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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - -February 13,2016 2018 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 August 02,

Financial a Key Focus atWay 2016 Forward NAACP Convention BlackJustice Women Show the in 2018

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A Taste Of Paris

Comes To Broadway by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

Adil Chokairy is hoping that if you’re famished before or after a busy day of shopping in the Broadway District, you’ll fuel up with a crêpe. On Thursday, Chokairy, along with Yale University Properties and city officials, cut the ribbon on his newest eatery, a kiosk called Crêpes Choupette on the Broadway parking lot island. It is his third restaurant venture in the Elm City since he started selling crêpes from a bike-propelled cart back in 2014. His latest venture is bigger than the bike cart he started with but a bit smaller than his other two restaurants on Whitney Avenue, Choupette Crêperie and the Swiss-inspired cheese restaurant Au Chalet. The new kiosk at 56 Broadway is uniquely positioned in the center of the Broadway District, with the new home of L.L. Bean rising across from it on Elm Street, and Patagonia and other stores positioned across from it on Broadway. This is his third

lease with Yale Properties. City Economic Development Administrator Matt Nemerson said what Yale and the city have achieved a retail mix in the Broadway District that you’re more likely to see in larger cities. He noted that Chokairy, who he joshed is building an “empire,” adds to the sophistication. “When we think about New Haven, one of the things that we keep trying to educate people is that this is not a larger Branford. This is a smaller Boston,” Nemerson said. “And the only way that happens is by having the continued imagination to bring an Apple store, to bring in L.L. Bean, to bring a Patagonia.” Chokairy demurred on whether or not he is building an empire. “I don’t think it’s an empire,” he said. “I think it’s more pressure, and I didn’t achieve anything yet. Work is still ahead of me. I don’t want to disappoint.”

Nemerson at the ribbon cutting.

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Adil Chokairy cuts the ribbon on his latest New Haven eatery.

February 07, 2018

February 13, 2018

Blumenthal To Refugee Kids: “We’re Proud Of You” by ALLAN APPEL

New Haven Independent

Omar Moussa and his parents arrived from Syria two years ago after spending four years in a Jordanian refugee camp. He was 17 the same age as U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s father in 1935 when he arrived from Frankfort, Germany, then in the initial throes of the Nazi takeover. However, Blumenthal’s father in 1935 did not face the heart-breaking political and bureaucratic obstacles to bring over the rest of his family, which are now being confronted by Omar’s remaining siblings in Jordan and Lebanon. That’s thanks to Donald Trump’s Executive Order(s) 13769/13780, known as “the Muslim” ban. That contrast emerged Friday morning when Blumenthal visited a tutorial and mentoring classroom at Wilbur Cross High School, staffed by Cross teachers and Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS)staff, for recently arrived kids from Eritria, Syria, Iraq, among other countries. Many of those kids, like Omar, are from families struggling to reunite with relatives, but are being hampered not only by “the Muslim ban,” stuck in murky legal limbo. Thanks to new layers of vetting, “the whole refugee processing pipeline is being dismantled” in a deliberate attempt “to send some people ‘back to Go,’” said IRIS Executive Director Chris George. Friday’s event, approximately the one-year anniversary of the ban, was initiated by Wilbur Cross student council members to call attention to Sunday’s upcoming IRIS annual fundraising Run for Refugees. Blumenthal, who has participated in the race in years past, said he wanted to “meet with refugee youth separated from family by President Trump’s immoral and unconstitutional travel ban.” On Dec. 4, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted injunctions put in place by the U.S. District Courts in Hawaii and Maryland. This means that the ban is now in full effect and litigation over its legality is currently pending, according to an assessment provided by Blumenthal spokesperson Elizabeth Benton. IRIS, the largest of three international refugee settlement groups in the state, processed a thousand

Blumenthal with refugee students and ESL teacher Alan Gibbons.

people in 2016. The number dropped to under 500 last year. Thanks to the ban and the use of bureaucracy to slow immigration, “this year, they could be under 400, which would be a shame because the interest, resources, and job opportunities are here. People should be coming here, but they’re not,” George said. Some of those who are not coming are Omar’s sisters three in Jordanian refugee camps and one in Lebanon. Omar arrived with his parents and two other siblings two years ago, speaking no English. He told Blumenthal that when his older sister was poised to have their last interview and fly out, the ban put the kibosh on what would have been at least a partial family reunification. “I’m in the U.S. Senate,” Blumenthal responded. “One of my passions is changing the immigration rules so families can be brought together. Plus, we need to open our arms to people in places like Syria.” IRIS’s Director of Community Engagement Ann O’Brien said Omar helped support his family in Jordan by working in a restaurant, beginning at age 11. He already speaks English fluently. Of the senator’s brief visit, he said, “It’s nice. We feel safe that good people care. He likes refugees, everyone.” Blumenthal moved on to a table where three 18-year-olds Sara Woldu from Eritrea, Lana Orabi from Syria, and Maryam al-Lami from Iraq had just finished reading Tennessee William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire. With the the assistance of Cross English teacher Kristin Mendoza, the

girls were writing sentences conveying their responses to Blanche DuBois’s situation. As the girls engaged in discussion with their teacher, and the senator listened, they did some vocabulary building and wrote words like “asylum” and “victim.” All had been here only a few months and their spoken English was limited. The senator listened and spoke slowly, “It’s hard to get used to. Keep up the good work. We’re really proud of you.” He visited another table with younger refugee kids, including ninth-grader Awet Yohannes and his sister Kisanet, both from Eritrea, where their native language is Tigrinya. Awet was working with IRIS Education and Advocacy Coordinator Dennis Wilson on changing sentences in English from the singular to the plural. He was doing pretty well, he said, although his favorite subject is math. Wilson said that IRIS staff and volunteer tutors about 16 people distributed in seven city schools at various levels continue to work with kids and their families for at least a year after their arrival. Embedding tutorial and mentoring programs like this one at Cross are limited by funding, said O’Brien. Which, of course, is one reason for the Run for Refugee event, a major IRIS fundraiser. Blumenthal and the kids many of whom like Omar intend to run in the race gathered for a thumbs-up group picture. Someone asked how to say “cheese” in Swahili.” Apparently no one knew. Kisanet Yohannis offered the word in Tigrinya for “smile” mshak and everyone did.

Canal Dock Boathouse Rises, Wows THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

The new Canal Dock Boathouse is getting closer to the finish line, and it is a thing of beauty. I got to join a sneak preview of the waterfront gem on Thursday afternoon. I’d show you what I saw, but they allowed no photos. But I can tell you about it. Construction of the new $37 million two-story, 30,000 square-foot boathouse which replaces the historic Adee Memorial Boathouse the state tore down in 2009 along the Quinnipiac River to make room for the expansion of the I-95 Pearl Harbor Memorial “Q” Bridge is in its final stages. Thursday afternoon’s tour was arranged for Mayor Toni Harp and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, state Department of Transportation and city officials, along with a couple of members of the press to check out what three years of toil has produced. The city was able to get the funding for the project to mitigate the impact of building the “Q” bridge and that money had to be used

specifically for rebuilding the boathouse and improving the shoreline. When the boathouse opens this summer there will be elements that harken back to the grandness of the original Adee Memorial Boathouse along with new elements that make the building a showplace of this current age. Gregg Wies and Gardner are the architects who designed the building. Nosal Construction is the contractor. Some of both elements will be enshrined in a time capsule that New Haven historian Judith Schiff, New Haven Museum Executive Director Margaret Anne Tockarshewsky, and city arts, culture and tourism czar Andy Wolf are curating. The first place visitors will feel those elements will be at the main entrance of the boathouse. Visitors will step through the glass-enclosed restored façade of the Adee Memorial Boathouse. City Plan Senior Project Manager Donna Hall said the façade of the original boathouse was restored along with many of the terracotta elements, which can be found throughout the building, including the cartouche from the gable

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

The Canal Dock Boathouse , nearing completion.

end of the building and two of the finials that were on the roofline. “There are a few more pieces of brick and broken terracotta that had to be replicated,” Hall said as she carefully walked through the building Thursday leading the group of hard hat-wearing onlookers. “But this was all taken to a shop and cleaned up by premier craftspeople.” Hall noted that a number of those

craftspeople were New Haven workers and residents. The first floor will be home to the University of New Haven’s marine biology program along with storage for paddleboards, kayaks, and even dragon boats. John Pescatore, who heads up Canal Dock Boathouse Inc., a not-forprofit organization that will manage the day-to-day operations of the

boathouse, said that the storage space will be available to those who pay for membership. The fee will allow members access to the storage but also the many recreation programs that will be available. “You will be able to pick and choose at what level you want to participate,” he said. The fees will help support the operation of a program modeled off of the Community Rowing Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. that offer free rowing programs to New Haven school children. Besides the use of the first floor as educational and premium storage space, the first floor gets even more practical. With climate change increasing the threat of flooding, the new boathouse is equipped with breakaway walls and is built to withstand flooding. “The water will wash through,” Hall explained. “As you can see everything up to the base flood elevation is actually stone.” Hall said should a flood occur the water washes in. When the flood event Con’t on page 16

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February 07, 2018

February 13, 2018

Barnard Bridge Dedicated To Obama by ANEURIN CANHAM-CLYNE New Haven Independent

Barack Obama’s environmental legacy will be preserved for history above Ella Grasso Boulevard next to Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School. New Haven built a pedestrian bridge there in 2006 connecting the school to West River Memorial Park. And late Thursday afternoon, the first day of Black History Month, a crowd gathered to formally dedicate the structure as the “Barack Obama Environmental Bridge.” “We don’t want to go through history without our children knowing who this man is,” longtime West River activist Frankie White said, gesturing to a picture of the former president. White said the historical process has a way of erasing the contributions of black Americans, like the black female mathematicians who worked on the Apollo Missions. She said preserving Obama’s legacy, architecturally and politically, is key to salvaging meaning from Obama’s time as president given the determination of the Republican Party to undo and destroy his accomplishments, including environmental regulations and treaties. Park Ranger Harry Coyle called the park an outdoor classroom; the bridge ensures students can safely cross the busy Boulevard to study the ecosystems around them. The bridge crosses Ella Grasso Boulevard just south of its high-traffic intersection with Derby Avenue. The park helps students learn about wildlife, including a number of osprey and bald eagles who’ve made West River Park their home, Coyle said. This visceral connection to the environment is vital to the school’s mission, according to Barnard sixthgrader Alexander Alder-Baker, who spoke about Obama’s environmental legacy and the desire many students feel to honor the former president. Alder-Baker cited the Paris Climate Accords, the Obama Administration’s response to a decline in honey bee populations, and Obama’s decision to limit pipeline expansion as examples of his commitment to sustainability. Mayor Toni Harp spoke about the difficult ecological challenges Barnard students will face one day — and the traffic and pedestrian problems people face every day at the the

Jerry Poole with a copy of a letter of the thanks the ward committee sent to Obama in November 2016.

ANEURIN CANHAM-CLYNE PHOTO

Officials and students at Thursday’s unveiling of plaque for the bridge.

STAMFORD WRECKING

Newly christened “Barack Obama Environmental Bridge.”

Derby-Grasso intersection. She said she hopes the pedestrian bridge’s connection with Obama will serve as an inspiration to students, serving as a reminder that problems can be solved through concerted effort. “It’s fitting for a bridge to solve obstinate, daunting problems to be named after Obama,” Harp said, alluding to racial animus in the United States and the eight-year strategy of obstruction pursued by the Republican Party. Schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo said Obama’s choice to serve in public office as a highly educated man was admirable. “Obama could’ve had a lifelong career at any law firm, but he chose community service and politics to make life better for millions of people,” Mayo said. Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker said that renaming the bridge showed West River’s leadership among city neighborhoods when it comes to community involvement and celebrating the achievements of the black community. “West River always tried to lead the charge for the rest of the city,” Walker said, adding that Obama’s legacy would live on in the neighborhood and the school. The idea to name the bridge after Obama originated with the Ward 23 Democratic Party committee. CoChair Jerry Poole suggested the idea to Mayo in a Sept. 7 letter. “We saw the park as a natural extension of the classroom,” said Poole, who has been a stalwart West River activist for decades. Poole added that the president’s name will appear on both sides of the bridge, so everyone passing underneath it will be reminded of Obama and his time in the White House. Neighbor Frank Cochran said he appreciates the dedication of the bridge, but that the intersection of Derby and Ella Grasso remains hazardous for pedestrians, as the bridge isn’t open to public use. School officials concluded that they needed to close it off to non-students for the students’ safety, since the bridge connects right to Barnard. Twelve years after the bridge’s construction, Obama’s presidential legacy is under threat and the DerbyGrasso intersection remains a difficult one to cross.

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

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Editor-in-Chief Liaison, Corporate Affairs Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team Trenda Lucky Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne John Thomas, III

Editorial Team Staff Writers

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Contributing Writers David Asbery Tanisha Asbery Jerry Craft/Cartoons Barbara Fair

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner Smita Shrestha William Spivey Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

_______________________

Contributors At-Large

Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com Paul Bass New Haven Independent www.newhavenindependent.org

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T:9.25”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

A Federal Court has ordered Lorillard, Altria, Philip Morris USA, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco to make this statement about designing cigarettes to enhance the delivery of nicotine.

T:10.5”

• Lorillard, Altria, Philip Morris USA, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive. • Cigarette companies control the impact and delivery of nicotine in many ways, including designing ﬁlters and selecting cigarette paper to maximize the ingestion of nicotine, adding ammonia to make the cigarette taste less harsh, and controlling the physical and chemical make-up of the tobacco blend. • When you smoke, the nicotine actually changes the brain – that’s why quitting is so hard.

CRC1-GEN-17-05148-11-StatementD-9_25x10_5.indd 1

12/20/17 11:32 AM

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February 07, 2018

February 13, 2018

Legislative Democrats Focus on ‘Values’ and ‘Women’ by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News

HARTFORD, CT — Legislative Democrats, who currently hold a slim majority in the General Assembly, are looking to muscle through some of their legislative initiatives before the 2018 election. Their “Democratic Values Agenda” includes Paid Family Medical Leave, a “living wage” that might start at $11 an hour and go up a dollar each year until it reaches $15 an hour, pay equity, and “tuition-free community college.” A healthy portion of the agenda is focused on women in what is being called “The Year of the Woman.” Senate President Martin Looney, DNew Haven, pointed out that it’s not strange that his caucus would choose to focus on women’s issues because seven of the 18 Democrats in the chamber are women, whereas only two of the 18 Republicans are women. Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, said things have changed over the past year. “People are standing up for families and are standing up for the right to earn a living wage,” Bye said at a state Capitol press conference. She said Paid Family Medical Leave, which has been raised the past four sessions, is critical for economic security and health.

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE

Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, co-chairs the Labor Committee

Previous versions of the proposal would have little impact on the state budget because the cost of the program would be funded by employee contributions to a fund. Last year’s legislation would require employers with more than two employees to contribute a portion of their weekly pay to a fund. Employ-

ees would then be allowed to take up to 12 weeks a year of paid leave at 100 percent of their salary capped at $1,000 per week to take care of a family member or themselves. Legislative analysts estimate that 1,587,400 employees would be covered by the proposal. According to a recent poll of 500

likely voters, those surveyed were 66 percent more likely to vote for a candidate who voted in favor of Paid Family Medical Leave and 11 percent were less likely. Lindsay Farrell, executive director of the Working Families Party, said politicians from all sides are realizing “paid leave is a bad issue to be wrong on.” She said even lawmakers who were “disinterested in the issue before” are beginning to show an interest in the topic. “We’re beyond the ‘if’ and we’re onto the ‘how’,” Farrell said. She said there’s a sense that “it’s just bad politics to be wrong on this issue.” Andrew Markowski, the head of the National Federation of Independent Business in Connecticut, was quick to oppose an increase in the minimum wage and Paid Family Medical Leave. “Paid family medical leave not only raises labor costs, but there are additional expenses for hiring temps and training other workers,” Markowski said. “Productivity can suffer. Right now many small businesses have a very flexible relationship with their employees, providing benefits and time off when necessary. That flexibility would disappear.”

As far as the minimum wage is concerned, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said they saw a lot of businesses do the right thing after Congress passed the changes to federal tax law. He said Cigna and Travelers increased their in-house minimum wages using some of the proceeds from the federal tax overhaul. Cigna increased their minimum wage to $16 an hour and Travelers increased its minimum to $15 an hour for any of its employees making less. Looney said they need to index the minimum wage once it gets to $15 an hour. Aresimowicz said there will be votes held on all of these issues regardless of whether they make it through the chamber. “Gone are the days when you’re going to be able to travel the state and say ‘I’m with you’ and then hide behind some procedural vote that it never hit the floor,” he said. He said not all of the members of the Democratic caucus have come forward to say they are on board with all the ideas in the package. He said they still have to work through the committee process. Con’t on page 10

CBC Chairman Offers Stinging Rebuttal to President Trump’s State of the Union Address By Freddie Allen, Editor-In-Chief, NNPA Newswire

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus wore Kente cloth-inspired prints to the State of the Union address standing in solidarity with Americans, Haitians and the African nations smeared by President Trump’s racist rhetoric. Janelle Jones, an analyst with the Economic Policy Institute, told Vox that, “The recovery of employment was happening long before Trump got into office.” The Black unemployment rate is almost double the White unemployment rate, a trend that has endured for decades. Rep. Cedric Richmond, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus railed against President Donald Trump’s boasts about the economy, especially his claims about the Black community, in a blistering response to the president’s State of the Union (SOTU) address. CBC members also wore Kente clothinspired prints to the State of the Union address. Richmond said that every action taken by President Trump, since his election, has been destructive for poor, working-

class, and middle-class communities throughout the country, as well as communities of color. Richmond said that nothing that the president said during his speech wiped that slate clean. The CBC chairman also leveled the charge made by lawmakers and economists alike that Trump is just riding the economic wave that began during President Barack Obama’s tenure. “He boasts about a booming economy, but it is not something he can take credit for,” said Richmond. “Much like the money he inherited from his father to start his business, President Trump inherited a growing economy from President Obama.” Richmond continued: “The low Black unemployment rate he boasted about has been falling for eight years and has only changed by one percent since he took office. In addition, while the Black unemployment rate is at an historic low, it is still double the rate of White unemployment and doesn’t take into account the fact that African Americans are disproportionately underemployed and underpaid.” Janelle Jones, an analyst working

on a variety of labor market topics within EPI’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE) told Vox that, “The recovery of employment was happening long before Trump got into office.” Richmond also said that even though the president’s infrastructure proposal sounded good, he doubted that the proposals would live up to their promise. “We know that it will be more of the same: toll roads, reduced fed-

eral cost-share, and giveaways to his wealthy friends in the construction industry,” said Richmond. “It is important to note that he said nothing about contracting with minority firms.” Richmond said that the CBC can now answer the question that Trump posed to the Black community in 2016, “with 100 percent certainty.” Richmond continued: “African Americans have a lot to lose under the Trump Administration and we have lost a lot already, especially when it comes to his

justice, voting rights, education, housing, and healthcare policies. President Trump is still who we thought he was and we won’t be fooled by this speech.” Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) said that “President Trump is still who we thought he was and we won’t be fooled by this speech.” Photo taken during a ceremonial swearing-in event for the 115th Congress in Washington, D.C. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

please visit: albertus.edu/blackhistory

yale institute of sacred music joins the

inner city news in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans to the cultural and spiritual life of New Haven and the world.

e v e n t l i s t i n g s at

Tickets at XLCenter.com

ism.yale.edu

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February 07, 2018

February 13, 2018

Firing Turns Up-And-Comer Into An “Intrapreneur” by MERCY A. QUAYE New Haven Independent

to take on a bunch of different projects and really prove to myself that I could stand outside of a comfortable space,” she said. “Until nine month later [when] I fell flat on my face.” Evans said just a month into her new role she wrote down a date, Oct. 7. On that date, she promised herself that she would quit her job, which had quickly proven to be a bad environment for her. As Oct. 7 approached, Evans was tasked with firing a number of her staff – something she said was traumatic in its own right. Then, on Oct. 7, she was called into her supervisor’s office and let go in the same abrupt fashion as her staff. “I felt like I had gotten dumped by a boyfriend I knew I had to leave,” she said. On her way home that day, she said suddenly she was faced with a new, uncomfortable narrative for herself: “It was the first time is 12 years that I didn’t have a job to make up my identity.” This failure, Evans said, reshaped how she would view herself. She spent the next six months unemployed and at odds with the publicly success-

ful personal brand she had created for herself. “[That time] could have been traumatizing, but instead it was so healing,” she said. “I had rid myself of everything that didn’t serve me. By the time I [was] starting working again, not only was I gainfully employed, I was ironically back at Teach for America – a space that I had known I could be an ‘intrepreneur’ in and do work that was connected to my passions.” An intrapreneur is someone within an organization who has the flexibility, autonomy, and expertise to bring innovation to a space both systemically and programmatically, Evans said. Being gainfully employed and an intrapreneur is critical to her theory of leadership. She said she believes in building change from within systems and organizations, which in her opinion is how lasting societal change is built. Having the strategic and programmatic autonomy to impact change within an organization, for a cause she care about, is instrumental how I define success, she said. Evan’s story of being fired isn’t

Costa Rica, Here They Come

Mayor Harp addresses students at Wednesday night’s gathering.

A dozen Hillhouse High School seniors are hoping to learn firsthand about life in Costa Rica, with some help from the community. The seniors and their teachers have raised $20,000 for the trip, which is scheduled for April 15-22. They gathered with supporters at Hillhouse WEdnesday night to call for community help in raising the remaining $7,000 they need.

“I want to experience the world outside of Connecticut,” said Sterling McDowell-Hagans, one of the students in the travel contingent. He and his classmates offered their thoughts and listed their career hoipes in a fundraising brochure that you can read here. “Travel helps make us a country that understands our strength is people who come here from throughout the

world to find a way to make their dreams come true,” Mayor Toni Harp told the gathering. To donate, make checks out to “EF Tours” and send it to James Hillhouse High School, c/o Glenda Reyes (Perez), 480 Sherman Parkway, New Haven CT 06511. Or check out the group’s Go Fund Me page.

Duanecia Evans, a rising star in Connecticut’s education space, learned how that felt, being lost and unemployed for the first time in her life.

wrapped up as nicely as that, she admitted. She said during that time she was forced to do the things she wanted to do. And while collecting unemployment and going to therapy, she found clarity in being forced to slow down. “There was struggle in the meantime,” she said. “It was hard, it was incredibly difficult, but to date, it was the

best thing that’s ever happened to me because I know now that I can navigate it…Diamonds are created under pressure, and I came back clearer than ever.” After the ordeal, Evans has some advice to those who find themselves fired and failing: Don’t wait for the ball to drop to learn a valuable lesson.

Harp Taps New Social-Services Chief

Mayor Toni Harp has tapped Dakibu Muley of Hamden to serve as her new community services administrator, responsible for overseeing all social service work for city government. Harp submitted the appointment in a letter to the Board of Alders, which has the authority to review and approve or reject it. Muley would replace Martha Okafor, who resigned from the job last month amid some internal conflicts at City Hall. The job pays $125,000 a year. If approved, Muley would be required to move into New Haven within six months. Muley’s Linked In profile identifies him as a director of careline operations for the state Department of Children and Families, a board member of the Citywide Youth Coalition, and an adjunct professor at Manhattanville College. He is listed as having a doctorate in business management from the University of Phoenix and masters degrees in social work and in urban studies from Southern Connecticut State Univer-

LINKED IN Dakibu Muley.

sity. Among his tasks in the job would be rolling out an experimental program to divert low-level offenders from jail and an experimental domestic violence program.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

OPINION:

Black Women Show the Way Forward in 2018

By Monica Simpson, Executive Director, SisterSong

There is a reckoning afoot in this country. On one side, Trump has emboldened and embodied a virulent and reckless hate that targets women, Black people, and immigrants (among many others). Each day brings a new outrage. On the other side, #MeToo has followed #BlackLivesMatter as a hashtagturned-movement, led by courageous truth-tellers who are sick and tired of a violent and largely ignored status quo. The conversation about race and gender in this country has broken open, and now we must all contend with the truth of who we are as a nation. While this may feel like scary and unfamiliar territory to some, in reality, the U.S. is just catching up to an understanding and analysis that Black women in this country have had for a long time. Black women have never had the luxury of ignorance—not to police violence, not to the rampant sexual harassment and assault that women experience at home, school, and work. In 2018, we should look to the work of Black women to see the path forward for a troubled and divided nation. In a way, Black women scholars and organizers have left breadcrumbs for us to follow to liberation, if we’ll only pay attention. In 1989, legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” in her paper for the University of Chicago Legal Forum to explain how

Black women’s oppression on the basis of gender combined with oppression on the basis of race to create something altogether new, an experience of discrimination did not match what either white women or Black men experience. This concept would lay the groundwork for social justice organizing that now spans the globe, and provided a vocabulary for something Black women experience on a daily basis. While intersectionality risks dilution as an increasingly popular buzzword, the analysis it provides is a crucial tool to cut through the noise and understand the Trump administration’s policies and their impact on different communities. Take for instance the recent Jane Doe case, and similar cases, of the Trump administration blocking young immigrant women from getting reproductive healthcare. The mistreatment of the “Janes” (as they’ve come to be called) at the hands of the Trump administration targets them both as women and as immigrants, and the two identities cannot be pulled apart. “Intersectionality” provides an analysis that explains why their treatment is so much more extreme, and its impact so severe. Just five years after Crenshaw’s groundbreaking work, the reproductive justice movement was founded by Black women who, like Crenshaw, saw that their perspectives and experiences were being, once again, left out of the equation. Reproductive justice

brought intersectionality and a global human rights framework together with a nuanced understanding of U.S. policies of reproductive coercion. The founding mothers of reproductive justice rejected White feminism’s focus on the birth control and the legality of abortion as too narrow, and described a vision for a world, where we can all prevent pregnancy if we want to, end a pregnancy if we need to, and have and raise children in healthy environments and without fear of violence. Reproductive justice broadened the lens of abortion rights to include low-

income women and women of color “and” broadened the entire conversation to recognize the ways in which U.S. policies denied motherhood to some women even while forcing it on others against their will. This framework is crucial to connect the dots among Trump’s reproductive policies. Trump wants to make birth control unaffordable, push abortion out of reach, and punish women for having children. What seems inconsistent on the surface is, in fact, all part of one agenda to coerce and control a woman’s decisions about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.

When Trump was first elected, Black women were the least surprised. We saw Trump coming from a mile away and we already knew how deep this country’s anti-woman and anti-Black sentiment ran. Now, more than a year later, the work of Black women will help us understand and combat Trump’s agenda, with Black women leading the fight. Let 2018 be the year of the Black woman. Let 2018 be the year Black women’s brilliance, leadership, and analysis are heeded at last. Let 2018 mark the beCon’t on page 12

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February 13, 2018

a new, uncomfortable narrative for herself: “It was the first time is 12 years that I didn’t have a job to make up my identity.” This failure, Evans said, reshaped how she would view herself. She spent the next six months unemployed and at odds with the publicly successful personal brand she had created for herself. “[That time] could have been traumatizing, but instead it was so healing,” she said. “I had rid myself of everything that didn’t serve me. By the time I [was] starting working again, not only was I gainfully employed, I was ironically back at Teach for America – a space that I had known I could be an ‘intrepreneur’ in and do work that was connected to my passions.” An intrapreneur is someone within an organization who has the flexibility, autonomy, and expertise to bring innovation to a space both systemically and programmatically, Evans said. Being gainfully employed and an intrapreneur is critical to her theory of leadership. She said she believes in building change from within systems and organizations, which in her opinion is how lasting societal change is built. Having the strategic and programmatic autonomy to impact change within an organization, for a cause she care about, is instrumental how I define success, she said. Evan’s story of being fired isn’t wrapped up as nicely as that, she admitted. She said during that time she was forced to do the things she wanted to do. And while collecting unemployment and going to therapy, she found clarity in being forced to slow down. “There was struggle in the meantime,” she said. “It was hard, it was incredibly difficult, but to date, it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me because I know now that I can navigate it…Diamonds are created under pressure, and I came back clearer than ever.” After the ordeal, Evans has some advice to those who find themselves fired and failing: Don’t wait for the ball to drop to learn a valuable lesson.

by MERCY A. QUAYE New Haven Independent

The overwhelmingly relatable fail, Evans said, can only be understood with this piece of context: “From Jan. 5, 2004 on, I have always had a job.” For Evans, who now serves as the senior managing director of national black community alliances at Teach For America (TFA), what came after the comma following her name has always defined her. “It was the thing I prided myself in doing,” she said during the final edition of #FailMonth episodes on WNHH FM’s “Werk It Out” program with Mercy Quaye. “Both out of circumstance and necessity, but I think hard work was instrumental in who I began to identify myself as.” In 2015, at the age of 26, Evans left “a very comfortable job” at the Connecticut branch of TFA to gain direct service experience with youth at a not-for-profit organization in New York. At the request of a mentor and family friend, she jumped into a position where she was told she’d have to hit the ground running. And she did just that. “I came in really green and mad excited to take on a bunch of different projects and really prove to myself that I could stand outside of a comfortable space,” she said. “Until nine month later [when] I fell flat on my face.” Evans said just a month into her new role she wrote down a date, Oct. 7. On that date, she promised herself that she would quit her job, which had quickly proven to be a bad environment for her. As Oct. 7 approached, Evans was tasked with firing a number of her staff – something she said was traumatic in its own right. Then, on Oct. 7, she was called into her supervisor’s office and let go in the same abrupt fashion as her staff. “I felt like I had gotten dumped by a boyfriend I knew I had to leave,” she said. On her way home that day, she said suddenly she was faced with

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTOS

Union members turn out for Tuesday night’s downtown event.

State Rep. Toni Walker, co-sponsor of casino bill, addresses rally.

Career’s Kelley Named Coach Of The Year

The Connecticut High School Coaches Association has named Career High School’s Larry Kelley its 2018 coach of the year. Kelley has coached teams at Career for 21 years. For the last 11, he has served as head coach of the school’s boys basketball team. He is to receive his award May 10 at the association’s banquet at AquaTurf Club in Southington. “He has won many games and titles over the years,” schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo stated in a release issued Monday afternoon, “but I am most grateful for the individual attention and support he has provided hundreds of athletes and thousands of students at Career whose lives he has touched for the better.” Con’t from page 6

Legislative Democrats Focus on ‘Values’ and ‘Women’

“I’m assuming there are Republican votes for these issues. Maybe I’m naive, but why would you be against pay equity?” House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, D-Hartford said. “Why would you be against raising the minimum

wage a dollar an hour?” A watered-down pay equity bill cleared the House last year 139-9, but stalled in the Senate. Looney said so many agenda items that have been raised in previous years were shelved last year for a debate on a labor agreement and a state budget deficit that stretched until the end of October. Looney said they’re confident that the ideas presented Tuesday will gain momentum as they move through the committee process. None of the proposals sought to address Connecticut’s fiscal woes. The agenda didn’t include any new revenue ideas to help fund some of the proposals included in it and it didn’t make any promises about funding social service programs. “How are Democrats seriously suggesting the state take on new expenses when we are struggling to provide even core

services?” Senate Republican President Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said. “This is nothing more than political rhetoric preparing for the 2018 elections.” Republican legislative leaders are planning to announce their agenda for the 2018 session on Thursday after-

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February 13, 2018

You’re Not Ready For Black History Month by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

Cornel West got Black History Month going in New Haven with a challenge for people to love not a polite kind of love, but the kind that speaks truth to power and makes people uncomfortable during “the bleakest moment” since the 1860s for the civil rights struggle. The prominent philosopher, activist and intellectual delivered that challenge Saturday in a stirring Black History Month Keynote Lecture at Battell Chapel. West declared Saturday that “we’re dealing with a spiritual blackout.” “This is the bleakest moment in this empire since the Civil War,” West proclaimed. “That’s what we’re dealing with here. It is the relative eclipse and collapse of integrity, honesty, decency, and courage across the board.” His prescribed remedy? Love. But not the kind of love where we hold hands and say nice things so that nobody’s feelings are hurt. But the kind of love that speaks truth to power. The kind of love that changes the conditions of people who suffer because white supremacy is the status quo; who suffer because patriarchy is the order of the day; and who suffer because of the indifference of those with higher class status, recognized religious affiliation and accepted sexual orientation. If you’re not talking about love like that, West implied, we’re not ready for the weight and responsibility of Black History Month. I must confess one of the main reasons I wanted to hear Cornel West’s lecture Saturday was because of an Internet controversy. ’m sure the organizers had no thought when they invited the former Yale professor to speak that he might spark an Internet feud with reigning public intellectual and MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Ta-Nehisi Coates just two months before he was scheduled to take the podium at Battell Chapel on a bracingly cold Saturday afternoon. In case you missed it, West took Coates, whose latest book of essays is about race, the Obama presidency, and the backlash, to task in a column for The Guardian, dubbing him “the neoliberal face of the black freedom struggle.” There is a great tradition among black intellectuals of sparring over what ails America and what must be done to fix it, and of critiquing the critique. But-

West delivers New Haven address.

Attendees pack Battell Chapel.

Yale Law student Dianne Lake questions West.

West’s column seemed to veer into an elder chastising his junior. It seemed a baffling personal attack. It left a lot of people, myself included, asking, “What’s going on here?” Even Coates recently said he is still “mystified” by that column. West has been a leading critic of Obama. His recent criticism of Coates and the subsequent responses went vi-

ral, sparking think pieces and a stinging Twitter rebuke from Jelani Cobb, a staff writer for The New Yorker, journalism professor, and friend of Coates. The controversy also coincided with the release of the 25thanniversary edition of West’s classic Race Matters. Coates didn’t appear to be on West’s mind when he took us to church and

to school Saturday in his address at Battell Chapel. And by the time he stopped talking after nearly an hour, I cared less about the controversy though I think I will still always wish West had stepped to Coates before that column landed. Coates did briefly come up during the question and answer segment, when a woman helping with the questions from the audience accidentally called West, “Dr. Coates,” causing the room to erupt briefly in chuckles. “That’s OK,” he said. “I love Brother Coates.” In fact, love, truth, and justice were central to his message Saturday. So was Black History Month and why a simple celebration of the sanitized version of the toil, struggle, and bloodshed for freedom in this country will never do. “I first arrived here 34 years ago as a tenured professor, already on fire,” West said. “I met bell hooks. Henry Louis Gates was here. Oh, what a cloud of witnesses we had in the mid‘80s. That was during the cold callous Reagan years. Some thought it couldn’t get worse. Sookie, sookie, now.” “I come from a people who have been terrorized for 400 years and have taught the world so much about freedom,” he said. “Fredrick Douglass could have said, ‘We’ll terrorize you back; we’ll enslave you, [but] no, we want freedom for everybody, even the fact we are enslaved.’ That’s a deep tradition to keep alive. “Ida B. Wells Barnett wrestling with American terrorism, fighting against lynching. Does she want to lynch others? No. She wants freedom for everybody,” he continued. “That’s a tradition that we’re talking about. That’s the prophetic fight back that we need to highlight that’s the best of not just black history or American history. That’s the best of the human spirit y’all.” “What is about these black people who keep dishing out these love warriors like that?” he asked of those like Douglass, Wells, and Martin Luther King Jr., who he named as people who loved enough not to meet violence with violence. Who loved enough to try to meet oppression and suppression with justice. He challenged the crowd to love like that. “That love ought to be so deep and rich and rooted that the routes of your other love spills over to the vanilla side. It

spills over to the reservation of our indigenous, it spills over to the Asian brothers and sisters, it spills over across the board. It spills over those victims of drone strikes in Somalia, Pakistan, Afganistan, and Libya. It spills over in Honduras, to Mexico. That precious baby in Tel Aviv should be elevated in the same way that the precious baby in Gaza and the West Bank.” “Love forces us to take off the mask,” he said. West said President Trump is the manifestation of the current spiritual blackout in America but he didn’t cause it. Con’t on page 18

OPINION:

Black Women

ginning of a new era of listening to, respecting, and trusting Black women. Just stop for a moment and imagine what might happen, if we actually made those words a reality. The day after the Alabama Senate race, the hashtag #TrustBlackWomen was all over social media. And yes, we should trust Black women voters, because they’ve kept us from the brink many times. But Black women’s wisdom and contributions have so much more to teach us all—and we’re going to need to understand that if we hope to keep Trump from dragging us backward. Like many other Black women across the country, I was standing up in my living room cheering and clapping my hands as I watched Oprah deliver her passionate speech at the Golden Globes. The next day the media went wild with hopes for and critiques of a theoretical run for president—but they missed the point. While the thought of it made me smile, what I saw was an invitation. I saw an invitation for Black women to take every opportunity that we are given speak up and speak out for ourselves. I saw an invitation for Black Women to take up even more space. I saw an invitation for Black women to take the mic, to move to center stage and demand the attention and respect we have always deserved. Monica Simpson is the executive director of SisterSong: The National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, based in Atlanta, Ga., and the director of the Trust Black Women Partnership. You can follow SisterSong on Twitter at @SisterSong_WOC.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

Stetson Library: The Next Chapter

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February 13, 2018

NAACP Files Lawsuit Against U.S. Department of Homeland Security For Denying Haitian Immigrants Their Rights

Baltimore, MD — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to rescind the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) designation for Haitian immigrants discriminates against immigrants of color, in violation of the Fifth Amendment, according to a new lawsuit filed today on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The lawsuit claims that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), former Acting DHS Secretary Elaine C. Duke, and current DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielson took irrational and discriminatory government action, denying Haitian immigrants their right to due process and equal protection under the Fifth Amendment. The NAACP, acting on behalf of its Haitian members who are TPS protected, argues that DHS intended to discriminate against Haitian immigrants living in the United States because of their race and national origin. “This is a simple case. Our democracy rests on the bedrock principle that every person is equal before the law. Governmental decisions that target people based on racial discrimination violate our Constitution,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, President & Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. “The decision by the Department of Homeland Security to rescind TPS status for Haitian immigrants was infected by racial discrimination. Every step taken by the Department to reach this decision re-

veals that far from a rational and factbased determination, this decision was driven by calculated, determined and intentional discrimination against Haitian immigrants.” “The action by the Department of Homeland Security to rescind TPS status for Haitian immigrants is clearly racially motivated,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO. “The U.S. Constitution prohibits singling out certain immigrants for harsh treatment based on their skin color and/or ethnicity. But more than that, basic fairness militates against this draconian action taken by DHS under the direction of President Trump.” The lawsuit seeks to enjoin DHS’s November 2017 decision to rescind Temporary Protective Status for Haitian immigrants, as it reflects “an egregious departure from the TPS statute’s requirements and the intent to discriminate on the basis of race.” The lawsuit also asks the Court to declare that DHS violated the United States Constitution and the rule of law in rescinding the Haitian TPS, and to declare the action void and without legal force. As evidence of the intent to discriminate, the lawsuit cites public reporting that DHS sought crime data on Haitians with TPS, as well as information on how many Haitian nationals were receiving public benefits. The lawsuit alleges that the Department’s efforts to gather this specific data on Haitian TPS designees “trades on false antiBlack stereotypes about criminality and exploitation of public benefits, and suggests the effort to manufacture a public safety rationale for the

Cornell William Brooks, president of the NAACP speaking during a recent event for Al Sharpton’s National Action Network

planned rescission.” The complaint further alleges that President Trump’s public hostility toward immigrants of color was a contributing factor in the decision to rescind Haitian TPS. For example, in a recently reported White House meeting with several U.S. Senators, Trump disparaged a draft immigration plan that protected people from Haiti, El Salvador and some African countries, and noted his preference for immigrants from mostly white European countries. Earlier in 2017, the President suggested that Haitians “all have AIDS,” upon learning that 15,000 Haitians had received visas to enter the United States. He reportedly asked, “Why do we need more Haitians?”

“It’s disheartening to see the Haitian community targeted and mistreated in this way, but it also is not surprising,” said Raymond Audain, Senior Counsel at LDF. “This decision reflects a shameful and persistent pattern of conduct by this Administration in which racial stereotypes drive policy decisions.” Haitian immigrants first received Temporary Protective Status in 2010 as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to assist the country after it was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, one of the deadliest earthquakes in history. Haiti’s TPS designations have been extended multiple times due to many factors, including multiple hurricanes and a cholera outbreak. On November 20, 2017, the

DHS announced its plans to terminate temporary protective status for Haiti, which would go into effect in May 2019, ignoring bipartisan pleas to extend TPS designation for Haitian immigrants. “Our great nation fought a civil war to establish the bedrock principle that the government may not discriminate against any person, whether citizen or non-citizen, based on that person’s race or ethnicity. The NAACP stands ready to challenge any violation of that principle, as today’s action clearly demonstrates,” said Bradford M. Berry, General Counsel of the NAACP.

Facebook and Airbnb Add Some Color to Their Board of Directors

Kenneth Chenault, the outgoing chief executive of American Express, is joining the board of directors at Facebook and Airbnb. Chenault is making history as he is the first black American to be a board member of both large companies. Joining Facebook The social media giant, Facebook, adds Chenault to its board of directors on January 18. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the news and said he hopes to improve and learn more about “customer service, direct commerce, and building a trusted

brand” from Chenault’s “unique expertise.” The announcement was made shortly after the Congressional Black Caucus criticized the company for not being diverse enough. CBC Representative Robin Kelly commends Facebook and says “this decision is without a doubt a step in the right direction.” Also joining Airbnb A week after Facebook’s announcement, Airbnb also brought Chenault to its board. In an open letter, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky wrote, “Airbnb is built on trust. As the CEO of Ameri-

can Express, Ken has built one of the most successful trust-based companies in the world.” Chenault will be the first independent board of director as Airbnb, the second most valuable start-up in the US, plans to seek an initial public offering. Adding Chenault as independent director would provide an outside supervision of the company. Chesky added that the company aims to be an “infinite company” that will “survive to see the next century, not just the next quarter.” Chenault’s work history One of the most respected Afri-

can American corporate leaders, Chenault has a vast experience in the business world. For 37 years, he was part of American Express as director of strategic planning in 1980 to becoming a chief operating officer in 1997 and being CEO from 2001 to 2017. He was one of the only few black CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company. Not new to Silicon Valley, Chenault is also one of the board members of IBM. He is one of the few black board members at major Silicon Valley companies which includes Debra Lee at Twitter and Ursula Burns at Uber.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

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February 13, 2018

Glynn Turman: A Class Act For Over 50 Years by T. Carter Williamson, BDO Contributor

You may not be too familiar with how he spells his name, but when you see Glynn Turman, you’ll immediately recognize his great smile, great speaking voice and his impeccable talent as an actor. Best known for his roles as high school student Leroy “Preach” Jackson in the 1975 coming-of-age classic film Cooley High and retired Army colonelturned math professor, Bradford Taylor, on the hit NBC sitcom A Different World, Thurman has been acting, and doing it well, for over four decades. Turman had his first prominent acting role at the age of 13 as Travis Younger in the Broadway play of Lorraine Hansberry’s classic A Raisin in the Sun, opposite Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Ivan Dixon, Louis Gossett, Jr., and others. While he did not play the role when it transferred to film in 1961, he intensified his studies at Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts. Upon graduation he apprenticed in regional and repertory companies throughout the country including Tyrone Guthrie’s Repertory Theatre in which he performed in late ’60s productions of Good Boys, Harper’s Ferry, The Visit and The House of Atreus. He made his Los Angeles stage debut in Vinnette Carroll’s Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. An impressive 1974 performance in “The Wine Sellers”

earned him a Los Angeles Critics Award nomination and a Dramalogue Award. The play was also produced on Broadway as What The Wine Sellers Buy. He won his first NAACP Image Award for his work in the play Eyes of the American. A stage director as well, he received his second NAACP Image award for his directing of Deadwood Dick at the Inner City Cultural Center. He segued these directing talents to TV where he directed several episodes of memorable sitcoms like The Parent ‘Hood, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, The Wayans Bros, among others. He also directed during his five seasons of steady employment on A Different World. The show’s theme song was sung by his ex-wife, legendary “Queen of Soul” artist Aretha Franklin (yes, that Aretha Franklin), to whom he was married from 1978 to 1984. “Acting was a seed that was planted in me by my mother,” explains Tur-

man. “As a youngster that’s how I became aware of it. But I was not interested in it as a career or a pursuit until a teach of mine, a Black teacher by the name of Mr. Wilson, told me to try out for the High School of Performing Arts. The reason why he did that was because I was constantly truant. Not bad, just mischievous. This acting class was the first time… …I had gotten an ‘A’ in any subject. So at that time, I thought, yeah, I’m going to be an actor. And the rest is history. But Turman didn’t stop there, he needed to be behind the camera as well as in front of it. “During the 60’s in the so-called Blaxploitation era, it was always a struggle to have Black cameramen, Black producers and Black directors. But those young actors and film makers who were and are taking the reigns in their own hands give me hope to where longevity comes from.” “I am a child of the 40s,” says Turman. “And my generation had three key figured that were used to overcome obstabcles that were meant to be barriers. Those figures were Joe Lewis, Jackie Robinson, and Jesse Owens.” In motion picture, probably Cooley High as Preach. On stage, it would be my role in My Children, My Africa.

Con’t from page 3

Dock Boathouse

is over, the walls go back up and the boathouse is back in business, she said. The top floor of the boathouse will be where the city hopes to get the most bang for its buck by renting it as event space for conferences, meetings, company retreats and special events like parties and wedding receptions. And a lot of effort has been made to not only add elements of the former Adee Memorial Boathouse but to take advantage of spectacular views of New Haven Harbor. The smaller of the two upstairs meeting rooms will feature the original wood fireplace from the Adee clubroom. Hall directed everyone’s attention to the ceiling where the original wood trusses from the old building crossed the ceiling. “What we’re trying to do in here is recreate that historic room with the fireplace that is just about to be installed,” she said. “This room will be a really nice room for meetings but also as a pre-event space for weddings or conferences. I think it gives you a sense of what the old building was like.” But the main room is truly a show stopper. It’s not so much the room as it is the panoramic view of the New Haven Harbor that steals the show. That view is extended thanks to the terrace outside. Depending on the configuration, the room can hold up to 150 people, Hall said. “We’re hoping a lot of really nice events will book here,” Hall said. It’s what will make the building self-sustaining. And the boathouse, though not finished yet, is taking bookings in case you’re interested. “The idea is that the entire building, the entire project was programmed to maximize activity and revenues because with a beautiful facility like this we want to be able to do it right to maintain it correctly,” Hall added. Acting City Plan Director Michael Piscitelli said between the environmental impact and the historic preservation aspect of the project, this is the most significant effort of its kind associated with a highway project anywhere in the country. The boathouse project came to bear through the city working with state and federal agencies to leverage the funding that came down for the new Q bridge. The tour elicited many oohs and ahhs, including over the office space which also has views of the highway,

the new promenade, and the harbor. Harp and DeLauro joked about the possibility of making it their summer office. On a serious note, DeLauro said prior mayors had fought for years to figure out how to connect the waterfront to downtown, and it looks like all those years of fighting are starting to pay off. “You all have pulled it off, mayor,” she said. “This is a gem. Congratulations.” Harp credited city staffers like Hall and former City Plan Director Karyn Gilvarg with making it happen. In addition to the building, there is a rowing dock for recreational users of the boat canal as a launching place. The actual canal dock is the terminus of the Farmington Canal Greenway, and it is an important junction on the East Coast Greenway, Hall said. With the state’s first protected bike lanes running right along Long Wharf Drive, it’s easy to get to the boathouse and the dock on two wheels or on two feet. For those who have to drive, the city is in talks with the Fusco Corporation to use its garage for valet parking. The city is also in talks to get an encroachment permit for land under the highway to be used for about 50 parking spaces. The city is already in talks with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas on how the boathouse can fit into its programming. Hall said that the city is pursuing grants to fund a $1.2 million addition of power pedestals to the dock to provide a state of the art kayaking and canoe access for people who use wheelchairs or have other disabilities along with transient docking facilities. She said the city has put in a grant application with the state and another with the federal government but there is a possibility that Canal Dock Boathouse Inc. could raise the money for the addition through private donations. “We’re not giving up on that,” she said. “It would be pretty great. Somebody could come here in a boat, dock up, attend and even here, catch a shuttle to downtown, got to Long Wharf Theatre across the way. It would be pretty amazing.” Piscitelli said the pieces are starting to come together for the Long Wharf district. “The information center is now reopened, the food trucks are now much better organized, and through FEMA actually fixing the shoreline…there is more activity down here,” he said.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

NEW HAVEN’S GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY RADIO STATION! www.newhavenindependent.org SUNDAY MIRROR

IN THE MORNING Weekdays 6-9 a.m.

THE TOM FICKLIN SHOW Mondays 10 a.m.

MAYOR MONDAY!

MERCY QUAYE

Mondays 11 a.m.

Mondays 1 p.m.

“THE SHOW”

“DJ REL”

MICHELLE TURNER Tuesdays 9 a.m.

“WERK IT OUT”

ELVERT EDEN Tuesdays at 2 p.m.

MORNINGS WITH MUBARAKAH

“JAZZ HAVEN”

Wednesdays 9 a.m.

Wednesdays 2 p.m.

STANLEY WELCH

“TALK-SIP”

LOVEBABZ LOVETALK

Thursdays 1 p.m.

Mondays-Fridays 9 a.m.

ALISA BOWENSMERCADO

STARRING

Deborah Cox is not scheduled to perform at the Saturday matinee and Sunday evening performances.

FEBRUARY 20-25

FRIDAY PUNDITS

BUSHNELL.ORG 860-987-5900

Fridays 11 a.m.

Part of The Bushnell Broadway Series co-sponsored by

JOE UGLY

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

February 07, 2018

February 13, 2018

Super Bowl Ad Using Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Sell Trucks Gets Negative Reaction By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

There were ads with Morgan Freeman rapping and ads with babies from around the world and fast cars with singer Steven Tyler. There were ads with medieval themes, magic and song. Then there was the ad using the words and voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to sell Dodge Ram sell trucks. “Everybody can be great,” Dr. King said in a speech in 1968, two months before he was murdered. “You only need a heart full of grace; soul generated by love.” The advertisement featured images of football players, cowboys, U.S. troops and first responders as a backdrop to King’s voiceover. The advertisement ended with an image of a soldier, a Dodge truck, and the words “Built to Serve.” The commercial for Dodge trucks provoked protest on social media shortly after it aired from many Super Bowl

LII viewers. It also induced a reaction tweet from the The King Center and Bernice King, the daughter of the late civil rights leader. “Neither @TheKingCenter nor @ BerniceKing is the entity that approves the use of #MLK’s words or

imagery for use in merchandise, entertainment (movies, music, artwork, etc) or advertisement, including tonight’s @ Dodge #SuperBowl commercial,” The King Center tweet stated not long after the ad was broadcast. Con’t on page 22

Dennis Edwards, Legendary Temptations Singer, Dies At 74 by T. Carter Williamson, BDO Contributor

Dennis Edwards, the former lead singer of Motown greats, the Temptations, who sang on a string of the group’s hits including “I Can’t Get Next to You,” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” has died. His family confirmed the news to CBS News. He was 74. Edwards, who was living in Missouri, died at a hospital in Chicago on Thursday night of complications from meningitis, his wife, Brenda, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was diagnosed with the disease in May 2017. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding your brain and spinal cord. The swelling from meningitis typically triggers symptoms such as headache, fever and a stiff neck. Most cases of meningitis in the U.S. are caused by a viral infection, but bacterial and fungal infections are other causes. Some cases of meningitis improve without treatment in a few weeks. Others can be life-threatening and require emergent antibiotic treatment. Viral infections are the most common cause of meningitis, followed by bacterial infections and, rarely, fungal infections. Bacterial meningitis, similar to that of Edwards’, is serious, and can be fatal

within days without prompt antibiotic treatment. Delayed treatment increases the risk of permanent brain damage or death. Bacteria that enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain and spinal cord cause acute bacterial meningitis. But it can also occur when bacteria directly invade the meninges. This may be caused by an ear or sinus infection, a skull fracture, or, rarely, after some surgeries. Edwards actually began singing in

the group, The Contours, prior to the Temptations. He joined the hit makers when the group fired David Ruffin. With Edwards, the group struck gold with 1968’s “Cloud Nine” (No. 6 pop, No. 2 R&B). That was followed by a string of other hits including 1969’s “Runaway Child, Running Wild” (No. 6 pop, No. 1 R&B), “I Can’t Get Next to You” (No. 1 pop and R&B), 1970’s “Psychedelic Shack” (No. 7 pop, No. 2 R&B) and “Ball of Confusion” (No. 3 pop, No. 2 R&B), 1971’s “Just My Imagination” (No. 1 pop and R&B) and 1972’s “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” Edwards even ventured out on a short solo career. His 1984 Motown single “Don’t Look Any Further,” a duet with… … Siedah Garrett, reached No. 2 on the R&B charts in 1984. But he remained best known as a member of the Temptations; after a split with the act in 1977, he returned for a short second tour of duty in 1987. After a disagreement with founding member Otis Williams, Edwards toured during the ‘90s under the name of the “Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards.” Edwards 75th birthday would have been on Saturday. Edwards was inducted into the Rick and Roll Hall of Fame with the Temptations in 1989. In 2013, Edwards also received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, given to the Temptations.

Con’t from page 12

You’re Not Ready For

“Yes, we can begin with Trump, but he is a sign and a symptom. He’s not the cause. He is as American as cherry pie. He is as American as apple pie. And yes he’s a gangster—no doubt about that. Let’s be clear. And when I say gangster that’s not a subjective expression; that’s an objective condition. When you talk about grabbing a woman’s private parts, that’s gangster. “When you see oil in another country and want to take it, that’s gangster. White supremacist, misogynist, homophobic, transphobic across the board. But when we call him a gangster, that’s not just name calling and finger pointing. See I was a gangster before I met Jesus, and now I’m a redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.” “Trump is a whole lot more gangster than me,” he said drawing laughs. “I want y’all to know that.” While his critique of Trump was strong, West didn’t back away from his previous critiques of Obama Saturday. “Do we have what it takes to be unflinchingly candid about the reality that we face? We had this challenge with Brother Obama. I got into a lot of trouble. Oh, I got into a lot of trouble with Brother Obama. I love the brother but I’m a Christian and so I try to love everybody. That symbolic breakthrough was magnificent. His brilliance undeniable. And my God, the juxtaposition between Obama and Trump is really quite telling, isn’t it? Unbelievable. “You’ve got to keep in mind, Obama was the brilliant, poised black face of the American empire. Trump is the know-nothing, narcissistic face of the American empire. It’s still an empire. It’s still an empire. “That’s why when Brother Barack met with the Wall Street folk in March 2009, two months into his administration, he said, ‘I stand between you and the pitchforks, but I want you to know that I’m on your side. I will protect you.’ “How many Wall Street executives went to jail given all the crimes that took place insider trading, market manipulation, fraudulent activity, predatory lending especially in poor working people?” he asked. “How many Wall Street executives went to jail? But let some poor brother or sister get caught with a crack bag—going straight to jail.” West reminded the audience that ev-

ery generation of truthteller caught hell. They couldn’t be comfortable with the trappings of mainstream success if they wanted to do the work necessary for the struggle for freedom and ultimately be truly great, he said. “Anytime you are in a quest for truth that refuses to be truthful about itself, you can rest assured that you’re still captive to some form of mendacity. And there is an intimate relationship between mendacity and criminality. ‘Cause it usually aligns with a hiding and concealing of crimes against humanity. “At this very moment, one out of two children black and brown under six years old live under poverty in the richest nation in the world. I consider that a crime against humanity. “The condition of truth is to allow suffering to speak,” he said. “If suffering is not heard somebody is lying.” “That’s what the struggle for black freedom is about. Not to settle for deodorized discourse. But to keep it funky. Because that is what truth is about. The great Samuel Beckett called it the mess. Bootsy and George Clinton called it “the funk.” “It had to do with our humanity. The featherless, two-legged, linguistically conscious creature born between urine and feces. Yeah, it’s funky down there. Everybody emerges in that blood. And on the way to the culinary delight of terrestrial worlds if you think somehow you can get out of space and time, what Franz Kafka called a prison sentence in space and time, get off the crack pipe. “The question becomes what are you going to do in the short time between your mama’s womb and the tomb?” “It is one thing to talk about Black History Month and trot out all the great figures of the pantheon but we don’t like to be truthful about what it was like when they were alive. “Everybody loves Martin Luther King Jr. now that the world’s had his body for 50 years. But oh when he died, 55 percent of black people disapproved of King and 72 percent of white people disapproved of King. How can that be Brother West? Every black person loved King. Get off the crack pipe.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

Open Houses Will Be Held February 15th & 28th, 3pm - 5pm For more information, contact Karen Martin at 203-234-7611 / kmartin@aces.org 31 Temple Street, North Haven, CT 06473 www.aces.org/village Imagine.

Inform.

Invest.

Inspire.

Working together to build a stronger community – now and forever.

“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved COMMUNITY. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends.”

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.

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Date: Tuesday, February 20

Come be apart of our COMMUNITY.

Time: 5 - 7 pm Location: Children’s Hospital, 1 Park St., 1st Floor, Admitting Parking available (handicapped accessible)

Contact us to learn about the many ways you can strengthen our community and create a personal legacy that benefits the nonprofit(s) that matter most to you.

An appointment is necessary. Please call 203-688-2046. Spanish-speaking counselors available.

www.cfgnh.org | 203-777-7068

12929 (11/17)

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

February 07, 2018

February 13, 2018

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Invitation for Bid (IFB) PT Barnum Apartments Unit 205 Renovation Solicitation Number: 080-PD-17-S The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is requesting sealed bids for Renovation of unit 205 at PT Barnum Apartments. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available on May 8, 2017. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A MANDATORY pre-bid conference will be held at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 on May 23, 2017 @ 10:00 a.m., submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than May 30, 2017 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. All bids must be received by mailed or hand delivered by June 6, 2017 @ 2:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Contract Specialist, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Invitation for Bid (IFB) Moving and Storage Services Agency Wide Solicitation Number: 097-AM-18-S The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is currently seeking bids from qualified moving companies for Moving and Storage Service. Solicitation package will be available on January 16, 2018. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A pre-bid conference will be held at 301 Bostwick Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 on January 30, 2018, @ 10:00 a.m. Although attendance is not mandatory, submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities. org no later than February 14, 2018 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. Seal bids will be received until February 28, 2018 @ 2:00 PM, at which time the bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport

Request for Proposal (RFP) for Security Guard Services – Trumbull Gardens Solicitation Number: 098-SEC-18-S The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is currently requesting proposals from qualified security firms to provide security guard services at Trumbull Gardens a public housing complex in the city of Bridgeport. Solicitation package will be available on January 16, 2018. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A pre-proposal conference will be held at 505 Trumbull Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06606 on January 31, 2018, @ 10:00 a.m. Although attendance is not mandatory, submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than February 14, 2018 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. Proposals shall be mailed or hand delivered by February 28, 2018 @ 3:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Director of Procurement, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604. Late proposals will not be accepted.

Union Company seeks: Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate &for excellent Invitation Bids beneﬁts Contact: Dana Briere Phone: Temporary Staffing Email: Services 860-243-2300 dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com The Housing Authority of the City of New Women & Minority Applicants are Haven to is apply d/b/a Elm Cityencouraged Communities currently seeking Action/ Equal Opportunity Bids Affirmative for Temporary Staffing Services. A complete Employer copy of the requirement may be obtained from

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, January 29, 2018 at 3:00PM.

GARRITY ASPHALT RECLAIMING , INC Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks: Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent beneﬁts Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860243-2300 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming Inc Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity seeks: Construction Equipment Mechanic Employer

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

Union Company seeks: Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating Union Company seeks: Tractor Trailer heavy equipment; be willing to travel Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer Equipment. Must have a CDL License, excellent hourly rate & excellent beneﬁts clean driving record, capable of operating Contact: Dana be Briere Phone: heavy equipment; willing to travel 860-243-2300 Email: throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com excellent hourly rate & excellent beneﬁts Women & Minority Applicants are Contact: Dana Briere Phone: encouraged to apply 860-243-2300 Email: Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Employer Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

Field Engineer

PUBLIC NOTICE Project: West Woods Place Hamden, CT

SUBCONTRACTOR PRE-BID MEETING Tuesday, February 13, 2018 4 to 6:00 pm

Location: Haynes Construction Company 32 Progress Avenue, Seymour, CT 06483 (Follow Progress Ave all the way to the end, take a right and entrance will be on right/lower level)

INVITATION TO BID:

New Construction

One Building, 50 Units, Approx 63,682SF This is our Project, Taxable & No Wage Rates apply. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. Bid Due Date:

Subcontractor bids due: Tuesday, February 27, 2018 @ 5 pm Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=westwoodsplace Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dlang@haynesct.com HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER

Meterman II Position involves the installation and repair of all types of water meters, including outside reading type, used on the water system. Requires graduation from H.S., GED, or vocational school plus four (4) years employment in the water department of which two (2) years shall be in the Meter Department or an equivalent in experience and training. $23.12 to $28.06 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. The closing date for applications is February 20, 2018 or the date we receive the fiftieth (50) application whichever occurs first. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, (203) 294-2080. EOE.

DELIVERY PERSON NEEDED Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

Must Have Own Vehicle If Interested call (203) 435-1387 TRANSFER STATION LABORER Off load trailers, reload for trans/disp. Lift 50 lbs., operate industrial powered trucks and forklift. Asbestos Worker Handler Training a +. Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 173 Pickering St., Portland, CT 06480; Fax 860-342-1022; or Email to lkelly@redtransfer.com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

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.

Class A CDL Driver

with 3 years min. exp. HAZMAT Endorsed. (Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off) Some overnights may be required. FAX resumes to RED Technologies, at 860.342-1042; Email: HR@redtechllc.com Mail or in person: 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480. RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

Town of Bloomfield

Custodian $22.31 hourly For details go to www.bloomfieldct.org

Waste Treatment Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator (Attendant II): Operates and maintains equipment and processes in a municipal sewage treatment plant. Requires a H.S. diploma or GED. In addition, must possess a State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Class II Operator or higher certification; or a Class II Operatorin-training or higher certification. Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license. $25.38 to $30.24 hourly / $22.59 - $30.24 based on certifications & experience plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. The closing date will be that date the 50th application form/resume is received, or February 13, 2018, whichever occurs first. EOE

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT is requesting proposals for the painting of interior vacant units.

Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.

norwalkha.org<http://www.norwalkha.org> under the Business section RFP’s/RFQ’s Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director.

Contract Administrator

1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473

Galasso Materials is seeking a motivated, organized individual to be its next Contract Administrator. This position provides administration associated with our paving division. Responsibilities include billing, payroll, collection, lien tracking, coordinating with outside legal counsel, and job cost. Experience is preferred but willing to train the right candidate. Salary commensurate with experience and educational achievement. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Reply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. EOE/M/F/D/V.

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits.

Dispatcher

KMK Insulation Inc. Mechanical Insulator position. Please mail resume to above address.. MAIL ONLY This company is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer.

Common Ground seeks an Assistant Fa-

cilities Manager to be responsible for the care, upkeep and maintenance of Common Ground’s facilities. The Assistant Facilities Manager will supervise part time custodial staff. This is a full time, year round 40-hour per week position with benefits. Work hours will generally run from noon until 8 pm with some weekend hours required. For a more detailed job description and how to apply, please visit http://commongroundct. org/2017/10/common-ground-seeks-an-assistant-facilitiesmanager/Common Ground seeks an Assistant Facilities Manager to be responsible for the care, upkeep and maintenance of Common Ground’s facilities. The Assistant Facilities Manager will supervise part time custodial staff. This is a full time, year round 40-hour per week position with benefits. Work hours will generally run from noon until 8 pm with some weekend hours required. For a more detailed job description and how to apply, please visit http://commongroundct.org/2017/10/common-ground-seeks-an-assistant-facilities-manager/

Help Wanted. Immediate opening for operator for Heavy and Highway construction. Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F. 21

Galasso Materials is seeking a motivated, organized, detail-oriented candidate to join its truck dispatch office. Responsibilities include order entry and truck ticketing in a fast paced materials manufacturing and contracting company. You will have daily interaction with employees and customers as numerous truckloads of material cross our scales daily. We are willing to train the right individual that has a great attitude. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Reply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. EOE/M/F/D/V.

Hot Mix Asphalt Plant Technician & Paving Inspector There are multiple openings in Galasso Materials Quality Control Department. NETTCP certification is preferred, with at least one year of experience. Full time positions available. Your schedule must be flexible as sometimes night shifts are required. Must be able to lift and carry 50lb buckets. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Reply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. EOE/M/F/D/V.

Equipment Operators and Laborers Galasso Materials is seeking applicants for the 2018 paving season. Experience in paving operations is required. Must possess current OSHA 10 card, have a valid driver’s license, and own transportation. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Reply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. EOE/M/F/D/V.

Construction Truck and Equipment Head Mechanic

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS

February 07, 2018

X is a Variable:

February 13, 2018

The Lost Tapes of Malcolm X

by J. K. Schmid Special to the AFRO

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Malcolm X is featured in the season premiere of Smithsonian Channel’s “The Lost Tapes,” and the episode enjoyed a debut screening hosted by Comcast, Smithsonian Channel and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture in Baltimore. Among the 50 guests present for the screening were city council members Sharon Green Middleton (District 6) and Leon F. Pinkett, III (District 7). A panel discussion followed the episode, which included Smithsonian Channel Executive Producer John Cavanaugh, Damion Thomas, Ph.D, curator of the National Museum of African American History & Culture, and members of the audience. Without narration and with few title cards between scenes to provide context, the film seems almost fanatically—or, perhaps, militantly—committed to an objective accounting of Malcolm X’s 1962 rise to prominence in the aftermath of the LAPD’s shooting of Nation of Islam member Ronald Stokes through his assassination in 1965. “Malcolm X’s” verite style draws on archival footage of the minister and civil rights leader in his prime, pulling from speeches to his congregants, panel discussions on “City Desk” and the breathless wild-eyed insinuations of young Mike Wallace’s “The Hate That Hate Produced.” Photographs and audio recordings smooth the transitions from one segment to the next, leaving the viewer witness to something like a 48-minute testimonial. “This is the first time that I have been able to just soak up and eat his words from his mouth,” one audience member said during the panel discussion. “I may have a recording here or a recording there. But to have a film that chronologically allows me to hear him speak, his speaking in not just sound bites, that’s what I appreciate most about this.” The film’s primary focus is simply what Malcolm said and what he did, leaving any further analysis by the wayside. The viewer is left to fill in the gaps between every line with their own meaning, or to try to imagine the producers’ own intent. For example, one video sample so degraded that Malcolm’s face is washed out, leaving only a gleaming white silhouette. Watching Malcolm preaching, it is as if he is glowing with inner light. Is it an allusion to Malcolm’s divine spark? He’s sainted by more than one

Photo: From left: Damion Thomas, PhD, Curator, National Museum of African American History and Culture; Dana De Santo, Director of Distributor Marketing, Smithsonian Channel; Donna Rattley Washington, Vice President of Government & Community Affairs for Comcast’s Beltway Region; Sharon Green Middleton, Vice President, Baltimore City Council; John Cavanagh, Executive Producer, Smithsonian Channel; Wanda Draper, Executive Director, Reginald F. Lewis Museum (Courtesy Photo/Comcast)

adherent in the film. When a director doesn’t say anything, the search for meaning can grow desperate. I think it’s a consequence of the filmmaking format, as much as anything,” Cavanaugh told the AFRO. “Certainly, we tell American history stories. That’s what we do. That is always sort of our mode of thinking. When we go back and look at stories like this, it’s about telling you what happened. And this series, more than any other, it’s immersive. When there’s no narration, it’s about dropping you in the moment and experiencing history sort of live. You’re seeing reactions to events as they occur.”

Super Bowl Ad

April 4, 2018 was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, at the hands of James Earl Ray. “The worst commercials are those that use icons like Martin Luther King Jr to sell things like a Dodge Ram truck,” tweeted Boston Globe Deputy Bureau Chief Matt Viser. He wasn’t the only one who noticed. “So, Ram Truck appropriated Martin Luther King Jr. and used an all white cast + 1 token black to sell trucks to Trump supporters as if we’re back in the 1950s. #SuperBowl,” stated Lucy Amato on Twitter. “Using a “Martin Luther King” speech and completely taking it OUT OF CONTEXT for a truck commercial is a disgrace,” another Twitter user reacted in a typical statement. Super Bowl advertisements have become an annual obsession as the

It may be useful to consider “The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X” as a museum piece, a curio. The closest the film gets to narrative and character are pictures of Malcolm on his pilgrimage to Mecca, near his conversion to Sunni Islam. The closest to a private moment is Malcolm kneeling alone with his god in the Great Mosque of Muhammed Ali, Cairo. But he’s not saying anything. Like the pyramids, “The Lost Tapes” Malcolm is grandiose, regal, larger than life, but there’s never a peek at the man inside. “The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X” will premiere on the Smithsonian Channel on Monday, February 26 at 8 p.m. ET.

Con’t from page 18 expensive and targeted marketing to a huge audience has become a place where products are debuted for the first time. Super Bowl ads have also become an annual time to analyze and study the many marketing strategy, as well as the “hits and misses” of the ads seen during the game. It’s likely that the ad featuring King’s voice and words will likely be the source of analysis over the coming days. The ad might also reignite discussion on some of the decisions being made by Dexter King and Martin Luther King III regarding the use of their father’s image and words. Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist, political analyst and a frequent contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. She can be contacted at LBurke007@ gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 07, 2018 - February 13, 2018

N e w P u b l i c

H av e n S ch o o l s

2018 SCHOOL EXPOS You are invited to discover all that New Haven Public Schools can offer families and students. Please join us at a School Expo.

Thur • Jan. 25, 5:30-8pm Floyd Little Athletic Center • 480 Sherman Pkwy

6 - 7pm High School Info Session

Sat • Feb. 3, 11am-2pm

1:30 - 2:30pm Kindergarten Info Session

John Martinez Magnet School • 100 James Street Choice.NHPS.Net 23

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

February 07, 2018

February 13, 2018

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MONTH AS WE PROUDLY HONOR BLACK

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VISIONARIES JOIN THE CELEBRATION AND FIND AN EVENT NEAR YOU AT

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