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INNER-CITY 2016 August 02, THE INNER-CITY NEWS NEWS - JanuaryJuly 23,27, 2019 - - January 29, 2016 2019

Lawmakers ApproveaInterest FreeatLoans Federal Workers Financial Justice Key Focus 2016For NAACP Convention New Haven, Bridgeport

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Volume 27 . No. 2314 Volume 21 No. 2194

Rasheeda Speaks

Malloy Malloy To To Dems: Dems:

“DMC” Kamala Harris

Who Will Listen?

Color Struck?

Ignore Ignore“Tough “ToughOn OnCrime” Crime” Announces 2020 Presidential Bid

Snow in July?

MLK Conference

Barber Shop Makes Turns 50, With Fire Post-FireFOLLOW Return US ON 1

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

On MLK Day, Strings And Steel Play For Change ders passed an all-civilian review board (CRB) after a 22-year battle.

Selma’s now for every man, woman and child Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd - They marched with the torch, we gon’ run with it now - Never look back, we done gone hundreds of miles

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

At first, it was exactly what you’d expect of “Amazing Grace.” The strings came in reverent and layered, something round and ringing beneath them. They lifted, enough to almost hear the words in their wake. Tremulous steel hummed below. Attendees at First and Summerfield Church shifted in their seats, some leaning forward still in their coats and hats.

Then conductor Kenneth Joseph threw his arms outward and the drums began to sing. Not a polite, quiet rhythm, but a booming one, alive as a human heart and twice as loud.

Monday, Music Haven and St. Luke’s Steel Band came together for their ninth annual Martin Luther King Day Concert, a celebration of King’s life and legacy with a soundtrack to match. Despite bitterly cold temperatures outside, over 100 packed the church until it was standing room only.

It marked the second year the concert has been downtown after years on Whalley and then Broadway Avenues. The setting is fitting: the building at 425 College is also ground zero for local labor and sanctuary movements.

This year, Resident Musician Philip Boulanger said the concert focused on “the songs and sounds of the civil rights movement” that still resonate today. He recalled working with students, staff, and fellow musicians on a program that revolved around Sam Cooke’s 1964 “A Change Is Gonna Come,” talking to many of them what that fight for change looks like in America today.

“For every step or two forward, we have to fight so hard against the step back,” he said. “That’s the time we’re in now.

And these songs—songs that were rallying cries, and wishes for hope … they have just as much place at the Women’s March, at protests against the Muslim ban, against separation [of families] and every other thing that feels like we need to protest day after day.”

Boulanger’s words sprang to life as the groups began to play, joined this year by 22 string students from Bridgeport’s High Horizons Magnet School.

As Joseph cued drums and strings into “What’s Going On,” Marvin Gaye’s fundamental, soulful question hung over the space, conjured with each bow to string, each mallet to dipping steel surface.

Mother, mother, everybody thinks we’re wrong, chattered the violins, angry but exuberant at once.

Oh, but who are they to judge us/Simply ‘cause our hair is long, responded the steel, the tinkling of laughter somewhere in there, just beyond the edge of its cool voice.

Musicians cycled through centuries of oral, written and sung tradition with

Lucy Gellman photos. hardly any words at all, soothing the audience as Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” burst over the church.

As if by magic, the drums made themselves bell-like and nimble, strings building that great train of which the singer once spoke. From the back of the steel band’s section, something clicked

A Tale Of Two Kings

and clacked, like the churning of engine wheels right on time.

They brought it to “We Shall Not Be Moved,” breathing every word into the spiritual with instruments alone. Then they switched gears, steel players taking turns at the mic for Common and John Legend’s moving “Glory.”

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As spoken lyrics hit the church, it was not the image of the Edmund Pettus Bridge that was perhaps most clear, but the knowledge of the father who lives in sanctuary downstairs, or the young man tackled by police last summer on the nearby Green, or the bodies that filled City Hall two weeks ago, as al-

Between numbers, members of all three groups took turns reading at a music stand, filling the church with the messages of civil rights leaders, in their own words. Lifting the mic to her mouth, pint-sized violist Jasmine King delivered King’s promise that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” the message landing like a Sunday morning benediction.

“They told us we wouldn’t get here. And there were those who said that we would get here only over their dead bodies, she said, quoting King’s 1965 words at the end of the Selma to Montgomery March.

“But all the world today knows that we are here and we are standing before the forces of power in the state of Alabama saying, ‘We ain’t goin’ let nobody turn us around.’”

Played just before the end—the group always concludes with James Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice,” a fiery rallying cry all of its own—“A Change Is Gonna Come” also felt like it had been made for the ensemble. In the original, the song comes in with strings, graceful and dramatic as they set the stage.

But instead of Cooke’s verbal declaration of himself—I was born by the river, in a little tent/Oooh, and just like the river, I’ve been runnin ever since—drums came in, both strong and soft enough to carry the words as strings delivered them. Around the church, attendees took in the ensemble with wide eyes, some nodding their heads in time with the music as others teared up.

For the second year in a row, Music Haven and St. Luke’s also took the chance to celebrate a local hero, honoring Bereavement Care, Inc. Founder and Director Nakia Dawson-Douglas. Since founding the organization in 2013, Dawson-Douglas has made it her mission to support family members of homicide victims, often remaining a point of contact after police, case workers, and extended family have left, and “you have no one.”

“I believe that fighting homicide in the city of New Haven is just like fighting for justice, which Martin Luther King did,” she said after the event. “I’m there.

I’m there once a month, or I’m there whenever they need me.”

“I pray,” she added. “I pray, I pray, I pray. Because it is a lot … when I meet with families, they become my family.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Connecticut Coalition for Choice Commemorates 46th Anniversary

Of Roe v. Wade by Announcing Proactive Legislative Agenda

(Hartford, Conn.)—On the 46th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, members of the Connecticut Coalition for Choice joined with a bipartisan group of legislators to announce their proactive policy agenda for 2019. This bold agenda protects abortion access and addresses health disparities. Key bills being supported by legislative champions in 2019 include: • Protection of abortion access and addressing cost barriers to abortion.

• Protecting confidential healthcare information by suppressing explanation of benefits paperwork in certain circumstances.

• Expanding Medicaid coverage for doulas to address maternal health disparities, particularly the high maternal mortality rate for Black women.

• Providing parity in Medicaid reimbursements for midwives with that of OB/GYNs to expand access to midwife care (proven to lower the rate of costly medical interventions) for low-income women in our state.

• Limiting the deceptive advertising practices of fake women’s health centers.

• Strengthening protections for breastfeeding women and removing the tax on breastfeeding supplies.

Alongside the announcement of these policy priorities legislative champions and Coalition for Choice members made the following statements:

State Senator Marilyn Moore: “Today we are celebrating the 46th anniversary of the groundbreaking case Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade marked a moment in history that said women have the right to make decisions over their bodies and be free of persecution—affirming the constitutional right to access safe, legal abortions. Decades after this judgment, women of color are still fighting battles to achieve full bodily autonomy. It is critical that as a movement for reproductive rights, health and freedom that we center women of color and those who are most widely impacted by barriers to accessing healthcare. As a state we’ve been a leader in the fight for reproductive rights by codifying Roe it into state law—let’s build on this legacy and ensure that women and girls, specifically women and girls of color are protected.”

“For 46 years, Roe v. Wade, has protected the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion in the U.S. With Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, and the Trump-Pence administration continuing to attack access to care states are a critical backstop to the further erosion of Roe. When politicians attack health care, they disproportionately impact people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, and young people. We are committed to ensuring access to health care does not depend on who you are, where you live, or how much money you make.” said Gretchen Raffa, Director of Public Policy, Advocacy & Strategic Engagement with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “We saw a clear mandate from voters in the 2018 midterms—they want more access to health care, and policies that protect their rights and freedoms. Voters did their jobs at the polls and now we’re working to put their will into action during this session and beyond.”

Roxanne Sutocky, Director of Community Engagement at the Women’s Centers: “For nearly 40 years, the Hartford GYN Center has served our community by providing abortion care by licensed physicians and practitioners, as well woman visits and the full range of reproductive healthcare.

Today, as we commemorate the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we acknowledge that although abortion remains legal, it is practically and financially inaccessible to many, primarily those most marginalized by systematic oppression. We are proud to continue our work as a part of Connecticut’s healthcare community and as advocates for reproductive health, rights, and justice fighting alongside the CT Coalition for Choice.”

“We are proud that in 2019 Connecticut is one of the states leading the nation with a bold, proactive policy agenda. Even in our state, there continue to be organizations and politicians that are trying to put in place barriers to accessing abortion and birth control. But 46 years after Roe, Connecticut remains a state where pro-choice values are shared across the political spectrum,” said Sarah Croucher, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut. “We are committed to making sure that Connecticut remains a leader in passing proactive legislation that addresses continued disparities and barriers to access. Standing with our Coalition partners, we have a vision to make reproductive health more equitable, and we will do everything in our power to make this vision a reality.”

Members of the Connecticut Coalition for Choice include: ACLU-Connecticut, AAUW, American College of Nurse-Midwives Connecticut Affiliate (ACNM-CT), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - Connecticut Chapter (CT ACOG), CT Conference of United Church of Christ, CT NOW, CT Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Connecticut Public Health Association (CPHA), CT Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), Hartford GYN Center, Health Equity Solutions, League of Women Voters of CT, NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, National Association of Social Workers (NASW) CT Chapter, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice of CT (RCRC), YWCA-Hartford Region.

Celebrate & Remember

DR. MARTIN LUTHER

KING, JR.

I HAVE A 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.

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A Tale Of Two Kings THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

ferent American King. These two Kings, he said, represent competing visions for America in 2019.

Brockman began with the first—Iowa Rep. Steve King, a Republican congressman who has maintained that America was “founded by, built by and for white Europeans.” After rising to national prominence as Donald Trump’s campaign manager in Iowa, King has positioned the United States as in a war against time, as white Americans lose their power to foreigners and people of color. He has warned that if immigrants and refugees continue to come into the United States, “they will mongrelize our way of life,” threatening a system of white hetero-patriarchy that has always relied on the subjugation of women and people of color to exist.

That’s language from an earlier campaign, Brockman cautioned attendees—Warren G. Harding’s 1921 “America First” agenda, which spurred a rise in Ku Klux Klan activity, public lynchings, and immigration quota laws that restricted both the number of immigrants and countries from they could come for the first time in U.S. history. It was a period marked by bribery, scandal and corruption.

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, the Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Two kings stood at a crossroads. One raised his hands to the sky and warned that white men were on the brink of losing power, that foreigners were invading his holy land. The other preached a sermon of civil rights, where violence was never the answer and all human beings stood on equal footing. History was left to decide who would be remembered.

One was white supremacy apologist and Iowa Congressman Steve King. One was civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. Rabbi Herbert Brockman drew that distinction Friday night during his keynote address at Congregation Mishkan Israel’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day interfaith service. Over 15 different congregations were represented in the Hamden synagogue, including the Muhammad Islamic Center of Greater Hartford, Archdiocese of Hartford, Justice for Our Neighbors in New York, Yale University’s religious organizations, Temple Emanuel, Baha’i of Greater New Haven, Christian Community Action and several others.

“We find ourselves in this twenty-first century in a most troubling time,” he said.

“While civil rights, poverty, hunger and the other ills of the twentieth century are still with us, today a plethora of political, economic and social challenges still abide.

And I would like to suggest, tonight, that these are all skirmishes … battles in a greater war, a war that has been heightened by recent events.”

Brockman, who retired as the synagogue’s leader last June, returned to his former beemah to present the congregation with two King-led paths that Americans can choose between in 2019: one the path of white supremacy and racialized violence, the other the path of equal rights and racial justice. While Mishkan has celebrated MLK’s birthday with a commemorative service every year since the civil rights leader was assassinated in 1968, Friday marked the congregation’s seventh annual interfaith event.

Before the service, CMI Rabbi Brian Immerman gathered the group in his office for communal prayer, faith leaders bowing their heads as an assortment of prayer shawls, bright yarmulkes, blazers and robes dotted the space. He asked for a creator who could bring light to a great darkness, giving him and others in the room the strength to lead.

“Source of life, we are grateful for this moment to bring so many of us together from different faiths here to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.” he prayed.

“To carry on his legacy in our own communities. We pray that you continue to give us the strength and courage to speak truth to power.”

The service itself featured a dozen differ-

“Today Harding is but a footnote in history,” he said. “This is a transactional view of America.”

Lucy Gellman photos.

ent faith leaders citing relevant texts from their own traditions, praising love, diversity, and connection as necessary balms to a world filled with hate, misunderstanding, and isolation. Turning to Corinthians, Whitney Center Chaplain Rev. Maria LaSala prayed for freedom through worship

and action, setting a tone for the evening.

But when Brockman took the beemah for his keynote address, he put aside anodyne references to millennia-old scripture and directly addressed the contemporary resonances of MLK’s life, juxtaposing it with the fear and bigotry represented by a dif-

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But then there is another King, Brockman said—the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who addressed the Hamden congregation when the synagogue was formally dedicated in October 1961. The King who, amidst near-constant threats on his life, marched for Civil Rights, spoke out passionately against the Vietnam War, and advocated for nonviolence even as whites carried out systemic, repeated physical brutality on bodies of color.

The King who was killed in the midst of practicing what he preached, speaking out for striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn. the night before he was assassinated. The King that “understood that at the heart of his message was that justice for one must be justice for all.”

“Are we a transactional people, or will we be a transformational people?” Brockman asked, looking up at a full congregation as he spoke. “We may pass laws about public accommodation rights, about voting rights, about the proper role of government with respect to people in poverty, the sick, indigent ... but I suggest this evening that at the heart of all of these is the question about who we are as a nation.

“This, to my mind, is what MLK would see as the real crisis of our time.”

If Americans fall in line with the latter Con’t on page 06

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Corporate innovator Blair Taylor to discuss ‘A Diverse World of Opportunity’ Jan. 31 at Quinnipiac University

Hamden, Conn. – Jan. 2019 – Corporate innovator Blair Taylor, the architect of numerous highly successful for profit, nonprofit and governmental collaborations, will deliver the lecture, “A Diverse World of Opportunity,” at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 31, in the Mount Carmel Auditorium at Quinnipiac University, 275 Mount Carmel Ave. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required at go.qu. edu/blairtaylor.

Taylor will describe the diverse world students are entering and offer some tools to help them make a positive impact. A question-and-answer session will follow his talk.

With more than 25 years of expertise serving in senior leadership roles spanning the public, private and non-profit sectors, Taylor currently serves as managing partner of XFC Partners (X-Factor), a firm he founded to focus on creating sustainable links between the globe’s largest corporations and untapped sources of talent.

Taylor is the former chief executive officer of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance), a nonprofit launched by the White House and President Barack Obama to advance communities of color broadly and boys and men of color more specifically.

Prior to joining the MBK Alliance, Taylor served as a member of the Starbucks Coffee Company’s senior leadership team. He led all corporate social responsibility and government affairs functions while serving as the executive vice president of Starbucks Global Partner Resources and also served

WELL­WOMAN CHECK­UPS. IT’S WHAT WE DO. as chief community officer and president of the Starbucks Foundation, where he led Starbuck’s efforts to help communities thrive globally in more than 60 countries.

In 2014, Taylor was recognized by Fast Company Magazine as one of the nation’s most creative senior executives. He also was named a PR Week Top 50 Innovator (2013), a NonProfit Times Top 50 CEO (2008, 2009) and one of the UCLA Anderson School’s Top 100 graduates. For his

groundbreaking entrepreneurial work, he was named the state of California’s Mass Mutual Blue-Chip Entrepreneur of the Year (1999).

Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he recently completed a six-year term as a trustee, and an M.B.A. in marketing and entrepreneurial studies from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

Lawmakers Celebrate Reproductive Freedom With New Legislation

by Christine Stuart

HARTFORD, CT — On the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a bipartisan group of lawmakers held a press conference in support of legislation that keeps with Connecticut’s tradition of reproductive freedom.

Some of the legislation builds on maternal health initiatives, such as Medicaid reimbursement for doula services and a woman’s right not to be discriminated against by her employer for asking for a quiet and private place to express breast milk for up to three years. Another proposal would exempt breast feeding supplies from sales taxes.

More controversial proposals include regulation of crisis pregnancy center advertising and the elimination of co-pays for medical and surgical abortions.

Crisis pregnancy centers provide pregnancy-related services and support, but do not offer abortions or emergency contraception, or referrals for such services.

A similar bill was raised by the Public Health Committee last year for debate but it never received a vote.

Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Killingly, said the Connecticut bill would be fashioned after a San Francisco ordinance, which has been upheld by the 9th Circuit Court and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear arguments in the case.

Rep. Terrie Wood, R-Darien, said she

Sen. Mae Flexer, Sen. Marilyn Moore and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz hopes legislation passes to “prevent decepIn a separate case, the U.S. Supreme Court tive advertising” at crisis pregnancy cendecided it was unconstitutional for the state ters. of California to require the crisis pregnancy “We need women to know the truth,” Wood centers to post a brief notice and a number said. to call for free- and low-cost reproductive Flexer said women need the truth about health services, including abortion care. their health care options, while also balancThere are about 25 crisis pregnancy cening free speech. ters in Connecticut, but only four of them San Francisco enacted its truth-in-adveroffer medical services, according to Lisa tising law in 2011 to stop crisis pregnancy Maloney, executive director of CareNet. centers from running ads that make it seem If Connecticut passed the legislation it like they’re abortion providers. The orwould be the only state in the nation with a dinance imposes penalties on clinics that law limiting these crisis pregnancy centers, make false or misleading statements.

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CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE PHOTO

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Cotto’s Reappointment Voted Down

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

The Board of Alders Tuesday night voted 18-8 to reject the reappointment of Jamell Cotto to the Board of Education.

The vote, which took place at the regular twice-monthly alders meeting at City Hall, was a setback for the Harp administration.

Mayor Toni Harp’s nomination of Cotto to serve a second term became a flashpoint in New Haven’s ongoing political fighting over the public schools. A previous alder committee hearing on the reappointment lasted three hours, with dozens of passionate speakers on both sides. An activist group called New Haven Public School Advocates organized opposition to Cotto, blasting him as unqualified, unresponsive to parents, laden with conflicts of interest, disrespectful to fellow board members, and politically motivated in his decisionmaking. Cotto supporters praised him as an innovative, compassionate, dedicated leader who represents the city’s Latino and African-American student populations and who needs more than a year-and-a-half to leave his mark on the Board of Ed. Tuesday night’s debate and vote at the Board of Alders, by contrast, took only two minutes. Only two alders spoke, both in favor of Cotto: Hill Alder Evelyn Rodriguez spoke of the many young people Cotto has mentored. Fair Haven Alder Kenneth Reveiz called Cotto “someone who can focus the Board of Education’s work” on Latino children, who now comprise a majority of the school system’s students.

Then Cotto lost the roll-call vote by more than a 2-1 margin.

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Jamell Cotto testifying earlier this month before an alder hearing.

After the vote, mayoral Chief of Staff Tomas Reyes said the administration may seek another way to secure Cotto a spot on the board. Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers and Majority Leader Richard Furlow said they doubt that such a way exists.

Cotto said he believes he got caught in the “crossfire” of political arguments that don’t have to do with him.

The NHPS Advocates published and distributed this collection of member arguments against Cotto’s reappointment prior to the hearing. One example, from parent

Lissa Bassani: “There are numerous issues that disqualify Mr. Cotto from being reappointed to the Board of Education: he has no experience as an educator; he has clear conflicts of interests due to the fact that his employer is a contractor of the City; and he has shown himself to lack the independence, temperament, and professionalism in his conduct on the Board. I also think it was embarrassing that he felt the need to ask his own children to testify at his hearing and chose to make his reappointment hearing some kind of campaign rally with printed t-shirts for his friends and family.

A qualified appointee with the experience and integrity for the role would not need to resort to these tactics. Finally, and most importantly, the Board of Education currently has only one member with experience as an educator. This should be completely unacceptable to the Board of Alders. As a parent myself of two children in New Haven Public Schools, we deserve better. I urge the Board to reject this nomination in favor of someone with direct and deep experience in education who will put our children first.”

Barber Shop Makes Post-Fire Return

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

Two years after a fire destroyed their shop, the barbers and braiders of Sharper Edge are back on their block.

Arthur White, the owner of the barbershop and the building the shop calls home at 543 Whalley Ave., said the shop is slowly rebuilding its clientele after a fire forced them to move out.

The fire happened Jan. 3, 2017. A new tenant had just moved the last of her things into the two-story apartment above the shop.

“I got the call that the top of the building was burning,” he recalled. It turned out the tenant had attempted to heat the apartment with the stove and somehow caught the building on fire.

The building sustained tremendous fire and water damage, White said.

“There were holes like everywhere,” he said. “And the walls and everything was just down to the studs, I think because the water was so powerful.”

The extensive damage meant that the four barbers and two braiders had to find somewhere else to work until their building was repaired. They moved to a building down

Whalley Avenue next to Crown Chicken that White was renting for another business he was starting.

White, who established the shop in 2006, said though the fire was devastating, he knew he wanted to bring it back. And so he looked at it as an opportunity to modernize the space by opening it up, redoing the floors and finally adding a fresh coat of paint.

The shop was fairly quiet on Tuesday afternoon but for the televisions and music playing. White was hanging with his son and reflecting on all that it had taken to bring the shop back to the neighborhood.

He said they’ve just gotten back into the shop for a few months and old clients have been slowly making their way back.

The shop’s also getting back into its role as a fixture on Whalley Avenue. It hosted a big Halloween party to let everyone know that Sharper Edge is back and White said the neighborhood could expect more such events in the future including more block parties and cookouts.

“We tried to come back for the community,” he said. “We definitely wanted to make it better and have a bigger impact on the community than before.”

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO A Sharper Edge barber at work in the restored shop.

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A Tale Of Two Kings

King, he said, they must speak out for immigrants and refugees “as the defining civil rights issue of our time.” Not only in opposing the border wall that was once Trump’s campaign promise, and now stands at the center of the government shutdown, but also in joining organizations such as JCARR and supporting sanctuary congregation movements and sanctuary cities.

He recalled watching one such chain of support, as a young mother and her child arrived from Congo two years ago. Somehow, the two had ended up not in New Haven, but in the Midwest, where officials put them on a bus bound for Port Authority. But when the bus arrived in New York, “they were not on it.”

So a chain of action was activated: officials found then in Philadelphia, escorted them to New Jersey, got them to Port Authority. A stranger, hearing of the ordeal that they had been through, offered to see them to New Haven. When they arrived safely, all he asked in return for the effort was a cold beer before he headed back home.

And another, as a Syrian family landed at John F. Kennedy just hours after Trump issued his first immigration ban in January 2017. As the family headed through the airport, a Customs and Border Patrol official looked at their papers, looked at them, looked back at their papers, and then rushed them through the line.

“Quickly, quickly, he said,” Brockman recalled. “They’ve not issued us our orders yet.”

“This is the real America,” he said, adding that he worries about the children of Nury Chavarria, of Nelson Pinos, of his Nigerian friend who have received deportation orders in the past three years. “When we welcome refugees and immigrants, we expand this country. Here we tear down barriers, not build walls.”

His message rang true throughout the evening, carried through musical selections that included “Precious Lord,” and “We Shall Overcome,” sung with the traditional Hebrew “Mi Chamocha,” thanking God for delivering Jews out of Egypt during the story of the Exodus. Across traditions, faith leaders zeroed in on prayers that espoused the same message: inclusion over exclusion; love for one’s neighbor as love for one’s own self and family.

Closing the service with a final benediction, Bishop Peter Rosazza returned to the Martin Luther King, praising his legacy of nonviolence as “the only choice that would lead to peace.”

“He suffered personally in attacks from people who couldn’t bear to hear the truth,” he said. He prayed for King’s legacy, writings, and prayer to “let their power flow in the hearts of all who live in our great country, so that the sin of racism may be expunged from our hearts.”

“You are our father,” he said. “You have no second-class children.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Rasheeda Speaks. Who Will Listen?

Lucy Gellman, Editor, Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Maybe it was the patient who said that Black people are still mad about slavery, and flicked on a burner in Jaclyn’s chest.

Or maybe it was Dr. Williams, who looked right through her on his way to the sticky buns. Or maybe it was a day ago, when Jaclyn was just watering the plants and a little water may or may not have gotten on the floor. But for a second morning in a row, she can’t seem to do anything right. A few feet away, Ileen continues to scribble performance notes on a little bone-white pad.

It’s par for the course in Joel Drake Johnson’s darkly comedic Rasheeda Speaking, running Jan. 17 through Feb. 3 at Collective Consciousness Theatre (CCT) in Erector Square. Tickets and more information are available at CCT’s website.

Directed by Elizabeth Nearing, Rasheeda Speaking unfolds in an unassuming doctor’s office in Chicago, as Dr. David Williams (Ethan Warner-Crane) and Ileen Van Meter (Susan Kulp) meet to discuss their morning business—which happens to be their colleague Jaclyn Spaulding (Gracy Brown). Six months into her job, Jaclyn’s professional missteps—which she’s not in the room to discuss—orbit around an apparent attitude problem and five-day sick leave. They’re vague and elusive, leading us to wonder if they exist at all.

Williams maintains that he has made ”the mistake of hiring Jaclyn”—he just can’t explain what it is. Maybe it’s that she seems a little down in the dumps sometimes, he says. Or maybe it’s that she’s often “late,” which is a euphemism for just not early.

Or that she doesn’t warm to the nickname “Jackie,” which just seems odd to him even though it’s not her name. But they have to be careful if they report her, because they don’t want it to look bad to human resources. So Williams gives Ileen the tools of her

trade: a thick white notepad and black pen, with which she can tattle on Jaclyn like a beady-eyed, pasty-faced, size double zero KGB agent.

As they gab inside the office, Jaclyn gets

off the Michigan Avenue bus and heads into the building, waiting for the second hand to inch its way into 9 a.m. before walking in. She is right on time.

Johnson is not subtle in his turn of phrase:

the two white folks want to find a way to get rid of the moody Black lady, because when you work in an office full of entirely white people, the overbearing unpleasantness of structural racism (which incidentally smells like lab toxins and fresh-brewed coffee) is both easy and possible to forget.

The trick is making it funny, right up until the point that it’s not. From that first interaction, Johnson builds a world that is part farce, part straight up truth-telling. At first, Ileen has Jaclyn in her trap—this middleaged newbie thinks she’s in trouble, and walks a constant back and forth between being fully herself and fully apologetic.

It’s as if her back-and-forth is more of a moral tug-of-war, and she’s not sure which Jaclyn she wants to bring to the office. But when she realizes she’s being played, she plays back—better, harder, faster, because she has been played by the world around her so many times already.

But if we are predisposed to like Jaclyn—and we are—she always doesn’t make it easy. She’s genuinely rude to colleagues and abrupt with patients, throwing a wrench in our plans. She upsets 82-yearold Rose Saunders (Debra Walsh), who is nervous about a tumor, over a procedural matter. She’s vocal about experiencing racism in the office, but has her own hangups with the Mexican family who lives downstairs from her. She switches materials in Ileen’s desk drawers, her psychological play delighting us far more than we know it should.

In this world, microaggressions aren’t just laugh lines—they’re returned with other microaggressions. If Jaclyn is aggressive, Ileen can be pale, pasty, puffy-faced. If she can laugh at this, can we too?

At some point, it stops being funny, or maybe the funny just starts being cruel. In one particularly telling scene, Jaclyn becomes the butt of a joke, the thought that she could be in love with Dr. Williams

yale institute of sacred music

so funny to him that laughs roll and ring through the office. In another, she asks Ileen if her pleasantries have “passed” a sort of test, and it’s not clear if the women are even talking about the same thing.

Johnson drops some verbal bombs: that people of color are bristly as “their way of protecting themselves from their own lack of self-esteem and power, a power they will probably never, never have;” that saintly Ileen has “tried to help you, and I’m not going to do it anymore.” It seems overblown, maybe, except that we’ve heard those lines somewhere before.

By the time Ileen proclaims “I just think we need to get along!”—it’s unfortunately more Kenny Chesney than Marvin Gaye— we’re there. The world she inhabits is so very different than the one Jaclyn must endure, from their modes of transit into work to the places they return to at night. She’s never had to understand why.

That is the brilliance of Rasheeda Speaking, doled out carefully from Nearing’s able hands. It’s approachable, but gets us uncomfortable in the right places. We laugh about the sheer amount of anti-racism work there is to do because the alternative is crying.

We all have an Ileen or a Jaclyn in our lives, or maybe several of both—that colleague who came in from Branford for your kid’s birthday party, and locked a gun in the glove compartment just in case they felt unsafe. That aunt who lives in Oak Park or Grosse Pointe or Creve Coeur, because Chicago, or Detroit, or St. Louis are not places she finds suitable to live for reasons she likes to dance around.

If there’s the attempt to shrug it away in the audience, Johnson doesn’t let it go so easily. As the play rounds its final bend, Jaclyn gives a monologue that makes clear we can beat around the word racism, but it will still be there, lurking by the xerox Con’t on page 18

And

joins the

inner city news

Together we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“The Function of Education Is To Teach One To Think Intensively And To Think Critically. Intelligence Plus Character-That Is The Goal Of True Education”.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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7

Dr. James F. Acabbo, Director St. Aedan Pre School 203-387-0041

MLK Conference Turns 50, With Fire THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

Veteran firefighter Erika Bogan loves telling children, especially girls, about what it’s like to be a firefighter. And she’s passing that passion on to new firefighters like Shy Floyd (pictured).

Both women were holding court with a group of 7-year-olds Monday during the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr conference at Wexler-Grant Community School.

People braved extreme cold and ice for the 50th year of the conference that celebrates the civil rights leader’s life with a day on rather than a day off.

The first conference was held Jan. 15, 1969, on the same block at the former (and future) Dixwell Community “Q” House.

African-American professionals like Bogan and Floyd come each year to share their expertise on topics ranging from fire safety to public speaking skills. The female firefighters are two of 14 women in the department.

Bogan and Floyd helped youngsters learn about what to do if they’re ever in a fire. The women, who are based at the Lighthouse Road and East Grand firehouses, respectively, also did a little show and tell, and a little dress up.

After having Floyd show the students how firefighters get in gear, Bogan also showed them her hat and explained the many stickers she has on it.

In addition to Sponge Bob, there’s a Wonder Woman sticker and a “No Whining” sticker, she said “because sometimes there’s a lot of whining.”

Yandel, 7, was the first to step up and

try on Bogan’s gear. He learned pretty quickly that it’s heavy.

Firefighter Darnell Tucker, who has been with the city fire department for five years, is based at the Dixwell firehouse. He invited the children and their parents to drop by the station for a tour any time.

The annual MLK celebration draws in children from all over the city with opportunities to get fit with yoga and Zumba and to brush up on their tie-tying and public speaking skills. Adults also often stick around for tips on topics like funeral planning and financial literacy.

This year they had the opportunity to create art with Wexler-Grant art teacher Rebecca LeQuire, trying their hands at creating black and white paintings

of King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and Barack Obama.

They also met some of the people representing them at the state and federal levels. Gov. Ned Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal dropped in on Monday to meet event organizers like Sondi Jackson, who chairs the event, and other volunteers who help make it happen.

The Theta Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha spearheads the event each year with the support of the Elm City Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Epsilon Iota Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., the Eureka Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa Delta Phi Chapter, Pi Lambda Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, and the New Haven Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.

Workshops weren’t the only items on the menu. There was time for shopping with artist Jo-Ann ThompsonClaybourne… ... time for games ... ... picking up a few books from New Haven Reads ... ... taking pictures… ...learning how to have better interactions between the police and the community with schools security chief Thaddeus Reddish ... ... dancing ... ... getting a haircut ... ... and taking a pretend nap.

Lawmakers Approve Interest Free Loans For Federal Workers

by Christine Stuart

HARTFORD, CT — With bipartisan support the House and the Senate adopted legislation Tuesday that allows the state of Connecticut to back interest free loans to federal workers impacted by the shutdown.

The House passed the measure 127-15, and the Senate passed it 32-1. Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, was the only Senator to vote against the measure.

Gov. Ned Lamont signed the bill in his office shortly after the votes.

He said it shows that “what you do in government makes a difference.”

Under the agreement non-essential workers, as well as essential federal workers who are required to report to work without pay, will be able to obtain interest-free

loans provided by banks or credit unions.

Those loans will be backed by the state.

The initial loans will afford impacted employees up to one month’s net pay, capped at $5,000. The employees can re-apply for these loans up to two more times.

The bill prohibits interest on the loans for 270 days after the shutdown ends. And all program loans have a 90-day grace period during which no interest accrues and the borrower is not required to make payments. The grace period begins when the borrower’s employer is funded.

But there were concerns from some lawmakers about the state’s responsibility.

The bill caps the amount the state may expend to honor loan guarantees when the amount paid exceeds 10 percent of total loans issued. That means the state’s exposure is about $2.1 million, because the

maximum amount of loans if all 1,500 federal employees in Connecticut accessed three loans each would be around $21.2 million.

Rep. Tom Delnicki, R-South Windsor, wondered what would prevent federal workers from going to multiple financial institutions and to obtain multiple loans.

Rep. Ezequiel Santiago, D-Bridgeport, said there’s nothing in the legislation to address that.

Delnicki ended up supporting the bill. He said he is sympathetic to essential workers like Transportation Security Authority officers who are required to report to work without pay.

Federal employees are expected to miss another paycheck this week. The shutdown has now lasted more than 30 days.

Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton, said the legislation will provide some relief for the U.S. Coast Guard families who live in her

8

district where the community has stepped up to provide food and assistance to the families.

“They don’t need more charity,” Conley said. “They need a paycheck.”

House Minority Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said these federal employees are “victims of federal government dysfunction.”

She added that it also gives cities and towns the authority to defer deadlines for the payment property taxes for the impacted federal employees.

Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, said he supports the measure, even though it’s controversial in his district.

“I have heard from folks in my communities both for and opposed to this bill,” Kissel said.

He said those in his district who are unemployed feel like it’s unfair these workers

get help while they struggle to find work and get behind on their bills. But he also represents Bradley International Airport where the TSA officers and air traffic controllers are working without pay.

“There are many folks who live paycheck to paycheck,” Kissel said. “It’s a struggle.

So I feel for any individual who is compelled to go to work and is not getting paid.”

Sen. Alex Bergstein, D-Greenwich, who co-chairs the Banking Committee, said public-private partnerships can be used to solve many of Connecticut’s issues.

She said the banks really stepped up and showed their civic spirit by providing this support.

“We all share responsibility for one another,” Bergstein said.

Sampson said there are still too many unCon’t on page 17

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

MLK Invoked In Call For Yale Local Hiring

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven Independent

The arc of the moral universe is long.

And if local politicians, union leaders, and labor-sympathetic pastors have anything to say about it, that arc will bend directly towards New Haven’s largest employer: Yale.

That message was at the heart of Monday night’s annual Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day memorial service at Varick Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church at 242 Dixwell Ave. One of the busiest nights of the year at one of the city’s largest, most historic, and most politically influential African American congregations, the nearly three-hourlong annual MLK Day service continually invoked the slain civil rights icon’s economic justice platform in an effort to pressure Yale University to hire more black and brown New Haveners.

“Y’all want to talk about closing down corner stores,” New Haven Rising Director Scott Marks implored, sweat pouring down his face at the end of an impassioned 20-minute speech. “But I’m talking about how do we get our people to stand up and feel like King’s dream is not a nightmare.”

A university spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by the publication time of this article.

The parade of union advocates and working-class New Haveners who addressed the roughly 400 people packed in Varick’s nave on Monday night focused their attention almost exclusively on a late 2015 agreement between Yale University, the UNITE HERE Yale locals, and New Haven Works.

In that agreement, the university promised to hire 1,000 New Haveners to permanent, full-time jobs by Apr. 1, 2019. The university also committed at that time to hiring 500 of those 1,000 local workers from the city’s primarily African American and Latino working-class neighborhoods, including the Hill, Newhallville, Dwight, West River, West Rock, Fair Haven, and Dixwell.

West River Alder and Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers, who is also a steward with Yale’s blue-collar Local 35 union, earned enthusiastic applause when she told the church attendees that the Board of Alders will host a public hearing on the Yale hiring agreement in the Aldermanic Chambers on the second floor of City Hall at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21.

She said the aldermanic leadership has invited representatives from Yale’s Office of New Haven and State Affairs to provide a status update at the Feb. 21 hearing on exactly how many New Haveners, and from which neighborhoods, the university has hired since the signing og the 2015 agreement.

“A good job means you have to work just one,” she said. “You have healthcare. You can take care of your kids. You can feed them and send them to college if you want to. That is what Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about.” That, she said, is what the local unions are fighting for.

She said the board has invited

Taking turns with percussive, joy-filled gospel performances that brought attendees out of their pews and into the aisles, nearly everyone who followed WalkerMyers at the pulpit spoke to the same theme of New Haven’s need for more good-paying jobs, Yale’s commitment to providing those jobs, and the public pressure required to make sure the university sticks to its word.

Laurie Kennington, the president of Yale’s pink-collar Local 34 union, recalled the gross wage disparities and culture of sexual discrimination that the university’s primarily female clerical and technical workers endured before winning union recognition and a first contract in the mid1980s. The creation of the union came at the end of a 10-week strike, she recalled, during which Local 35 members and city residents stood in solidarity with the Yale employees.

“It is not enough that only a few of us in this city have these good jobs,” she said.

“It’s just not right.” She called on working New Haveners to hold Yale accountable for the 1,000 local jobs its already promised, and to keep pushing for even more local hiring even after the university fulfills its initial commitment.

“King died fighting for working people,” Marks said, citing the sanitation workers’ strike that brought King in April 1968 to Memphis, Tennessee, where he was assassinated. The good jobs and good wages that King fought for and that allow for lives of dignity, he said, are what the Yale jobs hiring agreement is all about.

Rebecca Corbett, a longtime employee of Yale’s dermapathology department, said she was a single mom on welfare and was homeless before she landed a union job at Yale after completing a city resident jobtraining program two decades ago.

“That program literally saved my life,” she said. She said her union job allowed her to buy her first house, shed fears of eviction and slumlords, save money, raise her kids, and even go on the occasional vacation.

“As long as my legs will hold out,” she said, “and my voice will speak, I’m gonna be out there in the streets” supporting Yale’s unions.

Varick Pastor Kelcy Steele rounded out the service with a keynote address-cumsermon that extolled the endurance of New Haven’s unions and called on Yale to “turn away from their wicked ways” and hire locally and from communities of color.

“Where will we be on April 4,” he asked the congregation, “three days after the deadline for the Yale hiring agreement [and the 51st anniversary of King’s assassination]? Will we be honoring King’s life and his vision for human freedom? Will we be on the path that’s finally moving our city forward?”

THOMAS BREEN PHOTOUnion leaders at Monday night’s service (clockwise from top left): N.H. Rising Director Scott Marks, Local 34 prez Laurie Kennington, Local 33 leaders Charles Decker and Sandra Sánchez, Local 34 member Rebecca Corbett.

A full house at Varick Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church on Dixwell Avenue.

Varick’s choir.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Fifty-Five Strong: The Largest Congressional Black Caucus Kicks Off the 116th Congress

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor As the new Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.) was handed a large gavel from outgoing Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) it became clear that the new CBC would be making a sizable mark on the next Congress.

The new CBC includes the youngest African American woman to be sworn-in to the U.S. House in history, Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), as well as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Muslim females ever elected to Congress. Rep. Tlaib occupies the seat held by long term Congressman John Conyers (DMich.) who retired from Congress on December 5, 2017.

The new CBC features nine new members of the U.S. House bringing the group to a total of 55. The 116th Congress will be the first time that the Congressional Black Caucus will ever have over fifty members.

Bass, 65, severed served as the former Speaker of the California House and was the first-ever African-American woman ever to hold that position.

“Honored to have been sworn in as 26th

Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus today.

We will fight fiercely against hate. We will not retreat and allow our past victories to be erased,” wrote Chairwoman Bass on Twitter, January 3, the first day of the 116th Congress.

“I am proud to witness the ceremonial swearing-in of the largest @OfficialCBC in history. With 55 members and @RepKarenBass serving as their chairwoman, the Congressional Black Caucus is stronger than ever,” wrote Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez.

The Presidency of Donald Trump will greatly shape the agenda of the Congressional Black Caucus over the next two years.

Just as Rep. Richmond witnessed, there will be many issues that will arise out of nowhere in the news simply because the Trump Administration has decided to roll back so much of what was completed during the eight years president Barack Obama was in The White House.

But there is one huge difference: The CBC will have what was referred to at the ceremonial swearing in as “the big five.”

They are the five Chairmen and Chair-

women who will serve over what many CBC members hope are Trump’s last two years in office. They are Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Elijah Cummings (DMd.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

Three of the five Chairs will head committees that are certain to play an investigatory

role over the Trump Administration. Rep. Cummings who will Chair the Committee on Government Oversight has already signaled that his committee will subpoena over the Trump Administration policy of children being separated from their parents and detained at the U.S./Mexico border.

Chairwoman Waters, who will lead the House Financial Services Committee, has

signaled she will push against Wall Street and in favor of consumer protections regarding investment and financial products.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

Congressman Steve King stripped of committee assignments because of racist comments York Times, he discussed white supremacy, which set the stage for him losing his committee assignments. The assignments are key ways in which members serve their constituents.

“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization how did the language become offensive?” he asked King followed the comments with remarks disparaging immigrants and minorities. In addition, he seemed to embrace far-right foreign politicians and parties who are openly hostile to many of those groups.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said there is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind.

Kevin McCarthy, the House Majority Leader, said the Republican Steering Committee, which seats members of Congress

By Frederick H. Lowe BlackmansStreet.Today

House Republicans voted unanimously on Monday to strip King of his committee assignments because of racist comments, a decision for which the Congressional Black Caucus and others took credit.

King, an Iowa Republican, was re-elected to his ninth term in November. He served on the House Judiciary, Agriculture and Small Business committees in the last Congress. In the 116th Congress, he was slated to become a member of the Constitution and Civil Justice committees.

Congress also voted 416-1 to approve a Democratic measure rebuking King for his comments concerning white supremacy.

King supported the measure.

In an interview King gave to the New

on House committees, followed his recommendation.

King called McCarthy’s move a political decision that ignores the truth but some members of Congress want him censured or they want him to resign his seat.

U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, praised the decision, adding that King has made a career of racist and outlandish statements that divide the country.

U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the thirdranking Democrat, said Tuesday during a speech on the House floor that he will introduce a resolution to express disapproval of King’s comments and to condemn white nationalism and white supremacy in all forms.

Cigarette smoking drops to an all time low, but the use of all tobacco products remains high among African Americans

By Frederick H. Lowe BlackmansStreet.Today

An estimated 14 percent of American adults smoked cigarettes every day or some parts of the day during 2017, which is lowest rate ever recorded since 1965.the first year the Public Health Services established a clearing house for smoking and health. In 1964, the office of the U.S. Surgeon General issued its first ever report on smoking and health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday that the number of cigarette smokers was down from 15.5 percent in 2016, a 67 percent drop since 1965.

The drop, which has affected 34 million individuals, occurred mostly among young adults between 2016 and 2017, the CDC re-

ported. About 10 percent of young adults 18 to 24 smoked cigarettes in 2017, down from 13 percent in 2016.

“This new all-time low in cigarette smoking among U.S. adults is a tremendous public health accomplishment—and it demonstrates the importance of continued proven strategies to reduce smoking,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield. “Despite this progress, work remains to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco use.”

The report notes that about 47 million U.S. adults used a variety of tobacco products in 2017, including cigarettes, cigars, hookah/ water pipes, smokeless tobacco products and e-cigarettes. The most common tobacco products are cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

The City of Chicago, which has filed a lawsuit against online sellers of E-Cigarettes, said since 2011 Cook County and

the State of Illinois have raised taxes on tobacco products, resulting in the reduction of smoking. A pack of cigarettes costs $11.50 in Illinois, the highest in the nation, compared to the average price of $5.51 per pack elsewhere, according to Fair Reporters, a website.

Black adults are one of many population groups who smoke cigarettes or use other tobacco products at a much higher rate.

More than 20.1 percent of blacks use some sort of tobacco product compared with 21.4 percent of whites. Smoking is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death among black men, according to the American Cancer Society.

The study was also produced by the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute.

12

Cigarette smoking has dropped to an all-time low, but blacks are using other tobacco products

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Martin Luther King Jr., Union Man

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By Peter Cole Professor of History, Western Illinois University If Martin Luther King Jr. still lived, he’d probably tell people to join unions.

King understood racial equality was inextricably linked to economics. He asked, “What good does it do to be able to eat at a lunch counter if you can’t buy a hamburger?”

Those disadvantages have persisted. Today, for instance, the wealth of the average white family is more than 20 times that of a black one.

King’s solution was unionism.

Convergence of needs In 1961, King spoke before the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest and most powerful labor organization, to explain why he felt unions were essential to civil rights progress.

“Negroes are almost entirely a working people,” he said. “Our needs are identical with labor’s needs – decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community.”

My new book, “Dockworker Power: Race and Activism in Durban and the San Francisco Bay Area,” chronicles King’s relationship with a labor union that was, perhaps, the most racially progressive in the country. That was Local 10 of the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, or ILWU. ILWU Local 10 represented workers who loaded and unloaded cargo from ships throughout San Francisco Bay’s waterfront.

Its members’ commitment to racial equality may be as surprising as it is unknown.

In 1967, the year before his murder, King visited ILWU Local 10 to see what interracial unionism looked like. King met with these unionists at their hall in a then-thriving, portside neighborhood – now a gentrified tourist area best known for Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39.

While King knew about this union, ILWU history isn’t widely known off the waterfront.

Civil rights on the waterfront Dockworkers had suffered for decades from a hiring system compared to a “slave auction.” Once hired, they routinely

worked 24 to 36 hour shifts, experienced among the highest rates of injury and death of any job, and endured abusive bosses.

And they did so for incredibly low wages.

In 1934, San Francisco longshoremen – who were non-union since employers had crushed their union in 1919 – reorganized and led a coast-wide “Big Strike.”

In the throes of the Great Depression, these increasingly militant and radicalized dockworkers walked off the job. After 83 days on strike, they won a huge victory: wage increases, a coast-wide contract and union-controlled hiring halls.

Soon, these “wharf rats,” among the region’s poorest and most exploited workers, became “lords of the docks,” commanding the highest wages and best conditions of any blue-collar worker in the region.

At its inception, Local 10’s membership was 99 percent white. But Harry Bridges, the union’s charismatic leader, joined with fellow union radicals to commit to racial equality in its ranks.

Originally from Australia, Bridges started working on the San Francisco waterfront in the early 1920s. It was during the Big Strike that he emerged as a leader.

Bridges coordinated during the strike with C.L. Dellums, the leading black unionist in the Bay Area, and made sure the handful of black dockworkers would not cross picket lines as replacement workers. Bridges promised they would get a fair deal in the new union. One of the union’s first moves after the strike was integrating work gangs that previously had been segregated.

Local 10 overcame pervasive discrimination Cleophas Williams, a black man originally from Arkansas, was among those who got into Local 10 in 1944. He belonged to a wave of African-Americans who, due to the massive labor shortage caused by World War II, fled the racism and discriminatory laws of the Jim Crow South for better lives – and better jobs – outside of it.

Hundreds of thousands of blacks moved to the Bay Area, and tens of thousands found jobs in the booming shipbuilding industry.

Black workers in shipbuilding experienced pervasive discrimination. Employers shunted them off into less attractive jobs and paid them less. Similarly, the main shipbuilders’ union proved hostile to black workers who, when allowed in, were

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Four black men have received posthumous pardons for a rape that never happened 70 years ago

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Florida’s governor and his cabinet, acting as the state’s Clemency Board, on Friday issued posthumous pardons to four young black men who were interrogated, tortured and wrongly convicted for the 1949 rape of a white woman by an all-white jury. One of the boys was murdered before he was charged.

Friday’s vote came nearly two years after the Florida Senate and the State House voted to apologize formally to the relatives of the men, known as the Groveland Four, after determining the woman was never raped. Then Governor Rick Scott was asked to pardon the men, but he did not take any action and did not provide an explanation for not doing so. Scott is now a U.S. Senator.

Rick DeSantis, Florida’s new governor, who was sworn into office last week, made the pardons a priority. “I think the way this was carried out was a miscarriage of justice,” DeSantis said.

In 1949 in Lake County, Norma Padgett, then 17, claimed she had been raped by the four men after a car in which she a passenger driven by husband broke. The four men offered to help but instead raped her, she claimed.

Three of the accused men were arrested.

Ernest Thomas, a fourth man, escaped, but he was hunted down by a posse of 1,000 men. He was shot 400 times as he slept under a tree.

White mobs also terrorized black neighborhoods, burning down houses and firing bullets into the homes.

Walter Irvin and Samuel Shepherd were convicted of rape and sentenced to death on Padgett’s word. Charles Greenlee was sentenced to life in prison because of his age.

Padgett, now elderly and confined to a wheelchair, attended the hearing, still claiming she had been raped. Surrounded by male relatives, Padgett pleaded with the cabinet not to pardon the men.

Shepherd’s cousin, Beverly Robinson, called Padgett and her family liars, which almost led to a fist fight between members of the two families.

A physician who examined Padgett at the time of the alleged assault said she wasn’t

The Groveland Four. In this undated image released by the State Library and Archives of Florida, Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall, far left, and an unidentified man stand next to Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd and Charles Greenlee, from left, in Florida. The three men along with a fourth were charged with rape in 1949.

raped. Padgett held onto the belief that she had been raped although medical evidence proved she had not been. During the trial, Judge Truman Futch refused to let the defense call the examining physician as a witness.

This is not unusual. In another earlier and now-historic case, Irene Tuskin, 19, claimed she had been raped by three black men on June 15, 1920 in Duluth, Minnesota. A physician determined that she had not been raped after examining her.

A white woman’s accusation against a black man, however, was law. A mob knocked the sheriff out of the way and lynched the three men —-Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhie. Duluth, where singer Bob Dylan lived as a child before his family moved elsewhere. Later, Duluth erected a monument to honor the three men.

Thurgood Marshall, a lawyer with the

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, who would later become the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice, handled the appeals for Irvin and Shepherd.

The book “Devil in the Grove” Thurgood Marshall In 1951, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered new trials. Before the trials began, Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall shot Irvin and Shepherd, claiming the handcuffed men were trying to escape. McCall shot to death Shepard. Irvin played dead and lived.

Greenlee was paroled in 1960 and he died in 2012. Irvin was paroled in 1968 and died a year later.

The story about the four men was told in the 2013 Pulitzer-prize winning book “Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America,” by Gilbert King.

Woman Wins $21 Million Lawsuit After Being Fired Because She Wanted to Go to Church on Sundays Miami, FL — Marie Jean Pierre, a 60-year old Black woman from Miami, has been awarded a $21 million settlement from her employer who refused to let her have Sundays off so that she could attend church!

“I love God,” Pierre told NBC. “No work on Sunday, because Sunday I honor God.” Pierre previously worked as a dishwasher at the Conrad Hotel for more than 10 years since 2006. She said she notified her employer from the start that she is a member of the Soldiers of Christ Church, a Catholic missionary group that helps the poor, and that she needed Sundays off from work.

However, in 2015, her employer ignored her request and still scheduled her to work Con’t on page 17

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Kamala Harris Is, “For The People,”–Announces 2020 Presidential Bid

by Bryana Holcomb, BlackDoctor.com

What better way to celebrate MLK Day than with a fresh dose of Black Girl Magic?!? Kamala Harris is serving it up in a real way by announcing she will indeed be entering the 2020 presidential race.

Kamala Harris is a first-term senator and former California attorney general known for her rigorous questioning of President Donald Trump’s nominees. Vowing to “bring our voices together,” Harris would be the first woman to hold the presidency and the second African-American if she succeeds.

Harris, who grew up in Oakland, California, and is a daughter of parents from Jamaica and India, made her long-anticipated announcement on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“I am running for president of the United States,” she said. “And I’m very excited about it.”

Harris launched her presidential bid as the nation observes what would have been the 90th birthday of the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The timing was a clear signal that the California senator— who has joked that she had a “stroller’s-eye view” of the civil rights movement because her parents wheeled her and her sister Maya to protests — sees herself as another leader in that fight.

She plans a formal campaign launch in

Oakland on Jan. 27. The campaign will be based in Baltimore, with a second office in Oakland.

Harris joins what is expected to be a wideopen race for the Democratic presidential nomination. There’s no apparent front-runner at this early stage and Harris will face off against several Senate colleagues.

Her logo pays tribute to Shirley Chisholm, the first black candidate who vied for a major party’s presidential nomination when she sought the Democratic Party’s nod in 1972. She was the first woman to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination as well.

Harris’ slogan “For the People” is both a nod to her work as a prosecutor, when Harris would address the court as “Kamala Harris, for the people” as well as a tie to Chisholm with the yellow and red colors the former New York congresswoman used in her presidential bid, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Harris launches her campaign fresh off of a tour to promote her latest memoir, “The Truths We Hold,” which was widely seen as a stage-setter for a presidential bid.

She is already planning her first trip to an early primary state as a declared candidate.

On Friday, Harris will travel to South Carolina to attend the Pink Ice Gala in Columbia, which is hosted by a South Carolina chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which Harris pledged as an undergraduate student at Howard University. The soror-

ity, founded more than 100 years ago, is a stronghold in the African-American community.

South Carolina, where black voters make T:9” up a large share of the Democratic elector-

ate, is likely to figure heavily into Harris’s prospects. And early voting in Harris’s home state of California will overlap with the traditional early nominating contests, which could give Harris a boost.

Harris is likely to face questions about her law enforcement record, particularly after the Black Lives Matter movement and activists across the country pushed for a criminal justice overhaul. Harris’s prosecutorial record has recently come under new scrutiny after a blistering opinion piece in The New York Times criticized her repeated claim that she was a “progressive prosecutor,” focused on changing a broken criminal justice system from within.

Harris addressed her law enforcement background in her book. She argued it was a “false choice” to decide between supporting the police and advocating for greater scrutiny of law enforcement.

She “knew that there was an important role on the inside, sitting at the table where the decisions were being made,” she wrote.

“When activists came marching and banging on the doors, I wanted to be on the other side to let them in.”

Harris supported legislation that passed the Senate last year that overhauled the criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to sentencing rules.

We’re excited about today’s announcement and look forward to seeing what Harris bring to the race.

The Associated Press and Fox News contributed to this report.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

The CIAA Tournament is Moving to Baltimore in 2021. DMV Alumni Better Not Blow This Like Folks in North Carolina Did

9TH ANNUAL

Tuesday, February 26 at 12:00PM Omni New Haven Hotel

by JL Carter Sr. HBCUDigest.com

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“I believe with all my heart that a single child’s life is greater, more precious, and more deserving of the protection of this nation and of the adults in this room than the right to own a personal arsenal of military-style weapons. The killing of children in schools should not be collateral damage for the 2nd amendment.” -Rosanne Cash For more information visit ARTIDEA.ORG/VLA Tickets available now!

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The tournament will have a new city and a chance to reboot its image as a powerful basketball product.

Baltimore will host the CIAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments beginning in 2021, the conference announced today after news broke yesterday afternoon on HBCU Gameday.

Charm City beat out incumbent host city Charlotte and Norfolk for the right to host one of the nation’s most popular college sporting events, which in recent years has grossed an average of $50 million in economic impact for the Queen City and businesses in its metropolitan footprint.

“This is an exciting time for the CIAA as we have an opportunity to bring the basketball tournament to a new market, moving it closer to many of our northern institutions who have travelled to Charlotte for more than a decade,” said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. “We are incredibly thankful for our partnership between the CIAA, the City of Charlotte and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA).

Charlotte is still our home, we are still headquartered here. We have built life-long friendships with our partners and the community that goes beyond the tournament.

We plan to continue this great relationship.”

Conference officials seemingly grew weary of the hotel price gouging, latent racism and bad financials of its deal with Charlotte and made good on a threat to move it to a city where Carolina-based fans may protest the new mileage required to get to everything but a CIAA basketball game, but where once-distant fans from the Philadelphia-DC-Richmond corridor may feel more at home.

The CIAA Tournament, like the Bayou Classic, has unfairly become an annual referendum on the value of HBCU athletics based upon fan attendance, corporate sponsorship dollars and buzz in traditional and social media. Without all of these things, the tournament still draws thousands of people and adds much gravitas to the tourism profile of whatever city hosts the event.

Northern-based HBCU basketball fans have to learn lessons from the spoiled and coddled fans in North Carolina, who for 13 years enjoyed the high life of the CIAA Tournament social orbit, but who never drove the tournament’s brand as an actual athletic event despite most of the partici-

pating schools being in the State of North Carolina.

Those fans won’t be coming to Baltimore; they’ll say it will be too far to go, too cold to visit in February, and not as much fun as Charlotte. All of those things may be legitimate points for everyone below Petersburg, Va., but not for everyone above it.

And for everyone who is all-in for a black college basketball tournament within a two-hour drive of several major cities, the onus is on them to actually fill the Royal Farms Arena to help the conference maintain its swag as a lightning rod for companies looking to sell products and goodwill to educated, affluent black people.

The City of Baltimore also has to learn lessons from Charlotte’s mistakes in handling the CIAA Tournament. The CIAA is looking for partnership in controlling hotel room rates, limiting opportunities for independent party promoters to throw CIAA-branded parties without licensing or permission, and to support in-arena engagement opportunities. Missing work in these areas will make the two-year deal with the CIAA a limited-run show.

And when they aren’t watching the games, they have to make the Inner Harbor and downtown social areas as lit as Charlotte annually appeared on Instagram and Facebook.

This will be the first time in more than a decade where the CIAA Tournament will reclaim the opportunity to build interest not only with geographically distant alumni of CIAA schools, but also with graduates former CIAA schools like Morgan State and Hampton, and SWAC alumni now living and working in the mid-Atlantic but who do not travel to Mississippi, Houston, Atlanta or New Orleans for major conference games and tournaments.

Moving to Baltimore gives the CIAA a chance to evolve as a national event for all HBCU students and alumni, something that the tournament lost in the glitz of its run in Charlotte. The new city may not give everyone the late winter getaway they want, but it will give the conference a chance to rediscover what its basketball tournament should have always been; a showcase of HBCU talent and black buying power that just happens to give way to decent bars and clubs once the games are over, and not the other way around.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

High School Dance Teacher Tells Black Teen That Her Skin Color Clashes With the Uniforms — She is Suing!

Kansas City, KS — Camille Sturdivant, a Black teen dancer, has filed a lawsuit against the Blue Valley School District in Kansas City for the racial discrimination she experienced as a member of its dance team. She says that one time, she was even forbidden to perform with the dance team just because her skin was ‘too dark.’

Sturdivant, who graduated from Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park in May 2018, was one of the only two Black members of the 14-member Dazzlers dance team.

According to the lawsuit filed on December 5th, the team’s choreographer, Kevin Murakami made a disparaging comment about Sturdivant’s skin on July 2017 when he decided alongside the team’s coach, Carley Fine, that she shouldn’t join the performance. He told her that “her skin was too dark and the audience would look at her and not the other dancers.”

The lawsuit added that Murakami even told Sturdivant that her skin color “clashed with the color of the costumes.”

A few weeks later, Sturdivant’s parents met with the school’s principal, Amy Mur-

phy Pressly, to complain about her being excluded from the performance. However, Pressly only told them that Fine could “pick whoever she wanted to perform in the dances.”

Although Sturdivant remained as a member of the dance team after that incident, she still felt that she is being discriminated.

The lawsuit stated that Fine continued being “dismissive” of her and still tried to block her from some performances as long as she can.

In May, Sturdivant was assigned to play music for the dance team using Fine’s cell phone when she found sickening text messages between Fine and Murakami, who were talking about the news that she earned a spot on the “Golden Girls” dance team at the University of Missouri next year.

“THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. I’m so mad,” Murakami texted.

“It actually makes my stomach hurt,” Fine replied and then added, “Bc she’s f—– black. I hate that.”

Sturdivant took a picture of the conver-

sation and showed it to her parents, who showed it to the school principal. Fine was fired the next day and was banned from school property. However, she was allegedly still seen in several events at school and with the dance team members despite that.

Moreover, the lawsuit also stated that she and the other Black member wasn’t included from the team’s final photos. She was also informed that a team banquet has been canceled even though later on, they found out that the supposed-to-be canceled event still ensued and was attended by Fine and all the other dancers.

The lawsuit named Fine, Pressly, Katie Porter, who is a parent of another member of the dance team who participated on excluding Sturdivant from the banquet, and the Blue Valley Unified School District as defendants. She is requesting for a jury trial and is seeking an unspecified amount in “actual damages, compensatory and punitive damages.”

The school district has since issued a statement that says, “Respectful and meaningful relationships between staff and

2019 Academy Award Nominations

by Kam Williams

Spike Lee Lands First Best Director Nomination of Career!

Camille Sturdivant

students are at the heart of Blue Valley’s culture. Discrimination of any kind has no place here. The District expects staff to treat all students with respect at all times, and any report that this expectation has not been fulfilled is taken very seriously. As

stated in the Complaint, on May 1, 2018, Mrs. Sturdivant showed Dr. Pressly the text message between Mr. Murakami and Ms. Fine. Ms. Fine’s employment with the District was separated the following day on May 2, 2018.”

Con’t from page 14

Con’t from page 14

Prove Interest Woman Wins

Free Loans

answered questions about the legislation, which was passed through an emergency order.

Some federal employees have been furloughed and can apply for unemployment.

Others, like the TSA workers, cannot apply for unemploy ment and are being required to work without pay.

Sampson wondered whether the loans needed to be repaid before real estate taxes? Or would unemployment compensation need to be paid back first?

“I think it’s important that we answer these questions before we pass things into law,” Sampson said.

There were no immediate answers to his questions.

House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, DHartford, bristled at the notion that Connecticut was somehow singling out a group of individuals for a handout.

“They are deemed essential workers. They have to go to work and they are not paid and they cannot apply for unemployment compensation,” Ritter said. “There is nobody else in this state I can think of the same rule applies to.”

Lamont’s staff said that Maine and Rhode Island reached out to his office for more information on the legislation, which is now law.

Federal employees interested in the loans should contact their bank or credit union to determine whether they intend to participate in the program. If they are not, loans may also be available through a bank or credit union other than employees’ usual financial institution.

The loans may be available before the end of the week.

The Favourite and Roma tied for the most Oscar nominations with 10 each, thereby besting Golden Globe Best Picture-winners Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody which only landed 5 apiece. Still, the most surprising news is the love lavished by the Academy on Spike Lee, who was nominated for Best Director for the first time in his 40-year career.

Furthermore, Spike’s film, BlacKkKlansman, garnered a half-dozen nominations overall, including the Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Adam Driver), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing and Original Score categories. In a banner year for black films, Klansman netted more nods than both Green Book and the critically-acclaimed If Beale Street Could Talk, though one less than the popular, comic book adaptation Black Panther.

Since as many as 10 films could have been nominated for Best Picture, it was disappointing that there are only 8, with Crazy Rich Asians, If Beale Street Could Talk and Eighth Grade most notably left out. It’s also unfortunate that inspired performances by actresses Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians), Viola Davis (Widows), Nicole Kidman (Destroyer) and Letitia Wright (Black Panther) went unrecognized.

The Oscars will air live on Sunday, February 24th at 8 pm ET / 5 pm Pacific on ABC-TV.

17

$21 Million Lawsuit After Being Fired Because She Wanted to Go to Church on Sundays

on Sundays. Her co-workers agreed to trade shifts with her for a number of weeks until she was required to really fill in her scheduled shift. When missed Sundays work for six weeks straight to continue attending church, she was fired.

Pierre filed a lawsuit claiming that the Conrad Hotel, which was managed by Hilton at the time, had violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects workers from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or national origin.

A federal jury has recently ruled in her favor and ordered the hotel to pay Pierre $21 million in damages, plus $35,000 in back wages and $500,000 for emotional pain and mental anguish.

Due to a cap on punitive damage awards in federal court, Pierre wouldn’t be able to get the whole $21 million but she is expected to receive at least $500,000. Her lawyer, Marc Brumer, still hopes the verdict becomes a benchmark for others.

“This was not about money. This was about sending a message to other corporations whether big or small,” he said. “Whatever size you are, if you’re going to take the blood and sweat of your workers, you better accommodate them or let them at least believe in their religious beliefs.”

Meanwhile, the company issued a statement through a spokeswoman which said, “We are very disappointed by the jury’s verdict, and don’t believe that it is supported by the facts of this case or the law. We intend to appeal, and demonstrate that the Conrad Miami was and remains a welcoming place for all guests and employees.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019 Con’t from page 05

Lawmakers Celebrate Reproductive Freedom With New Legislation

machine and the coat hooks, on the city bus and the in waiting room. If the n-word isn’t in a sentence, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

The coffee pot breathes and gurgles nearby.

In the background, Ileen makes her body small, as if shrinking into herself enough will make her invisible.

Brown’s performance is quietly mammoth, and heart-burstingly good. From the moment she walks onto the stage, it is clear there is a hurricane inside her: not one that she has made, but one those around her have stirred up, then directed straight toward land. Her statements, barbed and honeyed in the same breath, land with comedic timing—never the side-splitting kind that Office Space or Noises Off still conjure, but knowing, like we’re in on the joke and would prefer not to be anymore.

Warner-Crane gives Dr. Williams soft edges, revealing glimmers of sympathy and surprise that make him less villainous for a moment—and then reaffirm his status as a terrible human being. And Kulp makes a magnificent descent from anxious to paranoid, the audience leaning in as her polite, steadied facade crumbles and she learns to weaponize her fear. She’s terrifying—at least she was for this Midwestern white reporter—because her move from mild discomfort to all out racism isn’t unbelievable at all.

There is perhaps nothing, she proves, scarier than a fearful white person on a mission. Or, as Brown so succinctly puts it in her monologue, scarier than a white person who believes they may be denied something they want, if only for a moment.

Nothing at all.

Questions about your bill?

Yale New Haven Hospital is pleased to offer patients and their families financial counseling regarding their hospital bills or the availability of financial assistance, including free care funds.

By appointment, patients can speak one-on-one with a financial counselor during regular business hours. For your convenience, extended hours are available once a month.

Date: Tuesday, January 22 Time: 5 - 7 pm Location: Children’s Hospital, 1 Park St., 1st Floor, Admitting Parking available (handicapped accessible) An appointment is necessary. Please call 203-688-2046.

Spanish-speaking counselors available.

18

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

COMMENTARY: Don’t Let Predatory Tax Loans Take Your Refunds

By Charlene Crowell, NNPA Newswire Contributor

For many consumers, the New Year brings an annual effort to file taxes early enough to help pay off big bills, replace major appliances or tuck away a few bucks for the proverbial ‘rainy day’.

With a continuing federal shutdown, this year there are also an estimated 800,000 federal workers who have not had a payday since December. For these consumers, an early tax refund could cover basic living needs like housing, food, child care and utilities.

And across the country, advertising – particularly on urban radio – tempts listeners with easy ways to get a loan against anticipated tax refunds. But just like other predatory lending products, what is advertised is not quite what consumers receive. Convenient tax-related loans almost always come with a price that takes a big bite out of consumers’ money.

The bigger the refund, the more attentive and helpful “tax preparers” will be in helping with e-filing, the electronic processing that typically results in refunds in two to three business days. Once the size of the refund is known, these preparers encourage unsuspecting consumers to take out a short-term loan like a Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL). Depository institutions like

banks sell a ‘service’ known as a Refund Anticipating Check (RAC) that is most appealing to consumers who lack a bank account.

Neither product is as helpful as they appear.

RALs are usually marketed as an ‘advance’ instead of a loan. Instead of interest, many of these loans come with “fees” or a “finance charge.” Conversely, a Refund Anticipation Check or RAC is sold as a temporary bank account that exists exclusively to receive the IRS refund. Once the refund reaches the consumer’s bank account, either a prepaid card or a check is issued by the depository institution. And once again, fees taken out of the refund reduce the amount of monies that consumers actually receive.

The biggest target for both of these products are consumers with the largest refunds, especially those who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs), one of the few tax break programs available to low-to-moderate income consumers, and/or the Additional Child Tax Credit.

To be eligible for EITC, earned income and adjusted gross income can be as low as $15,270 for a single filer or head of household to as high as $54,884 for a married couple with three dependent children.

This year, eligible EITC consumers could receive as much as $6,431 for families with three or more qualifying children to $519 for single filers.

Similarly, the Child Tax Credit is available to eligible filers with children under the age of 17. For each dependent child meeting the age requirement, filers receive a $2,000 credit that like EITC reduces the amount of taxes owed.

In 2017, 1.7 million RALs were sold, and another 20.5 million RACs valued at a half billion dollars were also sold, according to the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC).

“Tax-time is hard enough for most Americans, but they also face consumer protection challenges,” noted Chi Chi Wu, staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. “They need to avoid incompetent and abusive preparers and decide whether to choose financial products of varying costs.”

So how much financial sense does it make to purchase an ‘advance’ or open a temporary bank account when the Internal Revenue Service can deposit the full refund into a checking account within two to three business days?

Just because a refund-advance product isn’t called a loan, or doesn’t have an interest rate, doesn’t mean it’s free, said Scott Astrada, the Center for Responsible Lend-

ing’s Director of Federal Advocacy. “Carefully read the terms and conditions and ask plenty of questions”.

Everyone who works for a living should be entitled not only to a paycheck but 100

percent of their tax refunds.

Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s Communications Deputy Director. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

SIGN YOUR CHILD UP FOR SUCCESS! There are still openings in preschool programs for children ages 3-5 years.

Free & Low-Cost Programs located throughout the city.

What to bring to enroll: Proof of residency Proof of income Child’s birth certificate Child’s health/immunization record

COLLEGESTREETMUSICHALL.COM 19

Call School Readiness Office for more info 475-220-1470

THEINNER-CITY INNER-CITY NEWSNEWS - January January02, 29,2016 2019 July23, 27,2019 2016 -- August

Dispatcher

EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST - (P/T)

NOTICE

Galasso Materials is seeking a motivated, organized, detail-oriented candi-

Assist individuals receiving services in identifying and making date to join its truck dispatch office. Responsibilities include order entry choices about their social, vocation and personal goals. Duties in- and truck ticketing in a fast paced materials manufacturing and contracting clude case management, job development/placement/retention ser- company. You will have daily interaction with employees and customers MACRI RENTAL HOUSING APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE vices VALENTINA and job support as needed.

Requires use ofPREpersonal vehicle. as numerous truckloads of material cross our scales daily. We are willing B.A. in a related field; plus 2 yrs’ related experience or equivalent to train the right individual that has a great attitude. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Authority, Reply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026.

HOME INC, on behalf and of Columbus and the New Haven Housing combination of education experience.House Pay rate $16.61/hr.

EOE/M/F/D/V. is accepting pre-applications for Ave., studioNorth and one-bedroom apartments at this develApply to: GWSNE, 432 Washington Haven, CT 06473/ Faxopment (203) 495-6108/hr@goodwillsne.org EOE/AA - M/F/D/V located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven.

Maximum income limitations ap-

DELIVERY PERSON NEEDED

ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 andScale ending House when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Operator , been received at the offices of HOME INC. knowledge Applications will be mailied upon reData Entry, Print, Copy & Scan Documents.

Working of Haz. Waste Regs., Manifests.

DOTINC & OSHA certification a +. during Forwardthose resumes quest by&calling HOME at 203-562-4663 hours. Completed preto RED Technologies, 860-218-2433; or Email HR@redtechllc. applications mustLLC be Fax returned to HOME INC’stooffices at 171 Orange Street, Third com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE. Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Part Time Delivery Needed

Finance NOTICIA

One/Two Day a Week,

Must Have your Own Vehicle

Town Treasurer/Accountant: Responsible for administrative and VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES professional accounting work involving receipt, disbursement and investment of town funds and computer systems management. ReHOME INC, en nombre Columbus from Housea yrecognized de la New Haven quires a bachelor’s degreede in laaccounting collegeHousing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo or university, plus two (2) years of experience in accounting work ubicadoexperience en la calle in 109supervision Frank Street, New and Haven. limitaciones de ingresos including of staff useSe of aplican data promáximos.

Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponiblesof09education a.m.-5 p.m. cessing technology, or an equivalent combination andcomenzando Martes 25 The Community julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes 100) Foundation for Greater New Haven qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. $ 71,883(aproximadamente - $ en 91,971 Apply: de Department of Human Resources, Town Wall- por correo a petición las oficinas HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán of enviadas is seeking to fill the position of Director of Gift Planning. ingford, 45 South Main Wallingford, CT 06492.

The closing llamando a HOME INCStreet, al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse Please refer to our website for details: http://www.cfgnh.org/ datea las willoficinas be thatde date the 50th application form/resume is received, HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New HavenAbout/ContactUs/EmploymentOpportunities.aspx. , CT 06510 .

EOE. or February 13, 2019, whichever occurs first. EOE Electronic submissions only. No phone calls

If Interested call

(203) 387-0354

Public Health

MINORITY CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY – SPENCER VILLAGE, MANCHESTER, CT SOLICITATION OF SBE/MBE CONTRACTORS: Construction Resources, Inc., an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, seeks certified SBE/ MBE Subcontractors and/or suppliers and local business enterprises to bid applicable sections of work/equipment/supplies for the following construction project: Spencer Village: Renovations to existing multi-unit residential housing project, 64 apartments in 13 buildings, 1 and 2 story units, 41,823 sf, phased construction, 274 day schedule in Manchester, CT. Bid Date and Time: Tuesday, February 12, 2019 by 12:00 noon. Electronic Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting Mark Rubins at Construction Resources Plainville office at (860) 678-0663 or by email to mark@corebuilds.com. Project is Tax Exempt and Federal Prevailing Wage (Davis Bacon) applies. This project is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. CORE encourages the participation of certified SBE/MBE contractors. CORE is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Accounting Coordinator Town of Portland, CT (EOE) 35 hrs weekly Deadline: 01/31/2019

Responsible municipal accounting position that requires maintaining a complete set of all financial ledgers for all funds. Work requires good knowledge, skill and ability in municipal accounting. Qualifications: Associate’s degree in accounting + 2 yrs progressively responsible bookkeeping or accounting record keeping experience involving the use of a computer (MS Word, Excel), or an equivalent combination education and qualifying experience. Send application & resume to: First Selectwoman’s Office, P.O. Box 71, Portland, CT 06480-0071

Listing: Retail Assistant

TOWN OF EAST HAVEN

Substitute Custodian: The Town of East Haven is currently seeking qualified applicants Sanitarian: Professional level work in the enforcement of statutes Petroleum Company has an immediate full time opening. Previto participate in the Civil Service Examination for the position of Substitute Custodian. and regulations relating to public and environmental health. The ous experience helpful in answering multiple telephone lines and in Qualified Invitation to Bid: candidates shall meet the following minimum requirements: Some knowledge position requires a bachelor’s degree in environmental health or dealing with customers. Personable customer service skills a must. of materials, methods, and equipment used in building custodial work, ability to follow nd 242-258 Fairmont Ave Notice 2 closely related field, or an equivalent combination of education or Previous petroleum experience a plus. Applicant to also perform written and oral instruction; ability to maintain cooperative relationships with those conexperience on a year-for-year basis. Must possess and maintain a administrative tasks such as typing proposals, scheduling appointtacted in work; ability to plan work schedules and work independently; sufficient physical 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA valid State of Connecticut Motor Vehicle Operator’s License. Must ments and ordering parts and materials. Please send resume to: strength and stamina to perform the duties required of the class. Graduation from High All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 be able to obtain within 6 months CT certification as a food inspec- H.R. Manager, Confidential, P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

Old Saybrook, SchoolCT or 1 year employment in building care and cleaning operations required. Candinear busplus stopan&excellent shoppingfringe center ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer********** tor. Salary: $56,321 -highways, $ 72,061 annually (4 Buildings,dates 17 Units) bilingual in Spanish are encouraged to apply. Hourly rate of pay is $20.47. This is a benefit package.

Apply Human Resources Department, Pet under 40lb to: allowed.

Interested parties contact Town Mariaof@ 860-985-8258 part time weekly hours range from 15-25, 2-3 days per week. Deadline: January Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wageposition, Rate Project Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Fax #: 25, 2019. Applications to participate in the examination are available online at www.

(203) 294-2084. Closing date will be February 1, 2019 or the date Executive Director Position townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service-commission/pages/job-notices-and-tests or the Civil theCT. 75th application is received, whichever first. EOE. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offeroccurs a Deacon’s New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, CastService Office, 250 MainSite-work, Street, East Haven CT. The Town of East Haven is committed Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates Common Ground High School, Urban Farm & Environmental building Vinyl a workforce in-place Concrete, AsphalttoShingles, Siding, of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30Education Center is looking for its next Executive Director: A Veterans are encouraged to apply.

3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. Flooring, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64proven Brewsterorganizational dynamic, leader Painting, who shares our roots-deep Mechanical, Electrical, St. New Haven, CT commitment to environmental and food justice, active, authenticPlumbing and Fire Protection.

Director of Public Works: Plans and directs the works of the Public learning, and inclusive, equitable community.

For to a detailed job This contract is subject state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

MINORITY CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY – Works Department. Requires a bachelor’s degree in civil engineerdescription and how to apply, please visit http://commongroundct. ing from a recognized college or university plus eight (8) years PROMISE HOUSE, MANCHESTER, CT org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Common-Ground-Executiveof progressively responsible public works administration experiBid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Director-job-posting ence including at least four (4) years in a supervisory capacity, or Anticipated Start: SOLICITATION August 15, 2016 OF SBE/MBE CONTRACTORS: Construction Resources, anSealed equivalent education and qualifying experience bidscombination are invitedof by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour Inc., via an ftp Affirmative Project documents available link below:Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, seeks certified SBE/ substituting on a year-for-year basis. Must possess and maintain a until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Firefighter MBE Subcontractors and/or suppliers and local business enterprises to bid applivalid driver’s license. $ 111,514 - $ 142,683 Apply: Department http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage CT 06483 forofConcrete Sidewalk and Replacement at theTown of Greenwich cable sections of work/equipment/supplies for the following construction projof Seymour, Human Resources, Town Wallingford, 45 SouthRepairs Main Street, Wallingford, 06492. Assisted The closing date will be that 26 dateSmith the 50th SmithfieldCTGardens Living Facility, Street Seymour. ect: Promise House: 2 story, slab on grade, wood-frame new construction of 12 Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com application form/resume is received, or February 13, 2019, whichefficiency and 131-bedroom apartments and common areas in Manchester, CT. HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section Certified Businesses Do You Want A Job That Makes A Difference? ever occurs first. EOE Bid Date and Time: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 by 3:00 P.M. Electronic Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office Become 28 SmithA Town of Greenwich Firefighter.

Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting Nick MataAA/EEO EMPLOYER Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

NEW HAVEN

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Public Works

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

To view detailed information and apply online visit www.governmentjobs.com/careers/greenwichct Bidding documents Seymour Housing Authority Of- Salary: $60,910. The Town of GreenAdministrative Assistant are for available data entry, from filing,the reception, phones, Current Starting andfice, corporate staffStreet, support.

WorkingCT knowledge of Haz. Waste wich is dedicated to Diversity & Equal Opportunity 28 Smith Seymour, 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Regs., Manifests, AP & billing. OSHA certification a +. Forward Employment; Town of Greenwich, HR Dept., 101 resumes to RED Technologies, LLC Fax 860-218-2433; or Email to Field Rd, The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or Point all bids, to Greenwich, CT, (203)861-3188.

HR@redtechllc.com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Portland

reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the Housing Authority.

20

razzo at Construction Resources Plainville office at (860) 678-0663 or by email to nick@corebuilds.com. Project iS new construction, 11,717 sf, Tax Exempt, Federal Prevailing Wage (Davis Bacon). This project is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. CORE encourages the participation of certified SBE/MBE contractors. CORE is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

INNER-CITY July 2016 -- August THE INNER-CITY NEWS NEWS - January 2327, , 2019 January 29,2016 2019 02,

NOTICE

PRE-BID MEETING RE:RENTAL WESTBROOK VILLAGE PHASE 1 VALENTINA MACRI HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2019 Location: University of Hartford’s Handel Center Community Room HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus HouseParkway, and theHartford, New Haven Address: 25 Westbourne CT Housing Authority,

is accepting pre-applications for studio and Time: 10:00 to one-bedroom 11:00 AM apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from TO 9AMBID TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y INVITATION 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient Village pre-applications Westbrook Phase 1(approximately 100) have been received at Twain the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon reMark and Ogilby Drive, & Plainfield St Hartford, CT quest by calling HOME INC at hours.

Completed preNew Construction of:203-562-4663 6 Buildings, 75during Units, those Approx 86,825 sf applications mustBid be Due returned to HOME INC’s5,offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Date: February 2019 @ 5 pm.

Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=westbrookvillage

NOTICIA

This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements as well as, City ofVIVIENDAS Hartford set-aside and contract requirements. DISPONIBLES VALENTINA MACRI DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dlang@haynesct.com HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses

aceptando pre-solicitudes para Company, estudios y apartamentos de unSeymour, dormitorio este desarrollo Haynes Construction 32 Progress Ave, CTen06483 ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos AA/EEO EMPLOYER máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

NEW HAVEN 242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 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. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

ElmbyCity Communities Sealed bids are invited the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Request for Proposals Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Youth Development Program Services- Eastview and Fairhaven Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals YouthAuthority Development A pre-bid conference will be held at thefor Housing Office Program 28 Smith Services at Eastview Fairhaven.

A complete copy of the requireStreet Seymour, CT at and 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. ment may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginBidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Ofning on Monday, January 14, 2019 at 3:00 PM fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

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

Electric Utility System Operator/Dispatcher Operates electric distribution substation and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for an electric utility serving 25,000 customers. Coordinates electric system switching and places equipment in and out of service during routine and emergency operations. Requires HS diploma/GED with 2 years experience in the operation of Distribution SCADA equipment and/or switchboards used in the distribution of electricity. Experience and training may be substituted on a year for year basis. Must maintain valid system operation certification from Connecticut Valley Exchange (CONVEX) or other approved agency or be able to obtain the same within 90 days of hire. Must posses and maintain a valid State of CT driver’s license. $ 32.48 - $ 38.59 per hour plus an excellent fringe benefit package.

Apply to: Human Resources Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Fax #: (203) 294-2084.

Closing date will be February 11, 2019. EOE.

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT is seeking BIDS FOR MAINTENANCE UNIFORMS. Bidding documents can be viewed and printed at www. norwalkha.org under the Business section, RFP/RFQ Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director.

Administrative Assistant Must have DOT Construction Exp. Involves traveling to Job Site for record keeping.

Reliable transportation a must. NO PHONE CALLS EMAIL RESUME TO michelle@occllc.com EOE/AA Females and Minorities are encouraged to apply

Project Manager

InvitationDivision to Bid: Environmental Remediation nd 2 Notice

3-5 years exp. and Bachelor’s Degree, 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training Req. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CTOld 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; or Saybrook, CT Email to HR@redtechllc.com RED(4Technologies, LLC is an EOE. Buildings, 17 Units)

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Field Engineer

BA/BS in Civil Engineering or Construction Management.

2-5 yrs. experience. OSHA Certified.

Proficient in reading contract plans and specifications.

Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; Email resumes to info@redtechllc.com. RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Project Manager Environmental Remediation Division 3-5 years exp. and Bachelor’s Degree, 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training Req. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002;

Fax 860.218.2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com

RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc

seeks: Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Dan Peterson Phone: 860- 243-2300 email: dpeterson@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc

seeks: Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Tax Exempt & Not -Prevailing Rate Project Listing: Transportation Assistant ImmediateWage Opening

High Volume petroleumWood oil company seeking aSelective full timeDemolition, TransTractor New Construction, Framed,isHousing, Site-work,Trailer Cast- Driver for Heavy & Highway Conportation Assistant. Work time begins at 6:00AM. Previous pestruction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, troleum oil, retail or commercial dispatching experience a plus. clean driving record, capable of operating heavy Flooring, Specialties, Residential Casework, MUST possess Painting, excellent Division attention 10 to detail, abilityAppliances, to manage mulequipment; be willing to travel throughout the tiple projects, excelMechanical, proficiency Electrical, and good computer skills required.

Plumbing and Fire Protection.

Send resume to: Human Resource Dept., PO Box 388, Guilford, This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. Northeast & NY. CT 06437.

We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

Union Company seeks:

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Common Ground Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Project documents via Manager. ftp link below: Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer is seeking a Green Jobbs Corps available Program For ahttp://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage full job description and how to apply, please

visit http://www.commongroundct.org/2019/01/comFENCE ERECTING SUBCONTRACTORS Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com mon-ground-is-seeking-our-next-green-jobs-corpsHCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses manager Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking AA/EEO EMPLOYER for experienced, responsible commercial and resiScale House Operator, Data Entry, Print, Copy & Scan Documents. Working knowledge of Haz. Waste Regs., & Manifests. dential fence erectors and installers on a subcontracDOT & OSHA certification a +. Forward resumes to RED Techtor basis. Earn from $750 to $2,000 per day. Email nologies, LLC Fax 860-218-2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com resume to pking@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

21

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

Coming to America Again: Eddie Murphy to Star Again in Blockbuster Hit

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Eddie Murphy will once again play crown prince Akeem Joffer in a sequel to the 1988 hit movie, Coming to America. The film’s plot centered around a Prince who travels to New York to find an independent woman who loves him in spite of his royal title. The sequel will have Prince Joffer returning to America after he finds out he has a longlost son who is heir to his throne.

The screenplay will be written by Kenya Barish, who is the creator of the ABC show “Black-ish.” Craig Brewer, who produced “Hustle and Flow” has been selected to direct the film.

Murphy is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood history in terms of box office. As of 2014, his films have grossed over $3.8 billion in the U.S. and over $6 billion worldwide. Murphy remains in the top ten of highest grossing actors in the U.S., a list that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford and Morgan Freeman.

Murphy has also starred in films that elevate the image of African Americans.

Coming to America and Boomerang were examples of films that were before their time as they broke through stereotypes of African Americans in movies at the time.

Coming to America (1988) featured an African prince and Boomerang (1992) explored the relationships of two professionals at an African American-owned and -operated corporation.

“After many years of anticipation, I’m thrilled that Coming to America 2 is officially moving forward. We’ve assembled a great team that will be led by Craig Brewer, who just did an amazing job on Dolemite

[Is My Name], and I’m looking forward to bringing all these classic and beloved characters back to the big screen,” said Murphy in a statement on January 11.

Coming to America featured an all-star cast that included Murphy, James Earl Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Cuba Gooding Jr, Arsenio Hall, John Amos and Eriq LaSalle. The film was directed by John Landis and made $288 million at the box office.

It also has become a popular and oftenreferred to cultural classic that has been

remembered over the last three decades.

Eddy Murphy is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood history in terms of box office. As of 2014, his films have grossed over $3.8 billion in the U.S. and over $6 billion worldwide.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

Con’t from page 13

Con’t from page 13

Lawmakers Celebrate Reproductive Freedom With New Legislation Flexer said.

But it’s not a slam dunk. These centers also have their supporters.

Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, said no one with first-hand experience with the pregnancy centers in question came forward last year to testify.

Christine Bennett, communications director for the Family Institute of Connecticut, said the “Pregnant, Need Help?” ads on the back of buses was held up as an example of deceptive advertising. She said that assumes that the only help a woman needs is an abortion.

Bennett, who has worked at a pregnancy center, said they provide parenting classes and other material resources such as diapers.

“These are real lives at stake,” Bennett said. “Real women who don’t have anywhere else to go.”

The legislation to fine crisis pregnancy centers for false advertising has yet to be filed online, so it’s unclear exactly what it says. It’s too soon in the legislative process to know how much support there is for the legislation or whether it will be raised for a public hearing.

What did the recent election results say about the issue of reproductive rights?

Flexer said there’s been strong bipartisan support for women’s reproductive rights and that’s what they saw in the 2018 elections.

Flexer said many of her new colleagues ran on these issues.

Wolfgang disagreed that voters went to the polls with this issue on their mind.

“I don’t really see this as the make or break issue for what happened on Election Day last year,” Wolfgang said.

However, he conceded his organization lost support with the results of the election, which saw the Democratic Party expand its majority.

Martin Luther King Jr.,

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EQUAL HOUSING LENDER

NMLS #459028

Union Man placed in segregated locals.

A few thousand black men, including Williams, were hired as longshoremen during the war. He later recalled to historian Harvey Schwartz: “When I first came on the waterfront, many black workers felt that Local 10 was a utopia.”

During the war, when white foremen and military officers hurled racist epithets at black longshoremen, this union defended them. Black members received equal pay and were dispatched the same as all others.

For Williams, this union was a revelation.

Literally the first white people he ever met who opposed white supremacy belonged to Local 10. These longshoremen were not simply anti-racists, they were communists and socialists.

Leftist unions like the ILWU embraced black workers because, reflecting their ideology, they contended workers were stronger when united. They also knew that, countless times, employers had broken strikes and destroyed unions by playing workers of different ethnicities, genders, nationalities and races against each other.

For instance, when 350,000 workers went out during the mammoth Steel Strike of 1919, employers brought in tens of thousands of African-Americans to work as replacements.

Some black dockworkers also were socialists. Paul Robeson, the globally famous singer, actor and left-wing activist had several friends, fellow socialists, in Local 10. Robeson was made an honorary ILWU member during WWII. Martin Luther King, union member In 1967, King walked in Robeson’s footsteps when he was inducted into Local 10 as an honorary member, the same year Williams became the first black person elected president of Local 10. By that year, roughly half of its members were AfricanAmerican.

King addressed these dockworkers, declaring, “I don’t feel like a stranger here in the midst of the ILWU. We have been strengthened and energized by the support you have given to our struggles. … We’ve learned from labor the meaning of power.”

Many years later, Williams discussed King’s speech with me: “He talked about the economics of discrimination. … What he said is what Bridges had been saying all along,” about workers benefiting by attacking racism and forming interracial unions.

Eight months later, in Memphis to organize a union, King was assassinated.

The day after his death, longshoremen shut down the ports of San Francisco and Oakland, as they still do when one of their own dies on the job. Nine ILWU members attended King’s funeral in Atlanta, including Bridges and Williams, honoring the man who called unions “the first anti-poverty program.”

This article originally appeared in The Atlanta Tribune.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019

N E W

H AV E N

P U B L I C

SC H O O L S

SCHOOL CHOICE EXPOS You are invited to discover all that New Haven Public Schools can offer families and students. Please join us at a School Expo.

Sat. Feb. 9 | 11AM-2PM

Wed. Feb. 13 | 6-8PM

Wilbur Cross High Sch.

Floyd Little Athletic Ctr.

181 Mitchell Dr., New Haven

480 Sherman Pkwy., New Haven

1- 2pm Kindergarten Info Session

6 - 7pm High School Info Session

SCHOOL CHOICE 2019 Apply online at Choice.NHPS.net from February 11 to March 17

New Haven Public Schools Office of Choice & Enrollment 54 Meadow Street | New Haven, CT 06519 | 475-220-1430

Choice.NHPS.net 24