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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Muhal Richard Abrams Quintet Friday, February 24, 2017 at 8pm Crowell Concert Hall, 50 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown
Legendary pianist and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Muhal Richard Abrams performs with his Quintet, featuring trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, vibraphonist Bryan Carrott, drummer Reggie Nicholson, and bassist John Hébert.
Tickets on sale now! $28 general public; $26 senior citizens, Wesleyan
faculty/staff/alumni, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students, youth under 18
860-685-3355 www.wesleyan.edu/cfa CENTER FOR THE ARTS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
$15 Wage, Family Leave Pressed At Capitol by LUCY GELLMAN
NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
Hartford—Paying minimum-wage workers $15 an hour would drive “the 1 percent” and the jobs they create out of Connecticut, argued a Republican lawmaker from East Haddam. To which a New Haven Democrat shot back: It’s time lowwage workers get a break, too. That exchange between took place here Thursday afternoon at a marathon hearing of the state legislature’s Labor and and Public Employees Committee, where two lightning-rod bills in the ongoing income-inequality debate were taken up: One to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage from $10.10 to $15 per hour by 2022; the other to require all employers to give workers paid family medical leave. These two proposals generally pitted unions and labor-friendly Democrats and advocates against Republicans and business groups with differing views of how jobs are created and lost and wealth is shared. The spirited debate Thursday began an hour before members of the public testified at the hearing. Republican State Rep. Melissa Ziobron of East Haddam who has proposed a counter-measure to increase the number of hours that businesses can ask employees under the age of 19 to work predicted that a minimum wage hike would decimate businesses and drive out the state’s “1 percent.” “I’m thinking about the 1 percent as the safety net of Connecticut,” she said. Her district, which comprises East Hampton, East Haddam and parts of Colchester, includes many business owners who are responsible for keeping people employed, she said. “Think about the 1 percent,” she urged. “Are you aware that Connecticut is growing millionaires?” New Haven State Rep. Robyn Porter, who represents the lower-income Newhallville neighborhood, asked Ziobron. After a year focused on closing a nearly $1 billion budget largely through cuts to the needy, the Connecticut General Assembly had returned with a bigger, $1.7 billion projected hole in the budget, Porter said yet it continues to rule out taxing the state’s highest earners, hedge fund managers, and business owners. Porter told Ziobron that failing to raise the minimum wage doesn’t protecting the state’s businesses it punishes people struggling to pay their bills. Ziobron countered with an anecdote
LUCY GELLMAN PHOTO
Porter, Ziobron mix it up.
Looney: Trying again on family leave.
about her favorite cafe, a little outpost called Abbeez Frozen Yogurt Bar. If the minimum wage were raised to $15 in the next five years, she said, the owner would have to close the business and fire her existing handful of employees. For decades now, both sides of this debate nationally have cited competing studies to claim that raising the wage does, or doesn’t, lead to small-business closings. The most recent consensus of economists is that the minimum can grow in many places without corresponding hiring dips, though finding that tipping point is not an exact science, and both sides have anecdotal evidence to bolster their case. “I’m thinking
about my constituents,” who are simply struggling to make ends meet with a living wage, Porter fired back. “I’m just concerned we’re putting all of our eggs in the 1 percent basket,” she said later in the evening. “Why aren’t we investing more in the middle class ... putting our eggs in the 99 percent basket?” The Calm Before The Storm Hours before the hearing began, New Haven legislators joined other Democrats at a press conference to voice their support for the bills . Joined by several low-wage workers, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) members, paid family leave advocates, and members of Connecticut Working Families,
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legislators painting them as intertwined. Right now employers must by law offer only unpaid leave for new parents, caregivers and workers with serious illnesses; the bill now up, pushed for years by New Haven State Sen. Martin Looney, would extend the benefits of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to all current workers, who would pay into the system. These two proposals have generally pitted unions and labor-friendly Democrats against Republicans and business groups. The support for the bills comes after a failed attempt to pass minimum wage increases and paid family and medical leave during last year’s legislative session. In December of last year, the Connecticut Low-Wage Employer Advisory Board released a new report, with data that Democrats are now using to back their arguments. Using collected testimonies, public policy background, and livable wage calculations, the report concluded that 20 percent of Connecticut’s workforce (that’s 336,000 workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute) currently earn less than $15 an hour. Those professions include “child care providers, fast food workers, agricultural workers, home care workers providing care for disabled and elderly individuals, security guards, industrial laundry workers,” among others. Opponents have argued that minimum-wage workers are largely teenagers or young adults earning discretionary income. Looney dismissed that characterization as a “fake fact,” stating that the average low wage worker is a woman in her 30s with children. He added that, according to the report, the low-wage workforce is “disproportionately female, African American, and Latino.” “Requiring a sufficient minimum wage in the State of Connecticut is not a luxury; it’s an existential right,” said Looney. “It is a critically important issue for thousands upon thousands of Connecticut families. For parents trying to make ends meet, for single moms working two or three jobs just to provide basic necessities for their children, there may be no more important, pressing issue than earning a fair, adequate and ‘livable’ wage.” “The inability of employees to take paid time off to care for loved ones or themselves can leave them with no choice but to abandon family members in their time of need, or to neglect their own health,” he added.
“Working families should not have to face the prospect of economic ruin when presented with serious family needs such as caring for a newborn, a spouse, or their parents.” “This will be the year we finally get this through,” added State Rep. Porter. “It’s common-sense reform. And families need this.” Who Earns The Minimum California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts have all raised their minimum wages to similar levels to New Haven’s proposal, and may now begin to attract Connecticut’s workforce, Looney argued. Judging on those states’ early outcomes of raising the minimum wage, economies appeared buoyed by the decision—jobs didn’t leave the state, and workers were more likely to invest back into their communities. Writing in, New Haven Mayor Toni Harp added her voice to that mix with statistics: Minimumwage earners working a 40-hour work week earn $21,008 annually, which falls significantly under the national poverty line ($28,290). Since its increase to $10.10 last year, the state’s new minimum wage has “improved the lives” of over 70,000 residents—but could be doing a great deal more, according to Harp. “It is not a partisan stance to say that every Connecticut resident working a 40-hour week should be paid enough to build a safe, healthy life without needing to rely on government assistance for housing, healthcare, or food,” she wrote. “The path out of poverty is not an individual but a collective endeavor, and it reaps rewards not just for the worker but for our entire community.” That argument was the beginning of a battle for which both sides arrived prepared, armed with printed and practiced testimony that they waited hours to give. Like Gretchen Raffa, director of public policy, advocacy and strategic engagement and Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. Raffa arrived around 2 p.m. for the beginning of the hearing; she took the mic close to 10. Speaking on both paid family leave and minimum wage increases, she made her pitch: there was no way this wouldn’t be good for the state’s economy. “No one who is working full-time should be in poverty,” she said, locking eyes with Porter and Sen. Ed Gomes at points. “The current minimum wage is too low to allow Connecticut workers to have even Con’t on page 10
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
A Rally & Dry Run For Immigrant Strike by PAUL BASS
NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
Jose Palacios joined fellow Fair Haven business owners Thursday in showing support for fellow immigrants by hanging a “cerrado” sign on the door. The handwritten sign at his Mariscos restaurant at 369 Grand read in full “Cerrado Apoyando a Nuestra Raza” or “closed in support of our people.” Moises Ramirez, who came here from Mexico 19 years ago, showed his support by taking a day off from his job at a brake-parts factory. The men were among dozens of New Haveners who participated in a national “day without immigrants” protest designed to demonstrate the vital role immigrants play in our economy, at a time when many of them face uncertain futures here in the wake of executive orders by President Donald Trump. The national protest drew visible showings, boycotts and business closings in cities including Austin, Philadelphia, San Francisco and New York. New Haven saw a more ad hoc effort. It was a dry run for a bigger national version of the event planned for May 1. About 20 local businesses closed and “several dozen” people stayed away from work, according to immigrantrights organizer John Lugo. The day ended with a Lugo-led rally on the front steps of City Hall designed to spread the word about the May 1 event as well as ongoing efforts to prepare immigrants for deportation raids and enlist community support for resisting them. “We want to keep the voices of immigrants alive,” Lugo said during about a half-hour of bilingual remarks to 30 gathered demonstrators, including Moises Ramirez, as dusk fell. “The community is working together.” He warned immigrants not to open their doors for people they don’t know, and to insist that any federal agents have judge-signed warrants with their names on them. He also urged them to keep affixed to their doors a list of precautionary steps prepared by immigrant-rights activists. It was the third rush-hour demonstration in New Haven over the past seven days. As usual, the police had more than a dozen officers assigned to the event. They hung back, mostly in pairs, at the periphery of the crowd and across the street, barely visible but ready in case this demonstration, like many recent
PAUL BASS PHOTOS Rally
outside City Hall Thursday evening.
Palacio at his closed Grand Ave. eatery Thursday.
Sharp, right, with top downtown cop Sgt. Sean Maher.
ones, ended with protesters marching through the streets. “You have to have that many if they choose to walk in the street,” said Lt. Herb Sharp, who oversees patrol for the police department. “You really want to have enough officers for officer safety and to make sure the protesters are safe.” Lugo told officers before the event started that he wasn’t sure if it would end with a march. In addition to the 15 officers paired off at a distance but within view
of City Hall, another two cops were a block away in case counterdemonstrators were to emerge bent on causing a provocation, another common deployment in this season of perpetual protest. “I’ve never seen so many protests,” Sharp, who has been on the force 20 years, said while deep-chilling across the street. “It’s going to be a tough year.” When Lugo finished speaking around 5:40, he and the group decided to fold up their banners.
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“It’s cold,” he noted with a smile. And officers went off to other assignments. The Price Of Protest Unlike Thursday night’s protest, the two prior ones led officers to close downtown streets during rush hour, delaying people’s commutes home and engendering some complaints. Police spokesman Officer David Hartman said the thrice-weekly or more protests since Trump’s inauguration have hampered cops’ ability to address crime in the rest of town. He also said they have set back taxpayers, disrupted citizens’ lives, and harmed local commerce. Over the last eight or nine recent protests, police have spent at least $1,651 on staffing and usually much more. That figure represents a threehour protest where organizers have worked with police in advance and don’t steer the crowd in unplanned directions, Hartman said. It covers nine patrol officers who earn just under $33 an hour, as well as two sergeants and two lieutenants (earning roughly $36 and $41 an hour, respectively); at least two mobile patrols (often detectives at around $35 an hour), and often as many as six, scouring nearby streets for possible counterprotesters; and a sergeant spending three hours in the detail room at $36 an hour arranging new assignments. Hartman said that doesn’t count when officers end up having to work overtime. Or when, as occurred on the night of President Trump’s inauguration, the protesters suddenly change the course of the march. Or when civil disobedience occurs. Or
when the protests run long. “If you consider 60 officers are supposed to patrolling city streets, if you take 15 of them away — that cuts your manpower down to three quarters of what it should be,” Hartman said. “That’s a significant imagine 15 cops calling in sick on almost a daily basis. That’s what the rest of the city is dealing with.” Cops are taking longer to respond to other calls as a result, he said. And he is fielding complaints daily from people having trouble mired in standstill rush-hour traffic and businesses reporting that customers can’t make it to their stores. “People do have a right to protest. People also have a right to go about their daily lives and not be interrupted,” Hartman said. And “it’s hurting commerce.“ “We live in a democracy. We cherish our constitutional rights, including our First Amendment rights to freedom of expression. If fighting for what we believe in and engaging in peaceful acts is something that people frown upon then we question where we are as a society in terms of our embrace of our democratic principals,” responded organizer Kica Matos when asked about criticism over the costs and inconveniences of this month’s protests. Matos was arrested in an act of civil disobedience while blocking the intersection of College and Elm Streets last Friday afternoon in a demonstration in favor of changing the name of Yale’s Calhoun College. “I’ve lived in this city for 16 years,” Matos said. “I pay my taxes like everybody else. I am not a public burden on the city of New Haven. What I was doing was something that I felt was necessary, overdue, and something that deeply hurts and impacts people of color in this community. This is democracy! We are living in a time when our democratic principles are being challenged. I think we cherish our democracy, and we should do everything we can to exercise our constitutional rights, of which free expression is one.” “Crime was still affecting the community” before the recent wave of marches, Lugo said. “What happened then?” He said that “we really need these marches” as “this administration starts attacking our community.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
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Alder, East St. Neighbors Oppose Homeless Shelter’s Move by THOMAS BREEN NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
Operators of a Grand Avenue homeless shelter looking to move around the block will have to wait at least another month before the zoning board can vote on its relocating request. The reason for the delay: missing paperwork, and an incomplete application. Meanwhile, the neighborhood’s alder and some neighbors showed up to oppose the move. That was the outcome of a hearing at Tuesday night’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) meeting at 200 Orange St., where one of the topics under discussion was the proposal by Emergency Shelter Management Services (ESMS) to move its men’s homeless shelter from 645 Grand Ave. to 923-925 East St. The board decided to extend the public hearing on the shelter’s variance use request to give it a little more time to get its application in order. ESMS is asking for a variance to permit an emergency shelter in a light industrial zone. Deputy Director of Zoning Tom Talbot leaned over the mounds of paper spread before him to voice his concerns about the shelter’s proposal. “In this package there’s a site plan, but it’s not to scale,” said Talbot, gesturing towards a rendering of the East Street location’s interior as provided by ESMS. “The number of people that they can have in this building is based on the size of the living area, minus all of these hand-drawn proposed shower areas. I need those to scale. That’s a requirement of any applicant. It’s right on the application form. We’re not imposing a burden on these applicants that no one else has to deal with.” Talbot’s concerns with the shelter’s application extended to paperwork yet to be completed namely, a new floor plan that took into account the East Street location’s proximity to a 100-year flood plain. Without such a plan, he would be unable to identify whether or not the sleeping area, and its nightly house guests, would be vulnerable to potential flooding. “I think that the city and this board needs to know what the finished floor elevation is inside that building, given its proximity to the flood plain, before there’s any serious consideration given to people sleeping down there,” he advised members of ESMS and the BZA. “That’s what I’m looking for. And we need a floor plan done to scale.”
Lawyer Erskine McIntosh (center), with ESMS’s Arnold Johnson (left) and Curtis McBride (right) at hearing.
Although the reasons for Tuesday’s postponed decision on the shelter’s application to move were as much about the form as about the contents and underlying intentions of their proposal, the public hearing also bore witness to the beginnings of an equally substantive debate about whether or not the shelter would be welcome at all on that block of East Street. A number of civilian witnesses came to the BZA hearing on Tuesday night to voice their support for ESMS’s proposal to move, as well as to praise the 28-yearold shelter’s history, mission, and critical importance to New Haven’s most vulnerable populations. “Let’s be clear. The decision to be made by this board is not so much about whether or not the shelter will occupy this particular building,” said Rev. Dr. Brian Bellamy, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church. “The decision to be made is, will the shelter continue at all. If the shelter does not continue, it will create a huge void for the marginalized in this city. As good citizens, we have a moral obligation to make it so that people have a place to stay, particularly when we have 5 months of the year that can be below freezing.” Former State Rep Bill Dyson, New Haven police officer Joe Greene, and St. Bernadette Church parishioner Ralph Esposito similarly offered public testimony in support of ESMS, identifying the shelter’s proposed move to 293-295 East St. as a matter of life or death for the shelter and for the social services it provides.
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On the other side of the debate, Wooster Square Alder Aaron Greenberg, the president and vice president of Bender Plumbing Supplies, and a group of concerned residents and property owners in the neighborhood submitted written letters of opposition to the shelter’s proposed move. Tony Debrizzi, a sales manager at Bender, described the East Street building is an an industrial district slowly rising out of blight. He argued that the building is an inappropriate residential location not only because of its proximity to the flood plain, train tracks, and dump trucks constantly ferrying huge loads of salt and sand, but also because that stretch of the emerging Mill River industrial district is ripe for a commercial revival that may be negatively impacted by the presence of the shelter. “We at Bender are making a big investment in the area, because the
city and some of the residents there have a vision for the area to be a design district, which is really needed in New Haven,” he said. “With Fair Haven Furniture, Reclamation Lumber, and Tile America nearby, this could be a place where people outside of New Haven could come and shop for home furnishings.” “293-295 East Street sits in a geographically isolated industrial zone designated by the recent Mill River study as appropriate as for retail and design establishments — not social service organizations,” Alder Greenberg wrote in a letter. He also expressed a lack of confidence on the organization’s planning abilities. Assuming ESMS can fix and finish the necessary paperwork for its application to move, Tuesday night’s debate between two competing visions for East Street will resume at next month’s BZA public hearing.
yale institute of sacred music joins the
inner city news in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans to the cultural and spiritual life of New Haven and the world.
Event listings at www.yale.edu/ism
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Connecticut Lawmakers Tell Trump To Act After Russian Spy Ship Is Spotted Off Coast
ON VIEW THROUGH APRIL 17 AT YALE UNIVERSITY
GATHER OUT OF STAR-DUST
The Harlem Renaissance & The Beinecke Library
CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney
by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News
Gladys Bentley by Carl Van Vechten
F R E E AN D O P E N TO A L L A special exhibition of materials from an extraordinary time for American culture Beinecke Library, 121 Wall Street, New Haven, C T | Mon 10–7, Tue–Thur 9–7, Fri 9–5, Sat 12–5 For more information: beinecke.library.yale.edu beinecke
@BeineckeLibrary
@beineckelibrary
#HarlemRen 6
Connecticut’s Congressional delegation was quick to sound the alarm bells Wednesday morning when it confirmed a Russian spy ship Viktor Leonov was spotted 30 miles off the coast of the Groton submarine base. The ship, which was pictured in the Port of Curacao in 2014, was in international waters, but was “loitering” there, according to officials. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, whose district includes the submarine base, spoke about the incident for about five-minutes Wednesday morning on the floor of the U.S. House. He said Russia was loitering off the coast of Connecticut “with aggressive intent.” “We need to really disavow ourselves of any naive assumptions that somehow the Putin government is somehow something that we can trust and shows any regard for international norms or international law,” Courtney said. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said it’s not “wholly unprecedented,” but “it’s part of a series of aggressive actions by Russia that threaten U.S. national security and the security of our allies.” He mentioned the four Russian jets that buzzed a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Black Sea on Friday and the fact that Russia deployed a groundlaunched cruise missile inside its borders. Murphy said the later is a violation of the 1987 IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces Treaty.
He encouraged President Donald Trump’s administration which seems to have a complicated relationship with the Kremlin to “end their silence and immediately respond to these threats to our national security.” U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the threat needs to be taken seriously. “It reflects a clear need to harden our defenses against electronic surveillance and cyber espionage,” Blumenthal said. “The return of a Russian vessel is particularly concerning in the context of escalating Russian aggression - within days of the Russian’s buzzing a U.S. Navy ship in the Black Sea, as well as deploying a cruise missile in violation of our arms control treaty - which only underscores the need for an independent investigation into possible collusion between the Trump administration and Russian agents.” U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes, and Elizabeth Esty also commented on the Russian spy ship. “It is long past time for the White House to stop making excuses for Vladimir Putin and respond to his acts of thuggery with the toughness our security demands,” Esty said. It’s unclear whether their concerns will be heard by Trump, who tweeted Wednesday morning that “Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Storytellers “Become” Americans Anew by LUCY GELLMAN NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
Shamille Pinnock stepped up to the mic and squared her body in the library’s low light. She had an announcement for the audience: Jamaica is not the candlescented inside of a Bob Marley song. And her family, brimming with immigrant histories from the island, is as American as apple pie and textbooks on the Revolutionary War. “I am an American,” she began methodically. “And I believe my family is a textbook example of what it means to be an American. Even if this textbook may be buried in the back on the library on the last shelf.” Members of the audience stilled, and leaned in to listen. Pinnock was one of 12 storytellers who converged on the New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) Monday night to present her story at a “Becoming American” Story Slam. A collaboration between the NHFPL and Long Wharf Theatre (LWT), the slam was intended to celebrate what it means to become American that is, to make the choice to be American — as Long Wharf kicks off its run of Napoli, Brooklyn later this week. A play about an Italian immigrant family trying to raise three daughters in New York in the 1960s, it seemed like the perfect backdrop for New Haveners to open up about their own “American” experiences. “The prompt for this story slam was becoming American, and what that means to you,” LWT Community Engagement Director Elizabeth Nearing said at the event. “Becoming is very intentional, right? It’s something that you work towards, that you came from.” Like Pinnock, a child of two Jamaican immigrants who considers herself and her parents, and their parents part of an integral American story. That story started with her maternal grandfather, whose decision to immigrate with his wife, young
LUCY GELLMAN PHOTO
Nearing.
Coatsworth.
Marans.
Pinnock.
son, and daughter came after he found himself working multiple jobs and living in a small house with two other families, barely able to scrape by. He’d announced to his family one night that he planned to leave for the United States, Pinnock recalled, and her mother had felt the whole world opening up to her, even as a child. But the process of immigrating was arduous, and took several years of her grandparents scrimping money and picking up menial jobs to sponsor other family members. As their children became citizens and then went on to attend college the first in the family to do so her father’s journey was just beginning an ocean away, where he had obtained a visa to study in the United States. Upon migrating to the country, her father discovered that there wasn’t a study option open to him. “He was here broke, and illegally,” Pinnock recalled. The options sprang up before him: he could return home, to poverty, or stay, working three to four jobs at one time while he inched toward American citizenship. He chose the second, met Pinnock’s mother, and laid the foundation for her American experience. “It is these unheard, unknown stories that have created America’s reputation as the land for second chances, prosperity, opportunity,” she said. “As the land for dreamers. My family had a dream. And it was this country that allowed them to realize that dream.” Gabi Coatsworth is a British woman who thought that becoming a citizen with an American husband would be easy — until she tried it. She transported the audience back to early 1980s, where her story began in Boston. “Americans think that if you marry one of them, you automatically become a citizen, but there’s nothing automatic about it,” she said to a smattering of laughs. It was a lesson she’d learned shortly after her
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company’s lawyers informed her she would have to speed up her marriage to stay in the United States. For 15 months, she couldn’t leave the country, told her green card status would be jeopardized or cancelled if she did. Then she ran into more red tape. She was studying for the citizenship exam, and found herself at odds with one certain part of the naturalization oath: the commitment to bear arms for the United States. It was a little clause looking back at her with big, angry eyes and furrowed brows. Coatsworth had been a pacifist all her life. If the United States went to war and instituted a draft, she couldn’t imagine picking up a gun, much less shooting it. So she did what seemed normal: She wrote her senators until one of them made an exception, and she was allowed to use a separate oath. The year was 1991 — still 24 years before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offered immigrants the choice to commit to bearing arms or non-combatant military service. And then, just as the dust was settling, her sister died in Britain, leaving two young sons. A life that had been plagued with the trials of citizenship became a life littered with the obstacles of student visas, constant questions about the sons’ citizenship, and an ultimate move to adopt the boys to keep everyone in the same country. Those challenges, she said — particularly threats of deportation from customs and immigration officials — felt timely now. So too, she said, was the choice to identify proudly as American, and show her family’s magnanimity in the process. “Nothing about the process made us feel like the country wanted us to become part of it,” she recalled. “Still ... here we are, glad to be American, even if we have an English accent.” Others in the room noted that New Haven itself factored directly into their American-ness. Caroline Smith, who took at job at SeeClickFix after graduating
from Yale and has since written on the city for GovLoop, proclaimed that “for me, most of becoming American has been becoming a New Havener.” Ony Obiocha recalled marching down Broadway during a Black Lives Matter protest last summer, and feeling fiercely American in the experience. And speech pathologist Wendy Marans left audience members with a reminder that they — Americanborn or naturalized alike — had a choice to personify what it meant to represent both the United States and the cultures from which they sprang. Married to an American in 1984, she hadn’t opted for citizenship until Barack Obama ran in 2008. She was nervous; the oath of naturalization was a formidable document that came with teeth. But a ceremony with U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton had proved transformative. Everything had been pretty standard when she entered the room with immigrants from 20 different countries. None of them came from the same country; none of them spoke the same language. A few friends and family members had come to show their support; they waited in the wings while citizens-tobe were called out by name, and given little American flags. And then Arterton made an announcement. She urged those in the room to take pride in their home countries, and hold on to those cultures. Shaking hands with each newly naturalized citizen, she asked them to teach their children and neighbors about those countries. To allow what they had seen in their lives, the customs with which they had been raised, to inform how they worked and lived in New Haven, sat on juries, and personified American citizenship. “I am here by choice, and with privilege,” Marans said. “I wanted to be here. And particularly right now, that’s what I’m holding onto.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Election Regulators Look to Clean Up Connecticut’s Clean Election Laws by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News
HARTFORD, CT—The federal investigation ended with no charges being brought, but Connecticut’s election regulators are trying to quickly close a loophole that allows banned state contractors to give money to publicly financed candidates. The State Elections Enforcement Commission is seeking to erase the gray area that exists between state and federal election law with a legislative proposal that restricts the amount of money a state party can receive from its federal account. State contractors, who are banned from giving to state candidates participating in the Citizens Election Program, can give money to the Republican and Democratic Party’s federal account, which is used to fund Congressional campaigns and get-out-the-vote efforts. “Because one party account may accept state contractor contributions and another cannot, the law must be clear on the roles of each,” the SEEC explained in a memo regarding its legislative proposal. But Republican Party Chairman JR Romano has asked why his party should be punished for something the Democratic Party did. During the 2014 election cycle the Connecticut Democratic Party used its federal account for expenditures on behalf of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s re-election bid because the mailers also included a get-out-the-vote message. The Democratic Party through its attorney David Golub argued that it had to because of that get-out-the-vote message. The Republican Party filed a complaint with election regulators, who then sought to subpoena information about the decision to
spend the money in the last month of the 2014 campaign. The Democratic Party appealed the release of the the documents to Superior Court before it eventually agreed to settle the complaint in June 2016 and agreed to pay a $325,000 fine to the SEEC for seeking to circumvent the state’s clean election laws. As part of that settlement, the Democratic Party and the SEEC agreed it was possible to comply with state and federal law through the use of a compliant account. Since the Republican Party is not part of that settlement there’s nothing to say they couldn’t use the same loophole the Democratic Party used in 2014 to funnel money to clean election candidates. The legislation proposed by the SEEC would require both parties to use the compliant account option. The proposal also combats dark money in Connecticut by revealing persons behind political committees and persons behind the contributors to those committees and incidental independent spenders. While there hasn’t been a lot of dark money used in Connecticut, there’s been an increase in the use of independent expenditures, which has been a concern mostly for the Democratic majority. In early November, House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said his caucus would seek to increase the amount of disclosure required for independent expenditures. “The amount of money that’s pouring into the state of Connecticut is drowning out the voice of the voters,” Aresimowicz has said. In early November there has been about $1.38 million spent by outside independent expenditure groups. That’s less than the $11.4 million spent on clean election grants, but more than the $712,000 in organizational expenditures reported
CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO
SEEC Executive Director Michael Brandi
so far by parties and leadership PACs. Republicans, who benefited from a majority of the independent expenditures, were able to pick up eight seats in the House and three in the Senate. But they realize it might not always be that way. Republican Senators have also proposed legislation
to increase the transparency of independent expenditures. They also introduced legislation that would ban state contractors from contributing to a state party’s federal account. Meanwhile, the SEEC is also preparing for the 2018 election and asking lawmakers to consider a supplemental grant for candidates in the gubernatorial race “where high spending and independent expenditures have consistently been a factor.” The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a trigger provision that would allow clean election candidates to raise additional funds in 2011. Connecticut had trigger provisions in its law back in 2010, but the law was rewritten a year later in order to comply with the court ruling. The SEEC is asking lawmakers to restore a trigger provision. “We are asking you to consider a hybrid matching funds program that would restore access to the three million in grant moneys that used to be available to Gubernatorial
candidates facing negative independent expenditures. We are also proposing an adjustment to the organization expenditure limits to address the loss of funds to General Assembly candidates,” the SEEC memo states. Other legislation would also seek to limit the amount of money a national party can give to a state party. The proposal is to cap it at $100,000. “Although there are currently few donations from national accounts into the Connecticut system, federal legislation passed recently greatly increased donation limits by individuals including Connecticut state contractors to these national accounts and may make the national account donations a problem for the CEP,” the SEEC said in its memo to lawmakers. The General Administration and Elections Committee is expected to debate the proposals over the next few weeks. A forum on the Connecticut’s clean election system was canceled last Friday due to the snow.
Labor Committee To Vote On Minimum Wage Hike Tuesday
yale institute of sacred music joins the
inner city news in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans to the cultural and spiritual life of New Haven and the world.
Event listings at www.yale.edu/ism
CTNEWSJUNKIE PHOTO
Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, co-chairs the Labor and Public Employees Committee
The first test of how far Democrats will be able to push their agenda may come as early as Tuesday when the Labor and Public Employees Committee votes on two bills that would phase in an increase to the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The joint committee is expected to vote on whether to forward both a
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Senate and House bill to the floor of their respective chambers. At the moment, membership on the committee is split two-two on the Senate side and on the House side there are five Democratic members and four Republican members. That means it’s possible the House bill could pass and the Senate bill could
fail on a tie vote. However, even if the House bill passes it’s almost impossible to get it to the Senate since it didn’t pass a vote of the Senate membership of the committee. In order to take up a similar measure in the Senate it would require emergency certification.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017 Con’t from page 3
$15 Wage, Family Leave Pressed At Capitol minimal security or dignity. This bill ... will protect the rights of Connecticut workers by guaranteeing the health and economic security of all Connecticut citizens, which would allow Connecticut citizens to thrive instead of barely surviving.” Others took the same data-driven tack. Labor economist Jeanette Wicks-Lim spoke about states that had raised the minimum wage, noting that Ziobron’s vision of job loss had never come to pass in California and Wisconsin. Instead of leaving the state, businesses remained, and their workers stayed on for longer. Cities, meanwhile, saw a rise in their residents investing resources back into communities. Speaking on behalf of Connecticut Voices for Children, Derek Thomas of New Haven argued that over 110,000 children would benefit from a raise in minimum wage, drawing legislators’ attention to data collected from the Connecticut’s SelfSufficiency Standard, measuring income adequacy for women and their families in the state. Those findings? The amount needed to “make ends meet” for one adult and one preschooler varies tremendously, Thomas said—from $21.14 per hour ($44,675 annually) in Windham to $36.84 per hour ($77,800 annually) in Lower Fairfield. That’s 280 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 488 percent of the FPL, according to the report. In other words, Thomas said, “A $15 minimum wage makes sense to ensure that full-time workers can afford to live and work in Connecticut ... strengthening the minimum wage would significantly impact the standard of living for hundreds of thousands of Connecticut workers and their families.” “We’d Be Done” Speaking on behalf of his company Educational Playcare, Connecticut Childcare Association Director Gerry Pastor expressed his concerns with the raise in minimum wage. “Not to sound overly dramatic, but the raise in minimum wage is going to wipe out the entire child care community,” he said. Over 35 years, Pastor and his wife have expanded Educational Playcare to cover 13 sites across the state, serving 2,000 children a year with the help of 450 teachers and staff. While some of their teachers already make more than that depending on their education level, several of their staff members do not. A raise
in minimum wage would result in a raise for everyone, he said. Which Pastor said he likes in theory—but can’t afford. That’s the catch, he told legislators. Connecticut already has very high costs of childcare: the average cost for an infant is $14,079 a year, and he and his wife aren’t willing to raise tuition (close to $700 per month). So they’re waiting to see what happens. “If this passes, we’d be done,” he said after giving his testimony, miming locking a door for the last time. “I’m 65, so I wouldn’t go to another state. But we’d have to close. There’s no way [of us] absorbing the increase in wages.” He wasn’t the only one who voiced concerns. Representing South Windsor’s Parks and Recreation Department, Ray Favreau invoked the 660 parks in the state that are maintained, in part, by workers earning less than $15 an hour. “In Connecticut, you’re adding $500,000 to the budget to accommodate that increase. You’re asking us to raise our user fees,” he said. Eric W. Gjede, assistant counsel for the Connecticut Business Industry Association, testified that if the cost of maintaining low-wage workers goes up, legislators will see a number of big-box stores and small businesses leave the state. “The cost of many of these proposals would add comes at massive cost to businesses,” he said, referencing both the raise in minimum wage and paid family and medical leave. “It’s a bad deal for our businesses and taxpayers. Paid sick leave destroyed businesses, and this is going to again.” He predicted that a rising minimum wage will hasten the introduction of automation—selfserve kiosks in the grocery store, or at large restaurant franchises like McDonald’s. Like Ziobron, he argued that if wages continue to rise, businesses will leave the state along with wealthy residents. He invoked General Electric’s move last year, suggesting other companies would follow. (Republicans generally argue that Connecticut taxes and unresponsive government drove out GE; Democrats largely argue that GE made a strategic decision to relocate to a better tech-and-higheducation environment of the kind that government can help nurture here.) And new businesses will be less
likely to come here with a $20.20 minimum wage, Gjede predicted. “From what you’re saying the math is completely correct,” said Rep. Mike Bocchino, who represents Greenwich. “I’m hearing you say that companies are using automation as a threat—but it’s not a threat, it’s a reality. That’s going to be the end of the workforce.” “The math that you’re talking about involves a hell of a lot of other people,” Gomes responded. “If you want to make the economy work, give people a decent wage! Years ago, when people talked about giants of industry, they used the term robber barons. Well, the robber barons are back.” “We need businesses to compete,” Gjede responded. “Sandwich Generation Syndrome” Gjede also voiced concern over the
proposal to institute mandatory paid family and medical leave, which would deduct a portion of employers’ paychecks each month and place it into a dedicated fund. A host of New Haven Democrats Looney, Porter, Rep. Juan Candelaria, Rep. Roland Lemar have proposed the bill along with Hamden Reps. James Albis, Mike D’Agostino and Josh Elliott. At the pre-hearing press conference, Looney said the bill aims at “sandwich generation syndrome” stuck between caring for a child and an aging parent at the same time. Gjede said he’s sympathetic to the sandwich generation, and believes as a representative of the CBIA that businesses should offer employees paid family and medical leave if they can afford to do so. But he argued employees should not have
to partially subsidize a benefit they may or may not use. He also said he concerned mandatory paid leave would drive potential workers and their potential employers from the state. “Why should employees have to subsidize the program?” he asked, also noting that paid family leave created temporary positions that businesses needed to fill. Lucy Nolan, director of End Hunger Connecticut!, had a different idea entirely about the bill. Leaning forward into the microphone, she explained that the organization, as small as it was, had offered paid family and medical leave since its inception, leading higher rates of retention overall when employees returned to work.
Members of Hillhouse High’s championship men’s football team scored again Thursday, this time taking the field at Quinnipiac Stem Magnet School. Schools throughout New Haven were participating in World Read Aloud Day. The Hillhouse visitors fanned out to 14 classrooms at Quinnipiac.
RJ Julia supplied the book, The Magicians Hat by New England Patriot Malcolm Mitchell, for each classroom and a book for each player to give to someone special in his life. Over 600 classes participated citywide. This year’s theme: “Hope.” “World Read Aloud Day is a
celebration of the power of words and the right of individuals to learn to read,” said school system Literacy Supervisor Lynn Brantley. “Today our community came together to share in this celebration, bringing powerful words into classrooms, words of hope and inspiration.”
Champs Read Aloud
Front row: Dave Harris, Damion Henderson, Warrick Kellman, Quintas Reed, Head Coach Reggie Lytle. Back row: Alvin Weeks, Billy Oliver, Chaze Kinsley, Javon Brown, Terron Mallory, Prince Boyd.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
OP-ED | The Little Special Election That Could? Windsor Republican May Tip Senate to GOP by Terry Cowgill As the nation weighs the seismic impact of life under a Trump administration whose wheels seem to be coming off, we could soon witness earth-moving changes in Connecticut’s political landscape as well. In normal times, a special election to fill the seat of a state senator who resigned shortly after being elected wouldn’t turn many heads outside of that senate district itself. But in 2016, the equilibrium of power in the upper chamber hangs in the balance. That’s because in November, Republicans managed to flip three seats, leaving the Senate deadlocked between Democrats and Republicans at 18 apiece. A power-sharing agreement was negotiated on how to operate the now-evenly-divided
chamber. Then two senators from different parties, Rob Kane and Eric Coleman, reneged on the implicit promise they made to voters to serve if elected. Both resigned to take higher-paying jobs elsewhere in the lucrative colossus known as the state government. It was obviously a deal cooked up by legislative leaders to allow two of their own to pad their wallets without altering the balance of power. Miniature party conventions were held to produce nominees for the open seats. Special elections were called for Feb. 28. Barring a miracle, Kane’s seat is unlikely to flip. His district includes portions of New Haven and Litchfield counties that have traditionally leaned Republican. But Democrat Coleman’s could be a different story.
Malloy Explains Proposal To Upgrade XL Center
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy toured the XL Center in Hartford Friday to make a case that it needs to borrow money to improve it. The $250 million proposal is approximately one half the cost of a total replacement project and can be completed with limited operational disruption, according to the governor.
CTNEWSJUNKIE
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy gets a tour with General Manager Chris Lawrence
MCDONALD'S FACEBOOK PAGE & CTNEWSJUNKIE PHOTO
L to R: Republican Mike McDonald, of Windsor, and Democratic state Rep. Douglas McCrory, of Hartford
It’s not that the towns in the 2nd Senate district — most of Windsor and Bloomfield, as well as Hartford’s north end — are GOP bastions akin to, say, New Canaan or Middlebury. After all, the Fightin’ 2nd went for Hillary Clinton over Trump by a margin of more than 6-1. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Republicans control 42 General Assembly seats that Clinton carried, according to the Daily Kos, which tracks these things so that you and I don’t have to. So there still could be enough Republicans and independents to flip the seat in the Republicans’ favor. And with an unpopular Democratic governor guiding a state budget that continues on a disastrous path, the electorate is clearly in the mood for change after more than two decades of Coleman and six of Dannel Malloy. That does not bode well for the Democratic nominee for the 2nd district Senate race, incumbent state Rep. Douglas McCrory, D-Hartford, whose smaller House district is limited to a city that has no functioning Republican Party to
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speak of. Worse yet, McCrory holds the title of deputy majority leader, which makes him very much a part of the establishment and ties him to just about anything unpopular that comes out of the Capitol. And try as he might, McCrory will find it exceedingly difficult for a lawmaker in a leadership position to distance himself from a sitting governor of his own party. Over the last several months, Malloy has reacted to the budget crisis by offending just about every interest group in the state. Complicating the matter is that the governor wants to limit or cut municipal aid in such a way that hurts places like Bloomfield and Windsor while increasing aid to the nearly-bankrupt Capital City. I’m betting independents (and some Democrats) in those two towns won’t care much for that. “I think I’ll make a good state senator because the experience I have gained over the past 12 years representing the 7th District and my ability to work with other state representatives and state senators,” McCrory told The Courant last
month. Translation: McCrory has been a lawmaker at the Capitol for a dozen of its worst years. Enter Republican Michael McDonald. A relatively fresh face at 39, McDonald is a former member of both the Windsor Town Council and Board of Education, serving a total of 10 years in those positions. He’s also run for Congress and Secretary of the State. Judging from his campaign website, I’d say he’s a pretty strong supporter of the Second Amendment, though I’m not sure how well that will serve him in the 2nd. McDonald is running a senda-message-to-Malloy campaign, adding on his Facebook page that his goals include “changing the direction of this state for our children and their children.” And he’s open about his reasons for running: so that Republicans can take over the Senate. Turnout will be key. I reached out to the Secretary of the State’s office to see how many people typically vote in a special Senate election. Officials there did not have numbers at the ready but they did point me to a handful of special elections in the past few years. A January 2012 special House election showed a turnout of almost 16 percent in New Britain and more than 13 percent in Newington. In a 2015 special election in Senate district 23, which includes portions of Bridgeport and Stratford, only a little more than 3,000 showed up at the polls. In a regular election the following year, more than 21,000 people voted. Granted, 2016 was a presidential election year so the turnout would be inflated compared to an off-year. Senate districts are all approximately Con’t on page 15
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Hill Team Ties In Race For Management Team Chair
chosen to fix the bylaws. “I am going to wait and see,” Largie said after the vote, held in the cafeteria of Career Regional High School. The team could not break the tie immediately, as some voters had already left by the time the vote was counted.
by MICHELLE LIU
NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
A second attempt to elect new officers for the Hill North Community Management team went into overtime with no winner named. The race for the new chair position is a toss-up between old guard and new guard. A tie at a meeting this past Tuesday between Lena Largie, the former longtime chair whose term expired last year, and interim chair Howard Boyd, led the team to schedule a third special election for this coming Tuesday night. The group did manage to secure a new vice-chair (Ron Hurt), treasurer (also Ron Hurt) and secretary (Cowiya Arouna). The election followed an abortive attempt in October that went awry after a dispute over bylaws regarding who could and couldn’t vote arose. In that meeting, interim officers were
MICHELLE LIU PHOTO
Boyd, for his part, already has plans in the works. He has given the neighborhood’s new Livable City Initiative specialist, Arthur Natalino, a tour. He said he hopes to form small groups within the team, like a youth group; he might try to partner with local churches to make getting to meetings easier. And he wants the team to meet more often each year. If nothing else, at least the turnout was a good sign: Boyd commended the crowd of around 25 who had shown up, even though it was Valentine’s Day a sure sign of commitment to the community, he said.
Boyd, Largie.
Hundreds Pledge To Fight Deportations by LUCY GELLMAN
NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
After a day of false alarms, over 100 people packed a downtown gathering spot to sign up to serve as legal observers, accompany defendants to court, get arrested at protests, and put a rapid-response hotline on speed dial in preparation of anticipated federal raids on undocumented immigrants. That event took place Wednesday evening at the New Haven Peoples Center on Howe Street. Starting at 7 p.m., over 100 New Haveners and people from surrounding communities with dozens left waiting outside — packed the venue’s main room for “Resisting Deportation: A Workshop for Allies.” The two-hour event part info session, part call-to-arms— was hosted by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) New Haven, with several members from Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) and Junta for Progressive Action. The workshop was scheduled after President Donald Trump’s sweeping anti-immigrant executive order signed last month and the commencement of stepped-up immigration raids in cities across the country. “We’re here to figure out how we can play a supportive role,” said organizer Megan Fountain. “There are a lot of people in here who want to support immigrant rights here tonight. And we want to get everyone plugged in” Wading through 10 years of back
LUCY GELLMAN PHOTO Attendees
volunteer for civil disobedience training.
Weinreb (in brown) links arms with Wheeler and others while forming a “human network” of allies.
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story — alleged police misconduct and a rash of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Fair Haven in 2006 and 2007, New Haven’s Elm City ID Card, Barack Obama’s two-millionth deportation in spring 2014, and the concern of actions promised against “sanctuary cities” like New Haven by President Trump — Fountain motioned to sheets that attendees had been given at the door. She asked people to read along as Anna Robinson-Sweet took the mic. The documents offered concrete steps for audience members to take to support immigrant families facing possible deportation. Robinson-Sweet and Fountain went through each option methodically, looking on as attendees filled out a request for their names, cell numbers, email addresses, information about access to a car, and political actions. First, Robinson-Sweet said, there was outreach—knocking on doors with ULA members, passing out “Know Your Rights” literature, and becoming a “Know Your Rights” trainer with the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA). Or, said Fountain, attendees could practice direct action. Singling out attendee Melinda Tuhus for her role in protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline Tuesday afternoon, Fountain (who has also been arrested while protesting) pointed to civil disobedience as a way to compel local legislators to take action. ULA Founder John Lugo
also advocated mobilizing as part of ULA’s rapid response team and marshaling at marches. From the audience, first-year Yale law student Ellen Monkemeier advocated becoming a legal observer, for which one does not specifically have to be a lawyer or a lawyer in training. The program trains those interested in the law and its discontents to watch as protesters interact with the police, supposedly making the police more aware of their actions. As the two continued to list off options, Fair Haven School teacher Dave Weinreb filled in his sheet. He decided he could drive immigrants to court dates and wanted to become a “Know Your Rights” trainer, on call for rapid response. He was up for civil disobedience training. And he asked if SURJ could involve some of his sixth graders, many of whom came into the school without English skills. At the front of the room, Fountain continued with the list. No matter their political background, she suggested, attendees could become local and statewide advocates, partnering with groups like ULA, CIRA, SURJ and Junta to speak with Mayor Toni Harp, the New Haven Board of Alders, state senators and representatives and other elected officials about protecting Sanctuary City policies and updates tp and firm support for the 2013 Connecticut Trust Act Advocacy too public? Then Con’t on page 14
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Library, Going Strong, Turns 130
exhortation to “keep reading.” Library Board President Michael Morand noted that the library system has grown to four branches and a 24-hour electronic service, plus a bookmobile. In this digital age it remains New Haven’s “single-most visited cultural institution,” with 600,000 annual visits, he said. A new home for Dixwell’s Stetson branch is planned as part of the Q house project. In addition to those original periodicals, the library nowadays circulates books, recordings, e-books, movies ... and, at least for one day, dessert.
by PAUL BASS
NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
For a 130 year-old, New Haven’s public library is going strong, with a seemingly bright future ahead. City Librarian Martha Brogan marked the occasion at the downtown main Ives branch by serving cake Tuesday at around 1 p.m. to library supporters and patrons, timed to coincide with the hour when founders first opened a rented space a block away to circulate newspapers and magazines. Before cutting the cake, Brogan read a proclamation from Mayor Toni Harp, which ended with an
PAUL BASS PHOTO
City Chief Administrative Officer Mike Carter and Brogan at the celebration.
Paca To Challenge Mayor by STAFF
NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
Marcus Paca, who served as Mayor Toni Harp’s labor relations chief, is now running against her. Paca set up this campaign website and announced his intention to seek this year’s Democratic nomination in this New Haven Register op-ed article. Harp has begun holding fundraisers for a reelection campaign and said she is running but has not yet formally announced her candidacy. Paca last ran for office in 2011, when he lost the 24th Ward alder seat that he had held for a term as a member
Paca at a recent rally in support of Assistant Chief Casanova.
PAUL BASS PHOTO
of a slate allied with then-Mayor John DeStefano. Mayor Harp hired Paca, the son of a personal friend, as labor relations chief in 2014. She fired him last year; she said she did so because he signed costly memoranda of understanding with the fire union and improperly released confidential internal emails. He denied doing anything wrong and has sued the city over the firing. Paca has signaled his intention to run in recent months and publicly criticized the mayor at, for instance, a support rally for Assistant Police Chief Luiz Casanova after he was suspended from his job for a day.
On his campaign website, Paca criticizes Harp’s administration for running a deficit at the Board of Education and for New Haven having had at one point in 2016 no permanent fire chief, schools superintendent, or police chief. He promises to lower permit and vendor fees while “streamlining” government. He did not respond to phone and email requests for comment for this story. A former candidate for alder in the Hill, Ira Johnson, has also announced a mayoral bid. He is the only candidate to have filed paperwork so far with the city clerk’s office.
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Con’t from page 13
Hundreds Pledge
fundraise, suggested Robinson-Sweet and Fountain. Brad Davidson of the Connecticut Bail Fund explained why: bail bonds for immigrants picked up by ICE are often set as cash only—and too expensive for families to afford alone. Stepping forward, ULA Founder John Lugo gave another suggestion: manning an immigration raid hotline, for which attendees might also have a phone tree on hand. While Spanish is required to man it, he added, there was no reason not to commit it to your phone, just to have it in case raids began popping up overnight. “This is now,” he said, referencing an early-afternoon scare with Homeland Security officers at Union Station (which turned out not to involve immigration). Attendees can also accompany immigrants to their court dates, added Fountain. Close to the middle of the room, New Havener Molly Wheeler’s hand shot up. “My Spanish is really rusty, but I still have a car,” she said. “Can I help drive people?” Fountain and Lugo nodded. You never know who might be in need of a ride, a helping hand, or free childcare the day of, said Fountain. Facilitator Natalie Alexander popped her head in with another reminder: Many undocumented immigrants also speak English. New Havener Roberto Irizarry, a professor of Latin-American literature at the University of New Haven, had come with pressing questions about his eligibility to help as a fellow Latino who also might be profiled. He said he left with a new sense of urgency and vigilance, he said. “I’m here tonight because of my desire to help people who are being subjected to unfair treatment,” he said, noting that he too had experienced stereotyping when he arrived in New Haven from Puerto Rico several years ago. “Even the question ‘are you American?’ feel complicated to me. So I’m definitely going to take part in action, and stay involved.” Varun Khatzar, a bilingual tutor and Connecticut Students for a Dream volunteer living in South Windsor, said that he too felt invigorated, and better informed, after the event. “A lot of my close friends and students are undocumented, and I’m watching what they’re going through,” he said, noting an almost palpable anxiety that had begun to fall over his tutoring sessions. “I need to get more people involved. This seemed like a good place to be.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Dixwell Church Plans For 3rd Century by ALLAN APPEL
NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
Slavery still exists in the prisonindustrial complex. Voting rights have been reversed. But we can prevail against systemic evils because we have done it before right here in New Haven. That history lesson with contemporary resonance highlighted a sermon that kicked off a three-year celebration of the historic Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ as it moves towards its 200th anniversary in 2020. Saying that “the oppressive side of history is seeking to repeat itself” these days, guest speaker Rev. Michelle Hughes Sunday addressed 100 congregants at the current home, built in 1967, of the country’s oldest AfricanAmerican Congregational church. The church is setting out on
ALLAN APPEL PHOTO
Gardner, Streets, and Hughes in back row with kid choristers.
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OP-ED
the same size: about 90,000 people live within their boundaries. Both candidates have qualified for public financing — this is described as a rare event for Republicans in Windsor — local Democrats thought it was a first — so it could mean McDonald has momentum. Based on that, and if McDonald can convince a few thousand independents to show up in Bloomfield and in his hometown of Windsor, he just might be able to flip the seat. What happens then? Well, the carefully laid plans of the party elders who orchestrated the deal allowing Kane and Coleman to resign and preserve the status quo simply collapses. Even if you’re not a Republican, you’d have to revel in the misery of the legislative leaders who were too clever by half. There will be a mad scramble. If McDonald wins, all the committee assignments would have to be redone. Staff would have to be reconfigured. It would be a monumental shakeup that could stymie Malloy and Democrats like McCrory at every turn.
Longtime Amistad Committee Chair Al Marder, at right.
a three-year campaign hailing its history, which includes a role in the abolition struggle and the victory for human rights that was the Amistad case. The congregation is also thinking in practical terms about the future of its mission: Specifically, whether to undertake a major renovation or raze its modernist building and embark on building a new structure on its site across from the planned new Q House. In either instance, Rev. Frederick Streets, who has helmed the congregation since 2011, estimated the cost to be no less than about $800,000. The point of Sunday’s launching service, specifically the 197th anniversary was a reminder both
of the 120-member church’s deep history in the battle for universal rights of human beings and its specific role in New Haven history. In an interview before he took to the dais, Rev. Streets said that the church has played a pivotal role in developing a black middle class in town during the decades between 1950 and 1980; that it spawned economic development in, among other achievements, building nearby elderly housing—as well as giving the land for the original Q-House; and that from its membership civic leaders have emerged. “The first black mayor of New Haven was president of our board of deacons John Daniels,”
Streets recalled. The program featured inspirational music and hymns and a moving, textured rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “Black and Blue” by Rev. Hughes’ friend, the singer Arzula Gardner. Before Rev. Hughes spoke, church member Charles Warner, Jr. gave a thumbnail history lesson. He traced the congregation’s roots to 1820 when white abolitionist Simeon Joceyln and two dozen members of Center Church marched out, eventually to form Dixwell. because they no longer wanted to sit only in the Center Church balcony. “God showed no favor to his children based on color,” is how Warner paraphrased the simple but revolutionary central sentiment of that 1820 moment. The same people, including Dixwell’s early pastors, helped establish the American Missionary Association. That in turn led to the founding of the Historically Black Colleges all over the American South in the last half of the 19th century. Those schools for over 100 years trained men who had been in bondage to take control of their own lives and destiny and to become the African-American
community’s leaders, he said. Hughes, who was representing the UCC Church in Connecticut, warned that “the oppressive side of history seeks to repeat itself.” That’s why “many of us are feeling ‘black and blue’,” she said referencing the song, which includes this refrain: ” God looks at my skin/ I’m lovely to him ... God knows why I’m black and blue.” Hughes called the present political moment “an era of De-Construction.” She said it’s critical to remember whose shoulders and sacrifices people in relative comfort today stand upon. She urged people to stay in touch with the universal message of the Biblical texts her chapter and verse came from Deuteronomy 8: 11-20 particularly at a time “when those who say they believe in gospel [also] champion hate and bigotry.” “As we remember the journey of the Amistad slaves, we have to remember that the slave trade didn’t die . . . it turned into the prison-industrial complex, profiting off their bodies .... It was evil then, it is evil now. We must not forget where we have been, where we are now, we must not forget the thousands of black men and women who are incarcerated, so many for nonviolent crimes.” Hughes warned that even many Congregationalists do not sufficiently know Dixwell’s storied history and its involvement in social justice. “I hope we’ll have faith to challenge systemic injustice [again] and not become weary,” she said. Streets said that the committee leading the rebuilding effort will be looking at first drawings as soon as next week and make the determination whether to proceed with a major renovation or a new building on the site. In either case, with an 18-month construction schedule, the goal is to cut the ribbon on a completed new facility in the bicentennial year, pf 2020.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
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Whose America Is It? THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
by RAMIN AHMADI
NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT
(Opinion) She has a glowing face with perfect makeup, stunning eyes, full lips, and hair meticulously covered with a headscarf. Her “hijab” is an American flag carried on a patriotic poster that proclaims: “I am America.” The poster aims to unsettle the right-wing Trumpophiles whose venomous anti-Muslim, antiimmigrant propaganda is spreading across America, poisoning the civil society that has inspired so many generations of democratic minded intellectuals worldwide. I stand among several hundred others who have come out on a cold New Haven night to protest this absurd new ban on immigrant from Muslim nation. But, the “I am America” poster unsettles me. I was born to a middle class secular Muslim family in Iran and forced to leave the country in 1981 when the Islamic regime began largescale executions of young political activists. I left my entire family behind, crossed the border into Pakistan and arrived in the U.S. a year later on a student visa an undertaking that is becoming impossible for daring youth like myself under a Trump administration. Despite the decades that now divide me and those early revolutionary years in Iran so long ago, I still vividly remember the
Ramin Ahmadi (pictured) is the author of several books in Persian, and the cofounder of the New Haven-based Iran Human Rights Documentation Center.
ways that our lives were tragically stripped of freedom. My mother, the principal of a local high school, was forced to wear the hijab and ultimately booted out for not being “Muslim enough.” Her fate was not unique, as many other urban women lost their careers, and were banished
to the margins for similar reasons. Iranian women did not take this rollback of their rights without a fight. Thousands bravely protested the mandatory hijab, which became law in 1982, and suffered beatings, imprisonment, and torture. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) organized street gangs and began a systematic attack on women that the new government labeled as “bad hijab.” In the new Islamic Republic, where piety and purity, were the order of the day those who showed their hair were sexually provoking men and spreading corruption. The struggle against the hijab by Iran’s women and the regime’s
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insistence to impose it, the “hijab war,” has become a focal point of confrontation between the Islamic regime and Iranian civil society activists. Today, Iranian women who are fighting the mandatory hijab law pay a high price for their resistance on a daily basis. More recently, in an attempt to spread even greater fear, state-sponsored street gangs have begun throwing acid on the faces of women who are not covering their hair properly. The “Acid Brigade” walks away from their crime with complete impunity. By imprisoning the activists who have protested against the recent acid attacks, the regime has brazenly shown with which side of this war it is standing. For many of us, secular Iranians, hijab has become the symbol of a continuous and organized brutality against women and a contested attempt to roll back their rights. “Hijab” is the flag of the regime’s social engineering, the brand for the historical attempt at making a uniform
mass Muslim society at any cost. To see it today as a symbol of political mobilization here in the United States is profoundly devastating to secular Iranian-Americans who have been either witnessed or been victimized to atrocities in the name of hijab. There is no doubt that the American Muslim community is under siege and has become the main target of punitive immigration policies of the new administration. It is every conscientious American’s civic duty to stand in solidarity with the Muslim minority whose rights are being threatened. But why not extend this solidarity to the victims of religious intolerance and political refugees of Islamic dictatorships? Why have we not seen thousands of American Muslim women standing up for reproductive rights of fellow women, or protesting the mandatory hijab law of Iran and other dictatorial nations were their counterparts do not have the freedom to choose their dress code? Why does the American Muslim community remain silent in the face of crimes that are committed in the name of their faith? America can’t ban a faith, nor can it exercise various forms of religious discrimination and still claim to be a democracy. The claim of the “I am America” poster, with its well-groomed hijab-clad young woman, is far from the inclusive and culturally sensitive America that has been my sanctuary and new homeland. Far from symbols of religious purity and domination, America is about impurity and tolerance. If our country is to be portrayed by a singular image, say in a poster, it needs to be a collage of us all who come in every ethnicity and religion, live side by side, and dress in whatever way we wish – in veils, saris, hijabs and bikinis.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Republican Lawmakers Attack Obama’s Education Law By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor
Without hesitation, Jill Lauren said that the most critical program that should be included under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is proper reading instruction beginning in kindergarten. “We know that children learn to read by using either a whole language or phonics approach. Some kids seem to pick up reading, as if by magic, while others need every sound and syllable rule explicitly taught,” said Lauren, who holds a bachelor’s of science and master’s degree in learning disabilities from Northwestern University. Known as an expert in reading and writing, Lauren has trained teachers around the country to utilize a variety of structured, multi-sensory approaches to the instruction of reading and written language. “Teachers of pre-K to [third grade] need to know how to teach both methodologies of reading instruction,” said Lauren. “Every child entering third grade should be reading on grade level, meaning we have four years to properly teach kids how to read.” Lauren continued: “Without the essential skill of reading on grade level, the rest of a child’s school years will be troubled, and statistics show that most youth offenders, as well as adult inmates, struggle with literacy. This educational failing is a national tragedy.” Lauren’s concerns come as Education Week reported a push by Republicans in Congress to overturn accountability regulations for ESSA could have far-reaching consequences for how the law works in states, and the potential end of the much-contested rules is dividing the education community. Groups supporting the move argue that it would free schools from unnecessary burdens, while opponents contend that overturning the rules could hurt vulnerable students and create turmoil in states and districts trying to finalize their transition to ESSA, the 2015 law that replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), comprised of 211 African American-owned media companies and newspapers, recently received a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support a three-year,
The head of the Republican party
multi-media public awareness campaign focusing on the unique opportunities and challenges of ESSA. Bridging the academic achievement gap in education K-12 for AfricanAmerican students and others from disadvantaged communities is of critical importance over the next several years, said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA. “The ESSA law was established to help increase the effectiveness of public education in every state,” said Chavis. “Our task is to inform, inspire, and encourage parents, students, teachers, and administrators to fulfill the intent and objectives of ESSA with special focus on those students and communities that have been marginalized and underserved by the education system across the nation.” Under ESSA, states will adhere to more flexible federal regulations that provide for improved elementary and secondary education in the nation’s public schools. ESSA, which also reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), received bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015. The regulations are administered by the U.S. Department of Education and
ESSA goes into full effect at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year. Last week, the House of Representatives approved a joint resolution that would overturn ESSA accountability rules issued by the Obama administration. Those rules, which became final in November, are intended to detail for states the timeline for addressing underperforming schools, how schools must be rated, the ways English-language learners must be considered in state accountability plans, and other policy issues. As some education advocates push for more intensive reading instruction in pre-K and kindergarten, others argue that attendance is the key to success. “One of the things that should be included in any modification of ESSA is the fifth criteria for schools which is about school climate,” said Helen Levy-Myers, founder and CEO of Athena’s Workshop, Inc., a texting application for educators. “The most important metric in school climate is individual student attendance rates. Measuring when individual students attend or are absent is a key indicator of school environment and more valuable than a survey, an acceptable option, which can influence results in the way questions are phrased.”
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School attendance is often dependent on other factors, like the friendliness of the staff, school leadership, safety of the school and neighborhood, health of the community, and the level of engagement between students and teachers, she said. A white paper presented by LevyMyers noted that the “cold, hard truth is that chronically absent children end up leading harder lives.” Students that miss just two or three days each month in kindergarten and first grade never catch up. They become chronically absent, defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year. About 83 percent of the chronically absent students in kindergarten and 1st grade are not reading at grade level at the end of third grade. Not being able to read well means that everything gets harder and that a student is four times more likely to drop out before graduation, LevyMyers said. Without a high school diploma, getting any job or advancing beyond the lowest, entry-level job is almost impossible, and that person is now eight times more likely to end up in jail, she said. “Teachers and administrators know these facts, but parents often do not understand how small absences
add up. Parents that do not visit the school or district website do not get the message about the importance of daily attendance,” Levy-Myers said. “They have not calculated that being absent two days a month, every month for nine months of school equals 18 days or 10 percent of the typical 180-day school year and that chronic absenteeism translates into a long list of negative outcomes.” While many Republican lawmakers have moved to strike down the implementation of ESSA, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told state school officers around the country that despite a delay, several regulations will be reviewed and changed by March 21. DeVos told the officers that state ESSA plans will still be accepted either in April or in September. In a memo to state school heads DeVos wrote: “Due to the regulatory delay and review, and the potential repeal of recent regulations by Congress, the Department is currently reviewing the regulatory requirements of consolidated State plans, as reflected in the current template, to ensure that they require only descriptions, information, assurances, and other materials that are absolutely necessary for consideration of a consolidated State plan.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Sidney Poitier: “Everything Changes If You Live Long Enough” by Carter Higgins, BlackDoctor.Org
Actor Sidney Poitier’s life has been a series of “firsts.” In 1958, he was the first black actor nominated for an Oscar as Best Actor for his role as an escaped convict chained to Tony Curtis in “The Defiant Ones.” And when he won the Best Actor Oscar in 1964, he was not only the first black actor to do so, he remained the only one until 2002. The youngest of seven children, Sidney Poitier was born three months premature while his Bahamian parents were in Miami to sell tomatoes. Uncertain whether he would survive because of a number of illnesses, his dad purchased a tiny casket, while his mother consulted a palm reader. “The lady took her hand and started speaking to my mother: ‘Don’t worry about your son. He will survive,’ ” Poitier recalled. “And these were her words, she said: ‘He will walk with kings.’ Sidney Poitier has sworn off alcohol, red meat, milk, sugar, and refers to his occasional scoop of ice cream as ”falling off the wagon.” Poitier eats an omelet made of egg whites to avoid cholesterol and an occasional side dish of broccoli to keep up with his habit of eating vegetables at every meal. Growing up and moving to the States, when Poitier first heard of acting as a profession, he went for a theater audition. But with his thick
island accent, he was immediately rejected. Unmoved, Poitier took a job as a dishwasher and listened daily to let go of his accent and improve his speech. Poitier has directed a number of films, including A Piece of the Action, Uptown Saturday Night,
Let’s Do It Again, with Bill Cosby; Stir Crazy, starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder; and Ghost Dad, also with Cosby. In 2002, thirtyeight years after receiving the Best Actor Award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy
Honorary Award, in recognition of his “remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being”. The two-time Academy Award winner turned 90 on Monday, and celebrated the milestone with friends and family, including his wife, Joanna Shimkus, whom he
married in 1976, as well as six daughters, Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, Gina, Anika and Sydney. He also has eight grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. Poitier has been a health food and exercise enthusiast for at least 40 years, and it has served him well. At 88, he is 6-foot-3, a little under 200 pounds, trim, and… …still smiling the incandescent smile that started his career five decades ago. His eating habits, however, constitute more than a diet. They flow from an iron-willed selfcontrol that covers his every waking moment, allowing him to present himself as the cool and elegant gentleman, even through periods of enormous personal strain. There was a period of rejection in the 1960’s where even his core black audience talked about him for taking and portraying what they thought of as “too pure” and dainty. But when Poitier speaks of it today, he still holds no hard feelings: ”I didn’t feel victimized by any of it. So what those people say, they have to speak for themselves. They don’t have to speak for me, ’cause I’ve been speaking for myself. And I’ve learned that everything changes if you live long enough.” And he’s right. Now Poitier has gone from outcast to hero once more. Over the last several years, critics continue to beat down his door with awards and accolades.
Why You Must Read Author Tonya Bolden’s New Book on Black “Pathfinders”
By Julianne Malveaux, NNPA Newswire Columnist I love Black History, and so revel in Black History Month. Not that Black History should be constrained to a month. Indeed, when I wrote my book “Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History” in 2010, I hoped that some folks would touch the book each day and talk about the many ways African American people have shaped our nation’s economic life, from building this country, to being the basis of our bond system. Despite my work, and that of others, Black History
Month celebrations seem to center on the men in our history, and on the familiar names. Our 45th President has lifted up Frederick Douglass, touting his many accomplishments, as if he is still living. Omarosa, don’t you give this man his talking points? He needs to be locked into the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and then forced to watch Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro.” I digress. You’ve heard of Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), Ida B. Wells, Dr. Dorothy Height, WEB DuBois and Mary McLeod Bethune. But do you know Venture Smith, Mary Bowser, James Forten, Charles Wiggins, Clara Smith, Paul R. Williams, and Jackie Ormes? These are just some of the pathfinders that Tonya
Bolden has lifted up in her book, “Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls.” Her book is extraordinary, not only because it features the biographies of relatively unknown and amazing African Americans, but also because she puts their lives in context. Thus, each biography talks about what was happening historically during the subject’s life. She also highlights their contemporaries, expanding the reach of the book and, perhaps, challenging students to do their own research about other notable African Americans. Tonya Bolden is an awardwinning children’s book author, but “Pathfinders” is no children’s book. To be sure it should be ordered in every school library and purchased by many parents. But young people will not be the
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only ones enhanced by a book that highlights sixteen stellar African Americans, many unknown. Bolden says, “Without denying racism and oppression, I did not want to talk about racism, but about accomplishment.” So she set out to offer a range of occupations for the young people who will read her book. “I wanted to give kids variety,” she told me. “I also wanted to expose them to people who had done something.” Black folks have done amazing things, and Bolden says she wants to encourage young people to “dream big and take chances”. Her book reflects that, lifting up Richard Potter, a Black magician who traveled the world as a cabin boy before joining a circus, studying with a ventriloquist, and stepping out on his own to be, says Bolden, “the first magician born in the
United States to have success in the land of his birth.” Or who would have thought that Sissieretta Jones, the daughter of enslaved people, would have had a successful career as a concert singer? Jones performed at Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall, sung at the White House for President Benjamin Harrison, and completed a European tour. Bolden says she wants young people to “think big.” Well, in spotlighting Sissieretta Jones, she encourages that dream. While the average American earned about $400 a year in Jones’ heyday, her earnings were more than $8000 a year. She was one of the highest paid Black entertainers in the United States. The richness of Bolden’s book lies in the fact that she does offer Con’t on page 25
New Study:
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Blacks Feel Ignored by the Democratic Party
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor Cornell Belcher, the CEO of Brilliant Corners Research, said that it’s no surprise that Black voters have presented a very clear mandate to the Congressional Black Caucus to oppose the Trump Administration, because 92 percent of African Americans voted against President Trump. “However, to maintain this broad level of support among African American voters, Democrats more broadly will have to reevaluate the way they are engaging this critical section of [their] base,” Belcher said in a statement on February 9. Belcher made a presentation and presented his new study to members of the Congressional Black Caucus at their retreat on February 7. House Democrats then departed to Baltimore for their annual three-day retreat the next day. Belcher’s phone survey questioned 601 African Americans, at least 18 years-old, and registered to vote; the survey was conducted from January 4-8. The results of the Belcher survey showed that African American voters were dissatisfied with President Trump and the direction of the country, and want more drastic tactics used to fight programs and policies that negatively impact their communities. The results also showed that protecting social security, reforming the criminal justice system, keeping the country safe from terrorists and other issues are priorities for African Americans. “African Americans are the Democratic Party’s most loyal voters and they should be treated as such,” said Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), the chairman of the CBC, regarding the new study. “The results of this survey are clear marching orders for the Congressional Black Caucus — African Americans want Democrats to stop using the same old playbook and to make substantive progress on the issues that affect their communities.” Here are some of the findings from
Belcher’s study: — A large majority of African American voters (63 percent) feel taken for granted by the Democratic Party. This startling majority represents a growing problem among one of the most critical components of Democrats winning coalition. The outcome of the 2016 election was widely the result of this coalition splintering away from the top of the ticket along the margins with younger and browner voters. — The majority of African American voters (53 percent) want the Congressional Black Caucus to oppose President Trump. While 53 percent is not an overwhelming majority, it does represent an unusual decision for voters that normally prefer cooperation rather than obstruction from elected officials in Washington. — African-American voters broadly support more drastic tactics to obstruct the Trump administration, including not confirming President Trump’s appointees (53 percent), sit-ins and other acts of civil disobedience. — African-American voters are overwhelmingly dissatisfied (69 percent) with the direction of the country now, a drastic departure from the satisfaction they experienced during the Obama administration. Only 22 percent of African Americans are satisfied with direction of the country now, while 69 percent are dissatisfied. — The list of important priorities for African American voters includes: Protecting Social Security (88 percent, very important), keeping us safe from terrorists (78 percent), criminal justice reform (74 percent), reforming the election process so the candidate with the majority wins (72 percent), investigating Russian interference with the 2016 election (72 percent), protecting Obama’s legacy (71 percent), banning assault weapons (61 percent), and blocking Sessions (60 percent) are the top legislative priorities for African Americans nationally. Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She is also a frequent contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. Connect with Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
#DestinationGreatness Myron Rolle: From The NFL To Neurosurgeon by Carter Higgins, BlackDoctor.org
“I played football, but I didn’t want to be categorized as just a jock.” Those are the words of Myron Rolle. Coming out of high school, Myron was the #1 football prospect in the entire U.S. He was a First Team Freshman All-American in 2006 and earned both Third Team All-America and Second Team All-ACC honors in 2008, his final season in Tallahassee. NFL scouts definitely took notice. Myron Rolle was rated by ESPN as the #1 football recruit in the U.S. in 2006, so it’s no wonder he went on to play in the NFL. During his time in the NFL, he wasn’t your usual player. He researched stem cells. He started anti-obesity programs that the U.S. Department of Interior adopted. He even raised money for hospitals. But just before his NFL dreams came true by enlisting in the draft, as scouts were eager to snatch him up, Rolle decided to delay his entering the NFL draft for a whole year to study medicine in Oxford, England. During that time, he was named a finalist for a Rhodes scholarship, the most prestigious academic award given. When he made it back to the States, the Tennessee Titans took on Rolle, selecting him in the
Myron Rolle was rated by ESPN as the #1 football recruit in the U.S. in 2006,
sixth round of the 2010 draft. The progress he made in his first year with Tennessee — “I thought I was making strides and getting better with each snap, picking up things I didn’t pick up before,” he said — took a hit with the departure of head coach Jeff Fisher and the 2011 lockout putting a halt to OTAs. Rolle was released right before the start of the 2011 season. The Steelers signed him to a reserve/ future contract the next offseason, only to release Rolle at the tail end
of the 2012 preseason. Afterward, it took Rolle three weeks of soul searching to realize that it was for the best that his football-playing career was done at age 25. “I talked to my family, brothers and pastors asking them what they thought,” he said. “I still received interest from a few teams, and it didn’t have to be over. Then I said to myself, ‘I can knock my head against the wall for 8-9 years or move on to medicine.’ I was leaving the game with no concussions and
dexterity in both my hands, where I could be a neurosurgeon one day.” “The NFL experience was amazing. I had a chance to play alongside some of the best athletes in the world. Only two other people can say that they were a Rhodes Scholar and an NFL player (Pat Haden and Byron White). I look back and say, ‘I got to the league, I got drafted.’” So now, after much study and hard work, the 30-year-old Rolle will be graduating this Spring 2017 with
his doctorate from Florida State University College of Medicine! Rolle is now also the chairman of the Myron L. Rolle Foundation, which serves the underserved in areas of health, wellness and education in the U.S. and around the world. The Myron L. Rolle Foundation currently hosts the Myron Rolle Wellness and Leadership Academy for Florida foster children, “Rhodes to Success” (an academic workshop for at-risk teenagers) and “Our Way to Health” (an anti-obesity program for American Indians of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo tribes). “It’s always, ‘What’s next?,’” explains Myron. “I think people align themselves with my way of thinking when they’re talking to me. They try to create new avenues for me to pursue, so if you want to be a doctor and you have interest in human rights and philanthropy and social equality of medicine and disease, why don’t you think about being surgeon general? Then you could have a political impact, with a stronger influence and a bigger platform. I’m that person. ‘What’s next? What’s next?’” Whatever he has planned up his sleeve, we know it will be great. So let’s just “Rolle with it.” See what I did there?
From Freedom’s Journal to the NNPA, Black Press Is Still Relevant
By Harry Colbert, Jr. Insight News/NNPA Member No one is better equipped to tell your story better than you. And logic stands to reason that no one is better equipped and more passionate about telling our story than us. The stories of Blacks in America are equally as triumphant as they are tragic. And many, if not most, of these stories would be lost to time, if not for the Black Press. And in an age where Black people are both progressing exponentially and under attack daily, the need for the Black Press has never been more apparent. And in a day where all media is under assault from the highest level, we must
exalt the nations more than 200 Black newspapers, as they continue to serve as the defenders and the vanguard progress, enterprise and liberty. Since the days of “Freedom’s Journal” the first Black newspaper, published in 1827 during the height if slavery — to today, the Black Press has been a voice reason, compassion and defiance. Margot Lee Shetterly, author of “Hidden Figures,” said if not for the archives of the Black Press such as the “Norfolk Journal and Guide” and the “Pittsburgh Courier” the inspiring story of the Black women geniuses at NASA would not have been possible to tell. If not for the “Florida Sun” in Orlando, the story of the great training in science and technology happening at Bethune-Cookman University – one of the nation’s historically Black universities – would go untold and unnoticed. In Baton Rouge, it may have been a citizen’s lens that captured the senseless killing of Alton Sterling
at the hands of police, but it is “The Drum” that keeps Sterling’s memory alive and is shining the white-hot spotlight on those responsible for his homicide. When factions of the socalled “alt-right” – a movement of racism and intolerance – try to co-opt and corrupt the words (while ignoring the actions) of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it was the Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), who provided a comprehensive and accurate remembrance of the revered freedom fighter. Weeks after the inauguration of a president that most in mass media are still trying to wrestle with and dissect, trying to figure out how all the major polls got it wrong, it was the Black Press that ran article after article talking about the tremendous voter suppression efforts happening in key battleground states in the aftermath of the United States Supreme Court
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decision in the Shelby v. Holder case that gutted the Voting Right Act of 1965. Possibly, had the warnings of the Black Press been heeded, maybe, just maybe, the nation and the world would not be in the predicament it now finds itself. The NNPA wrapped up its mid-winter training conference in Ft. Lauderdale a few weeks ago. Representing more than 200 Black publications, the NNPA, is a trade association of the more than 200 African Americanowned community newspapers from around the United States. Since its founding 75 years ago, NNPA has “consistently been the voice of the Black community and an incubator for news that makes history and impacts our country.” Each week 20 million Americans from all backgrounds seeking news from the Black perspective turn to NNPA newspapers, including “Insight News.” As journalists, our mission is to shine a light in the darkest of corners. That
mission was reaffirmed at the NNPA’s 2017 Mid-Winter Conference with a level of commitment and intensity never before seen. “Freedom’s Journal” ran the first leg of the relay. The NNPA and the Black Press have gladly accepted the baton and we are more than capable of running the race. In running that race, what we ask of you, the reader, in this age of digital media and the sharing at the click of a button; that you seek out and share the valuable information of the Black Press with your networks as we must preserve and protect the Black Press. Harry Colbert, Jr.is the managing editor of Insight News in Minneapolis. An award-winning journalist, Colbert served as a journalism instructor to the National Association of Black Journalists and the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists. He is a past president of the University of Missouri chapter of the NAACP.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Con’t from page 22
“Pathfinders”
occupational variety. There are entertainers, but there are also women near and dear to my heart, women that I’ve written about over the years. One is Dr. Sadie Tanner Mosell Alexander, the first African American woman to receive the Ph.D. in economics, and one of the first three to receive the Ph.D. in a single week in June 1921. Georgiana Rose Simpson earned her Ph.D. in German from the University of Chicago, and Eva Beatrice Dykes earned her Ph.D. in English from Radcliffe (now Harvard). She taught at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., Howard University and Oakwood College (now University) in Huntsville, Alabama. Another sister Bolden lifts up is Maggie Lena Walker, the first African American woman to form and run a bank, Penny Savings Bank, in Richmond, Virginia. Maggie Lena, cannily merged her bank with others to survive the Great Depression, and the bank thrived until it closed in 2009. As an economist, Maggie Lena Walker and Dr. Sadie Tanner Mosell Alexander resonate with me, but many will also enjoy the lives of architect Paul Williams, combat pilot Eugene Ballard, or filmmaker Oscar Michaeaux. Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson, the woman whose accomplishments were highlighted in the movie, “Hidden Figures,” is also featured in Bolden’s book. What can we learn from these pathfinders? We can appreciate their achievement against all odds. We can appreciate their faith and their contributions. And, most importantly, we can be inspired by their contributions and by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King. “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” The service of these pathfinders should inspire our own drive to achieve, to accomplish and, most importantly, to serve. Tonya Bolden’s book is an absolutely worthy addition to your library! On Saturday March 18, 2017, to honor those in the books and our communities’ authorless, book parties will be held around the country. To participate or host an event contact – read@
Top 2017 African-American, Minority and Diversity Summer Internship Programs
Nationwide — Many companies and organizations are already announcing that they are accepting applications for their upcoming internship programs. Here’s a list of the top 2017 summer internship programs for African Americans: #1 – The NBA Internship Program offers college students an exciting opportunity to use their skills and classroom learning within a national sports environment. Learn more at www.findinternships.com/2013/10/ nba-internship-program.html #2 – The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program is a 10-week, full-time, paid summer work opportunity for deserving students with an interest in the NASCAR industry. Learn more at www. findinternships.com/2013/03/nascardiversity-internship-program.html #3 – Black Enterprise Internships are designed to provide real-life work experiences for college students interested in a career in the media industry. Learn more at www. findinternships.com/2013/10/blackenterprise-internships.html #4 – The NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship offers an opportunity for a minority, female college student to be chosen for a unique two-year internship program. Learn more at www.findinternships. com/2013/10/ncaa-ethnic-minorityand-womens.html #5 – The Minority Access Internship Program offers spring, summer and fall internships for college sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduates and professionals. Learn more at www.findinternships. com/2013/05/minority-accessinternship-program.html #6 – Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Internships are available for college students pursuing undergraduate associates or bachelors degrees. Learn more at www.findinternships.com/2013/09/ congressional-black-caucusfoundation.html #7 – Explore Microsoft Internship Program is for current college undergraduate minority students pursuing a degree in computer science or software engineering. Learn more at www.findinternships. com/2013/04/Explore-MicrosoftInternship-Program.html #8 – BET Networks Internships provides paid internships for both undergraduate and graduate college students at five different locations. Learn more at www.findinternships. com/2013/09/bet-networksinternships.html #9 – The UNCF/NAACP Gateway to Leadership Internship Program is
a 10-week paid summer internship for undergraduate students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Learn more at www.findinternships. com/2013/04/uncf-naacp-gatewayto-leadership-internship-program. html #10 – Google Internships is rated No. 1 by Forbes as the best internship opportunity for college students interested in a career in software engineering. Google offers an open culture and rich learning experience as well as good pay. Learn more at www.findinternships.com/2013/02/ google-internships_15.html #11 – The TV One Internship Program is open to full-time or part-time students attending an accredited college or university with an interest in a career in the media industry. TV One, one of the largest African American cable networks. Internships are offered to undergraduate college students in the Fall, Spring and Summer. Learn more at www.findinternships. com/2013/09/tv-one-internshipprogram_12.html #12 – Oracle offers a 8-week, paid internship for students who attend one of the 39-member historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The internships help students to gain knowledge and experience in the field of technology. Learn more at www.findinternships. com/2014/01/oracle-diversityinternships_95.html #13 – The National Urban League Summer Internship Program offers internships to students who are interested in a career in the non-profit
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industry. The program provides an 8-week paid internship for college students in either New York City or Washington, D.C. Learn more at www.findinternships.com/2013/04/ national-urban-league-summerinternship_8.html #14 – The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) offers internships to minority students interested in pursuing a future career in journalism. Applicants selected for a 10-week internship will be offered positions in print, broadcast or online disciplines at selected news organizations across the country. Learn more at www.findinternships. com/2016/11/nabj-internships.html #15 – The Essence Communications Internship is a 9-week, paid internship is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in a career in the media industry. Candidates must have a strong interest in issues among African American women. Learn more at www.findinternships.com/2013/10/ essence-communicationsinternship_73.html #16 – The Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) offers a full-time summer work experience for college students pursuing a career in advertising. Eligible students must be Asian/ Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Multiracial or Multi-ethnic. Learn more at www.findinternships.com/2013/05/ multicultural-advertising-internprogram_5.html #17 – Merck offers 9-11 week
internships are available to college students in the areas of research & development, sales & marketing, information technology, human resources, communications, finance and legal, as well as internships in biology and chemistry. Learn more at www.findinternships.com/2013/03/ merck-internships_1.html #18 – General Motors offers internships in the areas of communications, finance, information technology, marketing, engineering, manufacturing, health and safety. The internships offer a paid opportunity for students to receive a challenging work experience in the automotive industry. Learn more at www. findinternships.com/2013/04/ general-motors-internships_33.html #19 – DELL Computers offers 10-12 week internships during the summer for undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of marketing and sales, finance and accounting, IT and more. Internships provide real-world experience for college students while they are still in school. Learn more at www. findinternships.com/2014/01/dellinternships_9.html #20 – PricewaterhouseCoopers offers more than 700 internships each year across 29 countries for college students majoring in accounting and finance. Students will work with highly skilled professionals and receive a realistic insight into the accounting and finance profession. Learn more at www.findinternships.com/2013/03/ pricewaterhousecoopersinternships_67.html
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Town of Bloomfield Assistant Assessor $37.01 hourly
Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids
For details and how to apply, go to www.bloomfieldct.org. Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE
New Haven Section 3, DAS certified MBE & WBE subcontractors wanted Encore Fire Protection is looking for Section 3, DAS certified MBE & WBE subcontractors to install a fire sprinkler/suppression system. All interested bidders, companies and employees are to be licensed in the State of Connecticut, Bonded and Insured. Work duties will include all tasks required for proper fire sprinkler system installation per approved plans. Construction experience is a must. All F2 licensed mechanics are responsible to arrive to the job site on time, have a minimum of OSHA 10 training and possess approved personal protection equipment. You will also participate in daily, weekly and monthly progress reports. If interested, please contact encorefire110@gmail.com. Construction oriented company seeking full-time Accounting/Administrative Assistant to answer phones, schedule sales appts, filing, typing & other general office duties. Will also have accounting responsibilities-data entry, sales order billing, and processing A/P transactions, supporting our over-the-counter sales person, the controller & CFO. Min 5 yrs. Related experience, excellent written & verbal skills, ability to multitask, knowledge of basic accounting principles, excellent computer skills (5+ yrs. Experience) with Excel & Word, accounting software knowledge a plus. $31,200 annual salary-negotiable based on experience & qualifications. AA/EOE Email resume to mmunzner@atlasoutdoor.com
Interior and Exterior Door Installation and Repair The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Interior and Exterior Door Installation and Repair. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, February 13, 2017 at 3:00 PM
KMK Insulation Inc. 1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473
Mechanical Insulator
Insulation Company offering good pay and benefits. Please forward resume via REGULAR MAIL only. This company is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer Bridge Repair Crew –
must have reliable transportation and be willing to travel statewide, Operator, Driver, Laborer, M/F, 5-15 years Heavy Highway Exp, OSHA 10, Immediate Opening 860-664-8042, Fax 860-664-9175michelle@ occllc.com EOE, AA, Females and Minorities encouraged to apply
Elm City Communities Request for Proposals Unarmed Security Guards Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Unarmed Security Guards. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ gateway beginning on Monday February 13, 2017 at 3:00 PM
Cheshire Housing Authority 50 Rumberg Road Cheshire, CT 06410
Pre Applications for waiting list at Section 8 Elderly Complex called Beachport will be accepted February 1, 2017, 10:00 am to May 1, 2017, 4:30 pm. To qualify you must be either 62 years old or disabled with a maximum gross annual income of 30,650 (one person), 35,000 (two people). Interested parties may pick up a pre-application at 50 Rumberg Road or call to have one mailed. Completed applications must be returned NO LATER than 4:30pm, May 1, 2017. For more information call 203-272-7511.
The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT is seeking bids for Comprehensive Multi-Functional Copier, Printing System & Service. Bidding documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the business tab, RFPs/RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director 26
Construction oriented company seeking fulltime Accounting/Administrative Assistant to answer phones, schedule sales appts, filing, typing & other general office duties. Will also have accounting responsibilities-data entry, sales order billing, and processing A/P transactions, supporting our overthe-counter sales person, the controller & CFO. Min 5 yrs. Related experience, excellent written & verbal skills, ability to multitask, knowledge of basic accounting principles, excellent computer skills (5+ yrs. Experience) with Excel & Word, accounting software knowledge a plus. $31,200 annual salary-negotiable based on experience & qualifications. AA/EOE Email resume to mmunzner@atlasoutdoor.com ELECTRIC UTILITY ELECTRICIAN Electric utility is seeking a highly skilled maintenance electrician with extensive substation experience to maintain and repair transmission and distribution class switchgear, bus-work, lightning arrestors, protective relays, insulators, switches power transformers, data circuits, controls and other related components. Must be a high school/trade school graduate and have 4 years’ experience in the maintenance and operation of electric 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: $35.43 to $39.08 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Closing date will be February 17, 2017. Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. (203) 294-2080 /
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
POLICE OFFICER Competitive examinations will be held for the position of Police Officer in the Guilford, Hamden, North Haven, Orange, Seymour, Torrington and West Haven Police Departments. Initial examination phases will be physical performance, written, and oral. Candidates may apply online at www. policeapp.com. Application deadline is March 8, 2017.
Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Interior and Exterior Door Installation and Repair The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Interior and Exterior Door Installation and Repair. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, February 13, 2017 at 3:00 PM
ALL DEPARTMENTS PARTICIPATING IN THIS RECRUITMENT DRIVE
Elm City Communities
The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT
Request for Proposals Unarmed Security Guards
ARE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS.
is seeking proposals for FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES. RFP documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the business tab, RFPs/RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director
Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Unarmed Security Guards. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday February 13, 2017 at 3:00 PM
The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT
CDL CLASS A TRACTOR TRAILER DRIVER NEEDED. F/T SEND RESUME: GWF@SNET.NET OR CALL 860-274-9668 Thank you, Susan
is seeking proposals for MIXED-FINANCE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT LEGAL CONSULTING SERVICES. RFP documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the business tab, RFPs/RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director
Bridge Repair Crew – must have reliable transportation and be willing to travel statewide, Operator, Driver, Laborer, M/F, 5-15 years Heavy Highway Exp, OSHA 10, Immediate Opening 860-6648042, Fax 860-664-9175michelle@occllc.com EOE, AA, Females and Minorities encouraged to apply
SHOP EQUIPMENT MANAGER HEAVY AND HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
Immediate opening for Highly Organized, Self Motivated, Multitask Shop Manager
Elementary Café Manager
10 months per year – 20 hours per week The Town of Wallingford Board of Education Food Service Department is seeking a skilled individual to coordinate and manage the activities of the other foodservice employees within the facility. Applicants must have a high school degree or equivalent. Ability to read, write, and speak English. Individuals must have experience in food service with school food service experience preferred. Supervisory experience also preferred. Special Requirement: Must possess sanitation certification from an approved Dept. of Education source. Hourly Rate of $16.41 per hour plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply to: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Fax #: (203) 294-2084. Closing date will be March 1, 2017 or the date the 50th application is received, whichever occurs first. EOE.
Skills & Duties required: • Five Years Experience in Overseeing Shop Maintenance • Strong Mechanical Knowledge of Heavy & Highway Equipment • Manage, Plan, Direct & Motivate Mechanics Day to Day Activities • Implement All Aspects of Equipment Repair Including: Managing Vendors, Procurement of Parts & Supplies , • Develop Reports to Forecast, Track & Budget All Equipment Expenses • Ensure Equipment Compliance with All Federal & State Regulations • Assist Field Operators w Trouble Shooting & Emergency Repairs • Competent w Microsoft Word, EXCEL, MANAGER PLUS and Timberline Software Equal Opportunity Employer Minority and female candidates are highly encouraged to apply Apply: Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming 22 Peters Rd Bloomfield, CT 06002 Phone: 860-243-2300 Fax 860-243-3100
\Send resumes & salary requirements to:
Email: garrity.careers@garrityasphalt.com
CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY - BRIDGEPORT Construction Resources, Inc., an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, seeks certified MBE/WBE/SBE Subcontractors and/or suppliers and local business enterprises to bid applicable sections of work/equipment/supplies for the following construction project: Project known as South End Commons - Demolition of existing properties and new construction of eight (8) residential two-family dwellings and site improvements located on Columbia Street and Johnson Street in Bridgeport, CT. Bid Date and Time: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 by 12:00 noon. Electronic Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting Mark Rubins at Construction Resources Farmington office at (860) 678-0663 or by email to mark@corebuilds.com.
Town of Bloomfield
Assistant Director of Public Works Salary $74,337 - $114,743 For details and how to apply, go to www.bloomfieldct.org Pre-employment drug testing required AA/EOE 27
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
LEGAL NOTICE The Bristol Housing Authority is developing its 2017-2021 Agency Plans in compliance with the HUD Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998. It is available for review at the Authority’s office located at 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT. The Authority’s hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Thursday 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. In addition, a Public Hearing will be held on February 16, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at Gaylord Towers Community Hall located at 55 Gaylord Street, Bristol, CT. Public comments will be received no later than February 27, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. EOE
Grants Administration
Program Planning Administrator-Seeking a highly qualified professional to administer, manages, and oversees the Town’s Grants and Economic Development Programs. Serves as a representative on various intergovernmental and interagency organizations. The minimum qualifications: Bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university in government or public administration plus three years (3) of progressively responsible public administration and at least two years (2) of grant writing experience or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. $77,695-$99,410 plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply to: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Closing date will be December 15, 2016. EOE.
ELECTRICIANS
Semac Electric is seeking Electricians (CT Licensed Journeymen & Foremen, E1 and E2) to join our team for medium & large commercial construction projects thru out the State of CT: Hartford, Fairfield & New Haven Counties. We have excellent wages and benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications available at our main office at 45 Peter Court, New Britain, CT or send resume to P.O. Box 638, New Britain, CT 06050 or via fax to 860-229-0406 or email: careers@ semacelectric.com
Mechanical Insulator
Insulation Company offering good pay and benefits. Please forward resume to P.O. Box 475, North Haven, CT 06473 This company is an APPRENTICE
Telecommunications Company looking for apprentice to learn indoor and outdoor low voltage cable installation, aerial bucket work, messenger and lashing; manhole and underground installation. Good salary with benefits. Fax resume to 860-6432124 or mail to Fibre Optic Plus, 302 Adams Street, Manchester, CT 06042. Attn: Greg Brown AA/EEO Employer AFFIRMATIVE ACTION / EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT
The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport
Invitation for Bid (IFB) Trumbull Gardens – Building 10 & 11 Roof Replacement Solicitation Number: 075-PD-17-S The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is requesting sealed bids for the replacement of roofs at Trumbull Gardens building 10 & 11. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available on February 15, 2017. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A pre-bid conference will be held at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 on March 1, 2017 @ 2:00 p.m. Although attendance is not mandatory, submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than March 10, 2017 @ 2:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www. parkcitycommunities.org. All bids must be received by mailed or hand delivered by March 21, 2017 @ 2:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Contract Specialist, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time.
CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY - BRIDGEPORT
Construction Resources, Inc., an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, seeks certified MBE/WBE/SBE Subcontractors and/or suppliers and local business enterprises to bid applicable sections of work/equipment/supplies for the following construction project: Project known as South End Commons - Demolition of existing properties and new construction of eight (8) residential two-family dwellings and site improvements located on Columbia Street and Johnson Street in Bridgeport, CT. Bid Date and Time: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 by 12:00 noon. Electronic Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting Mark Rubins at Construction Resources Farmington office at (860) 678-0663 or by email to mark@corebuilds.com.
Electrical Apprentice Maintenance Electrician - The Town of Wallingford Public Utilities, Electric Division is seeking an individual to perform maintenance and installation of electrical equipment such as but not limited to maintaining and repairing high and low voltage equipment. Position requires completion of high school, technical high school or trade school plus two (2) years’ experience in electrical maintenance or construction OR an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. Must possess and maintain a valid State of Connecticut motor vehicle operator’s license. Wages: $24.63– $32.77 hourly and an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply to: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Fax #: (203) 294-2084. The closing date will be the date the 75th application or resume is received or January 30, 2017 whichever occurs first. EOE.
Common Ground High School Seeks Curriculum Development Consultant Common Ground High School is seeking an experienced, creative professional who can work with teachers, school leaders, students, families, and community partners to strengthen our curriculum and classroom teaching — ensuring it is driven by standards, rooted in our local community and unique site, culturally relevant and inclusive, contributing to social justice, and pushing students towards both environmental leadership and college success. For a complete job description and compensation information, please visit http:// commongroundct.org/2017/01/common-ground-seeks-curriculum-development-consultant
is seeking bids for Janitorial Services. Bidding documents can be viewed and printed at www. norwalkha.org under the business tab, RFPs/ RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director
Responsible for leadership, management & maintenance of plant infrastructure and all related/associated equipment. 5 plus years supervisory experience. Email: Info@redtechllc.com, Fax: 860-218-2433, RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.
ELECTRICIANS
Class A CDL Driver with 3 years min. exp. HAZMAT Endorsed. (Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off) Some overnights may be required. FAX resumes to RED Technologies, at 860.342-1042;
Semac Electric is seeking Electricians (CT Licensed Journeymen & Foremen, E1 and E2) to join our team for medium & large commercial construction projects thru out the State of CT: Hartford, Fairfield & New Haven Counties. We have excellent wages and benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications available at our main office at 45 Peter Court, New Britain, CT or send resume to
Facilities Manager – Portland, CT:
Class A Driver Email: HR@redtechllc.com Mail or in person: 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480.
RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
U.S. Navy Engineer Wins ‘STEM Oscar’ at 2017 BEYA Awards Gala
WASHINGTON – The awards gala featured pomp and circumstance, as industry legends and rising stars accepted accolades and made inspirational speeches here, Feb. 11. The award winners, however, were not film or entertainment celebrities. They were engineers honored for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) achievements at the 2017 Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) Awards gala – an annual event many call “the Oscars of the STEM industry”. Akin to the Academy Awards to be presented in Hollywood later this month, BEYA Award recipients were applauded for a myriad of professional categories, including career achievement, community service, outstanding technical contribution, professional achievement, technical sales and marketing, research leadership, affirmative action, educational leadership, entrepreneur leadership, most promising engineer, senior investigator, and senior technology fellow in addition to the most promising engineer and most promising scientist. In all, 41 awardees – including Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) engineer Dwayne Nelson – walked the proverbial red carpet. Nelson, known for his extraordinary success in mentoring middle to high school students, received the 2017 BEYA Award for Community Service. “His career already embodies outstanding civil service and the Navy keeps him busy,” Naval Surface Warfare Center Commander Rear Adm. Tom Druggan told the gala audience at the 31st BEYA STEM Global Competiveness Conference. “He’s advancing the science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers and improving the lives of those around him,” said Druggan as he introduced the NSWC Dahlgren Division engineer. “The Navy is proud. I know his family is proud.” At that point, Druggan presented Nelson with the BEYA Community Service Award. “This award has inspired and challenged me to contribute more towards empowering our youth and others to serve our community while
Dwayne Nelson, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division engineer, holds his Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) Award after being honored for his community service accomplishments at the 31st annual BEYA gala. (Courtesy photo by Olivia Nelson/Released)
encouraging interest in highlyrewarding science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields,” said Nelson. “Giving back and empowering people to reach their full potential is vital to stimulating enthusiasm about STEM. Every step, no matter how large or small, helps strengthen the arduous efforts in sustaining monumental, long-term, positive change within our communities.” The NSWCDD commanding officer’s letter to Career Communications Group nominating Nelson for a BEYA award put the spotlight on the civilian engineer’s ability to determine where others are in need and his quick action to craft a solution. “This skill set is not only invaluable in his work role, but in his role as a Big Brother with Rappahannock Big Brothers and Big Sisters where he participates in weekly one-on-one mentoring programs offering guidance, support, and encouragement to children at a local elementary school,” according to
the letter. Nelson applies the same problem solving skills in his leadership role with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) where his contributions impact students and future engineers of all ages. “I would like to thank Rear Adm. Tom Druggan, the Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division for supporting me throughout my career,” said Nelson. “The endless encouragement and invaluable learning have changed me forever.” Meanwhile, Nelson has been changing the lives of middle and high school students forever. As part of NSBE’s Pre-College Initiative program at a local middle school, Nelson inspires students to attend college in pursuit of STEM degrees by helping them discover how engineering and technology relates to the world around them. “He helps them to realize the excitement that comes with academic excellence, leadership,
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technical development, and teamwork,” the nomination letter states. Nelson led the NSBE Potomac River Professional Chapter’s engagement in more than 70 programs promoting technical excellence among young professionals in addition to the chapter’s impact in the community through educational programs for middle and high school students. “Through his hundreds of hours of technical outreach community help, principally focused on the advancement of STEM among minority community members, he has developed partnerships with local schools and agencies to give back to the community,” the letter continues. “For example, Mr. Nelson’s leadership and passion for the community led to a partnership with the local King George Family YMCA to host a 5K run-walk fundraiser with a goal of promoting a healthy lifestyle while using STEM principles to assist in improving participant’s health and wellness.” He also participated in A Walk for Education, Habitat for Humanity, United Way Day of Caring, Adopta-Highway, Back to School Supply Drives, and Collegiate Mentorship Programs. The engineer also established an annual STEM Innovators Scholarship to assist graduating high school seniors in paying for their education so they can also succeed professionally and positively impact their community. As the Deputy Information Officer for two NSWCDD technical departments, Nelson supervises a mixed government and contractor team in the administration and compliant operation of multiple mixed domains and networks, comprising more than 2,000 individual seats that support multiple, geographically dispersed locations. “Working with Dwayne is a real pleasure – he simply makes everyone’s lives better,” said Ed Hudson, NSWCDD Cyber Technologies and Software Systems Division head. “As an information technology professional, he enables the success of his co-workers, customers and peers by streamlining, automating, and simplifying what can be very expansive compliance requirements.”
The BEYA conference and awards gala – hosted by Career Communications Group’s U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology Magazine, Lockheed Martin, and the Council of Engineering Deans at Historically Black Colleges and Universities – is a talent-rich environment for recruitment, networking and professional development. The conference’s prestigious awards ceremony provided employers with the unique opportunity to acknowledge and share the achievements of minorities who are leaders in the fields of math, science, engineering, and information technology. The purpose of the BEYA STEM Conference is to shed light on the underrepresentation of all minorities in the STEM industry, and to honor the successful modern-day minority inventors, technical innovators, gifted scientists, budding engineers, and high-level managers and executives whose careers are “Going Beyond the Limits” in private industry, government agencies, and the military, and who are living proof of the benefits of opening doors to opportunity. The three-day February conference attracted several thousand attendees, including students, college administrators, recruiters, engineering and IT professionals, scientists, and high-level decision-makers from the corporate, government, and military communities, in an effort to broaden diversity in this country’s technical and scientific workforces. Attendees participated in training and networking events focused on career development, diversity in STEM, and innovation. Nelson holds bachelor’s degrees in applied mathematics from Morris College in Sumter, S.C., and in computer and electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. Nelson also holds a master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va. The conference was held Feb. 9-11, 2017 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington D.C. The awards gala was live streamed over You Tube and is available for viewing: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JjqAgQRXzCY
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
Trump and the Black Caucus Plan to Meet for the First Time By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor
Following a bizarre exchange with American Urban Radio Networks White House Correspondent April Ryan, the Congressional Black Caucus is in talks with President Donald Trump to set up a meeting. Trump asked, Ryan, a veteran Black journalist, if she could set up a meeting with him and the CBC, as if Ryan was an employee of the White House or a special assistant to the CBC. Ryan responded by saying, “I’m a journalist.” The confusing exchange was one of several moments at an unscheduled press conference Trump held at the White House on February 16. “Since the White House has reached out in an appropriate manner to request a meeting with the caucus, I am now in discussions with them about setting one up,” Congressional Black Caucus Chairman, Rep. Cedric Richmond (DLa.) said in a statement after the press conference concluded. During an interview on MSNBC on February 17, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said that, “Steve Bannon cannot be in the room,” when the CBC meets with President Trump. “He’s a
stone cold racist.”
Bannon is currently the president’s
chief strategist and served as a highranking executive at Breitbart News, an online publication known for trafficking in right-wing, alternative news that Bannon himself defined as “the platform for the alt-right.” The term “alt-right” is increasingly used to describe a new and emerging movement of racists and White supremacists. Chairman Cedric Richmond (DLa.), said the following in response to President Trump’s comments regarding a meeting with the Black Caucus: “President Trump has been in office for almost a month and the Congressional Black Caucus — which at a historic 49 members is almost a fourth of the House Democratic Caucus and represents millions of African Americans — did not hear from the White House until we introduced ourselves on Twitter after the White House press conference today.” The statement continued: “For whatever reason, the letter the Congressional Black Caucus sent to then President-elect Trump and incoming White House officials on January 19 was not enough to get their attention. As the letter explained,
President Trump’s ‘New Deal for Black America’ is ill-informed and insufficient and he would be wise to tap into the decades of expertise held by the Congressional Black Caucus when it comes to addressing issues that affect African Americans.” The CBC, which is now at its largest membership in history, traditionally requests a meeting with the new president after the inauguration. Ironically, some of the meetings the CBC had with President Obama, specifically on the topics of jobs and the challenges of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, have had tense moments. President Obama did not meet with the Congressional Black Caucus during his first year in office. Meetings between Obama and the CBC were scarce even though most of the members and the President were members of the same party. Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She is also a frequent contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA. com. Connect with Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.
Will Trump Do a Better Job than Obama with HBCUs? By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Columnist
Despite a cavalcade of political distractions and a legal battle over immigration, President Trump appears to be focused on funding Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Less than three weeks in office the Trump Administration is in the process of writing an executive order on HBCUs; there’s also loud talk of increased funding, and the White House is planning an event with HBCU college presidents later this month. On February 8, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that, “the President has a strong commitment to them [HBCUs] and understands that over the last eight years they’ve been woefully neglected and I think he really wants to show a commitment in funding to HBCUs. You’ll see not just a push this month, but in his budget and going forward.” On February 9, new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos visited Howard University President Wayne Frederick for a, “robust discussion around the many challenges facing higher education and the important
role of HBCUs.” It was DeVos’ first official event at a university as Secretary of Education. House Republicans, led by Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), are working in parallel with the White House on the issue and will host and all-day HBCU forum on February 28 in Washington, D.C. at the Library of Congress. The event will include House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) who is the co-chair of the HBCU Caucus in the House. Thurgood Marshall College Fund President Johnny Taylor and United Negro College Fund Senior Vice President Cheryl Smith will also attend. The future of HBCUs is one of the few issues that Black members of Congress and Southern White Republicans can often find policy agreement on in an ultra-partisan era. The focus of discussions at Rep. Walker’s February 28th event will be how to assist HBCUs in challenging times. Many associated with the event say they want to hear “real talk” from the schools and have invited many HBCU presidents and advocates to attend. Two HBCUS shutdown doing the
time President Obama was in office: St. Paul’s College in Virginia and in August 2012, Morris Brown College filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an attempt to avoid foreclosure and by 2015, staff had to volunteer to keep the school running. In 2013, layoffs hit Morehouse as enrollment dropped after the Parent PLUS crisis. HBCUs experienced one of the worst periods in decades during the eight years President Obama was in office. HBCU advocates were often left out of the loop by the Obama White House on policies directly impacting their colleges and universities; members of Congress continuously defended HBCUs from Obama Administration policy. In 2015, members of Congress and advocates were blindsided by President Obama’s announcement to push for two years of free community college tuition. The plan would have sent federal money to states that would eliminate tuition and fees for community college students, but the plan failed to specifically include HBCUs. In July 2015, members of Congress expanded the plan to include HBCUs by way of targeted grants. In 2009, President Obama’s first budget cut $73 million in funding for
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HBCUs. The money was later restored after members of Congress, led by former House Education Committee Chairman George Miller, scrambled to find a way to fill the shortfall. In 2011, the Department of Education decided to make it harder for parents to secure Parent PLUS loans by tightening credit worthiness standards. Though over 400,000 parents had been rejected for Parent PLUS loans in early 2013, the change hit the parents of HBCU students disproportionately and interrupted the college careers of 28,000 HBCU students. HCBU advocates considered suing the Obama Administration over the change, but later decided not to. HBCUs collectively lost $150 million in tuition over the Parent PLUS loan decision. In September 2013, President Obama’s Education Secretary Arne Duncan apologized to HBCU leaders and advocates for the Parent PLUS loan decision and the lack of communication. “Communication internally and externally was poor,” Duncan said. “I apologize for that, and for the real impact it has had.” In February 2015, President Obama was critical of Historically Black Colleges and Universities during a
tense meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Only a few weeks before the meeting, President Obama’s own White House HBCU Advisory Board Chair, Hampton University President Dr. William Harvey, was critical of the Obama Administration. “Pell grants to students at HBCUs are down. Direct loans to our students are down. Graduate subsidies have been eliminated. In addition to student support, overall support to Black colleges is down,” said Harvey, who has been president of Hampton since 1978 Though the details of what happens next with the Trump Administration in the driver’s seat are unknown, that they have chosen to make HBCUs the target of an executive order and that there are several well positioned HBCU advocates close to the White House may bode well for HBCU policy over the next four years. Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She is also a frequent contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA. com. Connect with Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 22, 2017 - February 28, 2017
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