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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18,2016 2020- August - March 24,2016 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 02,

Financial Justice a Key Focus 2016 NAACP Convention Lamont Announces Closure of Bars andat Restaurants For Dine-In Service New Haven, Bridgeport

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Lamont Announces Closure of Bars and Restaurants For Dine-In Service

by Christine Stuart Ct. News Junkie

Gov. Ned Lamont joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in announcing the closure of all restaurants and bars in the tristate area starting tonight at 8 p.m.

After 8 p.m., bars and restaurants in all three states will be allowed to offer takeout service, but there will be no eatin service until a date that has yet to be determined. Bars that do not serve food will be required to temporarily close.

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There are more than 8,500 eating and drinking establishments across Connecticut and they employ more than 160,000 people.

“In the wake of Governor Lamont’s announcement, local restaurant owners will continue to offer safe, clean service to customers via takeout, curbside pickup and delivery. In the weeks ahead, we look forward to returning to full service once this difficult period has passed, so that our industry can continue to be an enormous economic driver for the state, and continue to employ tens of thousands of people throughout Connecticut,” Scott Dolch, executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, said.

CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO Gov. Ned Lamont and Gov. Andrew Cuomo last September at the gover-

nor’s mansion.

Lamont signaled Sunday that he was moving in this direction, but preferred a regional approach.

“We have agreed to a common set of rules that will pertain in all of our states, so don’t even think about going to a neighboring state,” Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters.

The three governors have been coordi-

nating their response to the virus.

Lamont, who said he’s also been in touch with the governors of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, pointed out that this “is changing so fast we’ve got to work together.”

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the closure of all restaurants and bars on Sunday.

Cuomo suggested the commercial casinos in New York and New Jersey would also close starting at 8 p.m. but it was unclear whether Connecticut’s two tribal casinos would also follow along with that order since they are sovereign nations.

“We are urging the tribes that they should be shutting down those casinos,” Lamont said.

He said he’s strongly urging the casinos, which attract large crowds, to close, and “heed our guidance to prohibit events of more than 50 people.”

“This should not be a legal or jurisdictional discussion,” Lamont tweeted. “It should be a discussion among tribal and state governmental partners in furtherance of public health.”

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council said it’s working with Lamont’s office and will have more information by the end of the day.

“From the start of the COVID-19 crisis, our Tribe has taken action to protect the health and wellness of our Team Members, patrons and Tribal Members. We have already closed down various facilities, suspended bus transportation, instituted aggressive and thorough sanitation and cleaning processes, and inItiated social distancing. We consider our Team Members and guests as members of our

extended family and their safety is paramount in our minds,” the tribal council said in a statement.

Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is run by the Mashantucket Pequots, has shut down some of its operations, including its poker tables and several concerts and events.

By midafternoon Mohegan Sun Casino, run by the Mohegan Tribal Nation, announced it was canceling events at the Mohegan Sun Arena and Expo Center, but would continue to operate its resort casino.

The governors also agreed to ban gatherings of 50 or more people.

The closings are an effort to reduce density and the potential spread of COVID-19.

All three governors assumed that the virus at some point would overwhelm the hospital systems in their states.

During the half-hour conference call, Cuomo called on the federal government to do more about hospital capacity.

“When these cases hit their apex we will not have enough hospital beds,” Cuomo said. “We need the Army Corps of Engineers to come in here now and build hospital capacity.”

He said they are best situated to build hospital capacity.

Extension of Ban On Evictions And Foreclosures Sought

by Lisa Backus Ct. News Junkie

The Connecticut Fair Housing Center is asking Gov. Ned Lamont and legislators to enact an extended moratorium on evictions and foreclosures to prevent people from losing their homes during the coronavirus pandemic.

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The Judicial Branch has put a two-week stay on hearings related to evictions and foreclosures but the housing attorneys with the center, who are with non-profit firms and legal services providers, are asking that the ban continue until the health crisis eases.

The center “strongly” supports legislation “that would place moratoria on residential foreclosures and evictions during this public health emergency, something that has been done in San Jose and Miami with respect to evictions and is being proposed throughout the country, including in California, Washington, New York and Massachusetts,” the letter dated Friday said.

The correspondence was addressed to Lamont and several legislative leaders, some of whom admitted that they are being inundated with requests from all types of groups and industries because of the public health crisis created by the

virus.

“If anything, it would have to be done by the Executive Branch,” said Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, RWallingford. “The leaders are getting together today or tomorrow. There are a lot of things going on simultaneously.

Everyone is trying to get their hands around it.”

Gov. Ned Lamont and state leaders have been working to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak by issuing “social distancing” orders including the closing of all schools. Effective Monday, all bars and restaurants could only provide takeout and delivery service but no alcohol or sit-down dining. Movie theaters and gyms have also been closed by Lamont.

The state legislature will not gather or conduct business as a body for at least a few weeks due to concerns over the spread of the virus. That will leave little time to address the variety of bills and the budget before the legislative session’s constitutionally mandated closing date of May 6.

The calls for an extended moratorium on evictions and foreclosures could have other consequences, Fasano said. “You have to be very careful,” he said. “If you say no evictions whatsoever, people may not pay rent. When you have a blanket thing like that, it can have cascading

consequences because landlords still need to pay taxes, insurance and mortgages on the property.”

State leaders worked with utility companies to get an agreement that they wouldn’t shut off electricity or water for non-payment during the pandemic as a public health issue. But the large utility companies can absorb the costs, Fasano said.

“But in an apartment complex or a three-family home, that would be a significant cost to the property owner,” he said.

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Advocates for fair housing are concerned that evictions or foreclosures that move ahead while the health crisis is still continuing could put families and individuals at risk for homelessness and state and city officials at risk for dealing with contaminated personal property.

Many eviction and foreclosure clients are self-represented and rely on publications at the courts’ service centers and court-based programs such as the Volunteer Attorney Program, the center said.

The services may be interrupted by the health crisis and people may be hesitant

to put themselves at risk by going to a courthouse, the attorneys said.

“We also strongly support the Judicial Branch’s decision not to schedule or hear matters related to summary process and foreclosure actions for two weeks,” the letter said. “However, this delay has only been announced for the next two weeks, and our understanding is that judges are still signing executions, meaning residents are losing their homes and potentially being made homeless during this public health emergency.”

A spokesperson for the Judicial Branch said Monday that judges will not be signing eviction notices and “foreclosures are not moving forward at this time.”

Courts are remaining open for the next two weeks only for priority proceedings including arraignments and emergency custody orders.

The legislature’s Judiciary Committee has some control over Judicial Branch functions but ultimately leadership and the Branch discuss concerns and work toward a resolution, Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, committee co-chair, said.

“We don’t have control over Judicial,” Winfield said. “It was my understanding that evictions aren’t going forward. The public needs to know clearly what we are doing. If I’m not 100 percent certain, I’m sure the public isn’t either.”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Six Black Women Preach Taking The High Road

by Jamiah Green, The Arts Paper, www.newhavenarts.org

Treneé McGee was at a crossroads.

Down one path, she was ready to organize a rally for Mubarak Soulemane, a young Black man killed by Connecticut police in January. Down another, a group of people expected her to scale her actions back. She took a deep breath and let her mind clear.

“I heard God say ‘stop’,” she said.

“You know, ‘stop apologizing for what I’m giving you, stop apologizing for where I’m taking you.’”

McGee, who has made history as West Haven’s youngest City Council member last year, was one of the panelists at the second Strength Within Me brunch, held Sunday at Long Wharf Theatre in honor of International Women’s Day. Three months after the inaugural brunch, panelists focused on the importance of intergenerational wisdom and “going high” (a la First Lady Michelle Obama), even when the odds seemed stacked against them. Almost 80 attended.

The discussion was moderated by Reeshemah Norfleet, administration manager at the theater, and organized

by LWT Group Sales Coordinator Azaria Samuels. In addition to McGee, panelists included life coach and Beautiful Shades of Me Founder Vanessa Ortiz, New Haven Fire Investigator and Inspector Shakira Samuel, Stetson Library Branch Manager Diane Brown, Elm City LIT Fest organizer IfeMichelle Gardin, and longtime trans and HIV/AIDS advocate Nadine Ruff.

From the outset, the room seemed primed for International Women’s Day. Outfits in red, burgundy and bright patterns mixed with tablecloths in black with purple napkins. Thick, savory aromas wafted over the room, courtesy of Olmo Kitchen, Stacks New Haven, and The Greek Olive.

Music from a local band played attendees in. T-shirts advertising “Girl Power” were folded neatly on tables across the room.

After mixing and mingling, attendees took their seats for the discussion.

Monique Harriott, who has been writing poetry since 2009, opened the panel with her poems “Girl to Woman” and “Self-Love.” She explained that the first, written in 2018, was a reflection on what she would have told her nine-year-old self if given the chance. The second, which she wrote

in late 2017, came out of the realization that “self-love comes first.”

“I wish I could have told you then how magnificent you are now,” she read from the first. “I would’ve told you that beauty isn’t all about the skin type, the hair type… I told you everything happens for a reason.”

Harriott’s work acted as a launchpad into a discussion that covered generational equity and coalition-building, personal struggles, self-reliance and an approach to taking the high road in the face of adversity. Norfleet dug right in, asking panelists what generational equity meant to each of them.

McGee (pictured above) reflected on her own backstory, which didn’t include going into politics until suddenly it did. She recalled attending school —she is a graduate of Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School and Marymount College Manhattan—for the dramatic arts.

While she was there, she became president of the school’s Black and Latino Student Association. She organized a protest after Eric Garner’s murder and the non-indictment of a New York City Police officer in 2015.

She was never trying to be political, she said. She just trusted that it was part of a bigger plan. As she spoke, she urged attendees not to shrink into themselves, and not to forget who they are and what they stand for.

“I wrestled with even running,” she said. “But then I realized that I wanted to create a foundation and legal

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legacy that makes it easier for those to come just like it was for me. It’s so funny to be in a position where you’re honored or you’re recognized, because I can’t take credit for the fight of those who I stand on the shoulders of. ” Norfleet also nodded to First Lady Michelle Obama, whose remarks that “when they go low, we go high” at the 2016 Democratic National Convention have had staying power.

Gardin, who has worked on the city’s arts scene for decades, pulled from her own history. While attending Catholic school in the 1960s, she wasn’t allowed to sit in front of the room because white students couldn’t see “over the cloud of her hair.” For Gardin, who has worn glasses since she was six years old, it meant that she could no longer see the board.

Her mother told her to obey the rules. Then she told her grandmothers, both of whom had experienced legalized segregation.

“One of them told me: ‘Baby, just remember that they don’t know you and that you’re there to get an education,’” she recalled. “ … My other grandmother said, ‘it’s nothing personal, just keep going and exceed anyway.’”

Gardin did. Decades later, she has become a literary rockstar and community arts organizer that younger women can look up to. In addition to leading a monthly book club at People Get Ready Books, she is organizing the inaugural Elm City LIT Festival for April of this year. Scheduled for April 25 at the Connecticut Center for Arts & Technology, the festival is intended to bring together and celebrate authors and readers of color across New Haven and the wider region.

Brown, who has risen the ranks at the New Haven Free Public Library to become the Branch Manager at Dixwell’s Stetson Branch Library, later added that she does not see every battle as hers to fight.

“People expect for us to go high all the time,” she said. “And every battle is not my fight, but I can give advice to those that choose to fight those battles.”

Coming to the end of the discussion, Norfleet asked the panelist members if they had any words of encouragement for younger girls.

“Be a fighter,” said Ortiz. “And don’t stop fighting.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Tristate Bars, Gyms, Theaters Closing

by PAUL BASS

The governors of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey agreed jointly to order all bars, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, and non-tribal casinos closed Monday as of 8 p.m. until further notice to seek to stem to spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus — with the exception that restaurants can serve take-out.

The announcement came shortly after 10 a.m. in a joint press call led by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.

The three Democratic governors said they were stepping up to take uniform measures in the absence of needed federal action.

They are ordering that public events be limited to 50 people in the tristate area.

The closings are in effect under further notice. Cuomo said the governors anticipate working together to coordinate a reopening date.

“We have agreed to a common set of rules that will pertain in all of our states.

So don’t even think about going to a neighboring state because there’s going

to be a different set of conditions,” said Cuomo, who kicked off the telephonic press conference.

“I believe we are the only region in the country to have done this. The federal government should have set up a uniform set of rules. Absent of that,” regions need to step up.

“We all agree there will be no crowds of gatherings of more than 50 perople. If you can’t do a party in New York City, you can’t do a party in New Jersey, you cannot do a party in Connecticut over 50,” the New York governor stated.

“If you’re a bar or you’re a restaurant, you’re closing tonight at 8 o’clock for eat-in service,” Gov. Murphy said.

The governors also said they’re discouraging non-essential travel between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. each day.

Lamont and Cuomo said they’re discussing how to convince tribal nations to close their own casinos, over which the governors lack legal jurisdiction.

“I hope ... they’ll be doing the right thing,” Lamont said.

“Amen,” Cuomo said. “This is a do-theright-thing situation.”

Cuomo called on the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers “to come in here now to build temporary health care capacity.”

The governors said they fear hospitals being overwhelmed by a surge in severe cases.

“Everyone needs to stay in and be safe,” said Murphy, singling out young people who feel fine but can spread the virus.

“We are in this together, not as towns and cities and states but now increasingly as a region,” Lamont said.

He spoke of how other nations like Singapore have saved thousands of lives by taking “forceful” measures that “flattened the curve” of the virus’s spread.

“The feds have been asleep at the switch, slow on the draw. We’re the ones trying to make sure [hospitals] ... have respirators and masks,” Lamont said.

“We’re going to get through this by working together.”

“The better and faster societies rebound the faster and sooner they work together,” Cuomo said.

Lamont spoke of how individuals need to “work together” to stem the spread.

Measures include handwashing and keeping at least six feet away from others.

PAUL BASS PHOTO Pharmacies and groceries will remain open, including Stop & Shop (above), with

curtailed hours.

He also spoke of the need to help support businesses and each other in the crisis: For instance, buying gift cards to use later from restaurants, boosting telecommuting options, and keeping school cafeterias open to provide to-go meals for

needy families: “I know how tough this is on families. That’s why telecommuting is so important.”

Cuomo and Lamont began cementing a working relationship on a fishing trip last August.

The city has launched a new website focused entirely on the local impact of the COVID-19 impact. The site is dubbed the “City of New Haven Coronavirus (COVID-19) Hub.”Click here to go to the site. It includes guidance documents for homeless shelters, private schools, childcare centers, and local businesses. It also includes press releases from the mayor, slideshow presentations about the novel coronavirus, a global map pulled from Johns Hopkins University of where the pandemic has spread so far, and prevention tips.

Towards the top of the site is a list of the number of confirmed cases in Connecticut, the country, and around the world. As of the publication time of this article, there have been 41 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Connecticut, 4,661 confirmed cases in the United States, and 185,067 throughout the world. There have been a total of 7,330 COVID19-related deaths worldwide, and a total of 80,236 recoveries. According to Mayor Justin Elicker’s press briefing on Monday afternoon, there are three confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Haven so far. The mayor plans to host his next press briefing on the steps of City Hall at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Cultural Event Celebrates West Haven’s Black Heritage

By Michael P. Walsh, Public Relations Information Coordinator, City Of West Haven, CT

The city paid tribute to the proud legacy of African Americans and the immeasurable contributions — courage, imagination and unbeatable determination — they have made to shaping the American nation at the 24th annual Black Heritage Celebration at City Hall on Feb. 27.

During the cultural event in observance of Black History Month, the city’s Black Heritage Committee cited West Haven High School seniors Esther Boadiwaa Danso and Edward Kruah for leadership and honored Freddy Jackson and the late Teresa S. Blackwell as African American Citizens of the Year.

On behalf of their mother and grandmother, who died of cancer in 2005, Edwin Blackwell and his sons, Eli, 16, and Quincy, 15, accepted a citation from Mayor Nancy R. Rossi recognizing the former city welfare director’s “conviction, integrity and wisdom.”

Jackson, the commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9422, also received a citation from Rossi for his “courageous spirit and inspiring good works.” He was joined onstage by his wife, Miriam Silas Jackson.

Reading the citations, Rossi said: “I am grateful for your pioneering contributions in shaping the fabric of our African American community. Your story, an American story, speaks to the hopes and dreams we all have in common.”

A native of Bennettsville, South Carolina, Blackwell moved to West Haven in the mid-1950s. She later became involved in the city’s Democratic Party and worked on several campaigns, including Azelio M. “Sal” Guerra, who was elected the sixth mayor of Connecticut’s youngest city in December 1985.

Seven months into his inaugural twoyear term, Guerra appointed Blackwell as West Haven’s first African American female director of welfare. She led the Welfare Department from Aug. 4, 1986, to Jan. 5, 1990.

After her stint with the city, she served as U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro’s office manager.

Blackwell was a member of the Democratic Town Committee, the Board of Education and the Democratic Women of West Haven. She was also an avid bowler and golfer.

Jackson, 75, an Army veteran who served in Colorado and Korea in 1963-66 during the Vietnam War era, was the ceremonial grand marshal of the city’s 2018 Memorial Day parade.

Born and raised in Opp, Alabama, he came to West Haven with his wife in 1968.

Jackson is a longtime member of Hughson-Miller Post 71 of the American Legion and served as its commander in the early ’90s.

(Photo 046) — West Haven African American Citizen of the Year Freddy Jackson, third from left, is joined by his wife, Miriam Silas Jackson, second from left, as he receives a citation from Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and West Haven Black Heritage Committee Chairman Steven R. Mullins during the 24th annual Black Heritage Celebration at City Hall on Feb. 27. The cultural event, in honor of Black History Month, is presented by the Black Heritage Committee. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

(Photo 032) — West Haven High School seniors Esther Boadiwaa Danso and Edward Kruah receive a Black Heritage Committee award for leadership from Chairman Steven R. Mullins as Principal Dana Paredes, left, and Mayor Nancy R. Rossi look on. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

(Photo 043) — Edwin Blackwell, center, and his sons, Eli, 16, and Quincy, 15, accept a citation from Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and Black Heritage Committee Chairman Steven R. Mullins on behalf of their mother and grandmother, the late Teresa S. Blackwell, recognizing the former city welfare director as West Haven’s African American Citizen of the Year. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

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He has also volunteered for many years at the West Haven Veterans Affairs Hospital and is a former girls softball coach.

Jackson and his wife live on York Street and have two adult daughters, Tiffany and Joya, and eight grandchildren.

The hourlong program, held in the Harriet C. North Community Room, included an awards presentation by Rossi and committee Chairman Steven R. Mullins, the master of ceremonies, whose daughter, West Haven High junior Nora E. Mullins, sang a moving rendition of the black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” She was accompanied on the performance by the standing room-only assembly of dignitaries, family, friends and residents.

The ceremony also included a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Eli and Quincy Blackwell.

Danso, who aims to study mechanical engineering at a university next fall, and Kruah, who also aspires to pursue higher education, received a Black Heritage Committee certificate of achievement from Mullins, who was joined by Rossi, Superintendent of Schools Neil C. Cavallaro and West Haven High Principal Dana Paredes.

Danso is enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, has earned high honors and was named West Haven High’s Student of the Month. Kruah, whose interests are video games, basketball and football, is also enrolled in college-level courses and has earned honors all four years while tackling a challenging workload.

The program featured remarks from Rossi, Cavallaro and 7th District Councilwoman Treneé McGee, the keynote speaker, as well as committee founder Beulah “Bea” Johnson and committee President Emerita Ernestine Jackson.

Rossi thanked the committee for “celebrating West Haven’s African American community.”

McGee focused her speech on the history of black soldiers, including the Tuskegee Airmen of the Army Air Forces’ 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group who fought in World War II, and how they played a significant role in the history of the U.S. military.

After saluting the veterans in the room, she concluded her remarks by empowering the crowd, made up of people from all walks of life, to embrace diversity and “be part of the cultural expansion in our country.

In honor of the monthlong black history celebration, organizers decorated the walls of City Hall with banners and posters depicting important black leaders and role models worldwide.

The committee has worked since 1996 to promote racial harmony across West Haven, transforming City Hall into an exhibition of African American art and literature throughout Black History Month to educate residents about black culture.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Black Women’s Firsts Panel Discussion Over 90 Connecticut Residents in Attendance at The New Haven Museum

By Iman Uqdah Hameen

Black Women’s Firsts: Being Who They Are From politicians to primary care physicians to public servants to preachers, it was no holds barred from the panelists participating in the Black Women’s Firsts panel discussion presented by Urban Grants 4 Us and hosted by the New Haven Museum in commemoration of Women’s History Month. Nothing was off limits as the women accepted the purpose of the task as outlined in my introductory remarks at this forum; which was to “celebrate and honor the panelists’ achievements” while “peeling away the layers to get a glimpse inside of who they really are.” The panelists, in turn, did not disappoint.

Ina Anderson, Esther Armmand, Alisa Bowens-Mercado, Diane X Brown, Babz Rawls-Ivy, Tamiko JacksonMcArthur and The Honorable Toni N. Harp candidly addressed moderator and organizer of the event, New Haven’s 1st and only black female Assistant Police Chief, Petisia Adger, as she strategically posed questions designed to create an environment of intimacy and conversation. It was more like a long overdue lunch date between close sisters and friends.

Delving right in, each speaker shared a bit of themselves when asked, “What is the one question that you wanted to be asked and no one has ever asked you?”

To her own surprise, no one had ever asked well-known radio personality and spiritual advisor, Babz Rawls-Ivy, why she adopted four children. In a powerful commentary, Babz recounted a series of unimaginable traumatic events experienced throughout her childhood and offered that she wanted to provide love to children that would otherwise be void of such love during their own formative years. Babz further stated that because of her ordeal, she is able to recognize that her opportunities far exceed many others, and therefore, she needed to share those gifts bestowed upon her with others.

Touched by the openness of Babz’ response, Diane X. Brown revealed that she still carried the physical scars of domestic violence and yet, her greatest joy and accomplishment was her son born out of that relationship. Diane is a nationally recognized librarian, who molded Stetson Branch Library into a National Medal winner for Museum & Library Services. She uses her branch manager position to help shape policies, expose issues, and develop lives,

people and communities. Expectedly, professional trials were outlined by speaker after speaker. In Diane’s case, her trial was the constant dismissal of her as a “real librarian” by patrons that frequented the downtown main library reference desk. In those instances, she would gladly refer the patron to other librarians as she was content in “knowing who I am and did not have the need to prove it to anyone else.”

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur, acclaimed pediatrician and New Haven Board of Education member, related her experience when seeking employment in New Haven. Tamiko disclosed that, “I applied everywhere. No one would hire me…but my father, Milt Jackson, did not allow that.” Milt Jackson traveled to St. Raphael’s Hospital with Tamiko’s resume in hand and made the hospital’s administration hire the qualified Tamiko. Tamiko asserted that the unspoken rule was to hire in-house, “but they needed me.” Consequently, she was hired by the hospital and because of her father’s love and support, she’s will always retain the use of her father’s surname.

Esther Armmand, policy analyst, alder and president of Sojourner Truth Democratic Committee shared gems of wisdom and support from her strong, silent father. When a racial epithet was used to degrade Esther’s father, he reminded her that, “it is not what people call

you, it is what you answer to.” Esther’s mother, too, patiently guided her, never lecturing and always listening.

When the questioning shifted to the “lonely path women of stature take and the loss of friends because of success,” the Honorable Mayor Toni Harp (who was met with a standing ovation when introduced as the first African American female mayor of New Haven, CT), related that her journey started as a ward member, ward secretary, alderwoman and then state senator. When she initially considered taking this journey, no one supported her, not even her husband. Toni, however, was not deterred and pronounced, “so what if no one sees you as you see yourself. Be who you are.” Toni stepped out anyway, and with a big smile, facetiously declared, “and the rest is history.”

Ina Anderson boldly proclaimed that when she saw that her firefighter brother had different hours from the usual 9-5, she wanted that job. Ina broke down doors and overcame obstacles to be the first and only black female firefighter in Bridgeport, CT in 1994; a department that had only 8 women when she joined.

During the Q & A session, Tiffany Williams, a millennial audience member and Ina’s daughter, pronounced in a question posed to the panelists that, “we are women first, then black women second.” The overall audience objected lovingly to this characterization. Ina,

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however, responded in a good-humored manner, “Let me be clear. That is my child. I will do everything to defend her.” Ina then expounded on her belief that God made different races and that being a woman is separate from that.

Representing the Generation X population, Alisa Bowen-Mercado delineated her life experiences and the unconventional twists she took. She started in her family’s general contracting business; an industry dominated by males. Early on, Alisa let it be known that she wanted to work in construction and did so for 13 years. However, on a trip to Puerto Rico, she “saw people performing a dance called Salsa.” Alisa took one lesson and soon thereafter opened her own school which is now celebrating its 20th year anniversary. Later, while at a beer festival, she noticed that there was an absence of black beer distributors. Upon research, she discovered that the brewing industry revenues were approximately $114.2 billion a year.

Needless to say, Alisa set out to start her own business, in yet, another male dominated industry. Rhythm Brewing Co. is now the 1st African American female operated brewery in CT and the 4th African American female operated brewery in the US. She opined that no matter how old you may be, “whatever you do, have passion for it.”

The panelists’ overall counsel to the attendees was to take the risk of confront-

ing your fears head on, because when we don’t face our own fears, we run the risk of self-sabotage.

This panel exchange evidenced not only that these women are multi-dimensional, Type A personalities, firsts and trailblazers in their respective fields, but represented who they are as individuals, as black women and as women. A part 2 of this event is certainly warranted.

Of note: Elder Janette Parker, former CT 95th District State Representative and widow of the CT State Treasurer, the late Hank Parker, was unable to attend due to illness but was warmly acknowledged.

Brief bios of all involved can be found online at Urban Grants 4 Us. Guests were received by Urban Grants 4 Us volunteers, Ty-Zhayia Brown and Briana Williams, and the forum was hosted

by Margaret Anne Tocharshewsky, Executive Director of the New Haven Museum.

A gracious thank you to all involved.

Contact: Iman Uqdah Hameen, ukdahi@aol.com, (203) 824-5601 Iman is a retired New York City Public School educator and holds MS and BFA degrees. She has worked in New York for decades as an activist and organizer in several organizations around issues affecting the black community, education and society.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Long Wharf Announces "Boundary-Breaking" 2020-2021 Season Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Collaborations with local arts powerhouses and national theater incubators. An inaugural congress centered around arts and activism. Space for new plays. Five works directed by five women of color, each with a different vision for the American theater in the twenty-first century.

That was the news Wednesday night, as Long Wharf Theatre unveiled a collaborative and convention-shattering 20202021 season under the umbrella Breaking Boundaries. From community conversations on arts and activism to a new commissioning program and artistic ensemble, the programming reflects Jacob Padrón’s inaugural season as artistic director.

“Long Wharf Theatre is in an exciting transformational moment,” he said Wednesday. “We are anchored in our work by the pillars of artistic innovation, radical inclusion, and meaningful connection.

And we are committed to creating art that both galvanizes the community of New Haven and revolutionizes the American theater.”

“As we rebuild this theater company, my hope is that Long Wharf can be a place for big ideas where art and activism can live side-by-side,” he added. “I want to cultivate an audience who is hungry for that kind of lifelong exchange.”

Wednesday, he said he is excited to take on a season “of, for, and by the community.” While Padrón began his tenure at Long Wharf Theatre in February of last year, the 2019-2020 season was a collaboration with then-Managing Director Joshua Borenstein, who has since left the theater.

After opening with a land acknowledgement and shout out to staff, board, and the theater’s fleet of teaching artists, Padrón dove into the five works—and extensive public programming—that will define next year’s season. Four of five main stage works will be presented in the theater’s Stage II space, to create “a more intimate theatrical experience.”

On Sept. 16, the theater will open its season not with a play but with “State Of The Union,” a two-day artists’ congress held in partnership with local arts organizations, advocates, activists, and arts practitioners.

Scheduled around the 2020 presidential election, the congress is intended to foster discussion around art and activism in the New Haven community.

Then, it will go into full swing with its season, with five works directed by five women of color. In October, the theater will present Torera, the story of a female bullfighter written by Monet Hurst-Mendoza and directed by Tatiana Pandiani.

The world premiere performance is presented in partnership with The Sol Project, of which Padrón is the founder.

In November, Long Wharf will continue its season with A Night’s Dream, “a radical reimagining” of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

adapted and directed by Shana Cooper. In speaking on the work, Padrón stressed the importance of holding onto dramatic history, while also bringing it fully into the twenty-first century.

He praised Cooper, with whom he attended grad school at Yale, for creating a work intended specifically for the Long Wharf Stage. The play will feature eight actors who play multiple roles.

“We are an artistic home known for classic plays,” he said. “I think we want to continue to do classic plays, but we want

to do them in new and exciting ways.”

In January, Long Wharf will partner with New Haven powerhouse Collective Consciousness Theatre to present Kristoffer Diaz’ The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, a 2010 satirical work that takes on the world of professional wrestling. Wednesday, Padrón told attendees that he has wanted to work with CCT leaders Dexter Singleton and Jenny Nelson since meeting them in early 2019.

“When we talk about artists and leaders in the community that have been holding

8

it down, Collective Consciousness Theatre is that theatre company,” Padrón said.

“I am so deeply moved and proud that we will be partnering … it is truly a blessing and an honor.”

“Collective Consciousness Theatre is excited for the opportunity to bring this historic partnership and groundbreaking production to our New Haven community,” added Singleton in a press release Wednesday night. “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity is a play that is just like us—fun, hard-hitting and unafraid to tackle the tough questions around issues of race, class and culture. We are humbled and grateful to be asked to be a part of Jacob’s inaugural season.”

In March, the theater is rolling out another artistic partnership as it opens Madhuri Shekar’s Queen, directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar and presented with NAATCO (National Asian American Theatre Company). Padrón said that the partnership was born last year, when NAATCO Founder Mia Katigbak was in rehearsals for Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House Part 2.

The work follows two scientists—a mathematician and a biologist—as they wage war with chemical giant Monsanto amidst a bee population crisis. After the work opens at Long Wharf, it will travel to an Off-Broadway theater in New York.

The theater’s first four performances will take place in its smaller Stage II. Then in late April 2020, the season will return to the main stage for a revival of Jelly’s Last Jam, a jazz musical celebrating the life and work of jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton.

The work—the announcement of which received screaming cheers, stomping feet and so much applause that Padrón had to stop his remarks momentarily— will be directed by Patricia McGregor in partnership with the Stetson Branch Library and Dixwell neighborhood. It features a cast of 14, a live jazz ensemble of six, and “ and enough music and tap dancing to fill several lifetimes.”

McGregor, who directed the work as a graduate student at Yale, wrote in a press release that she is excited to return to the musical and to New Haven.

“At a time when the soul of this country is in such crisis, what better piece than Jelly’s Last Jam to examine our past pain and illuminate our future possibilities with glorious theatricality and searing insights,” she wrote. “I’m excited to develop this piece with partners in the New Haven community, fortifying George C. Wolfe’s powerful vision with these rich perspectives.”

The theater will also hold a one-night-only 20th anniversary reading of The Good Person of New Haven in May. The work, written and adapted by Alison Carey from Bertolt Brecht, first premiered at the theater in April 2000.

In addition to its main stage shows, Long Wharf will be exploring its own role as an incubator space. A new commissioning program supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Lord/Kubler Fund

for New Work will give five creatives the space to develop new plays and multimedia projects. They are Jasmin Agosto (perhaps best known locally for La Sala Femme in Hartford), Chris Gabo, Ricardo Pérez González and the artistic collective UNIVERSES (Steven Sapp and Mildred Ruiz-Sapp).

The theater will also be building an eight-member artistic ensemble comprising Ryan Haddad, Mason Alexander Park, Bryce Pinkham, Madeline Sayet, Dexter J. Singleton and Awoye Timpo. Wednesday, Padrón also launched “The Remix,” a learning and experimentation lab for “artistic collisions.”

It marks a shift in the way that Long Wharf is working with the New Haven community. Prior to Padrón’s tenure, the theater’s work in community building was supported almost entirely by a single staff member, former Community Partnership Manager Elizabeth Nearing. Artistic partnerships with the New Haven Free Public Library, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), People Against Police Brutality, Tower One/Tower East and tens of others unfolded on a shoestring budget.

Wednesday, Padrón said he is committed to supporting that work—and baking it into Long Wharf’s mission—on an institutional level. He pledged his ongoing support for the New Haven Play Project and the “stage squad,” a group of high school students from the greater New Haven area “invested in the future of American theater.”

He finished by quoting Director of Learning Madelyn Ardito.

“We acknowledge that Long Wharf Theatre has not always been an inclusive organization, and we have a debt to pay to the local organizations and community members who have not been supported or visible in our work for the last 55 years,” he read. “It is our goal to find organizations and individuals who are interested in building deep and lasting relationships that will live beyond one season.”

Amidst COVID-19 warnings, Inner-City News Editor and newly-appointed board member Babz Rawls-Ivy made a pitch for the theater as a community space. She noted the theater’s focus on inclusion, including its use of the hashtag #YouBelong throughout its current season.

“If you all thought that you were in for a ride with this new season, with Jacob, buckle up,” she said to laughs. “Listen.

Lily-white theatre is no longer. Long Wharf Theatre is ours.”

“The only way that we can make this the community theater of our dreams is if everybody shows up to the theater,” she added. “The only way that world-class theater works if y’all show up. This is our town.

This is our theater. We are neighbors. You belong.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Jean Fairfax

LDF Celebrates Women History Month NAACP Legal Defense Fund www.naacpldf.org

Ms. Jean Fairfax, who for twenty years, was widely regarded as one of among the most influential and innovative visionaries on the LDF staff, passed away last week in Phoenix, Arizona. She was 98 years old.

Fairfax founded and served as the Director of LDF’s Division of Legal Information and Community Services from 1965 to 1984.

Jean Fairfax: A Pioneering Organizer Over the course of her 40-year career, Jean was a pioneering organizer, a professor, a religious scholar, a missionary, and an unparalleled strategist and policy advocate. She helped organize Black students and families in rural communities in the years following Brown v. Board of Education, and went on to shape and lead some of the most influential federal government policy innovations to support working class and poor families. She focused her strategic vision on empowering Black families to access quality education for their children, and assisting Black workers in the south in challenging systemic and longstanding employment discrimination. She was the author of groundbreaking reports on the needs of poor families – reports that powerfully influenced aspects of the mid1960s federal “War on Poverty” and that documented with raw accuracy the nature of white resistance to school integration.

Jean’s Guiding Principle “Jean Fairfax was and remains an absolute legend at LDF,” said LDF President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill (full statement below). “Jean’s guiding principle was her deep and sincere devotion to and respect for poor and working-class families. She listened. She learned about the needs of parents and children and the barriers they faced, and then she fought for policies that would bring to those families the resources they needed to move their lives forward. She was a master strategist. Ms. Fairfax understood how racism worked to depress opportunities for Black families, and she was clear-eyed about the need to focus on the system of policies and practices – especially funding policies – that could be transformed to create a level playing field for those most in need… She came to LDF at precisely the moment that President Johnson was launching his “Great Society,” and her steady hand, towering intellect, and relentless advocacy shaped many of its most important programs focused on poor children.”

Fairfax was born in 1920 in Cleveland, Ohio to Dan and Inez Wood Fairfax. Her parents were both the first members of their families to be born legally free in America. Growing up, Fairfax attended public schools in Cleveland, and later graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan. Fairfax then went on to receive

her degree in Comparative Religions at the Union Theology Seminary, in a joint degree program with Columbia University.

After college, Fairfax moved south in 1942 to serve as the Dean of Women, first at Kentucky State College and then at Tuskegee University. During that time, Fairfax remained constantly involved in religious work, actively participating in various religious organizations on both campuses and becoming a member of the Student Christian Movement in the South, specifically at the YWCA. It was in these two positions that Fairfax first found her passion for protecting civil rights and education rights.

Fairfax’s Concern for the Community “It was part of my religious upbringing.

I have a deep concern about what happens to the community, that is, I don’t separate myself from what happens to my people.

That’s the connectedness that I learned from my family,” said Fairfax in a 2005 article for the National Center for Family Philanthropy.

Fairfax remained in the South for two years and then traveled abroad to do missionary work in Austria following World War II. Upon returning to the United States in 1949, Fairfax moved to New England and continued her work in civil rights and social justice as a Director of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) to the colleges and universities in New England.

In 1957, Fairfax moved back to the South, continuing her work with AFSC as the Director of Southern Civil Rights. In 1964, Fairfax traveled to Mississippi to help advise Black families on how to navigate the recently decided Brown v. Board of Education decision. In Leake County, Mississippi, an incident took place which Fairfax refers to as the most memorable experience in her life. Two weeks before schools opened, the bodies of three slain civil rights workers were found near Fairfax’s worksite. The day before the schools opened, white men ran through the county, threatening to call in loans and fire from the sharecropping shanties any Black residents who enrolled their children in the all-white schools. The morning of the schools opening, Fairfax went to the edge of cotton fields with representatives of the Justice Department to assure any African-Americans who were still willing to enter into the newly integrated schools that they would be protected.

“I was aware that trouble, even violence, was anticipated,” said Fairfax reflecting on that first day of school in Leake County, Mississippi with the new desegregated school system. “I shall never forget the moment when 6-year-old Deborah Lewis impatiently cried out ‘What’s everybody waiting for? I’m ready to go.’”

Immediately after escorting Deborah, the sole Black student to integrate the Leake County school, into her new school, Fairfax joined LDF, creating the LDF Division of Legal Information and Community Service, which conducted programs to help

Black families transition into new schools.

Crusaders in the Courts “I asked her to join LDF for six months; she stayed for two decades,” wrote former director-counsel of LDF, Jack Greenberg on Jean Fairfax in his book Crusaders in the Courts. “She became the most influential single staff member in determining the direction we took on such issues as integration of Black colleges and which industries we should target in employment cases.”

Fairfax moved back to the South, and during those two decades at LDF, played a central role in protecting the decision of Brown, and helping Black families adjust to the changes that Brown brought about.

“I have very warm and beautiful memories about it. I work with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Civil Rights. So I spend a lot of time in the South” said Fairfax on her time in the South working for LDF in a 1983 interview with the Southern Oral History Program.

In 1967 Fairfax’s work at LDF received a $300,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. With her team, Fairfax helped Black workers submit complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), submitting over 1,800 charges. During that time, Fairfax met with the leader of the EEOC and son of former president Franklin D. Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. in order to convince him to strengthen EEOC guidelines.

Fairfax helped establish LDF’s Washington office in 1969 with Phyllis McClure.

Together, the women wrote a report on Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Acts, an essential section of the War on Poverty. The administration used their report to help guide and revise Title I of the Act.

10

In 1971, Fairfax created a group within LDF in response to fears surrounding the lack of enforcement plans mandated by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in Mississippi. Chaired by Julius Chambers, Henry Marsh, and John Walker, the group aimed to address the issue of integrating higher education. Jean’s group advocated for modulated integration, working with coalitions of Black educators to decide the role that LDF would take in addressing these issues.

“Jean Fairfax was sui generis: she was one of a kind, purposeful, focused, formidable, and thoroughly committed to fundamental fairness and simple justice,” said Elaine Jones, LDF’s fourth President and Director-Counsel. “Equal access to education for African-American children was at the forefront of her advocacy. As a young lawyer at LDF in 1971, Jean urged me to work on the Adams vs. Richardson litigation to force the federal government to implement Brown in higher educational institutions. I instead chose the areas of criminal justice and the death penalty. Jean did not hold it against me, and she remained one of my she-roes from that time until her passing.

For decades her contributions helped to shape the docket of LDF and contributed to many victories in both the court of public opinion and in the judiciary.”

Fairfax’s Projects During Her Time at LDF Fairfax worked on a variety of other projects during and around her time at LDF. She played an essential role in helping to draft the Patient’s Bill of Rights by the American Hospital Association of 1973.

She also heavily participated in launching the World Council of Churches’ program in 1948. In addition, Fairfax began to set up

multiple organizations and engage in philanthropic pursuits.

“I think it’s very important for a person in their forties and early fifties to think about creating—actually, to do more than think about it, to create—charitable funds and begin to put the money away so it can grow. . .they may not be withdrawing the monies right away, but they still need to start early” said Fairfax.

After 20 years, Fairfax retired from LDF in 1984. However, she continued her work in civil rights, organizing youth programs in civil rights, social justice, peace, and community service in Europe, Mexico, and Israel. She also helped to pave the way for reform of the National School Lunch Program, organizing a group of cross-denomination church women to help advocate for a school lunch program for needy children.

“Jean Fairfax was one of the most extraordinary unsung heroes of the struggle for civil rights,” said Ted Shaw, LDF’s fifth President and Director-Counsel. “Her life story, spanning ninety-eight years, should be told and retold with those of the greatest heroes who served the cause of racial justice and who served our country. I loved Jean Fairfax, and I am blessed to have known her.”

Fairfax and her sister Betty moved to Arizona in 1986 to teach and participate in numerous philanthropic pursuits. In 1987, the sisters established the Dan and Inez Wood Fairfax Foundation, adopting an 8th grade class at Mary McLeod Bethune School in Phoenix, and promising each of the 92 graduates college scholarships of $1,000 a year upon completing high school and attending college.

Fairfax continued to pursue philanthropy and social justice work during the last years of her life. She founded the organization Woman & Philanthropy, served on the board of the Council of Foundations, served as a trustee of the Black Legacy Endowed Fund, served as a Director for the Association of Black Foundation Executives, and helped to endow many charitable funds along with her sister Betty.

Fairfax has received numerous awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award from Radcliffe College, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Conference on Black Philanthropy, the YWCA Tribute to Women award, and the Kent State University President’s Social Responsibility Award.

Fairfax will be deeply missed, but her legacy and work will live on for many generations to come.

As Fairfax said in an interview with the Christian Science Monitor: “[s]omeone had to break the pattern, and very often the civil rights revolution was initiated by the most vulnerable Black persons. Many of them were women and many of them were children — tough, resilient, hopeful, beautiful children. The greatest experience of my life was standing with them as they took the risks.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

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Burden

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

Elicker Orders Child Care Centers Closed

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

FILM REVIEW:

By Michael Hernandez, Entertainment Reporter & Texas Metro News Columnist

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Rev. Steele: “An ongoing inequality issue.”

by STAFF In the latest City Hall attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19, Mayor Justin Elicker Monday ordered the closure of childcare centers serving more than 12 children.

He did so by an emergency order.

The order makes an exception: centers “may provide childcare services for any child whose parent or legal guardian is employed as a healthcare provider.”

“In a continued effort to protect the health of our residents, I am ordering that all daycare and childcare centers close as a result of the growing public health emergency surrounding COVID-19. We are still allowing childcare facilities to

provide care for healthcare workers,” a press release quotes Elicker as saying.

“We have already closed public schools to prevent people from gathering. While children appear to be less likely to get seriously sick, they still can spread the virus, and therefore we believe it is critical from a public health perspective to close daycare and childcare centers as well. I realize that this will add another burden to families and care providers. We have weighed this risk and strongly believe this is the right public health decision.

“We are in a State of Emergency in New Haven, and it is critical that we limit interaction with others, promote social distancing, and keep our children from congregating in large crowds.”

Burden is the true story about the life of Mike Burden, played by Garrett Hedlund. He is a Grand Dragon in the Ku Klux Klan and his life takes a turn for the worse when he decides to leave the KKK. He loses his job and his home after his evil, racist boss seeks revenge on him for leaving the Klan. Tom Griffin (Tom Wilkinson) does everything in his power to make Mike regret leaving the Ku Klux Klan. Wilkerson does an excellent job of playing someone who is pure evil.

Forest Whitaker’s character, Reverend Kennedy, gets involved when the Klan opens up a KKK museum right in the middle of town. Reverend Kennedy fights back not with hate or violence. His weapon is love and through protests by his church members, he hopes to show the Klan the error of their ways.

Burden takes place in 1996 in Laurens, South Carolina, a place where blacks were treated as second class citizens and racism was commonplace in the small town. The movie is a “no holds barred” true story about race that shows the ugliness of hatred toward our fellow man.

Meanwhile, Mike falls in love with a single mother and when the two become

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homeless, against the wishes of his family, Reverend Kennedy takes them in.

To see the evolution of Garrett Hedlund’s character is like watching a drug addict go through recovery. He has his moments of kindness where he treats black people with respect and then he’ll sometimes slip back into being the old Mike, using the “N-word” when talking to blacks and showing them total disrespect. It’s the Reverend Kennedy who convinces him that all men are brothers.

Burden is a real story about love winning over hate and the subject matter is just as relevant now as it was then. It’s an important movie for the times we are living in now. It reminds us not to forget what happened in the past or we’ll be doomed to repeat it.

The movie is rated R for harsh language, including frequent use of “The N-Word,” and runs for 2 hours and 9 minutes. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate Burden a JUMBO.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

EXCLUSIVE: Rory Gamble Named First African American President of the UAW

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) is one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America, with members in virtually every sector of the economy.

Representing nearly 1 million current and retired members of all ethnicities and backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the UAW has never had an African American president.

Until now.

“I was sitting at home and brainstorming on things that I needed to do, and then the phone started to ring,” stated Rory Gamble, a welder fixture repairman, who joined the UAW in 1974 when he worked at the Ford Motor Co. Dearborn (Mich.) Frame Plant.

“The local NAACP chapter president called, and others,” noted Gamble, who in December was named the 13th president of the 85-year-old union.

“It hit me then that, ‘Hey, you’re the first African American president,’” Gamble recalled. “It struck me like a rock. It’s a great accomplishment.”

Gamble observed a distinct and frequently-used quote that dates back to Winston Churchill: “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

“There is a great weight that comes with being the first African American president,” Gamble said.

“I want to be an example where no one can question my leadership and not use anything against another African American brother or sister to prevent them from being able to ascend to a position like this.”

Gamble accepted the job after his predecessor, Gary Jones, resigned amid a corruption scandal.

Despite the cloud of suspicion left behind, Gamble observed that the union must continue to move forward.

“Being an African American already means you have a great deal of responsibility and so I want to make sure that the way I carry myself will keep the doors open for others to follow,” Gamble expressed during an exclusive interview with NNPA Newswire.

“I’ve been blessed. I was able to come up during a time where there was a lot of activism. Unlike today, where a lot of our brothers and sisters get caught up in the digital world, I came up when everything was more hands-on and personal,” Gamble continued.

“You couldn’t hide behind a keyboard.

You had to get up and see people and look them in the eye. Looking folks in the eye shows that you have a lot more of yourself invested.”

That doesn’t mean Gamble is technologically challenged.

“I had to get social media because you have to engage and keep up with the

times,” he said.

“I’m very personal, and I love engaging with the members. I try hard to make sure that our union doesn’t get away from that even though we have this digital and electronic stuff. That’s fine, but the downside is that it can be icy when it comes to human relationships, so I like the eye-to-eye contact.”

Gamble, 64, started his UAW career as a welder fixture repairman.

Before that, he was a defensive tackle at Northwestern High School in Detroit, where he credited his father, a former elected officer of Local 600, as an early mentor.

In 1975, Local 600 members elected Gamble to serve as a plant trustee.

From 1976 to 1979, he was the local’s alternate benefit representative and, later, he served as a bargaining committee chair.

In 1988 Gamble earned an appointment as staff director and administrative assistant for Local 600’s president, with responsibilities for third-stage grievance agendas for all Ford Rouge plants and as editor of UAW Facts, the local’s newspaper, according to his biography.

He was elected delegate to the UAW’s 32nd Constitutional Convention and served on the Constitution Committee.

Since 1987 Gamble’s assignments have included local union health and safety coordinator, employee support

services program, education director, Gamble was elected first vice president civil rights coordinator, fitness center of Local 600 in 2002 and re-elected in coordinator, and family services and 2005. learning center coordinator.

In 1999 Gamble received the Spirit of He has served as director of Local 600 Detroit award; the 2006 Horace L. ShefFord units, including Dearborn Engine field Jr. Humanitarian Award; and the and Fuel Tank, Dearborn Truck Plant, 2008 Minority Women’s Network (DeMilan, Industrial Athlete, and Dearborn troit chapter) Man of the Year award.

Frame. Other assignments have includ“Labor unions have raised the staned retirees’ liaison and coordinator of dards of living, that’s pure and simple,” the Rouge Rehabilitation Center.

Gamble observed.

In 1998 and 2003, Gamble served on “If someone’s family gets into a mathe UAW-Ford National Negotiating jor health scare, the family could be put Team. From 1993 to 2002, he was elect- into major financial jeopardy. So, the ed for three terms as the local’s record- union has provided employees with job ing secretary.

Con’t on page Lyman_InnerCity_5.472x5.1.qxp_Layout 1 1/10/20 12:11 PM Page 5

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Black Press of America Celebrates 193 Years of Freedom-Fighting Journalism

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

From Freedom’s Journal to The North Star to John Abbott’s Chicago Defender, African American-owned newspapers have sparked fires for truth and equality that have burned with the passion for fighting for freedom throughout history.

Monday, March 16, 2020 marks the 193rd anniversary of the Black Press of America, whose global impact remains undeniable. It all began with Freedom’s Journal, the first African American newspaper, that was guided by the fearless publishers, John B. Russwurm and Samuel E. Cornish.

On March 16, 1827, Russwurm and Cornish announced the publication’s inaugural issue with a front-page that contained these words: “We wish to plead our own cause.

Too long have others spoken for us.”

The 4-page edition included stories about the struggle to end the horrors of slavery, lynching, and social injustice.

It also informed the African American community of international news of particular interest, like events in Haiti and Sierra Leone. The newspaper featured biographies of African American men and women, schools, jobs, and housing opportunities.

“As we deal with some of the most challenging times in modern history, it is important that we understand the significance of the Black Press in reporting on and recording our history,” said National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Chair, and publisher of the Houston Forward Times, Karen Carter Richards. The NNPA is the national trade association representing America’s Black Press.

“As we celebrate 193 years of being the Voice of Black America, we have made the decision to reschedule Black Press Week due to the unprecedented impact of the Coronavirus. Since the beginning, whether it has been our publishers, editors, journalists, photographers and many others, the Black Press has made the sacrifices and endured the struggles they had to go through in order to publish,” said Richards.

“Even though Freedom’s Journal existed for only two years, its impact on the Black Press has lasted 193 years — and counting,” said Mississippi Link publisher Jackie Hampton, who also serves as secretary of the NNPA. “I give Freedom’s Journal credit for

the establishment of more than 200 African-American-owned newspapers across the nation. The papers not only cover regional, national and international news, but they are still telling the stories that Freedom’s Journal advocated,” Hampton observed.

“Those stories include political rights for all Americans, the right to vote for all Americans and the telling of positive stories regarding the accomplishments of African Americans which mainstream newspapers often will not cover.”

Observing Freedom’s Journal’s anniversary traditionally occurs during the NNPA’s Black Press Week, held annually in Washington, DC. This year’s festivities are postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think the founders and editors of Freedom’s Journal would be very proud of the NNPA for deciding to postpone Black Press Week,” Hampton observed. “Because putting the health and safety of attendees first, regardless of how much we value the significance of Black Press, demonstrates our leadership is in good hands. If we don’t make good decisions for ourselves, then who will?”

“The postponement of Black Press Week activities coincides with the national response to the coronavirus, which is the right thing to do,” added Sonny Messiah Jiles, the publisher of

the Houston Defender Network and former chair of the NNPA. “Yet the significance and importance of the Black Press during these times are more relevant than ever before,” Jiles added.

“The virus presents health issues of access to testing, economic issues of job security and family/business income, and sustainability issues of how long this pandemic last. The challenges our country faces today reaffirms the importance of the Black Press of America and of Black Press Week.”

The anniversary of the Black Press is a reminder of the contributions that remain indelibly associated with its fearlessness, determination, and success.

Those contributions include the works of Frederick Douglass, WEB DuBois, Ida B. Wells, Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, and former NNPA Chairman Dr. Carlton Goodlett.

Douglass, who helped slaves escape to the North while working with the Underground Railroad, established the abolitionist paper, The North Star, in Rochester, New York. He developed it into the most influential black antislavery newspaper published during the Antebellum era.

The North Star denounced slavery and fought for the emancipation of women and other oppressed groups

14

with a motto of, “Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color; God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren.”

“In Africa, you had the atrocity of European nations colonizing sovereign states and turning them into satellite copies of their own nations,” said Rosetta Perry, a civil rights activist and publisher of the Tennessee Tribune.

“That’s one of the reasons why French is spoken so widely on the continent, as well as African nations still using the English monetary system. Black newspapers covered these stories as best they could from afar, but still lacked the resources to send correspondents over to these nations, they often depended on the reports of foreign correspondents from other publications,” she said.

Today, where possible, the Black Press continues to reach across the ocean to forge coalitions with the growing number of websites and special publications that cover Africa daily from on the continent, Perry noted.

The evolution of the Black Press, the oldest Black business in America, had proprietors take on issues of chattel slavery in the 19th century, Jim Crow segregation and lynching, the great northern migration, the Civil Rights Movement, the transformation from the printing press to the digital age and computerized communication.

With the Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court ruling that said no Black man has any rights that a White man must honor, there came a flood of Black publications to advocate for Black rights and to protest the wrongs done to Blacks.

Today, the Black Press continues to tackle domestic and global issues, including the new novel coronavirus pandemic and its effects on all citizens – particularly African Americans.

“This is an important story about the history of the Black Press of America that has consistently been the freedom fighting voice of African people in America and throughout the world for 193 years without waiver or distortion of the truth,” stated NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. “Today, in 2020, amidst the global pandemic of the coronavirus, the Black Press remains the vital source of news and information for 47 million African Americans,” he added.

Chavis continued: “On this momentous anniversary, the NNPA salutes all of the African American-owned newspapers and media companies that are affiliated with the NNPA’s expanding network of over 230 media properties and channels.

“May God continue to bless the Black Press of America.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Report: Companies Owned by Women of Color Account for 89 Percent of All New Women-Owned Businesses

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

Crystal Etienne is a businesswoman, wife, and mother of two children.

She’s also the founder of Ruby Love, a $10 million personal care company that she built in just four years.

“My dream was to always work for myself,” Etienne, a New York native, stated in an email to NNPA Newswire.

“However, I did have thoughts about going to law school. Understanding the political side of things, certain laws, and the rights of those around me always excited me, especially if I felt someone was wronged,” she said.

“I ended up going a different route and landed a job in finance,” Etienne continued. “Math, equations, and anything that had to do with business was something I was always good at. It was my strong suit, which is ironic because I disliked accounting and finance as a student.”

But her dreams have come true, she said. “The end goal was to always work for myself,” Etienne stated. “I am not in a position to make my own decisions and take control of my course in life.”

Etienne’s success helps to underscore a growing trend highlighted in the most recent State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, which noted that women of color account for 89 percent (1,625) of the new businesses opened every day over the past year.

The annual report, based on U.S. Cen-

sus Bureau data adjusted by Gross Domestic Product data, found that women-owned businesses continue to trend above all others.

Over the past five years, the number of women-owned businesses increased by 21 percent, while all enterprises increased by only 9 percent.

Total employment by women-owned businesses rose 8 percent. At the same time, to all companies, the increase was far lower at 1.8 percent, and total revenue for women-owned businesses also rose slightly above all others: 21 percent compared to 20 percent, respectively.

The State of Women-Owned Businesses Report also found that as work has trended toward side hustles and the gig economy, so had female entrepreneurship.

Over the last five years, growth in the number of women “sidepreneurs” grew nearly twice as fast as the overall growth in female entrepreneurship: 39 percent to 21 percent.

Minority women are responsible for a large portion of that growth from 20142019, where “sidepreneurship” among minority women-owned businesses was two times higher than others: 65 percent compared to 32 percent.

When looking at specific minority groups over the last five years, growth in sidepreneurship is up 99 percent among African American women, compared to 70 percent for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, 63 percent for Asian

Americans, 46 percent for Latina/Hispanic women, and 36 percent among Native Americans/Alaska Native businesswomen.

The report concluded that women of color are starting businesses at 4.5 times the average rate, and, in nearly every category, women of color are leading the women-owned business charge.

The rise in businesses owned by women of color could correlate to the power they’ve displayed at the ballot box.

Since 2000, the number of eligible women of color voters has increased by 59 percent – a gain of more than 13 million potential voters, according to the Center for American Progress (CAP).

Black, Latina, Native American, Multiracial, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women voters are emerging as a collective powerhouse, CAP officials stated.

In CAP’s “Women of Color: A Powerhouse in the U.S. Electorate,” report, authors Danyelle Solomon and Connor Maxwell used new survey data to explore the voter eligibility, electoral participation, and distinct interracial and intraracial policy perspectives of women of color.

The report examined a host of issues from health care and economic inequality to public safety, racial and gender discrimination, and immigration.

“In the past decade, the voter-eligible population of women of color increased six times faster than that of white wom-

en, yet candidates, journalists, and policymakers rarely acknowledge their ability to affect elections,” stated Solomon, the vice president of Race and Ethnicity Policy at the CAP, and co-author of the report.

“Women of color are the canaries in the coal mine. When you center them in your policymaking agenda, outcomes for all Americans will improve. Continu-

ing to ignore the policy priorities of this powerhouse of voters will only further undermine the health of our democracy and further exacerbate racial and gender inequalities,” Solomon stated.

“This report affirms what we already know: Women of color are an important – and growing – a catalyst for change in our democracy,” said Aimee Allison, the founder and president of She the People.

Questions about your bill?

Yale New Haven Hospital is pleased to offer patients and their families financial counseling regarding their hospital bills or the availability of financial assistance, including free care funds.

By appointment, patients can speak one-on-one with a financial counselor during regular business hours. For your convenience, extended hours are available once a month.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

March Is Women’s History Month Fannie Lou Hamer 1917-1977 Edited by Debra Michals, PhD | 2017 womenshistory.org

Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer rose from humble beginnings in the Mississippi Delta to become one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movements and a leader in the efforts for greater economic opportunities for African Americans.

Hamer was born on October 6, 1917 in Montgomery County, Mississippi, the 20th and last child of sharecroppers Lou Ella and James Townsend. She grew up in poverty, and at age six Hamer joined her family picking cotton. By age 12, she left school to work. In 1944, she married Perry Hamer and the couple toiled on the Mississippi plantation owned by B.D. Marlowe until 1962. Because Hamer was the only worker who could read and write, she also served as plantation timekeeper.

In 1961, Hamer received a hysterectomy by a white doctor without her consent while undergoing surgery to remove

a uterine tumor. Such forced sterilization of black women, as a way to reduce the black population, was so widespread it was dubbed a “Mississippi appendectomy.” Unable to have children of their own, the Hamers adopted two daughters.

That summer, Hamer attended a meeting led by civil rights activists James Forman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and James Bevel of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Hamer was incensed by efforts to deny blacks the right to vote. She became a SNCC organizer and on August 31, 1962 led 17 volunteers to register to vote at the Indianola, Mississippi Courthouse. Denied the right to vote due to an unfair literacy test, the group was harassed on their way home, when police stopped their bus and fined them $100 for the trumped-up charge that the bus was too yellow. That night, Marlow fired Hamer for her attempt to vote; her husband was required to stay until the harvest. Marlow confiscated much of their property. The Ham Con’t on page 17

“Community Conversation” Artspace announces Lisa Dent as Executive Director

Set For Dixwell Plaza

A second community conversation is set for the future of Dixwell Plaza, the retail anchor of Dixwell’s main commercial artery.

The event is scheduled to take place at the Elks Lodge, 87 Webster St., on Tuesday, March 10, from 6 to 8 p.m.

ConnCORP, the organization that has been buying up the plaza with plans to rebuild it, is hosting the event (which was eventually scheduled for a different time and location).

ConnCORP unveiled its general approach for the plaza at a well-attended first forum on Jan. 29.

The Board of Directors of Artspace is pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Dent as its next Executive Director.

She will replace Helen Kauder, who announced her intention to pass the baton to new leadership in 2020. Dent will begin her role at Artspace on May 1.

“Artspace has driven the cultural community in New Haven through its exhibitions and programs, launching the careers of artists and curators for decades,” said Dent. “I have long admired Artspace’s vision and can’t wait to build on its legacy.”

“We are delighted that Lisa has agreed to join Artspace and look forward to her getting started,” said Board Chair Kim Moriarty. “I would like to thank our Search Committee for their commitment to identifying such a superb candidate.

While Lisa has big shoes to fill, we are confident that she is up for the challenge and capable of leading the organization to new heights.” Helen Kauder adds, “I have known and admired Lisa’s work for many years and had the pleasure of interacting with her during her time at Creative Capital in New York City. I could not be more thrilled that she is coming to New Haven to bring her passion and extensive network to our community of artists.”

Dent’s curatorial roles in national museums and galleries, along with a multidisciplinary nonprofit arts background, makes her uniquely qualified to lead Artspace. Dent is currently Artistic

16

Director for Converge45, a nonprofit organization that provides a curatorial platform for the visual arts in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining Converge45, Dent was Director of Resources & Award Programs at Creative Capital (20122017), leading the national nonprofit’s financial and advisory services programs and supporting artists towards the full realization of their projects. As Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, Dent attracted resources for and organized exhibitions including Stephanie Syjuco: Pattern Migration, Currents: Latifa Echakhch and Supply & Demand. Earlier, she was a Helena Rubenstein Fellow

at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and held curatorial staff positions at the New Museum of Contemporary Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She was director of the Friedrich Petzel Gallery in New York, and for several years owned and managed Lisa Dent Gallery in San Francisco (2004-2009), where she presented the work of emerging and mid-career international artists.

Dent received her B.F.A. in History of Art from Howard University, and received her M.F.A. from New York University. She serves on the Board of Directors of Triple Canopy, a New Yorkbased digital art and literature magazine.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

COMMENTARY:

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

The Essence and Beauty of Black Women in America

By Roger Caldwell, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Black women are some of the most amazing females on the planet. There are many fraudulent images and concepts about Black women in American culture, where they are considered angry, hard to talk to and unintelligent. The image of Black women as a B, gives everyone in the country, the impression that the majority of our women will curse you out, and are always ready to fight.

These inaccurate descriptions of Black women give young Black girls a negative impressive of themselves, their culture, and race. When they are constantly being bombarded with foolishness on the radio with hip hop, and reality television, it makes Black women appear silly.

But for decades Black women have achieved phenomenal accomplishments and achieving the goal of sharing this information requires Black Media to lead the way, by exposing the truth to America and the world.

Shonda Rhimes, the most powerful show-maker in Hollywood says, “What we are is truth tellers, change agents, and troublemakers – in the best way. We’re agitating. And advocating. Standing on the shoulders of a long line of resourceful, and resilient Black women. And pre-

paring the next generation to take on the mantle, with their own kind of activism.”

Black women have always understood that there was racial discrimination, but they also were discriminated against because of their gender. Black women, and women in general, knew they had to fight and still nurture and take care of their children, and their man. Black women are magicians, and they were always working, and more women are graduating from college than ever before.

The essence of Black women is they are survivors, with purpose as their common denominator. They take care of business, and they get the job done. “There are also countless women beyond the headlines doing the work every day without any of the fanfare,” says Amber Scott of the Black Enterprise.

There are always Black women like Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, whose contributions are too numerous to count, and are using their influence to promote other Black women. “There is DJ Beverly Bond, who’s gathered up the sprinkles of Black Girl Magic to show the world how much Black girls do indeed rock.” says Amber Scott.

Not only are Black women some of the smartest on the planet, they are also the prettiest. In December 2019, Black women held five of the biggest beauty

pageant titles in the United States and the world. “When Miss Jamaica, ToniAnn Singh, was crowned Miss World in London, she joined an impressive roster of Black women who hold some of the world’s most prestigious pageant titles,” says Tara Law of the NY Times.

The prestigious pageant titles were: 1.

Zozibini Tunzi as Miss World, 2. Cheslie Kryst as Miss USA, 3. Raliegh Garris as Miss Teen USA, 4. Zozibini Tunzi

as Miss Universe, and 5. Nia Franklin as Miss America (who is scheduled to crown her successor on Dec. 19). It is the first time that Black women have held all five of these titles at once.

Black women have a troubled history with race, when it comes to beauty pageants in America. The wins were very difficult for Blacks to get, because racism played a major part in every judge’s decision. But Black women never gave

up, and many of the contestants considered themselves freedom fighters.

In almost every field Black women achieved — and they never stopped fighting. Truth tellers, change agents, and troublemakers, Black women were advocating, agitating to break down the walls. Black women are the most beautiful women on the planet, they are queens, and we must edify them with our love.

National Museum of African American Music Announces Grand Opening Date of September 3, 2020 – Advance Tickets Now Available!

First multi-genre Black music museum scheduled to open early September in ‘Music City’ NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 3, 2020) – After more than 20 years in development, the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) is ready to open its doors to music lovers of all ages. The 56,000 square foot facility located in the heart of downtown Nashville will officially open to guests on Thursday, September 3, 2020 kicking off a Labor Day weekend packed with grand opening events that will help introduce NMAAM to Nashville and the world.

Advance tickets can now be purchased from the NMAAM website with general admission ticket prices ranging from $13 to $24.

“We’re extremely excited to announce our September grand opening date for all of the music fans who have been anxiously awaiting the debut of this museum,” said H. Beecher Hicks III, NMAAM President and CEO. “This museum is a unique place that tells a special story. Our hope is that no matter your age, race or preferred music genre, within this museum you can find something that stirs your soul, pleases your ears and moves your feet. We encourage everyone to start planning their 2020 trips to

Nashville and purchase your tickets to this first-of-its-kind institution dedicated to celebrating incredible people and moments in American history.”

NMAAM will open to guests on September 3 as the anchor tenant of the Fifth + Broadway development. Fifth + Broadway is one of the largest mixed use developments in the region that includes retail, residential and office space right at the center of downtown Nashville on historic Broadway.

Upon opening, guests who visit the museum will be immersed in generations of musical history created and inspired by the work of African Americans.

NMAAM features seven content galleries—six permanent and one rotating— that chronicle Black musical traditions from the 1600s up to the present day.

More than 50 genres and sub-genres of American music are explored from spirituals and gospel, to jazz, blues, hip-hop, R&B and more.

Advance tickets for general admission to the museum are now available online from the museum website, www.nmaam. org. All admission tickets are timed, with tours scheduled every 30 minutes. The first tour group will enter at 9:00 a.m. and the last tour block will be sold at 4:00 p.m. with the museum closing at

5:00 p.m. daily. Guests will be able to select their time slot based upon ticket availability.

General admission ticket prices are as follows: individual/adult ticket (18 years and above) is $24.95, youth ticket (7-17 years) is $13.50, senior ticket (65 years and above) is $18.75, student/educator/military ticket (must show I.D.) is $18.75 and children’s ticket (6 years and below) is free when accompanied by a paid adult. Guests who wish to spend more than one day in the museum may purchase a multi-day pass for up to three days for $37.50 at all levels. Guests can also explore becoming a museum member to receive unlimited entry for a year and access to exclusive content and museum discounts. Memberships start in the range of $25 to $50 per individual.

For additional information, please visit the Membership section of the website or call 615-488-3310. Please note that listed ticket prices do not include local taxes and fees and prices are subject to change.

Group rates are available for parties of 15 or more people. Anyone interested in tour group pricing should contact groupsales@nmaam.org to coordinate their group’s visit.

The full list of grand opening activities

18

The National Museum of African American Music, set to open in Labor Day weekend 2020, will be the only museum dedicated solely to preserving African American music traditions and celebrating the central role African Americans have played in shaping American music.

for NMAAM and Fifth + Broadway will be released in the upcoming months. Be sure to follow @TheNMAAM across all social media to stay up-to-date on the latest details.

About the National Museum of African American Music The National Museum of African American Music, set to open in Labor Day weekend 2020, will be the only museum dedicated solely to preserving African

American music traditions and celebrating the central role African Americans have played in shaping American music.

Based in Nashville, Tenn., the museum will share the story of the American soundtrack by integrating history and interactive technology to honor Black musical heroes of the past and the present.

For more information, please visit www. blackmusicmuseum.org.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Charter, Comcast Offer 60 Days of Free Internet Service to Homes with Students

LOS ANGELE SENTINEL — Charter and Comcast announced Friday that they would offer 60 days of complimentary broadband to homes with K-12 or college students. For households that do not already have a subscription, Charter said that beginning Monday, it will provide free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi up to 100 Mbps, and that installation fees will be waived.

As many Southland educational institutions are closing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a pair of internet providers today announced plans to provide free internet to households with students.

Charter and Comcast announced Friday that they would offer 60 days of complimentary broadband to homes with K-12 or college students.

For households that do not already have a subscription, Charter said that beginning Monday, it will provide free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi up to 100 Mbps, and that installation fees will be waived.

The company also said it will partner with school districts to ensure local communities are aware of the offer, and that for eligible low-income households with school-aged children, it would continue to offer Spectrum Internet Assist,

a low-cost broadband program delivering speeds of 30 Mbps. It also pledged to open its Wi-Fi hotspots for public use without data caps or hidden fees.

Comcast, meanwhile, will waive fees for its Internet Essentials service to lowincome households, President of Consumer Services Dana Strong said in a written statement.

Strong also said that the company will increase internet speed for the service from 15/2 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps for both new and existing customers, and that the service will continue at that speed from now on. He said the new speeds are ex-

pected to be rolled out nationally over the next few days.

New Comcast customers will be sent a self-install kit that includes a cable modem with a Wi-Fi router, he said.

To enroll for Charter’s service, call 844488-8395; for Comcast’s, 855- 846-8376 for English speakers or 855-765-6995 for Spanish speakers, or go to www.internetessentials.com.

The post Charter, Comcast Offer 60 Days of Free Internet Service to Homes with Students appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.

Position Yourself for Success!

Virtual Open House • Thursday, April 2, 2020 • 3-7 PM When you pursue a graduate degree at Southern Connecticut State University, you’re already positioning yourself for success.

Our innovative programs provide the opportunity to engage in hands-on research and collaborate with faculty in a flexible, dynamic learning environment.

Join us ONLINE for an opportunity to learn how Southern’s graduate programs can uniquely align with your career goals. Chat with faculty from over 45 programs, consult with admissions staff on how to assemble the ideal application, and learn how to best achieve your career goals with the right graduate degree.

To register, visit SouthernCT.edu/gradopenhouse

19

Sunday, May 3rd Tickets on sale Friday at 10:00am only at

TICKETMASTER.COM | MOHEGANSUN.COM

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Idris Elba Tests Positive for Coronavirus: “This Is Real”

by Derrick Lane, blackdoctor.org

In the growing list of everyday people testing posting for Coronavirus COVID-19, there is also a growing list of celebrities who have the disease as well.

Just this past weekend, beloved actor Tom Hanks and his wife revealed they had contracted the virus. Now, handsome actor Idris Elba has also tested positive for coronavirus, the actor revealed today on Twitter.

“This morning I tested positive for Covid 19,” he wrote. “I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus.

“Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing No panic,” Elba, 47, added.

I got tested because I realized I was exposed to someone who also tested positive,” he explained. “I found out last Friday that they were tested positive. I quarantined myself and got a test immediately and got the results back today.”

Elba continued: “Look, this is serious.

Now is the time to really think about social distancing, washing your hands. Beyond that, there are people out there who aren’t showing symptoms and that can easily spread it. OK. So, now is a real time to be really vigilant about washing your hands and keeping your distance.”

Elba went on to say that the couple, who tied the knot last April, has told their families and colleagues.

“Transparency is probably the best thing for this right now. If you’re feeling ill or you feel like you should be tested or you’ve been exposed — do something about it. It’s really important,” he said.

Elba added: “Look we’ve lived in a divided world right now. We can all feel it.

It’s been bulls–t, but now is the time for solidarity. Now is the time for thinking about each other. There are so many people whose lives have been affected, from those who have lost people they loved to people that don’t even have it and have lost their livelihoods. This is real.”

One thing that he did say that many

people may lose sight of, but is also very important is, “Stay positive and don’t freak out,” he concluded.

If you remember, it was just 2019 when the actor got married again to Sabrina Dhowre.

“We’ve been literally inseparable since we met,” the 47-year-old actor told British Vogue.

The two first locked eyes in 2017 while hanging out at a jazz bar in Vancouver, where Elba had been filming The Mountain Between Us. As The Wire star recalls, it was “love at first sight.”

“You know, I’m 47 this year, been married and lived a full life before I even met Sabrina,” he told the magazine. “It wasn’t something that I wanted to do, get married again. But…” In February 2018, Elba proposed. The Luther actor popped the question at a film screening in London. The two then tied the knot at the Ksar Char Bagh hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco in April 2019.

There’s now word yet on if she has contracted the virus too or not.

Top 11 Misconceptions Many African Americans Have About Coronavirus BlackNews.com

Nationwide — Coronavirus, also known scientifically as COVID-19, has been a global nightmare. One by one, the virus has infiltrated nearly every country and about 10% of those who have contracted the virus have died. Sadly, there are many African Americans who still don’t fully understand what the virus is, and how to prevent it.

Here are the top 10 most common misconceptions that many in the Black community have: #1 – Black People Can’t Get It: This is simply not true. To date, at least three African American NBA players have contracted the virus. In addition, several African nations including Rwanda, Nigeria, and Kenya have all reported individuals who have tested positive for the viral. Therefore, Black people are not immune to the virus. #2 – Vodka Kills the Virus: Most vodka brands are only 40 percent alcohol, and that is not high enough to effectively kill microbes. The CDC recommends using handsaniter that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. #3 – You Need Health Insurance to Be Tested: Definitely not true. The U.S. government has mandated free testing to all individuals who have the symptoms of Coronavirus. All hospitals are required to comply, but not all hospitals may have enough test kits. In addition, there may be a long waiting line to get tested. #3 – You Should Call 911 If You Have the Symptoms: Unless you are suffering from an immediate life-threatening emergency, you should not call 911. You

should, however, call your doctor and/ or visit your local hospital’s emergency room if you are not feeling well. Those who have questions or confusion about the virus can also visit CoronaVirusHelpline.org or call the toll-free Coronavirus Helpline at (888) 581-5029 for more information. #4 – The Flu is More Dangerous: This also is not true. Although it is true that last year more than 60,000 people died from the flu. The Coronavirus has been proven to be more contagious, more deadly, and also more misunderstand.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), less than 1% of people who typically contract the flu die from it, but so far, about 3.4% of those who have contracted Coronavirus have died.

#6 – You Must Have Multiple Symptoms: This also is not correct. Many individuals who have tested positive for the Coronavirus have only been found to have just one of the major symptoms.

According to the Washington State Dept of Health, those symptoms are shortness of breath, cough OR fever. #7 – Only Elderly People Die From It: While it is true that people age 60 and over are more likely to contract and die from the virus, younger people must also exercise plenty of caution. The truth is that many patients that are age 22-59 are also being affected. South Korea reported 2,718 cases among patients under the age of 30. #8 – All Chinese People Have the Coronavirus: Again, not true. It is true that the

20

virus originated in China, but this does not mean that all Chinese people are infected nor does it justify any type of racial discrimination against people from China or Chinese-owned businesses. Remember that many Chinese Americans have never even been to China. #9 – There is a Cure: Currently, there is no cure or medical treatment available for those who contract the virus.

Depending on the location, if a person tests positive for the virus, he or she will be quarantined and/or sent home and encouraged to self-quarantine. Drinking plenty of water, eating healthy foods with high nutrients, and taking immunebuilding vitamins are encouraged. #10 – You Should Stock Up on Water and Toilet Tissue: No government agency has ever made this suggestion. This is a panic reaction from the general population. The truth is that by being inside a grocery store or big box retailer trying to hoard items like this, you are only increasing the chances of being exposed to someone who could be infected and may not even know it. #11 – All Travel Has Been Banned: As of March 16, 2020, no type of domestic travel has been restricted. However, the U.S. government has initiated several international travel bans to many countries in Asia and Europe. Most of these travel bans, however, do not affect American citizens but affect non-U.S. citizens.

Those with more questions about the virus are encouraged to visit CoronaVirusHelpline.org or call the toll-free Coronavirus Helpline at (888) 581-5029 for more information.

Con’t from page 13

Rory Gamble

security, increased wages and enhanced health care benefits. You can plan for your kids to attend college and other important milestones that you might not otherwise be able to do if you didn’t have that protected status that unions provide.”

Gamble continued: “I have never sat across the table from a CEO of any major company who didn’t have a contract with that company that guarantees their wages and benefits and even a golden parachute. That same worker will tell the worker in the plant on the floor that they don’t need a union, but every major CEO has his wages and benefits contracted. That’s a big irony.”

Gamble also noted the UAW’s relationship with the Black Press of America had spanned decades because the union and publishers share a common belief in social justice and civil rights.

“People need to know how important the Black Press is and how important the union is,” Gamble said. “Both have accomplished so much together. We do this by making sure that we use all of the available resources to educate our people and let them know how important and relevant the Black Press and the union is especially when they are functioning together. The things we’ve accomplished to uplift society and our people, in general, is something we

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

Planting Bed Maintenance Program at Bonnie Acres INVITATION TO BID NOTICE Vance Drive, Bristol, Connecticut VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL PREThe Bristol Housing Authority will HOUSING receive sealed bidsAPPLICATIONS on or before 2:00AVAILABLE p.m. EDT, Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at their offices at 164 Jerome Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010, and saidHOME bids will beon publicly and read aloudand immediately INC, behalfopened of Columbus House the New thereafter.

Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this devel-

Bids will belocated received all labor, tools and income equipment necessary opment at for 108furnishing Frank Street, Newmaterials, Haven. Maximum limitations ap-to complete the Planting Bedwill Maintenance Program at Bonnie Acresbeginning on Vance Monday Drive, Bristol, ply. Pre-applications be available from 9AM TO 5PM Ju;y CT25, 06010. of when work shall include, but is not limited to, weekly and monthly 2016The andscope ending sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have maintenance practices for one year beginning April 2020 through December 2020 been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon with reopportunity up to 4 additional yearly renewals. Sealed bid packages to be clearly marked quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed pre“Bonnie Acres Planting Maintenance Program. Attention: Mitzy Rowe, CEO.”

applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

A pre-bid walk through will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Please

meet at the Bonnie Acres Community Room, 59 Vance Drive, Bristol, CT 06010. Attendance is strongly recommended for all bidders.

NOTICIA

Contact Documents including Plans and Specifications will be on file at the Bristol HousVALENTINA DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES ing Authority 164MACRI JeromeVIVIENDAS Avenue, Bristol, CT starting Monday March 2, 2020. Contract Documents can be reviewed, purchased or sent electronically at no cost. Project informaINC, nombreonline de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está tionHOME can also be en obtained at Projectdog.com.

aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo

la calleAuthority 109 Frankreserves Street, the Newright Haven.

Se aplican de ingresos Theubicado Bristolen Housing to reject any orlimitaciones all bids and/or to waive Las pre-solicitudes estarán 09 a.m.-5 Martes anymáximos. informalities in bidding, when suchdisponibles action is deemed to p.m. be incomenzando the best interest of 25 the Bristol Authority. documents must pre-solicitudes be filled out completely when submitjulio,Housing 2016 hasta cuando seAll hanbid recibido suficientes (aproximadamente 100) ted.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

Noabids shall be de withdrawn for aenperiod of sixty (60) days opening bids06510 without las oficinas HOME INC 171 Orange Street, tercerafter piso,the New Havenof, CT . the consent of the Bristol Housing Authority.

For further information, please contact Carl Johnson, Bristol Housing Authority, Director of Capital Funds at (860) 585-2028 or cjohnson@bristolhousing.org.

HELP WANTED: Large CT guardrail company

looking for Laborer/Driver with valid CT CDL Class A license and able to get a medical card. Must be able to pass a drug test and physical. Compensation based on experience. Email resume to dmastracchio@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE M-F

Equipment Operator Help Wanted: Immediate opening for Equipment Operator for Heavy and Highway Construction.

10 hour OSHA certificate required. CDL license a plus but not required.

Please call PJF Construction Corp.@ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

Laborer Help Wanted: Immediate opening for Construction Laborer for Heavy and Highway Construction.

10 hour OSHA certificate required.

Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

Project Manager/Project Supervisor

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center LEGAL NOTICE Pet under 40lb allowed.

Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 Request For Proposal (RFP) RFP #2021-0902 Community Distribution Center

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s The Connecticut Department ofprogram Public designed Health (DPH), STD and ViralofHepatitis Certificate Program. This is a 10 month to assist TB, in theHIV, intellectual formation Candidates seeking proposals from The Connecticut and organizations inProgram response is to the Church’s Ministry needs. cost is $125.public Classes startprivate Saturday, August 20, 2016and 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman,agencies Deacon JoetoJ. Davis, M.S.,the B.S.Community Distribution Center, a public community-based operate (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster health information dissemination initiative and the Positive Prevention CT workgroup.

St. Haven, CT total of approximately $150,000 annually of state HIV prevention funds AnNew anticipated

are availa-ble to support the Distribution Center. An additional $100,000 annually of federal Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) HIV prevention funds will be earmarked for the purchase of male condoms, and $21,235 will be available for the Positive Prevention CT workgroup. Funding will be for a two-year period beginning approximately January 1, 2021 through December 30, 2022, subject to the availability of funds.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour The Request for Proposals (RFP) is available in electronic format on the State Contracting at: http://portal.ct.gov/Services/Working-with-the-State/Stateuntil 3:00 pm Portal on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Contracting-Portal or from the Department’s Official Contact: Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Dante Gennaro Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, Smith Street Seymour.

CT Department of Public26 Health TB, HIV, STD & Viral Hepatitis Program 410 Capitol Avenue, MS#11APV Hartford, 06134-0308 A pre-bid conference will be held atCTthe Housing Authority Office Phone: (860) 509-7801 Street Seymour, CT at 10:00Fax: am, (860) on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

509-7853 Dante.gennaro@ct.gov

28 Smith

The RFP documents is also available the Department’s at http://www.ct.gov/dph/rfp Bidding are on available from thewebsite Seymour Housing Authority Of(Request for Proposals). A printed copy of the RFP can be obtained from the Official Contact fice, 28 upon Smithrequest.

Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Deadline for submission of proposals to the DPH is: May 1, 2020 by 4:00 p.m.

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 Housing Authority.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in the preparation of plans, specifications, supporting documents, and permit applications for private and municipal projects.

• Assist in preparation of calculations such as storm drainage, water supply & wastewater collection, cost estimates, and earthwork quantities.

• Perform design and drafting using AutoCAD Civil 3D. MicroStation experience is beneficial but not required.

Qualifications:

• Graduate from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering.

• Engineer in training certificate preferred.

Help Wanted: Immediate opening for CDL Driver for Heavy and Highway Construction.

10 hour OSHA certificate and clean CDL license required.

Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

SECTION 3 DESIGNATED ENTERPRISES ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT”

This is an entry level position located in our Hamden, Connecticut office.

CDL Driver

NEW HAVEN

“AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER MBE’s, WBE's, SBE’s AND

Civil Engineer

Diversified Technology Consultants (DTC) is a multi-disciple engineering and environmental consulting firm. DTC is a leader in servicing governmental clients for four decades. DTC prides itself as having worked on a wide variety of project types. From schools and senior centers to town halls and universities, our diverse portfolio provides extensive experience to our communities.

As DTC enters its forth decade, we are seeking an energetic, organized and proactive professional in our Civil Engineering Department. The successful candidate(s) will work closely with our technical staff in support of DTC’s strategic goals and objectives.

For Further information or to apply send resumes to ellen. nelson@teamdtc.com DTC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

DTC is a Drug Free Work Place.

Individuals with Disabilities, Minorities and Protected Veterans are encouraged to apply.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Help Wanted: Immediate opening for a Project Manager/ProjOld Saybrook, CT ect Supervisor for Heavy and Highway Construction. Previous (4 Buildings, 17 Units) experience on CTDOT projects required.

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers.

Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998.

We are an equal opportunity employer M/F

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.

AFFIRMATIVE New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast- ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10Lineman Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, State of Connecticut (First Plumbing Class) and Fire Protection.

Mechanical, Electrical, Office of Policy Electric is is seeking skilled candidates for First Class Lineman.

Apand Management This utility contract subjecthighly to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

plicants must be a H.S. graduate with 4 years experience as a second class lineman in electric line construction and maintenance. Also, must be experienced Bid Extended, August 5, work 2016 extended periods with energized 13,800 volt equipmentDue and Date: must be able to Start: August 15,extreme 2016 care. Hourly rate: of time off the ground andAnticipated under conditions requiring $41.46 to $46.09, plus an excellent fringe benefitsviapackage.

The closing date for Project documents available ftp link below: applications is March 30, 2020 or the date we receive the fi ftieth (50) application http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage whichever occurs first. Apply: Human Resources Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, (203) 294-2080, Fax: (203) Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com 294-2084. EOE. HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Policy Development Coordinator position.

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions for this position is available at:

Quinnipiac Avenue, New Haven

https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= 200305&R2=1581MP&R3=001

Spacious 2 bedroom townhouses with hardwood floors. Select with basements and washer/dryer hookups. On-site laundry facility. Off street parking. Close proximity to restaurants, shopping centers and on bus line. No pets. Security deposit varies. $1,425-$1,450 includes heat, hot water and cooking gas. Section 8 welcome. Call Christine 860-985-8258.

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

21

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

DELIVERY PERSON

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Contact: Tom Dunay

NOTICE

NEEDED

Phone: 243-2300 HOME INC, on behalf of860Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develWomen Minority Applicants are New encouraged to apply income limitations apopment & located at 108 Frank Street, Haven. Maximum Action/ Opportunity Employer ply.Affirmative Pre-applications willEqual 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 Reclaiming, INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preGarrity Asphalt Inc seeks: applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing Haven, CTbe06510. andFloor, cleanNew driving record, willing to travel throughout the North-

Part Time Delivery Needed

east & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

NOTICIA

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

One/Two Day a Week,

Must Have your Own Vehicle

The Manchester Housing Authority will open the State of Connecticut Con-

gregate Housing waiting list for Westhill Gardens Congregate. The property consists of 37 1-BRunits designated for frail seniors age 62 or older. Up to 150 applicants chosen by lottery will be entered onto the waiting list. Applications available in person and on the MHA website at http://manchesterha.org and will be accepted by mail or in person at 24 Bluefield Drive Manchester, CT 06040. Applications will be accepted March 2, 2020 8AM – March 31, 2020 at 4PM. FY 2019 Income Limits 1 person

2 persons

3 persons

4 person

52,850

60,400

67,950

75,500

The Manchester Housing Authority does not discriminate based upon race, color, disability, familial status, sex or national origin.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/deEqual Opportunity Employer HOME INC, en nombre la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está

If Interested call

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 operating heavydeequipment; be willing to travel throughout the por correo a petición llamando&a NY. HOME 203-562-4663 horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse Northeast We INC offeralexcellent hourlydurante rate &esas excellent benefits a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

Union Company seeks:

(203) 387-0354

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

KMK1907 Insulation Inc. Hartford Turnpike

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

HELP WANTED:

NEW HAVEN

North Haven, CT 06473

Request for Proposals Energy Consultant The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Proposals for energy consultant services. A complete copy of the requirements may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, February 24, 2020 at 3:00PM.

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

is requesting proposals for Learning Center Services.

Request for Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha. org under the Business section RFP’s/RFQ’s Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director.

Mechanical Insulator position. Constuction Laborer

Invitation to Bid: Large CT guardrail company Insulation company offering good pay 242-258 Fairmont Ave 2nd Notice looking for Laborer/Driver with valid CT CDL Class Looking for a Laborer with experience in Crane/Pile Driving operations. We and benefits. Please mail resume to above address.

A license2BR and able to get a medical card.

Must be will consider those with no prior experience. Required skills/qualifications inTownhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA able to pass a drug test and physical. CompensaMAIL ONLY clude: OTC 105 OSHA10 hour Certification, Valid Drivers License, Must be All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Old Saybrook, CT tion based on experience. Email resume to dmasThis company is an Affirmative Action/ able to lift over 50 pounds, Minimum age of 18, Must Provide personal transporhighways, near bus stop & shopping center (4 Buildings, 17 Units) tracchio@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE M-F Equal Opportunity Employer. tation to and from the jobsite.

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project Please contact: Eric Bombaci Bombaci Construction CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Bombaciconst@aol.com New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition,8605754519 Site-work, Cast-

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

CITY OF MILFORD

Certificate Program.

This is a 10 month program designed the intellectual formation of Candidatesto include, Director of OperaSeeking qualified condidates toto assist fill innumerous vacancies in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, 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. Experienced DOT certified tions Milford Landing Marina, Recreation Director, and more.

For information Flooring, Painting, Division and 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Welder for Misc/Structural Steel (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

Email hherbert@gwfabrication.com detailed application instructions, visit WWW.ci.milford.ct.us St. New Haven, CT This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Click on SERVICES, JOBS and JOB TITLE.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Community Engagement Project Manager Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour Project documents Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. (FHI) is seeking an experienced Project Manager for our Community Engagement Serviceavailable via ftp link below: Invitation for Bids until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Team. Candidates should demonstrate their ability to lead project teams, supervise andhttp://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage develop staff, provide excellent On-Call Printing Services Seymour, 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairsmanage and Replacement at the concurrently, and conduct business develclient serviceCT with innovative and strategic solutions, multiple projects Smithfield Gardens Assisted Livingdeveloping Facility, 26and Smith Street Seymour. opment.

Responsibilities will include implementing strategic outreach plans to meaningfully and@ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Fax or Email Questions & Bidsinclude to: Dawn Lang

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is cur-

facilitate communication with stakeholders and the general public on transportation and HCC community projects, encouragesplanning the participation of all Veteran,rently S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses seeking Bids for on-call printing services. A complete copy of the requirements Construction Company, Seymour, CT 06483 utilizing a wide variety of tools and techniques including public meetings, printed materials, socialHaynes media, website, press 32 Progress A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith may beAve, obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousreleases, and PowerPoint presentations.

Additionally,July the candidate AA/EEO EMPLOYER Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, 20, 2016. must possess excellent oral and written communication ing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, February 24, 2020 at skills. Experience with major transportation infrastructure projects is preferred.

3:00PM.

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Of-

Minimum degree: Bachelor's degree in business/consulting environment, city/regional/urban planning, civil engineering, 28 field Smithwith Street, Seymour, 06483of(203) 888-4579. orfice, related a minimum of CT 10 years experience.

Candidates with a valid driver's license preferred. Salary commensurate with level of experience. Send resume to communityengagement@fhiplan.com or Elizabeth Marchion, 416 The Housing reserves theFitzgerald right to accept or rejectInc. anyisoranallEEO/AA bids, to /VEV/Disabled employer.

Asylum Street, Authority Hartford, CT 06103. & Halliday,

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 Housing Authority.

22

CITY OF MILFORDSeeking qualified condidates to fill numerous vacancies to include,Public Works Office & Administator Operations Manager, Information Technology Manager, and more. For information and detailed application instructions, visit WWW.ci.milford.ct.us Click on SERVICES, JOBS and JOB TITLE.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

REQUEST FOR BIDS

NOTICE Air Rights Garage Repairs New Haven, Connecticut New Haven Authority Project #20-002 VALENTINA MACRIParking RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Bids due April 7, 2020 P.M. House and the New Haven Housing Authority, HOME INC, on behalfatof3:00 Columbus is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develBidopment Documents will beginning 2020 atincome no costlimitations by downloadlocated at be 108available Frank Street, New March Haven.12, Maximum apingply. from the BuildingConnnected FTP site.

Maryann Bigda ofMonday Turner ConPre-applications will be available fromContact 9AM TO 5PM beginning Ju;y struction Company at 203-712-6070 for FTP access.

25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon reThequest workbymainly concrete repairs, waterproofing, plumbing/drainage calling includes HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those and hours.

Completed presystem repairs. must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third applications Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Bidders must submit with their Bid on forms provided a list of their Intended Subcontractors, including the use of Minority Business Enterprises and Women Owned Business Enterprises as subcontractors for a goal of at least 25% of the total value of the Bidder’s subcontracts.

NOTICIA

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

New Haven Parking Authority is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos WATER TREATMENT 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 PUMPING disponibles 09OPERATOR a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando 25 LEVEL I WATER TREATMENT - The TownMartes of Walljulio, 2016 hastaDivision cuando seishan recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente ingford’s Water seeking qualified candidates to maintain and operate100) the en lasportable oficinas de HOME INC. pre-solicitudes enviadas por correo a petición Town’s (drinking) waterLas treatment plants,serán pumping stations, storage tanks, HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante remitirse andllamando grounda well facilities.

Must process a esas Highhoras.Pre-solicitudes School Diplomadeberán or G.E.D with HOME INC en experience 171 Orange Street, tercerthe piso,operation New Haven CT 06510 . onea las (1)oficinas year ofdedemonstrated involving or ,maintenance of equipment of the type predominant in water supply and treatment; or a technical high school diploma with a demonstrated career and technical education related to electronics technology, electrical, H.V.A.C or water supply and treatment activates and operations. A State of Connecticut Department of Public Health Class 1 or higher Water Treatment Plant Operator certification (WTP1) and a certification of achievement in water management from a State of Connecticut community college, college, or university, or ability to obtain both within (12) months from date of hire. Wages: $25.96 - $31.55 hourly, plus242-258 an excellentFairmont fringe benefitAve package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA 06492. Fax # 203-294-2084. The closing date will be the date the 50th application/ All new apartments, new appliances, carpet, resume is received, or April 6, 2020 whichevernew occurs first. close EOE to I-91 & I-95

NEW HAVEN

highways, near bus stop & shopping center Exp. F/T Lay 40lb Outallowed. person for structural Misc. Shop.

Pet under Interested parties contactSteel Maria and @ 860-985-8258

Send resume: hherbert@gwfabrication.com

Town of Bloomfield

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 Vehicle Mechanic Technician/Fleet Services (Non-CDL)

$29.59/hourly (non-CDL) $30.49/hourly SEYMOUR HOUSING(CDL) AUTHORITY

Pre-employment drug Authority testing. of AA/EOE. Sealed bids are invited by the Housing the Town of Seymour Details to www.bloomfieldct.gov until 3:00For pm on Tuesday,go 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.

Secretary I: The Town of East Haven

is currently conducting an examination for the position of Secretary I, Grade Level 9.

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Qualified candidates must possess a High School Diploma or GED and two (2) years Seymour, CT at 10:00 on Wednesday, 2016. combination of Street experience with secretarial andam, office operations orJuly any 20, equivalent of experience and training. The current opening is in the Board of Education. The hourly rate for this position is $18.28 per hour, hours per week. The application Bidding documents are available from the 15 Seymour Housing Authority Ofis available at http://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civiltest.shtml fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.or The Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT and the deadline to apply is March 9, 2020.

The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities, Females, The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to Veterans and Handicapped are encouraged to apply.

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 Housing Authority.

FENCE ERECTING CONTRACTORS

Welder/Helper:

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for Fence Installer foremen and helpers. Foreman must have at least 5 years’ experience. Helpers-no experience required, will train the right person. Work available 1012 months per year. Valid Ct. Driver’s license required and must be able to get a DOT Medical Card. All necessary equipment provided. Medical, vacation & other benefits included. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. OSHA 10 training required. Please email resume to rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE – M/F

Large CT fence & guardrail contractor looking for a shop welder/helper. Duties include but are not limited to cutting & notching pipe to build gates, and fabbing, plating posts, truck & trailer repairs. Ability to mig weld steel and aluminum is a plus. Some road work may be required. All necessary equipment provided. Must have a valid CT driver’s license and be able to get a DOT medical card. Required to pass a physical and drug test.

Medical, vacation & other benefits included. Starting pay @ $17.00 per hour. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE-MF

HELP WANTED: Large CT guardrail company looking for Laborer/Driver with valid CT CDL Class A license and able to get a medical card.

Must be able to pass a drug test and physical. Compensation based on experience. Email resume to dmastracchio@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE M-F

Large CT. Fence Company

is looking for an individual for our stock yard. Warehouse shipping and receiving and Forklift experience a must. Must have a minimum of 3 years’ material handling experience.

Must be able to read and write English, and read a tape measure. Duties will include: Loading and unloading trucks, pulling orders for installation and retail counter sales, keeping the yard clean and organized at all times and inventory control. Individual will also make deliveries of fence panels Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for expe- and products, must be able to lift at least 70lbs. Required to rienced, responsible commercial and residential fence erec- pass a Physical and Drug test, have a valid CT. Driver’s Litors and installers on a subcontractor basis. Earn from $750 to cense and be able to obtain a Drivers Medical Card. CDL B $2,000 per day. For more information email resume to rhauer@ & A drivers a plus. Send resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor. atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE/MF com AA/EOE/MF

FENCE ERECTING SUBCONTRACTORS

CITY OF MILFORD Seeking qualified condidates to fill numerous vacancies to include,Public Works Office & Administator Operations Manager, Invitation to Bid: Information Technology Manager, and more. For information and detailed application instructions, nd 2 Noticevisit WWW.ci.milford.ct.us Click on SERVICES, JOBS and JOB TITLE.

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Saybrook, CT Construction Seeking(4toOld employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for Buildings, 17 Units)

a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call Exempt or & Not Prevailing Rate Project (860)Tax 621-1720 send resume Wage to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances,Payroll Residential Casework, Payroll Clerk- Performs responsible office work in the processing of all general government payrolls and maintain all payroll Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. records. The position requires a H.S. diploma or G.E.D, plus 5 years of experience in responsible office work involving typing, This contract is subject data to state set-aside and contract compliance accounting, bookkeeping, entry and payroll processing. $25.72 requirements. to $30.87 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package.

Apply: Human Resources Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. The closing date will be the date that the 50thBid application is received, or March 11, 2020, whichever occurs first. EOE Extended,form/resume Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

ELM CITY COMMUNITIE Payroll Request for Proposals

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Asset Management Consulting HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3Services Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City

Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Asset Management Consulting Services. A complete copy of the requirements may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, March 23, 2020 at 3:00PM

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CITY OF MILFORD Seeking qualified condidates to fill numerous vacancies to include, Director of Operations Milford Landing Marina, Recreation Director, and more.

For information and detailed application instructions, visit WWW.ci.milford.ct.us Click on SERVICES, JOBS and JOB TITLE.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

150 Years After Ratification of the 15th Amendment, Black Votes Are Still Contested

By Mel Reeves, Community Editor, Minnesota Spokesman-Review

As conservatives in some states continue to assault the fundamental right of citizens to vote by purging voter rolls, requiring certain ID’s and adding onerous burdens to dissuade folks from voting it’s important to note that this is nothing new. In fact, this week marks the 150th Anniversary of the Republican Party’s effort to put a halt of the former Confederate states’ and some former Union states’ efforts to prevent the newly freed slaves from exercising the franchise.

Voting, or the ability to have a say or at least the appearance of a voice, is seen as a fundamental, basic, guaranteed right in American democracy. Taxation without representation is what led to this country’s violent break with its then-colonial master England.

The right to vote is seen in the U.S. as one of the most fundamental tenets of the nation’s democracy. However, historically many people who qualified as citizens of the republic were denied the right to vote from the beginning, including women and poor White men. In the early days of the Republic, the franchise was given only to White males who owned property.

Immediately after the Civil War, as a result of Union soldiers being stationed in Southern states, newly freed slaves were allowed to vote. Before the passing of the 15th Amendment, Congress had passed the Territorial Suffrage Act as means of allowing Blacks to vote in the newly opened U.S. territories.

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” So reads the 15th Amendment, ratified on February 3, 1870, the third of what came to be known as the Reconstruction amendments.

The Reconstruction amendments included the 13th, which outlawed slavery, and the 14th, which granted citizenship to the freed slaves as well as guaranteeing equal protection under the law.

The 15th Amendment was passed by the United States Congress in 1869 in a move designed to assure the right to vote to its newly freed ex- slaves.

The Radical Republicans did not wholeheartedly support the bill because it did not include wording that would prohibit poll taxes and literacy tests that were already being employed to prevent Blacks from voting. The monied class among the Whites recognized immediately the danger of Blacks being able to vote. Not only would White Supremacy be challenged, but they understood the ex-slaves had a more egalitarian, labor rights-friendly and social justice-oriented political agenda.

The National Colored Convention in Session at Washington, DC.” Harper’s Weekly (February 6, 1869). Courtesy of the Library Company of Philadelphia,

Electioneering in the South, circa 1868. Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library,

Voter Registration, Macon, Ga., Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library

Technically, as citizens of the U.S., the freedmen had the franchise, but this amendment sought to cement that idea and prevent interference with Black voting. The newly freed slaves quickly took advantage of their ability to vote and voted their interests, which ironically helped lift the plight of their poor

White brethren. As a result of being able to vote, Black voters sent several of their own to Congress. One of the most notable was Hiram Revels of Mississippi.

Revels was the first African American senator. He was one of the 16 Black men from seven Southern states who served in Congress during the Reconstruction

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era (1865-1877). They served as public officials under the constant threat of racial violence. In fact, Revels was eventually literally chased out of office and had to run to avoid being lynched.

The 15th Amendment did not give women the right to vote, nor did it give Native Americans the franchise. It continued to exclude ethnic Chinese, but it did open the door for poor White males.

The Amendment was ratified by 29 states. (Tennessee did not ratify the amendment until 1997.)

The failure to enfranchise women caused a rift in the Women’s Suffrage Movement in which many supporters of suffrage were also abolitionists. Leading women voting rights advocates Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cade Slaton broke with the leading suffrage group as a result of Black voting rights being protected, but women were still left without the franchise.

While allowing the ex-slave the vote was a significant step in including the freedmen and women in U.S. society, the move was not altruistic. The ending of slavery meant the ending of the three-fifth clause in the Constitution. As a result, the newly freed slaves would be counted as individuals and would increase the representation of Southern states, which were more populous than Northern states as a result of the exslaves.

The Southerners sought to use this representation to their advantage by attempting to prevent African Americans, who overwhelmingly supported the Republican Party, from voting. White supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, Red Brigade and White Citizens Councils also formed following the Civil War. These terrorist groups engaged in violence and other racist tactics to intimidate African Americans, people of color, Black voters and legislators.

In a history seldom told, in North Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi hundreds of Blacks were murdered in local coup

de tat’s in which White Supremacists overthrew democratically elected city governments by force. These terrorist acts to limit voting were accompanied by the Black Codes.

The Black Codes were enacted by Southern states as a means to technically re-enslave Blacks and make them a permanent caste and underclass in the U.S. The codes sought to prevent Blacks from purchasing and owning guns and land. They restricted Blacks’ movement through racist vagrancy laws in which a Black person had to have a White person vouch for them.

The Black Codes forced the former slaves to enter into exploitative, yearlong labor contracts that hindered their ability to sell their labor to the highest bidder. Under the codes, no Black person could testify in court or sue a White person.

Historically, the 1965 Voting Rights Act sought to do what the 15th Amendment was designed to accomplish, which was to assure that Black people, especially in the Southern states, could cast their ballots. Sections 4 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act required states and local governments with histories of racial discrimination in voting to submit all changes to their voting laws or practices to the federal government. Once approved, they could take effect, a process called “preclearance.”

However, the Supreme Court has loosened the rules, opening the door to chicanery on the part of those who seek to limit the civil rights of Blacks and people of color. It includes proposed voter ID laws; closing polling stations, putting them out of the reach of the transit-challenged; and eliminating people from the voter rolls who have skipped an election or two.

While the right to vote by U.S. citizens has never been in question, who can vote is still being hotly contested in the U.S. as various states continually seek to find ways to prevent people from voting, especially Black and Brown people.

Black people’s political power is diminished by the fact that incarceration serves as a disqualification from the voting rolls, especially since a higher percentage are locked up by the bias inherent in the U.S. justice system.

Moreover, though the first section of the 15th Amendment declared that the right to vote cannot be “denied or abridged” because of “a previous condition of servitude,” ex-prisoners are consistently denied the right to vote, a clear violation of the spirit of the amendment.

Apparently, judging from the history of Blacks and the vote, it is a right as long as they are willing to fight for it.

W.E.B. DuBois observed, “The slave went free; stood for a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020 Con’t from page 07

March Is Women’s

Fannie Lou Hamer 1917-1977 Edited by Debra Michals, PhD | 2017 womenshistory.org

Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer rose from humble beginnings in the Mississippi Delta to become one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movements and a leader in the efforts for greater economic opportunities for African Americans.

Hamer was born on October 6, 1917 in Montgomery County, Mississippi, the 20th and last child of sharecroppers Lou Ella and James Townsend. She grew up in poverty, and at age six Hamer joined her family picking cotton. By age 12, she left school to work. In 1944, she married Perry Hamer and the couple toiled on the Mississippi plantation owned by B.D. Marlowe until 1962. Because Hamer was the only worker who could read and write, she also served as plantation timekeeper.

In 1961, Hamer received a hysterectomy by a white doctor without her consent while undergoing surgery to remove a uterine tumor. Such forced sterilization of black women, as a way to reduce the black population, was so widespread it was dubbed a “Mississippi appendectomy.” Unable to have children of their own, the Hamers adopted two daughters.

That summer, Hamer attended a meeting led by civil rights activists James Forman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and James Bevel of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Hamer was incensed by efforts to deny blacks the right to vote. She became a SNCC organizer and on August 31, 1962 led 17 volunteers to register to vote at the Indianola, Mississippi Courthouse. Denied the right to vote due to an unfair literacy test, the group was harassed on their way home, when police stopped their bus and fined them $100 for the trumped-up charge that the bus was too yellow. That night, Marlow fired Hamer for her attempt to vote; her husband was required to stay until the harvest. Marlow confiscated much of their property. The Hamers moved to Ruleville, Mississippi in Sunflower County with very little.

In June 1963, after successfully registering to vote, Hamer and several other black women were arrested for sitting in a “whites-only” bus station restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. At the jailhouse, she and several of the women were brutally beaten, leaving Hamer with lifelong injuries from a blood clot in her eye, kidney damage, and leg damage.

In 1964, Hamer’s national reputation soared as she co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), which challenged the local Democratic Party’s efforts to block black participation. Hamer and other MFDP members went to the Democratic National Con-

NOTICE:

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

ST. AEDAN PRE SCHOOL JOE UGLY IN THE MORNING Weekdays 6-9 a.m.

THE TOM FICKLIN SHOW Mondays 10 a.m.

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Mondays 11 a.m.

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Tuesdays 9 a.m.

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FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. CALL 203-387-0041 FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION DR. JAMES F. ACABBO PROGRAM DIRECTOR

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IN JUNE OR IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. WE WILL CONTINUE OUR HIGH-QUALITY SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM AT 351 MCKINLEY AVENUE NEW HAVEN CT 06515

MAYOR MONDAY!

MICHELLE TURNER

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FRIDAY PUNDITS Fridays 11 a.m.

The 2020 Census is Here!

Completing the census is safe, easy, and important.

Don’t be counted out.

The census determines federal funding for health care and social services and shapes your political representation for the next decade.

Learn more and pledge to get counted at ppsne.org #CountMeIn

DONT LET THEM COUNT YOU OUT!

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

Sen. Chuck Schumer and Stacy Abrams, ‘It’s Time to Fight Back!’

Voting Rights are Under Attack

By Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader, and Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight, an initiative to ensure every American has a voice in our election system This year’s presidential election will propel many issues into the spotlight: the economy, health care, foreign policy, our education system and much more. One issue that gets far too little attention, often mentioned as just another item on a long list of priorities, is voting rights. We write to argue that voting rights in America should be at the top of that list in this election. It is from the right to vote that all our other rights as Americans derive.

And today, in 2020, that fundamental right to exercise the franchise is being challenged and, in many cases, eroded, in states across the country.

It’s time to fight back.

This Saturday marks the 55th anniversary of one of the most significant moments in the history of our democracy.

On the morning of March 7, 1965, nonviolent activists, including a young John Lewis, set out on a 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery to bring national attention to the plight of African-American citizens who were being denied their constitutional right to vote by the racial terror of the Jim Crow South. At the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, marchers were met by state troopers and county possemen who hurled tear gas and attacked them with billy clubs and police

dogs. Spectators cheered. The horrific events of this day, which came to be known as “Bloody Sunday,” shocked the conscience of the nation, and compelled President Lyndon Johnson and a bipartisan majority in Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act (VRA) less than five months later.

The VRA provided the federal government with the tools to finally uphold the 15th Amendment’s guarantee that no citizen can be denied the right to vote because of the color of their skin. For half a century, the law stood as a powerful force to prevent the type of racial discrimination in voting that plagued our nation’s history for generations. In the decades after the VRA, both parties in Congress worked to defend voting rights. The law originally passed with leadership from both the Republican and Democratic parties and was reauthorized under Republican presidents on four separate occasions: President Nixon in 1970, President Ford in 1975, President Reagan in 1982, and President Bush in 2006.

Only in the past few years has that bipartisan consensus around voting rights collapsed. In 2013, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority in Shelby County v. Holder gutted critical provisions in the VRA that until then had allowed the federal government to prevent states with a history of discrimination from implementing changes to their voting rules without pre-approval.

The response to Shelby was sharp and immediate. Republican-led state legislatures rushed to pass new laws and drew new legislative districts with the explicit purpose of disenfranchising minority voters. Texas legislators immediately re-imposed the strictest voter-ID requirement in the United States. North Carolina’s Republican-led legislature passed a wave of new laws designed to limit access to the ballot box, including a new photo-ID requirement, drastic cuts to early voting, and the end of sameday registration. Federal courts deemed these laws intentionally discriminatory, finding that, in North Carolina, the GOP efforts “targeted African Americans with almost surgical precision.”

In Georgia, then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp oversaw the closure of 214 voting precincts across the state from

2012-2018. According to an analysis by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, these closures, most of which occurred after the Shelby decision, likely prevented an estimated 54,000 to 85,000 voters from casting ballots in the 2018 election. The AJC found that the impact was greater on black voters, who were 20% more likely than white voters to miss elections as a result of these closures.

Today, in state after state, Republicans are working to purge voter rolls, draw partisan district lines, and limit the impact of minority voters. Democrats have to fight back in every possible way. We must challenge these insidious attacks on our democracy in the courts and in Congress and out in the country.

The Democratic House has already passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restores federal

oversight of voting changes in states with a demonstrated recent history of repeated voting rights violations. Senate Democrats are advocating for the implementation of nationwide voter registration and an end to voter roll purges, and continue to pressure the Republican Leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, to bring the Voting Rights Advancement Act up for a vote in the Senate.

If Democrats retake the majority in the Senate this fall, voting rights legislation will be one of our first priorities. Outside of Congress, non-profit groups like Fair Fight (led by one of the authors of this piece), are signing up new voters, educating voters, and fighting voter suppression whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head.

This is a fight that must be waged on many fronts. It is a moral travesty that support for voting rights has become a partisan issue. The ability to participate in free and fair elections is a birthright given to all Americans, something that generations of Americans have marched and fought and died to exercise, expand, and ultimately guarantee. Efforts to protect that birthright should be embraced by both of America’s major political parties. Voting rights are not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. But until that day comes, candidates up-and-down the ticket, leaders at every level of government, and above all, the American people, must make voting rights a priority in this election.

Virginia Becomes 1st Southern State To Outlaw Hair Discrimination Advocates say the law will put an end to punitive actions that have disproportionately affected African Americans, both in schools and the workforce. Instances of disciplined children, or fired employees over dreadlocks, braids or afros have sparked outrage in recent years.

On Wednesday, Virginia’s governor, Ralph Northam, signed HB 1514, which also bans discrimination based on “protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists”.

Northam noted the bill is “pretty simple”, arguing that any child sent home from school because of a ban on “hairstyles associated with a particular race is discrimination”.

“This is not only unacceptable and wrong, it is not what we stand for in Virginia,” he said. “This bill will make our commonwealth more equitable and welcoming for all.”

Many say, the push to ban natural hair discrimination in the U.S. came after

by Derrick Lane, BlackDoctor.org

Another state is moving in the right direction to eliminate discrimination against hair. Virginia has officially become the first southern US state to ban hair discrimination based on racial identifiers including hair texture and hair type.

It is the fourth US state to pass such a measure. It had already passed the Virginia senate and house of delegates unanimously last month.

Other states continue to weigh legislation to ban hair discrimination in the workforce and classroom. Known as the Crown Act, it protects against discrimination based on hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles.

The Crown Act has passed in three states including California and New Jersey. Thirteen additional states are considering similar legislation.

Virginia’s hair discrimination ban takes effect 1 July.

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Andrew Johnson, a student at Buena Regional High School, was forced to cut his dreadlocks to compete in a wrestling match. The incident wasn’t the first act of hair discrimination in a school setting, but it did lead legislators to reevaluate laws on racial discrimination.

Federal regulations on Black hairstyles remain…

While a federal court ruled in 2016 that employers can legally fire employees or deny applicants for wearing dreadlocks and other hairstyles commonly associated with African Americans, a specific ban was lifted in all branches of the US military after a four-year legal battle.

“A person’s hair is a core part of their identity,” Delores McQuinn, a Virginia state delegate and the bill’s lead sponsor, told local TV station WHSV. “Nobody deserves to be discriminated against simply due to the hair type they were born with, or the way in which they choose to wear it.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

jorgensen.uconn.edu

860.486.4226 | @JorgensenUConn

Neil Berg’s 50 YEARS OF ROCK & ROLL

Sat, Apr 4, 8pm | Cabaret

An electrifying journey from the birth of rock & roll in the ‘40s to the dawn of MTV in the early ‘80s Media Sponsor: Lite 100.5 WRCH

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S SUMMIT A Sisters’ Collaborative

"Living Our Best Life" Saturday, March 28, 2020 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Achievement First Amistad High School 580 Dixwell Avenue New Haven, CT (Entrance on Sherman Avenue Parking Lot)

 Collaborative Youth Workshops  Interactive Adult Seminars  Powerful Panel Presentation  Vendor Marketplace & Information Tables  Continental Breakfast and Heart Healthy Lunch

aawsummit@gmail.com

This event is free to the public.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

March 18, 2020 - March 24, 2020

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