THE INNER-CITY NEWS

Financial Justice a Key Focus at 2016 NAACP Convention

Racial Bias Uncovered in Kidney Transplantation System:

Malloy To Dems: Ignore “Tough On Crime”

Malloy To Dems: Ignore “Tough On Crime”

Speech Pathologist Promoted To Special Ed Supervisor Speech Pathologist Promoted To Special Ed Supervisor

Color Struck? Color Struck?

Snow in July? Snow in July?

Martinez School’s Rising Stars Recognized

by MAYA MCFADDEN

Making good choices, being polite, working hard, building community, and becoming student council leaders earned students and staff at John S. Martinez School recognition as “Rising Stars.”

Those Rising Star Awards were presented by Educators for Excellence CT Friday morning at the James Street school just before the start of the school’s last halfday before spring break.

In the past, Educators for Excellence has distributed the Rising Star Awards at the end of the school year. However, to give staff and students a mid-year push of validation and drive to continue their growth, the organization awarded nominees with gift cards and a letter of recognition in the spring.

About two-thirds of the 39 awards for New Haven school stars have been distributed. The Rising Star Award has been part of Educators for Excellence’s mission to uplift school communities since 2018 and grew out of conversations about staff and students not having enough opportunities to be uplifted throughout the year.

Educators for Excellence Deputy Director of Campaigns Ernest Bailey-Tomecek and organizer Rachel Kwon joined Friday’s celebration with staff, students, and families to distribute the awards.

The student awardees included Giselle Rosa, Destiny Hernandez, Harmonie Santaella, Emanuel Jimenez Flores, and Miguelianis Mariera. Teacher awardees included Heather Alvarez, Paula Dwyer, Tyler Ruoff, and Julia Pisani.

Kindergartener Harmonie Santaella said Friday she was excited about getting the award, which recognized her work this year to be a good friend and a great helper at dismissal time.

Dwyer is a kindergarten and first-grade bilingual teacher; Pisani is a thirdthrough fifth-grade math teacher; and Ruoff is a physical education teacher. They said Friday they were surprised to be recognized during the morning celebration.

“My strength comes from the kids themselves,” Dwyer, who has taught at Martinez for five years, said. “They push me to be better.”

Pisani, who has taught for three years at Martinez and four years total, added that the award motivated her to continue fostering a place in her class where students feel appreciated and want to learn.

Ruoff, who has taught at Martinez for two years and three years total, agreed, adding that the award gave him the boost needed to keep up his positive energy for the students nearing the end of the school year. He said he plans to continue to give his students the opportunity to feel safe

and build on themselves in his classes.

“Teaching can be a hectic job, so it’s nice to be recognized,” Dwyer concluded.

Seventh grader Destiny Hernandez was joined by her father Jose Hernandez during Friday’s celebration. She said while she was surprised to be nominated, she feels her hard work over the years is the reason why.

Destiny is a member of the student council and has learned to be less shy by talking to and supporting her peers around the school. Her goal for the remainder of her seventh grade and then eighth grade year is to improve her school by helping decrease its number of fights.

Her parting advice to others Friday was to always “be yourself” and “don’t let people let you down.”

While welcoming students into school Friday morning after the award ceremony, Principal Luis Menacho and Assistant Principal Lauren Sepulveda shared that they are proud of the students’ and staff’s daily work.

The awardees were each excellent representations of what the school believes in, Sepulveda said.

Menacho described the award ceremony as a great way to start a Friday and the awardees as “heroes.”

Speech Pathologist Promoted To Special Ed Supervisor

by MAYA MCFADDEN

When she was still a student at Southern Connecticut State University, speechlanguage pathologist Sondi Jackson was mentored by New Haven Public Schools Speech and Special Education Supervisor Glynis King-Harrell.

More than three decades later, Jackson is now about to take up the baton from her former mentor and longtime publicschool district colleague but stepping into her role upon the latter’s retirement.

On Monday, the Board of Education unanimously approved the promotion of Jackson to fill that administrative role after the retirement of King-Harrell at the end of this school year. King-Harrell worked for NHPS for 32 years.

For the past 31 years, Jackson, a Newhallville native, has worked as a speech and hearing “itinerant” for NHPS. She’s worked at schools like Ross Woodward, Troup, Clinton Avenue, and Riverside before spending her most recent 25 years at Wexler Grant School.

She will step into her new administrative position on July 1 and start at a salary of $156,956.

“Sondi Jackson has been actively in-

volved in her school communities. Her involvement in community has benefited schools through tutoring and mentoring activities,” Superintendent Madeline Negrón said at Monday’s hybrid school board meeting on Zoom and in-person at Ross Woodward School.

in isolation,” Jackson said on Monday. King-Herrell joined Monday’s meeting in-person as well to congratulate Jackson. Her departing tips to Jackson included: stay child centered; focus on the goal; help and support the superintendent’s vision; be mindful of stakeholders; and support your staff

The supervisor role requires the overseeing of disability services like speech language pathologists, vision teachers and tutors, and hearing paraprofessionals and teachers of the deaf, as well as making school staffing assignments and hires for special education supports within NHPS, and being a special education supervisor for buildings.

“I know she’s ready to step into it,” King-Herrell concluded.

Negrón added that Jackson has also spent years supervising many speech and language interns and mentoring new employees.

Southern Connecticut State University.

Jackson and King-Herrell first met those three decades ago with the help of another one of Jackson’s mentors, the late Sandra Cavanaugh Holley-Carter, who formerly served as dean of graduate studies at

Holley-Carter recognized the small population of Black speech language pathologists and intentionally paired Jackson with King-Herrell, who has helped many Black professionals get into her profession.

“No level of achievement is ever reached

Jackson said she looks forward to learning about the work that comes with being a supervisor. She also hopes to hire more bilingual speech language pathologists and to be “of the community and in the community.”

“I have been preparing and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Jackson said. The two hugged while recalling the

Continue on page 15

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTO

Future pilot and current kindergartener Harmonie Santaella with sister Dhaniellie and mom Dagmar.

The new haven independent

The new haven independent

Historic Heritage among Blooming Blossoms

Kapp Singer, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

A flurry of white and pink floated over Wooster Square. Some triangular petals, jostled free by the wind, dotted the grass beneath. On any other day, the blossoms’ faint, sweet almond scent would fill the air, but pizza, kielbasa, tacos, and donuts proved too strong.

Sunday was the first time in several years that the park’s Yoshino cherry trees reached peak bloom just in time for the annual Wooster Square Cherry Blossom Festival. Now in its 51st year, the festival drew thousands to celebrate the neighborhood’s Italian heritage, enjoy food and music, and welcome in the spring.

“They absolutely look beautiful this year,” said Bill Iovanne, a member of the Historic Wooster Square Association’s Cherry Blossom Festival Committee, in his opening remarks.

In 1973, the New Haven Historic Commission, in partnership with the New Haven Parks Department, planted 72 cherry trees around the park and along Hughes Place. Last fall, the Parks Department and the Yale Urban Resources Initiative pruned all the trees and removed those that were dying (the trees have a lifespan of roughly 40 years). They also planted five young Yoshinos in the place of those which were removed, each marked with a pink ribbon.

“It’s like I live in a storybook,” said Ally Hammer, who lives on St John Street and was stunned by the crowds admiring the blossoms.

“As soon as we left our apartment building we saw masses of people,” said Byany Vazquez, who also lives nearby and recently moved to New Haven from Long Island. “This is nice—definitely more of

a community feel than where we came from.”

“It’s a beautiful spring day,” said Rebecca Kohan, who drove from Southington to attend the festival. “I definitely get seasonal depression and don’t like to leave my house, so when it starts to be nice outside, I’m like ‘I’m going, I don’t care if the parking’s rough.”

The festival also gave artist Marc-Anthony Massaro the opportunity to show off a model of his design for the statue which will soon be installed in place of the Christopher Columbus monument that the city removed from the park in June 2020. Entitled Indicando la via al futuro (Pointing the Way to the Future),

the piece features a family of four Italian immigrants. A young boy, held by his father, outstretches his right arm, pointing upwards. His older sister stands next to him, wearing a headscarf and holding a book. Behind them is their mother, gazing upwards with left hand on the shoulder of her daughter and her right on the arm of her husband.

“She’s the glue holding her whole family together,” Massaro said.

Massaro based the sculpture on his own family, who arrived in New Haven from Amalfi in 1910. “I like to think that’s a microcosm of everybody’s family who

came here, no matter where they came from,” the artist said. “That’s what I wanted it to represent—that initial courage taken by people to come to this country and start a new life.”

After his proposal was chosen through an extensive selection process by the Wooster Square Monument Committee, Massaro spent 14 months creating the full-size clay sculpture. In October 2023, he sent the sculpture to Skylight Studios, a foundry in Woburn, Mass., where a mold was created and shipped to the foundry’s pouring facility in Utah. Just recently, Skylight Studios filled the mold with one and a half tons of molten bronze and applied the final patina.

“It looks absolutely magnificent,” said Massaro, who has seen photographs of the finished monument. Soon, Indicando will be installed atop a six ton stone base in the park, right in front of the empty Columbus pedestal (which will remain).

“There are always going to be people that have difficulty accepting change,” Massaro said. “We can’t just leave it bare—something has to be done. This is a positive reaction. We came up with something that was more harmonious with everybody’s culture, everybody’s background.”

Also on display at the Wooster Square Italian Immigrant Historical Society’s table was an original copy of Antonio Canelli’s 1921 book La Colonia Italiana di New Haven. The book begins with the story of the New Haven colony, which Canelli translated into Italian, and then goes on to catalog the impact Italian immigrants were making on New Haven at the time. In the front and back, the book also features ads for dozens of Italian businesses, some of which are still around today.

“We think it’s a very important piece of historical documentation for the neighborhood,” said Frank Carrano, a founding member of the Historical Society. Carrano worked to get copies of the book reprinted—serendipitously, by West Haven’s Cannelli Printing, which is run by the author’s grandson—which were on sale on Sunday. Carrano’s son is currently working on an English translation of the book, which will be available soon.

“We’re trying to preserve and promote the immigrant history of Wooster Square,” Carrano said. “It’s the history of Italian immigration, but it’s really the history of every immigrant story.”

State Reaches Donor Record But More Than 1,000 Await Transplants

by Brian Scott-Smith

NEW LONDON, CT – Organ donations from deceased state residents reached a new high in 2023, but more than 1,000 people continue to await life-saving transplants in Connecticut, experts say.

Last year, 130 individuals who died donated organs, eyes, or tissue, up from 116 in 2022, according to the latest figures from the Donate Life organization. The number has been steadily climbing for the past 5 years.

April is “National Donate Life Month” celebrating those living and deceased who made the decision to donate. There are about 100,000 people across the country who are on the national transplant waiting list.

At Yale New Haven Health’s Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, hospital employees recently raised a Donate Life flag and held a moment of silence to

honor and remember all those who have helped others to live through organ donation.

In 2023, Yale New Haven Hospital undertook 186 organ transplants with 155 of those involving a liver or a kidney, and 46 coming from living donors.

Nationally in 2023, more than 46,000 transplants were performed and more than 6,900 of those came from a living organ donor, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Sean Fitzpatrick, chief public affairs officer for New England Donor Services, said his organization has been able to increase donations and transplants by expanding the pool of potential donors.

“Whereas in previous years, organs from older and more medically complex deceased donors may not be accepted by transplant centers, NEDS’ new techniques for medical management of the deceased donors and the use of profusion devices

for the preservation and improvement of organs after surgical removal from the donor means more donors can be considered for donation and more organs successfully transplanted,” he said.

Fitzpatrick said 1,061 individuals are on the donor waiting list waiting for a transplant at the state’s two transplant centers – Yale New Haven Hospital and Hartford Hospital.

All hospitals in Connecticut can collect organs, eyes, and tissue, he said.

“As many as 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant,” he said. “Becoming an organ donor is easy and a single organ, eye, and tissue donor can help save or heal more than 75 lives.”

Individuals can register to become a donor at the Donate Life website or by checking “yes” to organ donation on the driver’s license renewal form or when first getting a license.

Children watercolor at the Creative Arts Workshop table.

Key Lawmaker Pledges To Fight Potential Lamont Plan On Managed Care For Medicaid Patients

by John Ferraro

A key state lawmaker said Thursday she opposes the idea of reverting back to a controversial managed care plan for nearly one million Medicaid recipients, setting up a potential showdown between Gov. Ned Lamont and a legislature controlled by his party.

State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, said a move back to so-called “capitated” managed care would limit quality healthcare for the state’s most vulnerable residents.

“It’s not a direction we want to go,” said Gilchrest, who also co-chairs the state’s Council on Medical Assistance Program Oversights, which advises the state on issues related to its Medicaid HUSKY plan.

Then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy moved the state’s HUSKY and Charter Oak health plans out of so-called “capitated” managed care in 2011 after a variety of concerns, including costs, access to care and control over the programs. It’s a system used by many states to manage healthcare for Medicaid beneficiaries through private managed-care companies.

Previously, the state paid the companies to set fees for each beneficiary. Malloy moved Connecticut into a self-insured system in which the state pays medical claims.

CTNewsJunkie reported Wednesday that Lamont is considering moving the state back to capitated managed care.

Lamont spokesperson David Bednarz said the administration owes it to patients and taxpayers to consider changes to the Medicaid program. He said Lamont would seek input from lawmakers and stakeholders before any changes were made. “In order to continue providing expansive services, it is our obligation to members, providers, and other taxpayers to periodically review the Medicaid program to identify potential efficiencies,” Bednarz said. “We are in the very early stages of conversations about what that review looks like, and in keeping with the governor’s general approach to governing, will seek out the involvement of legislators and stakeholders as we work through this.”

Capitated managed care provides private health insurers an up-front flat fee. The state contracted with companies before 2012 to manage care for hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries. It now has nearly one million residents in the multi-billiondollar HUSKY program.

Among the criticisms was that the old system gave managed-care companies an incentive to deny care since they could keep money not spent on patients’ medical needs. Advocates also said there were concerns over a lack of accountability since private insurers and other companies controlled the program, as opposed to the state.

Gilchrest said an example of how a lack of state control has harmed patients is the program that provides non-emergency medical transportation to Medicaid pa-

tients. Run by a private company, she said there are on-going problems with patients not being picked up and payments not being made.

“We don’t want the entire (Medicaid) program run this way,” she said.

The current fee-for-service system has reduced denials for service and increased accountability while reducing complexities, patient advocates say. It is administered through the state Department of Social Services.

The question of whether Lamont can unilaterally revert to the previous system could be a matter of debate. Gilchrest said she believes the General Assembly has more than an advisory role in making the decision and that it can pass legislation blocking a change.

Additionally, the oversight council will discuss the issue at its next meeting, she said.

The state is currently undertaking a twoyear study of Medicaid rates and needs to find a way to increase its investment in Medicaid, not cut it, Gilchrest said. Susan Halpin, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Health Plans, said her industry is open to the direction Lamont appears to be considering if there is adequate funding and the complexities of the previous plan were addressed.

Bednarz noted that Lamont “strongly supports the important role that Medicaid plays in providing affordable, quality healthcare to nearly a million people in Connecticut.”

He provided a litany of examples of what he described as initiatives that over the past several years have increased access and improved quality of healthcare, including expanded healthcare for undocumented children and postpartum women and the use of administrative service organizations to focus on care management for high-needs populations.

The administration, Bednarz said, has “maintained higher primary care rates, increased investments in substance use disorder services to address the opioid epidemic, expanded the number of pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds, including a specialized unit for children with autism to address critical needs and expanded the breadth and depth of behavioral health services for children.”

“In addition, efforts are under way to improve transition services for justiceinvolved individuals, establish a maternity bundle that will include coverage of doulas and lactation consultants, and review of utilization management changes with respect to pharmacy,” Bednarz said.

Lamont’s interest in capitated managed care stems from his experience using the system when he owned a company that provided cable television service to colleges, patient advocates contend. They argue that his employees, for the most part, did not face the medical and financial challenges that Medicaid beneficiaries face.

The new haven independent

Black & Latino History Powers Annual Address

by LAURA GLESBY

Surrounded by the somber portraits of white politicians and businessmen honored in the aldermanic chamber, Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez sketched a future of New Haven rooted in Black and Latino history.

That theme echoed throughout the Black and Hispanic aldermanic caucus’ annual State of the City address.

Rodriguez, the vice chair of the caucus, delivered the speech before her colleagues on the full Board of Alders Monday night on the second floor of City Hall. Though her address identified future-facing priorities (such as boosting education and expanding community policing) as states of the city typically do, Rodriguez’ remarks took a unique focus on how

Black and Latino history has shaped the New Haven of the present.

She pointed to Yale’s newly-published research on the university’s enslavement of African Americans, as well as its successful efforts to thwart the establishment of a Black college in New Haven.

“Yale faculty stopped the creation of the first Black college in the country from being made in our community,” she said. “Just take a moment to reflect on how great having the first Black college would have been for the city of New Haven! This should push us to educate and better our children even more, to fight against this history and any challenges in the present like it.”

Rodriguez also called for alders to draw power from “the rich history of our cultures and deep roots that have added

Mentors Link With Next Generation

by MAYA MCFADDEN

The inaugural cohort of the New Haven Links’ “Tea Time with Teens” celebrated its first five middle school graduates.

The ceremony took place Saturday at Highville Charter School, where the New Haven students were celebrated for their dedication to the program for the past six weeks.

Family members and supporters also gathered for that final session of Tea Time with Teens with the New Haven Chapter of The Links Incorporated.

The New Haven Links chapter was established 52 years ago. The six-week program originated from past church traditions of hosting tea after a service. The program goal is to empower, uplift, and encourage girls aged 12 – 14. The students attended sessions Saturday mornings.

The group included seventh- and eighthgraders Taraji Wharton-Robinson, Akayla Wilson, Tiana Young, Janae Callens, and Juliana Holmes. The grads attend Highville Charter School and Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet.

Around noon at Saturday’s event students made jewelry and vision boards alongside Links members. This was followed by a celebratory lunch with their families.

The students recalled sessions teaching them about human trafficking, budgeting, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), communication, and healthy relationships.

The new haven independent through mentorship from professional women like Links chapter President and former Mayor Toni Harp and other professional women. Callens added that the Links program showed her that there are “people that look like me that are capable of helping the community.”

“It’s really sad today’s the last day, because every Saturday for the past six weeks has been a way out the house,” Wilson said.

Wharton-Robinson added that she enjoyed learning “how to move up in life”

Links chapter President Toni Harp helps 12-year-old Tiana Young make a bracelet.

“They understand us because they look like us and know what we go through,” Wharton-Robinson said.

“As professional women, we have given you our hard-earned time, because we value you,” Harp said during Saturday’s ceremony.

Holmes said the session about human trafficking taught her that “anywhere you are, watch your surroundings.”

The human trafficking session was cotaught by Links members state Department of Children and Families (DCF)

Commissioner Jodi Hill Lilley and pediatrician Tamiko Jackson-McArthur.

From the healthy relationships session, Callens said, she learned that “there is always going to be someone that will care for you.”

Links member Sheila Carmon described the graduates as the “faithful five.”

Callens and Young earned additional awards individually for arriving early and for each session throughout the program and winning a heathy relationships bingo night.

Carmon concluded Saturday’s program by announcing the Links Tea for Teens will host another cohort in the fall and will invite the inaugural class back to cofacilitate a fall session.

Laurel Callens, mother of eighth-grader Janae, thanked the Links members after Saturday’s ceremony and Highville Charter School members for hosting the program. Callens, secretary of Highville Charters Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) said she is happy her daughter could learn more about finances and dining etiquette.

“Now Janae tells me every single time I put the forks on the wrong side,” she said.

Saturday's jewelry making session.

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez on Monday.

The new haven independent

Free Food Flows For Spring Break

by MAYA MCFADDEN

Sixth- and seventh-graders Javon Culbreath and Brandon Haynes headed to The Shack to kick off their spring break playing basketball in the sun and wound up grabbing some free groceries to take home, too.

That was the scene at one of the four New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) / United Way food distribution spots around the city Tuesday afternoon for public school families to stay fed during spring break this week.

Middle schoolers Javon and Brandon joined dozens of other West Rockers in picking up hefty bags of fresh foods to take home for their families at the 333 Valley St. community center. They were filled to the brim with fresh produce like bananas and broccoli, and bread and milk.

Each of the food sites distributed 300 grocery bags, which in addition to The Shack included John Martinez School, Truman School, and Lincoln-Bassett.

As United Way volunteers joined Shack staff around 3 p.m. to set up outside of the Valley Street building’s parking lot, West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith brought out an additional table to fill with extra infant diapers and clothing for neighbors to also stock up on Tuesday.

Brandon and Javon were on their way to play some basketball at the new hoop behind The Shack but stopped to check out the food distribution first.

Javon said his mom has been telling him about her back pain. He attends her chiropractor appointments with her, which are expensive, he said. “My mom really needed this.”

Brandon helped carry an additional bag to Javon’s house six blocks away, then the two walked back to the Shack to finally play some basketball.

Javon and Brandon weren’t the only ones to stop by for groceries on Tuesday a total of 1,200 bags of food were packed and distributed between the four sites Tuesday.

First in line were Natasha, her three kids, and her mom. The family just moved to New Haven from Puerto Rico this month.

In addition to loading a wagon up with two grocery bags, the family also left with clothes and baby diapers for a family expecting to have a baby girl soon. “You never know who has food and who doesn’t,” Natasha said.

A mother of four, Whitney Edwards saw the distribution set up while driving down Valley Street and stopped.

“It’s like a great surprise and unexpected when families need it most,”

she said.

Edwards, a school bus driver, was not assigned to work during the spring break. As a result, she said, Tuesday’s groceries will help offset this week’s grocery trip that would have been hard because of her not working.

One parent who wished to remain anonymous said he had two children in daycare and struggled to pay for the rising cost of food and childcare, which cost him $3,100 month.

In between helping load groceries into cars and carts, United Way Community Impact Manager for Food Security Mike Degen said that United Way is working to make the NHPS food gap distributions more sustainable in the future.

In December, United Way only had enough resources to distribute 600 bags between the four sites because it received less food donations from the Connecticut Foodshare.

“This is not a sustainable solution for us,” Degen said. The group aims to increase its food bags to address the large need for NHPS families.

The food meal gap partnership with United Way and NHPS began in 2021 and occurs when school is not in session during Christmas break and spring break.

Fifth grader Mason Rowland walked two bags of groceries home to his family with the help of his cousin.

“I’m giving it to my mom so she wont have to use her money,” he said.

Mason added that Tuesday’s giveaway was necessary because “some people don’t have money to pay for this stuff.”

Southern Connecticut State University freshman Natanael Eelton (pictured) skateboarded about five blocks to pick up groceries for himself, now that he lives on campus.

He said the support getting healthy foods while in college has allowed him the time to focus on other important things like mental health.

In the past he’s helped to distribute food at The Shack and said the distributions are important because they put food on the table, but more importantly, “most of the time we just need our community together.”

Neighborhood leaders like Cheyenne Boone and her friends picked up a trunk-full of dozens of bags to give out at Westville Manor.

Minutes later, Westville Manor resident Elizabeth Yarbrough swung by after calling up her friend Gail Chapman to help her pick up 50 bags of groceries to bring to Rockview Circle.

Each car left with a trunk-and-back seatfull of groceries to keep the neighborhood fed for the next few days.

BOMUS students get groceries at The Shack with mom Natasha during spring break.

Elizabeth Yarborough and Gail Chapman.

The new haven independent

Alders Press NHPS On School Closures

by MAYA MCFADDEN

Should New Haven wait until 2025 to begin closing some of its 41 schools? Or should it speed up that consolidation process and start this year?

Local legislators on the Board of Alders Finance Committee raised those questions during a New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) budget workshop.

Thursday night’s five-hour meeting on the second floor of City Hall marked the latest step in the committee’s review of Mayor Justin Elicker’s proposed $680 million general fund budget for Fiscal Year 2024 – 25 (FY25), which begins on July 1.

NHPS Supt. Madeline Negrón and her team presented the final budget request of the evening. The district is looking to receive a $17 million bump in what NHPS leaders have described as a “keep the lights on” budget request. That number is $12 million higher than what Mayor Elicker has proposed for the district. On Thursday night, alders raised concerns about the district’s budget request and pressed NHPS leaders to consider school consolidation sooner rather than later. School parents raised similar concerns about closing schools during part of this past Tuesday’s NHPS budget community forum.

Westville/Amity Alder and Board of

Alders Richard Furlow raised the prospect of fewer schools when he said at Thursday’s meeting, “With the decline in student attendance, with the vacancy in staff and students, with the deterioration of buildings, this is hard to say, but it seems that we’re already at the point where schools need to close.”

He said he understands community

concerns regarding school pride for buildings, but described the NHPS budget request as a difficult ask. “I just don’t see how this can be sustainable.”

“Every year we start already in the negative because every year we bring forth a proposed budget that has never been able to be granted,” Negrón replied. Furlow asked Negrón, “What would

you say to having to expedite closing schools?”

“We are going to have to get there,” Negrón conceded. But, she said, “that would be so disruptive right now.” She asked for at least one year to arrange and organize such a process with intention. “We have been pushing to make sure that we get our kids reengaged in coming to schools, that we’re doing better as it relates to getting our kids to read,” she said.

“So finally starting to build a foundation that’s gonna get us there.”

If NHPS were to close schools this year, the superintendent said, “I just don’t know how then we’re going to have any outcomes that we can speak about.”

She continued, “I urge you as a board to really give us that time that we need to be able to do that right and begin to talk about consolidation, work with our communities.”

East Rock Alder Anna Festa asked Negrón how many empty seats NHPS currently has in classrooms across the district.

Negrón did not give an exact number but responded that there are empty seats throughout the schools, while some, like Fair Haven School and Wilbur Cross, are currently at capacity because of recent large influxes of students. Negrón added that the current “right sizing” process that she is leading is moving students and staff

to balance out the districts empty seats. Negrón said that so far the district has found 36 opportunities to right-size classrooms.

West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith agreed with the consideration of closing some schools, and raised concerns that the right-sizing process will burn out teachers with larger classes. Smith asked if paraprofessionals could be put in those classrooms that increase in size. Negrón said the new budget does not include new para positions but does include hiring more social workers and school counselors to support students and staff struggles. “It puts a strain on students that really want to learn,” Smith said.

Negrón concluded that she recognizes and agrees consolidation is a must because “there’s no way we are going to sustain 41 of our buildings when we already know many of them are at the end of their life.”

But, she said, she wants to do that strategically with community input and start with a phase one of spending a year right sizing, maximizing resources and dollars, and showing the outcomes that could come out of the 24 – 25 budget request.

“That’s what I see in the future. The future meaning as early as 25 – 26. All I’m asking is I need [in] this 24 – 25 as much support as I can get.”

Budget Eyes New Traffic-Camera Workers

by LAURA GLESBY

As alders consider whether to legalize red light and speeding cameras in New Haven, Mayor Justin Elicker has proposed adding four new city employees to install and manage 20 such cameras in the next fiscal year.

Sandeep Aysola, the city’s director of Traffic, Transportation, and Parking, presented before the Board of Alders Finance Committee on Thursday evening to advocate for the approval of those four positions, along with three other new positions associated with the department’s existing traffic enforcement duties. Those new positions are all included in the mayor’s proposed $680 million Fiscal Year 2024 – 25 (FY25) budget which, if approved by the Board of Alders, would take effect July 1.

The state legislature passed a “Vision Zero” law in 2023 to grant municipalities the ability to implement red light and speeding cameras, with sensor-activated cameras installed at specific intersections in order to document violations (and prompt $50-$75 tickets).

The law was hailed by advocates as a critical step to disincentivize reckless

driving, reduce car crashes, and prevent avoidable deaths, while critiqued by opponents including the CT NAACP for having the potential to disproportionately target Black and Brown drivers.

Now that the state’s enabling legislation has passed, the mayor’s office is advocating for an ordinance that would permit the city of New Haven to install those cameras.

A separate joint Legislation and Public Safety committee of alders will hold a public hearing on Tuesday night as they weigh whether or not to legalize traffic enforcement cameras on a local level.

In the meantime, the mayor’s budget proposal anticipates that this local legislation will pass.

Aysola’s department has proposed hiring four new employees for the implementation of traffic enforcement cameras across the city, including:

• A Traffic Safety Engineer, who will serve as the camera program’s “project manager.” This entails supervising the day-to-day operations and managing the revenue generated by tickets, which per state law must be used to fund transportation and traffic safety upgrades. (Proposed salary: $83,782)

• A Systems Technician, who will be in charge of “all the technical stuff,” as Aysola put it, including interactions with vendors. (Proposed salary: $80,125)

• An Enforcement Officer, who will review the violations detected by the cameras and decide whether to issue a ticket.

(Proposed salary: $64,872)

• A Program Coordinator, who will ensure that the program is in compliance with state law, including the equity require-

ments. (Proposed salary: $48,495)

The state law specifically requires cities to employ a systems technician and designate an enforcement officer when implementing traffic cameras.

The other two positions, Aysola said, are not explicitly required by the state but would be necessary, he argued, in order to actually carry out the state’s extensive reporting and community input requirements.

Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison asked whether the department expects to be able to fill these positions handily. Aysola replied that he does. He conceded that some of these jobs require specialized knowledge or skills, but said, “There’s a lot of people looking for jobs, too.”

The city anticipates generating $700,000 in ticket revenue from the cameras if they are approved.

On top of the “Vision Zero” positions, Aysola’s department would add one fulltime and one part-time parking enforcement officer, as well as a Manager of Systems and Operations position, under Elicker’s proposed budget.

According to city-authored documents submitted to the Board of Alders, between 2020 and 2022, New Haven saw 717 car crashes involving speeding 204 of which caused an injury or fatality and 4,590 car crashes involving a red light violation.

Last year, alders denied the mayor’s request to add an Active Transportation Planner position (in charge of implementing pedestrian, bus, and bicycle-friendly infrastructure) and a parking enforcement officer to the department.

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO

NHPS Supt. Madeline Negrón (second from right) with top school officials at Thursday's budget workshop.

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO City transit director Sandeep Aysola.

The new haven independent

The new haven independent

Questions about your bill?

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

By appointment, patients can speak one-on-one with a financial counselor during regular business hours. For your convenience, extended hours are available in-person at Yale New Haven Hospital once a month.

Date: Monday, April 15, 2024

Time: 5 - 7 pm

Location: Children’s Hospital, 1 Park St., 1st Floor, Admitting

Parking available (handicapped accessible)

An appointment is necessary. Please call 855-547-4584

In light of COVID-19, patients may call 855-547-4584 any time during regular weekday hours to speak with a counselor on the phone.

Spanish-speaking counselors available.

Judge OKs Migrant Workers’ Eviction

by LAURA GLESBY

A judge has ruled that Edgar Becerra and Josue Mauricio Arana must find a new place to live, ending an eviction case that sparked protests over alleged exploitation of migrant workers.

Becerra and Arana have been living in the house at 200 Peck St. since last summer. The house is co-owned by Mark DeFrancesco, who is also the president of MDF Painting and Power Washing, the company that once employed Becerra and Arana and sponsored the work visas enabling them to temporarily come to the United States. DeFrancesco has been trying to evict the pair after they were injured on the job and couldn’t work.

DeFrancesco’s first eviction attempt failed.

On Tuesday, the pair confronted their former employer in housing court once again, after DeFrancesco filed a second eviction suit.

This time, Judge Walter Spader decided to allow DeFrancesco to kick the tenants out after April 30, a sooner date than even the landlord’s attorney had suggested.

Becerra’s lawyer, New Haven Legal Assistance attorney Tyrese Ford, said they are weighing whether to appeal the decision.

“I just need to sit down and think,” Becerra said after the hearing, through an interpreter. He said he does not know where he will live after the end of the month. “I have to accept it. At this moment I put everything in the hands of God.”

Meanwhile, MDF is entering another season of hiring temporary migrant workers as “painting helpers.” The company submitted a job order to the Department of Labor for 24 employees slated to work from April 1 to November 30. “There are new workers waiting to take occupancy” of the house, said Joshua Brown, DeFrancesco’s attorney.

A Second Try Prompts Courthouse Protest

Arana and Becerra were two of nearly 20 Guatemalan migrants working at the Branford-based painting company and living in the affiliated three-family, eightbedroom home at 200 Peck St. last summer. (The exact number of tenants was contested.) Becerra said he sustained severe injuries on the job at MDF, which he alleged did not provide adequate training or safety equipment to workers. He said that MDF fired him after he got injured. DeFrancesco and his colleagues contested this narrative.

Both Becerra and Arana have received temporary visa extensions as they fight for workers’ compensation from MDF, which the company is contesting.

Arana and Becerra claimed that the

eviction cases against them are an act of retaliation and an effort to thwart their challenges to the company’s labor practices by destabilizing their living situation.

In court, DeFrancesco and Brown vehemently denied these accusations. They declined to comment to a reporter.

In the first eviction case, heard in January, DeFrancesco cited “nonpayment of rent” as a reason for kicking out the tenants. But Judge Spader decided in February that the “proper” cause for the eviction would have been “right or privilege terminated,” since he concluded that “the court cannot find that the plaintiffs have set forth in a credible manner what the essential terms of the oral week-to-week agreement between the parties was.”

On Feb. 17, Becerra and Arana received a second eviction notice citing the very cause, “right or privilege terminated,” that the judge had pointed to.

They appeared in court on Tuesday morning. Immigrant labor rights activists with Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) waited in the back of the courtroom, having protested outside in support of Arana and Becerra prior to the hearing.

Was The Eviction Retaliation?

One central question debated in the courtroom was whether the eviction case was an act of retaliation against Becerra and Arana, who in October called the police to regain access to the apartment after allegedly being locked out.

Becerra and Arana testified that they had tried to enter the Peck Street house one day in mid-October and found that the locks had been changed.

“I tried to contact the other people in the building to let us in,” said Becerra

through an interpreter. “They had orders not to give us the codes.”

Brown interjected. “I will object that this is hearsay.”

“I will give it its due weight,” replied the judge.

They said they slept outside for two nights. On Oct. 17, they called the police to report a lockout, and an officer arrived to ensure they could re-enter the apartment.

Vice President] ask you to change the lock?” asked Brown.

“No, the workers did,” Armijos responded. He said that he had indeed given the code to Becerra and Arana at the time that the locks were changed.

After the trial, Ford reflected on Armijos’ testimony: “Now, that doesn’t make sense. Why would someone willingly choose to sleep outside for two days?”

Moreover, he argued, the call to the police itself could have prompted the retaliation, regardless of whether the tenants had been locked out.

Ford pointed to Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 47a-20, a statute that prevents “no fault” evictions, including a “right or privilege terminated” eviction, within six months of a tenant’s “good faith” action “contacting officials of the state or of any town, city or borough or public agency” about a housing-related legal violation.

The statute “creates a presumption that the eviction is retaliatory if it is initiated within six months of a protected action,” Ford argued in his special defense. Ultimately, the judge decided that the eviction did not amount to retaliation.

“Police didn’t purse a criminal proceeding for criminal lockout,” he said. “I don’t find that the plaintiff is acting retaliatory in this manner.”

“What’s really happening here, at its core, is that there is no longer a lease agreement,” Spader added.

After the hearing, Ford said his clients are considering an appeal. “We don’t have to prove a retaliatory intent by the landlord” under the statute, he said; the statute outright prevents an eviction within six months after certain kinds of “protected actions,” and “calling the police to report an illegal lockout is enough under the statute.”

Brown asked Spader to require the tenants to move out after May 12, shortly after Becerra’s planned workers’ compensation hearing on May 8.

Ford argued that MDF has been repeatedly postponing the workers’ compensation hearing for the last several months.

“I can’t speak to why the hearings were pushed back time and time again,” he said. “I have no confidence that the hearing on May 8 will remain on May 8.”

Property manager Johnny Armijos, meanwhile, testified that there were actually two other unlocked entrances (including bilco doors to the basement) that the tenants could have used to access the building.

After the trial, Becerra said that Armijos was lying. The existence of two other entrances to the building was never raised in discussions of the alleged lockout during the previous eviction trial. “Did Mr. DeFrancesco and Ms. Hollingsworth [DeFrancesco’s sister and MDF’s

He requested a six-month stay to ensure that Becerra and Arana have a place to live while their workers’ compensation claims ensue. “I firmly believe that Mr. Becerra and Josue have the right to be heard and to be adjudicated,” he said.

Brown responded, “There are a plethora of other places where the defendants can stay. That does not affect whether they can stay in this country or not.”

The judge sided with Brown and allotted even less time than Brown had requested for the tenants to move out, issuing a final stay until April 30.

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO

Edgar Becerra protests his former employer, MDF Painting and Power Washing, before the eviction proceedings.

Edgar Becerra and Josue Mauricio Arana in court.

The new haven independent

Violence Stopper Dies At 58

by ALLAN APPEL and THOMAS BREEN

Raymond Wallace led by example, showing young New Haveners that they too could turn away from violence and towards a life of self-respect and love for their community.

He organized book giveaways and street cleanups and basketball tournaments, ran for alder, and mentored countless youth along the way through his nonprofit Guns Down, Books Up.

Last Friday, Wallace died at the age of 58.

Wallace had been living at the time with one of his sons in North Haven. His mother and sisters said that he was in good health, and that the cause of death is still being determined.

On Tuesday afternoon, family and friends celebrated Wallace’s life during a small gathering at his mom Margaret Brooks’ home in the Quinnipiac Meadows neighborhood.

State Rep. Robyn Porter and incarceration reform advocate Barbara Fair joined family members in remembering a man who was, in sister-in-law Nina Wallace’s phrase, a “beam of light” everywhere he went in the city.

And he went everywhere, organizing basketball games, taking city kids on excursions, mentoring, tutoring, providing bow ties to the kids in his groups to promote self-respect and responsibility.

And he worked with other groups of New Haveners as well, providing lawn cutting for elderly folks (usually at no fee) and much looked-forward-to holiday meals at the Bella Vista senior complex. His long-time friend Darryl Pervis called him a “magnet in our community, a force for collaboration. And everything

he did, he did on the basis of love.”

Having spent two years in jail (where he earned his G.E.D.), he realized, said his supportive family, that he had precisely that anchoring love that fellow inmates often did not. “He’d share the food, candies, books,” that we provided, recalled his mom.

That realization how he possessed this basic grounding and support system that others in the community were in need of is what launched a kind of one-man philanthropic, behind-thescenes campaign to do good in town, giving often out of his own pocket, and with a sense of urgency and drive, and with little concern for getting any kind of credit.

“He took the pain in his life and turned it into power,” said Porter. “We learn through following role models, but Ray wasn’t in a role. He was the real thing,” she added.

“You know how people have a turnaround story in life? He was true,” said Nina Wallace about her late brother-inlaw. Reaching out to children, “that was his mission. .… It mattered to him to help turn kids around.”

Newhallville/Prospect Hill Alder Troy Streater, who knew Wallace for 30 years and whose cousin was Wallace’s sisterin-law, mourned the loss of “someone who was really devoted to helping the community.”

The family is scheduling what they called a “balloon release” for April 18, 6 p.m., at Jocelyn Park. Funeral will be the following day at Mt. Zion Seventh Day Adventist Church, 335 Putnam Ave, Hamden, with viewing from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and service immediately afterwards.

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO Wallace's sister Hope Howard, mom Margaret Brooks, sister Kelly McCrae, and sister-inlaw Nina Wallace on Tuesday.

After near-death experience, Serena Williams launches new initiative with Elaine Welteroth to help mothers

by Dollita Okine, Fae2FaceAfrica.com

Elaine Welteroth, a mompreneur and TV personality, has partnered with 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams to launch birthFUND, which aims to address the maternal health crisis in the U.S.

The two pioneering women have had similar struggles with near-fatal pregnancies. In an article in Time Magazine, Welteroth wrote, “Between Serena’s first birth experience and mine, more than 3,400 mothers died during or after childbirth in the U.S. That’s 3,400 prayers never whispered into tiny ears—3,400 parents who won’t be able to watch their beautiful babies grow up. This should not be the norm in the country with the largest economy in the world.”

Considering various medical and technological advances, she questioned why the U.S. still had high rates of maternal mortality.

The article stated that even though the two were aware of the concerning statistics, they had long thought that their privilege would protect them from the risk of becoming part of the numbers—a belief they held until it was proven false.

Welteroth recounted, “Having babies in America was a wake-up call for both of us. Like many parents, and first-time parents at that, we never anticipated the harrowing experiences we’d have on

Even after joining forces to share their personal stories to increase awareness, the two thought that more needed to be done to actively develop solutions that would alter both the national dialogue and the quality of obstetric care.

Williams has made no secret of her near-death experience while giving birth in a hospital, and Welteroth has also written openly about her depressing experiences with doctors, which changed her life and made her decide to give birth at home with Black midwives.

Welteroth started her birthFUND project as an Instagram birthday fundraiser in December 2023. In just 16 hours, she was able to raise almost $16,000 to pay for the births of two families at Kindred Space LA, the Black-owned midwifery practice she used for her delivery. Soon, the fundraiser sparked a new maternal health movement. From that time on, birthFUND has rapidly expanded into a coalition dedicated to increasing access to midwifery care for families nationwide who cannot afford the out-of-pocket expenses.

Besides Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian, birthFUND has received support from John Legend and Chrissy Teigen; Kelly Rowland; Ashley Graham, and Karlie Kloss, as well as strategic corporate partners like SoFi.

Even after joining forces to share their personal stories to increase awareness, the two thought that more needed to be done to actively develop solutions that would alter both the national the road to becoming mothers. We have both accomplished a lot in our lives and careers—from Grand Slams to historymaking career appointments—needless to say, we can do hard things. But nothing made us feel as disempowered as being pregnant and Black in America, left to rely upon a medical system that is statistically failing people who look like us.”

The article stated that although most insurance plans in the United States do not cover midwifery, and home birth with midwife assistance is prohibited in certain states, midwifery is the standard birth-care model utilized both inside and outside of hospitals in other high-income nations with better birth outcomes, such as the United Kingdom, France, and Canada.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Black women have a three times higher risk of dying during and after childbirth than White women. Nonetheless, Welteroth stated in the article that she believes the incident is not entirely about race or status, declaring “Our goal with birthFUND is to help remove financial barriers to quality care and to expand life-saving access to both education and choice.”

“No matter where or how they decide to give birth, parents deserve access to safe, dignified care. Right now, that human right is out of reach for far too many.” She concluded, “We are ready to tackle this issue, head on. And we hope families—and companies—all over the country will join us.”

Study Reveals Soaring Successes and Lingering Struggles for Women, Especially Women of Color, in Music

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith conducted the study, which included 1,200 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Charts and provided a detailed

spanning 12 years. Its scope encompasses the roles of artists, songwriters, and producers while delving into Grammy Award nominations

Study Reveals Soaring Successes and Lingering Struggles for Women, Especially Women of Color, in Music

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

The music world has finally begun to recognize female artists’ vast contributions.

The latest report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reflected on the strides forward and the persistent obstacles women professionals in the music industry face.

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith conducted the study, which included 1,200 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Charts and provided a detailed analysis spanning 12 years. Its scope encompasses the roles of artists, songwriters, and producers while delving into Grammy Award nominations across six major categories.

The study’s findings painted a nuanced picture of progress and disparities within

the industry. Notably, there has been a marked increase in the representation of women artists, reaching a 12-year high of 35%. Researchers said this surge, particularly evident in the rise of individual female artists claiming over 40% of spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart in 2023, signaled a positive shift. However, despite the gains, the study authors noted that it’s crucial to recognize that women still occupy less than a quarter of artist roles overall, underscoring the need for sustained efforts toward greater inclusivity.

Behind the scenes, there have also been advancements. The study revealed a significant rise in the percentage of female songwriters, climbing from 14.1% to 19.5% in 2023. The increase is largely attributed to the contributions of women of color. Similarly, while the number of women producers reached a modest high, significant challenges remain in achieving equitable representation in these roles. The study’s key findings center on the crucial role that women of color have played in advancing change within the sector. Accounting for a staggering 65% of female artists on the charts in 2023 and making significant gains in songwriting

roles, women of color have been instrumental in shaping the industry’s trajectory. Jay-Z’s Grammy speech, in which he questioned why his wife, Beyonce, hadn’t won Album of the Year honors despite being arguably the most successful female music star in history, underscored the lack of recognition for women, particularly in prestigious award nominations.

The study authors wrote that efforts such as “She Is The Music,” “Spotify Equal,” and “Girls Make Beats” have been crucial in fostering inclusivity and providing platforms for women, including women of color, to showcase their talent. However, they said there remains a need for collective action to dismantle systemic barriers and biases that hinder women’s progress, particularly those from marginalized communities.

“As the industry continues to evolve, it must strive to amplify women’s voices, focusing on women of color and ensuring that diversity and representation remain at the forefront of its agenda,” the authors concluded. “Only then can the industry truly reflect the richness and diversity of talent within its ranks and pave the way for a more inclusive future.”

analysis

across six major categories.

Understanding the Current Haitian Crisis - This is a Revolution

“The Problem for Haiti is that God is too far, and the United States is too close.” Dante Bellegarde, the Haitian representative to the League of Nations

Last Sunday, April 7th, marked the 222nd anniversary of the death of the great Haitian leader Toussaint L’Overture. He died like a pauper in a cold damp French prison in solitary confinement. This remarkable man led the most successful slave revolution in the history of man! The Haitian revolution started in 1791, just two years after the French Revolution in 1789, and a short 15 years after the start of the American Revolution in 1776. The Haitian Revolution influenced the entire Western world for the next century. Most Americans do not know that without Toussaint L’Overture’s victory over French, English, and Spanish colonizers in Haiti, we might not have an America from sea to shining sea. The loss of Haiti made the Louisiana Territory worthless to the French and available for sale to the Americans in 1803.

Ironically, it is with both great sadness and hope that I watch the current crisis in Haiti and how it harkens back to the great Haitian revolutionary leaders like L’Overture, Dutty Boukman, Cecile Fatiman, Jean Jacques Dessalines, and Henry Christophe. Today’s problems are firmly rooted in this past.

In 1825, with the looming threat of French re-enslavement on the island, Haiti agreed to compensate France for French recognition of the country and to repay the Haitian slaveholders for the loss of their “slave property” after slavery was abolished. Haitian payments to France did not stop until 1947.

In 2003, President Jean Bertrand Aristide demanded that the French repay these funds. In today’s dollars, that debt amounted to $30 billion. However, the French, the Americans, the Canadians, the Vatican, and the Dominicans overthrew Aristide on February 29, 2004. This 2004 coup d’etat, or what some have called a kidnapping, was the second time Aristide had been forcibly

removed from office after being democratically elected.

In the 1990 Haitian election, Aristide had won 67 percent of the vote. In 2000, he won an astonishing 91 percent of the vote. There is no doubt that Aristide and his Lavalas party had the overwhelming support of the Haitian population. But he did not have the support of America, France, Canada, the Vatican and others in the international community who theoretically supported popular democracy but opposed the righting of historical wrongs.

The violence in the streets of Port au Prince today has been labeled by Western media as “gang violence” and anarchy. The release of political prisoners is a pretext for why “we” need to intervene. The Western narrative is that the violence is random, unnecessary, brutal, and uncivilized. The images repeatedly shown are designed to make the public equate the Haitian people with barbarism — unlike us. This makes intervention by the U.S. and our allies even more justifiable.

The U.S. led blockade during the second Aristide administration cut off all economic aid from the World Bank, the IMF and the Inter American Bank. This, combined

with France’s refusal to make any reparations for the money owed to the Haitian state, led to the destruction of the Haitian infrastructure and public services, and resulted in the worst poverty in the Western Hemisphere.

On July 7, 2021, 28 Colombian mercenaries, trained, billeted, and protected by the Dominican Republic and funded by the United States, assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moise. This was the latest example of imperial intrigue that has plagued Haiti since its founding in 1804. And now, the U.S. and France are attempting to pay the Kenyan government to outsource police forces to Haiti for $200 million to suppress what is nothing less than a revolution. I guess four occupations of Haiti by U.S. Marines is enough.

This is a revolution, not gang violence. The U.S. and all foreign powers need to stay out of Haiti unless they are prepared to support the interest of the Haitian people who are overwhelmingly poor. Trickledown economics does not work in the United States. What makes policy makers in Washington, Rome, and Paris think that this is the appropriate economic and political policy for Haiti? The Haitian people know Western capitals do not have their interests in mind with their schemes. Most Haitian people reject the Western influence that has killed its leaders, committed multiple coup d’etats, occupied the country many times, and systematically exploited the country.

It is important to note that Aristide, a former Catholic priest, was not a Marxist revolutionary calling for massive confiscation and redistribution of wealth and income. In the words of Aristide, he only wanted what Toussaint L’Overture wanted for Haiti: “freedom, democracy, and dignity.” I am not Haitian, but I stand with the Haitian people.

In 2022, she starred in her first film ‘The military unit.

er Women Summit, Thuso Mbedu tearfully

In 2017, Mbedu was nominated for the ‘DSTV Viewers Choice Awards’ and the ‘International Emmy Awards for the ‘Best Performance by an Actress’ for her role ‘Winnie Bhengu’ in the 2016 -2017 television drama series ‘IS’THUNZI.’

In 2018, she won the ‘South African Film and Television Awards’ for ‘ Best Actress – TV Drama’ for her role ‘Winnie Bhengu’ in the 2016 -2017 television drama series ‘IS’THUNZI.’ She was also nominated for the ‘International Emmy Awards for ‘Best Performance by an Actress’ for her role ‘Winnie Bhengu’ in the television drama series ‘IS’THUNZI.’

In 2021, she was nominated for the ‘Television Critics Association Award’ (Individual Achievement in Drama), the

da Lane happened in 2016. The role that Amanda Lane gave me was the difference between life and death for me. Receiving that audition brief, I told myself that tion. I gave it the last of everything that I had, that at the time I got the callback, I had nothing left. I secretly made the decision ing left to give. But fortunately, I received the callback. So I didn’t do the callback because the role was mine. I had given up. I was in a very dark place at the time, and the character, the role, the opportunity, was a much needed light. And I told myself that I will act as if it was the last character that I will play. And through a great script and an amazing director, I earned two International Emmy Awards for that role…”

Nikon Ambassador Matthew Jordan Smith Celebrates 37 Years in Photography with an Exclusive Free Legendary Photographer Reflects on His Stellar Career to the Stars, Legends, and Icons

(Los Angeles – April 15, 2023) -- Worldrenowned photographer Matthew Jordan Smith is celebrating 37 years of an illustrious photography career with a special online webinar dedicated to the legacy of the incomparable Gordon Parks and Aretha Franklin. The international, free online tribute is scheduled on Wednesday, April 17, at 10:00 a.m. ET and will also give insights into the shoots that defined Smith’s role as a photographer of celebrities, fashion, and beauty.

Since his breakout assignment in 1992 with lawyer and educator Anita Hill for Essence magazine, Smith has risen to fame capturing the intimate nuances of stars like Oprah Winfrey, Zendaya, Halle Berry, Samuel L. Jackson, George Lucas, Angelina Jolie, and of course, The Queen of Soul. His ability to distill the aura of such icons into a single frame has garnered him international praise and solidified his place as a stellar figure in portrait photography.

Smith’s extensive career also includes key roles in shaping pop culture through television shows such as America’s Next Top Model, where he was a guest judge and featured photographer, he helped to define the show’s visual narrative. His exceptional work at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games further highlighted his unique perspective by capturing the spirit of life within the Olympic Village.

During the webinar, participants will journey through the pivotal moments that cemented Smith’s status as a photographic luminary. Attendees will gain unprecedented access to the stories behind his iconic images, and his experience working with Aretha Franklin, framed by the inspirational influence of the iconic Gordon Parks.

As we celebrate this anniversary, we also

celebrate the path Smith has blazed— from film to digital, from Essence to America’s Next Top Model, and beyond. Join us for an event that promises to be as enlightening as it is inspirational.

Matthew Jordan Smith was raised in New York City, and Columbia, South Carolina. He works regularly in Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo, Japan. He is the author of Sepia Dreams: A Cel-

ebration of Black Achievement Through Words and Images (St. Martin’s Publishing Group), Lost and Found (Filipacchi Publishing), and Future American President: 50 States, 100 Families, Infinite Dreams (Goff Books). He has photographed some of the world’s most famous people, from icons such as Oprah Winfrey to Zendaya, Quincy Jones to George Lucas, Angelina Jolie to Angela Bassett, So-

fia Vergara to Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah to Courtney B. Vance, Tyra Banks to Britney Spears, and even Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and many others. His latest book, Aretha Cool: The Intimate Portraits (ISBN - 979-8-218-278632) is available on Amazon. For international (English) purchases and inquiries, please visit www.ArethaCool.com.

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Speech

full-circle moment of Monday’s approved promotion.

“I have served professionally as a proud speech and language pathologist for 31 years. My story and involvement with New Haven Public Schools however spans for 50 years,” Jackson said. She began with NHPS as a teen counselor at Lincoln Bassett, then a dance instructor for the former Jackie Robinson Middle School. During her undergrad summers she worked in NHPS’ business office and after graduation worked in the personnel department.

In addition to giving thanks to mentors like King-Herrell, Holley-Carter, and former Superintendent Reginald Mayo, Jackson also recognized her late mother Thelma Jackson for inspiring her toward education after dedicating 45 year to NHPS as an assistant teacher and job coach.

At Monday’s meeting the board also heard about the retirements to come of veteran educators on June 30. Those soonto-be retirees include: Bernadette Casella a special education teacher at Brennan Rogers Magnet School who served NHPS for 15 years; Marybeth Kiely, a special education teacher at King/Robinson Magnet School who served for 25 years; Mindy Taber, a second grade teacher at John S. Martinez who served for 25 years; and Hyacinth Leotaud, a pre-k assistant teacher at Davis Academy Magnet School who served for 17 years.

Sleeping Giant Women’s Golf League Tees Off

The Sleeping Giant Women’s Golf Association (SGWGA) League is accepting registrations for the 2024 Golf Season. Golfers should have knowledge of the Rules of Golf and some experience playing on a golf course. Mentoring spots are available. Members accepted throughout the season.

The League plays on Mondays, April 22 through September 30 with tee times from 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM. What a great way to start your day! Membership is $75 and includes your GHIN fee. Prizes are awarded in three flights weekly and at the end of the season. Please come to our “Welcome” meeting on April 15th at 6:30 PM at the Hamden Miller Library to learn more

Our league is a great way to practice weekly, improve your game, learn from other members and have fun For more info, email patriciadrax@yahoo.com.

Yale Institute of Sacred Music Presents

Saturday,

Photo of Bach statue and St. Thomas Church, Leipzig courtesy of Jeff Hazewinkel. Photo of David Hill courtesy of Harold Shapiro.

Racial Bias Uncovered in Kidney Transplantation System: Thousands of Black Patients Prioritized After Years of Waiting

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Five years ago, Arlette Ebanks experienced severe kidney pain that she believed suggested a criminal need for a transplant. Her doctors disagreed, but the 52-year-old Northeast, D.C., resident, and mother of two who worked for the Department of Transportation for more than half of her life until her deteriorating health landed her on permanent disability, had grown ever more anxious as health care providers attempted various measures of maintenance.

Recently, physicians at George Washington University Hospital told Ebanks that she should have been on the transplant list, and understandably, Ebanks wondered why previous doctors hadn’t done so. Now, Ebanks knows why. “All this time, all this stress and worry, was all because I’m Black,” Ebanks stated with intense incredulity in an interview with the Washington Informer. At issue is a once widely used test that overestimated how well Black people’s kidneys were functioning, making them look healthier than they really were. An automated formula calculated results for Black and non-Black patients that were far different from those of others, delaying organ failure diagnosis and, ultimately, proper evaluation for a kidney transplant.

The disparity only exacerbated existing inequities, with Black patients being more susceptible to needing a new kidney but less likely to receive one. “On the one hand,” Ebanks remarked, “I have not only been put on the waiting list, but moved up to where I am now more confident that I

will get a new kidney. On the other hand, it’s infuriating that we keep seeing how racism in medicine, bias in healthcare, is causing unnecessary pain and suffering among African Americans.”

The U.S. organ transplant network has now ordered hospitals and care facilities to use race-neutral test results only when adding new patients to the kidney transplant waiting list. Further, the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology told laboratories to transition to race-neutral equations when calculating kidney function.

The policy shift has led to major adjustments, and between January 2023 and mid-March 2024, over 14,300 Black candidates had their wait times recalibrated, resulting in more than 2,800 successful transplants, including Ebanks.

Dr. Nwamaka Eneanya, an assistant professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, emphasized the detrimental impact of race-based equations on clinical decisions, particularly in assessing renal function.

Dr. Eneanya, a vocal advocate for re-

moving race from medical equations, highlighted the lack of biological differences between races and the inherent flaws in using race-based multipliers. She told her university’s newspaper that, despite mounting evidence, many clinicians continue to rely on these outdated practices, perpetuating harm to Black patients. “Human genome studies have shown there are no inherent biological differences between races,” Dr. Eneanya stated. “Those studies reporting that Black people had greater muscle mass were flawed, but no one questioned them.”

As the director of Health Equity, AntiRacism, and Community Engagement at Penn Medicine, Dr. Eneanya spearheads internal initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion within the Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension Division. Additionally, she is actively involved in community outreach programs to address racial disparities in kidney disease awareness and screening.

“Not everyone approaches medicine with a health equity lens. Many clinicians are not aware of existing disparities — how Black patients do not get referred to nephrology as early as white patients and do not have sufficient access to transplant [procedures],” she asserted. “In medicine, the tendency is to say, 'This is what a study showed, so this is what we should do,' focusing on biomarkers and statistical tests without examining issues of ethics or health equity.”

Dr. Eneanya noted that the revelation of racial bias within the kidney transplantation system underscores the pressing need for reformative measures to ensure equitable healthcare access for all individuals, regardless of race or ethnicity.

“I sit on a joint American Society of Nephrology-National Kidney Foundation task force that is revising formal eGFR reporting guidelines to exclude racial bias,” Dr. Eneanya stated. “Many physicians across the country, including some at Penn, have stopped using the race multiplier already. And while the eGFR is a frontline test for kidney function, there are other tests that don’t incorporate race. When there is any doubt about the accuracy of an eGFR score, other confirmatory tests that do not use race should be performed.”

The whitewashing of education – and how to stop it

By Ameshia Cross Word in Black

Ameshia Cross is the director of communications for the Education Trust. She is also a strategist for national, state and local campaigns, a regular political commentator and contributor on MSN, NBC, BBC, SiriusXM, iHeart Radio and more. She is also a former campaign and communications adviser for President Barack Obama and a policy adviser for the National Urban League. (Courtesy photo) No matter how much the right derides the word, the Black community needs to stay woke. In recent years, we’ve witnessed a disturbing trend that threatens the foundations of our democratic society: the rise of book bans, curriculum

In a country growing more diverse by the day, we have the power to stop book bans and other attempts to erase Black history. censorship and attacks on historical narratives in our educational institutions. These actions not only threaten the principles of academic freedom and undermine the integrity of our education system, but they also position America as a democracy on the brink of collapse.

Education is meant to be a journey of unlocking the unknown, expanding critical thinking, and advancing intellectual growth. Central to this journey is the freedom to engage with a diverse range of ideas, perspectives and honest history. When politicians and officials censor books, sanitize curricula or suppress truths like the harsh effects of slavery, Jim Crow, Reconstruction and various civil rights movements, they are robbing students of the opportunity to grapple

with complex issues of the past and design a future that embraces a more just society.

In a country growing more diverse by the day, we cannot let the right whitewash our history or dilute cultures that ignore the multicultural America and world our young people reside in. To do anything other than teach both historic and modern realities is erasure.

Education should encourage dialogue, debate and the exploration of diverse viewpoints, not shield them from various ideas, uncomfortable truths or controversial topics. And yet, more than 4,200 books were targeted for censorship in 2023 — a 65 percent increase than the previous year, according to the American Library Association (ALA) — with

47 percent of them centering the lived experiences of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.

This isn’t by mistake; it is a deliberate effort to propagate (cis-hetero) White supremacy. As a result, there has been a dangerous domino effect with the rollback of hard-earned civil rights progress. The so-called anti-CRT (critical race theory) and anti-DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) culture wars have coincided with the downfall of affirmative action in college admissions, the decimation of voting rights, along with amplified White grievance politics and claims of reverse racism. Schools have always been battlegrounds for civil rights…today is no different.

Continue on page 21

COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon?

By Maya Mackey | Inglewood Today

Almost two weeks removed from Black History Month, I find myself pondering what Black Culture is, in modern times. There’s a running joke on X/Twitter that “we are losing recipes!” whenever young Black people (Gen Z) don’t know a Black classic, like a movie, song or “rule.”

And while we mean no harm in teasing our younger kinfolk (cause you know, we’re all cousins), it does beg the question: Why are we losing recipes? And what recipes do we even want to keep?

As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But outside of Spades, Uno and Dominoes, Cookouts, Collective Dancing, and asking who made the Mac’ n’ Cheese, what is bonding us in the present?

Every time I learn something about Black American history, the lesser-told stories about pioneers of The Civil Rights Movement, I get choked up. The resilience of our people is astounding. The bravery and courage our ancestors had to muster in the face of unadulterated hatred is unmatched. But one thing about us is that we never lose our joy. As racism against African Americans soared in the 50s and 60s, alongside it, a cultural movement of pride aimed to juxtapose it.

“Black is beautiful” was a slogan, a campaign, and a mission in the 1960s and 1970s. Black people began to embrace, or rather, re-embrace their natural hair–sporting afros, braids or other non-chem-

ically treated styles. Some even learned Swahili to connect to Africa. James Brown upped the ante with his iconic song, “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” The 70s brought us Soul Train, a cultural mosaic of music, fashion, and the hottest dance moves to TV screens across America.

The 80s launched B.E.T., the first solo Blac- centered channel of relevance today. Martin Luther King Jr day was established as a national holiday and Michael Jackson became a solo sensation. Oprah became an overnight sensation! The 80s gave way to Black entertainers in particular, breaking color barriers and fighting to

be “legitimized” by mainstream media. When the 90s and 2000s came around Blackness was at the height of popularity (at least on TV). The plethora of sitcoms featuring storylines of Black families and friends has never been as robust as it was during this era. From “Martin” to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Living Single.” followed “Girlfriends,” “The Parkers” and “One on One,” Black people got to see themselves reflected on screen in diverse ways. Air Jordans became synonymous with Black Urban culture. Terms like “Ghetto Fabulous” were coined due to the styles of Mary J. Blige and Destiny’s Child.

Then the cultural pendulum swung back and Black people were sorely missing from programming in the first half of the 2010s. Even today, the height of Black television has not been reached since its demise around 2005.

In a post-pandemic world, where our communities have once again fallen victim to recessions, and larger family get togethers aren’t as frequent, I wonder where the pendulum of Black American culture will swing next.

Cord Jefferson, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 2023’s American Fiction, gave rousing speeches both when he accepted his Academy Award and when he

was later interviewed off-stage. He urged Hollywood to financially back more diverse, lower-budget films. It was a reasonable and much-needed ask. Yet, Black Twitter was divided today on whether Jefferson was perpetuating a culture war against “Hood Blacks” and “Suburban Blacks.”

The problem with that line of thinking and false accusation is that a.) There is a third subset of Black folk who are neither from the hood or the suburbs and b.) There are indeed Black people from the hood that have non-stereotypical interests such as anime, a love for EDM music and a passion for nature and hiking.

I was frankly annoyed that such an unproblematic request by Jefferson became obtusely misunderstood by so many people. Cast aside Cord Jefferson and the Oscars, there has still been much discourse about the normalizing of abnormal things in our community. And while we know that a racist system is to blame for a lot of the Black American plight, free will is always on the menu.

If the 60s cultural movement was about uncovering our natural beauty, the 70s and 80s were relentlessly joyful, and the 90s and 2000s were about flexing our economic come up, what will the next big be to signify Black people moving forward? As it becomes more normal to have Black people in power and more of us are living in and creating multicultural families, what of Black American life will prevail? What do we keep? What do we innovate next? I hope it’s one of living well, no matter what hood you come from.

Grassroots Advocates Invited to Step into the World of Child Tax Policymaking

By The Drum Newspaper

The Middleburg Institute’s Policy Simulation and Grassroots Soiree is a daylong event of live role-playing that trains participants on policy, organizing, and advocacy. And, organizers are inviting Louisiana advocates, residents, and policy makers to Baton Rouge for the April 12 event.

The simulation is an immersive in-person training on the most effective ways of being advocates, and how best to communicate top economic priorities to elected officials. Participants will learn about the economic impact and benefits families receive through the Child Tax Credit legislative policy.

This in-depth and exciting policy simulation is designed for advocates, policymakers, and residents interested in participating in a movement to remove barriers to economic security.

Elisabeth Gerber, Ph.D., founder of The ViewPoint simulation software, will facil-

itate the interactive live model simulation which examines Louisiana’s tax policies. “In this role-playing simulation, participants adopt the personas of fictitious decision-makers and stakeholders whose perspectives might be very different from their own. The ultimate goal is to help each group of participants better understand the viewpoints of the others, to learn from one another, and to think creatively about opportunities for positive change,” said Joyce James, founder of the Middleburg Institute.

For two years, the organization has championed the people’s desire for maintaining the child tax credit in Louisiana. The Middleburg Institute was one of ten organization across the nation selected to collaborate with Share Our Strength, Code for America, and GET CTC to help promote the outreach and engagement in low-income communities to receive this credit. As a result, residents across southern Louisiana have been engaged in small group trainings and aware-

ness campaigns hosted by the Middleburg Institute.

The Middleburg focuses on influencing

policies and behaviors that build lifelong economic security for moderate and lowincome people. Every day, thousands of

Louisianans are impacted by financial insecurities. This crisis significantly affects every communities’ health, education, and safety. Strong federal, state, and local policy solutions are essential, including campaigns around state-level credit programs, said James.

With this focus, the simulation will also explore and explain the challenges and opportunities legislators face, strategies for passing a child tax credit bill, and solutions to helping families begin savings and banking relationships.

Panels of advocates, elected officials, and community leaders will discuss an overall strategy for advocating. Following the simulator, participants will join in a grassroot soiree and celebrate progress in establishing a network of residents who actively advocate for themselves. To participate, register at www.themiddleburg. org or call (225) 241-0984. The Middleburg Institute is a nonpartisan IRS 501(c) (3) tax-exempt charitable nonprofit organization.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash, courtesy of Middleburg Institute.

NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Section II and Section VII of the Authority's Moving to Work Agreement {the "Agreement") requires that before the Agency can file its Approved Annual Moving to Work Plan (“Plan”) and Report (“Report”)to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (the "HUD") that it must conduct a public hearing, consider comments from the public on the proposed Plan, obtain approval from the Board of Commissioners, and submit the Plan to HUD.

Financial Manager/Office Manager

Galasso Materials is seeking a Financial Manager/Office Manager to replace a retiring team member. The candidate needs leadership skills & experience in accounting & tax compliance. CPA, manufacturing and/or construction experience preferred.

Galasso Materials is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

The thirty (30) days comment period begins on Monday, April 15, 2024 and copies of the Moving to Work (MTW) FY2025 Plan, will be made available on the agency website www.elmcitycommunities.org or via Twitter, www.twitter.com/ECCommunities or via Facebook www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities.

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.

You are invited to provide written comments addressed to: ECC/HANH, Moving To Work FY2025 Annual Plan Attn: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 or via email to: eribeiro@elmcitycommunities.org.

NOTICIA

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Pursuant to said Sections II and VII), a public hearing where public comments will be accepted and recorded is scheduled for Monday, May 13, 2024 at 4:00pm via https://v.ringcentral.com/join/664815939?pw=991f363d509d063fafd3d433d79287e0

Meeting ID: 664815939

Password: s8Zt3qzZYg

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

Or dial:

+12679304000 United States (Philadelphia, PA)     Access Code / Meeting ID: 664815939

Dial-in password: 7898379994

International numbers available: https://v.ringcentral.com/teleconference

Any individual requiring a Reasonable Accommodation to participate in the hearing may call the Reasonable Accommodation Manager (203) 498-8800, ext. 1507 or at the TDD Number (203) 497-8434.

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for an Information Technology Manager (IT Manager 1) in the Office of Finance.

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at:

https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 240402&R2=1561MP&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.

The Town of Wallingford, CT is accepting applications for the following positions:

Attendant I (Trainee). This is a trainee position leading to a career in performing skilled work in the operation and maintenance of the Town’s wastewater treatment facility. The position requires a H.S., trade school, vocational school, or H.S. equivalency diploma. Must possess a valid Connecticut Driver's License. Hourly rate: $22.97 to $25.22. The closing date for applications is the date the 50th applilcation or resume is received or April 30, 2024, whichever occurs first.

Electrical Technician. Performs skilled work in the repair, maintenance and calibration of all electrical and electronic equipment pertaining to the wastewater treatment plant in the Town of Wallingford. Applicants should possess a H.S. or trade school diploma and 2 years of related college education or specialized maintenance training and 4 years of experience in the repair and maintenance of electrical and electronic equipment; or a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering or related field plus 1 year of experience. Must possess a valid Connecticut Driver's License. Hourly rate: $32.24 to $36.79. The closing date for applications is the date the 50th applilcation or resume is received or May 7, 2024, whichever occurs first.

The Town offers an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, paid sick and vacation time, medical insurance, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, and deferred compensation plan. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be faxed or mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the closing dates specified above. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax

Listing: Accounting

Accounting Department has an immediate opening in Accounts Receivable for an AR Specialist. This full-time position in a fast-paced office requires good computer and organizational skills, attention to detail, and multi-tasking. Accounting experience preferred. Benefits include health, dental, plus 401(k). Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

NOTICE

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

Construction

REQUEST FOR BIDS

Sale of Surplus Rolling Stock

New Haven, Connecticut

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Contact: Tom Dunay

Phone: 860- 243-2300

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

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.

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.

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

New Haven Parking Authority Project #24-024

Bids due April 15, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Bid Documents will be available beginning April 1, 2024 at no cost by downloading from the New Haven Parking Authority/Park New Haven website at https://parknewhaven.com/request-for-bids/ or visit the Temple Street Garage Office at One Temple Street, New Haven, CT to obtain a copy.

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

NOTICIA

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

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

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

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

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids On-Call Electrical Services

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

Full Time Administrative assistant position

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

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

TOWN OF EAST HAVEN PURCHASING AGENT

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

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

The Town of East Haven seeks a qualified candidate to serve in the position of Purchasing Agent. This is a highly responsible position involving purchasing and directing the purchasing functions of the municipality. Qualified candidates should possess a bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field preferably including or supplemented with special course work in purchasing/municipal bid processes and materials management plus five (5) years’ of progressively responsible purchasing work or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience. Must have valid class 3 Connecticut Driver’s License. The salary for this position is $62,841/year, 35 hours per week and the Town offers an excellent benefit package. Please send cover letter and resume with references to: Town of East Haven, Ed Sabatino, Assistant Director of Administration and Management, 250 Main Street, East Haven, CT 06512 or jobs@easthaven-ct.gov. Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a work force of diverse individuals. Minorities, females, handicapped and veterans are encouraged to apply. The Town of East Haven is an equal opportunity employer.

Andrea M. Liquori / Chief Examiner

Civil Service Commission 250 Main Street East Haven  CT 06512 (203)468-3375

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids from qualified firms for On-Call Electrical services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, April 8, 2024, at 3:00 PM.

Water quality inspector

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

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.

Senior Sales Representative

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.

Performs responsible specialized work in protecting the quality of the water supply and distribution system for the Town of Wallingford, CT. Applicants should possess an Associate's degree in an environmental science or sanitary engineering plus 3 years of progressively responsible experience in a water utility, or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience. Must possess a valid Connecticut Driver's License. Must have, or be able to obtain within the probationary period a State of Connecticut Department of Public Health Class I Water Treatment Plant or Distribution System Operator Certification, including Certification as a General Backflow Preventer Tester and Cross-Connection Survey Inspector. Hourly rate: $28.33 to $34.42. The Town offers an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, paid sick and vacation time, medical insurance, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, and deferred compensation plan. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be faxed or mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the date the 50th application or resume is received or the closing date of April 30, 2024, whichever occurs first. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

outlet. The Inner-City News is a weekly print publication with a readership spanning across Greater New Haven. From Hamden, New Haven, West Haven, Stratford, Milford, Bridgeport. This free weekly print publication is committed to sharing news and information important to the Black community.

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

Advertising and the cultivation of existing and new advertising clients is key to the growth and continued success of The Inner-City News. The paper is delivered weekly to businesses, schools, shopping outlets and wherever newspapers can be found. This is a remote sales position.

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

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

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

Galasso Materials LLC, a quarry and paving contractor, has positions open for the upcoming construction season. We are seeking candidates for a variety of positions, including: Scalehouse Dispatcher/ Equipment Operators and Laborers. NO PHONE CALLS. Please email resume and cover letter to “Hiring Manager”, Galasso Materials LLC, PO Box 1776, East Granby CT 06026.

Galasso Materials is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Town

NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

In accordance with the provisions of Title 23, Section 135 of the United States Code; as amended by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA); the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has prepared a draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

The draft STIP compiles all highway and public transit projects that CTDOT intends to pursue over the next four years, utilizing Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding. STIP documents can be found on the CTDOT website, at CTDOT Headquarters, and at all Councils of Government offices. It is suggested to schedule an appointment at these locations. To make an appointment at CTDOT, please call (860) 594-2040.

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.

CTDOT is conducting two hybrid public informational meetings regarding the draft STIP on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at CTDOT Headquarters, 2800 Berlin Turnpike in Newington. Both meetings will also be held on Zoom; registration is required. To register, please visit https://portal.ct.gov/DOT/ PP_Bureau/ConnDOT-Plans/State-Transportation-Improvement-Program

NOTICIA

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

CTDOT staff will be available 30 minutes prior to each meeting to informally discuss the draft STIP with members of the public.

Language assistance and/or ADA accommodations are provided at no cost to the public, and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance. Persons needing language assistance or ADA accommodations may request assistance by contacting CTDOT’s Language Assistance Line at (860) 594-2109, at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting. Persons with a hearing and/or speech disability may dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) and instruct the operator to contact (860) 594-2243.

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

Parking is available in the rear of the building. The meeting facility is ADA accessible, and persons with disabilities can access the building from the main entrance of the building.

The draft STIP will be available for review for a 30-day public comment period from May 1-31, 2024. Comments from the public must be received on or before May 31, 2024. Comments should be emailed to DOT.STIPComments@ct.gov, or mailed to Maribeth Wojenski, Bureau of Policy and Planning, Connecticut Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 317546, Newington, Connecticut 06131-7546.

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

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

Fully

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol Request for Proposal (RFP)

Interior Renovations at Union Street

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol (BHA) is seeking sealed bids from qualified contractors for the following: Interior Renovations at Union Street located in Bristol, CT. Bid opening date is Tues., May 2, 2024, at 2:00 PM (EDT) at BHA’s Central Office, 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT 06010. All bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No electronic bids will be accepted.

A pre-bid walk through will be held on Apr. 18, 2024, at 2:00 PM at 75 Union St., Bristol, CT. Attendance is strongly recommended for all interested parties. Contract documents including plans & specifications can be viewed online and purchased from Advanced Reprographics website www.advancedplanroom.com or by calling 860-410-1020.

A 5% Bid Security and 100% Performance/Payment Bonds are required. Bidders will note requirements of minimum wage rates, nondiscrimination/equal opportunity rules (Executive Order 11246) and related provisions in the General Conditions. No bid shall be withdrawn for sixty (60) days. Complete bidding requirements are noted in the Contract Documents. This project is federally assisted. Therefore, bidders must comply with the following requirements: Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968; Equal Opportunity provisions of Executive Order 11246; Non-Discrimination provision of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Labor Standards provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act and related acts and Contract Work Hours Standards Act; prevailing wage determinations as issued by the United States Department of Labor; and all applicable provisions under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. SBE, MBE, W/DBE, and Section 3 businesses are encouraged to respond.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

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

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES Request for Proposals

Independent Audit and Tax Services

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking proposals from qualified firms for Audit and Tax Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Monday, April 1, 2024, at 3:00PM.

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.

Listing: Mechanic

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.

Immediate opening for a part time mechanic; maintenance to be done on commercial diesel trucks and trailers. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or emailhrdept@eastriverenergy.com

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

***An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disabled and Veterans***

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

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

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.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

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

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The whitewashing of education –

Two new rows of shelves dedicated to Youth Restricted Books sit mostly empty at the Huntington Beach Central Library in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Feb. 21, 2024. The space was made to accommodate books from the children’s section deemed to contain sexual content as part of a recataloging effort that began after Resolution No. 2023-41 was enacted by the conservative majority in the Huntington Beach City Council in October of 2023.

Black and Latino students are particularly impacted by the erasure of their history and culture. With the majority of students in the U.S. being students of color, they deserve a rich and rigorous education that is culturally relevant to them. Not only is it just, but it has positive effects: Research shows that children are more engaged and have better academic outcomes when they can see themselves in books, learning materials and teachers. In other words, representation matters. Similarly, curriculum censorship stifles academic inquiry and hampers educators’ ability to provide a comprehensive and well-rounded education. The right’s attacks on history are particularly insidious, as they seek to rewrite or erase the past to fit a memory of America that no longer represents who we are or where we are going.

History is not static; it is a dynamic and ongoing process of inquiry, interpretation and revision, and it should not be diluted or distorted. And Whiteness should no longer be the default perspective.

Moreover, book bans, curriculum censorship and attacks on history disproportionately impact marginalized communities and perpetuate systemic inequalities. By silencing voices and perspectives that challenge the status quo or highlight the experiences of marginalized groups, we perpetuate a narrative of exclusion and erasure. Our histories, our heroes, and our experiences cannot be erased.

That’s why EdTrust and renowned leaders in education and civil rights are hosting Can’t Be Erased: An Event to Rally Against Book Bans and Curriculum Censorship on April 17 at 6 p.m. E.T.

Attendees of this free virtual event can learn how to push back against efforts to suppress the teaching of honest history and the diversity of identities and ideas in your community.

The call to provide every student with a culturally relevant curriculum in a safe, inclusive environment has never been more pressing. Book bans and policies that restrict discussions of race, gender and identity not only stifle academic growth but also obscure students’ understanding of diverse cultures both in the U.S. and the world around them.

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music

“All Creation Sings” Hymn Festival

Sunday, May 5 • 4 pm

Woolsey Hall, 500 College Street, New Haven

Free and open to the public. Livestream.

Yale Camerata and community choir

Dr. Felicia Barber, conductor

The Rev. Dr. Barbara Brown Taylor and the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, special guest preachers

Dr. Nathaniel Gumbs and Dr. Bruce Neswick, Newberry Organ

Dr. John Paul McGee, keyboards

Additional accompaniment with brass, percussion, guitars, and a gospel ensemble

Barbara Brown Taylor Felicia Barber Nathaniel Gumbs John Paul McGee Bruce Neswick James Forbes

Photo on left courtesy of Michael Held

Ed Dwight: America’s first Black astronaut candidate will finally get his flight to space at 90

by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com

90-year-old Ed Dwight will at long last be able to fly into space. Jeff Bezos’s space venture company recently revealed that Dwight, the nation’s first black astronaut candidate, will be one of the six members of the crew on Blue Origin’s planned New Shepard trip beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Blue Origin said in a statement, “[Dwight] was selected by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as the nation’s first Black astronaut candidate but was never granted the opportunity to fly to space.”

POCIT reported that Dwight’s inclusion in the six-person crew for the NS-25 mission offers him the opportunity to become the oldest person to accomplish this feat—beyond even Wally Funk’s record from her Blue Origin flight.

While the first seat’s ticket cost $28 million in 2021, Space for Humanity and the Jaison and Jamie Robinson Foundation

will fund Dwight’s voyage.

Dwight joined the United States Air Force in 1953 and served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. In 1961, the 35th president selected the Kansas native to train under the U.S. Air Force training program that would later produce NASA’s first astronauts, known as the Mercury 7, according to history.

He had a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering, three consecutive “outstanding” evaluations from military superiors, and held a time of 1,500 hours of jet aviation flying at the time. But when he became one of 26 people recommended to NASA by the Air Force to become astronauts, the agency did not select him.

The first African American to travel to space was Guion Bluford, and he didn’t do it until 1983.

According to History Makers, Dwight eventually quit in 1966, without having gone into space, and went on to work as

an engineer, in real estate, and for IBM.

In the mid-1970s, he became interested in art and enrolled at the University of Denver, where he learned how to operate the university’s metal casting foundry. He earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree in 1977 and became a popular sculptor.

Among his creations are the Black Patriots Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C.; the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial in Denver’s City Park; the International Monuments to the Underground Railroad in Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario; and more.

0Ed Dwight Studios in Denver became one of the largest privately held production and marketing facilities in the Western United States.

The date of the upcoming flight has yet to be announced. The other members of the Blue Origin six-person crew are Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L. Hess, Carol Schaller, and Gopi Thotakura.

How 3 former prison inmates started the 1st Black-owned meal prep company after being denied loans

by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com

After serving time for drug-related offenses and being released from jail in 2013, David Lewis, the brainchild of the now-successful MacroBites, looked for a better solution.

He told Asbury Park Press, “Though I was from a nice family, I was influenced by my surroundings and was trying to be something that I wasn’t.” Lewis and his best friend, Jarrette Atkins, who is now the CEO of their company, were both arrested not long after they graduated from high school.

“We bounced around the New Jersey prison system and I ultimately did 3½ years,” Lewis said.

Fearing a return to prison after being released in their twenties, Lewis took to trying his hand at various endeavors before realizing he had a knack for cooking. Lewis’ father initially helped him land a job as a contractor while Atkins became a bartender. Another former prisoner friend, Fritz Georges, who is now Sous Chef, worked in construction. Nonetheless, the three friends were regularly discussing starting their own business.

A few years later, though, an opportunity unexpectedly arose when Lewis and Atkins determined they weren’t the best fit for an organization that owned franchised restaurants in New Jersey. It was then that they decided to bring their imaginations to life, having worked in the food industry.

35-year-old Lewis told NJ.com, “Trying and failing a few times when I was younger left me in a dark place. But finally understanding there was another way to succeed really pushed me forward.”

In 2019, Lewis, Atkins, 35, and Georges, 37, founded MacroBites in Asbury Park, New Jersey. MacroBites is the first Blackowned meal preparatory service company in America, according to the California Business Journal. The three centered their business on their areas of expertise and passion, which were food and physical fitness.

“I was doing personal training after prison and some of my clients saw what I was eating and wanted similar food made, so I

would prepare food and deliver it to them. We saw other meal prep companies doing it and decided to go for it,” Lewis told the Asbury Park Press.

Despite Atkins’ excellent credit, they recalled that they were refused business loans when they started their company. They did, however, save and pool their resources by selling some of the things they owned, and Georges worked additional jobs to supplement their income. They also started by using the commer-

cial kitchen space at a friend’s restaurant on Mondays when it was closed.

Today, their ready-to-eat meal service company feeds hundreds of people every day at reasonable prices—burgers for $11, shrimp platters for $10, and vegan tacos for $13—while collaborating with other charities to provide free meals to the homeless.

Yvonne Clayton, Asbury Park City Councilwoman, said, “David, Fritz, and Jarrette, are three amazing young black

men who have brought their wonderful story and vibe to Asbury Park. They have created a healthy, nutritious, and delicious menu in a community that frequently experiences high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. These entrepreneurs are community-focused and give back in many ways – including free food giveaways weekly.”

While the COVID-19 epidemic caused challenges for their company, they persevered and continued to serve other foundations and their clients to the best of their abilities.

Lewis expressed, “We hope to create enough resources for our kids so that they can control their own destiny, fight systemic racism, and create generational wealth. We’re working hard to give our kids a chance at having the American dream.”

“We’re grateful for our customers and excited for the future. Owning the business has matured us, strengthened our work ethic, and given us hope to be successful.”

Research shows that racial disparities persist in many jails in the United States. In the year 2000, Black people made up almost half of the state prison population but only about 13% of the U.S. population.

Lewis and his friends hope to change the situation with their business and other initiatives.

0Meanwhile, Georges advised, “Don’t be afraid or discouraged because you might not have it all figured out yet. Sometimes, that can take a lifetime. The trick is to never give up on your goals and dreams.”

Ed Dwight next to his sculpture work. (Photo courtesy of www.eddwight.com)

Left to right: Fritz Georges, David Lewis and Jarrette Atkins at a sampling event. Photo: MacroBites/Asbury Park Press

Where

personal breakthroughs

are powered by medical ones.

At Yale New Haven Health, we’re delivering pioneering research from Yale School of Medicine to improve people’s lives every single day. Like Dr. Kevan Herold who led teams of colleagues across the U.S. to develop a game-changing drug that can delay the onset of type 1 diabetes for years. Together, we’re powering breakthroughs with the greatest of care.