» Astro/Numerology

HOROSCOPES BY KNOWYOURNUMB3RS By GODDESS KYA

September 8, 2022 — September 14, 2022

Rebirth of a New Nation: September is a miraculous, exceptional month, one going down in history. Last Thursday kicked off the 1st of September, the day Jupiter rules. Thursday and Jupiter are associated with the number 3 and those born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st, and 30th of the month, and the sun signs Sagittarius, Pisces, Leo and Aries benefit as well. Continue your due diligence on your agenda and projects, wrapping things up for manifestation. It’s a doozy kind of a month with your ancestors assisting to help humanity. Mother Earth is making way and her grandiose style affects structure, order, a rebirth of foundations, discipline, commitment, change, organization, Vinateria unfinished business, and obligations that have not been addressed. September 10th sees a full moon in Pisces at 17 degrees in conjunction with Neptune in Pisces, its natural ruler, and of course it opposes the sun sign, Virgo. Mercury retrogrades on the 9th. Watch for mixed signals and be mindful of what you say and do. Apply an artistic flair while utilizing your gifts and pursuing spiritual endeavors, as your dreams are very foretelling and flooded with data. Record the information as the revelations occur. Inside the word “revelations” is “reveal.” “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave. I am the dream and the hope of the slave, I rise, I rise, I rise.” Maya Angelou

When you up your ante, you up the merit to embark on a new journey  in your life, awakening the spiritual being in you. Pay close attention to what is occurring within your environment as the universe communicates to us in signs and symbols; the rest is made up. Our words allow us to express how we feel, connect, and assist one another. This is a gamechanging cycle in which your dreams play a significant role. September 13th-14th you are in transformation mode to resurrect, experiencing life elevating to the occasion. Messages, gossiping, and distraction want to consume you and your time.  It’s best to follow the voice inside guiding you, or otherwise get a slap on the wrist for entertaining. This is an energetic week to claim your piece of the pie, so apply the footwork and push yourself until you are complete. Once you are done, the overwhelm is relieved. In this cycle, your actions are aligning with what you do and speak. On September 8th stick with your program, as information is flowing like water. Buckle up as you hit the bumps in the road and the unpredicted serendipitous manifestations right in front of you. Mind what you value, because what you value can be taken away due to the lack of support you give. Apply some respect as you ask yourself what, why, when, where, who is coming into your life or what is forthcoming. September 9th-10th, what is your attitude and perspective? Being present is key. The connections, rewards, and compensation are yours for the taking  once you align yourself. Allow the old to be just that and move forward with hunger in your belly. What are your dreams and goals in life that keep you committed to the journey? Mentally, spiritually, and physically, something is pulling you to a higher calling in a different direction. Break free to go harder, stronger with passion and that pioneer spark within you. September 11th-12th, make it happen, it’s either all or nothing. What’s the fight in you that pushes you forward? Recognition starts with faith to tear down walls built. The messages are loud and clear—like the sunrise and sunset you can  see the light coming through your window. Evolution is a dangerous move when you awaken the sleeping giant within. At that moment you awaken your soul to a higher level with another assignment. A cycle goes ghost for a few days due to the information forthcoming to you that needs your attention attached like currency. New ideas and concepts are flashing in like lightning strikes; jot them down. September 13th-14th, a new mustard seed has been developed to carry out the vision. Cut the distractions out of your life and sit in a dark room to find your self. Simply unplug and listen to the inside voice. Can you see yourself in the dark, and are you producing in the dark to find your way to the light? Once you find the light, gratitude is acknowledged with rewards for sticking through till the end. You accomplish a milestone, something you thought was unthinkable was thinkable. The circumstance is what it is; it doesn’t define you, instead it pushes you to succeed. September 7th, focus is key to your agenda. This cycle is a lesson on a lesson from the tradition of passed-down history, and it is up to you this lifetime to make use of. What are you going to do with the information and resources at your fingertips? Haven’t you seen and heard enough people that shared their would’ve, should’ve, could’ve stories? What is the story you are going to share with your children and the generation after you? What is your current mindset, that every day you work to see it through? September 9th-10th, position yourself to be in the position and network you want to be in.

This is a mind-blowing cycle after the development of last week’s agenda.  You have angels working in the woodwork guiding you to do this and that. Not everyone is privy to the wisdom you received this cycle. The information comes through the dream state, conversations, after an emotional release, visiting a body of water, after showering or bathing. Take heed of the resources and data on the horizon. September 11th-12th, a mystical divine intervention occurs, and your approach and attitude determine the outcome.

Do you have all the ingredients and resources and people lined up once one stage of the process is finished? Although you have a roadmap of how your plans will flow, the universe always steps in to add flavor to your concepts that change the outcomes. There was an insertion that needed to occur to piece it together. A cycle, where unusual behavior and unanticipated events test you, is helping you be more proactive and moves you to face something to address a situation. September 13th-14th, get out of your own way to continue building the foundation.

Capricorn

Dec 22 Jan 21 September feels like a spiritual pursuit more than anything else. Act now as your ancestors are in the background passing the G-code and cheat code to navigate your next move. Messages, news, and data are coming from all directions. Snap out of it and turn on the lights, as you’ve got work to do. September 8th apply that footwork and accept the assignment. It’s on you, not them, to finish. What may seem impossible makes your heart rate beat faster. Stay calm  as you push through, bringing forth the enhanced new life like a mother pushing out her baby from her womb. Your commitment to your plan and going with the divine plan is due to your dedication, gratitude, and elevation in your faith to see it through, knowing the do’s and don’ts of what to do to not break the energy protection field around you. September 9th-10th, the preparation of a nice slice of the pie has your name written all over it. The process is the experience that makes it feel real. You are climbing up the mountain alone or with a few people who are build ing with you. September is not an easy month—like some mothers say mama ain’t raise no fool. Know you are the source, and the power of all the divine mighty energy lies within you. It’s a frequency to hop on and stay tapped into to receive. Be clear of the memberships and folks you associated yourself with and those who come bearing gifts like the Trojan horse. September 11th-12th, remember the process, experiences, tests, trials, both good and indifferent, that help build your foundation. It’s time to go full throttle, you are a living testimony of possibilities.

Cancer June 22 July 23

Leo July 24 Aug 23

Virgo Aug 24 Sept 23

Libra

Sept 24 Oct 23

Scorpio Oct 24 Nov 22

Sagitarius Nov 23 Dec 21

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

and By ARIAMA LONG

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

This year marks 21 years since the September 11th tragedy that cut down New York City’s iconic Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. About 3,000 people were killed during the terrorist attack where four planes were hijacked, two flown into the towers and two into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Almost 10,000 people were injured but survived that day.

Out of the 343 firefighters that sacrificed their lives as first responders to the attack, 12 members of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY)’s Black Vulcan Society were lost during rescue and recovery efforts. Their names were firefighters Gerard Baptiste, Vernon Cherry, Tarel Coleman, Andre Fletcher, Keith Glascoe, Ronnie Henderson, William Henry, Karl Joseph, Keithroy Maynard, Vernon Richard, Shawn Powell, and Leon Smith Jr.

Wesley Williams, the founder of the Vulcan Society and the first Black battalion chief, established the society with more than 50 Black firefighters in 1940 because of issues of discrimination in the FDNY, as previously reported by the Amsterdam News.

The Vulcans went on to be known for their advocacy work in fighting discriminatory practices in the FDNY and fundraising for the NAACP, the Urban League and the Harlem YMCA. By 1960, the Vulcan Society had 500 members.

Today, the organization is going strong, though the society’s headquarters in Brooklyn is under construction. Every year the president and members invite the families of 9/11 firefighter victims to a Brooklyn memorial service to honor their sacrifice.

Capt. Paul Washington, former Vulcan Society president, said this year they are also doing a street renaming on a section of Monroe Street to honor fallen firefighter Shawn Powell. Washington recalls that most of the 12 that died were inside or right outside the Twin Towers when they collapsed. “It’s up to us to keep the memory alive. They made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Washington.

“While the city may forget, the families don’t,” said Vulcan member and Firefighter Greg Shepherd, of Engine Company 234. “A lot of these people had kids and some of them are firefighters now. I bet you they never forgot either. For us it’s about helping the families. They’re our extended family.”

Joining the FDNY was the first time Keithroy Maynard went his own way, recalls his twin brother Kevin. As kids, they attended the same junior high and the same high school. As adults, the pair both worked for Continental Airlines. They even finished each other’s sentences. But Keithroy, a key union organizer at LaGuardia Airport, wanted to be a role model in his neighborhood of East Flatbush. So he became a firefighter.

“One of things I didn’t like was that we were just alike, but now that my brother is no longer here, [it’s] something that I cherish.

“You want to live your own independent life because you look just like someone and we were just alike,” continued Kevin Maynard. “But now when I think about it, I wish I could go back to that point. For me, I look at a lot of stuff now that he is no longer here and I wish I didn’t really feel that way about it.”

Keithroy Maynard was one of the 12 Black firefighters who died during 9/11. They were in the Vulcan Society, a fraternal order for Black members of the FDNY.

Another fallen firefighter, Shawn Powell, will be immortalized in a Bed-Stuy street naming this Saturday. His sister, Monique, remembers him as a decent man who split his time between the military and fire department. And as quite the craftsman and the creative, when the two were children.

“Everybody was playing skully at the time, he created our own skully board—in the living room,” said Monique Powell. “Surprised my mother let him do it, but she did. My mother was very supportive, so he was always creating stuff.”

She also recalls their sibling fascination for “Mission Impossible” and subsequent attempts to remake gadgets and keys from the spy movie. It was just the two of them, so they did everything together.

“He’s very kind, very caring,” she said. “I just miss him because he’s my brother. And I miss that support of him being my brother.”

For Leila Joseph, her brother Karl lives on through her family’s work helping youngsters in their birthplace of Haiti.

“We started a foundation in memory of him for Haiti,” she said. “The reason we did it was also when the earthquake happened in Haiti, everybody was going down there. And I knew there was like a group of firefighters in FDNY who actually went to Haiti.”

Through the FF. Karl Henri Joseph Educational Fund, the Josephs, along with a collective of four other families—the Alphonsos, the Dominiques, the Duchateliers and the Jean Noels—were able to start a school with courses between kindergarten to grade four.

She remembers Karl Joseph as a bookworm—he was always studying. And Joseph was family-oriented, staying at home despite earning enough to move out so he could financially support their parents and siblings when their mother wasn’t working. These days, their younger brother also serves in the FDNY, receiving a promotion just last Friday.

According to Vulcan Society president Dellon Morgan, many family members of the 12 firefighters moved out of New York City over the past 21 years. But Powell and Joseph, whose brothers worked together in Engine Company 207, both stayed, becoming support systems for one another.

“Through the years, like everything that has gone on, [the Powell family] has always been there for us,” said Joseph. “We all go to each other’s thing. So, they’ve been great. And we’ve gotten to know them.”

“Karl Joseph’s family has been very important in my life in the past few years—they look after me, they make sure I’m okay,” said Powell. “They let me go with them on family functions, I speak to Leila all the time.”

Kevin Maynard did not stay in New York City. He left for Houston, to serve as a firefighter in Keithroy’s memory. But there’s something about the “Big Apple” that he can’t let go. Maynard refuses to change his phone number and area code to keep some connection with the city. Whenever he returns to visit his mom, he swells with pride seeing Black firefighters throughout town, followed by a wave of sadness.

“I see the fire trucks, and I see all these brothers on these fire trucks,” said Maynard. “It makes me feel sad that my brother’s not here to enjoy some of it.”

Female Firefighter members of the Vulcan Society, and community activist Tremaine Wright (Nayaba Arinde photo)

Ariama C. Long and Tandy Lau are Report for America corps members and write for New York City’s The Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep them writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting: https:// tinyurl.com/fcszwj8w

By NAYABA ARINDE

Amsterdam News Editor

“We definitely highlight the 12 Black firefighters who died on September 11, 2001,” firefighter Regina Wilson told the New York Amsterdam News. The Vulcan Society of Black Firefighters member said, “Although you hear a lot of people saying that you shouldn’t separate the ones who responded, it is a necessary thing to do, not only for the Black firefighters, but the women…because when you look at 9/11, or you think of firefighters for most people, they think of white males, and if you look at 9/11 and the majority of the tributes that were done, or a lot of the books that were published and a lot of the stories that have been told, they do not bring forth the Black people and the women who participated in that day.

“So it only tells a one-sided story. And for those who don’t think that is important, or that we shouldn’t say anything about it, I think they’re totally wrong.”

Wilson has been on active-duty with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) since 1999. At that time she was only the 12th African American woman out of 23 women in the FDNY.

The numbers have not improved much since then in the 10,000-plus department. There’s almost 100 now.

The Amsterdam News asked the FDNY for current numbers of women and Black women in the department, but did not hear back by press time.

Bringing more Black women to the job is a passion Wilson advocates for. Diversity and inclusion are important, she says. It is a job of serving the city she loves and interacting with the community daily.

But after only three years in the department, on Sept. 11, 2001, Wilson and her Park Slope Ladder 105/Engine 219 responded to the collapse of the South Tower at the World Trade Center.

Wilson says talking about her recollection of that terrible day is a way of honoring the almost 3,000 people who lost their lives after two planes rammed into the Twin Towers, and their subsequent collapse. Sadly she states how seven members of her Brooklyn firehouse also died that day, including John Chipura, who had asked to swap his assignments that day just before the call came in.

Three hundred and 43 firefighters perished that day, including 12 Black members of the Vulcan Society, the national Black firefighter organization, over which Wilson became president in 2015.

On 9/11, and for months after, Wilson assisted with the search and rescue at Ground Zero. That fateful day had begun as a normal New York morning at Engine 219. But, then something changed.

“I was like what show are they watching, that shows a plane going into a building,” Wilson said, when she heard a loud noise as her fellow firefighters were watching TV in the kitchen. Then she heard the newscaster tell them what was going on. “Then the truck got called out to respond to the Trade Center.”

So the men working the truck rolled out, while she and others on the engine waited to get their call. “We didn’t get over there until the second building fell.”

The Amsterdam News asked what was the energy like in the firehouse when the north tower was hit.

“It was definitely disbelief,” said Wilson, “and then we went into the response mode: what are we going to need; wondering about the guys who just left—are they going to be okay?; how are we going to conquer this big emergency we see in front of us; how are we going to equip our engine? We were trying to figure out how are we going to get information about how our guys were doing… and then just the anticipation of going ourselves…and waiting so long for that call to come. It was just nerve-wrecking…and then just the anticipation of waiting to go out to be able to help, to be a part of that rescue and recovery.”

Asked if Wilson knew at that time it was going to be as massive as it ultimately turned out to be, Wilson responded, “Yes, we could see it, and we could hear the dispatcher sending people out…all these engines and trucks and rescue companies out to the Trade Center. And we could hear the elevation of the response—from an allhands response, from a first alarm, to a second alarm…elevating to a response level that we’ve never seen before. So we internally knew how big this was going to be.”

The journey to the World Trade Center had her engine going through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, and experiencing such a massive wind, that the whole engine, with 500 gallons of water, was shook, she said. They didn’t know then that the North Tower had collapsed, Wilson said. Plumes of choking gray smoke followed as they ran through the tunnel where they met people covered in the smog. Wilson thought the entrance of the tunnel had fallen in, and they would have to dig themselves out. They had to wash out the eyes of some, help others down from positions they had found themselves stranded upon, and still they were unaware of the horror that they were about to witness and play a major role in aiding victims in.

“I didn’t experience fear going, I just wanted to hurry up and get there to help… Once I got out there then it came upon me,” Wilson recalled, adding that they encountered “this white smoke that looked like a blizzard, I remember this woman was having an asthma attack, and so we rinsed her face off and told her that she had to walk out the tunnel because there was nothing we could do for them.”

As they moved out of the tunnel into lower Manhattan on West Street, Wilson said they heard on the radio, “‘We’re under attack, we’re under attack;’ then I heard this noise like a plane flying over our head, and then my boss was saying, ‘Run, just run, run.’”

They ran back to the engine, followed by a big black cloud of smoke. Wilson said she put on her mask and was immediately engulfed. They realized the second tower had fallen, but could not move until the smoke had subsided.

It sounds traumatizing to relive it.

It is somewhat she said, but also, “being able to explain to people what I—what we all experienced is a part of not allowing the people who died, and the people who participated in the rescue and recovery effort— for that moment or their memories—not to die…So I don’t mind telling the story or experiencing it, if it still allows the relevancy of that day, and the people that participated in that day and days after, to be able to still to allow others to understand what we experienced, and not knowing if another plane was coming, or if people were on the ground shooting. Like who knows how coordinated this terrorist act was? And for all the people to participate in that day, and still be able to still move forward and help people—I don’t want anybody to forget those efforts at all.

Twenty-one years later, Wilson said, “The city is definitely more aware of these types of attacks and that they can happen, but we shouldn’t be asleep behind the wheel, and don’t think that it can’t happen again. There is a level of preparedness that we still need to work on to make sure that we are being a lot more strategic…and smart in the way that we respond to not only big events like that, but even the ones on a day-to-day basis to make sure the we are taking care of ourselves as firefighters, and how we respond to different incidents. I think the department is working on that.”

As she continues in her 24th year as a New York City smoke-eater, Wilson, who is a Vulcan and former president of the United Women’s Firefighters, continues to demand diversity, equality and inclusion in the FDNY.

In July, 2015, the 75-year-old Vulcan Society elected Wilson, 45, as their president— their first female president.

She called the Vulcans “such a wonderful organization, it’s somewhat surreal.”

Wilson told the Amsterdam News then, “The Vulcan Society wanted to help in the recruitment process and change the lack of diversity in the force.”

As the 21st anniversary of 9/11 comes around again, Wilson says accuracy is key.

“If you want to talk about history, let’s just make sure that the history is told with the inclusivity of everybody. So, there were firefighters that were there, there were Black firefighters there, there were women construction, there were construction people there, period, there were search and rescue people. There was a whole lot of people who participated, and that everybody who did their job, and those who are dying now from World Trade Center illnesses, from other places, from the FDNY, from the PD Port Authority—they all need to be recognized. But I definitely want to make sure that African Americans, Hispanics and women are highlighted because we are out of the story period, and should be brought to the forefront, because we care and love our city too, and we don’t want people to think that bravery and heroism come in one color and one gender.”

Wilson said the record must be transparent.

“So, where we all participated in the rescue and recovery effort…and the efforts afterwards, I want to make sure they are recognized and highlighted for their bravery.”

Blessed with a beautiful and commanding voice, Wilson often honors fallen colleagues and serenades at major events as a member of the FDNY’s ceremonial unit.

Meanwhile, as the city ramps up it’s 9/11 coverage, The Vulcan Society of Black Firefighters said that there will be a street conaming ceremony of Sgt. FDNY Firefighter Shawn Edward Powell taking place on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 11 a.m. on Monroe Street between Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Lewis Avenue, in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn.

Wilson said that The Vulcans will hold their memorial event as they did last year at the First Quincy Community Garden, 397401 Quincy Street, Bed Stuy Street, Brooklyn on Sept. 11. The event will begin at 3pm.

“We are still healing,” said Wilson

Regina Wilson. (Contributed photo)

22 • September 8, 2022 - September 14, 2022

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

9 / 1 1 H O N O R I N G T H E F A L L E N

Black lives mattered on 9/11

By CAPT. PAUL WASHINGTON

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2015

9/11 BLACK FIRE FIGHTERS VULCAN SOCIETY

OPINION 9/11 was hard on all New Yorkers. For those who lost family members and friends, it was devastating. As an agency of New York City, FDNY was devastated. We lost 343 good men that day. Brave men. I knew dozens of them personally. I miss them all. However, we also know that racism is not only a permanent fixture of this country but also that it doesn’t often take a break. Therefore, it was no surprise when the 12 Black firefighters who died that day didn’t seem to get the same recognition as the white firefighters who also gave their lives. They were not featured in the mainstream media in proportion to the numbers of them who died.

An early, blatant example of how Black lives didn’t matter in this tragedy was kicked off by, no surprise, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani. On the highly anticipated post-9/11 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” the show opened with Giuliani appearing on the famous stage surrounded by more than two dozen first responders (mostly New York City firefighters) in uniform. Not one was Black. A Black, brown, yellow, red or female face was nowhere to be found.

Giuliani spoke about how these were New York’s real heroes. It was a powerful message for the world to see, yet there were no Black faces for the world to see either. Diversity in the agencies being represented was obviously important to those responsible for that part of the show because police, fire, EMS, etc., were all present. With that much attention given to one form of diversity, are we supposed to believe that the lack of racial diversity was just accidental?

On more than one occasion, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The vast majority of white Americans are racist, either consciously or unconsciously.” He was right then, and today, 47 years after his murder, his words are still accurate. At best, the racism displayed on the stage of “Saturday Night Live” was the unconscious type, but does it really matter? The end result is the same: Black sacrifice and suffering not being given the same importance as the suffering and sacrifice of whites. It’s been that way for 400 years, and it’s not about to change.

What can also never change is that we must always be there for each other when the larger community chooses to ignore or downplay our plight. The Black community was there for the Vulcan Society (the organization of New York City’s Black firefighters) after 9/11. The outpouring of support we received from our people was inspiring and uplifting. In the end, that was more than enough.

Today, let’s not forget what happened 14 short years ago. Let’s not forget the pain so many New Yorkers experienced then and many still experience today. Let’s not forget all those who died, not the workers or the first responders or any others. And let’s not forget to remind the world that our people also sacrificed and died that day.

Vulcan Society members commemorate the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, at First Quincy Street Community Garden, Bed Stuy, Brooklyn in 2021 (Nayaba Arinde photos)