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SON OF OUSTED GABONESE LEADER

JOINS DAD IN HOT WATER

(GIN)—There is more bad news for the Bongo family, one-time rulers of the oil-rich nation of Gabon for nearly 56 years.

On the same day as a military coup removed President Ali Bongo Ondimba from power, soldiers arrested one of Bongo’s sons; five senior cabinet officials; and his wife, Sylvia Bongo Valentin.

State TV showed video of government troops searching the homes of the former cabinet members and seizing trunks, suitcases, and bags filled with banknotes.

Prosecutor Andre-Patrick Roponat said those who were detained include Bongo’s eldest son Noureddin Bongo Valentin and former presidential spokesman Jessye Ella Ekogha, as well as four others close to the deposed leader. Ex-President Bongo is reportedly in his private residence in Libreville.

The public in Gabon appeared

to support the arrests and detentions. Gabon’s opposition, activists, and civil society groups marched in several towns, including Libreville, Franceville, and Port-Gentil, this week in support of the arrests. Gabon’s opposition and civil society groups that support the military junta

say members of the ousted president’s family are suspected to have acquired real estate empires and stashed huge amounts of money in foreign banks, which could remove the oil-producing nation and its citizens from poverty and reduce the gap between the majority poor and the few rich.

“The Gabonese just want to end the reign of a dynasty that has not improved their economic conditions in five decades. They did that through the ballot, but got shortchanged,” said Oluwole Ojewale of the Institute of Security Studies.

Chris Ogunmodede, a foreign affairs analyst who lives in Dakar, Senegal, said: “The ongoing events in Gabon, taking place in the wake of the coup in Niger, shines another spotlight on France’s dysfunctional relationship with its former colonies in Africa and the damaging ways Western support for autocrats on the continent is just as corrosive to democratic governance as the military coups they claim to oppose.”

AFRICAN LEADERS SHOW NEW MILITANCY AMID GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES (GIN)—“We

must make up for time lost to foot-dragging, armtwisting, and the naked greed of entrenched interests raking in billions from fossil fuels.”

That was Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the U.N., speaking to world leaders at a General Assembly symposium at United Nations headquarters this month.

The world still has the capacity to course-correct if only global leaders would take action and support developing countries in addressing the crises, he added.

“Our focus here is on climate solutions—and our task is urgent. Humanity has opened the gates of hell,” Guterres said. “If nothing changes, we are heading toward a 2.8 degrees temperature rise towards a dangerous and unstable world.”

Meanwhile, in speeches before the U.N., African leaders presented a new

See INTERNATIONAL on page 31

Garifunas in Guatemala: Building peace and hope

By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA Special to the AmNews

Translated by KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO

Amsterdam News Staff

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet Garifuna professor and lawyer Mario Ellington Lambe. We met and spoke while taking part in a conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that dealt with racism in Latin America and the Caribbean. We were able to talk about the history of the Garifuna people, their background, culture, and their current situation.

Carib War and fought the British to a stalemate that led to a treaty signed in February 1773. The British did not really honor the treaty though, and a Second Carib War broke out in March 1795. During this second war, Satuye was assassinated by the enslavers, but he remained a hero to the Garifuna and was officially declared a national hero of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on March 14, 2002. With the failure of these insurrections, though, Afrodescendant and Indigenous people were expelled to the island of Roatán, which is today part of the Republic of Honduras.

Arts & Entertainment Page 19

» Astro Page 22

» Jazz Page 26

» Travel Page 23

Caribbean Update Page 14

Classified ........................................ Page 34

Editorial/Opinion Pages 12,13

Education Page 30

Go with the Flo Page 8

Health Page 16

In the Classroom Page 28

Community Page 9

Religion & Spirituality Page 32

Sports Page 43

Where did the Garifuna culture come from?

The Garifunas, explains Ellington, are part of the extraordinary and marvelous history of the Caribbean. The Carib and Arawak peoples were banished from Venezuela in the 17th century and sent to the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This, combined with the enslavement of African people in the same lands, led the way to several insurrections by both groups against the European colonial powers (France and England).

Two of these freedom-seeking revolts were led by Satuye (a.k.a. Joseph Chatoyer), a Garifuna leader. In 1772, Satuye organized the First

Roatán island: epicenter of Garifuna culture

Mario Ellington and other Garifunas I have interviewed in Honduras, such as Roy Guevara, the late leader Celeo Álvarez, and Professor Salvador Suazo, all agree that the island of Roatán became the source of Garifuna language, spirituality, and culture.

Roatán gave birth to the Afro Indian Garifuna culture and spirituality, which is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It was from there that the Garifuna people migrated to Nicaragua, Belize, and Guatemala.

The Garifuna arrived in Guatemala in 1802. The largest Garifuna community in Guatemala is locat-

ed in the port city of Livingston, Izabal department, Puerto Barrios. The Guatemalan Civil War saw armed conflict between Marxist guerrillas and the Guatemalan army from 1960 through 1996. Many Garifuna youth and children were forcibly recruited to join the armed forces. It led to almost 200,000 deaths. The consequences of this long and painful conflict severely affected the economic and social stability of the country, producing a forced internal and external migration of thousands of Garifuna.

The Seed Movement and the Garifuna people

“I have been a supporter of the Movimiento Semilla (Seed Movement), promoted by Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu (1992), the second Guatemalan to receive the Nobel Prize, after Professor Miguel Angel Asturias who received the same prize in 1967,” says Mario Ellington Lambe.

Lambe tells us that the Garifunas of Guatemala have been one of the most persecuted people in Central

Guatemala’s national Garifuna Day in 2009 (Mario Ellington Lambe photo) See

Degrading work: New York City piles on composting efforts

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

New Yorkers never back down from a scrap, so composting is ramping up in the Big Apple. Cores of not-so-big apples and other food waste can be sorted and dropped off by the city’s orange “smart bins” to biodegrade, providing a greener alternative to incineration or landfills.

Permanent and compulsory curbside composting—mandated by one of five bills passed by city council in the “Zero Waste Act” bill package—arrives in Brooklyn next week. Bronx and Staten Island are up after next March and Manhattan collection starts in October 2024. And the program is already in full-effect in Queens.

Councilmember Sandy Nurse, one champion of the “Zero Waste Act,” told the Amsterdam News the package better democratizes citywide environmental efforts, allowing residents throughout New York City to participate in greener solutions like composting.

“People with cleaner neighborhoods are the kind of ones who seem to have the luxury of living plastic-free lives [like] whatever we see on Instagram and protesting,” said Nurse. “This legislation has been so important to really course correct

the city’s approach to organic waste and what neighborhoods the city has thought would be really receptive to it.

“The [composting] pilot that initially started was in Windsor Terrace. [It] started heavily in Park Slope. And some of these outer neighborhoods where it is mostly Black and Latino folks or AAPI communities, we have not had those programs in our community. This bill makes it universal. Everyone has access to the same infrastructure.”

Her city council colleague Shahana Hanif, who authored the bill, pointed to the exclusion of Black and brown New Yorkers from the city’s “robust” composting efforts as a key issue when she initially introduced the legislation last year.

Nurse adds that mitigating landfill waste through measures like mandatory composting fights back against environmental racism. And generally allows the city to be a better neighbor. She points to the outsourcing of trash to other parts of the state, as well as in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where largely low-income communities of color reside.

So how are New Yorkers expected to compost? The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) offers free brown bins to Brooklynites until Oct. 13. But any labeled container 55 gallons or less with a secured lid works—lining the bin with a trash bag and

filling it with food scraps, yard waste and “food-soiled” paper. That includes bones, dairy products and workplace potluck dishes made by coworkers who can’t cook. But keep out hygiene products, diapers, animal waste and recyclables.

The program will become citywide in just a little over a year on Oct. 7, 2024 when the last borough, Manhattan, begins adopting curbside composting. Nurse says when the time comes, legally-mandated outreach like door-knocking should be expected. The process is currently taking place in Brooklyn.

But in uptown, Manhattan Community Board 10 and Greater Harlem Coalition (GHC) spokespeople both told the AmNews that composting is yet to come across the radars of many Harlemites.

“For the New Yorkers in our neighborhood, very few people are really thinking about compost and most people are more focused at the moment on the 8 p.m. trash put-out time which has impacted homeowners,” said GHC cofounder Shawn Hill.

Similar to the garbage disposal rules, the city is betting on composting as an anti-rat measure.

“Putting food waste in sealed containers is a huge rat mitigation strategy,” said Nurse. “That involves making sure that

Applications for heating assistance opens soon—what you need to know to stay warm

By HELINA SELEMON Blacklight Science Reporter

Fall leaves have barely hit the ground, but utility bills will soon pivot from cooling to heating. For some New Yorkers whose utility costs are too high, preparing for winter and the energy bills that come with it can begin as early as next week.

Starting October 2, eligible households in New York will be able to apply for help with covering critical emergency and non-emergency assistance with keeping utilities on, furnace repairs, heating equipment replacement, and emergency repairs through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Non-emergency energy assistance applications will be accepted starting on Nov. 1.

It’s important to apply as early as possible, because applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. New Yorkers can apply online, request an application by mail, or receive assistance in person at their nearest NYC Human Resources Administration office.

Briana Carbajal, state legislative manager for WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a community organization that empowers low-income New Yorkers of color, said that LIHEAP doesn’t usually provide immediate relief, because applications often

Property deed scammers in New Rochelle and Yonkers

Six people and a business were indicted in July by Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah and accused of stealing the property deeds of New Rochelle and Yonkers homeowners. The homeowners were facing bankruptcy and even foreclosure. They had turned to the indicted individuals––Marcia Campbell, 61, a licensed real estate broker from New Rochelle, and her husband, licensed real estate salesperson Fred Campbell, 64; New York City attorney Anthony Chilliest, 53; Gerald Smith, 48, of Elmsford; Wayne Green, 48, of Lynbrook; Frank Palmer, 66, of the Bronx; and the Campal Corporation (a company owned by Marcia Campbell)––because they believed they would be helped with refinancing their properties.

Instead, two homeowners in New Rochelle and one in Yonkers were scammed: The indicted people reportedly obtained $2 million in loans against their homes.

While the charges against the defendants are still accusations and need to be proven, Rocah said, “Deed theft schemes exploit the most vulnerable and can have lasting housing and financial impacts to families. My office will seek to hold the defendants accountable for allegedly stealing titles to victims’ homes while pretending to help them.”

take weeks to process. If you find yourself at risk of having your utility services cut off, Carbajal offered some guidance: First, call your utility company to inquire about a payment freeze. Simultaneously, file an application with the NYC Human Resources Administration through the LIHEAP program. If further assistance is needed, consider reaching out to charitable organizations in your community like WE ACT and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.

A significant challenge to protecting people in colder months is that many New Yorkers don’t know that they may qualify for the program.

“The funds are only reaching a portion of the people [who] are actually eligible for the program,” said Carbajal. “We think that it’s a really important program. We are constantly advocating for the federal government to increase the amount of funding that they’re putting into this program, because the need is clearly there.”

LIHEAP received more than $412 million in federal funds to fulfill these requests across the state last year, reaching just over 1 million households in recent years. New York applicants who sought support for heating services in recent years received an average of $479 in relief. However, despite the program’s de-

cades-long role in protecting vulnerable families, it faces ongoing challenges in addressing the stress of maintaining utility services in the long term.

Somewhere around 50% of New Yorkers are eligible for these services, according to Diana Hernandez, associate professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University, who studies energy inequality. However, one issue with the program is that a lot of these funds are going to homeowners, not renters.

“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that [renters] don’t experience energy hardships,” she said.

Renters tend to be burdened more than others in part because the landlords don’t have incentives to make the energy upgrades necessary to keep energy costs low. With housing costs rising, it’s hard to say how poor is “poor.”

Excessive heat in warmer months poses a significant threat to New Yorkers—extreme heat kills more people than any other weather-related event combined and affects Black New Yorkers twice as much as others— but staying warm over the cooler months is a safety issue, too. According to Anthony Rogers-Wright, director of environmental justice for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI),

See COMPOSTING on page 27 See HEATING on page 29

If you think you may be a victim of deed theft or fraud, call the Westchester County DA’s Office at 914-995-TIPS (8477).

Wrongful Conviction Day of Action

VOCAL-NY is sponsoring a “Wrongful Conviction Day of Action” rally to boost support for the Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act.

Activists are bringing awareness to the wrongful conviction problem in New York and pushing for reforms through things like passage of New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie’s bill S215, which would provide more resources for individuals looking to be exonerated.

According to the Innocence Project, a nonprofit legal organization that helps free innocent people from prison, “Pretrial decisions by courts and prosecutors also greatly impact the likelihood of wrongful convictions for Black and brown people. Black and Latinx people accused of crimes are more likely to be detained pretrial, putting their jobs, housing, and families at risk.

“When prosecutors offer a plea bargain that would allow a person immediate release from pretrial detention, there is a strong incentive for an innocent person to agree to plead guilty and accept responsibility for a crime they didn’t commit. Nearly 25% of those exonerated since 1989 pled guilty, and nearly 75% of this number are Black and brown people.”

The Innocence Project has urged people to call Gov. Hochul’s office at 518-888-7946 and urge her to sign Myrie’s bill.

The VOCAL-NY “Wrongful Conviction Day of Action” rally takes place Monday, Oct. 2, at 12 noon in Manhattan’s Foley Square.

Biden walks the line—that is, the picket line!

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Nope, it wasn’t Joe Hill, the martyred union activist, but Joe Biden walking the picket line. With a bullhorn in his hand and a UAW cap on his head, Biden joined a throng of union members as they marched and chanted Tuesday afternoon at the Willow Run Redistribution Center in Wayne, Michigan.

Biden, the first sitting president to picket with striking workers, told them as if answering their chants about “No pay, no parts!” that “The fact of the matter is that you guys, the UAW, you saved the automobile industry back in 2008...you made a lot of sacrifices. You gave up a

lot. And the companies were in trouble. Now they’re doing incredibly well and guess what? You should be doing incredibly well.”

Moreover, he said, “You deserve the significant raise you need and the benefits. It’s about time for them to step up for us.”

After his short speech, Biden returned the bullhorn to Shawn Fain, the union’s president. “Thank you, Mr. President, for coming to stand up with us in our generation-defining moment,” Fain said.

Fain put the strikes in historical perspective, recalling Detroit’s role as the arsenal of democracy during World War II: “It’s a different kind of arsenal of democracy and a different war we’re fight-

ing. Today, the enemy isn’t some foreign country miles away, it’s right here in our own area.”

While negotiations have proceeded fairly well with Ford and the Canadian plant, an agreement with Stellantis and GM seems to be as far apart as ever. The union has expanded the strikes to more than 38 sites, hoping the additional pressure will bring the companies to the bargaining table.

Biden and the DNC are also hopeful that his appearance at the strike will bolster his numbers and improve his standing with blue-collar workers. To date, the UAW has not endorsed Biden.

Trump is expected in Michigan on Wednesday.

Hochul passes package of voter laws, including for formerly incarcerated

By ARIAMA C. LONG and TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Members

Governor Kathy Hochul signed an ambitious legislative package into law last week centered around voting rights. These 10 new laws have safeguards for ballot access, electoral education, early voting, and voter protections for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers.

“By safeguarding the integrity of our electoral process and ensuring equal access to the ballot box, we empower every New Yorker to have their voice heard,” said Hochul in a statement. “New York State remains committed to strengthening our democratic process, championing the right to vote for every citizen and cementing our place as a national leader on voting rights.”

Several of the laws essentially improve the voting process and encourage education.

The Strengthening Early Voting Practices (S. 6195/A.1177) allows absentee ballots to be counted if they have been taped and show no signs of tampering. The “Golden Day” law (S. 5984-A/A. 6132-A) creates an opportunity for voters to register and cast their ballots at their polling places on the same day for a period of time on the first day of early voting. S. 6519-A/A. 1565-A establishes a deadline for changing the location of a polling place for an early voting period. S. 7394-A/A-7632-A establishes a system for early voting by mail, and S. 587/A.268 requires the New York State Board of Elections (BOE) to develop and provide a training program for poll workers. The school bill (S. 1733-A/A.5180-A) requires charter schools and non-public schools to promote student voter registration.

Some laws from the package are about the upcoming presidential election in 2024. Protecting New Yorkers’ Vote law

involves court cases and the “Faithless Electors” bill (S. 438/A. 928) prohibits rogue electors from affecting the outcome of a presidential election. Hochul also set the date of the presidential primary election for April 2, 2024.

The legislative package includes the NYS Formerly Incarcerated Voter Protection Act (A4009A/S05965A), which mandates local jails provide “electoral education” for those released from local jails statewide. Here in New York City, the law includes Rikers Island facilities, where more than half the population held is Black. On Wednesday, Sept. 20, Hochul signed the Protection Act at a ceremony at New York Law School in Manhattan.

“This new law is a labor of love to every person who came home with a changed heart, but only needed an opportunity and access to resources to change their lives.

Civic engagement and voting rights restoration is a key step in that change,” said Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs, who sponsored and co-wrote the law in the assembly.

Gibbs is the first formerly incarcerated person to serve in public office in New York State. He considers the Protection Act a passion project for himself while grieving the loss of his mother, Valerie Gibbs, and his daughter, Ariel Gibbs. His daughter died seven years ago and his mom more recently this year, he said.

In his routine tours of state prisons, Gibbs said that he has found many imprisoned men are interested in the history of voting rights, while women are more politically inclined toward current issues.

“I get a sense that a lot of people want to be involved,” said Gibbs. “But there’s always confusion as to whether you can vote or not.”

Gibbs said that versions of the Protection Act had failed to pass in the last couple of legislative sessions because of

particular wording. He set out to partner with State Senate sponsor Jamaal Bailey to get it workshopped and passed. Bailey told the AmNews that the legislation allows more New Yorkers to follow in Gibbs’s footsteps and get civically engaged after navigating the legal criminal justice system. He added that it’s a step toward destigmatizing and demystifying pre-trial detention.

“We all know that you’re innocent until proven guilty,” said Bailey. “But for some reason, when someone is detained, the court [of public opinion], which has no legal standing, often deems people guilty without trial or before trial. You are guilty based upon accusation, incarceration, [and] a number of different things that are not a conviction in a court of law.That’s the mentality of that conversation [and] is something that we’re hoping to ameliorate with this bill.

“But that mentality is something that we have to continue to work on in a number of ways. Not just via this bill, but through civic education…as much as I love my job as legislator, and I think we should pass as many bills as we can, sometimes we can’t legislate everything and [have to] just get to the basics [by doing our] civic duties and make sure that people are aware of their rights.”

To be clear, the bill doesn’t grant new voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals—those affected are largely already eligible to vote. The legislation simply ensures they’re aware of their status after the release from a local jail, both in word and in writing. And for those currently not able to vote, Bailey said the bill ensures they will be informed of any potential pathways to regain their eligibility.

U.S. citizens in New York State currently cannot register to vote while held

See VOTER LAWS on page 39

POP’s Lawrence Hamm announces run for NJ Senate seat

The activist Lawrence Hamm, who serves as chair of the People’s Organization For Progress (POP), says he is a candidate to serve as the next U.S. senator of New Jersey.

Black Star News reports that the POP chair had been contemplating a run for the seat for some time and had actually made a decision to run for the seat prior to last week’s announced indictment of Senator Robert Menendez.

“I am running for the U.S. Senate because I want to make life better for people in this country. Our government must work for the benefit of all the people, not just the rich and powerful,” Hamm reportedly said.

“As senator I will fight for Medicare For All, a $15 per hour federal minimum wage, cancellation of student debt, free college, reparations for African Americans, protection and expansion of social security, and other programs, policies, and legislation to help people.”

Film + Fun at East Orange Plaza, Thursday, Sept. 28

Party at the Plaza on Thursday, Sept. 28 starting at 6 p.m. Come watch a screening of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” with Halle Bailey.

Wear your favorite mermaid attire and bring a blanket and lawn chair!

There will be snacks, face painting, and prizes awarded for the best mermaid costume. All children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, please call 973-266-5151.

2nd annual Afro Vibrations

The 2nd annual Afro Vibrations, hosted by Afro Taco and Newark City Parks Foundation, transports you to a higher frequency with the rhythms, tastes, and arts of Africa and the diaspora in the sacred space of Harriet Tubman Square.

Get ready to groove to the electrifying beats of Afro Vibrations, a mind-blowing event in collaboration with Newark City Parks and Afro Taco. Music by DJ Nayah. Performances, curated vendors, and culinary delights offered by Afro Taco.

The event takes place Friday, Sept. 29, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Harriet Tubman Square, 501-551 Broad St, Newark, N.J. 07102.

East Orange street renaming for The Mighty Mighty Eta Pi

You’re invited to join a street renaming ceremony as The Mighty Mighty Eta Pi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. continues to celebrate 50 years of service!

132 South Harrison Street in East Orange, New Jersey, home of the Omega Family Resource and Learning Center, will be renamed “Eta Pi Way” on Saturday, September 30. The event, which takes place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., will also showcase food, music, and information from community partners.

by Karen Juanita Carrillo

Artist Dr. Myrah Brown Green brings ‘angelic’ quilts to life

New Yorker

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

Dr. Myrah Brown Green is an accomplished educator, writer, curator and a professional quiltmaker with works exploring the lived experience of Black women in today’s society.

Her current exhibit “Talking Quilts,” on display at the Richard Beavers Gallery in Brooklyn, invites art goers to take a look at Black women as guardian angels. Green often alludes to spirituality—strategically placing objects that speak to a higher omniscient knowledge with cultural elements in her works.

“In my work, the figurative devolves into the abstract. People appear without their distinguishing facial features, inviting viewers to see themselves or those they know within the context of the work,” said Green. “Seemingly disparate objects, such as wings or African cowry shells, manifest deeper emotions or states of consciousness in the form of visual metaphors.”

Green is originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts. She fell in love with the arts as a child, spending countless hours creating at the local community center and art institutions in her hometown. As a young adult she moved to Brooklyn to attend the presti-

gious Pratt Institute, and later received her doctorate in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in world symbols.

Green’s quilts are in a number of highprofile collections, including the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, D.C. She also wrote an award-winning book,“Brooklyn on My Mind: Black Artists from the WPA to the Present,” released in 2018.

Green said her work is “subverting the utilitarian nature” of blankets and has developed innovative ways of experiencing textiles. Every detail, pattern, and object in her work is deliberately there to enhance stories, she said.

“Over the past ten years, I have devoted much of my time assisting artists of color document and archive their personal artwork and private collections,” said Green.

Green’s “Talking Quilts” exhibit is on display at the Richard Beavers Gallery from August 26, 2023, to October 7, 2023.

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.

Debt

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Forgiveness programs

Getting

Managing

Dr. Myrah Brown Green (Photo contributed by Dr. Green)

Banks, Adams address the ‘State of Our Schools’

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

Chancellor David Banks and Mayor Eric Adams held a State of Our Schools address at the Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn last week. They covered topics like public safety and career pathways, and briefly touched on the impact the migrant influx has had on New York City public schools.

“There’s a level of optimism I have every time I walk into a New York City public school,” said Adams to the student audience. “But we’re in tough times, and I can’t lie to you. I’m not going to search through a thesaurus and find the proper po litical term to tell you that these are challenging moments for us. And I’m concerned. I want to be honest with you: I’m concerned.”

Banks discussed the Bright Starts and Bold Futures program, which aims to recruit teachers of color, retain diverse teaching staff, and in crease reading proficiencies among Black and brown students via the NYC Reads initiative. Bold Futures also plans to help students address climate change, offers two remote options for high schoolers, and in creases Department of Education (DOE) spending on Minority and Women‑Owned Business (M/WBE)

vendors. The programs were intro duced last year.

“We give our kids the foundation al skills that they need—literacy, safety and emotional wellness—for Bright Starts,” said Banks. “And we prepare them and empower them to build bold futures—futures that give them meaning, sustain them financially, and propel them to be leaders in our communities.”

This past spring and summer, the DOE trained thousands of ed ucators in the science of reading, said Banks. The DOE is providing early childhood programs and ele

mentary schools with instruction al materials that support reading and writing, while half of school districts are adopting one of three NYC Reads curricula. Simulta neously, schools are universally screening students who may be at risk for dyslexia and implementing algebraic courses to improve math scores, said Banks.

Banks gave a quick update on the city’s 18,000 plus migrant students and 26,000 plus students in tem porary housing. “Many of them are migrant students who have arrived in our city over the past year and

a half, so in partnership with our mayor, who has led and advocated in all of these areas, we are going to care for each and every one of our babies and give them that bright start,” said Banks.

He said the DOE has opened 77 new bilingual programs and 36 gifted and talented programs since last fall.

He added the plan is to give every graduating student a “re warding life path” by 2030, with paid work experience, early col lege credit, career credentials, financial and digital literacy,

and significant mentorship and guidance. The programs to ac complish these goals include the FutureReady program and Modern Youth apprenticeships in career fields such as cyberse curity, software development, di agnostic medicine, and business management.

“The purpose of school, first, [is that] our children will become confident readers by the third grade—[that is] a commitment,” said Banks. “Secondly, that our children will be engaged and chal lenged in new and exciting ways. And thirdly, that our children will graduate [from] high school with the knowledge, skills, and expe riences to be financially literate and prepared to go to college or enter the workforce. Those are the commitments that we are making as an administration. On some of these promises, we know we have a long way to go, but I know that the best is yet to come.”

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 ‘dreaded return’ of student loan repayments is upon us, Oct 1

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

With the average graduate grappling with high inflation and housing costs, it turns out the real boogeyman haunting October is student loan repayments (with interest)— which are due to restart next month because of legislation passed by Congress.

According to the U.S. Department of Edu cation (DOE), borrowers will receive a bill ing statement from a loan service provider containing a monthly payment amount in September or October, at least 21 days before the payment’s due date.

Onyekachi Okeke, 24, graduated from City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter Col lege this Spring with over $25,000 in student loan debt. She studied human biology and sociology with hopes of enrolling in nurs ing school in New York City. Currently, she lives at home with her Nigerian family in the Bronx. For now, she is looking for a job to save up money for nursing school and for scholarships to help with costs. She thinks that realistically higher education and the cost of living is much more expensive than for previous generations, so just “working

harder” isn’t going to cut it.

“College is seen as the time in our lives where we’re supposed to prepare ourselves to be able to enter the working field,” said Okeke. “I don’t understand why there’s not an emphasis on trying to help students so they can successfully [do that]. Many stu dents when they graduate college, it’s very difficult to find jobs. Jobs now they want you to get a master’s or even higher to employ you [and] you have to deal with paying back your student loans. I think that’s insane.”

Okeke, who has been involved in politi cal groups on campus, believes it’s doable to make at least CUNY college and univer sities tuition free and reinvest higher ed ucation funding into schools. “It just takes political will,” said Okeke. “When it comes to funding the military and wars and foreign affairs, they will find money for that.”

Unfortunately, President Joe Biden’s hail mary plan to cancel student debt was cate gorically blocked in courts and with legisla tion fueled by conservatives.

As a cursory backup, Biden announced the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, which is the newest income driven repayment (IDR) plan that is supposed to dramatically decrease monthly payments

by increasing the income exemption from 150% to 225% of the poverty line. The SAVE Plan replaced the Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) Plan. Other plan options include the default Standard Repayment Plan, if you don’t pick a plan, the Extended Repayment Plan, Graduated Repayment Plan, and In come Sensitive Repayment Plan.

A borrower can enroll in auto pay on a loan servicer’s website to save 0.25% on their in terest rate. And the DOE advises borrowers to check if you qualify for loan forgiveness for public service employment, disability, or college wrongdoing.

“Every American deserves the opportuni ty to pursue a college education without the burden of unmanageable student loan debt. President Joe Biden and I are committed to delivering relief to student loan borrowers,” said Vice President Kamala Harris in a state ment put out in August.

Harris said the SAVE plan upholds the “promise” the administration made to voters and they are “continuing to pursue an alternative path to deliver student debt relief to as many Americans as possible [and] as quickly as possible.”

Satra D. Taylor, 28, director of higher edu cation and workforce policy & advocacy at

Young Invincibles, said that she’s heard first hand accounts about people panicking over budgeting for upcoming repayments from friends, family, and their 50 Borrowers 50 States project. Some people are considering forbearance or just not making payments al together, she said.

“Many expected to have their student debt relieved so I’m concerned about what this means for the housing market, [and] for young borrowers in general who may have already been struggling to meet their basic needs,” said Taylor. “I’m really think ing about all these compounded factors and what it will mean for our economy.”

It’s especially concerning considering the racial wealth gap among Black and brown borrowers, said Taylor. Black college grad uates more often have higher student loan debt than primarily white counterparts, an average of $52,726 compared to $28,006 for the typical white bachelor’s graduate, re ported the White House Initiative on Edu cational Excellence for African Americans. Additionally, in the Young Invincibles Rei magining Federal Pell Grants report, Taylor said that more than 20% of Black young

Mayor Eric Adams gives introductory remarks at New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David Banks’s State of Our Schools address at Boys and Girls High School, Brooklyn, Wednesday, September 20, 2023. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

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Go With The Flo

FLO ANTHONY

Even though “Creed III” star Jonathan Majors referred to Meagan Good as the “missus” at the September 23 Congressional Black Caucus’ eighth annual Black and White Gala, which Good hosted with Larenz Tate, a source told People they aren’t married. Meanwhile, a source tells me that former NBA player and current sportscaster Jalen Rose and former CNN reporter Angela Rye, also attended the festivities in Washington D.C. together over the past weekend. In the past, Rye was the executive director and general counsel for the Congressional Black Caucus. Rose was previously married to ESPN host Molly Qerim, while Rye had a relationship with Common, who is currently linked to Jennifer Hudson........

According to multiple reports, in her new memoir, “Thicker Than Water,” Kerry Washington reveals that learning that the man she calls her father, Earl, is not her biological one. This 2018 revelation is what inspired her to write the book. The “UnPrisoned” star also said the feeling of something being wrong with her body may have led her to develop an eating disorder. Washington found out the information about her father when she was a guest on Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PBS show, “Finding Your Roots.” When she told her parents to spit in a tube to track family histories, they started freaking out and her father decided to pull out of the show. The “Scandal” star has still not been able to find out who her real father is because he was an anonymous sperm donor that her parents used after they had trouble conceiving naturally. Washington also reveals she had an abortion in the book. On September 26, Washington braved the dreary weather in New York City, to hand out “Thicker Than Water” on the subway.....

Celebrity artist Patrick Killian is thrilled to announce his debut for the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame’s (ACBHOF) 7th Annual Awards & Induction Ceremony. The highly anticipated event is scheduled for Saturday, September 30, 2023, with doors opening at 7:00 p.m. at the prestigious Sound Waves theater within the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Killian has left an incredible mark on art and sports with his jawdropping portrayal of Spence v. Crawford in Las Vegas. Killian brings his celebrity to the ACBHOF, where he will craft captivating masterpieces to commemorate the legendary fighters being inducted. Among the legends being honored are George Foreman, Shannon Briggs, David Tua, Pinklon Thomas, Tracy Harris Patterson, Jamillia Lawrence, and Doug DeWitt......

Former first daughter Sasha Obama showed off her midriff in a figure-hugging crop top, a bohemian-style shirt, and knee-high heeled boots as she left the gym in Los Angeles last weekend. The youngest-daughter of former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, donned a tight pink top, and sneakers, as she worked out, reports the Daily Mail. Sasha moved to the City of Angels in 2022 after she transferred from the University of Michigan to the University of Southern California....

Bowen Center center hosts community health fair

More than 50 community organizations, local businesses, city and state agencies teamed up with Harlem’s Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center to provide free health screenings, COVID testing and vaccinations, flu shots, and more during a recently held Community Health Street Fair. The annual event, typically located within Bowen’s outdoor plaza area, was expanded this year, taking up the city block located in front of the organization’s headquarters on Amsterdam Avenue between 145th & 146th Streets. Attendees interacted with a wide variety of participants to learn about their programs and services, including the

New York State Department of Health, Ponce Bank, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Ryan Health, The LGBT Community Center, Harlem Strong, Harlem Hospital, Heritage Health, and The Lincoln Recovery Center. In addition, attendees took part in health screenings that included blood pressure, diabetes and glucose, HIV and hepatitis C testing, as well a chair yoga workshop and seminar on how to reduce and manage stress.

During a special ceremony, the Bowen Center presented its Community Leadership Award to The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, in recognition for the organization’s “steadfast dedica-

tion to preserving and enhancing” the Harlem Community. Michael Flanigan accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

The event featured a little bit of everything for individuals of all ages including a bounce house for children, face painting, balloon characters, music, free food and drinks, and raffle giveaways— including tickets to an upcoming New York City Football Club match at Citi Field, donated by the club.

The Bowen Center is one of the largest community organizations that provides mental health services, addiction treatment and social services to more than 5,000+ clients citywide.

Bowen Center Board Chair Patricia C. Jordan, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine; Johnny Wilford; Bowen Center Deputy Director Lawrence Fowler (Bill Moore photos)

Harlem—again—welcomes Cuba: recalling historic Malcolm X, Castro meeting

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Once a year, the United Nations General Assembly brings the world’s leaders to New York City to take part in a special program that allows them to address the world’s most pressing issues. But when Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro, and his government’s delegation came to take part in the U.N. General Assembly in September 1960, they faced slights and humiliations from local establishments.

Castro’s government had overthrown the dictator Fulgencio Batista in January 1959 and was in a tense relationship with the U.S. administration. In line with the U.S., some New York City businesses treated the Cubans with contempt: Midtown Manhattan’s Hotel Shelburne wanted the 50-member delegation to put down a $20,000 cash deposit to cover any potential damages they might cause during their stay. When Castro refused to do so, the activist Malcolm X helped arrange for the Cubans to stay at Harlem’s African American-owned Theresa Hotel.

This year marks the 63rd anniversary of the Cuban delegations’ Sept. 19 through Sept. 28, 1960 stay at the Hotel Theresa and local activists held a special event to honor the occasion.

The Harlem-Cuba Welcome Committee invited this year’s Cuban delegation and President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez to take part in an “Homage to Malcolm X”-themed event to remember when Castro came to Harlem.

“Your presence here today powerfully affirms the ties between our nations and peoples,” said Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz during the Sept. 18 event at the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, which is named in honor of

her parents. “Let this moment inspire us to carry forward their courageous unfinished work with renewed purpose and moral clarity. On behalf of the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, I would like to express our profound appreciation for your visit.”

Díaz-Canel said he appreciated the event and spoke about how Malcolm X had been a powerful inspiration for him when he was a high school student in Cuba. Many young kids took it as an honor to read “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” Díaz-Canel said.

Yuri Gala López, Cuba’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, also told the AmNews that Cuban youth read “The Autobiographyof Malcolm X” and tend to view Malcolm X as an important symbol of Third World activism.

“Harlem is a community with which Cubans have developed sentimental ties,” López asserted, because it is known as the place where Malcolm X was active. “Several generations of Cubans learn from an early age to admire Malcom X from his biography. We come to know the firm, strong commitment Malcolm X had [to] social justice and his solidarity with peoples of Africa. That is something that we value very much.”

“It is all about the solidarity and friendship and the brotherhood that first started developing between Fidel and Malcolm 63 years ago,” Díaz-Canel said as he spoke a the gathering. “We are all for receiving solidarity from the American people. And once we defeat the blockade––and we are certain we will defeat it––that will be our best tribute to their friendship and solidarity.”

Among the many politicians and activists in attendance for the “Homage to Malcolm

X” were Roger Wareham, Esperanza Martell, Councilmember Charles Barron, Professor James Small, Gail Walker, Omowale Clay, Sam Anderson, Zayid Muhammad, former Rep. Charles Rangel, and the current leader of the New York County Democrats, Keith L.T. Wright.

In 1960, when Castro left Midtown Manhattan and came to Harlem, he continued to conduct governmental business. Amsterdam News articles from that period report that the Cuban delegation rented out over 40 of the hotel’s rooms, with Castro residing on the ninth floor. Although security was tight, the delegates were friendly. Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser and India’s Jawaharlal Nehru traveled to Harlem to have talks with the Cubans. And at one point, the then-Soviet Union’s Nikita Khrushchev came up to the Theresa: “The big little premier sought to extend his hand to those who tried to greet him in the police-jammed hallway,” a September 24, 1960 AmNews article said, “but was hurried along by security men to the Castro quarters where the two huddled in secret for about 20 minutes.”

Castro had told the Amsterdam News that he was excited he could stay in Harlem. “I

had always wanted to come to Harlem, but I was not sure what kind of welcome I would get,” he was quoted as saying. “When I got news that I would be welcomed in Harlem, I was happy.”

A 35-year-old Malcolm X met with Castro and assured him that the slurs the Cubans faced downtown would not occur in Harlem. The newspaper reported that Malcolm X told the Cuban leader: “We in Harlem are not addicted to all the propaganda the U.S. government puts out.”

Dr. Rosemari Mealy, one of the organizers of this year’s “Homage to Malcolm X” event, explained to those in attendance that the bonds Fidel and Malcolm forged have to be honored. “It is a legacy that we have all inherited:

[It’s] when both leaders taught that humanity’s destiny is not locked into a perpetual state of submission and oppression,” said Mealy, the author of the book “Fidel & Malcolm X: Memories of a Meeting” (Black Classic Press, 2013).

“We know that despite the hegemony of global capitalism, racism, poverty, wars, the proxy wars, and the acceleration of environmental degradation, we must never accept defeat. It’s not an option for us.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel with Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, with Manolo De Los Santos and Dr. Rosemari Mealy in background

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel speaks, via translator, at Malcolm X Dr. Betty Shabazz Center

Fidel-Malcolm plaque presented to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

Driven by fear: Why some Brooklyn youth carry guns

By SHANNON CHAFFERS

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

“All these systems are basically failing these kids.”

That’s how Elise White of the Center for Justice Innovation (CJI) summarizes the structural failings that underlie the high rates of gun violence in New York’s historically under-supported neighborhoods.

White, who is the CJI’s director of action research, has become very familiar with the impact of these inequities. She and her colleagues have spent the past five years conducting research on gun-carrying practices among young people living in these neighborhoods.

CJI recently published its second study on this topic, “‘Two Battlefields’: ‘Opps,’ Cops, and New York City Youth Gun Culture,” which examined the reasons why Black boys and young men in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood carry firearms.

The study’s name derives from one participant’s description of the dual fears of interpersonal and state violence that the researchers found drove gun-carrying. “It’s like we got to get a gun to protect us from the opps [opposition]. Now we got to protect us from the cops, too, so it’s two battlefields,” he said, according to the researchers.

The research builds on the findings of CJI’s 2020 study, “Gotta Make Your Own Heaven,” which explored gun-carrying practices of Black and Latinx youth living in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Morrisania, the Bronx, and East Harlem in Manhattan. It is also part of a national project, with similar research wrapping up in Wilmington, Delaware; Detroit, Michigan; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In total, the study drew from anonymous interviews of 103 participants—primarily Black men—from ages 15 through 24 who said they had carried a gun in the past year (at the time of data collection). CJI Community Research Coordinators Basaime Spate and Javonte Alexander served as the study’s primary interviewers. Both Spate and Alexander have experienced the impacts of gun violence first-hand: As teenagers, they became involved in the street networks (gangs and more informal crews) of Crown Heights.

Originally from New Jersey, Spate said he spent his childhood in foster care, and eventually moved to Florida. He left the system at around 15 and joined a street network instead.

“[I] got real deep involved in that because it treated me more like a family,” he said.

He then moved up the coast until he settled in New York. He built a new life through the branch of his street network in Crown Heights. There, he met and befriended Alexander, who grew up in the neighborhood.

Both became involved with Save our Streets (SOS) Crown Heights, one of the CJI’s demonstration projects, which employs credible messengers (those who have experience with street networks) to intervene in disputes that could

turn violent, and works with high-risk individuals to help them reject violence. Alexander was one of the first participants in the program, and Spate worked there as a violence interrupter and outreach worker.

Spate’s and Alexander’s experiences growing up in the neighborhood and connections to the street networks helped them gain access to and build trust with the youth they spoke to. The unique methodology proved a success. The researchers produced new, substantial qualitative data about urban gun violence, a public health crisis that has gone under-studied for decades due to insufficient funding. White said that before their 2020 study, qualitative data of similar sample size had not been collected since the 1990s.

Overall, the research provides insight into the documented link between poverty and gun violence in underinvested urban neighborhoods of color, which for decades have suffered the consequences of racially discriminatory policies in areas including housing, education, and policing.

A culture driven by fear

The research revealed that a large majority of these youth found themselves existing outside of the mainstream economy. The researchers said that many had been pushed out of schools that failed to meet their needs and were unable to find regular employment that offered a living wage. Because of this, they often joined street networks and resorted to activities like drug dealing, robbery, and scamming to provide for themselves and their families.

As participants in this underground economy, they felt that carrying guns (often acquired through family or friend connections) was a way to ensure safety, whether by providing protection against attack or inspiring fear in others.

See FEAR on page 11

Javonte Alexander (left) and Basaime Spate (right), researchers at Center for Justice Innovation. To understand youth gun culture in New York City, they spoke to young residents of Crown Heights, the neighborhood where they grew up.

(Photo by Shannon Chaffers)

Source: Center for Justice

According to the study, 75 percent of participants cited fear of their own deaths as a reason for carrying guns, while 72 percent cited fear of harm to their families. The participants were mainly concerned by conflict with “opps” (opposition), a term they used to refer to either rival gang members or unaffiliated adversaries.

“My biggest fear is somebody coming for me and they can’t get to me, [so] they try to get to my family,” one participant said, according to researchers.

These fears stemmed not just from participating in the street economy, but also from growing up surrounded by violence, which the researchers said made many participants feel they needed to carry guns—76 percent of participants said they had been shot or shot at; 20 percent had been shot at least five times; 80 percent had seen someone shot, and 89 percent had had a family member or friend shot.

Participants also pointed to the police as a contributing factor to this ever-present fear of violence—35 percent said fear of the police was a reason for carrying a gun and 90 percent said they had seen police abuse authority in the neighborhood, with specific examples ranging from inducing chases to create cause for search or arrest, using excessive physical force, and drawing guns unnecessarily.

Against this backdrop of poverty and violence, participants saw guns as a tool for survival: a way to assert agency in response to systems that had left them vulnerable to harm.

“It’s providing something,” Spate said. “It could be protection at that time, it could be for money at that time, it could be for a family member at that time, it could be to get some food at that time. You never know, in the state of survival, the many options that that gun provides for that individual.”

A sense of safety

Street networks, meanwhile, provided participants with a sense of physical safety, identity, and material support that they couldn’t necessarily rely on their families for—56 percent of participants said they grew up in single-parent households, and Spate said the interviews revealed the depth of the issues many were facing at home.

“I think that was a shocker for us because with the young boys, we’ve probably known them for years, seen them grow up and whatnot, probably know their family…but don’t know what is truly going on inside their family, don’t know what’s truly going on inside emotionally, and what they’re dealing with,” Spate said.

In all, 61 percent of participants said they belonged to street networks: either national gangs like the Bloods or the Crips, or local gangs or crews (more informal groups of friends), with little or no affiliation to national chapters. The majority joined these networks in their early teens and said their leaders helped them with personal, educational, and professional development.

“[They were] really speaking toward the positivity, and how [street networks] take care of these young people overall. How they house them, how they feed them, how they take care of them financially, how they give them wisdom and knowledge based on survival,” Spate explained. But the potential for violence brought on by gun-carrying and street network membership, which often leads to guns being used to settle individual “beefs” or inter-group conflicts (often exacerbated by social media), contributed to a cycle of violence that participants struggled to break out of. Many participants expressed a desire to integrate into the mainstream economy or pursue further education, but lacked the funds to do so, so they continued to participate in the alternative economy.

“I really feel like it all boils down to poverty,” one participant told the researchers. “I feel like if there was more opportunities to make money than [in] the streets, other than selling drugs and stuff like that, then...people wouldn’t resort to beefing with each other, having bad attitudes, having crimes going on, and resorting to gun violence.”

In the end, this extreme exposure to violence has left these youth dealing with extensive trauma. This trauma manifests in participants suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or blackouts and moving through their lives in a state of constant hypervigilance, on edge about any possible threat. All of this contributes to poor decision-making and conflict resolution, which increases the risk

of engaging in violence or becoming the victim of it.

For a long time, these youth bottled up these experiences, further preventing them from healing, a key step in establishing a more stable future. In fact, the researchers said that taking part in the research project gave many participants the first opportunity to talk about their experiences in a safe and structured way.

“These conversations never happen on the street. From my personal experience, they don’t happen. This is the first time that, in a safe space, these constructive conversations [are] happening,” Spate said.

Targeting the “shooters”: a potential solution

Now that their findings are out, the researchers have shifted their attention to designing a new pilot program to curtail gun violence, which they are calling “The Heights.” Through this initiative, they want to build on the connections they’ve made by working with street networks to establish holistic programming that tackles gun violence on a structural and individual level.

The first key finding that informs this model is that an aggressive law-enforcement approach to curb gun violence has proven and is likely to continue to prove ineffective.

“I think it’s pretty clear from our data that more-aggressive policing is not going to be a solution that decreases gun carrying and gun use. It just increases peoples’ sense of fear, it increases peoples’ founded sense of paranoia,” White said.

Furthermore, the researchers found that the threat of incarceration is an ineffective deterrent to gun-carrying practices. Most participants had already been arrested or incarcerated, and although they didn’t want to go or return to jail, fear for their safety outweighed these concerns.

“I’d rather go back to jail than somebody taking my life,” one participant said, a sentiment that others also echoed, according to the researchers.

The NYPD did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.

The second key finding regards the significant role that street networks, specifically street network leaders, play in the lives of youth who carry guns, as well as participants’ expressed desire for more unity in and across these networks. The researchers believe that rather than shunning street networks or trying to isolate youth from them, solutions should build on this established

Students participate in walkout in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, to protest gun violence (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

A political trifecta?

Just about

Zowie, folks—we just received a political trifecta! Joe Biden did something unprecedented when, as the nation’s commander in chief, he walked in a picket line in support of striking workers in Michigan. Then came the news that a judge ruled Trump committed fraud for years while building his real estate empire— another feather in the cap of our attorney general. And topping it off, the Supreme Court, much to our amazement, allowed redrawing the congressional map in Alabama with greater representation for Black voters to proceed.

On the first point, Biden’s stepping up to the plate for blue-collar workers might not absolve him for his recent gaffe over LL Cool J’s name. He flubbed the rapper’s name twice, most egregiously during the annual Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation’s weekend. He said, “By the way, that boy—that man’s got biceps bigger than my thighs.”

Things went much better Tuesday afternoon in Michigan outside the plant where striking workers marched and chanted. There were no gaffes as Biden assailed the car moguls and the profits they have refused to share with those working at the

point of production.

Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and his company deceived banks, insurers, and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork he used in making deals and securing financing. This could put a complete muzzle on Trump’s license to do business in the state and bring him and his company an independent monitoring of his operations.

That joyful noise you just heard came from African American voters in Alabama, particularly those residing in a newly created second congressional district, where they constitute a majority of the voting-age population or close to it. Former U.S. Attorney Eric Holder, chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said the decision “is a victory for all Americans, particularly voters of color, who have fought tirelessly for equal representation as citizens of this nation.” A victory here could help flip the House back to the Democrats.

It won’t be a true trifecta until we begin to Wsee the results of the judge’s decision on Trump, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Alabama, and the strikers back to work with all their demands met. Stay tuned.

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

It Isn’t Nice, But Climate Activists Will Block the Doorways

By CHUCK COLLINS

The 1960s folk singer Malvina Reynolds wrote a song: “It Isn’t Nice,” singing, “It isn’t nice to block the doorway. It isn’t nice to go to jail. There are nicer ways to do it. But the nice ways always fail.”

Keep Malvina in mind as you read about the climate protests next week and in the days to come, including Climate Defiance blocking the doors to Citigroup because of their financing of new oil and gas projects. Prepare to witness a militant escalation of tactics aimed at the fossil fuel industry and their role in delaying society’s response to climate change.

After a summer of floods, fires, droughts, record heat, and weather disruption, we are clearly moving into the “new abnormal,” fueled by increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Yet even President Biden can’t seem to mouth the words “climate emergency.” As part of the June budget deficit deal, Biden approved an expedited Mountain Valley gas pipeline project along with an unprecedented legal shield against delaying lawsuits.

There are still avenues and pressure points for humanity to avert the worst outcome of climate disruption, which is an extinction event. But this will require bold action in what scientists call the critical decade ahead.

A new United Nations global climate report card finds countries need to catch up in meeting their Paris Agreement goals in reducing emissions. We would be making more progress if an unrepentant fossil fuel industry wasn’t using its considerable clout to block the transition to a clean energy future.

As global leaders gather in New York City for Climate Week and other United Nations meetings, hundreds of thousands will join the March to End Fossil Fuels. Some of them will be “blocking the doorways.”

Actions in Europe presage U.S. coming attractions. Extinction Rebellion UK has blocked roads and build ing entrances. Just Stop Oil activists threw soup at paintings and disrupted cultural events.

Meanwhile, other European activists blocked private jet runways.

Their focus on fossil fuel corporations makes sense. Investigative reporting has revealed that the largest fossil fuel companies, including Shell and ExxonMobil, have known about the dangerous repercussions of burning coal, gas and oil for decades. And this week The Wall Street Journal of fered its own expose about Exxon’s internal strategy to downplay climate risk.

If governments and the public had known what these corporate leaders knew four decades ago, we could have moved more quickly to a safe energy transition. Instead, the industry has “run out the clock”— making low-hanging fruit adjustments impossible and putting our planet on a trajectory towards ecosystem collapse right up until the present moment.

The leaders of a couple dozen global energy corporations are making conscious decisions to build new infrastructure to extract and burn billions of tons of carbon and methane presently sequestered. A Guardian expose identified 195 carbon bomb projec ts that would each burn a billion tons of carbon over their lifetime. Private airports are making plans to expand capacity for private jet travel, one of the least defensible forms of luxury excess.

In this context, more people are abandoning our political system as the arena for making change, focusing on private sector responses, such as carbon capture technologies, and militant direct actions to block new oil, gas, and coal infrastructure.

Disruptive direct action, such as efforts by Extinction Rebellion and Climate Defiance, are critical to drawing attention to the fight, an urgency that will only grow as ecological stability unravels. On Earth Day last year, Colorado activist Wynn Bruce self-immolated on the steps of the Supreme Court as they handed down a decision undermining climate protections.

More people are abandoning our political system as the arena for making change, focusing on private sector responses, such as carbon

capture technologies, and militant direct actions to block new oil, gas, and coal infrastructure.

The collision course between ecological realities and our insufficient societal responses will only intensify. The coming decade will see more Wynn Bruce acts of desperation and eco-sabotage, like that depicted in the dramatic new film,“How to Blow Up a Pipeline” and the nonfiction book by Andreas Malm with the same name.

Works of future fiction may be preparing us for what may lay ahead. In “The Ministry for the Future,” Kim Stanley Robinson depicts a murky “black ops” group that leads to private jets falling from the sky and hostage-taking. In my novel, “Altar to an Erupting Sun,” a group of terminally-ill grandmothers calling themselves the Good Ancestors self-immolate in the lobby of ExxonMobil, a wakeup call that mobilizes humanity. Other fictional activists focus on preparing their New England communities to face a disrupted future by building local food resilience, mutual aid, and the capacity to welcome climate refugees. In “The Deluge,” author Stephen Markley describes the radicalization of right and left-wing activists in response to sea level rise and economic collapse.

There are still avenues and pressure points for humanity to avert the worst outcome of climate disruption, which is an extinction event. But this will require bold action in what scientists call the critical decade ahead. What we need is a bold “just transition” program that ends fossil fuels as soon as possible—including a declaration of a climate emergency, a moratorium on new fossil fuel infrastructure, and the elimination of government subsidies for oil, gas, and coal, and its timely phase-out. Until this program can move forward, be prepared to find people blocking the doorways.

Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies where he co-edits Inequality.org. His near future novel "Altar to An Erupting Sun” explores one community’s response to climate disruption.

Amidst backdrop of chaos, U.N. embarks on a quest to find harmony

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

Today, the world grapples with many significant challenges requiring the united efforts and insights of our top leaders and thinkers. Challenges like poverty, hunger, migration, and warfare touch millions.

This July, the U.N. released numerous studies highlighting the challenges that the world is facing. Now, more than two months later, as world leaders gather at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) in New York to engage in general debate, they are presented with an opportunity to do more than just talk—they can find solutions.

Poverty extends beyond mere financial plights; it encompasses issues in health, education, and overall living conditions. Termed as acute multidimensional poverty, this plight affects 1.1 billion individuals globally, as stated by the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index. Factors like the COVID-19 outbreak, climate shifts, and the Ukrainian conflict have amplified the issue, undermining efforts to alleviate poverty and imbalance.

The U.N. Development Program found that, in recent years, poverty levels in poorer nations have skyrocketed, with an additional 165 million individuals subsisting on less than $3.65 daily. Furthermore, the U.N. projects that by 2030, around 575 million will remain in dire poverty, and 84 million children will be deprived of education.

Hunger poses a significant worldwide challenge that endangers both the dignity and welfare of humanity. A joint investigation conducted by five United Nations agencies uncovered alarming statistics: In 2022, the number of individuals experiencing hunger surged by 122 million to reach a range of 691 to 783 million compared to 2019. Moreover, the study results showed that in 2021, more than 3.1 billion individuals worldwide were unable to afford a nutritious diet. To address this press-

So many “crises”

ing issue, the UNGA passed a resolution, urging the global community to assist nations grappling with food shortages and address the root issues and consequences of this problem.

Immigration is a delicate matter. It forces us to consider human rights, security concerns, and individual hardship. Tragically, countless individuals are driven to abandon their homelands because of war and persecution each year, taking risky voyages to foreign lands with hopes for a safer, brighter future.

On June 14, 2023, tragedy struck when a boat carrying migrants toppled near the Grecian shoreline, resulting in the tragic death of at least 79 individuals. The U.N. SecretaryGeneral expressed his deep dismay over this catastrophe and emphasized the need for safer, structured avenues for migrants and refugees.

War is the ultimate manifestation of violence and injustice that destroys thousands of lives and communities. The war in Ukraine is one of the most dangerous conflicts in the world today. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022; nearly half a million deaths or injuries have been reported so far. Ukraine’s president Zelensky has been appealing to the world for support and solidarity against Russian aggression. He has accused Russia of weaponizing food, energy, abducted children, and more. He has urged the U.N. and other countries to stand up to Russia and to respect Ukraine’s rights.

The UNGA is not simply a place where leaders work to find solutions to problems. It is also a place where we discover the change-makers: the people in this world who can truly make a difference. I had the privilege of talking to Turkish President Erdoğan, who is one of the most unassuming power players on Earth. He leads 85 million people, yet is often overlooked or criticized by the media. He has a unique perspective on many issues, and he is a leader who deserves more recognition and

respect for his work.

Crime poses a worldwide challenge, eroding the foundation of law, endangering our citizens’ safety, and compromising our institutional integrity. Manifesting in various ways, from international crime syndicates and cyber intrusions to illicit narcotics dealings and abductions, it also encompasses the gravest breaches of international law: crimes against humanity. Last year, the UNGA’s Sixth Committee made a significant step by endorsing a resolution to begin drafting a treaty on crimes against humanity. This breakthrough came after three stagnant years, primarily due to resistance from nations like China and Russia, which are often associated with such transgressions.

The fight against crime requires cooperation and innovation among all nations. Criminals do not respect borders, and neither should our response. We need to share intelligence, build capacity, and invest in education and social programs to prevent and combat crime.

In a world defined by complex problems, UNGA 78 shows us the interconnectedness of these problems. As illustrated by the staggering numbers of those trapped in poverty, hunger, and migration crises, or ensnared by the brutal impacts of warfare and international crime, it is evident that isolated efforts are insufficient. Collective action is not just preferable—it’s imperative.

Conversations with influential leaders like President Erdoğan highlight that behind every statistic is a human being. But at the UNGA, there’s a lot of talk. Where will we be in the pursuit of solving these issues next year?

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

There seem to be so many crises in front of us these days. The climate crisis. The immigration crisis. The migrant crisis. The homelessness crisis. The education crisis. And the list goes on.

These are important, complicated, and even delicate challenges in front of us as residents of New York City, the United States, and beyond. These are also crises that do not have simple economic or political solutions. These are issues that began generations ago and are not easy to solve. Compromise on these issues seems to get more complicated each day and sadly, I don’t see any simple solutions on the horizon.

Just because simple solutions aren’t on the horizon, though, doesn’t mean we pack up our marbles and go home. We must stay at the table and figure these issues out because human lives are involved, as is the future of our democracy.

Trying to figure out how to best support thousands of immigrant families coming to New York City is not easy. There is a perception of scarce resources whenever we discuss providing goods and services for immigrants. However, when it comes to increasing police and military budgets, we seem to find the resources…and quickly.

As the author of “Black Ethnics” and a trustee of the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side in Manhattan, I am keenly aware of the history of immigration to this city and this country. We have never had easy integration of newcomers. We have always treated newcomers in a less than welcoming fashion. How -

ever, just because we were unkind and unwelcoming to scores of generations of immigrants in the past does not mean we should repeat our negative history of intolerance, ignorance, and exclusion.

It wasn’t even 100 years ago that you could walk the streets and see anti-immigrant signs pertaining to Italians, Irish, and Jewish groups, as well as signs and practices excluding Asians, Caribbeans, and people from all over Latin America. Sadly, we are not far from that history and we must not repeat it. Currently, we have far too many New Yorkers and elected officials who are using rhetoric that will take us back several decades. The mayor of New York City has made incendiary comments about immigrants that sadly many people agree with. Yes, we need additional economic assistance to help absorb newcomers, but we must not let that need morph into anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Where do we go from here? The solutions are not simple, fast, or cheap. I truly don’t know how to solve the myriad crises in front of us, but I do know that scapegoating and blaming families who are trying to make a better life is not the answer.

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 FAQNYC 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

Guyana-Venezuela kick off again over border lines

BY BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

United Nations General Assembly sessions provided a bit of political fireworks this week when Venezuela said it would ask its populace to vote to ratify its decades-old land and maritime claim to a large portion of Guyana. This comes as the Caribbean Community nation is readying itself to become one of the largest daily oil producers by the end of this decade.

Venezuela has, in recent weeks, ratcheted up its verbal and diplomatic attacks against its eastern neighbor since Guyana recently opened bids for 14 additional offshore oil blocks in a maritime area closer to Suriname in the southeast than to Venezuela in the far northwest.

The foreign ministry put out a statement contending that Guyana had no right to award blocks to any oil company because the area is its own, even though it is hundreds of miles away from the northern and western portion of Guyana that it claims. Caracas also contended that the U.S. government is using ExxonMobil, the major oil producer and offshore operator in Guyana, to stir up war and enmity between the two countries. Incidentally, Exxon has ignored several ceaseand-desist work orders from Venezuela and continues to produce nearly 400,000 barrels of oil daily from two oil fields while working to develop four more in the coming years.

“We alert the international community of U.S. intentions to create, in our peace zone of Latin America and the Caribbean, a military base in the Republic of Guyana, to turn that country into the spearhead of an aggression operation against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which would put the peace and stability of the entire region at risk. The people and the government of Venezuela, united in defense of the homeland, will not give in [to] or be intimidated by pressure, blackmail, or threats when it comes to defending the sacred homeland,” a Venezuelan statement said. For his country’s part, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali made it clear that Guyana

had acted lawfully when it opened bids for the new offshore blocks and would not be bullied by Venezuela, which argues that it was cheated out of a large area by an international boundaries commission back in the 1980s. Guyana contends that settlement as a full and final wrap on boundary demarcation and has since taken its case to the World Court in the Hague (Netherlands) for a complete resolution.

“We demand that Venezuela honors its obligation under the charter to pursue only peaceful means to settle any disputes it may have with Guyana, including adjudication before the International Court of Justice,” Ali told the annual U.N. forum.

“Allowing the court to decide would ensure a resolution that is peaceful, equitable, and in accordance with international law. Guyana will spare no effort in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Back in 2015, when Exxon and its consortium partners had declared their commercial offshore find, Venezuela’s parliament had unilaterally redrawn marine maps encompassing all of Guyana and many of its Caribbean neighbors while ordering the companies to stop all operations. Like on other occasions, the cease work orders have been patently ignored.

At the weekend, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the nation would be asked to vote in a referendum to ratify its borders against aggressive enemies.

“Two days ago, Venezuela’s national assembly unanimously decided to call our people to vote in a consultative referendum to ratify the defense of our sovereign territory against the aggressions of the American empire, which wants to lead us to a war for natural resources,” Gil said, sparking outrage in Guyana.

The two countries are quarreling despite the fact that thousands of Venezuelans are now settling in Guyana, mostly as economic refugees. Officials have put the number at around 100,000 or a tenth of the population, leading to fears that the country could eventually encounter problems in the coming decades.

LULAC is right—undocumented immigrants living for years in the shadows need relief

FELICIA PERSAUD IMMIGRATION KORNER

This past week, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), for Venezuelans.

This extension will be for 18 months, due to what the Cuban-born Mayorkas dubbed “extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent individuals from safely returning.”

This redesignation provides temporary protection from deportation for Venezuelans, as well as employment authorization for those from the South American country who were within the borders of the United States before July 31, 2023.

While this is good news for many Vene-

zuelans, the reality is that 11 million immigrants have been living in the U.S. for years, some up to a decade, and paying taxes. Democratic administration after Democratic administration, as well as candidates for president, have all promised to address the issue each election season as a smoke signal to immigrant voters. However, once elections are over, the promise or smoke signals vanish.

Now, many immigrants are annoyed that the influx of many new migrants into the U.S. has essentially left them farther in the shadows, as the newcomers have quickly moved on to getting asylum applications in and awaiting work permits.

LULAC, the nation›s oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, recognizes this and last week also urged equal treatment for other undocumented immigrants fleeing danger, violence and in the U.S. for more than 10 years.

The organization urged the Biden administration “to move with equal vigor to nor-

malize the immigration status of 11 million other persons in the United States, the vast majority Mexicans, many of whom have been in the country [for] years or decades, working, living lawfully, and paying taxes.”

“LULAC’s commitment to comprehensive immigration reform is as strong as ever, and this is a moment in history when the need in our nation for a strong labor force and infusion of economic life blood has never been greater,” said Lydia Guzman, chair of LULAC’s National Immigration Committee. “Undocumented Mexicans in the U.S. are doing a great deal for our nation and deserve protections from deportation and exploitation.”

Ray Mancera, LULAC national vice president for the Southwest, whose region borders Mexico, added that so far, there have only been “broken promises.»

Mancera is right. President Biden campaigned on a comprehensive immigration reform within the borders at a time when Democrats controlled both houses of Con-

gress.

But as usual, once elected, Biden and Democrats quickly forgot those promises and marched right on into keeping many of Donald Trump’s policies in place for months, forgetting the millions who keep America’s economic wheel churning daily.

It is time the administration uses its executive power more—just as Trump did in his bid to satisfy his voting bloc—to fulfill promises to its own base. More must be done between now and the 2024 elections if the Biden administration hopes to get the support of immigrant voters for another term.

If TPS is good for one bloc, it certainly can be a viable option for others, including Mexicans. Now is the time to explore all administrative avenues before the upcoming general elections, or else bid farewell to the chance of keeping power in both the White House and the Senate.

The writer is publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, the Black Immigrant Daily.

“Caracas had also contended that the U.S. government is using ExxonMobil, the major oil producer and offshore operator in Guyana, to stir up war and enmity between the two.”

Lifestyle Medicine Program begins citywide expansion Health

Program provides patients with tools to make healthy lifestyle changes, including access to plant-based diet resources, one-on-one counseling

NYC Health + Hospitals announced this week that its nationally recognized Lifestyle Medicine Program has expanded to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in the Bronx. This is the first of six new sites to make the program available citywide.

The pilot program, launched at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in 2019 with the support of then-Borough President Eric Adams, has already seen hundreds of patients. The program’s team supports patients in making evidence-based lifestyle changes, including a healthful plant-based diet, increased physical activity, improved sleep habits, stress reduction, avoidance of substance use, and stronger social connections.

Adults living with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or health concerns related to excess weight are eligible to enroll.

The program can accommodate 48 new patients each month, and the care team at each site includes physicians, a nurse practitioner,

a dietitian, a health coach, community health workers, a psychologist, a program coordinator, and an exercise trainer.

In the wake of the launch at Jacobi, NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, Kings County, Lincoln, Elmhurst, and Gotham Health, Vanderbilt will launch in the coming months. Current patients of NYC Health + Hospitals can get referrals to the program from their providers, and people who are

not yet patients of NYC Health + Hospitals can see if they qualify to enroll in the program by calling 347-507-3695.

“I joined the new Lifestyle Medicine Program a month ago, and already I feel so much better,” said Skyler Myres, a patient at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. “I no longer have diabetes. My blood pressure is lower, and I no longer need to take one of my blood pressure medications. I have more energy. I feel it in the morning when I exercise—it’s easier to do things than it was before. I really enjoy the camaraderie of the team here, and they’re always there for me when I call with a question. I feel welcome here.”

The Lifestyle Medicine Program’s ninemonth program provides every patient with these resources:

Six to nine one-on-one counseling sessions—two to three visits each with a physician or nurse practitioner, dietitian, and health coach to develop and implement a personalized care plan.

14 weekly group classes about topics such as reading nutrition labels, grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation, and sleep and stress management techniques.

Eight weekly exercise classes, working with

an exercise trainer and receiving a resistance band for strength training to take home.

Six free, monthly deliveries of seasonal fresh produce—patients will work with dietitians to learn about incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet across culinary traditions and skill levels; recipes developed by the team’s dietitians accompany each produce box (launches early 2024).

Access to Health Bucks—$2 coupons that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at NYC farmers markets. Five of the seven program sites have farmers’ markets on their campus.

Culinary skills videos so patients can learn cooking skills through short videos developed by the Lifestyle Medicine team in partnership with an online culinary school, Rouxbe. Videos feature healthy cooking from various culinary traditions, including Caribbean, South American, Central American, and South Asian, and will be translated into Spanish, Mandarin, Bengali, and Haitian Creole (launches early 2024).

A plant-based cookbook; cookbooks for plant-based eating for type 2 diabetes are available as well.

See HEALTH on page 31

Fear

Continued from page 11

infrastructure and harness this desire for unity.

Specifically, the researchers want to work with street networks to design programming that addresses the experiences and needs of a particular type of gun carrier they identified in their research: the shooter. Shooters are those who go on the offensive and are prepared to kill people they perceive as threats.

The researchers believe if they can reduce gun-carrying practices among this smaller group, the effects could filter down to the other types of gun carriers they identified. These other types, who made up the majority of those interviewed, include people who carry for protection, for image, and to intimidate, and those who carry for street hustles (to engage in robberies or protect against being robbed when transporting cash or goods).

“Eventually, people [are] going to buy in,” Alexander explained. “There’s always a rotten apple in the bunch—everybody ain’t going to follow suit—but once you got the main people following suit, then people just follow.”

This approach would set the program apart from other community-based organizations like SOS Crown Heights, which follows the Cure Violence model and works with young people with connections to street networks on a more individual level.

“[Cure Violence] is a great program. I worked for it. But that’s just one solution to this huge, complex problem, when we’re talking about gun violence,” Spate said.

Rahson Johnson, director for youth and community development at SOS Crown Heights, supports the researchers’ proposal to engage street networks as well. He pointed to Harry Belafonte’s work with members of the Crips and Bloods in California, helping them maintain a truce and open up businesses in the 1990s, as an example that such efforts can prove successful.

“There certainly is a precedent for being able to do that and make that happen, and any way to accomplish that would be great,” he said.

David Kennedy, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice who has studied and helped implement

violence prevention practices since the 1990s, is more skeptical. He said the idea of targeting shooters makes sense, noting that it is this small percentage of gun carriers that drive a large proportion of violence in urban communities, but he warned against legitimizing or strengthening street networks.

He said there is a scholarly consensus that doing so typically increases “gang cohesion,” which in turn increases the risk of violence between groups.

“People often make these often rather loose formal structures more powerful, and when you do that, it’s very easy to make gang conflict and gang beef worse,” he said. Instead, Kennedy said these high-risk individuals could be targeted through an approach like focused deterrence.

The focused deterrence approach (also known as Group Violence Intervention) involves identifying street groups most at risk of committing violence, then directing members of these groups who are on probation or parole to a “call-in” with law enforcement, community members, and social service providers. At this meeting, law enforcement explains that further acts of violence committed by members of their group will be met with legal consequences that affect all members of the group, while social service providers say that services and other support are available to those who want such resources.

Kennedy helped develop this strategy in Boston in the 1990s, where it was associated with a 63 percent reduction in youth homicides. The model has since been implemented in other cities, including New York, drawing praise and criticism along the way.

The researchers dismissed focused deterrence, given participants’ distrust of law enforcement and the fact that their fear for their safety outweighed their fear of facing legal consequences. But Kennedy believes it would work in Crown Heights, both deterring groups from engaging in violence and increasing the legitimacy of police, helping to repair what he described as the “absolutely toxic” relationship of the police with the community.

“The innovative work that involves police in violence

prevention is a really important way of changing policing and changing those relationships. We shouldn’t take those relationships for granted or think that there’s nothing that can be done about that, or give up on creating the kind of policing communities deserve,” he said.

Reimagining public safety

The solutions the researchers propose reflect their desire to reimagine what public safety looks like in neighborhoods experiencing gun violence. With a changing political landscape since the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, they hope to find the funding to support their work.

“I think there are a lot of conversations now that are happening that would not have happened even three years ago, around [public safety]. I think it’s a much more open field right now,” White said.

Overall, the researchers emphasized the importance of understanding that youth use guns and join street networks to fulfill material and emotional needs, and that providing other means to fulfill these needs, like job training or educational opportunities, can work to eliminate the role that guns play in this process.

“What you hear a lot, especially for gun carriers…is ‘don’t do this, don’t do that, put that down, stop doing this, don’t don’t don’t don’t.’ There’s never ‘here’: ‘here’s what you can do, here’s what I have for you, here’s how I’m going to help you,’” White said.

“If we’re going to say, ‘you can put this [gun] down, you can trust us, then…here’s all the things that we’re going to show you,’ or ‘we’re going to give you connections to, so that you can actually make another thing possible for yourself.’”

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

Police escort a handcuffed suspect during an operation in Brooklyn. Researchers argue that aggressive policing tactics likely to prove ineffective in combating gun violence (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

‘Purlie Victorious…’ on Broadway is pure joy

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

Laugh-out-loud funny, joyous, and inspiring, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch” is all of that and so much more. Let the church Say amen. This is a Broadway comedy whose time is now.

Penned by the late, great Ossie Davis and first presented at Broadway’s Cort Theatre in 1961, this play is as relevant today as it was back then—even more so. Davis created this comedy, which is playing at the Music Box Theatre (W. 46th Street), to show how ridiculous racism is and use humor as a tool to fight it. Believe me, it works!

From the beginning of this 100-minute comedy to the end, you won’t be able to stop laughing. Davis created this comedy as a loving tribute to Black people to believe in themselves, love themselves, and strive for better for themselves.

The play tells the story of Purlie Victorious, now referred to as Reverend Purlie, who has returned home to the plantation in Georgia—owned and run by racist Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee—during cotton-picking season. Purlie has a dream to buy a building, make it a church, and preach to his people about their rights. The only thing that stands in his way is Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee. But where

there’s a will, there’s a way.

Davis’s play is an absolutely brilliant, comedic masterpiece; a civil rights lesson; and an affirmation of our greatness and our need to love ourselves for who we are as Black people, all rolled up into one. It gorgeously uses laughter to bring all races together and it is a beautiful sight to behold.

Davis was a master creator, and meticulously endowed this play with many powerful moments: moments of humor; moments of Negro spirituals; moments where Purlie’s brother, an Uncle Tom-type character named Gitlow Judson, performs over-the-top “good negro moments”; while letting this character show that he does this to survive.

Davis also shows, through the character of Charlie Cotchipee, the son of Ol’ Cap’n, that there are also decent white people who want integration and who are influenced by strong Black women; in Charlie’s case, he is influenced by Idella, the family cook.

Other wonderful women characters include Missy Judson, the wife of Gitlow, and Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, one of the most delightful, funny, captivating characters in the production. Purlie brings her home with him to help with his plan to raise money for his church. She is an innocent, sweet young woman, but there is a lot more to her than meets the eye.

The cast of this comedy is absolutely ter-

rific and is a dream come true. Leslie Odom Jr. is a comedic blessing as Purlie. He can get the church saying amen, preach, and declare the beauty of the Black woman and the beauty and strength of his people at the drop of a hat.

Kara Young delivers a stunningly captivating performance as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, and embodies this character with great distinction. She is simply the perfect actress to play this role.

Billie Eugene Jones is priceless as Gitlow Judson. The way his character is crafted is so hilariously done, you will cry laughing when he’s on the stage with Ol’ Cap’n.

Heather Alicia Simms is phenomenal as Missy Judson, that strong Black woman who keeps her man in check. Vanessa Bell Calloway is perfection as Idella. She is smart and confident, and knows the power she has as the person with influence over Charlie Cotchipee, but she also is funny and shoots straight from the hip, even with Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee.

Jay O. Sanders is off-the-chain hilarious as Ol’ Cap’n; his racism and feeling of white privilege are so ridiculous you can’t stop laughing when he starts talking. Sanders proves his Broadway-veteran status every time he takes the stage. I love seeing him in productions.

Noah Robbins is marvelous as Charlie

Cotchipee, a character who has a great deal of heart and common sense.

Bill Timoney and Noah Pyzik are amusing as The Sheriff and The Deputy.

Kenny Leon directs this production with such love and respect for Davis’s work that it touches your soul. He has made this play new, relevant, respectful, and a beautiful tribute to Davis’s genius, heart, love, and grace. Leon has a gift for taking every work he does and giving it an authenticity and rare charm that speaks to the heart and mind and, in this case, also tickles the funny bone. This is a play to be shared by the entire family—“Purlie Victorious….” is the must SEE of the season.

The creative team behind this play is fantastic and includes scenic designer Derek McLane, costume designer Emilio Sosa, lighting designer Adam Honore, and sound designer Peter Fitzgerald.

This play is so dear to Leslie Odom Jr.’s heart he is not only starring in it, but is also making his Broadway producing debut with it. Additional producers include Latanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Kerry Washington, Kenny Leon, Irene Gandy, National Black Theatre, Willette Klausner, Nicolette Robinson, Glenn Davis, and Nnamdi Asomugha. Go feel the victory of “Purlie Victorious…” on Broadway!

For more info, visit www.purlievictorious.com.

Cast of “Purlie Victorious” at Music Box Theatre (Marc J. Franklin photo)

New books from lit titans Ishmael Reed, Roxane Gay

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

2023 has brought a slew of books from literary titans and contemporary veterans, and this exciting trend continues with new works from essayist and cultural critic Roxane Gay, and from accomplished author and thinker Ishmael Reed. These new books, each bearing the unique signature of their respective author, delve into the complexities of cultural, interpersonal, and personal relationships through history, observation, and poignant skill. These authors, known for their fearless exploration of complex themes, wield their pens like sculptors shaping raw material into intricate masterpieces, offering insights into our everevolving world.

“Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business” by Roxane Gay

As a follow-up to her groundbreaking works, “Bad Feminist” and “Hunger,” Gay continues to assert herself as a vital voice in the cultural conversation, addressing topics both broad and deeply personal.

“Opinions” is a tour de force collection of essays that traverses the cultural and political landscape.

What makes “Opinions” particular-

ly compelling is its remarkable breadth. Gay does not shy away from tackling the weightiest of societal concerns, delving into subjects like state-sponsored violence, mass shootings, women’s rights

post-Dobbs, and the insidious spread of online disinformation. She grapples with these complex issues with a grace and clarity that is truly remarkable, offering readers a nuanced perspective that encourages

critical thinking and engagement with the world around us. Gay infuses her wisdom and humor into these seemingly mundane dilemmas, making them resonate with readers on a deeply relatable level.

“The Slave Who Loved Caviar” by Ishmael Reed

Reed’s “The Slave Who Loved Caviar” is a captivating and unapologetically audacious exploration of the iconic yet contentious partnership between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Reed, a literary luminary known for his fearlessness, delves into the art world with a keen eye and unerring precision, offering readers a deeply researched, thought-provoking, and at times controversial examination of this legendary artistic duo. The relationship between Warhol and Basquiat has long been a subject of fascination and speculation, but Reed takes it to an entirely new level.

With the same level of unsparing scrutiny that he applied in his previous work, “The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda,” Reed offers an illuminating and unvarnished perspective on this iconic pairing. His thorough research and meticulous attention to detail shine through, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics that fueled their artistic collaboration.

Where hip hop meets high fashion & academia

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

Hip hop is beginning to receive deeper analysis: Authors are traversing through the culture by exploring unique angles to share their deep knowledge and understanding of different facets of the realm of hip hop. “Fashion Killa” by Sowmya Krishnamurthy, named after fashion aficionado and rapper A$AP Rocky’s song, and “A Psychoanalytic Biography of Ye” by Robert K. Beshara, bring fashion and academic thought to the forefront of hip-hop writing.

“Fashion Killa: How Hip Hop Revolutionized High Fashion,” by Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Krishnamurthy invites readers to embark on an exhilarating journey through the intertwining worlds of hiphop culture and fashion. With her insightful prose and deep reverence for the subject matter, Krishnamurthy delivers a powerful tribute to the transformative influence of hip hop on style, self-expression, and society.

From the beginning, it’s clear that Krishnamurthy is not merely a writer but a storyteller with a profound passion for her craft. She skillfully traces the origins

of hip hop’s style evolution and deftly explores how hip hop has transcended the boundaries of music, becoming a driving force behind trends, attitudes, and self-empowerment. Krishnamurthy’s writing is not only informative but also deeply engaging.

Krishnamurthy sheds light on the significance of fashion choices as statements of resistance, rebellion, and cultural pride. In doing so, she underscores how hip hop has empowered marginalized communities to reclaim their identities and challenge societal norms. “Krishnamurthy explores the connections between the DIY hip-hop scene and the exclusive upper-echelons of high fashion. She discusses the sociopolitical forces that define fashion and tracks the influence of music and streetwear on the most exclusive (and exclusionary) luxury brands. At the intersection of cultural commentary and oral history,” according to the book’s publisher.

“A Psychoanalytic Biography of Ye: The Legacy of Unconditional Love” by Robert

K. Beshara, MFA, PhD

“A Psychoanalytic Biography of Ye”

“particularly focuses on the 5-year period from 2016 to 2021 in an effort to think psychoanalytically about his

[Ye’s] complex subjectivity, his struggle with manic-depression, the thin line between the personal and the political when it comes to celebrity culture, and, of course, his aesthetic productions,” said the book’s publisher.

This book offers readers an extraordinary and immersive journey into the mind of the enigmatic Kanye West, now known

as Ye. From the outset, it’s clear that Beshara approaches his subject with a profound sense of respect and curiosity. His writing is both eloquent and empathetic, inviting readers to delve into the complexities of Ye’s life and artistry. What sets this biography apart is Beshara’s use of psychoanalysis as a lens through which to examine Ye’s creative process, relationships, and personal struggles. It’s a daring and revelatory approach that pays off immensely.

It becomes evident that beneath the layers of controversy and self-assuredness, there is a deeply emotional and vulnerable artist who grapples with the weight of his own creativity.

An exhibition, an essay, and a plaque: encountering James Baldwin in Harlem

By SHANNON CHAFFERS Amsterdam News Staff Report for America Corps Member

I almost didn’t make it to the James Baldwin exhibit at Harlem’s Interchurch Center during July and August.

Not that I didn’t try. A few weeks after settling into Harlem, where I had moved to start my job as a gun violence reporter for AmNews, I decided I would check it out. I hadn’t heard of the artist who created the exhibit, Sabrina Nelson—nor did I know exactly what her project entailed. But the exhibition’s title, “Frontline Prophet: James Baldwin,” seemed promising enough, since I have long admired Baldwin for both his social activism and visionary writing about racism in America.

In truth, I should have done a little more research. When my friend and I arrived at the imposing gray Interchurch building on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we discovered that the exhibit was not open on the weekends. If not for the man working at the building’s front desk letting us in anyway, my quest would have ended there.

As it happens, only part of the exhibit—a series of display cases running around two parallel corridors on either side of the building’s main entrance—was accessible. This section opens and ends with a set of portraits of Baldwin, each made unique by Nelson’s choices of material, colors, and style.

Many of these portraits featured bold and bright colors that framed Baldwin’s face. His expression alternated between joyous, serious, and meditative, depending on the size of his smile or the direction of his gaze. Some portraits were accompanied by drawings or objects to denote certain themes. For example, one painting of Baldwin standing at a pulpit hung above a Bible, a nod to his early years in the church.

The two portraits that most captivated me both featured Baldwin in a pea-green suit and sunglasses, looking relaxed and self-assured. These depictions, based on real outfits Baldwin wore, made me regard him in a new light. When I pictured Baldwin in my head, it was always with the same measure of intensity that I associated with his writings. It was intriguing to consider him on a more personal level, through his flamboyant mode of self-expression.

The display cases between these portraits aligned more with what I had been expecting. Here, Nelson interspersed her blackand-white notebook sketches of Baldwin with copies of his books and other related items, like jazz records or typewriters. Some of the notebooks also featured Baldwin’s characteristically incisive quotes: “Color is not a human or personal reality; it is a political reality,” one read.

As I walked past these displays, I wondered what had compelled Nelson to devote so much time to these drawings. When I went back about a week later to see the rest of the exhibition, in a separate room on the same floor, I discovered yet more portraits and sketches of Baldwin—many on a larger scale, but similar in style to those outside.

The exhibit itself didn’t provide many clues to Nelson’s inspiration, just that she had started these drawings in 2016. But it seemed that through these different portrayals of Baldwin, she was trying to capture his complex and multifaceted life, and the spirit and beliefs that animated it.

Reading an interview with Nelson later confirmed this hunch. It turns out that she attended a conference on James Baldwin in the summer of 2016 and encountering Baldwin there was a spiritual experience.

“I drew my first image of Baldwin while scholar Rich Blint spoke and I felt Baldwin’s presence in that room physically and spiritually,” Nelson told Rolling Out. “The drawings became a way to baptize myself in the essence of Baldwin, as his words and expressions connected deeply with how I felt the world was treating its dwellers who are Black and brown.”

After reading this interview, it struck me that I, too, had discovered the power of Baldwin’s words in 2016. I was a sophomore in high school when I first read Baldwin, for a project in my English class. I still recall the first time I opened “The Fire Next Time.” I became immediately enthralled by how Baldwin analyzed America’s racial plight in a fierce, clear-eyed, and imaginative way, highlighting the impacts of racism on both a personal and political level.

Understanding race on both these levels was a growing interest for me. I grew up in a mostly white suburb, and I was becoming more consciously aware of how race informed my identity and my relationship to my peers—and more generally, how racism structured the society around all of us.

Looking back, I’d say my experience in reading Baldwin sparked my interest and passion for writing about racial injustice, which led me to the AmNews

A few weeks after my first visit to Nelson’s exhibit, I happened upon Baldwin’s words again when I came across his 1962 New Yorker essay, “Letter from a Region in My Mind,” on Twitter. This essay was published the following year in “The Fire Next Time.” As I revisited the essay, I found myself once again grateful for Baldwin’s wisdom, which helped give me perspective on my new role of reporting on gun violence for the Harlem paper.

Baldwin begins by reflecting on how racism and poverty structured his childhood in Harlem. The force with which he illuminates and criticizes these structures reminded me of the power of writing to expose the workings of injustice in society.

While on some level it is discouraging that contemporary racism keeps Baldwin’s words relevant, I am encouraged that his writing continues to resonate with so many, because this shows that the desire still exists to bring about “the most radical and far-reaching changes in the American political and social structure,” which Baldwin called for.

Nelson’s exhibit is a testament to Baldwin’s continued relevance. It was a happy coincidence that I came across Baldwin’s essay shortly after visiting this exhibit. But a more striking coincidence was my first encounter with Baldwin in Harlem, which came a few weeks before I went to the exhibit.

This first encounter occurred on my second day in the city, as I was moving into my new Harlem apartment. The weather was gloomy

and I was walking with my head down to shield my eyes from the rain. Suddenly, I came across a plaque set into the sidewalk with the name “James Baldwin” engraved upon it. I later learned that this plaque was part of the 135th Street Walk of Fame.

I remember feeling immediately comforted by seeing this familiar name in an unfamiliar place. It was also a timely reminder of why I had come to Harlem. Baldwin was the first person who made me understand that writing can change how we see the world. Although the nature of my reporting sometimes makes it difficult to keep believing that writing can make a difference, my encounters with Baldwin in Harlem have reminded me of its power to help imagine and create a more just world.

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

Plaque for James Baldwin, part of 135th Street Walk of Fame. (Shannon Chaffers photos)

Display case at exhibit featuring Sabrina Nelson’s notebook sketches of Baldwin. One page reads, “Color is not a human or a personal reality; it is a political reality.”

— James Baldwin.

Paintings of James Baldwin at Sabrina Nelson’s exhibit, “Frontline Prophet: James Baldwin”

BY

By SUPREME GODDESS KYA

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

Rebirth of A New Nation: The Aries full moon at 6 degrees is bringing the ram energy out to overcome any obstacles and get out of stagnation, to be brave, and take a risk on you. Be fearless in your actions and know you are protected and successful about what you do. As the full moon is present for this period of time, do not care what others say or may think of you. The question becomes, how do you feel about yourself? Believing in yourself is what matters. When you change your mind and begin the action process, things happen. Yes, it’s a process to start doing things differently. What you did or started around April 20, 2023: It is primetime action now. Make your move or lose your seat, spot, or position. “When you do the things in the present that you can see, you are shaping the future that you are yet to see.”

It’s time to cross over the bridge and learn the lesson bestowed upon you. As you build on your vision, apply yourself and the floodgates will open. You are living in a different world in October that appears mystical—one that folks don’t see daily. All forms of partnerships are aligning, so get organized and focus on the mission ahead. Relationships that show up feel like a past life. A soul contract learning experience, lesson, or folks enter your life with similar stories for a purposeful meeting. From September 30 around 9:18 p.m. until October 3 around 1 a.m., it takes the physical presence to make contact on a spiritual realm within the presence of someone to share what’s already prepared.

It’s a month of demonstration and self -improvement spiritually, emotionally, and financially for your wealth. Remember to stay in your lane. Stick with what you know you can carry. Learn new information and how it relates to your daily life and within your profession. You see things you normally don’t see and hear things that catch your attention to bring meaning to something that occurred over the last two months. Things will begin to flourish in October. From October 3 around 1:03 a.m. until October 5 around 8 p.m., be sure to keep applying the footwork and make the connections. Ask for what you need. Negotiate and stick to the written agreement.

You planted the seeds in September, made new alliances, invented new concepts, and conquered something. In October, gather the facts, figures, details, and follow your intuition. Drink an adequate amount of water and fluids, as certain foods will upset your stomach. Women will be resources and guides to shed light on you when you least expect it. Things are in slow motion intentionally due to there being something or someone you need to see and know. In the days leading up to October 5 you will know when it happens.

What’s the hold up Aries? You have the full moon in bold, pioneering, risk-taking Aries at 6 degrees. Your emotions are running high so utilize them in the areas of business, partnerships, home, and personal relationships. It’s a time to toot your own horn and see what this mysterious and auspicious energy is all about. The universe has a date with you that will appear in the darkest ways. The full moon’s energy is the strongest three days before and lasts about a week within the six-month timeframe. From October 4 around 3:21 a.m. until October 6 around 2 p.m., things can get magical when you apply yourself and ask for what you need.

Everything is flowing like water and blowing like air in all directions. What’s the message you are being prompted to tell someone (and there’s a separate message just for you)? There are signs, birds, songs, symbols, people popping up at a certain time, leaving you clues. That’s just how the divine creator works to get your attention. In the meantime, you are popping up everywhere, assisting folks, on the go, and doing what’s needed. From September 30 around 9:18 p.m. until October 3 around 1 a.m. go where your gut tells you, call up the people who cross your mind.

What’s the foundation you are building and your purpose of doing so? What benefit is it to you? How do you feel when you receive results and feedback to assist in building your foundation? Are you building alone?

If so, the help you need will show up. Gather all your resources, materials, inventory, team players and expertise to aid you. Get your house in order as well and plan out the vision you see in your mind. From October 3 around 1:03 a.m. until October 5 around 8 p.m. stick to your schedule and tell no one on the outside your agenda.

Idowu Koyenikan

October is a brand new you. You are feeling rebirth, like being baptized in church. Are you ready for this new adventure ahead of being reprogrammed? You are wide awake now and in charge of creating what makes your heart sing. What a beautiful harmony you are in, with the glow to match the energy and attract the pieces you need. Speak what you need into existence and ask for what you need to assist in this new change you are embarking on. In the days leading up to October 5, Michael Jackson said in his song “Man in the Mirror,” “I’m gonna make a change for once in my life it’s gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference.” That’s the vibe you are on. Stay on it.

Grand things are happening like harvest time, and getting treated like Halloween. Give yourself a big hug and celebrate with the team for making it happen. You are on a roll with your service or product, and with all that ambition and creativity you possess. From October 4 around 3:21 a.m. until October 6 around 2 p.m. keep climbing up the ladder to heights you have never explored. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell have a song called “Ain’t no mountain high enough.” No need to stop now Leo.

What’s the calling you are being pulled to? Virgo season has come and gone. Libra season is blowing back some of the retrograde energy you brought to deliver new concepts and detours to explore. After you explore the detours, gather up your experience as it brought you a new perspective. Change is always great; it indicates growth and wisdom. Muster up your plan and apply some catching up on materials, research, surveys, or whatever tools needed to create your plan. From September 30 around 9:18 p.m. until October 3 around 1 a.m. set up your perimeter to know your limit.

Information is coming in like a water fountain running every day. Not all of what you hear is true. If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, and weren’t there to hear it, some of it is make-believe. You just wait for the revelation to appear in the flesh as it always does. October is a month to let the world know you have a service and it is open for business. Send out samples within the neighborhood, or ask for feedback. You never know until you put yourself out there. From October 3 around 1:03 a.m. until October 5 around 8 p.m. take a risk on you. You are the investment.

Many things are moving and shifting like the clouds in the sky. Something feels like a mysterious quest for you to meet up with. Follow your intuition, be it a right or left turn, or do not enter or turn around. October is a tough month to apply some skin and sweat in the game to build on the structure in May. It’s time to apply overtime, meaning your time to get it done to keep up with the demand. Seek or hire help when needed. In the days leading up to October 5, you have a heavy assignment on the table to find balance to keep you together.

Take a step back from your daily task and slow down the pace a bit. October may seem like things are delayed, but it’s just the universe taking care of business so you can walk through or continue your daily affairs. The universe is putting things, people and details together, and directing you to go there, here, and do this and that. The energy is flowing and fluid like water on a mission. From October 4 around 3:21 a.m. until October 6 around 2 p.m., the best approach is to interact with energy like a child with their imaginary friend. What’s your imaginary thing you like to do?

HARD LABOR THE FIGHT FOR INCLUSION IN SKILLED TRADES

Police prepare to lift Mineral Bramletta from a group of Congress of Racial Equality demonstrators in Brooklyn on July 10, 1963. The group was attempting to stop a cement truck from entering a hospital construction site. (AP Photo).

The Fight to Make the Skilled Trades Representative

By DAMASO REYES

AmNews Investigative Editor

“It was a moving sight to see the cream of Brooklyn’s [B]lack leaders tossed around in the struggle to obtain better economic opportunity for minority members,” an Amsterdam News article told readers in the summer of 1963, when community and labor activists, as well as clergy, had had enough of discriminatory labor practices on local construction sites.

In Brooklyn, the structures that would become SUNY Downstate were rising from the ground, but Black and Latino construction workers were nowhere to be found. Demonstrations co-sponored by the Negro American Labor Council, Urban League, NACCP, Congress of Racial Equality, and Southern Christian Leadership Council began picketing and eventually blocking access to the worksite, leading to the arrest of more than 40 activists, in-

cluding many clergy members.

Another article from July 1963 said that ministers were warning that “the Negro Community is on the brink of violence” and that construction should be stopped “unless 25 [percent] of the jobs are assigned to Negroes and Puerto Ricans who form 35 [percent] of [the] New York City population.”

The protests continued throughout June and July with increasing numbers of protesters and hundreds of arrests, and even attracted a young leader named Malcolm X. They were demanding something simple: that the workforce building the hospital look like the community in which it was being built. Eventually the protest leaders came to an agreement with then-Governor Nelson Rockerfeller and construction resumed. But the protest at SUNY Downstate wasn’t the first of its kind nor would it be the last.

But why was it needed at all? Why, in one

of the most diverse cities in America, with many highly skilled laborers, were many construction sites almost all lily-white?

THE PAST IS NEVER REALLY THE PAST

The struggle to integrate the skilled and construction trades and the unions that represent them, and to ensure that they reflect America’s population, is deeply intertwined with the story of America itself; the story of the original sin of slavery and the legacy of institutional racism that followed and of the hard work by Americans of color and their allies to force our nation to live up to its own ideals.

This series will explore the roots of discrimination that led to the summer of ’63 protests in Brooklyn and many others like it around the nation, and how activists, community, and union members worked over decades to force change. It will also explore how high schools and apprenticeship programs are, in the 21st century, helping to ensure that everyone who wants one has an opportunity to access jobs that are often called the “ladder to the middle class.”

Before emancipation, enslaved Blacks were often trained in skilled construction, especially

in the South, according to historian Dr. William Jones of the University of Minnesota.

“After the Civil War, African Americans continued to be pretty important in the skilled construction industry in the South until the late 19th century, [when] there was a concerted effort by white workers to drive Black workers out of the skilled trades and unions often included racial bars on membership. And that persisted into the 1960s,” Jones said in an interview.

The end of Reconstruction coincided with the ”Long Depression” of the 1870s, as well as the rise of organized labor, both of which helped to put pressure on African American skilled laborers. While some of the new labor unions became more inclusive, according to Jones, the backlash was not long in coming.

By the late 1880s and 1890s, “a lot of unions, particularly the very skilled trade unions, turned inward and make the decision that the the best way to maintain themselves [was] to focus narrowly on the interests of white male workers,” said Jones. “This is the period in which a lot of unions adopt[ed] in their constitution, race and

“AT THE BANQUET TABLE OF NATURE, THERE ARE NO RESERVED SEATS. YOU GET WHAT YOU CAN TAKE, AND YOU KEEP WHAT YOU CAN HOLD. IF YOU CAN’T TAKE ANYTHING, YOU WON’T GET ANYTHING, AND IF YOU CAN’T HOLD ANYTHING, YOU WON’T KEEP ANYTHING. AND YOU CAN’T TAKE ANYTHING WITHOUT ORGANIZATION.” - A. PHILIP RANDOLPH

Mitchell Ayers, 2 1/2, carries a sign protesting employment practices at the Downstate Medical Center construction site in Brooklyn on August 8, 1963. His mother, Eunice Ayers, 27, also took part in the demonstrations. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff)

gender exclusionary language, [and] they restricted their membership to white men.

“If you can prevent people from getting access to these skills, you can…corner the market on the number of people who are carpenters, or who are skilled masons. [Then] you can drive up wages and improve working conditions for those few workers by excluding the majority,” he added.

The cruelty of Jim Crow and lack of economic opportunity for Black Americans in the former slave states helped prompt the Great Migration, which brought millions of African Americans northward. Skilled workers, or those seeking to join those professions, often found the same kinds of roadblocks in places like New York and Chicago, and during the early decades of the 20th century, the organized push for representation and access to the skilled trades began in earnest.

The Great Depression and World War II provided fertile ground for the passage of federal labor legislation and Black labor leaders like A. Philip Randolph began to push for the implementation of these laws without regard to race.

In the summer of 1941, Randolph, along with leaders from the NAACP, Urban League, and many others, threatened a “March on Washington” to protest the discrimination that federal contractors had been allowed to get away with in seeming impunity. In response to these demands, which threatened military production as the nation was preparing to potentially enter World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order that prohibited discrimination in the defense industry.

The wartime order was weakly enforced and expired soon after the end of the conflict, but it began a drive that, in some ways, laid the groundwork of the Civil Rights Movement that followed, with leaders demanding that a permanent non-discrimination law be passed.

“There was this constant push to pass an equal employment law, and that was finally realized with the inclusion of Title Seven, in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That actually applied not just to federal contractors, but to any employer and any union, it made it illegal for them to discriminate on the basis of race,” said Jones.

THE STRUGGLE FOR ENFORCEMENT

There is a false belief among some Americans that we live in a “post-racial” era that began soon after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and culminated with the inauguration of President Barack Obama. But for those struggling to gain access to the skilled trades and construction jobs, nothing could be further from the truth.

In 2022, just 6.7% of American construction workers were African American, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, while making up 13.6% of the population. In New York City, the numbers tell a similar story, with Black residents making up just 13.6% of

construction workers while being over 23% of the population, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

In the immediate aftermath of the passage of the Civil Rights Act, little changed on the ground. Yes, explicit racial roadblocks to entry to unions and employment on worksites was eliminated, but the social nature of employment in the skilled trades meant that barriers still existed.

Post-World War II investment in America’s cities also meant the growing requirement of union labor, according to Dr. Trevor Griffey, a lecturer at the University of California, Irvine. But these construction

and skilled trades unions were still largely excluding members of color.

This made the skilled trades “a flashpoint for protests in the sixties. And it had been long, long simmering because especially as African Americans gained increased access to the military, they gained the trades that they would not be able to get through racially restrictive apprenticeship programs. Then they would go apply to be dispatched and they couldn’t get jobs either through the hiring halls; they couldn’t get union membership,” Griffey noted.

Out of this continued intransigence, the Nixon Administration created the “Phila-

delphia Plan,” which began to force companies seeking federal contracts to take what was called “affirmative action” to ensure that these companies employed at least some Black Americans.

But laws and executive orders only went so far. When it came to ensuring that these new regulations were implemented, activists and community members, and even the media, were critical.

“What was really important was the ability to keep the mobilization going, so in places like New York, or Chicago or Detroit, [and] in some cases, in southern cities like Atlanta or Birmingham, where Black workers were sort of well-organized and ready to mobilize, they could force the issue and draw attention to it,” Jones said. “The Black press played a really important role in writing about and publicizing these issues,” he added.

It was this history of decades of mobilizations that set the stage for protests at SUNY Downstate in 1963 in Brooklyn and others that would continue through to the present day. Activists then and now deeply understand that enforcement is everything and ironically, it is those who do not make up the majority who bear the burden of ensuring America lives up to not only its lofty ideals but also its actual laws.

“The beneficiaries of a system cannot be expected to destroy it,” Randolph said decades ago. His wisdom would guide activists in the second half of the 20th century and beyond as they continued the fight to make sure that those working at construction sites looked more like the communities where those structures were being built.

The next part of this series will explore how activists began to force equal access to skilled and construction jobs.

This series was made possible by a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network. Brian Palmer contributed research and reporting to this article.

Legendary labor leader

A. Philip Randolph stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial at the March On Washington demonstration in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo)

A protest march by demonstrators at the Rochdale Village housing construction site in the Queens borough of New York City, July of 1963. Demonstrators carried on a city-wide series of protests against alleged discrimination in construction worker hiring.

(AP Photo/John Rooney)

MAKING SURE THAT THE FIRST IS NOT THE LAST:

DIRECT ACTION BEGINS TO DIVERSIFY CONSTRUCTION SITES

By DAMASO REYES AmNews Investigative Editor

In the oppressive summer heat of August 1963, the New York Amsterdam News ran a short story on page 7 of its August 10th edition: “Plumber To Be First In Union.”

Just a few hundred words long, the story highlighted “Edward Curry, the 25-year-old Negro plumber on the verge of entering the all-white Plumbers Union, Local 1 admittedly knows little of the reasons for the long wellpublicized demonstrations at the Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.”

For weeks, hundreds of clergy and activists had been arrested while blockading the site that our newspaper in other stories called “near lily white,” demanding that at least 25% of workers be “Negro or Puerto Rican.”

“It doesn’t mean too much to me,” Curry is quoted as saying of the demonstrations, but the timing of the announcement of his barrier breaking hiring was likely a direct result of the demonstrations that had, and would continue on and off for years, to convulse not just New YorkCity, but cities around the country.

In the middle of the 20th century executive orders and laws were put into place, through the hard work of activists and organizers for civil rights, to ensure that the American workplace, including construction sites and union halls, became integrated. But the laws and regulations were meaningless without enforcement and it fell to many of those same activists, and to even more radical organizers, to ensure that the construction sites of America’s cities, both North and South, East and West, were desegregated.

A DREAM DEFERRED

“All the way through the 1960s, not all trades in the construction trades were racially discriminatory, but the highest skill, highest wage ones were very racially discriminatory,” Dr. Trevor Griffey, a lecturer at the University of California, Irvine said in an interview with the Amsterdam News

While organized labor had grown in power during the first half of the 20th century, many of the unions that represented the skilled and highest paid trades like plumbers, electricians, pipe fitters and steel workers still marginalized Black Americans.

“A number of those unions were very militant, but also very racially exclusive. And then they fought against the inclusion of racial discrimination prohibitions

in labor law,” Dr. Griffey added. With the passage of the Civil Rights Act, racial discrimination in hiring and employment was banned but construction sites continued to be bastions of de facto segregation.

“When an employer needs people, they often tell the people who are working there, ‘we need to hire some more people, go tell your friends, and tell your family’. And so if you have an all white workforce, that’s going to mean that the people who hear about those job openings are all going to be white,” said historian Dr. William Jones of the University of Minnesota, explaining why it was so difficult to diversify worksites despite the passage of Federal nondiscrimination laws.

While he believes that the building trades have made enormous improvements, Jeff Grabelsky, the Co-Director of the National Labor Leadership Institute at Cornell, told the AmNews in an interview that “there was a time in New York City when some major unions, in a city that was becoming majority minority... where there were local unions without a single Black member.”

During this era, construction unions largely mirrored private industry which also excluded workers of color from the most lucrative trades.

“Direct action protests started targeting these construction sites in the sixties. It started in Philadelphia, quickly moved to New York, and then was nationwide. People occupied the arch in St. Louis as it was being constructed,” Dr. Griffey noted.

The threat of action during World War II led to the creation of an executive order which prohibited discrimination in the defense industry. Direct action also led to both the inclusion of Title Seven, in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and President Nixon implementing the “Philadelphia Plan” which began to force companies seeking federal contracts to ensure that they employed Black Americans.

But these hard fights for laws and regulations had their limits Mr. Grabelsky noted.

“Through legal action and community organizing, building trades unions were forced to bring in Black community members. And in some cases, six months later, they were all gone because nothing else changed in the union and they entered this hostile environment that made it exceedingly difficult for them to succeed.”

THEY SAY GET BACK, WE SAY FIGHT BACK

There was an intense backlash to what would become known as “affirmative action” that pushed back on what little progress was being made at the time.

“There are counter protests against affirmative action in ‘69, that look a little like hate marches,” said Dr. Griffey. In 1970, “a group of construction workers in New York, descend on a peace rally and beat the shit out of the protestors, then march to City Hall and protest affirmative action in the construction trades, [on the] same day,” he added.

Some organized labor officials also found ways to oppose the integration of their unions; and in one case, was rewarded with a cabinet position.

“These are long time Democrats. Many had never voted for a Republican in their lives. They’re campaigning for Republicans on a law and order platform. And when they help with the landslide election of Nixon, [Peter Brennan], the head of New York City building trades is rewarded by being made head of the Department of Labor where he guts what remains of affirmative action in the construction industry,” said Dr. Griffey.

But right wing construction workers and their leaders weren’t the only ones taking to the streets in the 1960’s and ‘70’s. As large, publicly funded construction projects went up in New York and other cities, activists and organizers of color began to demand their fair share.

“There’s these big public construction sites in Black communities, where Black workers Continued on page S12

A chain binds together the upraised arms of 14 picketers sitting in entrance to a hospital construction site in Brooklyn on July 25, 1963. A squad of New York City policemen moved in to remove the chain with wire clippers and arrest the demonstrators. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano)

Three policemen secure themselves as they reach two civil rights protestors, Andy Young, 32, second from right, and Frank Anderson, 22, who chained themselves halfway up the boom of a construction crane at Rochdale Village construction site in Queens on Sept. 5, 1963. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano)

Amsterdam News Labor Awards Breakfast Program

Registration and Networking

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) - Welcome

Secretary-Treasurer Milly Silva, 1199SEIU, the nation’s largest health care workers union - Welcome

Amsterdam News Publisher Elinor R. Tatum - Introduction of Amsterdam News “Unions Matter” journalism and the importance of these honorees’ leadership in advancing Black and minorities in the skilled trades

Publisher Elinor R. Tatum and Secretary-Treasurer, Milly Silva - presenting “Vision to Reality” 2023 Amsterdam News Labor Awards

Gary Labarbera, President, New York State and the New York City Building and Construction Trades Council - Acceptance Remarks

Lavon Chambers, Executive Director, Pathways to ApprenticeshipsAcceptance Remarks

William Wallace IV, Senior Acquisitions Officer, The Continuum CompanyAcceptance Remarks

PRISCILLA Sims Brown, CEO Amalgamated Bank - Acceptance Remarks

Publisher Elinor R. Tatum - Closing Remarks

Networking

Gary LaBarbera

Building and Construction

Trades Council of Greater New York, President & New York State Building and Construction Trades Council, President

2023 Honorees

Gary LaBarbera serves as president of the Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) of Greater New York. He is also president of the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council. LaBarbera has negotiated numerous project labor agreements (PLAs) that provide labor cost savings on major public and private projects––his leadership at BCTC has resulted more than $100 billion in public sector PLAs with the city of New York and the New York City School Construction Authority, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Before his tenure as president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, LaBarbera supported organized labor in several other capacities, including as president of the New York City Central Labor Council, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 16, and president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 282.

Having been actively involved in the Teamsters since the early 1980s, LaBarbera was one of the first members of Local 282 to graduate from the Labor Studies Program at Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor Relations in 1994.

“The modern goal of the unionized construction industry is to provide family-sustaining careers to hardworking people of all backgrounds and promote diversity within the trades,” LaBarbera told the Amsterdam News in recognition of his being named a Labor Award honoree. “We are always striving to achieve that by advocating for better wages and safer working conditions for our tradesmen and tradeswomen, and creating accessible training opportunities through our apprenticeship programs.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Amsterdam News for this important work. In the Building Trades, diversity has become our strength, and we take immense pride in that. We remain committed to continuing to provide all working-class New Yorkers with fulfilling and good-paying career opportunities that open pathways to the middle class and create much-needed economic stimulus within our underserved communities.”

The Amsterdam News was proud to host the 9th Annual Labor Awards Breakfast in Midtown Manhattan with Elise Bryant, president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), presenting this year’s honorees and delivering an inspiring invocation.

The CLUW is the only national organization for union women, founded in the ’70s during the time of Roe v. Wade along with several other organizations. She is also co-executive director of the Labor Heritage Foundation and director of the DC Labor Chorus. In 2017, she was elected vice president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA)/Newspaper Guild Local 32035.

Lavon Chambers

Executive Director at Pathways to Apprenticeship

Meet Lavon Chambers, executive director of Pathways to Local 79-affiliate Apprenticeship (P2A), recent retiree, and 2023 Labor Breakfast honoree. Oh, and a proud father and husband, he adds. His résumé boasts time as an assistant director for the Greater New York Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust and an officer for the Laborers International Union of North America for more than two decades. His two favorite things? Helping people attain family-sustaining careers and strengthening communities.

A lifelong union organizer and Laborers Local 79 member, Chambers develops the generation of trade talent by helping low-income New Yorkers enter union building trades apprenticeship programs. These programs create pathways for those living in NYCHA housing and reentering the workforce after incarceration.

Such work started after Chambers left the army and stumbled on the Harlem Fight Back offices. He took to organizing and striking like a fish to water, but endured racism the higher he climbed in the labor ranks—back when he started, over 90% of Local 79 members were white.

An accomplished playwright and social justice activist, Bryant got her start in the labor movement as a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (“Wobblies”). She graduated from American University with a master’s of science degree in organizational development. She is also a labor educator and has taught at the University of Michigan Labor Studies Center and the National Labor College.

Bryant has received several awards, including the AmNews’ Labor Award on behalf of CLUW’s national officers of color and the Lifetime Achievement award from United Association of Labor Educators.

“I was deeply honored,” Bryant said at the breakfast event. “I respect the work of the Amsterdam News as an institution, and one of the purposes of newspapers is getting out the information that you’re not going to see [elsewhere]. I appreciate being recognized as part of that ongoing effort to make real the promise of America and democracy.”

ELISE BRYANT PRESIDENT OF THE coalition OF LABOR UNION WOMEN

2023 Honorees

Priscilla Sims Brown CEO, Amalgamated Bank

Priscilla Sims Brown is the president and chief executive officer of Amalgamated Bank, the largest union-owned bank in the United States. She has 30 years of financial services experience.

Before joining Amalgamated Bank, Brown was the group executive for marketing and corporate affairs at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, where she focused on rebuilding trust and pride in the bank and had direct responsibility for end-to-end marketing, branding, stakeholder insights, government and public affairs, and environment and social policy. For the past three years, she served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), a U.S. Fortune 100 financial services firm with over $1.2 trillion in assets under management. She served on the TIAA Investment, Nominating and Governance, and Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility committees, as well as Trustee and CEO selection subcommittees. At the mission-driven Amalgamated Bank, Brown has taken a stand on several initiatives.

When the U.S. Supreme Court decided to take away the constitutional right to abortion on June 24, 2022, Amalgamated Bank immediately announced that it was prepared to cover travel costs for any of its employees and their dependents who needed to travel out of state for access to reproductive healthcare. “Our guidelines were designed to ensure our employees and their families have the needed resources and access in order to make personal and confidential decisions regarding reproductive healthcare,” Brown announced at the time. She had Amalgamated Bank lobby the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) for creation of a new merchant category code for gun stores and gun purchases, so those could be easily flagged. Brown told Time magazine the new category code is meant to help stop gun violence by cataloging “illegal gun purchases, which can lead to gun violence, because it is one of many steps in a process to identify illegal activity,” she said.

“There are certain patterns that gun criminals follow. If we can identify those patterns ahead of the actual crime being committed, we may be able to address the illegal purchase prior to the crime.” Brown has also pushed for Amalgamated to maintain environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) standards, by encouraging the bank to dedicate itself to climate-related lending. According to a 2022 press release, Amalgamated is the “first U.S. bank to set full portfolio targets under the guidelines of the U.N. Net Zero Banking Alliance of 49% reductions in 2030 and net zero greenhouse emissions in its financing and operations by 2045, Amalgamated Bank was also the first to receive approval of the targets by Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).”

William Wallace IV

“I can’t lose sight of the fact that I’m a third-generation Harlemite whose father was baptized by Adam Clayton Powell [and] used to take me to hear Malcolm X on the corner.”

Meet 2023 Labor Breakfast honoree William Wallace IV. He’s served as senior finance and acquisitions officer for New York- and Miami-based real estate developer Continuum Company since 2013. His work centers around economic development, which is best seen in his involvement with building up mixed-income housing in downtown Brooklyn. Previously, he worked as an executive at Forest City Ratner. Wallac’s work includes obtaining pre-development resources for building projects, including land, leasing, and finance. With such responsibilities, Wallace can push for more union labor involvement and middle-class housing incentives. Well aware of the correlation between cranes and gentrification, Wallace sees his work as an opportunity to dispel the conflation between displacement and new developments. He maintains that when buildings get old, they fall out of code. There’s a housing shortage. He points to rent, not construction, as the source of problems. Before entering his current field, Wallace—whose father is a judge—went to law school and served as a court clerk in Brooklyn, but he felt his skills were better applied to economic development.

Most importantly, he’s a proud third-generation Harlemite. He is also an alumnus of Brooklyn College, Rutgers University, and Stuyvesant High School—not necessarily in that order!

1199SEIU headquarters

498 7th Ave NYC, NY 10018

THURS Sept 28 8:00 am 9:45 am

Senior Acquisitions Officer, The Continuum Company

WE SAY FIGHT BACK!

How a Harlem Community Organization Helped Change the Face of NYC Construction

By DAMASO REYES AmNews Investigative Editor

In early August of 1973, a short article titled “Judge Rules Steamfitters Must Admit Minorities” ran on page six of the Amsterdam News. It explained that the Steamfitters Local 638 “must admit Black and Spanish-surnamed applicants exclusively for ninety days effective August 6.” The brief story mentions that “Fight Back, Inc., headed by Jim Haughton, is a local community-based organization that has been effective in getting construction jobs for Blacks, Spanish-surnamed, and other minorities in New York City.”

Two years earlier, we published an article titled “Black steamfitters demand equal chance to work here,” which reported that the “members of Fight Back vow not to allow the Steamfitters Union to proceed on any job uptown unless the workers are integrated.

“We are tired of the discriminatory practice of the Steamfitters union and of all the trade unions which make it a practice to hire Black and Puerto Rican workers last and lay them off as soon as the work slows down,” Haughton was quoted as saying.

Those two articles, which ran 18 months apart, highlight the struggles that New Yorkers of color faced in integrating the skilled and construction trades and their unions. But they also highlight just how effective Fight Back (also known as Harlem Fight Back) and its longtime leader James “Jim” Haughton, were, along with many others, in ensuring that workers of color received their fair share.

The Brooklyn-born Haughton served as an assistant to the legendary labor leader A. Philip Randolph at the Negro American Labor Council before forming the Harlem Unemployment Center, which would later become Fight Back.

“Jim’s philosophy was, if we can’t work here, nobody could,” Lavon Chambers, a former Fight Back organizer, union organizer and currently the executive director of Pathways to Apprenticeship, told the AmNews in a lengthy interview.

“Jim always had a vision. He didn’t really live long enough to actually see. But Jim had a vision of what would happen if the community and labor ever got together,” Chambers added. Their power would be unstoppable.

“The struggle for economic improvement,” Haughton wrote in a 1979 AmNews op-ed, “must come from below, from the workers.”

DECADES OF STRUGGLE

As an organizer and activist for more than 30 years, Haughton was at the forefront of the group of activists and organizations forcing both developers and local unions to hire workers of color, especially on job sites in

their communities. A 1977 AmNews profile said “Haughton and the construction workers he calls his brothers with a winning sincerity, have been on the picket lines that have sometimes deteriorated into bloody brawls at Harlem Hospital, Downstate Medical Center... and almost every other confrontation with the unions and contractors who control the industry.”

Many activists and organizations played a role in the integration of New York’s building and construction trades, but Haughton and Fight Back were, in many ways, the furnace that forged the growing equality that those in the skilled trades now enjoy.

“As Fightback’s [sic] reputation has grown,” the 1977 AMNews profile states, “organizations modeled after its aggressive approach have sprung up in Seattle, Detroit, and Washington.”

The Civil Rights Act and federal non discrimination laws and executive orders passed in the mid-20th century guaranteed, at least on paper, that people of color should be able to get work on construction sites, but the reality of de facto segregation continued, even in the “liberal” North.

“They’re building highways in communities of color or new housing projects or community centers [and] you’re bringing this racially exclusive white workforce into communities of color,” said Dr. Trevor Griffey of UCLA in an interview.

“And people can see from their doorsteps. ‘Oh, I can’t even get a job in my own neighborhood,’” he added.

What was clear to Haughton and other activists in the 1960s, and became gospel in the following decades, was that without community pressure and direct action, nothing was going to change for Black workers.

But what does direct action look like? The AmNews interviewed two former Fight Back activists who detailed both their experiences and the impact Haughton had on them and the entire industry.

BUILDING AN ARMY

Born and raised in Harlem, Chambers had recently come out of the Army and lost his job as a video editor when he first wandered into the offices of Harlem Fight Back on 125th Street in the early 1990s.

“When I came out of the Army, [I] didn’t really know what to do with my life. But I knew I didn’t want to go back to hanging with my ‘friends.’A lot of them were cool, but it didn’t really lead me to anything good. I inadvertently heard about an organization in my neighborhood called Harlem Fight Back,” Chambers said in an interview.

It is there where he met Jim Haughton, who took a liking to Chambers and gave him books

to read, including “The Miseducation of the Negro.” Chambers warmly recalled the first few weeks he spent in those offices listening to the organization’s leaders and members talk about politics “as opposed to standing on the corner, talking to people who are selling drugs, or, committing acts of violence.”

Chambers quickly learned, however, that Haughton and his colleagues were more than just talk.

“One day, they’re talking, ‘Hey, Lavon, you want to come with us on the Shape?’ I’m like, ‘What’s the Shape?’” he recalled. They told him, “‘There’s this job over here. And they won’t hire people from the community. And we’re going to go shut it down.’ What do you mean, you want to shut it down? ‘We’re just

going to shut it down [using] civil disobedience’. And I thought these people were foolish.

“They’re talking about, ‘You’re gonna go to the site, where all these white folks [are] there, and you’re gonna shut your site down.’ I thought it was foolishness. But I went.”

And that day would change his life just as it had for so many others. Chambers described getting in one of several vans that transported Fight Back members to a nearby construction site.

The van pulled up and “we all ran in the building. And there wasn’t any violence. We just went in there,” Chambers recalled. “It was coordinated, like a tactical military effort. We just hit every floor. We told Continued on page S10

Jim Haughton, Protector Of The Exploited Workman Watkins, Gordon New York Amsterdam News (1962-); May 28, 1977; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Amsterdam News pg. A9

people with force, ‘There’s a labor dispute, exit the building now!’” And to his surprise the workers... listened. They all left the building and lined up across the street while Fight Back leaders spoke with their supervisors who promised that several of their members would return tomorrow and be allowed to work.

“And I remember I got really emotional. This was like a religious experience to me,” Chambers said. That experience would light a fire in him to become more active in the organization. “Jim used to always talk about building an army. Like not the army in the sense of fighting,” but an army made up of the community to fight for equal opportunities to work.

Jerome Meadows also joined Fight Back in his 20s after working as a drug dealer for the infamous Nicky Barnes. A friend told him about the organization and how it was helping people get construction work, an attractive alternative to the messenger work he was doing after leaving the drug trade behind.

When he explained his checkered past, Fight Back organizers still welcomed him and he, too, joined the direct actions to stop construction sites.

Meadows didn’t get work immediately, but he stayed with Fight Back, and within a few months he was earning $18 an hour working in demolition. But he also saw that “we really wasn’t accepted with open arms” at a job site that were otherwise lily white.

On some of his first jobs, Meadows said, they called him “derogatory names. They would write ‘Nigger go home,’ nigger this, nigger that in the bathroom.” He added that white workers left “ropes with with monkeys hanging [from them]. It was terrible.”

But Meadows and Chambers endured the abuse and racism they encountered and climbed the ranks, eventually joining Local 79 at Haughton’s encouragement.

MAKING CHANGE FROM WITHIN

During his time with Fight Back, and later within Local 79, Meadows recalled seeing a transformation happen within the real estate development community in New York City due at least in part to the pressure of the ongoing direct action work of Fight Back and other organizations.

“If you’re building in these communities, a certain amount of work must go to people in the community,” Meadows said of the organization’s approach. Once the developers decided to start hiring minorities, he added, “they started putting [us] on [as] project managers. Women started getting key positions.”

Even within the union, which Chambers joined at Houghton’s urging after several years of working with Fight Back, he recalled that his early days as an organizer were anything but pleasant.

“I spent a few years there feeling like a hated man,” he said. “People did not like me. People were not nice to me. But there were some people there who had nothing in common with me but they took me under their wing. And they helped protect me. And it gave me time to be able to work on things.”

The hard work of Haughton, Chambers, Meadows, and the thousands of activists and union members and leaders helped transform the landscape of New York organized labor.

Chambers says that Local 79 was more than 90% white in the mid 1990s and based on public filings from Local 79 required by the government. Now, the union is comprised of than 70% women and people of color.

Getting to this point has not been easy.

“There has been a complete paradigm shift within the leadership of the building trades, in terms of the way they view diversity,” Gary LaBarbera, President of the New York State and the New York City Building and Construction Trades Councils, said in an interview with the AmNews. “I’m very proud of what the leadership of these individual unions have taken on and collaboratively we have made a real decision, a conscious decision to expand that increase opportunity and further diversify the building trades.

“When you look at the apprentices that are coming in, over 75% identify as a minority. And so this has been a conscious effort by the building trades affiliates and the Building Trades Council, to once and for all move past that criticism, and we have committed ourselves to working with marginalized and underserved communities.”

Chambers acknowledged that the legacy of trade unions excluding workers of color was well known. “But we also understand that at some point, somebody needs to build an army of like-minded folks....And once again, I need to stress this. I don’t want you to write something that [makes] people say, ‘Oh, Lavon Chambers says that the racism is over?’ No, that’s not what I’m saying. I don’t know anywhere in America that I could actually say that. But what I am saying is that while things have changed so much, that there’s an opportunity to help people,” he added.

Our final installment will examine what programs are working to solve the access problem for workers of color and the impact they are having on the lives of young people.

This series was made possible by a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network. Brian Palmer contributed research and reporting to this article.

Continued from page S9

BUILDING THE PATHWAY TO THE MIDDLE CLASS

By DAMASO REYES AmNews Investigative Editor

For most New Yorkers, high school doesn’t involve welding or building bathrooms, but for the hundreds of students at the Bronx Design and Construction Academy, and the many schools like it, what students learn in their teen years puts them on a direct path to lucrative, middle class jobs.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is the modern evolution of what used to be called, sometimes derisively, vocational education. While more than 60,000 CTE students each year in NYC gain a practical education in a trade, they also learn advanced math and the skills that will power the Green Economy.

“I always thought that construction workers were dirty,” said Bronx Design and Construction Academy senior Issa Samake in an interview with the AmNews. Before attending the school, he believed that construction workers and those in the skilled trades “were doing a lot of dirty work, for not enough pay. I felt like people who go into construction are the people who don’t have any other choices in life—they have to go to construction to make ends meet,” he added.

A first-generation American whose parents hail from Mali, Samake, along with his classmates, takes traditional academic and even Advanced Placement classes while focusing on one of five areas: Plumbing, Electrical, Carpentry, Architecture, and HVAC. Soon after starting his first year, Samake’s opinions about the skilled trades began to change.

“I see it as hard work, and I also see it as a skill. And you need to be smart,” he said. “One of the first things I learned when I came to the school was that no matter what trade you do, what type of construction you do...you’re gonna have to be good at math.”

He has focused on plumbing in high school and, thanks to the school’s state-of-theart facilities, has learned how to build and repair bathrooms for home and commercial spaces, among other skills.

In 2020, CTE schools in New York City had an 86% graduation rate, according to the Department of Education, compared to 79% for the system overall.

“There is a huge focus on interdisciplinary instruction,” said Venkatesh Harini, executive director of Career Connected Learning in the NYC Public Schools. “We’re trying to, at all points in time, seamlessly integrate the academic requirements with the technical requirements, so that ultimately, when a student graduates from our school system, they have a core set of skills that make them both college- and career-ready soon after they graduate.”

She said that schools Chancellor David Banks “has emphasized the importance of reimagining learning so that we are connecting a young person’s passion and purpose to long-term economic security.”

NOT ALL ROADS LEAD TO COLLEGE

For decades, American educators have preached that the primary path to economic security is a four-year college degree, and many Americans still pursue that track. But the huge demand in skilled trades like plumbing means that not every student has to straddle themselves with the kind of college debt that even President Biden is trying to wipe out.

“College is supposed to prepare individuals for their chosen career. If a student wants to be an engineer or go into the medical field, a step to those industries [is] college, so they have to go that pathway. However, for many other careers, the pathway is not college,” said Anthony Johnson, one of Samake’s teachers, in an interview. “They can [go] from high school… directly into a career.”

Johnson noted that some individuals are unemployed after finishing college, and their degree has nothing to do with the career they choose. “So what was the value of going to college for that person?”

For students like Samake, an internship is an important step in their path. As part of his education, he spent months working at Westchester Square Plumbing Supply. Bob Bieder’s family has run the company for 99 years and he believes that being an industry partner by offering internships has huge benefits for the students, the community, and his business.

“The kids that have come from this program have been amazing,” Bieder said in an interview. “This program affords them the opportunity to make a great living. Almost all have gone on to jobs in the industry and many of the kids come from lower-income areas.”

He also noted that “there is a huge need for qualified people. Right now, I have so many contractors who tell me on a regular basis that they can’t find anyone to work for them.”

Bieder said with pride that many of his former interns now come through his doors as customers who are working in the industry.

Being qualified as a skilled tradesperson can make a huge difference to the career prospects

of many students.

“We have students who realize that ‘I’m struggling where I live, and one way to improve my circumstances is to learn this trade so that I could become employed and hopefully take care of myself,’” said Johnson.

“The positive is, students are able to begin their careers at 18, which will lead to them supporting themselves. As much as possible, we try to steer our students toward the highincome earning opportunities if they qualify. Unfortunately, we do not get enough students to qualify,” he added.

Johnson said that his greatest feeling of success as a teacher comes when his former students, many of whom are under 30, return to invite him to the housewarming party for their recently purchased homes.

‘WE DON’T CREATE JOBS, WE CREATE CAREERS’

What about those who don’t receive the opportunity to learn a trade while still in high school?

For much of the 20th century, the way into a skilled trade union was essential through birth: A family or friend connection was the only way into an apprenticeship program, which led many local unions, including some of those in New York, to being lily white.

“We don’t create jobs, we create careers,” said Gary LaBarbera, president of the New York State and the New York City Building and Construction Trades Councils, in an interview with the AmNews.

His organization provides programs that, in addition to working with New York high school students, help several groups, including veterans and those who have been affected by the criminal justice system and others, prepare to become skilled trade apprentices and join those unions.

While many unions have had long histories of exclusion, LaBarbera highlighted the forward-thinking choices that his members have taken to create change. The programs they offer train between 600 and 800 people a

year, which make up around 40% of new apprentices in New York.

“Why it so vital to reach into marginalized or underserved communities is because we believe the goal of organized labor is to lift people out of poverty into the middle class, and to build a stronger middle class and to create an opportunity for people to have family-sustaining careers where they can also have good medical coverage for themselves and their families, and ultimately have retirement security,” LaBarbera said. “This is only offered through the unionized construction industry and through our apprentice programs.”

Jamahl Humbert, Jr. is an example of how such programs make a difference. He wakes up at 4 in the morning to travel more than 90 minutes from his home in Staten Island to the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Ironworkers Local 580 Training Facility in Long Island City. The nondescript structure could easily be mistaken for an office building, but once inside, it becomes clear that this is a place where folks work with their hands.

Humbert joined the program because it offered what he described as a “lifetime skill.” The program offers the ability to get on a preapprentice track that is otherwise much more challenging to get into.

“I think that for a lot of people, construction skills is definitely the way to go,” Humbert said.

Nearly 90% of the participants in the Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills are members of a minority community, said Nicole Bertrán, the organization’s executive vice president, in an interview. In addition, “80% of the graduates we place into unionized, apprenticeship opportunities stay and complete their apprenticeship and become journeypersons. That’s really important because a lot of the criticism or critique of programs like construction skills is that ‘you can get them into the apprenticeship, but then they never finish,’ which isn’t true,” she said.

Programs like these not only pay trainees and apprentices to learn; those students leave the programs debt-free, unlike the tens of millions of Americans struggling with college student loan debt.

NO MAGIC BULLETS

While these initiatives and ones like it in New York are making a real impact, there is still much work to be done on the national level. According to a recently released report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which examined all registered apprenticeship programs (including those outside the construction and skilled trades), Black apprentices are underrepresented across the country, making up just 9% of apprentices, even though Black Americans make up more than 12% of the national workforce. However, this is still an improvement from 1960, when Black workers made up only 3.3% of

Apprentices practice welding at a union training facility. (Ornamental Ironworkers Local 580)

Continued from page S4

aren’t being employed. And so these protests are around the construction sites to get people employed in those jobs and to open up those jobs,” said Dr. Jones.

“The argument was, ‘Our tax dollars are paying for this construction. We should be able to get these jobs as well.’ And in that case, it was largely the construction, the skilled trades unions that shut Black workers out of these jobs,” he added.

Across the country in Los Angeles, Black workers have also been fighting for their share of the pie.

Janel Bailey, Co-executive Director of Organizing & Programs at the Los Angeles Black Worker Center, spoke to the AmNews about efforts her organization has undertaken to ensure that Black workers are represented on job sites. As L.A.’s mass transit system expanded into Crenshaw, the organization in partnership with other labor organizations negotiated an employment agreement with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority which they say increased the number of Black workers on the project from zero to 20% in 2015.

“Folks at our organization came together, with allies of course, to really step to Metro and asked them, ‘how you have all this money coming through our neighborhood, but [its] not going to the workers and the families that are actually here? You need to hire more Black workers’.” Bailey said in an interview.

During their negotiations she said they encountered “the usual things of like, ‘Oh, well,

MAKING SURE THAT THE FIRST IS NOT THE LAST:

we can’t just say Black [workers] and we don’t know any Black workers’. Which to be perfectly honest, I believe them when they say, ‘I don’t know any Black workers.’ I believe them because the culture of exclusion that they’ve built set up their network such that it doesn’t include Black people.”

Bailey is also critical of labor unions and the apprenticeship system in Los Angeles.

“This culture of exclusion didn’t come up overnight and so I’m naming all these policies that broadly create a culture of exclusion,” she said. Apprenticeship programs are “wonderful for workers because it created a control of the market on labor, such that if you wanted to hire, to bring folks in to do that work, then you had to go through the union and you could set standards. Safety standards and wage standards for workers. Which is beautiful.”

But she went on to say that “the values of the folks who created and maintained that program were anti-Black. And so when they chose to create this wonderful pathway for workers, it was not inclusive of Black workers. And so what we’re seeing today is the fruits of that legacy.

“That honestly, I think if you take it straight up on paper, the apprenticeship program actually is not problematic. I think it’s actually quite brilliant.... However, applied with the values of the people who had the power to build that, it was anti-Black and it was built in a way that for some was deliberately exclusive. And so we arrive at this moment now where we have this incredible program that

only benefits some workers and we’re trying to figure out how to open it up, how to expand it so that it includes workers of color.”

Grabelsky of the National Labor Leadersup Institute at Cornell said, "There is a history of exclusion." He added, “I don’t think race and racism explains everything in our society, but I personally think nothing of any significance can be fully explained without looking at it

through that lens.”

Our third installment will examine how organizers in Harlem helped launch a movement to hold builders and unions accountable

This series was made possible by a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network. Brian Palmer contributed research and reporting to this article.

Continued from page S11

apprentices in registered programs.

The report also noted that Black apprentices are least likely to complete their programs and have the lowest earnings. Justin Nalley, a senior policy analyst at the Joint Center, attributes this in part to the high concentration of Black apprentices in the South.

“In the South, you don’t have the same labor standards for workers and employers,” he said in an interview with the AmNews. “The apprentices in the South are only earning 64 cents on the dollar compared to other areas in the country.”

Real estate developer William Wallace IV of the Continuum Company, along with many of those interviewed for this article, attributed the lack of full representation in the skilled construction and construction trades to the lack of use of unionized labor. A third-generation Harlemite, Wallace is perhaps unusual among his peers, many of whom seem to only have their eyes on the ledger books, for his fierce advocacy of the use of unionized labor in the construction industry. But he also acknowledges that labor has not always been a friend to the Black worker.

“Building and construction trades had a terrible reputation, justifiably so, for not incorporating, welcoming, and including many members of color,” he said in an interview.

But he noted that in New York, since “Gary LaBarbara has been president of the Building Construction Trades Council, there was an enormous turnaround—almost a mission to be as reflective as the community in which

business is being done.”

While the building and construction trades have become far more inclusive, Wallace emphasized that “the amount of work that unions have been receiving, particularly for residen-

tial work in New York, has been enormously diminished. It used to be a 100% union town and that has changed.”

Being a developer of color in an industry with so few peers is also a motivating reason behind why Wallace is so pro-union.

“My commitment is to be sure that people of color that are qualified have an opportunity to build,” he said. “I think you don’t find that personal kind of political commitment because there’s not [many] people of color in the development community.”

LaBarbera said that while his unions do work closely with many forward-thinking developers, “there are developers out there only committed to one thing, and that’s profit. And I don’t believe they’re really, truly committed to diversity; I don’t believe they’re really, truly committed to creating opportunities. They’re just looking at their bottom line.”

“If you think about it, building and construction is everywhere—we are born in a hospital that was built and constructed, we go back to a home or an apartment that was built and constructed,” Wallace said. “To not be [able] to be part of that is criminal.”

This series was made possible by a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network. Brian Palmer and Report for America

member Tandy

contributed research and reporting to this article.

corps

Lau

BUILDING THE PATHWAY TO THE MIDDLE CLASS

Students at the Bronx Design and Construction Academy show off their skills during an open house. (Karen Juanita Carrillo/AmNews)

A group of African American picketers outside construction site for the Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn on August 2, 1963. Picketing at the site continued in the effort to halt what they called discriminatory hiring practices at the construction site.

(AP Photo)

Travel & Resort

Solo travel made easy in the nation’s capital

By TRACY E. HOPKINS Special to the AmNews

Over the Labor Day weekend, the southwestern Washington, D.C., waterfront Wharf neighborhood was alive with the sound of music. Grammy-winning chanteuse Samara Joy headlined the annual DC JazzFest and serenaded overheated festival attendees and dockside bystanders. Restaurants overflowed with handsome couples and groups of singles ready to mingle, while carefree kids and grown folks alike grooved to the ’80s funk and soul flowing from an outdoor DJ set.

As a proud alumna of Howard University, this is the DC I love to see—one that’s diverse, yet still Black-centered. This upwardly mobile and melanin-blessed scenery was an idyllic backdrop for my solo getaway.

If you’re ready to follow my lead, here are some highlights of what to do and see on a trip to the District of Columbia this fall.

Where to stay

“With open arms, we welcome you to your haven away from home.”

Get a spacious room with a view at the Salamander Washington DC, which recently took over the 373-room Mandarin Oriental. Owned by Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET and founder and CEO of the luxury Salamander Hotels & Resorts portfolio, the hotel is the epitome of classic hotel elegance. The common areas have a floral fragrance, and the property’s tucked-away location between the landmarks on the National Mall and the Wharf make it a great launch pad for sightseeing.

The customer service is topnotch and African American patrons in particular will appreciate that everyone is treated like royalty. Room features include deep soak-

ing tubs and aromatic Diptyque bath and body products. Complimentary coffee and tea is set up in the lobby daily.

Don’t miss the Salamander’s opulent Afternoon Tea ($95 per guest, Saturday and Sunday seatings at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.) in the sunlit lobby lounge. Surrounded by well-heeled ladies who lunch, sip sparkling wine and organic teas, and luxuriate in the sophisticated setting, punctuated by ambient jazz. Have a leisurely nosh on tiers of tea sandwiches, sweets, and homemade scones served with lemon curd and jam.

And no stay at the Salamander DC would be complete without treating yourself to a rejuvenating and rebalancing facial, massage, or body treatment at the Salamander Spa, which is a serene self-care sanctuary for both guests and non-guests. Before or after your treatment, allot time to relax in the steam room, sauna, and plunge pool.

Art and culture

Whether you go for the first or the fifth time, the National Museum of African American History & Culture (https:// nmaahc.si.edu/) never disappoints. Through August 2024, view the thoughtprovoking “Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures” exhibition on the lower level, spotlighting Black innovators in scifi, tech, pop culture, and activism. The motivating theme is that “Afrofuturism is Black resiliency and evolution,” and the immersive exhibit features eye-catching album covers, instruments from pioneering musicians, and costumes from the original Broadway show “The Wiz” and the blockbuster film “Black Panther.” Admission is free, but timed-entry passes are required.

Explore the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (https://hirshhorn. si.edu/), and admire internationally re-

nowned artist Mark Bradford’s ongoing, large-scale exhibition, “Pickett’s Charge.” Admission is free.

Along the National Mall’s Tidal Basin and a bit off the beaten path, visit the striking Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (https:// www.nps.gov/mlkm/index.htm).

Where to eat and drink

The Wharf (https://www.wharfdc.com/ restaurants/) is where locals and in-theknow tourists go to eat, drink, and be merry. Budget-friendly picks include the Union Pie pizza kiosk for tasty thin-crust pies, Fat Fish for poke bowls and sushi-style hand rolls, and bartaco for fresh Mexican street food and specialty cocktails. For festive restaurants and bars, trendy shops, and a convenient Trader Joe’s, head to the lively northwestern 14th Street corridor. Two reliable Black-owned staples are the original Busboys and Poets (https://www.busboysandpoets.com/) and the iconic Ben’s Chilli Bowl (https:// benschilibowl.com/), now in its 65th year in business.

Rooftop views

Not far from Dupont and Logan circles, relish small bites and spirits at Hedy’s Rooftop (https://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/zena/dining-nightlife) at the female-empowerment-themed Hotel Zena. For sunset views, fire pits, and happy hour sips and bites, pop by Lady Bird (https://www.ladybirddc.com/), perched atop the Kimpton Banneker Hotel. In Downtown D.C. at walking distance from Black Lives Matter Plaza, go to Eaton DC’s rooftop bar and lounge Wild Days (https://www.wild-days-dc.com/ new-page-2) for cool music vibes in a plant-and-mosaic-art-filled setting.

DC Wharf (Photo courtesy of Washington.org)

Tidal Basin (Photo courtesy of Washington.org)

Salamander exterior (Photo courtesy of Salamander Washington DC)

A tried-and-true recipe for skirt steak

Skirt Steak Dinner with Celery Root Pomme Purée

Yields: 2

Ingredients for the chimichurri sauce:

1 cup flat leaf parsley, finely minced

1/3 cup fresh oregano leaves, finely minced

½ tsp dried oregano, crushed

½ tsp red chili flakes

2 tsp red wine vinegar

½ - ¾ cups of extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions for the chimichurri sauce:

1 tsp, freshly ground black pepper or to taste

2 bananas, divided

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup pure maple syrup, divided

4 teaspoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

Ingredients for the celery root pomme

purée:

1 medium celery root, peeled, diced in 1 inch chunks

1 to 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, diced in 1 inch chunks

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup vegetable stock, as needed

4 tbsp unsalted butter

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Instructions for the celery root pomme purée:

In a medium pot, boil celery root and Yukon gold potato chunks for 20 minutes or until fork-tender.

In the meantime, heat up the heavy cream and the vegetable stock separately. Melt the butter.

Strain the celery root and potatoes. Mash the vegetables with a potato masher or potato ricer.

Add the heavy cream and butter. If necessary, add the vegetable stock one tablespoon at a time. Whip until velvety and smooth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ingredients for the skirt steak:

1 lb skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat, cut evenly in half

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp mushroom powder

2 to 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

By KELLY TORRES Special to the AmNews

When I think of skirt steak, my mouth waters. I’m a longtime fan!

Having a tried-and-true recipe for this cut of beef makes a winning choice for your next dinner party. The secret ingredient to my skirt steak seasoning is mushroom powder, which is made by grinding dehydrated shiitake mushrooms. This really bumps up the earthiness of the steak, and is easily found in the spice aisle of most natural gourmet supermarkets. If you make a chimichurri sauce in advance, the flavors of the sauce will develop long enough so every bite of steak will have a complementary zing to it.

Skirt steak cooks quickly and is best served medium rare. It’s important not to marinate your steak for too long so it doesn’t turn to mush, but 30–40 minutes is long enough for the marinade to penetrate and tenderize this thin cut of meat.

Reducing the carb load for mashed potatoes, or a pomme purée like the French say, can be achieved by using celery root as the main component, and one to two Yukon gold potatoes to give it structure. With a bit of heavy cream, vegetable stock, and butter, the purée will be velvety-smooth. Choosing a vegetable to square off this meal should cause no difficulty, since just about anything will pair well. Gourmet meals need not be complicated!

Instructions for the skirt steak

Preheat a nonstick skillet on high heat.

Season skirt steak halves with salt, pepper, and mushroom powder.

In a bowl, add the red wine vinegar.

Lay the steaks in the bowl with the red wine vinegar, allowing the vinegar to touch every surface of the steaks. Let marinate for 30 minutes, turning the steaks over at the 15-minute mark so they marinate evenly.

Lift the steaks from the bowl and allow any excess liquid to drip back into the bowl.

Sear the steak halves for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until slightly charred. Remove the steaks when they reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. When they’re fully rested, slice the steaks against the grain. Serve immediately.

(Kelly Torres photo)

‘Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors’—Horror has never been this much fun!

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

If there is one off-Broadway show to see this Halloween holiday season, you must make it “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors,” playing at New World Stages. This play is the hilarious work of Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, who have taken the story of Dracula and given it a sexy, bisexual, gender-bending bite that you will find delicious.

From start to finish, this show is non-stop laughs with its absolutely wild and zany script, and is some of the most fun you will have at the theater. If you thought you knew the story of Dracula, you are so wrong. You will want to sink your teeth into this version and drink up all the laughs, as much as you can tolerate, and be prepared to go on a journey that will have you in stitches.

In this play, Lucy’s father is a doctor who not only runs the asylum, but allows his patients the run of his home and his daughters to live among them. Sounds a little too crazy? You can’t imagine the creativity of this storyline.

This is truly an ensemble piece, since four of the five actors juggle multiple roles and do so with flair and great fun. James Daly has got to be one of the sexiest Draculas you will ever meet. (You may even want him to take a bite!) Jordan Boatman is absolutely hilarious as Lucy (and other characters), who is lustful and loves danger and adventure.

Ellen Harvey is without a doubt one of the fastest changing artists I’ve ever seen and she makes it all so funny! Her characters are gender-bending because she plays only

men. What she does with putting on and taking off a wig and being a crazy man one moment and a devoted, eccentric father the next is astounding and hilarious.

Arnie Burton delivers one of the most wildly engaging performances you will see in the theater as Mina, Lucy’s homely sister, desperate for a man, who gestures suggestively at any man, only to find that she can’t even get Lucy’s rejects.

Burton also plays Ms. Van Helsing, in a gender-bending twist on the famous doctor. Once again, nontraditional casting is thriving in this production and you will love it. Andrew Keenan Bolger is delightfully adorable as Jonathan. (He’s even more adorable when he comes out in all leather, but I digress…)

Get ready to laugh your a– off when watching this production. Believe me, you will!

Every aspect of this show is dripping with laughter, quick changes, quick wits, and fun. It is stunningly directed by Greenberg. This is a play that the whole family can see and believe me, you will laugh until your head hurts as my family and I did.

The technical aspects of this production lend themselves quite well to setting the scene and the mood. Scenic and puppet design (yes, there are puppets) are by Tijana Bjelajac, costume design is by Tristan Raines, lighting design by Rob Denton, and original music and sound design are by Victoria Deiorio.

This play is so hilarious that you can see it before, during, and after Halloween. Get ready to let it take a bite out of your life!

For more info and for tickets, visit www. draculacomedy.com.

James Daly and Jordan Boatman in “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” (Matthew Murphy photo)

Blind Boys Baptize City Winery; Bluocracy Project

More dynamite than James Brown. More soul than Ray Charles. More jump-up shoutin’ hand-clappin’ and “amens” than a southern Baptist preacher on Sunday Morning. It was the Blind Boys of Alabama bringing more fire and brimstone than the holy ghost. Their recent one night, one show only (two hours) at City Winery in Manhattan was one of those unforgettable performances that will only be expounded upon with each new revelation. The mesmerizing group prompted three standing ovations of joyous pandemonium, solidifying an encore—a spirited rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” (recorded on their 2002 album by the same song title that Wonder had already set in gospel tradition), as the sold-out audience remained standing, shoutin’ and clappin,’ having too much energy to sit.

The Blind Boys of Alabama, formally billed as The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, and Clarence Fountain (a founding member who transitioned in 2018) and the Blind Boys of Alabama, have sustained a career spanning over 80 years with a changing roster of musicians over its history. The group was founded in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama, and first sang together as part of the school chorus at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Deaf and Blind in Talladega.

The Blind Boys came together at the height of segregation, peaking lynchings and stringent Jim Crow laws, as the Great Depression was just about to end. It was the same year, 1939, that Marian Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial, after the Daughters of the American Revolution denied her performance to an integrated audience at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.

The Blind Boys career commenced in the first half of the 20th century, when jubilee quartets followed tradition singing Negro hymns in a most dignified matter, as demonstrated by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, organized at Fisk University. The phrase “hard gospel” gave rise to gospel’s recognized popularity by secular audiences during the 1940s and 1950s, into the current era where gospel music has progressed into an eclectic rainbow tinged with pop, soul, and hip hop. “We have followed the gospel trend and set the gospel trend,” said Ricky McKinnie, the group’s leader, and member since 1990. Other members of the group are: Sterling Glass and music director/guitarist Joey Williams.

The Blind Boys’ repertoire covered a lot of territory in their 1982 recording of “I’m a Soldier in the Eyes of the Lord,” a real foot stomper, with harmony that infiltrated your soul with a heavenly vibration. Their rendition of “Amazing Grace” was an arrangement of “The House of the Rising

Sun” from their album “Spirit of the Century” on Peter Gabriel’s label Real World Records (2001). Their version was drenched in intense harmonies, with thick guitar licks.

The five-time GRAMMY winners, dressed in dapper blue suits with white shirts, bowties and dark glasses introduced songs from their just released album “Echoes Of the South,” which includes “Work Until My Days Are Done.” The tune starts off in a mid-tempo range with unshakable harmony, then the hand claps come in, and the spirit leaps to 180; listen to that guitar and jump up and feel the spirit. Another album song introduced was “Friendship,” a slower song with great lyrics and light drums that carry the pace. “We got that friendship, the kind that lasts a lifetime/through all the hardships.” Go on, now! And the tempo jumps up with “You Can’t Hurry God.”

“ Echoes Of the South,” is their first album in years. It pays tribute to longtime members they recently lost, Paul Beasley and Benjamin Moore. This is their first com-

plete album that was totally recorded in their home state, at The NuttHouse studio, in Sheffield, Alabama.

The new album is a "homecoming" in many instances, including the use of braille on Blind Boys album cover for the first time. It also features covers of the group's longtime friends and collaborators like Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and Pops Staples. Their list of collaborators also includes the likes of Lou Reed, Tom Waits, and Bonnie Raitt.

Throughout their eight decades, the Gospel Hall of Famers have remained committed to singing gospel, although record labels have attempted to lure them over to music’s secular side. These same labels were also aggressive in offering secular deals to the likes of Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mighty Clouds of Joy; the great gospel group The Caravans, that launched the careers of Dorothy Norwood, Shirley Caesar, and Rev. James Cleveland; and The Dixie Hummingbirds, who like the Blind Boys are still performing today after

80 years. These gospel singers can be credited with influencing the soul genre. Their styles, and musicianship shouts and hollers paved the way for singers like Sam Cooke and Ray Charles to easily transition to rock and roll and R&B. That same gospel “soul,” that big bold timbre influenced James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry.

“If you do the work, God will carry you Through,” said McKinnie during our recent phone interview.

Music is the soul of America, it documents the goings-on. The musicians are our warriors, their recordings and live performances speak of now and yester now—even into the future remember Sun Ra. There is always a message in the music. “The music is in our soul, it is the nourishment of the ancestors,” said Randy Weston. “We must listen, learn and continue to grow.”

Trombonist, composer, and activist Craig Harris was commissioned to compose a piece which he entitled “Bluocracy Project.” “Bluocracy explores the great democratic process that is essential to the music called ‘jazz’ and examines how it parallels the fiber of American relationships, especially those considering gender, race, class and politics,” explained Harris.

His masterwork “Bluocracy Project/ Craig Harris and Harlem Night Songs” recently premiered in Harlem at the Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church (where he presents his weekly Friday night concerts). The composition reflected what America could be, would be, and should be if it wasn’t so caught up in its own self-destruction and denial. Harris is the visionary newscaster and bandleader who disperses the truth straight up, with his large ensemble. The composed music reflects the lyrical phrasing of Langston Hughes and the defiant intellect of W.E.B. DuBois, with the poignant urgency of a piercing Amiri Baraka poem. The poet Naomi Extra radiated like a full moon in the dark night dropping critical truth on America’s skirted present and past.

The composition is an amalgamation of straight ahead jazz to improvisations on the edge: sometimes disjointed, sometimes united swing, but always exhilarating moving ahead. And that’s jazz, that’s black music, that’s music in America seeking the truth, constructing questions and provoking comments. “Bluocracy” brought people to their feet, and the standing ovation was well deserved. The nine-piece ensemble was amazing. In a few weeks “Bluocracy” will perform in San Francisco. Personally, I can’t wait for the CD—to play over and over!

“The Bluocracy Project” is one of those definitive master works that should be acknowledged with the same enthusiasm as Max Roach’s “Freedom Now Suite!,” Wynton Marsalis’ “Blood on the Fields,” and Archie Shepp’s “Attica Blues.”

Craig Harris (Ron Scott photo)

Composting

Continued from page 3

their lids are closed [and] you have to use a good container that closes—you can’t overstep it. You’ve got to make sure it’s sealed so that rodents don’t get in it.

“But removing the food from bags that sit out for hours at night during peak rat hangout times is a huge rat mitigation strategy.”

Still, there are options for Manhattanites, including Harlem residents, to get a headstart on local composting efforts which include the aforementioned orange “smart bins” which operate 24/7 and are unlockable with the city’s NYC Compost app on iPhone and Android devices. These dropoff locations are spread throughout Harlem, although so far none have been installed on 125th Street. A DSNY spokesperson says there are around 400 bins city-

sion for greener waste disposal rather than mandatory participation.

“With a community compost people know what they’re doing, they know that they’re doing something good for the earth [and] that this is all going to be utilized,” said Worley. “If there’s just a simple mandate [to] put your compost here and san-

Metro Briefs

Continued from page 3

For more information, contact VOCAL-NY by phone at 718-802-9540 or email at info@ vocal-ny.org.

African Film Festival’s 16th annual Family Day celebration on Governors Island

“If you have children, or grandchildren, or if you’re just concerned about the future anyway, if you are going to be around for another 70, 100 or 1,000 years like [my friend] Grace and myself, we all want a better environment,” said Worle with a laugh. “Climate change is taking a front seat these days, as well as it should in my view. So anyone can

Join the Trust for Governors Island and African Film Festival (AFF) for their 16th annual Family Day Celebration on Sunday, Oct. 1, from 12 noon to 6:15 p.m. Fun-seeking individuals of all ages are invited for a day of free activities, including storytelling and double dutch with Malika Lee Whitney; Afro Brazilian, Senegalese, and Guinean dance and drum workshops led by

©2023 New York Lottery | MAGIC 8 BALL™ © 2023 Mattel

Compost bin located inside Harlem’s Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Garden. (Tandy Lau photo)

CLASSROOM IN

Rev. Jeannette Phillips, a devout practitioner of quality healthcare

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

Several newspapers, particularly in Westchester County and Peekskill, carried glowing obituaries of her phenomenal career and activism.

DISCUSSION

We wish we could have provided more about her formative years and early aspirations. Perhaps family members can bolster our profile with additional information.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

Rev. Phillips came of age during the Depression, and she and her family thrived despite the economic and cultural disparity they encountered.

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Beyond Rev. Jeannette Phillips’s extraordinary contributions, the presence of an extensive obituary in the New York Times, particularly in the section where a cost applies, caught our attention. A photograph of her and three columns occupied the page. Her odyssey among us was remarkable and will certainly be missed. She died at 90 on September 12, 2023, in Peekskill, N.Y., where she established her enviable reputation. She was surrounded by loved ones.

Phillips was born in Harlem on February 20, 1933, and attended the historic Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Fla. She was an active student at the school and in community organizations, which gave resonance to her invitations to deliver a graduation message: an anti-Korean War speech. It was a harbinger of her future engagements.

On graduation in 1955, Phillips accepted a job at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Montrose, N.Y., in Westchester County. That spurred her interest in and commitment to providing quality health care.

A year later, she married Rev. Howard Phillips, her companion in a long marriage of dedication to upliftment and civil rights. This activity had expanded considerably by 1972 when she was joined by her friends Pearl Woods, Willie Mae Jackson, and Mary Woods and began planning to do something about the disparity of health care in Peekskill.

With her original associates and others, Phillips co-founded the Peekskill Health Center—now Sun River Health—and one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Center networks in the U.S., providing service for patients across the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Long Island; all told, at nearly 50 sites.

At the beginning of their endeavor, Phillips told a reporter that they raised money by selling dinners and pies. “We had one particular group, the ‘Soul Sisters’ who baked and sold the pies and cakes. You couldn’t get more grassroots than we were.”

Along with her devotion to the center, she earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Mercy College and later attended the New York Theological Seminary. She then completed four years of con-

ference studies in the AME Zion Church, where she was ordained as a deacon and then an elder in 1992. She became the pastor of the historic Woodsie AME Zion Church in Stamford, Conn.

In 2015, according to a story in the Examiner News by Rick Pezzullo, the “Sun River Health’s Peekskill health center was renamed the Jeannette J. Phillips Community Health Center with many dignitaries present. She was subsequently honored by the New York State Legislature in the state capitol.

“Phillips was the recipient of numerous other awards and recognitions, including the New York State Governor’s Award for African Americans of Distinction in 1994, the CHCANYS Catherine M. Abate Memorial Award in 2018, and Crain’s Notable Women in Healthcare in 2019. Her most cherished recognitions were the Sojourner Truth Award, which she received in 1994, and the Harriet Tubman Award for her work as the Westchester district president of the Harriet Tubman Home Historical Society.”

At a homegoing celebration on September 21 at the Paramount

Hudson Valley in Newburgh, members of her family gathered with a host of wellwishers.

“As a family, we are grateful for her love, her life, and her legacy,” the funeral program noted. “It is rare to witness a living legend who served tirelessly to the very day she passed away while offering words of comfort to her colleagues. We are deeply moved by the outpouring of kindness, compassion, and heartfelt words in remembrance of our beloved Queen. Let us be fueled to carry on the good work of being of service to one another. May her light shine on for years and generations to come.”

Phillips was the proud matriarch of her family, which includes her three daughters and two sons, and more than 100 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and greatgreat-grandchildren. Phillips also shared her love of ministry with her husband of 67 years. Both were revered and sought after throughout the Hudson Valley as innovative and life-changing preachers.

“It is my faith that keeps me grounded,” Phillips often said. “And it is my belief that God equips and strengthens those who are called to serve.”

THIS WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

Sept. 24, 1825: Author Frances E.W. Harper was born in Baltimore. She died in 1911.

Sept. 24, 1894: Sociologist E. Franklin Frazier was born in Baltimore. He died in 1962.

Sept. 24, 1935: Heavyweight boxing immortal Joe Louis becomes the first Black boxer to draw a million-dollar gate.

Founding Mothers of the health center (from left) Willie Mae Jackson, Pearl Woods, Jeannette Phillips, and Mary Woods.

Heating

Continued from page 3

inadequate heat at home leads people to resort to unsafe measures to stay warm.

“We have a dangerous situation where some people are using their stoves—their gas stoves—to keep themselves warm,” he said. “We’ve had these buildings that are not well-insulated [and] the electricity is too high and people can’t afford electricity.”

The continued legacy of racism

Energy bills are usually higher for Black and brown New Yorkers, with families in the Bronx and Queens experiencing some of the highest energy burdens. More than 62,036 complaints were filed for heat and hot water issues in the city last January,

lords to make energy-efficient updates to their buildings, passed in New York City in 2019, and New York state’s constitution now guarantees that every resident of New York has the right to clean air, clean water, and a hospitable environment, he said. Laws like these around the country are starting to be used to protect tenants against negligent landlords.

“It’s still very nascent, there’s only been a few cases,” Rogers-Wright said. He noted that tenants can take inspiration from recent union strikes and organize, take collective action, or even unionize, like the Crown Heights Tenant Union. With an election year approaching, he said energy inequality and tenant rights can be measures that New Yorkers pressure candidates to prioritize.

Meanwhile, Carbajal recommended that eligible New Yorkers enroll in the state’s

The Future is Now: Councilmembers introduce bills for innovative AI use in NYC public schools

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

New York City is determined to embrace technology and generative artificial intelligence (AI) in public schools. The plan is to incorporate AI training for educators and AI-crafted curriculum for students.

When OpenAI publicly released ChatGPT, which can create lifelike writing using vast data sets, the city restricted the chatbot on most public school internet networks and on education department devices until they could figure out how to tackle it. Some principals and schools could request access to unfiltered chatbot services.

It’s been discovered that ChatGPT versions have the ability to ‘lie’ or fabricate inaccurate information depending on how it is prompted. So at first, the NYC Department of Education (DOE) shared the much larger con-

cern that the chatbot and AI apps would have negative impacts on student learning, and encourage cheating and plagiarism, reported Chalkbeat.

Chancellor of New York City Public Schools David Banks later wrote an op-ed discussing the advance of technology and innovation in city schools. “The knee-jerk fear and risk overlooked the potential of generative AI to support students and teachers, as well as the reality that our students are participating in and will work in a world where understanding generative AI is crucial,” wrote Banks. “Like many others, we had much to learn about the promise and perils of AI in our schools and communities.”

Banks was fully behind citywide educators teaching about the future and ethics of AI, expanding the Computer Science for All (CS4All) initiative in schools, and using generative AI to create lesson plans and grade papers.

Adhering to that future for-

ward mindset, Councilmembers

Rita Joseph and Shaun Abreu introduced three resolutions: Res 0766-2023 (Joseph) updates the CS4All initiative in underserved schools; Res 0767-2023 (Joseph) mandates training on generative AI tools for all educators; and Res 0742-2023 (Abreu) calls to develop curriculum on machine learning and adapt policies for the safe use of AI.

“The goal of this resolution is for educators to be equipped [and] informed with all the tools they need,” said Joseph. “If they’re not trained, they won’t know what to look for.”

Joseph, who is the education committee chair, refers to herself jokingly as a “forever educator” who taught for 20 years. She doesn’t believe that AI can replace traditional reading and writing skills, but that it can be beneficial in creating analysis and dialogue for students. She encourages use and exploration of AI but not a total dependence on it.

She said that an important lesson city leadership learned from the COVID pandemic is that many teachers and even parents were not familiar with technology. She likened the training program to previous generations that had plagiarism checkers. Nowadays, said Joseph, students are far more advanced and need the opportunity to explore technology in positive ways.

“Hiding it from them would be a disservice because then kids would be kids. They’ll be curious and go find out how far they can get with it,” said Joseph.

The CS4All initiative began under former Mayor Bill de Blasio back in 2015. At the time, the underrepresented populations in tech—women as well as Black and Latino students and students from low-income families—were huge.

According to the CS4All DOE website, the initiative reached over 800 schools, with 2,000 teachers trained and 6,857 students taking

Advanced Placement CS exams in 2020. But Joseph is advocating for the program to be implemented citywide, especially in predominantly Black and brown schools that are still in need.

The council held a joint technology and education committee hearing about the resolutions on Sept. 20. A few council members questioned if student data, which is illegal to sell commercially, was private and safe from predatory third party vendors, apps, or security breaches. They also asked how the city and schools can separate out harmful biases prevalent in the software that students are using.

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

Black Girls Code (BGC) workshop volunteers Ashley Tolbert, second from left, and Nagita Sykes, second from right, guide sisters Jessica Ostrun, 11, far right, and Jayda Ostrun, 7, during an app building session at Google, on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013 in New York. BGC introduces basic programming to girls from a segment of the population poorly represented in the high technology workforce. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews photo)

Religion & Spirituality

Remembering Minister Brown and a homage to AJASS

By HERB BOYD and CINQUE BRATH Special to the AmNews

Traveling from Harlem to the Bronx and then to Brooklyn, even under the best of circumstances, can be challenging, particularly by train in a torrent of rain and wind. But two events made the trip necessary: the celebration of the life and legacy of Minister Clemson G. Brown at the House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn and the co-naming of a street for African Jazz Art Society & Studios (AJASS) in the Bronx.

Since both events were on Saturday at practically the same time, coverage had to be shared, which I did with Cinque once I knew it was going to be impossible for me to give each event the time it deserved.

For more than four hours, speakers literally followed the Rev. Dr. Karen Daughtry’s command that a person “is never dead so long as their name is called,” and Clemson’s name resounded with unbroken love and remembrance. Without exception, he was remembered for his proficiency as a documentarian—the basement of his home was a veritable repository of African and African video history and culture. “His camera was a weapon,” said Councilmember Charles Barron, who with his wife, Inez, recounted the precious moments they spent with him.

“It was an honor to be in his presence,” said the Rev. Dr. Derrick Shahem Johnson, pastor of the Black Liberation Church in New York. He observed, as several others did, Clemson’s massive collection of photos, films, and memorabilia during his global treks. Michael Greys, co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, said Clemson “was an army of one, and he presented us with better images of ourselves.”

Two family members, including his nephew Alphonso Martin, Sr. of Unity Church in Woodbridge, Va., praised him for his devotion to the family.

Retired NYC Detective Graham Weatherspoon of the Amadou Diallo Foundation recalled first meeting Clemson at Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood St. Paul’s Church. “One day, I got an urgent call from Clemson in 1995,” he began. “He said I was needed in Poughkeepsie to provide protection during the Tawana Brawley incident. I told him I have a gun and will travel.” During

the drive, Weatherspoon said, he got some lessons in Black history firsthand from a master teacher.

Peggy Washington put her memories of Clemson in song, with a special rendition of “May the Work I’ve Done Speak for Me,” and certainly the work Clemson did speak with the same volume and resonance of

Washington’s voice.

Passionate reflections flowed from Dr. Leonard Jeffries, who remembered Clemson as his student at the City College of New York City; Elder Cortez Stallings, who got his impressions of Clemson as a classmate of Clemson, Jr.; and Dr. James Smalls; Dr. James McIntosh, of CEMOTAP; and

Yaa Asantewaa, whose libations permitted Clemson’s name to soar on the ancestral plane with other notables.

After warmly embracing the Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, who made sure the speakers kept to the allotted time, Clemson Brown Jr. delivered the closing remarks, first by reciting a couple of his father’s poems. One line said, “Let me curse this political arena...and let us make a poem together.” He said his father was an artist who was always trying to do good, “and I accept the challenge he left me.”

Brown left all of us with a monumental challenge to live up to his tireless advocacy for love, peace, and total liberation.

Because of inclement weather, the street naming for tAJASS was postponed to September 30 at 2 p.m. The corner of Longwood and Kelly will have to wait one more week for the honoring. One more week should not hurt when you consider the fact that AJASS was founded in 1956 in the basement office in the home of Cecil and Etelka Brathwaite, two immigrants from Barbados, at 751 Kelly Street. The week’s postponement to honor AJASS will likely make the celebration at the opening of Bill Rainey Park even more magnificent.

Ironically the new date is the same date as when Harlem celebrated the president and cofounder of AJASS in 2017. However, this event will celebrate the legacies of not one man but several important men who have had an important role in our history: like Kwame Brathwaite, Chris Acemandese Hall, Frank Adu Robinson, Jimmy Abu, Bob Gumbs, and a few others.

Nonetheless, there was a pre-gathering of people who came together at the illustrious Bronx Music Heritage Center (1303 Louis Nine Blvd.) despite the AJASS street postponement. They celebrated the legacy of the pioneering group, shared personal stories, and reflected on the evolution of the first Black Arts Movement Organization and the role of the Pioneers of the “Black is Beautiful” movement.

The delay might have been divine messaging that allowed people to attend the memorial service for Clemson Brown. Given Clemson’s wide-ranging peregrinations, there is probably a video of an AJASS event in his bountiful trove.

Minister Clemson

Southern Baptists expel Oklahoma church after pastor defends his blackface and Native caricatures

By PETER SMITH Associated Press

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has ousted an Oklahoma church whose pastor defended his blackface performance at one church event and his impersonation of a Native American woman at another.

The Executive Committee of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination voted Tuesday that Matoaka Baptist Church of Ochelata “be deemed not in friendly cooperation with the convention”—the official terminology for an expulsion.

The church’s pastor, Sherman Jaquess, dressed in blackface for a 2017 church Valentine’s Day event, in which he claimed to be impersonating the late soul singer Ray Charles. Jaquess wore dark facial makeup, a large Afro wig, and dark glasses and smiled broadly as he sang a duet. Some in the crowd can be heard laughing during the video of the performance.

The video was brought to light earlier this year by Tulsa community activist Marq Lewis.

Another Facebook photo, published by the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, also surfaced, showing Jaquess dressed as a Native American woman at a “Cowboys and Indians” night at a church camp. The photo shows a man dressed as a cowboy,

holding an apparently fake gun to Jaquess in jest while a boy dressed as a cowboy is poised next to him with raised fists.

In a Facebook post earlier this year, Lewis wrote: “He didn’t just mimic Ray Charles, he distorted the features and culture of African Americans and also Indigenous Americans with his offensive Pocahontas caricature. He is promoting the hatred that sees African Americans and Indigenous Americans as not only different but less than.”

Jaquess said in an interview that it’s “repugnant to have people think you’re a racist,” especially when he said he was paying tribute to Charles.

“If it had been done in a derogatory or hateful manner, that would be one thing,

but the church was full of people. Nobody took it as a racial slur,” he said, contending that people dredged up the years-old posts after he spoke against drag shows in Bartlesville.

Jaquess, who became a Christian in a Southern Baptist church at age 13, also said that he’s part Cherokee and he wasn’t attempting to caricature Native people.

He said the denomination reached out a few months ago to say they would send a packet “where I would have to prove I wasn’t a racist.” Jaquess said he never received anything until Friday, when notice of the pending vote and his lack of cooperation arrived. He said he called but couldn’t reach anyone.

His church, he said, may appeal the ouster to the SBC’s full annual meeting next year, as is its right.

“I don’t know if I want to be a part of a denomination that would make a judgment about you without even talking to you,” said Jaquess, who added that he committed his life to ministry in Southern Baptist churches. “The only thing I see that they do well is cash my check.”

But Lewis praised the Executive Committee’s action.

“For him [Jaquess] to not apologize, and double down on it, to me I felt this is a pastor that needed to be exposed,” Lewis said in an

interview. “I’m grateful that the Southern Baptist organization said ‘we don’t want to have anything to do with this.’”

Blackface performances date back to minstrel shows of the 1800s, in which performers darkened their faces to create bigoted caricatures of Black people.

Since Southern Baptist churches are independent, the convention can’t tell a church what to do or whom to have as a pastor, but it can oust a church from its membership.

The SBC’s constitution says a church can only be deemed in friendly cooperation if, among other things, it “does not act to affirm, approve, or endorse discriminatory behavior on the basis of ethnicity.”

The conservative denomination has expelled churches for various reasons in recent years—most prominently Saddleback Church, the California megachurch ousted earlier this year for having women pastors.

In 2018 and 2022, the Executive Committee ousted a Georgia church and a New Jersey congregation amid concerns over alleged discriminatory behavior.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation U.S., with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Congregant wears cross decorated with U.S. flag pattern (AP Photo/Allison Dinner photo)

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This is to announce that the next meeting of the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy I Charter School Board of Trustees will occur in person on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 at 7:30am. The meeting will be held at 245 West 129th St, NY, NY.

101 LEGAL NOTICES

This is to announce that the next meeting of the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy II Charter School Board of Trustees will occur in person on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 at 7:30am. The meeting will be held at 245 West 129th St, NY, NY.

101 LEGAL NOTICES

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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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 COUN-

TY 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). 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

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

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.

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.

Brooklyn Bread Apparel, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/30/2022. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1740 Broadway Ave., Fl. 15, NY, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

Ahern Painting Contractors, Inc is seeking MWBE and SDVOB Subcontractor Proposals for the following MTA Construction & Development Project: “CONTRACT VN-PT / VN-12 PHASE 2, Design-Build Services for Tower Painting, Lighting and Electrical Upgrades at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge”. Please contact Anna at 718-639-5880 for details.

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.

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.

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 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 CHAPTER 33, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/14/23. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/10/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 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.

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 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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 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 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 WIL-

LIAMSBURG 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HIDDEN BRIDGES NYC, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/05/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 515 E 88th St, Apt 3H, NY, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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 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 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 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.

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 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 Qualification of HABYT PROPERTIES US 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 05/17/23. Princ. office of LLC: 335 Madison Ave., Ste. 6F-2, NY, NY 10017. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, Secy. of State of the State of DE, Dover Office, 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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.

The Paull Group LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/21/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail copy to: 301 E. 81st St., NY, NY 10028. R/A: U.S. Corp. Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Ave. #202, Bklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Dream Concept Multiservices, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/30/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: The Limited Liability Company, 228 Park Ave. S #34823, NY, NY, 10003. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Andrea Sullivan, LCSW PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/06/2023. Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 315 W 57th St., Ste. 203, NY, NY 10019. Purpose: Any lawful act. 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.

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 GRIFFITH SUTTON TOWER 38A LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/10/23. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Steven J. Sedereas, Esq., c/o Mandelbaum Barrett PC, 570 Lexington Ave., 21st Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Marketing Manager. Brooklyn, NY. $156k/yr. Develop marketing strategies while considering company objectives, resources, & profitability; analyze market trends & market research findings; identify new market & business development need. Req: 3yrs exp job duties; Knowledge of marketing strategies, business management, & financial management. Send Resume: Job#3, ASBH LLC, 1022 Cortelyou Rd Brooklyn NY 11218.

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.

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 guide lines and HUD regulations.

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

CONCOURSE GARDENS Management Office 245 Echo Place Bronx, NY 10457

Completed applications must be sent by regular mail to the P.O. Box indicated on the applica tion. Duplicate applications will be dropped to the bottom of the list. Completed applications

JOIN

SUPPORT

Voter Laws

Continued from page 4

in a correctional facility like a prison or jail for a felony conviction, but regain eligibility upon release. Almost every other justiceimpacted New Yorker can register to vote, including those awaiting trial and those held on misdemeanors. And soon they will find out, thanks to the bill.

The detainee will also be “offered” a voter registration application and assistance with filling out the form upon release.

“Making sure that people have the ability with the application for voter registration—that is a powerful tool, right?” said Bailey. “[Your] 18th birthday, you get a lottery ticket in one hand and a voter registration form [in] the other— when it’s in your hands, it becomes all the more real.”

Erica Smitka, League of Women Voters of New York deputy director, said anything easing the registration process is beneficial so the prospective voter isn’t concerned about eligibility when election day comes around. The act not only provides voter registration forms to those released from local jails, but offers to send the applications out on their behalf.

Smitka added that the bill is critical for combating misinformation, given that groups most frequently detained during pre-trial also happen to be some of the most disenfranchised.

“Having wrong information is very easily a way to suppress someone’s vote, whether intentional or unintentional,” said Smitka. “It still is voter suppression…[there is reportedly] a lack of access to information about voting while someone is in jail, [which] disproportionately affects low-income citizens and primarily Black and brown New Yorkers.”

Gibbs is planning a March for Justice on October 15 to promote the laws. The march is essentially a 10-day community walk from Harlem to Albany via US 9. He will be stopping at state prisons along the route.

Ariama C. Long and Tandy Lau are Report for America corps members and write 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 taxdeductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

NEW HAVEN ROCKAWAY LLC

Applications are now being accepted on a rolling basis through November 30, 2023 for Studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments at 2210-16 New Haven Ave., Far Rockaway, NY

Qualification will be based on Section 8 Federal Guidelines - Income and occupancy restrictions apply

Tenants pay 30% of adjusted annual gross income

1 Household Size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria

2 Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income. Income guidelines subject to change

Interested persons may obtain an application by one of the methods: by sending a self-addressed envelope to: Or Visiting/Calling the Management Office at: Progressive Management of NY 1044 Northern Blvd. – 2nd Fl Roslyn, NY 11576 ATT: New Haven W/L

2210-16 New Haven Ave., Office Far Rockaway, NY 11691

Office Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 2PM – 4PM

By emailing: apply@progressivemgmt.net (be sure to reference New Haven W/L) By calling: 516 -277- 9400 (be sure to reference New Haven W/L)

Completed applications must be sent to the address shown on the application form via regular mail only, (no priority, certified, registered, express or overnight mail will be accepted).

Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified. Qualified applicants will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria.

The Fair Housing Act Prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Federal law also prohibits discrimination on the basis of age. This apartment community does not discriminate on the basis of handicap/disability

20, 2023- New York, NY- Governor Hochul signs Voting Rights Legislation at New York Law School (Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

College basketball star Caitlin Clark wins Sullivan Award

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

It was Caitlin Clark’s first visit to New York City. Although the college basketball star who propelled the University of Iowa to the title game in the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament was only in town for 24 hours, it was a memorable time because she was named recipient of the 93rd Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) James E. Sullivan Award at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) last week. In addition to athletic excellence, the Sullivan Award recognizes qualities of leadership, character, and sportsmanship on and off the field of play. It is presented annually to the most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the U.S.

“It’s kind of a full circle moment; I grew up playing a lot of AAU sports—softball, basketball, soccer,” said Clark, whose father was her first-ever AAU basketball

coach. “The reason I went to Iowa was to be able to do something different and take them to a place they really hadn’t been… I hope I can continue to push women’s sport forward and be an advocate.”

The other finalists were Dylan Crews, a baseball player at LSU

who is now with the Washington Nationals; Jordan Chiles, a collegiate gymnast at UCLA (unable to attend due to the trials for the World Championships); Jordan Crooks, a swimmer for the University of Tennessee; Zach Edey, a basketball player with Purdue

University; and Kate Douglass, a swimmer and recent graduate of the University of Virginia who began her swimming career at a swimming club affiliated with the NYAC.

Other memorable moments of last week’s Sullivan Award event

included a keynote speech by Leon Carter, editor-at-large of The Athletic and co-director of the Sports Journalism Institute, a nine-week training program for aspiring sports journalists with an emphasis on minorities and women.“You will see people who will not be with you,” Carter said. “Stand tall in the face of adversity. When people say you can’t do something, stand tall.”

The AAU’s Humanitarian Award went to NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, who has worked with the AAU for several years on organizing sports programs for young people in NYC. This year’s AAU Urban Initiative featured three-on-three basketball courts in Time Square.

“Through this partnership with AAU, this platform, I was able to pull together resources and create opportunities,” said Maddrey. “Boys and girls together playing basketball…We have to think of something bigger for next year!”

Big East hosts its eighth annual Transition Game program

By LOIS ELFMAN

The Big East Conference hosted its eighth annual Transition Game program earlier this month, providing current women’s basketball student-athletes with insights into planning for life on and off the court after graduation. More than 30 student-athletes attended, listened, and asked questions of speakers about subjects ranging from playing professional basketball to using skills developed in sports to launch new careers. Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman and Chief Executive Officer of the

New York Liberty Keia Clarke addressed the attendees.

Shenneika Smith, now an assistant coach at her alma mater, St. John’s University, spoke about moving into the pro game. She admitted she’s not fond of public speaking but was happy to share her story of being drafted by the New York Liberty, getting cut, and then learning the ropes of playing overseas.

“One of the mistakes I made when I first went overseas was not being more in tune with my teammates, not gravitating to them where they could help me with the language barriers or even the small things like where to go eat, what’s fun to do,”

said Smith, who played in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and Australia. “Also, I was not used to not having a schedule because in college, everything is planned out.”

Other than practice and games, Smith spent a lot of time in her first season in her apartment, watching Netflix or NBA games. Fortunately, she became more a part of the community as her career progressed. She also learned to accept not making a WNBA roster.

“I was the last person waived by the New York Liberty, and it was heart-wrenching,” said Smith, now in her seventh season on the St. John’s coaching staff. “I let them know [that] just because you didn’t make a

team or you got waived doesn’t mean you don’t go forward. Go overseas and enjoy your time over there.”

Kae Satterfield, a fifth-year guard/forward at Seton Hall, attended and soaked up the wealth of information. Her postgraduation goals include playing professionally. “The real world is coming fast,” said Satterfield, who also listened intently to Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble’s insights about mental health. “I really appreciated the former athletes panel and their honesty. Their insights into overseas professional basketball, as well as the WNBA, were really helpful. They gave good tips for when you’re in other countries.”

Special to the AmNews

Caitlin Clark with fellow finalists, Sullivan committee chair Jim Fox, and AAU president Jo Mirza (Lois Elfman photo)

St. John’s assistant coach Shenneika Smith with members of women’s basketball team (Photo courtesy of the Big East)

Seton Hall contingent at Transition Game (Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics)

The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts sets the MLB leadoff RBI mark

By DANTE MILES, MLBbro Special to the AmNews

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts’ month-long pursuit of presumed National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. may not result in winning his first NL MVP award—but going forward there is potential for Betts to accomplish something just as special on the game’s largest stage.

On Saturday, in the Dodgers’ 7–0 win over the San Francisco Giants, Betts reached one of the most unique achievements in MLB history for a leadoff hitter.

His 105th RBI this season from the top of the lineup eclipsed Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon’s record of 104 RBI that was set in 2017.

“There’s been a lot of great leadoff hitters, and for him to be No.1 is pretty remarkable,” said Dodgers

manager Dave Roberts. “It seems like every night we’re eclipsing milestones as individuals.”

The record comes in a season that has seen Betts do it all for the Dodgers at the plate, especially since the All-Star break.

Over his previous 30 games at the start of the week, Betts was slashing .360/.474/.622 with 7 homers, 21 RBI and 22 walks. With 39 home runs when the Dodgers faced the Rockies last night (Wednesday), it is the third time he has reached the 30-plus milestone. One more will put him at 40 for the first time in the 30-year-old’s 10-year career. This is his fourth season as a Dodger after six with the Boston Red Sox.

On most teams, a power bat like Betts’ would almost automatically be placed in the cleanup spot, but the Dodgers aren’t normal. They are an offensive

juggernaut with heavy hitters throughout their lineup and Betts is the head of the snake. The Dodgers, champions of the NL West, have clinched a firstround bye in the postseason.

Betts’ value to the Dodgers has been immense. Already establishing himself as one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, his ability to play the infield has helped the Dodgers through injuries while also providing Roberts with additional strategic options.

Betts flashed a lot of leather on Sunday while playing second base in the Dodgers series finale against their longtime division rival Giants, making two fantastic diving stops on back-to-back plays. Given the plethora of injuries to the Dodgers pitching staff, strong defense will be key to their pursuit of a World Series title.

Baker and Roberts continue a standards for managerial excellence

By CRAIG GRANT, MLBbro Special to the AmNews

The regular season is coming to a close and the final playoff standings are beginning to form. Every manager that will arrive in the playoffs will prepare their team for a potential World Series run. However, there are two managers that have more extensive experience in the postseason, and are both ready to push for their second championship.

Dave Roberts has already led the Dodgers to the NL West title and Dusty Baker, who guided the Houston Astros to a World Series victory last season, headed into last night’s game versus the Seattle Mariners with his team holding a half game lead over the Mariners for the third and final AL wildcard spot.

Roberts piloted the Dodgers to a World Series title in the COVIDshortened 2020 season. Although he is a proven winner, Roberts has won only one of three of the World Series appearances in which he has taken the Dodgers. Expectations are high for him and the Dodgers again ahead of the upcoming playoffs. Currently, the Atlanta Braves are the favorite to win the National League pennant.

Baker brought legitimacy back to the Houston Astros organization after a few years of chaos following a cheating scandal which

many baseball fans believe was the primary reason they captured the 2017 World Series. In the aftermath, the general assumption was the Astros run was over, but Baker, hired by Houston in January of 2020, helped steady the franchise and regain credibility

An Astros repeat as World Series

champions would place Baker in an elite category as he would join Cito Gatson as the only other African-American manager to win back-to-back World Series titles.

Baker is the only manager to win a division with five different teams. And over the last 30 years he's accumulated 2.179 wins, good for

seventh place all-time just behind Sparky Anderson, who Baker should pass in 2024 if he manages next season.

Another pennant for the Astros this season would mark Baker’s club winning three straight in the American League, a feat that has not happened since the New York Yankees

did it from 1998-2000. Roberts has been the Dodgers manager since 2016 and they have garnered 10 of the last 11 NL West crowns. He has never won less than 91 games in seven full seasons as manager. A dream scenario would be to see Roberts and Baker meeting up against each in the Fall Classic.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/infielder Mookie Betts set the MLB record for most RBIs in a season by a leadoff hitter (Kevin Reece, MLBbro photo)

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts have both won World Series titles as players and managers (David Grubb, MLBbro photo)

Jermell Charlo dares to be great in challenging Canelo

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

Undisputed super middleweight world champion Canelo Álvarez will defend his titles against undisputed junior middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be broadcast by Showtime PPV.

The 33-year-old Charlo, who is 35–1–1, not only hasn’t fought since May of last year, but is also moving up from a maximum of 154 lbs at junior middleweight to a maximum weight of 168 lbs at super middleweight. Charlo most certainly is daring to be great.

The fight is also historic. It is the first time that two reigning, undisputed male champions will face each other. If Charlo can pull off the upset, he would become just the second man to earn the undisputed title in two divisions during the four-belt era, following Terence Crawford, who became the first with a victory over Errol Spence in their welterweight bout in July. Charlo would join boxing legends Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Roy Jones Jr., who each successfully jumped two weight classes to win a championship.

Both Alvarez and Charlo spoke

to the media earlier this week before the clash.

“I feel the love and support from my people and I’m proud to represent my country,” said the 59–2–2, 33-year-old Alvarez of his Mexican heritage. “I am 100% right now and ready to show you a different Canelo on Satur-

day. Charlo is a great fighter who knows how to box. He is strong and has nothing to lose. He came to my division to win it all. But I’ve been in this position for a long time and I’m ready.”

Charlo exuded confidence in knowing what’s ahead against an opponent considered an all-time

great by numerous boxing pundits.

“These fans think Canelo is the best in the world, but I’m going to come here and show that I’m the best,” said Charlo. “I do this for the dogs, the hungry ones. I do it for the animals. I’m made for this. After I beat Canelo, the world will be screaming ‘Charlo, Charlo!’ You

dig? Now it’s my turn, my time, my moment. I’m going to shine on Saturday night. We can’t talk about it; we have to be about it. Come fight night, you’ll all see what that means.”

Alvarez is favored in the fight and he should be. But Canelo hasn’t knocked out an opponent since November 2021 and suffered the second loss of his career in May of last year versus Dmitrii Bivol. Canelo has absorbed a lot of punishment in his 63 fights and even acknowledged looking subpar in his last three matches.

Shakur Stevenson is scheduled to return to action when he battles Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant WBC lightweight title on November 16 in Las Vegas.

Devin Haney will dare to be great when he moves up to junior welterweight to battle WBC welterweight champion Regis Prograis. Haney is currently the undisputed lightweight champion.

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will take on MMA fighter Francis Ngannou on October 28 from Saudi Arabia.

Finally, 22-year-old Irishman Callum Walsh will make his Madison Square Garden debut and defend his WBC US silver super welterweight title against Ismael Villarreal on November 9.

North Carolina Central University tops the HBCU Power Rankings

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

North Carolina Central (NCCU) is atop the HBCU power rankings heading into this weekend’s Black college football schedule after a commanding 45–3 win over Mississippi Valley State in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Lucas Oil Stadium in the Circle City Classic this past Saturday. NC Central, of the MEAC, is 3–1 overall and their only loss is to UCLA in a 59–7 drubbing to the PAC-12 Power Five conference school two weekends ago in Los Angeles. Mississippi Valley State of the SWAC fell to 0–3 and faces a formidable task at home this Saturday when they will play their first conference game of the season against Florida A&M.

The Rattlers are No. 2 in the HBCU Power Rankings and are coming off of a 23–10 victory over Alabama State. They are followed by No. 3 Tennessee State (2–1) of

the Ohio Valley Conference, No. 4 Jackson State (3–2) of the SWAC and No. 5 Hampton (2–1) of the Colonial Athletic Conference.

NCCU, which had its sevengame win streak dating back to last season snapped by UCLA, opened up a 14–0 lead in the first quarter against the Delta Devils and were never threatened after. Eagles junior quarterback Walter Harris was 17–28 for 263 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

NCCU is back home at O’KellyRiddick Stadium this Saturday after two games on the road to play Campbell University (2–2) of the Colonial Athletic Conference. The Eagles ended last season as the Black college champions with a gripping 41–34 overtime win in the Crickett Celebration Bowl over the Jackson State Tigers led by the program’s former head coach Deion Sanders, who now is in his first season leading the Colorado Buffaloes.

Winston Salem State defenders look to wrap up Bluefield State running back Jahdir Loftland from Neptune, New Jersey, in the Rams 30–0 victory on Saturday. (Lem Peterkin photo)

Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo size each other up ahead of their super middleweight match in Las Vegas this Saturday night (Esther Lin/Showtime photo)

As Zach Wilson labors, the Jets face a season-defining dilemma Sports

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Zach Wilson isn’t ready.

The 24-year-old, third year quarterback, and the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2021 NFL Draft, is not ready to be an effective starter in the league.

He has played in 25 career games as a professional. Last Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium was start No. 24 for Wilson. Ideally, it would be his last for most, if not all of the remainder of this season. However, the Jets’ circumstances dictate that Wilson remains as their first string QB until the team can acquire a more viable player at the position.

The Jets’ playoff and Super Bowl aspirations were plausibly high when they opened the regular season on September 11 versus the Buffalo Bills. But if those thoughts still persist now, it’s mere magical thinking. When

Jets third-year quarterback Zach Wilson has struggled in a starting role replacing the injured Aaron Rodgers (Jets.com photo)

four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn left Achilles tendon less than five minutes into the game on just the Jets’ fourth offensive play of the 2023 campaign, the team’s hopes effectively sidelined with him. Rodgers will not return this season. As of today, neither will any semblance of a Jets team that could’ve been a champion. They

defeated the Bills 22–16 in overtime and since then lost 30–10 to the Dallas Cowboys and 15–10 to the Patriots. The Jets are statistically the worst offense in the league. Subtract the six points that Jets punt returner Xavier Gipson scored on a 65-yard walk off touchdown in OT against the Bills, and the Wilson-led offense has posted just 36 total points for

an average of 12 per game.

It is virtually impossible to compete for victories with such alarmingly low offensive output. In defense of Wilson, he never expected to be starting this season.

As the No. 2 quarterback behind Rodgers to begin the season, yes, it’s his charge to be prepared to step in and perform capably. The urgent issue for the Jets is that

Wilson, at this stage of his young career, is demonstrably incapable. It gets more problematic for head coach Robert Saleh and his squad as the Jets’ next opponent is the 2–1 defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in a showdown at MetLife on Sunday night.

“Right now he is the best player, he’s the one who gives us the best chance to win. That’s the cleanest answer I can give you,” said Saleh after Sunday’s loss regarding Wilson’s status.

It’s demoralizing for Jets fans to reconcile Saleh’s words but it’s true. Wilson’s backups are Tim Boyle, who has just 106 career passing attempts in his fifth season with three teams and Trevor Siemian, who the Jets signed earlier this week. Siemian was the Bears’ second-stringer last season for the Chicago Bears behind Justin Fields.

To assert that the Jets are in dire straits is an understatement.

The Liberty dig deep for a critical Game 2 win versus the Sun

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

New York Liberty forward

Breanna Stewart was honored for her stellar WNBA regular season performance by being named the league’s 2023 MVP for the second time in her career. The former UConn collegiate star also won the award in 2018 as a member of the Seattle Storm.

But for the first two games of the No. 2 seed Liberty’s semifinal playoff matchup against the Connecticut Sun, Stewart has been uncharacteristically off kilter. In the Liberty’s 78–63 Game 1 loss on Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Stewart had a team-high 19 points but shot just 7–25 and was 0–8 on 3-point attempts.

“They were being aggressive. I don’t think we handled it well. We didn’t stay poised and composed," Stewart said. “Frustrating to drop this one at home.

We’ll bounce back Tuesday.”

And they collectively did reverse make adjustments, even with Stewart still misfiring.

With the crowd serenading her with chants of “MVP,” Stewart again couldn’t find her offensive rhythm, going 3–13 from the field and posting just 11 points, 12 below regular season average of 23 per game. But the two-time WNBA champion (2018, 2020) and two-time Finals MVP was picked up by her teammates, themselves accomplished stars.

Guard Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty with 21, forward Betnijah Laney dropped 20 and guard Courtney Vandersloot added 19 to lift the Liberty to a critical 84–77 win and tie the best-of-five series at 1–1 with Game 3 tomorrow at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

“It was hard for Stewie, a very emotional day for her. It’s not easy to win MVP,” said Liberty

head coach Sandy Brondello.

“For AT (Sun’s forward Alyssa Thomas, who was 2–13 in Game 2), that’ll be motivating for the other team, but they’re both worthy of MVP, it could’ve gone either way. They’re lifting the standard of this league with how they play.”

“It’s been an unbelievable season as a whole for the WNBA,” noted Stewart. “Really to see what all the top players have done, it’s only going to continue to make this league shine brighter and be better.

“And the fact that there’s multiple people in the conversation—obviously AT and A’ja [Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces] had amazing seasons, just showed that we’re reaching new heights and we’re doing things that have never been done before, and we’re continuing to show that greatness shines in many different ways.”

Game 4 will also be in Connecticut on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, named the 2023 WNBA MVP on Tuesday, shot just 3–13 in Game 2 of her team’s 84–77 semifinal playoff win over the Connecticut Sun (Brandon Todd/ New York Liberty photo)