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New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, who is term-limited, opted to endorse her Chief of Staff, Tyrell D. Hankerson, to replace her in the upcoming city elections.

Adams is currently the council member for Queens District 28, which encompasses the neighborhoods of Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village, and South Ozone Park. Hankerson has been her right hand for several years.

“I’m very excited,” said Hankerson about the endorsement. “She’s been my mentor for the past eight years. It’s been a humbling experience and I appreciate the show of confidence in my ability to serve the district, which she always refers to as her baby.”

Hankerson has raised $25,141 in private funds and $108,969 in public funds. Despite an initial denial of campaign funds this month, New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) doled out $26,524 with a note of correction, said Hankerson. So far he has about 37% in-district donors and about 90% small donors supporting him, according to NYCCFB numbers.

Her endorsement out of the way, Speaker Adams may have bigger fish to fry with the mayoral election. She was rumored to be considering a run against embroiled-

in-scandal Mayor Eric Adams — or at least politicos were quietly asking her to.

A Queens native, she was the first woman to represent her district when she was elected in 2017. Then she made history in 2022 when she was elected the first Black person to be city council speaker and lead the first women-majority council in the city’s history. Perhaps most memorably, she’s been an anchor point for the council, often sounding off against

the mayor on numerous fronts like immigration and criminal justice reform.

“As the speaker has stated several times, she has options. I don’t know what she’ll do but she’ll be phenomenal at whatever she decides to do,” said Hankerson.

Petitioning to get a candidate’s name on the ballot in June’s primary officially kicked off on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The time to hop in at the last minute and declare candidacy

See QUEENS DISTRICT 28 on page 33

Health and environmental inequality in the S. Bronx increases dementia risks

Dementia study highlights Alzheimer’s disease care as a health equity issue

By TAAYOO MURRAY Special to AmNews

The South Bronx has been known to suffer from poor air quality and health inequality for decades, but now that scourge can be linked to another public health problem: Alzheimer’s disease. According to data from the Coalition of New York State Alzheimer’s Association Chapters, more than 426,500 New Yorkers aged 65 and older have the condition. New York is second among the five states with the highest projected prevalence of Alzheimer’s, at 12.7% — and at 16.6%, Bronx county has the highest prevalence in the state.

These statistics take on new meaning with the findings of a study released in November 2024 by the Dementia Risk Reduction Project showing that three of 12 risk factors that may influence dementia risk are smoking, air pollution, and diabetes. The Bronx has the second-highest percentage of adult smokers at 11.7%, slightly behind Staten Island at 12%. Research indicates that air quality in the South Bronx is poor because of factories,

industry, and thousands of trucks moving through the community emitting nitrogen oxide. The Dementia Risk Reduction Project found that prolonged exposure to air pollution significantly raises dementia risk.

“Studies have shown that fine particulate matter — a component of air pollution — can penetrate the body and reach the brain,” said Dr. Chris Vercammen. “While

the precise relationship between air pollution and dementia is still being studied, researchers have found that this particulate matter can lead to chronic inflammation throughout the body, including within the brain itself.”

Vercammen explained that this inflammation can be damaging to brain cells and may

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams greets law school students. (Emil Cohen/ NYC Council Media Unit)

R. Scott Turner, professor of neurology and director of Memory Disorder Center at Georgetown University Hospital, points to PET scan results that are part of study on Alzheimer’s disease. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Under Trump’s crackdowns, immigrants grapple with fear and uncertainty

By LEAH MALLORY Special to AmNews

On his first day in office, Trump issued several executive orders including eliminating DEI initiatives within the federal government, withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO) and freezing U.S. foreign aid assistance to allies.

Among some of the most concerning to immigrants include Trump’s orders for the immediate removal of individuals in the U.S. without legal status, as well as ending birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status.

For New York City entrepreneurs and best friends, Sadithi De Zilva and Madeline Coronato, the rapidly changing immigration policies have created daily anxiety.

“It’s just heartbreaking to think that everything we’ve worked for could be taken away just because of where I was born,” said De Zilva.

The 24-year-old filmmaker was born in Sri Lanka, a small island country south of India. When she was five years old, she left Sri Lanka and moved to Hong Kong with her mother. At 17 years old, the pair moved to New York, where she has been living since.

De Zilva moved to the United States on a dependent visa, which allowed her to live in the U.S. while her mother worked. When she started university, she successfully applied for a student visa, and after graduation she applied for DED.

DED stands for Deferred Enforced Departure, a temporary protected status that protects certain individuals from deportation for an established timeframe. For Hong Kong residents like De Zilva who are on temporary status in the U.S., DED initially allowed them to extend their stay for an additional two years.

Former President Joe Biden first issued a memorandum granting DED and work authorization for specific Hong Kong residents in August 2021 due to ongoing and turbulent political conflict in Hong Kong. Biden extended DED in 2023. When the AmNews first spoke with De Zilva and Coronato in January, De Zilva’s status was set to expire in less than a month.

They had difficulty fathoming the possibility that De Zilva could be deported from the U.S., and what that could do to their business.

“I mean, my biggest fear is that Scrappack essentially becomes ob-

solete if I have to go and neither of us want that.” De Zilva said. “It’s a future that I can’t bring myself to think about or I just become a little paralyzed, and so we’re moving [forward] with the idea that everything is going to work out.”

When De Zilva applied for DED in 2024, they accepted her Hong Kong permanent residence card. Later that year, however, she learned that she was no longer considered a Hong Kong resident due to her prolonged absence from the region.

This means that if deported, De Zilva would have to return to Sri Lanka, a country she hasn’t been to since leaving as a child.

“It feels so stunting to have to go back and just relearn everything,” she said. “I am very grateful that I do still have family in Sri Lanka, so it’s not going to be a scenario where I’m going and not having a support system. But I am going to have to start from scratch for everything else, including learning the language,” she said.

In New York, De Zilva said that she has been able to pursue her passions. She’s terrified of losing that freedom.

“I pursued my dream of wanting to make movies and wanting to create, and that’s something that I couldn’t have done back at home. In it, I found family and community, and I do feel in a small way I achieved the American dream.”

she said. “I found the freedom to be myself with them. I found a network that is so wonderful and wants me to achieve things. So I think I got the American dream and now I’m scared I’m going to lose it.”

Part of that dream was becoming an actress. Working toward that goal, she studied acting at Pace Universi-

ty where she met Coronato. However, they didn’t become close until moving in together.

“We were different grades and different majors within the acting school [at Pace].” De Zilva explained. Coronato graduated during the pandemic, and De Zilva graduated shortly after. “It got to a point where we somehow found ourselves being roommates.”

Living together, the young women found themselves collaborating and helping each prepare for auditions

had to deny several career-advancing opportunities.

“She booked a play last spring which would have flown her out to Colorado, and she was the playwright’s number one choice. She had to turn it down because she was switching over to her DED visa and she wasn’t allowed to fly at that point in time,” Coronato said. “So it was something that she was like I don’t want to get anyone in trouble or get myself in trouble.”

Separating would require the pair to completely alter their business structure. Coronato said they would attempt to sustain it long distance, but admitted that doing so would be challenging .

“Sunny and I have a very fluid way of working where we know when one person needs to lead and one person needs to follow and we just have kind of fortunately melded into that and it’s very natural and it’s very easy,” she said. “We’d have to find a way to pivot and delegate more virtual responsibilities whereas I guess more tangible or in-person responsibilities would be delegated to me.”

De Zilva said that it’s difficult to set goals for the business and herself when the future is unclear.

“I feel like I’ve been running for seven years to try and make everything work,” said De Zilva. “All we’re asking for right now is the opportunity to keep contributing to this country that I [believe] has given me so much and has given me the chance to be able to work on my dreams and we just want to keep doing it.”

Hope with hesitation Days after Scrappack Productions’ interview with AmNews, former President Biden announced an extension of DED until 2027, one of several final memos he authorized before leaving office on January 20, 2025.

and other theater related projects, as well lamenting over their qualms with the entertainment industry. They quickly became best friends and business partners, officially launching their production company, Scrappack Productions, as an LLC in May 2024. Soon after, De Zilva obtained her social security number. It was a hurdle that held them back from carrying out their vision of being business owners, but it wasn’t the only consequence De Zilva faced as an immigrant. She has

The AmNews quickly reconnected with the pair to discuss their reactions, four days after Trump took office.

“It’s definitely a relief,” said De Zilva. “A part of me is a little scared that it could also just be taken away because everything is still really wishy-washy in our government. So it feels like there’s a floor now, but that floor and that foundation could crack at any second.”

Coranto shared similar emotions, “I’m cautiously optimistic, but I also See IMMIGRATION on page 25

Behind the scenes of short film by Scrappack “Just One More Thing” (Cat Yudain photo)

Madeline Coronato & Sadithi De Zilva, founders of Scrappack. (Pam Torres photo)

City Council renews efforts to abolish NYPD gang database

By TANDY LAU

Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Because 99% of people in the NYPD’s secretive criminal group database (better known as the gang database) are Black or Brown, advocates want the surveillance tool 100% gone.

Councilmember Athea Stevens championed Intro. 798 at a public safety hearing on Monday, Feb. 24, which would abolish the gang database and prevent the NYPD (as well as other city agencies) from resurrecting such practices under any other name. Advocates rallied outside City Hall before the hearing and councilmember Yusef Salaam, the bill co-sponsor, who chaired the hearing, pumped his fist and chanted along with the rally while he made his way to the chamber.

“You cannot tell me that in New York City, we only have Black and Brown gangs,” said Stevens. “If you go places to look for it, you will find it. And why aren’t you going into other communities? This is about surveillance, this is about oppression, and this is about not trusting our communities.”

The database currently has roughly 13,200 people tied to 500 gangs, according to the NYPD. Placement stems more from “guilt by association” than an actual criminal record. “Self-admission” through social media posts, hand gestures, clothing color, and emojis can all be used to determine gang participation. The NYPD does not inform individuals who are in the database — many learn about their inclusion through public records requests filed by the Legal Aid Society.

Those in the database include Kraig Lewis, who was arrested by federal officials in the “Bronx 120” racketeering bust while he was finishing up university out of state. He said his avocational rap lyrics and proximity to two warring gangs in Eastchester Gardens led to his inclusion in the sweep, despite prosecutors never accusing him of gang participation in his case. The aspiring lawyer did not finish his degree and spent two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a weed charge.

“[The] gang database classifies a community as a whole, and it doesn’t classify these youths as individuals,” said Lewis. “This leads to them being caught in the net that they can’t escape from. I believe the crimes committed by individuals should be charged to the individual and not destroy the whole community.”

Community organizer Marquis Jenkins, who introduced Stevens to the database, came to tears when describing Lewis’s case during the rally. “All of those little things,

those small hobbies that any other child of any other race can do, we are being criminalized for,” he said.

The NYPD implemented recent reforms after a 2023 NYC Department of Investigation report recommended more transparency and special policies regarding classifying minors as gang members (police entered children as young as 11). The department reduced the number of juveniles in the database from 440 in 2019 to 160. Overall, more names are currently being purged than added.

In his testimony, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber confirmed that 99% of the database is composed of people of color, but said such disparities stem from gun violence prevention efforts. Police officials refused to consider the disparity a product of racial profiling. During the hearing, Gerber pointed to new emerging criminal groups and “desperate” demands for more intelligence about them.

His testimony also maintained that gang participation status would not be “shared with employers, schools, landlords, or civil immigration authorities” and could not be a factor in police stops and arraignment decisions.

“The key to preventing that cycle of violence is having accurate, immediate intelligence regarding gang membership, location, and rivalries; realizing when gang-violence is about to spiral; and intervening quickly to prevent it,” said Gerber in an NYPD-provided transcript. “If we know from the database that a shooting victim is a gang member, the identities of rival gang members, and where those gangs are

GANG DATABASE

Comptroller Brad Lander, protesters rally to defend congestion pricing from Trump’s attacks

By CHRISTIAN SPENCER

Special to the AmNews

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and a coalition of transit advocates took to the streets recently to defend congestion pricing against President Donald Trump’s attacks.

Trump has recently inserted himself into New York City politics, calling congestion pricing a “total disgrace” and accusing Governor Kathy Hochul of supporting what he claims is an unfair tax on working-class drivers.

With Hochul in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, Lander and the transit advocacy group Micromobility NYC led a strong defense of the policy, organizing a demonstration that began at the Times Square Red Steps and concluded at Union Square Park. They affirmed congestion pricing’s role in reducing traffic, improving public transit, and cutting emissions.

The demonstration saw activists, transit advocates, and local residents marching for over an hour, partially shutting down key thoroughfares. Among them was Alex

Duncan (who goes by Miser), founder of the Micromobility NYC subreddit, which has 25,000 members. Duncan, who helped organize the demonstration, stressed that congestion pricing benefits all New Yorkers.

“Oh, it’s great for the city — faster bus speeds, lower traffic, more pedestrians, less noise, better quality of life,” Duncan said. “It’s wonderful for the city and improves things for everyone here, including drivers.”

Despite the cold and windy weather, demonstrators remained resolute, chanting “Safe streets now!” while highlighting the positive impacts of congestion pricing — from faster buses and reduced traffic to cleaner air and safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians.

Speaking before the march at the Times Square Red Steps, Lander condemned Trump’s intervention, calling it a political stunt designed to energize Trump’s base at the expense of New York’s infrastructure. Duncan was particularly vocal about the attacks on the policy, calling them dangerous political interference. “Well, it’s an attack on America,” he said. “It’s an attack on our sovereignty as a state and a city, and it’s pretty

LatinoJustice PRLDEF’s Robert Willis speaks during Intro. 798 rally. (Photo Courtesy of NAACP LDF) City Council renews push to end gang database.

Activist Alex Miser Duncan leading hundreds of protesters in march from Times Square to Union Square (Christian Spencer photo)

The resilience of Sharon Bond

By JASON GONZALEZ Special to the AmNews

In January 2011, Sharon Bond’s life took a surprising turn.

While living in New York City, where the pace of life frequently reflects the unrelenting intensity of the city, Bond — a wife, mother, and as she put it, “friend to all” — nearly took her last breath. Having always been the epitome of health and vitality, she had no idea what was to come.

Destiny had plans for her.

“It was in 2011 that I had a heart attack,” Bond, now 61-years-old, told the Amsterdam News. “I had all of the signs and symptoms of someone who would be diagnosed with a heart attack, with heart disease (heart murmur), but it went untreated and undetected. One day I was home, and I had a heart attack — not knowing until I had gotten to the doctor’s office.”

The first heart attack

Bond remembered having back pain and muscle spasms while cleaning her home that chilly January morning. Every movement she made, including breathing, was excruciatingly painful, she said. She did something that most women do since she sensed something was off: She called a girlfriend.

“Your girlfriends become doctors all of a sudden,” Bond said jokingly. “I was on the phone talking with her, and I was telling her that I wasn’t feeling well, and what was going on, and she and I were trying to figure it out.”

Bond and her friend were unable to figure out what was wrong. As soon as she hung up with her pal, Bond decided to call her chiropractor. On speaker, he was instructing her to complete certain tasks, but because Bond was unable to complete them, he ordered her to hang up the phone and call 911.

“I said okay, but I must have blacked out during that time, because the next thing I remember is the kids,” Bond said. “My daughter came (home) from school; my husband — they both came at the same time, and I was telling them that I wanted to go to urgent care, that I wasn’t feeling well … We walked to urgent care about three blocks from my house … I was trying to explain to them how I was feeling. I could barely even talk … the next thing you know, they said that I had to go to the emergency room. They called the ambulance, and they took me into the hospital and from that point on is when I was told I had a heart attack.”

Recovery and determination

Bond said her spirit remained intact in spite of the seriousness of her illness. She tackled her recuperation with the same resolve that had characterized her life. Bond found comfort in her trust in God, and the love and support of her loved ones during her suffering and uncertainty. She followed a rigorous routine of exercise, dietary adjustments, and medicine. Bond was committed to taking back her health and life. Bond began to improve as the weeks passed. Her strength gradually returned, See BNY on page 29

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

A Public Bank Could Boost Access for Those Left Behind by Wall Street

Imagine seeing every bank branch in your neighborhood, one-by-one, close up shop until the closest brick-and-mortar bank requires a subway or bus ride. This is the reality for a growing number of New Yorkers in lowerincome, Black and Latino neighborhoods.

Despite its status as a global financial hub, New York has a shockingly low rate of bank branches relative to its population, as residents in places like the Rockaways and the Bronx know all too well. As in-person banking declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, big banks moved services online, swallowed smaller competitors, and pocketed the savings in the form of massive profits.

These days, plenty of banking can be done from a phone or computer. But what if you’re a small business owner who needs a loan and prefers to meet face-to-face? What if you’re a first-time homebuyer with questions about mortgages? Or you lack broadband access, like 1 in 4 New York City residents?

These same Wall Street banks have long subjected Black and brown communities to discriminatory lending and redlining, helping create today’s racial wealth gap. Though outlawed decades ago, discrimination in banking is not just history—it’s happening right now. A 2023 report by New York’s Office of the Attorney General documented persistent racial inequality in mortgage lending, from the rate at which applications were denied to how much borrowers were charged in interest and fees. The research showed that Black and Latino borrowers who took out loans between 2018 and 2021 stood to pay an astounding $200 million more than their white and Asian counterparts.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of New Yorkers are unbanked, meaning they don’t have a checking or savings account. For these households, who are disproportionately low-income, some can’t afford the fees or minimum deposits, some don’t trust banks, and some just don’t have a branch nearby. Instead, they turn to check-cashing places, pawn businesses, or shady financial apps that promise “earned wage access” but function more like high-interest payday loans. These often predatory services might be easy to use, but they come with steep costs, especially if a borrower misses a payment.

So, what’s the solution? Credit unions and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) have stepped up to fill gaps in financial access across the city. Places like the Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union have been lifelines for many underbanked New Yorkers. It teamed up with the Bronx Financial Access Coalition to open a Bronx branch after yet another wave of bank closures.

Unlike commercial banks, credit unions and CDFIs focus on serving communities over maximizing profits. Evidence shows that by offering more individualized financial services and lower interest rates, credit unions are often more effective than commercial banks at improving their members’ financial well-being.

But they have limitations. Because of their nonprofit status, they have fewer ways to raise capital, thus limiting the amount they can lend. The federal CDFI Fund was created 1994 in part to increase the amount of capital available to these vital institutions. New York State even created the first state-based CDFI fund in 2007. However, the capital needs in historically redlined communities far outstrip the available resources.

That’s where public banks come in. Owned and operated by the government, public banks exist to serve people, not maximize profits. Over 900 public banks worldwide are already proving that this model works.

The U.S. has only one–the Bank of North Dakota (BND)—but it’s been incredibly successful. Founded over a century ago to help local farmers access credit at affordable rates, today BND partners with community banks and credit unions to expand affordable lending.

This partnership model has helped North Dakotans weather financial crises. During the Great Recession, the state had one of the lowest foreclosure rates and even recorded a budget surplus. During COVID-19, BND ensured more small businesses received federal relief loans per capita than in any other state. North Dakota also has the highest density of small community banks. And unlike Wall Street banks, BND reinvests its profits back into the state’s general fund.

Public banks in New York could do the same. Bills authorizing the creation of municipal public banks have been introduced at the state and local levels, including in Rochester and New York City. One study found a New York City public bank could generate nearly $6 billion in new lending in its first five years by partnering with CDFIs and credit unions. This would allow these institutions to offer lowinterest mortgages, business loans, and other lines of credit at the scale needed to finally close the racial wealth gap in New York.

Wall Street’s consolidation shows no signs of slowing down, and it’s unclear whether we can count on federal regulators to step in. That means we need local solutions to fix our broken financial system. A recent Community Service Society of New York survey found a majority of New Yorkers, especially Black and Latino residents, support public banking. It’s time for our elected leaders to make it a reality.

(Courtesy of Sharon Bond)

Challenging a murder conviction when Colman Domingo might win an Oscar for playing you

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

Lawyer Jeffrey Deskovic innocently asks if playing John “Divine G” Whitfield in A24’s “Sing Sing” is actor Colman Domingo’s biggest role. Next to him sits the real John Whitfield, who thinks deeply and factors performances in films like “Rustin” and “The Color Purple.”

There’s certainly a possibility, he concludes. Domingo scored an Oscar nomination for Best Actor this year for playing Whitfield. He joins Denzel Washington as the only Black actors nominated for the category in back-to-back years.

However, the performance is undoubtedly the most important to Whitfield and Deskovic, who met with the AmNews on Feb. 5 at Manhattan’s Angelika Film Center, where the movie was re-released. “Sing Sing” follows a “based on a true story” play production put on by Rehabilitation Through the Arts, a prison theater program Whitfield helped establish in the mid-90s. The true plot, however, lies in Domingo’s version of Whitfield, who unravels between rehearsals as his once-confident claim to innocence meets endless roadblocks.

That same claim to innocence for a 1988 second-degree murder in Canarsie reached the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) in real life more than seven years ago. An ex-staff attorney from Deskovic’s eponymous Deskovic Foundation initially filed the application, seeking consideration for Whitfield’s exoneration. They still await a decision.

They call him ‘Divine from Brooklyn’ Court documents show witnesses did not know of a John Whitfield — but they all knew “Divine G” from the neighborhood.

Born May 16, 1964, in East New York, Whitfield spent most of his early life in Brooklyn’s Canarsie neighborhood on the straight and narrow. His childhood was spent recording and selling homemade karate films, unaware he would one day walk the Oscar red carpet.

The Brooklynite later rose to local prominence in his teen years as a DJ and through a semi-pro dance crew called Realism. As mentioned in “Sing Sing,” Whitfield was on track to join the NYPD as a police officer, but his family could not lose another adult man in the household. Worried about the risks of patrolling New York City in the 1980s, Whitfield withdrew his candidacy. He recalls his recruitment officer saying he would regret the decision.

A car accident left Whitfield with a limp and no professional opportunities. He tried his hand at delivering pizzas but quit due to his injury. In a story all too common in 1980s Brooklyn, he fell into hustling.

“My whole life, I stayed away from all that, and was one of them good kids that

just never really went off-track,” said Whitfield. “Then I started selling drugs to try to help my family out. Got caught literally within a month or two, because I’m in an area I had no business in [and] didn’t know what the hell I was doing. To make a long story short, I ended up copping out to a one to three [-year sentence].”

While serving his sentence upstate, Whitfield was accused of murder. “The movie talks about me going to prison for a crime I didn’t commit, and that’s that particular crime,” he said. The killing occurred near his Canarsie home, standing out due to an atypically white victim. Authorities brought him back down to New York City for trial, holding him on Rikers Island.

Trial by ambush

Whitfield’s current lawyers Deskovic and Oscar Michelen say the entire conviction was built on a lone witness: Richard Doyle. Initially, would-be co-defendant Wesley Harold seemingly implicated Whitfield in the murder, but he took his life before trial.

“We were just left in limbo for a year and change,” said Whitfield. “[I] don’t know who’s accusing me, how I’m being accused, why I’m being accused, and then a day or two before the actual trial, we finally discover who [is] accusing me.”

Due to New York State’s “Blindfold Law,” which was only repealed in 2020 through discovery reforms, prosecutors could withhold evidence until the day of trial, including witness identities. Doyle testified during the trial that he saw Whitfield and Harold running near NYCHA’s Breukelen Houses, better known as the Brookline Projects, on March 23, 1998.

In his testimony, Doyle claimed he saw the victim come through a fence, followed by sparks and gunshots. Then the shooters allegedly ran toward Whitfield’s apartment and a car he later learned belonged to Whitfield was double-parked near the scene. He

then claimed he returned to the murder scene with a man named Wayne Harris.

“This was a case that came down to the credibility of one particular witness,” said Michelen last October. “This is a shooting in front of a building, obviously, decades and decades ago. [It’s] always hard to try to recreate these old crimes, particularly [when] you don’t have the kind of video footage that you might have now.”

No DNA or forensic evidence backed such claims, nor did any other witness corroborate them. In fact, Harris denied seeing Doyle at all that night and tried to testify to that in court. The prosecutor ordered his arrest for what amounted to witness intimidation. A jury convicted Whitfield of second-degree murder.

Divine’s Intervention

“Basically, I was found guilty, went upstate, and lived in the prison law library,” said Whitfield. “[I] started learning certain elements about FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests, how to do motions, [CPL] 440s, Article 78, and became quite effective in it, and eventually, I started coming across evidence of my innocence.”

With the Legal Aid Society’s help, Whitfield tracked down potentially exonerating witnesses and evidence. Whitfield also learned more about Doyle, who testified in five other cases and boasted a substantial rap sheet. Those findings unearthed details about a fateful Father’s Day spent in a holding cell, which the first of many attempts to vacate the conviction centered on.

Police arrested and charged Doyle and co-defendant Scott Bell for burglary on June 19, 1988. The two were then held at the Brooklyn Criminal Court lockup, where they recognized Harold. They were later released and their charges dismissed without ever seeing a judge for arraignment.

Doyle actually mentioned the incident during Whitfield’s trial when asked about

police interaction after the murder. He claimed the homeowner set him and Bell up for an inside job. His version painted a wrongful arrest and subsequently, a rightful release. The murder trial’s court minutes also confirm that Doyle encountered Harold in lockup.

But Bell, who vouched for Whitfield in a 1993 sworn statement, provided a different account. He recalled a prosecutor first approaching Harold, who indicated Doyle knew something. The three spoke extensively. Then the prosecutor beckoned Bell to ask about an incident “at the projects”; specifically, what he knew about John Whitfield’s involvement. Bell said he “did not know what he was talking about.” Then he recounted the following conversation in his affidavit:

“Doyle told me that I should have said I knew John Whitfield was involved in the incident the D.A. asked about,” wrote Bell. “He said that he did not like Whitfield and that he was blaming him for an incident that occurred in the projects. He also said I did not ‘need to worry’ about the burglary charge against us, and that we would be home later that day. Doyle never mentioned that he was blaming Whitfield for a homicide.”

Another sworn statement came from the owner of the home Doyle and Bell were accused of burglarizing in 1994. The owner wrote about going to press charges against them a day after the incident, only to learn the suspects were no longer in custody.

Using Bell’s testimony, the Legal Aid Society filed a CPL 440, New York State’s motion to vacate a conviction, for Whitfield in the mid-1990s. He received an evidentiary hearing. “[To] make a long story short, the judge denied that motion,” said Whitfield. His digging led to a voluntary disclosure form revealing a potential tape related to the case. Whitfield and the Legal Aid Society disagreed on next steps. He wanted to pursue the tape; the Legal Aid Society planned to skip the recording and seek federal habeas corpus relief, which challenges the legality of a person’s imprisonment. Whitfield ultimately ended the relationship and pursued the tape on his own without legal counsel.

A pivotal “Sing Sing” scene depicts Domingo’s version of Whitfield presenting the audio evidence during his clemency hearing. His co-defendant Harold was the voice on the tape, speaking to an ATF agent after a gun arrest at the 73rd Precinct in Brownsville less than two months after the murder. In hopes of entering witness protection, he admits to the killing on the tape with the same TEC-9 seized by the feds.

There was, indeed, another man on the scene based on Harold’s claims, but he pointed to a “Patrick” from Queens, who he said he was forced to fire a round into the victim so he would not remain an uninvolved witness. The investigator also asked if Whitfield ordered the hit. “No, he didn’t order it,” the transcript reads.

See DIVINE G on page 16

John "Divine G" Whitfield (left) speaks with his lawyer Jeffery Deskovic. (Bill Moore photo)

HARLEM’S FUTURE DESERVES AND NEEDS THOUGHTFUL LEADERSHIP, NOT DISMISSAL

As is The NY Amsterdam News, The New York Daily News is a valued member of The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, and we consider the Daily News a friend and valued associate. But good friends must tell each other when they’re wrong, and the News’ editorial board was wrong on February 7th to criticize the recent decision by Manhattan Community Board #10 (CB 10’s) without giving the fuller local context.

As is known, our historic Village of Harlem is undergoing rapid change, and the recently proposed ONE45 development — featuring two 34-story towers with 968 apartments —has correctly sparked strong debate, as it should, so CB 10’s carefully reviewed ONE45’s proposal.

Too often the citizens of the “Harlem’s of New York” are criticized and put down for not being more engaged, aware and sharing their voice and thinking in terms of what’s happening in their communities. But in this case CB 10 is condemned for its appropriate due diligence.

It is important to know that rather than out rightly rejecting the project the members of CB 10 gave due thought, deliberation, consideration and outreach to the surrounding community in calling for relevant and important project improvements, including:

• More affordable housing units to be designated for residents of Harlem

• Planning steps to reduce and/or prevent development-related increases in asthma cases

• Designated spaces for community based organizations serving local senior citizens and youth

• Climate resiliency measures because of the ONE45 project immediate proximity to the Harlem river as well as other important environmental protections

• Balanced distribution of the affordable units with the upper income units so as to not create a “Have and a have not” impression

• Prioritized local hiring and training and to focus on partnerships with locally-owned businesses

• Requesting that a traffic/transportation study be done on west 145th street to better understand the impact this important major development will have on a street and its surrounding avenues, which is already known by all in the region to be dramatically congested.

In our view, these requests are not only reasonable but in some instances essential to ensuring that the project compliments and meets the needs of the surrounding community.

Far too many communities in New York are civically disengaged. In this case, Community Board 10 members are engaged, thoughtful, and did their due diligence. They should be applauded for their concern for the entire community.

It is important to know that CB 10’s position is not in fact a rejection of the ONE45 project. It is a well thought out “NO with conditions”. It is the intent of The Chamber to support the ONE45 project when reasonable conditions are met which truly compliments the interests and concerns of (1) the Harlem Community (2) the Community Board and (3) the developer, thereby creating a “Win, Win, Win” scenario and important development which will speak well for Harlem’s future.

We are very pleased that Harlem elected who’s service area’s include the proposed development, NYS Senator Cordell Cleare, NYS Assembly Member Al Taylor and most importantly NYC Council Member Yusef Salaam are also very supportive of the need to make sure that this project’s community benefits are truly maximized. We very much hope and believe that the project developer will join in and embrace the partnership for the benefit of all.

The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce supports CB 10’s approach and encourages all decision-makers, including Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and others to support and embrace CB 10’s recommendations.

— Lloyd Williams, President & CEO, The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and Former Chairperson of Manhattan Community Board #10

Taking flight: Eagle Academy celebrates its 20th Anniversary

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

The Eagle Academy Foundation, a groundbreaking initiative to empower young men of color through all-boys schools, celebrated its 20th anniversary at a spectacular gala in Manhattan.

Founded in 2004 by a group of dedicated leaders from 100 Black Men, Incorporated (OHBM), Eagle Academy for Young Men has grown from a single location in the Bronx to locations in all five boroughs and a school in Newark, New Jersey.

The concept and curriculum for the schools has been praised and endorsed by educators across the nation for transforming abysmal graduation rates and disproportionate incarceration rates among young men of color.

Current Eagle Academy Foundation President and CEO Donald M. Ruff was delighted to see the turnout for the gala, but even more excited that people showed up to support the students. At the fundraising portion of the event, donors gave over $127,000 to the foundation.

“Tonight is a huge milestone,” said Ruff. “To be able to celebrate 20 years. Not many people are doing this work with this very specific population of young men of color. So we’re very proud. They’re at the bottom of every indicator when you take a look academi-

cally. Those are the young men that are counted out consistently, right? Where the world is not looking for them. But we are.”

Ruff said that Eagle Academies had a 95% graduation rate in 2024 — markedly higher than the 32% graduation rate they had in 2004. He added that 98% of Eagle graduates got ac-

cepted into college last year.

The Eagle foundation is also led by predominantly Black and Brown professionals, 65% of the Board of Directors and 84% of school staff. “We all need a blueprint to follow. We all need a goal to aspire to. What a mentor does is show us that success is possible,” said Ruff about the mentorship and repre-

Afterwards, Eagle Academy students marched into the venue in processional fashion to what was dubbed the King’s Table, brimming with pride.

There was also a pouring of ceremonial libations into a plant, symbolizing a homage to ancestors and Eagles who have passed away.

Over 500 people were in attendance, including former OHBM President Phillip Banks Jr. His son, former New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, who was a founding principal of the first Eagle Academy, also attended later in the evening. Banks hasn’t been in the limelight since resigning from his city position, however he said he wouldn’t have missed the gala for anything.

sentation. “When you see someone that looks like you that has achieved great things, it inspires you to dream bigger. To elevate higher, mentorship is everything. That’s why we need it.”

To kick off the festivities, world renowned poet Daniel “Koa” Beaty delivered a powerful rendition of his poem “Knock Knock.”

During the Gala event, several people took home awards: Paul T. Williams, management trustee for the Ntozake Shange Trust and former Chair for Eagle Academy Foundation, and the organization of OHBM received the Taking Flight Founders Awards, while the World Wide Technology company received the Taking Flight Corporate Philanthropy Award.

“The Eagle Academy initiative is one of God’s wonders,” said Williams in a moving speech. He recounted how the board for OHBM voted down the idea of Eagle Academy initially, and even when it was approved very few people thought they could succeed. “The cards were stacked against us.”

Councilmember Rita Joseph, education chair, (second left) attended the 20th Anniversary Gala event for Eagle Academy Foundation on Feb. 25.

Past and present Eagle Academy students on stage at the 20th Anniversary Gala on Tuesday.

(Ariama C. Long photos)

Former Schools Chancellor David Banks made an appearance at the 20th Anniversary Gala for the Eagle Academy Foundation on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Eagle Academy Foundation President and CEO Donald M. Ruff addressed the Gala on Feb. 25.

‘Deeper affordability for Lincoln,’ says Harlem community

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

New York’s housing crisis has rapidly gentrified neighborhoods citywide, especially in historically Black communities like Harlem and East Harlem. As the state moves forward with housing development, Harlem electeds are banding together to demand more affordability.

“It is gut-wrenching to see that Harlem, which has defined Black culture for over a century, is no longer affordable to its residents,” said Senator Cordell Cleare in a statement. “I am stopped everywhere in my district by residents facing housing insecurity and those who were forced to move elsewhere in the city because they cannot afford Harlem anymore.”

On Feb. 25, Cleare hosted a rally with Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs and Councilmember Yusef Salaam in front of the vacant former Lincoln Correctional facility to demand the state’s $90 million-plus redevelopment plan for the site — now referred to as “the Seneca project” — be halted until increased affordability for the housing units is included as “promised.” The electeds were joined by community members.

The Seneca project is run by the Empire State Development (ESD) and is part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s prison redevelopment rollout from 2022. In December 2023, ESD selected Infinite Horizons, L+M Development Partners, Urbane Development Group, and Lemor Development Group to complete the project.

Plans call for demolition of the existing correctional facility on West 110th Street near Central Park North, and construction of a new 22-story residential building with ground-floor community spaces.

The anticipated unit mix will be up to 38 one-bedroom, 52 two-bedroom, and 20 three-bedroom apartments. Currently, the building has eight stories and 10,000 square feet. The project’s housing plans also state that 105 co-op style units will be priced at 80% and 100% of the area median

income (AMI) to ensure affordability.

However, electeds said that the real-world housing costs are still out of reach for most Black and Brown residents in the community. A two-bedroom apartment would still cost $3,000 a month for those under 80% AMI and $3,700 a month for those under 100% AMI, said Cleare.

“I strongly support efforts to bring more affordable housing to our city, especially in areas where the need is so great,” said Salaam in a statement. “We must acknowledge that the current plans for this development fall short of truly addressing the affordability crisis that many of our longterm residents face. I am deeply concerned that, without ensuring housing that is truly affordable, we risk pushing out the very people who have built and sustained this community for generations.”

According to the latest Census data for the site’s ZIP code, which includes central Harlem between 110 and 120th Streets, the median household income for the area is about $74,140 and the median gross rent is about $1,546. For Black households in the same area, the median income for 2023 was $53,666.

Immediately surrounding the site is a public school, New York City Housing Au-

thority (NYCHA) housing, and several rent -regulated buildings. The electeds maintained that residents would have to earn more than double the amount of the median income to not live “rent-burdened” in the current housing plan.

“We need to ensure that affordable housing remains a cornerstone of our district, providing a sense of security and belonging for long-time residents,” said Gibbs. “The Lincoln project is our chance to redefine what development looks like in our neighborhood, with affordability at its core. We must reject the failed policies of the past, where $1 transfers became get-rich-quick schemes for developers, and instead build a model that uplifts our community and preserves its affordability for all. This isn’t just about bricks and mortar — it’s about the soul of Harlem.”

The conversation about the displacement of Black New Yorkers in Harlem, of course, isn’t new. The same issue arose with the years-long campaign to develop the One45 site on West 145th Street.

“This development (at these rates) will mark the end of Harlem. Harlem is not obligated to ensure a return on investment to developers,” said Pastor Dedrick Blue, vice chair of the Interfaith Commission for

Housing Equality, at the rally. “The community must not support developments that provide for a modicum of affordable units at the consequence of soaring rents and mass displacement. Letting this development go through would set a bad precedent for the One45 and Lenox Terrace projects and future Harlem developments.”

The developer’s perspective is that “[t]he transformation of the former Lincoln Correctional Facility will expand affordable homeownership in Harlem, with 105 units for working New Yorkers, creating opportunities for working families to build intergenerational wealth,” said ESD Downstate Communications Director Emily Mijatovic. “ESD, in partnership with its development partner, remains committed to working with local leaders and to ensur[ing] this project serves the community and its needs.”

The existing structure was built in 1914 and used for the New York Young Women’s Hebrew Association (YWHA) in 1920, a place for soldiers during World War II, the New Lincoln School in 1950, and finally the Lincoln Correctional Facility, which closed in 2019. In 2023 and early 2024, it was a temporary shelter for asylum seekers. In addition to concerns about affordability of the proposed housing, there may be environmental issues at the building site. According to the ESD’s December 2024 report, the site had spills from at least two aboveground storage tanks (AST), one fuel tank, and two closed petroleum containers during those years, which may have affected the subsurface and groundwater.

The proposed project has to undergo environmental review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, and then be presented to the public before it can receive final approval. That is anticipated to be completed in 2028.

Mijatovic said ESD prepared an environmental assessment and determined “the Project, implemented in accordance with the GPP, will result in no significant adverse impacts to the environment.”

NYC advocates demand ‘Hochul, Dump Adams’

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

The City Hall saga continues this week as some advocates and elected officials publicly denounced Mayor Eric Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and President Donald Trump. Others were content to let conflicts between the powers-that-be play out in court or at the polls in this year’s mayoral election.

To recap, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has been seeking to drop federal corruption charges against Adams since Feb. 10 so he can assist in carrying out Trump’s immigration crackdown. This unusual move has drawn a barrage of criticism, especially since their terms indicate that the

charges could be resumed after the mayoral election concludes in November 2025.

In response, protesters flooded the streets to demand that Hochul remove Adams from office using an inability committee, which is a rule in the city charter designed to determine whether a mayor is physically or mentally incapacitated. The rule was created when former Mayor Ed Koch had a stroke in the late 1980s. Hochul pivoted, proposing that an oversight committee for Adams be created instead.

“I was elected by the people of New York City and its working-class communities to uphold their values — and that is what our administration has done,” said Adams in a statement. “While there is no legal basis for

limiting New Yorkers’ power by limiting the authority of my office, I have told the governor, as we have done in the past, that I am willing to work with her to ensure faith in our government is strong. I look forward to continuing those conversations.”

On Feb. 20, Adams faced federal Judge Dale E. Ho, an appointee of former President Joe Biden who is slated to decide whether to grant the DOJ’s request to dismiss the corruption charges. Interested in hearing both sides, Ho appointed former Solicitor General Paul Clement to serve as a friend of the court to evaluate the case and the DOJ’s dismissal. Ho was generally commended for not simply going along with federal pressure to drop the case.

“New Yorkers deserve to know which of our rights and freedoms Eric Adams sacrificed to save his number-one priority: himself,” said Brooklyn Senator Zellnor Myrie, a mayoral candidate. “I hope that this appointment will lead to those answers and a just outcome.”

Myrie added that while the city waits for the judge’s ruling, there’s a lack of leadership that cannot be ignored. “New York City needs a mayor who will not think twice when it comes to standing up for what’s right,” said Myrie.

In an attempt to beat the chorus of allegations that he was “silent on Trump,”

State Sen. Cordell Cleare, Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs, and Councilmember Yusef Salaam host rally in front of former Lincoln Correctional Facility on Feb. 20, 2025. (Bill Moore photo)

Union Matters

DoorDash to pay for tips taken from delivery workers

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The food delivery company DoorDash will have to pay its employees

$16.75 million to settle a lawsuit that accused it of helping itself to the tips customers gave to delivery workers.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, announced on Feb. 24 that an investigation by her office found that between May 2017 and September 2019, DoorDash used funds from customer tips to help pay the wages it owed to delivery workers. She characterized DoorDash’s actions as misleading and a “bait and switch.”

The company led customers to believe that their tips were augmenting the wages of delivery workers, who are known as Dashers. Instead, customers were providing DoorDash with extra funds to cover company expenses — the costs associated with paying its employees.

The settlement agreement with the attorney general notes that “DoorDash … matched the placed order with a Dasher by presenting a nearby Dasher with an offer to deliver the order. This offer was presented to the Dasher through the DoorDash app and included a map showing the delivery route and distance, an estimated time to complete the delivery, a summary of the items to be delivered, and guaranteed pay for completing the delivery. The Dasher had a limited time in which to accept or decline the offer … [C]onsumers utilizing DoorDash would have expected that the ‘tip’ added to the delivery charge through the DoorDash checkout screen would be provided to the Dasher on top of the Guaranteed Amount promised by DoorDash for the delivery. But … that was not the case. Instead, DoorDash used consumer tips to subsidize the Guaranteed Amount payment it promised to Dashers.”

“DoorDash subsidized the base pay that they had already guaranteed workers,” James said at a press conference as she announced the settlement. “DoorDash encouraged customers to tip and assured them at checkout that ‘Dashers will always receive 100 percent of the tip.’ But that just wasn’t really true.”

Worker advocates applauded the action by the attorney gen-

“... [T]his also shows the collective power of workers and what we can accomplish when we’re united in solidarity with each other and with allies who are willing to hold exploiters accountable.”

—Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Worker’s Justice Project and co-founder of Los Deliveristas Unidos

eral. “Today, New York City sees what we’re up against and how much more work there is to do to fight back against the predatory labor practices that this industry is built on,” said Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Worker’s Justice Project and co-founder of Los Deliveristas Unidos, in a statement about the settlement. “... [T]his also shows the collective power of workers and what we can accomplish when we’re united in solidarity with each other and with allies

who are willing to hold exploiters accountable. Thank you Attorney General James for being a true friend to workers. And shame on you, DoorDash! While they lie and steal at scale, we are organizing at scale and building collective worker power.”

The settlement agreement shows that DoorDash “does not admit” to the accusations held against it. In a statement to the Associated Press, DoorDash said, “While we believe that our practices properly rep-

resented how Dashers were paid during this period, we are pleased to have resolved this years-old matter and look forward to continuing to offer a flexible way for millions of people to reach their financial goals.”

DoorDash has consented to change its pay model so Dashers can receive their entire tips. The company’s app will now display a payment model that gives Dashers and customers a breakdown of how payments and tips are distrib-

uted, and Dashers will be able to access their payment history with the company for up to four years — even after their work accounts have been deactivated.

More than 60,000 people who have been DoorDash delivery workers are expected to receive compensation from the announced settlement fund. Once the attorney general’s office puts a settlement administrator in place, eligible Dashers will be notified and receive claim numbers that they can use to file for payment online.

“Any worker who delivered for DoorDash between May 2017 and September 2019 in New York state may be eligible to file a claim for this settlement,” according to the attorney general’s press statement.

“During that period, New Yorkers placed more than 11 million delivery orders with DoorDash and approximately 63,000 New York delivery workers stand to benefit from this settlement. Payments are expected to begin in early 2025. Eligible drivers will be contacted by the settlement administrator via mail, email, and/or text with notices of the settlement and information on how to file a claim.”

Food delivery worker rides off after pickup from fast-food restaurant on Flatbush Avenue, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Caribbean Equality Project to celebrate 10 years of advocacy for LGBTQ and immigrant rights

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

After a decade of grueling advocacy work, the Caribbean Equality Project (CEP) in Queens is celebrating a major milestone.

Mohamed Q. Amin founded CEP in 2015 in Richmond Hill, Queens, on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality. “It became a monumental celebration for all LGBTQ people, and for us as an organization, it just amplified the work that we were doing,” said Amin.

The incident that sparked the idea for the organization was not as celebratory, though: Amin said that he, his brother, and partner survived an act of violence in 2013 in his neighborhood.

“A large part of the reason was there were no resources or no space for LGBTQ Caribbean immigrants to access immigration services, mental health services, community spaces,” said Amin. “Part of my healing journey was to also be able to create these spaces. In a way, you can say I turned trauma into activism.”

CEP is a thriving community-based organization that advocates for Afro and Indo-Caribbean, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming, and queer Caribbean immigrants in New York City through public education, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, community organizing, civic engagement, storytelling, and racial justice, as well as gender equity programming. The organization also uplifts Black and Brown Muslim, Hindu, and Christian members of the Caribbean diaspora of all generations. Their programs, such as Unchained, run year round.

Over the last decade, CEP had to respond to multiple crises in the city, including the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the influx of migrants and asylum seekers in 2022. It’s been an exhausting, albeit fulfilling, experience, Amin said.

“The last few years as a grassroots organization have been really hard,” he said. “It’s been emotionally draining. It’s been physically taxing. It’s been challenging to navigate the complexities of who qualifies for social services in New York City. Many of our community members have fled the Caribbean and crossed the border in dangerous journeys to just simply be in America, and they view America as the land of opportunity, but for many LGBTQ Caribbean people, they view America as hope, as a place of belonging and as a place of survival.”

Amin said that during the pandemic, immigrants were hailed as essential workers, but now, just five years later, they’re being labeled as “dangerous” or “criminals” by the city and federal government. He said this messaging has contributed to a decrease in foot traffic in immigrant neighborhoods; a decrease in support for small businesses; and families experiencing fear and isolation, and deciding not to send their children to school. He noted that

many are also opting to “self-deport” because of a fear of being jailed, retained, or imprisoned in a violent or inhumane way.

In the face of this growing anti-immigrant sentiment and transphobia, especially since President Donald Trump took office in January, CEP has added ‘Know Your Rights’ training, immigration legal services, mental health referrals, and workshops on the Trump administration’s executive orders and how they impact the local community.

People are responding “from the fear of mass deportation to the attacks on trans healthcare to the visceral erasure of trans people at the federal level,” said Amin, referring to the “rebrand” of the Stonewall Inn without the T for transgender.

CEP supports more than 500 asylum seekers from countries like Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Grenada. Amin said many have fled their home countries because of political turmoil or anti-LGBTQ violence. The organization also employs eight asylum seekers.

At the city level, CEP is supporting Councilmember Shahana Hanif’s bills on access

to reproductive health at the gender equity hearing on Thursday, Feb. 27. This bill would update an existing local law to prevent interference with access to reproductive healthcare facilities and protect access to facilities offering gender-affirming care.

“I think what we’re seeing now is a compounded political attack on trans people,” Amin said. “We’re seeing a continuation of hate and fear -mongering from the federal government. We’re seeing the erasure of LGBTQ identities not only in history, but also in schools through education. We’re seeing diversity, equity, and inclusion being weaponized against LGBTQ people, and people of color [who] have historically been marginalized, oppressed, and lacked opportunities, and what we are also witnessing is a national crisis on LGBTQ bodies — a national crisis that’s attacking LGBTQ existence.” Amin said the truth is that more and more Americans have personal ties to the LGBTQ community, whether through family members, friends, or coworkers.

According to Gallup polling of adult Americans, there was a 9.3% jump in last year’s

survey of people identifying as LGBTQ+, representative of a percentage that’s “nearly doubled” since 2020 and is up from 3.5% in 2012. Gallup found that younger generations of Americans are much more likely than older generations, before 1946 to even 2006, to have more fluid sexual identities. This confirms the increased visibility of LGBTQ people as a whole compared to previous generations, which Amin said is being weaponized against the community now.

“We know the power of our community,” he said. “We vote, we’re educated, we are contributing to the economic fabric of America. We’re contributing to the political landscape of America and we’re contributing to the diversity of America. These are all components of what being an American looks like and what being a New Yorker looks like.”

Senator Jabari Brisport, one of two openly gay state senators and New York State’s first openly queer person of color ever elected, recently received the Changemaker Award from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center for his work in the community.

“It’s not lost on me — the position I occupy,” said Brisport. “And we live in very scary times for the queer community.”

One of Brisport’s pathways into politics was fighting for marriage equality while he was a student in college. He helped lobby the state Senate in 2009, lost the vote, and came back in 2011. He was elected to his seat in 2021. Since then, he’s co-sponsored the Lorena Borjas Transgender and Non-Binary Wellness and Equity Fund (TWEF) and supported the Trans Safe Haven Act and the state’s Equal Rights Amendment. Brisport theorized that far-right Republican and conservative groups target transgender and nonbinary or gender-nonconforming people in an attempt to sow division because they are a smaller population within a minority group.

“This is out of the playbook of so many authoritarian governments: You find a very small group and you start vilifying them and use them as a political tactic to rally your base,” said Brisport. “Naked political move. I know they don’t think they’d be as successful if they tried that with gay or lesbian or bisexual people who are larger segments of the population.”

Brisport added that as someone of Guyanese heritage from Brooklyn, he knows the Caribbean has a ways to go with LGBTQ rights. He commended the Caribbean Equality Project for their work. “This movement needs to be led by Caribbeans and the CEP is doing great work,” he said.

CEP will hold its official 10th anniversary celebration on March 20, 2025, at the Rhythm of Transformation benefit in Manhattan. For information and tickets, go to www.caribbeanequalityproject.org/ rhythms-of-transformation.

Man with bird float on during NYC Pride parade, June 23, 2018. (Pexel stock photo from Following NYC.)

Opinion

Trump will come for us in the evening

If Trump’s plan to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion needed a disquieting underscore it came with the firing of Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. Gen Brown did not rise through the military ranks abetted by DEI, but he was a perfect target for Trump to lower the boom on — a noteworthy person of color.

In removing Gen. Brown, the second African American general to serve as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Trump was at his fork-tongued best, thanking Brown for his forty years of service, calling him a fine gentleman, an outstanding leader, all while dismissing the general in the same breath or social media post.

Brown’s farewell message posted to LinkedIn, recounted without rancor that he was “inspired to serve by my father, who told me, ‘Four years in the military will not hurt you.’ Four years turned into four decades, surrounded by the finest service members and civilians from across our Nation. Every day you have inspired me. It has been my distinct honor to conclude my career as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman, I focused on Warfighting, Modernization, and Trust. The Joint Force’s commitment to our security has never been more critical. I’m confident you will continue to stand resolute in defense of our Nation. Sharene and I wish you and your families all the best.”

Brown spent only a year and a half on this prestigious post, much of it devoted to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The result here shouldn’t be surprising given Trump’s denunciation of President Zelensky — calling him a “dictator” — and his alignment with Russia as the U.S. votes against condemning Russia for the Ukraine war, probably signaling the abandonment of war-crime prosecution against Russia for invading Ukraine. It will come as no surprise if the Secretary of State Rubio, Defense Secretary Hegseth, to say nothing of Elon Musk, fuel this shakeup at the Pentagon and stranglehold on the U.N.

In one fell swoop, Trump has demonstrated again how a domestic executive order spreads into the international arena, adding complexity and dismay to the interest of freedom and justice. It’s bad enough to block the Associated Press from the Oval Office, a move that should not go ignored by those professing to support freedom of the press. If Trump has come for Gen. Brown and in the AP in the morning, you can bet your bottom dollar he will be coming for us in the evening.

February is Black Narrative Power Month and our history of storytelling calls on us to face the future

By ANSHANTIA OSO

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Damaso

Reyes: Executive & Investigative Editor

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor

Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising

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

Since the start of this nation, the predominant narrative about Black people has been one of inhumanity. In order to justify enslavement and later establish racial hierarchy, media and culture have been shaped to tell a certain story. We are bombarded with headlines comparing unarmed Black men to animals, some even giving them “superhuman” strength and simply parroting unjust police talking points. Local TV news outlets disproportionately focus on crime in our neighborhoods, instead of featuring Black families, leaders and human interest topics.

terest, to financial problems that have shrunk newsrooms, replacing writers with AI to support the bottom line. The leaders of the hostile federal administration have called the press “fake,” “liberal,” “the opposition,” and “the enemy of the American people.” Tech billionaires have taken ownership and control of once revered and respected media corporations and are censoring dissent. Black media institutions may be the last line of defense in providing honest coverage to the communities most targeted by systemic oppression.

While some individual journalists and new media newsrooms such as Outlier Media (Detroit), MLK50 (Memphis) and Scalawag (the South) have begun to create racially just and liberated futures, building on the work of the legacy Black press — abundant with new systems and policies — we need structural change to truly move forward. And that means envisioning, creating and practicing a new media system.

More than 60 percent of Black Americans say the news they see or hear about Black people is often more negative than news about other racial groups.

Yet, the mainstream news covers violent crimes as if that is all that comprises our communities. Since the colonial era, media outlets have used their platforms to inflict harm on Black people through weaponized narratives that promote Black inferiority and portray us as threats to society.

Once we examine the anti-Black roots of our media system, this pattern comes as no surprise. The Media 2070 essay, An Invitation to Dream Up Media Reparations, outlines this history of racialized media harm. Colonial newspapers were complicit in the slave trade and profited off of chattel slavery. A powerful newspaper publisher helped lead the deadly overthrow of a local government in Wilmington, North Carolina, where Black people held power throughout the city; racist journalism has led to countless lynchings; Southern broadcast stations aired vociferous opposition to integration; and today, powerful social-media and tech companies are allowing white supremacists to use their platforms to organize, fundraise, recruit and spread violent hate. The Big Tech Broligarchy has aligned with right wing extremists and attended the 2025 inauguration, all too ready to enable the autocratic, anti-democratic MAGA agenda.

A free press is often cited as a cornerstone of democracy. Journalism as an institution is under attack – from corporate consolidation that has undermined reporting in the public in-

The examples of Ida B. Wells, Freedom’s Journal, The North Star, and the New York Amsterdam News illustrate the rich legacy of Black journalists and Black-owned media acting as messengers, storytellers and community information networks that helped to blaze the trails for Black liberation movements, from emancipation to the calls for Civil Rights and Black Power. Facing our future means we must respect the critical knowledge, community-building, information, and resource sharing that movements foster — particularly Black liberation movements. How will Black media makers answer this call?

Popular power is contested via our media and communications systems. Black communities too often lack the access and resources to control and disseminate information and narratives. As a result, our communities lack the infrastructure necessary to effectively build power which is critical to affecting the necessary change to drive social movements.

That’s why Media 2070 has declared February Black Narrative Power Month, which is critical to the ongoing fight to demand better news coverage from mainstream mass media. It’s part of the ongoing media reparations movement – a long-term effort to completely dismantle harmful news structures.

After all, reparations isn’t just money owed — it’s the absolute restructuring of our very society to end centuries of oppression. Media 2070 works to advance reparative journalism practices, such as our newsroom pledge to care, on the path to a future where reparations are real. We have called on the vast majority of nonprofit and public funding be invested in the short- and longterm sustainability of BIPOC media institutions and BIPOC organizations. This would serve as a beginning step toward reckoning with the centuries of harm journalism has inflicted on communities of color.

This work happens together and Black Narrative Power Month is a reminder of the work we all must undertake. If we’re going to dream this new system together, we need the time, public spaces and the energy to do so. What would it look like if we had a media system where Black people were able to create and control the distribution of our own stories and narratives on a larger scale? What would it look like if Black people had an abundance of Black-led news organizations serving all of our communities? What if more of our stories were covered by journalists who understand and are a part of our communities?

These questions guide both Black Narrative Power Month and media reparations more largely.

Before we can achieve the transformation we need, we have to dream of a world we deserve that does not yet exist. That is why with the release of this essay, we seek to work in a Black-led coalition that is abundant with journalists, technologists, artists, activists, policymakers, media-makers, organizers and scholars, including those who have long fought for reparations.

We have several ways to engage in this work this month. We invite you to join us: Black Narrative Power Month toolkit Watch our livestream Roundtable panel on the Black Storytelling Tradition on February 27th via Youtube Download and Read or listen to the audio narration of the Media 2070 Essay. We invite you to dream with us. To learn more about the media reparations movement and to get involved, visit our website mediareparations.org

Anshantia Oso is the Senior Director of Media 2070, where she works to advance the work of media reparations and build Black Narrative Power. Media 2070 is committed to the radical dismantling of oppressive news structures and media systems. This work is an idea, welcoming critique and feedback. It is liberation work within a lineage of civil-rights activism, racial-justice organizing and calls for reparations.

Me and Roberta

By HERB BOYD

When it comes to the genius and musical prowess of Roberta Flack, who died on Monday in Manhattan, we all have our favorite recordings. Already the lists of Flack’s top ten are being compiled. Here is one I recently encountered: “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”; “You’ve Got Friend”; “Be Real Black for Me”; “Killing Me Softly With His Song”; “Feel Like Makin’ Love”; “The Closer I Get to You”; “You Are My Heaven”; “You Stopped Loving Me”; “Tonight I Celebrate My Love”; and “Here, There and Everywhere.”

Okay, assemble your mixtape for your trip down memory lane with a phenomenal vocalist and pianist, and for me put a pause and replay on “The Closer I Get To You.” While Roberta was capable of performing in several formats and genres, her dip into the jazz realm, I feel, is best represented with this tune, composed by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, at that time members of her band with formidable jazz roots.

Excellence Personified

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

One evening I happened to pop into Showman’s on 125th Street to hear Preacher Robins on organ and lo and behold Mtume was there with photographer Jules Allen. Suddenly, it was like old home week and we kicked it for several minutes before I forced the conversation into the history of the making of “The Closer I Get to You.” I recall Mtume telling me that the tune was almost removed from the album because the president of the company “thought it was repetitive and boring. But Roberta stepped in and defended it and thanks to her the tune remained in place — and went on to be one of her hits and as a single too.” The last time I saw him was during a symposium in 2018 at MoMa where he shared a panel with my nephew Professor Michael Dinwiddie, Rich Medina, and Sadie Barnette on a discussion of Motown’s series of spoken word records on the Black Forum label. Mtume said: “I was a member of US … and during the recording we were thinking about John Coltrane’s ‘Alabama’ that was inspired by the four little girls killed in Birmingham.” The date he was referring to was Amiri Baraka’s “It’s Nation Time,” in which he composed “Chant” for the recording. Mtume died in 2022.

For the most part, the tune is background music for lovers, and we would be remiss to leave Donny Hathaway out of its history.

Anyway, that’s my spin down memory lane and Roberta that’s about as close as I got to you.

A few weeks ago, I experienced two instances of excellence personified in the span of twenty-four hours and I cannot stop thinking about it. I am always curious as to how someone becomes the best in their craft. How much is nature and how much is nurture? How long does it take someone to be perfection personified and how much of it is just how the universe allocated talent and skill?

I had the pleasure of seeing Audra McDonald in “Gypsy” on Broadway. The play is a classic. Many people have likely heard the songs over the years without knowing they are from a production first staged on Broadway in 1959. When people say Audra McDonald is a national treasure I don’t know if that fully articulates the sheer level of talent she possesses.

The production itself was fine — I would not rate it as one of my favorite musicals at all. However, McDonald’s work in the second act solidifies her as one of the greatest talents ever to grace a Broadway stage. I have never been to a play or musical where a performer receives a five-minute standing ovation after one song and well before the production was over at that. To witness McDonald on the stage is to be in the presence of greatness and to be thankful for it.

The night before I saw Audra McDonald on stage, I went to see my beloved Knicks play the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks lost that night, but most Knicks fans had to tip their hats to the talent of

LeBron James. I could not believe I was watching a forty-year-old man run up and down the court. To witness James on the court was to try to wrap my brain around the fact that I was seeing a freight train and ballerina simultaneously. The ball felt like an extension of his entire body. I love watching basketball live and no disrespect to my Knicks, but watching James was almost a transcendental experience.

Seeing James and McDonald back to back has stuck with me weeks after I saw both of them in their elements. I truly do not know how people become great and reach the Mt. Rushmores of their crafts. However, in this deeply unsettling time in our country, I implore us to treat ourselves to glimmers of greatness when we can. We should go to that concert or that game when we can. We can watch our pocketbooks, but we must also treat our spirits to the absolute brilliance around us. We are living in an era of incompetent men running our country on local and national levels and it is incumbent upon us to find joy when and where we can.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of book “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream” and is co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.

(CMS-Creative Management Associates/John Levy via Wikimedia)

Caribbean Update

Say ‘Sorry’ and pay reparations, says prime minister

BY BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

A Caribbean Community (Caricom) head of government has demanded that former European slave trading nations apologize for the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and be prepared to begin making reparation payments.

Dickon Mitchell of Grenada, who last week handed the position as chair of the 15-member Caricom trade bloc to Mia Mottley of Barbados, addressed his remarks directly to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was among special invitees at last week’s regional leaders summit in Barbados. The three-day conference ended at the weekend.

Mitchell, who is an attorney as well as prime minister, told the commission president that the time has come for reparation payments to begin and for the two sides to sit down and discuss the issue.

“The issue of reparations for the transatlantic slavery and the enslavement of African peoples and Black bodies, as my comrade Ralph Gonsalves [of St. Vincent] likes to say, is an issue that we will take up with you, and we are doing so in hands of partnership, and we are doing so in the cause of humanity because as long as we do not openly and explicitly reject the idea that one human being can own another human being, we run the risk that idea may somehow take root again,” he said.

Photo/Sergei Grits)

under severe pressure at last year’s Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Samoa as the Caribbean led the fight for a formal discussion of the issue with the support of some African nations.

Leaders have also been pressuring the European Union to sit down and formally discuss a range of issues, including reparations and slavery, as well as blacklisting some nations for allegedly failing to comply with financial compliance issues such as money laundering and climate change.

and created some consternation for the Europeans, but otherwise, she understands the need for there to be better dialogue, greater cooperation, and collaboration between Caricom and the European Union.”

The latest airing of grievances relating to the slave trade comes as Antigua has stepped up pressure on Harvard University to own up to its links to the colonial era atrocity.

The government there has formally written to university leadership to not only own up to the past but also to be prepared to make reparation payments linked to financial donations from the plantation system in Antigua that supported Harvard financially since its early beginning.

“The people of Antigua and Barbuda are not seeking mere symbolic gestures but substantive and meaningful engagement,” the letter from the government stated.

Mitchell argued that the region has a responsibility to its peoples to fight for reparations and the designation of slavery as a crime against humanity. He demanded a formal apology, compensation, and a pledge that “such atrocities must never occur again.”

For her part, von der Leyen avoided the question of reparations, but did say that “slavery is a crime against humanity, and the dignity and universal rights of every single human being is untouchable and must be defended by all means.”

The bloc has been upping the ante to hold former slave-trading nations accountable for slavery and did manage to put Britain

In this regard, Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne said he and other leaders had managed to propose the establishment of a formal mechanism for structured engagements with the U.S. to the commission president at the Barbados meeting.

“I recommended that there should be a Caricom-European summit, and she accepted, so it seems as though in the future, we’ll have an institutionalized forum to have more structured discussions with the European Union, rather than to have an ad hoc visit,” Browne said in a weekend radio program. “She did say that they were concerned about a particular country that has violated

“Harvard has an opportunity to lead by example in the global reparatory justice movement — through deepened and sustained commitment.”

Browne was even more strident with Harvard. “We are not asking for favors,” he said. “We are seeking justice for the people whose suffering built Harvard into what it is today. Harvard University, particularly its law school, was established with funding from slavery on Antigua’s plantations. Our ancestors worked for centuries without pay, and their labor fueled Harvard’s early development. It’s time for them to acknowledge this with meaningful action.”

Where are ‘Haitians for Trump’ now that he’s ending TPS for their compatriots?

FELICIA PERSAUD

A day after Donald Trump’s administration announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, just as it did for Venezuelans, I checked the X account for the so-called “Official Haitians for Trump Coalition of Donald J. Trump for President.”

Silence!

Just as when Trump claimed Haitians in Ohio were eating dogs and cats. Just as when he allegedly called Haiti a “shithole country.” Instead, the only statement on their bio reads: “POTUS appreciates the Haitian American

community across America.”

I wish I were making this up, but the mental chains run deep.

The hypocrisy of Haitians for Trump

Ironically, this same group once loudly proclaimed their support for TPS. In 2017, when Trump first attempted to revoke it, they declared: “We have always stood for #TPS.” They even acknowledged that Haiti wasn’t ready to take back 58,000 people and vowed to push for permanent residency solutions. Now, though, as Haiti descends into chaos, gang rule, and mass killings, they are nowhere to be found. Where is Madgie Nicolas, the group’s purported leader? Her X account is suspended, and she’s now using the Haitians for Trump account to beg Elon Musk to reinstate her profile — as if that’s the real crisis at hand.

Meanwhile, Haitian organizations like the Haitian Bridge Alliance are fighting back against the Trump administration’s cruel policy, calling out the absurdity of deporting 520,000 Haitians back to a country where gangs control 85% of the capital, and massacres, kidnappings, and rapes are at an all-time high. More than 5,600 people were killed last year, and many of the displaced are now crammed into abandoned government buildings, where violence — especially against women — is rampant.

Selling out for the ‘New King’ Haiti cannot take back half a million people. It is dangerous and inhumane, and the U.S. is doing nothing to help — including cutting USAID funding, but Haitians for Trump obviously does not care. They won’t speak out because their allegiance is not to their people but to the man they see as their ticket to economic

empowerment: their “new King” and God. Malcolm X once described the “House Negro” as someone who loves his master, will pay three times the price to live near him, and brags about being “the only one” in a white space. When asked if he wants to separate, he recoils in horror, exclaiming: “Separate? From America, this good white man?”

The modern-day House Negro today isn’t just on the plantation — he’s on X, wearing a MAGA hat, and defending a man who is actively working to destroy, terrorize, and humiliate his people while attempting to send them into a situation where they could be history. That, my friends, is the saddest part of all.

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

Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell speaks during a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit. (AP

By MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — When Angelica Delgado took a one-way flight to Mexico as she fled Cuba in December 2024, she was set on seeking asylum in the United States — but after President Donald Trump effectively slammed the door on asylum-seekers crossing the U.S. border when he took office last month, the 23-year-old recalibrated her plans.

She decided she would seek protection in Mexico.

“Like almost all Cubans, our objective was to go to the United States,” she said. “It wasn’t in our plans to stay, but now we have to face reality.”

Amid a clampdown on asylum under Trump and tightening restrictions in recent years under the Biden administration, Delgado is among a growing number of migrants from across the world to ditch — or at least pause — their ambitions of reaching the U.S., and focus instead on building new lives in Mexico.

Migrants trying to apply for asylum in Mexico in January 2025 more than tripled compared to the monthly average from the previous year, according to an international official with knowledge of the numbers who was not authorized to discuss them publicly. Mexico’s refugee agency has not yet published figures for January.

“All of these policies Trump is pushing are leading more people to seek international protection in Mexico,” said Andrés Ramírez, former director of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid, which processes asylum cases.

Delgado was among hundreds of migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan, and other countries gathering outside the refugee agency in Mexico City after Trump unleashed executive orders last month meant to slash access to asylum and militarize the border.

The Associated Press spoke to around a half-dozen people who had asylum appointments in the U.S. through CBP One, the Bidenera app that Trump canceled on

International News

With doors closed to U.S., asylum-seekers turn to Plan B: A new life in Mexico

Inauguration Day. They were left stranded on the Mexican side of the border, their dreams of a legal pathway into the U.S. snuffed.

Many more said they now intended to seek asylum in Mexico, citing increasingly harsh restrictions in recent years in the U.S. or what they said was anti-immigrant sentiment there.

“Now, it’s the Mexican dream,” said a Mexican man helping Haitian friends try to get an appointment this month to apply for asylum in Mexico after the Trump executive orders.

Delgado, her partner, and many others had put their hopes on pathways opened by the Biden administration to seek asylum in the U.S. legally. They said they had no intention of hiring a smuggler to enter the U.S. illegally and that the risks of returning to Cuba were too great in the wake of a government clampdown on protests in recent years.

“Crossing illegally isn’t an option for us. We’d rather stay here” in Mexico, Delgado said, adding that if they crossed into the U.S. illegally and were caught, “they’ll deport us and they’ll send us back to Cuba.”

Delgado, who is an architect, and her partner, a doctor, haven’t been able to work in their fields in Mexico because their training in Cuba is not recognized there, she said, so for now, she’s washing dishes in a market.

Mexico has long opened its doors to refugees and exiles, but asylum applications have soared in recent years, from 1,295 in 2013 to a record 140,982 in 2023. That number dipped to 78,975 in 2024, because the CBP One app allowed migrants in southern Mexico to apply for appointments for entry into the U.S. before heading to the northern border.

The rise in petitions for asylum in Mexico may not result in an immediate uptick in refugees there because only a couple hundred applications can be processed each day, fueling criticism about Mexico’s capacity to take on the burgeoning asylum demand. Amid criticisms of the backlog, President Claudia

Sheinbaum has sharply boosted funding for Mexican agencies handling migration and asylum.

Venezuelan asylum-seeker Harry Luzardo, 37, said life in Mexico is an improvement after scrambling for years to scrape by in Ecuador and Chile. He left Venezuela four years ago, but has been unable to get legal status to stay and work in Chile, so he decided to try his

luck at reuniting with family in the U.S. Now, with that door closed, Mexico is his plan B. Ecuador, Chile, Peru, and Colombia were once the epicenter of the exodus of 8 million people from Venezuela who were fleeing spiraling economic and political crises, but with little international aid and an array of their own economic and security crises, Chile

was among countries that began closing their doors to migrants.

“In Chile, you don’t receive any kind of support,” Luzardo said, who was waiting patiently in line earlier this month to make an asylum petition request in Mexico City. “In Chile, there’s nothing for migrants. For now, I feel good here (in Mexico).” Still, he conceded, he’d rather be in the U.S.

Migrants from Haiti stand in line outside Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid (COMAR) government office to apply for asylum in Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Blossoming behind bars

Whitfield’s fight for freedom dragged on after another failed 440 motion based on the tape, so Whitfield channeled “Whitman” to stay busy. All the litigation fashioned him into a capable writer. While getting Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) off the ground, he began writing plays.

“That was right about the time we came up with an idea to use theater arts as a way of therapy, as a way of life, skills, and a way of helping individuals,” said Whitfield. “I gravitated toward the writing component. We had playwrights [who were] coming in, teaching us how to write plays. And I started writing plays … I had no clue I was a good writer.”

Whitfield soon took another step in writing books. His memoir, “The Whitfield Files,” won a PEN America award. He also mastered writing fiction, publishing several urban-action adventure novels. He applied tighter narrative structure and literary panache to the generally unpolished genre about gangsters and drug dealers.

The novels became a hit in prison. The real John Whitfield actually has a small cameo appearance in “Sing Sing,” asking Colman Domingo’s portrayal to autograph a copy of “Money Grip,” one of his most popular books.

“That actually happened — I had multiple prisoners approaching me, asking me

to sign the autograph,” he said. “And every time I saw the book, the book was beat up to the core — like ‘how many people [did you have] reading this book?’ It would come to me with pages falling out. I think with one book, everybody in the cell block [had] read that book.”

Coming home

Whitfield eventually served his minimum time and qualified for parole, remaining behind bars after a prospective pardon from then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer fell through shortly before his abrupt 2008 resignation. He enlisted Deskovic, who established his foundation after DNA evidence exonerated him from the wrongful imprisonment of a schoolmate’s murder.

Outlying factors like race and original crime have a disproportionate impact on parole decisions, but hearings ultimately center on the ability to return to society. Whitfield’s prolific engagement with the arts in prison gave him a fighting chance. However, he still faced the “innocent prisoner’s dilemma,” with a better shot at release by showing remorse to the parole board over the murder for which he maintains his innocence.

“Either you falsely admit guilt, which is only going to slightly increase your chances, but in the process of that, you’re creating additional false evidence [against yourself],” said Deskovic “So if your case gets reversed but you have to go back to trial, whatever you said [at] that parole board

[hearing] can be used to try to convict you again. Or do you instead maintain your innocence and thereby risk extending an already unjust prison sentence?”

Ultimately, Whitfield became the first person freed from prison by the Deskovic Foundation. Letters advocating for his release factored heavily in the decision, he recalled from his hearing. He spent 25 years in prison for the conviction.

Whitfield returned to a very different world from the late 1980s. Back during his DJing days, he took youngsters under his wing. “They used to get my records from me,” he recalled. “They’d always get the records wrong. I said, ‘Yo, give me “Dance to the Drummer’s Beat.”’ They’d give me ‘Bongo Rock.’”

One of those youngsters grew up to work with Lil Wayne and approached Whitfield about taking a job on the rapper’s next tour. His parole officer was not keen on the idea. Whitfield filed an Article 78, which challenges agency decisions in New York state. It worked: Whitfield traveled internationally for the first time in his life, visiting seven European countries, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

“Had I not filed that Article 78, I would have never [gone] on that tour,” he said. “And let me tell you something: It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

More evidence surfaces

While Whitfield gained his freedom, the murder remained on his conviction record,

so he continued pursuing avenues for exoneration. Initially, Deskovic assigned a staff attorney to the case because he was still applying for law school at the time. Throughout the 2010s, other witnesses provided sworn statements about the murder (some of whom the AmNews attempted to reach but could not interview due to the pending CRU review).

A White Castle employee recounted hearing the shots and smelling the gunpowder to Deskovic’s investigators — Harold’s taped confession seemed to identify her as a woman in an army jacket. Like Doyle, she claimed to see two men run from the scene, but she said with certainty that neither man was Whitfield, whom she knew from the neighborhood.

Harold’s brother Ralph, a.k.a. Essence, also attested to Whitfield’s innocence in a 2014 sworn statement from prison. He corroborated hearing from Wesley about the involvement of “a Patrick from Queens” with the murder.

Another affidavit came from Bryant Devery, claiming he and Whitfield were hanging out with a girl they picked up when the shooting happened. “John Whitfield did not commit that crime, he did not shoot the white man because he was with me since 12 noon or 1 p.m. of that day until at least 1 a.m. of the next morning,” he wrote.

The new evidence went toward the application for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit to consider

Arts & Entertainment

Actor Wren T. Brown shares four generations of artistic prowess in ‘Family Business’

By JULIAN MICHAEL CALDWELL Special to the AmNews

Veteran actor and director Wren T. Brown, who founded the only Black professional theater company in Los Angeles, highlights four generations of groundbreaking entertainers in his family in the new book, “Family Business.”

Since the 1980s, Brown has acted in dozens of films and TV shows, including “Hollywood Shuffle,” “Waiting to Exhale,” “Whoopi,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” and founded the Ebony Repertory Theatre (ERT) in 2008.

Before Brown, excellence in entertainment was established in his family by the likes of his jazz trumpeter father Troy Brown, Jr.; great-uncle, saxophonist Lester Young; and great-grandfather Willis Handy Young, who founded and managed the New Orleans Strutters theatrical troupe.

“I’ve been so exposed to the highest reaches of this industry, and I always had admiration for these individuals, but I never was one who worshiped any of them because I had heroes in my own bloodstream,” Brown said in conversation with the Amsterdam News. Brown recalls being 7 or 8 years old when he began to understand the depth of history and impact in the entertainment industry in his family. It was around that age that he picked up a Count Basie and Lester Young album and asked his mother if the saxophonist was related to Brown’s grandfather Lee Young, who was the first Black president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). NARAS, also known as the Recording Academy, is the governing body behind the Grammy Awards.

Grandpa Lee became a “living hero” for Brown early on in his life, passing on the principles of punctuality and preparedness. Lessons came during outings together to watch the Lakers, Dodgers, or Rams play, and Sundays spent watching sportscaster Howard Cosell on television. Lee Young died in 2008, just months after witnessing his grandson

launch the Ebony Repertory Theatre at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center.

“I think it’s one of the greatest privileges of my life — to have been in absolute close proximity to my grandfather for all those years,” Brown reflected. “I fell in love with my grandfather when I was 10 years old, and I might imagine he fell in love with me.

We were inseparable; we did everything together.”

Brown went on to learn more about the entertainers in his family. His paternal grandmother, Bertha McElroy, was a former Los Angeles Cotton Club dancer, and his maternal grandmother, Ruth E. Givens, was a singer and dancer who appeared in the 1934 movie “Jealousy,” featuring the Nicholas Brothers. Givens was also a founding member of a charity organization called the Performers’ Club, which provided financial support to aging performers in need, and met at the same performing arts center that ERT now calls home.

As Brown grew older, he began realizing that the elders in his family intentionally shared their family history with him because,

ald’s commercial in 1982, to performances put on by his own theater company during the past 17 years.

“All four of my grandparents came through their early times in the entertainment industry when the minstrel form and vaudeville — these variety shows — were the order of the day,” Brown said.

“ I was struck by the fact that all of them had been participants in those types of variety shows, and I wanted to somehow allow the contemporary reader to experience the journey they experienced.”

Brown began archiving material about his family 20 years ago, but didn’t think of writing a book with it until after he founded ERT in 2008. That’s when he began to think more deeply about the parallels between his company and the New Orleans Strutters troupe that his great-grandfather Willis Handy Young, known to Brown as Papa Young, founded 85 years before.

and the rest of his family in profusion,” Brown said. “He had pupils all around the city, wherever he lived, but teaching his family was top of the list for him.”

Through the family business of entertainment, Brown absorbed the principles of integrity, dignity, and self-worth. He hopes his family’s story inspires readers to glean strength from their own family histories.

“Valuing the self is vitally important to navigate this life — delving into your own history, knowing your own story,” Brown said. “It may not be a story that has public celebration at all, but it’s yours, so delving into and owning that, I’m telling you, will cause you to walk more upright. It will cause you to be able to breathe differently because you have a sense of self.”

as he wrote in the book, “they knew that their stories would be safe with me.” That knowledge provided a foundation on which Brown has built his career.

“It grounded me differently in life,” Brown said. “It engendered a quality of balance I don’t think I would have achieved without knowing that not only had my foreparents been people of achievement in the arts, but that they were pouring into me personally.”

“Family Business” features a three-act structure, with sections labeled the walkaround, the olio, and the afterpiece, just as a vaudeville event would have been organized in the early 20th century. In the walkaround, Brown recounts learning of the accomplishments of his family members and lays them out in detail. The olio is a visual representation of their lives, featuring photographs, short stories, and memorabilia such as newspaper clippings and show flyers, with each family member getting their own “scene.” The afterpiece uses similar materials to illustrate Brown’s own artistic development, from a high school theater production and McDon-

“Papa Young, my great-grandfather, had that law that if you’re going to live in his house, you’re going to play music, and that’s what he had to give his children

“Family Business” features a foreword by Grammy Award-winning trumpeter and bandleader Wynton Marsalis and an afterword by Tony Award-winning actor Lesie Odom, Jr. The book is available for purchase at thefamilybusinessbook.com.

Wren T. Brown (David LaPorte photo)

Book Jacket - 'The Family Business' by Wren T. Brown

Carlos Mateu is first featured artist in Reimagined BK’s new spotlight series

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Carlos Mateu is the first artist featured in a new artist spotlight series sponsored by Reimagined BK, the Prospect Heights-based boutique vintage clothing store. Launched on Feb. 21, this new biweekly series will showcase the work of various fine artists and musicians, starting with Mateu.

On the evening of Feb. 21, Reimagined BK previewed Mateu’s “Angles in Harmony” exhibition. The next day, Feb. 22, the store hosted a “Community Art Day” to encourage people to engage with Mateu’s work and give them the chance to talk with him about his art.

“I decided to call it ‘Angles in Harmony’ because that is more related to my style,” Mateu told the AmNews as he talked about his works on display. “I have a very kind of specific style that I define as pop geometric: I use a lot of straight lines for the drawing, and then the painting is responding to the drawing. All the shapes are in separate layers and straight lines, and they are responding to the drawings. It’s related to pop art, but we’re bringing a higher level of volume — it’s closer to realism.”

The Reimagined BK exhibit features eight of Mateu’s paintings alongside small paintings he likes

to make on the horseshoe crab shells he finds. Prints from the artists’ portfolio are also available. In addition to his visual art, Mateu is also a poet, dancer, and performer. That is why, he said, he titled the show “Angles in Harmony” — the words “angle” and “harmony” echo terminologies used in the worlds of dance and music;

staying next to my window on the airplane., and this was as I was reading ‘The Alchemist’ [by Paulo Coelho]. It was describing the war in the desert because two falcons were in the air … That’s the way I create my art: I see the connection between all these things, and then I look for the meaning.

“What is the meaning of the falcon when it appears in your life? Normally, it is in the spiritual way; normally, it is in your dreams, but to me, it is in real life. I turned that into art. And then, based on that, what is the falcon related to –– what culture? The falcon can take me to the Middle East, it can take me to Egypt, it can take me to many different directions.

referencing them is a way of combining his artistic vision.

Most of the pieces on display show how Mateu uses symbolism to represent his personal experiences. He said he makes art as a means of self-expression — a way of sharing his experiences.

“My work is very surrealistic. I’m bringing all different cultures,

and blending them, in my art. The main essence in my work is that we’re all connected, and I develop my theme based on experiences that I have.

“For example, I was doing a portrait of a falcon for a friend of mine who lives in Miami. Then, at the same time, I was flying to Michigan. A falcon was flying and

“I ended up turning to Egypt. I got into that culture, and I developed my piece on this experience with the falcon and the meaning of it appearing in my life. That’s the general way that I work, how I work: I’m bringing animals, I’m bringing tradition from different cultures, and all of this is blended into a fantasy world.”

Carlos Mateu’s “Angles in Harmony” is on view at Reimagined BK (708 Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn; reimaginedbk.com) through March 6. More of Mateu’s work can be seen at his website: https://carlosmateu.wixsite.com/visualart.

“Mural My Fantastic Jungle 1-3” (Photos courtesy of Carlos Mateu)

“Marionette of Desire”

“Mano de Caballero”

“Destiny II”

Calvin Alexander Ramsey: Photographing upstate NY’s Black history

By DAMASO REYES

AmNews Staff

Those who know Calvin Alexander Ramsey best for his words will be pleasantly surprised by his exhibition of photographs, “Quest for Freedom,” now on display at the June Kelly Gallery until April 1. The photographs capture the remains of the community of Timbuctoo in North Elba, New York. Before the Civil War, abolitionist Gerrit Smith offered land and financing to Black families willing to brave the short growing season and harsh conditions of upstate New York. More than 100,000 acres of land were divided into 40 acre plots to create a community by and for Black Americans.

The multidisciplinary artist, best known as a playwright and author, has photographed that land and some of the remaining buildings and spaces in images that transport the viewer back in time and create appreciation for what those hardy pioneers must have encountered. The AmNews spoke with Ramsey about his project and his approach to visualizing history.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

AmNews: Tell us a little bit about how you approached this project as a photographer, trying to visualize history.

Ramsey: I went there not knowing I was going to approach it at all. I went there for the children’s book festival, and this was just in front of me, and it caught me off guard at first, because I was there signing books and under a tent. [I spent] a couple of days doing that, and then the environment, the history, sort of grabbed me. When my book duties were over, I walked the land.

I walked the graveyards; I walked the ponds; I walked the woods to have the area speak to me. Instead of just … snapping photographs, I read the tombstones of the babies who died, of the elderly people who died, of the women who died in childbirth, and the children who died in childbirth.

I approached it as if I was one of those settlers coming up from New York City and seeing this land for the first time.

AmNews: What do you feel the land told you? How did it communicate to you about the people who had inhabited it?

Ramsey: The Mohawk Indians were there first, but they supported England during the Revolutionary War, and they were driven off. They went further west, and some went into Canada. I could see that the trees were different. I could imagine the city folks going up there and getting that first frost, and realizing that they’re in

for a long haul. Then seeing the grave sites — Blacks and whites buried together ...

To me, the silence of the area [was meaningful] as well. It’s 250 acres. It’s quiet, above Lake Placid. I’ve been to other historical sites, in various places, but this one has a different feeling, because this was a white man who was out front and wanted to bring people out of slavery.

AmNews: What do you hope that the work says to those who have an opportunity to see it?

Ramsey: I see a parallel to what happened then with what is happening now. The Fugitive Slave Act is connected to the challenge

to birthright citizenship and other things that are being challenged. The new settlers saw it as a place where they could have a new beginning. I hope my photographs are a way of showing just what the place looked like and what it stood for.

AmNews: How does photography fit into your artistic practice?

Ramsey: I’ve written children’s books, and I do plays, so I travel quite a bit. I was told some time ago by a photographer that ‘Well, you got the eye.’ It’s been a learning experience, and photography is probably the easiest thing that I do. I don’t write unless I do my research, so it’s very tedious. The-

ater is very tedious — rehearsing and the whole thing — actors, directors, and getting the set and the designs; all of that is very labor-intensive. Photography is the most relaxing thing that I do. I can take a photograph. I don’t like it, I can erase it, but it’s almost like a selfish treat. It’s almost like someone eating that extra slice of red velvet cake, but they shouldn’t have. Photography is for me, and if people like it, I’m grateful, but it’s really for me — it’s like eye candy, I guess, in a way, but it also tells a story. Sometimes I need to take some pressure off my writing, my research, my rehearsals. You go to a different city, you’re dealing with a different director, you’re dealing with different actors, you’re dealing with a different theater setup. Some are to your liking, some are not. You’re also dealing with all these egos, but it is only my ego involved in this and it’s pretty much straight from the heart, straight from the eye. It’s really a treat to myself, but I still try to tell a story. I don’t really just shoot to be shooting. It has to touch me in some kind of way before I put it out there.

“Quest for Freedom” is now on display at the June Kelly Gallery (166 Mercer Street in Manhattan) until April 1, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Details: 212-226-1660.

Calvin Alexander Ramsey. (Courtesy of the artist)

“A Place for the Family,” John and Mary Brown’s Farmhouse, Timbuctoo, North Elba, N.Y., 2022, digital print on Luster paper. (Courtesy photos)

“Mary Brown’s Vanity,” John and Mary Brown’s Farmhouse, Timbuctoo, North Elba, N.Y., 2022, digital print on Luster paper.

“Place of Peace,” John and Mary Brown’s Farmhouse Yard, Timbuctoo, North Elba, N.Y., 2022, Digital print on Luster paper.

Trends

Diamond & Pearls hits Runway 7 at NYFW

By RENEE MINUS WHITE Fashion & Beauty Editor

It was a delight to speak with Yvonne Denise Lawrence, the Black stylist and designer of Diamond & Pearls Fashion, who was featured at Runway 7’s NYFW shows last week. She was so excited and insightful, while explaining how folks are working out their fashion options today. The show was fabulous.

The fall’25 Diamond and Pearls collection was inspired by Lawrence’s grandmother, Georgia Bell, who raised her after her mom died a car accident. A licensed cosmetologist, Bell was born in Oakland, California, and now resides in Sacramento. She loves to style famous stars and create designs for her clients. She designs for women who want their own styles, and to look good in everything they wear. The look is what works for you, and your body. “My customer is the bold, the classy, and the sassy,” Lawrence said. “Now I’m doing the work of my dream.”

Lawrence recalled that when she was in the seventh grade, “all of my friends wanted to search my closet, because I always went to school fashionably dressed.” She loved to dress her friends, which is why she chose the name “Diamond & Pearls” for her collection. Eventually opening up her own boutique was always the goal, even though she worked in corporate settings until she was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 (she is thank-

ful to have been in remission since 2020). She worked as a retail store manager until she decided to go into business for herself. Diamond & Pearls opened in 2002 as a hair salon. Before that, Bell worked at some pretty well-known salons in Oakland. She decided to style and dress her clients, who were also her models. Since she was a professional in both beauty and fashion, Diamond and Pearls came alive.

“Today’s women shop in [their] own closet

or in thrift shops for clothes,” Lawrence said. “They don’t make clothes the way they used to.”

You can find sustainable styles in natural fabrics like silk and cotton in thrift shops around the city and country. Yes, you must look, and be thorough in your search. “I design fashion styles, not a trend,” Lawrence noted. “There’s a difference: A trend passes by quickly, while fashion and style are within you. It’s about how you want to dress and look, which will be a part of you forever.”

Couture looks for Fall/Winter 2025

None of Bell’s clothes in the Runway 7 lineup were new; they were vintage. “Pieces came out of a thrift store or someone’s closet, “ she revealed. As the Diamond and Pearls models strutted and posed on the runway, every look was fashionably up-todate and impressive. The umbrellas were a nice touch during the finale. The print strapless gown belonged to her 5’10” grandmother and was designed years ago.

In addition to owning and operating Diamond and Pearls, Bell trains women with disabilities, teaching them about the fashion industry. “Also, I donate my merchandise … to women who need clothing.”

She mentors cancer patients, as well as women who have experienced domestic violence. “Just listening to their stories and being a go-to person for them, I’m part of their community: you’re the community, she’s the community, he’s the community; we are the community. So for me, it’s a no-brainer.”

The Diamond and Pearls collection is available at www.diamondsandpearlsfashion.com, @Von_Denise23, or by contacting fashionsbyvondenise@gmail.com

Fashion & Beauty editor Renee Minus White is the author of “Maybe: My Memoirs” and an original member of the Chantels, the 1950s doo wop female singers’ group who recorded “Maybe.” Her book is available at Amazon.com.

Fall’25 designs by Yvonne Denise Bell for Diamond and Pearls at Runway 7 NYFW show.

(Rene Minus White/A Time to Style photose)

Some looks from the well-attended Diana Mahrach Couture Fall/Winter Fashion 2025 show at 3 West Club, located on 51st Street in New York City. (Bill Moore photos)

Borough President Reynoso promotes cultural pride with ‘Brooklyn Is Africa’

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso recently hosted the annual Black History Month celebration at Restoration Plaza’s Cultural Museum of African

Art. The event, titled “Brooklyn is Africa: Lineage & Power Through the Arts,” attracted a large audience who enjoyed performances by the Noel Pointer Foundation string ensemble and the Brooklyn High School of the Arts jazz ensemble. Attendees also sam-

pled cuisine prepared by Chef Lex and the Brownsville Community Culinary Center, and viewed the more than 3,000 art pieces collected by Eric Edwards that make up the museum’s collection.

See CULTURAL PRIDE on page 22

(Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

Grammy-winning superstar Roberta Flack dies at 88; Rihanna thanks God for A$AP’s acquittal, Vivica A. Fox attends the ‘Oh

What A Dream We Had’ music video premiere

GO

WITH THE FLO

Grammy-winning pop/R&B star Roberta Flack, who became a superstar in the early 70s with Grammy-winning hits such as “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” died Feb. 24 at the age of 88. According to the New York Times, “[t]he cause was cardiac arrest … Ms. Flack revealed in 2022 that she’d been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which left her unable to perform.”

A native of North Carolina, Flack received a bachelor of music from the Howard University College of Fine Arts in 1958. She pledged Delta Sigma Theta Alpha Chapter at Howard in Spring 1955. Said Rev. Al Sharpton, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of Roberta Flack, one of the greatest musicians and songsters of all time. She was also a freedom fighter and activist. I first met her when I was 12 years old at a rally for Operation Breadbasket. May she rest in peace

Cultural Pride

and power, her music will last forever.”

Rest well my soror and fellow Howard University College of Fine Arts graduate .......

Billionaire businesswoman/award-winning songstress Rihanna has shared with fans her relief over the resolution of A$AP

Rocky’s recent criminal trial in which the

Harlem-born rapper was facing 24 years in prison. Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, flung himself into Rihanna’s arms after jurors delivered his not guilty verdict on February 18. RiRi wrote on Instagram, “The Glory belongs to God and God alone. Thankful, humbled by his mercy.”

Rocky and Rihanna celebrated the verdict at Gravitas social club in Beverly Hills, California. .......

Hollywood glamour took center stage at Docks Off 5th in New York City, where the Prevent Cancer Foundation hosted the “Oh What A Dream We Had” music video premiere. The night was filled with unforgettable moments, including Vivica A. Fox dancing the night away with “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Meredith Marks and members of Il Divo, making it a true celebration of music, unity, and philanthropy. Guests sipped on French martinis and enjoyed a stunning array of hors d’oeuvres, including caviar, lobster rolls, and crab cakes........

Jean Shafiroff, philanthropist, TV host and author, celebrated her birthday with a bevy of friends at her residence in New York City which honored the American Red Cross and the victims of the California fires. In honor of New York Fashion Week, the fashionista wore four different outfits from designers including Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera, Victor dE Souza and Malan Breton. Notable attendees included Carlos Greer, Helen Shelton, Candace Bushnell, Jon Ledecky (owner of the New York Islanders), Julia Haart, and Tony Bowles. Jean pledged a generous donation to the American Red Cross......

Vivica A. Fox (A. Rothschild PR photo)

(Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)

Hazel Scott Receives spotlight on PBS Series ‘American Masters: The Disappearance of Miss Scott’

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

What do you know about jazz pianist, singer, actress, and activist Hazel Scott? I’m sorry to admit that I didn’t know a lot, but the PBS “American Masters: The Disappearance of Miss Scott” program took care of that. While the 90minute documentary on her life aired on PBS this past weekend, it is still available to stream through mid-March at www.pbs.org and on the PBS app in honor of Black History Month.

The documentary is beautifully done. It features Sheryl Lee Ralph narrating excerpts from Scott’s unpublished autobiography, along with interviews with country star Mickey Guyton, actresses Amanda Seales and Tracie Thoms, jazz musicians Camille Thurman and Jason Moran, and Adam Clayton Powell III — her son with politician and minister Adam Clayton Powell Jr. There are black-and-white and color scenes of her performing with energy, precision, and ease as she plays a piano — or two pianos simultaneously.

Watching this documentary provides a great sense of pride as you behold taped performances of Scott playing piano, singing jazz, and hosting her own television show — making her the first Black person to do so — and then seeing her performance in Paris after she was blacklisted during the Red Scare in the U.S. of the 1950s.

Scott was a child prodigy pianist in Trinidad, first introduced to the instrument by her mother. Her family soon moved to New York where, at the age of 8, she auditioned for Julliard.

Scott grew up in the 1920s in Harlem. At 15, she was playing classical music and adding jazz accents to it. She hung around and performed with people like Billie Holiday, who was a mentor to her. Scott became so famous as a jazz performer that by the age of 19, she was a brownstone owner and took care of her mother and grandmother. She was such a phenomenal talent that the Cafe Society Uptown was her club. That’s when she got the attention of Hollywood. When she got there, she refused to do any negative, stereotypical roles. Again, her commanding respect for Blacks in films cost her a film career.

As an adult, Scott was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. She spoke out against Jim Crow. When she had an opportunity to be in a Hollywood movie at Columbia Pictures and did not like the way that the costume designer was dressing the other Black women in a scene where their Black husbands

were going off to war, she spoke up and held up production for three days. Once she finished the picture, that ended her film career — no one expected a Black person in those days, when segregation was alive and thriving, to speak out against the stereotypical belittling of African Americans, especially Af-

rican American women. This talented and gorgeous woman could play two pianos at the same time; the documentary shows powerful moments of her doing just that, with grace and ease. It also tells the story of her early life, her parents, and the love of her life — Powell , who she eventually married.

This program does not hold back any punches. You see the prejudice, blacklisting, disrespect, and disappointment that this woman had to endure.

As Scott toured, she told venues in the segregated South that her shows must be desegregated, and if that was not the case, she would not perform. Clubs that had always been segregated, desegregated just to get her to perform. She said in her autobiography that when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to see her perform, he confided in her that this was his first time in a desegregated club.

In 1950, Scott made history as the first Black person with their own television show, “The Hazel Scott Show,” in which she played piano and sang. When the Blacklist Red Channels accused her of being a communist, she went before the House Un-American Activities Committee and declared her innocence. Her show ended.

Adam Clayton Powell III shared a lot of the family’s background

Final weekend to enjoy NFT’s Ancestral Voices Solo Festival with Shirley Chisholm production

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

During Black History Month, the New Federal Theatre is showcasing our stories through its Ancestral Voices Solo Festival, which is presenting solo productions every weekend. This coming weekend will be the final presentation of “Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed,” written and performed by Ingrid Griffith, at New Federal Theatre’s home at WP Theater (2161 Broadway and 76th Street).

“February is Black History Month and it calls for celebrating our history,” said Elizabeth Van Dyke, New Federal Theatre’s producing artistic director, who curated the Ancestral Voices Solo Festival to honor the voices of several ancestors whose lives had an important impact on the world.

“At the moment, that is being erased and it is up to us to keep it in the forefront, to illuminate it, to treasure it, and to share it. They

are trying to take away Black History Month, take away any reference to Black [culture]. We have a rich culture, ancestors who paved the way, so this is so apropos that we are celebrating our history, our culture, our beauty.

Previous productions from this festival included “Paul Robeson Remembered,” which starred Kevin Maynor as Robeson at a concert at Carnegie Hall, interspersed with monologues that highlighted dramatic moments in his life.

“Augusta!” featured Reneé Fleming and focused a spotlight on Augusta Savage, a Harlem Renaissance sculptor, educator, and civil rights activist. The show celebrated Savage’s life, art, and challenges.

“39 Steps Toward Freedom” featured Michael Green as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After being humiliated, King reflects on the 39 years that lead him to this crucial moment in time: as he prepares to return to Memphis.

“Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed” is about the first Afri-

can American woman to run for the presidency of the U.S. In the 1960s and ’70s, she was called the Black Joan of Arc. She called herself “Fighting Shirley” as she faced off against the political machine in the name of justice.

In my 40 years as a theater critic, I have always found the New Federal Theatre productions to be exquisitely done, filled with Black pride, history, and something that always makes us be seen. This company has always made it their mission to spotlight our people, our voices, our history. A New Federal Theatre production is a life experience that will leave you educated, entertained, and grateful for the positive and at times profound telling of our stories — stories by Black playwrights and Black women playwrights, and productions that leave you speechless.

“Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed and Unbowed” plays through March 2. For info, visit www.newfederaltheatre.org.

Ingrid Griffith will perform in solo show as Shirley Chisholm. (Photo courtesy of NFT)

See HAZEL SCOTT continued on next page

Jazz great Hazel Scott (Photo courtesy of PBS)

Chief Baba Clarke, Birthday Berta, Mezzrow, Dizzy’s

The drum, with its ancient rhythmic beat, began as a necessity for communication among villages, warnings of danger, rituals, and ceremonies throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

In the 21st century, the drum remains an integral part of the world’s music panorama. On Feb. 27, master percussionist Chief Baba Neil Clarke will present a unique solo African drum performance, he calls the Brooklyn Bougarabou Project. It takes place at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (58 West 129th Street), 2-3 p.m., a free weekly afternoon jazz series sponsored by the Jazz Foundation of America.

“My solo project represents the virtue of the African drum as a musical instrument,” said Clarke. “It gives audiences an opportunity to appreciate the African drum, one on one, a chance to hear the true resonance of the drum.” Clarke’s solo will be infused with 30 selected poems including from Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni. Piano solos have become standard over the years but as a reference for African drum solos we have Babatunde Olatunji and the master of Senegal’s traditional drum (sabar), Doudou N’Diaye Rose.

Clarke has studied with Chief Bey, Baba Ishangi, Olukose Wiles, and with Master drummers Ladji Camara from Guinea, Souleye Diop from Senegal, Julito Collazo from Cuba and Dom Um Romao from Brazil.

“By the time I got to Africa, I was playing professionally and had already been to Brazil and Cuba. My first trip to Africa was with Letta Mbulu to the Ivory Coast in 1982,” explained the percussionist. “I have been to a least 12 countries throughout Africa over

Hazel Scott

Continued from page 23

and the difficulties they faced with Scott performing a lot in Europe and his father being unfaithful.

Scott found, as many Black performers found during the years of segregation, that they were treated with respect and dignity in Europe. She appreciated how

a total of 22 trips that have included Northern, Southern, West and Eastern-Central Africa. I have always played with the traditional musicians and studied whenever I could.”

Clarke is a third generation Brooklyn native. “My grandfather was born in the area of Weeksville (a historic neighborhood founded by free Blacks which is today a part of Brooklyn’s Crown Heights). He, Randy Weston [pianist and composer], and I all went to the same elementary school (P.S. 83).” It was the replacement for “Colored school #2” and before that, the

much the people in Paris regarded her talent and abilities.

The documentary provides a detailed timeline of Scott’s life and her struggles in a bad marriage that included more than infidelity.

Scott came back to Harlem in 1967 and was playing jazz clubs. By 1968, music changed and she didn’t find many job opportunities. Who would imagine this

“African Free school” built previously on the same grounds.

In this presentation of his Brooklyn Bugarabou project, Neil Clarke abstracts, contemporizes, and unveils traditional West African drum resonances as sonic pathways to deeper breath and higher consciousness. Harlem’s own jazz impresario Berta Indeed will celebrate her birthday in grand Renaissance fashion harking back to those days when jazz permeated the Harlem sky and every tune was a sigh of hipness, on Feb. 27 at Londel’s Supper Club (2620 Frederick Douglass Blvd.), 7-11 p.m.

child prodigy, actress, singer, gorgeous woman and activist would find herself struggling, coming back to Harlem where she began?

“American Masters: The Disappearance of Miss Scott” is something everyone should watch. She made Black people feel seen. Her son shared his mother’s legacy: “If you’re right, don’t back down. If you’re right, fight for what is right.”

union is surely a special affair, and celebrating Berta’s special day, who for over three-decades has distinguished herself as one of Harlem’s pioneer independent jazz promoters, makes it sho nuff special. For reservations, call Berta at 646-705-2932. The renowned guitarist Ed Cherry is always a pleasure to see explosive and sublime. On March 3, he leads a trio at Manhattan’s intimate jazz club Mezzrow (163 West 10th Street Bsmt). He opens the evening with two sets at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Cherry, who has recorded a number of albums as leader, is recognized as a first call musician having worked with the likes of Pulitzer Prize music winner Henry Threadgill, Jon Faddis, Charles Tolliver, and vocalist Paula West. Many of the older jazz heads can recall his long luminous association (1973-1993) with the legendary Dizzy Gillespie. For more information visit smallslive.com.

She will be joined by a group of talented friends, Great Women that Matter, featuring the enthralling vocal stylings of Cynthia Scott, Antoinette Montague, Lady Catrese, and Ghanniyya Green. These famed singers will be accompanied by an outstanding rhythm section featuring recent Mellon Fellowship awardee pianist and composer Bertha Hope, bassist Kim Clarke, and drummer Lucianna Padmore.

Shhhh! There are already whispers that this may be one of the most swinging Harlem birthday parties of the year. It’s pretty evident this captivating all-female

The documentary was produced and directed by filmmaker Nicole London, who also produced past American Masters programs “Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool,” “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” and “Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On.”

“The Disappearance of Miss Scott” is a production of 4th Act Factual in association with American Masters Pictures, ITVS, Black

Another South African pianist, Thembi Dunjana, who has established herself as a rising star in Cape Town’s jazz scene is continuing to expand her fan base in America and performed on Feb. 25 for one night only at Dizzy’s jazz club (10 Columbus Circle). For two shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Dunjana was joined by relatively new voices on the jazz scene — except for drummer Jerome Jennings, who while still rising is recognized as an able drummer. The quintet was rounded out with alto saxophonist Zoe Obadia, vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu, bassist Tim Norton, and drummer Jerome Jennings. Drawing from such South African legends as Moses Molelekwa and Bheki Mseleku, Thembi, a former student at the University of Cape Town, returned to Dizzy’s pairing her original compositions with fresh arrangements of McCoy Tyner’s classic masterworks.

Public Media, the Center for Independent Documentary Inc., and Storyline Entertainment. Sheila MacVicar is the executive producer and Bettina Hatami is supervising producer. For “American Masters,” Michael Kantor is executive producer, Julie Sacks is series producer, and Joe Skinner is digital lead. For more info, visit www.pbs. org/wnet/americanmasters.

Berta Indeed (Photo courtesy of the artist)

feel like I’m still holding my breath. So that’s kind of where my head and my heart is at.”

At the time of the second interview with De Zilva and Coronato, it had been four days since President Donald Trump took office. Their lingering anxiety, they explained, has largely to do with the current political administration’s immigration crackdown.

“So it’s like yes, currently we know that I have these two years and that’s awesome, but it would be a little naive of us to not expect that that could change at any moment.” said De Zilva.

Despite losing her Hong Kong permanent residence status, she qualified for the 2025 DED extension since she was eligible for the original extension two years prior.

Individual experience, collective reality

De Zilva arrived in the U.S. during Trump’s first administration. Throughout his 2016 campaign and presidency, Trump proposed and implemented stricter immigration policies, including mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and increased security at the border. Reports indicate that 1.9 million deportations were conducted under his first term.

While former President Biden loosened immigration laws, such as suspending all border wall construction and rescinding Trump’s national emergency declaration after taking office in 2021, his administration conducted more than double the deportations of Trump’s due to record-high migrant encounters.

As Trump planned his return to the White House in 2024, stern immigration policy remained a cornerstone of his campaigns. Within days of his second presidential term, he issued executive actions that led to ICE raids being carried out across several cities.

For immigrants on temporary status like De Zilva, the uncertainty of fluctuating U.S. immigration laws has raised concerns about whether protections like DED will remain.

“Typically, it’s something that’ll end up in the court if he does try to withdraw DED during the period that it’s been recertified for,” said Gadi Zohar, an immigration attorney and managing partner at Zohar Law PLLC, a Manhattan-based immigration firm. “Ultimately, it depends on what the court is going to say.”

Zohar said that people with status have some stability, but that any individuals concerned with their status should ensure that they review and situate their documents.

“What I’ve been telling people is, if you have any way of filing for anything, do it now. Don’t wait. Don’t wait until next year. Definitely, this is the time to get something in because once you’re in an immigration process, it’s very hard to deport you,” he said. “Even if they do put you in removal proceedings, it’s going to be a long time before USCIS makes a decision on your case and then ultimately the immigration judge. So, it’s a way of kind of protecting yourself.”

Still, many of Zohar’s clients are experiencing significant distress due to their fear of deportation.

“For a lot of my clients it’s psychologi-

cal torture because you’re here, you’re okay for now, but you never know when the next shoe is going to drop,” he said.

At the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (NMCIR), which provides resources and support to immigrants in NYC, executive director Christine L. Mendoza said they’ve seen an increasing number of community residents seeking legal services since the inauguration.

“We quickly found out that community members were rushing to get immigration related paperwork done that they’ve been putting off for a long time.”

Mendoza explained that filing of paperwork and holding consultations aren’t anything new to this community, as many immigrants have faced anxiety and uncertainty concerning their status for years. However, the rapid rollout of recent deportations under the Trump administration has triggered a more permeating wave of fear throughout the community.

Mendoza choked up as she described precautions community members can take if they are at risk of being deported.

“They have to carry IDs. They have to be identifiable. If not, they could become just another number in the deportation process,” she said. “If you receive a warrant from ICE, you do not have to answer the door or let anyone in.”

She continued, “Make sure you have an attorney’s phone number available in the case that this does happen and you’re inside, you can call them immediately. Also, have a plan in place for your family in case you are detained.”

Mendoza fears that if the immigration crackdown persists, livelihoods and communities will be severely disrupted.

“If you extract one whole part of our country and our society and our culture, the effects are long lasting, the effects are damaging. If one by one our neighbors start disappearing, it’s not only that person that disappeared that was deported that is impacted. “ she said. “That’s somebody’s son. That’s someone’s cousin.

Despite the uncertainty, the young women are staying career and goal-oriented, currently focused on securing more funding and venture capital for future projects.

“It’s a scary time and I’m taking it moment by moment and day by day and just focusing on what is the most productive thing that is within our control that we can focus on,” said Coronato.

While Scrappack remains a priority, extending her time in the U.S. is equally important.

“We’ve decided that I’m still going to move forward with trying to change my visa to something that’s a little bit more stable. But at least now there’s a safety net, in case that doesn’t work out. There’s something really nice that I can keep for two more years.” said De Zilva.

someone’s neighbor. That person is a human and that person has value. So, there’s always going to be an impact.”

Planning the next step

Back in Brooklyn, where both De Zilva and Coronato reside, they’re optimistic about building a future for Scrappack Productions.

Before the extension, De Zilva began the process of qualifying for an O-1 Visa, which is a travel document granted to individuals with “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

While ambiguity remains for the pair, and for many immigrants like De Zilva, their dreams and passions keep them afloat.

“We can actually start planting seeds now that can grow because at least [there is a] foreseeable future,” said De Zilva.

Employees

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The Romero Law Group PLLC represents employees who are subject to discrimination, retaliation and/or harassment because of race, national origin, religion, disability, sex and pregnancy.

That’s

Peter Romero

Actress and opera diva, Olga James, dead at 95 CLASSROOM IN THE

By HERB BOYD

Special to the AmNews

For this week’s column, there was no need for contemplation — it came immediately with the notice that actress Olga James had died. She died on Jan. 25 in Los Angeles in an assisted living facility. She was 95. In effect, featuring her presents a twofer, a profile and an obituary. Not too long ago, I saw “Carmen Jones,” and aside from the starring roles of Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge, no scene is as indelible as James’ sorrow after being rejected by Belafonte’s Joe. Her role as a jilted Cindy Lou was her first and last in a film, but there was much more to her career, particularly as an operatic diva.

She was born on Feb. 16, 1929 in Washington, D.C. Lucille (Smith) James, her mother, was a singer and a dancer. Her father, Ralph, was a saxophonist. James was raised by her grandparents after her parents divorced. Later, she resumed living with her mother in Newark, New Jersey. James was a child when she began performing on local radio stations. Those appearances were obviously good enough to earn her an audition and a subsequent scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music in New York from which she graduated in 1952 with bachelor’s degree in voice. Through her musical training and development, her preference was German lieder and French chansons.

It was at Juilliard that she met and became friends with opera great Leontyne Price and later secured a role in Virgil Thomson’s opera “Four Saints in Three Acts.” An expression of her versatility was showcased in Larry Steele’s touring group, Smart Affairs, at Club Harlem in Atlantic City. As a result of this stint, she was recommended for an audition for Otto Preminger’s “Carmen Jones.” In 1955, she made her television debut during the halftime of a Harlem Globetrotters game.

After appearing with Belafonte and Dandridge — and it should be noted that unlike Belafonte and Dandridge, she did her own singing in the film — she also sang in “Sepia Revue” with them and in 1956 she had a role in “Raisin in the Sun,” in London. Six years later she married the renowned saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley. Their son died within hours of his birth.

Her marriage with Adderley ended with his death in 1975. Folk singer Len Chandler, her second husband, died in 2023. A string of club dates and concert performances kept her busy for several years after her London performances, including the portrayal of a gift to the King of Siam during a tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I,” in 1963. Along with occasional roles

in theater productions, she had a recurring role as Bill Cosby’s sisterin-law on “The Bill Cosby Show,” from 1969 to 1971.

ACTIVITIES

FIND OUT MORE

Several obituaries, many of them citing the same information, summarize her life and career, though there is little accounting of her days after show business.

DISCUSSION

Once more a profile is bereft of the subject’s early years, particularly as it may have been instrumental in the making of her career.

PLACE IN CONTEXT

As you can see, Mrs. James lived almost a century and spent most of it performing in various musical formats.

WEEK IN BLACK HISTORY

Feb. 23, 1868: The incomparable scholar, W.E.B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington, Massachesetts. He died in Ghana in 1963.

Feb. 23, 1929: Catcher Elston Howard, the first Black American to play for the New York Yankees, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He died in 1980.

Among her recording credits, she had several with her husband, Adderley, in 1972, and with his quintet. By this time, she was increasingly disappointed in the opportunities to perform, along with the relentless

stepped away from the microphone and the stage to pursue training as a therapist. She was as professional in this endeavor as she was as an actress and singer, later earning a master’s degree in psychology from Antioch University in Los Angeles, and counseling a number of patients.

she encountered, and

One of her last performances was voiceover work for the cartoon series, “Sealab 2020.”

Feb. 24, 1977: Boxing champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr., was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Adams announced on Feb. 21 that his administration was suing the president for unlawful seizure of more than $80 million ($80,481,861.42) the city had received in migrant funding from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The funds were disbursed on Feb. 4 and then removed from a city bank account on Feb. 11 without notice of any kind, said the city. The federal government belatedly provided the city with a “noncompliance” letter on Feb. 19.

Some organizations, like New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and New York Communities for Change (NYIC), were not swayed by Hochul’s or Adams’s attempts at appeasement. Over the weekend, protesters again took to the streets at Washington Square Park in Manhattan and marched down Broadway to City Hall.

NYIC President and CEO Murad Awawdeh said that the “issue is Eric Adams alone,” not putting constraints on the city’s leadership. “Since the beginning of his case, we believe that everyone in this country deserves due process — including him — and we did not call on him to resign because he was indicted, but what has happened and transpired since with this agreement that he has taken with the Trump administration to become his puppet here is unacceptable” said Awawdeh at the rally. “That’s not serving the best interest of New York City residents.”

Councilmember Alexa Aviles, who chairs the City Council’s immigration committee, said Adams “bamboozled” New Yorkers by leaning into a working-class narrative and has produced little more than budget cuts to city services and education over the last few years while scapegoating immigrants. “What he produced was for his real estate

friends and his nightlife while New Yorkers continued to struggle,” Aviles said. “He has now done the last straw, and in a clear memo, you see that Eric Adams had traded immigrant New Yorkers to save himself.”

There’s also a prevailing sentiment among many that New Yorkers should just vote on who leads the city in the mayoral election in the coming months. As of Feb. 25, petitioning season to get a candidate’s name on the ballot is underway. The primary to elect the Republican and Democratic nominees will be held on June 24, 2025.

“I think it’s a political hot potato,” said Shontell Smith, a legal expert and partner at Tusk Strategies, at a panel hosted by Vital City and Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School (CJS) on Feb. 25.

the DOJ’s case is up in the air.

“I think there’s hesitancy in doing something outside of the will of the people,” said Smith. “The primary is gonna be in four months? Basically, let New Yorkers decide. Why would politicians get involved? There’s no win in this situation. They’re gonna be people of color that feel that you’re targeting him because he is a mayor — a sitting mayor that is a person of color. There are gonna be people that think that the legislature is overstepping

Smith said Hochul basically punted the issue of controlling Adams to the legislature and whether New York State Attorney General Letitia James gets involved with

of

the legislative authority, and also it’s just unpopular. He’s already polling not so well, so why do anything and [not] just let the political process play out?”

This is made all the more complicated by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo jumping into the mayoral race at the last minute. Many were also quietly hoping Speaker Adrienne Adams would do the same, and give both Adams and Cuomo a run for their money. Her office said that “calls” were being made, but no serious campaign had been set up.

G & B Foundations, Inc.

PRESS RELEASE:

PRESS RELEASE:

Gloria Benfield’s Scholarship Program, incorporated under the name of G&B Foundation’s Inc. is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and final Gala

Gloria Benfield’s Scholarship Program, incorporated under the name of G&B Foundation’s Inc. is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and final Gala

Please join us on March 8th 2025

At: The Eastwood Manor (Grand Ball Room) 3371 Eastchester Road, Bronx,N.Y. 10469

Time:12:00 Reception (Red Carpet)

Please join us on March 8th 2025

1:00-5:00pm Program, Presentation of Awards And Scholarship Awards

Music by Renaissance Youth Center Choir/Band

Surprise Guest Performers • DJ: Darney Gripper

The Eastwood Manor (Grand Ball Room) 3371 Eastchester Road, Bronx,N.Y. 10469

Victor Ashe Photographer/Videographer of NY Weddings/Events

12:00 Reception (Red Carpet) 1:00-5:00pm Program, Presentation of Awards And Scholarship Awards

Art presentation by Joy Sims

Silent Auction: $750.00 Value - “Day at Nordstrom” Raffles • NAACP Membership Recruitment

Tickets are $100.00 per person

Music by Renaissance Youth Center Choir/Band

Youth:$50.00

Contact number: (917) 576-6039

Surprise Guest Performers

• DJ Darney Gripper • Victor Ashe Photographer/Videographer of NY Weddings/Events

Contact person: Gloria Benfield E-mail: gloriabenfield4@gmail.com

• Art presentation by Joy Sims

Program

Silent Auction: $750.00 Value - “Day at Nordstrom” Raffles • NAACP Membership Recruitment

Tickets are $100.00 per person

Youth:$50.00

We conclude with two other segments in the program: ”Acknowledging “ Ordinary People doing extra-ordinary things in their communities: (6) from 2024 2025: Mr.Kingsley Taylor • Mr.Keith Cyrus • Marilyn Warren; and Moment of Remembrance: A Tribute to our Fallen Heroes and She’Roes

Contact number: (917) 576-6039 | Contact person: Gloria Benfield E-mail: gloriabenfield4@gmail.com

Our 2025 Honorees are as follows:

Words

Inspiration by Bishop Darren Ferguson, Sr.Pastor, Bethel Baptist Church, Orange, New Jersey

Protests against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in Washington Square Park on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Protests against New York City Mayor Eric Adams in Washington Square Park on Saturday, Feb. 22. (Ariama C. Long photos)

Protestors carry signs decrying Mayor Adams and President Donald Trump in Washington Square Park on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Health

Sisters Network Inc. relaunches teen health program as mobile app

By LEAH MALLORY Special to AmNews

Sisters Network Inc., the national Blackwoman-founded breast cancer survivorship organization, has relaunched its Teens4Pink program as a mobile app, continuing its mission of empowering Black teenage girls with breast health information.

“Things have changed over the last 10 to 12 years with young people, and everyone has a phone in their hands, so we thought we’d bring [Teens4Pink] back more innovative with the mobile app,” said Caleen Allen, vice president of Sisters Network.

“That will allow us to have a larger footprint to impact more young people.”

Originally launched in 2013, the teen-oriented program trained young people ages 12 to 17 to become breast health ambassadors in their own families. They would participate in in-person training sessions, learning about breast cancer rates in African American communities, the impact of family history, early detection, and other valuable insights. The young women were encouraged to share what they learned with their families and inner circles.

Sisters Network discontinued Teens4Pink in 2018 due to difficulties maintaining the program financially, said Karen E. Jackson, founder and CEO of Sisters Network Inc. However, recognizing the growing use of technology among teens and wanting to continue the mission, Sisters Network has relaunched the program by embracing the digital era.

“It was an intentional program that we felt would directly impact generational health for the Black community, and that intent has always been there,” said Jackson. “Using a mobile app was perfect.”

On the app, teens receive the same resources and support as the in-person sessions but in a digital format. The app features Family Surveys, with questions they can ask their immediate female family members about their personal breast health. The surveys provide them with information about their family breast health history, bringing attention to any predispositions or risk factors.

“There’s nothing more magical than to have your child come home and tell you about what they learned and how it can help you,” said Jackson.

Allen added that teens can have an important impact on their parents by sharing the information with them.

“We hope any parent wants to be a good

role model for the young person in their life, and so when you have the baby in the family coming to you asking, ‘What are you doing about your breast health? Do we have any of these problems?,’ we want to set a good example, so ‘Yes, I’m taking care of this’ or ‘No, I haven’t, but I will now since you’re asking me,’” she said.

Asia, 13 from Houston, Texas, said she downloaded the app about a month ago and has found it very useful. “I wanted to see the importance of breast cancer [awareness] and see if it will help in the future or anything,” she said.

In addition to learning about breast cancer rates in the Black community, such as the

fact that Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer yet are more likely to die from it, Asia has also passed along the information to close friends.

“I shared it with one of my friends, and they used it, and they found some information about their grandma because she had breast cancer and their mom,” she said.

Both Allen and Jackson said that fear tends to be a barrier preventing Black women from seeking treatment or screenings for breast cancer, making teen advocacy even more important.

“We always had that fear that immobilized us and we didn’t take action,” said Jackson. “We can change those statistics

with the knowledge and the access to resources that weren’t always there.” By empowering the women around them with what they have learned, the teens contribute to mending breast health disparities — the ultimate goal of Sisters Network Inc.

“I see the program [as a] staple for [outreach within] the organization because it does so many things,” said Jackson. “It’s making sure that the teens are wellequipped so that they don’t have the same fears that their mothers, aunts, and sisters have, because the knowledge we give them will help make the fear go away — because knowledge is power.”

Teens4Pink ambassadors with founder Karen Eubanks Jackson (Photo Courtesy Sisters Network® Inc)

and she started to envision a moment when she could use her second lease on life to help others.

“I was home by myself (when the attack happened)… That could have been it. On that day in January, it just could have been it, and that’s all she wrote,” Bond said. “But it didn’t and the doctors over at Lenox Hill Hospital, they took care of me.”

Little did she know, however, that another challenge was just around the corner.

The second heart attack

Three weeks after her initial heart attack, just as Bond was beginning to regain her footing, she was struck down once more. This second heart attack was a cruel blow, coming at a time when hope and recovery had seemed within reach.

During this time, Bond was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, obstructing blood flow. The diagnosis explained the severity of her symptoms and the recurrent heart attacks. It was determined that surgery was necessary to alleviate the condition. The procedure involved shaving off some of the excess heart muscle to improve blood flow and prevent future complications.

“Once you know, once you learn that,

then you can start going forward and find out your family history — find out if there’s heart disease in your family (history),” Bond said. “(When) I was told that I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — and that’s a big word, I was saying to myself ‘What is that?’”

Bond is one of eight siblings. Heart disease had skipped her seven other siblings. This revelation added another layer of complexity to her diagnosis, highlighting the unpredictable nature of genetic conditions. Despite this, Bond remained undeterred, determined to face her challenges head-on.

Life after the storm

Bond’s experience has raised awareness of the value of heart health maintenance and inspired others to put their health first and seek medical assistance when needed. She works tirelessly to raise awareness and support those affected by heart disease by establishing her own not-for-profit organization, The Heart Speaks Foundation.

“Take care of yourself so you can take care of others,” Bond said. “We’re not even making it to our 40s … this could be you, too. You need to take care of yourself spiritually, physically and mentally … Have a physical every year, see a specialist. Do your follow-up. If you’re feeling something that you’ve never felt before, don’t be scared to call 911. I’d rather walk in the door of a hospital any day and say, ‘Hey, my chest is hurting me,’ and then when I walk out, they say, ‘It was gas.’”

the innocence claim, filed by the staff attorney after her departure from the foundation amid funding shortages.

Whitfield remained close with Deskovic despite a new firm representing him. He began volunteering for the foundation as a photographer and videographer, responsible for uploading an “uncountable” amount of Youtube videos. Deskovic recalled those contributions by imitating Whitfield’s gruff voice. “Just send over the metadata,” he says. Not quite Domingo’s performance, to be clear.

Deskovic, now a lawyer, ultimately took on Whitfield’s case personally two years ago. He also enlisted Michelen — a wellknown wrongful convictions expert who serves on the foundation’s board.. They take on cases pro bono until the point of exoneration so they have to be picky about which ones they pursue.

“We’re not going to spend that time on a case [that] we think is a procedural issue,” said Michelen. “There are appellate lawyers for that … I don’t do criminal appeal. This is not a criminal appeal. We think this person is innocent.”

‘I’m never going to stop fighting’

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office declined to comment due to an open investigation, but confirmed the case remains under review by the CRU. Deskovic said they

can refile another 440 on Whitfield’s behalf if they get a rejection, but the process will take about another two years and “the road is fraught going the litigation route.”

The conviction continues to affect Whitfield today. He missed the British Academy Film Awards earlier this month because the United Kingdom denied his entry due to his felony record.

Yet sky seems the limit for Whitfield at age 60. While employment remains a major obstacle for returning citizens (particularly those with violent felony records), he boasts a stable union job as an MTA conductor. He’s off parole. He enjoys success as an executive producer of “Sing Sing.” Why go through all the trouble still?

“Man, doing 25 years, waking up every morning asking yourself, ‘How the hell did this happen?,’” said Whitfield. “I’m never going to stop fighting. I did not do this, and I deserved my day in court, my justice. I deserve to have my name cleared. I don’t want that to be a part of my legacy.”

A petition to support exoneration for Divine G can be found at: https://www. change.org/p/free-john-divine-g-whitfield-from-a-wrongful-conviction-now.

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

Need help with healthcare?

Education

Bed-Stuy early childhood development center unveils new sensory gyms to support kids’ developmental needs

By LEAH MALLORY

Children at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center (BSECDC) are enjoying new sensory gyms that offer safe, play-based spaces designed to support their growth and development. The gyms are specifically tailored to meet the needs of children with developmental challenges.

“In a space like this, it would definitely help them with their physicality, gross motor skills, strength, and learning how to regulate their inner emotions,” said Nadeja Ross, educational director at the 813 Hancock Street location.

The facility is one of three newly established sensory gyms in the six BSECDC sites, which serve children aged 2 to 5. It includes equipment such as a rock-climbing wall, a zipline, bean bags, a rope tunnel bridge, and other sensory items.

“We come in usually in small groups — two to three kids at a time,” said Ross. “We’ll sit down, and the three kids will pick what they want to start with. Each can go to their own space, and the teacher will walk around to supervise. Then, they can switch.”

Ross said that, through physical activity, the children have interacted positively with the gym equipment since the site opened last month.

“It’s a great opportunity to bring them to a space like this and have them exert some of that energy on the rock-climbing wall or

in a push wall. [When they] get that energy out, they’re more able to sit down and focus on whatever the task is.”

In addition to encouraging physical recreation, the gym provides the children with a space for new sensory experiences and mental stimulation.

“They’re mostly surprised and a little bit confused as to what to do in this space, because it can be overwhelming to come in since there’s so many things that they want to try at once,” Ross said.

Many children use the gym when they are already overstimulated, so the gym staff also prioritize offering emotional support.

“What we want to do is make sure we honor the feelings that they have,” Ross said. “If they need more time, we’ll always allow them more time.”

Not only are the children smitten with the gym, but according to BSECDC Executive Director Angela Terry, parents are also pleased with it.

“The parents [are] excited to have the possibility of their child being inside of the gym and being able to have this room for them at a place that they attend every day,” Terry said.

Terry said the idea of creating a sensory gym first came to mind when she started as executive director in January 2023 and noticed there were many empty classrooms at the center. She wanted to turn them into something useful, especially considering

that the enrollment rate had taken a hit following COVID-19.

“I thought, why not create these gyms that are going to help children in a therapeutic setting,” Terry said. “It’s really a bigger picture of how [we can] continue to support, what can we do differently, and [how we can] create that with the underutilized space.”

All three gyms were completed by October 2024, but before officially opening to the children, the staff underwent training to ensure proper use of the space.

While children enrolled at the center have priority, Terry said the staff would like to eventually open the gym to the broader community. “The ultimate goal will be to open it up on Saturdays so that those chil-

dren receiving services can come in on a Saturday and have playtime with their parents.”

While sensory development is important for children everywhere, Terry and Ross both emphasized that the gyms are a much-needed resource for the Bed-Stuy community.

“I’ve worked in a lot of places, specifically in Upper Manhattan, and there are so many advantages,” Ross said. “There are so many gyms. There are so many places that those kids can go to learn how to use their bodies effectively and control their movements, but we don’t have a lot of that in Bed-Stuy, so I think that this is really important.”

Additional gyms are at 510 Quincy Street and 5 Quincy Street in Brooklyn.

Swing. (Leah Mallory photos)

Push wall

Rock climbing

Gang database

Continued from page 4

based, we can immediately deploy officers in a way that will help prevent retaliatory shootings.

“Do we always succeed in that effort? No. But sometimes, thanks to the database and the hard work of our officers, we do.”

Intro. 798 proponents contend the cityfunded Crisis Management System (CMS) already exists to handle such responsibilities. Credible messengers, many who are former gang members themselves, use their knowledge and relationships in their neighborhoods to squash beefs and prevent retaliation after shootings.

Such “violence interruption” programs are backed by data. From 2010 to 2019, CMS program areas reduced shootings by 40%. Yet the numbers remain murkier about whether gang databases improve

public safety in a marked way. NYPD officials could not provide direct percentages or numbers for shootings stopped when Stevens asked for them during the hearing (they instead pointed to individual examples).

Research from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund showed no statistical significant change when Chicago and Portland erased their gang databases. In fact, incidents went down after the decisions, although researchers attributed the declines to “seasonal cyclical patterns.”

“Any policing program that exclusively targets communities of color is an inherent harm for sure, but all of this technology [ties] back to tangible in-person harms on the street,” said NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s David Moss over the phone. “What we see is a trend of tech-washing, where a practice is given a veneer of legitimacy because it is wrapped up in technology or numbers or statistics. At the end of

Congestion

Continued from page 4

despicable, so that’s why we’re out here today.”

The demonstration had overwhelming support, with only one counterprotester attempting to disrupt it. The individual, wearing a beanie with the Puerto Rican flag and carrying a “Make America Great Again” flag, repeatedly shouted at Lander as he walked,

but the comptroller paid little attention and continued marching with the crowd.

Lander also reaffirmed the legality of congestion pricing, dismissing Trump’s claims that he could eliminate the policy. “We’re going to win in court because all the rules were followed,” he stated, referring to the federal government’s environmental assessment and approval process.

The march culminated in Union Square Park, where advocates and city officials, such

the day, it is a recycling of bad information that’s rinsed through a washing machine of technology and then spat back out onto the street.

“The NYPD essentially confirmed this [at Monday’s hearing] — that for all this information that they’re gathering and collecting, they are then using that to deploy people to the same communities that they’ve been aggressively policing forever.”

Nearly every person entered in the criminal group database was arrested for a crime, but just a quarter were ever convicted of felony, testified NYPD officials. Around 45% of the people entered on the database have been arrested with a firearm and “almost” a third have been a shooting perpetrator or suspects. However, that means roughly 8,712 people on the database have not been officially suspected of a shooting and 7,260 have never been caught with a gun at all.

Moss said the Intro. 798 hearing left him more optimistic about efforts to abolish

as community board members from outer boroughs, celebrated congestion pricing’s success in reducing congestion, improving transit times, and generating revenue for the MTA.

Also among the demonstrators was Christopher Sanders, a software engineer and former Harlem resident, who said congestion pricing has alleviated the city’s traffic problems. “It was getting crazy. It was too much,’ Sanders said. “Now, traffic is moving better, and it just makes sense to keep it. The bus is a

the gang database and that the NYPD’s testimony validated advocates’ concerns publicly.

Tempers flared during the hearing when NYPD officials asked Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to “remember the victims” when discussing the role of the gang database in gun violence prevention.

“I’ve been to more funerals than you, I guarantee [it], and they look like me and their mothers look like mine,” said Williams. “Do not believe you care more about this violence than I do … This is the problem you have with the community. I’m glad it is being shown right now.”

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

lot faster, so that’s a good thing … I think they should keep it.”

Despite Trump’s claims that congestion pricing harms small businesses, Sanders argued that economic data elsewhere suggests otherwise. A POLITICO report noted that New York’s congestion pricing was expected to generate $1 billion annually, which would be leveraged into $15 billion in municipal bonds to fund critical upgrades to the city’s transit infrastructure.

Religion & Spirituality

First African American cardinal celebrates Black History Month

Contributed Press Release

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the first and only African American cardinal and retiring archbishop of Washington, D.C., observed Black History Month by serving as guest homilist for the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey’s commemorative Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin on Feb. 16 at Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Addressing the hundreds gathered in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Gregory said Black History Month is an opportunity to recognize the “pioneers” of Black heritage for their accomplishments, such as triumphing in the face of discrimination., but he stressed it should not just be about re-examining the past. Instead, he said, Black History Month is a chance to look toward the future “with hopeful hearts and open minds.”

“It is a moment to commit to tomorrow and to urge those who will be our future heroes to seize the challenges that will lie ahead for them and for all of us,” Gregory said before reflecting on the legacy of Carter G. Woodson, considered the founder of Black History Month. “I pray (young people) see their own future in the likeness of the man who dared to believe that people of color have an important heritage and a future in which to hope.”

Garlin wanted Gregory to speak at the Mass to inspire young people of color with his success in the church. Now, juniors and seniors of African American, African, and Caribbean descent in archdiocesan high schools can share their thoughts about his visit through the apostolate’s essay contest tied to the liturgy. Visit www.rcan.org/aaaca to learn more about the contest and the apostolate’s mission of serving the Archdiocese of Newark’s Black Catholic community.

A Letter for Nice Whyte people from your Black Friend

REV. DR. JACQUI LEWIS FIERCE LOVE

Hi Black Family:

This is my letter to our white folks to encourage anti-racist behavior. Feel free to share widely and to add your own concerns when you do. Solidarity and love to you.

Dear Nice Whyte People:

I hope you are as well as you can be, given all the givens.

If you are reading this, you know me or know of me. And I hope you’ll hang on in here and read this love note. If you are BIPOC, and it resonates, send this to a white friend or colleague.

First: I am a Black woman and a progressive, womanist, universalist Christian who believes God speaks more than one language. All loving paths lead to God. I’m an author, an activist, a public theologian, and a feminist who believes the personal is political. I’m a wife, auntie, nana, and sister/friend. And with every one of those hats on, and especially when wearing my red fedora, I am sick of “whyteness.” What do I mean by that?

I am sick of white supremacy. I am sick of white people thinking they are smarter, better, sharper, more gifted, more entitled, more beautiful, more holy, more pure, more saved, and more predestined for goodness, love, fortune, blessedness, and thriving than people who are BIPOC. I am tired of Karen and Biff, who push ahead in lines, who believe they deserve to be first in line, who think lines are not designed for them, who take up more space than they should, who make more demands than they should, who raise little “Karens and Biffs” to believe they can climb up on the backs of the so-called other with impunity, and that all of this is somehow designed by God.

In short, I am outraged at white people “whyting” all the damn time.

What do I mean by “whyting?” It’s the way you treat folks who look like me in meetings; the way you don’t look at me when I’m talking; the way you let my question or comment just hang in the air as

though I’m invisible and my words don’t matter; the way you are dismissive and don’t acknowledge what I’ve said and attribute my contribution to another (thanks for that idea,Todd — and I’m thinking, ‘Wait, I said that!’ It’s the way you communicate in emails — terse and rude — like you don’t need to greet my humanity with yours. It’s the way you go around me to call a subordinate because I’m busy (which I am) but it is also how you get to avoid my leadership, and my power. It’s a series of microaggressions and tiny cuts that happen repeatedly, and we/I tire of pointing them out to you.

I’m tired of the ways you ignore the accomplishments, beauty, gifts, and talents of people who look like me. I’m over that!! I’m sick of the ways nice white people participate in systems and structures that oppress my people and remain silent in the face of the horrible atrocities occurring right now to people who are not white. I am at a zerotolerance for whyting. I won’t stand for it. If I see it, smell it, hear it, get near it; if it’s directed toward me or another — I am calling it out. AND I am doing it with people I don’t know, and I am doing it with people I love.

So, to strangers who follow me in these spaces, to digital and in-person friends, to colleagues, and to the people who I respect and love: I need you to be better than this. You KNOW what time it is, and you know your part in it.

Handle. Your. Business.

Don’t make me explain it to you. Read a book. Get Jennifer Harvey on your shelf; read some Robert P. Jones or Tim Wise. Learn from smart, intentional white leaders how to stop whyting all over the place. Then, when you study those, read “Wake Up America, Black Women on the Future of Democracy,” edited by Keisha N. Blain. I’ve got an essay in there. Go back and read Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. Read Cole Arthur Riley, Majora Carter, angel Kyodo Williams, Frederick Joseph, Obery Hendricks, Kelly Brown Douglas, Jemar Tisby, and Natalie Renee Perkins. And yes, get “Fierce Love” and read what I say about ubuntu and what love looks like in the context of a white supremacist culture.

Watch some movies, y’all. Watch

“Nickel Boys,” “Mississippi Burning,” and “Mississippi Masala.” Go to Wakanda and Selma in the movies. Subscribe to some Black news like Ebony, Essence and the Amsterdam News.

Shop Black and stimulate Black economies.

You want to learn some more about how to stop whyting? Get involved in a multi-ethnic antiracist community, like Middle Church. And when you join, listen; don’t speak first. Be humble and learn.

You want to participate in the dismantling of what whiteness has done to Christianity? Register for the Freedom Rising Conference: The Fierce Urgency of Now, October 31-November 2, 2025. Come hear a multiethnic cadre of of leaders — Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian, white and Black — talk about tools and tactics to build a world in which we all matter and everyone has enough.

And at your dinner table with family, at the gym with friends, at work with colleagues, and in your social media: Speak up! You know what’s right and what’s wrong and yes, you can do something about it. When you see something, say something.

The gift I am giving you, my friends, my love offering to you in this Black History Month? I’m calling you in.

I am not standing by for whyting anymore, not ever again. And I hope you won’t either. I need your help. The only way we dismantle white supremacy is together.

In fierce love, Jacqui

Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. Celebrated internationally for her dynamic preaching and commitment to justice, she champions racial equality, economic justice and LGBTQIA+/gender rights. Featured on MSNBC, PBS, NBC, CBS and NPR, she is the author several books, including “Fierce Love” and the “Just Love Story Bible.” Countless individuals and communities have been inspired by Lewis’ transformative work on her podcast, “Love Period;” in columns and articles; and on stages, in churches, on the street and in digital spaces around the globe.

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, retiring Archbishop of Washington, D.C., and the first and only African American cardinal, speaks about the significance of Black History Month at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, N.J. (Photo by Archdiocese of Newark/Julio Eduardo Herrera)

Liturgical dancer Quonda Maina Cobbs performs in front of banners depicting Black candidates for sainthood during Archdiocese of Newark’s Black History Month Jubilee Mass. (Photo by Archdiocese of Newark/Julio Eduardo Herrera)

would be soon. Speaker Adams’s office said that “calls” were being made, but no serious campaign had been set up yet.

Meanwhile, Hankerson faces stiff competition from a handful of candidates also vying for Adams’s city council seat including Romeo Hitlall, Japneet Singh, and a rumored former Councilmember Ruben Wills. For the most part, the candidates seemed

nonplussed about Wills — who was convicted and sentenced to two to six years in prison for campaign fraud — entering the race and ruining their chances. Wills was fully exonerated in 2021.

“I wouldn’t say I’m worried. It’s a democracy, anyone can run,” said Hankerson. “I’m focused on the campaign no matter who’s in the race.”

Hitlall is a real estate broker, served on Community Board 10, and does community outreach for the 106 Precinct. He’s been endorsed by Senators Joseph P. Addabbo and Roxanne Persaud, among

others. He’s raised $33,486 in private funds and $132,767 in public funds.

“We’re doing well. Focused on the ground campaign. Reaching out to the district and engaging at civic meetings,” said Hitlall. “I think the race is still open, and petitioning starts this week to get on the ballot. We’re looking to run a clean campaign.”

Singh said that he’s ecstatic about having exceeded his fundraising goals. He’s raised $30,813 in private funds and $179,520 in public funds. He pointed out that his campaign has received donations from every zip code in the district.

“To have already maxed out on public matching funds I believe sends a clear message that we not only are running a robust campaign but we have strong support of a diverse and far reaching community in Queens,” said Singh.

Singh said he wasn’t surprised with Adams’ endorsement of Hankerson. “We simply believe that he will be the continuation of Adams’ tenure at City Hall and that the everyday people of District 28 are ready for change.”

Latoya LeGrand and Ruben Wills didn’t respond to a request for comment.

contribute to cognitive decline. In addition, certain chemical air pollutants can have toxic effects on both the body and brain cells, potentially leading to cognitive impairment.

Prevalence of diabetes among New York City residents also makes the results of this study significant, with approximately 16% of Bronx residents being diagnosed with the ailment, the highest rate by county in the state. Elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, a marker of diabetes, are linked to an increased risk of dementia, with an approximately 25% increase in risk even at prediabetes levels and a 50% increase in risk at the threshold for diabetes diagnosis.

“People with diabetes have consistently elevated blood sugar over time, which can

damage your blood vessels, lead to chronic inflammation, and contribute to atherosclerosis, all of which can have a negative impact on your brain,” said Dr. Raj Dasgupta. He added that insulin resistance, often linked to an elevated FPG, can also interfere with how brain cells communicate and clear out harmful proteins. All of this increases the risk of neurodegeneration, making conditions like Alzheimer’s more likely. As blood glucose levels increase further, dementia risk continues to rise.

Rising diabetes rates combined with prolonged exposure to air pollution make it easy to understand why Alzheimer’s disease is a growing problem in New York City.

“By understanding and influencing dementia risk factors, we can disrupt dementia,” said Sarah Lock, AARP senior vice president for policy and executive director of the Global Council on Brain Health

(GCBH). “We can use this information to promote healthier brains and empower people to lower their own risks, potentially delaying dementia onset and fostering healthy aging. This research aims to give older Americans more quality time with loved ones. Through this first-of-its kind research endeavor, AARP hopes to glean and share information on the relationship between potential risks and dementia and how can we can reduce those risks for older Americans.”

This study has even greater implications for Black and Brown New York City residents. In the Bronx, where pollution is the highest, the racial makeup is 56.6% Hispanic and 28.2% Black. Coupled with statistics showing that 14.5% of New Yorkers diagnosed with diabetes are Black,and 11.7% are Hispanic, the risk of Black and Brown New Yorkers is clearly greater. In

addition, Black Americans with Alzheimer’s are more likely to be diagnosed later.

With emerging research, it becomes more obvious that diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and dementia in New York City is a health equity issue. “If these are issues that disproportionately affect communities of color, and these issues are tied to increased risk of dementia, then you can put that together and say communities of color are more impacted because the underlying factors of how and where people live expose us to higher levels of risk,” said Doris Phildor, MPH, health system director of the Alzheimer’s Association, NY.

The reporting for this article was supported by a journalism fellowship from the Gerontological Society of America, Journalists Network on Generations, and Commonwealth Fund.

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SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. RADOSLAV KANSKY and LUCIA KANSKA, Defts. - Index # 850590/2023. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated January 9, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0135990382819495% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase 1 HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $25,295.86 plus costs and interest as of September 1, 2024. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Metropolitan Life Insurance Company , Plaintiff, vs . David M. Simon a/k/a David Simon , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on December 4, 2024 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on April 2, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 130 West 30th Street a/k/a 128-134 West 30 th Street, Unit No. 16A & Storage Unit 11, New York, NY 10001 . All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 805 and Lots 1043 & 1060 together with an undivided 2.241% and 0.079% interests respectively in the Common Elements (as such term is defined in the Declaration). Approximate amount of judgment is $943,764.76 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850382/2023.

Tom Kleinberger, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 232572-1

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0340-25104117 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 1 Wall Street Ct., New York, NY 10005 for on-premises consumption; Continental Sports Lounge Inc.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. EDUARDO MARTINEZ CASTELLANOS and KILDA SORAYA BORRELL SANCHEZ, Defts. - Index # 850141/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated January 24, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided .009864% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $59,778.54 plus costs and interest as of December 4, 2024. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Matthew D. Hunter III, 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. 236 WEST E&P LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on November 28, 2023 and a Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on November 6, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on April 2, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 235 West 136th Street, New York, NY 10030. 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 1942 and Lot 116. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,849,325.16 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850143/2021.

Georgia Papazis, Esq., Referee

Chartwell Law, One Battery Park Plaza, Suite 710, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company. Model City Home Renovation, LLC. Arts. of Org. filing date with Secy. of State NY. was January 8, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 55 W. 116 ST Suite 129, New York, NY 10026. Purpose any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff, vs. BERNADETTE LUMAS CODRINGTON, ET AL., Defendant (s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 1, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on March 19, 2025, at 2:15 PM, premises known as 39 ADRIAN AVENUE, BRONX A/K/A NEW YORK, NY 10463. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the City, County and State of New York, Section: 8, Block: 2215, Lot: 290. Approximate amount of judgment is $626,594.45 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850569/2023. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee's attorney, or the Referee. For Sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832.

CHRISTY DEMELFI, Esq., Referee

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK JG FUNDING CORP., Plaintiff -against- 1363 FIRST OWNER LLC; 453 EAST 83RD STREET LLC; PERL WEISZ; CHESKIE WEISZ; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; SHARESTATES INVESTMENTS, LLC; LEVON CAPITAL LLC; “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #99,”, Defendant(s). Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale dated October 4, 2024 and entered on October 15, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 at the portico of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on March 12, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., the premises known as 1363 1ST AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10021; Block 1448, Lot 24 and 453 E 83RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10028; Block 1563, Lot 121 as more fully described in the complaint and Judgment. Approximate amount of lien $7,490,500.00 plus interest and costs

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

Index Number 850430/2023

ELAINE SHAY, ESQ., Referee MENASHE AND LAPA LLP, ATTORNEY(S) FOR PLAINTIFF 400 RELLA BLVD., SUITE 190, SUFFERN, NY 10901

DATED: January 27, 2025

Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

NOTICE OF SALE

Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, Index No. 850180/2022

Six Gramercy LLC, Plaintiff, v. Westside Units Kips Bay, LLC et. al., Defendants.

TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered November 1, 2024, the undersigned referee will sell at public auction on March 26, 2025 at 2:15pm in Room 130 at the Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, NY, NY, the property located at 330 East 33rd Street, Unit 12F, New York, NY 10016 (Block 936, Lot 4160). The approximate amount of Plaintiff’s lien is $391,830.98 plus interest and costs. The premises will be sold in one parcel and subject to provisions of the judgment and terms of sale.

Elaine Shay, Esq.

Law Offices of Tae H. Whang, LLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 201, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, Tel. (201) 461-0300

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT NEW YORK COUNTY U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR VELOCITY COMMERCIAL CAPITAL LOAN TRUST 2023-3, Plaintiff against SUGAR HILL 473, LLC; BIAGIO BELMONTE, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC, 28 Corporate Drive, Suite 104, Halfmoon, NY 12065. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered December 12, 2024, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Motion Support Room 130 in the New York Supreme Court, 60 Centre Street, New York, New York 10007 on March 12, 2025 at 2:15 PM. Premises known as 453 West 140th Street, New York, NY 10031. Block 2057 Lot 138. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $2,648,459.02 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 850143/2024. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 1st Judicial District's Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check made payable to the referee. Roberta Ashkin, Esq., Referee File # 24-000687-01

NYCTL 2021- A TRUST, AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN FOR THE NYCTL 2021- A TRUST, Plaintiff -against- WA IDF LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 16, 2024 and entered on October 17, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on March 19, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known and designated as Block 1949 Lot 48. Said premises known as 541 MANHATTAN AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10027

Approximate amount of lien $47,429.63 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 157666/2022. TOM KLEINBERGER, ESQ., Referee Bronster, LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703, New York, NY 10019

Dream Spirits LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/7/24 Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 74 W 47th St #400, NY, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Emma Havighorst LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/12/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 264 Lexington Ave Apt 3B, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Homebody Enterprises LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/30/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 230 E 30th St, NY, NY 10016 Purpose: Any lawful act.

NYC M&S TRANSIT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/08/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2133 MADISON AVENUE APT 3C, NEW YORK. Purpose: Any lawful act.

REFEREE'S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS SUCCESSOR TO LASALLE BANK, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR THE STRUCTURED ASSET INVESTMENT LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2003BC8, Plaintiff - against - WILLIAM F. BRADY A/K/A WILLIAM BRADY, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on September 25, 2024. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York 10007 on the 19th day of March, 2025 at 2:15 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York. Premises known as 235 East 40 Street a/k/a 230/240 East 41 Street Apt/Unit 41H, New York, (City of New York) NY 10016. (Block: 1314, Lot: 1366)

Approximate amount of lien $641,482.96 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale.

Index No. 850171/2019. Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee.

Davidson Fink LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

400 Meridian Centre Blvd, Ste 200 Rochester, NY 14618

Tel. 585/760-8218

For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction. com or call (800) 280-2832

Dated: November 1, 2024

During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale

Notice of Formation of CYRIL COURT IL PRESERVATION, L.P. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/10/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2124. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. PATRICK TURNER and SANDRA TURNER, Defts. - Index # 850263/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated January 9, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, March 27, 2025, 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, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $49,937.09 plus costs and interest as of August 27, 2024. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK PNC Bank, National Association, Plaintiff AGAINST Paul H. Pincus; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered October 23, 2024 I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at room 130 at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on March 26, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 407 East 12th Street Unit 1FNE, New York, NY 10009. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of NY, Block 440 Lot 1101. Approximate amount of judgment $1,142,850.32 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850413/2023. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the 1st Judicial District. Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard, Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: November 6, 2024 83349

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. DANIEL SHIH and BARBIE SHIH, Defts. - Index # 850269/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated January 9, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.1505136467542480 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as HNY CLUB SUITES Phase II located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $146,962.86 plus costs and interest as of October 9, 2024. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Georgia Papazis, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. ONESTONE LENDING LLC, Plaintiff -against- ALTA OPERATIONS, LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated November 17, 2023 and entered on November 27, 2023 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on April 2, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County and State of New York, known as The Tower Unit 10A in the building known as "One Riverside Park Condominium" together with an undivided 0.3653% interest in the common elements. Block: 1171 Lot: 2508. Said premises known as 50 RIVERSIDE BOULEVARD, UNIT 10A, NEW YORK, NY 10069. Approximate amount of lien $1,027,596.74 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850198/2020.

JERRY MEROLA, ESQ., Referee. The Camporeale Law Group PLLC, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 585 Stewart Avenue, 770, Garden City, NY 11530

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST Pedro D. A. Alvarez Arenas, if living and if dead, the prospective heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, purchase, inheritance lien, or otherwise or any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and every person not specifically named who may be entitled to claim to have any right, title or interest in the property described in the verified complaint, all of whome and whose names and places of residence unknown, and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained by the Plaintiff; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 28, 2022, and Amended November 25, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on April 2, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 15 William Street, New York, NY 10005. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of NY, Block: 25 Lot: 1503. Approximate amount of judgment $792,245.73 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 810049/2012. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the 1st Judicial District. Mark McKew, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: December 10, 2024 83664

SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. ALBERT R. GALANTE and SHERRI S. GALANTE, Individually and as Trustees of the Galante Living Trust, dated December 7, 2005, Defts. - Index # 850277/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated January 9, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.007716477268565840% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as CENTRAL PARK VACATIONS SUITES located at 101 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $34,607.97 plus costs and interest as of October 9, 2024. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Georgia Papazis, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.

Quintessence Commerce LLC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/14/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 100 Riverside Blvd Apt 11P, New York, NY10069. Purpose: Any lawful act.

ReZolve Skincare LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/1/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 533 E83rd St, Apt 3A, New York, NY 10028. Purpose: Any lawful act.

New York's Finest Logistics LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/17/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 7014 13TH Ave Suite 202, Brooklyn NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act.

All In For Theatre LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on January 7, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 62 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of AP CREDIT SOLUTIONS FUND II AIV (DC), LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/26/24. Princ. office of LLC: Attn: General Counsel, 9 W. 57th St., 43rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with The Secy. of State of the State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

DIVORCE SUMMONS BY:

PUBLICATION & MAILING > TEXT > EMAIL

Docket No. 24D1592DR

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Trial Court Probate and Family Court

Marcos Contreras Batista VS. Melisa Daiana Valle

To the above named defendant:

The plaintiff has filed a complaint for Divorce Requesting that the court Grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown. Norfolk Probate and Family Court 35 Shawmut Road Canton, MA 02021 (781)-830-1200

The complaint is on file at the Court.

An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411. You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Marcos Contreras Batista 1187 Commercial Street, Unit 5 Weymouth, MA 02189 your answer, if any, on or before March 27, 2025. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court

WITNESS, Hon. Lee Peterson, First Justice of this Court. Date: February 10, 2025 Colleen M. Briley Register of Probate 7/14/22-CEB ORIGINAL SUMMONS RETURN TO THE COURT

Host 1640 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on January 7, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 605 Third Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Bar Reuven LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/2/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 525 E 14th St, New York, NY 10009 Purpose: Any lawful act.

F AND C1 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/3/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 23 LARRABEE AVE, OYSTER BAY, NY 11771. Purpose: Any lawful act.

GLOBALLYCLEAN LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/16/24. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1159 Second Avenue #202, New York, New York 10065. Purpose: Any lawful act.

MOTION MADE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/8/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 262 Elizabeth St, Apt 3, New York, NY 10012. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff, vs. CARMEL REAL ESTATE LLC, ET AL., Defendant (s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on December 4, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on March 26, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 140 EAST 63RD ST, UNIT 6C, A/K/A 140 E 63RD ST, 6C, NEW YORK, NY 10065. 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, Section: 5, Block: 1397, Lot: 1524. Together with an undivided 1.56077 percent interest in the common elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $3,383,960.05 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850222/2023. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee's attorney, or the Referee.

SOFIA BALILE, Esq., Referee Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff

SALON DE LILY LLC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/14/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 29W 36th St, STE 5U, New York, NY, 10018. Purpose: Any lawful act.

First Add Water LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/1/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 420 Central Park West 6D, NY, NY 10025. Purpose: Any lawful act.

KSX Consulting LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on Feb 3, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 312 11th Ave #19D, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.

OGT CHELSEA LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/27/2024. 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 David Dobesh, 36 Fairview Ave, Madison, NJ 07940. Purpose: any lawful act.

Laura Shepard LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/24/2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 250 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of KATLIN MONTALI CONSULTING LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/13/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of GALLERY FOLLY, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/14/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Lowenstein Sandler LLP, 1251 Ave. of the Americas, 17th Fl., NY, NY 10020. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of NomadE28 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/30/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1040 First Ave., Ste. 343, NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Pierre Martin at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of RJMD HOLDINGS III LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/30/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 201 W. 79th St., NY, NY 10024. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

174 PARK OPS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/09/24. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 250 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of MAGOON, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/08/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Colorado (CO) on 07/14/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12231. CO addr. of LLC: 50 S Steele St., Ste 420, Denver, CO 80209. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of CO, 1700 Broadway, Suite 550, Denver, CO 80290. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 505 WEST 168TH REALTY, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/26/17. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Fischer Porter & Thomas, P.C., Attn: Arthur "Scott" L. Porter Jr., Esq., 560 Sylvan Ave., Ste. 3061, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of JOBIM ENTERPRISES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/14/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 157 W. 106th St., #5D, NY, NY 10025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Altman Greenfield & Selvaggi, 200 Park Ave. South, 8th Fl., NY, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of formation of RMG PRODUCTIONS, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/15/2025. 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 10 TIMES SQUARE 3RD FLOOR, SUITE 3101, NEW YORK, NY, 10018, USA Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of 109 DUCK POND LANE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/04/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Arthur S. Penn, 980 5th Ave., Apt. 21B, NY, NY 10075. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of SIKLAE HOSPITALITY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/30/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 40 East End Ave., Unit 14B, NY, NY 10028. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Duane Morris LLP, Alejandra Vargas, Esq., 230 Park Ave., Ste. 1130, NY, NY 10169-0079. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of CPG DOBBS MANAGER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/07/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 116 E. 27th St., 11th Fl., NY, NY 10016. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. Purpose: Real Estate Investment & Development.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of limited liability company (LLC). Name: JUSTIN STONE INVESTORS LLC f/k/a JONATHAN STONE INVESTORS LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/20/2024. Office location: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and address SSNY shall mail a copy of process is 435 East 65th Street, #12C, New York, NY 10065. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0340-25103028 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 994 Columbus Ave., New York, NY 10025 for on-premises consumption; Limone LLC

Notice of Formation of WILLETTS-NYC, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/06/25. 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, c/o Michael DeRose, 272 Water St., Ste. #2F2R, NY, NY 10038. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 2 MAIN STREET, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/04/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/29/21. NYS fictitious name: 2 MAIN STREET, LLC (NY). 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 & Duke of York Sts., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Jocelynn Cheng Acupuncture PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/24/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 26 E 93rd St, Apt 7AB, New York, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE is hereby given that a license, number NA-0370-24135212 for liquor, wine, beer & cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, wine, beer & cider at retail in a bar/tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 4371 3rd Ave; Bronx, NY 10457 in Bronx County for on premises consumption. Zion Restaurant and Lounge Corp d/b/a Zion Restaurant and Lounge

Notice of Qualification of AP CREDIT SOLUTIONS HOLDINGS (AIV) II, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/26/24. Princ. office of LP: Attn: General Counsel, 9 W. 57th St., 43rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. 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 Partnership 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 The Secy. of State of the State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of CARLTON HILL GROUP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/03/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/22/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 1460 Broadway, NY, NY 10036. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., Plaintiff v.

HAN H. CHEN AKA HAN CHEN, DAN XU, BOARD OF MANAGERS OF CARNEGIE PARK CONDOMINIUM, CITY OF NEW YORK TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU, CITY OF NEW YORK PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU, CITY OF NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

BOARD, JOHN DOE, JANE DOE, JOHN DOE, Defendant Index No.: 850353/2024

Property Address:

200 E 94th St, # 811 aka 200 E 94th St Apt 811 aka 200 E 94th St

New York, NY 10128

Block: 1539 Lot: 1429 TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS:

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff's attorneys within thirty days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service, and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.

NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered, and you can lose your home.

Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property.

Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

This is an attempt to collect a debt, and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an ORDER FOR ALTERNATE SERVICE BY PUBLICATION, APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN AD LITEM, by Honorable Francis A. Kahn, III, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, signed on the 24th day of January 2025, at New York, New York.

The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage on the following property:

Tax I.D. No. Block: 1539 Lot: 1429 ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY OF NEW YORK, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK, BOUNDED AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE CORNER FORMED BY THE INTERSECTION OF THE EASTERLY SIDE OF THIRD AVENUE WITH THE NORTHERLY SIDE OF EAST 93RD STREET; RUNNING THENCE NORTHERLY ALONG SAID EASTERLY SIDE OF THIRD AVENUE A DISTANCE OF 201 FEET 5 INCHES TO THE CORNER FORMED BY THE INTERSECTION OF THE EASTERLY SIDE OF THIRD AVENUE WITH THE SOUTHERLY OF EAST 94TH STREET; THENCE EASTERLY ALONG THE SOUTHERLY SIDE OF EAST 94TH STREET A DISTANCE OF 215 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE SOUTHERLY AND PARALLEL WITH THE EASTERLY SIDE OF THIRD AVENUE A DISTANCE OF 100 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE EASTERLY AND PARALLEL WITH THE NORTHERLY SIDE OF EAST 93RD STREET A DISTANCE OF 24 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE SOUTHERLY AND PARALLEL WITH THE EASTERLY SIDE OF THIRD AVENUE A DISTANCE OF 101 FEET 5 INCHES TO A POINT ON THE NORTHERLY SIDE OF EAST 93RD STREET; THENCE WESTERLY ALONG THE NORTHERLY SIDE OF EAST 93RD STREET A DISTANCE OF 239 FEET TO THE CORNER FORMED BY THE INTERSECTION OF THE EASTERLY SIDE OF THIRD AVENUE WITH THE NORTHERLY SIDE OF EAST 93 RD STREET, THE POINT OR PLACE OF BEGINNING. SAID PREMISES ARE KNOWN AS 200 EAST 94TH STREET, UNIT 811, NEW YORK, NY AND DESIGNATED AS SECTION 5 BLOCK 1539 LOT 1429 AS SHOWN ON THE TAX MAP OF THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY OF NEW YORK, CITY OF NEW YORK.

These premises are also known as 200 E 94th St, # 811 aka 200 E 94th St Apt 811 aka 200 E 94th St, New York, NY 10128. Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP 500 Bausch & Lomb Place, Rochester, NY 14604

Notice of Qualification of GRITZY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/28/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/22/25. Princ. office of LLC: 11 Park Pl., 3rd Fl., 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, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of TABERNACLE & TOAST LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/20/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/28/23. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Tiffany Siegel, 89 Monitor St., Apt. 619, Jersey City, NJ 07304. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg. - 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

THE DONTZIN LAW FIRM LLP Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on December 19, 2024. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 31 East 62nd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10065. Purpose: Any lawful act. Name changed to DONTZIN KOLBE & FLEISSIG LLP on January 7, 2025

195 HELP WANTED 195 HELP WANTED

Ventrop Engineering Consulting Group is looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer with strong project management skills in design and construction of HVAC systems; can draft and supervise field engineering reports implementation; proficient in energy analysis; LEED AP Certified; experienced with High-Rise Residential Condos, Hotels, Retail Chains, Museums and Institutions and Health Care Facilities; new and retrofit projects; Proficient in AutoCAD R-14, Autodesk Building systems, Ansys v.10, Pro/Engineer, MatLab, MathCAD, Elite Software Cooling and Heating load, Mech-Q, Trane Trace700, cooling and heating la, Carrier HAP 4.9/5.1, HVAC Solutions, Autodesk Revit; Masters Degree; 1015 years experience. Email resumes to Recruiting.ventrop@gmail.com.

Notice of Qualification of RKF RETAIL HOLDINGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/13/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/15/05. Princ. office of LLC: 125 Park Ave., 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. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Wilmington, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Human Resources Specialist for Priority Care Staffing, LLC in Brooklyn, NY. Mail resume to Priority Care Staffing, LLC, 1274 49th Street, Suite 539, Brooklyn, NY 11219.

To display your Legal, LLC, and classifieds ads contact: Ali Milliner (347)

Newark’s Shakur Stevenson retains WBC lightweight title with win in Saudi Arabia

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

Shakur Stevenson has his doubters. The Newark, New Jersey, native rarely wins in spectacular fashion, and his critics often refer to him as boring. They note he has knocked out fewer than half of his opponents in his professional career, and 10 of his 23 bouts have gone the distance. Furthermore, Stevenson’s detractors argue on social media and in online boxing forums that he has a suspect chin.

Yet, in the face of the chatter, all he does is win.

The 27-year-old, 2016 Rio Olympics bantamweight silver medalist remained undefeated (23-0, 11 KOs) and retained his WBC lightweight title in stopping Josh Padley (15-1, 4 KOs) in the ninth round in their bout this past Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Padley, a product of Doncaster, England, was a replacement opponent for Floyd Schofield, who dropped out of the fight earlier this month due to an illness.

Stevenson made it clear who he wanted to fight next.

“Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis — I think that’s the biggest fight in boxing,’ he said. “Me and him can make the most money if we make this fight happen, so let’s do it.”

On Saturday, Davis (30-0, 28 KOs), arguably America’s most popular boxing champion, will defend his WBA lightweight title against WBA super-featherweight champion Lamont Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Davis, 30, from Baltimore, faced Roach, 29, a Washington, D.C., native, in the amateur ranks.

“I haven’t been watching his fights too much, but I’ve been in the gym with him, and I know how (Roach) moves,” said Davis, who is headlining his fourth card at the Barclays Center. “I’ll get in camp and get up to date on him. I know for sure he’s

definitely tough and has sneaky power. He’s had sneaky power since we were kids. We are going to figure out what he’s best at and take it away from him.”

While Davis versus Stevenson is a great match on paper, and Davis will clearly be the A side, he can again attempt to schedule a fight with IBF lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. In contrast to Stevenson, any fight featuring Davis is appealing because of his remarkable punching power at 135 pounds and his ability to finish opponents, which has made him one of boxing’s major draws.

In last Saturday’s main event, Dmitry Bivol avenged the only loss of his career by besting Artur Beterbiev to win the undisputed light-heavyweight world championship in a rematch of his October loss. Bivol won on a majority score of 115-113, 116112, and 114-114 in the 12-round bout. It turned out to be the exact scores from the first fight, but this time favoring Bivol.

The 30-year-old Russian fighter (24-1, 12 KOs) now owns wins over Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs), who also hails from Russia, and 34-year-old Mexican superstar Canelo Álvarez, who he defeated in 2022.

“The difference was me; I was better,” Bivol said about the margin of victory. “I was pushing myself more. I was more confident and lighter, and I just wanted to win so much today.”

Rohene Ward returns to performing with Ice Dance International’s SOAR! tour

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Renowned coach and choreographer

Rohene Ward returns to his performing roots with Ice Dance International (IDI), currently on a 14-city tour across the U.S., SOAR! The company performs at SkyRink at Chelsea Piers on March 5. Among the ensemble pieces being performed is an intense and uplifting piece created by Ward, “Emotional Seasons.”

“I feel very grateful and very blessed that we have this opportunity,” said Ward. “[IDI executive and artistic director] Doug Webster reached out to me last year if I would choreograph a piece for the ensemble, which was a surprise to me because I’ve never really done a lot of work with group numbers.”

Ward, who has choreographed for twotime Olympian Jason Brown, said it was challenging to conceptualize the number. IDI includes top level skaters performing in group pieces. Among the current cast is World and Olympic Champion Gabriella Papadakis, two-time U.S. Champion Alissa Czisny, and World Junior Champions Oona and Gage Brown.

While the creative process was stressful, the time in Sun Valley, Idaho, last summer to choreograph the piece, proved soulful as it helped Ward fall back in love with skating. The beautiful natural surroundings inspired

Rohene Ward (r) leading the Ice Dance International company in “Emotional Seasons.” (David J. Murray/Cleareyephoto.com photos)

his vision. It is a 17-minute piece performed by eight skaters, including Ward. He described the first part as reflective of trauma and letting go and the second part shows renewal and beauty.

“It’s one thing to create a piece on people, it’s another to create and skate in the piece,” Ward said. During the choreography process, Webster skated his part so Ward could

Ice skating coach and choreographer Rohene Ward performing a solo recital.

see what was working and what wasn’t. “Now that the piece is done, everybody loves it.”

Having spent the past few years busy with coaching and choreographing for other skaters, including current competitors, this tour refreshes Ward’s performance skills. It is uplifting after a rough year personally and professionally. Instead of his usual nonstop summer coaching schedule, he took some

time off and channeled his energy positively, which was liberating.

Ward is grateful to be visible on the ice as a man of color in a sport that doesn’t have a lot of diversity. “God gave me this gift and there is no better way of using it than sharing your stories and your feelings with the world,” he said. “I’m taking people on a journey to feel something.”

Newark native Shakur Stevenson defeated Josh Padley in Saudi Arabia on Saturday in their WBC lightweight title match. (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing photo)

The Knicks face the challenge of leveling up to the NBA’s best

By JAIME C. HARRIS

AmNews Sports Editor

Last weekend could have been billed as the Prove It tour for the Knicks.

On Friday they played the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, and two days later had a date in Boston with the Celtics. The Knicks went into the matchups a combined 0-3 this season versus the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively. Adding their 0-2 record versus the Western Conference leading Oklahoma City Thunder, which were 46-11 before meeting up with the Nets in Brooklyn last night, the Knicks were 0-5 against the squads with the league’s three best records.

Dwyer)

By late Sunday afternoon, they were 0-7. The Cavaliers trounced the Knicks 142-105 and the Celtics handled them relatively easily, winning by a comfortable score of 118105. While the Knicks were a sturdy 37-20, No. 3 in the East, and tied for the fourth fewest losses in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies when the league’s

schedule tipped off last night, the gap between them and the teams at the top of the basketball food chain seems vast. The Cavaliers were 48-10 and the Celtics 42-16.

The Knicks still have 24 more regular season games over the next six and a half weeks to level up and close the measurable gaps that reveal the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Thunder as championship contenders and themselves not on the same rung in this season’s hierarchy. They are brainstorming for answers as to how to elevate to that echelon but have yet to come up with a successful formula.

“You can’t explain it,” said Knicks guard Jalen Brunson following the loss to the Cavaliers. “I’m at a loss for words.”

After falling behind by 27 points to the Celtics on Sunday but fighting back to cut the score to 89-85 Boston early in the fourth quarter, the Knicks aaffirmed the need for consistent effort and intensity.

The primary issue when facing the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Thunder has been defensive flaws. In the seven losses, they have given up an average of 125 points per game.

“Where I said from the beginning of the season: We’re a work in progress,” said Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns on Sunday in Boston. “We’re going to be a work in progress all year until the day we step into the postseason.”

The Knicks are hoping the impending return of center Mitchell Robinson, which could be tomorrow versus the Memphis Grizzlies on the road, will strengthen them on the defensive end and provide much needed size in the paint. Robinson has been out since undergoing left ankle surgery last May.

The Knicks will play the Heat in Miami on Sunday and be back at Madison Square Garden to host the Golden State Warriors next Tuesday before going on a five-game, 10-day West Coast road trip.

Jordi Fernandez has rebuilding Nets battling for a play-in berth

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

The Brooklyn Nets are admittedly rebuilding. The strategic approach has the franchise looking to use their future draft capital to secure the right pieces. Maybe the No. 1 pick falls to them in the Draft Lottery and they acquire Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg, who, along with his teammates, practiced at the Nets’ HSS Training Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn last week before before crushing Illinois 110-67 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Flagg or another talented teenager, perhaps Rutgers’ Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper, both who are also projected top five picks, can be the foundation of a potential Nets championship team down the line. However, going into their game last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, which had the Western Conference’s best record at 46-11, the Nets, despite being 15 games under .500 with a mark of 21-36, were only 1 1/2 games

behind the 23-35 Chicago Bulls for the last play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference. The Nets are the 11th seed while the Bulls are the 10th seed.

Nets rookie head coach Jordi Fernandez has managed significant changes to his roster this season, including the team trading Dennis Schroder (Golden State) and Dorian Finney-Smith (Los Angeles Lakers) in December. Yet the 42-year-old Fernandez has his players being competitive on a nightly basis, which his peers have noticed.

“I think I said this last time I was here, you know, with Jordi, I feel like I’m watching a FIBA team, you know, and that’s a real compliment,” former Nets head coach and current Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said last when the Cavs defeated the Nets 110-97 in Brooklyn.

“Extreme physicality and I think they’re fouling a lot,” added Atkinson, “which is fine. They’ve made a commitment. They have an identity. They’re physical.”

Atkinson, one of the favorites for

ings and they want to learn so they can participate.”

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has his team in contention for a play-in tournament spot with 6 1/2 weeks left in the regular season.

(Jamir Dickens/Fence Boy Media)

fact that they can use this skill. We get a lot of women who work … They join because there are company out-

City Girls Golf house membership isn’t cheap, $299 per month, but members get access to country clubs and social clubs nationwide.

NBA Coach of the Year, with his Cavaliers at 47-10, the top record in the East, when they played the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, also remarked that the Nets’ aggressiveness on the glass and defensively results in increased scoring opportunities.

Individual events, such as the clinics, are moderately priced. Balgar’s vision is to create low- and no-cost programming. She is particularly interested in developing a sister brand, College Girls Golf, for college-aged women and making it as affordable as possible. In addition to golf, those

“They attack the offensive board, so they’re going for the possession game, like full out, and it’s translating to wins, so a ton of credit to Jordi and the players over in that locker room, really impressive.”

Brooklyn is hoping their newest

women would have leadership and professional development opportunities. Balgar is currently planning a College Girls Golf preview day for students from Coppin State University, an HBCU in Baltimore.

“I can envision partnering with

addition, guard Killian Hayes, can give them productive bench minutes as guard Cam Thomas, who was averaging 24.7 points this season but has played in just 19 games, works his way back toward a return. Thomas has been out since January 2 with a hamstring strain. Hayes, who was drafted in 2020 by the Detroit Pistons with the seventh overall pick, scored seven points in Monday 107-99 road loss to the Washington Wizards, where he played 25 minutes.

“I think he did a good job sharing the basketball,” Fernandez said after the game. “I need him to be aggressive as well … and I want him to shoot more threes. Not enough. I need to see him letting it fly.” Hayes has made under 28% of his 600 plus career three-point attempts.

Brooklyn will host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night at the Barclays Center before heading to Detroit to face the Pistons on Saturday, followed by a game on Tuesday in San Antonio against the Spurs.

colleges in creating opportunities for their students,” said Balgar. “The goal is to create scholarship opportunities, and to partner with companies and make sure students in the College Girls Golf program leave with an internship or a job offer.”

Knicks forward OG Anunoby tries to get past the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum in the Celtics 118-105 win on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael

At the NFL Combine, the Jets and the Giants dive into reshaping their rosters

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

There is no such thing as an offseason for the NFL. For front office personnel and coaching staff, chasing a Super Bowl is a 24-hour a day, seven-days per week pursuit. Waking up in the middle of night to sit in front of a laptop and make notes on player contracts, player evaluations, and designing offensive and defensive formations is common.

The annual NFL Combine, which began on Monday in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a gathering that has elements of the G7 Summit. The Jets’ and Giants’ contingent of executives and coaches in attendance have much work to do while at the Combine. The Jets have not made the playoffs for 14 straight seasons, the longest futility streak among all the teams in the four major North American sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL), and the Giants have only two playoff appearances in the last nine seasons. Both teams have quarterback issues in a quarterback-centric league. It is the most important position in all of sports. Without a good quarterback, teams have no chance of being a playoff contender, no less vying for a Super Bowl. The Jets and 41-year-old

Aaron Rodgers parted ways earlier this month after a failed two-season marriage and the Giants moved on from 2019 firstround pick (No. 6 overall) Daniel Jones, releasing him this past November after six seasons as their starting QB when the 27-year-old fell short of establishing himself as a capable successor to two-time

Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning.

As of today, 35-year-old Tyrod Taylor is the No. 1 quarterback on the Jets’ depth chart and 28-year-old Drew Lock, who began last season as Jones’ backup and ended it as the Giants’ starter, still holds that spot. Rumors abound at the Combine. There have been reports the Giants

are exploring trading for Los Angeles Rams starter Mathew Stafford, who is seeking a contract extension from the Rams beyond its 2026 expiration. Although is 37, he is still among the game’s best QBs.

The Giants have third pick in the draft. Meetings at the Combine and further faceto-face sit downs with Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Houston’s Cam Ward, along with workouts at the players’ respective Pro Days for the consensus top two QB prospects in April’s draft, will weigh heavily on whether Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will select one of them.

As for the Jets, who have the No. 7 pick, the organization’s new tandem of general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn have emphasized that Taylor is a viable short-term solution in the process of eventually securing their long-term Super Bowl caliber quarterback.

“Listen, Tyrod’s a good player, we know that,” Glenn said on Tuesday speaking with the media at the Combine. “I think he’s won almost 50% of his games, so he’s a guy that’s been in this league for a long time so to answer that question (regarding who will be our starter), it’s hard to because draft and free agency haven’t come yet.”

Flag football moves toward the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics has officially recommended that the sport of flag football join the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. NCAA Divisions I, II and III will now decide whether to sponsor legislation to move the sport forward. If this happens, 40 colleges and universities must sponsor the sport at the varsity level in order for it to be considered for championship status. An example of this process is women’s wrestling, which was granted NCAA championship status last month.

A sport on the rise, the International Olympic Committee approved the addition of flag football for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. It is already a varsity sport at NAIA institutions and at least 65 NCAA schools sponsor flag football as either a varsity or club sport. In flag football, instead of tackling the person with the ball, the defensive team removes a flag from the ball carrier.

“It means the world [to be a varsity sport],” said Melinda Nguyen, head flag football coach at Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU), a Division I NAIA school.

“I started playing flag when I was eight. I never imagined that it would be available

in high schools and at the collegiate level, and now the U.S. national team and potentially professional leagues. It really exploded over the past few years.”

The transition from club sport to varsity sport means increased access to the full resources of an athletic department. Nguyen is a full-time coach and her student-athletes are able to receive athletic scholarship money. This could become the case for NCAA institutions that elevate the sport to varsity status.

“A lot of girls have expressed interest in coaching or other careers in the flag football world,” said Nguyen. “It’s opened so many opportunities for women that they

didn’t have before.”

Some flag football players have played other sports, like soccer or basketball, and some have discovered organized sport through flag football, Nguyen noted. An ever growing number of high schools offer it. “They’re finding their love, passion and enthusiasm for sports through flag football,” she said. “It’s a very approachable sport.”

KWU’s season began last weekend. The players are proud to be collegiate athletes. “They have to hold their heads a little bit higher because we are the pioneers,” Nguyen said. “We’re setting the standard for the sport.”

Aaron Glenn, the Jets’ new head coach, met with the media on Tuesday at the NFL Combine taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana. (AP Photo/Micheal Conroy)

Kansas Wesleyan University has been playing varsity flag football for five years.

KWU opened its 2025 flag football schedule last week, going 2 - 1 in three games. (Tori Wlodarczyk photos)

Sports

Black History Month must be amplified to educate the youth

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

In the closing Days of Black History Month, there is a palpable feeling that the period of celebrating the long, arduous, and rich journey of people of African descent, a celebration created by Carter G. Woodson a century ago, has become a mere superfluous tagline to far too many of our youth, irrespective of their ethnicity — but particularly Black youth.

It is critically important that the inherent lessons of Black History Month be amplified in homes, schools, places of worship, and other community settings at a time this nation and countries abroad are marred by racial division and overt campaigns by right-wing extremists to eradicate historical truths and spread disinformation like a deadly virus.

As a journalist and educator, I have had the honor, pleasure, and obligation of imparting to youth the knowledge and skills which have been instilled in me and nurtured by numerous men and women.

From listening to Martin Luther King Jr. speeches played on my parents’ — David and Elaine Harris — scratched records; taking trips to museums with my older brother and sister, Juanne and David; regularly visiting the now closed Liberation Book Store in Harlem with them, founded by the remarkable Una Mulzac, who passed away in 2012; and watching countless episodes of “Like It Is,” hosted by the legendary Gil Noble, who also left this physical realm in 2012 to rest in power with our ancestors, I devoured the history and culture of the African diaspora, and that of the connected global people.

Among my most memorable and indelible experiences as a young boy was being with my uncle, Howie Evans, the sports editor emeritus of this publication and a seminal figure in New York sports and journalism. Going to the Pro Rucker league at venerable Rucker Park on 155th Street, where he coached, being captivated by his accounts of friendships and interactions with other literal and figurative giants Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,

Wilt Chamberlain, Miles Davis, and Huey Newton, was a foundation for my ongoing and insatiable desire to pass historical narratives to youth.

When we have sports discussions and debates, I often speak of John Isaacs, a basketball pioneer and Hall of Famer, who starred for the Harlem Rens in the 1930s and 1940s, winning the first World Professional Basketball Tournament held in 1939 in Chicago. I recall stories that John, who I am blessed to have called a friend and father figure, animatedly in his deep, raspy voice, vividly painted as we would speak for hours which passed like mere minutes. His firsthand recollections are not just about sports, but about his battles facing virulent racism as he traveled across Jim Crow America as a Black man born in Panama to a Panamanian mother and Jamaican father and raised in Harlem. I adamantly argue with my bright, opinionated young minds that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can and should be considered the greatest basketball player ever, invoking

his high school days at Power Memorial Academy, also my brother’s alma mater, UCLA, and the NBA as compelling evidence of his unparalleled career. I also never fail to note his social and political activism, and profound intellect. The unwavering consensus of my teenage and 20-something crew is that either LeBron James or Michael Jordan holds the title of GOAT.

Similar exchanges, with elders serving as griots, are held everyday across the world’s expansive landscape in formal and non-traditional settings. In Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, and other countries, Black History Month is marked on the calendar. But it began here in the United States where it is incumbent on us to ensure succeeding generations build on its meaning.

Harlem native creates community and cultivates skills on the golf course

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Founded by Sierra Balgar, City Girls Golf has a singular vision: to create a space where women can learn, embrace, and thrive in the game of golf. Harlem native Balgar knows golf is more than a hobby. It is a way to create community and cultivate skills that can be of tremendous value in the work world.

“I started City Girls Golf a little over two years ago with the mission to bring more women into the game and create spaces for women to feel comfortable and enjoy golf,” said Balgar. “When I was first learning how to play, I didn’t necessarily have a community or anyone to play or learn with. I figured the reason why I can’t find a sister community is because (1) there isn’t one and (2) golf isn’t as accessible for

the everyday woman, especially for women that live in the city.”

She named it City Girls Golf to empower more city-dwelling women to learn the sport, dispelling the idea that golf is only for people in the suburbs. Women at all ability levels are welcome. There are instructional clinics and curated golf outings that blend recreation with networking with the idea to empower women of color.

“We play golf and we host beginner clinics for people to get involved,” Balgar said. “I think what attracts people the most is the community and networking, and the

Before becoming a six-time NBA champion and six-time league MVP, Lew Alcindor, who changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971, was a three-time NCAA champion at UCLA. (AP Photo)

City Girls Golf founder Sierra Balgar.