INNER-CITY NEWS

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 02, 15, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09,2016 2022- August - February 2022

a Key Focus Celebrate at 2016 NAACP Convention 5Financial ReasonsJustice Why Men Shouldn’t Valentine’s Day New Haven, Bridgeport

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LEAP Leaps Into

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Brackeen Proposes Universal-Income Trial

by KIMBERLY WIPFLER New Haven Independent

Darryl Brackeen says New Haven has a way to help working-class families get their child tax credits back — and test out a longer-term poverty-fighting idea in the process.

Brackeen, an Upper Westville alder, has proposed that New Haven use some if its $115 million in federal pandemic-relief American Rescue Plan (ARPA) money to give qualifying families $250 a month for a year and a half. Many of these families qualified to receive the same monthly payment in increased federal child tax credits last year, a new program championed by New Haven U.S. Rep. Rosa Delauro that expired at the end of 2021.

Brackeen has submitted a formal proposal to create his program as a “Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program” modeled on “universal basic income (UBI)” programs in other cities like Stockton, California, which have tried out to help struggling households in recent years.

“We have the 1 percent, and then there’s everyone else. And this gap is widening, economically. How do we even the playing field? Universal basic income is one of the tools in the budget to try to begin to chip away at the crisis we’re in,” Brackeen said during an interview Monday afternoon at G Cafe.

Brackeen chairs the Board of Alders Human Services Committee, which may be where his proposal ends up for an initial hearing.

“We oversee the work ensuring that the working class and the poor are well-taken care of, and it’s our job to find ways to solve the problem,” he said.

He said this proposal is in direct response to the reversal of increased federal child tax credit payments. Beginning last July, families around the country received between $250-$300 per month per child as part of the pandemic-relief American Rescue Plan. These payments slashed child poverty from 15.8 percent to 11.9 in the first month, according to a Columbia University study. After December, these payments stopped, and Congress has failed to reinstate the program, which set the record for the country’s largest ever one-year decrease in poverty.

“I believe we’re in a crisis. The federal government gives guidelines towards this cash assistance programming. In this moment, cash assistance is one way to alleviate the emergent moment,” Brackeen said.

“Two hundred fifty dollars a month is grocery shopping for a month; it could be the difference between a car breaking down, needing an oil change, or tire fixed to get to work. It could be trans-

KIMBERLY WIPFLER Brackeen: Time to try UBI.

portation on the bus line. It actually can make a world of a difference, and we have the money. Why not do it for the good of the people?”

The proposal Brackeen submitted outlines an 18-month period in which 4,000 low-income New Haven households (one resident per household) with incomes least 200 percent below the federal pov-

erty line ($53,000 for a household of four) would receive the $250 a month.

The Elicker Administration recently unveiled a proposed spending plan for $53 million of the ARPA money to support “housing, vocational technical education, youth engagement, business support, and climate resiliency initiatives.” This proposal leaves a remaining balance of

$24.5 million, after $38 million that has already been approved. The cost of the UBI plan would not exceed $18 million, according to a letter Brackeen submitted to the Board of Alders ahead of Monday night’s meeting.

The cit’s new Office of Community Resiliency would facilitate Brackeen’s proposed program and select residents through a lottery process.

Brackeen said the city would work with an outside research group, which has yet to be selected, to conduct a study on the effect of the program, with an eye toward possible expansion.

Brackeen said the initial proposal is not set in stone, merely a launch point for discussion. He said he is open to compromise with Mayor Elicker and his fellow Alderman, some of whom he said are “really excited and on board.”

“Everyone has had an opportunity to give a plan and an idea on how to spend this ARPA funding. This is mine. I’m not saying it’s the right plan; I’m not saying it’s the only plan. But it’s something I’m bringing to the table.”

As to whether he has concerns about the public reception of his proposal, Brackeen said, “I’m more interested in saving people in this emergent moment, to be honest. Lives are on the line; children’s lives are on the line.”

Elicker Picks New Leaders For City Plan, Fair Rent, Labor Relations

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven Independent

A new leadership crew at City Hall came into focus Friday, as Mayor Justin Elicker announced appointments for the directors of City Plan, Fair Rent, and Labor Relations, as well as for a liaison to the Board of Alders.

Mayor Justin Elicker announced those latest top-administration appointments during a press conference held on the ground floor of City Hall.

The presser took place three days after the second-term mayor announced a significant shakeup at City Hall, which — through a combination of resignations, retirements, and non-reappointments — will soon see several high-up city staffers who worked under the former Harp Administration leave the building, to be replaced by Elicker’s picks.

Department heads generally serve fouryear terms that start Feb. 1 every four years, meaning that the Elicker inherited many department head contracts two years in when he first came into office in 2020.

The four new appointments announced on Friday include: • Laura Brown as the new director of the City Plan Department. Brown will take over from outgoing City Plan Director Aicha Woods. Her first job will be Feb. 28.

New Elicker Administration appointees. Clockwise from top left: Fair Rent's Wildaliz Bermúdez, Labor Relations' Wendella Ault Battey, aldermanic liaison Barbara Montalvo, and City Plan's Laura Brown.

According to a bio provided by the Elicker Administration, Brown lives in Westville and has spent the past eight years working across state as a Community & Economic Development Educator with the University of Connecticut Extension.

She has worked on the Connecticut Trail Census, the Connecticut Trail Finder, the Best Practices in Economic Development and Land Use municipal accreditation program, and the First Impressions Community Exchange. She is also the co-chair of the Working Group on Structural Racism with UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources.

“I will be putting all of my work through the lens of equity and undoing structures that are limiting and oppressive,” Brown

said during Friday’s presser. “I believe that planning and zoning should be tools that manifest the values of the city.”

Asked for her thoughts on specific zoning reform proposals — like scrapping parking minimums or banning singlefamily zoning — Brown deferred, saying she still needs to dive deeper into the city’s current zoning code, the ongoing work of the department, and the needs and interests of city residents.

• Wildaliz Bermúdez as the new director of the Fair Rent Commission. She will take over from Otis Johnson, and her first day on the job will be March 7.

Bermúdez served on the Hartford Court of Common Council from 2016 to 2021, and previously worked for the Hartford

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Department of Public Works under two mayoral administrations.

How will she ensure that more New Haveners know about the Fair Rent Commission? The Fair Rent Commission is a state-empowered local body that can mandate reductions in rent if a tenant successfully argues that they received too steep of a rent hike, or that they landlord is not adequately maintaining the rental property.

“It’s all about promoting,” Bermúdez said. Through social media. Through in-person meetings. “It’s about meeting people where they’re at, and making it accessible to the community.”

She said she’s particularly interested in working with the city’s Corporation

Counsel to allow the city to better work with local tenant unions.

• Wendella Ault Battey as new labor relations director. She will take over from Cathleen Simpson, and her first day on the job will be Feb. 14.

Battey has spent the past 27 years as a member of the State Board of Labor Relations, and served as the acting chair of that board for the past five years.

Asked about some of her priorities as city labor relations director when approaching negotiating contracts with local public unions, Battey said, “Getting the workforce back to some sort of normalcy. We can’t all continue to work from home forever. Navigating those waters is going to

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Part 1 of our 4-part series in celebration of Black History Month

Stay Warm with CT Energy Assistance Programs CELEBRATES

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Boscov’s celebrates Black History Month and salutes the men and women whose many accomplishments and contributions have transformed our society.

Don’t let high energy costs stand in the way of heating your home.

Their impacts on athletics, entertainment, education, journalism, government and industry continue to influence our lives.

We look forward to the youth of today continuing to mold our world and its bright future.

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A New Dawn At Collab THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

by NORA GRACE-FLOOD New Haven Independent

Collab New Haven has a new executive director with a clear message: Don’t let opportunity pass you by.

She also has a mission: To create more opportunities for those who are systematically denied chances to turn their ideas into realities.

Dawn Leaks, a seasoned nonprofit leader from Hamden, has taken up the title of director for the organization, which is a New Haven-based business incubator and accelerator program that primarily serves people of color and women.

Collab, which was founded in 2018, has helped produce valued new local businesses, such as Cityseed Sanctuary Kitchen, a multicultural cuisine catering service that employs refugees and new immigrants. Leaks succeeds Collab cofounders Caroline Smith and Margaret Lee in the executive director role. (Smith will continue to play an active role in the organization, while Lee is transitioning into a community advisory role.)

Collab succeeds in that effort by providing entrepreneurs not just with funding, mentorship, legal and marketing services, and business educations — but with childcare, transportation, and translation services.

“We like to call ourselves the front door,” Leaks said Thursday in an interview on WNHH’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” program.

The idea is to give early entrepreneurs easy access to both a business education and a strong support network.

“Black women entrepreneurs receive less than 2 percent of venture capital funding,” Leaks stated. “Systemic racism, biases — they impact every sector.”

“We’re not trying to give anything ‘ex-

New Collab Executive Director Dawn Leaks.

tra’ to Black and Brown female entrepreneurs,” she said. “We’re trying to level the playing field.”

Before taking on her new title, Leaks was the CEO of Lioness For The Female Entrepreneur, an online digital media company geared towards women entrepreneurs.

Leaks said she came to Collab because she knows what it’s like to be a Black, female entrepreneur — and wants to work with others struggling with the reality that “entrepreneurship can be a lonely place.”

“That’s what’s so great about Collab,” she said. “You’re also tapping into a community of like minded people … They

know what you’re going through, you can bounce ideas off them … It’s real talk.”

“When you’re trying to build a business, you feel like you always have to put your best foot forward,” Leaks reflected. “You always have to talk about how great things are. And to be perfectly honest, sometimes things are not great.” Sometimes, Leaks said, things are about figuring out “where my next meal is coming from” and “can I cover my rent this month?”

In addition to lessons regarding how to search for funding, build capital, finetune your idea and identify your market, Collab offers a “safe space” for individuals to meet other entrepreneurs, share their

struggles, and find the inspiration and empathy necessary to keep persevering and put their plan into action.

Leaks said she intends to spend her first month on the job listening to partners, clients, and community members about their needs and “how we can best serve those needs,” as well as hitting up New Haven restaurants to meet her new home. She said her main goal in taking over Collab is to expand their services and scope to offer support and resources to even more aspiring entrepreneurs.

At Lioness For The Female Entrepreneur, Leaks increased revenue by 200 percent and expanded their global audience to 100,000. She aims to extend those successes to Collab.

By growing the thoughts and ideas of diverse populations, there will be more sanctuary kitchens making local communities flourish.

The pandemic, Leaks pointed out, has shown “some gaps where a new product or service could be really useful.” Everybody has ideas — the more of those that can come to fruition, the richer communities become.

Those who have been taught to believe their ideas are lesser than, or who have consistently hit obstacles while attempting to pitch or sell plans to those with more power and capital than themselves, can schedule office hours with Collab to determine next steps that will mesh with their daily lives.

“The number one thing I would say is call,” Leaks encouraged. “I understand deeply some of the barriers” facing potential and current entrepreneurs, she said.

“But just take the action.” All you need, Leaks said, “is yourself and your idea.”

“If you’re thinking about calling, just call.”

Biden Taps Newhallville Native For U.S. Attorney

by STAFF

New Haven Independent

President Biden has nominated Newhallville native Vanessa Avery to serve as Connecticut’s next top federal prosecutor.

The nomination to serve as the state’s U.S. attorney was announced Wednesday.

It now goes before Congress for approval.

As is the custom, the recommendation for the nomination came from the state’s two U.S. senators, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.

“Vanessa Avery is a proven prosecutor – tough and fair – who has deep roots in her community and a lifetime of service.

A champion and fighter for Connecticut’s people with broad trial experience and solid, good judgement, she’ll follow the facts and law to deter and punish wrongdoers and fight discrimination,” Blumen-

thal, who served as U.S. attorney himself four decades ago, stated in a release. Blumenthal sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will review Avery’s nomination.

Avery, who attended Yale as an undergraduate and then Georgetown for law school, has most recently worked as an associate attorney general in Connecticut, overseeing enforcement and investigations involving issues ranging from environmental regulation and health care to immigration. “In our work together, Vanessa always leads with integrity and a strong commitment to justice, and she insists on accountability and respect for the rule of law,” stated her current boss, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong.

If confirmed, Avery will be the state’s

Vanessa Avery.

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first Black female U.S. attorney. And she will be returning to the U.S. Attorney’s office, where she previously worked in the Civil Division. The senators’ release noted that she also worked as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division, “a pro bono advocate for children, adults, and non-profit entities, and is a past President and current Advisory Board member of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association,” which is named after the City of New Haven’s first African-American corporation counsel. Avery is the vice-president of the Connecticut Bar Foundation.

Avery would succeed Len Boyle, who has served as first acting, then interim U.S. Attorney since last March. That’s when the previous Connecticut U.S. attorney, John Durham, formally stepped down.

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John P. Thomas

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

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Paul Bass www.newhavenindependent.org

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

DuBois-Walton Named State Board Of Ed Chair

Part 2 of our 4-part series in celebration of Black History Month

IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BOSCOV’S HONORS

VISIONARIES IN HUMANITY

Dr. Patricia Bath

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO DuBois-Walton with Harris Tucker School students at a Newhallville ward committee meeting.

Add another civic leadership role to Karen DuBois-Walton’s calendar.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday that he has named DuBois-Walton as the new chair of the State Board of Education.

“Karen has been an incredibly active member of the New Haven community throughout her career, particularly focused on removing barriers to fair housing among marginalized communities, reversing housing segregation patterns, and making improvements in under-resourced neighborhoods,” a press release quoted Lamont as stating. “Over these last couple of years, she has been a valuable voice as a member of the State Board of Education, utilizing her experience to bring a much-needed perspective to this important body, which is why I feel that having her serve as its next chairperson is a natural fit.”

DuBois-Walton’s day job is running is the Housing Authority of New Haven. She is involved in many other community activities, including most recently spearheading a successful effort by her Fair Haven neighbors to convince the state Liquor Control Commission not to renew the booze license of a problem bar.

In the same release, DuBois-Walton called this a “pivotal moment” for the state ed board, during which “we will design and implement the next five-year plan guiding our efforts to create equity for all Connecticut learners.”

“These past two years have created unimaginable challenges, and our school communities have demonstrated persistence and creativity in meeting the moment while centering safety, wellness, and learn-

Rosa Parks

George Washington Carver

Booker T. Washington

State Expands Searchable List of Unclaimed Property

by Hugh McQuaid An upgrade to a state government-maintained list of dormant assets like unclaimed checks and forgotten bank accounts will allow Connecticut residents to search for inactive property of any value, State Treasurer Shawn Wooden announced Tuesday.

Any Connecticut resident who has forgotten to cash an insurance check or lost track of a savings account for more than three years has likely had those assets turned over to the state. While unclaimed, those assets make millions in revenue for Connecticut each year.

The treasurer’s office maintains a searchable database of that property, called the CTBiglist, which residents can use to identify their unclaimed assets but until recently, the search would only reveal property valued at $50 or more. According to Wooden’s office, residents can now search for property of any value that has an associated name and address.

“Connecticut residents can now

State Treasurer Shawn Wooden

look up their unclaimed property of any value at one cent or greater on CTBigList.com and check the status of their claims online,” Wooden said in a Tuesday press release marking National Unclaimed Property Day. The change follows a CT Mirror story in early January, reporting that the state had collected more than $40 million in unclaimed property which was valued at less than $50 and therefore im-

possible to find on the CTBiglist site. The treasurer’s office charged the Mirror $200 for a data request with information more than five years old.

According to Tuesday’s press release, the treasurer’s office was able to expand the functionality of the online system to show property of any value using “new cloud-based technology.”

Wooden announced other upgrades to the system including expanding a “fast-track” program which allows residents whose property is valued at up to $1,000 to claim the assets in a matter of days. In July, that limit will expand to claims worth up to $2,500.

Another initiative eliminates the requirement that residents have their applications notarized in order to claim their property.

“Ever since we upgraded our unclaimed property systems to paperless a year ago, it’s been a goal of mine to eliminate the burdensome step of having someone secure a notarization to file their claim,” Wooden said.

Barack Obama Dr. Shirley Jackson

From the advances in education by Booker T. Washington, to the inventions of George Washington Carver, Dr. Patricia Bath and Dr. Shirley Jackson, to the pivotal role Rosa Parks played in the civil rights movement, to Barack Obama becoming our country’s first black president, Boscov’s celebrates courageous African American humanitarians everywhere for their accomplishments and all the contributions that they have made in education, science, technology and beyond.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Mom-Daughter Authors Target Tough Talk

by MAYA MCFADDEN New Haven Independent

A mom who started seeking to fill her daughter’s home library with more books featuring Black characters has begun publishing some of those books herself — with her daughter.

New Haven mother and children’s book author Cindy J. Cadet, 40 and daughter Abby Cadet, 11, are co-authors of a children’s book series called “Kid Talk.” The picture books, for kids ages 4 to 10 years old, focus on real-life family issues that can be hard to talk about with youth, like divorce and parents arguing.

The first book of the series, released in 2020, is titled Living in Two Homes is Tough. It tells the story of a young girl struggling to tell her parent how she feels after they get a divorce.

This past week, Brennan Rogers School resource center coordinator Lensley Gay brought the author duo to students in grades second through fourth for a virtual reading.

Cadet’s books are written from a child’s perspective to highlight the different feelings of a child. The duo hope for the books to be a conversation starter for parents and kids that relate.

During the Brennan Rogers read-aloud, Cadet said several kids said that they have divorced parents and related to the main character.

The mom and daughter duo publish their books through their own publishing company, Brave Kid Press.

The second and most recent release in the series, Josiah’s Dilemma, was published last year. The book tells a story about a young boy dealing with his emotions about his parents, who argue at

Abby Cadet with the new book she wrote with her mom.

home frequently.

The book series is Cadet’s second since starting her writing career in 2011.

Her first three books formed “Brownie Kid Series.”

Cadet published her first book, The Brownie Girl Adventures, in 2011, for her daughter’s first birthday. “It was originally going to just be a keepsake, until I realized there aren’t many books about Black and brown kids just having fun,” she said.

While raising Abby, Cadet realized how difficult it was getting to fill their at-home library with books that had characters that looked like Abby.

She was looking to fill Abby’s home library with “fun authentic black books,” she said. It wasn’t easy.

For the Brownie Kid Series books Cadet focused the stories on children of color going on adventures, bonding with family, forming friendships.

When getting her first series illustrated, Cadet said, she had to “put up a fight to get authentic Black kids” drawn for her book characters.

Instead of realistic kids of color, illustrators were offered Cadet brown stick figures.

Cadet, who was raised in West Haven, moved to New Haven’s Quinnpiac Meadows neighborhood in 2002.

Growing up Cadet, who is Haitian American, used reading and writing as an escape when dealing with tensions at home with her strict mother. She never met her

biological father.

“When I was growing up children were seen and not heard,” she recalled.

In addition to Cadet’s two series, she has released a collection of 20 children’s writing journals, coloring books, and workbooks to encourage youth to get in the habit of expressing their feeling, set smart goals, and read affirmations.

“They’re to help brown kids get use to prioritizing self care and making mental health a priority,” she said.

Cadet also works as a co-parenting coach.

The workbooks and children’s journals aim to “minimize mental health issues within our community” she said.

“Everything I do is family centered,”

she said.

After getting divorced in 2017, Cadet took a break from writing until the pandemic began.

During the first year of the pandemic, Abby and her mom began spending a lot more time together at home. The time together helped Cadet regain her motivation to write and gave her the idea to start a series that center talks she and her daughter had during the pandemic.

The duo created the children’s workbooks together based on Abby’s real life experiences and emotions at times.

While Cadet put together the writing, Abby helped to design characters, names, and settings. The book also features a letCon’t on page 10

Coalition Calls For Investment, Tax Increases

A coalition of unions, faith leaders, and lawmakers say Gov. Ned Lamont’s property tax cuts and the Republican proposal to cut the sales tax fall short of what is needed when the state has a more than billion dollar budget surplus.

“It’s like paying off your mortgage when your children have holes in their shoes,” Gemeem Davis, a social justice organizer with Bridgeport Generation Now, said during a virtual press conference Friday.

The group wants Lamont’s proposal to increase the earned income tax credit permanent. In December, Lamont announced they increased the earned income tax credit with $75 million in federal COVID funds, which will put more money in the pocket of nearly 200,000 Connecticut residents. The funding will help increase the credit working families making less than $56,000 a year will receive.

But it’s not permanent because it was

done with federal COVID funds.

The group also wants greater investments in public services, like education, health care, mental health, housing, and social services.

“There are a lot of people in our state who are turning over the jar of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters,” Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, said. “Who rely on that because they can’t rely on their state representatives to have a conversation about hundreds of millions of dollars that are available to deal with the issues that are in their lives.”

The Recovery for All Coalition also want what they call a more “fair” tax system, which taxes the wealthy more.

Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, said “we need equity. It’s time we stop talking about it and we be about it.”

She said tax reform is a policy choice “so what kind of policies are we talking

about.”

She said a 5% surcharge on capital gains, dividends and interest in excess of $500,000 a year. She said it would generate $850 million annually.

She said they are also proposing a tax of 10% on any company with over $10 billion in the digital advertising business.

“An economy is not built from the top down, it’s built from the bottom up,” Porter said.

Porter said the $336 million in tax relief Lamont proposed is not enough. She also pointed out it wouldn’t help anyone without property or a motor vehicle.

“Relief should be sustainable, this is disposable and I don’t see it as a fix,” Porter said.

Lamont and legislative leaders will reconvene next week for the opening of the 2022 legislative session to adjust the twoyear budget adopted last year.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

"Those Kids Were Her Life:" New Haven Remembers Lillie Perkins

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

Ms. Lillie Perkins always had room for you.

Maybe she added you to her twice-daily prayers. Or pulled up an extra chair at the table, where finding space was never a problem.

Maybe she paid for your books the first semester of college, or for your starched white shirt before a choir concert. Maybe she gave you that first nudge toward the microphone. Maybe it was just a run-in at the grocery store that left you smiling.

Maybe you didn’t even know that Ms. Perkins was looking out for you. But she was.

That’s how family members, friends and hundreds of New Haveners are remembering Lillie Perkins, who died at Yale New Haven Hospital’s Saint Raphael Campus on January 24. In just over seven decades she touched thousands of lives—as a teacher at Helene W. Grant and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary Schools, founder and director of the Unity Boys Choir of New Haven, as a mother, sister, and a devoted member and teacher at Bible Gospel Center on Dixwell Avenue.

She was 71 years old.

A celebration of Perkins’ life is planned for Friday Feb. 11 at Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church. Her family has also started a memorial fund in her honor. Donate to it here.

“She was the most adorable, loving sister that one could ever ask for,” said her younger brother, James Walker, in a phone call last Tuesday night. “She’s been a sister, my best friend, a mother—just a caring, open heart. If she met a stranger, she would just welcome them with open arms. I’ve been praying daily that God would give me the strength to rise above this pain.”

Perkins was born Lillie Elouise Walker in 1950, the third child of five in Hallsboro, North Carolina. When she was three, her father put her younger brother James in her arms, told her to take care of him, and went to the family’s backyard to chop wood. He was splitting logs back there when he suffered a massive heart attack at 42, leaving her mother, Flossie Walker, to raise five children in the segregated South.

As she navigated a world turned on its head, Perkins learned to care for her siblings from her mother, who never let the family’s own need get in the way of her ability to give. In her mother, Perkins learned about strength from a woman who fed and clothed five children, then worked in cotton and tobacco fields to put all of them through college. Flossie Walker cautioned them never to forget that their responsibility was to each other and to their neighbors, even those they didn’t know.

“She would alway open her door to anybody who just wanted to sit at the table and eat,” James Walker remembered. Each

morning and again each night, their mother gathered the children to kneel and pray, a ritual that stayed with Perkins until her passing. In return, “He [God] made a way out of no way,” Walker said. “We didn’t have much, but what we did have, we shared. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and we had that village.”

Perkins carried that with her in everything she did, including her lifelong love for education and the arts. In a story that was passed down from Flossie Walker to Perkins’ siblings to her daughter, Tiara Valentino-Perkins, Perkins frequently lined her dolls up in a row, and began teaching them lessons from the family’s home.

She fell in love with music and theater, ultimately following that spark to Fayetteville State University and then on to Connecticut, where she pursued further studies at the University of Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State University and the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. During her time in Fayetteville, she also became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a title that she wore proudly for 51 years.

When Perkins was in her early 20s, she married her high school sweetheart James “Rudy” Perkins, who her brother James described as “the love of her life.” The two moved to New Haven, where she began teaching at the now-razed Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School at 580 Dixwell Ave. The Path Of An Educator Just one year into her tenure as a second grade teacher at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary, Perkins founded the school’s choir on a nonexistent budget, and then started raising funds to take the students on choir trips.

She would conduct that choir until 1985, while also becoming a mother, teaching hundreds of students, and working with James Comer and the Yale Child Study Center to radically change student perfor-

mance and academic engagement at the school. Those who knew her knew that her work never ended when she walked out of the classroom: she was also active in church and deliberate in following students’ progress after they left the school.

“There was something about her where she just had a peace about her and a sense of calm that almost seemed other worldly,” said Marcella Monk Flake, who met her through church, and revered her “from a distance” before calling her a friend and fellow educator in the city’s Talented and Gifted program.“Lillie was just different … Everything about her was just class. I know it’s kind of dated to be a lady, but she was that, and she was strong. You knew that she loved God and that she loved people, and you knew that those kids were her life.”

It was at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary that Pastor Kevin C. Hardy walked into her classroom as “this very timid and quiet and shy young man with big eyes and a big afro” in 1976 or 1977. Now the pastor at St. Matthew’s Unison Free Will Baptist Church, Hardy was going into second grade at the school. As he walked through the door, he found this “lovely, gentle woman named Ms. Perkins” who became his first Black teacher and a lifelong mentor.

“Oh my goodness,” he said in a phone call last Wednesday night. “She was so sweet and so nurturing, so very loving, so very encouraging and affirming, and at the same time, she demanded respect. Her presence just spoke affirmation. You knew that you felt very loved by this woman.”

Hardy left the school after second grade, but he and Perkins stayed in touch. As a kid, he remembered watching her preach in multiple churches in the city, sometimes bringing the choir to perform. He was amazed and delighted by the fact that she lived in the community and kept tabs on her students. It didn’t matter if he was eight, or 18, or 38—when they ran into each other, she always referred to him as “baby,” an immediate and lasting term of

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endearment.

Almost three decades ago, Hardy became a middle school teacher at Harry M. Bailey Middle School in West Haven, and then the pastor at St. Matthew’s. When she learned that he had gone into both education and ministry, Perkins responded with a pride that was contagious. He estimated that the two last saw each other four or five years ago.

“She was not flippant with her words,” he said. “She saw that as an opportunity to build people up. That’s why I believe they still resonate with me 40-plus years later.

They were very life giving.”

Perkins and her husband Rudy, who had once been told that they could never have children, also welcomed their daughter Tiara during those years. Born in March 1976—her mother’s birthday month—Tiara learned early on that she was going to share her mother with the community. Perkins continued to teach, growing the choir with trips that took them though the state and along the East Coast. If either of her parents “ever saw a child in need,” they found a way to help.

“I loved it, because it was like I had other brothers and sisters,” she said in a phone call last week. While her parents poured into her—with violin lessons, singing at church, New Haven Symphony Orchestra concerts and visits to World’s Fair exhibitions in Knoxville and New Orleans— they expended that same energy on an expanding village in New Haven. It instilled in her a lifelong sense of responsibility to her community, which included providing care to both her father and her mother for years at the end of their lives.

Valentino-Perkins saw everyday miracles in the life her family was living. When she was three, her mother fell ill with meningitis after returning from Miami’s “Little Miss Half Pint” pageant, in which Valentino-Perkins had represented New Haven’s Carvel Ice Cream shop. She recovered against all medical odds, and lived with extreme hearing and balance issues for the rest of her life. “God delivered her,”

Valentino-Perkins said.

While it hindered her ability to travel— flights were off the table for years, because of altitude—she never let it get in the way of her educational and choral work.

“That was my mom,” she said. “She would always say that her life was God’s gift to her, and what she did with that life was her gift back to God.” In 1985, Perkins transferred to Helene W. Grant Elementary School, then under the storied and historic leadership of Jeffie Frazier, to become a third grade teacher.

She became legendary in the classroom for her direct and gentle style of teaching, and outside of it for founding the school’s choir, which she led until 1997. During her tenure, the choir travelled along the East Coast and Northeast Corridor, performing for dignitaries that included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard Law Professor Lani Guinier, and First Lady Hillary Clinton.

LaShante A. Kelley James, who was a third grader at the time, remembered how a student could enter the choir to sing, and leave it knowing that the world was bigger than New Haven. As a member of the historic and multigenerational Monk family, she fell in love with Perkins first as a teacher, and then as an extended family member. That was true for many of her family members, including a brother who loved Perkins well after he had graduated from elementary school.

“We became a sight to see, between the discipline, passion and talent that she drove out of these students from the heart of New Haven,” James, now the assistant principal of Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk and president of the ​​ Theta Tau Omega Chapter of the AKA Sorority, Inc., said. “We went up and down the East Coast, singing gospel music. We sang like angels.”

Whether she was behind a music stand or behind a desk, Perkins turned every moment into a teachable one. Before James Con’t on page 14

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Black History Month

We’re working to make health disparities history.

As we celebrate Black History Month and honor the past achievements of African Americans, we also look toward a better future. There are major differences in the health of populations across Connecticut, and in the healthcare they receive — with people of color experiencing the most serious impact.

At Access Health CT, it is our mission to reduce these differences.

Since 2013, we’ve helped more than one million individuals get health insurance. But more must be done — and more is exactly what we are doing.

Learn about how we’re working to bring equality to healthcare in Connecticut at accesshealthct.com/healthequity.

“Help us reach our goal of health equity for all Connecticut residents, especially among communities of color.”

James Michel, Chief Executive Officer, Access Health CT

Learn how you can help make health disparities history.

accesshealthct.com AHCT-39154-BHM-ICN 925x10.5.indd 1

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1/25/22 2:44 PM

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

LEAP Leaps Into Quinnipiac Meadows

by KIMBERLY WIPFLER New Haven Independent

A knock came on the door of Cerese Downing as she was in the process of enrolling her 9‑year-old in an after-school program coming to her neighborhood.

It was a team of recruiters for that very same program.

“I’m filling out the application right now!” Downing responded. “That’s spooky. I’m upstairs right now on my phone doing it. It’s a confirmation from God!” Downing’s home was one of over 100 that members of Leadership, Education & Athletics in Partnership (LEAP) and Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven (ECC/HANH) visited Wednesday afternoon.

The organizations partnered to recruit children between the ages of 7 and 12 to participate in LEAP’s free after-school program that just started in Quinnipiac Meadows, based at the Ross Woodward School.

The education-and-recreation program offers a place for children to “learn, explore and grow,” with mentorship, academic help, enrichment activities, and social-emotional learning, like mindfulness. They also provide participants with free meals.

The program, which launched in the 1990s, is offered in low-income and historically African American and Latino neighborhoods in New Haven: Dixwell, Dwight-Kensington, Fair Haven, the Hill, and Newhallville. On Monday, Quinnipiac Meadows was added to the list.

Now the job is to get the word out to families. So far 40 kids have enrolled at the site; there’s room for 30 more.

LEAP Executive Director Henry Fernandez said that because the program is new to the neighborhood, it’s important for the team to conduct outreach and meet with the families they serve. “As we build out here, we’re starting to have these kinds of door-to-door conversations and build relationships.”

Housing authority President Karen DuBois-Walton said that her colleagues who work closely with families canvassed alongside LEAP recruiters to offer a familiar face and bridge the gap between the program and parents. “What we’re doing today is canvassing all of the developments that we own or manage,” in the Quinnipiac Meadows area, to help facilitate “access to the families and to the kids,” she said.

This partnership has the potential to support longevity for participants in the program, DuBois-Walton said: LEAP can connect with the housing authority to check in on a kid with an inexplicable lapse in attendance. “That also keeps them engaged.”

Teams met Wednesday at five different complexes managed by the housing authority: Cornell Scott Ridge, St. Anthony 1 & 2, Quinnipiac Terrace, Eastview Ter-

HANNAH HURWITZ, THE NARRATIVE PROJECT Cesare Downing answers knock.

race, and Essex Townhouses. Each team had leads from both organizations as well as a group of junior counselors — high school students 16 years or older who are paid members of the LEAP staff. They help facilitate programs and receive mentorship in professional development.

Leiyanie “Lee” Osorio, director of the LEAP Children’s Program, launched a team of junior counselors at Essex Townhouses led by Quinnipiac Meadows Site Coordinator Angelina Campos and

ECC/HANH Community Economic Development Manager Gayatari Rana.

Osorio handed out fliers in both English and Spanish, as well as children’s books, to the team of LEAP counselors before sending them off. Osorio herself was excited to return to a snowball fight she saw among some kids at the development before the launch. “It looks like they’re having a lot of fun, so I’m going to go back around and say hello to them, and see what they’re all about.”

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Meanwhile at Eastview Terrace, Jahvon Soto, Fair Haven South site coordinator, was breaking up a fight. “I talked to about six or seven kids that were out playing in the streets. I was like, ‘Yo! Stop it! Stop beating each other.’” Soto chatted with the kids and gave them all the LEAP fliers. “So they’re gonna give them to their parents, and hopefully they’ll be in LEAP next week.”

At one site, a thankful mother offered Newhallville Site Coordinator John Lee pizza for the group to ensure they stayed warm and nourished while knocking doors on a cold day. The family was unsure whether they could facilitate transportation for LEAP, so Lee gave them his number in hopes of providing guidance in other ways. “ That was a nice reminder of what we’re doing: building relationships in the community,” he said.

Some of the junior counselors said that it was a difficult day to reach families face to- ace because many parents were in parent-teacher conferences. At houses where nobody answered, teams left fliers at the door or in the mailbox.

“With the family sites, it’s hit or miss because they’re working, and we don’t know the hours. But even if we get them the information, it’s good,” Rana said back at Essex.

Osorio said she hopes that LEAP’s mission will motivate others to create positive change in their communities, just as it inspired her when she first joined back in 2011. “Whether it be here in New Haven or beyond, it’s totally possible. If you believe that you are it, you can change the world.”

Families can apply online at www.leapforkids.org. Follow the tab “Programs,” select whichever option your family needs, and complete the application form at the bottom of the page. For more information, visit leapforkids.org or call (203) 773‑0770.

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Mom-Daughter

ter Abby wrote to her father expressing her feelings about her parents ‘divorce.

“Sometimes as parents our intention is to do our best, but there are little things that we overlook sometimes,” she said.

She hopes her books and journals affirm children’s feelings and help families work through home conflicts/ Cadet’s long-term goal is to get the books and daily journals integrated into school curricula and help address misunderstood youth who are often labeled as “difficult” because they can’t concentrate in school or are acting out in class.

“Even while at school. kids worry about their parents and can be consumed by their home life,” she said.

With the journals, children can identify how they feel and express themselves in writing.

Since starting her writing career, Cadet has made author appearances at libraries and schools in New Haven and in Bridgeport.

She aims to inspire kids to “dream and think big.”

She encourages parents to take advantage of free resources like museums to expose youth to the bigger world around them. “As a parent, it’s all about creating a foundation to help children know they’re coming from homes,” she said.

Abby, who enjoys working on art, is considering doing the book illustrations in the future.

The duo’s next book will aim to start conversations about “blended families” involving step-parents and step siblings.

Cadet expects to release it this summer.

Cadet has worked with students ranging from kindergarten to college as a substitute, trauma counselor, and in career services.

“It’s important to take young children seriously,” she said.

Abby said she also plans to become an animator.

When Abby isn’t helping her mom with writing books, she is usually making art, playing piano, or teaching herself to speak Italian.

She was 9 years old when she published her first book with her mom. She was even unofficially a part of making Cadet’s first series at age 5 by choosing the colors used throughout the third book. She also convinced Cadet to name a character in the book after her.

Cadet aims to teach her daughter and other youth that they have the “power and freedom to create a living out of what you love to do.”

Cadet encouraged parents to “be the parent that you always wanted when you were growing up” and to “approach conversations with your kids with an open mind.”

“It’s never too late to make a shift, no matter if you have a newborn, 13 yearold, or 20year-old,” Cadet said.

Cadet also has a Youtube channel that she uses to create videos about parenting tips and romantic relationships.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

National Award Honors Esdaile’s Activist Path

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent

As Scot X Esdaile prepares to fly to L.A. to receive a lifetime achievement award on national TV, he hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be the young turk crashing the gates inn New Haven.

Esdaile, Connecticut’s NAACP president, will make that flight to accept the “activist of the year” award on Feb. 26 at the 2022 NAACP Image Awards broadcast on BET. The award recognizes Esdaile’s 35 years of work at the grassroots in New Haven and Connecticut, as well as on the national stage, pushing for jobs for the left behind, opportunities for young people, racial justice, better schools, and fairer policing.

Esdaile, who grew up in New Haven, has served as state NAACP president since 2004, and is also a national board member and criminal justice chair. He previously served seven years as New Haven’s NAACP president.

Before that, he founded an organization that challenged the civil rights establishment, called Elm City Nation.

Then he and a crew of talented young New Haveners — including Roger Vann, Lisa Sullivan, Deidre Bailey, “Rev Kev” Houston — threw themselves into organizations like the NAACP and party politics to bring about real change, from commu-

nity policing to new state laws.

Esdaile recalled that period during an interview about his award Thursday on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven.”

He remembered storming an NAACP meeting, only to be challenged by an older leader to stop complaining and start getting involved to make change.

“I came in with my 40 – 50 people from the streets. I’ll never forget. He lived right in the middle of Newhallville, next to the Taurus and the Oasis. He stood up. He didn’t blink. He said, ‘You don’t like what you see? Stop running your mouth. Come up here and change it.” Esdaile took up the challenge.

Three decades later, Esdaile thought about that moment when he attended a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020 and saw younger organizers using social media to spontaneously steer a 1,000-strong crowd along a previously unplanned path to take over I-95.

“They switched. They went a different route. I said, ‘What happened?’ They said, “Well on Twitter, they told us to go over to this street.’ I said, ‘Twitter? I’m not even on Twitter!’

“I knew there was a changing of the guard,” he said. “I had to embrace it. The way the elders embraced me.”

The next generation of leaders is “out there. They’re moving differently. They use social media,” he noted.

He enlisted the next generation of young activists when he started a hip-hop TV show he created and executive-produces,

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That Life. It is in its third season. Esdaile remains off camera as younger hosts and participants explore voting, health chal-

lenges, policing, and other challenges they’re facing. “I let young people do all the talking,” he said.

Esdaile isn’t done yet making his own moves on issues like jobs for ex-offenders.

“Reentry has become a hustle: training, training, training … and no jobs. People are profiting from our suffering,” he concluded several years ago. So he traveled to Maryland to learn about a successful effort to hire ex-offenders. Then he returned home to recreate it here on a larger scale. He has enlisted 27 state hospitals to commit to hiring ex-offenders under a “One Million Jobs” campaign; he is negotiating with other employers like CVS, Amazon, and Yale to participate as well.

As the first Black chairman of the Connecticut Boxing Commission, he has sought to broaden opportunities in the ring.

In recent years, Esdaile has traveled to cities like New Orleans and Chicago to help rival gang members settle beefs as part of his national NAACP role. “I learned those tactics in New Haven” working with gang members here, he said.

Along the way, he has watched the NAACP, historically a relatively conservative civil rights organization, open the door to new ideas, new forms of activism, new energy.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

5 Reasons Why Men Shouldn’t Celebrate Valentine’s Day

by Jade Curtis, BlackDoctor.org

When I was growing up, I had mixed feelings about Valentine’s Day. On one hand, I was exhilarated to see the excitement caused by the day. I mean, the anticipation of what “he” was going to do to celebrate the women in my life made me absolutely giddy.

Admittedly, I took advantage of the holiday in the past. The haze of impending romance acted as a drug that kept women intoxicated with the hope of love.

Then one day, I took a step back and saw what was happening to me and my male friends. We were running around buying candy, roses, cards, and gifts while making reservations at the finest restaurants and hotels. It became a competition. The V-Day Games! The men would try to outdo each other as if the more money they spent, the more love they had for their significant other.

The women would also enjoy sharing “how much he loved me” by detailing the evening’s escapades.

The cycle would rinse and repeat year after year. I had to get out of it.

There had to be a better way to show your love than the gratuitous waste of a month’s salary or more? So, I decided at that moment, I was no longer celebrating Valentine’s Day. This is the first time I’ve written down my reasoning. I hope you are reading this with an open mind. You don’t have to agree with me, but I hope you understand.

Five Reasons I Don’t Celebrate Valentine’s Day Winning the Competition Became the

Goal – I mentioned this earlier, but it needs to be repeated. I watched friends take more pride in how much they spent on Valentine’s Day, than making their significant other happy and feel loved. It went from cards to roses and a walk on the beach to helicopter rides and weekend getaways. Does spending more mean you love her more?

No. It just meant that you (and she) had more to brag about to friends. In fact, in 2022 men are predicted to spend almost twice as much as women, on average, for Valentine’s Day, $235 vs $119. That’s not a coincidence.

Spending Became an Expectation – The biggest challenge to any relationship is expectations – realized or unrealistic.

Each year, more than $23.9 billion (yes, with a “B”) is spent on Valentine’s Day, making it the third-priciest holiday on the calendar for U.S. consumers.Additionally, survey data shows that 36% of people expect their Valentine to spend at least $50 on a gift, 54% (over half) would break up with their partner if they spent irresponsibly, and 70% say receiving a gift for Valentine’s Day is important to them.

When did we lose sight of the meaning behind buying gifts for our partners?

Is it because we have to, or because we want to?

Sweetest Day is Rarely Celebrated – Do you know when and what Sweetest Day is? Well, it’s mainly a day for women to treat their close male friends, husbands, or boyfriends with gifts of candy and other sweet gestures. No one I’ve previously dated, nor my wife has celebrated this day. In fact, it wasn’t until I started doing research for this article that I learned the

day existed.Now, you could say that “men don’t want that” or “there are too many holidays so we can’t know them all”. At the same time, why is Valentine’s Day so important and this one an afterthought?

I Got Better Responses from Random Gifts – The expectation of an “expression of love” on Valentine’s Day lowered the excitement of the response each year. This is why the need to outdo last year and your friends came into play. Candy, cards, and a stuffed animal wasn’t enough anymore.

Gifts had to be “leveled up”.However, I noticed the response I would get would be better and more sincere when I would buy a random gift for my partner. I had and have no problem spending money on

gifts, but doing it when it’s not expected was much better. Plus, it made me think about doing something for her more often than just the usual days (birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc.).

Love is 365 Days, Not Just One – Maybe I’m being a contrarian. Maybe I enjoy going against the “normal way of doing things”. At the same time, are we doing our relationships a disservice by making such a big deal out of one day? Shouldn’t we be focused on what we can be doing every day to make our significant other feel special? These questions may be rhetorical, but I hope I’m making my point.

It is estimated that over 50% of marriages end in divorce. Could it be that specifying

a day to make your partner feel “special” is having the opposite effect?

Ultimately, I don’t want Valentine’s Day to end and frankly, I couldn’t end it if I tried. For many people, Valentine’s Day may be one of the few times their partner goes out of their way to show their affection. I don’t want to change that for anyone. What I want is for people to take a step back and realize what expectations they have about Valentine’s Day and is their enjoyment of the day and impression of their partner impacted by what happened, or didn’t happen, on Valentine’s Day? And if they didn’t get what they wanted, will it impact the other 364 days of the year?

OP-ED: Top three reasons to invest in Reproductive Justice during Black History Month

By Marcela Howell, president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda This Black History Month, give Black women the gift of empowerment by investing in organizations dedicated to Reproductive Justice (RJ). Black women have been at the forefront of every progressive social movement in America; it’s long past time for America to invest in the one movement that centers the needs and rights of women of color — especially Black women: the Reproductive Justice movement.

Reproductive Justice is grounded in human rights and Black feminist theory that centers the intersectional impact of race, gender and class on the ability to live free

from oppression. RJ is all about individuals having both the right and the ability to create and nurture the family of their choosing and achieve optimum mental, physical, community and economic health.

Black women do not live siloed lives and RJ reflects that. RJ is about more than our bodies, it’s about economic justice, voting rights, housing justice, environmental justice, LGBTQ liberation, immigrants’ rights and the decriminalization of Black

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people. It’s about all of the issues that impact our ability to live free from oppression. As we move through our lives, all of these issues intersect.

The RJ movement demands that governments and society be obligated to en-

sure conditions exist for each individual to exercise these rights freely. When we have policies and laws in place to make these values the lived experience of every Black woman, girl, femme and genderexpansive person, then ALL people will be free from oppression.

At this critical juncture, when our rights are under extreme attack, there are three compelling reasons to support the Reproductive Justice movement 1.Voting right Black women are the most powerful voting bloc in this country.

We’ve faced attacks by police dogs, fire hoses, and bloody beatings to secure voting rights for ourselves and our children. Support a Black RJ organization that does voter engagement and education work at the grassroots and grasstops levels. Help us continue to fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in Congress.

2. Maternal health Black women are 3-5 times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than their white Con’t on page 17

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Op-ed: Happy Valentine’s Day

By Sharon Williams, Afro.com Valentine’s Day is a day to show the one you love how much you love them dearly and care about them. Our black love is different from other loves because black love is expressed through soul food cooking, soul music, cultural experiences, strength, creativity, and sacrifices. I would like to give you some suggestions on how to show your loved one how much you love them.

1. Find a soulful love song that expresses how you feel about that special someone in your life.

2. Write a love letter or poem to express how you feel about that special person.

3. Cook them a soulful meal that they like, or take them to a special restaurant.

4. Pamper them with a back massage, foot massage, pedicure, manicure, or bubble bath.

5. Give them their favorite flowers or jewelry.

6. Buy them chocolate candy or their favorite sweets.

7. Buy them or give them something special that shows you are a good listener when it comes to what they want or need.

8. Spend quality time with them.

9. Try something new like role playing or sexy lingerie to make the night more interesting.

10.Take your mate or loved one somewhere they’ve never been before that you think they would enjoy.

11.Try to take pictures or videos so they can look back on it one day.

Try to do at least three of these suggestions, and I am sure it will keep your black love strong and give your special loved one a Valentine’s Day they will cherish forever.

HU gets $5 million grant for new data science center aimed at racial equity

By Briana Thomas, Special to the AFRO

Howard University is a recipient of a $5 million grant that will support the creation of the college’s new center for data science aimed at driving racial equity in economics and healthcare, according to an announcement submitted to the {AFRO} on Jan. 25.

The funding from Mastercard’s philanthropy program, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, will aid in the launch of the University’s Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics (CADSA).

Mastercard’s senior vice president for social impact at the Center for Inclusive Growth, Salah Goss, said the data science project has been in the works for five years.

“For the last five years, the Center has prioritized creating the field of data science for social impact. Data is embedded in nearly every facet of our lives and ensuring it is used responsibly and positively impacts society’s most pressing issues is paramount,” Goss said on Jan. 25. “Howard University is taking a novel approach to addressing data science research by investing in a new generation of professionals who can combine the rigor of science with broader societal impact.”

CADSA will spearhead training the upcoming generation of data scientists in social impact research and analyzing racial biases in financial services, research that Howard University leaders said will significantly impact minorities.

“Black communities face unique challenges and algorithmic bias in financial services and specifically with credit decisions, and CADSA will conduct research

examining how data science can contribute to minimizing racial bias in credit approval processes,” according to the University.

These goals will be exercised through two initiatives: 1) the Data Science Faculty Cluster Hiring Initiative and 2) the formation of a new master’s degree in applied data science, Dr. William Southerland, interim director of CADSA, told the {AFRO} Jan. 27.

Southerland, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and principal investigator of the HU Research Centers in Minority Institutions Program, said the hiring cluster will expand the data science footprint.

“It is important to hire more because we want to increase the data science talent on campus,” Southerland explained. “A good way and a quick way to do that is to recruit people from the outside who already have the skill set to be on the faculty.”

The new academic offerings will be extended to non-STEM students through the

data science masters degree track. Southerland said expanding the new courses to STEM students, as well as to students who have different areas of expertise, will help achieve the goal of marrying technical data science with Howard University’s mission to serve the community.

“Data science occurs when data is converted into useful and actionable knowledge,” Southerland said. “This process works best for societal advancement when data is approached without preconceptions and knowledge is interpreted without bias.

That is why diversity in the data science profession is so critically important, and it’s also why this Mastercard-Howard collaboration is destined to be very impactful.”

The specific class options will include studies in the fields of Black health and health disparities, social justice, environmental justice and economic empowerment.

All throughout the year, we celebrate Black Joy. Its beauty. Its brilliance. Its variety. Its tenacity. Its resilience.

Its ability to thrive despite everything.

The power of Black Joy truly knows no bounds... it’s A Joy Supreme.

Celebrate A Joy Supreme with us at aarp.org/nearyou

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022 HOWARD K. HILL F UNERAL

SERVICES

yale institute of sacred music joins the

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

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

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"Those Kids Were Her Life:" New Haven Remembers Lillie Perkins

was part of the choir, she was a third grader who came into her classroom to carry something out with one of her peers.

Perkins listened attentively as they figured out how to share the weight; she later recruited James for the choir, and followed her progress after she graduated.

The two remained in each others’ lives for decades, whether at Monk family reunions where Perkins served as the Mistress of Ceremonies or at AKA gatherings where they were proud to call each other sorors. For James, Perkins was part of a group of Black women educators who understood, to their bones, that their task was to lead by example and usher a generation of future teachers and leaders. Frazier, who instituted school uniforms and started school with the anthem “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” was another.

“You just became a part of her,” she said.

“She had one biological child, but you truly felt like you were a part of her. She still found a way to connect with her children.

We were her children.”

In the 1990s, Virginia Bailey-Barnes became another of Perkins’ third grade students, and later a member of the school’s choir. In a recent phone call, she remembered Perkins as a dynamo in the classroom, who folded memory devices and song into her lessons (Bailey-Barnes still makes her twos “pop” while doing multiplication tables two decades later). In her role as choir director, Perkins was kind but also firm, dedicated to expanding how her students saw the world.

“Anywhere that was welcoming for children, anywhere that we could go, Ms. Perkins made it happen,” she said. From third to fifth grade, the choir sang for distinguished guests, made its way to Disneyworld, and visited suburban Connecticut schools to see what learning looked like in other parts of the state.

“Coming from New Haven, it gave children an opportunity to do something positive,” she said. “It allowed us to see people that we probably would not have seen in our life … Desmond Tutu, Lani Guinier, Jesse Jackson, Hillary Clinton. Singing allowed us to touch them. It was education for life.”

It made the world feel accessible, BaileyBarnes said. Like several of her peers, she stayed in education. She went on to become a school counselor in Atlanta, where she still lives and works today. She said she holds fast to a lesson that Perkins taught her: that “tolerance is not what we do. Respect is what we do.”

“The Heavenly Choir” Perkins followed that vision to the Unity Boys Choir, which she founded in 1997.

After 25 years directing choir groups in the city’s public schools, she mapped her blueprint onto a completely independent project, working with fellow educator Sylvia G. Hayes to bring it to life. On a nonexistent budget, the choir became a resource for after-school programming, free

14

childcare, and a family that extended well beyond the confines of a given stage.

Hayes, whom Perkins asked to be the accompanist in 1999, called saying yes to the project “one of the best decisions I ever made in my life.”

Within years, the choir grew from a handful of students to dozens. Just as she had before, Perkins found a way to fund trips to Disneyworld, along the East Coast, to Amish Country in Lancaster, Penn. and into Ontario, Canada. When concerts rolled around, she and Rudy covered the cost of white shirts and red bowties and cummerbunds for students who couldn’t afford them. When more students wanted to join the choir but didn’t have reliable access to transportation, she petitioned the Board of Education for funding for a bus.

“She was a staple in the community, similar to Jeffie Frazier,” said Stetson Library Branch Manager Diane Brown, who met Perkins in the 1980s and invited the choir to Stetson in the early 2000s. “She advocated for that choir … and parents trusted her with their children. I’ve been in her presence when she had to discipline the children. It was the discipline of a mother, of a grandmother.”

Hayes, who had known her for over two decades by then, called her a “big sister” multiple times in a phone interview Saturday afternoon, and again in an email Sunday night. At some point early in their friendship, “we adopted each other,” she said. At the end of concerts, Perkins always introduced her as family.

Together, they delighted New Haven and went far outside it. Hayes remembered visits to Niagara Falls in 2000 (“the girls went wild over the boys as though they were celebrities,” she wrote of a performance there), a call from Hillary Clinton requesting them at the Shubert Theatre in 1999, a performance of Black Nativity at Long Wharf Theatre in 2004, a collaboration with gospel singer Vickie Winans in

2006.

The key to their success was mutual trust and a kind of tender discipline, Hayes added. At the beginning of rehearsals, “she [Perkins] would sing ‘R.E.S.P.E.C.T.’ and they would sing back ‘I am in control of me,’” Hayes said. “She would sing, and she would have their attention.”

Perkins’ love for and belief in students never stopped after they left the choir; she and Rudy started a scholarship fund that made sure of it. Musician Paul Bryant Hudson, who joined when he was eight, remembered receiving money for books his first semester of college, and realizing that dozens, if not hundreds, of past choir members had had the same experience.

He called it an invaluable community resource that managed to be many things at once—free biweekly childcare, afterschool arts programming, an educational family. In Hudson’s family, Perkins became a mentor to him, to his brother, and to their mom. At the helm, she led with love.

“She was legendary, and she was so deeply loved and respected,” he said. “I think she educated folks with her whole being, and she just wrapped us up in love and support.”

Broadway actor, producer and writer Douglas Lyons estimated he was four years old when Perkins found him at Helene W. Grant and put him in the Unity Boys Choir. Maybe he was too young, he joked, “but she gave me the mic anyways.” It ignited in him a flame that he has nurtured for decades.

“Lillie Perkins was one of my first music teachers and would later turn out to be a family relative,” he wrote in an email Thursday. “In the Unity Boys Choir she instilled excellence in us, and she’d always remind me that she was praying for and proud of me. She was a quiet force that made an incredible impact on hundreds of New Haven children. May her hands now conduct the heavenly choir.”

A Daily Walk Perkins’ faith followed her in everything she did. In 2000, she boarded a plane to California to compete on an episode of “Wheel Of Fortune,” flying for the first time since her meningitis diagnosis in the 1970s. Valentino-Perkins and Rudy Perkins cheered her on from the audience.

When she got to the bonus round, only four letters popped up for a four-word phrase.

In a video from the show, a listener can hear host Pat Sajak say “It’s a phrase, talk it out, you never know, good luck, 10 seconds …” before she comes in, totally sure and steady, with the answer. It flies out of her mouth: “A Leap Of Faith.”

When she realizes she has won, she cheers in delight, embraces Sajak twice and starts to cry. “It was like God was coming right out her mouth,” Flake remembered. To her family watching in the Con’t on page 18

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Boyd Calls Boycott of NFL, Super Bowl LVI and PepsiCo

Racial bias charges have dominated the spotlight leading up to this week’s 2022 Super Bowl game, as the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) protested prejudice in awarding contracts by one of the game’s biggest advertisers and a Black coach sued the National Football League (NFL) for hiring discrimination.

The NBFA, has charged PepsiCo, the giant snack food and drink company, with discrimination for denying Black farmers contracts to provide corn, potatoes and other agricultural crops used in its production process.

NBFA President John W. Boyd accused PepsiCo of reneging on its commitment to increase its contracts with Black farmers after a year of talks with his organization.

“PepsiCo’s all talk and no contract for NBFA members is the exact same thing the NY Giants and the NFL did to former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores when they interviewed him for a position they had no intention of hiring him for,” Boyd said. He called for a boycott of PepsiCo and the NFL Super Bowl LVI’s halftime performance featuring Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre and Eminem.

Flores’s lawsuit underscored the NFL’s overwhelmingly white coaching ranks in contrast to its 70 percent, mostly Black, labor force—the men on the field.

For PepsiCo, the “ultimate objective is to become a company that is focused on equity and genuinely inclusive,” the company declared in its 2020 report on equity and inclusion.

For the 31st Annual NBFA Conference, Boyd released “The Land” featuring KJ Skippa Mak Marley, an international hiphop artist infusing reggae and dancehall, while invoking the unmistakable musical spirit of his legendary grandfather Bob

NBFA President John W. Boyd

Marley, to highlight historical and ongoing broken promises, broken treaties, racial discrimination and land loss suffered

by Native Americans and Black Farmers in the US. As one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, CEO Ramon Laguarta said, PepsiCo “must understand its local markets and put them at the center of everything we do . . . [to] ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion are embedded in our DNA and tightly woven into our strategy.” The NBFA’s Boyd scoffed at the PepsiCo declarations.

“This is one time I’m not going to sit back and not say anything,” Boyd said

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in a January 29 YouTube interview. “I’m not letting these companies off the hook.”

PepsiCo, hailed as one of the most loyal advertisers of Super Bowl Sunday, began airing some of its game day commercials early. Boyd called for a boycott of PepsiCo products, the NFL and of the Super Bowl itself including the halftime show.

“We are asking everyone to stop buying all PepsiCo products and refuse to attend NFL games or watch the Super Bowl until the NFL and PepsiCo stop discriminating against Black people and Black Farmers.

We are now open to new relationships with companies who value the work of NBFA.”

Con’t on page 12

Elicker Picks New Leaders

by THOMAS BREEN

A new leadership crew at City Hall came into focus Friday, as Mayor Justin Elicker announced appointments for the directors of City Plan, Fair Rent, and Labor Relations, as well as for a liaison to the Board of Alders.

Mayor Justin Elicker announced those latest top-administration appointments during a press conference held on the ground floor of City Hall.

The presser took place three days after the second-term mayor announced a significant shakeup at City Hall, which — through a combination of resignations, retirements, and non-reappointments — will soon see several high-up city staffers who worked under the former Harp Administration leave the building, to be replaced by Elicker’s picks.

Department heads generally serve fouryear terms that start Feb. 1 every four years, meaning that the Elicker inher-

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15

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Rising Above COVID-19: Overcoming the Mental and Physical Effects of the Virus

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that is often unreliable. “We’ve never had to deal with this to this degree in the healthcare arena, where people relied on other sources that may not be correct,” Dr. Joe said. “The ability to be exposed to the information has definitely changed the individual’s opinion about this pandemic. As a result, it will affect us as individuals.”

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Holding back tears, Morrell Staten shared his poignant story about his and his wife’s COVID-19 journeys last year, speaking in late 2021 at the Cobb Institute-We Can Do This/Stay Well Community Health Fair at Cass Tech High School in Detroit. Staten and his wife both tested positive for the virus at almost the same time, making it a very challenging period for their family.

“Imagine – we have five kids, and we had to leave them because we were both in the hospital,” Morrell Staten said. “Luckily, both of us made it through, but thinking back on it is very scary.”

Prior to testing positive for COVID, Morrell Staten had been contemplating getting the vaccine. In hindsight, he wishes he had gotten vaccinated for COVID sooner.

Morrell Staten reflected on what followed his positive COVID test, including an arduous two days spent fighting through COVID symptoms, including chills and hot flashes. But when he woke up on the third day with chest pains as an added ailment, Staten said he knew his health situation was more serious. Staten decided to go to the emergency room at a local hospital, which led to a one-week stay. Fortunately, a COVID treatment of antibodies and oxygen led to his recovery.

Returning home and seeing his children again gave Morrell Staten a great sense of gratitude. But something still didn’t feel right mentally. He called his mom every night just to have someone to talk to. He barely slept and had nightmares. It was a period of time that left Staten feeling very unsettled.

Now, he says the mental health aspects of COVID aren’t talked about by the media and others as much as they should be.

According to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), African Americans are 20% more likely to experience psychological distress. With COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black Americans, along with the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, Black communities could be even more at risk for COVIDrelated mental health issues in 2022.

Dr. Lonnie Joe, a physician with the Cobb Institute, said medical professionals would not be doing their jobs if they didn’t address the mental aspect of the pandemic, which is having adverse effects on some Black Americans and their families.

He said he’s seen many patients who only decided to get vaccinated after a family member died or became severely ill from COVID-19. Dr. Joe said Black Americans shouldn’t wait that long before deciding to get vaccinated.

Part of the problem, according to Dr. Joe, is that our society is getting an overload of information

16

Dr. Joe also said medical professionals really need to think about how COVID affects individuals in the long run.

“I have several patients who had COVID 18 months ago, and they are still as sick as they can be, testing negative but experiencing a lot of adverse effects from the inflammation that the disease leaves them with,” Dr. Joe said. “We need to reflect again in that arena to talk about what can happen to actually support an individual who has been affected by this virus, whether it’s directly or indirectly. That is very important.”

In Morrell Staten’s case, the long-term effects of COVID include insomnia. Thankfully, Staten’s health insurance company called to check on him and set him up with a mental health professional.

He said while meeting with a therapist is helping him deal with the aftermath, his mental health recovery from having the virus is an ongoing process.

“After a couple of weeks, I was able to finally get back to some normalcy,” Staten said. “But you never quite recover from something that bad. It has really affected me. I’m doing better now. I’m talking to a therapist, working through some of the residual things.”

As Staten’s mental health continues to get stronger, he said it’s important that more Black Americans open their eyes and get vaccinated in order to protect themselves, their loved ones, and everyone around them.

“Definitely get vaccinated,” Staten said. He added that getting vaccinated will help raise awareness for everyone, and the number of people seeing the need to get vaccinated will increase. “It’s just too important,” he said.

Vaccines help prevent severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID. Being boosted offers the most protection. Please don’t delay. Get your vaccines and boosters as soon as possible.

For more information about Cobb Institute-We Can Do This/Stay Well Community Health Fair and Vaccine events, please visit Stay Well events.

More information about the Omicron variant can be found here: CDC – Omicron Variant Information.

To find vaccines and boosters near you, visit vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233.

For resources and toolkits to help you build vaccine confidence in your community, visit the We Can Do This website.

Darryl Sellers is the Director of the Public Relations Team for Creative Marketing Resources, a strategic marketing agency in Milwaukee and a partner of the Cobb Institute.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Con’t from page 14

Top three

counterparts. Reproductive Justice can only be achieved when Black women, femmes, girls & gender-expansive individuals can experience pregnancy and childbirth without endangering our lives.

Help us continue to advance birthing justice.

3.Pay equity Black women make 63 cents for every dollar a white man makes. This wage gap amounts to Black women making $1 million dollars less than white men during their careers. One way to close the wage gap is with a universal basic income (UBI) program. It would provide families the financial flexibility they need without adding to their personal debt.

When we follow Black women’s leadership, everybody benefits because we are fighting to make all of society more equitable. So, this Black History Month, give the gift of empowerment to Black women by supporting Reproductive Justice.

You can find a list of Black women-led RJ organizations here www.blackrj.org/ about-us/our-partners/ Marcela Howell is president and CEO of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda.

Follow her work on Twitter at @BlackWomensRJ.

NC Supreme Court deems GOP district maps ‘unconstitutional partisan gerrymander’

By AFRO Staff, Afro.com The North Carolina Supreme Court on Feb. 4 shot down Republican gerrymandering of legislative maps – the party’s attempt to engineer its political dominance in the state – calling it “unconstitutional.”

“We conclude that…congressional and state legislative districting plans enacted by the General Assembly are unlawful partisan gerrymanders that violate the free elections clause, the equal protection clause, and the freedom of assembly clause,” the court wrote in its ruling as quoted by CBS News.

The 4-3 partisan ruling requires the GOP-led legislature to redraw its congressional and state legislative maps and resubmit to the court by Feb. 18. As originally enacted, the congressional map would have netted Republicans 10 favorable seats (a net gain of two), and created three Democrat-leaning seats and one competitive seat.

According to the New York Times, the justices are also requiring lawmakers to offer a range of statistical analyses to show “a significant likelihood that the districting plan will give the voters of all political parties substantially equal opportunity to translate votes into seats” in elections.

“When a redistricting plan systematically makes it harder for one group of voters

A map of Ohio congressional districts sits on display Voting rights advocates say Ohio congressional map is gerrymandered : NPR

to elect a governing majority than another group of voters of equal size– the General Assembly unconstitutionally infringes upon that voter’s fundamental right to vote,” the court wrote.

Plaintiffs, which include the League of Conservation Voters’ North Carolina (NCLCV) chapter and a group of North

17

Carolina voters, expressed a sense of vindication at the court’s ruling. They will also be given an opportunity to submit maps.

“Today the Supreme Court ruled that our state constitution guarantees North Carolinians the right to elect their leaders in free and fair elections, something

the General Assembly denied them when they drew their unconstitutional gerrymandered maps. This is the justice we sought when we filed this lawsuit,” said NCLCV executive director Carrie Clark as quoted by CBS News.

Both GOP lawmakers and justices argued the court was overstepping its reach, taking the responsibility for redistricting into the judicial branch.

“By choosing to hold that partisan gerrymandering violates the North Carolina Constitution and by devising its own remedies, there appears to be no limit to this court’s power,” wrote Chief Justice Paul Martin Newby in his dissent.

This is the last of three GOP attempts over the past decade to draw North Carolina’s district maps in their favor. The congressional maps had to be redrawn in 2016 and 2019, after courts found partisan gerrymandering “beyond a reasonable doubt.“ North Carolina’s is also the third GOPcontrolled legislature in recent times that was forced by federal and state courts to go back to the drawing board. Last month, Ohio’s state supreme court rejected maps drawn by Republicans due to unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering, while a federal court found that maps drawn by Republicans in Alabama abrogated the rights of Black voters.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Black History Month:

10 banned books that are crucial to Black culture

By Nadia Reese, Special to the AFRO and Inner-City News

Recently, schools across the country have begun banning books on topics such as religion, “witchcraft,” sexuality, police brutality and racism from the classroom and pulling them from school libraries. It is no surprise that most of the books that made the banned book list are written by Black authors and focus on topics relating to issues and experiences within the Black community.

The Color Purple

“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker is a novel set in 1900s Georgia and is narrated

by Celie, the main character and protagonist as she details her experiences with her family including her mother, her abusive father and her sister Nettie. Though the story teaches women that they can be resilient in any situation with support from other women, the book was pulled from the shelves due to homosexuality, violence and explicit language. Between 1984 and 2013, the book was banned from school libraries across the United States. Then, Texas State Prisons banned the book for profanity and violence in 2017.

The Bluest Eye

“The Bluest Eye” was written by awardwinning author Toni Morrison in 1970.

The novel takes place between 1940 and 1941 in Lorain, Ohio which is also Morrison’s hometown. Bluest Eye tells the story of a girl named Pecola Breedlove who comes from a family considered to be troubled, unhappy and ugly due to the color of their skin. Many of the characters in the novel are Black or of Mixed ancestry who long to be White. Though this novel was banned due to racism, treatment of women and obscenity, it is important for students who deal with the same insecurities as Pecola to read this story. The story was listed as No. 2 on the American Library Association’s (ALA) list of the most challenged books in 2013 and again in 2014. It was banned in Montgomery County, MD after a mother described the book for being too “lewd.”

Then it was banned in other schools and counties in states such as Florida, Colorado, New Hampshire, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana and California.

Go Tell it on the Mountain

“Go Tell it on the Mountain” written by novelist James Baldwin is set in 1935 in Harlem, N.Y. and tells the story of a Black teenager named John Grimes who is described as intelligent by peers and teachers. The novel is based on James Baldwin’s own experiences who also grew up in the city of Harlem. In the novel, Grimes came from a religious family

This is Your Time

and centers around his view on religion.

Though the premise of “Go Tell it on the Mountain” centers on intellect and religion, this text was banned because of racism, violence, explicit sex, references to rape, treatment of women and profanity.

The novel was banned in Prince William County, Va. in 1988 and in Hudson Valley, N.Y. in 1994.

Ruby Bridges is a civil rights activist who is better known for being the first Black child to attend a predominantly White elementary school in New Orleans, LA. Bridges wrote “This is Your Time” in the form of a letter to the reader. Her letter lists and describes the experiences that Bridges went through as a child as she attends her newly integrated school.

“This is Your Time” was banned for racism even though the purpose of her story was to encourage readers to take action in standing up for their community.

Native Son

American author Richard Wright’s novel “Native Son” takes place on the South Side of 1930s Chicago and revolves around a 20-year-old Black man known as Bigger Thomas who is described to be illiterate and impoverished. Bigger goes through a life where racial prejudice is prevalent, and where he believes that he has no control over his life. Unfortunately, Bigger deals with his struggles in anger, stress and fear. Although he is not the typical protagonist, he is the definition of what a “native son” is; which is made up of the racism and violent culture within American society. Although “Native Son” was banned because of sex, violence and profanity, it’s beneficial for students to relate to a character. Native Son was banned from Irvington High School in California after parents complained about its violent and sexual content.

A Lesson Before Dying

“A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines centers around a 21-year-old named Jefferson who lives in the fictional town of Bayonne, La. in the late 1940s.

Jefferson is an uneducated black field worker who is wrongfully accused of robbing and murdering a White man. The lesson before dying was given to him by a teacher known as Grant Wiggins who volunteers to prepare Jefferson for his death. His last lesson would be to “never give up.” The purpose of A Lesson Before Dying was to teach readers to value their lives even at the time of death. The novel was banned in Savannah, Ga. in 2001 for violence, sexual content and language.

And Still I Rise

Their Eyes Were Watching God

The inspirational poem “And Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou shares the oppression and strength of minorities, most specifically Black women. The book, also features other poems such as “Rememberance” and “Phenomenal Woman.” The words in Angelou’s poem are meant to instill confidence as Angelou describes how she rises above the obstacles, however, the book of poems was banned due to its sexual content. The book was challenged after complaints about its sexual content were made by parents from several school districts.

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by author and educator Zora Neale Hurston focuses on the roles of men and women.

The story is set in early 20th Century Florida and it follows the story of Janie Mae Crawford who is described as an independent Black woman. In 1997, the text was banned after a parent of a Virginia high school student complained about its obscenity and sexual content.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Hate U Give

Published in 1965, ‘‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X” was co-authored by journalist Alex Haley, acknowledges activist and religious leader Malcolm X. The reader is able to view his leadership and the racism which he endured throughout his childhood. This novel was banned for the novel, readers are also able to comprehend the Black American experience.

Banning books for racism and other “inappropriate” topics that may be affecting other students is not the answer. In order, to teach students and to prevent what happened in the past, it’s important to have difficult conversations. Racism, violence and abuse still stand in today’s society.

However, allowing others to learn from another person’s story can encourage the next generation to combat these issues.

“The Hate U Give” was published in 2017 by author Angie Thomas. The story focuses on the topics of police brutality and institutional racism as it tells the story of Starr, a teenager who navigates two different worlds as she attends an elite school while living in an underprivileged community. However, Starr is a witness to the death of her childhood friend Khalil who is killed by a police officer. Readers are able to see Starr stand up against racism and challenge the criminal justice system, though this book was banned in part of the idea that The Hate U Give spoke against police officers. In 2017, it was also banned in Katy, Texas due to the use of profanity.

18

Con’t from page 14

"Those Kids Were

audience and her friends who later saw it at home, it was divine intervention.

The miracle of Perkins’ work never went unnoticed. In the last decades of her life, she was honored by the YMCA, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women, National Association of Black Social Workers, Arts Council of Greater New Haven, Amistad Committee, Inc., New Haven Board of Education, and over a dozen other organizations. When she wasn’t directing a choir or a classroom, she was a dedicated Sunday School teacher, including most recently Bible Gospel Center on Dixwell Avenue.

Bible Gospel Center Pastor Darius Good remembered her as “very honest, so you knew where you stood, but she was extremely loving.” After meeting Perkins when he was in middle school—he and Valentino-Perkins were only a year apart—he got to know her as a fierce educator and spiritual leader. He took over as head pastor at Bible Gospel in 2013, after watching both of his parents lead the church for years.

There, Perkins helped out with the youth choir and taught adult education. Good had watched her work with the Unity Boys Choir for years, and was continually moved by how much of herself she put into every young man who came through the choir. He saw that her dedication never stopped.

“When you surround children with love, they just flourish,” he said. “Many of them went off to college, and they are doing well in life. She was one of those central pieces to get them through those years.”

Brown, who knew Perkins from the Helene Grant years on, called her “like a second grandmother to those children” in a phone call Friday night. After becoming branch manager at Stetson in 2006, Brown asked Perkins what it would take for the library to form a choir—a project in which she’s still interested. The group later performed there.

She also praised Valentino-Perkins for sharing her mother so generously with the community. As the daughter of New Haven matriarch Lillian Brown, who passed away in 2018, it’s a subject she knows something about.

“That was an honor, that it wasn’t just our mother,” she said. “We were so grateful to have that in our lives. She’s gonna be missed. I’m proud to have known her and to have worked with her.”

“Oftentimes you have people who talk the talk as a Christian, but they don’t walk the walk,” said James Walker. “But Lillie, she was a God fearing woman, she talked the talk. She had that affectionate love toward one another. She believed: ‘If I can help someone, I will.’”

A celebration of Perkins’ life is planned for Friday Feb. 11 at Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church. Her family has also started a memorial fund in her honor. Donate to it here https://gofund.me/783c20e3

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

19

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NOTICIA

MECHANIC TRACTOR TRAILER

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

ELECTRIC UTILITY ELECTRICIAN

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos Electric utility seeking a highly skilled maintenance electrician with extensive substamáximos.

Lasis pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 tionjulio, experience to cuando maintain andrecibido repair suficientes transmission and distribution class switchgear, 2016 hasta se han pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) bus-work, lightning arrestors, protective relays, insulators, switches en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por power correo transforma petición ers,llamando data circuits, controls and other related components.

Must be a high school/trade a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse school and have INC 4 years’ experience in thetercer maintenance operation of eleca lasgraduate oficinas de HOME en 171 Orange Street, piso, Newand Haven , CT 06510 . tric utility substations and/or utility grade protection and control systems. Completion of a recognized four (4) year maintenance electrician apprenticeship program may substitute for the experience requirement. Two (2) years of college-level education or advanced training in related field may substitute for two (2) years of the experience requirement. Must possess a valid motor vehicle operator’s license issued by the State of Connecticut and be able to obtain with 6 months of hire a valid Protective Switching and Tagging Procedure certification from CONVEX or other approved agency. Wage rate: $37.78 to $41.67 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Closing date Fairmont AveResources, Town of Wallwill be February 28, 2022. 242-258 Apply: Department of Human ingford, 45 2BR South Townhouse, Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. will be mailed 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1Applications level , 1BA upon request for the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 /&Fax: I-95(203) the Department of Human Resources Web Page.

Phone: (203) 294-2080 highways, near bus stop & shopping center 294-2084. EOE

NEW HAVEN

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport

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

Request for Proposal (RFP) Physical Needs Assessment St. New Haven, CT Solicitation Number: 203-MD-22-S

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities is currently seeking proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a Physical Needs Assessment (PNA), inspections of PCC’s development portfolio, in accordance with applicable regulations issued by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelSealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour opment (HUD). A complete set of RFP documents will be available on January 31, untilTo3:00 pma on Tuesday, August 2,you 2016 its office at 28 Smith Street, 2022. obtain copy of the solicitation mustatsend your request to bids@parkSeymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the citycommunities.org, please reference the solicitation number and title on the subject line.

A Pre-proposal conference call will be held on February 15, 2022 @ 10:00 Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour. a.m.

Although attendance is not mandatory, submitting a proposal without attending the pre-proposal conference may not be in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional A pre-bid conference willonly be held at the Housing Authority Office Smith questions should be emailed to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no28 later than Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

February 23, 2022 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. Proposals shall be emailed, mailed, or hand delivered March 3, 2022 @ 3:00 p.m., Ms.Seymour CarolineHousing Sanchez,Authority Chief ProcureBiddingbydocuments are available fromtothe Ofment Officer, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, or bids@parkcitycommunifice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. ties.org. Late proposals will not be accepted.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

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

Full Time, Benefits, Top Pay Apply:Pace, 1425 Honeyspot

Rd. Ext., Stratford, CT EOE

Account Clerk-Payroll: The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications to participate in the examination for Account Clerk-Payroll. The current vacancy is in the Finance Department of the Board of Education but this list may be used to fill other Account Clerk positions within the Town of East Haven. The starting salary is $54,325/year, 40 hours per week. Applications are available by calling 203-468-3375 or online at https:// www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service-commission/pages/job-notices-and-tests and must be returned Invitation to Bid: by mail to the Civil Service Offi 250 Main Street, East Haven CT 06512 by February 11, 2022. The Notice 2nd ce, Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

DISPATCHER POLICE OFFICER Town of Wallingford is seeking responsible candidates to perform 911, police, fire New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing,The Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castand EMS emergency dispatching duties. Must be able to work under stressful condiCity ofin-place Bristol Concrete, Asphalttions Shingles, and beVinyl ableSiding, to type information with a high rate of speed and accuracy. Must be

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, able to work allResidential three shiftsCasework, including weekends and holidays and be able to work ad$69,017 - $83,893/yr. ditional shifts beyond the regular shift schedule. Requires a H.S. or business school diMechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

Required testing, with courses in typing and 2 years of responsible office work experience. Wages: This contract isinfo, subject and to state set-aside ploma and contract compliance requirements. registration apply $ 23.72 ~ online: www.bristolct.gov $28.28 hourly plus shift differential and excellent fringe benefits. Closing date is FebruaryAugust 16, 2022, or the date of receipt of the 50th application, whichever occurs first.

Bid Extended, Due Date: 5, 2016 Apply: 15, Department DEADLINE: 02-25-22 Anticipated Start: August 2016 of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT 06492. Forms will be mailed upon request from the Department of EOE Project documents available via ftp link below: Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Web Page. Phone: 203-294-2080, Fax: 203-294-2084. EOE.

SENIOR ADMINITRATIVE Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

ASSISTANT

Legal Notice Request for Proposals The South Central Regional Council of Gov-

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran,ernments S/W/MBE & (SCRCOG) Section 3 CertifiedisBusinesses seeking the services from a qualified consultant(s) with Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 expertise in Hazard Mitigation Planning to update the South Central Region: AA/EEO EMPLOYER Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). Disadvantaged Business En-

Full-time position Go to www.portlandct.org for details 20

terprise firms are strongly encouraged to respond as a prime contractor or to play a significant role within a consultant team. Responses are due by March 8, 2022 (2:30 p.m. local time). The full RFP document can be viewed at SCRCOG’s website: www.scrcog.org or can be made available upon request.

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27,092016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February , 2022 - February 15, 2022

NOTICE VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

NOTICIA VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

Electric

Apprentice Lineman - Electric is seeking candidates for a paid training NEWutility HAVEN program leading to qualification as a First Class Lineman. Applicants must be a H.S. Fairmont Ave must be in good physical graduate or an equivalent in242-258 experience and training. Also, condition to2BR perform the duties of the position.

Hourly $26.01 to $37.35, plus Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1rate:level , 1BA

an excellent fringe benefit package. The closing date for applications is February 16, All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 2022 or the date the fiftieth (40) application is received, whichever occurs first. Apply: highways, near busofstop & shopping Department of Human Resources, Town Wallingford, 45 center South Main Street, Wallingford,Pet CTunder 06492, Forms will be mailed upon request from the @ Department of Human 40lb allowed.

Interested parties contact Maria 860-985-8258 Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page.

CT. Unified Deacon’sPhone Association is pleased to offer aFax: Deacon’s # (203) 294-2080, 203-294-2084 EOE. Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour Leadership Associate (target class Budget Analyst) and a Procurement Policy Development until 3:00 pmCoordinator. on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Further information regarding the duties, eligibilityRepairs requirements and applicationatinSeymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk and Replacement the structions are available at: Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour. https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview. asp?R1=220116&R2=5989VR&R3=001

A pre-bid conference will be held atand the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.

Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. asp?R1=220116&R2=1581MP&R3=001

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Ofand strongly encourages the applications of women,Housing minorities,Authority and persons disabilities. fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CTwith 06483 (203) 888-4579.

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the

CITY OF MILFORD

Seeking qualified condidates to fill numerous vacancies to include, Deputy Assessor, Mechanic Sewer Line, Public Health Nurse and more. For information and detailed application instructions, visit www.ci.milford.ct.us Click on SERVICES, JOBS and JOB TITLE.

POLICE OFFICER City of Bristol

Listing: Dispatcher Extremely fast paced petroleum company needs a full time evening (which includes on call and weekend coverage) detail oriented experienced Dispatcher. Must have petroleum experience and a strong logistics background and a minimum of two years previous experience required. Send resume to: HR Manager, P.O. Box 388, Guilford, CT. 06437 ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR REFUSE REMOVAL SERVICES FOR ALL HOUSING AUTHORITY DESIGNATED PROPERTIES

$69,017 - $83,893/yr.

Required testing, registration info, and apply online: www.bristolct.gov DEADLINE: 02-25-22 EOE

DRIVER CDL CLASS A

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY of the CITY OF NEW BRITAIN (Authority) will receive sealed bids, in TRIPLICATE, for the collection of solid waste at all of its low and moderate income developments within the City of New Britain. Bids will be received until March 04, 2022 at 2:00 PM at the office of the Authority, 16 Armistice Street, New Britain, CT 06053, at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud.

There will be a pre-bid walk-thru on February 18, 2022 at 10:00 AM at the Authority’s offices.

To obtain a copy of the "Request for Proposal," please visit www.nbhact.org procurement.

Director of Housing Choice Voucher Program

Full Time – All Shifts Top

Pay-Full Benefits

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is seeking an energetic individual who has at least three (3) years’ experience as an HCV Program Manager or Supervisor.

Knowledge of HUD-related regulations required. Must be able to work flexible hours.

Must have a valid CT Driver’s License; this position requires occasional in-state travel.

This is a full-time position with excellent benefits; salary is commensurate with experience. Interested candidates should mail a resume and professional references by Friday, InvitationFebruary to Bid: 25, 2022 to:

EOE Please apply in person: 1425 Honeyspot Rd. Ext. Stratford, CT 06615

SENIOR ADMINITRATIVE2 Notice Signe Lambertsen, HR Manager, The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol, 164 SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE Jerome Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010 nd

ASSISTANT

Old Saybrook, CT If submitting the required documentation electronically, send to Slambertsen@bristol(4 Buildings,housing.org 17 Units) using “RESUME – Director of Housing Choice Voucher Program” in the subject line.

Full-timeTaxposition Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Go to www.portland- The Bristol Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an equal opportunity employNew Construction, Framed, Housing, Demolition, Caster.Selective All applicants will beSite-work, considered for employment without attention to race, color, ct.org forWood details

sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability in-place Concrete, Asphaltreligion, Shingles, Vinyl Siding, status.

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, QSR STEEL Mechanical, CORPORATION Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

Preferred experience – HUD Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Rental Calculation – This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance form 50058 and/orrequirements. form 50059. Also, supervisory experience preferred.

APPLY NOW!

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers.

HealthStart: here Anticipated Augustye15,here 2016ye, from: the father, the great i am and our lord and savior yehoshua hamashiach, to: the land of canaan, heaven on earth located Benefits, 401K,Project Vacation Pay. documents available via ftp link below:

in the kingdom of thee most high. we, bring good news that a private http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage covenant between a living man, living woman and the manifested human, woman-child is granted life beyond the reasonable doubt from Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com the mother’s womb by the fore-gifted appellation: sheHCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certifiedmemorialized Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 neane., “ i formed sheneane in the womb, i knew sheneane. before AA/EEO EMPLOYER she was born, i sanctified her. i have appointed sheneane a diplomatic agent to nations.” born july 28, 1972 , today, she is free, among the Full Time, Benefits, Top Pay living, in the kingdom with eternal security for ever and ever. glory to thee most highest.’ shalom.

Apply:Pace, 1425 Honeyspot (all rights reserved and retained without prejudice) Rd. Ext., Stratford, CT EOE Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

MECHANIC TRACTOR TRAILER

21

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February , 2022 - February 15, 2022 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27,09 2016 - August 02, 2016

Construction

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valWe offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits id drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621Contact: Tom Dunay VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE 1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Phone: 860- 243-2300 HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom this develAffiatrmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to applyapartments Drug Free Workforce opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven.

Maximum income limitations apAffirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon reGarrity Asphalt Incduring seeks: CT Fence quest by calling HOMEReclaiming, INC at 203-562-4663 those hours.Large Completed pre- Company looking for an individual for our Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing PVCStreet, Fence Third Production Shop. Experience preferred but will applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northtrain the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. east & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing and tape measure. Use of CNC Router machine a plus but not required, will train the right person. This is an in-shop production poContact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 sition. Duties include building fence panels, posts, gates and Email: rick.touMust have a valid CT driver’s license & be able to obtain VALENTINAsignant@garrityasphalt.com MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDESmore.

DISPONIBLES a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical and Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply drug test. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com.

Affirmative Action/deEqual Opportunity HOME INC, en nombre la Columbus House y Employer de la New Haven Housing Authority, está AA/EOE-MF aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipjulio,Must 2016have hastaacuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes ment.

CDL License, clean driving record, capable of (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas porSeeking correo atopetición operating heavyde equipment; be willing to travel throughout the employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, llamando HOME INC alexcellent 203-562-4663 horas.Pre-solicitudes deberánand remitirse Northeast &aNY. We offer hourlydurante rate &esas excellent benefits operator teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT personal 06510 . transportation and a valid drivers license reReliable

NOTICE

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

NOTICIA

Union Company seeks:

Construction

Information Technology Police Network Administrator Seeking a highly responsible manager to direct the information technology function of the Wallingford Police Department. Work involves administering LAN/WAN computer networks and planning, scheduling and coordinating the installation of related hardware and software in offices, fleet vehicles and remote sites. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, plus 5 years of progressively responsible experience in all phases of information technology processing of which 3 years must be in the administration of LAN/WAN systems and maintenance in a Windows Server environment, including 2 years of web design and development, or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience. Must possess and maintain a valid CT driver’s license. Must obtain COLLECT/NCIC system certification from the State of Connecticut within one year of hire. Salary: $82,968 to $106,151 annually plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Application materials may be obtained at the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492 or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page.

Phone #: (203) 294-2080, Fax #: (203) 294-2084. Applications and resumes can be emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the closing date of February 22, 2022 or the date the 50th application is received, whichever occurs first. EOE.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Request for Proposal (RFP) Summary Process Counsel Solicitation Number: 204-LG-22-S

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities is currently seeking proposals from attorneys/law firms to conduct Summary Process (Evictions) for properties administered by Park City Communities. A complete set of RFP quired. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: documents will be available on January 31, 2022. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference soliciPersonnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410. tation number and title on the subject line. A Pre-Proposal conference call will be held Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com on February 15, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. Although attendance is not mandatory submitting a Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V proposal without attending the pre-proposal conference may not be in the best interest Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer Drug Free Workforce of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommuniInvitationties.org to Bid: no later than February 23, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org Proposals shall be emailed, 242-258 Fairmont Ave State of Connecticut 2nd Notice mailed, or hand delivered by March 03, 2022, at 3:00 p.m., to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Office of Policy 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA Chief Procurement Officer, 150 Highland Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06604, or bids@parkciand Management tycommunities.org.

Late proposals will not be accepted.

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Old Saybrook, CT

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

NEW HAVEN

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

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

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

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

The State of Connecticut, Office(4ofBuildings, 17 Units) Multi discipline Real estate firm is seeking a Senior manager to oversee property manPolicy and Management is recruiting Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wagedepartment Rate Project agement which includes a portfolio of 4M sf. Minimum 7 years of real estate for a Staff Attorney 1 (confidential) experience, position includes overseeing staff, maintaining client relationships, capital position. budgets and working on new development projects. Competitive salary & benefit pack-

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castage.

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Excellent benefits, 401k. Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. instructions are available at:

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Please submit resumes toCasework, openjobs.group@fusco.com. Phone calls will not be accepted.

https://www.jobapscloud.com/ Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1 =211124&R2=1637CR&R3=001 This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Director of Housing Choice Voucher Program

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is seeking an energetic individual who has and strongly encouragesBid the Extended, applications Due Date: August 5, 2016 at least three (3) years’ experience as an HCV Program Manager or Supervisor. Knowlof women, minorities, and persons August 2016 of 15, HUD-related regulations required. Must be able to work flexible hours. Must with disabilities.Anticipated Start: edge

have aviavalid CT below: Driver’s License; this position requires occasional in-state travel. This Project documents available ftp link is a full-time position with excellent benefits; salary is commensurate with experience. http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Interested candidates should mail a resume and professional references by Monday, POLICE OFFICER February 14, 2022 to: Fax orCity Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com of Bristol HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified BusinessesThe Housing Authority of the City of Bristol, 164 Signe Lambertsen, HR Manager,

Construction Company, 32 Progress Seymour, CT 06483 $69,017Haynes - $83,893/yr.

Jerome Ave, Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010 If submitting the required documentation electroniRequired testing, AA/EEO EMPLOYER cally, send to Slambertsen@bristolhousing.org using “RESUME – Director of Housing Choice Voucher Program” in the subject line. registration info, and apply online: www.bristolct.gov The Bristol Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an equal opportunity employer.

DEADLINE: 02-25-22 All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

EOE

22

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Merceditas S. Villanueva, MD

Everything we do is with the greatest of care.

It may be treating pre-term babies and their sleep-deprived parents. Using tumor profiling to personalize cancer therapies. Or leading the way in advanced robot-assisted surgeries. Whatever the situation, and whoever the patient, all of our acclaimed doctors, nurses, and caregivers are committed to the same thing: doing their jobs with the greatest of care.

23

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 09, 2022 - February 15, 2022

Who tells the story !"#$%&'($&)*+$,$-.$ When the story being told is personal to the storyteller, it makes an emotional connection.

And when their story is your story as well, then the connection is even stronger. Just say, !"#$%&'()*+,-+.%+/0'-.12'324,'56.-13'72-%+'8+921+'$.:'+.;23'1<+'#$,=+>1'%4,$1+:'?.:+*+.:+.1' "#$%&'@-#9'A2##+%1-2.'2.':+9$.:/'*#4>'.+B'$.:'%#$>>-%'C7'><2B>/'D#2%&D4>1+,'92E-+>/'$.:' much more.

56.-13/'B<+,+'"#$%&'F->12,3'->'$#B$3>'2.G' Sign up today at /0-*'12.3!456".#$/7$,*$-.$

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142222_NPA239501-0002 Black History Month ad 9.25x10.5 V12.indd 1

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1/24/22 7:58 PM