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INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 02,26, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20,2016 2021- August - January 2021

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

America Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This Week

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

had in the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Fifty-three years after Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, and 38 years after his birth date became a national federal holiday, America is now facing another pivotal moment of national racial reckoning.

While parades and other festive gatherings for the heroic civil rights leader will not occur this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, national and local organizations throughout the country still will honor Dr. King’s legacy.

In Maryland, the nonprofit Civic Works plans to welcome groups of volunteers to participate in its annual MLK Day of Service.

The 9 a.m. plans include 150 volunteers banding together across nine sites [both physically with Covid-19 safety precautions, and virtually] to help green a vacant lot in Baltimore, landscape urban farms, sort clothes for AmeriCorps members, writing cards to seniors, and clean public spaces.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music – or BAM – hosts an 11 a.m. tribute that includes a keynote address from Black Lives Matter Global Network founder Alicia Garza. The event will stream on bam.org and also BAM’s YouTube and Vimeo channels.

In Florida, the Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration Committee of St. Johns County will host the 36th annual Commemorative Event in the Lewis Auditorium in St. Augustine, FL and online as a virtual event in a celebration of the memory of Dr. King and the influence he

NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., is the featured speaker.

Commentary:

Dr. Chavis will address the theme, “Our Lives Begin to End the Day We Become Silent about Things That Matter.” Chavis stated, “Dr. King’s dream and courage for freedom, justice and equality for all must reaffirmed and practiced in 2021 across America and throughout the world.”

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is hosting “United We Serve: A Celebration of the National MLK Day of Service.”

Participants include the Rev. Dr. Bernice King; Martin Luther King III; Chesca; Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan.; Rosario Dawson; Andra Day; Yo-Yo Ma; the Rev. Al Sharpton; Sean Patrick Thomas; Diane Warren; Lynn Whitfield; and Bebe Winans.

The event will be streamed live on at bideninaugural.org and on PIC social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook from 8:00–9:00 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 18.

“This year’s inauguration will look different amid the pandemic, so we’re committed to providing dynamic programming that will engage more Americans than ever before, all from the safety of their homes,” said PIC CEO Tony Allen in a news release.

“With the help of popular musicians and artists, rising stars, national, state and local leaders, and everyday Americans, we’re going to celebrate our diversity, honor those who are committed to service, and reflect on our history. We will

come together as one nation, America united.”

In Houston, the 43rd Annual Original MLK Day Virtual Experience & Live Parade of Giving occurs at MacGregor Park at 5225 Calhoun Road. There, residents are asked to drop-off donations to be distributed to those in need.

In Pennsylvania, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with its “Food justice is social justice” campaign.

The food bank will open one of its warehouses to 30 volunteers to prepare food for distribution across the organization’s 11-county service area from 9 a.m. to noon.

In Atlanta, the Beloved Community Commemorative Service caps a weeklong celebration of Dr. King’s life that features a keynote address by Bishop T.D. Jakes.

The event occurs online and features remarks from Grammy-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin and U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed.

The event will stream on Facebook and The King Center website.

In California, Stanford University’s fourday online festival honoring Dr. King’s life and legacy culminates on the holiday with musical performances, documentary films, and conversations inspired by the question, Where do we go from here?

“I hope the King Holiday can become an occasion for informing people about King’s legacy and how it relates to the King Institute, but more broadly, how it relates to the San Francisco Bay Area,” Clayborne Carson, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Centennial Professor of History,

Emeritus, at Stanford, and director of the King Institute, told the university’s news service.

“One of the things that will be made clear is that the King family has had a very special relationship with this area and with Stanford.”

In Detroit, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History hosts film screenings and other programming that includes a museum-wide live stream of the keynote speech by PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.

The Rev. Dr. Bernice King posted a heartfelt thank you on Twitter to all those observing her late father’s holiday.

“Thank you for the loving, sincere ways that you honored and celebrated my father on his birthday,” Bernice King wrote in the post that included a photo of her, her father, and her mother.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Enduring Legacy, And Lessons For 2021

Peniel Joseph, Ph.D., is the Barbara Jordan chair in Ethics and Political Values at the LBJ School of Public Affairs On the national holiday honoring Dr. King, Professor Peniel Joseph examines some of the parallels between events of the past year and of 1968.

This year’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday takes place against the backdrop of the sacking of the Unitedleeping on the marble floors of the Capitol rotunda to protect it from insurrection have elicited grief, horror and confusion.

Yet it is important, as we approach the King holiday, to face up to the uglier aspects of our recent history, ones we continue to ignore at our own national, political, and moral peril.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s contemporary legacy is all around us. Indeed, on January 5, 2021 Reverend Raphael Warnock became the first Black person elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia.

Senator-elect Warnock’s legacy to King is both personal and political, as he presides over King’s former pastorate at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. War-

Texas Department of Public Safety DPS officers inside the Texas State Capitol building on Jan. 11, 2021.

nock ran a candidacy that embraced the “beloved community” – King’s phrase for ab America free of racial injustice and poverty. The fact that that phrase resonated clearly throughout Georgia in both last States Capitol by a white mob and

the second impeachment of a sitting U.S. president.

Many Americans have rightfully expressed shock and horror at the images of white rioters at the U.S. Capitol that left a police officer and four others dead. Sub-

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sequent photos of National Guard troops syear’s presidential election and two Senate runoffs on January 5 of this year is profoundly important as we face these difficult times.

The revolutionary King bluntly confronted the challenges to his dream of transforming the nation into a beloved community: “It is an unhappy truth that racism is a way of life for the vast majority of white Americans, spoken and unspoken, acknowledged and denied, subtle and sometimes not so subtle—the disease of racism permeates and poisons the body politic,” King observed during his Passion Sunday sermon at Washington’s National Cathedral on March 31, 1968.

January 6’s insurrection, which included the striking image of a rioter holding a confederate flag in the Capitol, echoes large aspects of the violent opposition that King faced in his own time.

There is a striking through line between 1968 and 2021.

In 1968, America chose “law and order”

over Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of multiracial democracy. The attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol represents the bitter fruits of a harvest of racial division whose immediate historic roots coalesced after King’s death.

This generation of Americans has an opportunity to choose a different path.

The greatest testament to Dr. King’s legacy this year, not just on the day of his holiday, will be the collective effort to reimagine an American democracy.

King would shy away from using his holiday as an example of American exceptionalism and push us toward the hard work of building, for the first time in our nation’s history, a racially inclusive society that will ensure that this latest attack on the sacred citadel of American democracy will be the last.

Peniel Joseph, Ph.D., is the Barbara Jordan chair in Ethics and Political Values at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and professor of history and founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

MLK Celebration Revels In The Words Of Kings

by BRIAN SLATTERY On Monday, Probate Judge Clifton Graves had a story to tell about the time he met Martin Luther King, Jr. But before that, he had a story to tell about an eagle who thought he was a chicken.

Graves’s story was part of the days-long celebration marking the 25th annual commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s Legacy of Social and Environmental Justice, presented by the Yale Peabody Museum and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

In years past the schedule of events ranged from the Peabody to the New Haven Museum to other nearby buildings.

This year the organizers made it virtual, even to the point of recreating the same feeling that so much was going on that, in the best sense, a celebration-goer couldn’t quite see all of it.

There were talks and panel discussions. The annual poetry slam in honor of Zannette Lewis — usually a raucous live event — was converted to a virtual poetry jam. The Artsucation Academy Network presented a dance performance choreographed and directed by Ms. Hanan Hameen and featuring Neighborhood Music School’s Premiere Dance Company, Keepers of the Culture Performing Arts Company, and M’Bosse Dance Company of Senegal. The audience for these events tuned in from New Haven and all over the state of Connecticut, as well as from New York, North Carolina, Alabama, and Senegal.

As in years past, those who attended the festivities online were treated to events that were joyous, yes, but also moving and thought-provoking, as the core of Dr. King’s message felt as relevant as ever.

Amen Graves was the first performer in a storytelling segment of Monday’s programming — aimed at kids and adults — that also featured Joy Donaldson, Waltrina Kirkland-Mullins, and Dr. Robbie Thomas.

Graves began with the observation that storytelling in the African and African-American tradition was a way to reconnect with the spirituality that gave the strength to “move forward” and deal with the “the dual pandemic of Covid-19 and 1619.”

He then launched into a reading of “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson, a poem retelling the opening of Genesis that Graves brought to warm, vivid life. He also gave it a modern tweak: When he got to the verse that reads “Then God sat down— / On the side of a hill where he could think; / By a deep, wide river he sat down; / With his head in his hands, / God thought and thought, / Till he thought: I’ll make me a man!” Graves added “and a woman!” with a soft chuckle. “Woman and man became living, breathing souls.

Say amen, say amen.”

“African parables and proverbs were passed down to us from the griots,” Graves continued, becoming a lifeline in a world that “still denigrates and disrespects us.”

He then began the story of the chicken and the eagle. In it, a chicken farmer finds a stray egg and takes it back to his farm. Two weeks later, “life comes out of the egg, and lo and behold, it’s a baby eagle,” Graves said.

“I’m a chicken farmer! I don’t know a doggone thing about raising eagles,” the farmer says. But he does the best he can.

He raises, feeds, and talks to the bird like all his others. “As he matured into his eagleness, he behaved like a chicken because he was raised as a chicken,” Graves said.

A stranger stops by the farm and sees the eagle among the chickens, acting like a chicken. He asks the farmer what’s going on.

“Even though he looks like an eagle, he has been raised and trained to think he’s a chicken,” the farmer says.

“God made that bird to be an eagle, to fly and soar,” the stranger says. “You’re doing the eagle a disservice.”

“But I did the best I could,” the farmer says. “And that eagle will always believe he’s a chicken:’ Stranger takes the eagle to the top of a tree.

“Fly, eagle fly,” he says. “You were meant to take your rightful place.”

The chicken farmer throws chicken feed on the ground. Instead of soaring into the sky, the eagle flies down to the feed.

The stranger tries the same thing again from the top of the barn, with the same results.

“No matter what you do, no matter what you try, that eagle will always believe he’s a chicken and behave accordingly,”

I HAVE A the farmer says.

“Maybe I need to take him out of this environment,” Graves related the stranger as thinking, to a place “where he can learn to be an eagle.”

So the stranger blindfolds the eagle and takes him up to the mountains, “where eagles learn to be eagles.”

Day in and day out, the stranger tells the eagle, “there’s nothing wrong with being a chicken, but you were made and built and designed to be an eagle.”

At last the “day of reckoning” comes. The stranger takes the eagle to a mountaintop.

“Fly, eagle, fly. God made you to fly and soar and take your rightful place,” the stranger says. He throws the eagle off his arm. The eagle at first falls. Then — for the first time in his life — he stretches his wings.

“He began to feel he could truly fly,” Graves said. The eagle flies back to the top of the mountain and thanks the stranger.

Then flies over the farm. “He could truly fly and truly soar,” Graves said.

“What does this have to say to us?” Graves asked of the story.

“Especially for young people of color,” but “to everybody,” he said, “there are far too many who feel they’re just chickens. We’re raised to be chickens.” Our social institutions, from education to law enforcement, “have a tendency to categorize us as chickens.” And “what do we do with chickens? We put them in pens.” Same as for children, he said, his warm tone sharpening a little. We put them in “pens — penitentiaries. The school-to-jail pipeline.”

‘Our task, our challenge, in 2021, as we honor once again he life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King,” Graves continued, is to recognize that “most of our children are eagles pent up in chicken bodies. And so we have to figure out a way to pull the eagle out of our children.” Because eagles, he said, become engineers, teachers, business leaders, senators, vice presidents, presidents. “The sky’s the limit,” he said. “Don’t let society pigeon-hole — or chicken-hole — you. That’s the parable. Strive to be, and instill in your children, the eagleness. Be the best you can be. Do the best you can do.”

Graves said he learned that lesson from his own parents, when he was growing up in Winston-Salem, N.C. As a children he experienced segregation firsthand — separate drinking fountains, separate bathrooms. “I lived it,” he said.

One day, when he was 9 years old, his churchgoing parents “had the vision and foresight to say ‘there’s a speaker from Georgia coming and you need to hear him.” The church was “packed full of people — Black and White,” he said. It was standing room only for adults; the only seat he could find was on the piano stool by the pulpit, “the best seat in the house.”

DREAM

THAT MY FOUR LITTLE CHILDREN WILL ONE DAY LIVE IN A NATION WHERE THEY WILL NOT BE JUDGED

BY THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN, BUT BY THE CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER. - DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

HONORING THE LEGACY

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

Con’t on page 20

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ROP PROOF RUN DATE 1/20/21

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

Parents Organize #SchoolsOut Protest

by EMILY HAYS

New Haven I ndependent

Some parents and teachers are planning to boycott New Haven’s first day back of in-person school Tuesday.

City Wide Parent Team President NijijaIfe Waters is organizing the protest online, using the hashtag #schoolsout. Her son, Amadi, has been attending school remotely and will not log into his classes on Tuesday as part of the boycott.

“He represents those students who are medically compromised. He wants to go back to school but wants to know that he’s going to be safe in school,” Waters said.

Starting on Tuesday, pre-K through third-grade students will have the option of attending in-person classes four days a week. They will learn remotely one day (probably Wednesday) while the schools undergo deep cleaning. Fourth and fifthgrader will attend school on a “hybrid” schedule of two days in person and the rest remote. Special ed and “New Arrivals” program students will also have inperson options.

Amadi has asthma and life-threatening allergies. He often needs a nebulizer, which helps to turn asthma medications into mist form. The district has asked students not to use nebulizers during inperson school and promised to work with every student with asthma to create their own safety plan.

Waters is also concerned about how the school would accommodate life-threatening food allergies if all students eat in their classroom.

New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Iline Tracey said that each school has plans for students with life-threatening allergies.

“We care about the health of our students,

Nijija-Ife Waters: Protesting to get more plans for medically compromised students.

and we are complying with the research and guidance from our public health experts. If we did not care about their health, we would not have spent thousands of dollars preparing our schools for reopening. Parents who do not want their children in person have the choice of doing remote learning,” Tracey wrote.

When asked whether teachers or students would face disciplinary action for taking a protest-related sick day on Tuesday, Tracey said that was up to individual choice.

“Parents have the right to choose if they send their children to school. I do not

Parent Bethzaida Roche: Concerned about students with allergies.

have a response regarding teachers doing a sick out—it would be their choice, but I truly believe that my teachers have great respect for their profession. We will do our best to support our students,” she added.

Read why New Haven Public Schools decided to return to in-person school here and here. Scroll to the bottom of this article to read why some think the research that decision is based on is too limited.

The teachers union, the New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT), is not participating in the protest.

“The social media chatter calling for a

ya l e i n st i t u t e o f s a c r e d m u s i c joins the

i n n e r city news in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans to the cultural and spiritual life of New Haven and the world.

e v e n t l i st i n g s at ism.yale.edu

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‘sickout’ is something the NHFT cannot support. This action would not further our concerns and only hurt the students to whom we have dedicated ourselves,” union leadership wrote in a recent update to their members.

Instead, the union has signed a letter announcing its opposition to school reopening and is considering next steps.

Xoncerned about facing disciplinary action from the district, individual teachers participating in the #schoolsout protest declined to speak to the Independent.

Waters advertised the protest on Facebook as a “student mental health day,” during which parents would keep students out of remote or in-person school for the day.

Bethzaida Roche, mother of three children between the ages of 11 and 14, plans to play basketball and video games with her sons on their mental health day. She sent her daughter on a mini-vacation for the day with her father’s side of the family.

Like Waters, Roche said she wants to protest the lack of information she has received about what would happen to children with asthma or allergies. She hopes the district will respond to the protest with a better medical plan and more plans to hold school outside.

Her children are staying remote-only anyway as long as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.

“The idea of one of my kids possibly getting the virus ... Some people make it through, some people don’t. I would rather have my child at home than see my child’s grave in the cemetery,” Roche said.

Roche has already lost a loved one to Covid-19. Her godmother passed away from the disease soon after the pandemic hit New Haven.

Children are less likely to test positive for Covid-19 and far less likely to die from it than other age groups. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, around 33,000 children and teens under the age of 20 have gotten Covid-19 and two have died from the disease.

Several other parents reached on Monday said that they plan to participate.

“I think the New Haven Board of Education doesn’t genuinely care about the health and safety of our children or the teachers, which is why my children will continue with remote learning until this Covid mess is a thing of the past. My children and I will be standing in solidarity with Ms. Waters tomorrow to show the NHBOE that our children and teachers safety is more important than the almighty dollar,” wrote Rocky Rose, parent of a first grader and a fifth grader.

In Facebook posts, Waters linked the protest to Monday’s holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “Let’s educate our children on why our ancestors protested ... to make change!”

Waters wrote.

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Elicker Seeks 2nd Term THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

by PAUL BASS

New Haven I ndependent

Mayor Justin Elicker is running for a second two-year term, saying there’s “more work to be done.”

The Democrat plans to file formal papers Thursday and hold a noon press conference to launch the campaign.

“There is so much more work to be done,” Elicker, who’s 45, said in an interview Wednesday about why he decided to seek reelection.

“This role has underscored for me how much I love throwing my all into working to improve the lives of so many people, working together with New Haven residents to address the many challenges we face. It has also underscored, especially with the [Covid-19] pandemic, all the work we have to do.”

Like other public officials worldwide, Elicker found himself consumed this past year with addressing the pandemic, the greatest public-health crisis in a century.

Asked what he’s proudest of in his tenure so far, Elicker responded in the collective: “The way New Haven has responded to Covid-19 has been exemplary. That is everything from following the science, ensuring that communities that have historically been marginalized and forgotten get the resources that are needed, to our

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Elicker: Pursues public-financing again.

approach to basic needs. There’s so many ways we have come together as a community to respond to the crisis.” He cited “tens of thousands of meals given out to New Haven residents,” the long-term rehousing of over 350 homeless people, and the distribution of Chromebooks and arranging of internet access for all families with public school children.

Elicker was asked if he will participate

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“Of course,” he responded.

A former East Rock/Cedar Hill alder, Elicker first ran for mayor in 2013 in a crowded field that opened up after 10term incumbent John DeStefano decided

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retire. Elicker came in second that year behind former State Sen. Toni Harp, and then went on to lead the New Haven Land Trust during Harp’s three terms in office.

Elicker then mounted a successful challenge to Harp, defeating her in 2019’s Democratic Party primary and then again as the endorsed Democrat in the 2019 general election.

New Haven has traditionally given mayors second terms. The last one-term mayor, Thomas Tully, was elected in 1929; he wasn’t on the ballot in 1931. The oneterm mayor before him, Samuel Campner, did lose a reelection bid in 1917. But Campner (New Haven’s first and only Jewish mayor) was actually a half-term mayor: As president of the Board of Aldermen (as it was then named), he ascended to the mayoralty in 1917 when the previous mayor died, and he served out the term.

“The history suggests that everyone gets four years,” said New Haven Democratic Town Chair Vin Mauro Jr. He added that the pandemic makes a challenge even tougher to mount: “It’s hard to build a real movement when you can’t get large groups of people together.”

Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker confirmed she has decided not to run for mayor this year. Another person rumored

approached to consider a challenge, Kica Matos, is expected to sit out this cycle, as well.

Attention has focused on housing authority Executive Director Karen DuBois-Walton, who has been urged by numerous people in recent weeks to run for mayor this year. Besides heading the housing authority, DuBois-Walton has served as mayoral chief of staff and city chief administrative officer, overseeing line departments like police, fire, parks, and public works. She serves on the state Board of Education. In the past four years she has organized community-wide forums about how to respond to Trump administration; and, with her husband, she has organized Storytellers New Haven, events at which a diverse people active in the community have shared personal life stories. DuBois-Walton and five fellow Black women in September launched a political action committee called Ella’s Fund aimed at translating this summer’s grassroots uprisings for racial justice into lasting state and local political power.

DuBois-Walton has not made any announcement as yet about her plans. She acknowledged Thursday that “lots of people have called” and said she’s “honored to be someone considered capable and qualified.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

Capitol Grandeur, Capitol Catastrophe

by LARY BLOOM

New Haven I ndependent

For an hour this week, two distinguished New Haven photographers and I sat at the crossroads of art, history and insurrection.

The idea had been simply a Zoom interview about their new photo exhibit in our city, at mActivity Fitness Center on Nicoll Street.

But as David Ottenstein and Robert Lisak detailed what it took to create architectural images of all 50 American state Capitol buildings, the FBI announced that the very subjects of their work will soon become the sites, along with the U.S. Capitol, where later this week armed marauders will protest the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

This is the kind of timing that makes the rich sampling of their work at mActivity both ideal and disheartening. You can see for yourself in the exhibit what these potential battlegrounds look like, and what these civic temples, as Lisak refers to them, represent.

They are structures, the photographers say in their artist statement that “range in style and feeling from classical elegance, to robber baron ostentation, to practical simplicity, to symbolic modernism…”

But even to the untrained architectural eye they express stability and honor—even if in reality they have also have hosted some of the uglier confrontations in our nation’s history.

Back in 2014, when Ottenstein and Lisak started a journey that took them six years and tens of thousands of miles, they were not intending to become newsworthy in this way.

This exhibit represents their first professional collaboration. They have known each other since taking Alan Trachtenberg’s history of photography class at Yale in 1980.

As they pursued their own artistic visions in different geographies, their ideas to create capitol images seemed to meld.

“Our idea is for the viewers not to know which of us is responsible for the images they’re seeing,” Lisak said.

The two intend to collect their work for a book, still in the planning stages.

Their journey into American history enlightened them both.

“These civic temples are aspirational. I was blown away by what is visualized (in these places). Who matters? Who gets a say? You see it played out in paintings, sculpture and commemorative plaques,” Lisak said.

Some of the images remind us that desecrations of democracy and violations of human decency are not limited to modern times.

In Oklahoma City, Lisak said, a display “depicts the visual evidence of contending political forces. Oklahoma was kind of a concentration camp for Indian tribes. Now the Capitol has striking new art by Native Americans.”

In Columbia, South Carolina, a section of the capitol is devoted to the history of African-Americans from slavery through the civil rights movement, including unvarnished truths of horrific acts committed by white supremacists. Yet it is off to the side, not as prominent as the primary exhibit – of all things, the engraved Articles of Secession, the document that led directly to the Civil War. The same placement problem is evident in

Black Americans Need Action,

Not More Navel-gazing

by Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD

ROBERT LISAK PHO TO Connecticut’s Capitol building.

Little Rock, Arkansas, where a dramatic and ambitious sculpture shows black schoolchildren in 1957 attending integrated classes for the first time. But its location is not as prominent as the work that honors Confederate soldiers.

In Frankfort, Kentucky, Jefferson Davis’ likeness shares a space with Abraham Lincoln, though the latter is larger and more prominent. In other southern state capitols, Ottenstein reported, any hint of the American president who issued the Emancipation Proclamation is nowhere to be found.

In the mActivity exhibit, our own state capitol building appears. Designed by Richard M. Upjohn and constructed from marble from East Canaan and Westerly, Rhode Island, the building was completed in 1878.

We think of it today – or at least until the threat of violence came – as a place of civil order where laws are introduced and passed.

But it too reveals its own record of misfortune, prejudice and corruption.

Indeed, its very existence spawned controversy, as prior to that point both Hartford and New Haven considered themselves as capitals of the state, and harsh confrontations ensued, compromises proposed (Meriden, for example) before the singularity of Hartford was finally decided.

As for corruption and bribery, we had no shortage. We don’t have to go back very far in our history to recall the exploits of the 86th governor of our state, John G. Rowland. He was the first politician in the modern era to be elected three times to the top governmental post and the first to go to prison for “depriving the public of honest service” after accepting illegal gifts from state contractors.

More than a century before Rowland’s disgrace, our state’s most famous resident seemed to capture the public attitude toward political corruption and bribery. Commenting on the new capitol building in Hartford, Mark Twain said, “I think I can say, and say with pride, that we have legislatures that bring higher prices than any in the world.”

But where past and present meet is perhaps no more evident than Michigan’s capitol in Lansing. There, we have already seen the excesses of President Donald Trump’s extremist followers, in both the occupation of the building months ago by armed protestors and the plot to kidnap and perhaps even murder Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Last week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol, which served as the architectural model for nearly half of our of the state capitol buildings, is a warning of what may be coming.

In Hartford, the news as I write this is that police have put up new barriers around the capitol building, and extra personnel have been assigned to the grounds.

“We will be ready, but I have a high degree of confidence that Connecticut will remain peaceful,” Gov. Ned Lamont said.

Perhaps his prediction will turn out to be accurate. I hope that’s the case. Yet even so, the collision between an America that has survived two and a half centuries of division and a president who has inflamed public discourse with lies and indefensible acts requires us to examine who we really are and what we stand for.

The images that Ottenstein and Lisak display are a good place to start.

For more information about the free exhibit, which runs through February,

6

On Martin Luther King, Jr.’s holiday, I’m reminded that Rev. King was not only a thinker but a man of action.

While today’s social justice omphaloskeptics are pondering white privilege, Marxist critical race theory, and “the intersectionality of health equity,” COVID-19 is busy killing black and brown Americans.

Black Americans continue to get infected and die from COVID-19 at rates more than 1.5 times their share of the population. Hispanic and Native Americans face similar disparities. Black Americans are twice as likely to be hospitalized as whites. Moreover, when admitted to the hospital, people from racial and ethnic minority groups were in worse shape than their white counterparts. Consequently, they were more likely to die.

No need to worry, President-elect Biden has promised a racial disparities task force in response to COVID. Gee, 35 years ago, the Health and Human Services’ seminal Heckler Report on health disparities found that minorities had a lower life expectancy and a higher death rate from heart disease and diabetes, among other things. Just what we need: another task force to ruminate about disparities.

It is well known that black Americans have persistently higher rates of hypertension compared to whites. Indeed, 75 percent of black people in the United States develop high blood pressure by the age 55 compared to 55 percent of white men and 40 percent of white women. To make matters worse, fewer black than white Americans have their blood pressure controlled.

Additionally, black American adults are 60 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to have diabetes as well as more complications, such as amputations and kidney failure.

Early in the COVID journey, clinicians found that hypertension and obesity were key predictors of COVID mortality. Not surprisingly, black patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes compared with all other racial and ethnic groups combined. And the obese hospitalized patients were more likely to die. Further, people with darker skin—63 percent of Hispanic people and 82 percent of black people have low vitamin D levels. And vitamin D may lessen the severity of COVID disease.

In one study, compared with other racial groups, black people were less likely to have been tested for COVID prior to being seen at the hospital.

The researchers noted that the key advantage to earlier diagnosis is the decrease in community spread. The study fails to ac-

knowledge that early diagnosis would lead to early treatment. Why? The party line is that there is no early treatment. Not true.

Early treatment works.

Given the severity of the COVID illness in black Americans, one gets the feeling that withholding treatment is a familiar tune. In the disgraceful 40-year Tuskegee experiment, treatment was withheld from black men so scientists could learn the natural history of the disease. The control group continued to receive placebos, despite the fact that penicillin became the recommended treatment for syphilis several years into the experiment.

Praise the Lord for randomized controlled studies.

Do Dr. Fauci and his pharma cronies care about black folks? (He didn’t seem to care about the AIDS patients). He exhorts about the need for controlled studies and dismisses vast clinical experience. But as Tom Frieden, former director of the CDC noted, “waiting for more data is often an implicit decision not to act, or to act on the basis of past practice rather than on the best available evidence.”

Nations with plenty of black and brown folks, such as Cuba, India, Algeria, and Costa Rica are achieving lower overall death rates with early treatment with hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug with an over 50-year safety record. Other countries are using ivermectin, a safe antiparasitic used to treat scabies. Perhaps because these drugs are inexpensive as compared to the new expensive potential wonder drugs and the cost of ICU care, poorer countries were eager to try something that worked, rather than wait for a piece of pie in the sky.

Repurposing of FDA-approved drugs that have been used safely on millions of patients is not new. Amazingly, a combination of an antibiotic (doxycycline), a diabetes drug (metformin), a treatment for intestinal worms (mebendazole), and the cholesterol-lowering statin, Lipitor was found to extend the survival of people with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer!

The authors of the innovative study noted that “it is well recognized that high-cost randomized controlled trials may not be an economically viable option for studying patent-expired off-label drugs. In some cases, randomized trials could also be considered as ethically controversial.” Money talks, helping patients walks.

While hand-wringing over the tragic COVID patient deaths, the “chosen ones” silence discussion about preventive and early treatment. Senate hearings on the subject were ignored, even mocked.

There’s no need for early treatment with safe medications because the (experimental) vaccine has arrived. Meanwhile people continue to needlessly die.

Let’s not repeat Tuskegee. When there is a low risk and reasonable likelihood of Con’t on page 11

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

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7

School Buses Roll Past Protesters THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

by EMILY HAYS & DYLAN SLOAN Con’t on page 09

School buses headed out of the First Student company campus before dawn Tuesday morning to cries of “What disinfectant do you use?” and “We are here for you.”

A few passionate parents and leaders of community organizations held the protest at 140 Middletown Ave. in opposition to New Haven Public Schools’ first day of inperson school since the Covid-19 pandemic started.

Despite plans to block the buses, the protesters parted and allowed the buses through after requests from police officers.

No one was arrested.

“I have not seen anybody clean a bus. I don’t see how anyone could not be passionate about this,” said Catherine “CJ” John, a lead organizer of Black and Brown United in Action.

John planned the protest with City Wide Parent Team President Nijija-Ife Waters as a more overt addition to Waters’ request that parents and teachers call in sick to remote and in-person school on Tuesday.

Starting on Tuesday, pre-K through thirdgrade students have the option of attending in-person classes four days a week. Fourth and fifth-grade students have the option of in-person classes twice a week. Some students with disabilities, as well as English learners in the “New Arrivals” program, will also have in-person options.

The majority of testimonies at the recent

LEIGH BUSBY PHOTO / @BUSBYLEIGH INSTAGRAM Protest scene as some in-person schooling resumed in New Haven.

Board of Education meeting were opposed to reopening schools before all school staff could get a vaccine. Four of seven ed board members decided to move ahead with the reopening, after hearing advice from medical professionals that reopening for lower grades, with precautionary measures in place, would be safe.

Since earlier forms of protest had not succeeded, John and Waters planned to line up cars at 4:50 a.m. in front of both of the entrances to the First Student bus company campus as an act of civil disobedience.

Waters and John only told a few fellow activists and members of the press, in the hopes of preempting police and district action.

However, when the protesters arrived, a police car was there too.

Sgt. Martin Feliciano said that First Student had hired one officer from the New Haven Police Department to watch the campus, starting Friday. The company had thefts of batteries from vehicles stationed in New Haven and Hamden sites worth $25,000.

When Feliciano arrived, he said, he saw the protest starting to coalesce and called for backup. Two other officers arrived. Feliciano stayed at one entrance and persuaded the protesters to move the car blocking that side. The other officers asked those holding signs at the other entrance to part every time a bus was ready to leave.

The security guard present at First Student, Anthony Fox, said he heard on Monday night from First Student management that protesters might gather outside the bus lot on Tuesday morning.

“I’m not sure how they found out, but I heard someone was handing out flyers to advertise it. The police are doing a great job this morning. I think every bus is going to be able to leave on time without any issue,” Fox said.

The protesters were concerned that they did not see buses being cleaned and that at least one bus driver was not wearing a mask when he pulled out of the lot.

Cleaning happens at night and between the morning and evening runs, according to New Haven Public Schools Transportation Director Carl L. Jackson.

Jackson said that the district requires bus drivers to wear masks when they are driving with children or bringing them onto the bus.

Protesters were also concerned that they could not find the disinfectant the company planned to use on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official list.

Since a similar problem happened in August, the district has planned to use Cintas’ Signet Neutral Disinfectant (DS1). That name does not pop up on the EPA list of disinfectants approved to use against Covid-19.

However, the EPA asks users of their list to search by number, not by name, because the same chemicals are marketed and branded by different companies. Entering “10324-141”, the first digits of the EPA Con’t on page 13

The City of New Haven's Department of Arts & Culture presents...

A VIRTUAL EVENT

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Keynote Speaker: Dr. Bettina Love

Dr. Bettina L. Love is an award-winning author and the Athletic Association Endowed Professor at the University of Georgia. Her writing, research, teaching, and educational advocacy work meet at the intersection of anti-racism, anti-blackness, carceral studies, education, abolition, and Black joy.

In 2020, Dr. Love co-founded the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN).She has also provided commentary for various news outlets including NPR, Ed Week, The Guardian, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

She is the author of the book, “We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom” (2019).

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8

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

3,000 Return To School; Families Relieved

by EMILY HAYS

New Haven I ndependent

Veresa Hardy picked her daughter up from King/RobinsonSchool Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic set in 10 months ago.

Hardy was relieved that Alayah could learn in person again.

Not all Alayah’s expected classmates showed up to join her.

Tuesday was the first day since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold last March that pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students in New Haven public schools had the option to learn in person.

About 25 percent of King/Robinson’s students showed up for the resumption of in-person classes. Roughly half were eligible at any one time at the reopened schools. The new hybrid plan calls for elementary-school students to show up

in person two days a week, then continue learning remotely the rest of the week.

Citywide the picture was similar. The district expected around 6,000 students to attend in-person on Tuesday. Instead, around 3,000 showed up.

Parents like Hardy, who did send their kids, were grateful to have the opportunity.

“She needs her teachers and she needs her social group,” Hardy said.

Hardy said that she has seen her King/ Robinson second grader’s grades slip in her remote classes.

“The teacher helps her more than I can,” Hardy said.

“Overall, today went well with a few glitches in transportation. The teachers, administrators, and staff were excited to receive their students. The shared excitement on the faces of the students and staff

EMILY HAYS PHOTO King-Robinson first grader Jade Lee: Good to be back.

Sign Signals Sickle Cell Commitment At “Michelle’s House”

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTO Sharon Jones McCann, Malcolm Welfare, Jorge Lopez, Theodore Brooks, James Flaherty, and James Rawlings at Sunday’s

event.

by MAYA MCFADDEN

The corner of Chapel and Orchard streets is now furnished with a community reminder of the fight for awareness of sickle cell disease.

The reminder is in the form of a sign erected outside Michelle’s House, a firstof-its-kind community center offering a second home to those in the community with Sickle Cell Disease. The “Michelle” in the title refers to former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Members of the Michelle’s House Board of Directors gathered Sunday to celebrate the new sign, and the work of the center, which is focused on a disease that predominantly afflicts the Black community.

“When you bring awareness, you bring prevention,” said James Rawlings, the driving force behind the center, the executive director, and a retired Yale New Haven Hospital executive.

Since opening in 2019 the center has

focused its programming on bringing awareness and prevention to the community and a “beacon of hope” to those affected.

The board is working to bring visibility to the disease and its needed support at home and beyond. “Sickle cell advocacy does not get funded like other diseases, there’s a stigma,” said Rawlings.

Board member Theodore Brooks has a niece with sickle cell, so he has learned firsthand what youth living with sickle cell need to avoid feeling left out from their community.

Board Chair Sharon Jones McCann grew up in the surrounding Dwight neighborhood. “Sickle cell is right here in our streets,” said Jones NcCann. “This tells them we’re here for our community.”

The center provides resources to the community and a “landing place” for those with sickle cell to feel comfortable, said Board secretary and Yale Patient Ser-

vices Manager James Flaherty.

Flaherty is a nurse manager of a general medicine unit that specializes in sickle cell disease and oncology at Yale New Haven Hospital. “The community needs this just as much as the patients,” he said.

Board member and teacher Malcolm Welfare will help with the center’s tutoring program for students with sickle cell.

While a teen growing up in Rhode Island, board member Jorge Lopez recalled, he had a friend who he would chase around the neighborhood while playing. Until one day when his friend came home with crutches and told him she had sickle cell disease. “I didn’t want to ask any questions,” he said. That was Lopez’s first encounter with the disease.

“Most don’t know their trait status because they don’t know sickle cell is genetic,” said Rawlings.

During the pandemic the center has been meeting with its clients via Zoom.

9

was worth it,” reported Superintendent Iline Tracey.

“I am very pleased with my highly professional and caring staff for all the preparation that went into readiness for opening. Although I am aware that some were fearful, they demonstrated love and care for their students.”

New Haven was one of two school districts in Connecticut to never open for some kind of in-person classes during the pandemic, with the exception of a few classes for students with severe disabilities.

The decision to reopen remained controversial up through Tuesday morning, when a group of parents and activists protested at the First Student bus campus.

Tuesday afternoon’s pick-up at King/ Robinson was a stark contrast in tone from the warnings of death and corruption at the pre-dawn protest.

Teachers and paraprofessionals escorting children to their parents’ idling cars called out “Happy first day back!” Preschoolers with silver panda backpacks and lunch boxes emblazoned with superheroes ran to their parents’ cars with squeals of “Mommy, mommy, mommy!”

Parents and staff members who felt anxious about the reopening said that they were feeling calmer now.

Kristin Nives, who was picking up her first-grader Jayceon, said that going to a couple of virtual meetings with the school calmed her anxieties.

“Remote is harder for him. I thought I would give this a try. He’s been going to King/Robinson for the last couple of years. I trust them. I feel pretty safe with this school,” Nives said.

She said that teachers have been doing a good job giving Jayceon social time in the remote setting, but he still misses talking to his teachers and friends in person.

Pre-K assistant teacher Sadiyya Martinez described walking into school expecting the worst, then finding that it was not that bad. All but one student did a good job of listening to directions about masks and social distancing.

“One kid is a challenge. We just remind him,” Martinez said.

She cautioned that Tuesday’s smooth operations were just one day, and she knows other teachers are still feeling high levels of anxiety. She said that teachers would exchange disbelieving looks like, “Are we really here?”

According to New Haven Federation of Teachers President Dave Cicarella, other teachers seem to have had similarly calm days.

“Based on the number of calls, I’m guessing it must have been a relatively smooth day. Not a great deal came to either me or Vice President Pat DeLucia,” Cicarella said.

Cicarella signed a joint letter asking the school district to postpone in-person learning until February. He said that the union is still considering further action, depending on what kinds of complaints they hear from teachers over the next week.

He has heard that at one school that windows that were supposed to open have not been fixed yet. That kind of complaint is something he can follow up on and get fixed.

“If they don’t present an immediate danger, that’s different than if we have an HVAC system that fails, and ‘What going to do now?’” Cicarella said.

King/Robinson Principal Joseph Johnson said that the best part of his day was the arrival time, when he got to see all his students again. The worst part was seeing them off onto buses and tracking down students who weren’t on their buses yet.

The only surprise was that fewer students showed up than surveys had previously indicated.

“Everything went as well as we planned it, to be honest,” Johnson said.

A few of his teachers called out sick.

None of his teachers have gotten waivers to teach remotely permanently, unlike at other schools.

He reported that one student went to the nurse’s office on Tuesday. He said that the symptoms were not Covid-related.

Day Building Manager Deon Griffin, Sr. has been cleaning the Newhallville-based school throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that worries about getting sick with Covid-19 can get overwhelming, so he focuses on the present. So far, he has stayed safe and has faith that mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing guidelines will keep him that way.

He emphasizes to the custodians he manages that it’s important to be honest if they are feeling sick and to stay home.

“Once we have that one breach, everyone could be out, and the whole place will get closed down until they can get a new set of staff together,” Griffin said.

The first day was about getting students used to the new rules and signs.

“I think it was a good day,” Griffin said.

“It was a quiet day.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

Hill Gets Shot Of Vaccine Encouragement

by EMILY HAYS

New Haven I ndependent

Cornell Scott Hill Health Center CEO Michael Taylor got his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine when a patient did not show up for their vaccination appointment.

The only side effect he experienced was a sore arm.

Taylor told this story to Hill neighbors on Tuesday evening as health care professionals continue their tour of community management teams and encourage New Haveners to sign up for the shot when they are able to under the state’s rollout.

“I had the Moderna vaccine—only because once that vaccine is unpackaged, it cannot be repackaged,” Taylor said.

“That’s how I was fortunate enough to get a shot. I experienced soreness for two days, and as you can see, I’m perfectly healthy now.”

Last week, the Dwight Central Management Team peppered Yale doctors with

MARKESHIA RICKS PRE-PANDEMIC FILE PHOTO Cornell Scott Hill Health Center CEO Michael Tay-

lor: Just had sore arm.

questions about allergy interactions, vaccine company choices and more.

The Hill North Community Management Team kept the question-and-answer session short, to get through a lengthy

agenda.

Neighbor Radu Radulescu asked in the virtual meeting chat whether someone who tested positive for Covid-19 could get the shot. If so, why?

Yale New Haven Hospital doctor Sameer Khan answered that the scientific community does not know yet how long someone is immune to Covid-19 after they have gotten the disease. There was some early evidence that the antibodies developed by getting the disease stop protecting the body after six months, so people who have gotten Covid-19 are allowed to get the vaccine three months after their infection and as their cohort becomes eligible.

He said that one of the residents in the program he administers got Covid-19 in March. The resident has now gotten the vaccine and hasn’t had a different reaction to it from anyone else’s.

The follow-up question popped up: How long does the vaccine protect from Covid-19?

Khan said that the studies on the vaccine were months long, so we don’t know yet whether the protection will last years.

He continued to refer to experiences his

residents have had or that he has seen among his patients. His younger patients, for example, are more likely to weigh the risks of side effects from the vaccine higher than the risks of the effects of getting Covid-19.

“I think the conversation is less frequently about what happens to some of the young people who get Covid — our 30-year-olds and our 40-year-olds who still can’t exercise like they used to,” Khan said. “Even young people often take far longer to recover than you would think.”

Among the 140 residents in Khan’s program who have gotten vaccinated, the biggest complaint after the shot was a sore arm, followed by fatigue. YNHH employees with allergies have not experienced worse side effects than their peers have.

“Across 140 residents, we have not had a severe reaction to either vaccine,” Khan reported.

Covid-Cautious, Church Is Back In Session

by MAYA MCFADDEN

New Haven I ndependent

Wanda Avila turned in to church worship Sunday — and heard her name be called as the winner of a 2021 Toyota Corolla.

Avila is a member of Una Iglesia Para La Ciudad on East Pearl Street in Fair Haven. The Fair Haven church hosted a two-month raffle for a car to fundraise for its upcoming move to State Street in Hamden.

Mayor Justin Elicker joined the Sunday service, a hybrid in-person/streamed event, to pick and announce the winner of the raffle. Avila’s daughter purchased two tickets and decided to put her mom’s

name on one of them.

Before picking the raffle winner, Elicker praised the church for its Covid-safe protocols and talked with the service members about continuing to work together during the pandemic.

A total of 1,000 raffle tickets were sold at $50 each for the fundraiser. The funds will be used to pay the new property’s engineer and architect, said lead Pastor Hector Otero. Last year the church raffled off round-trip tickets to Israel.

The new site in Hamden will be home to a Christian academy, musical academy, counseling center, and a daycare.

Signage for social distancing decorated

Mini-Documentary Shows The Face Of Hunger In New Haven

by STAFF

New Haven I ndependent

“At times the only thing that was in our house was water and flour. We would mix the water and flour and put it in the oven. And that was breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

So reports Myra Smith, who lives in the Hill.

Smith offers that information in a new mini-documentary released by New Haven’s Data Haven and Purple States. It documents the widespread hunger in New Haven neighborhoods, the links to diabetes and heart disease, and the need to make healthful food affordable, along with the work being done at grassroots to address the challenge.

“At times the only thing that was in our house was water and flour. We would mix the water and flour and put it in the

oven. And that was breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Wanda Perez says in the minidoc. “Healthy food costs so much.”

A month’s worth of food stamps? That can get you through maybe two weeks of such food.

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTOS Pastor Otero and Mayor Elicker select raffle winner.

the pillars indoors as each family sat a seat or two apart.

The church started its in-person church services back up in November after developing a Covid-safe plan. Seating is placed six feet apart indoors. Masks are required. Church staff remain at each entrance and exit to sanitize visitors upon entry. Visitors enter through the side entrance and exit out the front of the building. The worship room is ventilated and disinfected after each service.

The raffle celebration closed the Sunday service.

“I missed the music and energy of church,” Elicker said.

Working Families Party Cites Pandemic In 2021 Legislative Health-Care Push

by DYLAN SLOAN

Connecticut already had racial and economic inequalities and a health care crisis before Covid-19. But the pandemic brought them into relief — and opened a door to change.

So said Roger Senserrich of the Working Families Party, as he discussed the laboraffiliated party’s agenda for the upcoming state legislative session.

Senserrich offered that preview Tuesday during a discussion with host Babz RawlsIvy on WNHH FM’s “Love Babz Love Talk” program.

Health care at the top of that agenda.“It’s not that the virus kills people of color more often, it’s that we have a public health crisis that’s been going on for decades,” Senserrich said.

The party’s 2021 agenda includes passage of a public healthcare option that extends Medicaid, providing hazard pay to health-

10

care workers, and expanding state-funded paid sick days.

‘We learned this year that everyone’s health depends on everyone else’s,” said Senserrich. “If one person is sick and doesn’t have the resources to take time off and has to go to work the next day, they can get a lot of other people sick too.”

The first section of the agenda is entitled “Emergency Care, Now,” and aims to support the “hundreds of thousands of workers in CT [who] have lost jobs and healthcare in 2020 … and people of color [who] have borne the brunt of our economic and public health crisis.”

“When we talk about emergency care now, we are going to target immediate relief for those who have suffered the most,” said Senserrich. “And we know who they are, because we have seen them in our communities. Any relief we do needs to help those who have been hit the hardest. This starts with healthcare. A lot of people lost

their insurance when they lost their jobs.

It quickly became a jobs crisis. So, people lost their care in the middle of the worst health crisis in over a century. We cannot have a healthcare system that works like this.”

The pandemic was the catalyst for addressing three other related “crises,” Senserrich argued: a jobs crisis rooted in economic inequity, a climate crisis, and “our country’s final reckoning with racial inequality.”

“If there’s one thing we learned from this absolutely insane year, it’s that nothing we learned from the pandemic was because of the pandemic,” said Senserrich. “They were reflections of long-existing structural inequalities we have in our country.”

The WFP generally cross-endorses Democrats who back a progressive agenda, though it sometimes runs its own candidates for local office.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

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11

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett Reveals New Details of Trump’s Insurrection Role

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

ya l e i n st i t u t e o f s a c r e d m u s i c joins the

i n n e r city news in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans to the cultural and spiritual life of New Haven and the world.

e v e n t l i st i n g s at ism.yale.edu

Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands) detailed the moment she heard the heart-wrenching call in U.S. Capitol to “lock your doors.”

The Democrat, who serves as the House delegate representing the Virgin Islands, did not realize it at the time, but she was about to assume an important role following the insurrection that occurred in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Rep Plaskett as one of the nine House Impeachment Managers, tasked with representing Congress during the upcoming Senate trial of President Donald Trump on charges of inciting to insurrection.

“It’s an honor to serve in this role,” Congresswoman Plaskett announced during an appearance on the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) “Let It Be Known” breaking news program on Monday, Jan. 18.

Congresswoman Plaskett is viewed by many as a rising star in the Congressional Black Caucus. She serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Congresswoman Plaskett is also a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, where she serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research, and she serves in the Democratic Caucus as a Senior Whip.

According to her official biography, Congresswoman Plaskett sits on the New Democrats Coalition where she co-chairs the Taskforce on Infrastructure.

Congresswoman Plaskett also co-chairs the Congressional Caribbean Caucus.

While the violent mob of insurrectionists were storming the U.S. Capitol, leaving death and destruction in their wake, President Donald Trump telephoned several Congress members urging them to illegally overturn the election so that he can remain in office, Congresswoman Plaskett pronounced.

The disgraced, two-time impeached President refused to call off his mob of supporters as they rummaged through the offices of Senate and House members, defaced the Capitol, and caused the death of a federal police officer and four others.

Another Capitol police officer later committed suicide.

“The volume of information and video is absolutely overwhelming,” Congresswoman Plaskett, stated on “Let It Be Known.”

She said members had spent the past two weeks pouring over large amounts of video and information as they prepare for Donald Trump’s U.S. Senate trial.

“The senators themselves were victims,” Congresswoman Plaskett remarked.

“They received phone calls from Donald Trump in the middle of the riot, not asking about their well-being, but if they would continue to obstruct the election.”

Trump became the first president in history to suffer impeachment twice.

12

When Congress voted to impeach Trump a year ago on charges of obstructing justice and abuse of power, the Republicanled Senate rebuked the House’s move and failed to convict the President.

This time, 10 Republican members of Congress voted with 221 Democrats to impeach Trump.

At least seven GOP Senators have indicated they now support a conviction.

A Senate conviction would prohibit Trump from seeking public office, deprive him of a $1 million annual travel budget and a $250,000 yearly pension.

“Donald Trump touted this [riot] for weeks, for months,” Congresswoman Plaskett asserted. “He invited his supporters to Washington. For months he had been denying the legitimacy of the election, and he invited the rioters to D.C. on the specific date of January 6.

“Not any other day. He knew that on that date, all members of Congress had to carry out their Constitutional duty, their oath of office, to certify the election.”

House impeachment managers act as prosecutors in a Senate trial.

They present the evidence and seek a conviction.

Plaskett called the upcoming Senate trial unique.

“All of us witnessed the crime that we are alleging, and the jurors – members of the Senate – are also the victims of the crime: the attempted insurrection and overthrow of the Democratic process instigated by the President of the United States of America,” Plaskett said.

“We have to make sure that justice is done so that we can truly heal and move forward.

We have never seen anything like this before.

“Other impeachment managers had hurdles. The difference is that we are not trying to tease out circumstantial evidence that individuals are not aware of.

“Everyone has seen the tapes. The volume of information and video is absolutely overwhelming.

“The issue is not only that Donald Trump is found guilty but disqualified to run for office because he continues to present a clear and present danger to the United States.”

Congresswoman Plaskett is viewed by many as a rising star in the Congressional Black Caucus. She serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Con’t on page

Buses Roll

registration number for DS1, does result in a disinfectant approved for use against Covid-19.

In other words, the liquid inside the DS1 bottle is approved by the EPA as a disinfectant that combats Covid-19. It is just listed under a different brand name on the EPA website.

First Student sent further information on their safety protocols, including testing drivers regularly for Covid-19.

“All drivers are regularly tested for COVID-19, in partnership with Community Health Center. Before a driver begins a route, their temperature is taken, and they must pass a health questionnaire supplied by the New Haven Health Department. Our full focus will continue to be on safe, clean and reliable transportation for the students and families we serve,” a First Student spokesperson wrote by email.

Bus driver Will Vidro, whose route is in Shelton, confirmed that the buses get cleaned after every route. He said that he gets paid $15 an hour.

“We are using the proper tools and cleaning supplies. I feel safe on my route. We put down tape on the seats to make sure the kids are social distancing. Each time the bus comes back here after going out on a route, it gets disinfected by the driver, cleaned by a cleaning team, and then it sits for an hour before going out again,” Vidro said.

Another bus driver, Irida Mercedes, was more worried about kids getting Covid-19 at school than on the bus.

John said that she’s the parent of one New Haven Public Schools graduate and one current 10th grader. High schoolers are not part of the in-person school plans yet, but John plans to keep her child learning remotely anyway. She has severe asthma and cannot risk her child bringing Covid-19 home to her.

When asked about other families who might want to send their children to school, John said that other services should be stepping up to deal with child care and give parents income to stay at home. With more rental supplements and other support, bus drivers and other school staff could better choose for themselves whether they feel safe in pandemic-era school.

“Shouldn’t it be their [school staff’s] choice if they want to risk their lives?” John asked.

The current reopening plan allows families to keep their students learning remotely if they so choose.

“Minorities are getting affected most by the virus, and they will be affected most by schools reopening,” said Unidad Latina en Accion organizing director John Lugo.

Protester Clemente Teniza, who works in construction, is taking that remote option.

“I heard about this protest yesterday. I have three kids. One of them is at Career and two go to Betsy Ross [Arts Magnet School].

They were allowed to go to class in person a week ago, and one of them wanted to, but we decided not to let her. I was sick with the virus two months ago, and my wife got really sick. Everyone in the family was really sad,” Teniza said.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

Ex-Michigan Governor Facing Charges in Flint Water Contamination about the indictments and were told to expect initial court appearances soon.

The first crisis came to light on April 25, 2014, when officials sought to cut costs by switching Flint’s drinking water supply from the Detroit city system to the Flint River.

The water proved highly corrosive, and because city and state officials allegedly broke federal law by failing to treat the water properly, lead filtered from pipes into thousands of homes.

When Flint residents complained that their water was brown and contained a foul odor, government officials turned a blind-eye.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Nearly seven years after water provided to the residents of the majority Black city of Flint, Michigan, several officials, including former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, reportedly will face criminal charges.

Snyder, his health director, and other exofficials were informed of the legal development by the state’s Attorney General’s office on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

The news service cited two people with knowledge of the planned prosecution, who said defense lawyers were notified

More residents complained of losing their hair while others developed rashes on their skin.

Celebrities like Russell Simmons, Sean “Puffy” Combs, and Cher delivered gallons of bottled water to desperate residents.

Simultaneously, the now late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, offered hotel stays, meals, and water to those adversely affected.

An outside examination of the water discovered large samples contained lead levels well above the action level for lead established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Some samples revealed lead levels of more than 100 times the action level.

The catastrophe led to more than 9,000 children getting sick and some residents contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

Some officials later admitted that they either knew about the contamination or acted too late.

In addition to Snyder, former health department director Nick Lyon, and other unidentified ex-officials are facing prosecution.

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (Provided by the Office of Governor Rick Snyder / Wikimedia Commons

Stepping Forward Addressing the Impact of COVID and Advancing Racial Equity

New Haven, CT, January 13, 2021. Calling the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial inequity “fundamental challenges to people’s lives in Greater New Haven,” The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (The Foundation) today announced Stepping Forward, a commitment of $26 million to address these issues.

Stepping Forward will include both a major increase over the next three years in The Foundation’s grantmaking and other current spending as well as new monies for endowed funds.

The Foundation anticipates that Stepping Forward will increase its spending in 2021 through 2023 by $15 million over current levels and will add $11 million to its permanent endowment to create three new permanent funds.

Stepping Forward is being funded through an unprecedented supplemental extraction from The Foundation’s discretionary endowments and through donor contributions.

While The Foundation both increased and

accelerated its 2020 grantmaking to meet the challenges of COVID, Stepping Forward will go well beyond what was done in 2020.

“COVID’s impact continues to be devastating,” said William W. Ginsberg, CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. “It poses existential challenges to our local nonprofits and the services they provide. Even beyond that, COVID’s economic impact has greatly increased the numbers of those among us who are vulnerable to hunger, eviction and suffering, and COVID has also exposed the tragic health and education inequities in our community.”

Ginsberg continued: “The racially disparate impacts of COVID together with brutal incidents of anti-Black violence this past year have unleashed powerful new energy for advancing racial equity here in Greater New Haven as elsewhere. The challenges of 2020 have shown us that old ways of doing things are not adequate. To

help our community move forward in these uniquely challenging times, Stepping Forward will support both the change makers and the service providers.”

“When The Foundation was created 93 years ago, its founders wisely envisioned that extraordinary circumstances might arise in the future that would necessitate extraordinary extractions from the endowment,” said Flemming L. Norcott, Jr., Chair of The Foundation’s Board of Directors and retired Connecticut Supreme Court Justice.

“Our Board unanimously believes that we are at such a moment in our community today, and that Stepping Forward strikes the right balance as we seek both to meet today’s urgent needs and to serve the community in perpetuity.”

“The Community Foundation is about promoting greater opportunity and achieving greater equity for the people of our region,” Ginsberg added. “In light of all that has happened in the last year, addressing COVID’s impacts and advancing racial

equity are the essential steps that need to be taken today to expand opportunity and equity in our community for the future.”

Foundation donors are responding generously to Stepping Forward, with nearly $6 million already contributed both for current spending and for new endowments.

The Foundation is launching three new permanent endowments as part of Stepping Forward: the Racial Equity Fund, the Basic Needs Fund and the Civic Awareness and Engagement Fund.

With Stepping Forward The Foundation’s traditional grantmaking programs will be expanded. To meet the changing needs in the community, Stepping Forward will also involve important changes in grantmaking priorities and processes as well as capacity building trainings for nonprofits.

Information about The Foundation’s 2021 grantmaking processes and schedules will be announced during a Grantseeker Webinar on January 14 at 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Interested parties can register for the we-

binar via The Foundation’s website cfgnh. org; a recording will be available to access afterwards.

Stepping Forward will evolve over the next three years as community needs change in response to the changing dynamics of COVID and racial equity. “For us to be as impactful as possible with these additional resources, we know that we need to understand all that is happening in our community,” said Christina Ciociola, the Foundation’s Senior Vice-President for Grantmaking & Strategy. “This means understanding the data. It means listening to those who are on the front lines in battling COVID and in advancing racial equity. It means partnering with others, both new partners and those we have collaborated with for years. It means supporting organizations that we have not traditionally known of or reached. This is how we approached our COVID response in 2020 and it is our commitment for Stepping Forward as well.”

Black Female Security Guard Arrested, Fired For Punching Trump Supporter in Self-Defense

responds by punching the woman in her face.

Another woman who was with Duke, identified as Anne Lorenz, followed Smith and hit her on the back of her head twice. The argument escalated quickly and a larger fight broke out until police officers were able to control it.

Smith has been relieved from her job pending investigation and was charged with simple assault on punching Duke.

Lorenz was charged with simple assault and assault on an officer.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been set up to help raise funds for her legal defense and other essential expenses. So far it has raised more than $200K. “The video makes me look like I am the aggressor, but it does not show what happened prior to my defending myself.

People shoved me, tried to take my phone and keys, yelled racial epithets at me, and tried to remove my mask,” Ashanti said.

“After being assaulted, I defended myself. I am now facing criminal charges.”

BlackNews.com

Nationwide — Ashanti Smith, a 28-year old security guard from Washington, DC, has been charged with assault for punching a Trump supporter on the night before the infamous Capitol riot. She was arrested and relieved from her job even though she acted in defense.

Ashanti, who was unarmed and on break from her security job at that time, said she was acting in self-defense. In the raw video footage, Smith can be seen among the large group of protesters who were screaming racial slurs when some questioned who she was with.

“They didn’t have masks,” she told NBC Washington. “They proceed to try to take my mask off of my face. I was on Instagram live just to protect myself and also show everyone what was going on..”

A pro-Trump protester, identified as Therese Duke by her daughter on Twitter, can be seen on video throwing the first punch at Ashanti’s face. Ashanti then

13

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

Michele Ghee named CEO of EBONY & JET MAGAZINE Ghee vows a rebirth and powerful revitalization for Black media & Black America through her direction of the iconic brand

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19, 2021 / PRNewswire/ -- Bridgeman Sports & Media has installed Michele Ghee as CEO of iconic brands EBONY & JET. This historically rooted brand celebrates 75 years of chronicling Black life in America.

With that, it now embarks on its future with Ghee boldly holding the reigns. A brand known for unapologetically documenting the courageous contribution of Blackness to the American landscape, its new CEO states, “Everything we say will come through the lens of Black journalists. We will ensure there is a safe space for Black journalism to thrive. I’m a little Black girl from Oakland, CA. I’m not apologizing for any of it. Our voices matter. We are History in the making!”

This titan of industry understands the privilege and responsibility of stepping into a leadership role within the culturally embedded Ebony and Jet brands. “Mr. Johnson was a visionary who operated with courage. He made a commitment to the Black American journey and in the process, he left an unforgettable legacy,” says Ghee.

According to the new CEO, Ebony and Jet will hold true to those simple fundamental principles of documenting stories of Black Culture as it raises the brands’ profile to reach a global community. “Our brands’ main responsibility will be to focus completely on what our beloved audience wants and needs with bold informed editorial, brilliant content, and the opportunity to connect with like minded people. Paying homage to Mr. Johnson’s legacy means that my team will carve-out and create our own path. We will NOT succumb to the status quo.”

Of this appointment new owner Eden Bridgeman states, “We are honored to have Michele Ghee at the helm to steward these iconic brands. With a proven track record over a storied career thus far and a passion to bring her life experiences to Ebony and Jet we are excited at the future she will create. The next chapter of Ebony and Jet’s history will be told for generations to come and having her continue to authentically document, innovate, and uplift the culture will be keys to our success.”

Michele Thornton Ghee is proud and honored to serve as the CEO of 1145 Holdings LLC. The company includes all assets related to Ebony and Jet. She is charged with creating the vision and activating the strategy for these iconic brands as she steers them into the 21st century. The Brand value proposition will be embedded in Information|Inspir ation|Inclusion. Ghee has worked in the media and entertainment space for over a quarter of a century. She has generated billions of dollars in revenue while working for some of the most powerful companies in the world including WME,

Biden’s Inauguration Gives Us New Hope And New Energy

By Jesse Jackson On Monday, we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King’s 91st birthday; on Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president, promising change after a dark period of division. Dr. King’s relationship with John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson offers instructive lessons for today’s movement for justice.

Kennedy, inaugurated after eight years of Republican Dwight Eisenhower, brought new energy to Washington. Kennedy favored action on civil rights but was terribly worried that trying to move a civil rights bill would get in the way of the rest of his legislative agenda.

During his campaign, his call to Coretta Scott King when Dr. King was jailed, helped him capture immense Black support in a razor-thin election. Yet, he was wary of King, unhappy that King and the movement kept demonstrating and forcing change.

King appreciated Kennedy but understood the conflicting pressures he faced.

The movement continued independently.

The Freedom Riders in Montgomery, the dogs and water cannons in Birmingham, the sit-in in Jackson forced Kennedy to act. Even then the legislation — and much of Kennedy’s agenda — was stuck in the legislature.

Kennedy’s assassination brought Lyndon Johnson, the master of the Senate, to the presidency. Johnson decided to push Con’t from page 06

Black Americans

helping, let the patient and doctor choose between doing nothing or actively treating.

Positive clinical results and the morality of life and death matter more than crowing about scientific purity.

Dr. Singleton is a board-certified anesthesiologist. She is the immediate past President of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). She graduated from Stanford and earned her MD at UCSF Medical School. Dr. Singleton completed 2 years of Surgery residency at UCSF, then her Anesthesia residency at Harvard’s Beth Israel Hospital. While still working in the operating room, she attended UC Berkeley Law School, focusing on constitutional law and administrative law. She interned at the National Health Law Project and practiced insurance and health law. She teaches classes in the recognition of elder abuse and constitutional law for non-lawyers. She lives in Oakland, Ca.

Michele Ghee CNN, A&E, The History Channel and BET Networks. While at BET, Michele created and ran the first and only network for black women: BETHer. This award-winning titan of industry is an expert in many areas including; leadership, culture, strategy, customer service, revenue generation, diversity, equity and inclusion and relationship building. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband Tony and two kids Taylor and Jordan.

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civil rights legislation and put his enormous skills behind passing it. King conferred with Johnson and helped put pressure on legislators who were reluctant.

King wasn’t simply interested in protest; he wanted a change in policy and was prepared to work with LBJ to get it.

Johnson, like Kennedy, was wary of King. He often besmirched him in private, angry that King would not stop the demonstrations. Again, the movement — this time the dramatic scenes at Selma — forced action, and Johnson rose to the moment, leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The collaboration of Johnson and King, however, soon ended. The Watts Riot angered Johnson who thought blacks should be grateful for what he had done. When Dr. King went public with his opposition to the Vietnam War, the relationship was severed. The FBI under J. Edgar Hoover continued its efforts to discredit and intimidate King.

Today the situation is different. Black voters were critical to Biden’s election victory. He chose Kamala Harris as his vice president. He has reaffirmed his commitment to criminal justice reform, to addressing the continued disparities in education, housing, health care and opportunity. What African Americans still seek is an even playing field. On economic justice issues, our agenda speaks to all: the right to a job, the right to health care, the right to a high-quality education, retirement security. To drive reform, the lessons of the 1960s still apply.

The movement for justice must continue to organize nonviolent protest, challenging the entrenched systemic racism that still pervades our institutions. It must continue to build, as Dr. King did, a poor people’s campaign across lines of race and region. The movement can’t follow Biden’s timetable; it must continue to build on its own agenda. There should be no reluctance to work with Biden to help pass critical reforms, but at the same time, the pressure for outside must continue to build for there to be any hope of change.

The 1960s offer another caution: the war on poverty, the progress on civil rights, was lost in the jungles of Vietnam, as that war consumed resources and attention as well as lives. While Biden’s domestic pledges offer hope, he inherits a country mired in endless wars and gearing up for a new cold war with both Russia and China. Once more, follies abroad may sap the energy needed to rebuild at home. Once more, the movement for justice must not be silent about the administration’s priorities.

Biden’s inauguration offers new hope and new energy. He inherits severe crises — the pandemic, mass unemployment, extreme inequality, the climate crisis, racial upheaval. He’ll need all the help he can get. And the best way the movement can help is to keep on keeping on.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

WORLD channel picks up public affairs series beginning January 2021

The Chavis Chronicles Kicks Off the New Year

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The Chavis Chronicles kicks off the new year with its debut on WORLD, the 24/7 full service multicast channel featuring public television’s signature nonfiction documentary, science and news programming. WORLD has begun airing the series weekly on Sundays at 11 AM Eastern Time (10 AM Central Time and 8 AM Pacific Time). On WORLD, The Chavis Chronicles joins other stellar content such as PBS NewsHour, Frontline, and American Experience. It can also be seen on public television stations around the country (check worldchannel.org or local listings for dates and times).

The The Chavis Chronicles Kicks Off the New Year WORLD channel picks up public affairs series beginning January 2021 is a thought-provoking television series featuring interviews with leaders, health professionals, politicians, scientist, cultural figures, influencers and celebrities from around the globe. Hosted by civil rights icon Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the series goes beyond the headlines to offer profound insights on matters that impact the public, and provides a unique perspective from a renowned living legend of the African American community.

Chavis Chronicles

Produced by Clara Wilkerson of CRW Worldwide, The Chavis Chronicles is presented and distributed nationally by American Public Television.

Dr. Chavis reflects, “We are honored that The Chavis Chronicles is now being carried on the prestigious WORLD channel. We are committed to engaging all Americans, as well as others throughout the world, in public television discussions that are vital, transformative and relevant

to the present and future issues of social and racial justice, education, world health, environment and climate change, innovations in technology, economic and political empowerment.”

Clara Wilkerson, executive producer and owner of the Emmy and international FREDDIE award-winning digital media, film, and communications company, CRW Worldwide, Inc., added “We feel privileged and humbled by the opportu-

16

nity to provide programming addressing issues of importance to communities of color – topics that are frequently ignored by mainstream media.”

Among the guests who have already appeared on the show are Representative James E. Clyburn (D- S.C.), Majority Whip, the third-ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives; Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; NAACP President Derek Johnson; Dr.

Glenda Baskin Glover, President of Tennessee State University; Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, president of HBCU Howard University; Major Neill Franklin, Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP); Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC); Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Chair and President, of the National Council of Negro Women; Dr. Lezli Baskerville, President of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education; and singer, songwriter, and producer Ziggy Marley, an eight-time Grammy and Emmy winner and the son of legendary singer Bob Marley.

Wilkerson continued, “We have a lot on the horizon, especially with the new administration and other seismic, historic changes taking place. We have the three big Ps. The pandemic, protests, and poverty in America, and it all happened like lightening. Our job is to educate with eloquence and entertain. We use a wideangle lens to showcase the lives of African Americans and other communities of color. It’s actually a profile of America.

That’s why we call the program The Chavis Chronicles.”

More about The Chavis Chronicles at https://thechavischronicles.com/

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

Vaccine Distribution Another Example of White Privilege

Black Americans Vaccinated at Far Lower Rate

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two new vaccines to combat the coronavirus, the initial concern was whether African Americans would accept vaccination.

The rollout of the medicine from Pfizer and Moderna featured heavy promotion.

High-profile African Americans like former President Barack Obama, National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Coronavirus Task Force Member Dr. Ebony Hilton, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson received their shots publicly.

An African American nurse in New York earned distinction as the first person in the country to receive a vaccination, and Meharry Medical College President Dr. James Hildreth, a Black man, sat on the FDA board that approved the vaccines.

Now, concern has shifted from whether African Americans will accept the vaccine.

Many now wonder whether doses would be available to the Black community.

A new Kaiser Family Foundation report has revealed that African Americans are getting vaccinated at much lower rates than whites.

The report, released on Saturday, Jan. 16, shows that in 16 U.S. states where the vaccine is available, white residents are being vaccinated by as much as three times higher than African Americans.

One example is Pennsylvania, where 1.2 percent of white residents had been vaccinated, compared with just 0.3 percent of African Americans in the Keystone State.

Kaiser Family Foundation researchers noted that vaccine distribution is supposed to align with healthcare and frontline workers’ demographics, presumably making the vaccine equally available to all races.

Some have hinted the lack of vaccine access is rooted in racism – not an unwillingness of minorities to get vaccinated.

Dr. Taison Bell, of the University of Virginia, told NBC News that he was “horrified to discover that members of envi-

demic continuing unabated as cases and deaths increase, and a more contagious variant of the virus spreads, there is a greater focus on vaccine distribution troubles,” Kaiser Family Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman wrote.

The covid-19 vaccine distribution effort is in trouble, Altman demurred.

ronmental services — the janitorial staff — did not have access to hospital email.”

Hospital staff receives its vaccination information via email, Dr. Bell stated.

“That’s what structural racism looks like,” Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told NBC. “Those groups were seen and not heard — nobody thought about it.”

As of Jan. 16, the U.S. had surpassed more than 23.3 million total cases and 388,700 deaths due to the pandemic, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis, African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are dying from COVID-19 nearly three times the rate of white people.

“With the country’s coronavirus pan-

According to federal data, only about a third of the more than 25 million doses distributed nationwide have been given to people.

“Hundreds of different distribution programs are being organized across states and counties for frontline health workers, residents of long-term care facilities, the elderly and others that states are prioritizing in different sequences,” Altman continued.

“The country needs a distribution strategy that our fragmented, multilayered healthcare system can effectively implement. This will require more federal direction, a simpler priority structure, and a different role for the states.”

Three New Variants of COVID-19 Discovered All over the World

by Dr. Maya Johnston-Stone, BlackDoctor.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has gone on for over a year and has quite frankly made many Americans experience pandemic burnout” or “pandemic fatigue.” We are not used to wearing masks regularly, always maintaining a social distance from people, washing our hands and sanitizing frequently. Perhaps the worst offender has been being locked inside our homes for days, usually spending most of that time in front of a screen. As the global pandemic approaches its one-year mark, it is entirely natural to feel burnout and fatigue from these precautions and restrictions, But experts are saying that we need to be more diligent in our fight because new strains of the virus have surfaced all over the world. To better understand how this is happening, we need to first understand what is a new strain compared to a new variant.

“A strain of a virus has distinct properties and a particular immune response.

Then there’s going to be lots and lots of variants which will be, in many cases, minor accumulations of mutations and different kind of genetic lines of that strain,” Jean-Paul Soucy, a PhD student at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, explained to CTVNews in Canada.

Soucy said a certain strain of virus is considered a variant when it has enough

mutations to change a minor portion of its genetic code. He says the most recent variant found in the U.K. meets that benchmark.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is a type of coronavirus, a large family of viruses. Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes on their surfaces. Scientists monitor changes in the virus, including changes to the spikes on the surface of the virus. These studies, including genetic analyses of the virus, are helping us understand how changes to the virus might affect how it spreads and what happens to people who are infected with it.

Multiple COVID-19 variants have been

found and are circulating globally. Here are the three that we know most about so far: In the United Kingdom (UK), a new variant called B.1.1.7 has emerged with an unusually large number of mutations.

This variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants. According to U.K. researchers, the B.1.1.7 variant is up to 70 percent more transmissible because of its ability to have 22 coding changes to the virus genome. The new variant has since been found in other countries around the world, including Canada, France, Japan, Israel, Sweden and recently the U.S. Currently, there is

17

no evidence that it causes more severe illness or increased risk of death. This variant was first detected in September 2020 and is now highly prevalent in London and southeast England.

In South Africa, another variant called 1.351 has emerged independently of the variant detected in the UK. This variant, originally detected in early October, shares some mutations with the variant detected in the UK. There have been cases caused by this variant outside of South Africa, but it has not been detected in the US. In Brazil, a variant called P.1 emerged and was identified in four travelers from Brazil, who were tested during routine screening at Haneda airport outside Tokyo, Japan. This variant contains a set of additional mutations that may affect its ability to be recognized by antibodies.

This variant has not been detected in the US. Currently, there is no evidence that these variants cause more severe illness or increased risk of death. However, an increase in the number of cases will put more strain on health care resources, lead to more hospitalizations, and potentially more deaths.

The new, more transmissible variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 in the U.S. (B.1.1.7) could sweep North America in the coming weeks and become the dominant strain as soon as March 2021, leading to a new surge of cases through the spring, the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention warned Friday.

The CDC believes the variant, known as B117, is still circulating at low levels in the U.S. Only 76 infections caused by the new variant have been detected, in 12 states, though testing for it has not been routinely conducted. CDC officials acknowledge the variant is likely more widespread here than is currently recognized.

Rigorous and increased compliance with public health mitigation strategies, such as vaccination, physical distancing, use of masks, hand hygiene, and isolation and quarantine, will be essential to limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and protecting public health. Research done by CDC scientists suggests that unless the pace of vaccination of the population increases dramatically and people adhere stringently to Covid-19 control measures, the new variant will spread rapidly.

Incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain said the coronavirus pandemic will get worse before it gets better, projecting another 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the first five weeks of President-elect Joe Biden’s administration.

Biden has set a goal of injecting 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in his first 100 days in office, a goal Klain said they were on pace to meet.

Klain added he believed there was enough supply of the pair of vaccines currently granted emergency approval to ensure that those who have received their first shot will get the required second.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

Construction

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide.

Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license retraining on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT quired. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Contact: Tom Dunay Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

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Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Phone: 243-2300 HOME INC, on behalf of860Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, Drug Free Workforce is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develEmail: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com opment& located at 108 Frank Street, Haven. Maximum Women Minority Applicants are New encouraged to apply income limitations apply.Affi Pre-applications willEqual be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y State of Connecticut rmative Action/ Opportunity Employer 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Office of Policy been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed pre- and Management Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Incoffices seeks: applications must be returned to HOME INC’s at 171 Orange Street, Third Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the NorthThe State of Connecticut, Office of east & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Policy and Management is recruiting for

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Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES Email: rick.tou-

Further information regarding the duties, signant@garrityasphalt.com eligibility HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, estárequirements and application Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply instructions are available at: aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando https://www.jobapscloud.com/ Martes 25 CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en lasTrailer oficinasDriver de HOME INC. & Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas petición Tractor for Heavy Highway Construction Equip- por correo a201214&R2=5257MP&R3=001 llamando HOME INCLicense, al 203-562-4663 duranterecord, esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse ment.

Must ahave a CDL clean driving capable of State of Connecticut is an equal . a las oficinas de equipment; HOME INCbe enwilling 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, 06510 operating heavy to travel throughout theNew Haven , CTThe opportunity/affirmative action employer Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

Union Company seeks:

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Professional Construction Program Services All new apartments, new appliances, new Management carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 New Haven Parking Authority Capital Projects highways, near bus stop & shopping center New Haven, CT Pet under 40lb allowed.NHPA Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 Project #20-055

Proposals due February 10, 2021 at 3:00 P.M.

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. Proposal Documents will be available beginning January 20, 2021 at no cost by email(203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

ing Fortunata Houde, Executive Secretary at fhoude@nhparking.com .

St. New Haven, CT

New Haven Parking Authority is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Computer Technician I

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour

The Town of Wallingford Public Schools is seeking a skilled individual to provide until 3:00 pm oninTuesday, 2, 2016 at its officeof at 28 SmithperipherStreet, technical assistance the setup, August installation, and maintenance computers, CT for 06483 for Concrete Repairs andanReplacement the als,Seymour, and software the school district. Sidewalk The position requires A.S. degree inatcomputer technology or related field, plus 3 years’ experience troubleshooting and repairSmithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour. ing PC/Windows compatible computers, printers and related peripherals. CompTIA Network+ certification, Microsoft MCP, or similar certification preferred. Experience A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis. Wages: $22.02 hourly plus an Street fringe Seymour, CT at 10:00Apply am, on July 20, 2016. excellent benefi t package. to: Wednesday, Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Fax #: (203) 294-2084.

The closing documents date will be February 8, 2021 or the the 50th application is received, Bidding are available from thedate Seymour Housing Authority Ofwhichever rst. EOE fice, 28 occurs SmithfiStreet, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Construction Administrative ceorPosition.

FT-Exp The Housing Authority reserves the right toOffi accept reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive required.Email- Hherbert@ gwfabrication.comany informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the Housing Authority.

Part-time, non-benefited $16.52 hourly

Pre-employment drug testing.

For details and how to apply go to www.bloomfieldct.org AA/EOE

Town of Bloomfield

Lead Building Maintainer-Facilities $31.98 hourly

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE. For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.gov

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES Invitation for Bids Cornell Scott Ridge II 425B Eastern Street Fire Damage The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Cornell Scott Ridge II 425B Eastern Street Fire Damage. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

Youth & Family Worker

Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 3:00PM.

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

NEW HAVEN

Town of Bloomfield

Invitation for Bids

Invitation to Bid: Lead Abatement at McConaughy Terrace nd Notice

Town of Bloomfield2

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is curSAYEBROOKE VILLAGE rently seeking Bids for Lead Abatement at McConaughy Terrace. A complete copy of

Lead Building Maintainer - Facilities

the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Old Saybrook, CT Full Time - Benefited Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on (4 Buildings, 17 Units) $31.26 hourly

Taxdrug Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project Pre-employment testing.

Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 3:00PM. For more details, visit our website – www.bloomfiWood eldct.org New Construction, Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast-

in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, ELM CITY COMMUNITIES Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. Invitation for Bids Seeking qualified condidates to fill This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. numerous vacancies to include, Snow Removal Services at McConaughy Terrace Benefits & Pension Coordinator Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 and more. For information and The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is curAnticipated Start: rently Augustseeking 15, 2016Bids for snow removal services at McConaughy Terrace. A complete detailed application instructions, copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor ColProject documents available via ftp link below: visit www.ci.milford.ct.us laboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginhttp://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Click on SERVICES, JOBS and ning on JOB TITLE. Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 3:00PM. Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

CITY OF MILFORD

QSR

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 STEELHaynes CORPORATION AA/EEO EMPLOYER

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

18

Meter Technician – Electric Utility

Meter Technician A – The Wallingford Electric Division is seeking a highly qualified individual

to perform skilled work on alternating current and direct current circuits, metering devices and meter equipment. Requires graduation from a high school, trade, or technical school with course of study in the electrical field and 4 years of experience as a meter technician in an electric utility or related experience. Experience and training may be substituted on a year for year basis up to 2 years. Must have a valid State of CT Driver’s License. $36.34 to $38.65 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package.

Apply to: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. (203) 294-2080. Fax #: (203) 294-2084. Closing date will be January 29, 2021. EOE.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January , 2021 - January 26, 2021 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27,20 2016 - August 02, 2016

Healthy Older Volunteers Needed For a Blood Specimen Collection Clinical Research Trial.

NOTICE ONE Visit And Receive a Gift Card Up to $75 Upon Completion.

Call Chase Medical Research in Hamden,AVAILABLE CT VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS at 203-419-4404 For More Information.

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Shop Welder/Fabricator: Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is lookbeen received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon reing for shop welder/fabricators. Individual will be required to weld, cut and fabricate quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed presteel and aluminum products. Must be able to read basic drawings and fill out daily applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third reports. All necessary equipment provided. Required to pass a physical and drug test. A Floor, Haven, CT 06510. valid CT New driver's license, OSHA 10 card and DOT Medical Card also required. Medical, holiday, vacation & other benefits included. Starting pay based on experience level.

We are an AA/EOE company. Send resumes/inquiries to: pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com.

NOTICIA

Assistant Production Manager

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está

Large CT Fence and Guiderail Contractor looking for an experienced Assistant Proaceptando pre-solicitudes apartamentos shop de un and dormitorio en este desarrollo duction Manager to assist para withestudios vehicley inspections, yard management, and ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven.

Se aplican limitaciones ingresos support of daily operations of residential and commercial fence divisions.deDuties inmáximos.

Las pre-solicitudes estaráncontrol disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. activities, comenzando Martes 25 clude: Monitor and manage quality for shop and yard including lahasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes 100) borjulio, hour2016 utilization, Process staff paperwork in a timely manner,(aproximadamente Assist with Inventory en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas porSuperintendents correo a peticiónto Management, Attend daily meetings with Scheduling Manager and llamando HOME INC 203-562-4663 durante esasand horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse plan future amaterial and al production requirements participate in weekly sales meeta las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orangeand Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 . ings.

Qualifications: Previous construction personnel supervisory experience, Valid CT Driver’s License, DOT Medical Card, Demonstrate good time management skills, OSHA 10 certification and required to pass a physical and drug test. Medical, holiday, vacation & other benefits included. Starting pay based on experience level. We are an AA/EOE company. Submit resumes to: gforshee@atlasoutdoor.com.

HAVEN Fence Installers: LargeNEW CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for

Fence Installation Crews. Crews must have at least 5Ave years of experience installing 242-258 Fairmont chain link, wood, PVC and ornamental iron fencing. Work available 10-12 months per 2BR 1.5 BA, 3BR,provided.

1 level , 1BA year, highest labor Townhouse, rates paid. All necessary equipment Medical, holiday, vacation & included. be able to pass required physical drug test.

Allother new benefits apartments, newMust appliances, new carpet, close to I-91and & I-95 An OSHA 10 Certification is required.

A valid driver's license highways, near bus stopCT & shopping centeris required and must get DOT Medical Card. Foreman rate starts at $29.50 / hour plus benefits. Helper rate Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 starts $19.10 / hour plus benefits. Bonuses paid weekly for jobs completed under budgeted labor hours. Potential to double hourly rate. We are an AA/EOE company. Send resumes/inquiries rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com.

CT. Unified Deacon’sto: Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contrac(203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

Fence Erecting Subcontractors:

tor is looking for Experienced Fence Subcontractors with at least 5 years of experience New Haven, CT in St. commercial fence. Work available 10-12 months per year, highest labor rates paid.

OHSA 10 safety training required and valid CT driver’s license. Rates start at $39.60 / hour for Non-Rate work and $55.00/ hour for Davis Bacon projects. Must have a reliable truck, proper insurance coverage and your own tools. We are an AA/EOE company.

Send resumes/inquiries to: rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until Worker: 3:00 pm onLarge Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Yard CT Fence Company is looking for individuals for our stock yard.

We are CT looking for for individuals with previous Repairs warehouse receiving and Seymour, 06483 Concrete Sidewalk andshipping, Replacement at the forklift experience. Must have a minimum of 3 years of material handling experience.

Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Duties include: Loading and unloading trucks, Fulfilling orders for installation and retail counter sales, Maintaining a clean and organized environment, Managing inventory A pre-bid conference willpanels be held the Housing Authority Office 28diploma Smith control and Delivering fence and at products.

Qualifications: High School orStreet equivalent, Must be to read/write demonstrate good time management Seymour, CTable at 10:00 am, onEnglish, Wednesday, July 20, 2016. skills, able to read a tape measure, have the ability to lift 70 pounds and have forklift experience. Must have a valid CT Driver’s License, Obtain DOT Medical Card, and Bidding documents Seymour HousingDriver’s Authority Ofpass company physical are and available drug test. from Class the A CDL (Commercial License) and Class B CDL a plus.

We are an AA/EOE company.

Send resumes/inquiries to: fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

DELIVERY PERSON

Computerized Accounting System

NEEDED

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

(203) 387-0354

New Haven Parking Authority New Haven, CT

Proposals due January 29, 2021 at 3:00 P.M. EDT Proposal Documents will be available beginning January 8, 2021 at no cost by emailing Paul Wydra, Director of Finance at pwydra@nhparking.com.

NHPA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

APARTMENTS FOR RENT

POLICE OFFICER City of Bristol

241 Quinnipiac Avenue, New Haven

$67,170 - $81,648

Spacious 2 bedroom townhouses with hardwood floors. 1.5 baths. Select with basements and washer/dryer hookups. On-site laundry facility. Off street parking. Close proximity to restaurants, shopping centers and on bus line. No pets. Security deposit varies. $1,425-$1,450 includes heat, hot water and cooking gas. Section 8 welcome.

Call Christine 860-985-8258.

DEADLINE: 12-13-20 EOE

Construction Administrative Office Position. FT-Exp required.Email- Hherbert@ gwfabrication.com

Required testing, registration info & apply at www.bristolct.gov

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Electric

Meterman Helper - Apprentice Meter Technician - Trainee position involved in the instal-

lation, maintenance and repair of electrical metering equipment for a municipal electric utility. Requires a H.S./trade school diploma or an equivalent in experience and training. $26.27 to $34.95 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. The closing date for applications is January 29, 2021 or the date we receive the twenty-fifth (25) application whichever occurs first. Apply: Human Resources Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080 Fax: (203)294-2084. EOE.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY Waiting List Opening- Studio

KMK Insulation Inc. SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

1907 Hartford Turnpike Effective Tuesday, January 5th, 2021, the Wallingford Housing Authority (WHA) will open the zero (0) North Haven, CT 06473 Old Saybrook, CTbedroom studio waitlist for its McKenna Court Federal Elderly/Disabled housing proThe closing date for the Waiting List will be Friday, March 5th, 2021 at 3 p.m. Following Mechanical Insulator position.

(4 Buildings,gram.

17 Units) the closing date, each applicant’s Waiting List position will be determined by a lottery selection Insulation company offering good pay Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Rate Projecttenant Selection Plan. All applications must be complete with copies of as setWage forth in the WHA’s and benefits. Please mail resume to all required documentation attached. Applications must be signed & dated by all adult members above address. MAIL ONLY of the applicant household 18 years of age and older. All applications & documentation must are an AA/EO Employer NewWe Construction, Wood Framed, Housing,beSelective Demolition, Site-work, postmarked or date-stamped at theCastWallingford Housing Authority on or before March 5th,

at 3:00Vinyl PM. Siding, in-place Concrete, Asphalt2021 Shingles, LEGAL NOTICE of10 Specialties,FAXED Flooring, Painting, Division Appliances, Residential OR EMAILED APPLICATIONSCasework, WILL BE ACCEPTED. WHA WILL NOT MAKE COPIES OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

TOWN OFMechanical, PORTLAND, CT Due to the pandemic, the Housing Authority is currently closed to the public, however, applications can be obtained at Town of Portland has amended its Citizen Partici45 Tremper Drive compliance Wallingford, CTrequirements.

06492 in person by appointment request only. To request an application by mail/ or This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract pation Plan for the purpose of informing the public about its intent to apply for CDBG, Covid-19 funding. For a copy of the amended Plan go to www. portlandct.org.

fax, please call 203-269-5173. The fax number is (203) 269-5150 and the email address is info@wallingfordha.com.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Project documents available via ftp link below: Waiting List Opening- 1 Bedroom http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED

Effective Tuesday, January 5th, 2021, the Wallingford Housing Authority (WHA) will open the one (1) bedroom waitlist for its McKenna Court Federal Elderly/Disabled housing program. The Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com closing date for the Waiting List will be Friday, March 5th, 2021 at 3 p.m. Following the closing each &applicant’s Waiting List position will be determined by a lottery selection as set forth HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran,date, S/W/MBE Section 3 Certified Businesses in the WHA’s tenant CT Selection Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, 06483 Plan. All applications must be complete with copies of all required documentation attached. Applications must be signed & dated by all adult members of the appliAA/EEO EMPLOYER cant household 18 years of age and older. All applications & documentation must be postmarked Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week, or date-stamped at the Wallingford Housing Authority on or before March 5th, 2021 at 3:00 PM. Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

(203) 387-0354 19

Si tiene dificultades para entender el inglés, llame a nuestra oficina para solicitar una traducción.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

U.S. Attorney Seeking Sedition and Conspiracy

Con’t from page 03

MLK Celebration Revels In The Words Of Kings Charges in Aftermath of Capitol Riot

Dr. King was “just starting to get a national reputation” when he visited the church that evening, Graves said. But he was already an electrifying speaker. “Even though I was nine years old, I distinctly remember him saying, ‘strive to be the best you can be. If you can’t be a tree, be a bush. If you can’t be the moon, be a star…. Prepare yourself ow for the future.

Study hard every day. Be the best you can be every day.”

“In their wisdom again,” Graves’s parents “took me up to the pulpit to shake the hand” of Martin Luther King, Jr. “He looked me in the eye,” Graves said. “Not many people are alive who can tell that story.” And, he continued, “I’m mindful of how that day, hearing him speak, has influenced me and motivated me and inspired me to this very day, just as my parents motivated me.” That motivation took him to Tufts for college and to Georgetown for law school. He served under four different mayors in New Haven and is now a probate judge. “I owe that again to a legacy of striving to be an eagle, the motivation instilled in me.”

“That’s why this weekend is so important to me,” Graves said. “Be the change that you seek. Be the best you can be. Be that eagle, and live up to the legacy of Dr. King.”

He finished with the words of Frederick Douglass. Records suggest he was a “great orator,” Graves said. “Many people compare him to Dr. King. But his words more than his oratory speak to us today.”

He quoted from Douglass then: “If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

Graves paused. “Amen,” he concluded. “The words of Frederick Douglass.”

Graves’s story found a common theme with that of a panel discussion called “Social Injustices: Black Librarians as Change Agents.”

To a large virtual audience, members of the Connecticut affiliate of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association used quotes and thoughts of Dr. King as a starting point to talk about the principles that guide then as information specialists. In doing so, they revealed libraries as more than just repositories of information, but as community hubs, places that are there to help.

“We are the Black librarians who have given away many books” at the Peabody in the past, explained Astoria Ridley, from the New Haven Law Library in the New Haven Courthouse. “Today a few of our members will share their social justice perspectives.”

The librarians began by talking about economic justice. “As a people we have to keep moving forward,” Ridley said, emphasizing the importance of working for progress incrementally as well as working for breakthroughs. “If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk, then

crawl,” she said. Though Vivian Bordeaux, from Bridgeport Public Library, pointed out the systemic issues that progress on social issues faced. “It is a crime,” she said, for people to be paid “starvation wages” in a country as wealthy as the United States. “Equality demands dignity, and dignity demands a job and paycheck that lasts more than a week.”

The panel moved to the theme of Black selflove, responding to a quote from Dr. King that “an individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” Or, as Ridley put it, “we are not independent. We are interdependent.” For the librarians on the panel, the kind of rising above Dr. King talked about was rooted in love. According to Robert Kinney of the Connecticut State Library, that began with love and respect for oneself. Elise Browne, from the J. Eugene Smith Library at Eastern Connecticut State University stressed the importance of education. “That is love of the family,” she said; Black people “are all in the same boat, still fighting to overcome systemic racism, still trying to entire equal opportunity, and trying to teach our children are values and cultural heritage.” Dr. King emphasize how “becoming intelligent is part of the development of your character. In schools we should be learning how to think critically — not what to think, but how to think.”

An audience member asked how Black librarians could address social injustices. “We’re information specialists,” Bordeaux said. “What we try to do is to share whatever information we have with those in the community we provide services to. We’re learning as we share that information.”

“Librarians are educators,” Browne said. “We foster curiosity. We supply the materials when people are searching for something. We’re aware of the resources that are vastly available in libraries and other institutions. We really want to empower communities with all the resources we have at our disposal. It’s our energy and our mission.”

This turned the panel to the ethics that motivated their actions. “You have to have morals

because you have to know how to treat people and how to treat yourself,” Ridley said. “It’s not just being smart. Anyone can be smart. It’s how you use your education. As librarians we are continuously encouraging people that they can do it.” At the law library in the New Haven courthouse, where she works, “there is so much help we give patrons to represent themselves,” she said. “It’s our job to make sure people are feeling good about themselves and confident. But you got to want to read.”

Bordeaux agreed that the librarians’ mission lay in “empowering the communities we serve by sharing our resources.” She emphasized that “the majority of the resources we have are free” — books and e-books, which were becoming more diverse, representing a wider array of perspectives, all the time.

On the theme of environmental justice, the panel began with a quote from Dr. King that “lightning makes no sound until it strikes.”

“We’ve done so much to hurt the environment,” Browne said. “I think we all need to encourage each other to do what we can.

Think about what you do with waste material. Do you compost?... If you have trash, you don’t throw it on the ground. You carry it until you get to the trash can. We all have a role to play in improving the environment. For the justice to occur, it has to occur in communities all around. We can make our own community cleaner by setting an example. Don’t let your nephew through that paper out the car window.”

An audience member asked if the librarians could recommend any specific techniques — or if they had stories to share — regarding the furthering of social justice through their work.

Kinney recalled a time earlier in his career, working in a branch library.

“There was a family that was in need of food.

We came together and were able to support that family,” Kinney said. The family’s kids came into the library all the time. “My director allowed me to reach out to this family and provide some assistance.”

Browne similarly recalled working in a branch library in a primarily Spanish-speaking neighborhood. Parents came in with their children, “new to the area in Hartford.” She worked with community workers to put together a tour of the library in Spanish, which “is not my first language,” she said. The families “were pleased to see me struggle with Spanish as they struggled with English” — and they encouraged her just as she encouraged them.

From the Wilson Branch Library in the Hill to the Bridgeport library where she worked, Bordeaux said, “there are different community libraries that have opened their doors. They have provided spaces for children ... spaces and services provided for those who are looking for it. It’s free and we’re there.” She mentioned that “we do also go out,” through bookmobiles and school programs. “We go out and we enjoy doing it. We really enjoy doing it.”

Browne mentioned that, at a farmer’s market, she saw “the bookmobile was distributing not just books, but cans of soup ... not just information, but things people can really use.”

The pandemic has made it much more difficult for patrons to go to the library, and librarians, like many institutions, were still wrestling with the digital divide. But Browne exhorted the audience to still “use your library because it will take you so far.”

“Thank you!” one audience member typed in the meeting’s chat box. “The library was my favorite place growing up and still is today.

Thank you all for what you do.”

20

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Sedition and conspiracy are among the most severe charges federal prosecutors said they were looking into in the aftermath of the domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said while some misdemeanor charges are only acting as placeholders until more information is gathered, some involved in the insurrection – directly or indirectly – may well face severe counts of sedition and conspiracy.

According to Findlaw.com, sedition is defined as an act of revolt or violence against a lawful authority to destroy or overthrow it.

A conviction on sedition charges can result in a 20-year prison sentence.

The general conspiracy statute provides a maximum punishment of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“We are resolutely committed to upholding the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment, including speech, peaceful assembly, and press, and we will investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable anyone who attempts to obstruct or curtail these freedoms through violence or intimidation,” Sherwin pronounced.

The prosecutor said the Department of Justice had created a specialized task force that “will look at everything from travel to movement” of the individuals involved.

“The range of criminal conduct is unmatched,” he declared.

The FBI has warned government officials of plans for armed protests at most state capitols and Washington, D.C., leading up to the inauguration.

Authorities also released photos of a suspect wanted in connection to the death of U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.

Another officer, Howard Liebengood, committed suicide. At the same time, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said preparation is underway for an unprecedented military presence during the Jan. 21 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Milley said a message had been sent to the entire military force ahead of the inauguration.

The message was intended to remind military personnel of their responsibility to defend the Constitution.

“Homeland Security must adjust its approach to the inauguration in several specific ways,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote in a letter this week to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.

“There must be a federal force deployment [plan] for all U.S. government property,” Bowser demanded.

Protesters gathering outside the Capitol; Donald Trump speaking to supporters at the “Save America” rally; crowd is appearing to retreat from tear gas; tear gas being deployed outside the Capitol Building; A crowd pressing into the Capitol at the Eastern entrance/Tyler Merbler via Wikimedia commons.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

FBI Vetting Troops Before Inauguration

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The planning and push to secure President-elect Joe Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris’ inauguration includes the vetting of those employed to keep them safe.

U.S. defense officials have expressed deep concerns about a possible insider attack and threat from service members, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The report claimed that the FBI has vetted all of the 25,000 National Guard troops expected in the nation’s capital for the inauguration.

The news wire service cited concerns that “gripped Washington following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump insurrectionists.

“And it underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect the city over the next several days could present a threat to the incoming president and other VIPs in attendance,” the Associated

Press noted.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press that officials are conscious of the potential threat, and he warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the

inauguration approaches.

“We’re continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation,” McCarthy said in an interview after he and other military leaders

went through an exhaustive, three-hour security drill in preparation for Wednesday’s inauguration.

He told the Associated Press that Guard members are also getting training on how to identify potential insider threats.

About 25,000 members of the National Guard are expected in Washington from across the country — at least two and a half times the number for previous inaugurals.

The report further noted that while the military routinely reviews service members for extremist connections, the FBI screening is in addition to any previous monitoring.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had urged law enforcement to vigilantly work to sniff out potential violent plots by insurrectionists and other nefarious actors.

The had also expressed concern over whether some would attempt to disrupt the inauguration. Bowser has demanded unprecedented protection for the event.

“Homeland Security must adjust its approach to the inauguration in several specific ways,” Bowser wrote in a letter this month to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.

“There must be a federal force deployment [plan] for all U.S. government property,” Bowser demanded.

First Black Woman to Receive a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering at Univ. of South Florida

By BlackNews.com

Tampa Bay, FL — Dr. Shamaria Engram has become the first Black woman to graduate from the Computer Science and Engineering doctoral program at the University of South Florida since the program launched 40 years ago.

Almost all her life, Engram has been used to being the only Black person in the room. She graduated from Strawberry Crest High, a predominantly white high school, before attending an HBCU, Bethune Cookman University, for her undergraduate studies.

“You kind of have to put on this face because you don’t want someone to look at you differently. You want them

to consider you as smart as everyone else in the room. I went to an HBCU, and at first, it was a culture shock because I went to a predominantly white high school,” Engram told WFLA. When she enrolled at USF, she was again the only Black woman in the Computer Science program in the first two years. At that time, she experienced discrimination such as being ignored in group works and some academic conferences.

Despite that, she kept going. She founded the National Society of Black Engineers with other minority students and they helped each other persevere.

She was also inspired when she knew a year before her graduation that she would be making history as the first

Black woman to graduate from the program.

“That motivated me to keep on pushing. I can’t be the first one and stop.

The Ph.D. is hard, and with me being the only Black woman in this department, you don’t have a lot of people to talk to about your research that get you culturally,” Engram said.

Now with a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering, Engram works as a Technical Staff job at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Massachusetts.

She hopes to also inspire other Black people, especially Black women.

“I think it makes me work harder to get more people in this field that look like me because it’s definitely uncomfortable at this time,” she added.

Kim Janey Poised to Become Boston’s First Ever Black Female Mayor confident in facing the city’s challenges head-on since then.

Under the rules of the city of Boston, the council president would serve as the acting mayor should the role become vacant until a new election.

If Walsh resigns before March 5, a special election would be necessary within 120 to 140 days from his resignation. If he leaves after March 5, Janey would serve as the acting mayor until the new election in November.

However, Councilor Ricardo Arroyo said he is seeking to eliminate the

By BlackNews.com

Boston, MA — Kim Janey, the current city council president of Boston, is set to become the first Black person and the first woman to serve as the city’s mayor. The news comes after Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh has been chosen by President-elect Joe Biden as his labor secretary.

Janey has been serving in the city council since 2017 and was chosen as the city council president in January 2019. She has proven to have been

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need for a special election regardless of when Walsh resigns to avoid more costs and risk, especially during the pandemic. The petition has yet been approved by the state legislature.

Meanwhile, Janey, who is 56-years old, is expected to bring remarkable developments in Boston, which is still struggling from racial injustice as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am ready to take the reins and lead our city through these difficult times,” Janey said in a statement.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

Rev. Sharpton, Rev. Butts, U.S. Senator-Elect Rev. Warnock and over 100 Leading Black Clergy Convene on MLK Day to Confront COVID-19 in the Black Community NEW YORK, PRNewswire Leading public health officials Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith and Dr. Tom Frieden were among featured speakers and Q&A participants United Way of New York City to lead implementation efforts for the Choose Healthy Life Action Plan, which will provide COVID-19 testing and vaccine education to the Black community in five cities Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a group of the nation’s most renowned Black clergy led by Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Calvin O. Butts, III hosted the Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Conclave. The event brought together over 100 of the nation’s leading Black clergy who are stepping into the breach to address COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on the Black community. The virtual conclave took place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EST. “Today’s event signals the Black clergy’s continued resolve to create a strong, sustainable and concerted effort on the national and local level to combat the devastation that COVID-19 has inflicted on the Black community. Testing, preventative health measures and vaccine education are major keys to saving lives and stopping the destruction this virus leaves in its wake,” said civil rights leader and President of National Action Network (NAN) Rev. Al Sharpton.

The Conclave convened over 100 Black clergy, America’s leading public health officials, nonprofit leaders and corporate leaders for panels and Q&As on COVID-19 in the Black community. The Conclave also briefed leaders on the Choose Healthy Life Action Plan announced in November – a sustainable, scalable and transferable approach to address health disparities by providing services such as COVID testing and vaccine education in five major US cities.

Choose Healthy Life previously hosted a Black Clergy Summit in December, featuring Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“I want to thank Rev. Sharpton, Rev. Butts and Debra Fraser-Howze, my old and dear good friend, for giving me the opportunity to be here with you,” said Dr. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, responding to a question from Rev. Horace Sheffield. “Putting vaccines aside for a moment, if you have symptoms, there is the possibility that you are in fact infected. You should get tested, assume you’re infected and do the social distancing until you get a result.”

A historic partnership with the Black church, medical and public health experts and United Way of New York City along with respective local agencies, the Action Plan will aim to build greater access to COVID-19 testing, vaccine awareness and preventative health education. Working in collaboration with implementation partner the United Way of New York City and affiliated local agencies, the Action Plan will initially launch in five cities – New York, N.Y., Newark, N.J., Detroit, Mich., Atlanta, Ga. and Washington, D.C. The program aims to expand to additional cities throughout the year and also to expand its scope to address broadly racial health disparities.

“The Choose Healthy Life Action Plan will provide support to Black neighborhoods across the U.S. to begin addressing health disparities in a way that hasn’t yet been done – through the Black church, a sacred institution that has been a bastion of trust for Black communities for centuries,” said Rev. Butts, pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church.

This Action Plan is being led by the Choose Healthy Life National Black Clergy Health Leadership Council, cochaired by Rev. Sharpton (National Action Network, New York, N.Y.) and Rev. Butts (Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York, N.Y.), and includes council members Rev. Jacques DeGraff (Canaan Baptist Church of Christ, New York, N.Y.); Rev. David Jefferson (Metropolitan Baptist Church, Newark, N.J.); Rev. Horace Sheffield (New Destiny Christian Fellowship, Detroit, Mich.); Rev. Frank Tucker (First Baptist Church, Washington D.C.); and Rev. Raphael Warnock (Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga.). The Council has among its medical advisors, Dr. Louis Sullivan, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Tom Frieden and former U.S. Congresswoman Dr. Donna Christensen.

“I’m grateful for your prayers and know that the work that we have tried to do from the outside we will continue to do on the inside to translate our protests into public

policy, our activism, advocacy and agitation into legislation. I’m grateful to be a part of this Choose Healthy Life work on COVID-19. I’m grateful that I’ve been a part of this effort from its inception, as we’re focused on longstanding disparities in healthcare,” said Senator-Elect Rev. Warnock.

High-profile panelists and speakers from the public health community included Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, co-chair of President-Elect Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board, Dr. Nancy Messionier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, and Dr. Tom Frieden, former Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) director and president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, among others.

“I’m deeply honored to work with Black clergy and the Choose Healthy Life initiative to promote services to the most vulnerable affected by the pandemic. It’s important to be even more vigilant as the vaccine is rolled out and ensure that we limit the spread through increased mask use, minimizing indoor contacts with people outside our household, testing and community education. The 3Ws remain central: Wear a mask, Watch your distance, and Wash your hands,” said Dr. Frieden.

“United Way of New York City is honored to partner with Choose Healthy Life and

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continue our commitment to address disparities in communities of color – namely health disparities through wider COVID-19 testing and public health education,” said Sheena Wright, president and CEO of United Way of New York City.

Funding support for Choose Healthy Life has been made possible through grants from founding sponsors, Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the Quest Diagnostics Foundation and Resolve to Save Lives.

“We are proud to work together with Choose Healthy Life and the Black clergy members to help stop the disproportionate devastation of COVID-19 in the Black community,” said Steve Rusckowski, Chairman, CEO and President of Quest Diagnostics. “Testing and education are critical to addressing health disparities in underserved communities, which is the mission of our company’s Quest for Health Equity initiative.”

Academy Award-winning actor and director Sean Penn, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Board of Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), also addressed the Conclave.

“The access to COVID-19 testing and the equitable distribution of the vaccine are the focus of CORE’s current mission,” said Sean Penn, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Board of Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE). “We are paying atten-

tion to hospital capacity with patients and health care workers, who are coming here in Los Angeles largely from the Black and Brown community and largely from multigenerational housing; there is a cultural demand and a scientific demand, as well as a moral and human prerogative, to address this quickly. We’ve seen the importance of trusted messengers within communities of color, and Choose Healthy Life is a vital initiative.”

Penn’s organization CORE is currently committed to an integrated approach for the COVID-19 relief effort across the United States, which is inclusive of distributing vaccines, streamlining testing with results returned within 48 hours, comprehensive and timely contact tracing programs, and supported quarantine and isolation services that provide shelter, food, and wage replacement. The organization has been operating free COVID-19 testing sites across the United States since March, with a focus on serving vulnerable and underserved communities, targeting low-income groups, communities of color, first responders, and essential workers, and is currently expanding access to vaccines across the country to ensure safe and equitable distribution of the vaccine.

The successful model behind the Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Action Plan was initially created and developed by Debra Fraser-Howze, founder of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, to successfully combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Black community.

“As in past crises, our churches and clergy are instrumental in leading the Black community through this current health crisis.

Today’s Conclave and the Action Plan’s efforts throughout the year will help stifle COVID-19’s rampage in the Black community so we can finally heal and move forward,” said Fraser-Howze, who advised two U.S. Presidents as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS from 1998 to 2003.

Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Action Plan is a program developed by D. Fraser Associates (DFA) based on the DFA Choose Healthy Life Standard – a sustainable, scalable and transferable approach to public health. The highly successful Standard was created by Debra Fraser-Howze, principal at DFA and founder of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, to address the AIDS epidemic. It is centered around the Black church – the oldest and most trusted institutions in the Black community. Partnering with the United Way agencies, local health departments and community-based organizations, churches receive the necessary resources, training and support to make available health services to the region’s most vulnerable individuals. The Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Action Plan has been made possible through the support of founding partner Quest Diagnostics, the Quest Diagnostics Foundation and from Resolve to Save Lives, a global health initiative focused on helping advance scalable, proven strategies to prevent and address epidemics. To learn more, visit: www.ChooseHealthyLife.org

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 20, 2021 - January 26, 2021

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