THE
New Haven, Bridgeport
NEWS
Volume 21 No. 2176
Bey’s Formation:
Thurston W. Coleman
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - Match 06, 2016
Hillary and Bernie Discover and Re-Discover Black People
Race At Cross, Malloy Defends Charters
AA Culinary Culinary Home Home Opens Opens At At ConnCAT ConnCAT 1
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Author’s Corner
John P. Thomas Jr. Publisher / CEO
London Payne
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - March 06, 2016
by Christian Lewis,
and notebooks as my therapist. Writing down what I was feeling was a coping mechanism for me. I was hurt, I was angry and I needed to deal with it in a mature way. I allowed my pain to turn into a passion for me.
ICN Staff Correspondent
How long did it take you to write your book?
I am a lover of arts, music, books, and paintings, everything creative and artistic. I am a reader as well as an author and I love helping others; I have been doing some research to spotlight authors from around Connecticut and I have reached out to authors, some whom I know personally and some whom I don’t.
I actually started writing my book at about the age of 15. I always wanted to publish my poetry but really more for my own satisfaction. It was a personal goal for me. I wrote my book over a span of over ten years plus. I had a little yellow notebook that I would just continuously write in whenever I was going through something. I would write and put the book down until I had to pick it up again.
In December 2015 I went to a book signing for a local author by the name of London Payne and her book titled From the Left to the Write. I took the time not too long ago to sit and interview her and in the next week or so I’ll be reviewing her book. I hope you all enjoy her interview and pick up a copy of her book. The best way to support an author is to buy a copy of their book, read it, leave a review for it and tell others about it!! Allow me to introduce Author London Payne! Where are you from? I am from New Haven, CT When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? At first, writing was just an outlet for me, just to pass time and get me through the moment. I first realized I wanted to be a writer when I would go through many different situations in relationships and felt like I didn’t have an outlet. I used my pen
What publishing route did you go to get your book published? I am with a publishing company by the name of Goldin Glow managed by Terry Morrison out of North Carolina. What was the motivation behind your book? The motivation behind my poetry book was pain, a lot of pain. Certainly some good times but more bad times than good and with my book I am not
afraid to admit that. Many unhealthy relationships. Instead of becoming irate or reacting in a violent manner towards the person I was dealing with, I would channel that energy into a poem or two. My writing was always spur of the moment but at the same time, real time in the moment. When you’re trying to find who you are as a person and as a person in relationships, sometimes you tend to take different avenues from the average person, or so you think. It took me a lot of unfortunate mistreatment, misunderstanding and self-navigation to finally find my way. A way less painful and more fulfilling. What was the hardest part of writing your book? The hardest part about writing my book was reliving through the pain that was inflicted at “that” current moment, whatever moment it lead me to in that particular situation. The booked is a two-part poetry book that speaks to relationships, whether it was love, hate, miscellaneous topics or metaphors. I think the more I wrote, the more strength I gained to get through that situation along with the next situation, because more times than not, there was going to be a “next situation”.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? Honestly, I don’t have one particular favorite author but I have read over one hundred books. Anywhere from your books, to Oprah Winfrey, Steve Harvey, Rhonda Byrne, Robert Greene, Zane and many more. I read all types of books and most certainly support our local authors. Is there a message in your (poetry book) novel that you want readers to grasp? The message that I would want readers to grasp is that no matter where you are or think you are in life when it comes to relationships, there is always a way to and through any situation. With God and perseverance you can always prevail. I would also add that you ARE good enough believe in yourself and always put you first. We don’t have to look like the things that we’ve gone through and there is a light and life at the other end of it all in a bad relationship or two. I’ve had readers that are much older than I reach out to me and tell me how much they can relate or that they were currently going through something similar to Con’t on page 16
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Editorial Team Staff Writers Ratasha Smith / Current Affairs Anthony Scott / Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd / Politics Contributing Writers David Asbery Tanisha Asbery Jessica Carl Jerry Craft/Cartoons Barbara Fair Mubarakah Ibrahim Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner Smita Shrestha Kam Williams Content Contributors At-Large Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com Paul Bass New Haven Independent www.newhavenindependent.org Dr. Fred McKinney Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council www.cmsdc.org Memberships National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. The Inner-City Newspaper is published weekly by Penfield Communications, Inc. from offices located at 50 Fitch Street, 2nd Floor, New Haven, CT 06515. 203-387-0354 phone; 203-387-2684 fax. Subscriptions:$260 per year (does not include sales tax for the in State subscriptions). Send name, address, zip code with payment. Postmaster, send address changes to 50 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515. Display ad deadline Friday prior to insertion date at 5:00pm Advertisers are responsible for checking ads for error in publication. Penfield Communications, Inc d.b.a., “The Inner-City Newspaper” , shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad or for typographical errors or errors in publication, except to the extent of the cost of the space in which actual error appeared in the first insertion. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The entire contents of The Inner-City Newspaper are copyright 2012, Penfield Communications, Inc. and no portion may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
in her new role.
By Christian Lewis,
I briefly spoke with Retired Detective Hilda Kilpatrick, who in 1991 became the first African American female Detective for the department, and here now 25 years later, the department swore in the first female African American Captain. I asked her how proud she was of Helliger, she said, “I’m extremely proud of her, I mentored her, she’s extremely bright and educated.” Kilpatrick went on to say that education and qualifications are in the eyes of the beholder, she said she doesn’t know why when it comes to African Americans it always has to be a ‘first’, why can’t there be five, six or seven at one time
On Friday, February 19 history was made at City Hall as the first African American female Captain was sworn in. Captain Patricia Helliger took the oath from Mayor Toni Harp as her new role as Captain for the New Haven Police Department, and her nephew Alex Brooks had the honor of pinning her new badge onto her. Over 100 people filled the atrium of City Hall’s second floor to witness this historic moment, police officers, community members, and retired personnel from the NHPD and others were amongst those in attendance. Police Chief Dean Esserman stated that the most important about the ceremony was that the community was in attendance, a community that was there to celebrate an officer of the community. After taking the oath and being pinned Captain Helliger started out by giving God the glory and by saying, “for all things belong to him through Jesus Christ. Today I rise as Captain Patricia Helliger, the first black woman captain, today marks a historical moment for my community and myself.” Helliger went on to thank various members of the NHPD, Commissions Board, her mentors and her ‘beloved community.” She gave acknowledgment to the “Queens who reigned the throne of her life’, her mother, who
was not able to make it due to health issues, her grandmother and her aunt who raised her with the self determination to follow God’s code before any police code. She stated that being the first in her new role is lonely, however she is encouraged that the gender and color line broken will pave the way for more African American women to follow in her footsteps. She mentioned Georgia Ann Robinson, who in 1916 was the first African American officer was hired by LAPD, four years before women exercised their right to vote for the first time.
“There is no greater human validation than being able to validate yourself and if you believe then you can achieve, even in the face of adversity.” She says she knows her new role will not be easy, it does not need to be; she says she knows she’s the eye of the storm. William Dyson, a retired CT State Rep, said that the face of law enforcement is changing, referring to Helliger’s new role, and he made mention to a song by Nina Simone, Times are Changing; he told Captain Helliger that he was one OG that would have her back
Twenty years ago when Patricia Helliger decided she wanted to be a police officer for the City of New Haven, an officer from Bridgeport PD told her to speak with Captain Odell Cohens, who has since retired, and Cohens vividly remembers the eagerness and enthusiasm to apply to be a member of the PD. Cohens charged the officers in attendance to support the newly promoted Captain and to reach out to the more seasoned officers if they ever needed anything and he reminded Helliger that he is always there for her if she needs him. I had the opportunity to also interview a few others who are close to Captain Helliger, one being her niece, Precious DuBose who is currently interning with the New Haven Fire Department, I asked
how she felt about her aunt’s accomplishment, and she stated, “I’m very proud of her.” She feels as if her aunt’s accomplishment is pushing her to go higher in her career. She went on to state that this is a ‘change for African American women” and that ‘we can do whatever it is we want to achieve.” Assistant Chief Anthony Campbell said that the PD is progressing and that Helliger’s promotion is the first step in moving forward and that for her to be the first Black captain is just simply remarkable. He went on to say that it’s about time that this happened and it’s a great opportunity because it gives hope to younger generations to know that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to as long as they stay focused and acknowledge their vision.
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - Match 06, 2016
Black History made in New Haven during Black History Month
Captain Helliger said that she felt very overwhelmed and that the promotion fills her heart but it’s also an awkward feeling knowing that she’s the first. Twenty years she took the oath to be an officer for the City of New Haven and twenty years later she’s taken the oath to be Captain, she said being that both events happened in February it’s like it’s a revelation from God that everything is coming together. She says that with God you can accomplish anything and that African American’s can accomplish anything and her new position can give them confidence.
#BlackGirlMagic I’m So Here For It! women and girls in ways that nothing else has. It’s all about confidence and soul and excitement, and the grind and the hustle and our struggle and our beauty. We know as Women and girls of Color we are unique and extraordinary, but so often we are not celebrated for all the amazing things we gift to the world. #BlackGirlMagic includes all of us from every walk of life, Celebrity Women, Teachers, Lawyers, Politicians, Doctors, Au-
thors, Students, Mothers, Daughters, Cousins and Friends, and Sorors. Each of us lifting and sharing and building on legacies and histories that have shaped us and defined us and carried us to this present moment. Yes, there are those that say #BlackGirlMagic is superficial and does nothing to address discrimination and economic disparity and so many other ills plaguing us as people of Color around the world. That would be
true on some level. I will not argue that point. However, I do know that we need #BlackGirlMagic to wrap around us like our own super power. Why can’t we see ourselves magical? Why can’t we see ourselves as incredible, strong and resilient Women of Color? We make it happen and often looking fabulous! So Cheers and Hooray to us as we take this hashtag as our cape and move through the world con-
nected and in love. # B l a c k G i r l s R o c k #BlackGirlBrilliance (my hashtag) #BlackGirlMagic!
Babz Rawls Ivy #AMagicalBlackGirl Editor-in-Chief The Inner-City News
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We are in the height of social media usage from everything to social justice activism, affirmations and personal discovery. Hashtags are a way to tag a topic of interest so that others may find and follow and or stand in solidarity with. There are hashtags for EVERYTHING! I’ve started a few myself. But my most favorite viral hashtag is BLACK GIRL MAGIC! YES! #Black Girl Magic just expresses the essences of Black
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POLICE ACADEMY RECRUITS SPENT A MORNING READING WITH NEW HAVEN STUDENTS New Haven Police Academy recruits got a pass on their own studies this morning as they participated in World Read Aloud Day. The recruits paid a visit to the King- Robinson Magnet School. They’d been invited by the students who consider them neighbors. The K-8 school, located at 150 Fournier Street, is just blocks from the academy. The recruits welcomed students as they got off the school busses. Some students invited their loved ones to join in the fun. Together, students, recruits and academy staff spent the morning reading aloud their favorite books. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words and creates a community of readers taking action to show the world that the right to literacy belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day is celebrated by millions of people in more than 100 countries thanks to people like the NHPD recruits, staff and school
officials. Chief Dean M. Esserman said, “This is wonderful… A great way to connect our kids with our future Officers. Each year we become more and more involved. Such programs are as important for our public servants as they are for the students. I’m grateful to the academy staff and recruits for their interest and participation”.
175 Years Later The Amistad Captives Freedom Is Celebrated!
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - March 06, 2016
By The ICN Staff The Amistad Committee, Inc. with Mayor Toni Harp and the City of New Haven will be celebrating a time in history when the United States Supreme Court upheld the lower Court’s ruling that the Amistad captives were free men. March 9, 2016 will be 175 years since the ruling occurred. The U.S. Government wanted to try Sengbe Pieh and the others for murder for the death of several crewman on the vessel The Amistad. The defense of the Amistad captives was presented in the Supreme Court by former U.S. President John Quincy Adams. The New Haven community rallied support of the captives who were held in a jail in front of New Haven City Hall, in fact, where
the Amistad Memorial statute of Sengbe Penh, also known as Cinque, stands today. Over the months of captivity downtown New Haven, people
were drawn to the plight of these men and children from Sierra Leone, West Africa. Church people formed a committee called The Amistad Committee.
Another group was created called the American Missionary Association. Both groups raised funds to hire an attorney, Roger Sherman Baldwin. Several trials
were held in Connecticut to attempt to secure their release before it went to the U.S. Supreme Court. This case is considered the first human rights trial in the U.S. while the Supreme Court decision ensured freedom for the Amistad captives, it did not provide a blanket agreement that all Blacks deserved their human rights. Their case however; became a rallying cry for abolitionists who sought to do away with slavery in the United States. Join us on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 for a podcast with Mayor Toni Harp to all NHPS students and faculty on these events in history. Later that evening, a banquet will be held 6 pm at Amarante’s Seacliff Inn on Cove Street, New Haven.
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A Culinary Home Opens At ConnCAT by LUCY GELLMAN
Tell ‘Em I Said It IS “FIRST BLACK” STILL A GOOD THING?
New Haven Independent
Charles Nixon, a student at a glistening new culinary arts academy in Newhallville, never thought that he would go into cooking as anything more than a hobby. Then he lost his job with AT&T.
By SAMUEL T. ROSS-LEE
Hoping to “give back to the community,” he started a business that was robbed, and lost everything he’s invested in it. He found himself unable to get up in the morning. Until he flipped nh.com/category/ct-style/»on WTNH’s “CT Style,” and saw Chef Eric Blass doing a serious chiffonade on the big screen. At the end of the demo, Blass mentioned four words: ConnCAT. Culinary Arts. Teaching.
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - March 06, 2016
That was a revelation for Nixon, still in search of a new vocation. He put on a suit, marched down to Blass’ office at the Science Park home of the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology’s (ConnCAT) , and sat down for an interview to see if he could join the burgeoning program.
LUCY GELLMAN PHOTO
Charles Nixon addresses Tuesday’s crowd.
Nixon’s story, punctuated with a poem honoring Blass and ConnCAT Executive Director Erik Clemons, was one of the testimonials shared Tuesday morning at a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for ConnCAT’s new Culinary Arts Program, taught out of huge test kitchens and a soon-to-open cafe in the Science Park site’s lobby. The brainchild of Clemons and ConnCAT Board Chair Carlton L. Highsmith, the program came out of a trip to Pittsburgh and discussions in November 2014. In its current iteration, the program, which dovetails with ConnCAT’s mission of reaching out to the unemployed and underemployed, will run Mondays through Fridays for 11 months per year, with a four-week externship at the end. Each cohort about 20 students all interested in the culinary arts, and all admitted to the program free of charge enters and finishes the program together, taking a
Mayor Harp and Highsmith cut!
ServSafe National Food Service Protection Manager exam at the end. During any given week, the curriculum will consist of two lessons and some serious kitchen time per day, students working to master all aspects of food preparation, cooking, presentation, and cleanup. “When Erik started talking to me about what they wanted to do, what I started to think about was not only the opportunity for the jobs, but the changing of the face of what it is to cook,” New Haven State Sen. Gary Winfield said of
the program. “When we think about what it means to be the people you all are intending to be, we don’t think about the faces that we see here. This is important to me not only because it’s right across the street, but because it changes what we see as a possibility. It changes what those young people see as a possibility ... This place has lifted up the young people that are in this city.” The fruits of that sometimes literal are being reaped as a cohort of 20 students gets to chopping, mixing, and baking in the Con’t on page 17
As we are still in February, I thought I would use this column to say a bit more about Black History. But, this time I wish to focus on the history that we are making today and the message that we will leave to our children based on the way in which we engage the world in which we live right now. I’m calling this Contemporary Black History. In my last column on this subject I suggested that the best way for us to celebrate our history is by acting on what we have learned from the past, otherwise our history is nothing more than relics from days gone by which we might admire but whose value is lost if that is all it is to us. Well, that is what I tried to convey. In this piece, I wish to engage the topic of Black History from the perspective of what we are doing today to make history and what we even think making history is. When ABC announced last week that it was doing something that it had not seen fit to do before now, Vibe, (an online magazine) screamed: #BlackGirlMagic: ABC Makes History And Hires First Black Woman President. (Yes, Hashtag included.) The hire is a Ms. Channing Dungey. In addition to ABC, Harvard University recently announced the appointment of a Black professor to the Deanship of its School of Public Health. Michelle A. Williams, an epidemiologist and professor at the School of Public Health, will lead the school as its next dean beginning in July, becoming the first black person to head a faculty at Harvard. The questions here for me around these “historic” appoint-
ments and promotions are did ABC and Harvard make history, or were they just correcting it? And, are appointments and promotions like this something that we should be “celebrating” or should we being giving ABC and Harvard the side-eye with an “It’s about damn time” look. We have a long history of seeking validation from White institutions, the more prestigious the better. A part of my motivation for choosing the Divinity School I attended is its perceived prestige in the pantheon of such institutions. I was less concerned with the specifics of the program, as I should have been, and more moved by its name, assuming, wrongly, that its reputation would cover a multitude of sins and deficiencies. It ultimately did not. But, when we have been pushed out, locked out, or kept out of so many places and opportunities that we were qualified to enter well before we were allowed, does the prestige of the institution make up for past discrimination and other unfair barriers placed in our way? How should we think about those moments when the confirmation finally comes, or the validation is finally conferred? Should we ignore the long insult that taunted us with notions of inferiority? Or should we be glad that the long night is finally over, and celebrate, without bitterness, the daybreak that has brought with it the recognition that we finally, and so richly, deserve? The answer to the questions, unfortunately, is both. The answer is both because we cannot be so trapped in bitterness that we cannot acknowledge individual achievements, nor can we be so dismissive of the past that the dismissiveness morphs into a facile resignation and Con’t on page 27
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by ALIYYA SWABY
Kimberly Rice, who lives in New Haven and works in Bridgeport, told the governor she had voted for him and urged at least 500 people to do the same during the election. Since then, she said, she has been concerned.
New Haven Independent
J. Peter Wilson asked people in the crowd to raise their hands if they’d had a public education or sent their children to public schools. Hands went up throughout the room.
“You appear to be abandoning your policies and adopting an austerity budget,” she said. Rice urged him to raise taxes on the wealthy instead of “abandoning the people most in need” by cutting social services.
Then why, Wilson asked, is the governor siphoning money from traditional public schools for charter schools? Wilson was among the speakers at a Tuesday night “town hall” meeting who asked Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to explain his priorities in planning the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, as Connecticut faces 5.75 percent cuts across all agencies.
Public-school grads raise hands at Tuesday’s forum.
business,” Wilson said, to a smattering of claps.
People from across Greater New Haven pressed the governor at his third public forum this month to save their programs and avoid cuts that would target social services. At the podium in Wilbur Cross High School’s atrium, the governor largely stuck to his message: The state has to work with less, and he s finding the right spending balance. The state needs to close a deficit estimated at about $500 million for the current fiscal year as well as projected deficits moving forward because of lower-thanexpected tax revenues. Before taking questions, Malloy explained the five principles guiding the changes in the proposed budget: Spend based on available resources, manage long-term pension obligations, specify core services, hold state agencies accountable for results, and seek a bipartisan process.
Malloy said he was not abandoning his principles and that he had raised taxes when first elected in 2011 upon inheriting a $3.6 billion deficit.
million in special education, after school programs and other services in under-resourced public schools. It also eliminates an increase in Education Cost Sharing grants for neighborhood schools next school year. A special education teacher in New Haven Public Schools’ central office, Wilson accused Malloy of favoring charter schools over traditional public schools.
The proposed state budget gives charter schools a $9.3 million boost and cuts $52.9
“Do you know charter schools are public schools?” Malloy responded. “Apparently he does
Malloy has embraced the charter school movement as governor. The state began investing in charter schools because existing public schools “were failing our kids,” Malloy said. “The percentage of people who are failing to graduate with a degree went down for five years before I took over as governor ... Ninety percent of Americans are educated in public schools, including charter schools, which are public schools.” Wilson held out a hand and tilted it from side to side—to say, “sort of.” “No, not this. They are,” Malloy insisted. “They don’t do business the same way other schools do
Getting back to the numbers, Malloy said New Haven’s traditional public schools had not lost any money as a result of charter school funding changes in the city. And charter schools receive less per pupil than traditional schools, he reminded the public. Which governor has put the most money into funding public education? Malloy asked Wilson. “You have,” Wilson said. But conflating charter schools and traditional schools is like “talking about apples and oranges,” he said. “They don’t mix.” This interaction was the most tense of the evening. Many speakers, while critical of cuts, also voiced their past support for Malloy’s policies.
“Finding the right balance is very important,” he said, circling back to his message. The proposed budget does not cut schools’ Educational Cost Sharing grants, among other services. “Billionaires are paying the lowest they’ve paid in history,” Rice said. Malloy said that isn’t true in Connecticut, though it is true generally in the country. “We have raised taxes substantially,” he said, and argued that the state mayb e reaching a tipping point at which new taxes don’t produce new revenue. The governor touted his record on ending chronic homelessness among the state’s veterans and keeping more young drug users out of the prison system. Navy veteran Sylvester Salcedo thanked the governor for his work at ending homelessness and asked him to end the War on Drugs at state level. He asked the governor to instead pursue a policy of “tolerance, empathy and acceptance.” Malloy said his administration is focused on mental health care over criminalization of drug use, as well as decriminalizing marijuana and making medical marijuana available for more illnesses.
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The Great Recession led to a drop in revenue and increase in low-paying jobs, meaning the legislature “will have to make major changes to the budget,” he said.
“Why has there been a transformation of funds to charter schools as opposed to those funds remaining in public education to increase and continue our country being great?” he said. “You and I have had discussions about this before.”
not,” he said, indicating Wilson.
Wilson: Malloy should stop favoring charter schools. “That’s exactly the point,” Malloy said. He and Wilson spoke over each other, neither one ceding the floor. “We fundamentally disagree,” Malloy said finally, after threatening to end the conversation with his challenger. “The kids living in urban environments deserve the same level of treatment that other people get.”
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - Match 06, 2016
At Cross, Malloy Defends Charters
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New Haven Immigrant Rights Protesters Arrested At White House Barack Obama to order an end to raids and deportations of Central American refugees.
by STAFF New Haven Independent
Three New Haven immigrantrights advocates went to the White House Tuesday to make a plea. They joined 11 other advocates from around the country in a civil-disobedience action organized to call attention to the plight of undocumented families being torn apart by federal immigration raids and sent back to their native lands to face deadly gangs. The three New Haveners national Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) spokesperson Kica Matos and Ana María Rivera-Forastieri and Alicia R. Schmidt Camacho of Junta for Progressive Action were arrested after a rally calling on President
MICHAEL SALDARRIAGA – REFORM IMMIGRATION FOR AMERICA PHOTO Matos
addresses crowd Tuesday.
“These crosses stand for 83 immigrant deaths that took place in 2014. All 83 immigrants came here to escape the terrible violence taking place in their home countries” and were killed upon their return, Matos told the crowd. ““Instead of welcoming them and giving them the protection that they so desperately needed, our government arrested them, put them in detention centers, and deported them ... Angel Diaz was shot to death on a bus four days after being deported. If the raids and deportations continue, President Obama will be responsible for the possible harm or even death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Their blood will be on
his hands.” “As people of conscience, we have a responsibility to hold our government accountable for the needless loss of life and terror arising from misdirected deportation policies. The Central American refugees who have been denied protection are not strangers or lawbreakers they are our parents, our sisters and brothers, our neighbors and friends; they build our communities as they work beside us, send their kids to school, and worship with us. If we deny their claims to refuge, we deny the most basic values of we the people,” declared Schmidt Camacho, a Yale professor who teaches American studies and ethnicity, race, and migration.
OMG! Talia Aikens-Nunez Does It Again said. Her “other” job, as she calls it, is as a program manager for the judicial branch of the State of Connecticut, where she has worked for nine years.
by ELISSA SANCI New Haven Independent
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - March 06, 2016
Talia Aikens-Nunez wrote her first book as an elementary schooler. A story about her cat Mickey, it was written on computer paper with staples serving as a binding.
Her first title, a bilingual picture book titled Escucha Means Listen, came out three years ago; it is set to be re-released this month.
As an adult, Aikens-Nunez has published three books for children. Her latest children’s novel, OMG…I Did It Again?!, the second in a series about a young girl who discovers she has witch powers, will be released on May 1. OMG…I Did It Again?! follows the adventures of April Appleton, a pre-teen girl with magical powers. After learning about poachers who hunt elephants for their ivory tusks, April wishes she could save her favorite animals. She is flummoxed when, one morning, she wakes up to see elephants parading down her suburban street. For the duration of the novel, April and her friends must figure out how the elephants got to their town, and how to send them back to their rightful home.
ELISSA SANCI PHOTO
Talia Aikens-Nunez with her new book.
Aikens-Nunez, who grew up in New Haven, weaves her multicultural characters into her narrative seamlessly, never making their race or ethnicity the focal point of the story. “It’s hard to entice kids to read if they can’t see themselves in the books,” Aikens-Nunez said. By creating characters of different backgrounds, she makes her children’s novels more relatable to her audience.
Aikens-Nunez began writing children’s books when her daughter Isabella was born in 2008. Isabella, now 8, often gives her mom tips on what to write about. Sometimes Aikens-Nunez encourages her daughter to write her own stories. Isabella does, the way her mother herself used to when she was younger. Aikens-Nunez, who also has a 2-year-old son, writes in her spare time; writing is her “fun” job, she
Aikens-Nunez said she initially had a difficult time finding a publisher: big name publishers liked her idea, but said it was too difficult to market a bilingual book. She then reached out to smaller publishers, who were very receptive to her multicultural characters. Aikens-Nunez said it is important to represent multicultural characters in children’s literature. Her books are not about grandiose topics; instead, they cover “light, fluffy topics” with characters of different races and ethnicities. For instance, she said, OMG…I Did It Again?! focuses on April’s adventures as a witch, and just happens to feature three best friends of different races.
The first book in the OMG series, OMG…Am I A Witch?!, was published with Central Avenue Marketing Ltd. in 2014. It has won the Independent Book Publisher Association’s Benjamin Franklin Award for Juvenile Fiction and the Mom’s Choice Award, as well as an honorable mention in the New England Festival. Writing first drafts of her books takes about a month, she said. Then the editing process can take anywhere from six months to a year. Aikens-Nunez plans to continue to write as many books as possible for the series, for “as many adventures as I can come up with.” Aikens-Nunez has held readings in New Haven libraries and at schools in the New Haven area. Her readings are mixed with activities, which include arts and crafts, games and mini-writing workshops. “I like writing for kids because I like their imaginations,” she said. “It’s endless and pure.”
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Black Girl Magic: Madam CJ Walker’s Headquarters Passes Torch to First Black Woman to Own Patent on Natural Hair Products Gwen Jimmere, CEO & Founder of Naturalicious (www.naturalicious.net), has become the first African American woman in history to own a U.S. patent on a product made with all-natural ingredients. News of this groundbreaking moment in history has been highlighted across the country in media such as Entrepreneur Magazine, Black Enterprise, Fast Company, and the Tom Joyner Morning Show to name a few. Her patent Jimmere received a patent for her Moroccan Rhassoul 5-in-1 Clay Treatment – the first hair care product that allows you to wash, condition, deep condition, leave-in condition and detangle all at once, thereby saving you significant time and money without sacrificing healthy and safe ingredients. With over one hundred 5-star reviews across the web, the product is exceptionally popular amongst the natural hair community. This innovative hair product can be purchased separately or as part of her #1 selling OooLaLocks Hair Box – the first and only hair care system that does the work of 13 products in
only 4 steps. Passing the torch Upon hearing about Jimmere’s remarkable accomplishment, the Walker Theatre, home to Madam CJ Walker’s historic company headquarters and manufacturing facility, reached out to her to con-
gratulate her and pass the proverbial torch – letting her know that Madam Walker would be especially proud of her. For Jimmere, this was sweet validation and a welcome surprise. Jimmere comments, “Madam CJ Walker has always been a
huge inspiration to me. Having defied the odds–at a time when she was expected to be a washer woman at best—she was always proof to me that impossible is nothing. So for her headquarters to reach out and give me their blessing… that was enormous and I am definitely humbled.” Jimmere, who is based in Detroit, was subsequently invited to Indianapolis for a private tour of the historic building that housed the brainchild of America’s first self-made female millionaire almost 100 years ago. “I already knew a lot about this great woman, but I learned so much more about her business acumen, how far into the future she planned for, and how she created self-sufficiency and career opportunities for over 30,000 other black women. She’s the epitome of the greatness I strive toward,” she says. The gala To commemorate Jimmere’s historic achievement, Nissan is sponsoring The History Maker gala in Detroit on April 17, 2016. Jimmere is donating all proceeds from the gala to benefit early STEM education for disadvantaged children in the inner city.
Black History: What You Should Know about the “Greensboro Six” By Michael Dean Recently this newspaper printed a story about the “Wilmington 10”, a group of African Americans and one white female who were falsely accused and convicted of burning a store. After 40 years the group members were pardoned by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue. But there is another story about a group of North Carolinians who bucked the system and left their mark on the game of golf. They are known as the “Greensboro Six.” On Wednesday, December 7, 1955, a Greensboro dentist Dr.
The Greensboro Six. (BlackThen.com)
George C. Simkins Jr., closed his office, grabbed his golf clubs and went across the street to Arthur Lee’s Shell Station to await the arrival of his golfing buddies for their weekly rounds. But this day would be different from the
others. In the past the six golfers would travel to Nocho Park, a 9hole course in Greensboro or to other public courses in High Point, Charlotte or Durham to tee it up. But the group that also included Phillip Cook, Sam
Murray, Elijah Herring, Joseph Sturdivant and Leon Wolfe had a different plan in their minds. The six golfers planned to play Gillespie Park, a public course that was operated as a private facility. The city entered a $1 a year lease agreement with a group of white citizens who saw fit to restrict play at Gillespie to “members” and their guests only. That meant, “Whites Only.” The Greensboro Six arrived at Gillespie Park, walked into the pro shop and announced their intentions to play a round of golf. The attendant told them that they couldn’t play and put away the registration book that every Con’t on page 19
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A Culinary Home Opens classroom and the kitchen. Addressing over 250 attendees, Nixon spoke on what the program has meant to him since he joined in January. “Life sometimes throws you curveballs,” he said. “When I came here, I was completely blown away ... It’s such a powerful spirit here, a spirit of love, a spirit of happiness.” “I’ve always had a passion to cook,” he added after the ceremony, back in is home turf of the kitchen. “There’s such a diverse range of ethnicity, age and talent here ... we are all looking forward to maintaining 100 percent retention as each week goes by. When I saw this as a possible opportunity, I didn’t hesitate.” He’s not the only one. Student Stanley Hair of New Haven is hoping to move up from his job at Jordan’s Furniture to meal prep on a cruise ship after the program is over. “I’ve liked baking since high school,” Hair said while leading a tour of the Academy’s Kitchen Classroom, where Blass demos a meal each day before students try cooking it. “But I wanted to learn how to do more.” That’s the consensus outside of the kitchen and the classroom, too. “It’s like a family,” Blass said after the event. “I feel very fortunate ... Watching them [the students] work is absolutely amazing because their skills are incredible. It’s a lot the days start earlier and earlier and end later and later, but it’s a labor of love. I’ve never had a job where 12 hours goes by and ... the days just vaporize.” “I think the one thing that makes this organization successful is that we look at the student holistically,” he added. “Everything in their life that we can try to help them with and I try to bring that into the classroom. I’m not just teaching them cooking. ‘m teaching them management skills, conflict resolution, professionalism, pride so they’re learning a lot of skills other than just cooking.”
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Author’s Corner what I had expressed. Do you have a specific writing style? I do not. Whatever I feel at the moment is what I try to convey. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? Thank you for investing in a piece of me, I hope that there was at least one thing new or a reminder that you were able to walk away with. For some of my younger readers I would say, there are lessons that can be learned by the walks of others. You don’t have to put up with mistreatment or anything that does not make you feel good about you. Not everyone is for you and hopefully you will be able to identify those people earlier than later. What is your preferred method for readers to get in contact with you or follow you? I have a Facebook “like” page that is connected directly to my personal page I frequent that daily and I’m very active on that page. I also have an email address should they prefer that way I am also on Twitter and InstaGram as well. What are you currently workin on now? I am currently working on putting some of those poems into story form to get a better understanding of the mayhem behind the messages. Poems only give you but so much of the story. That novel will be titled London’s Bridge. Pretty much in regards to the hurdles and triumphs if you will of some of my experiences in relationships from constant cheating to abuse of all forms. Where can interested readers purchase your books? My book From the Left to the Write can be purchased on amazon.com and kindle.
This Week In Black History: Doc McStuffins’ Prescription For Inspiration By Aria Ellise BlackDoctor.Org If you hear children laughing and singing around the television in the afternoons, more than likely they are watching their favorite cartoon. Among their favorite is the health-related cartoon antics of Doc McStuffins; a young African American girl who wants to become a doctor, like her mother. Kiara Muhammad is the voice of the lead character on Disney Jr. McStuffins spends her time healing her stuffed animals and teaching them healthy habits. The show has been a success, with a viewership of over 1 million children, ages 2 to 5. Muhammad started her acting career in New York City at age seven, but moved to Los Angeles, so she could pursue TV work. She quickly landed parts on “Hannah Montana” and the Disney Channel Movie “Den Brother.” She only had gone on a few voice over auditions when she was offered the leading role of Doc McStuffins. The young actress stated, “This is my first time doing voice over so I was shocked, but I was really proud of myself, too.” Muhammad hopes young viewers will get a lot of lessons from the show. “I think they learn pretty much everything possible to learn – brush your teeth, wash your hands, don’t spread germs. All the basic things to learn when you’re around five.” “When recording, I am in a room by myself with a microphone and there’s glass so I can see the writer and director telling me how to say the lines. I try to think of some things that she does already, how she would normally do it to keep it the same. It would be a little weird if I did something totally different than what she
courtesy of Disney Junior/Doc McStuffins/Kiara Muhammad
normally does. Like does she that. I put my voice really high nod when she says ‘yes’ or does so I sound younger! I ask she just reply — things like myself, What is Doc
McStuffins’ favorite thing to do?” Kiara has truly become the Doc. She says, “Doc’s favorite thing is helping toys. But she also likes playing with her friends. Family and friend time is important, too.” When asked what she wants kids to learn from Doc McStuffins, Kiara simply adds, “The hygienic stuff is really important. Washing your hands and eating well and exercising — it’s a problem now because kids have all these electronics and can get lazy. They really have to take care of themselves.” “I think we both strive for what we want. I really want to be an actress,” adds Muhammad. “so I took acting classes and I study my script before I go into the audition. In every episode, she always strives to help the toy and she always gets it done.” Doc McStuffins continues to inspire children of all races to pursue being a doctor. There are legions of fans who dress like her, speak like her and want to be like her. Keep up the good work Doc!
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“Greensboro Six”
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golfer had to sign before play could begin. The six were determined. Each golfer walked to the counter and paid the .75 cents green fee and headed to the first tee. According to reports, the group had played five holes before the head pro Ernie Edwards reached them and told them to leave. He held a golf club in his hand, rudely admonished the group for breaking the rules and told them to leave or be arrested. Dr. Simkins told Edwards, “We’re, out here for a cause, the cause of democracy. We’re taxpayers. This is a city golf course funded by our taxes and we should be allowed to play it.” The golfers finished nine holes and went home. Later that evening the six were arrested and taken to the county jail for trespassing. After making bail, they were released and eventually convicted of trespassing and sentenced to 30 days in jail. Their first appeal in superior court was denied and they moved on to federal court. Judge J.J. Hayes ruled in their favor and issued a declaratory adjudication stating that although the city had leased the course, it still had an obligation to see that no one was discriminated against. The judge ordered the course be opened to everyone within two weeks. Before that could happen, unfortunately, someone snuck onto the course, set the pro shop on fire, burning it down to the ground. The city refused to rebuild. The course was closed for seven years before nine holes were reopened to the public in 1962. The Greensboro Six eventually had their sentences commuted by Governor Luther Hodges which was little consolation after all of the “hell” they had to endure, just because they wanted to play golf. Today we have a Black president and many things have changed, but only a few short years ago our freedoms were so limited. Lest’ we forget. Michael Dean is a reporter for the Arizona Informant.
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Film Review: Race By Dwight Brown NNPA News Wire Film Critic
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“On the track, there is no Black and White, just fast and slow. For those 10 seconds you are free,” says Jesse Owens (Stephan James) in this very moving and inspiring bio/sports movie that captures the essence of this legendary athlete’s life, challenges and achievements. Race is a history lesson, personal profile and a crowd pleaser. Before you see this movie, you might wonder why they didn’t just call it “Jesse,” or “Jesse Owens.” Ten minutes into the footage, you completely understand why. Owens feat of winning four Olympic Gold Medals did not happen in a bubble. He endured the indignities of racism and segregation in the U.S., and saw prejudice firsthand in Berlin in the 1930s. To the credit of this movie’s perceptive team, they didn’t shy away from the inequalities and degradation of the period as they retold his story. Producer Luc Dayan, who developed and produced an award-winning short film tribute to Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, nurtured this project and was
Stephan James (left) and Shanice Banton star in the Jesse Owens biopic “Race.” (Focus Features)
joined by producer Jean-Charles Lévy, director Stephen Hopkins
(Predator 2, Lost in Space) and screenwriters Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse (Halle Berry’s Frankie & Alice). Their production has a surprising sensitivity and honest response to racism that carries through for two hours and 14 minutes. James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens, who was born in Oakville, Alabama, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio demonstrating a passion for running in Junior high, which is where he met his sweetheart, Minnie. Owens made headlines when he tied the world record for the 100-yard dash, running it in 9.4 seconds, while he was in high school. He had his choice of colleges, but because his coach recommended head track coach Lawrence “Larry” Snyder (SNL’s Jason Sudeikis) at Ohio State University, he went to
Ohio State. On May 25, 1935, Owens participated in the Big Ten meet at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he set three world records (long jump, 220yard dash and 220-yard hurdles) and tied a fourth (100-yard dash), in just 45 minutes. It was an incredible achievement, one that set him up for the Olympic Trials and put him on the road to the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Behind the scenes, as Nazism spreads in Germany, Jews were being persecuted and killed and Hitler’s propaganda machines lauded the Aryan race, and call all others inferior, particularly blacks. Some Olympic officials, like Jeremiah Mahoney (William Hurt), called for a boycott. Others, like Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons), insisted that athletes go and show the world that an integrated American team could beat the Germans. The rest is history. Owens won four gold medals and shamed Adolph Hitler in front of the world. Documentary director Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten), who was hired by Hitler’s crew to capture the Germans in all their glory, recorded all of Owens triumphs, which proved Hitler’s theories on race to be absolute bunk. Everything moves along smoothly in this film, which has a similar feel to the Jackie Robinson bio 42. The cinematography (Peter Levy,
Predator 2), production design (David Brisbin, “Dead Presidents”), editing (John Smith), art direction (Jean-Pierre Paquet, “300”), the musical score (Rachel Portman, “Chocolat”) and music overall (George Acogny) are perfectly in sync. Race looks and feels like a big budget feature film, even if it is not. The scenes of Olympic Stadium in Charloteenburg, Berlin Germany are particularly vivid. Stephan James, who played civil rights leader John Lewis in Selma, brings a duality to his measured interpretation of Jesse Owens: He’s confident, without being self-centered; vulnerable without being weak. It’s an attractive quality for a protagonist, one that makes you like Owens even more. Jason Sudeikis is also successful at building the Snyder character who is a know-it-all at first, then willing to learn from his student. For a comedian attempting a dramatic role, he’s okay. The two actors feed off each other, making the transition, from “coach teaching student” to “student teaching coach” life lessons, believable. Owens to Snyder: “You stick with me and I’ll make a great coach out of you.” Irons and Hurt make the officials look stiff and calculating. Shanice Banton as Owens sweetheart/wife displays a sweetness that’s infectious. Though the direction, script and acting are steady, they are outshined by two elements: The first is the spirit of Jesse Owens, which makes watching him win races against tremendous odds a joy, even though you already know he will lead the pack. Secondly, the attention to social issues and civil rights problems, which were prevalent back in the day and remain so today, is admirable. Race deserves a lot of credit for not whitewashing history.
By Leah CK Lewis It is official: The politics of respectability are dead. Beyoncé “killt” them and I’m okay with that. The artist’s newest single, “Formation,” is Truth. “Formation” is the realest thing to date in the “era of the real.” Yes, we are living in this era. From the modern day epoch of legalized and mostly unsanctioned police brutality upon black and brown bodies; to the emergence of #BlackLivesMatter and more mainstream recognition of transgender rights; to fascist demagogue Donald J. Trump’s prominence in the Republican Presidential primary; to Jimmy Kimmel’s ruthless response to #OscarsSoWhite; and now, “Formation” Bey’s stunning visual, coded, and unapologetically Black ode to our times and her life. We are living in the most liberated era in human history. Pretense has been dropped and political correctness done away with. The establishment is crumbling. Its foundation is rapidly deteriorating and doing so before our very eyes as free, progressive thinkers are overcoming
Thurston W. Coleman oppressed and repressed minds. It is happening slowly, now, like the first dominos in a line. Speed, however, will soon pick up. This revolution, Gil Scott-Heron, is
being televised. It is live, and it is now. We are witnessing revolt in so many walks of life. Media: Mrs. Carter. Yas! Sports: Rich-
ard Sherman, some of his brethren on the Seahawks of the NFL, and Cam Newton. Social media: Black Twitter (and Twitter, generally), and commentators like Awesomely Luvvie, A Very Smart Brotha’s Damon Young, professor and journalist Stacey Patton, Ph.D., and many, many others. Politics: Bernie Sanders, a bona fide Democratic Socialist, (thankfully) undoing Hillary Clinton’s second turn as presumed front-runner and presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee. Realness: Having zero fucks to give and publishing it, producing it, tweeting it, and broadcasting it. This is where we are and I love it. I love it and “Formation” describes this new era perfectly. Let’s look specifically at Beyoncé formation in denim. Review the way the Sistahs are clad. Some are modest, some less so. Beyoncé is her usual minimalist-self showing her physicality boldly, as well as, her sheer power. In essence, Queen Bey is telling us, “It okay to be who you are, just slay! Just do you, Boo.” Colorism has no home in Bey’s world. You find virtually every hue imaginable among the
beautiful African-derived women at work with the most prominent one-third of Destiny’s Child. In another scene outside on steps of a glorious New Orleans home, we have an excellent illustration of intra-ethnic, heterosexual interactions. Here, female-male relationships are played out in a most powerful way. Dressed from head-to-toe in classic New Orleans black, Tina’s baby-girl stands guarded by black men. Men, who honor her, protect her, love her, and respect her. They are there for one another. The men are dignified, strong, and self-assured. (One is even wearing a fez, a nod to Moors and free Africans who lived during the era of chattel slavery.) And Bey is authentically herself_—_slaying and not at all playing with middle fingers turn up. She is not judged by these men as unladylike. No. She is held up as the personification of womanhood: unabashed, unrestrained, and undaunted. She is simply free, powerful, and beautiful. And the men are there for it. Children our children are magic in “Formation.” From Blue Ivy, her baby hair and Afro,
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Hillary and Bernie Discover and Re-Discover Black People
by James Clingman via George Curry Media
restaurant. I am sure that boosted his “street cred” bona fides with Black voters. Uncle Bernie then goes to MLK’s alma mater, Morehouse, and tells thousands of Black folks how much he loves them now and how much he will do for them – now. It’s almost like he is waking up from his fivedecade “I marched with MLK” respite and discovering that Black people exist and, yes, they are important to court because he cannot win without them. He is pulling out all the condescending platitudes to get the Black vote, and Black folks are lovin’ it. Hillary, far more knowledgeable and adept at
getting Black voters, reached into her bag of politricks and pulled out an old, tried-and-true, sleight of hand tactic. She met with the Great Triumvirate of Black “civil rights” leaders, folks who will hurt you if you get between them and a TV camera, to subliminally suggest she is “down with the bruthas.” Sitting at a table with Marc Morial, Al Sharpton, and a guy Black folks have yet to discover, the NAACP’s Cornell Brooks, was her springboard to vie for the Black vote. Mama Hillary called on old stand-by Rep. John Lewis (DGa.) to tell Black folks that Sanders has no street cred
because Lewis “never met him” back in the days of fire hoses, dogs, and billy-clubs. (Maybe Lewis had a concussion back then and simply forgot.) Hillary then got members of the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse her, a monumental victory that will surely bring home the ultimate victory. After all, we cast from 93 percent to 95 percent of our precious votes for Barack in both elections, and he won. Why not the same thing this year for Clinton? Black folks are discovering and being discovered by Bernie; we are also being rediscovered by Hillary. And while we are Con’t on page 24
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One thing is for sure: Black folks are enjoying this latest political mating dance with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Sanders is discovering Black people in South Carolina and Georgia, and Clinton has reopened the “leading Blacks” vault to rediscover their loyalty and willingness to present her to the Black electorate one mo’
time, y’all. Sanders, after years without doing anything specific for the 1 percent Black population of his state, much less for Black people in general, has now discovered, and some would say rediscovered, his love and concern for us. In the vast majority of cases it is really a case of Black people discovering Sanders, because most Blacks knew absolutely nothing about him prior to a few months ago, but for Ed Schultz and Black folks’ penchant for watching MSNBC. Sanders started out by traipsing up to Harlem, cameras in tow, of course, to sip tea with Sharpton at a popular Black
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Rebuild America’s infrastructure BY JESSE JACKSON In the presidential campaign, we’ve seen libels on immigrants, fear mongering about Syrian refugees, arguments over Medicare for All and Obamacare, concerns about big money corrupting our politics and more. But too little attention has been paid to the one thing on which there should be consensus within and between the parties: the need to rebuild America now. We didn’t need the horrors of children at risk from fouled lead pipes in Flint, Mich., to know that our infrastructure is dangerously decrepit. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issues a report card every four years on our infrastructure, detailing the level of our investment deficit. According to the most recent
report card, issued in 2013, simply to get the country’s drinking water — drinking water — in safe shape would cost more than $1 trillion over the next 25 years. The report card pegged the immediate cost of fixing at-risk bridges at $76 billion. Add fixing unsafe schools, repairing mass transit, disposing of hazardous waste and maintaining other basics, and ASCE estimated an infrastructure price tag of $3.6 trillion by 2020. That is simply to repair what is. But we face a far larger investment deficit. If we are ever to enjoy widely shared prosperity, we will need a far more competitive real economy. That means 21st century broadband, fast trains, modernized airports, efficient mass transit and a modernized electric grid, just for starters. And, as Flint demonstrated, we have communities in distress that need special, targeted investment. Community health clinics to
replace hospitals that have closed. New schools with modern facilities and equipment. New water systems. New affordable mass transit that makes getting to jobs in the suburbs possible. Public parks that provide a place for children to play. And now catastrophic climate change is causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. We need significant research and development to generate the next generation of efficient appliances, cars, buildings and factories. We need public/private partnerships, and public investment, to help retrofit buildings and apartment houses for efficiency and alternative energy. The need is clear. But the price tag should be seen as an opportunity, not a barrier. We still have not recovered from the financial collapse in 2008. Millions have dropped out of the work force. Some 17 million are still in need of full-time work. We
pay to imprison too many and educate and employ too few. In these circumstances, a bold plan to rebuild the country will put people to work, generate demand, and boost a flagging economy. Modernizing our infrastructure would help us compete in the global economy. With interest rates near zero, reputable economists argue that this will pay for itself in increased productivity, employment, wages and tax revenue. If not, we can easily afford it by requiring the wealthy and the corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. This is not and should not be a partisan question. Republican Abraham Lincoln built the railroads and the land grant colleges even in the midst of the Civil War. Republican Dwight Eisenhower built the interstate highway system in the 1950s. The conservative Chamber of Commerce joins with the AFLCIO to endorse a major
infrastructure plan. Yet, to date, the presidential candidates haven’t stepped up. Republican talk about infrastructure is focused on Trump’s promise to build a wall on the border and get the Mexicans to pay for it. Marco Rubio promises to spend $1 trillion more but on the military, not on rebuilding America. Hillary Clinton’s proposal on infrastructure $275 billion over five years is below what President Barack Obama has called for. Bernie Sanders proposal $1 trillion over five years is still far short of the ASCE accounting. As Flint has shown, the human costs and risks of allowing our infrastructure to decline are immense. The economic costs are far greater in lost productivity than the price tag of making the investment. Consider this a simple measure of our future. America’s decline will continue for as long as we fail to rebuild the country.
Does Any Presidential Candidate “Deserve” the Black Vote?
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - March 06, 2016
By Julianne Malveaux NNPA News Wire Columnist Michelle Alexander, the brilliant author of The New Jim Crow, writes in The Nation – that Hillary Clinton does not “deserve” the Black vote. She makes a strong case. She reminds us that the Bill Clinton administration yielded a draconian crime bill and welfare “deform” (I call it “deform” instead of reform because the Clinton changes made a bad system worse) that demonized poor women. While Bill and Hillary Clinton are two different people, Alexander uses Hillary quotes to illustrate the ways she supported her husband’s policies. Michelle Alexander is right to
say that Hillary does not deserve the Black vote. She declines to endorse Bernie Sanders, though, describing him as “the lesser of two evils.” To his credit, says Alexander, Sanders opposed welfare deform and has been a far more vocal and aggressive critic of banks than Hillary. But Alexander says he still doesn’t get “it” around issues of racial justice, and notes that both he and Hillary supported the Iraq war. I’m intrigued by the concept of “deserving” a vote. From my perspective Bernie doesn’t deserve it, Hillary doesn’t deserve it, and none of the motley crew of Republican candidates deserve it. No Democrat or Republican has ever deserved the Black vote. The dictionary defines deserve as, “to do something or have or show qualities worthy of (reward or punishment).” To say someone “deserves” the Black vote, suggests that someone is entitled
to it or has a right to it. I don’t think any candidate has a right to the Black vote. Frankly, with the possible exception of Lyndon Johnson in 1964 (after the passage of the Civil Rights Act) and Rev. Jesse Jackson (after his history of activism) I don’t think any Democrat (or Republican) for that matter. What has either Hillary or Bernie done to “deserve” the Black vote? No candidate should claim the sentimental right to the Black vote either, and I think, in some ways that is what Hillary Clinton is attempting. As Michelle Alexander correctly points out in her article, some African Americans are almost irrationally loyal to the Clintons. Many other African Americans, though, have a measured view of the Clinton years, celebrating historic appointments, like that of Alexis Herman as Secretary of Labor, condemning the ways that Lani Guinier and Jocelyn Elders were
abandoned by the Clintons, and balancing policy failures like welfare deform with some policy successes. Hillary Clinton’s stand-alone record includes a sensitivity to diversity that Sanders lacks. As a Senator and as Secretary of State, she had staffs that were very inclusive, with several African American women, in particular, serving in leadership roles in the State Department. Her record shows that, as President, she would continue her commitment to diversity and that we might finally have a cabinet that “looks like America”. Does her commitment to diversity alone make her entitled to the Black vote? The Black vote should be earned, not bequeathed. But too many African Americans seem to think that voting is the most, not the least, they can do. We must vote for politicians based on their track record and also on their
promises. But then we must hold them accountable so that they keep their promises. We didn’t do it with Clinton in 1996 when we voted for him even after welfare deform. We didn’t do it with Obama in 2012, when we voted for him after a disappointing first term. African Americans, like others, must make demands of those who hold public office, or they are free to ignore us. The challenge is that our twoparty system too often fails to provide us with a satisfactory set of alternatives to the status quo. While I was disappointed with President Obama’s first term, I probably would have cut my hand off before voting for Mitt Romney. Similarly, as disappointing as Clinton’s welfare deform was, another Clinton term was far preferable to a Bob Dole presidency. We too often are faced with imperfect options, and in choosing the Con’t on page 27
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Hillary and Bernie Discover making political campaign ads, going to rallies and cheering for the Democratic candidates, as Gil Scott-Heron said in reference to Richard Nixon and the Republicans, “All is calm and quiet along the white sands of San Clemente.” In today’s political world that simply points to the Republicans continued strategy of ignoring Black people by saying absolutely nothing on our behalf or in support of issues that specifically pertain to Black voters. But why should they? We are “all in” for the Dems. Hype is meaningless unless it is accompanied by real accountability and substantive results. If the Black vote is so important and so precious, as we like to say, then why is it literally given away for a song and a dance or a rousing speech? Saying how bad it is for Black people is not doing something about it. Glad-handing and hobnobbing with two or three leading Blacks is not doing anything to elevate Black people to a state of economic empowerment – and not even political empowerment. Feeling our pain and walking in the streets with us does nothing to alleviate that pain or stop the injustices we suffer. It is embarrassing to see our people fawning over folks who, when they get what they want from us, will return to the political status quo. If that were not true, we would have seen huge benefits by now. It’s always, “this time it will be different” when it comes to Black voters. One practical question to ask candidates who are running around our neighborhoods, churches, and college campuses seeking our votes: “How much campaign money have you spent with Black-owned media, i.e. newspapers, radio?” That’s just one of many acts of reciprocity and the bare minimum of what
we should demand. If they do as the current POTUS did in 2012, spend one-tenth of 1 percent with Black media, don’t support them until they increase that amount, and then move on to the next demand. Stop allowing them to use and insult you, and stop slobbering over this latest discovery process; Black people have been in this country since the show started. Jim Clingman, founder of the
Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is the nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people. He can be reached through his website, blackonomics.com. He is the author of Black Dollars Matter: Teach Your Dollars How to Make More Sense, which is available through his website; professionalpublishinghouse.com and Amazon Kindle eBooks.
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Shock, Joy & The Death and her poised stance. Oh, and our little Black dancing boy hoodie and all who stymies a force of militarized police. Our children are winning, winning, winning in “Formation.” Defiant, Solange’s Big Sister gives pointed commentary on modern-day paddy rollers. She is having none of it. In the end, Bey screams down the police and governmental degradation and abuse as she drowns a police car invoking vivid memories of Hurricane Katrina and the denigration of Black lives. Bey closes with a statement on economic empowerment: “Best revenge is your paper.” This is responsible and she encourages us with “You might just be a Black Bill Gates in the making.” Wealth equates to power. Get some. “Go hard.” We hear Beyoncé purr, “Get in formation. Prove to me you have some coordination.” I deem this a not so subtle command to get our selves together, unify, and change the course of our history with self-motivated and self-determined excellence and stardom. Let me end by saluting a city I have loved for decades, New Orleans. Bey took us there. New Orleans is the most culturally rich city in this nation. New Orleans is jazz and other genres of
indigenous music, food, African people, ethnic diversity, wealth, abject poverty, sexuality, sports, politics, entertainment, corruption, beauty, voodoo and voudon, religiosity, Mardi Gras and so much more. New Orleans is living, breathing complexity. New Orleans is life. New Orleans is life beyond respectability. New Orleans is classy, trap, and everything in between simultaneously. New Orleans is a city that allows it allows for the plethora of the human experience. New Orleans is ultimately fun and fun is what awaits us when we end the bullshit of Mythical White Supremacy, its standardbearer the politics of respectability and all the personal indicia and systemic implications that flow from these repressive ideological social regimes. For years now, Beyoncé has been showing us the way to unfettered joy and unabashed power and self-expression. With “Formation,” she decided to scold us for not taking her lead. She decided to take us home and provide us with a wake-up call. Leah Lewis. Writer, Minister, Local Statewoman, Animation Producer, Artist & Free Woman operating in my Agency, Gifts, Voice & Abundance.
BECOME A FOSTER OR ADOPTIVE PARENT… ATTEND AN INFORMATIONAL SESSION
Please call 1-888-KID-HERO For more Information Department of Children and Families
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - March 06, 2016 26
Tell ‘Em I Said It IS “FIRST BLACK” STILL A GOOD THING? better at physical achievements than at mental ones is simply too simple, and quite insulting also, of course. For even in assessing our ability on the field of play, our intelligence is denied and only our physicality is admired. Jackson, however, made this point: Whenever the rules of the game are public and objective for everyone, more and more African-Americans, and other marginalized people, excel in the game. But when the rules become private and subjective, then there is less and less of us accepted and/or promoted. The “First Black” phenomena that is still too prevalent persist because we’ve been playing on an uneven field for too long. The fact that the field is just now being leveled is both good and annoying. Con’t from page 22
lesser of two evils. Michelle Alexander addresses the flaws of the two-party system in her article, and talks about a “revolutionary movement” of people who believe that human rights and economic justice are attainable goals. There won’t be a revolutionary movement before November 7, 2016. So who deserves the Black vote? The candidate who works hardest for it. The candidate who addresses the Black community most directly and with the most relevance. The candidate who not only schedules very public meetings with Rev. Al Sharpton, but less-well covered meetings at a day care center, in a halfway house, in a hospital. The Black vote should not be something a candidate deserves. It should be something a candidate earns! Julianne Malveaux is an author, economist and Founder of Economic Education. Purchase her latest book “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy” at www.juliannemalveaux.com.
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acceptance of the past and all that the past represents. And the answer is unfortunate because in 2016 should we still be “celebrating” racial firsts? Is it really true that neither ABC nor Harvard could find Black people who were qualified to fill the positions with which Ms. Dungy and Professor Williams were recently entrusted? I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that these two, by all accounts extraordinary women, were not the first who were qualified to do their jobs that they now hold. They are just the first two who were appointed after years, and in Harvard’s case maybe even centuries, of denying qualified African-Americans. A conclusion that leaves me questioning just how happy I should be that they were. After a while, if we are not just seeking validation and acceptance from White institutions to determine our worth, one has to wonder if the celebration – not merely the recognition – of another “first” is, in fact, insulting to our spirits. As it might suggest that we we have just been sitting around all of this time waiting for “them” to confirm what we should already know – that we are intelligent, capable, and qualified enough to do any job on the planet if given a chance. It is not our lack of abilities, but institutional and systemic racism that has held us back. And when those who control said institutions and systems decide that they will remove the obstacles and lift the barriers, I’m not so sure that I wish to celebrate them for doing so. Again, it’s about time, I say. Jesse Jackson was fond of making a point about why it seems that so many AfricanAmericans do well in the field of athletics as compared to other areas of endeavor. The too oft stated conclusion that we are just
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - Match 06, 2016
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Inner-City Inner-City News Connecticut’s First Choice For Urban News Since1990
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Classifieds Classifieds 203 387-0354
BUSINESS HOURS - MONDAY FRIDAY 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM - 50 FITCH NEW HAVEN CT, 06515 - Career/Education/Training • Bid• L egal and Public Notices • Health Care • Real Estate • Professional
CITY PLANNER City of Norwich Salary Range: $76,986 - $83,145 Visit www.norwichct.org/hr to apply and for more information regarding qualifications and application deadline. AA/EEO. Director, Community Re-entry Services (F/T) – New Haven Responsible for the supervision, coordination and development of high quality services for individuals that have personal experience within the criminal justice system. Perform diversified job duties to oversee services, build and participate in community collaborations that support positive and productive community integration for individuals entering the community following a period of incarceration. Provide direct supervision/development of assigned supervisory and program staff. Design/facilitate staff training programs, as program participants’ needs dictate. Master’s degree plus 4-6 yrs.’ related experience, including knowledge of the criminal justice system. Pay rate $52,997.60/yr. “mailto:hr@esginh.org” w/benefits. Apply to:hr@esginh.org, Fax:203-495-6108, ESGI- HR, 432 Washington Ave., North Haven, CT 06473
CONSTRUCTION Experienced Iron Workers needed. Must have tools, transportation, OSHA 10 card; Will conduct background check and pre-employment drug test. EOE-M/F Call 860-585-9016.
Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Crawford Manor Hydronic Upgrades The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH) is currently seeking Bids for Crawford Manor Hydronic Upgrades. Bids will be received until March 4, 2016 at 3:00 PM. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @ 11:30 AM. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from HANH’s front desk at 360 Orange Street beginning on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 @ 3:00 PM. Request for electronic copies of the request should be emailed to bids@newhavenhousing.org.
Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids 210 Valley Street Vacancy Rehabilitation The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH) is currently seeking Bids for 210 Valley Street Vacancy Rehabilitation. Bids will be received until March 4, 2016 at 3:00 PM. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @ 12:00 PM. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from HANH’s front desk at 360 Orange Street beginning on Monday, February 8, 2016 @ 3:00 PM. Request for electronic copies of the request should be emailed to bids@newhavenhousing.org.
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is seeking to fill a full time position for a Communications Officer. Please refer to our website for details: http://www.cfgnh.org/About/ContactUs/ EmploymentOpportunities.aspx
Construction Site Work Company looking for experienced laborers, operators, foremen and drivers
EOE electronic submissions only. No phone calls
Driver: CDL Driver needed for site work Company. Applicant must have at least a Class B license with clean driving record. Tri Axle Dump Truck experience required.
Seeking WBE drywall suppliers and subcontractors for New Haven housing authority project. Please email info@tecconllc.com if interested.
Construction Site Work Foreman: Minimum 5 years’ experience as Site Work Crew Foreman. Applicant must have knowledge of site layout & grade and utility installation a must.
Diesel Mechanic 3-5 yr. min. exp. 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training. Repair/Maintain triaxles, roll offs and heavy equipment. Kenworth, Mack, John Deere, CAT. RED Technologies, Portland, CT FAX 860.218.2433; Email Info@redtechllc.com.
Drivers: Company Drivers. $5000 transition bonus. Paid out in the first 4 months - Call us for details! New Home Time policy: 5 days out - 2 days off; 10 days out - 4 days off; 15 days out- 6 days off. We offer: average $1200-$1400 weekly. $1500 quarterly bonus. $5000 referral bonus. Dedicated lanes. Longevity bonus. Dedicated driver advocate team. Health, dental, vision benefits available. Paid layovers & orientation. Requirements: must have CDL-A with tanker & hazmat endorsements. Have or be willing to obtain TWIC card. 1yr. tractor-trailer exp. Call Jessica: 866-983-0855 or apply online at www.Work4QC.com
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is seeking to fill the position of Development Associate. Please refer to our website for details: http://www.cfgnh.org/About/ContactUs/ EmploymentOpportunities.aspx EOE electronic su
Lady seeking a job as an Elderly caregiver Many years experience, call Jenn 347-866-4866
Equipment Operator: Immediate opening for experienced operator with 5 to 10 years of experience, P6 or P7 license preferred for a site work company. Must be able to operate excavators, dozers, skid steers, earth rollers, etc. Must have experience with site layout & grade and utility installation. Must have knowledge of required daily equipment maintenance.
RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - March 06, 2016
Laborer: Must have previous construction experience and reliable transportation. Applicant should be able to perform manual labor for 8 hour day and lift up to 50lbs. Please indicate position of interest when applying. Please fax resume to 203-630-1998, email to HR@LaRosaBG.com or apply in person at LaRosa Earth Group 163 Research Parkway, Meriden, CT. Women and minorities encouraged to apply. AA/EEO
Carpenter Skilled tradesman in all facets of building alterations/renovations, maintenance and repair is needed for the Wallingford Public Schools. Applicants must be a H.S. graduate with 7 years experience as a journeyman carpenter. Considerable past experience in all phases of both heavy and light construction, including residential, commercial, and industrial projects or any suitable equivalent combination of experience and training. Hourly rate: $27.27 $33.37, plus an excellent fringe benefits package. The closing date for applications is March 9, 2016 or the date we receive the fiftieth (50) application whichever occurs first. Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, (203) 294-2080, Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE.
Welder-Exp. Welder for structural steel Misc shop. Send resume:gwf@snet.net
Connecticut’s First Choice For Urban News Since1990
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Classifieds Classifieds 203 387-0354
BUSINESS HOURS - MONDAY FRIDAY 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM - 50 FITCH NEW HAVEN CT, 06515 - Career/Education/Training • Bid• L egal and Public Notices • Health Care • Real Estate • Professional
Listing:E Maintenance Assistant Immediate opening for a part time maintenance assistant for grounds and building maintenance. Position requires flexible work schedule. Some heavy lifting required. Computer knowledge a plus. Send resume to HR Manager, 401 Soundview Road, Guilford, CT 06437. **An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**
Housing Authority of the City of New Haven
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is seeking to fill a full time position for a Communications Officer. Please refer to our website for details: http://www.cfgnh.org/About/ContactUs/EmploymentOpportunities.aspx EOE electronic submissions only. No phone calls
CONSTRUCTION Experienced Iron Workers needed. Must have tools, transportation, OSHA 10 card; Will conduct background check and pre-employment drug test. EOE-M/F Call 860-525-9016.
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - Match 06, 2016
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Inner-City Inner-City News
Invitation for Bids Winslow- Celentano Hydronic Upgrades The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH) is currently seeking Bids for Winslow- Celentano Hydronic Upgrades. Bids will be received until March 4, 2016 at 3:00 PM. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @ 11:00 AM. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from HANH’s front desk at 360 Orange Street beginning on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 @ 3:00 PM. Request for electronic copies of the request should be emailed to bids@newhavenhousing.org.
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Inner-City Inner-City News Connecticut’s First Choice For Urban News Since1990
PLACING AN AD EASY
Classifieds Classifieds 203 387-0354
BUSINESS HOURS - MONDAY FRIDAY 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM - 50 FITCH NEW HAVEN CT, 06515 - Career/Education/Training • Bid• L egal and Public Notices • Health Care • Real Estate • Professional
GARRITY ASPHALT RECLAIMING OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR HEAVY AND HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
INVITATION TO BID – Site work & Paving THE GLEN APARTMENTS – Danbury CT Millennium Construction Services, LLC
Immediate opening for organized, self motivated, multitask person Skills & Duties required: • Microsoft Word, EXCEL a must/ Timberline Software a plus • Classify- Scan documents to Timberline files • Manage Subcontractor Service Agreements, Certificates of Insurance & W-9 requests Assist with: • Certified Payroll Reports & Lien Wavers • Bond Filings on delinquent AR accounts • Municipal bids • Contract documents • Monthly, quarterly federal/ various state tax reporting • Other duties as required Equal Opportunity Employer Minority and female candidates are highly encouraged to apply Apply Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming 22 Peter Rd Bloomfield, CT 06002 Phone: 860-243-2300 Fax: 860-243-3100 Send resumes & salary requirements to:
Phone: 860-529-1111 Fax: 860-529-5555 Email: “mailto:bwhitaker@millennium-realty.com” bwhitaker@millennium-realty.com Contractors are invited to bid on the site work/paving phase of the renovation project known as The Glen Apartments in Danbury CT. The Glen Apartments consists of 100 individual apartments of elderly affordable housing located on Memorial Drive and Rocky Glen Road in Danbury CT. The scope of work for this solicitation consists of the modernization of the existing facility and the following direct performing trades are incorporated into the scope of work and are encouraged to respond to this solicitation; Divisions 31 & 32; asphalt paving and curbing, minor excavation, sidewalks installation, minor site work to include install of yard drains and catch basins, line striping. Contractor shall be able to commence work in June 2016 and continue until complete with completion no later than July 15, 2016. Owner is a Tax Exempt governmental organization. CT State Prevailing Wages Contractors are invited to bid on the site work/paving phase of the renovation project known as The Glen Apartments in Danbury CT. The Glen Apartments consists of 100 individual apartments of elderly affordable housing located on Memorial Drive and Rocky Glen Road in Danbury CT. The scope of work for this solicitation consists of the modernization of the existing facility and the following direct performing trades are incorporated into the scope of work and are encouraged to respond to this solicitation; Divisions 31 & 32; asphalt paving and curbing, minor excavation, sidewalks installation, minor site work to include install of yard drains and catch basins, line striping. Contractor shall be able to commence work in June 2016 and continue until complete with completion no later than July 15, 2016. Owner is a Tax Exempt governmental organization.
Email: kevin.sheehan@garrityasphalt.com
CT State Prevailing Wages – “Residential Rates” do apply and will be supplied to all bidders. A pre-bid walk through will occur on Thursday February 18th at 1:00 pm and will commence at the community room located at 25 Memorial Drive, Danbury CT. A tour of the facility will be conducted. Parking is limited so please park on Memorial Drive.
TRANSFER STATION LABORER Off load & load trailers, Lift 50 lbs., operate trucks and forklift. Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 173 Pickering St., Portland, CT 06480; Fax 860-342-1022; Email to lkelly@redtransfer.com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.
A complete set of plans and specifications will be available for review at the Glen Apartments construction office located on site and are immediately available for review at www.millennium-realty.com Millennium Construction Services, LLC and the owner reserve the rights; to accept any, all, or any part of any bids; to reject any, all or any part of any bids; to waive any non-material deficiencies in bid responses; and to award the bid that in its judgment will be in the best interests of the owner.
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - March 06, 2016
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER, SECTION 3 BUSINESSES AND WBE AND SBE/MINORITY BUSINESSES ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATEMINORITY BUSINESSES ARE ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE
Drivers: Company Drivers. $5000 transition bonus. Paid out in the first 4 months - Call us for details! New Home Time policy: 5 days out - 2 days off; 10 days out - 4 days off; 15 days out- 6 days off. We offer: average $1200-$1400 weekly. $1500 quarterly bonus. $5000 referral bonus. Dedicated lanes. Longevity bonus. Dedicated driver advocate team. Health, dental, vision benefits available. Paid layovers & orientation. Requirements: must have CDL-A with tanker & hazmat endorsements. Have or be willing to obtain TWIC card. 1yr. tractor-trailer exp. Call Jessica: 866-983-0855 or apply online at www.Work4QC.com
INNER-CITY NEWS February 29, 2016 - Match 06, 2016
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