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Makes Black History Month Its Own

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Betsy Ross Makes Black History Month Its Own Lucy Gellman

New Haven Independent

Tyra Geter raised one arm to the sky as Trey Songz’ “How Many More Times” filled the auditorium, and dancers moved their faces slowly heavenward. Behind her, Trayvon Martin’s sweet, smiling face appeared on the screen. His eyes were so soft. Geter lifted her whole body and swung back on one leg, then stepped forward. In front of the stage, dance teacher Nikki Claxton watched every movement, unblinking .

Geter is a student at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School (BRAMS), where students and their teachers are dancing, playing, writing, acting, and singing their way through Black History Month. After months back in the classroom, they have harnessed their power as young artist-storytellers to share their own reflections on Black history, Black joy, and Black futures through their respective art forms.

In the process, several of them are working to open up a wider conversation based on the school’s Black History Month theme of “Dreaming Big.” Thursday night, they debuted it for the community in a virtual Black History Month assembly, their second in two years. Watch it here or at the bottom of this article.

“Everything I do, it’s from the heart— but when Black History [Month] comes, it’s a little more personal, and I try to give something back socially and something that will lift as well,” said dance instructor Nikki Claxton, a lifelong New Havener who returned to BRAMS to teach, and has never shied away from powerful and timely performances. “This one—how many more times is it gonna happen? From 1619 to Emmett Till to the present. And it’s still happening. When is it gonna stop? This is our future generation.”

One week before the assembly went live, classrooms buzzed with activity as students rehearsed. In the auditorium, dancers cycled on and offstage in black leotards, leggings and tights, eyes focused in front of them. In a sea of chairs and bleachers behind them, their classmates gathered to cheer them on. The lights dimmed, and suddenly Yolanda Adams’ “I Believe” was flying from the speakers.

On stage, students let her lyrics guide them, with a kind of easy grace and intuition that is a trademark of Claxton’s choreography. As Adams described a world that tried to hold them back, hands flew to chests, spreading over hearts in unison.

Students extended their arms to their full wingspan, then looked toward the ceilings and lifted their shoulders skyward. The beat dropped, and they sprang across the stage.

Adams belted—I believe I can! I can! I believe I will! I will!—and in the audience it was hard not to dance along. Dancers shuffled offstage, still full of movement, and the moment crackled with excitement.

Then seventh grader Dakarai Langley flew out from the wings, his body a live wire.

As he found the right spot on the front of

Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School | Black History Month | Dance | Education & Youth | Arts & Culture | New Haven Public Schools | Theater | Arts & Anti-racism

the stage, he melted into a tap solo, arms and legs gliding through the air as if they were weightless. His legs flew out to the sides, and he seemed totally free in his body. When his classmates flooded back onstage to join him, cheers went up from the student audience.

The work, which Claxton choreographed in dialogue with her students, is one of three that young dancers are performing to celebrate Black History as a living, breathing thing. In addition to the explosively joyful number, Hannah Healey’s students break with convention in Todrick Hall’s “Black & White,” a propulsive, poppy anthem to individuality that stars two students finding their way in a world that wants them to fall into line.

As he broke from a group of dancers, seventh grader George Villalobos spun forward and began to move to a beat that was entirely his own. Both he and fellow dancer Natalie Jambor later said that they see the song as a vital reminder to recognize and respect difference, rather than impose the violence of assimilation.

“Our dance is about accepting everyone for who they are—and I think it’s really important that we do that, even now,” Jambor said. “Not just for the color of your skin, but everything … . we need to appreciate difference.”

Songz’ “How Many More Times,” meanwhile, read as an unflinching and at times very vulnerable look at the American epidemic of state-sanctioned violence on

Black bodies, and specifically Black men.

As the lights came down on dancers for a third time, images of Trayvon Martin, Atatiana Jefferson, George Floyd, and a babyfaced Tamir Rice appeared one by one on the screen, with still images of marchers in between.

Seven dancers began to move, every footfall deliberate. There was Elijah McClain, the gentle Colorado teenager who taught himself to play the violin. There was Malcolm, so certain of his words, and Martin Luther King, Jr. beaming tenderly at his young children. Dancers held space for Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed while running through a sun-dappled Georgia suburb. In his honor, they dance-jogged gracefully across the stage.

It could just as easily have been Stephanie Washington, who Yale and Hamden police shot and injured in 2019, or Gateway Community College student Mubarak Soulemane, who was shot and killed by a state trooper in West Haven in the first weeks of 2020. The immediacy was visceral—and for Claxton and her students, necessary.

As Songz crooned, Geter and her peers moved through the space with careful intention, their bodies rocking forward with the music. They bent back to the lyrics ‘Cause the city on fire!, and a dimpled Fred Hampton appeared, his eyes wide and glowing, as if he had been summoned.

As they threw themselves into floorwork, a flurry of feet whispered from behind the

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curtains. They went airborne as the words “Mom, I’m Going To College”—the last words of Amadou Diallo spoke before he was killed by police—and then came back to the center, their rage elegant and heavy.

Behind them, students holding handmade signs came onto the stage. They ended stepping forward, full of might and grace, with fists raised. For a moment, it looked as if they might keep marching past the stage, out of the auditorium, and right into the heart of New Haven.

The work, in turn, is helping students dance through their feelings—and step into their own power. Last year, the Washington Post reported that law enforcement officials shot and killed 1,055 people across the country—a number that is higher than 2019 and 2020. In their classes, students at BRAMS have been learning about the Civil Rights movement, a history that is very much still with them. Geter said she is sometimes overwhelmed and exhausted thinking about the fact that protesters are still marching for the same basic human rights that thrummed through the 1960s.

Before she choreographed the numbers—one joyous, and the other heavy but hopeful—Claxton sat down with her students, played the music, spoke about the history, and opened the floor to discussion.

She brought in male students from other classes to talk about how police violence disproportionately targets Black men. It’s personal to her not only as a teacher: she is also a mother, and her son is a student

at BRAMS. “All of these men were children at one point,” she said. “When do they become a threat?

When he takes the stage, eighth grader Christian Lawrence said the dance helps him feel empowered.

“If you don’t have emotion while you’re dancing, it’s not about anything,” chimed in seventh grader Maelle Davenport.

“People can feel the dance when you have feeling.”

Every time she steps on stage, Geter said, she thinks of George Floyd’s daughter growing up without her dad. She thinks about Emmett Till, and the strength that his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, mustered in the wake of her son’s senseless murder.

She and fellow student Skye Williams think about the weight that Black women never asked for, and are forced to carry.

In summer 2020, Geter’s mom told her that no one would make her watch protests if she didn’t want to. She watched it anyway.

“I felt like it was part of me,” she said.”

While she said she feels that the country is more just under Joe Biden—a sentiment that many of her classmates echoed—she still sees Black people dying at the hands of police two years after Floyd’s murder and one after Trump left office.

“I think that’s the reason why we feel it [the dance] so emotionally,” she said.

“Some of us, some of our classmates, are African American. So we know the feeling of what’s going on.”

“I also focus on that,” Williams chimed in, standing beside her in a leotard and tights. “Since I’m a Black person, it’s scary to see that. We’re learning about Emmett Till. Since he was our age ... We have to be careful what we do, since we’re the same race as him and stuff. We have to be cautious, and it just doesn’t sit right.”

“Thank God we’re not in those times,” Geter said.

“Right, thank God we’re not in those times, but there’s still some people out here who will do stuff like that to you,” Williams responded, pointing to January 6 as a sign that racism is still alive and well. “I think about that while I’m dancing sometimes, that’s how I get my feelings out. Thinking about all the deaths on the news happening, I just think of that. And it makes me mad. Racist people—they just want to take our lives for no reason.”

“I Felt At Home” In a drama classroom down the hall, Edward Matthews Ramos was thinking about the final touches he’d put into McFly, the trusty, bitingly funny and entirely new sidekick to a middle school adaptation of Anansi the Spider. Like the dance performances, the project is one of three new plays from the theater department in the school’s virtual Black History Month assembly.

In adapting the Ashanti folktale of Anansi, which comes out of Ghana, West Africa, instructor Chris Lemieux had students in his seventh grade class read the beloved

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Parents Get Help Navigating

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

This Year’s School Choice Lottery

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTO Middleton presenting to parents at pre-pandemic in-person school choice fair.

by MAYA MCFADDEN New Haven Independent

Marquelle Middleton is working hard these days to help parents find “the right four-year fit” as the sometimes confusing, sometimes contentious annual school choice lottery gets underway.

The application period for the school choice lottery will remain open for only one more week for families looking to get their students into New Haven’s magnet, charter, or kindergarten at a Neighborhood School. Click here to apply before applications close Feb. 28.

Middleton, the system’s director of school choice and enrollment, has been the middleman of the lottery process for the past three years, working to provide families with explanations and advice.

Middleton and New Haven Magnet School Coordinator Michele Bonanno walked this reporter through the do’s and dont’s of the lottery process Wednesday in his office at 54 Meadow St. The school choice process consist of four steps for families: Explore. Apply. Accept. Register.

Once applications are all in, the computerized lottery system begins to fill each school’s open seats, prioritizing if the student has a sibling at the school and if they live in the school’s attendance zone.

Families this year can rank up to six school choices in order of preference.

Middleton advised parents to rank only those schools that match their students’ interest and not feel pressured to select six choices.

Bonanno and Middleton, New Haven natives and Wilbur Cross and Hillhouse high school grads, respectively, have a mutual goal of “placing a child is in a school where their needs can be met.”

Three years ago the school choice office tweaked its lottery system’s algorithm to keep families from “gaming the system” and to prioritize applicants with schools where they have sibling and/or neighborhood preferences.

More recently, Middleton has pushed the office into a more digital direction for families to have information about schools, including virtual tours, application simulators, and enrolled student-parent testimonials at their fingertips. Click here to access the new School Explorer tool.

Middleton reported that the majority of available seats this year are for grades pre-K‑3, pre-K‑4, kindergarten and grade 9. A limited number of open seats are also available for grade 6 at Engineering and Sci-

ence University Magnet School (ESUMS) and grades 5 and 6 at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School.

For the past two years, the number of School Choice applicants has been on a decline, Middleton said.

Middleton presenting to parents at pre-pandemic in-person school choice fair.

One of the main concerns on Middleton’s to-do list to address when stepping into the role was keeping parents from having to find time, a babysitter, and parking to make a trip to the office in order to participate in the process.

“We are committed to transparency and giving as much information as possible so kids will land in a school that they’re comfortable with and that meets their needs,” Middleton said. “The transparency will help to demystify this whole concept that there’s gaming of the system on our end.”

Families can visit the office for use of computers and paper applications on an appointment basis.

The duo are encouraging parents to dedicate time to identifying their children’s interests and talents through one-on-one conversations, sit-downs with school guidance counselors, and the School Explorer tool.

“Before applying, you want to be locked in with your child’s educational interest,” Middleton said.

“My goal is to minimize kids jumping from school to school to school.”

Families should consider a school’s theme, distance, and uniforms, Bonanno added.

Parents will learn the results of the process on March 31. Those who learn their students did not make it into any of their school choices sometimes accuse others of “gaming” the system. Middleton firmly denied that that happens with the new system’s algorithm. He said he “can’t wave a wand and make more seats.”

The hardest part during the school choice lottery period for both Bonanno and Middleton is dealing with parent and student disappointment, they agreed.

“No matter what you do there are going to be winners and some who consider themselves to be losers of the game,” Bonanno said.

The most rewarding part of the journey for the duo is visiting schools throughout the year and seeing students engaged and excited at their school choices.

The selection process for the lottery’s new algorithm organizes applicants into four “buckets” Middleton said.

CELEBRATES

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

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

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

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

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

29-Year Old Becomes 1st Black Woman to Win Gold Medal in Olympic Speed Skating

By BlackNews.com medal after bagging the gold medal in the 500-meter speedskating event at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The 29-year old skater won the women’s 500 meters at the National Speed Skating Oval with a time of 37.04 seconds, earning the first speedskating medal for the USA in the Beijing Olympics.

“I wish I could describe how I feel, it is amazing,” she said after the race, according to NPR. “This medal means so much.

It has been a tough couple of years and a tough beginning for this year. For this to come around like this, I am so happy.”

Jackson was born and raised in Ocala, Florida. She only started her career on ice in 2016, formerly competing in inline speed skating and roller derby.

Jackson is now only one of the two Black athletes to win speedskating medals at the Olympics, with Shani Davis winning the gold in men’s 1,000 meters and silver in the 1,500 meters in the Olympics in Turin in 2006.

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Memberships National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Profes-

Elana Meeyers Taylor becomes the most decorated Black Winter Olympian. Photo Credit: Julian Finney for Getty Images.

bobsled, After winning her fifth medal – a bronze in the two-woman bobsled event – Elana Meyers Taylor has become the most decorated Black Winter Olympian in history.

And Team USA has set a world-class standard for diversity and inclusion in winter sports this year. Snow sports have traditionally not been known for racial and ethnic diversity, but that narrative has changed dramatically in this Olympiad. Here’s a cool fun fact: the New York Times reports that seven of the eight members of the current U.S. women’s World Cup bobsled team are Black.

Meyers Taylor has also been chosen as the U.S. flag-bearer for the closing ceremony today. It’s a sweet ending to an adventure that started off rather badly. When she was selected to carry the Team USA flag at the opening ceremony, she had to decline because she tested positive for COVID-19 days after arriving in Beijing. She watched the Opening Ceremony from her room, in quarantine in an isolation hotel.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

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

Stay Warm with CT Energy Assistance Programs

IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BOSCOV’S HONORS

VISIONARIES IN HUMANITY

Dr. Patricia Bath

Rosa Parks

George Washington Carver

Booker T. Washington

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Barack Obama

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Dr. Shirley Jackson

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

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Bamn! Bloom Gets LIT With Black Lit THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

by BRIAN SLATTERY

New Haven Independent

Book lovers descended Sunday on Bloom to sample not only the assortment of flowers and soaps, but the works of James Baldwin, Octavia Butler, Colson Whitehead, and Jesmyn Ward — brought into the Edgewood Avenue lifestyle store and gathering place courtesy of Bamn Books, a New Haven-based mobile bookstore that focuses on the literature of the African diaspora.

The mobile bookstore is the brainchild of Nyzae James, who opened Bamn Books — the name is an acronym for “by any means necessary,” a phrase popularized by Malcolm X — in May. “Mobile means I do pop-up shops, I do drop-offs nearby. I’m at any event people want me there for. I bounce around. I go anywhere people want to read,” she said.

It also means that she takes orders for books and makes local deliveries, or ships books to people’s houses.

Elm City LIT Fest co-sponsored Sunday’s event with Bloom.

James, who is 25, got the idea for Bamn because “I have my own personal library and I just love for people to read. So people would just come and borrow my books.” Her library was a who’s who of Black revolutionary writers, from Huey P. Newton to Malcolm X, from Nina Simone to Angela Davis — “all of my heroes,” she said.

James had the idea for Bamn before the pandemic began. “I really wanted to be in the center of my community, just present and all around. Covid was the acceleration of it all,” she said. “When Covid happened, everyone was stuck in the house.”

James realized she could deliver books to people herself, safely. “I thought, ‘Hey, why not just give it a shot?’ It was in my head for so long, and I was talking to friends about it, and I had the courage to up and do it, so I did it.”

James currently delivers books in her car; she has ambitions to get a book truck.

“That way I’ll be really on the road,” she said.

She learned the book trade working at Barnes & Noble before the pandemic.

Thanks to that, when she decided to make Bamn Books a reality, she knew which wholesaler — Ingram — she wanted to work with.

“When you have experience, you can pick and choose which kind of vendors you want to go to, and I chose one that had a nice selection of the Black literature that I like,” James said. She set up a point-of-sale system to handle transactions. “You need a POS system to help you. It’s a life saver,” she said.

She has a selection of books currently in stock displayed on her website. “I always have to have a copy of Assata,” the autobiography of activist Assata Shakur, she said, as well as a copy of The Autobiog-

BRIAN SLATTERY PHOTOS

The crowd Sunday at Bloom Black History event.

raphy of Malcolm X. But “if you go on my website and I don’t have the book, I can just order it from my warehouse.

You have it ordered to me or shipped to your home.”

Local book delivery is part of what caught the interest of IfeMichelle Gardin, founder of Elm City LIT Fest. Gardin reached out to James in January and introduced her to Alisha Crutchfield-McLean,

owner of Bloom. “And here we are,” Gardin said.

“A part of our mission is to amplify upcoming artists, upcoming creators, upcoming entrepreneurs,” said Sha McAllister, co-coordinator of Elm City LIT Fest.

For Gardin, Bamn Books dovetailed nearly perfectly with her own efforts. “I started Elm City LIT Fest because I wanted to expose everyone to the literature of

the African diaspora. It’s important for everybody,” Gardin said. “It’s important for people of the African diaspora to create self-awareness about themselves and know more about themselves. But it’s also important for other folks to know, and to see stories. And maybe — maybe — it can work to cast down some of the perceptions that people have of each other.”

On Sunday, when choosing what books to bring, she also had the aesthetic of Bloom in mind — “the peaceful vibe here,” she said. In response, she brought “a lot of self-care books, also philosophical books. I wanted to bring books that would stir some thought-provoking ideas, generate conversation — even if it’s uncomfortable conversation, it needs to be had. So I pick my titles with the hopes to spark something.”

Spark something the pop-up bookstore did, as the space was quickly full of people perusing books, sampling food from Afrotina, and checking out what Bloom had to offer.

“I really got the inspiration for this because I’m very community oriented.

I come from a very big village, and they’re my inspiration for everything I do.” She grew up doing youth organization programs and “that has always stuck with me. I want to really give back. I hope everyone enjoys it, I hope they love it, and that they take something from it.”

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

Its ability to thrive despite everything.

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

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

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Bioscience Careers Beckon At Internship Fair

Part 3 of our 4-part series in celebration of Black History Month

IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH,

BOSCOV’S HONORS INNOVATORS AND TRAILBLAZERS IN

SCIENCE & MEDICINE

Katherine G. Johnson

Beonce Fraser learns about SPRINT intern program at Thursday's fair.

by MAYA MCFADDEN New Haven Independent

Business and marketing student Beonce Fraser, 20, didn’t consider working in the bioscience industry until she learned about a search for summer marketing interns in the field.

Fraser and hundreds of other New Haven students found those opportunities at a Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce-hosted internship and career fair Thursday at the Long Wharf Maritime Center.

The event included the official kick-off of a “Student Program to Ready Interns for Next-generation Talent” (SPRINT) internship program, which grew out of the Governor’s Workforce Council Bioscience Collaborative launched last year.

The SPRINT program currently has 60 internship positions posted from over 25 biotech employers.

The collaborative was established to offer a single centralized location for the growing bioscience sector, said Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce CEO Garrett Sheehan.

This program’s goal is to provide 100 paid internships this summer in the life-sciences industry to students attending Connecticut colleges and universities.

SPRINT collaborators celebrated the launch of the program and described this summer as a “great time to be in bioscience” as the industry grows throughout the state.

“Seventy percent of internships in the Northeast lead to full-time jobs,” governor’s office staffer Niall Dammando said.

In addition to introducing New Haveners to dozens of career paths and internships, half-hour workshops were offered to students and other residents on productivity tips for working remotely, steps to becoming an entrepreneur, and tips for improving LinkedIn profiles and online interview strategies.

The Life Science SPRINT campaign plans to make local and statewide job opportunities more accessible and visible to the new generation.

“Not every student can afford to take an unpaid internship,” Sheehan said.

While getting more information about the program, students applied to positions on the spot with help

of a QR code. The open positions range from the finance field and human resources to manufacturing in emerging and established companies. The majority of the internship positions will begin this May and continue through the summer.

Fraser (, a junior, majors in business and marketing at Southern Connecticut State University.

Fraser stopped by the fair Thursday looking to secure her first paid internship this summer. She visited companies with positions in real estate, insurance, and marketing.

After stopping by the Life Science SPRINT table, she said she will consider applying for a marketing internship to learn more about the industry.

Her long-term goal is to be an entrepreneur.

Marie M. Daly

Lewis Howard Latimer

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams

Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Parents Get Help

Mae C. Jemison

The buckets each represent the system’s priorities. Priorities in bucket #1 for open seats include students who have chosen schools where they have a sibling in the school and live in the school’s attendance zone.

The remaining seats go to the bucket #2, which is full of applicants who don’t have a sibling in the school but live in the school’s attendance zone.

Next is bucket #3, with applicants who have a sibling in the school but have no attendance zone priority.

And finally, if open seats remain the system, is bucket #4, students with no sibling or attendance zone priorities.

Middleton encouraged families to look at all of New Haven’s school options during the explore step of the process. He emphasized that magnet schools are not better than other schools but instead just are run on specialized themes which are not always for every student, he said.

“Just because your child in a magnet school does not mean your child is receiving a better education; they’re getting a theme-based education,” Middleton said. “You can’t count any school out.”

Today, we can thank leaders like inventor Lewis Howard Latimer, scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, chemist Marie M. Daly, heart surgeon Daniel Hale Willams, doctor and astronaut Mae C. Jemison and mathematician Katherine G. Johnson for their contributions to and advancements in science and medicine. Boscov’s remembers with respect African Americans who set the standard and pushed the boundaries, developing breakthroughs in their fields.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Burned-Out Tenants Can’t Return Home; Community Rallies To Help Families

by NORA GRACE-FLOOD New Haven Independent

Delon Gibbs had just arrived at Amici Tavern in North Haven for a Valentine’s Day dinner with his girlfriend and two daughters when he got the call from a neighbor: “Your apartment’s on fire!”

Gibbs had left his home at 6:50 p.m. Monday, received the call at 7:05, and returned back to 42 Warner St. by 7:20.

Within that 30-minute timeframe, the flames in his unit had turned into a threealarm fire, resulting in a “total loss” of the two dozen unit building, to use Fire Chief Gary Merwede’s words.

Sixty people, tenants of Mandy Management, were displaced due to the fire, including 14 children.

Fire Marshal Brian Dolan said the fire began in the first floor of the building — which Gibbs confirmed — and then spread to the second floor and consumed the entire attic and roof.

Nobody was injured in the fire. Tenants have not been able to return to the scene yet, Dolan said, because the building is “structurally unsafe.”

“The building will need to come down,” Mayor Lauren Garrett told the Independent late Wednesday afternoon. Structural engineers will examine the remains of the building Thursday to see whether and when tenants can reenter to retrieve belongings.

The community has put out a call for help for the families.

“We lost everything,” Gibbs told the Independent Wednesday morning while he fed his daughter Fruity Pebbles from a dining room table inside Hamden’s Clarion Hotel.

“My princess cat is dead,” added fouryear old London, the youngest of Gibbs’ three children.

“Her cat was named Princess,” Gibbs explained. In addition to all of his family’s belongings, Gibbs’ 10-year-old pitbull, two bearded dragons, pet bunny, and six fish tanks were burned to ash.

“It’s tragic,” Gibbs said. “I’ve just been sulking and mopey around the hotel room.”

Gibbs had spent Monday buying flowers and jewelry for his loved ones. He and his girlfriend ended the night with an hourslong interview by the fire department.

“I still don’t know what happened,” he said.

Gibbs does have a theory. Recently, he said, Mandy Management had replaced a stove in his unit. “The wiring in the building just sucks,” Gibbs said. Maybe the stove could have caused an electrical fire, he proposed.

“I cannot respond to speculation about the cause of the fire,” Yudi Gurevitch of Mandy Management told the Independent.

“We have to wait for the outcome of the fire marshal’s report to understand what caused the fire. It’s a very tragic situation as 24 units are uninhabitable but thankfully, there was no loss of human life.

Delon Gibbs -- one of 60 Mandy Management tenants who lost their homes in a fire -- with daughter London at temporary lodgings.

Gibbs’ distrust of the local mega-landlord is deeper than the fire itself.

“I’ve been buying my own salt and putting it on the stairs,” after he fell on ice trying to get into his building this winter, Gibbs said. “They want their money every month,” but they don’t take care of the premises.

Now, Gibbs said, he’s just focused on taking care of himself and his family.

The rest of his day, he said, would involve calling USPS, who he said have been “trying to deliver stuff to our place,” watching his daughter while his girlfriend shops for groceries and new clothes, and searching for a new apartment.

The most important thing, he said, is that “we can’t keep staying in this hotel.”

The town is putting up tenants in the Clarion for the next three weeks. (Mandy will ultimately be billed for the charge).

“It’s just not comfortable,” Gibbs said.

Not because of the hotel’s facilities, he said, though his family of four is feeling cramped in their two-bed room, but because “everyone’s down.”

Within the next week, he said, he hopes to find a new home in Hamden — one not owned by Mandy Management.

“We know what we have to get,” he added. “Something that’s animal friendly.”

“We’ll make the house a home,” he said.

“We can rebuild. It’ll be all right.”

Petrona and Owain Stewart: Blessed and never renting from Mandy again.

“Taking care of our tenants is our absolute top priority. We are fully engaged with the Red Cross to help them find suitable housing. This includes transferring

them to units in our other properties. We have placed them in hotels and are paying their hotel bills. And, are doing whatever we can to support them during this time.”

8

Petrona and Owain Stewart, meanwhile, said that their Intended downpayment for a new house – which they kept in cash atop their dresser — had been burned along with everything else in her room.

The tenants are also staying at the Clari-

on, but spent Wednesday morning at the Keefe Community Center — where they were making a plan to secure rental assistance for the new apartment they’re currently searching for.

Pamela Jaynes, Jasmine Doughtery and Andrea Hutchinson with the more than 2,100 individual donations they’ve received since the fire Monday night.

Despite all that they lost, Petrona Stewart still said, “it’s just things, nothing you worship.”

“The greatest thing is that nobody lost their life,” she said.

At the time of the fire, Stewart was driving around town dropping off meal orders. In addition to working as a caregiver in a group home and with Amazon Flex, Stewart is an Uber Eats deliverer.

On Monday night, her phone was blowing up with possible jobs. “An $8 ride, a $12 ride, a $14 ride,” she remembered.

“No, we’re gonna come home,” she recalled telling her husband, who was in the car with her. Then another message popped up on her phone: Her apartment complex had caught fire.

She got back just in time to see her own apartment, at the top floor, engulfed in flames.

“We’re staying at the hotel now, but we don’t wanna be there very long. I don’t wanna pay rent, I wanna pay a mortgage,” she said.

Now, instead of searching for houses, Stewart is searching for a way to get unemployment benefits.

The one perk, she said, is that she no longer has to live in a place owned by Mandy Management.

“I’m just done,” she stated.

There were problems with the bathroom fixtures, she said. The ceiling was drooping from water damage. The parking lot and stairs were always icy. (“I wanted to fall so badly,” she said, to spark a lawsuit.) “They don’t salt anything!” The next door neighbors would dump debris outside her window, she claimed, and Mandy wouldn’t do anything about it.

And once, after Mandy took out a light that once kept the back of the building bright, she said, her daughter was “attacked” on the property.

“They always say it’s fixed and it’s not fixed,” Stewart asserted.

“I used to rent out a house,” she remembered. “When you have tenants, you have to take care of them. Then they’ll take care of you. Mandy Management knows nothing about that.”

But, she said, ultimately “we live to see another day. When my friends call to ask me how I’m doing, I just say, I’m blessed.”

“Call me Positive Petrona,” she added with a grin.

“I’m just grateful for life,” she said, before qualifying: “I will never rent from Mandy Management again. Not even if my life depended on it.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Ahmaud Arbery’s Killers Found Guilty of Hate Crimes in Federal Court

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

BOSCOV’S HONORS

VOICES IN THE ARTS

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent A federal jury found Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan guilty on all counts in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

The verdict came on the eve of the anniversary of Arbery’s murder.

The McMichaels and Bryan chased Arbery through their mostly white Georgia neighborhood in their pickup trucks, cornering him before Travis McMichael shot the innocent jogger with a shotgun.

The trio was convicted in state court and given life sentences. The federal charges included a hate crime that exposed each of the men’s history of racism.

Throughout the one-week trial, defense attorneys tried to sell the jury that, while the men weren’t “likable,” their actions weren’t driven by racial hatred.

However, Prosecutor Christopher Perras ferociously attacked that stance.

The murder “was driven by their pent-up racial anger and [Travis McMichael] was just looking for a reason,” Perras insisted. He also noted that if the men thought Arbery had committed a crime, they never alerted the police.

Trial testimony from FBI intelligence analyst Amy Vaughan revealed a host of racist remarks from Travis McMichael.

Vaughn testified that Travis McMichael and his friends routinely used racist slurs directed at African Americans.

One text from Travis McMichael to a friend describes how he enjoyed his new job because he didn’t have to work with Black people.

“They ruin everything,” McMichael wrote. “That’s why I love what I do now. Not a [n-word] in sight.”

In a Facebook video that purportedly shows a group of Black teenagers beating a white youth, Travis McMichael commented, “I say shoot them all,” and he referred the group as “monkeys.”

Travis McMichael also referred to a woman who dated a Black man as an “[N-word] lover.”

Kim Ballesteros, who lived next door to the McMichaels, told the court about a conversation in which Gregory McMichael used racist language to describe a tenant he had.

“She was a large Black woman who did not pay her rent very well,” Ballesteros told the court. “Their name for her was the walrus.”

When Gregory McMichael told her that the woman didn’t pay her rent on time, he disabled her air conditioning unit.

“You should have seen how fast her big fat Black a– came with the rent check,” Gregory McMichael said, according to Ballesteros.

Denzel Washington

IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

The FBI’s Vaughan also testified that Bryan often used the n-word and words like “bootlip” to describe Black people.

She said he routinely slurred African Americans on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

August Wilson

“Happy Bootlip Day,” Bryan told a friend in one message.

Dorothy Dandridge

“I worked like a [n-word] today,” he stated.

Perras dismissed any notion that the defense attorney’s claims on behalf of his clients somehow justified their deadly actions.

“There’s a big difference between being vigilant and being a vigilante,” he told the jury.

“It’s important for you to understand the full depth of the defendants’ racial hatred.”

Attorney Benjamin Crump released the following statement following the verdict: “Tomorrow marks two years since Ahmaud Arbery was stalked, trapped, and murdered in cold blood as he jogged through his Brunswick neighborhood. And today, after much sorrow, grief, and pain, Ahmaud’s family can finally put this chapter behind them. For the last 24 months, they’ve dedicated themselves to getting justice for their son. They’ve had to relive his brutal murder, watch and listen as he was demonized in court, and fight to share with the world who Ahmaud Arbery was and who he could have been had his young life not been so violently cut short.

“For many of us, there was never any doubt that Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan targeted Ahmaud because of his skin color.

But because of indisputable video evidence, disgusting messages sent by the defendants, and witness testimony, their hate was revealed to the world and the jury. We hope and demand that the severity of their crimes are reflected in the sentencing, as well.

“Ahmaud Arbery was denied the opportunity to define his own legacy, but America, we have the power to ensure that it is one that propels our fight for equal justice and dispels hate from this world. That is how we continue to honor Ahmaud and make sure his death was not in vain.”

Ella Fitzgerald Octavia E. Butler

John Lee Hooker

Mary Wilson

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Whether it be Mary Wilson trailblazing Motown and the 1960s pop music charts as a founding member of The Supremes, John Lee Hooker setting the standard for great blues guitarists, Ella Fitzgerald reigning as The Queen of Jazz, Octavia E. Butler breaking barriers in the world of science fiction, August Wilson telling the African American story on the stage, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s enigmatic artwork, Dorothy Dandridge and Denzel Washington lighting up the silver screen, or the countless other African American artists who have entertained and touched us, Boscov’s thanks them for their contributions to the arts, their influences on popular culture and their positive impacts on our country.

Before the trial, the McMichaels cut a deal with prosecutors.

They agreed to plead guilty to hate crime charges and serve their sentence in federal prison. However, Arbery’s parents, Wanda Cooper-Jones and Marcus Arbery argued against the arrangement.

That prompted the judge to toss out the plea deal.“Ahmaud didn’t get the option of a plea,” Cooper-Jones demanded.

The judge gave the McMichaels and Bryan two weeks to file an appeal.

9

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Black and Indigenous: When the Way You Look Doesn’t Match Expectations

By Phyllis Kimber Wilcox, Black Voice News|

Discussions related to the status of Black Indigenous people in relation to the broader Indigenous community received little focus in November, Native American Heritage Month.

Negotiating an Afro-Indigenous identity can be difficult when the way you look doesn’t meet expectations or popular media depictions of Indigenous communities.

In discussing the way people’s perceptions of what it is to be Indigenous and the conflict with appearance in the documentary, Black Indians An American Story, a woman spoke about comments others make regarding the way she looks, “[Y] ou don’t look like a native American,” she’s often told.

Not appearing Indigenous is just one of the challenges they face from colorism within tribal groups, to recognition of their contributions.

Black and Indigenous people have been in contact since the beginning of the nation’s history. People of African ancestry came with the first explorers and through that contact new identities were created– from Crispus Attucks to Frederick Douglass, and Paul Cufee, to name a few.

To be Black and Indigenous has been a little-known part of American history.

The Afro Indigenous would help explore the continent, become interpreters, fur trappers, fisherman, and soldiers. They would travel with Spanish missionaries to help found missions in southern California.

New Perspectives The contributions of many Black artists have been made by the Afro Indigenous,

including Jimi Hendrix the guitarist whose music is renowned, Tina Turner whose soulful voice spans many eras and genres of music, to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and the hardest working man in show business, James Brown.

These artists, as well as others, have helped define their eras and have been the soundtrack during the most important moments in many people’s lives.

Today, those who are Black and Indigenous are negotiating challenges and bringing a new perspective to what it means to be a nexus of more than one cultural identity. Some have used the courts to retain association to tribes, while others have sought recognition.

In the documentary We Still Live Here: Black Indians of the Wampanoag Tribe, one young girl of the Muscogee Wampanoag tribe discusses how her identity is perceived by others. “They don’t really think of us as native Americans,” she says.

A Wampanoag woman stated, “A lot of the reflection I get from this world is that the Wampanoag people don’t exist… for the most part people say that because they’ve never known a Wampanoag person.” The Wampanoags married and produced children with those of differing ancestry. According to historians the definition of tribe for the Wampanoag is community and shared cultural traditions.

The Wampanoags were the tribe whose ancestors met the Massachusetts colonists when they first landed on the shores of what would later become America.

The Experience of Being Black and Indigenous The Black Voice News spoke to Kyle Mays, Assistant Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at UCLA about the experience of being both Black and Indigenous. According to Mays, there are

numerous tribes but recognition has been an issue. Many are not recognized by either the state, at the national level or by local governments. When discussing the Afro Indigenous there are no organizations which keep track of the numbers.

“I don’t think there’s an answer to that,” he stated “I don’t even know if there’s any census data whether by the tribes or the U.S. government that specifically counts Afro Indigenous peoples and I’m unaware of any numbers which specifically highlight people who identify as Afro Indigenous.”

When asked about his own unique background Mays shared, “I’m from Michigan originally and my family, we are Saginaw Chippewa. My great grandmother came from the Saginaw Chippewa reservation to Detroit in 1940.” Mays arrived in Los Angeles, California in 2017.

Discussing whether he had problems with his cultural identity and how he dealt with not resembling media depictions of

the indigenous, Mays, who identifies as Afro Indigenous explained, “Not really within my family growing up because everyone was either Black or Afro Indigenous or cousins who knew where we were from. I will say as an adult, certainly whether you go to a Pow Wow or you’re wearing certain sorts of earrings, you might get strange looks. I don’t wear earrings much these days. I used to get asked why are you wearing those earrings? Are you ashamed of being Black? Because I also identify as being a native person… I just shrug it off, I just brush it off to being ignorant.”

“I think a major misconception about native peoples even today, is that the majority live in cities–whether that’s Los Angeles which I believe has the largest per capita, I haven’t seen the latest census data– not on reservations. On the one hand they’re living like everyday urban residents,” explained Mays in response to a question about how cultural identity is expressed among the Indigenous. “And there isn’t enough social science data really to tell stories in particular about the experiences of urban Indigenous populations.”

“My family has been in Detroit since the 1940s. My great-grandmother co-founded what was called Detroit’s Indian Education and Cultural Center in 1975. My aunt Judy Mays founded Medicine Bear American Indian Academy with the assistance of Black politicians related to the Afrocentric schools movement of the late 1980s. They vacillated between living in all Black Detroit identifying as Black also working on behalf of Indigenous youth and still remained respected.“ According to Mays, the school founded by his family was closed because of limited resources and funding issues that beCon’t on page 18

CDC Releases Updated Maps of America’s High Levels of Inactivity NNPA Newswire

25% of U.S. adults are not active enough to protect their health More than 1 in 5 adults is inactive in all but four states, according to new state maps of adult physical inactivity prevalence released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For these maps, physical inactivity for adults is defined as not participating in any physical activities outside of work over the last month – activities such as running, walking for exercise, or gardening.

State and territory-level estimates of physical inactivity range from 17.7% of people in Colorado to 49.4% in Puerto Rico.

In seven states and one territory (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico), 30% or more of adults

ated state maps of physical inactivity for non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native and non-Hispanic Asian adults.

were physically inactive. By region, the South had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity (27.5%), followed by the Midwest (25.2%), Northeast (24.7%), and the West (21.0%).

“Getting enough physical activity could prevent 1 in 10 premature deaths,” said Ruth Petersen, MD, Director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.

“Too many people are missing out on the health benefits of physical activity such as improved sleep, reduced blood pressure and anxiety, lowered risk for heart disease, several cancers, and dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease).

The new maps are based on combined 2017-2020 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an on-going state-based telephone interview survey conducted by CDC and state health departments.

This is the first time that CDC has cre-

The demographics of physical inactivity The maps point to notable differences in physical inactivity levels by race and ethnicity.

Overall, Hispanic adults (32.1%) had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity outside of work, followed by non-Hispanic Black (30.0%), non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native (29.1%), non-Hispanic White (23.0%), and non-Hispanic Asian adults (20.1%).

The maps also show that: • Two states (Alaska and Montana) and Guam had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among non-Hispanic Asian adults.* Con’t on page 18

10

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Yale Divinity School Presents The Annual Parks-King Lecture Featuring

Dr. William Barber Thursday, February 24th 5:30 - 6:30 pm EST

Livestream at:

https://livestream.com/yaledivinityschool/events/10138862 In his Park-King Lecture, Dr. Barber wil offer a moral analysis of current debates in public policy, diagnosing a crisis of possibility in American Life and demonstrating the need for mass action to reshape the moral narative.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH: Mary ‘Mayfair’ Matthews – An artist and answer to prayer McDaniel.

By Candace A Gray, New Tri-State Defender

Memphis’ local PBS outlet, WKNO (Channel 10) and its sister radio station, WKNO Memphis NPR (91.1FM), have always supported the arts. The station has been known to broadcast live theatre performances, interview artists promoting shows and more.

This February, as part of its Black History Month celebration, WKNO will feature an art exhibit “I Remember Mayfair,” with 12 works from Mary “Mayfair” Matthews, a self-taught folk artist, in Gallery 1091, its online art gallery.

Before the pandemic, WKNO’s office was open to the public and featured art from local artists in the lobby. Crowds of 250+ people would gather to discuss and celebrate the work of local artists.

“The lobby was designed to showcase art because of the natural light that comes in,” said Amy McDaniel, volunteer/special events coordinator for WKNO-TV/FM. From 2008 through March 2020, WKNO featured different exhibits every month.

McDaniel was used to booking artists out as far as two years ahead of time. However, when COVID-19 hit, the celebration of art took a different form. The art gallery, like so many other personal and professional endeavors, went online in November 2020.

“We’ve still been fortunate enough to showcase one artist per month online since that point,” said McDaniel.

But after about a year of maintaining the online Gallery 1091, appropriately named after Channel 10 and 91.1FM, McDaniel was faced with another challenge. In December of 2021, McDaniel realized she had no artist lined up for February 2022 and called in reinforcements.

“I literally prayed and 20 minutes later, God answered my prayers,” said

Rose Marr and her mother, Mary “Mayfair” Matthews, at the Black Arts Festival in Atlanta in 1994.

(Courtesy photo)

That day, McDaniel went to lunch and was informed upon her return that she’d missed a visit from a long-time friend, Carl Scott. She and Scott went to high school together in Forest City, Arkansas, and he, a local artist and muralist, dropped by with his fiancé, Rose Marr, also a local artist.

Remembering her predicament, McDaniel called Scott to come back to the office and what unfolded was truly serendipitous.

McDaniel asked Scott if he’d be able to exhibit in February, but he said no. Without hesitation, Marr chimed in, “My mother was an artist,” and pulled out her phone to show McDaniel some of her mother’s work.

“It was magnificent,” said McDaniel.

“I’ve been in this business for more than 30 years and every now and then I come across an artist whose work and backstory really make me emotional.”

According to McDaniel, Mary “Mayfair” Matthews’ work, with its unique lighting and technique, reminded her of the work of another popular artist, NJ Woods, and is truly amazing.

Matthews, born in 1938, grew up in a sharecropping family in Senatobia, Mississippi and exhibited artist potential in her youth. However, it wasn’t until after she moved to Memphis (1964) to escape abuse and experienced a tragedy (1991) that she would accept her calling to become an artist.

“After her son, my brother, was murdered in 1991, my mother turned to art as a means of survival,” said Marr. “None of us even knew she was an artist! But once she started, she never stopped.”

Matthews would go on to produce more than 350 works of mixed media art from 1991 until 2011 when depression brought about her ultimate demise. Even on the day she died, she sketched a family portrait of

her and her four children.

“I am now in a position to make sure that the world knows my mother deserves a place in the art world,” said Marr. “I wish I’d done it sooner, but my mom’s legacy is not going to stop just because she’s gone.”

Marr has a home gallery featuring her mother’s work downstairs from her own art studio. Marr attended Memphis College of Art at age 28 and recalls that during her time there, there were no Black faculty members and no mention of Black artists.

“It’s part of my legacy to let the world know that Black people have a place in the art culture, just like in any other culture,” said Marr.

Nearly 10 years after her mother’s passing, Marr found “I Remember Mayfair,” Matthews’ handwritten memoir that recounts youthful memories of rural imagery and life in Senatobia. These images are seen throughout her artwork, which includes quilts, paintings and small sculptures.

The varying images, some tragic, others playful and hopeful, all celebrate cultural aspects of African-American life in rural Mississippi. Marr is planning a motherdaughter art show featuring her and her mother’s work.

“As I read my mother’s memoirs, the narratives behind some of her paintings were revealed. I plan on publishing her memoirs, as well,” said Marr.

McDaniel agrees. “Matthews’ story needs to be told, and her art needs to be seen.

There’s something extra special about it,” McDaniel said.

Marr and McDaniel hand-picked 12 pieces from Matthews’ collection to display on Gallery 1091 throughout February. Some of the pieces are for sale and a portion of the proceeds will benefit WKNO programming.

This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender

DOJ Intervenes in Black Couple’s Home Appraisal Lawsuit

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division filed a statement of interest in a private discrimination lawsuit where the homeowners allegedly received an appraisal for nearly $500,000 less than the actual value because they are Black.

In 2020, Tenisha Tate-Austin and Paul Austin, a Black couple in San Francisco, sought to refinance their home mortgage.

Janette Miller, a licensed appraiser, named a defendant in the lawsuit, appraised the couple’s home at $995,000. However, a few weeks later, another appraiser set the home’s value at $1,482,500.

They received the second and more significant appraisal after getting a Caucasian friend to pose as Tate-Austin.

The couple said Miller used coded phrases like “Marin City is a distinct area” when she valued the property. They said those comments were related to their race and

complained to their mortgage lender.

For the second appraisal, they hid photos and artwork with distinguishing African American characteristics and replaced them with those belonging to their white friend.

“We had a conversation with one of our white friends, and she said, ‘No problem.

I’ll be Tenisha,” Tate-Austin told reporters last month. “I’ll bring over some pictures of my family.’ She made our home look like it belonged to her.”

The couple filed a fair housing discrimination lawsuit against Miller and her company, Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers, Inc., and AMC Links, LLC. Miller and her company have filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming that the couple failed to state a claim upon which a court could grant relief.

“The United States respectfully submits [our] statement to provide an overview of the FHA and to address two questions of law raised in the defendants’ motion,” the

DOJ said in a statement.

“The defendants assert that the FHA does not apply to residential appraisers. The statute’s text and caselaw make clear that it does. Second, the defendants lay out the elements of a prima facie case and argue that the plaintiffs have failed to allege these elements,” the DOJ stated.

“But the plaintiffs need not allege facts that make out a prima facie case at this stage. The act simply requires that the plaintiffs allege a plausible entitlement to relief as a result of the defendants’ ‘discriminatory housing practices.”

Austin said he and Tate-Austin researched the market well and upgraded their home before the first appraisal.

“We did our homework,” Austin told the Reparations Task Force in a panel on the racial wealth gap in October.

“We believe the white lady wanted to devalue our property because we are in a Black neighborhood, and the home belonged to a Black family.”

12

Nick Cannon

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Black History of Health:

by Karen Heslop, BlackDoctor.com

Nick Cannon has become a staple in the entertainment industry, mainly from a combination of his talent and hard-working attitude. Though he’d been working on achieving his goal of being an entertainer from a young age, he didn’t find the spotlight until the age of 15 when he started working at comedy clubs.

After that start, he worked steadily toward bigger things landing roles in television shows and movies as well as hosting, writing for television, comedy tours, and pursuing a music career.

Unfortunately, it all came crashing down in January of 2012 when he was hospitalized for having trouble breathing and kidney pain.

That’s when tests confirmed the news that as many as 1 in 250 African Americans hear annually – Nick Cannon had lupus. To make things worse, he was suffering from lupus nephritis – a specific condition in which the disease has affected the kidneys and can lead to kidney failure.

During an interview with the Lupus Organization, Cannon stated that his life after the diagnosis was a “learning curve” and “I had to be extremely careful, get on the proper diet, get the proper rest, and

take care of my body, and I’d be able to fight it.”

RELATED: Is Lupus Contagious? Risk Factors, Causes, & Prevention What Is Lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs. As a result, the affected areas become inflamed causing pain and other symptoms.

Some of the likely areas to be attacked by lupus are your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs. While there are different types of lupus, the most

common is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which affects multiple organs or systems in the body.

Depending on the type of lupus you have, a few of the symptoms you may experience include skin rashes, swelling in the feet or around the eyes, joint pain, headaches, dry eyes, shortness of breath, swelling in the joints, and chronic fatigue.

What A Lupus Diagnosis Entails One challenge with diagnosing lupus is that the early signs are easily confused with other illnesses or are ignored altogether. For example, skin rashes can be

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passed off as an allergic reaction while chronic fatigue may not be taken seriously if you have a busy lifestyle.

In some cases, people don’t seek medical intervention until the disease significantly affects an organ like the kidneys, lungs, heart, or brain.

There’s no one definitive test for lupus and so your doctor will depend on the results from several different tests. You can expect to undergo blood and urine analysis, kidney and liver assessments, an Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test, as well as imaging tests.

In some cases, your doctor might request a biopsy to determine if the disease has damaged any organs.

How The Disease Is Treated Once you’ve been diagnosed, there are a variety of medications that your doctor may prescribe. These drugs include corticosteroids for inflammation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain, antimalarial drugs to reduce the likelihood of flares, immunosuppressants to handle your overactive immune system, and biologics to deal with your overall symptoms.

Along with taking your medication as prescribed, certain lifestyle changes can be helpful. Many people with lupus find that regular exercise, avoiding alcohol, quitting cigarettes, and eating healthily reduce the severity of their symptoms.

Before making changes to your diet, remember to talk to your doctor about what’s best for you.

Lupus is a lifelong illness but as Nick Cannon has noted, “I can live until [I’m] a very old man with this diagnosis as long as I take care of myself.” To live well with lupus, it will be important to stick to your prescribed medical regimen, exercise, eat well, and know when to take a break from stressful situations.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

A pioneer in journalism, Harry McAlpin became the first Black White House Correspondent

By Deborah Bailey, Special to the AFRO Seventy-eight years ago this month, the White press corps changed. Harry McAlpin became the first Black reporter to attend a White House press briefing in February 1944.

Born in St. Louis, Mo., in July, 1906, McAlpin studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin and pursued journalism. McAlpin worked for the Washington Tribune, an African-American weekly publication, where he served as reporter, editor and office manager.

McAlpin also worked in public relations and advertising before joining the New Negro Alliance, a civil rights organization, in 1933 while pursuing a law degree at the. During this time McAlpin also furthered his education and enrolled at The Robert U. Terrell Law School, an historically Black institution conferring law degrees in Washington, D.C. from 1931 to 1950.

McAlpin passed the bar exam in 1937, but remained a Washington correspondent for the Chicago Defender.

During this period in history, Black reporters were not permitted to attend White House briefings. But the National Negro Publishers Association (NNPA, now the National Newspaper Publishers Association) petitioned to obtain McAlpin’s White House credentials.

As McAlpin waited with his peers to enter the Oval Office on Feb. 8, 1944, his

White colleagues became disgruntled and tried the same strategies, then, that too many African Americans experience now in corporate and executive settings, they tried to barter with him.

McAlpin’s peers promised, they would share their notes, and make sure he got the same story if he just wouldn’t go in the room. They would even make him a member of the White House Correspondents Association if he just didn’t go into the Oval Office for the press conference.

McAlpin walked into the Oval Office for the press conference with President Franklin D Roosevelt, who shook McAl-

pin’s hand afterwards saying “Harry, I’m glad you are here,” according to Blackpast.org. The New York Times covered the news of McAlpin’s first White House briefing.

“Harry McAlpin, the only Negro yet to be accredited as a White House correspondent, attended his first press conference today. He represents the Atlanta Daily World and the press service of the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association,” according to the 1944 article.

McAlpin went to Kentucky to practice law in the 1960’s before returning again to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a hearing examiner for the Social Security Administration and later as the first Black hearing examiner for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

McAlpin died on July 18, 1985, just before his 79th birthday. In April 2014, the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), honored McAlpin posthumously and named a scholarship in his honor. Admitting their recognition was a little late in coming, George Condon, WHCA unofficial historian said of McAlpin, “Harry McAlpin is someone who should be recognized and shouldn’t be forgotten.”

McAlpin was also recognized by Former President Barack Obama for being a pioneer in journalism.

The post A pioneer in journalism, Harry McAlpin became the first Black White House Correspondent appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers .

HomeHeadline News OPEN BORDERS HISTORICALLY DOOMS JOBS FOR BLACK AMERICANS

By Mark Krikorian Photograph of African American men, women, and children who participated in the Great Migration to the north in 1918. (Getty Images / Chicago History Museum) In 1853, Frederick Douglass wrote of cities in the North: Every hour sees the black man elbowed out of employment by some newly arrived emigrant, whose hunger and whose color are thought to give him a better title

14

to the place.

With only a handful of interruptions, black workers have faced the same situation for nearly two centuries — mass immigration of foreigners whom employers prefer to black workers, pushing them to the back of the hiring line. a As it happens, “Back of the Hiring Line” is the title of a new book by Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, the premier citizen-action group working to reduce immigration. The book traces, as its

subtitle promises, “a 200-year history of immigration surges, employer bias, and depression of black wealth.” In relating that history, Beck de- scribes three brief flowerings of opportunity for black Americans that came with interruptions in immigration.

First, the years immediately following abolition, before the start of the Great Wave; then, when World War I cut off travel from Europe; and finally, the four decades or so after the 1924 immigrationrestriction law.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

The Legacy of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the First Black Heart Surgeon

by Jason Henderson, BlackDoctor.com In July 1893, James Cornish was admitted to Chicago’s Provident Hospital with a knife wound to his chest, stemming from a barroom brawl. He needed surgery, but medical professionals at the time believed operating on the heart was too dangerous.

That was about to change. Without antibiotics, adequate anesthesia or many of the tools used in modern-day heart surgery, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams cut a small hole into Cornish’s chest using a scalpel.

He then repaired a severed artery and a tear in the sac surrounding the heart. Cornish lived another 20 years, and Williams became known as one of the first doctors in the world to perform a successful openheart surgery.

His role in eliminating health disparities The achievement wasn’t Williams’ only pioneering move. Just two years earlier, he founded Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses, the nation’s first Black-owned and operated hospital in America, treating both Black and white patients. It gave Black doctors and nurses an opportunity to practice medicine at a time when most medical and training facilities excluded them because of their race.

He also was the first Black man appointed to the Illinois State Board of Health and was a charter member of the National Medical Association, the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing Black physicians. At a time when Black people were denied admission to white hospitals or relegated to all-Black wards with substandard care, the NMA made it a priority to eliminate health disparities and ensure access to professional medical care for all.

“He obviously was an inspiration for many physicians and a trailblazer,” says Dr. Ivor Benjamin, director of the Cardiovascular Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a past president of the American Heart Association. “We are really standing on the shoulders of giants.

He is a giant not just for his own people, but for the entire medical profession.”

in 1883 from Chicago Medical School, affiliated with Northwestern University.

He was one of just three practicing Black doctors in Chicago at the time.

“I think that ultimately, Dr. Williams’ success and his recognition came not out of his race, but his accomplishments,” says Dr. Claudia Fegan, chief medical officer for the Cook County Health system, which includes Provident Hospital.

Though it closed for a time in the 1980s, Provident still serves the same mission Williams established at the time of its creation in the late 19th century, she says.

“Part of his legacy is that he wanted there to be a safe place where people could receive quality care and people could be trained to provide that care,” Fegan adds. “Provident Hospital was opened to treat people of all races. It took care of people who had no place else to go, and that’s part of the mission of Cook County. We are committed to that mission, to providing the highest quality of care without having to do a wallet biopsy to see what you can afford.”

Williams’ legacy as a mentor and trainer of physicians had a ripple effect, creating greater opportunities for aspiring Black medical professionals and helping improve the quality of care and reduce death rates for Black patients.

“The people he trained went on to provide a pivotal role in hospitals around the country,” Fegan shares.

Williams mentored physicians during his tenure as surgeon in chief at Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he established a model internship program for graduate physicians. In 1900, he became a visiting professor of surgery at one of the nation’s few Black medical schools, Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He often spoke about the need for Black physicians to become leaders in their communities and to start hospitals that would provide better care for Black people.

Benjamin says the example Williams set was much like that of his own great-uncle, a Guyanese man who earned his medical degree in Scotland and performed the first blood transfusion in West Africa. He served as an inspiration to Benjamin and others in his family, many of whom have entered the medical profession.

“In my own life, I was not lacking for pioneers,” says Benjamin, who came to the U.S. after finishing high school in Guyana and was mentored by other leading figures in medicine who shared the challenges of an immigrant heritage. “I understand the value and importance of having these key individuals who, in spite of the odds, were able to be not just successful but first – and oftentimes best – in class.”

But as inspiring as people like Williams have been, the number of Black men and women in medicine remains disproportionately small, Benjamin notes– something he hopes will change in the years ahead.

“When I matriculated at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1978, the number of African American males applying was 1,400,” he says. “Fast forward, by the time I became president of AHA, that number had not risen, even though more African American men were graduating from college. We need to be able to promote these heroes” so more Black men and women can see themselves as medical school material and beyond.

For a Black man in America to even have a medical degree in the 19th century was an accomplishment.

Dr. James McCune, who in 1837 became the first Black man in the U.S. to earn a medical degree, got his medical education in Scotland because American medical schools did not admit Black people. Ten years later, Dr. David Jones Peck became the first Black man to earn a medical degree from a U.S. institution, graduating from Rush Medical College in Chicago. Howard University created its own medical school to train Black doctors in 1868, but their opportunities to practice medicine remained rare.

Williams, a former shoemaker’s apprentice and barber, earned his medical degree

15

HOWARD K. HILL F UNERAL

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Critical Race Theory and the Banning of Black Authors in Schools, Libraries, and Prison

nization Books to Prisoners, said the need for educational and self-empowering materials in prisons remains vast.

In an op-ed, they contended that prisons routinely impede access for arbitrary and biased reasons despite the need.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Celeste Headlee paused as she contemplated how Black authors have for decades endured the banning of their books in schools, libraries, on shelves across the country, and even in prisons.

In the summer of 2020 and the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, a major publishing house turned down the opportunity to obtain Headlee’s book “Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism – and How to Do It.” The reason?

“They said they had enough books on race and that this topic is covered for us,” Headlee recounted. “It was very surprising since we were offering it in the summer of 2020.”

Headlee, who co-hosts the Retro Report on PBS and is affectionately known as the “light-skinned Black Jew,” ultimately sold

The duo pointed out that it’s a practice long overdue for public examination.

her book to Harper Collins Publishing, who published it in 2021.

She counts among dozens of Black authors whose works are being pulled from

school libraries under the pretext that they’re teaching critical race theory.

As noted in a recent report, most of the books targeted don’t teach critical race theory but are written by and about people of color.

According to the American Library Association, its Office for Intellectual Freedom reported that 273 books were affected by censorship attempts in 2020, many with content highlighting race, gender, and sexuality.

Since September 2021, at least 230 challenges have been made against Black-authored books.

Tiffany D. Jackson, the author of the 2018 novel “Monday’s Not Coming,” about missing girls of color, remains in the throes of a similar controversy.

Yahoo! News Writer Tat Bellamy-Walker reported that during a school board meeting in Loudoun County, Virginia, parents demanded that officials ban Jackson’s work for “sexual content.” In an email to Bellamy-Walker, Jackson, a Black woman, said the book discusses friendship, dyslexia, community, healing, and mentions sex, though it’s not acted.

Further, celebrated Black children’s author and illustrator Jerry Craft told NBC News that he received a message saying a school library in Texas pulled some of his

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16

books.

“I was caught off guard,” stated Craft, the Newbery Medal-winning author of the 2019 graphic novel “New Kid.” “I felt bad for the kids because I know how much they love ‘New Kid’ and ‘Class Act.’ I know what my school visits do. … I felt bad if there was going to be some kids that would not be able to take advantage of that.”

NBC reported that the individual who sent the message to Craft hailed from Katy, Texas, a town near Houston that’s come under fire for attempts to limit the public’s access to books that teach about racism.

In October, the Katy Independent School District made headlines for temporarily yanking two of Craft’s books, which tell the stories of Black boys who experience racism in schools, from school libraries and postponing his virtual visit.

“Apparently, I’m teaching critical race theory,” Craft wrote in response to a parent confused about the ban, citing the decadesold academic and legal framework that teaches about racism in America.

The banning of works by Black authors extends to American prisons.

Andy Chan and Michelle Dillon, who serve on the board of the nonprofit orga-

“A recent rejection from South Central Correctional Facility (SCCF) in Clifton, Tenn., epitomizes this issue. In late December, SCCF returned a package of rejected books to Books to Prisoners,” the pair summarized.

“Inside were three books we had sent to an incarcerated reader and a note scrawled by a prison guard reading simply: ‘Malcolm X not allowed.’ The offending book, ‘Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary,’ is a Scholastic biography intended for grades 7-12,” Chan and Dillon asserted.

“Prison censorship is still shocking to us, even after years of work with Books to Prisoners, but it rarely surprises us now.”

Headlee noted that even the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Maya Angelou endured censorship.

“For quite some time, Maya Angelou was called the most banned author in America,” Headlee recalled.

“Her book, ‘I know why the Caged Bird Sings,’ was banned several times. She is an author who won the Pulitzer Prize and an Emmy. But there was one case in which they claimed her book caused bitterness and hatred toward white people. So, here we are again. It has happened again and again. You can’t get through a decade in the United States without seeing books by Black authors banned.”

She said her book could offer some assistance.

“It’s meant to diffuse some of the apprehension that people feel about talking about race without getting into an argument,” Headlee said. “And maybe make a little progress.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Bolaji COVID Patient

“To everyone who saved my life and my baby’s life too... thank you – from both of us.”

“I was 34 weeks pregnant when I found out I had COVID. While I was on the ventilator and sedated, I delivered Joseph by C-section, and I couldn’t see him for a month. But the doctors and nurses at Yale New Haven Health, they took care of us.”

At Yale New Haven Health, we’re grateful to all the healthcare workers out there who care for others.

So that others can live.

17

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

COMMENTARY:

Baseball’s Greatest Player Snubbed for Hall of Fame

whose desire for something beyond greatness took him to a place he never needed to go,” ESPN Journalist Jeff Passan wrote in favor of Bonds’ election to the Hall of Fame.

“His greed mirrored the league’s: the ceaseless pursuit of bigger, better, more.

This is the history that demands to be told, and there is no better place to tell it than in the plaque room at the Hall of Fame.”

Barry Bonds’ Career Statistics: 2,986 games played; 2,227 runs scored; 2,935 hits; 601 doubles; 77 triples; 762 home runs; 514 stolen bases; 2,558 walks; 688 intentional walks; .298 batting average; .444 on base percentage; .607 slugging percentage; 1.051 OPS.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Barry Bonds stands as baseball’s all-time home run king, with 762 bombs over a career that lasted more than two decades.

With his fearsome and sweet lefty swing, Bonds also set the single-season home record with 73 in 2001, a year in which he also drew 177 walks.

What separated Bonds from sluggers like Babe Ruth and others? He probably had the best hand-eye coordination ever.

Bonds drew a mind-boggling 2,558 walks over his career, including 626 intentional free passes.

So feared was Bonds; pitchers intentionally walked him with the bases loaded.

A league MVP seven times and a gold glove winner eight times, there’s little question that Barry Lamar Bonds ranks among the top five players in baseball history.

Some recognize him ahead of Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and others as the greatest.

But Barry Bonds will not receive the crown jewel of his sport – entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

At least not yet.

Fifteen years after leaving the sport and being snubbed each year, Bonds no longer will have eligibility on the Baseball Writers Association of America’s (BBWAA) ballot.

It’s the writers who vote to enshrine players, who must receive 75 percent of the vote for election.

In December 2022, baseball’s “Today’s Game Committee” will consider Bonds’ candidacy. That committee consists of 16 members from the National Baseball Hall

Con’t from page 10

Expectations

charged him with perjury obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to a grand jury during the federal government’s investigation of BALCO, a steroid and performance-enhancing drug laboratory in San Francisco.

Leaked testimony revealed he admitted to unknowingly using “the cream” and “the clear,” and a former girlfriend testified that he used steroids for an injury.

But Bonds’ snub appears to run deeper and it cuts with a hint of jealousy and racism.

of Fame, executives, and veteran media members.

The group forms an electorate that considers players no longer eligible for election by the BBWAA. Many have lumped Bonds in with others in the shameful Steroid era, where writers have repeatedly snubbed players like Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, and Mark McGwire.

Unlike Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, and Jose Canseco, who have either been caught or admitted to using performanceenhancing drugs, Bonds had always denied usage.

Also, he’d never been disciplined for illegal drug use.

However, baseball writers and others point to the year after Bonds’ playing days ended when a federal indictment

When Bonds set the all-time home run record, then-Commissioner Bud Selig went out of his way to demean the accomplishment citing alleged but unproven steroid use.

However, a few years earlier, Selig and others cheered McGwire and Sosa’s steroid-fueled assault on the same record.

Baseball writers – the individuals’ tasked with casting Hall of Fame votes – jeered Bonds at every turn. With typical dog whistles, they often described Bonds as “surly,” “aloof,” and having “a bad attitude.”

Bonds mostly ignored the media and its rhetoric, and during 22 years in two of the most challenging parks for hitters – Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium and San Francisco’s Candlestick Park – he excelled.

That he refused to engage media members only served to anger them, and the dog whistles continued at a relentless pace.

Bonds once explained that the pressure he experienced as a young man on the Pittsburgh Pirates led to his combativeness with the media.

He recognized that he could have done more to better the relationship.

“I’ve created this fire around me, and I’m stuck in it, so I might as well live with the flames,” he stated during a 2016 interview.

Still, with just about a half dozen Black members in the more than 700 member BBWAA, Bonds stands little chance of understanding or recognition for his peerless accomplishments.

“The simple truth is that Barry Bonds is the story of the steroid era. He is a player whose physical gifts knew no limits – and

18

gan in the late 1990s Media Portrayals Noting the lack of Afro Indigenous portrayals in the Mays commented, “To begin, I don’t think there are many portrayals of native people in the media.

And, why there aren’t many portrayals of Indigenous and Afro Indigenous people in the media… depends on whose writing, who are the producers and what they value.“ He expounded, “Some people see it as a zero sum game. And that is we only have such limited resources and opportunities to represent what it means to be Indigenous. Therefore, we should reproduce the typical, so-called standard view of what native people are supposed to look like. I think until there are perhaps more Indigenous people who are allowed to tell their own stories in a variety of media, Reservation Dogs, the series on Hulu, is a good example [things will be slow to change].

“Many Afro Indigenous people were upset because there weren’t many portrayals of [them] in Oklahoma, in that particular area. We’ll see what they do in season two. I’m sure they’ll have more representation very likely.”Speaking about his work and whether there was much interest in the courses he teaches at UCLA, according to Mays his classes remain full and he continues to write about both the Black and Indigenous experiences. May’s newest book, City of Dispossessions: Business People, African Americans and the of Modern Detroit, is a continuation of that work.

The post Black and Indigenous: When the Way You Look Doesn’t Match Expectations appeared first on Black Voice News.

Kyle Mays, Assistant Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at UCLA is an Afro-Indigenous scholar and author. “As a Black and Indigenous person, I suppose I’m just Mr. In-between, a brotha without a home,” he writes. (Photo credit: UCLA).

Con’t from page 10

Updated Maps

• Five states (Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia) had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among non-Hispanic White adults.

• 27 states had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among nonHispanic American Indian/Alaska Native adults.* • 23 states and the District of Columbia had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among non-Hispanic Black adults. * • 25 states and Puerto Rico had a physical inactivity prevalence of 30% or higher among Hispanic adults.

• *49 of 52 jurisdictions had sufficient data to be included in these results.

Physical activity can benefit everyone.

Lack of access to safe and convenient places to be physically active may contribute to the observed racial and ethnic disparities.

What more can be done?

CDC is working with communities and partners across the country as part of the Active People, Healthy NationSM initiative, to make it easier, safer, and more convenient for people to be active where they live, learn, work and play.

The overall goal of the initiative is to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027 to improve overall health and quality of life and to reduce healthcare costs.

The initiative helps community leaders take advantage of proven strategies to make physical activity safe and enjoyable for people of all ages and abilities. Building active and walkable communities may also help support local economies and create more cohesive communities.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.

This can be broken into smaller amounts such as 22 minutes every day or 30 minutes/five times a week.

Individuals and families are encouraged to build physical activity into their day by going for a brisk walk or a hike, walking the dog, choosing the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, parking further away in the parking lot and walking the rest of the way, walking, or cycling to run errands, and getting off the bus one stop early and walking the rest of the way. The key is to move more and sit less.

Community leaders can also encourage school and youth physical activity programs, educate, and support families and individuals to be more active.

They can create activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations such as home, work, school, and grocery stores.

Together, leaders and community members can work with various populations to design and implement culturally relevant solutions to reduce disparities in physical inactivity.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022 Con’t from page 02

Betsy Ross

story, and improvise a staged version. He recorded and transcribed that reading— ”unbeknownst to them,” he said with a mischievous glance—so he could weave their words into a final version. It worked.

When he walked into rehearsal, Ramos said that “it felt like it was our story to tell.”

The play, to which Lemieux added sparkly boas, neat black caps, curly wigs and outfits that are so bright white they look as though they are made of light, tells the story of Anansi, a trickster spider who weaves a web up to Nyame, goddess of the sky, in search of light to bring back down to earth.

After outwitting snakes, sleeping leopards, and buzzing bees—all challenges that she has given him—he succeeds in bringing light to the world. With light comes the possibility for story.

“Sharing stories that people may not know, it’s not just fun for the actors and the audience, but it’s also educational at the same time,” Ramos said. “If it’s told the way that it’s told in a textbook, you might not be able to grab little kids’ attention. But if you throw that storytelling magic in there, you get their attention, they can learn—it’s just a win-win. Everybody has fun, and they’re learning at the same time.”

For the same virtual assembly, Lemieux also directed a stage adaptation of A Computer Called Katherine, a 2019 children’s book based on the life of NASA’s Katherine Johnson (watch it at the bottom of this article). Drama teacher Daniel Sarnelli, a 14-year veteran of the department, worked with students on research projects based around “space explorations and the history of Black Americans involved in space.”

It resulted in Rocket Manny, a short play about a young Black boy who wants to— and ultimately does—use his own research to propel himself into space on his bicycle.

Along the way, his friends learn about Black trailblazers in science, physics, drama, and math, from Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols to astronaut Guion Bluford to the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. In the finished performance, he drops factoids that range from science dorkery to philosophy with a poetic twist.

Filing into the room last week, Ramos and fellow seventh grader Leah Jones both said that theater has helped them contextualize not only Black History Month, but also the Covid-19 pandemic. Jones, who is interested in medicine and finance, said she can see being an actress. Ramos, who plays soccer when he’s not onstage, said that theater became his coping mechanism during the pandemic. It still is.

“Theater’s like that friend that you don’t exactly see all the time, but when you need them the most, they are there,” Ramos said. “Theater’s always been there for me.

I could work on my wacky voices when I needed to … I could just better myself as a thespian.”

During remote learning, “I missed the stage more than anything,” he added. “Finally stepping onto the stage, seeing the audience ... I felt at home.”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022 INNER-CITY NEWS- July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

DRIVER CDL CLASS A

C.J. Fucci, Inc., a Heavy/Highway general contractor, is looking to hire a skilled Carpenter Foreman. Prefer candidate to be familiar with ConnDOT procedures, bridge, and road construction work. Must communicate effectively with clients, be well organized and safety conscious, and must be able to read plans. This is hands-on field leadership position. Top compensation and benefits are available. Full time position.

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE AA/EOE M/F/Disability/Vet. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage qualified woman and minorities to apply. Email resume to lreopell@cjfucci.com

NOTICE

Full Time – All Shifts Top Pay-Full Benefits EOE Please apply in person: 1425 Honeyspot Rd. Ext. Stratford, CT 06615

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develC.J. Fucci, Heavy/Highway experienced opment locatedInc., at 108aFrank Street, Newgeneral Haven.contractor, Maximumseeks income limitationsConapstruction Superintendentwill based of our from New 9AM Haven, offibeginning ces. QualifiMonday ed candidates ply. Pre-applications be out available TOCT 5PM Ju;y will25, have at least years’when experience working as a superintendent on heavy highway/ 2016 and 10 ending sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have bridge, andINC. siteApplications projects valued at mailied $1M to upon $10M. beenconcrete, received demolition, at the officesand of civil HOME will be re-A four-year engineering or construction management degree or equivalent experience, quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preextensive knowledge of construction, effective management techniques and superior applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third interpersonal and communication skills are required. Bridge, and CT DOT experience Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. is preferred. Night/weekend work may be required. Applicants must submit project his-

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tory with resume. AA/EOE M/F/Disability/Vet. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage qualified woman and minorities to apply. Please submit your resume and project history to lreopell@cjfucci.com

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

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MECHANIC TRACTOR TRAILER

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

ELECTRIC UTILITY HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está ELECTRICIAN aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo

Full Time, Benefits, Top Pay

ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos

Electric utility seeking a highly skilled maintenance electrician with extensive substamáximos.

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

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

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

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

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Request for Proposal (RFP) Physical Needs Assessment St. New Haven, CT Solicitation Number: 203-MD-22-S

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

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

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

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

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

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

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

Apply:Pace, 1425 Honeyspot

Rd. Ext., Stratford, CT EOE

Listing: Accounting Accounting Department has an immediate opening in Accounts Payable for an AP Operations Specialist. This full time position in a fast-paced office requires good computer and organizational skills, attention to detail, and multi-tasking. Benefits include health, dental & LTD insurance plus 401(k).

Invitation to Bid: Send resume by email to: HRDept@eastriverenergy.com or send resume to: Human 2nd Notice Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

ASSISTANT TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR

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

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Legal Notice Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage RateRequest Project for Proposals The South Central Regional Council of Gov-

(SCRCOG) is seeking the services from a qualified consultant(s) with POLICE OFFICER ernments expertise in Hazard Mitigation Planning to update the South Central Region: New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing,Multi-Jurisdiction Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast- Plan (HMP). Disadvantaged Business EnHazard Mitigation City ofin-place Bristol Concrete, Asphaltterprise Shingles, Vinylare Siding, firms strongly encouraged to respond as a prime contractor or to play

a signifi cant role within aCasework, consultant team. Responses are due by March 8, 2022 Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential $69,017 - $83,893/yr.

(2:30and p.m. local time). The full RFP document can be viewed at SCRCOG’s Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Fire Protection.

Required testing, www.scrcog.org or can be made available upon request.

This contract isinfo, subject and to state set-aside website: and contract compliance requirements. registration apply online: www.bristolct.gov Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 DEADLINE: 02-25-22 Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 LaRosa Building Group inEOE Project documents available ftp link below: vitesviaSite work contractors to bid 340+ Dixwell Ave in New Haven, CT consisting of the new construction of 70 residential units. This http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage is subject to CHRO Set Aside requirements and the City of SENIOR ADMINITRATIVE project dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 New Haven ¼ and ½ Ordinance. Trade contractor bids are due to HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran,LaRosa S/W/MBE & no Section 3 Certified later thanBusinesses 3PM Thursday, March 03, 2022. Bids can be Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 emailed to Vince Parete vparete@larosabg.com or faxed to 203-599AA/EEO EMPLOYER 6210. Plans and specifications are available electronically by contactFull-time position Go to www.portland- ing Vince Parete by email or phone 203-235-1770. LaRosa Building Group is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Small, ct.org for details Minority, Women, Disabled, and Section 3 Businesses are strongly en-

INVITATION TO BID:

ASSISTANT 20

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 23 2016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February , 2022 - March 01, 2022

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

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

Director of Housing Choice Voucher Program

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is seeking an energetic individual who has at least three (3) years’ experience as an HCV Program Manager or Supervisor. Knowledge of HUD-related regulations required. Must be able to work flexible hours. Must have a valid CT Driver’s License; this position requires occasional instate travel. This is a full-time position with excellent benefits; salary is commen242-258 Fairmont Avea resume and professional surate with experience. Interested candidates should mail references 2BR

by Friday, February 25, 2022 to: Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

NEW HAVEN

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

Signe Lambertsen, HR Manager, The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol, 164 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Jerome Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010 Pet under allowed.

Interested parties contact Maria If submitting the 40lb required documentation electronically, send @ to 860-985-8258 Slambertsen@bristolhousing.org using “RESUME – Director of Housing Choice Voucher Program” in the subject line.

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response the Church’s Ministry needs.

The cost is $125.

Classes start Saturday, 20, 2016 1:30The BristoltoHousing Authority of the City of Bristol is an equalAugust opportunity em3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. ployer.

All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or St. New Haven, CT disability status.

Preferred experience – HUD Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Rental Calculation – form 50058 and/or form 50059. Also, supervisory experience preferred.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Help Wanted – LgAugust CT fence company looking for an experienced foreuntil 3:00 pm on Tuesday, 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour

man in CT and surrounding states who will work as a leader of small crews. Individual Seymour, CT 06483 Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the will be responsible for allfor types of fencing installation.

Specific tasks include but are Smithfield Living Facility,of 26 Street Seymour.manage not limited to:Gardens May beAssisted responsible for crew(s) twoSmith or more individuals, and troubleshoot problems that arise on site and notify superintendent when needed, ensures employees adhere to all safety and company policies and practices, able to A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith perform fence installation and setting posts as indicated by plans, project site cleanSeymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, Julyup 20,to2016. up.Street Job requirements include the following: preferably have 5 years’ experience, have a valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record, must be able to get a DOT medical card, OSHA safety training required prior to start of employment, pass Ofdrug Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority screening and a physical test. Medical, vacation and other benefits included, all necesfice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. sary equipment provided. We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer.

Send resume to gforshee@atlasoutdoor.com

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

CITY OF MILFORD

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

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

POLICE OFFICER City of Bristol $69,017 - $83,893/yr.

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

DRIVER CDL CLASS A Full Time – All Shifts Top

Pay-Full Benefits

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

Invitation to Bid: nd SENIOR ADMINITRATIVE2 Notice

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE Request for Proposal (RFP)

ASSISTANT

Old Saybrook, CT Summary Process Counsel (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Solicitation Number: 204-LG-22-S Full-timeTaxposition Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Go to www.portland- The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities is currently seeking proposalsSite-work, from attorneys/law New Construction, Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Cast- firms to conduct Summary Process (Evicct.org forWood details tions) for properties administered by Park City Communities. A complete set of RFP

in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, documents will be available on January 31, 2022. To obtain a copy of the solicitation Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference soliciQSR STEEL Mechanical, CORPORATION Electrical, Plumbing Fire and Protection. tation and number title on the subject line. A Pre-Proposal conference call will be held 2022, at 11:00 a.m. Although attendance is not mandatory submitting a This contract is subject to state set-aside on andFebruary contract15, compliance requirements.

APPLY NOW! Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

proposal without attending the pre-proposal conference may not be in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommuniSteel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders ties.org no later than February 23, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be Top pay for top performers.

HealthStart: August Anticipated 15,PCC’s 2016 Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org Proposals shall be emailed, posted on Benefits, 401K,Project Vacation Pay. mailed, delivered by March 03, 2022, at 3:00 p.m., to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, documents available via or ftphand link below: Chief Procurement Officer, 150 Highland Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06604, or bids@parkcihttp://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT tycommunities.org. Late proposals will not be accepted.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com discipline Real Businesses estate firm is seeking a Senior manager to overHCC encourages the participation of all Veteran,Multi S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified see property management department which includes a portfolio of Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 4M sf. Minimum 7 years of real estate experience, position includes AA/EEO EMPLOYER

MECHANIC TRACTOR TRAILER

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

Rd. Ext., Stratford, CT EOE

21

overseeing staff, maintaining client relationships, capital budgets and working on new development projects. Competitive salary & benefit package.

Excellent benefits, 401k. Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Please submit resumes to openjobs.group@fusco.com. Phone calls will not be accepted.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 2022 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 01, 2016

Construction

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOTICE

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

NOTICIA

Union Company seeks:

Construction

Fence Installers: Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking

for Fence Installation Crews. Crews must have at least 5 years of experience installing chain link, wood, PVC and ornamental iron fencing. Work available 10-12 months per year, highest labor rates paid. All necessary equipment provided. Medical, holiday, vacation & other benefits included. Must be able to pass required physical and drug test.

An OSHA 10 Certification is required. A valid CT driver's license is required and must get DOT Medical Card. Bonuses paid weekly for jobs completed under budgeted labor hours. Potential to double hourly rate. We are an AA/EOE company. Send resumes/ inquiries to: rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com.

SAFETY DIRECTOR-Atlas Companies:

Responsible for the implementation and management of a comprehensive safety program. Duties include: develops, implements & maintains employee training programs, stays current on government safety rules & regulations, maintains & monitors DOT related reports, ensures completion of required OSHA record keeping & reporting, reviews accident & incident reports, safety training for new hires , works with CFO on monitoring & managing workers compensation claims, Meets with WC carrier’s safety management consultants, reviews safety provisions included in contract bids, meets with customer safety designees on job sites, travels to job sites both in and out of state. Education/ Experience: Bachelor’s degree in health & Safety, Safety Engineering, Environmental Health or equivalent experience, knowledge of safety policies & OSHA, EPA & DOT standards/laws, ability to conduct training in person and remotely, OSHA certifications, proficient with MS Office Suite. Bilingual a plus. Email resume to gciarleglio@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE M/F

ENTRY-LEVEL ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER

FHI Studio is actively seeking an innovative and self-motivated full-time Entry-Level Environmental Planner to join our team. As an environmental planner, you focus on quired. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: research, managing, collecting field inventory, analyzing, and mapping geographic information, writing technical reports, identifying and evaluating recommendations, and Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410. working closely with project managers and the environmental team. Strong candidates Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com will have a working knowledge of ArcGIS, strong technical writing skills, and an ability Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V to travel and conduct fieldwork within New England with a valid US driver's license.

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer Drug Free Workforce Candidates with familiarity with mapping datasets in CT, NY and MA and knowledge a plus.

InvitationoftoAutoCAD Bid: Minimum degree: Bachelor's Degree in natural resources, environmental studies, biol242-258 Fairmont Ave State of Connecticut 2nd Notice ogy, or related field. Salary ranges from $52,000 to $72,800 per year, commensurate Office of Policy 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA with level of experience. Please apply at https://fhistudio.isolvedhire.com/jobs/ or send and Management cover CT letter and resume to Bonnie Torres, 416 Asylum Street, Hartford, CT 06103. FHI All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Old Saybrook, Studio is an EEO/AA /VEV/Disabled employer. highways, near bus stop & shopping center

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

NEW HAVEN

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

The State of Connecticut, Office(4ofBuildings, 17 Units) Policy and Management is recruiting LegalWage Notice Rate Request for Proposals The South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Project for a Staff Attorney 1 (confidential) is seeking the services from a qualified consultant(s) with expertise in Hazard Mitigation Planning to position. update the South Central Region: Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). Disadvantaged

Business Enterprise firms areSite-work, strongly encouraged New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Cast- to respond as a prime contractor or to play a signifiFurther information regarding the duties, cant role within a consultant team. Responses are due by March 8, 2022 (2:30 p.m. local time). The eligibility requirements and application in-place Concrete, AsphaltfullShingles, Vinyl can Siding, RFP document be viewed at SCRCOG’s website: www.scrcog.org or can be made available instructions are available at: uponAppliances, request.

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Residential Casework,

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

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

State of Connecticut

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

The State of Connecticut is an equal Office of Policy and Management opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encouragesBid the Extended, applications Due Date: August 5, 2016 of women, minorities, and persons 15, 2016 with disabilities.Anticipated Start: August The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for an Associate Project documents available via ftp link Accounts below: Examiner and a Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary, OPM for Finance, Strategic Decisions and Accountability.

http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application POLICE OFFICER instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp Fax orCity Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com of Bristol HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified?R1=220209&R2=0946AR&R3=001 Businesses

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

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

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

and Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 $69,017Haynes - $83,893/yr. https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp Required testing, AA/EEO EMPLOYER ?R1=220210&R2=5571MP&R3=001 registration info, and apply The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer online: www.bristolct.gov and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

DEADLINE: 02-25-22 EOE

22

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

Join The Inner City Newspaper As We Celebrate The Achievements Of Women During Women’s History Month!

HISTORY DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH,

The Inner City Newspaper

will present our “Annual Women’s History Month Commemorative Issues!”

These Special Edition Issues published each week during March, will be a tribute to the achievements of Women from a historical perspective as well as a celebration of the lives of women who impact our communities, Our region, and who through their works, have made an impact throughout the country.

These issues will focus on Women's Health , Lifestyle, Fashion, Careers, Entertainment, Relationships, and Comfortable Living!

We invite your business to utilize these showcase editions as a platform to place your branding messages in premium locations throughout these keepsake issues! For more information on how your business can play a prominent role in these productions, call the Inner City News Advertising Department at: (203) 387-0354.

Circulation Breakdown

Circulation Breakdown Inner-City News Market CIRCULATION BREAKDOWN

GET THE FACTS

Connecticut has

16.5% non-white population. The figure

Published: weekly / circulation:

for the inner city newspaper coverage area is an overwhelming

44%.

25,000 / Readership:

100,000 Where: over

750+ racks throughout the New Haven and

Bridgeport area.

Within the inner city distribution area, the cities with the largest non-white populations are: Bridgeport

New haven

53.1% New haven 49.3%

60% Bridgeport 40%

New Haven, Westhaven, Hamden, North Haven, Bridgeport,

This represents a vital consumer base and an important seg-

Orange, Ansonia, Milford, Waterbury

ment of the population that cannot be ignored! Media market research (MRI) reported that

30.3% of the black popu$40,000 a year!

Here are some quick facts about our readers.

35–78 College educated: 53% 46%– 54% Home owners: 34%

lation have household incomes of over

Age:

10%

Male / Female:

of this population have incomes of 70,000 or more!

Place your message where people place their trust.

The

Inner-City Penfield Communications inc.

News

Connecticut’s first choice for urban news since 1990.

5 0 Fi t c h S t r e e t ,

New Haven, C T 06515 | Phone: 203.387.0354 w w w. i n n e r c i t y o n l i n e . c o m

23

|

Fa x :

203.387.2684

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 23, 2022 - March 01, 2022

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