shore, New York 11706 (631) 969-3100

Our File No.:01-092596-F00

Notice of Qualification of JANDS 1 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/12/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/11/23.

Princ. office of LLC: 100 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543. 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. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808.

Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, PS Funding, Inc., Plaintiff, vs. Harrison Developers, LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on May 31, 2023 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on October 18, 2023 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 521 West 150th Street, New York, NY 10031. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 2082 and Lot 120. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,987,382.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850267/2021. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee Chartwell Law, One Battery Park Plaza, Suite 710, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee for the Benefit of the Holders of Benchmark 2019B10 Mortgage Trust Commercial Mortgage Pass, Plaintiff, vs. 116 Retail Owner, LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #1369839 for beer & wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer & wine at retail in a legitimate theater under the ABC Law at 308 W. 46th St., NYC 10036 for on-premises consumption; Playhouse 46 Inc.

ADAE HOLDINGS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/07/23. 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, 121 West 17th Street, 2B, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on January 27, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on October 25, 2023 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 116 University Place, Unit No. Commercial, New York, NY 10003. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 570 and Lot 1401 together with an undivided 20.00 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $11,361,148.47 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850093/2022. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale.

Matthew D. Hunter III,

Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, Worldwide Plaza, 825 Eighth Avenue, 31st Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MICHAEL A. GARCIA and CANDICE J. GARCIA, Deft. - Index # 850047/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 10, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0271980765638990% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $30,314.03 plus costs and interest as of March 27, 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.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. FAITH WIGGINS, Deft. - Index # 850194/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 27, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 5,000/28,402,100 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $45,871.08 plus costs and interest as of April 6, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. STEPHEN MONIZ and BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., Deft. - Index # 850094/2021. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 27, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 7,000/28,402,100 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,851.69 plus costs and interest as of June 21, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. WENDY M. PUSATERI and RICHARD PUSATERI, Deft. - Index # 850169/2018. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated May 31, 2023, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.00986400000% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $48,795.81 plus costs and interest as of January 12, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. ROCHELLE R. MITCHLEY and DAVID V. MITCHLEY, Deft.Index # 850086/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 1, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.009864% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57th STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $13,791.76 plus costs and interest as of May 7, 2020. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Referee will not accept cash as any portion of the deposit or purchase price. Bruce Lederman, 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, WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR MFRA TRUST 2014-2, Plaintiff, vs. ANTONIOS GABRIEL A/K/A ANTHONY GABRIEL, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on May 26, 2023 and a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on June 27, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the portico of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on October 25, 2023 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 77 West 55th Street, Unit 15G, New York, NY 10019. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 1271 and Lot 1507 together with an undivided 0.5147 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $995,652.99 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850250/2019. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. Joseph F. Buono, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No. 171138-3

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NEW YORK

HSBC BANK USA, V.

KAREN KENNEY A/K/A KAREN KENNY, ET. AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated May 19, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York, wherein HSBC BANK USA is the Plaintiff and KAREN KENNEY A/K/A KAREN KENNY, ET AL. are the Defendant(s).

I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at at the PORTICO OF THE NEW YORK COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 60 CENTRE STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10007, on October 25, 2023 at 2:15PM, premises known as 144 WEST 123RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10027: Block 1907, Lot 53:

ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF N.Y.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 810040/2012. Elaine Shay, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. ANITA D. HICKS, Defts. - Index # 850143/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 12, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0450946335738578% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase I of HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $44,849.40 plus costs and interest as of February 23, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Mark McKew, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MARIA G. FIGUEROA and ANDRES FIGUEROA, Defts. - Index # 850146/2020. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 21, 2021, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 2:15 pm, an undivided 0.00493200000% common interest in the vacation ownership interest timeshare known as 57th STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, in the County of NY, State of NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $20,719.58 plus costs and interest as of February 23, 2021. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. ROBERT J. GODING, JR. and LATRICIA L. GODING, Defts. - Index # 850225/2022. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 9, 2023, I will sell at public auction Outside the Portico of the NY County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 5,000/16,783,800 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 2 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $18,853.56 plus costs and interest as of February 24, 2023. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Tom Kleinberger, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

Notice of Qualification of S + B READE STREET, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/04/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Maryland (MD) on 07/12/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 7501 Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 1000W, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Cert. of Form. filed with Michael L. Higgins, Jr., Director, Dept. of Assessments and Taxation, 301 W. Preston St., Rm. 801, Baltimore, MD 21201. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of RGNMCA AMHERST II, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/28/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Operate an executive suite business center.

Notice of Formation of Jacquelyn Trimlett LLC filed with SSNY on 202308-9. Office: New York County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC.: 7014 13TH AVENUE SUITE 202 BROOKLYN, NY 11228. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

PROBATE CITATION

FILE NO. 2023-2969 SURROGATE’S COURT –NEW YORK COUNTY - CITATION

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, By the Grace of God

Free and Independent

TO: Jane Doe or John Doe, issue of John Eaton, Jr., if living and if dead, to their heirs at law, next of kin and distributes whose names and places of residence are unknown and if they died subsequent to the decedent herein, to their executors, administrators, legatees, devisees, assignees and successors in interest whose names and places of residence are unknown and to all other heirs at law, next of kin and distributees of Lulu Scott, the decedent herein, whose names and places of residence are unknown and cannot, after diligent inquiry, be ascertained. Janine Taylor, Kinyetta Nicole Rhone, Rashanna Ryder, Latasha Angela Rainey, Sharronda Rainey, Thomas Joseph Ryder, Harold Ryder, Anthony Ryder, George Eaton, Rhonda Eaton, Leon Eaton An amended petition having been duly filed by Allyson Eaton, who is domiciled at 120-7 Aschloop, Bronx, NY 10475.

YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate’s County, NEW YORK County, at 31 Chambers Street, New York, on October 30th, 2023, at 9:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that day, why a decree should not be made in the estate of Lulu Scott lately domiciled at 41 Convent Avenue, Apt. 5J, New York, NY 10027 admitting to probate a Will dated November 1, 2011, (Codicil(s) dated), a copy of which is attached, as Will of Lulu Scott, deceased, relating to real and personal property, and directing that [X] Letters Testamentary issue to: ALLYSON EATON [ ] Letters of Trusteeship issue to: [ ] Letters of Administration c.t.a. issue to: (State any further relief requested) *To all Parties: No in person appearances shall be made at the return date. If you wish to object to this matter, you may do so in writing in accordance with the annexed New York County Surrogate’s Court Notice to the Cited Parties. September 15th, 2023, Dated, Attested and Sealed. HON. Rita Mella, Surrogate, Diana Sanabria, Chief Clerk. Ira Kleiman, Esq., Attorney for Petitioner, 212-758-6160, Telephone Number, Brief Carmen & Kleiman, LLC, 488 Madison Avenue, NY, NY 10022, Address of Attorney, ik@ briefjustice.com, E-mail Address of Attorney. [NOTE: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed you do not object to the relief requested. You have a right to have an attorney appear for you.] P-5 (10/96)

SURROGATE'S COURT OF THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK, 31 CHAMBERS STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10007, (646) 386-5800. NOTICE TO CITED PARTIES You have been served with a citation for a matter that is scheduled to be heard at a New York County Surrogate's Court calendar. Please be advised that pursuant to Governor Andrew Cuomo's Executive Orders and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks' Administrative Orders now in effect in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this court is serving the public and court users primarily through virtual or electronic appearances; in person appearances are limited at this time. The citation that you have received contains a return date. Please do not appear in the courthouse on that date. The following choices are available to you: - If you do not object to the relief requested, you do not need to contact the court or do anything else. - If you do object to the relief sought on the citation, you or your lawyer must send a document to the court signed by you or your lawyer indicating that: 1. You object to the relief or you are requesting discovery; OR 2. You are requesting the opportunity to appear in person or by using Skype for Business or by telephone conference; OR 3. You are requesting an adjournment to consult with or retain counsel. Your written response must be received by the court three (3) business days before the return date and must include either an email address or telephone number, or both, where you or your lawyer can be reached during business hours. Your communication to the court may be sent by email to: Probate_General@nycourts.gov or by mail addressed to the Probate Department of this court at the address listed above. The attorney for the petitioner must be copied in your communication. If your written communication to the court indicates that you would like to proceed as described in choice number I above, your case may be referred to a court attorney-referee for a conference. The case will be adjourned to a future date, if you request the opportunity to appear in person or by electronic means or to consult or retain counsel (choices number 2 and 3). If you do not contact the court by the date on the citation, the record will reflect that you do not object to the relief requested. If an attorney plans to appear on your behalf, he or she must file a Notice of Appearance. This Notice may be filed by mail addressed to the Probate Department of this court at the address listed above or through thee-filing system (NYSCEF), at www.nycourts.gov/efile. If you have questions about responding to the citation, you may contact the Probate Department at Probate_General@nycourts.gov. Please note that court staff are prohibited from giving legal advice but they are available to answer any question about procedure. The Probate Department of the New York County Surrogate's Court

Notice of Qualification of EDIFICE PARTNERS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/28/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/20/23. Princ. office of LLC: 1 Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10020. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 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: Management of real estate.

Notice of Qualification of JAIN GLOBAL LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/11/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/03/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 510 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10022. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, State of DE, Dept. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of GERHARD PRODUCTIONS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/23. 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 Qualification of GV MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/05/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/01/09. Princ. office of LLC: 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View, CA 94043. NYS fictitious name:

GOOGLE VENTURES MANAGEMENT COMPANY, L.L.C.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of FRIEZE US HOLDINGS, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/07/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/21/15. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of E. CASCADE VENTURE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/04/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 780 3rd Ave., Ste. 4203, NY, NY 10017. The regd. agent of the company upon whom and at which process against the company can be served is Brian Conroy, 780 3rd Ave., Ste. 4203, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of ZIMMER SPC LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/23/23. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/12/23.

Princ. office of LP: 9 W. 57th St., 33rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. NYS

fictitious name: ZIMMER SPC

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 the L.P. at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of Thomas V. Lopez, PLLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on July 25, 2023. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the PLLC served upon him/her is C/O the PLLC: 207 East 120th Street, PH, New York, NY 10035. The principal business address of the PLLC is: 207 East 120th Street, PH, New York, NY 10035. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of IMENNOV LEGAL CONSULTING PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/14/2023. Office located in New York. SSNY is designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to 99 Wall Street, Suite 4455 New York, NY, 10005, USA. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

MBSSM, LLC filed Articles of Organization with the NY Department of State on August 3, 2023. Its office is located in NY County. The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the Company upon whom process against it may be served, and a copy of any process shall be mailed to 767 Third Ave., 38th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The purpose of the Company is any lawful business.

Notice of Qualification of KDS MANAGEMENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/06/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/21/23. Princ. office of LLC: Unit 15-138, 575 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10017. NYS fictitious name:

KEROGEN DIGITAL MANAGEMENT LLC. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of BRIDGETON 396 BROADWAY F&B MANAGEMENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/06/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/17/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC:

c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 820 N. French St., 4th Fl., Wilmington, DE 19801. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of HUDSON YARDS 5701 LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/10/2023. Office located in NEW YORK. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC 5 Half Moon Isle, Jersey City, NJ 07305. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Tea Teasse L.L.C.. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on July 26th, 2023. Office Location:New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process may be served. The Post Office the address to which shall mail a copy of any process against the L.L.C. served upon him/her is 7014 15th Avenue,Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.The principle business address of the L.L.C. is 212 East Broadway, G1507, New York, NY 10002

Notice of Qualification of RELATED 418 11TH AVENUE OWNER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/16/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/16/23.

Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., Federal and Duke of York St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of RP ZEREGA NY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/23/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/20/23. Princ. office of LLC: 423 W. 55th St., 7th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal State St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: All lawful activities related to renewable energy generation in the state of New York.

Notice of Qualification of ALCLEAR KYC, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/18/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/16/23. Princ. office of LLC: 85 10th Ave., 9th Fl, NY, NY 10011. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of PLATINUM PLUS AUTO GLASS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/08/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/22/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secy. of State, Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SOM IW HOLDINGS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/23/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/17/22. Princ. office of LLC: 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich St., NY, NY 10007. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SRU MANAGEMENT, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/23/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/28/10. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Blue Haven Initiative, One Mifflin Pl., Ste. 400, Cambridge, MA 02138. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 4160 MAIN STREET OWNER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/06/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/05/23. Princ. office of LLC: 520 Madison Ave., Ste. 3501, NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Real estate investment.

Notice of Qualification of ANORAK100 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/21/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/16/23. 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. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of BLUE REEF LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/25/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 138 Cucumber Creek Rd., Breckenridge, CO 80424. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation: RADIANT LIFE RESOURCES LLC. Arts of Org filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/12/2023. Office location: NY COUNTY. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail a copy of process against the LLC to R/A at US Corp Agnt, Inc, 7014 13th Ave, #202, Bklyn, NY, 11228. Purpose: any lawful act.

NY Trout Squad LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/26/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 228 Park Ave S #258207, NY, NY, 10003. R/A: U.S. Corp Agents Inc., 7014 13th Ave. #202, Bklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of WILLIAMSBURG 157-159 WYTHE AVENUE, L.L.C. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/31/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/24/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of VERIS GROUP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/24/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Virginia (VA) on 01/27/05. 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. VA addr. of LLC: 13800 Coppermine Rd., Ste. 177, Herndon, VA 20171. Cert. of Form. filed with VA State Corp. Commission, 1300 E. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of TILLMAN GLOBAL HOLDINGS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/17/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/01/13. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 27th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Sweetsandthings LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/30/2018. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to: 135-30 127th St., South Ozone Park, NY, 11420. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

CJDW Limited Liability Company Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/27/2023. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to 11559 Mexico Street, St. Albans, NY, 11412. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Multiply USD LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/18/123. 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, 540 Manhattan Ave #4B New York, NY 10027. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Stone Way Trucking LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/10/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 30 Broad St., 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of WILLIAMSBURG 161 WYTHE AVENUE, L.L.C. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/05/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/24/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 142 LAWRENCE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/21/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 73 Spring St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o United American Land LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Pros & Cones LLC filed Articles of Organization with the NY Department of State on August 3, 2023. Its office is located in NY County. The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the Company upon whom process against it may be served, and a copy of any process shall be mailed to 767 Third Ave., 38th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The purpose of the Company is any lawful business.

Notice of Formation of DKH METS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/19/20. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Cohen & Cohen, LLP, 767 Third Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

CHART INDUSTRIES II, LLC.

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/14/23. 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 Hyman & Gilbert, Esqs., 1843 Palmer Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of BAUDELAIRE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 445 Park Ave., Ste. 1401, NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Trueveteran Consulting LLC

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/19/2023. Office: Kings County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 425 Williams Drive 1231, Marietta, GA 30066. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of 260 SS BROOME LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/18/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 260 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Ahern Painting Contractors, Inc is seeking M/WBE and SDVOB Subcontractor proposals for the Project: “C34938 Structural Repairs at 9th Avenue Station and Elevated Structure Rehabilitation and Painting from 9th Avenue Portal to Stillwell Terminal West End Line (BMT), in the Borough of Brooklyn”. Please contact Anna at 718639-5880 for details.

Glow Up Enterprises, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/04/2023. Office: NEW YORK County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: Northwest Registered Agent LLC, 418 Broadway, Suite N, Albany, NY, 12207. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of 2 HORATIO STREET LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/29/23. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 55 Fifth Ave., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10003. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Time Equities Inc. at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Read 108, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/01/2023. Office: NEW YORK County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy to: 86 Jane Street, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of Rodney Cobcobo LLC. Art. of Org. filed w/Secy. Of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/3/23. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent for service of process. SSNY shall mail process to 123 E.102nd St., Apt. 6E, New York, NY 10029. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Rpbm LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/9/2023. Office: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 143 E 47th St, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful act.

199 Bowery 10C LLC Arts of Org filed with the SSNY on 7/27/2023. Office: Albany County. NW Registered Agent LLC designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to NW Registered Agent LLC, 90 State St.,Ste 700, Off 40, Albany NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Lobo Creations LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 5/20/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail copy to: 165 West 91st Street, #11A, NY, NY, 10024. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Certified Athletic Trainer. NYC. Assess & treat athletic injuries for Japanese medical clinic; develop & implement rehabilitation programs; file & manage insurance claims. Req’d: BA athletic training or related; NYS certification; athletic training admin.; rehabilitation; psychology; health mgmt; massage; diet & nutrition; weight control. M-F, 9-5. Salary: $45,690.00 per year. Send resume to Job #3, Japanese Medical Care, PLLC, 424 Madison Ave., 7th Fl., NY, NY, 10022 and old address is 315 Madison Ave., 17th Fl., NY, NY 10017.

195 HELP WANTED 359 BRONX FURN APTS

CONCOURSE GARDENS

Waiting list has been reopened and applications are now available for CONCOURSE GARDENS, a 118-unit HUD-subsidized building for elderly over 62 years old, with limited income, located at 245 Echo Place, in Bronx. Eligibility will be based on Section 8 guidelines and HUD regulations.

Interested persons may obtain an application by calling Concourse Gardens at 718901-5336 or by writing to:

CONCOURSE GARDENS Management Office 245 Echo Place Bronx, NY 10457

Under this agreement rates are subject to change with 30 days notice. In the event of a cancellation before schedule completion, I understand that the rate charged will be based upon the rate for the number of insertions used.

Completed applications must be sent by regular mail to the P.O. Box indicated on the application. Duplicate applications will be dropped to the bottom of the list. Completed applications should be received by the deadline date of December 17th, 2023.

CCNY alumna Dalliana Toussaint returns to coach the volleyball team

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Having a full-time job as a third-grade teacher at Success Academy in the Bronx and being a mother with a small child hasn't dimmed Dalliana Toussaint’s love of volleyball. This fall, she has returned to her alma mater, City College of New York (CCNY), to coach the women’s volleyball team.

“I adore volleyball. It’s the passion for it. I definitely enjoy teaching the skills. I love working with kids,” said Toussaint, who has coached volleyball at various levels for about eight years, including two seasons leading CCNY from 2014–15.

CCNY competes at the Division III level. The student-athletes don’t have athletic scholarships and like many individuals attending City University of New York (CUNY) institutions, they have obligations outside of college—but their love of volley-

ball and competition fuels them.

Toussaint can identify with that, having been a Division III player herself and feeling not only passion for the sport, but also the bond of being on a team. “Also,

you get to do a bit of traveling,” said Toussaint.

“It feels great being back,” added Toussaint, who in 2018 was inducted into the CCNY Alumni Varsity Association Athletics Hall of Fame.

“We’ll continue doing what we do, representing the school. Getting the girls hopefully ready for a championship. That’s the goal.”

Toussaint said she can see the positive energy that the players

have and their mutually supportive attitudes. When it’s practice or match time, they shut out everything else and focus on volleyball. Then, it’s back to school, work, and family. The team continues to work on raising their level of play.

“It’s definitely bringing back the nostalgia of playing and then coaching,” said Toussaint, who took time off from volleyball after giving birth to her son three years ago. “When I was asked to coach again, I said sure. It’s cool to have the opportunity to do it again. I’m also coaching some club volleyball. I feel like I was waiting to return.”

She also loves being a teacher, and that includes teaching the student-athletes on CCNY’s team. Toussaint could envision herself coaching full-time at the Division I or II level if the right opportunity arose.

The CCNY volleyball team is currently 3–3. The Beavers are next in action tonight with an away match at the College of Mount Saint Vincent.

HBCU GO continues to expand its imprint on college sports

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

HBCU GO, a free-streaming digital platform, recently announced a 10-year media rights partnership with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), a Division II conference of 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The agreement grants HBCU GO cable, linear, streaming, broadcast, VOD and pay-per-view rights coverage of all CIAA team sports through June 30, 2032. A portion of the funds will be invested in upgrading the sports and broadcast equipment at the CIAA’s member institutions.

The increased coverage provides opportunities for young media talent to live their dreams as sports broadcasters. Among them is Courtney Tate, a Howard University alumna, who has put time and effort into building her skills in front of and behind the camera since her graduation in 2018.

“It is cool working with HBCU GO,” said Tate, who began with the company during the 2022–23 college basketball season. “While I have a passion for sports, I also have a passion for Black colleges. It is great to be able to give these schools a platform.

… Every game feels like a family reunion.”

Tate grew up in North Carolina play-

ing basketball and had opportunities to play college basketball at a Division II or III institution, but was intent on moving to Washington, D.C.—so she gave up the hardwood to earn a broadcast journalism degree at Howard. During college, she gained broadcast experience reporting for ESPNU and hosting a radio sports show called “No B.S.-Nothing but Sports.”

“Being in Washington, D.C., which is a huge media market for sports and news, I started interning with the Washington Wizards,” said Tate. “One of the guys I interned for is now a vice president for HBCU GO. Those relationships I built in D.C. are still impacting me to this day.”

Since graduating college, she’s worked her way up from small media markets to more high profile positions, such as reporting for NBC Sports California for the San Francisco 49ers while also covering the LSU Tigers for USA Today Sports Network. She is undaunted by all the traveling.

“I was dedicated to the process,” said Tate. “I found enjoyment throughout, whether I’m covering high school sports or the 49ers or college sports, which I’m doing now. Everything fell in line for me because I knew that I wanted my office to be on a sideline or to be covering the world of sports, which is something I’m extremely passionate about.”

The CCNY volleyball team and coaches (CCNY Athletics photo)

HBCU Go journalist Courtney Tate (Photo courtesy of Courtney Tate/HBCU Go)

Adam Jones, a voice for Blacks in baseball, retires as an Oriole

By JEFF PETRILLE, MLBbro Special to the AmNews

The best team in the American League signed a franchise legend one last time.

On September 15, Adam Jones signed a ceremonial contract with the Baltimore Orioles and officially retired as a Major League Baseball player. Jones was honored at a ceremony at Camden Yards in Baltimore last Friday before the Orioles took on the Tampa Bay Rays to commemorate the 11 seasons that he wore the O’s across his chest.

Jones ranks among the top 10 in Orioles history in games played (1,613), hits (1,781), homers (263), doubles (305), RBIs (866) and runs scored (875). During his tenure from 2008-2018 playing his home games at Camden Yards, Jones had a .279/.319/.459 slashline and didn’t miss a single game during the 2012 season.

The 5x All-Star, 4x Gold Glove winner and 2013 Silver Slugger award winner played 14 seasons overall. He produced a .277 batting average, 282 home runs, 945 RBI, and 1,939 hits. Jones had many

memorable moments as the party starter for the Orioles' offense, but his proudest moment happened as a member of Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

It was another watershed moment as Black players led the way for USA Baseball’s first championship. Behind the superior pitching of Marcus Stroman, the clutch hitting of Andrew McCutchen and “The Catch” by Jones that will forever live in baseball lore—Team USA de -

feated the Dominican Republic in the semis and Puerto Rico in the finals for sweet victory. The 38-year-old Jones was selected with the 37th pick in the 2003 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners. Originally drafted as a shortstop and a pitcher out of Samuel F.B. Morse High School in San Diego, California, he made the transition to the outfield when the Mariners acquired Yuniesky Betancourt, and made his MLB debut with the team on July 14, 2006.

Jones spent a season and a half in the Pacific Northwest, and then was traded along with four other pitchers to Baltimore in exchange for left-handed pitcher Érik Bédard. He didn’t see his first postseason action until 2012, when they beat the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card game, eventually losing to the New York Yankees in the fifth and final game of the divisional series.

The furthest Jones ever made it in his quest for the World Series

was the ALCS in 2014 when they were the second seed in the AL, taking out the Tigers in the divisional series, and eventually being swept in the ALCS by the Kansas City Royals.

After his final season with the Orioles, Jones signed a one-year contract worth $3 million with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he had a .260/.313/.414 slashline. He then played two seasons in the Japanese baseball league with the Orix Buffaloes, with his last baseball game being played in 2021. Besides his terrific career on the field, Jones was a very active voice off the field. He’s been a huge voice in speaking out against systemic and overt racism in the game, as he had multiple occasions where fans yelled racist remarks and threw objects at him. He understood during his time that there weren’t too many Black players and that Black fans were underrepresented. Jones conducted himself with class and dignity, providing a serious, gritty, and professional element to the locker room. The dynamic elements of his all-around game did most of the talking for him.

Will another title move Dusty Baker into the G.O.A.T. conversation?

By RON AGERS, MLBbro Special to the AmNews

Last season, when Dusty Baker and the Houston Astros took home the World Series championship, it was more than the franchise’s first title since 2017. It was a clearing of a dark cloud and cleansing of a reputation.

Baker was not the manager of the 2017 team that was caught in a cheating scandal that rocked the sport and stained championship history. Instead, his leadership brought back a reasonable level of respect for the franchise. Baker also became just the third Black manager in MLB history to win a World Series—Cito Gaston (Toronto Blue Jays) and Dave Roberts (Los Angeles Dodgers) being the others.

Now a prevailing question is how does the 74-year-old Baker’s resume stack up in the annals of MLB history if the Astros win the World Series again? Will another title elevate him into the conversation of the greatest managers of all time?

Based on what has happened throughout the course of this season and the latest of current events, if the MLBbro manager does pull it off, it would be content for a reality series.

Baker has been criticized heavily for peculiar lineups, most recently for not playing one of the Astros’ top players, center field-

er Chas McCormick, due to a lack of consistency and weight concerns. Baker addressed the issue earlier this month.

“As far as my not liking Chas, I don’t understand where that’s coming from at all,” Baker said to Sports Illustrated. “It’s caused kind of a (expletive) out there which is unnecessary, totally unnecessary. It seems like if somebody has something against me, they ought to use it against me and not use my players against me. That is so wrong.

“As far as Chas not playing, you can ask Chas,” Baker continued. “I told him before

he got hurt ‘Chas you can have this job if you want it. I’m not going to give it to you but if you want this job you can take it.’ Then he got hurt. He was out for 20 days. Twenty days. Imagine how many more atbats he’d have then…

“I take care of my guys, and I appreciate it if people would stop trying to help me manage because I think I know what I'm doing,” Baker emphasized. “I take care of my players the same way they take care of me.”

To his credit, McCormick has not added fuel to the fire. He’s been a professional and

plays when he’s called upon.

“Right now, we’re OK. It’s really all about winning each game here on out [with] no distractions. We’re good,” McCormick said.

Houston was 84-68 and in first place in the American League West when they faced the Baltimore Orioles on the road yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. The Astros were .5 games ahead of the second place Texas Rangers (83-68).

Baker has had to deal with a plethora of challenges this season, including injuries to star players, a revolving door of pitchers and leaks of internal team matters to the media.

If the Astros win the division or earn a wildcard spot, Baker will be entering the postseason with an expiring contract for the third year in a row after signing a oneyear extension in November. With contract negotiations likely to start at the end of the season, it is arguably the most tenuous of situations for any manager with as successful a run as Baker has had with the Astros.

Regardless of what the future holds, Baker has been one of baseball’s most significant figures over the past four decades. He has been a prominent voice in pointing out the lack of diversity in the sport, and staunch advocate for more opportunities for Blacks as managers and in executive roles.

He has proven to be one of the game’s best leaders on and off the field.

Former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones (right) officially retired from Major League Baseball last Friday (MLB.com photo)

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker (MLB.com photo)

Albany State knocks off Morehouse 24–14 in second annual HBCU Classic

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

The Albany State Golden Rams raced out to a 17–0 lead against the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers and went to earn their first victory of the 2023 season in a 24–14 win in the second annual HBCU Classic (HBCUNY) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon.

The victory was also the first for head coach Quinn Gray, who was hired to take over the coaching position last December. The former Florida A&M standout quarterback was on the roster of four NFL teams between 2002 and 2008 and was previously the quarterbacks coach for Alcorn State from 2020 to 2022.

Albany State scored on a two-yard pass to wide receiver Ralph Lovett from quarterback Isaiah Knowles to open the scoring, and converted a two-point play to take an 8–0 lead. Knowles followed that up with a 58-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashad Jordan. Kicker Eli Mashburn then nailed a 28-yard field goal to give the Golden Rams a commanding 17–0 lead toward the end of the first half.

But the Maroon Tigers didn’t give in.

Quarterback Derrach West threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Brogan Korta and Morehouse cut Albany State’s lead to 17–7 by halftime.

With no scoring in the third quarter, West

connected with Marqueiz Pride for a TD to cut the Albany State lead to 17–14 in the fourth. But Albany State came back with an 8-play, 72-yard drive. Knowles and Jordan hooked up again for a 13-yard touchdown and to put the game away.

“We preach, play the next play,” said Gray. “So for us, If a mistake is made, we’re able to move on and put that mistake behind us and play the next play. Yeah, we had some instances in the game that were, you know, [but the] defense sort of, kind of

stepped up for us offensively, [because] we got a little stagnant.”

Gray also discussed the significance of the game.

“Eleven of these kids had never been on an airplane before so the experiences this has created for these kids is second to none,” he said. “They got a chance to see some things they have never seen before… and play on the field that they may never play on again,” referring to the field where two NFL teams—the Jets and the Giants— play their home games.

Morehouse head coach Gerard Wilcher shared his program’s priorities after the defeat.

“These are Morehouse men,” he exclaimed. “We are here to win and graduate. We are working on the winning part as well as the graduation part.”

Thousands of alumni and fans of both schools celebrated before the game tailgating in MetLfe’s parking lot. At halftime, hip hop legend Big Daddy Kane performed. With nearly 20,000 fans inside the stadium and seemingly as many outside, it appears that the HBCU Classic is here to stay and not just because of the Black excellence shown on the football field. With a full week of activities, including college fairs in both New York City and Newark, the HBCU Classic is shining a light on many of the great aspects of HBCUs.

Jackson State football tries to find its identity without Deion Sanders

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

In Deion “Prime” Sanders’s three years as Jackson State (JSU) head coach (2020–2022), the team’s record was 27–6, including marks of 11–2 in 2021 and 12–1 last season. The Tigers were the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions in Sanders’s final two seasons and one of the most popular and followed HBCU teams since the heydays of Grambling State University under the late, legendary head coach Eddie Robinson.

Sanders moved on to take the head coaching position at the University of Colorado last December and instantly transformed a Buffaloes team that was 1–11 a season ago to mustsee TV, arguably the hottest ticket in all of sports. He led them to a 3–0 record and a No. 19 ranking in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

The Tigers are not off to a similar auspicious start under new head coach Thomas “T.C.” Taylor, a former player for Jack -

son State from 1998–2001. Taylor served on Sanders’s staff as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, and was the tight ends and wide receivers coach at his alma mater going back to

2019 before ascending to that position.

Sanders ardently lobbied for Taylor to replace him, confident the former JSU quarterback and wide receiver could continue to

build on the strong foundation he had laid before departing to coach a major college program.

Colorado, which currently is in the Pac-12 Conference, will move to the Big Conference effective

for the 2024-25 academic year.

“Everybody’s been asking me, ‘Are you ready’”? Taylor said earlier this season via the Associated Press. “I’m like, ‘Just put the ball down. We’ll show you what I’m talking about.’”

Jackson State opened this season on August 26 with a 37–7 win over South Carolina State in the Cricket MEAC-SWAC Challenge Kickoff, then fell to Florida A&M in Miami, before defeating Southern for the fourth straight time in Week 3. They were beaten handily 77–34 by Texas State last weekend and are 2–2 going into this Saturday’s game versus Bethune-Cookman in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has not begun conference play, but so far, Morgan State and North Carolina Central have the best records at 2–1. North Carolina Central took a 59–7 drubbing by UCLA last Saturday.

In the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), heading into this weekend’s games, Virginia State and Virginia Union are undefeated at 3–0.

Head coach T.C. Taylor has Jackson State sitting at 2-2 going into this Saturday’s game versus BethuneCookman while Winston Salem State topped Elizabeth City 24-7 last Saturday (Lem Peterkin photo)

Albany State head coach Quinn Gray (Jahvan White photo)

Giants take next-man-up approach with Saquon Barkley injured Sports

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The Giants’ playoff hopes, which were based on a 40–0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 and an improbable 31–28 historic comeback win against the Arizona Cardinals last week, now seem dubious, and are in even further peril after the team confirmed that running back Saquon Barkley sustained a sprained right ankle late in the fourth quarter.

Barkley had atoned for letting a pass from quarterback Daniel Jones escape through his hands with a little under 4:30 remaining in the second quarter, leading to an interception by Cardinals defensive back Jalen Thompson.

Arizona turned it into a 44-yard field goal at 1:09 to give the Cardinals a 20-0 halftime lead.

Barkley’s scintillating nine-

yard touchdown pass from Jones at 8:51 of the fourth quarter and a successful extra point by kicker Graham Gano cut Arizona’s margin to 28-21. The Giants went on to score another touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Jones to wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins at 4:25 that was the precursor to Gano’s game-winning 34-yarder with just 19 seconds on the clock.

An extended absence of three weeks or more by Barkley would be acutely burdensome for the Giants’ offense. Despite making roughly $30 million less than Jones this season after signing a one-year contract in late July worth up to $11 million, he is arguably just as valuable as Jones to the unit’s production and success. Last season, Barkley accounted for 27% of the Giants offense, accumulating 1,650 yards from scrimmage, including 1,312 rushing and 10 total touchdowns.

Before tonight’s game on the road versus the 2–0 San Francisco 49ers, Giants head coach Brian Daboll didn’t want to entertain conjecture about how much time Barkley would miss.

“Whatever it is, we’ll have a plan ready to go,” said Daboll on Monday. “If he can play, he can play, and if he can’t, then we’ll have the other guys prepared and ready to go.

“I’m hopeful,” continued Daboll. “Haven’t talked to him this morning before he went to get further tests, but I don’t want to speculate until I have the full information.”

It would be highly abnormal for any player to come back on the field with only three days in-between games after what appeared to be a serious sprain. Barkley’s status, according to the Giants, is week-to-week. If he sits out versus the 49ers, which is likely, Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell are

expected to get most of the carries—they’ll move up the depthchart while Barkley mends.

The Jets, which are 1–1 after a

The Liberty sweep the Mystics to advance in the WNBA playoffs

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

For the first time since 2015, the New York Liberty emerged victorious in a first round playoff series.

The No. 2 seed Liberty, avoiding going to Washington for Game 3, defeated the No. 7 seed Mystics 90–85 in overtime on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to complete a 2–0 sweep in the best-of-three series. They advance to the semifinal round of the WNBA playoffs.

The Liberty took a 46–35 halftime lead but the Mystics roared back in the third quarter, outscoring the Liberty 21–13 and 20–17 in the fourth to force OT. In the extra period, New York was up 88–85 when Mystics guard Ariel Atkins missed a 3-pointer with 7 seconds left to end the potential comeback.

“Today there were highs and lows,” said Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, who paced her team with 27 points and added 9 rebounds. “We knew it was going to be emotional. [Washington] was going to go out swinging. We stayed the course. We didn't stop playing until the final buzzer.”

Forward Jonquel Jones added 19 points and a team-leading 14 rebounds, and forward Betnijah Laney also had 19 points.

Mystics veteran guard Natasha Cloud was

sensational in the loss, scoring a gamehigh 33 points, in addition to registering 9 assists and 6 rebounds.

Mystics star Elena Della Donne, who had an off night with just 11 points, including going 0–6 on 3-point attempts, paid the Liberty respect after the gripping Game 2.

“They’ve got a tough, long defense where they can change up the match-ups and try to get us cross-matched,” said Della Donne. “They keep you guessing and trying to read what’s going on.”

In Game 1 of the series last Friday, the Liberty had four players in double figures— with guard Sabrina Ionescu putting up an exceptional 29 points.

The Liberty begin their best-of-five semifinal round on Sunday afternoon at Barclays Center against the winner of the series between No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun and No. 6 seed Minnesota Lynx. The series was tied 1–1 going into the decisive Game 3 in Minnesota last night (Wednesday). Game 2 of the Liberty’s semifinal will be Tuesday night at Barclays.

New York had its best regular season record in the team’s history, going 32–8 and finishing second overall behind the 34–6 Las Vegas Aces. Despite assembling an All-Star laden squad, the team has been committed to collective success.

p.m.

Positive news has kept coming for the Liberty. Laney, who has been a critically impactful performer for the team this season, has signed a multi-year extension through the 2025 season.

Guard Courtney Vandersloot is one of the WNBA’s Peak Performers for 2023, leading the league in assists for the seventh time. In 14 games this season, she had 10 or more assists. Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb was named WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year.

The Associated Press named Breanna Stewart its Player of the Year. This is Stewart’s third such honor since AP started began the award in 2016. Stewart had four 40-point games this year—a WNBA single-season record which tied the all-time WNBA record for 40-point games. She was also selected to the All-AP First Team. Ionescu was named to the All-AP Second Team, her second such honor.

30-10 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, will host the 0–2 New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium this Sunday at 1:00

The Giants hope running back Saquon Barkley (pictured with center John Michael Schmitz Jr.) has fast recovery from sprained right ankle suffered in their 31–28 win over Arizona Cardinals on Sunday (Giants.com photo)

Guard (L) Sabrina Ionescu and forward (R) Betnijah Laney have been crucial performers in helping lead the Liberty to the WNBA playoffs semifinal round (Brandon Todd/New York Liberty photo)