THE INNER-CITY NEWS

Riders Roll With Reinstated Fares

by PAUL BASS

Ludean Spears shelled out $68 for a monthly pass and another $48 for her daughter so they could return riding CT Transit buses Monday. She wasn’t pleased.

“I can barely afford to live in this state,” Spears said while riding the 243 from her Amity home down Whalley to downtown, where she would then switch buses to get to her job in the logistics department at the West Haven Veterans Administration (VA) hospital. “Let the people ride ride for free.”

Spears had plenty of company among riders interviewed on the first weekday morning that it cost $1.75 again (or $2 if you don’t have exact change or a prepaid card or phone app) to ride the bus. The state Department of Transportation (DOT) reinstated the fares Saturday after a year-long pandemic holiday. Click here and here to read two stories offering arguments about whether it was the right policy move; it would have cost Connecticut an estimated $45 million a year to keep rides free.

LaTanya Sledge was still waiting on receiving a 10-ride pass her insurance company is mailing her when she boarded on Sunday.

“I was so embarrassed because the bus driver stopped the bus. Everybody’s like, ‘I gotta go to work! [He said:] ‘Get off or pay your fare. Get off and wait for the next bus. Go to the ATM.”

On Monday morning Sledge and her friend Kassia Ford were waiting on Elm

Street to catch the bus to Sargent Drive for an APT Foundation group session. They said they ride the bus “all day long, every day,” to Long Wharf, to Hamden Plaza to a volunteer gig at the VA.

“It’s going to make a big difference” Ford said of the reinstated fares. “We don’t have the money right now.

“We broke!”

One regular rider, retired Yale dishwasher Keith Walker (pictured above), agreed with the state’s decision.

“How can you complain? You rode for free!” Walker said about the now-ended fare holiday while riding the 243 downtown to visit Wells Fargo bank.

“We ought to put back into the system. It’s like social security. If you don’t put nothing into the system, you can’t get nothing out of the system. It’s like life. You’ve got to take life like it gives it to you.”

The state for weeks advertised the pending return of fares in the front-window route ticker. It added a new phone app for paying for rides as well.

On Monday morning it had supervisors like David Nieves (pictured above) checking with drivers to make sure the fare boxes were working right. So far, Nieves reported, the drivers reported no problems.

The state has no plans to pursue reinstate fare-free service. But it is working to expand and improve service based on feedback from riders, according to DOT spokesperson Josh Morgan: It is adding direct service from New Haven to Wallingford’s Amazon facility as well as an

express route between New Haven’s and Orange’s business districts; and studying making fares uniform statewide and expanding discount programs.

CT Transit General Manager Thomas Stringer Jr. said he was pleased with the “full-team effort by his staff over the two past weeks to prepare for the fare return by “supporting the riders by answering their questions and providing general assistance.” In the lead-up to Saturday, CT Transit put the notices and bilingual signs

on buses about the fares returning along with e-alerts, social media posts, and telephone “hold” messages.

Drivers, meanwhile, were rolling with the change.

Their union president, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 281 President Ralph Buccitti, reported hearing no complaints about Monday morning’s resumedfare rollout.

He said his members are split on the decision. Some applaud it: They were “overwhelmed” by so many people hopping on buses for short distances. Others report that collecting fares slows down the rides, makes it harder to stay on schedule.

For Buccitti, free fares are an “equity” issue: Many regular riders have little money, he said. Another twenty dollars or more a week for bus rides hits hard people living in or near poverty, even if they’re making $17 an hour.

“To be consistent with transit equity, not having bus fares is the way to go,” Buccitti argued.

Ludean Spears makes close to $38,000 a year at the VA, she said. So the $68 monthly bus pass takes a real bite out of a budget that covers her family, which includes two children. Because of a school bus driver shortage, she needs to shell out the extra $48 a month for her daughter to get from their Amity home to Achievement First High School, she said.

As the bus rolled from Whalley to Elm, she reflected on how wealthy people pay a far smaller percentage of their income on taxes in Connecticut than do working people with incomes like hers. She pointed to the Yale buildings outside the window: “Look at the millions they pull in and don’t pay taxes,” she said.

“We have the money in Connecticut,” Spears argued. “We give it to the rich people and let them write off everything.” Then she disembarked to catch her connection, put in a day’s work, then catch three buses home.

Rising Star Focuses On Journo Pal’s Arrest

by PAUL BASS

In the space of half a day, Jazmine Hughes went from celebrating reaching a milestone in her dream career to learning that a friend who had realized his dreams, too, was now locked in a Russian prison.

Hughes, a 31-year-old native New Havener and Hillhouse grad, is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. She writes penetrating, revealing, and fun profiles of celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Viola Davis, Questlove, Lil Nas X, and Kelela.

Last week that work won her an “Ellie” profile-writing award from the American Society of Magazine Editors for “deeply observed portraits of major culture figures that revealed their subjects with insight and humor.” The award felt like a validation of the hard work Hughes has put in since college building a career at the top echelons of American journalism. Then came the news from Moscow about

Hughes’ 31-year-old friend Evan Gershkovich, a pal from their days starting out together at the Times before he moved to his parents’ native Russia and became a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.

“I woke up the day after the awards, hungover with a box of Domino’s next to me, to a news alert,” Hughes said during a conversation Tuesday on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program.

“I saw the news alert, and I was like, ‘Oh

that’s so funny. Someone with Gersh’s name has been arrested in Russia .’

“Then I opened my phone and I had 10 texts from friends being like, ‘Is that your friend?’ It feels totally bizarre bananas to have that and the Ellie have happened in the past in the same 12 hours.”

Hughes and “Gersh” lived four blocks from each other in Brooklyn when they started working at the Times. They hung out at work. They hung out after work. They played beer pong. They and his roommates went to bars like Friends and Lovers and returned to his apartment, where he’d cook “midnight eggs” for everyone.

“He wanted to go to Moscow. I wanted to be a magazine writer,” Hughes recalled. Hughes rose through the ranks at the NYT. Gershkovich made it to Moscow, then landed the WSJ posting a year ago amid a war with Ukraine that made reporting in Russia a perilous pursuit. He kept at it until Russian authorities arrested him last week. His imprisonment has sparked

worldwide condemnation and created the latest wedge in U.S.-Russian relations.

So, amid the lift of her award, Hughes has spent the past week worrying about her friend, refreshing her phone for updates about his predicament, staying in touch with mutual friends and colleagues, connecting people who are seeking to aid the cause of freeing him. She urged people to write supportive letters to Gershkovich at freegershkovich@gmail.com, where they will be translated into Russian and forwarded to him in prison.

She also said that people are planning to leave an extra plate out at their Passover seders this week in honor of Gershkovich, who is Jewish.

”At the end of the day, beyond being my friend, he’s a journalist who was assigned to do his job. And if this sort of thing can happen to him, it can happen to so many other people,” Hughes reflected. “We have to keep this at the forefront of our minds and work to make sure this isn’t happening to anybody else.”

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Ludean Spears aboard the 243: Connecticut has the money.

New Havener makes good: Award-winning NYT mag writer Jazmine Hughes.

New Haven Independent

New Haven Independent

Schools Seek $4M Above Mayor’s Budget Rec

by MAYA MCFADDEN

Top school-district officials pitched alders on sending the Board of Education $207 million next fiscal year — as they made their case for why rising teacher salaries and special education costs warrant $4 million more than what the mayor has proposed.

New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) administrators made that budget request Thursday night during the latest Board of Alders Finance Committee budget workshop. The in-person meeting took place in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall.

The workshop was held several weeks after Mayor Justin Elicker formally submitted to the alders a proposed $662.7 million general fund budget. If approved by the full Board of Alders, that budget would send a total of $203,263,784 — or roughly $8 million more than this year — to the public school district for the fiscal year starting July 1.

The workshop also took place a week after the Board of Education unanimously endorsed asking the Board of Alders for $207,071,931 for next fiscal year. While the mayor does sit on the school board as a voting member, he did not participate in the Board of Ed’s March 22 budget vote. The school district leaders who spoke up at Thursday’s Finance Committee meeting focused their presentation on the school board’s larger $207 million budget ask, which would mark a 6 percent increase above the current year’s schools budget. They made their argument for why New Haven’s schools need more in funds than what the mayor has proposed.

(Click here to read a past Independent story about the NHPS budget proposal.)

Still Status Quo

NHPS Chief Financial Officer Linda

Hannans was joined by Senior Business Director Juanita Mazyck and Business Director Christine Bourne for Thursday’s presentation. Supt. Iline Tracey and Director of Student Services Typhanie Jackson also presented to the alders during the workshop.

In a brief presentation to the alders the team highlighted that the school district is in need of more dollars daily to keep up with two major changes: salary increases for educators and the rising costs of providing special education services for students.

“This is what it would take to run New Haven Public Schools,” Tracey said about the $207 million budget request. “What frightens me is, God forbid we don’t get these grants or somebody doesn’t write

for us to get these grants, if we don’t get those grants we would be in serious budget crisis in New Haven.”

The team emphasized the importance of increasing its general funds budget as the rest of the school district’s cost are funded through grants which are only getting more competitive to ge,t Tracey said. Tracey said that it costs roughly $400 million in total to run NHPS, when taking into account city dollars, state aid, and other grants.

When asked what cuts would be made if NHPS got lesss than the $207 million it’s asking for, Tracey said the district continues to end up with deficits while trying to “live with what’s given to us.”

If approved for a lower budget than $207 million, she said, the district would need

to start making cuts to classroom necessities, which her team is trying to avoid.

“This number’s very high,” Board of Alders Majority Leader and Amity/Westville Alder Richard Furlow said. “If we were to stick with the mayor’s proposed budget, which is pretty high, what would you do?”

Tracey responded that the city and school district’s budgets differ because a mayor must consider various city departments and the potential impact on city taxes. Meanwhile the school district must increase salaries to remain competitive and retain educators and must meet the new service needs of its students.

“If it’s sent back, I might be leaving here not closing a budget,” Tracey said. (Tracey plans to retire at the end of this school year.)

The $207 million ask is a true budget, Tracey said, and doesn’t include maintenance upgrades that will be detailed in a facilities study currently taking place. “Our schools are falling apart,” she added.

Hannans added that in recent years the general fund has had to remain a status quo budget and hasn’t allowed the district to do things like facility upkeep.

“I am very afraid of what happens when these grants go away, our budget hasn’t grown with the staff needs,” Hannans said.

Board of Alders President and West River Alder Tyisha Walker-Myers suggested the district look into hiring a full-time grant writer that would focus on applying for additional district grants. Jackson added that the district does regularly work to mitigate costs like electricity and paper use to avoid cutting classRead more by going to THE INNERCITY NEWS .COM

Celebrating Women’s Month By Barbara Fair

During Women’s month I want to take the time to celebrate two phenomenal women in New Haven who co- founded a women’s support group over 20 years ago with a mission to encourage women to keep moving forward despite past and current life challenges.

Ms Deborah Elmore, a noted author and Ms Lillie Washington established SWANA (Sistas with A New Attitude) in Ms Elmore’s living room in an effort to build a sisterhood of women coming together to relax, converse and support each other through the many challenges they face in their daily lives. SWANA has provided a safe and engaging space for women to do just that. They are 20 years strong and still going.

The name, SWANA came from Ms Elmore’s sister who is currently in Hospice.

SWANA provides a weekly prayer line and a host of outside activities members share such as plays, movies and concerts. Three years ago they established SWANA Care project in which they send cards of hope and inspiration to incarcerated women at York CI. They also host an annual Black History and Kwanzaa event among other community events.

The latest event was their Black History event which was 4 hours long, hosted at Courtland Wilson library located at 303 Washington Av, New Haven. It’s an annual event honoring our ancestors and passing of the torch to the next generation. It involves several performances, African wood art displays and entertainment engaging the youth. The narrative for this year’s event was “From the Outhouse ( featuring Harriet

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Tubman) to the White house (featuring former President Barack Obama). There were many exhibits taking us way back, exhibits like former African American magazines which could be found in nearly every household such as Essence and Jet magazines. The event also provided a nourishing menu to feed the full house of attendees who showed up and free gift raffles. Ms Elmore is an author of three books and a well known poet in the New Haven community.

SWANA is seeking space to house their African wood art and other artifacts preserving African history. They meet at the Wilson library every second Saturday from 11-2. Their next meeting is April 15 due to work being done In the library.

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Board of Alders Prez Walker-Myers.

New Top Cop Revisits Familiar Streets

by PAUL BASS

Sgt. Jarrell Lowery has spent the past week viewing through new eyes neighborhoods he has known his whole life.

He has done that to begin a sprawling new assignment: District manager in four different neighborhoods.

Lowery is the new top cop in District 6, which covers Dixwell; as well as in District 7, which includes Newhallville, East Rock, and Cedar Hill. He replaces Lt. Dana Smith in that top-neighborhood-cop role.

All of the neighborhoods in Lowery’s new districts are “different areas with different walks of life,” he noted. With a common strength he aims to build on: Active, connected neighbors who “have no trouble calling the police” and who “deserve a safe neighborhood to live in.”

Lowery, 38, has lived in New Haven his whole life. He has spent lots of time in each part of his new districts. He lived for nine years in Dixwell, for instance. He went to college at Albertus Magnus. Family members live in East Rock. Close friends from his church, Life Changing Outreach Ministries, live in Cedar Hill.

Still, he wants to hear directly from neighbors what they expect from their new district manager, to see their concerns up close, through their eyes.

To that end, he spent hours on Monday touring Cedar Hill with its alder, Anna Festa.

Festa makes a point of introducing each

new district manager to the “forgotten” compact seven-street Cedar Hill neighborhood in the shadow of East Rock near the Hamden line, bordered by Warren Place, View, Rock, Grace and State streets. It has more than its share of homelessness, prostitution, and drug problems. But with its small population, it must regularly speak up to get a share of police coverage or code inspections.

A highlight for Lowery on the Alder Festa tour was meeting Marie Gallo. Her family has run an appliance store in Cedar Hill for 50 years. (The anniversary was this past Saturday.)

She was excited, too, to meet Lowery. The “nice young man” impressed her, she subsequently reported. “He’s very caring. He looks anxious to do a fine job for us.”

“He seems very nice and polite and respect-

ful and understanding,” agreed Festa, who said Lowery is off to a good start. She filled him in about an after-hours club that recently moved out and on the word on the street about the fate of a commercial property for sale. She expressed a wish for ShotSpotter sensors in the neighborhood. And, of course, she’d like to see more cops patrolling.

Lowery has already heard that message everywhere in his two districts. That, and a universal plea for traffic enforcement and speed bumps.

“People want to see us,” he noted, preferably walking a beat, but at least driving through.

That’s a challenge, given the department’s staff shortages. Lowery has between two and four officers for all of District 7 during morning, afternoon and evening shifts; and just two overnight.

Still, he’s confident he can have officers make a point of spending more time in Cedar Hill, he said. He’s looking to work with the department to bring traffic enforcement units to the district more often. “I want our officers to be visible. I want them to have strong ties to the community,” he said.

Lowery has developed ties throughout New Haven since growing up in the Hill. The son of a corrections officer, he has wanted to be a cop since he was 5, he said. He retained that dream while working at Sports Authority and Staples and Radio Shack in his 20s, he said, then as a school security guard. One day, while at the job at

Brennan Rogers School, an NHPD officer suggested he apply to the force. He did, and in 2016 realized his dream.

He had his eye on becoming a sergeant; he observed his supervisors closely, including district managers. (He was promoted in February 2022.)

Now that he has the DM job, he said, he aims to incorporate lessons he learned that observation, from checking in on officers regularly to make sure they’re OK, to giving them room to do their jobs without being micromanaged, to periodically popping in on the beat to “show you’re around.”

He continues living in the city, in Charles T. McQueeney Towers, through the city’s officer-in-residence program locating cops in public housing. “That is a huge part of community policing — not only to police it, but live in it,” Lowery said.

Police Chief Karl Jacobson agreed. He said Lowery’s roots were among the strengths that earned him the new assignment.

“I’m looking to bring hometown New Haven people into positions that directly affect the community,” Jacobson said. “You don’t have to be from the community to be a real good district manager; we see that in other people. But it does help. It gives you a head start on knowing the landscape of New Haven, knowing the people in different districts, knowing the people who can get things done.”

As he works on figuring out how to increase police presence with limited resources, Lowery is making a point of

PAUL BASS PHOTO Hometown higher-up: Cedar Hill/Newhallville/East Rock/Dixwell District Manager Sgt. Jarrell Lowery.

New Haven Independent

LCI Chief Updates The Plan

by PAUL BASS

After watching New Haven’s neighborhoods evolve from every perspective, Arlevia Samuel is now in charge of adapting the “livability” quest to a new era.

Samuel is in her third year running city government’s anti-blight and neighborhood development agency, the Livable City Initiative (LCI). She grew up in the Brookside projects, then helped create a new version of public housing there as a Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) official; she has managed private apartment complexes as well as public-housing complexes, sold real estate, handled tax credit financing. Meanwhile, over all those years, LCI has changed with changing times.

It began in 1996 as a response to population loss amid spreading blight: the flight of 7,600 residents in just five years brought the population down to 122,000, which the number of vacant buildings soared to 786. So LCI was created with a “let’s-get-small” approach of improving neighborhoods for the people who chose to stay: Knocking down unwanted buildings, selling sliver lots to neighborhoods for expanded lawns and parking or creating community gardens there.

Then the fortunes of small “ed and

meds” cities turned around, fueled by new investment, vibrant cultural scenes and immigration. Speculators scooped up abandoned properties. Now LCI is pushing people to build houses or “ADUSs” on those lots, building housing for working-family owner-occupants, tackling an affordable housing crisis, chasing after a new generation of code-violating megalandlords.

In her first two years as LCI’s executive director, Samuel has increased the staff from 42 to 52. Her agency just finished spending $865,000 in federal pandemicrelief aid to help renters stave off eviction. It used other pandemic-relief funds to start a program to give lower-income renters up to $5,000 to cover two-month security deposits and $1,500 in utility deposits through 2026; so far 130 applications have come in, with 60 processed and another 30 “in the pipeline,” Samuel said during a conversation Tuesday on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program.

Meanwhile, LCI is in the process of creating a database of all available affordable apartments in Greater New Haven. Once it’s up, LCI plans as well to list potential renters who qualify for subsidized units, to help make the match.

It’s also chasing after code violators, with limited resources. Its 12 inspectors are responsible for inspecting all 9,000

or so mutilfamily rentals under the city’s licensing program every one to three years (depending on their track record) and all federal Section 8-subsidized rentals as well as following up on some 3,200 annual code violation complaints. Samuel said the agency has increased

from 25 to 50 percent the number of units it will inspect in multifamily complexes, with the goal of getting all the way to 100 percent. “The landlords are forced to pay for every unit. We should go into every unit. You can go into 10 units of a 30-unit building, and there’s

no guarantee they are representative” of the entire building, she reasoned. Meeting that goal will involve hiring more inspectors.

As LCI helps bring landlords to court for code violations, Samuel has noticed a new trend: “an increase in local investors, smaller people who are vying to buy properties. Some of those megalandlords have shifted their focus to trying to dispose of properties. They want to do different things. They kind of got tired dealing with us. Because while they buy [buildings], we can enforce that they take care of them.”

As she navigates changing times, Samuel looks back wistfully to her own childhood at the pre-rebuilt Brookside and the surrounding West Rock publichousing developments and sees values worth preserving and pursuing.

“It was prettier. It was a community. Everyone was a big family. Everyone knew each other. We all supported each other,” she recalled.

“We had our fields we played in. We all met up from Brookside, Rockview, Westville Manor.

“Back then it was OK to sit on your porch and talk to your neighbor. Now you sit out in your front yard and someone’s calling the cops or LCI on you. Times have definitely changed.”

Colon Sworn In As New Asst. Police Chief

by THOMAS BREEN

Surrounded by dozens of friends, family members, city workers, and police colleagues, Lt. Manmeet Colon raised her right hand and took the oath of office to become the city’s third assistant police chief and the department’s first ever second-in-command of Asian descent.

That was the scene Friday afternoon during for a crowded and celebratory swearing in ceremony that marked Colon’s official ascension to the role of assistant police chief in charge of patrol.

She joins fellow assistant chiefs David Zannelli and Bertram Ettienne in what Board of Police Commissioners Chair Evelise Ribeiro described on Friday as the “dream team” that Police Chief Karl Jacobson has surrounded himself with at the top of the department.

Friday’s ceremony marked “another glass ceiling being broken,” Ribeiro said, noting how Colon a 15-year NHPD veteran who was born in Mum-

bai, India and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 11 years old is now the department’s second ever female assistant chief of color and its first Indian assistant chief. Colon has risen the ranks and served in a wide variety of roles during her tenure with the NHPD, Ribeiro and Jacobson said with praise, describing how Colon has worked in patrol, as a detective in the special victims unit, as a sergeant supervising the robbery and burglary unit, as a lieutenant and district manager for Newhallville and Dixwell, and most recently as the head of the Internal Affairs division.

“She was tough, but she was also very kind,” Jacobson said as he recalled working in patrol in the Hill at the same as when Colon joined the force a decade and a half ago. He said they both learned about what community policing truly looks like under the mentorship of the Hill’s top cop at the time, now-retired Lt. Holly Wasilewski.

Jacobson also noted how he brought

his own daughter, who is studying criminal justice at University of New Haven, to Friday’s ceremony to be inspired by and take note of such an accomplished female police officer as Colon.

“I brought her here because I want her to look up to you,” he said, pushing back tears as he looked over at Colon.

Colon’s older daughter Milan joined Colon’s brother Prabhjyot Singh in pinning Colon’s new assistant chief badge on her uniform, as Mayor Justin Elicker then administered the oath of office.

“You mom has done great things. She will do so many great things” to come, Elicker said through near-tears of his own as he looked over at Milan and her sister, Maya.

Colon thanked her colleagues and her family and friends before closing out Friday’s ceremony. She urged her colleagues, especially on bad days, to “remind yourself of how privileged you are to be part of such a rewarding and strong profession.”

PAUL BASS PHOTO LCI Executive Director Arlevia Samuel at WNHH FM.

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO

Newly minted Asst. Chief Colon takes the oath of office.

New Haven Independent

New Haven Independent

With A Spoonful Of Storytelling, Eight Food Businesses Blossom

Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Soryorelis Henry longed for a homecooked meal. Synovia Gibson had a bumper crop of habanero peppers, spreading across her garden in a tangle of green and orange. Sheila Howard knew she could bake the perfect cheesecake. Biruktawit Tenagne wanted to feed her community— and had the skills to do it.

All four are members of CitySeed and Collab’s 2023 Food Business Accelerator, a growing network of food businesses now in its fourth cycle in New Haven. This year, the cohort has embraced a rich legacy of storytelling through food, from spicy-sweet hot sauces to oil-slicked, still-steaming dumplings that bring Nepal to New Haven.

Wednesday, members celebrated their graduation from the program in a foodfilled ceremony at NXTHVN at 169 Henry St. in New Haven’s Dixwell neighborhood. In all, eight food businesses join a network that already includes cocktail-themed cupcakes, a Ghanaian ode to scotch bonnet peppers, plant-based catering and savory soul food that has stolen the hearts of market-goers across the city.

“It’s 12 weeks of work, you know,” said Dawn Leaks, executive director of Collab, as attendees filled their plates with baked ziti, doro wat, dainty chicken momos and pernil that tore into tender threads beneath a crackle of fat. “It’s no small feat that they committed to this program and that they are graduating tonight.”

She turned her attention to cohort members who stood at every corner of the room, some with serving utensils still in their hands. “As you graduate tonight, you are joining a strong community of entrepreneurs,” she said.

As the program rolled into action in January, it was the idea of home and home cooking that brought eight early- and mid-career food businesses, chefs and entrepreneurs into the program. Speaking early in the evening, Smitha Shrestha introduced Mitho Garden, a new Nepali takeout service that is launching with her parents, Bharat and Rupa Shrestha, in summer 2023.

Standing at the front of the room as a slide deck rolled behind her, Smitha outlined a business plan that will begin with catering, pop-ups and takeout a few days a week, with potential expansion as Mitho Garden grows. An early catering menu includes chicken and vegetable momos, a spicy Nepali potato salad and chicken choila, a dish that features grilled chicken and garlic.

The name was easy, Smitha added. From Nepali, the word “Mitho” translates to “tasty” or “delicious.” As she spoke, an image of Nepal’s flag burst into color behind her.

The Shresthas are optimistic about Mitho Garden, she said. While in the accelerator this year, the three launched a food survey that gave them parameters for the business, from how often people order food instead of cooking (two to three times a week) to the price that they’ll pay for a new food experience (roughly $18). When she recalled asking people what they associate with Ne-

pali food and getting the answer “momomomomomo” in response, the room burst into laughter.

As fellow cohort members introduced their work one by one, they showed off their skills as both culinary artists and masterful storytellers, with a narrative that sailed from teff and coffee to pollo al horno with stewed kidney beans and plantains. Even Caribe Soul’s Hazel Lebron, who owns Madeline’s Empanaderia and could not make Wednesday’s celebration, sent a prerecorded presentation and tasting booth that left attendees dreaming about empanadas browned to a crisp at the hand-rolled edges.

For many of them, the spark was a desire to nourish the communities that have nourished them. The founder of Root Life LLC, lifelong New Havener Dishaun Harris is in the process of expanding his urban farming practice to bring healthy, affordable vegetables and salad mixes to communities experiencing food apartheid in New Haven. Around the city, he is more affectionately known as “Farmer D” for his work as a mentor and food justice advocate.

Born and raised in the city’s West Hills neighborhood, he saw the difficulty that his neighbors had in accessing fresh food for years. For those who didn’t have a car, the closest Stop and Shop grocery store was still a bus ride away, on a city bus that came infrequently and required exact change or overpaying to ride. As he dug into food and farming, he also learned that incidences of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension were higher among people of color experiencing food apartheid.

“I wanted to fill that gap,” he said. “My goal is to utilize the underused spaces” in the city to make fresh food much easier to get. Harris now works in three gardens across New Haven, including the Armory Community Garden on Goffe Street, a gar-

den at The Shack on Valley Street, and a garden behind his childhood church, Faith Temple, on Newhall Street. He works to grow and sell produce that is culturally responsive, like black-eyed peas and callaloo.

In a conversation before the ceremony, he said those roots go back to his grandmother, a native of Virginia who brought her gardening skills with her when she moved to New Haven. As long as she was physically able, she would grow her own vegetables, a mix of greens, peppers, tomatoes, beans and flowers that always meant that the family had fresh food to eat. On a table behind him, seed packets for black-eyed peas, hot fish peppers, and jute mallow peeked out into the sunlit room.

Across the room, Soryorelis “Leli” Henry and her husband, Darcus Henry, served up steaming dishes of yellow rice, plantains, and tender pork shoulder from La

during a short presentation, the room exploded into applause.

The restaurant motto—”El mejor sazón es de nuestra familia”—is meant to speak for itself, Henry said. In addition to Vinoda “Chef V” Singh, who is like a daughter to her, several of her children work in the restaurant, and her return customers become extended family between bites of baked chicken and monthly karaoke nights. The food is meant to taste like the Puerto Rican dishes she would eat growing up as a kid, and now makes at home, she said.

“We would love to grow,” she added. While the food is meant to evoke traditional flavors of home, there are also vegan and plant-based options, including her yellow rice and beans. When she was beta-testing the recipe, her family told her it would be impossible to make the dish without pork. She beamed describing the day she proved them wrong.

“I would love to come to Hartford, would love to come to Stamford,” she said.

“Come to Bridgeport!” Synovia and Andrew Gibson called from where they stood in the corner.

“They’re saturated!” said Henry. The Gibsons shook it off, insisting that the options weren’t enough for them.

That hope of growth also rang true for Sheila Howard, the home baker behind Auntie Sheelah’s Cheesecakes. Still in its early stages, the company grew out of three loves—Howard’s husband’s love for cheesecake, her love for him, and her love for baking. Born and raised in New Haven, Howard has always felt at home in the kitchen, she said Wednesday. When her three kids were growing up, cooking was a form of showing them how much she cared.

Isla, a still-nascent Puerto Rican restaurant on 2779 Dixwell Ave. in Hamden that grew out of the pandemic. During the first months of Covid, Henry recalled, she and her husband were driving through Hamden, trying to figure out what they wanted to eat. Nothing quite fit what she was looking for.

“We were like, ‘We want homemade food,’” she remembered. For Henry, whose parents hail from Loiza, that meant fresh Puerto Rican food made with the same care that a chef would show a member of their own family. For months, she played with the idea of opening a restaurant—no small undertaking alongside a full-time job in healthcare. The timing seemed risky, she said. “I was like, ‘Do I do it? Do I not? Am I crazy?’”

After finding a spot on Dixwell Avenue in 2022, La Isla was born. It opened officially last July, and made $245,000 in its first year. When Henry announced the number

But her interest in cheesecake is relatively new. Years ago, she noticed that whenever they went out, her husband ordered cheesecake for dessert, which sparked “a quest for great cheesecake,” she said Wednesday. Connecticut, she discovered, didn’t meet her standard. For two weeks, she read recipes and watched online cheesecake tutorials. Then one night, she put her skills to the test.

The cake was still warm when she invited her husband into the kitchen at 11 p.m., pulled out two spoons, and discovered that she was onto something sweet. Eventually, she said, she wants Auntie Sheelah’s to be for Connecticut what Junior’s Cheesecake is for New York City.

Currently, her flavors include lemon meringue, blueberry lemon, sweet potato, cookies and cream, banana pudding, and peanut butter crunch. When she makes fruit flavors, she sources fresh berries from farmers’ markets wherever she can, and cooks them down into compote so they last longer. She loves a good challenge, she added: there’s no request that she won’t try.

“I never say no,” she said. “I go into the Read more by going to THE INNERCITY NEWS .COM

Soryorelis “Leli” Henry.

CitySeed's Sandy Flores, Frankie Douglass, and Cara Santino.

New Haven’s In A Pickle

by PAUL BASS

Five hundred forty-four athletes from 16 states have registered to grab paddles and compete in America’s fastest-growing sport this weekend — and get a taste of the Elm City in the process.

The occasion is the USA Pickleball Atlantic Diamond Regional Tournament, which has moved from Maine to New Haven this year. Players from throughout New England aged 12 to 75 years old will compete on 20 newly installed temporary courts at the Floyd Little Athletic Center from Friday through Sunday.

Public admission to the event is free.

“Are you ready?” city youth and rec director Gwendolyn Busch Williams called out Wednesday at a press event touting the upcoming tourney, held at the new pickleball courts at Edgewood Park. Yes, fellow officials and organizers cheered, they’re ready.

Meanwhile, on the courts, players showed how to play something between tennis and ping pong (with paddles on a 20-by-40-foot court, with less running and more fast action than tennis).

Click on the video to watch Mayor Justin Elicker and parks and rec’s Felicia Shashinka, a pickleball enthusiast who initiated bringing the tourney here, try their hand; and to watch tourney Managing Director Win Oppel and Edgewood Park resident tennis pro Billy Bostic explain the game’s appeal and rules. Including the “kitchen” — a 7-foot zone adjacent to the net — where you can’t stand when returning shots in the air. (You may enter the kitchen if the ball bounces.)

“Five hundred people coming to New Haven is a big deal,” noted city eco-

nomic development chief Mike Piscitelli (pictured). He said the city’ has prepared gift bags with visitor guides for the visitors “to show what we have to offer” beyond pickleball in New Haven, including a suggestion to visit NXTHVN gallery’s Not 4 Sale exhibit a block away.

“It’s a sport for democracy. It brings families together,” said Alder Tom Ficklin (pictured), whose ward includes the tourney site. An estimated 4.8 million people played pickleball in the U.S. last year, a number that rose 39.3 percent over two years.

New Haven has put pickleball courts

in Edgewood and Scantlebury parks, with more planned. The tourney has promised to donate balls and nets this weekend’s event, which the parks and rec crew said they’ll use for neighborhood popup events. Tourney organizers have also promised to the city a to-be-determined amount of cash as well. Youth and rec, meanwhile, plans to launch free pickleball clinics at Edgewood starting April 24 from 12 – 1:30 pm.; At the Edgewood courts, Oppel bestowed the tourney’s (honorary) first gold medal on Mayor Elicker.

Photo: Pari Dukovic

THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL

PAUL BASS PHOTO Billy Bostic and Noel Ruiz pickle it up before press event touting this weekend's tournament.

New Haven Independent

Poor People’s Champ Delivers Social Gospel

by ALLAN APPEL

There’s a real danger that Ancient Rome — with its celebration of opulence and derision of the poor — still lives, and another name for it is America. That was one of the sobering observations offered at a Palm Sunday service in Dixwell by nationally renowned preacher and poor people’s advocate Dr. William Barber.

Barber’s much-anticipated sermon was titled “The Danger of Trying to Worship God Without a Conscience.”

In a voice by turns booming and whisperingly confidential as if he were revealing the true not yet heeded meaning of scripture, Barber addressed a rapt group of 200 – congregants, students, neighbors — inside the sunny main sanctuary of the historic Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ at 217 Dixwell Ave.

He spoke in part about how the Roman politician and orator Cicero called the poor the “dregs” whereas Jesus said: No, no, the poor are the very center of God’s concern.

In Ancient Rome one percent were all right, and the rest not. Private grandeur starkly beside widespread public squalor. Sound familiar?

Barber’s appearance and his inspiring stem-winder of a sermon, replete with fascinating Biblical scholarship (you could learn that “anointed” in the Hebrew Bible is used 61 times) along with North Carolina humor, was also by way of announcing the establishment at the Yale Divinity School of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy, with Barber at its helm.

Barber is best known as a co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign and the head of a movement that is heir to the turn-ofthe-20th century Social Gospel movement of which Martin Luther King and, before him, Reinhold Niebuhr and Walter Rausenbusch were a part.

“It’s the application of faith and the Gospel to the practice of social justice,” said Rev. Jerry Streets, the long-time leader of the Dixwell church and also now a colleague of Barber’s at the Yale Divinity School.

“The center’s mission is to institutionalize decades-long moral movement work to confront injustice with a moral framework, train the next generation of moral leaders, and produce morally grounded public policy solutions to the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, systemic poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation, and the distorted narrative of religious nationalism,” according to the center’s press release.

The center was established in January when Barber began teaching there. His long-time colleague in the work and the center’s assistant director Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove said he and Barber

had made a tour of a dozen seminaries, as a part of the Poor People’s Campaign, including Yale, beginning in 2018.

“We learned there was a genuine interest in public theology to be part of the training,” he said.

The idea is to train faith leaders around a “fusion framework” to create a moral public policy agenda, said Wilson-Hartgrove.

The public policies that need to be addressed in New Haven, he added, are the same as elsewhere: unaffordable hous-

ing, lack of living wage jobs, the poor living in the worst environmental conditions, among others.

That’s the moral part.

The fusion part is to teach how, for example, the homeless in New Haven and struggling Kansas farmers’ issues have to be addressed together and systemically.

“The fusion builds momentum for transformation change.”

“He’s going to preach the good news, that Jesus has shown a way to live better,” said Wilson-Hartgrove.

preme Court had held for slavery in the Dred Scott decision, was on the verge of quitting the abolition struggle. His friend Harriet Tubman spoke to him only a few words: “Frederick, is God dead?” That pricked his conscience and he continued on in the fight.

What’s God’s good news? “God’s good news must be good news for the poor or it ain’t good news. Jesus was a radical interruption [to the Roman powers-that-be] to say you can’t worship the Lord without transforming the system.”

Personal religious breakthroughs: If whatever conversionary or salvific experience you’ve had doesn’t produce commitment to change, it isn’t genuine. “It’s got to be more than hallelujah or having a good time. I tell my students we’ve got too much bumper sticker [Christianity] going on. Any form of Christianity that doesn’t teach it [transformative social change] is no Christianity.”

What about Congress these days? “Often Congress opens the day with a prayer and spends the rest of the day preying. What do we do when so many in power are without conscience? Then politics becomes a form of exercise, policy violence.”

The bad news history: How did people who claimed to be religious annihilate Native Americans? They tried to worship God without a conscience.

MLK’s Insight: Toward the end of his life Martin Luther King said that the South’s greatest fear is that poor whites and poor Blacks would get together to form a voting block.

The pandemic: During the pandemic 330,000 people died for lack of health care. And the rich got richer. What is wrong with the conscience of the nation! We changed the names of the poor to “essential workers” to get them to work [in many dangerous situations] and then don’t support them with health care. That’s an absence of conscience.

Rich and Poor Disparity: Four hundred people today earn $97,000 an hour while most people struggle near minimum wage. That’s not Ancient Rome but here. Here 700 people die a day from poverty, 250,000 a year. “If it’s upon me, then it’s upon all who speak in my name!”

What is conscience? To help answer that Barber quoted the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy: “Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.” Then he added Mohandas Gandhi’s famous Seven Social Sins: Wealth without work; knowledge without character; commerce without morality; science without humanity; religion without sacrifice; and politics without principle.

When you feel like giving up the fight: Barber recalled the moment that Frederick Douglass, on hearing that the Su-

Violent Deaths: Maybe the Holy Spirit is telling us [like Emmet Till’s mom], “Don’t close another casket. And then force the nation to deal with its conscience.”

Barber concluded, as is customary, with directing his listeners to think soberly on the meaning of life occasioned in the ensuing days by the example of the Jesus story: “I’ve decided life is too short to live without a conscience. On that day when you die your titles, accolades, and power will not matter. But whether you had a conscience will. Will someone be able to say [when you have died] because of you someone had a better life.”

ALLAN APPEL PHOTOS

Rev. Barber: “God’s good news must be good news for the poor or it ain’t good news."

At Sunday's Dixwell UCC service.

HUD Announces $5.5 Million Award for HUBCUs to Conduct Housing and Communit y Development Research

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced awards totaling $5.5 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to conduct housing and community development research.

The announcement came during a Black Media Roundtable hosted by HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.

Adjoa Asamoah, HUD’s senior advisor for Racial Equity; Melody Taylor, regional director for the Mid-Atlantic Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity; Alanna McCargo, president of Ginnie Mae; and Erica Loewe, the director of African American Media at The White House, also participated in the roundtable.

“HBCUs create economic opportunity both for their students and throughout the communities they serve,” Fudge stated.

“At HUD, we are proud to partner with HBCUs to expand the voices in the housing research space to support strong communities, build affordable housing, create job opportunities, revitalize neighborhoods, and promote homeownership.”

HUD will provide the funding to Texas Southern University ($3 million) and

North Carolina AT&T University ($2.5 million) to establish or bolster their existing Centers of Excellence that conduct housing and community development research.

At Texas Southern, the school’s research will focus on individual and community wealth building, and housing security and

stability. It also will focus on planning and infrastructure inequity that affects underserved communities.

At North Carolina AT&T, the funds will allow the university to establish a center with research that would focus on the production of affordable housing, homeownership, renewable energy, sustainable

communities, and post-disaster recovery.

“This funding will bolster efforts HBCUs are making to expand opportunities for underserved communities and strengthen community development,”

Fudge stated.

Under Fudge, HUD has worked to advance racial equity and ensure steps to

make homeownership more accessible for Black Americans.

In a Fact Sheet, HUD officials noted that through the Federal Housing Administration, the agency has implemented major reductions to the annual premiums it charges homebuyers for mortgage insurance.

Officials said the action will help Black low-and-moderate income residents save an estimated $600 million in the next year, and billions over the next decade.

Additionally, HUD’s Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity issued a policy statement in 2021 about making way for lenders to resolve inequities in homeownership that individuals of color face.

Previously, the agency published a notice of proposed rulemaking to restore the department’s Discriminatory Effects Standards and allow policies that unjustifiably exclude people from housing opportunities to be challenged.

The powerful tool for HUD and private plaintiffs to address polices that cause systemic inequality in housing, includes policies on criminal records, zoning requirements, lending and property insurance policies that impact equal access to housing opportunities for Black people, HUD officials stated.

Social Security Matters:

By Russell Gloor, AMAC and AMAC Foundation

As the first quarter of 2023 comes to a close, the AFRO would like to give special attention to issues related to senior citizens and social security. In this week’s edition, we have included two pertinent questions about the planning and usage of social security benefits.

Ask Rusty: will social security be there for me?

Dear Rusty: I am 56 and hope to hold out to get maximum Social Security at age 70. However, with all of the talk of Social Security funds being depleted, is it wise to continue with this mindset? Will there even BE Social Security benefits for folks in my age bracket?

Should I think about starting Social Security benefits as soon as I am eligible?

I am employed; however, I don’t have a large amount of savings. I contribute to my company’s 401(k) and receive the match, and I own my own home (almost paid off) with an estimated $250,000.00 in equity, but I won’t be able to stay in the home long term. Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

–Signed: Weary Worker

Dear Weary Worker: I don’t suggest changing your strategy due to fears of Social Security not being there – it will be. Although the program is facing some future financial issues, the very worst that could happen is that everyone’s benefits might be cut by 20 percent or more if Congress fails to act to restore the program to solvency before the Trust Funds are depleted in the early to mid-2030s.

In my opinion, Congress will not likely fail to act because to do so would be political suicide. The fact is, they already know how to fix Social Security’s financial issues; they just lack the bipartisan spirit and political fortitude to do so until they extract every possible ounce of political capital from the issue. So, it’s largely a matter of how long Congress will wait to reform the program.

Right now, the Social Security Trust Funds hold about $2.8 trillion in reserves to ensure full benefits will be paid. But Social Security now pays out more in benefits than it receives in revenue, so the extra money needed to pay full benefits is taken from those reserves. What is needed is reform which addresses the reality that people today are living much longer and collecting benefits for much longer than the program is structured to accommodate.

are you prepared to maximize your benefits?

able within 12 months of the date you submit your application and can only be done once in your lifetime. If you use it, you will be required to repay Social Security for all payments made on your behalf, including not only your monthly payments but also any income taxes you had withheld, and any Medicare premiums which were withheld from your monthly payments (Social Security will inform you how much you must repay). Once the repayment is made, it will be as though you never applied for benefits, meaning your benefit amount will be higher when you later re-apply (which would also be the case if you simply didn’t apply – your benefit entitlement continues to grow until you claim, up to age 70 when your maximum SS benefit is attained).This process would be the same for both you and your wife.

Many possible solutions are on the table in Congress, including raising the full retirement age a bit to deal with the reality of people living much longer, and increasing the program’s tax revenue by withholding a bit more from American workers. The eventual reform will likely include some variation of both, as well as other “tweaks” which further guarantee the program will be there for future generations.

As for the thought of claiming your benefits as soon as you are eligible (age 62), be aware that Social Security has an “earnings test” which applies to anyone who collects benefits before reaching full retirement age (FRA). If you are working full time when you first become age-eligible, you likely wouldn’t be able to collect benefits because your benefit amount would be insufficient to pay the penalty for exceeding the earnings limit ($1 for every $2 over the limit) within one year. And, as you may already know, your age 62 benefit would be cut by about 30 percent from your FRA amount, while your benefit at age 70 would be about 76 percent more

than your age 62 benefit.

So even if the worst case scenario happens (which it almost certainly won’t), an across the board cut of 20 percent or more to your benefits at age 70 would yield a higher monthly payment than that same cut to your age 62 benefit amount. So, I suggest you stick with your current strategy to continue working and wait as long as practical to claim your benefits (up to age 70).

As an aside, AMAC (Association of Mature American Citizens) has, for years, been proposing (to Congress) its “Social Security Guarantee Plus” which would restore Social Security to solvency for generations to come and would not require an increased payroll tax rate. Congressional reaction has been generally positive, leading us to be hopeful for a reasonable solution to the problem.

Ask Rusty: how do I withdraw my application for social security?

Dear Rusty: I will be 67 next month and reached my full retirement age in

July 2022. My wife and I are discussing whether we should take Social Security now or wait until we are age 70 to get a higher benefit. I remember reading that you can start Social Security and, if not needed, pay it back within a year and then “reset” to get a higher benefit by waiting longer. Please describe the steps of this process to take now and repay the year’s benefits if we do not need them.

-Signed: Uncertain

Dear Uncertain: Well, to exercise the so-called “do over option” (which is essentially withdrawing your application for benefits), you need to contact Social Security (1.800.772.1213 or your local SS field office) and request that your application for benefits be withdrawn. You can also download and complete form SSA-521 and deliver the same to your local Social Security office. You can get that form at this link: www.ssa.gov/ forms/ssa-521.pdf.

This “do-over option” is only avail-

However, I suggest you consider whether you really need to withdraw your application. Be aware that since you’ve already reached your full retirement age (FRA) you can claim now and, if you later decide you don’t need the monthly SS money, you can simply temporarily suspend your benefit payments to avoid repaying Social Security everything they’ve already paid to you and on your behalf (you don’t need to formally withdraw your application). By simply suspending (and not withdrawing), your benefit amount will start growing again with each month your benefits are suspended (about .67 percent more for each month you do not get benefits) and you can keep everything you’ve already received to the point you suspend your payments. To suspend your payments just call Social Security at the number provided above and tell them you wish to suspend your benefits and grow your payment amount. While you can only use the withdrawal process once in your lifetime, you can temporarily suspend your benefit payments multiple times if necessary.

Russell Gloor is the national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens. This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA).

NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, email ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

HUD Secretary Fudge Pledges to Change Agency’s Ad Spending with Black-Owned Media

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

With the federal government spending a pittance of its advertising dollars with Black-owned media and President Biden demanding that agencies expand contracting opportunities for historically disadvantaged businesses, including those owned by women and people of color, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge has made a specific pledge to African American publishers and media company owners.

“I will take a look at it, and if [advertising spending] is where you say it is, we will change it,” Fudge declared following a question from National Newspaper Publishers Association President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. about the inequitable distribution of advertising dollars with the Black Press.

“You can hold me to that,” Fudge asserted.

Chavis, Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes, and media mogul Roland Martin all pressed Fudge and others during a Black Media Roundtable at HUD in Washington.

The federal government spends about $600 billion annually on consumer goods and services.

A small portion of that money goes to small businesses owned by women, minorities, and those otherwise disadvantaged.

The most recent Government Accountability Office study found that federal agencies spent more than $5 billion on advertising over five years, with just $51 million, or 1.02 percent, going to Black-owned businesses.

“It’s been on our minds,” said Beth

Lynk, the assistant secretary of public affairs for HUD. “We are asking [all contractors] what is your spend? Not just Black reach, but Black ownership in the media.”

Adjoa Asamoah, the senior advisor for Racial Equity for the Office of the Secretary of HUD, called Fudge a “secretary of, with and for the people.”

“I had a conversation recently with the Deputy Secretary of HUD (Adrianne Todman) and we will increase our spend with Black and brown media,”

Asamoah asserted.

“A couple of things. We are disrupting the present systems with disrupting how we do money. We recognize that the federal government is the largest consumer of goods and services and roughly 10 percent has traditionally gone to Black, Brown, and small, and disadvantaged businesses.”

Asamoah continued:

“That’s not 10 percent each. We’ve been tasked by the President with leveraging the full power of the federal government’s procurement power.

“While ad spending directly is what we will look at, under Secretary Fudge we have looked at how we are spending our dollars and adjusted accordingly. Every single notice of funding opportunity that goes out this door, [the contractor] is required to state how you have demonstrated your ability to advance racial equity and what will you do in the future to advance racial equity. We are doing things differently.”

The 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Marcia Fudge (Photo: hud.gov)

Man wrongly convicted of raping award-winning author Alice Sebold will receive $5.5m settlement

Francis Akhalbey Face2faceAfrica.com

Anthony Broadwater, the man who spent 16 years in prison after he was wrongly convicted of raping award-winning author Alice Sebold, will be paid $5.5 million by New York state to settle a lawsuit.

According to The Associated Press, Broadwater’s lawyers announced the settlement on Monday. As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Broadwater was exonerated in 2021 after flaws in his case were exposed during the production of a film of the author’s memoir. The rape was the basis of Sebold’s 1999 bestseller, “Lucky”, which launched her career, leading to her 2002 novel “The Lovely Bones”.

“I appreciate what Attorney General James has done, and I hope and pray that others in my situation can achieve the same measure of justice. We all suffer from destroyed lives,” Broadwater, 62, said.

Responding to the settlement in a statement released from a spokesperson,

Sebold said, “Obviously no amount of money can erase the injustices Mr. Broadwater suffered, but the settlement now officially acknowledges them.”

Broadwater was wrongly convicted of raping Sebold in 1981 while she was a student at Syracuse University. He was 20 years old and had returned home after serving with the marines when he was accused of raping Sebold in May 1981. He was found guilty after Sebold identified him in court and on the evidence of microscopic hair samples. That hair analysis is now considered junk science by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Broadwater was released from jail in 1999 but had remained on New York’s sex offender registry until now. In 2020, “Lucky” was being filmed for a Netflix movie when executive producer Tim Mucciante realized that the script’s first draft differed so much from the book. He started raising doubts about the trial, and when he was later dropped from the project, he hired a private investigator to examine the case, who then connected

him with David Hammond and Melissa Swartz of the firm, CDH Law. Hammond, who would become Broadwater’s attorney, listened to the transcript of the trial and found “serious legal issues”, CNN reported. He subsequently filed a motion to have the conviction overturned.

A judge is yet to approve the settlement Broadwater has reached with the state to make it final, The Associated Press reported. “Anthony Broadwater was convicted for a crime he never committed, and was incarcerated despite his innocence. While we cannot undo the wrongs from more than four decades ago, this settlement agreement is a critical step to deliver some semblance of justice to Mr. Broadwater,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. There is another pending federal civil rights lawsuit Broadwater has filed against Onondaga County, the city of Syracuse, an assistant district attorney, and a police officer who also handled his case.

Prime Minister of Grenada Will Speak at the State of the Black World

The Prime Minister of Grenada and the Grenadines, Hon. Dickon Mitchell, will address the State of the Black World Conference [https://ibw21.org/sobwcv/] slated for Baltimore, MD from April 19-23. PM Mitchell will make a Statement in the Opening Session of the Pan African Institute and will deliver a Tribute to Maurice Bishop at the National/International Town Hall Meeting on Building the Global Reparations Movement. He will also participate in the Global Black Leaders Summit Breakfast.

Conference

"Under the leadership of Maurice Bishop, the Grenada Revolution was an inspiration to progressive Pan Africanists around the world. It is inspiring to know that Prime Minister DICKON Mitchell has called for a National Commemoration honoring the life and Legacy of Maurice Bishop this fall. God willing, as President of IBW, I plan to organize a delegation of African American leaders to attend this historic commemoration", said Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and Convenor of

the State of the Black World Conference".

"We are delighted and honored to have PM Mitchell, speak at the SOBWCV, especially to pay tribute to one of his predecessors, PM Maurice Bishop, a Pan-African icon and revolutionary who gave his life for the advancement of the Grenadian people in October 1983," said Don Rojas, director of communications and international relations at the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and former press secretary to Maurice Bishop."

The 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Marcia Fudge (Photo: hud.gov)

Anthony Broadwater

Alice Sebold

Prime Minister of Grenada and the Grenadines, Hon. Dickon Mitchell

Victor Glover, the first black astronaut on a mission

Abu Mubarik, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Victor Glover is breaking the glass ceiling for many blacks who have waited many years to see people of their likeness making great strides, like flying to the moon, which serves as a motivation for others. The astronaut has been named among three others to take the first trip to the Moon in more than five decades since the end of Apollo missions.

According to Phys.org, Glover will pilot the Orion spacecraft that will circle the Moon in November 2024, making him the first black person to achieve such a historic feat. According to him, Artemis II is “more than a mission to the Moon

and back.”

“It is the next step that gets humanity to Mars,” he said.

The other astronauts include Christina Koch, who will become the first woman astronaut ever assigned on a lunar mission, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen. Koch also holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.

The New York Times reports that the first black person to be involved in the astronaut program was Ed Dwight in the 1960s. The first black to go to space was Guion S. Bluford Jr in 1983, while Mae Jemison was the first Black woman in 1992. Since then, only 20 blacks have become part of the program.

A US Navy test pilot, Glover, 46, joined the US space agency, NASA, in 2013 and made his first spaceflight in 2020, according to the BBC. The platform also reported that he became the first black to stay on the space station for an extended period of six months.

Glover earned a Bachelor of Science degree in General Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, and proceeded to Air University at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as a part of the USAF TPS program to get his masters in Flight Test Engineering, according to the EconomicTimes.

His pursuit of knowledge and specialization did not end there, he also obtained

a Master of Science degree in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2009. Additionally, in 2010, he acquired a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air University in Montgomery, Alabama.

While working as a Legislative Fellow in the United States Senate, Glover was chosen as an astronaut in 2013. His most recent mission was to serve as a pilot and second-in-command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, which successfully landed on May 2, 2021.

Glover is a resident of Pomona, California. He is married to Dionna Odom and together, they have four children.

Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion to headline ESSENCE Festival’s celebration of hip hop

Staff

The 2023 edition of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture will celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and its global impact with two headlining female MCs that represent the past and present of the art form. Back in New Orleans for its 29th year, the four-day festival kicks off June 29 and will spotlight Ms. Lauryn Hill, who will give a special performance of the fivetime Grammy-winning album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” in recognition of its 25th anniversary. Released on Aug. 25, 1998, the album changed the game of hip-hop forever: cementing the genre as one with mainstream crossover appeal; proving its versatility beyond themes of violence, materialism and misogyny; challenging its patriarchy and establishing female rappers’ rightful place before the mic and elevating Ms. Hill to hip-hop royalty.

L’Boogie will be joined on the ESSENCE fest’s marquee lineup by new hip-hop blood Megan Thee Stallion, a three-time Grammy Award winner, who has brought her own Texas swag to the genre.

The celebration does not stop there: hip-hop icon Doug E. Fresh will curate a special performance of hip-hop pioneers. And, to memorialize the 30th anniversary of So So Def, Grammy award-winning super producer and label founder, Jermaine Dupri, will deliver a special performance with some of the biggest names in hip-hop to come out of Atlanta.

Other artists joining the 2023 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ stage include international afrobeats stars Wizkid and Kizz Daniel, and R&B crooners Monica and Coco Jones. Additional talent and experiences will be announced soon.

“For nearly three decades, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ has been an international and joyful gathering that empowers community throughout the global Black diaspora. As the nation’s largest festival by per day attendance, it continues to be a crown jewel of Black culture and plays a pivotal role in the amplification and celebration of the contributions of the Black community through business, music, and more,” said Hakeem Holmes, ESSENCE Festival’s newly appointed vice president in a statement.

“As we gear up to celebrate the ‘50th

Anniversary of Hip-Hop,’” he added, “we couldn’t think of a better way to honor the contributions the genre has made on global culture and the impressions that these artists and their deep musical catalogs, which we all know so well, have been ingrained into the fibers of our day to day lives.”

In 2022, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ saw 1.9 million live and virtual attendees, and this year promises to be equally attractive with new and returning offerings ,including nightly concerts at the Superdome, ESSENCE Food & Wine Festival, Beautycon: ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ Edition, AFROPUNK: ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ Edition, ESSENCE Center Stage, ESSENCE Marketplace, New Voices Village, Community Corner, ESSENCE Authors, Global Black Economic Forum and Village, Girl’s United House, ESSENCE Family Day: The Block and more.

Tickets for the 2023 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® are now on sale at www.ESSENCEFestival.com, where consumers can also find festival information & updates.

Meet Dr. Xavier Cole, the first black president of Loyola University New Orleans

Abu Mubarik, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Dr. Xavier Cole has been appointed as the next president of Loyola University New Orleans, making him the first black person to occupy the position in the university’s history. He was unanimously voted for the role by the University’s board after a seven-month national search by the Presidential Search Committee, which included faculty, staff, students, alumni, and parents. The committee also got the assistance of the executive search firm – Isaacson, Miller.

Before his appointment, he was the vice president of student affairs and dean of students at Washington College, Maryland. He previously served the Division

of Student Development at Loyola University Maryland for 20 years, before quitting as assistant vice president in 2014, according to Marquette University. He succeeds Dr. Tania Tetlow, who stepped down in early 2022.

“I see my role at Loyola New Orleans as an opportunity to work intentionally with a world-class faculty and staff to help form the next generation of ethical and moral leaders,” Cole said in a statement. “It’s a chance for me to give back to Loyola New Orleans a fraction of what an Ignatian formation has given to me.”

“Dr. Cole has served the Marquette community, particularly our students, as a person for and with others,” President Michael R. Lovell said. “His genuine

care was felt across campus, especially during his leadership of our COVID-19 Response Team. He has positively impacted countless facets of the university, and I look forward to working with him as a presidential colleague at Loyola New Orleans.”

Raised in Biloxi, Mississippi, Dr. Cole obtained his doctorate in higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania in 2013. He got his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Mississippi and his master’s in history from Miami University, Ohio. His thesis was on mission and identity programs at three Jesuit universities and their impact on mission leadership for laypersons.

“Dr. Cole is a uniquely experienced higher education administrator who has dedicated his career to the study and preservation of Jesuit, Catholic institutions in America, and to the service of their students,” said Stephen Landry, Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Meanwhile, Cole is the chair of the Graduate School of Education Executive Doctorate Alumni Board, University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he was vice chair and director of the education committee on the board of Messmer Catholic Schools from 2017 to 2022.

Dr. Xavier Cole. Photo credit: Marquette university

Victor Glover. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Dr. Xavier Cole

Courtesy of The AFRO

Actress and Grammy-Nominated Singer Halle Bailey Helping Make Disney Dreams Come True

By Stacy M. Brown

During a press junket held in a roped-off lawn area near the famous Walt Disney World Parade, a little girl named Mila experienced a dream moment.

“The Little Mermaid” star and Grammynominated singer Halle Bailey spotted Mila in a crowd of onlookers as Bailey spoke to the media during an event that kicked off the Disney Dreamers Academy, where 100 students receive mentorship during a fourday educational and entertainment excursion.

Mila wouldn’t let the star go, and Bailey reacted in the most superstar way: she held on and even shed a tear.

“You’re so pretty,” Bailey told Mila.

“You’re so beautiful and sweet.”

Those unscripted moments helped to underscore why the Disney Dreamers Academy has meant so much to so many children for 16 years.

Bailey, like the 2022 celebrity ambassador, singer Kelly Rowland, found time not only to mentor the 100 Academy students, but step from behind the parade ropes to embrace fans.

This year, Bailey is joined by other celebrities like H.E.R., Quest Love, and Marsai Martin.

But clearly, Bailey has won over the high school students, their parents, and others

with gawkers surrounding Disney Coronado Springs Resort where cast and crew gather for the daily events taking place in the large ballrooms.

On Day 2 of the Academy, Bailey left two aspiring teen filmmakers speechless when she surprised them with a personal invitation to join her on the red carpet at the movie’s world premiere in Hollywood.

Dylan Jones of Atlanta and Madison Henderson of Los Angeles were in the middle of a movie production training session Friday morning during Disney Dreamers Academy when Bailey, the program’s celebrity ambassador, made a surprise appearance and delivered the personal invitation to come to Hollywood.

For the students it was a truly magical dream come true moment.

The movie’s world premiere takes place just before the film officially hits theaters nationwide on May 26.

Bailey is one of several celebrities taking part in the program that runs through Sunday.

This is the 16th year of Disney Dreamers Academy, a four-day, transformational, mentoring program designed to broaden career awareness and create opportunities for 100 Black high school students and teens from underrepresented communities across America each year.

Those unscripted moments helped to underscore why the Disney Dreamers Academy has meant so much to so many children for 16 years.

NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO. Request for Proposals Benefits Consultant

Town of Bloomfield

Assistant Director of Human Resources

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Request for Proposals

Fully Integrated Web Based Housing Authority Software

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking proposals for a benefits consultant. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:00PM.

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

visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Elm City Communities is currently seeking proposals for a full integrated web-based housing authority software. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, March 13, 2023 at 3:00PM.

NOTICIA

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT (HACB) SIGNIFICANT AMENDMENT TO THE FY2022 ANNUAL PLAN

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) plans to incorporate a significant amendment into its FY2022 Annual Plan. Copies of the plan and the significant amendment are available on the agency’s website www. parkcitycommunities.org.

Town of Bloomfield Finance Director

Salary Range - $101,455 to $156,599 (expected starting pay maximum is mid-range)

Payroll

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

Members of the public are invited to provide written comments addressed to: Park City Communities, Significant Amendment FY2022 Annual Plan; Attn: Phoebe Greenfield, 150 Highland Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 or via email to: agencyplans@parkcitycommunities.org. The forty-five (45) days comment period begins on February 24, 2023, and ends on April 10, 2023. All comments must be received by April 10, 2023.

Please be advised the Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday April 12, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. The Zoom Link will be placed on PCC’s website. Please note, participants are limited to the first one hundred, (100) call-ins. The public hearing is scheduled for ninety (60) minutes and address concerns by residents and general public.

NEW HAVEN

Fully Benefited – 35 hours weekly Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Portland

Police Officer full-time

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

Payroll Clerk- Performs responsible office work in the processing of all general government payrolls and maintain all payroll records. The position requires a H.S. diploma or G.E.D, plus 5 years of experience in responsible office work involving typing, accounting, bookkeeping, data entry and payroll processing. $27.22 to $32.68 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Forms will be mailed upon request from the Department of Human Resources or maybe downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. The closing date will be the date that the 50th application form/resume is received, or April 10, 2023, whichever occurs first. EOE

INVITATION TO BID

Subcontractors are invited to bid on the Temple Pine Renovations. 555 Pool Rd, North Haven, CT 06473. The project consists of Reno to 30 Apartment Units, Exterior Envelope Replacement, and sitework.

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

BIDS DUE 2:00 PM, April 07, 2023. Send email to kmcdonnell@pacgroupllc.com for copy of the detailed Invite and Trade Bid Packages. Project partially funded by DOH. This project is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Minority/Women's Business Enterprises are encouraged to apply.

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center

Invitation for Bids TRASH REMOVAL ALL SITES

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

APPLY NOW!

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Listing: Lead Installer

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

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

3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S.

1:30-

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking bids for trash removal services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

(203) 996-4517 Host,General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor ofPitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

Monday, March 20, 2023 at 3:00PM.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

POLICE OFFICER

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

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

HVAC department has an opening for an experienced, full time, lead installer for all mechanical systems (Hydronic, Duct-less, RTU’s). Candidate must possess a minimum D2 license, EPA Certificate, and a minimum of 5 years experience. Benefits, 401k, Paid Time Off, Company Vehicle. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email HRDept@eastriverenergy.com

**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

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

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

The Wallingford Police Department is seeking qualified applicants for Police Officer. $ 1,301.20 weekly plus an excellent fringe benefit package to include a defined benefit pension plan. The written and oral exam processes will be administered by the South Central Criminal Justice Administration. To apply, candidates must register through the South Central Criminal Justice Administration webpage found under the “Associations” menu at www.policeapp.com by the registration deadline of Wednesday, April 5, 2023. The registration requires a fee of $ 85.00. EOE

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications to participate in the examinations for the following positions:

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

Secretary II, Grade Level 10-$21.36/hour.

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Fiscal/Administrative Officer. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230309&R2=1308AR&R3=001

Account Clerk, Payroll-$55,412.00/year

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

Information regarding qualifications and job duties are available along with the application online at https://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service-commission/pages/ job-notices-and-tests or from the Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven and must be returned by March 17, 2023. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

$79,596 to $122,857 –expected starting pay maximum is mid-range Pre-employment drug testing. For more details,

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Construction

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

NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Contact: Tom Dunay

Phone: 860- 243-2300

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 6211720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

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

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

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

NOTICIA

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Large CT Fence Company looking for an individual for our PVC Fence Production Shop. Experience preferred but will train the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing and tape measure. Use of CNC Router machine a plus but not required, will train the right person. This is an in-shop production position. Duties include building fence panels, posts, gates and more. Must have a valid CT driver’s license & be able to obtain a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com.

AA/EOE-MF

Union Company seeks:

Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

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

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

Full Time Administrative assistant position for a steel & misc metals fabrication shop who will oversee the daily operations of clerical duties such as answering phones, accounts payable purchase orders/invoicing and certified payroll. Email resumes to jillherbert@gwfabrication.com

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

Listing: Senior Customer Service Retail Assistant

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Fiscal and Program Policy Section Director. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230303&R2=1585MP&R3=001

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Petroleum Company has an immediate full time opening. Excellent customer service skills a must. Requirements include: assist in answering service questions, scheduling service calls as well as assisting in collections and account set ups. Previous petroleum experience and/or experience in a very busy office environment a plus. Applicant to also perform administrative/clerical tasks as assigned. Please send resume to: H.R. Manager, Confidential, P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

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

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT. (NHA)

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

DRIVER CDL CLASS A

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

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

Full Time – All Shifts Top Pay-Full Benefits

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

is currently seeking proposals for tenant relocation services. NHA plans to relocate up to 50 families beginning Summer 2023. The contractor will be expected to counsel tenants, find available apartments, coordinate the moves, provide light case management, and perform various administrative duties. The contractor should have experience working with public housing and/or Section 8 voucher households. Proposals are due by Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 6:00PM EST. To request the full RFP, please contact procurement@norwalkha.org. The NHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Adam D. Bovilsky, Executive Director

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

NOTICE

Request for Proposals

QSR STEEL CORPORATION APPLY NOW!

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Request for Proposals

Fully Integrated Web Based Housing Authority Software

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Fully Integrated Web Based

Housing Authority Software

Elm City Communities is currently seeking proposals for a full integrated web-based housing authority software. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, March 13, 2023 at 3:00PM.

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

NOTICIA

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Fiscal and Program Policy Section Director.

Elm City Communities is currently seeking proposals for a full integrated web-based housing authority software. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, March 13, 2023 at 3:00PM.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids

Bid Package #1 Scattered Sites East – CO and Smoke Detectors

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Project Engineer job opening available for a growing / established Heavy Highway Construction Contractor based out of Avon, CT. Tasks include takeoffs, CAD drafting, computations, surveying, office engineering, submittals, other miscellaneous engineering tasks. Competitive compensation package based on experience. Many opportunities for growth for the right individual. We are an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer. Please email your resume to Dawn@ rothacontracting.com.

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

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230303&R2=1585MP&R3=001

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

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for bid package #1 scattered sites east – CO and Smoke Detectors. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, February 6, 2023 at 3:00PM.

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

MINORITY CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY

–

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

Waltersville Commons –Bridgeport, CT SOLICITATION OF SBE/MBE CONTRACTORS: Enterprise Builders, Inc., an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, seeks certified SBE/ MBE Subcontractors and/or suppliers and local business enterprises to bid applicable sections of work/equipment/supplies for the following construction project: Waltersville Commons, project consists of a conversion of two existing buildings into 70 new apartment units, additional there will be some historic renovation work involved. Bid Date and Time: April 14, 2023 at 10:00am. Electronic Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting the Estimating Department at Enterprise Builders at (860) 466-5188 or by email to bids@enterbuilders.com. Project is Taxable on Renovation (labor and material) and prevailing wage rates DO NOT apply. This project is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. EBI encourages the participation of certified SBE/ MBE contractors. EBI is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Request for Proposals Benefits Consultant

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking proposals for a benefits consultant. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

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

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 3:00PM.

POLICE OFFICER City of Bristol

$70,915 - $86,200/yr.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Invitation for Bids Landscaping Mill River

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking bids for landscaping services at Mill River. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems. com/gateway beginning on

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Monday, March 20, 2023 at 3:00PM.

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

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

246 Fairmont Avenue, New Haven

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

Spacious 2 bedroom apartment, $1,750.00. Tenant pays all utilities including gas for heat and hot water. Includes appliances, private entrance, balcony, carpet and off street parking. Close proximity to restaurants, shopping centers and on bus line. Section 8 welcome. Security deposit varies. Call Christine at 860-985-8258.

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

DEADLINE: 05-04-23

EOE

Town of Bloomfield

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Request for Proposals

Payroll Services & HR Management Systems

Assistant Building Official $39.80 hourly

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

Elm City Communities is currently seeking proposals Payroll Services & HR Management Systems. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE.

For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org

Monday, March 13, 2023 at 3:00PM.

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

DRIVER CDL CLASS A

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

Full Time – All Shifts Top Pay-Full Benefits

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

The Guilford Housing Authority is currently accepting applications for one bedroom apartments at Sachem Hollow in Guilford, CT. Applicants must be age 62 and over or on 100% social security or federal disability and over the age of 18. Applications may be obtained by calling the application line at 203-453-6262 EXT: 107. Applications will be accepted until end of business day or postmark of March 20, 2023 4PM. Credit, police, landlord checks are procured by the Authority. Smoking is prohibited in the units and building.

REQUEST FOR INTEREST

NOTICE

Solar Voltaic Power Panel System Installations

Town of Bloomfield

Patrol Police Officer

Listing: Dispatcher

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

New Haven Parking Authority

New Haven, Connecticut NHPA Project #23-049

Responses due April 11, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. EDT

Documents regarding the Request for Interest are available at no cost on the New Haven Parking Authority’s website at https://parknewhaven.com/request-forbids/. Any subsequent addenda will also be posted on this website.

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

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

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (EMT)

NOTICIA

$37.93 hourly ($78,885 annually) – full time, benefited Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website – www.bloomfieldct.org

Deadline: Applications will be accepted until position is filled

Town of Bloomfield Finance Director

Extremely fast paced petroleum company needs a full time (which includes on call and weekend coverage) detail oriented experienced Dispatcher. A strong logistics background and a minimum of one year previous experience required. Send resume to: HR Manager, P.O. Box 388, Guilford, CT. 06437

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

Listing: Commercial Driver

Immediate opening for a Class A full time driver for petroleum/like products deliveries for nights and weekends. Previous experience required. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email:hrdept@eastriverenergy.com

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

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for EMT. Must possess a H.S. diploma or G.E.D., plus one (1) year of recent experience as an EMT. Must be 18 years old and be a Connecticut or National Registry Certified EMT with CPR Certification and a valid State of Connecticut motor vehicle operator’s license. Starting wage $779.00 (weekly), plus an excellent fringe benefits package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Forms will be mailed upon request from the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. Phone (203) 294-2080. The closing date will be the date of the 50th application or resume is received or April 14, 2023, whichever occurs first.

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

Construction Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410. Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

NEW HAVEN

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

Salary Range - $101,455 to $156,599 (expected starting pay maximum is mid-range)

Fully Benefited – 35 hours weekly Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Portland

Police Officer full-time

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

Listing: Commercial Driver

Full Time Class B driver for a fast paced petroleum company for days and weekends. Previous experience required. Competitive wage, 401(k) and benefits. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email HRDept@eastriverenergy.com

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

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Invitation for Bids

Bid Package #1 Scattered Sites East – CO and Smoke Detectors

Invitation for Bids

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center

Hotels/Temporary and Emergency Housing

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

APPLY NOW!

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for hotels/temporary and emergency housing. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ gateway beginning on

Monday, March 27, 2023 at 3:00PM.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for bid package #1 scattered sites east – CO and Smoke Detectors. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems. com/gateway beginning on

Monday, February 6, 2023 at 3:00PM.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

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

Invitation for Bids TEMPORARY STAFFING SERVICES

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking bids for temporary staffing services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

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

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

Monday, March 13, 2023 at 3:00PM.

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Fiscal/Administrative Officer. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230309&R2=1308AR&R3=001

Invitation for Bids Tenant and Employment Background Screening Services

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

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking bids for tenant and employment background screening services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, March 27, 2023 at 3:00PM.

‘Unapologetically Black’ Angel Reese Got Her Ring and the World Got Another Dose of Racism

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

LSU’s Angel Reese’s post-game gesture has sparked a conversation about double standards in basketball.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock in LSU’s dominating 102-85 victory over Iowa, Reese waved her hand in front of her face, stared at Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, and pointed towards her ring finger.

Reese made it clear; she was the one going home with the championship ring. For all the trash-talking and lack of sportsmanship on Clark’s part, Reese received the backlash.

Commentators including longtime sportscaster and former MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann, the response was telling.

Olbermann called Reese a “f-ing idiot,” while others called her a hood rat.

Shaquille O’Neil, the NBA hall of famer who played for LSU’s men’s basketball team in the 1990s, told Olbermann to shut up.

Reese, the Black superstar, was taking to task on social media for lacking grace in victory.

After the game, and to her credit, Reese remained unapologetic.

“All year, I was critiqued for who I was. I don’t fit the narrative,” Reese explained.

“I’m too ‘hood. I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year.”

As many have noted, there remains a di-

vide between white and African American women over opportunities and perception.

White players are considered tough and fundamentally sound, while Black players are seen as flashy brawlers, noted sports columnist William Rhoden observed. In this case, the focus was on double standards.

Black players are vilified for doing the same things white players are praised for

doing.

Caitlin Clark’s trash talk gestures had been lauded throughout the NCAA tournament, Rhoden continued.

Clark repeatedly made the “you can’t see me” gesture during Iowa’s win over Louisville in the Elite Eight. She was heralded as confident and brash. Clark followed up her “you can’t see me” gesture Friday against South Carolina freshman guard Raven Johnson.

Rhoden noted that Clark finally got her comeuppance when Reese lit her up for 15 points and 10 boards, eventually earning the women’s NCAA tournament’s most outstanding player.

Reese played brilliantly in an overall team effort that frustrated Clark, who was called at least twice for pushing off the ball and picked up four fouls. Clark claimed afterward that she didn’t see Reese’s gesture, and Iowa’s head coach Lisa Bluder gave a near muted response, saying “We’re all different people, and we all have different ways to show our emotion.”

In other words, it was fine when her player – a white athlete – gestured, but not-so-cool when the winning player – a Black champion – gave a little back.

“Ultimately, the conversation around Reese’s gesture is not just about trash talk; it’s about how Black players are perceived differently than white players,” Rhoden stated. “Reese’s gesture was an unapologetic response to the criticism she has faced all year.”

And, as white commentators like Olbermann continued their rhetoric and racebaiting, Black sportscasters like Rhoden, ESPN’S Stephen A. Smith, and FS1’s Shannon Sharpe, stepped up to back Reese.

“We see it two different ways… when Caitlin Clark did the John Cena it was considered ‘swag,’” Sharpe remarked. “Angela Reese does the same gestured it’s considered ‘classless.’ “It’s funny how

America – society sees black and white.” Sharpe wasn’t done.

“Angel Reese said ‘unapologetically me.’ She meant unapologetically Black. It’s … it’s so obvious what this is. This is not about anything other than race.”

He continued:

“One is a celebration and is celebrated. The other is condemned. And why? Only because a Black did the exact same gesture that a white female did 48 hours earlier.

“Trash talk is a part of the game. But white trash talk and black trash talk is viewed entirely different and we know why.”

On his First Take show, Smith also went in on the race issue.

“We all know that there’s a white-black issue here, because the fact of that matter is when Caitlin did it, people were celebrating it. And they were talking about nothing but her greatness,” Smith railed. “But, the second a sister stepped up and threw it back in her face, now you’ve got half the basketball world saying ‘Well, you know what, that’s not the classiest thing to do.”

Smith continued:

“Clark kind of instigated this and the fact that hasn’t been brought up tells us a lot about our society as a whole. You know exactly what the hell you’re doing as people when you want to bring up how Angel Reese acted, but you don’t want to bring up how Caitlin Clark acted. That’s the inconsistency. That’s the story.”

Aspiring billionaire on the rise: North West to launch own toy and skin care brands

Abu Mubarik Face2FaceAfrica.com

North West, the eldest child of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian is set to launch her own brands, following in the footsteps of her parents. According to Vogue and PageSix, North will soon start her own skincare and toy brands.

Kim has reportedly filed to obtain four trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on behalf of her 9-year-old daughter. The description of two of these trademarks is related to a skincare line and a toy line, Vogue Teen reported.

The products for the skincare line include moisturizers, skin serums, facial oils, bath gels, nail polish, shampoo, hair gel, and more, while the toy line will have toy products of all kinds.

The third brand is related to advertising, while the fourth is described as “entertainment in the nature of providing information by means of a global computer network in the fields of entertainment and pop culture.”

It is unclear when North will launch her brands, but she already has a trademark from 2019 for a future clothing

line.

In recent days, North has been gaining popularity on social media, particularly on TikTok, which she shares with her mother. She has posted videos with celebrities like Ice Spice and Mariah Carey, and some of her videos have over one million views.

In 2021, Face2face Africa profiled North West as one of the richest black kids in the United States with a massive net worth. As per the U.S. Sun, She has a net worth of $10 million, which makes her the seventh richest kid in U.S. history.

She had her first interview when she was just four. North, who is often portrayed as a style icon in the media, appeared on the cover of Interview magazine.

She was asked questions by the children of other famous people in a Question and Answer session. Asked about the meaning of her name, she answered: “The way Kim explained it to me was that North means the highest power and she says North is their highest point together.”

For all the trash-talking and lack of sportsmanship on Clark’s part, Reese received the backlash.

Kanye West and his daughter, North West. Photo credit: thenews.com.pk

curiosity Set your free

Edward A. Bouchet, was the valedictorian of the Hopkins class of 1870, the first African-American to graduate from Yale College, and the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in physics. His intellectual drive and dedication to his studies remain hallmarks of a Hopkins student today.

Hopkins is where high-achieving, motivated students inspire one another in a collective pursuit of excellence.

To learn more, please visit us at hopkins.edu

New Haven Public Schools

1)Proof of

2)Proof

3)Proof

4)Proof