INNER-CITY NEWS

Little Leaguers Press For Parks Repairs

by NORA GRACE-FLOOD

City Little Leaguers pitched, slid, struck out and hit homers at the Munson Street baseball fields on which generations of baby baseball players have practiced for nearly 70 years while attentive parents and coaches fretted about how the skewed state of those playing grounds could stymie their kids’ games and self-esteem. Leaders of the Walter Pop Smith Little League are now leading a charge to funnel city dollars into improving those fields as part of a broader call from community members to reinvest in the city’s parks and open spaces.

In particular, they’re hoping to start by fixing up a two-field baseball complex next to Hillhouse High School at Munson and Sherman Parkway. That’s where over 350 New Haven kids from Dixwell, Newhallville, the Hill and Westville play little league games through the spring, summer and fall.

“It’s just crabgrass and dandelions,” Walter Pop Smith League President Wayne Morrison told the Independent during a Monday afternoon interview by the Munson Street field’s dugout. “They let the fields go fallow all winter and they don’t tend the grass. The pitching mound is crooked and doesn’t line up with the batter.”

Morrison joined Little League Board

Treasurer Steve Itkin, former Board Member and long-time supporter Gary Tinney and concerned parent moonlighting as Democratic mayoral candidate Liam Brennan for a walk around the fields Monday to point out problems they say are long-overdue for repair. They did so in advance of games and practices scheduled to take place on scene virtually every night this week as the New Haven players prepare to compete against kids from other municipalities later on this season. First, that crew said, there’s an issue of maintenance. So far this season, the grass around the bleachers has grown as tall as some of the shins of family members and friends who gather to watch the games. The pavement leading to the fields has been uprooted by trees, leaving large cracks filled with weeds which can trip up kids running or riding their bikes around the park space.

Beyond mowing the grass or repaving those pathways, the group said they’ve also consulted contractors about what kind of work would be needed to bring the fields up to par with those of neighboring cities and towns. In order to even out the playing field, the group said a total overhaul is needed to level out the underlying ground and adjust the orientation of the fields’ bases. Plus, they said, the field on the corner of Munson should be flipped on its head entirely to avoid facing the street and evade the potential batting of balls into oncoming cars.

A cement concession stand, out of

which volunteers sell Georgia Hots, hamburgers and homemade chili every summer as the temperature surges, could use a makeover as well or at least, the group of advocates suggested, a ventilation system.

They described those as bare minimum upgrades. But, they argued, the city could also opt to go a few steps further and bring splash pads or a small skate park to the space.

“This is not just about baseball,” Morrison stated. “This is about the kids of New Haven.”

“It’s life relationships that we build here and life lessons we teach. We deserve better facilities… These fields have been grossly neglected by the city of New Haven and parents, citizens and taxpayers of the city of New Haven are fed up.”

Liam Brennan, one of the city’s so-far six mayoral candidates and a father of two kids who have played in the league, said that while door knocking for votes he’s heard that “everyone feels like their particular park is falling apart.”

He, along with the rest of the group gathered Monday, asserted that “over the past few years there’s been a disinvestment in our parks.”

He pointed to a 2020 merger of the former Parks, Recreation and Trees Department with the Department of Public Works and the Youth Department as an example. Out of that shift came the Department of Parks and Public Works as well as the Department of Youth and Recreation. Read here about how some have criticized that move as taking away administrative attention from the city’s parks. Read in more detail here about how this year’s budget plans to rearrange personnel to care for the city’s parks.

Mayor: "What's Most Important Is That The Work Gets Done"

Mayor Justin Elicker, on the other hand, wrote the Independent via email that “during tough budget times in recent years, we’ve prioritized our parks and actually increased the number of full-time parks positions and our seasonal workforce budget as well to help maintain and beatify our parks and public spaces. On top of that, we’ve made significant new investments and improvements in our parks, leveraging $8.3 million in local and state American Rescue Plan funding, that have helped build or repair playgrounds, splashpads, ballfields, courts, trails, and other features and structures in parks across the city. We’re also renovating and reactivating formerly underutilized parks buildings with our new Youth and Community Centers that are coming online in Edgewood Park, East Rock Park, East Shore Park, Goffe Street Park, West River Memorial Park, and other locations. We also just secured another $12.1 million from the state to renovate and expand Long Wharf Park.”

“As for the structure of city depart-

ments,” Elicker continued, “I think what’s most important is that the work gets done and we’re committed to doing that in the very best way we can with the resources with have and we’re thankful for the partnership and assistance of our parks associations and volunteers that give of themselves and their time to help keep our parks great places for residents to use and enjoy.”

Regarding the Munson Street baseball fields, he said, “Our parks staff prep the Munson Street fields for the little league games on a daily basis and will also be installing new bat racks and cubby shelves for helmets in the coming weeks. Also, City staff have met with Walter “Pop” Smith Little League to discuss field improvements, and staff are meeting internally as to what additional improvements will be made and will be engaging again soon with the little league soon to discuss other potential improvements to the fields.

“More broadly, investing in children, youth, and family programming has been a priority for the City and Board of Alders – whether that’s sports programs or other extra-curricular enrichment programs. We believe our children and youth deserve every opportunity to thrive, and that hap-

pared to others.

Batter's Up!

Later Monday night, that worry was on Morrison’s mind as well as parents’ when four teams of Little Leaguers convened to play ball on Munson. For now, New Haven teams are playing against other New Haven Teams but as the summer progresses, they’ll start competing with additional teams from around the state and potentially the country.

Bryan McLean, a former New Haven Little Leaguer who’s now a proud dad of a Walter Pop Smith pitcher, echoed Morrison’s sentiment in between cries of support for his kid (“Yeah, baby!” he shouted whenever his son, Avery, successfully struck out an opposing kid at bat.)

McLean remembered when the city first invested in stadium lighting for the fields when he was a kid, which allowed his team to practice until late at night, improving their odds of competing with other towns and cities down the line.

“It was always a pride thing,” McLean said, recalling how good it felt to walk away part of a winning team after staying up late putting in practice. Decades later, Little League still brings up questions of pride for McLean, now that he’s observed years of what he called chronic underinvestment in the fields and a growing disparity between the grounds his kids play on versus where other children get to practice.

pens both in and outside the classroom. We just finished improvements to Bowen Field right nearby – redoing the fields and repairing the irrigation system and fences and we will be working on the dugouts there soon too. Work is also underway to significantly renovate the Wilbur Cross High School Athletic Complex as well.”

Morrison, meanwhile, argued that the Munson Street fields are in need of special attention not just to better substandard conditions or to honor the volunteer labor that keeps the league itself running, but because of what he called evident disparity between New Haven’s fields and those in other cities and towns around Connecticut.

“It’s hurtful because our kids also travel. They go to other fields and they say, ‘Why do ours look the way they do?’” Morrison said.

“When the kids go to other facilities their eyes light up,” Morrison continued. “And when kids come here their shoulders drop.”

“This is a community institution and it’s going down fast. Right now, this facility makes none of us feel good,” he said, recalling awkward moments spent wondering how to respond to kids curious as to why their fields are in such disarray com-

“They need to fix the fences, the scoreboard,” he enumerated. “If you go to North Haven the score board’s bigger and brighter. Then you go to Orange or Woodbridge or Cheshire and they’re all greener and beautiful.”

On Munson Street, he said, “balls jump up all the time and hit the kids in the face.” While seemingly all players were spared such field-inflicted injuries Monday night, he said it’s possible that the conditions could deter more kids from playing the sport or feeling motivated to better their baseball skills as well as from reaping the benefits of joining the league.

Unlike when he was young, McLean said Avery’s generation “has video games and texting. After the pandemic, they don’t know how to talk to each other anymore. The League is assimilating them back into communicating with other people.”

As the sun set Monday night, the competing New Haven teams shook hands and set off for home. The audience of adults who had shown up for those kids would have to wait another day to see whether their pleas would prompt the city to show up as well.

Amid the clash of wins and losses, Morrison offered an optimistic interpretation of the situation: “The good news is that if the kids can catch ground balls here, they can get ‘em anywhere.”

Liam Brennan, Steve Itkin and Wayne Morrison at a pre-game interview Monday.

Coach Wayne Morrison to City: Please level the playing field.

New Haven Independent

Football Star’s Camp A Touchdown Success

by LISA REISMAN

The rain came in torrents. It kept coming. No one seemed to care. This was the long-awaited second annual Tyler Booker Football Camp, and a little rainstorm wasn’t going to get in the way.

In every corner of Hopkins School ’s emerald-green Parr Field, along the sidelines, and throughout the middle, clusters of players on Saturday shuffled around cones, side-stepped and tip-toed through ladders, back-pedaled on a straight line, beads of moisture flying everywhere.

“Hinge at the hips,” a coach shouted to a player, as rain flew from his hair, intensity drawn deep in his features. “Look up, look up, look up.”

The theme of this year’s camp, as Tyler’s mother Tashona put it, was “dedication and commitment,” no matter the elements. It was also about, pretty much everyone involved seemed to agree, the Booker family, and their larger family and friends supporting them in their efforts to uplift the next generation.

The camp, which Tyler announced back in March, was free for anyone from fifth to eighth grade. A star offensive lineman and standout student at the vaunted University of Alabama, the New Haven native, who attended high school at the IMG Academy in Florida, has pledged to give back to the area where, as he put it, “he first fell in love with the game.”

“Yes, it’s raining, but it’s football,” Tashona said, noting that the majority of the campers arrived at 9:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. registration. “This rain is weeding out the football players from the nonfootball players.”

Down on the field, JB Bernadel was leading a group of running backs through a series of drills.

“A lot of good energy here,” said Bernadel, who played football at Michigan State with Tyler’s uncle Ulish Booker, and was among the dozen or so coaches who volunteered their time and expertise at the camp.

“This is a lot of footwork training, teaching them to open up their hips, bend their knees, accelerate, decelerate, just teaching them good habits,” he said, amid the driving rain.

“A lot of these kids, they look up to Tyler, they want to emulate him, and I’m all about helping them do that,” said Bernadel, who also coaches the New Haven Steelers Pop Warner football team.

Levi Jordan was observing his son, Tyrone Stevenson, from a walkway above the stands. He said his son, a high honors student, would be attending Notre Dame in West Haven,

Jordan, a former all-state quarterback for West Haven High School, said he helped Tyler with skills and drills training when Tyler played for the New Haven Steelers, and got to know the Book-

er family.

“His dad Will did a great job in raising him, his mom too,” he said.

“And now kids look up to Tyler,” he said. “Kids get inspired by him. They see what they can be.”

Nearby, Tyler’s older sister Jailen Booker, while ensuring that each camper got a T shirt, backpack, and water bottle, and coordinating the delivery of boxes of sandwiches and cookies for lunch, took a moment to follow the action on the field.

“These kids are determined, they’re willing to sacrifice their comfort to prepare and train to be the best they can be,” she said. “That’s what this camp is all about.”

She said she and her family had been working on the camp for several months.

“We’ve been reaching out to facilities, to sponsors willing to donate items, and asking for volunteers, and everyone has come through, everyone has been great,” she said.

“This is for our community and by our community,” she said.

A few feet from her, a trio of her friends worked the registration table under a tent.

“We’re friends of the family, and we support Tyler in whatever he does,” said Naydrine Straker who, like Jailen, is a UConn graduate. “He’s a prominent figure, a role model, and he’s doing very well. He wants to give back and help kids and we’re always going to show up to help him.”

“I think it means a lot in this community that he’s made it to this level, and kids came out here in the pouring rain because they want to be inspired, and they love football,” said Kayla Robinson.

Seated under a tent on the upper level of the stands, Terri Simmons, Tyler’s aunt, said she came out to show support.

“When Tyler was four, we would be watching football and he would explain to me everything that was going on. He was always serious about football. He would say ‘I’m going to go to the NFL,’” she said, as rain pelted the ground.

She recalled her mother, Frances Brad-

were preparing to help with lunch.

“Our sons played together with Tyler when they were five,” said “team mom” Tawanna Lasane.

“We’re out here for all the kids and for Tashona and the Booker family,” Twonya Smalls said, adding she’s known Tashona since high school.

Beside her was her husband Jermaine Smalls, who coaches the 12-and-unders of the New Haven Steelers.

“This event is helping keep kids off the streets and teaching them good habits,” he said.

Hannibal Gibson, another volunteer, agreed. “There are life lessons being taught on that field that are bigger than football,” he said.

He praised Tyler for giving back to the place he came from,” and “helping the young kids, giving them what we didn’t have.”

Derrick Suggs was unpacking boxes packed with tuna sandwiches, and turkey and cheese sandwiches. There were others filled with chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, and still others with bags of chips.

“This is all from the Eat Up Foundation and Gorilla Lemonade,” Suggs said, referring to the nonprofit designed to combine Kristen Threatt’s business smarts and Burkett-Thompson’s cooking chops to change communities for the better. In 2022, Eat Up released Gorilla Lemonade which is currently in 85 locations around Connecticut and in February became the first Black-owned beverage supplier at Yale.

“We’re all about partnering with Tyler and the Booker family to make life better for anyone who’s struggling here in New Haven.”

By then, the campers, along with the coaches, volunteers, and families, were slogging across the soggy lawns to the Walter Camp Athletic Center.

There, the roughly 75 campers congregated on the basketball court, awaiting the awards ceremony.

“We learned a lot about footwork,” said Jeremiah Smalls, who described himself as a running back and linebacker. He said he wants to play in the NFL.

Aiden Morse traveled from Newark, N.J. to attend the camp.

shaw, telling those around Tyler, “he’s gotta get used to the light because he’s gonna be a star.”

“Just to see what he’s bringing to this community, what he can do here for the younger boys, I’m not that knowledgeable about football, but I know that I’m proud of my nephew,” she said.

Under another tent, a group of volunteers, decked out in dripping raingear,

“I’m good, but I wanted to get better,” he said. “I want to play in college, then in the NFL,” he said, adding that he models his game after New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley.

With that, Tyler Booker appeared before the campers. Everyone grew quiet. “I appreciate you guys coming out today,” he said. “I appreciate you guys working hard. If there’s anything you take from today, it’s always give back if

Con’t on page 13

LISA REISMAN PHOTO Tyler Booker (center) with campers: “The kids got a whole lot out of it, and that’s the point, and they had a whole lot of fun.”

Tyler and Jailen Booker, all smiles after another football camp in the books.

Long Wharf Open-Air Market Set To Launch

by PAUL BASS

Start with an emerging home/cart/truck start-up culture. Add a pandemic brewing period. Throw in the emergence of popup culture. Find a lot the size of an arena right off I-95 and I-91.

Jacqueline James-Boyd and a group of fellow entrepreneurial-minded colleagues mixed together those ingredients. They cooked up what they hope will become a new tradition in New Haven: An “Elm City Open Air Market” where hundreds of vendors gather to promote their wares and build their businesses.

They’re launching their idea with an Elm City Open Air Market in the Sports Haven parking Lot at 600 Long Wharf on June 22 from noon to 8 p.m. At least 100 vendors from throughout the East Coast are expected at the first event hawking T-shirts, pizza, wellness remedies … you name it. The organizers are looking to operate the market twice a month through November, then resume next March. (Call 203 – 676-9478 or emal JJames-Boyd@ctopenair.net for vendor application information.)

In addition to giving entrepreneurs a spot to seed their work, the organizers are looking to build a support network with advice for building new businesses and finding capital.

James-Boyd has experience doing that. As city government’s small business chief in the mid-aughts, she launched the Long Wharf food truck festival, ran a small business academy for start-ups, and organized a Women’s Empowerment Network.

She met some of her current Open Air Market co-organizers through that network. Three of the co-organizers and participants joined her on an episode of WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” to discuss the project: Valerie Brown, a serial food entrepreneur (most recently running Greens ’n Thangs on Whalley Avenue), who’s testing out a loaded baked-potato business idea at the market;

Valerie Groom, who operates A Queen Cleaning service while building up a personal styling consultancy; and Janice Parker, who sells cleansing regiments and liquid multi-vitamins through a business called Health’s Our Wealth.

2nd-hand Shop Finds 1 Good For Another

by ABIBA BIAO

Jamie Dawn saw an increasing appetite for secondhand clothing and kitchenware and all other kinds of goods, especially among sustainability-minded collegeaged shoppers — and decided to meet that demand by opening a new consignment shop on Broadway.

That new shop, called One Good For Another, is now open on the second floor of 59 Broadway.

Dawn, 59, who owns the shop, found inspiration the venture in the rapid growth of the secondhand market among young adults.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time,” she said about the consignment shop.

A Westville resident and real estate agent, she noticed the number of vintage and thrift shops in the city, but the lack of consignment shops. She to act on that vacancy by first perusing through business locations online.

Dawn said that there’s a distinction between consignment shops, thrifting, and vintage stores, even though the concepts are often conflated with one another.

“With a thrift shop, they will buy items out right from you and sell them very very inexpensively because some of them probably aren’t in the best condition,” she said. “With a consignment store, depending on the store, you could be very choosy about what you select.”

Dawn accepts only gently used clothing

John P. Thomas

Publisher /

CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

Editor-in-Chief

Liaison, Corporate Affairs

Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team

Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne

John Thomas, III

Editorial Team

Staff Writers

Christian Lewis/Current Affairs

Anthony Scott/Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd/Politics

Contributing Writers

David Asbery / Tanisha Asbery

Jerry Craft / Cartoons / Barbara Fair

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur

Michelle Turner / Smita Shrestha

William Spivey / Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

and trendy clothes now in fashion. This differs from vintage shops that hold items from periods as far back as the 70’s and 80’s.

She described consignment as “a little more upscale than a thrift shop,” but still offering bargains in the form of discounts that are 30 to 40 percent less than retail prices.

Customers that bring in items to sell

also get benefits.

“We give 40 percent to the consignors when their items sell, which they can receive cash or store credit,” Dawn explained.

If the consignor’s item doesn’t sell after 90 days they have the option to take it back. If not, those items become the store’s inventory and Dawn can decide to continue selling it or donate it to charity.

“My goal is to really just get it in the hands of people and organizations that really need it,” she said.

She’s currently researching charities to donate to, not opting for stores like Goodwill where donated goods are vended, and instead wanting goods to go to organizations that prioritize accessibility to essential items. Some of the charities on her list include the Life Haven Shelter, IRIS, and the Women & Family Life Center in Guilford.

Javier Ascencio, a 21-year-old computer science major at Yale, looked around the shop on a recent visit and found a pair of brown Rockport men’s dress shoes that caught his eye. Pleased after trying the shoes on, he brought them up to the register, saying they’d be perfect with the tweed sport coat he thrifted in Pennsylvania a few months ago.

Ascencio wasn’t always a huge consignment customer. His interest in thrifting and consignment shops growing in the past two years as he started finding his sense of style.

“The environment is always good to take care of and I think my tastes tend to be more like what is found at thrift shops and consignment shops,” Ascencio said. Ascencio encouraged people unfamiliar with consignment shops to try shopping secondhand and see what they could find.

“Sometimes there’s a stigma of used clothing,” Ascencio said, “but you find really nice stuff.”

Contributors At-Large

Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com

Paul Bass

www.newhavenindependent.org

Memberships

National Association of Black Journalist

National Newspapers Publishers Association

Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce

Greater New Haven Business & Professional

Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

The Inner-City Newspaper is published weekly by Penfield Communications, Inc. from offices located at 50 Fitch Street, 2nd Floor, New Haven, CT 06515. 203-387-0354 phone; 203-3872684 fax. Subscriptions:$260 per year (does not include sales tax for the in State subscriptions). Send name, address, zip code with payment. Postmaster, send address changes to 50 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515. Display ad deadline Friday prior to insertion date at 5:00pm Advertisers are responsible for checking ads for error in publication. Penfield Communications, Inc d.b.a., “The Inner-City Newspaper” , shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad or for typographical errors or errors in publication, except to the extent of the cost of the space in which actual error appeared in the first insertion. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The entire contents of The Inner-City Newspaper are copyright 2012, Penfield Communications, Inc. and no portion may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

PAUL BASS PHOTO Elm City Open Air Market organizers Michelle Groom, Jacqueline James-Boyd, Janice Parker, and Valerie Brown at WNHH FM.

ABIBA BIAO PHOTO Jamie Dawn: “With a consignment store, depending on the store, you could be very choosy about what you select.”

New Haven Independent

New Haven Independent

Connecticut Faces Impending Teacher Exodus as Legislative Session Closes

by Christine Stuart

Connecticut Education Association

President Kate Dias is concerned the urgency of tangible action regarding a teacher shortage is beginning to fade as the legislative session winds down.

She said in terms of vacancies they’re nearing 1,700 and it’s creeping into every single district.

“Everybody is going to be impacted by this,” Dias said before the start of the Memorial Day holiday.

She said now is the time when teachers are deciding whether they will return to the profession or take their masters degree and make more money in another industry.

Legislation that would have set a minimum salary cap for starting teacher pay never made it through the Appropriations Committee.

However, Rep. Jeff Currey, co-chair of the Education Committee, said there is still legislation that changes the requirements for teachers in the classroom, raises the kindergarten age to five, and embraces play-based learning.

He said he wouldn’t call the current teacher shortage a “crisis.” He said even though some of the financial pieces they were looking for didn’t make it through the committee process there’s still $150

million in the second year of the budget for education and some of that money will be directed at professional staff.

“I’m really concerned we’re not seeing the shortage decrease,” Dias said. She said school closures due to low staffing

levels are becoming more common. She said whatever the legislature does “needs to be visible and significant that this investment is going to be made in the profession – directed into the classroom and service providers, highly qualified

and highly skilled educators and we are competitive with other industries so we aren’t losing people.”

Currey said he thinks the progress they are making will be felt.

He said they have waived the $300

application fee for the teaching license exam. Typically, that fee would need to be paid and repaid if a teacher didn’t pass the test the first time.

While grateful at the policy changes, Dias said she wants to see something more.

She said Connecticut’s average starting teacher pay is around $48,000 a year. She said she would like that to be closer to $60,000 a year.

“We need to be making sure teachers are moving along on salaries at a rapid rate to maintain their edge,” Dias said. “We’re going to lose our teachers. The number one highest paid school teachers in the country are in New York.”

She said it’s not far from Connecticut and they could woo the highly qualified teachers across the border.

And Maryland just set a starting salary at $60,000 a year.

She said teachers have highly desirable skills and “if we are not working to bring people in other companies other industries are going to pick people off.”

The Connecticut Education Association will be holding a press conference at 11:45 a.m. today on the south lawn of the state Capitol to draw more attention to their cause as budget negotiations wrap up this week.

CEA President Kate Dias at the state Capitol. Credit: Courtesy of CEA

Ct. News Junkie

Abdussabur Details A Vision For The Arts

Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Grow the budget for arts, culture, and tourism in the city to $1 million a year, with programming that jumpstarts workforce development and creative placemaking. Create affordable housing for artists who are being priced out of New Haven. Build spaces of truth-telling, city history and cultural reconciliation, where New Haven can both recognize and begin to reckon with its past.

All of those are part of mayoral candidate Shafiq Abdussabur’s new plan for arts and culture, released Thursday afternoon during a creative roundtable at Kaiyden’s Coffee in Wooster Square. Abudssabur is one of three Democratic challengers seeking to unseat incumbent Mayor Justin Elicker in this year’s September primary.

Surrounded by multimedia artists and small businesses owners, Abdussabur outlined a five-point, multi-pronged plan that jumps from cultural equity and a more robustly funded arts budget to citywide marketing and cultural reconciliation.

Among large-ticket items are a $1 million arts budget for the city, a development team within the Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism, the establishment of affordable housing for artists, and the expansion of economic cultural corridors in several of the city’s historically under-resourced neighborhoods, including those decimated by urban renewal. He has also called for an independent audit of each city department, with no figure attached to that.

“It’s prioritizing. It’s having a vision. It’s having a plan. It’s having it written down,” he said Thursday, as attendees sipped coffee and tea around two sunsoaked patio tables. “I think it’s about a mayor using their power to make it a priority. The city can’t just say it’s a partner. It has to do the things that’s necessary to create a partnership.”

Thursday’s roundtable included singer/ songwriter Briana Williams, Far-Side founder and multimedia artist Ruby Gonzalez Hernandez, Wábi Gallery Owner Kim Weston, Sweet 2 The Soul Owner Shamica Murray, illustrator Michael Pringleton, Black Haven Founder Salwa Abdussabur (who is also Abdussabur’s daughter) and State House Co-Owner Slate Liu-Ballard.

Abdussabur, who is himself an artist, said that the plan is meant to both address existing needs in the city and establish New Haven as a hub for artists and creatives. Currently, he said, the most consistent concern he hears is the lack of affordable housing and studio space for working artists.

From the beginning of the roundtable, attendees both jumped in to ask questions

and listened carefully to what Abdussabur, who worked for nearly three decades with the New Haven Police Department, had to say. For many at the table, New Haven represents a city full of artistic potential, where they have also been all but priced out.

“How are you going to get to $1 million?” Liu-Ballard, who lives in Hamden but operates a space in New Haven, asked. “We’re not prioritizing arts and culture in this city. That’s what’s happening. Look at the budget.”

Abdussabur and campaign manager Gage Frank pointed to New Haven Festivals, the not-for-profit arm of the Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism. Unlike some other city departments, he said, having a 501(c)(3) within arts and culture allows the division to raise funds through grants, public-private partnerships, and corporate donations. What if, he asked, developers had to dedicate a minimum percentage of their total project budget to arts and culture?

“I believe personally, having done contracting, if you come and you’re gonna build something in the city, even though you’re doing it with your private money, you’re using my city services to make a profit in my city,” Abdussabur said. “But I’m not charging you for that profit?”

He looked to the recent construction at 101 College St., where city officials successfully pressed Winstanley Enterprises to contribute $500,000 to a new “Together We Grow” community development fund. Of that, $200,000 is now part of a scholarship fund for New Haven high school students interested in biotech and bioscience. One of the first recipients, Laila Mohammad, is a senior at Hill Re-

gional Career High School.

If that model already exists, he said, why not harness it for arts and culture?

In Connecticut, the creative sector comprised $10.1 billion, or 3.4 percent, of the state’s gross domestic product in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. For a city department that currently receives $350,647 of New Haven’s $662.7 million general fund budget, it’s a way to bring in new funds.

“Every contractor comes in, you can deal with those developers right up front, and have a place where that money specifically goes, such as here,” he said. “And that way, it doesn’t compete with the money that the arts [and arts organizations] is already competing for …

spirit.”

“Period!” Murray said. “It kills it.”

“We have to make housing based on what people can actually afford right now,” he continued. “You have to go to people and talk to people and talk to artists and say, ‘What can you afford right now?’”

“Thirty-five cents!” Murray joked, drawing deep laughter from every corner of the table. “Free!”

He looked to Read’s Artspace, a $14.1 million Bridgeport-based development that went up in 2004, as a working example of affordable housing for artists. Currently, Read’s has 61 work-live units, which range from one to three bedrooms.

According to a 2022 rental application from Millennium Real Estate Services, which manages the property, rent ranges from $333 to $830 per month for a one bedroom, $405 to $1,000 per month for a two bedroom, and $1,025 to $1,150 per month for a three bedroom, all depending on annual household income.

Abdussabur did not mention recent plans for Fair Haven’s long-empty Strong School, where the city has tapped Pennrose, a developer that specializes in affordable housing, to build 58 fixedincome units and a community specifically designed for artists and creatives. According to an interview in the New Haven Independent last November, city officials said that 48 of the 58 apartments “will be reserved for renters making between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income.”

“Listen,” he said. “You bring in, you get a building, you develop real, affordable housing for artists … in return you get a creative person living inside of your city, that returns back to their cultural district of the city. They’re able to do their work, monetize their work, and hold on to some of their [work and income]”

What I’m suggesting is there’s additional money that’s out there.”

Murray, a Newhallville-based theatermaker, creative writer and dramatic coach who also homeschools her children, pivoted to the need for affordable housing and artist space in the city.

When she was originally building her arts nonprofit, Sweet 2 The Soul, she looked at spaces across the city trying to find something. “I couldn’t find any cracks or holes in New Haven” where the business might fit, she said. Instead, the only space she could afford was in Branford. She was delighted to open, but sad to be outside of her city.

“You have to have subsidized housing for artists,” Abdussabur said. “When they don’t have housing, when they can’t pay their bills, it just impacts your creative

Liu-Ballard asked if Abdussabur had thought about a cooperatively owned real estate company, built and run by creatives. In that model, he said, the cooperative buys, owns, and operates the building. “You have a larger community investing in a smaller community that the artists are then, obviously, investing in the larger community through their art.”

Murray said she thinks about that model frequently when she passes “an eyesore” of a vacant building on Bassett Street in her neighborhood. It has been empty since 2013; a plan for a workerowned laundry co-op died two years ago. The city and the Board of Education now plan on converting that site into the next

Read more by going to THE INNERCITY NEWS .COM

Shafiq Abdussabur, Salwa Abdussabur, Brianna Williams and Ruby Gonzalez Hernandez. Lucy Gellman Photos.

Briana Williams, Ruby Gonzalez Hernandez, Kim Weston, Shamica Murray, and Michael Pringleton.

Group Home Workers Strike For Higher Wages

by Christine Stuart

Over 1,700 group home and day program workers who provide care for individuals with disabilities in Medicaidfunded agencies across Connecticut launched an indefinite strike Wednesday. They are demanding higher wages, affordable healthcare, and adequate retirement funding.

The caregivers are calling for a pathway to a minimum wage of $25 per hour, a significant increase from their current entry-level wages of $17.25 per hour. Furthermore, they are seeking affordable healthcare and additional funding for retirement after decades of service.

To meet these demands, strikers are requesting an additional $400 million in Medicaid funding for group homes and day programs. The funding requires $200 million from state funds and an equal amount matched by federal funds.

Rob Baril, President of the New England Health Care Employees Union, SEIU 1199NE, noted that the strike aims to achieve economic justice. “This work is almost entirely funded by the state with Medicaid dollars. This pays for the care received by individuals with disabilities and provided by our members, in many cases 24 hours a day,” Baril said. “Tragically, the workforce of 1,700 members that is striking today does that work at poverty-level wages, many of them without affordable health insurance.”

Workers from agencies such as Oak Hill, Mosaic, Whole Life, Network, Caring Community, and Alternative Services, Inc., joined the strike.

Janet Johnson has been working at Oak Hill for nearly 38 years and only making $23 an hour. She said jobs at Target and McDonald’s pay better, yet “we are responsible for people’s lives.”

She said they don’t want to be on strike, they want to be taking care of their clients, but no one should have to sleep in their cars when they’re in the health care field. She said that’s what some of her colleagues have to do. Or they work two or three jobs.

“It shouldn’t be that way,” Johnson said.

“I’ve been in the long-term care field for 20 years. I make $17.25 an hour,”

Sylvia Grant, a caregiver working with Oak Hill for the past two years, said. “I’m prediabetic. I cannot afford my health care. I cannot afford to get sick. This is not acceptable. I should not have to make these choices in my life, while I’m taking care of the lives of other people.”

According to Oak Hill President and CEO Barry Simon these workers deserve a raise. He called on Gov. Ned Lamont and lawmakers to pass a cost of-living adjustment commensurate to the experi-

ence and dedication necessary to serve individuals with disabilities.

He said as it stands, the executive branch and legislature have proposed a 1% COLA to Oak Hill’s state contracts over the next two years. After decades of underfunding, 1% does not come close to paying our staff a living wage, especially in a time of high inflation and increases to medical insurance.

Meanwhile, the Department of Developmental Services said they’ve been working to make sure the clients are taken care of during this time.

“All individuals and families impacted by the strike were contacted last week and continue to be made aware of providers’ plans to manage operations. While we cannot comment on the status of current contract negotiations between the union and private providers, we are hopeful this matter will be resolved soon,” DDS spokesman Kevin Bronson said.

Johnson & Johnson Nursing Innovation Fellowship Program selects two Yale New Haven Hospital nurse leaders

New Haven, CT (May 25, 2023) – The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has announced ten teams from health systems around the country have been selected for the Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship Program (JJNIF), powered by Penn Nursing and the Wharton School – a ground-breaking, one-year, team-based nursing fellowship for chief nursing officers (CNO), nurse executives, and senior nurse leaders. Ena Williams, PhD, RN, senior vice president and CNO at Yale New Haven Hospital and Jeannette Bronsord, DNP, executive director, surgical services at YNHH, have been selected.

The fellowship is unique in that two nurse leaders – one CNO or nurse executive and one other senior nurse leader from the same organization – participate and work together to address a real-world challenge their health system is facing using humancentered design and business and leadership principals specific to innovation. The fellows come from geographically diverse

areas across the US. They come from large and small health systems as well as standalone hospitals and public health systems in urban and rural locations.

The fellowship will immerse participants in the innovation process by focusing on human-centered design and design thinking methodologies and will teach fellows how to apply it to their specific challenge area. The innovation curriculum provided by Penn Nursing will be paired with business acumen, change management and strategic leadership skills development through Wharton Executive Education. At the conclusion of the fellowship, fellows will pitch their innovative solutions with the goal of bringing that solution back to their healthcare system to implement.

During the fellowship, participants will work on a healthcare problem specific to their health system. While two-person executive leadership teams from each health system are the selected fellows, fellows may invite extended team members from their health system who can help them

identify the problem and develop their solutions to attend virtual sessions as well. The program will conclude with a final in-person pitch session where fellows will describe the problem they are addressing and their recommended solution.

Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nationally recognized, 1,541-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826, today, YNHH has two New Haven-based campuses, and also includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital.

YNHH has received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. YNHH has a combined medical staff of about 4,500 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. www.ynhh.org

Courtesy of ynhhs.org

Workers on strike outside of Oak Hill in Hartford Credit: Christine Stuart photo

House Leaders: Budget Unlikely To Meet Striking Workers’ Demands

The Legacy Lives On!

Freddy Fixer Weekend

Group home and day program workers took their strike to the Capitol Wednesday, demanding the state budget include the money needed for a wage bump and other demands.

Workers with the New England Health Care Employees Union, SEIU 1199NE launched an indefinite strike earlier in the day, hoping to put pressure on lawmakers and Gov. Ned Lamont as they negotiate a budget.

Leaders in the House of Representatives said a final budget deal will include more money, but nowhere near the request from SEIU.

“That is true, we are not able to get to $200 million,” House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, told reporters, referencing the estimated total for the unions’ requests.

House Minority Leader Vincent Cadelora, R-North Branford, was more pointed, criticizing the union for striking with two weeks left in the legislative session.

The union is seeking a minimum wage hike from the current $17.25 per hour up to $25 per hour over the next two years. The workers also want more affordable healthcare and adequate retirement benefits.

The union estimates their request will cost $400 million in additional funding — $200 million from the state budget with an equal match in Medicaid funding.

The striking union includes more than 1,700 group home and day program workers who provide services for individuals with disabilities at Medicaid-funded programs around Connecticut.

“During the pandemic, they called us heroes but they treat us like zeroes, essentially,” Mark Fisher, an assistant manager with Alternative Services Connecticut, Inc., or ASI-CT.

Ritter said lawmakers have agreed with Lamont on a “framework” for a budget, but all sides are still working out the details.

He said it will have more money — his office said there’s no firm number yet —, but it will be significantly less than what SEIU 1199 is seeking.

Ritter said budget rules, recently renewed by lawmakers, limit how much extra spending the new budget can include.

“I think the general feeling is, we’re living within our means and being sustainable,” he said.

Ritter said he wants to avoid repeats of past budget cycles, when lawmakers would promise funding but have to make cuts when revenues fell short of projections.

Ritter also pushed back against criticism that the budget didn’t provide enough support for various services, saying people need to look at everything the General Assembly does. The CT Community Nonprofit Alliance organized its own rally Wednesday for

more funding.

“It’s not just this year, you have to look at are we stable enough to continue policies from 2022, 2023, and we will always continue to try to find money in the next biennium for nonprofits and these workers,” he said. “That’s always a priority.”

That includes funding for a minimum wage increase just two years ago for SEIU 1199 workers. Fisher said the increase was “nice,” but it’s not enough to keep up with the economy.

“Due to inflation, gas costs, the rise of electricity — all that money’s gone, it disappeared, it ate it all up,” he said. “So now we’re back where we started from.”

Candelora agreed with Ritter’s assessment of the budget. He also said he was “disappointed” the union chose to strike instead of waiting for budget negotiations.

“If they’re not willing to take what they’re being provided now, they might not become a priority in the long run if we just can’t make it work,” he said.

SEIU is planning more attempts to put pressure on lawmakers, include setting up tents around the Capitol. The union said the tents represent workers’ struggle to keep up with rising housing costs.

“We’re letting them know that you do this now,” Fisher said about the timing of the strike.

SEIU 1199 group home workers who are on strike take over the state Capitol Credit: Mike Savino photo by Mike Savino

The wine industry is overwhelmingly White, this Black winemaker wants to change that

By Bria Overs, Word in Black

business for his family to continue.

Winemaking

is

one of the oldest crafts in human history, with evidence from historians and archeologists going back as far as 6,000 B.C.

In the United States, Black folks didn’t enter the industry until the late 1800s. With 15 years in the business, Longevity Wines is one of less than a hundred Black-owned wineries in an overwhelmingly White industry.

When asked about the challenges of starting a winemaking business, Winemaker Phil Long, who co-founded Longevity Wines, and is president of the Association of African American Vintners, says the biggest challenge was getting a foot in the door.

“We are such a small percentage of the entire landscape of what this industry is,” he told Word In Black. “You’re starting out as a new generation of wine that’s never been there before. The people have never heard of you, your name, your background.

The wine business is extremely challenging.”

As of January, there are over 11,500 wineries in the United States. However, pinpointing the number of Black-owned wines is difficult, and Long estimates less than 1 percent are Black-owned.

The industry’s history and legacy is extensive, and Black folks have long been barred from participating.

Wine came to the Americas in the pockets of the Europeans that immigrated here. For Black folks entering the industry now, Long said the difference is “we didn’t even have pockets.”

“I decided there are other ways to get into the wine industry besides land ownership, and it’s made us successful, but it’s not necessarily going to make everyone successful,” he said.

Phil and his late wife Debra Long started Longevity Wines in 2008, based in Livermore Valley, Calif. What began as a fun hobby in their garage is now a familyowned, award-winning business with over a dozen wine options, including Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay.

Their first wine was a 30-gallon barrel of Syrah, a rich red wine they stored in their garage. After running out of space, the duo knew it was time to move upward and onward.

When they were ready to launch, they had about 12 of those 30-gallon barrels in what became a custom-built, climate-controlled barrel room.

“At that point, they were just homemade wines we could drink and share with friends, but we can’t sell” because of laws around the sale of homemade wine, Long said. “In order to keep following that passion of creating wine, the only way we were going to do it is to sell it. So we jumped in.”

Even after starting Longevity Wines, Debra and Phil continued with their full-time jobs.

Debra was the Office Manager for the Danville Chamber of Commerce and became interim President and CEO in 2011.

Phil was the Creative Director for a pointof-purchase display firm in Northern California.

Eight years into their business venture, Debra was diagnosed with pancreatic can-

cer and passed away in 2019. Longevity Wines’ branding, both on the bottles and in their wine-tasting room, is heavily inspired by Phil and Debra’s life together and the legacy they built. Today, Long runs his business with his son, Phil Long Jr., annually producing about 3,500 cases made with local grapes.

Diversifying the wine industry

Long has been president of AAAV for the last three years. His focus is generating more awareness for Black-owned wineries and winemakers.

The big question Long seeks answers to is, “How do we get to the point where the people who are making the wine look like the people who are drinking the wine?”

He knows from first-hand experience the barriers to entry in the wine industry, and it’s his mission to create more opportunities for young Black folks and other minorities. Long projects that with each new winery, the overall percentage of minority-owned wines will shrink.

As a young man, Long didn’t know much about the wine industry. And he’s not

alone.

“So if I don’t know, how many people don’t really know this is an opportunity for them,” he said. “That’s why we work so hard to reach the younger generation and try to provide them with the means to learn about it.”

Being educated and doing “homework,” as he calls it, is another piece of the puzzle of starting and growing a wine business.

“They see the pot of gold, but they don’t see the work to get to the pot of gold,” Long said. “So first and foremost, do your homework and educate yourself above everything.”

AAAV provides scholarships for Sonoma State University students and Wine & Spirit Education Trust students at Napa Valley Wine Academy.

“We’ve got to grow that number, and the bottom line is we have to start educating the younger population that is going to come up and replace us,” Long told Word In Black.

That applies to his business as well.

He’s working to create a generational

“Creating a brand that’s timeless is absolutely huge,” Long said.

Growing Longevity Wines

In grocery stores nationwide, hundreds, if not thousands, of wines line aisles and shelves. This is another challenge of the winemaking business — standing out on those crowded shelves.

“Making wine is the easy part,” Long said. “Selling wine is the hard part.”

Long and Longevity Wines partnered with Bronco Wine Company in 2019. This helped him scale the business nationwide and sell his products in supermarkets, restaurants, bars, and more.

Bronco Wine Company is another familyowned wine business founded by the Franzia Family in 1973. Their portfolio of wine companies has 125 businesses, including Longevity Wines.

Through the partnership, Longevity Wines produces about 50,000 cases each year.

Although the partnership has helped, there’s more to running a successful business. He doesn’t believe in the common saying, “If you build, they will come.” That relies on chance instead of hard work.

His perspective is to convince stores to want to make space for new products on their shelves. Having a solid marketing strategy helps with this.

“There’s a lot of great winemakers out there that just don’t have the marketing savvy or the brand savvy to make it work. Once you have those pieces in place, and you have those tools in your tool bag, you can carry them into any state.”

However, the best way to stand out in the crowd, Long says, is a great product. “You have to have good juice, and there’s no way around that.”

This article was originally published by Word in Black.

Meet the 1st Ever Black Woman President of Nike's Jordan Brand, Which Made $5.1 Billion Last Year

By BlackBusiness.com

Meet Sarah Mensah, the first-ever Black female President of Nike's Air Jordan brand, which generated $5.1 billion in revenue in 2022 alone. In fact, she is the first woman of any race to ever hold the prestigious position. This comes nearly two years after she made history as the first Black woman to lead Nike's North American business.

Since joining Nike in 2013, Sarah has proven her leadership skills, strategic expertise, and dedication to excellence. As the senior director of strategic planning, she played a crucial role in developing a 10-year plan for the Jordan Brand. Her strategic vision has led to the brand's expansion into various markets featuring famous athletes in different fields.

Prior to her appointment as president, she

held other significant positions within the company. She served as both vice president and general manager of Nike's North American business, becoming the first Black woman to do so.

"It's important to me personally and to our athletes, our employees, our consumers. We talk a lot about listening to them, and the best way to listen is to reflect them," Sarah said, according to Footwear News. "I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility because Nike means so much to the Black community. To be the first Black woman leading this geography is an incredible mandate."

Prior to joining Nike in 2013, Sarah worked for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers for 19 years, holding senior roles, such as chief operating officer. She is a proud alumnus of the University of Oregon.

No Labels Endorses Bipartisan Deal to Resolve US Debt Ceiling Debate

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

No Labels, a growing national movement of what the organization calls “common sense Americans pushing leaders together to solve the country’s biggest problems,” announced its support of the bipartisan deal that President Joe Biden, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have agreed upon in principle to avoid the United States defaulting on its national debt before the June 5 deadline.

“We have always emphasized that there should be common sense bipartisan solutions to our nation’s problems that are supported overwhelmingly by the majority of the American people,” No Labels National Co-Chairs Joe Lieberman, Larry Hogan, and Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., said in a joint statement issued on Sunday, May 28.

Chavis also serves as president and CEO of the National Newspaper Pub-

lishers Association, the trade association of the more than 230 African American owned newspapers and media companies in the United States.

After months of uncertainty and verbal sparring, an “agreement in principle” has been reached to spare the United States from its first-ever debt default.

But now comes the hard part: convincing both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to agree to pass the measure.

After President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that they’d reached an accord to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default, Congress has just a few days to approve the deal.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said a deal needs ratification by June 5, or the United States would breach its $31.4 trillion debt ceiling.

If approved by Congress, the deal would raise the debt ceiling for two years, punting it to the next administration.

The GOP originally proposed a oneyear deal but conceded to Democrats’ demand for two.

In the agreement, spending – except for the military – would remain at 2023 levels for next year, with funds being earmarked for other federal programs.

Biden also agreed to a $10 billion cut to the $80 billion he had earmarked for the IRS to crack down on individuals cheating on their taxes.

Instead, the funds will go to other programs that Republicans sought to cut.

Additionally, with billions remaining from pandemic relief funds unspent, both parties agreed to claw back those funds to the federal government.

“Avoiding America’s default in paying our national debt is vital to the future of our nation. We thank President Biden and Speaker McCarthy for their leadership to achieve the debt ceiling deal,” the No Labels leaders continued.

“We encourage Republican, Democratic and Independent members of both chambers of the US Congress to pass this agreement expeditiously because it is so important for every American.”

Ariel from the live-action “The Little Mermaid” film makes her debut at Disney Parks

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Ariel from the new live-action story “The Little Mermaid” begins greeting guests Friday, May 26, 2023, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and at Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort in California. At Walt Disney World Resort, Ariel greets guests at Prince Eric’s shoreside castle, on a beautiful terrace with sweeping views of the sea, pictured here. At Disneyland Resort, Ariel meets guests where the land meets the sea in a location inspired by Eric’s castle library, complete with whosits and whatsits galore. (Photo credit: Abigail Nilsson, Photographer) For full details on all the ways to journey “Under the Sea,” be sure to check out the Disney Parks Blog.

No Labels National Co-Chairs Joe Lieberman, Larry Hogan, and Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.

It’s time to put “live my healthiest life” closer to the top of your priority list. One great way to start is to schedule your next medical and dental checkup, screening or immunization.

If you have health and dental coverage, make sure you know your benefits — and make sure you use them. They can help you stay healthy and may uncover health issues before they become more serious.

All health plans offered through Access Health CT include coverage for important essential health benefits to keep you and your family healthy.

Learn more at AccessHealthCT.com/Use-Your-Plan.

New Study Reveals Excess Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost Among the Black Population in the US from 1999-2020

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

A new study shows that after some progress, the number of deaths and years of possible life lost among America’s Black population stopped going down and then started going up again.

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said their results show that new ways of doing things are needed.

JAMA looked at statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which showed that when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world in 2020, the number of deaths and years of potential life lost went up.

Compared to white people, 1.63 million more Black people died than they should have.

Experts said that’s the equivalent of 80 million years of potential life during the study period, which took place from 1999 to 2020.

“After a period of progress in reducing disparities, improvements stopped, and differences between the Black population and the white population got worse in 2020,” JAMA experts wrote.

Because of the pandemic, experts

stated that years of growth had ended. They said the pandemic affected Black Americans more than other groups.

Herman Taylor, one of the study’s authors and head of the cardiovascular re-

search institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine, said, “The study is very important for about 1.63 million reasons.”

“Real lives are being lost. Real families are missing parents and grandparents,” Taylor declared.

“Babies and their mothers are dying.

We have been screaming this message for decades.”

Clyde Yancy, an author of the study and chief of cardiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, told reporters that high death rates among Black people have less to do with

their genes.

However, it has more to do with the country’s long history of discrimination, which has hurt generations of Black people’s chances of getting an education, a good place to live, and a good job.

Yancy said that Black areas redlined in the 1930s, meaning that mortgages and other investments were too “high risk” for them, are still poorer and sicker today.

Yancy remarked that there were also more COVID infections and deaths in ZIP codes that used to be redlined.

“It’s very clear that we have an uneven distribution of health,” Yancy said. “We’re talking about the freedom to be healthy.”

In 2021, non-Hispanic white Americans could expect to live to 76 years old, but non-Hispanic Black Americans could only hope to live to 71 years old.

A big reason for this difference is another study that showed that non-Hispanic Black babies are 2.5 times more likely to die before their first birthday than nonHispanic white babies.

Non-Hispanic Black mothers are more than three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related problem than nonHispanic white moms.

opening weekend buying out more than 100 theaters across the country to advance the collective goal to elevate the positive, inspirational image of Black women and girls in the media.

#WinWithBlackWomen and Black women leaders support Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” starring actress

#WINWITHBLACKWOMEN SPEARHEADS NATIONWIDE THEATRE BUYOUTS FOR "THE LITTLE MERMAID" OPENING WEEKEND

Tuesday, May 30, 2023 - #WinWithBlackWomen and Black Women Leaders across the couantry collaborated to launch an inspiring nationwide theater buyout campaign for the opening weekend of "The Little Mermaid." Black Women Leaders from diverse sectors led the charge which resulted in more that 100 theater buyouts, underscoring the essential role of supporting the empowering story of "The Little Mermaid" and the influential image of Black women.

"#WinWithBlackWomen is proud to stand behind the transformative narrative of The Little Mermaid. We understand the powerful influence of representation and want to highlight the importance of supporting strong, dynamic depictions of Black women in all walks of life," says Jotaka Eaddy, the founder of #WinWithBlackWomen.

Nationwide, Black Women Leaders hosted screening events in support of the film's opening, contributing to The Little Mermaid's historic box office success and its status at the number one film in the world. They aimed to create a shared space for communities to convene, engage in impactful conversation, and

Photos from the first set of events can be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ywzFMT3DpNyfiKjW8

celebrate the compelling narrative and characters within the film. Black Women are investing in bringing positive images to their community. This includes major markets like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta and New York, but also held events in other markets including but not limited to Florence, SC; Kansas City, MO; Jackson, MS;

Columbia, SC, Prince George's County Maryland, Little Rock, AR; and Clayton County, GA.

Esteemed supporters of this initiative included best-selling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones, business leaders Michelle Dubois, Jotaka Eaddy, Tameika Isaac Devine and renowned filmmakers Gina Prince-Bythewood, Felecia Henderson,

and Mara Brock Akil. Culture & Political Strategists Holli Holliday, Danyell Smith, Christina Cue; and PR executive Gwen McKinney, along with State Senator Kandie Smith, Advocates Deborah Scott, Felicia Davis, Hollye Weeks, Erica Ford, and many others, have all pledged their backing to this initiative.

Holli Holliday, entrepreneur and #Win-

WithBlackWomen leader, shares her thoughts: "As a Black Woman business owner who serves the community, I think it's crucial that we share positive Black images on the screen, off the screen, and buying screens. Black children should be inspired to play all the positions."

The group has procured over 100 theater buyouts for young children across the country, encouraging Black women and allies to follow suit. This impressive act signifies more than mere film screening; it's a testament to the compelling narratives of bravery, resilience, and strength that echo the lived experiences of Black women.

Eaddy further adds, "We believe our collective actions will ignite inspiration within future generations. This is about more than a film; it's a spotlight on stories of courage that are a reflection of Black women. We need more stories like this."

#WinWithBlackWomen anticipates continued significant turnout for the nationwide theater buyout campaign, sending a clear and powerful message about the importance of representation, diversity, and inclusivity across media and beyond.

Halle Bailey’s

Buckingham Palace declines to exhume and return remains of Ethiopia’s Prince Alemayehu

Francis Akhalbey,

Face2FaceAfrica

A request to return the body of an Ethiopian prince who has been buried in Windsor Castle since the 19th century, to his homeland, Ethiopia, has been declined by Buckingham Palace. As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Prince Alemayehu was taken to the UK at the age of seven after British soldiers allegedly stole him when they laid siege and looted his father’s imperial fortress in 1868.

The Ethiopian royal, whose father took his own life during the siege, was supposed to arrive in the Uk with his mother; however, she died during the journey. After arriving in the UK, Queen Victoria became fond of him and ensured he was educated. Prince Alemayehu, however, died of an illness at the age of 18 after suffering racism, and was buried at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle upon the request of Queen Victoria.

the deceased royal being buried in the UK “was not right.”

Responding to the request in a statement, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told the news outlet that exhuming the prince’s remains from the catacombs of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle could disturb others who have been laid to rest there.

“It is very unlikely that it would be possible to exhume the remains without disturbing the resting place of a substantial number of others in the vicinity,” the statement said, adding that though officials at the chapel also understood the need to pay homage to the deceased prince’s memory, they likewise had the “the responsibility to preserve the dignity of the departed.”

The statement also said that previous “requests from Ethiopian delegations to visit” the chapel had been “accommodated” by the Royal Household.

ma Wolde-Giorgis, wrote to Queen Elizabeth II asking for the remains of Prince Alemayehu to be exhumed. However, according to the Ethiopian embassy, the Lord Chamberlain replied on behalf of the Queen, saying that even though the Queen supports the repatriation, identifying the remains of the young prince would not be possible, Face2Face Africa reported at the time.

“I feel for him as if I knew him. He was dislocated from Ethiopia, from Africa, from the land of black people and remained there as if he had no home,” Abebech Kasa, another descendant of the deceased prince, told BBC.

The deceased royal’s family recently told BBC that they want his remains returned to their native Ethiopia. “We want his remains back as a family and as Ethiopians because that is not the country he was born in,” Fasil Minas, a descendant of Prince Alemayehu, said, adding that

Con’t from page 03

Football Star’s Camp

After the awards ceremony Levi Jordan’s son, Tyrone, took home MVP for running backs Coach Joe Spagnolo from Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle, N.Y. took the floor.

“Someone like Tyler Booker, like Ellis Robinson IV,” he said, referring to the nationally top-ranked junior cornerback from New Haven, “these are young men coming out of Connecticut, and they checked every single box, every single day.”

“If you’re committed to it, you’re dedicated to it, you gotta come out and do it every day in the rain and the snow, and every kind of weather, and you guys showed that today.”

Another coach sounded a similar refrain. “On and off the field, everyone in this room, listen to this,” he said, the campers hanging on his every word. “Be smart, do the right thing, stay focused, work out, finish strong.”

He then offered a parting piece of advice.“Remember, to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is to have never arrived.”

As the players crossed the gymnasium to get their lunches, Tyler Booker reflected on the day.

“It went well,” he said. “The weather wasn’t so great, but the kids got a whole lot out of it, and that’s the point, and they had a whole lot of fun. They’re still having fun.”

Prince Alemayehu’s father, Emperor Tewodros II, ruled Ethiopia from 1855

till his death in 1868 during the Battle of Maqdala. For more than a century, Ethiopians have been fighting the British to return looted items from the Emperor’s fortress, including his hair and the re-

mains of his son. In 2019, Ethiopian officials announced the British National Army Museum had returned locks of hair belonging to Emperor Tewodros II.

“We want him back. We don’t want him to remain in a foreign country,” she added. “He had a sad life. When I think of him I cry. If they agree to return his remains I would think of it as if he came home alive.”

Prince Alemayehu is believed to have been stolen by British soldiers -- Photo Credit: Julia Margaret Cameron you can.”

In 2007, then-Ethiopian president, Gir-

Why is Ghana trying to pass the worst anti-LGBTQ bill in the world?

Nii Ntreh, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Africa is now the continent with the worst conditions for gay people. According to research issued in 2020 by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association, Africa accounts for over half of the 69 nations where homosexuality is still illegal.

2021 has been absolutely terrible for Ghana’s LGBTQ community. In less than six months, the community has been targeted by religious groups, local media intent on vilifying and distorting an already disadvantaged minority. In an attempt to limit or entirely outlaw LGBT rights activism in the West African country, the government has launched a wave of state-sponsored harassment against the community.

Ghana’s laws already make homosexual intercourse illegal by prohibiting “unnatural carnal knowledge.” Now, the West African country wants to take the fight against the LGBTQ community even further. In 2020, Ghana’s Parliament approved a proposal for the implementation of the Private Members’ Bill, which removes the Executive’s sole authority over the introduction of bills to Parliament for consideration.

Individual Members of Parliament (MPs) who are not ministers of state or non-government officials, as well as

private people, can now submit or start bills for consideration on the floor of the House.

The first bill to be submitted under the new era is sponsored by a group of eight legislators and is titled “The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021”. If the law passes, persons of the same sex who engage in sexual behavior might face a fine or a sentence of three to five years in prison.

The bill would also make it illegal to be LGBTQ, with anybody who identifies as lesbian, gay, transgender, transsexual, queer, pansexual, or non-binary (someone who does not identify as male or female) facing a five-year jail sentence.

Sam George, one of the eight members of parliament who submitted the measure, said he was inspired by what he perceived as Ghana’s LGBTQ community’s “increasing activism” and “promotion.”

This isn’t the first time that Ghanaian officials have sought to suppress LGBT advocacy or meetings. They have frequently used the statement “that is not our culture.” In 2006, the government of Ghana prohibited a gay and lesbian conference, fearing that it would encourage homosexuality and harm the country’s culture and morals.

“Ghanaians are unique people whose culture, morality and heritage totally

abhor homosexual and lesbian practices and indeed any other form of unnatural sexual acts,” Information Minister Kwamena Bartels said in a statement.

But we need to go back further for the history of anti-LGBT sentiments. There are native literature about sexuality in Africa in general, and Ghana in particu-

lar, but due to a lack of local writing systems, there were none or virtually none until the late nineteenth century. Unfortunately, what little is available is neither descriptive nor instructive.

Despite the lack of indigenous writing on sexuality in pre-colonial Ghana, there exist reports. A belief among the inhabit-

ants of Fanti, a set of states in southern Ghana, that individuals with “heavy souls” preferred women and those with “light souls” desired men, with no relation to their biological sex, is one example of an older Ghanaian society where homosexuality was unproblematic (see Boy-Wives and Female Husbands: Studies of African Homosexualities by Stephen O. Murray and Will Roscoe). Ironically, the cultural argument that religious organizations and sponsors of the anti-LGBT bill keep bringing up is a British one.

Former British colonies account for the majority of nations that continue to prohibit homosexuality. All British colonies, including Ghana, were subjected to so-called “anti-sodomy” legislation throughout the colonial period.

Almost no jurisdiction that was controlled by Britain at any point during that time avoided the extensive effect of its criminal code, particularly the anti-sodomy crime that was a significant component of it.

The growth of the present Ghanaian democracy will rely on the inclusiveness of the society and how much they treat minority groups. It will require intentional efforts to treat each individual with respect and dignity irrespective of their sexuality.

AARP sounding alarm on fraud, offering helpful resources to victims

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Scams and fraud are significant problems in America, and AARP, in partnership with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), has continued to sound the alarm.

Recent statistics in an AARP/NNPA roundtable revealed that seven in 10 Black adults think scams and fraud have hit a crisis level, and 85% of Black adults agreed that victims should report the crime to law enforcement.

This crisis is especially fraught within the Black community, and AARP officials said it emphasizes the need for all to work together to reframe the discussion around fraud victimization.

“This is an issue that we highlighted last year as well,” said Kathy Stokes, AARP’s director of fraud prevention programs, who offered new insights into the impact of fraud and scams in the Black community and tips for protecting consumers.

One essential tool Stokes highlighted is the AARP Fraud Watch Network, a free resource that helps individuals learn how

to proactively spot scams, get guidance from fraud specialists if targeted, and feel more secure knowing that the organization advocates at the federal, state, and local levels to protect consumers and enforce the law.

“Protecting consumers goes back to AARP’s founding,” Stokes said. He added, “There is a need to rethink fraud in America.”

AARP, an interest group focused on issues affecting America’s over-50 population, noted that all should stay informed, find support, and have a voice in the fight against fraud.

The organization hopes to avoid the plight of victims like one woman who said fraud committed against her caused her to “see disappointment in my children’s eyes.”

“They see me as the person who gave away our family money,” said the unwitting victim, who has remained anonymous.

“I seriously contemplated suicide during this mess. I was devastated,” added the victim, who described herself as a happy but not rich wife, mother, and daughter.

“Please remember I am a person who

failed her children, and that is what hurts me the most.”

But Stokes said it’s important that victims understand that it’s not their fault — unfortunately, many prey on the elderly, the poor, and the unsuspecting.

Among the keys to combating fraud and ensuring family relationships remain intact are more reporting, police officers viewing the crime more seriously, prosecutors taking on more fraud cases, and policymakers acting to protect the vulnerable.

If those steps are taken, billions of dollars will remain in America’s economy, Stokes said.

Additionally, an AARP Victim Support Program is available to those of all ages and provides free one-hour virtual sessions.

It also supports and empowers victims, lowers stress, and allows for a safe space to discuss fraud.

“This gives me a much deeper understanding of the mental health impact of fraud,” added an AARP volunteer. “Of course, I knew it was devastating, but nothing substitutes for hearing directly from victims.”

Despite Troubling Report, Rep. James Clyburn Maintains He’s No Sellout

“Any accusation that Congressman Clyburn in any way enabled or facilitated Republican gerrymandering that wouldn’t have otherwise occurred is fanciful,” Clyburn’s office said in a statement, calling the notion a “bizarre conspiracy theory.”

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

Earlier this month, a scathing report from ProPublica noted the apparent betrayal of one of the most trusted and powerful Democratic politicians in America. South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the so-called kingmaker and assistant House leader, allegedly sold out his state to Republicans to keep his seat.

ProPublica claimed Clyburn made a secret deal with the GOP during the redistricting process in 2021 that sapped the strength of the all-important Black vote while making it extremely difficult for Democrats to compete for a congressional seat.

ProPublica reported that Clyburn cut the deal to ensure his seat would remain safe.

Though the revelation occurred two weeks ago, Clyburn has mostly remained mum. But rumblings have led many to wonder when he will explain.

As political writer Isaac Bailey wrote, the NAACP sued over the gerrymandered voting map.

Bailey noted that a three-judge federal panel called it a racial gerrymander, and the court determined that it was “effectively impossible” to have moved more than 30,000 black voters into Clyburn’s district without it.

Further, Bailey observed that the

court pushed back against some of the NAACP’s claims by showing that Clyburn had requested some of the changes.

“It’s just one example of the ugly, oftenhidden layer of what we keep referring to as a democracy, a term that’s often misapplied given the state of things,” Bailey offered.

“In a healthy democracy, the people choose their representatives. Increasingly, that’s not what’s happening in ours.”

ProPublica reported on a series of meetings between Clyburn and high-ranking Republicans following the release of the 2020 Census map.

They noted that the slightest line changes could determine who wins and holds power.

But as the process commenced, they said Clyburn had a problem: His once majority Black district had suffered a daunting exodus of residents since the last count.

He wanted his seat to be made as safe as possible.

“Republicans understood the powerful Black Democrat could not be ignored, even though he came from the opposing party and had no official role in the statelevel process,” ProPublica explained.

“Fortunately for them, Clyburn, who is 82 and was recently reelected to his 16th term, had long ago made peace with the art of bartering.”

The fallout?

“The resulting map, finalized in Janu-

ary 2022, made Clyburn’s lock on power stronger than it might have been otherwise,” the report stated. “A House of Representatives seat that Democrats held as recently as 2018 would become even more solid for the incumbent Republican.

“This came at a cost: Democrats now have virtually no shot of winning any congressional seat in South Carolina other than Clyburn’s.”

The report continued: “As others attacked the Republican redistricting as an illegal racial gerrymander, Clyburn said nothing publicly. His role throughout the redistricting process has remained out of the public view, and he has denied any involvement in state legislative decisions. The report further notes that while it’s been clear that the South Carolina Congressman has been a key participant in past state redistricting, “the extent of his role in the 2021 negotiations has not been previously examined.”

ProPublica said they culled their reporting from public records, hundreds of pages of legal filings, and interviews with dozens of South Carolina lawmakers and political experts from both sides of the aisle.

“It’s troubling,” said Daniel Frasier, a longtime Democrat voter from Northeast, Washington D.C.

“And troubling is putting it mildly. It tells me that any politician can be bought and sold, and it puts my vote in doubt next year,” said Frasier, who took in a Washington Nationals game with Steve Hamilton, who identified as Republican.

“That’s why my father told me a long time ago to really watch and consider which party you align yourself with,” Hamilton said. “I think they all should represent

the people honestly and be tough about it. But to make backdoor deals to secure your power and say to ‘heck with my party and my constituents’ sucks. But I expect that from Democrats.”

ProPublica spoke with Bakari Sellers, a former Democratic lawmaker who once served on a redistricting committee.

“There is a very unholy alliance between many Black legislators and their Republican counterparts in the redistricting process,” Sellers told the outlet.

He said Clyburn’s district “is probably one of the best examples.” Moving that many Black voters into Clyburn’s district meant “we eliminate a chance to win” in other districts, he explained.

“I’m not saying that we could win, but I’m saying we could be competitive, and people of color, those poor people, those individuals who have been crying out for so long, would have a voice,” Sellers said.

While Clyburn hasn’t said much publicly, a spokesperson acknowledged to ProPublica that the office had “engaged in discussions regarding the boundaries of the 6th Congressional District by responding to inquiries.”

“Any accusation that Congressman Clyburn in any way enabled or facilitated Republican gerrymandering that wouldn’t have otherwise occurred is fanciful,” Clyburn’s office said in a statement, calling the notion a “bizarre conspiracy theory.”

South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn,

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 15, 2023 - March 21, 2023

CURTAIN CALL

Stamford’s Award-winning Theatre

From a 4-year-old orphan to an international award-winning actress

Our 33rd Season!

The inspiring story of Thuso Nokwanda Mbedu

by Ben Ebuka, Face2FaceAfrica.com

OPEN AUDITIONS

Growing up in the early 1990s, Thuso Mbedu never dreamt of being an entertainment figure. At a very young age, she wanted to be a dermatologist, but after taking a dramatic arts class in the 10th grade, she became interested in acting.

June 5 & 6

Her acting career has earned her fame and fortune locally and internationally, rising to become one of the most sought after actresses from South Africa. At 27, she was named in the 2018 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 List, and one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African Magazine.

Born on July 8, 1991, at the Midlands Medical Center in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, to a Zulu mother and Xhosa and Sotho father, she never enjoyed the care of her parents who died when she was barely four years old. She was raised by her grandmother, a very strict school principal in school and at home. Her name reflected the multicultural tribes of her parents – Thuso is a Sotho name,

Seeking singers for this September production. Roles include Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Bobby Vee, The Drifters, The Shirelles and more Full details at: Curtaincallinc.com/auditions or write: info@curtaincallinc.com

rior unit protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 17 – 19th century. She played ‘Nawi’, a zealous recruit in the

Thuso Mbedu. Photo -IOL

‘Black Reel Awards’ (Outstanding Actress – TV Movie / Limited Series), the ‘Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards’ (Best Actress in a Limited Series, Anthropology Series or Television Movie), the ‘Gotham Awards’ (Outstanding Performance in New Series), the ‘Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards’ (TV Breakout Star), and the ‘Critics Choice Television Awards’ (Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie), all for her role ‘Cora Randall’ in the 2021 TV series ‘The Underground RailShe won the ‘TV Breakout Star’ award from the Hollywood Critics Association TV and won the ‘Outstanding Performance in New Series’ award from the Gotham

In 2022, Mbedu was nominated for the ‘Independent Spirit Awards (Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series), for her role ‘Cora Randall’ in the 2021 television series ‘The Underground Railroad.’ She won the ‘Critics Choice Television Awards’ for ‘Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie’ for her role ‘Cora Ran-

In her keynote speech at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit, Thuso Mbedu tearfully spoke of how she overcame the loss of her dear parents, grandmother, and aunt. But her role in Amanda Lane’s ‘IS’THUNZI’ gradually renewed her hope in life.

“…my world was that blur, until Amanda 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 I would audition like it was my last audition. 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 not to do the callback because I had nothing 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 Interna-

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Construction

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Contact: Tom Dunay

Phone: 860- 243-2300

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

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury (HACD) is seeking sealed bids for the following Project:

Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

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

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

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

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks

NOTICIA

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

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

AA/EOE-MF

Union Company seeks:

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

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

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

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

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

State of Connecticut

Office of Policy and Management

Roof Replacement at Wooster Manor. Bid Opening date is June 15, 2023 at 11:00 am at the Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Road, Danbury, CT 06811. All bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. A pre-bid walk thru will be held on June 1, 2023 at 9:30 am at 36 West Wooster Street, Danbury, CT. Contract documents including plans & specifications can be viewed on-line and purchased from Advanced Reprographic’s website. Visit www.advancedrepro.net, select access our planroom here, select all public jobs and select “Danbury HA –Roof Replacement at Wooster Manor beginning on May 26, 2023. 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 ninety (90) 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. HACD is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Section 3 businesses are encouraged to participate.

Accountant

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

Junior Accountant. Performs accounting tasks and other related duties of a financial nature in the Business Office of the Wallingford Electric Division. Applicants must have 6 years of accounting experience with some accounting classes; or in lieu of thereof, a B.S. in accounting or an equivalent combination of experience and training. Wages: $27.47 to $34.36 hourly, plus an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, medical insurance, life insurance, paid sick and vacation time. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@ wallingfordct.gov by the closing date of May 30, 2023. Phone: (203)294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

PROPERTY FOR SALE (SEALED BIDS)

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Fiscal/ Administrative Officer position Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230419&R2=1308AR&R3=001

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is accepting sealed bids for the property listed below.

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.

Parcel ID 30/ 606/ 19// | Vacant Multi-Family – 26 Adams St (0.11 Acres) |Minimum Bid: $134,000.00

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Property is a three-family home located in the East End of Bridgeport. Built in 1920, has 6 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 12 rooms in total. Living area 3,449 sq. ft. RBB zone. Lot is rectangular in shape with dimensions totaling 4,791.6 square ft. or .11 Acre. House is being sold AS IS.

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

DRIVER CDL CLASS A

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

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER

Full Time – All Shifts Top Pay-Full Benefits

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

Sealed bids for the property will be accepted until 4:00 P.M., Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at the Authority’s Procurement Office, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604. At 4:15 P.M., Wednesday, May 31, 2023, all bids received shall be opened in public and the amount of each bid announced and recorded. Submissions must be marked “Sealed Bid” for Parcel ID 30/ 606/ 19// 26 Adams Street On the outside of the envelope should be the Buyer’s name, and contact information.

Each bid must be accompanied by a bid deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid. A bid deposit may take the form of cashier’s check payable to the Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport. The deposit of the bidder to whom the award is made will be held until sale of the property is closed; if that bidder refuses at any time to close the sale, the deposit will be forfeited to the Authority. The deposits of other bidders will be returned after closing to the highest responsible bidder.

NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR BID HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY

NOTICE

QSR STEEL CORPORATION APPLY NOW!

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Request

for Proposal (RFP)

Indefinite Quantities Contract (IQC) for Vacant Unit Turnover Agency Wide

Solicitation Number: 243-MD-23-S

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Ductless Split Units Preventative Maintenance and Repair Services

IFB No. B23002

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

SCOPE:

The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury hereby issues this Invitation for Bid to provide preventative maintenance and repair services.

BID SUBMITTAL RETURN:

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No.B23002, Ductless Split Maintenance

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE

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.

June 12, 2023 at 10:30am (EST)

NOTICIA

CONTACT PERSON FOR IFB DOCUMENT:

Devin Marra, Director of Financial Operations, T#203-744-2500 x1410

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

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is currently seeking construction services from qualified General Contractors that desire to enter into an agreement for Indefinite Quantities Contract (IQC) for Vacant Unit Turnover Agency Wide. A solicitation package will be available on May 24, 2023. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunitites.org. Proposals shall be mailed, or hand delivered to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Director of Procurement, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604. This RFP will remain open until further notice.

WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY

E-Mail: dmarra@hacdct.org

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

[Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]

WANTED TRUCK DRIVER

Truck Driver with clean CDL license

Please send resume to attielordan@gmail.com

PJF Construction Corporation AA/EOE

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

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Principal Labor Relations Specialist. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230417&R2=6342MP&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.

POLICE OFFICER

City of Bristol

Waiting List Opening Announcement

The Wallingford Housing Authority will accept 150 pre-applications through a computer-generated lottery for the HCV- Section 8 Waiting List for a limited preference specifically for the Mainstream Voucher Program from May 22, 2023, at 9:00AM EST through May 25, 2023, at 11:59PM EST.

The purpose of the Mainstream Voucher Program is to provide rental assistance for non-elderly (18-61), low-income families with at least one verifiably disabled family member. The program also encourages those with disabilities who are transitioning out of institutional or other segregated settings, at serious risk of institutionalization, homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless to apply.

2022 Income Limit: Total household income cannot exceed the annual income limit for each household size:

Invitation for Bids Agency Wide HVAC Services

NEW HAVEN 242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

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

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

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

Monday, May 22, 2023 at 3:00PM.

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

THE GLENDOWER GROUP, INC. Request for Proposals Development Consultant

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Required testing, registration info, and apply online: www.bristolct.gov

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Pre-Applications will be available online beginning May 22nd, 2023 at 9:00AM ET until May 25th, 2023 at 11:59PM ET. To access the form, please visit the following website:

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

https://www.pha-web.com/portals/onlineApplication/1181

DEADLINE: 05-04-23

Town

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.

You will need names, social security numbers, birthdates, and income information for every household member who will be listed on the application. Please be advised that you must meet the preference qualifications above, and cannot submit more than one pre-application for the same household or it will be disqualified.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

Paper applications will not be available. Additionally, pre-applications will not be accepted before May 22, 2023. The online pre-application form can be accessed by using any personal computer, laptop, smart phone, or tablet. Applicants are encouraged to visit a local library for computer access to submit a pre-application.

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

The Glendower Group, Inc. is currently seeking proposals for a development consultant. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Glendower’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway

beginning on Monday, May 22, 2023 at 3:00PM.

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.

WANTED LABORER

Assistant Building Official $39.80 hourly

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE. For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org

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

The Wallingford Public library is located at 200 North Main Street and offers free computer access. They can be reached at 203-265-6754. For other towns, please contact your local library, as their restrictions due to COVID-19 may be different.

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

DRIVER

Full Time – All Shifts Top Pay-Full Benefits

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

If you require a reasonable accommodation, please notify the office and you will be advised on how to proceed with your request. Should you need assistance, appointments will be available and scheduled upon request.

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

Laborer

Please send resume to attielordan@gmail.com

PJF Construction Corporation AA/EOE

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

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

The Wallingford Housing Authority does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability or familial status.

NOTICE

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY STATE MODERATE RENTAL PROGRAM

MR 19, 19A, 066, and 008

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

PUBLIC NOTICE

OPENING OF THE 2 AND 3 BEDROOM WAITING LISTS

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.

Town of Bloomfield

Patrol Police Officer

CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR REPLACEMENT OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS

NEW HAVEN, CT

STATE PROJECT NO.: 92-682

RFP # 2023-04-1553

NOTICIA

Effective July 1, 2023 the Seymour Housing Authority will open the 2 and 3 bedroom State Moderate Rental Waiting List for a period of 90 Days and it will be closed again on September 30, 2023 in accordance with its Tenant Selection and Continued Occupancy Policy. Apparently eligible applicants for these lists will be placed on the waiting list as a result of a random lottery of the pool of apparently eligible applicant from the open period. The lottery drawing will be held on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 2:00 P.M. in the Main Lobby of The Seymour Housing Authority, located at 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT 06483. There are existing apparently eligible families on our 2 and 3 bedroom list at the present time, and the pool of applicants from the July, August and September 2023 open application period would be placed at the bottom of the current waiting list.

Public Notice

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

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

Deadline: Applications will be accepted until position is filled

Town of Bloomfield Finance Director

LEGAL NOTICE: The City of New Haven is seeking to engage the services of a Consulting Engineering firm to provide Construction Engineering & Inspection (CE&I) Services for the following transportation project: Full replacement of two (2) signalized intersections in the West River area of New Haven, CT. This project involves installing traffic signal equipment and provide communications to the City’s centralized traffic signal system (ATMS).

The Consulting Engineering firm selected shall provide inspection services for the construction of contract plans, site/civil/traffic engineering services, survey, and prepare construction documents and reports per the State’s MSAT construction guidelines.

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

The Manchester Housing Authority Federal Low Income Public Housing (LIPH) program will accept applications for the 0-bedroom/efficiency waiting list for elderly (62+) or disabled applicants on 8:00 AM June 1, 2023.

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

Interested parties may apply on the MHA website at https://manchesterha.org/waitlist.aspx .

If needed, printed applications are available at 24 Bluefield Drive Manchester, CT 06040 and may be returned by mail, fax, or drop box to the same address.

FY 2023 Low-Income (80%) Limit

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

Portland

Important Information

Family must first meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for this program. Maximum Income and Base rents averaging $500 or 30% of income, whichever is higher, applies for this program. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to pay the base rent to pay utilities for the unit including oil heating, electricity, and water. Applicants for the 2 bedroom list must demonstrate an ability to occupy all 2 bedrooms based on their household composition. Applicant for the 3 bedroom list must demonstrate and ability to occupy all 3 bedrooms based on their household composition. Please be advised that these programs are not subsidized voucher programs, such as Section 8. This program is for Low to Moderate Income State Public Housing. For more information on Qualifications, please visit our website at www. Seymourhousing.org or contact us at 203-888-4579.

Applicants can be picked up from the Seymour Housing Authority at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 or requested at 203-888-4579. You may also obtain an application online at www. Seymourhousing.org.

This is not based on the order of arrival; the Manchester Housing Authority will place all applications received into a lottery process. The maximum number of applicants to be added to the waiting list is 75. Once the lottery has been conducted, chosen applicants will be notified by mail. Due to the high number of expected responses, applicants not chosen for the lottery may not receive notification.

Police Officer full-time

If you require reasonable accommodation regarding the application process, please notify the office and you will be advised on how to proceed with the request.

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

Firms responding to this request should be of adequate size and sufficiently staffed to perform the assignment described above. The Consulting Engineering firm will be evaluated and selected based on technical competence, the capacity and capability to perform the work within the time allotted, past record of performance, and knowledge of Federal, State, and Municipal procedures.

The Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) sub-consultant goal will be no less than zero percent (0%) of the original agreement value.

The selected firm must meet all Municipal, State, and Federal affirmative action and equal employment practices.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

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

Invitation for Bids

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

Hotels/Temporary and Emergency Housing

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

Monday,

May 22, 2023 at 3:00PM.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

APPLY NOW!

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

A letter of interest, together with general information on the firm and proposed subconsultants, the firm's brochure, current Federal Form SF330, firm’s experience, and resumes of key personnel shall be addressed to: The Bureau of Purchases – 200 Orange Street, New Haven, CT, 06510. Additionally, all interested firms must submit a detailed statement including the organizational structure under which the firm proposes to conduct business. Personnel in charge of this project will be required to possess and maintain a valid Connecticut Professional Engineer's License. Sealed responses will be accepted by the Bureau of Purchases, via the Bonfire portal until 11:00 A.M., local time, on, June 13, 2023 at which time they will be opened and read aloud. Solicitation forms, project plans, and specs are available online at https://newhavenct. bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=login

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

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

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

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY Plumbing Services

IFB No. B23003

SCOPE:

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO. Invitation for Bids

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.

TEMPORARY STAFFING SERVICES

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.

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

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

beginning on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 3:00PM.

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury hereby issues this Invitation for Bid from a professional, qualified, licensed plumbing company.

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

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL RETURN:

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

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

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No. B23003, Plumbing Services

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE

June 12th, 2023 at 11:00am (EST)

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

IFB DOCUMENTATION: Go to: www.hacdct.org “Bidding Opportunities”

[Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]

Addressing Racial Disparities in Dental Care for African Americans

BlackHealthMatters.com

Maintaining oral health starts with healthy hygiene habits, but may not be so simple for those with underlying medical conditions. People of color or multiracial people may face more challenges in receiving quality dental care. Oral diseases are more common for African American adults and may stem from a lack of care as children, both from their immediate community and the system.

Below, we answer some important questions about oral health, including what it is and why it’s important, potential complications of poor oral health, barriers for Black people, and what is currently being done or should be to address them.

The Importance of Oral Health

From dental caries to gum disease, oral health conditions can range from mild to severe. Seeing your dentist regularly can help prevent many problems and treat others before they worsen. Many physical health problems can contribute to poor oral health and poor oral health can cause additional ones, so preventing tooth decay and other dental conditions is vital to good general health.

Common Oral Health Conditions

Oral health problems can include the teeth, gums, the bones that support the teeth, the tongue, the back of the throat, and more. The three most common conditions that many people face are cavities, gum disease, and cancer.

Tooth Decay (Cavities): Also called dental caries, cavities are small holes in the surface of the tooth’s enamel caused by acids from sugary foods and bacteria caused by plaque. They are most common along the gumline and in hard-to-reach crevices where it’s difficult to brush.

Gum Disease (Periodontal Disease): Gum disease is more common than you think and nearly half of adults over 30 have experienced it. It is caused by inflammation or infections in the gums and bone that support the teeth. It may be preventable in some cases with good oral hygiene. However, some underlying conditions and risk factors also play a role, such as having a weakened immune system or family history.

Oral Cancer: Tobacco use and alcohol are the two most common causes of oral cancer. Human papilloma virus, or HPV, may also contribute to oropharyngeal cancers located in the back of the throat. Routine oral cancer screenings, especially for those with risk factors, are essential for early treatment.

Poor Oral Health Risk Factors

While poor hygiene is one of the biggest risk factors for tooth decay and gum disease, they are not the only ones. For example, diabetes decreases your ability to fight infections and can lead to periodontal disease and tooth abscess, which can

be difficult to treat with underlying health conditions. Osteoporosis can lead to bone loss and tooth decay over time, especially with increased age. You should discuss any underlying health concerns with your dental hygienist and dentist so they can make you aware of any potential links between your oral and physical health.

Possible Oral Health Complications

Poor oral health does not stop at your teeth and gums. In addition to contributing to tooth decay and gum disease, oral health can affect physical health. For example, endocarditis is an infection of the lining inside the chambers of your heart. It’s caused by bacteria, usually from the mouth, spreads through the bloodstream. Similarly, poor oral health can contribute to more chronic conditions like heart disease.

Breaking It Down (by Age Group)

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) details the disparities in oral health and those who are most at risk based on age, income, education level, and more. One such statistic is the oral cancer survival rate, which is lower among Black men compared to White men. This is largely because Black people are more likely to smoke. Other factors for oral health problems can be broken down by age group.

Children (up to age 19)

Approximately 28% of non-Hispanic Black children have had dental caries in their “baby teeth” compared to 18% of White children. Children in low-income homes, including African American, are three times as likely to have untreated cavities in primary teeth and twice as likely in permanent teeth. They are also

less likely to receive dental sealants that can prevent cavities.

Adults (ages 20 to 64)

BIPOC, including African and Mexican Americans, are up to three times as likely to have untreated cavities as White people. Education plays a large role in dental care for this age group. Those considered low-income or without private health insurance are most likely to have untreated cavities. Smokers are at the highest risk.

Seniors (ages 65 and up)

By age 65, nearly 17% of people will have lost all their teeth. Many of them are African Americans who smoke or have less than a high school education. Older adults are much more likely to experience oral infections or chronic oral diseases as well. All of these factors play a role in overall health.

Barriers to Quality Dental Care

Getting quality dental care is a challenge for African Americans because of the system itself, socioeconomic status, and a unique culture based on generations of Black history. Combined, these can become an insurmountable barrier. Oral health disparities are especially prevalent in children of color, but can affect any age, as we learned above.

Structural Barriers

Our healthcare system has policies and procedures that lead to unequal treatment of certain populations. It also has biases that change how some receive medical or dental care based on ethnic background. These become structural barriers that unfairly target African Americans and lead to poor oral health in various ways.

• Discrimination: Approximately one third of Black people report experiencing

• Poor Food Options: The most affordable foods aren’t always the best for oral health, which can lead to worsening conditions over time.

• Early Childhood Development: Many children don’t receive adequate dental care because caregivers are unaware of state and federal programs offering free and low cost services.

Cultural Barriers

Many Blacks were not taught the importance of oral health as children and so do not pass that down to their own. This becomes a part of culture and another challenge to overcome. Other cultural barriers include food preferences and caregiver education level.

Addressing Racial Equality in Dental Care

racial discrimination within the healthcare system. A quarter have been affected by it enough to avoid dental care in the future.

• Treatment: A randomized study found that an African American would likely receive a recommendation for a tooth extraction over a root canal for a similar problem compared to a White patient. This has led to disproportionate tooth loss, especially at a younger age.

• Underrepresentation: It can be more difficult for Black people to become dentists because of socioeconomic status but also admissions standards and other policies affecting education and entrance into the field of dentistry.

Socioeconomic Barriers

According to the World Health Organization, social determinants of health (SDH) include the external factors that affect a person’s overall health. These include their income, eduction, employment, food insecurity, and more. How SDH affects Black Americans’ dental health is complex.

• Financial: Many Black people cannot afford the cost of appointments, lost income from taking time off work, and other financial burdens of dental care. Some are not able to afford fluoride toothpaste designed to prevent cavities or treat specific oral conditions.

• Awareness: Some communities do not have the educational resources to stress the importance of good oral health, regardless of average income.

• Transportation: Low income neighborhoods may not have enough dental providers nearby for those lacking reliable transportation.

An article published in the Health Affairs journal in April 2022 addressed racial inequity within the healthcare system as it relates to dentistry. In it, the authors call for several actions that may help close the gap and reduce or eliminate the disparities that Black people face in understanding or seeking dental care. Here are just a few of the steps they feel should be taken:

• Changes to the electronic health records system that include dental care

• Student loan forgiveness programs for dental students of color

• Improve racial equity in dental schools, especially school admissions processes

• Expand dental benefits for adults with Medicaid

• Reward oral health programs to help motivate high-risk populations

The Healthy People 2030 initiative run by the US Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, also supports oral health for the Black population through a variety of evidencebased programs. Their report, containing research from over 400 contributors, details both the challenges and advancements in oral health over the last 20 years, including what has been done to help address disparities in dental care. One such advancement is community water fluoridation. Research suggests that drinking fluoridated water helps both families and the US healthcare system save money each year on dental care by preventing dental caries. More underserved communities are now fluoridated.

Ensuring Quality Dental Care for African Americans

Periodontal disease may be common among all races, but those with any oral health problems should be able to receive the dental care they need, no matter their ethnicity, age or socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, a vast majority of Black people aren’t able to, and Black Health Matters is working to share these struggles and raise awareness of what can be done to close the gap in dental health care.

Put your heart to work.

A job with the State of Connecticut is a way to put your compassion into action. We have open roles in healthcare and direct support, with great benefits and opportunities to grow your career. If you’ve got the heart for it, join us. Apply today at ct.gov/ctstatejobs

To keep your cash, food, or medical benefits active, we need your most up-to-date mailing address and phone number to make sure you get important information from Access Health CT and the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

To make updates, please go to or scan the QR code: ct.gov/UpdateUsDSS

New Haven Public Schools